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Vol. 45, No. 5
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Good Weather Brought Big Crowds to Baltimore TIMONIUM, Md.—The 65th anniversary of the Maryland Arms Collectors Association Show was held at the State Fairgrounds, Timonium, Md., on March 16 & 17, 2019. This gun show, more commonly known as “The Original Baltimore Antique Arms Show” or just “The Baltimore Show,” is acknowledged by most people as the premier antique gun show on the American east coast and by many as the best antique gun show in the world. The Baltimore Show attracts thousands of serious collectors from across the globe. Whichever way you view it, you would have to admit that once again it was a great show for dealers, collectors, the general public, and anyone interested in gun collecting or military history. It is a true labor of love for the collectors who make up the Show Committee. The show opened to the usual rush of customers on Saturday and quickly filled the Cow Palace. Over the years Maryland Arms Collectors Association has expended great effort and expense
Best Weapon Award went to Ken Knoll (right) for his Macon Arsenal 10-pounder Parrott rifle, Serial No. 8. Standing to his right is his son Bradley. to transform a building designed to exhibit cows into an attractive and accommodating space to welcome exhibitors and visiting crowds. Those who attended were treated to over 900 sales and display tables of antique and historic arms and arms-related items. One of the major attractions was the “Best of Show” display, “A Withering Hail of Iron – Grape and Canister in the Civil War.” This display offered a look at the various types of cannon shot used by Union and Confederate forces during the War Between the States. It was fascinating to learn the difference between the canister and grape shot in both size and utilization. Our “Best Single Weapon” highlighted a 10-pounder Parrott, Serial No. 8, the only known surviving 10-pounder Parrott rifle made by Macon Arsenal. Exhibitors came from 44 states and 10 foreign countries including Canada, The United Kingdom, Israel, Switzerland, Belgium, and
Germany. As is usual with the show, old friends were revisited and new friends were made and treasures found new homes. The weekend seemed to fly by and all too soon it was Sunday afternoon and time to announce awards for the show. When displays win awards at the Baltimore Show, you can be assured that they are world class. Judges Choice Awards went to Robert Jaffe for “Fayetteville Rifle,” Douglas Porter for “Remington Nylon .22 Rifles,” Bill Vance for “Pennsylvania and Maryland Long Rifles and ART,” and Paul D. Johnson for
H Baltimore
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48 Pages, May 2019
Redesignation of Fort Sumter National Monument CHARLESTON, S.C.—The National Park Service announces the redesignation of Fort Sumter National Monument to Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park. The law also establishes management authority and defines the park boundaries to include: Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie, and the Sullivan’s Island Life Saving Station Historic District. This provision was passed as a part of the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act (Natural Resources Management Act of Recognizes) that passed both houses of Congress in February; President Donald Trump signed it into law on Tuesday, March 12, 2019. Originally, U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina introduced legislation in both 2016 and 2017 to enact the changes to the park. Fort Sumter was added to the National Park Service as a national monument in 1948. Fort Moultrie was added to the park in 1960 using the Historic Sites Act of 1935. “This name change to Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park will help the public understand and recognize that Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie, and the Sullivan’s Island Life Saving
Station Historic District are part of America’s National Park system,” stated Dawn Davis. “In particular, it will be wonderful to have Fort Moultrie elevated by including it in the name of the park, especially as the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution is just a few years away. Fort Sumter is the site of the opening bombardment of the Civil War on April 12-13, 1861. Across the Charleston Harbor entrance is Fort Moultrie, the site best known for the patriot’s repulse of the British Navy on June 28, 1776. Combined, both forts showcase 171 years of seacoast defense. Fort Sumter is located in Charleston Harbor and is only accessible by boat. Concession-operated ferry boats depart daily from Liberty Square in Charleston, and from Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant. The Liberty Square departure point houses the park’s primary visitor center and is located at 340 Concord Street in Charleston. For information on ferry departure schedules and prices, call Fort Sumter Tours, Inc. at (843) 722-2628 or visit them online at www.fortsumttertours.com. Fort Moultrie is located at 1214 Middle Street, Sullivan’s Island, and is accessible by car. Visit www.nps.gov/fosu/index.htm.
Aerial view of Fort Sumter off Charleston, South Carolina. (Library of Congress, Carol M. Highsmith Photography, Inc.)
Inside this issue: 47 – Advertiser Index 8 – Black Powder, White Smoke 36 – Book Reviews 38 – Critic’s Corner 34 – Emerging Civil War
44 – Events Section 22 – The Graphic War 24 – Inspection, ARMS! 39 – Small Talk-Trivia 16 – The Source
10 – The Unfinished Fight 28 – This And That 14 – Through The Lens
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By Jack Melton
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Vol. 42, No. 3
48 Pages, April 2016
Battlefield Of Franklin Land Preservation Purchase By GreGory L. Wade
FRANKLIN, Tenn. — What is considered the bloodiest acreage in the Nov. 30, 1864, Battle of Franklin is now being reclaimed as part of the evolving Carter Hill Battlefield Park. Local preservation leaders recently closed on a $2.8 million purchase from owners Reid and Brenda Lovell after a months-long process of coordinating various funding sources for the critical 1.6 acres that adjoin the Carter House, a major battle landmark. Details were recently provided at a press conference led by Franklin’s Charge board member Julian Bibb, who praised the “remarkable transition” of the Franklin battlefield. Franklin’s Charge is a coalition of civic and preservation groups who joined together more than ten years ago to purchase local battleground. Over 150 years ago the Army of Tennessee stepped off in a series of charges to be virtually destroyed by Federals under John Schofield in hopes of taking Franklin and later Nashville. At that time, most of the terrain was open farmland on the outskirts of what was once a small Middle Tennessee farming community. Over time development covered much of the battlefield with houses, light industry, and small businesses. All that remained of the critical area where the Confederates temporarily broke the Federal line was the small farmhouse and a few acres known as the Carter House farm. The 1.6 acres purchased, which adjoin the southern boundary of the Carter House property, is comprised of two lots. Today, they are occupied by a flower shop and other structures
that were turned over to the City of Franklin Parks Department by Franklin’s Charge and the Battle of Franklin’s Trust (BOFT), managers of the Carter House the nearby Carnton Plantation. The structures will be removed in coming months, possibly relocated for other use. The purchase is only the latest step in a long and arduous effort to rebuild the Franklin battlefield. “It had to be a miracle,” quipped Civil War Trust (CWT) President James Lighthizer, referring to the most recent acquisition. Local resident Michael Grainger, long time Trust board member and former chairman, said, “Local leadership has been incredible and will continue to be a partner [with the CWT].” In 2005, after years of frustration attempting to preserve Franklin battleground, local preservationists decided it would have to be done the hard way, by buying properties, often with buildings on them. The largest parcel of land was originally a local golf course slated to be sold to a developer to build houses on what was the right flank of the Confederate attack north toward the Federal lines just south of the town. It was then that Franklin’s Charge came into existence. Funds have been raised for the $5 million purchase from private donors, the CWT, the City of Franklin and others. That 110-acre segment, now fully interpreted and known as the Eastern Flank Battlefield, is what got the preservation ball rolling in Franklin. Since that time nine other parcels in proximity to the Carter House have been purchased and have been, or will be, turned over to the Frank-
Franklin Charge leader Julian Bibb speaks at the Lovell purchase closing. (Gregory L. Wade photos)
Custom and Historical
Museum Quality Designs
Officer, Infantry, Civilian and Collectibles Battle of Franklin. 1891 print by Kurz and Allison. Restoration by Adam Cuerden. (Library of Congress) lin Parks Department, according to Bibb. But it was the land just south of the Carter House, long considered the most bloodied ground in Franklin, and some say in America, that was the most coveted. BOFT Chief Executive Officer Eric Jacobson noted, “to not have this ground reclaimed and preserved, would be like having Omaha Beach cut out of Normandy.” The most recent acquisition evolved when Franklin’s Charge and the BOFT began discussions with the Lovells, who have a strong sense of the history of the land, having grown up in Franklin. “I was born and raised in Franklin on ground many believe should have been a national park,” said Reid Lovell. He recalled when visitors came to town and had to envision what happened, not walk on ground where it transpired. “My great-grandfather, who fought here, and my parents would be proud of what we are doing here today,” he said at the press conference. The Franklin Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted unanimously in February to fund part of the remaining debt on the Lovell property purchase. The previously saved plots, valued at $6.8 million, are being transferred to the city in exchange for $1.08 million to be paid by the city on a non-interest basis over seven years. These funds will cover the balance now bridged by a local bank and will be derived from the city’s hotel-motel tax. Local banker Chuck Isaacs was instrumental in working out the loans. All the city funds are allotted as well as a donation of $25,000 by his employer, First Farmers and Merchants Bank. A $1.3 million grant from the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) was a major piece of the
Franklin Alderman Michael Skinner, left, and Franklin Charge Board member Ernie Bacon attended the Franklin press conference. funding and the most complex, according to Bibb. “With help from city officials, the Civil War Trust and others at the ABPP, we got it done,” Bibb noted. Other funding came from private donors including local Civil War Trust board member Grainger, who has been involved with other national preservation efforts. Representatives of Save the Franklin Battlefield, the oldest battlefield
preservation group in Franklin who for years advocated the possibility of a battleground park, attended the signing of official documents and “have been with us every step,” said Bibb. The site interpretation work will be led by representatives of the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage
H Franklin
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Inside this issue: 23 – Black Powder, White Smoke 24 – Book Reviews 33 – Critics Corner 36 – Events Section
11 – The Source 8 – Through The Lens 10 – Treasures From The Museum 14 – The Watchdog
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Ken Knoll’s Macon Arsenal 10-pounder Parrott rifle, serial no. 8, won Best Weapon.
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Civil War News
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May 2019
by Joe Bilby Eras Gone Bullet Molds, Repro Catalogs & A Business Merger Eras Gone Bullet Molds One of the most interesting historical small arms related businesses I have come across in some time is Eras Gone Bullet Molds. Company founder Mark Hubbs wanted authentic bullets to shoot in original and reproduction Civil War cap and ball revolvers; his search led him to check into the possibility of having a company make him custom molds. Hubbs’ quest led to some interesting results. He quickly discovered that “set up fees for custom molds are expensive, so to get the single mold I required, I had to buy at least 30 from a prominent mold maker to make the project
affordable.” His plan was to contract for the thirty, keep one for himself, give one to his friend who did the design and sell the rest to cover the cost. He posted his plan on the Black Powder Revolver Enthusiast Facebook page, received an enthusiastic response, and chose “Eras Gone” for a company name. While Hubbs started out with six-gun slugs, his latest product is a mold to cast a historically correct Smith carbine bullet. The Smith bullet is .518 in diameter, weighs 354 grains, and features the rounded top band of the original projectile. You can view the Eras Gone By bullet selection, which includes .44 caliber Johnson and Dow, .31 caliber Baby Dragoon, .36 caliber Richmond Laboratory, and .36 caliber Colt designs at his website: http://erasgonebullets. webstarts.com/?fbclid=IwAR-
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3zO7Jio_tRT4dPotZw8K7Wox9 W 0 5 8 Te X I s J h w R n 1 3 s d M 9NyE5CSVJna6w. Eras Gone By molds are $65 each postpaid for United States sales. The company ships overseas as well for additional shipping cost and has sold to shooters in the United Kingdom, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Canada Spain, France, Serbia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia. The molds are made by Lee Precision and come complete with handles. Orders are processed through Bonanza, a sales platform like eBay. https:// w w w. b o n a n z a . c o m / b o o t h s / Eras_Gone_Bullets.
Smith carbine bullet mold and handles.
(Mark Hubbs)
Close up of the Smith bullet mold cavities. It should be noted that all Eras Gone molds have two cavities. (Mark Hubbs)
Classic Firearms Catalog Reproductions As many of you are aware, my part time retirement job is as Assistant Curator of the National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey in Sea Girt. I recently received an information request from an arms historian in Denmark regarding a Bofors anti-tank gun in our collection. The provenance of the gun was shaky; one account had it donated by a VFW post that received it as World War II surplus and used it as a lawn ornament. My inquirer, to whom I supplied photos, posited that it might have been sold by the Danish government to Val Forgett. And that point brought back some memories. Back in the day, as they say, the day being the late 1950s, I was a high school kid living in Newark, N.J. I was also an avid history, outdoors, and firearms buff. My friend Johnny Sause’s father used to take us on party boat fluke fishing expeditions, so it fell to my father to bring us to that iconic surplus gun mecca, Service Armament, located at 8 East Fort Lee Road in Bogota, N.J. To a military history nerd like me, Service Armament, lodged in a huge warehouse, was a wonderland. There were cannon all over the floor, as well as antitank guns, Gatling guns, mortars, and rocket launchers; the small arms for
Cornell Publications reprint of the 1958 Service Armament catalog. sale ranged from the 19th century to World War II. Val Forgett, the founder of the company, traveled far and wide to purchase his stock, and it was for sale— cheap. A World War I era British Number 1 Mark III rifle could be
yours for $14.95, and 100 rounds of .303 ammunition to go with it would set you back $7.50. You could buy a Model 1875 Gatling gun for $5,000, a Model 1900 Gatling gun for $1,250, a 12-pounder bronze Civil War
Civil War News
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Tea and Tea Substitutes “If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee.” The joke in the heading about tea and coffee was credited to Abraham Lincoln who might have retold it but he did not come up with it. While Lincoln was a tea drinker, this one was an old joke by the time he was in office; a version of the same joke also appeared in the London magazine PUNCH, but the earliest recorded use was in the published notes of the 1853 Massachusetts constitutional convention. Henry Laurens Dawes used the tea/coffee joke to set up a political debate with the Whigs over some legislation, so perhaps it was an old joke even then.
Coffee and tea were both immensely popular hot beverages during the antebellum era. Tea was the original “favorite” when America was a collection of British colonies; however, in the early-to-mid 1770s it became somewhat un-patriotic to enjoy tea to the same degree as before. South American coffee (mostly from Brazil) gained a foothold and consumption continued to rise. It increased fivefold from 1790 to 1860; by that time three pounds of coffee were imported for every one pound of tea. This figure is somewhat deceiving in that a pound of tea produces more cups of brewed beverage than a pound of coffee, but the point is the same. Tea lost its dominance as America’s favorite hot beverage to coffee and the gap between them would only get wider as time went on. In fact, the rise of
coffee over tea was a worldwide phenomenon during the nineteenth century. The key to the success of coffee and tea was at least partially in the smell, appearance, and taste, but more importantly, the stimulating effects from the caffeine contained in both. To better understand substitutes, it is important to understand what was consumed to begin with. In other words, what kind of tea(s) did Americans in the antebellum Southern states drink? How much did availability change with the Civil War? What kinds of substitutes were in use and when? How were they different? Beginning with tea, New York dominated importation to antebellum America. In June 1860, the Southern port of New Orleans listed six million dollars in coffee imports, but no tea. Negligible amounts may have come in through other ports, but the vast majority of imported tea made the voyage from China to New York. Different varieties of green tea were commonly imported to America before the Civil War. According to Shelley and Bruce Richardson in A Tea for all Seasons (Benjamin Press, Perryville, KY 1996), the tea initially enjoyed antebellum and in the early years of the Civil War was most likely made from …a green tea called Gunpowder. Gunpowder has the best keeping quality of any tea made. It consists of a tightly rolled green leaf. Because of its long life, it was one of the first teas exported for the long clipper ship ride to the Americas…it was lighter and easier to store making it the favorite of frontiersmen and soldiers.
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India and Sri Lanka (Ceylon) are the largest tea exporters today, but these areas were not large tea producers during the 1860s; Japanese imports to America were only a fraction of what the Chinese shipped out until much later in the 19th century. Varieties of China black teas were, of course, in evidence, but they were less common than today.
May 2019
Image of Camellia sinensis courtesy Kohlers Medicinal Plants 1897.
Brandy Station, Va. Dinner party outside tent, Army of the Potomac headquarters. Perhaps they are drinking tea with their meal? (Library of Congress) If you want to try an antebellum “common” tea, one of the green teas is a good choice. Tea was mostly loose leaf, compressed or in pellet form, and not sold in individual “tea bags” until the early twentieth century. Around the early twentieth century, black tea served over ice started to become a popular beverage. There were receipts (recipes) for iced green teas dating back to George Washington’s time as President, but these contained liquor and were called “tea punches.”
South Carolina is the first place in the United States where tea was grown as early as 1795; it is the only state that produced tea commercially. In America during the mid-19th century, tea was usually enjoyed as a hot beverage and served much like coffee. The majority of modern tea exported from India/Sri Lanka is a mixture of black teas; whether served hot or cold, they taste nothing like the Chinese green tea of the 1860s. Loose leaf or gunpowder Chinese green tea is an acquired taste, and
Civil War News
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We’ll Eat Your Mules Up (The Battle of Rocky Face Ridge – Part 1) “The U.S. have the means of collecting two great armies— here & in Virginia. Our government thinks they can raise but one, that of course in Virginia.” – C.S. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. On March 17, 1864, in Nashville, Tenn., U.S. generals Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman agreed on a plan of action. Sherman would push past Gen. Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of Tennessee “to get into the interior of the enemy’s country as far as you can, inflicting all the damage you can against their war resources.” Grant would fight Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Both Union armies would launch their campaigns on May 5.
In preparation, Sherman was a whirlwind of activity as he beleaguered quartermasters to stockpile the food, ammunition, and equipment required for 100,000 men and 35,000 horses and mules for two months in Chattanooga, Tenn. Railroad deliveries jumped from 79 carloads to as many as 193 a day. Still it was not enough. Civilians and non-essentials were banished from the trains. Livestock were sent “on the hoof.” Soldiers had to walk the last 12 miles. “I’m going to move on Joe Johnston the day Grant telegraphs me he is going to hit Bobby Lee,” he told one of his quartermasters, “and if you don’t have my army supplied, we’ll eat your mules up, sir—eat your mules up!” Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston had taken over the Army of Tennessee after the defeat at the Battle of Missionary Ridge, Tenn. The men were demoralized and were deserting by the
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thousands. To Johnston’s shock, C.S. Gen. Patrick Cleburne suggested enlisting slaves as soldiers and rewarding them with emancipation. Instead, Johnston adopted a policy of general amnesty for deserters, established training programs, army parades, and sham battles that drew spectators from Atlanta, Ga. Furthermore, the former U.S. Quartermaster General managed to acquire shoes, blankets, extra food, and a ration of whiskey and tobacco twice a week. “Old Joe” had “raised a new spirit into the whole mass,” wrote Pvt. Sam Watkins. Yet, the Confederates did not have a campaign plan. From his winter quarters in Dalton, Ga., Johnston had difficulty convincing the decision makers in Richmond, Va., that due to terrain and lack of local farms, it was not possible to replicate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s Valley Campaign in the Tennessee / Georgia area. Unlike Sherman, Johnston could not stockpile supplies as he did not have the authority to seize control of the Western & Atlantic Railroad as it was owned by the State of Georgia. Due to mismanagement, it sometimes took 36 hours for a trainload of supplies to travel the 85 miles between Atlanta and his winter quarters in Dalton, Ga. While Sherman geared up, Johnston wrote, “I fear that the government does not intend to strengthen the army.” Lacking the troops and equipment to stage an offensive, Johnston fortified Rocky Face Ridge, the first ridge between Chattanooga and Dalton. The summit ran north-south for 10 miles, 700 feet above the valley, not more than ten to thirty feet wide at the top. Johnston’s men felled trees, built stone breastworks, and cached boulders to augment their ammunition. The railroad ran through a breach at Mill Creek Gap before descending to Dalton. By damming Mill Creek, Confederate engineers created a lake 16 feet deep in places. The Gap was topped with towering cliffs known as Buzzard’s Roost, defended with cannon and infantry. Sherman, observing the spot through a glass, considered it a “terrible door of death.” He
May 2019
General Joseph E. Johnston, Confederate States of America, Colorization © 2013 civilwarincolor.com courtesy civilwarincolor. com/cwn. (Library of Congress) determined that he would only Face Ridge and Mill Creek Gap. pretend to go through it. At Dug Gap, U.S. Gen. John On May 1, Johnston sent the Geary’s men followed retreating officers’ wives to Atlanta. He Confederate skirmishers through reported a large number of Federal the thick woods and up the mountroop movements to Richmond. tain. There they faced a line of The response suggested that the tall cliffs, “almost perpendicular. Union troops were being moved … It was 15 or 20 feet high and to Virginia and “the activity pierced by some narrow crevicin front of Dalton must be a es we saw their skirmishers pass, deceptive demonstration.” and then their main line opened Sherman’s three armies had furiously upon us, and added to arrived at Chattanooga; Gen our confusion by sending from George H. Thomas’s Army of the top great boulders rolling the Cumberland, consisting of down the mountain side,” de60,773 men and 130 guns, Gen. scribed Lt. Stephen Pierson, 33rd John Schofield’s Army of the NJ. The Confederates held their Ohio, consisting of 13,559 men ground, four against one. As it and 28 guns, and Gen. James B. got dark, the Federals retreated McPherson’s Army of the Tenn., down the mountain. consisting of 24,465 men and 96 The diversion worked. While guns. the Confederates were kept Thomas proposed mov- busy fighting off two armies, ing his army through Snake McPherson’s army was making Creek Gap, exiting at the rear its way through Snake Creek Gap. of the Confederate position, in- Sherman eagerly awaited news of stead of attacking Rocky Face McPherson’s progress. His first Ridge. Sherman decided that report said he was five miles from McPherson’s army would be a Resaca, Ga., and no Confederates better choice to rapidly march were in sight. Sherman pounded through the Gap undetected. his fist on the table until the supThomas and Schofield would per dishes rattled, and he shouted, demonstrate south of Mill Creek “I’ve got Joe Johnston dead!” Gap at Dug Gap. The Battle of Rocky Face The Battle of Rocky Face Ridge will continue in Part 2 next Ridge was fought on May 7 – 13. month. On May 7, the two diversionary Sources: columns pressed towards Mill Govan, Dr. Gilbert E., A Creek Gap from the north and Different Valor: The Story of Dug Gap from the west. On the General Joseph E. Johnston, May 8, Thomas sent men to- C.S.A. ward the north end of Rocky Woodworth, Steven E.,
Civil War News
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The Atlanta Papers (cont.)
The Atlanta Papers cover and spine. This month, we conclude our exploration into Sydney C. Kerksis’s The Atlanta Papers; a collection of Federal accounts from the Atlanta Campaign. Paper No. 25, ‘With Sherman’s Cavalry,” contains various accounts from the March to the Sea Campaign, as Colonel Smith D. Atkins recalled his service
under Brigadier General Judson Kilpatrick, an officer Atkins, unlike others, held in regard. Captain John P. Rea of the 1st Ohio Cavalry provided Paper No. 26 – ‘Kilpatrick’s Raid Around Atlanta.’ Rea offers a detailed account of the mid-August 1864 fighting near Lovejoy. Another account from the Federal troopers follows, as Colonel Horace Capron, with the 14th Illinois Cavalry, penned ‘Stoneman’s Raid to the South of Atlanta,’ Paper No. 27. Stoneman’s men engaged in battle at Sunshine Church, where many of his troopers, including Stoneman himself, fell prisoner to the Confederates. Rea almost numbered among those heading for Andersonville. However, as he recalled, “…Stoneman had surrendered…the sight was mortifying…and for an instant I thought of surrender. But…my eyes… fell upon my youngest son, who had taken up arms…[and] before whom…yawned the sepulcher
Map accompanying Captain Ludlow’s report on Allatoona Pass.
of Andersonville.’ Rea offers an exciting account of the escape of several hundred cavalrymen (including his son), which he eventually led in returning to their headquarters in Marietta. ‘Stoneman Raid to Macon, Georgia, in 1864,’ Paper No. 28, contains Captain Albert Capron’s account of his participation with the 14th Illinois Cavalry on this particular attempt to cut the last rail lines servicing Atlanta. ‘The Battle of Allatoona,’ Paper No. 29, from Captain Mortimer Flint, provides great insight into the October 5, 1864, fighting at Allatoona. Mortimer led the 1st Alabama Cavalry (U.S.A.) during the battle and proved his talent with the pen might have equaled his skill with the saber. In painting the scene of the pass, he wrote: “The glorious sun of Austerlitz flashed not more brightly upon Napoleon’s legions in magnificent battle array, than did its brilliants[sic] beams crown the Allatoona hills on that lovely
May 2019
First page of Bliss’s hymn, from Bliss, P. P. Hold The Fort. Boston: William F. Gill and Company, 1877.
Civil War News
20
May 2019
Federal City Brass Band Brings Added Dimension to Military Through the Ages By Bob Ruegsegger Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. – Plato For decades visitors have flocked to Military Through the Ages at Jamestown Settlement for an opportunity to view military history in three dimensions. Living historians bring warriors from a plethora of time periods and places—Ancient Rome, 17th century Virginia, Civil War, and World War II—to life. The Federal City Brass Band, from its headquarters in Baltimore, brings a fourth dimension to the ever-popular annual event that is music, brass band music from the 19th century. The band represents what Civil War era bands looked like in three dimensions. More importantly, they duplicate, exactly, how mid19th century brass bands sounded in their heyday. It was a time when nearly every town had some sort of brass band according to Jari Villanueva, the principal musician of the Federal City Brass Band. When the Civil War broke out, the town bands joined the volunteer regiments and marched off to war with them. “What we do is recreate what a band sounded like back then,
what they looked like,” said Villanueva. “We have instruments that are all original, the actual instruments from that time period,” he noted. “We have found them and had them restored. We also are dressed in correct period uniforms.” The Federal City Brass Band dresses in blue uniforms. When they recreate the 26th North Carolina Regimental Band that served with the 26th North Carolina Infantry from April 1862 through the war’s end, they play the same original instruments and wear gray uniforms. This is what we love to do when we get together,” said Villanueva. “We just love to perform this music.” Apparently visitors, staff members, and living historians at Jamestown Settlement love to hear the performances as the band marches through the site and stops at selected period encampments for informal serenades. The brass band music transports listeners back to the mid-19th century. “It is a great honor to come down and play for Jamestown Settlement,” said Villanueva. “For Jamestown Settlement to ask us to come down here is a real joy. It’s so great to be able to play this music and hear what history sounds like.” Lee Turner, a retired middle
school band director and professional trumpet player, is a musician with the Excelsior Coronet Band in Syracuse, N.Y. “We play on original instruments, and we come down here and play, augmenting Jari’s Federal City Brass Band,” said Turner. “I’ve been doing that for 15 years.” Turner was never a “real history buff” when he was in high school, but playing period music on original instruments has changed that. He started delving into the history of the instruments and how they were built. Turner became interested in learning more about what the actual purpose of a band was during the era. He has also started collecting
antique instruments and begun to really appreciate how the music sounds when played on the original instruments. “These instruments are quite a bit quieter than modern brass instruments and they have just such an interesting blend,” said Turner. “They’re a lot less harsh than a modern trumpet or coronet. They are mostly conical bore and they don’t carry as well.” Turner plays a vintage Schuster side-action, rotary valve, b-flat coronet in high pitch made between 1865 and 1870. It is, according to Turner, almost a halfstep higher than the modern pitch. Pitch is a big issue so Turner and his bandmates have to listen and figure out who’s going
to play sharp and who’s going to play flat to blend with the group. The music of the times appeals to Turner. He likes the harmonies and the simplicity of the music. “It’s also the era of Stephen Foster. It’s the bridge between opera and popular song. It’s actually the beginning of the modern era of pop music,” he observed. “We play a lot of tunes that soldiers would have known. Opera arias are so tragic that they’re made into a quick step so that they could march to them,” he said. “The soldiers knew the tunes and they became popular tunes of the day, so I like that.” Garman Bowers Jr. of Hagerstown, Md., has been a drummer with the Federal City
Jari Villanueva is the founder and principal musician of the Federal City Brass Band.
Garman Bowers, Jr., and Jeff Stockham (left to right) performed with the Federal City Brass Band at Jamestown Settlement.
Jari Villanueva (left) conducting at Jamestown Settlement during Military Through the Ages weekend. (All photos Bob Ruegsegger)
Civil War News
22
The First of May 1865 or Genl. Moving Day in Richmond, Va. This occasional column highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War. It discusses their meaning and most importantly, the goals of the print maker or artist. This highly satirical, hand colored, lithographic print, although smaller than most of the Civil War period (only 9 x 12), is loaded with demeaning symbolism and sarcastic “I told you so” imagery. The print depicts “moving day” at Confederate headquarters in Richmond on May 1, 1865. Conceived and drawn by lithographers Kimmel and Forster, and published by H. & W. Voight of New York City, this biting lithograph depicts a Confederate officer, heavily laden with weapons facing another man burdened with several boxes over his shoulder. The soldier is undoubtedly Robert E. Lee. New York print dealer, Donald Heald, who recently had this print in his shop, identified the other man as Treasury Secretary George Trenholm. Lee is loading weapons in an old dog cart and Trenholm “hauls a string of boxes carrying worthless bonds over his shoulder, each bearing the
name of a Confederate state.”1 Most experts agree that this print was published in April 1865 and not May and predicts the coming fall of the Confederacy. The buildings are in disarray with broken windows and shutters. A sign gives away the fact that this print was not published in May but early April. Over Secretary Trenholm is a sign which reads: “To let. Apply Lincoln & Co.” Presumably Lincoln was still alive when this print was produced. Another sign merely reads “Sheriff’s Sale.” Two African Americans (one thumbing his nose) watch the scene as
Trenholm and Lee try to load a cart labeled “CSA” pulled by two malnourished dogs. Nearby, a box labeled “C.S.A. Treasury Wastepaper 55 Ann Str.” awaits loading. Off to both sides are two white civilians watching the proceedings as another malnourished dog urinates on the treasury box New York print dealer Donald Heald also agrees that “The title date of May 1 is misleading. It was probably issued earlier in the spring, before the collapse of the Confederacy, speculating on its demise with May 1 as a projected to date. In fact, Richmond was occupied by Union troops on April 3. Likewise, the reference
May 2019 to “Lincoln & Co.” is unlikely after his death on April 15. Finally, Treasury Secretary Trenholm had resigned on April 27, although this detail might have escaped a cartoonist.”2 The firm of Kimmel and Forster produced several allegorical and patriotic Union lithographs at war’s end featuring Lincoln, and other Northern heroes of the war. In 1865, after Lincoln’s assassination, they issued The Preservers of the Union featuring Lincoln and Grant on either side of Liberty giving Grant equal billing with the slain leader. Their other work, more realistic, and also later in the war, included a print of Fort Sumter after its re-capture by Federal troops and the “Capture of Harrold and the Shooting of Booth.”3 The “First of May” is a small print packed with biting imagery. Copies are held in the collections of the American Antiquarian Society, the Library of Congress, Yale, the Virginia Historical Society, and Brown University. Endnotes:
1. The Library of Congress’ copy of this print mistakenly identifies Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, and Stonewall Jackson vacating premises in Richmond. Trenholm’s
depiction, while crude, is definitely too young to portray Davis and, of course, Jackson was dead some two years before this print was published. 2. www.donaldheald.com 3. Harold Holzer, Mark E. Neely, Jr. The Union Image: Popular Prints of the Civil War North. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2000, 177; Harry Peters. America On Stone: The Other Printmakers to the American People. New York: Doubleday & Co., 1931, 251. See also Mark Neely, Harold Holzer and Gabor S. Boritt, The Confederate Image: Prints of the Lost Cause. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1987, 175. Salvatore Cilella is retired after 43 years in the museum field. His last position was President and CEO of the Atlanta History Center. He is the author of several articles and books. His most recent books are Upton’s Regulars: A History of the 121st New York Volunteers in the Civil War (U. Press Kansas, 2009) and The Correspondence of General Emory Upton, 1856–1881 (U. Tennessee Press, 2017) edited. He is currently editing the intimate love letters between Emory and Emily Upton.
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Civil War News
24
The French Perrin Revolver It is interesting to note that the three most advanced self-contained, metallic cartridge revolvers to see use during the American Civil War were all French designs, the Model 1854 Lefaucheux, the Model 1859 Perrin, and the Model 1860 Société Pindault & Cordier, better known as the “Raphael.” Although the Smith & Wesson Number 1 and Number 2 revolvers were also metallic cartridge guns and certainly were carried by more men than those armed with the Perrin and Raphael combined, those rimfire cartridges were quite anemic being .22RF Short and .32RF Short, respectively. Only the three French cartridge revolvers were close to being “man stopping” military calibers.
Next to the M1860 Société Pindault & Cordier “Raphael” revolver, the M1859 Perrin revolver is probably the least often encountered of all imported Civil War handguns. Like the Raphael, the Perrin was a French designed, self-contained, cartridge revolver with a double action lock and a 6-shot cylinder. While the Rafael was a “traditional double action,” in that it could be fired in either single action or double action modes, the Perrin was what would be called a “double action only” revolver today, as the action was only actuated by the long, heavy pull of the trigger, and with no facility to cock the hammer manually. The Perrin fired a very advanced 12 mm (approximately .45 caliber), internally primed, self-contained metallic cartridge. The cartridge had a thick rim and, while the primer was not visible from the outside bottom of the
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casing as it is with modern center fire cartridges, it was a center fire design. The patent covering this revolver’s design, but most especially its cartridge design, was granted in France to Perrin & Delmas in 1859. As noted, this gun was strictly a double action design, with a spurless hammer, similar to the M1851 Adams patent percussion revolvers. In fact, the gun featured an Adams style safety spring on the left hand side of the frame. By lightly depressing the trigger, and thus slightly lifting the hammer from the cylinder’s rear, the safety spring would automatically make a small extension enter the frame, creating a hammer block that kept the hammer from contacting the cartridges. This also allowed the cylinder to rotate freely for loading or unloading. Pulling the trigger to fire the gun automatically released the safety, with it rebounding out of the hammer’s path, allowing the falling hammer to strike the cartridge in the cylinder’s chamber. The Perrin had an interesting hidden rod used to eject empty cases from the cylinder. The rod was stored within the center portion of the cylinder arbor and could be withdrawn, and then rotated via a cam on the barrel, to align it with a cylinder chamber on the right hand side. This placed the rod in the correct position to push empty cases out of their chambers. The storage system protected the slender, and somewhat delicate, rod from damage when it was not in use, and allowed a more streamlined design without an ejector rod or housing mounted on the revolver’s frame or barrel. The ejector rod also kept the cylinder arbor pin in place when it was being stored; taking the ejector rod out of storage freed the arbor pin to be withdrawn from the frame, allowing the cylinder to be removed. This same system would be employed less than a decade later on several of the early P. Webley & Sons cartridge revolvers, such as their Royal Irish Constabulary (R.I.C.) and Bull Dog models. Sights were rudimentary, with a simple notch machined into the upper rear of the frame for a rear sight
May 2019 and a brass post near the muzzle serving as the front sight. Perrin revolvers were marked with the patentees’ name and with a serial number on the major components. Collectors have separated the Perrin revolvers into three “Types,” which appear to be chronological in their evolution. Both Types I and II have open top frames, while the Type III has a top strap. Variations between these revolver types are further indicated by the style of loading gate system. Type I gates are rather thin and hinged at the top, swinging outward and upward. Type II gates are somewhat thicker, also hinged at the top, but swing to the rear of the revolver to open. The Type III gate is thicker and more robust, hinged at the bottom, swinging down and away from the frame. It is worth noting that there is little good information about the Perrin revolver published in English, and sources vary as to the actual model designation: M1859 or M1860, as well as to their actual caliber; 11 mm or 12 mm. While most U.S. sources have long referred to the gun as the M1860, the recent publication French Service Handguns by Eugene Medlin & Jean Huon refers to the pistol as the M1859 and, as they seem to be the most definitive word on the subject, I will defer their opinion. The issue of caliber, 11 mm versus 12 mm, is somewhat more problematic. In this case, Medlin & Huon come down on the 11 mm side of things. Measuring extant examples shows that the chamber mouths are typically about 12 mm while the bores measure approximately 11.5 mm. This suggests the reference to 12 mm really establishes the outside
diameter of the case, rather than the bullet’s diameter. As case diameter was a common way to establish “caliber” for cartridges during the period (case diameter versus bullet diameter) I will continue to use the 12 mm designation. This system of measuring and naming cartridges is why the “.38 Special” uses a .357” diameter bullet; the name is derived from the case diameter, and we have not seen fit to discontinue calling revolvers with .357 caliber bores “.38s.” It is further worth noting that according to the Springfield Armory Museum Collection Record regarding Perrin revolvers: We have of this writing five Perrins in the collection. No two are quite alike, having minor variations in rear sights, grips, loading gates and rebating of frame as well as barrel lengths. Other authors have noted that barrel lengths tend to vary between 5 ½ inches and 6 ½ inches and that the earliest production guns have variations in rifling with 4, 6, 8, and 9 groove examples having been noted. Eventually it appears that the 6-groove system was settled upon as standard. The majority of the revolvers were finished “in the white” with bright polished metal and had smooth one-piece walnut grips. However, some examples are known with special finishes, including blued, nickel plating (a very new technology in the 1860s), as well as gold damascene. Checkered grips are not uncommon either, although smooth wood certainly seem to
The “Type I” loading gate open and the ejector rod deployed to expel empty shell casings.
Civil War News
26
May 2019
Battle of Hampton Roads Commemorated at Mariners’ Museum’s Monitor Center By Bob Ruegsegger The 157th anniversary of the Battle of Hampton Roads was commemorated at the Mariners’ Museum’s Monitor Center on March 9th. Reenactors, interpreters, lecturers, and museum staff welcomed visitors to the Monitor Center to reflect upon a pivotal episode in American history that forever changed naval warfare. Two ironclad warships, the CSS Virginia and the USS Monitor, dueled each other and fought for
George Buss as President Lincoln “Some folks say it was a draw because the ships withdrew, but the fact that the Merrimac [CSS Virginia] did not occupy Hampton Roads after the battle was significant,” observed Lincoln. (Bob Ruegsegger)
the control of Hampton Roads early in the Civil War. The Monitor Center embraces a plethora of artifacts and exhibits that focus on the development of both ironclads and the battle’s particular significance to the Hampton Roads area, Virginia, and American history. On March 8, 1862, the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia, on her trial run, steamed out of the Elizabeth River, into Hampton Roads, and began attacking the Union ships. As the tide dropped, the CSS Virginia withdrew back into the Elizabeth River to refit. The next day, the ironclad CSS Virginia steamed into the harbor to finish off the Union fleet. The Union concern was that if the CSS Virginia completed the task of destroying the Federal fleet, there was nothing to stop the Confederate warship from sailing out into the Chesapeake Bay, then up the Potomac River to attack Washington, D.C.—potentially terminating the war in favor of the South. On the evening of March 8, after the CSS Virginia had withdrawn, the USS Monitor steamed into Hampton Roads, just in time to protect what remained of the Union fleet. The Monitor battled the Virginia to a draw, and was called “the little ship that saved the nation.” “Every March 9th we try to commemorate the fact that the Monitor performed that service to our nation,” said Howard H.
Hoege III, president and CEO of the Mariners’ Museum. Hoege characterized the quality of interpretation at the event as “fantastic.” He cited a variety of “community partners” as contributors to the annual event, including the Fort Monroe Authority, Casemate Museum, and the Yorktown Historical Society. “Our local partner, NOAA, has an office right next door to us. We have Newport News Historic Homes with us,” said Hoege. “This is really a community effort even though we’re focused on the Battle of Hampton Roads.” While most interpreters who participate annually are regional, there is one very notable exception, George Buss. He resides in Freeport, Illinois, “Lincoln Country,” when he’s not publicly engaged in portraying Abraham Lincoln. For 15 years, Buss has been “sharing the Lincoln legacy” as a costumed interpreter with Mariners’ Museum visitors during the Battle of Hampton Roads event. This year Buss and his wife Mona portrayed the first couple, President and Mrs. Lincoln. “Some folks may remember this as the Battle of the Ironclads. It changed the course of United States history so it’s worthy to be remembered,” said Buss [as Lincoln]. “Folks sometimes confuse a commemoration with a celebration. This is not a celebration,” noted Buss. “This is a time to remember who we are, where we’ve come from, and that government, that last best hope of democracy on Earth, still exists.” George Buss, as President Lincoln, has favorably impressed museum staff members, visitors, and other historical interpreters. Wisteria Perry, manager of communication and community outreach for the Mariners’ Museum, has been among the George Buss admirers for years. “I absolutely love him. I love him so much that I actually took him out to several schools here in Newport News,” said Perry. “He did multiple presentations with fourth graders. It was a phenomenal thing,” she said. “They were just starting their Civil War section so it was an introduction.” Kurt Eberly, an interpreter with the Tidewater Maritime Living History Association, had an opportunity to interact with George Buss as President Lincoln aboard the replica of the USS Monitor
constructed by the Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding on the Monitor Center grounds. “The Lincoln that the Mariners’ Museum invites from Illinois is the best Lincoln interpreter that I’ve ever seen,” said Eberly. “He’s the right age. He’s the right height. He knows everything about Lincoln. He’s has the accent. The outfit is perfect,” said Eberly. He’s just like a Lincoln brought back to life. It’s
amazing.” On a number of occasions, President Lincoln came to Hampton Roads during the Civil War. When the President arrived at Fort Monroe on May 6, 1862, the CSS Virginia and USS Monitor were still in contention for control of Hampton Roads. “He stayed for about a week in May of 1862 at Fort Monroe in Quarters Number One visiting our Union stronghold at Fort Monroe,” said Fort Monroe Park
President and Mrs. Lincoln posed with John Stuck, a visitor from Portsmouth, Va., and Kurt Eberly, an interpreter with the Tidewater Maritime Living History Association, on the replica Monitor’s deck. (Bob Ruegsegger)
President & Mrs. Lincoln George and Mona Buss portrayed the first couple at the Battle of Hampton Roads commemoration at the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News on March 9, 2019. (Bob Ruegsegger)
Civil War News
28
May 2019
Perspectives on Murfreesboro How absurd to suppose that the ever-vigilant McCook, always on the alert, should permit any troops under his command to be surprised! How absurd to suppose that troops who had been up and breakfasted hours before the battle could be taken by surprise! – Brig. Gen. Richard W. Johnson, U.S.A. If the Federal troops weren’t surprised on the morning of Dec. 31, 1862, they managed a good imitation. The Union Army of the Cumberland and the Confederate Army of Tennessee faced each other just north and west of Murfreesboro, Tenn. The Union commander, Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans, and his Confederate counterpart, Gen. Braxton Bragg, had similar aims. Each planned an early morning assault on his opponent’s right flank. Bragg struck first. Surprised or not, the Federals broke quickly and fell back in considerable disorder. In its initial stages, this attack seemed to portend disaster for Rosecrans’s army. The retreat continued for hours; by the end of that winter day Rosecrans’s men had fallen back several miles north of where they stood when dawn broke. Last time we listened to the
words of Union officers who commanded the retreating forces. We now review the events of the day through the eyes of Confederate officers* who led the forces assailing the Federal right. In his report, Maj. Gen. John McCown describes the first stages of the attack. “My men advanced steadily, reserving their fire until they were but a short distance from the enemy’s position. A volley was delivered, and their position and batteries taken with the bayonet, leaving the ground covered with his dead and wounded, leaving many prisoners in our hands…. The enemy made several attempts to rally, but failed, being closely pressed by my men, their defeat becoming almost a rout. The enemy was pressed near a mile.” Brig. Gen. Evander McNair also reports an initial success. Fired upon by a six-gun Union battery, his men charged. “It was but a moment until his battery was ours, his long line of infantry routed and dispersed…. My command continued to pursue the enemy for three-quarters of a mile, pouring a destructive fire into his broken and shattered ranks, strewing the ground with his killed and wounded.”
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Brig. Gen. Matthew Ector tells of his brigade’s advance in the center of McCown’s line. As they moved out, the men were fired upon by artillery. They charged at 100 yards and fired at 30 yards. “Their infantry gave way about the time we reached their batteries.” The Federal infantry attempted to reform, but “We pressed upon them so rapidly they soon gave way the second time.” The Federals attempted a third stand, and again were driven back. As they advanced, the Confederates collected guns, booty, and prisoners. McCown says that his division “moved so rapidly and was so constantly engaged that the guns captured were not counted.” His best guess was 23 pieces, “besides caissons, forges, and other ordnance stores.” And, he says, his men “passed, untouched, wagons, knapsacks, &c.” Ector reports that by the time his men advanced 2 ½ miles, “We had captured quite a number of prisoners, who had been sent to the rear. The enemy in their hasty retreat had left their camp equipage; and guns, blankets, overcoats, and knapsacks marked the line of their retreat.” Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne writes that his division, next to McCown’s, captured two hospitals, almost 1,000 prisoners, and “a train of ammunition wagons, 1 piece of artillery, 3 or 4 caissons, and 2 wagons filled with medical stores.” Col. Robert Vance’s account states that his regiment captured “one six-mule team and wagon, loaded with ammunition, instruments of a brass band, kettle and bass drum….” In his memoirs, Brig. Gen. St. John Liddell recounts that he took many prisoners and dispatched them to the rear as he sent their captors back to the front line. He overran a Union field hospital and tells us that “The hospital yard was full of [prisoners], whither they had gone to escape
Maj. Gen. John McCown.
(All photos Library of Congress)
Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne the fire of the line.” The Confederates moved from the Franklin Pike north to the Wilkinson Pike and beyond, threatening the Nashville Pike, Rosecrans’s link to his base in Nashville. Cleburne and Liddell both describe the action at this critical point. Cleburne’s
report states that “Liddell was in full view of the Nashville turnpike and the enemy’s trains. He opened with his artillery on one portion of the train, while…the cavalry charged another. The trains disappeared in haste and confusion.” In his own report Liddell’s
Civil War News
30
May 2019
What do they say?
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• • • •
392 pages of full color photographs with descriptions Covers projectiles, fuses, canister, grapeshot and more 850 photos, drawings, radiographs, patents and maps A must for every serious artillery enthusiast
Purchase Online at www.ArtillerymanMagazine.com or fill out this form and mail to the address below. Copies will be mailed starting Nov. 1st, 2018 Name: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Mailing Address: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City: ________________________________________________________ State: _________________________Zip Code: __________________________________ Phone: _____________________________________________________ Email: ____________________________________________________________________ ☐ Standard Edition $89.95 + $8 shipping* = $97.95 ☐ Deluxe Edition $125.00 + $8 shipping* = $133.00 (100 limited edition copies) *Shipping via USPS Media Mail. USA Only. International orders email for shipping quote. If you wish to have the author inscribe the book beyond signing and dating it (on the title page) please indicate your preferred text below: Custom Text: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ U.S. Dollars Only Check or Certified Funds Check# _________________________________ Make checks payable to: Historical Publications LLC ☐ Discover ☐ Mastercard ☐ Visa Card#: _____________________________________________ Exp. Date: __________________________ Security Code: _________________________ Name on Card: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Billing Address: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City: ________________________________________________________ State: _________________________Zip Code: __________________________________ Signature:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Jack Melton’s latest endeavor, Civil War Artillery Projectiles – The Half Shell Book, is a remarkable addition to Civil War artillery ammunition literature. For archaeologists and collectors the clearly written text and the excellent photographs provide a wealth of information to properly identify recovered shells and burst fragments. For bomb squad and EOD specialists this book should be on every units’ shelf. The material found in these pages will help EOD personnel identify what has been found, whether or not it is dangerous, and how to inert the round without the necessity of destroying an important historic object. This book takes Civil War artillery ammunition studies to a new level. Douglas Scott Adjunct Research Faculty, Colorado Mesa University. Author of Uncovering History: Archaeological Investigations of the Little Bighorn. Wow. I have been reading a lot of different books on ordnance from this era, but this one takes the cake. Most of the other books drift off in directions that are not helpful with the ordnance specific information I am usually looking for. But this book stays on task and topic from start to finish. Tom Gersbeck MFS, Graduate Faculty, Arson-Explosives Investigation (AEI), School of Forensic Sciences, Oklahoma State University Jack Melton’s new book Civil War Artillery Projectiles – The Half Shell Book, promises to be one of the most important volumes on Civil War artillery in recent times. Anyone who has studied the wide variety of Civil War projectiles knows that what is inside is just as important, and maybe more so, than what is outside the shell. In this book, cutaway shells are graphically explained with superb color photographs and detailed notes. They reveal important details and differences in a variety of similar projectiles that tell us U.S. from C.S. and between type variations, in a way that no other approach has ever done. It is supremely helpful in explaining to others just how a shell works, whether it is still dangerous or not, and why. Les Jensen Former Curator of the Museum of the Confederacy
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www.emergingcivilwar.com
Chris Mackowski
From the Editor Twenty-one years ago, when she was four years old, my daughter Stephanie fell in love with Stonewall Jackson after a chance meeting on the plains of Manassas. Seeing the towering Jackson statue there led her to a fascination with the Civil War that, in turn, led to my own fascination with the Civil War. People usually assume I got her hooked on Civil War history but, in truth, she’s the one who got me hooked. I also credit my daughter with my interest in Women’s History Month, celebrated each year in March. When she was little, I wanted Steph to have strong role models. Stonewall Jackson had said, “You may be whatever you resolve to be.” Strong role models, I thought, would let her see the truth behind that statement and help inspire her. That interest in Women’s History Month has carried over to my work at Emerging Civil War
for pretty much that same reason. Military history has traditionally been a male-dominated field, so holding up female role models is a way to highlight, for young women as my daughter once was that they too may be whatever they want to be. There are many other good reasons to attend to women’s history, paying attention to the contributions of women enriches us all, but that’s always been my own main motive. Today, Steph still has her passion for history. By day, she works in law enforcement. Of particular pride to me is that her department holds her up as the very same sort of strong female role model that she used to look up to when she was a kid. Now she can inspire others as she was once inspired and as she has inspired me. I can’t think of a better way to commemorate Women’s History Month this year than to say “thank you” to her for all she’s done to contribute to my own development as a historian and as a dad. By the time you read this, Steph will have embarked on a new chapter of her own personal history. On March 30, my little girl got married, and I had the privilege of walking her down the aisle. Please join me in wishing her the best of luck as she writes the chapter ahead. — Chris Mackowski, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief
Mackowski and Dan Welch kicked off March by interviewing Sarah Kay Bierle for Women’s History Month. Sarah talked about some notable diaries left by women during the war. For March’s second podcast, Chris and Kris White continued the conversation they started in February about the “forgotten fall” of 1863. The first part of the conversation covered Bristoe and Rappahannock Stations. The March podcast focused on the Mine Run campaign.
ECW Behind the Scenes Little-known fact: book editors love cookies. If you don’t believe me, take a look at our friends at Southern Illinois University Press. Back in January, during a trip to speak to the St. Louis Civil War Roundtable, ECW Editor-inChief Chris Mackowski made a detour through Carbondale, Ill., to visit family and pay a visit to our partners at SIUP. Since it’s rude to just drop in unannounced, Chris brought a big box of freshly made cookies from a local bakery. We won’t lie: it’s in ECW’s best interest to keep these fine folks happy. Right now, there are two Engaging the Civil War books in production, with several others in development. SIUP did a great job with our first two books in that series and we look forward to many more. To help ensure that, we greased the wheels with some cookies. Beyond “Engaging the Civil War,” SIUP has a great catalogue of Civil War books, including an excellent Lincoln series. Thanks to everyone at Southern
May 2019 Illinois University Press for all your hard work on ECW’s behalf!
ECW News & Notes Edward Alexander has done a few freelance map jobs recently, including for a new tour guide brochure from the American Revolution Round Table of Richmond: http://arrt-richmond. blogspot.com/2019/01/revolutionary-richmond-brochure-now. html. Sarah Kay Bierle is preparing to host her fourth annual Civil War History Conference in Southern California. “1864: Fighting To Survive” will focus on military campaigns and social changes in that year of the conflict. Early Bird Tickets are on sale now and more details are available here: https://gazette665.com/2019-civil-war-history-conference/ Doug Crenshaw will be leading a two-day tour of the Richmond battlefields the first weekend of May. Steward Henderson says the 23rd U.S.C.T., with which he reenacts, is having a 155th Anniversary living history event at the Chancellorsville Battlefield, Stop 10 (Fairview), on May 18th, 2019, from 9-5. Dwight Hughes will be speaking at the North American Society for Oceanic History’s Annual Conference, May 16-18, in New Bedford, Mass. He’ll present a paper, “War in the Arctic: Twilight of New Bedford’s Golden Age of Whaling.” Chris Kolakowski passes along the following note from the Douglas MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Va. “We’re hard at work on this,” he adds.
Title: Legacies: The MacArthurs in the Far East Opening Date: Friday, April 19, 2019 (through January 3, 2021) Legacies will present the service of Generals Arthur and Douglas MacArthur in the Far East, and the lasting imprint of their actions on Asia. The primary periods to be covered include the Philippine–American War era, the period between the World Wars, and World War II through the Korean War. Specifically, the exhibit will highlight Arthur’s command in the Philippines, Arthur’s Far East tour (1904– 1905), and the impact he had on his son’s service and career. The exhibit will go farther in depth on General Douglas MacArthur’s service in the Far East, including his recurring commands in the Philippines (1920’s-1930’s); defeat in 1942, return to the Philippines 1944-45; his leadership of the occupation and re-building of Japan; and his direction of the early Korean War campaigns. Overall Legacies will provide insight on the legacies instilled by the father and son, and how they both shaped and continue to influence United States-Far East relations. Derek Maxfield’s performance group Rudely Stamp’d is continuing to perform the play Now We Stand by Each Other Always at venues around the country. The play features an engaging conversation between Union generals Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman and recreates a meeting between the men at City Point, Va., in March 1865. To date, the program has featured just the City Point conversation as a one-act play, but starting
The Emerging Civil War Podcast In
March,
Chris Mackowski and his daughter, Steph.
co-hosts
Chris
The staff at Southern Illinois University Press takes a break from book-making to enjoy some cookies from ECW.
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Civil War News book reviews provide our readers with timely analysis of the latest and most significant Civil War research and scholarship. Contact Stephen Davis, Civil War News Book Review Editor. Email: BookReviews@CivilWarNews.com.
The Experience of Killing Your Enemy Fighting Means Killing: Civil War Soldiers and the Nature of Combat. By Jonathan M. Steplyk. Maps, photos, notes, index, 294 pp., 2018. University Press of Kansas, www.kansaspress.ku.edu. $29.95. Reviewed by Brian S. Wills
Fighting in the American Civil War presented participants with unusual dilemmas as they faced fellow citizens and confronted the imperative of killing them in combat. Even with the admonition of the sixth commandment not to kill, from the earliest days, Jonathan M. Steplyk has asserted in his volume, men went into battle without exhibiting inhibitions about taking the lives of the foes they encountered. Fighting Means Killing explores the numerous ways in which these soldiers answered the lethal call of their respective countries. The author opens his study with an examination of the influences that shaped the men who would go into combat from the first
instances of bloodshed—“seeing the elephant”—to the range and variety of the ways in which they subsequently experienced killing their adversaries on the battlefield. The author expresses his intention to “document the spectrum of these attitudes and experiences.” As may be expected, this often lends itself more to speculation on the motivations of the participants. Some men surely carried doubt or remorse, while others embraced their roles with a sense of duty, if not outright enthusiasm. Steplyk has done a great service to Civil War scholarship, but his focus suffers when a chapter strays, as the first one does from prewar influences to numerous examples from a conflict that has yet to happen. The zest to say something analytical also leads to interesting interpretations, such as when the author tries to assess and explain the terminology a Union officer at Gettysburg employed for firing blindly at the Confederates and hoping that he had managed to hit one “by accident.” A few contradictory and perplexing elements exist, such as the assertion, “I was unable to find a soldier who explicitly admitted that in the heat of battle he deliberately tried not to kill,” after presenting two specific examples of that precise phenomenon. Likewise, death threats toward Confederate president Jefferson Davis do not include the Dahlgren-Kilpatrick Raid in the discussion, despite the high profile nature of that event at the time and since. Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the volume is the degree to which the analysis enters a different phase of emphasis in the final chapters. Here, Union men
occasionally transcend the lines of acceptability in their conduct, while Confederates become systematic offenders. Indiscriminate destruction in the Shenandoah Valley, Georgia and the Carolinas, according to the author, is acceptable military practice that later “Lost Cause” adherents exaggerate, while apparently large numbers of Confederates hunt down and slay foragers and other Union transgressors in “grossly disproportionate acts of violence.” The assertion, “Robert E. Lee allowed his Army of Northern Virginia to forage aggressively during his 1862 and 1863 invasions of the North” seems to appear as mitigation for the later actions elsewhere of Philip Sheridan and William T. Sherman. To be sure, some soldiers (and civilians) crossed lines of propriety, but it is not clear that most participants on either side engaged in such extraordinary conduct. The author would certainly have been better served to avoid making unfortunate comparison of individual (albeit heinous) acts in the South with orders from Hitler’s Nazi regime in the Second World War relating to the resistance movement. Interestingly, Steplyk’s excellent discussion of shooting at broken and fleeing opponents at Franklin, Tennessee, apparently does not fit the circumstances at Fort Pillow, where “one” is encouraged to “imagine” what Nathan Bedford Forrest was capable of doing by “either presiding over or allowing the massacre.” These important caveats aside, the author succeeds in presenting the myriad cases of such matters in the bitter and protracted struggle of 1861–1865. Jonathan Steplyk has taken us into the mindsets of the individuals who faced the enormous challenges of killing their opponents. He has often done so with compelling arguments that contribute to our understanding of the conflict. It should not be surprising that so many accepted the roles that war assigned to them, even if it is difficult for those who have never had that circumstance thrust upon them to comprehend why they did. Brian Steel Wills is the Director of the Center for the Study of the Civil War Era and Professor of History at Kennesaw State University. He is the author of biographies of Nathan Bedford Forrest, George Henry Thomas and William Dorsey Pender, as well as studies of noncombat deaths in the Civil War, the controversial engagement at Fort Pillow, and the impact of the war on soldiers and civilians in southeastern Virginia.
May 2019
Heroes of Chickamauga: The 22nd Michigan Infantry The 22nd Michigan Infantry and the Road to Chickamauga. By John Cohassey. Photos, chapter notes, bibliography, index, 192 pp., 2019. McFarland & Company, www.mcfarlandpub. com. $35 softcover. Reviewed by Robert L. Durham
John Cohassey has written an exceptional history of the 22nd Michigan Infantry. This regiment spent its early service chasing Confederates around Kentucky and was eventually stationed in Nashville, Tennessee, to guard the city. Then, on September 20, 1863, they got their first taste of battle at Chickamauga, Georgia. The 22nd was in reserve, under Brig. Gen. Gordon Granger. Granger, without orders, marched to the sound of the guns and reinforced Maj. Gen. George Thomas on Horseshoe Ridge. After the main army, even that part under General Thomas, retreated, the 22nd Michigan, along with the 21st and 89th Ohio, were left behind and made a courageous stand, holding back the Rebels, buying time for Thomas to make a safe retreat. The three regiments were surrounded and most of the men were captured. The 22nd suffered over 50% casualties. Many ended up incarcerated
in several of the South’s POW camps. Those not captured retreated to Chattanooga. Reorganized after the battle, they were designated as engineers. They did a lot to open the “Cracker Line” and built several pontoon bridges that were effective in helping Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s efforts to break out of the Confederate siege of Chattanooga. The 22nd was then reorganized and assigned to Thomas’ Army of the Cumberland for the Atlanta campaign. Through most of the campaign, they were assigned as Provost Guards at General Thomas’ headquarters, but they took part in all the army’s marches. They were also subjected to artillery bombardments from the enemy entrenchments. After the capture of Atlanta, they returned to Chattanooga, where they were when they heard of General Robert E. Lee’s surrender. The jubilation was cut short when they got word of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. There was a mass dress parade on June 20, 1865 and then they were sent to Nashville, where they were mustered out. Despite its steep price, I recommend this book to those who are interested in regimental histories, especially in Michigan regiments, or the Civil War in the West. It is well written and well researched. Robert L. Durham has been a devoted history buff for many years and is finally getting a history degree. Bob has written articles in various historical magazines and internet blogs, including CWN. He is retired from almost 40 years of service with the Defense Logistics Agency, where one of his roles was to install communications systems all over the world. Unfortunately, not many of the countries he visited are popular tourist destinations.
Author Publisher’s Award of Literary Excellence
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John R. Lundberg, Granbury’s Texas Brigade: Diehard Western Confederates (Louisiana State University Press, 2012)
Hiram B. Granbury I find it interesting that arguably the most famous combat brigades in the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Confederate Army of Tennessee hailed from… ...(you guessed it) Texas. Hood’s Texas Brigade, in
Lee’s army, has admittedly more chroniclers, from Col. Harold B. Simpson to (more recently) Prof. Susannah Ural of the University of Southern Mississippi. Now, Granbury’s Texas Brigade, of Pat Cleburne’s Division in the army of Braxton Bragg, Joseph E. Johnston, and John B. Hood, has had its story definitively told in Granbury’s Texas Brigade: Diehard Western Confederates, by Prof. John Lundberg, who teaches in Fort Worth. It is the story, as the author states, of “perhaps the premier brigade in the premier division in the Confederate Army of Tennessee.” In his very first paragraphs, the author poses the key question that he pursues in his narrative of the brigade: “why did Confederate soldiers stay with the cause as long as they did?” The eight regiments that eventually formed the brigade led by Brig. Gen. Hiram Bronson Granbury offer a collective story of patriotism and battle ardor, but also garrison surrender and deadly imprisonment. The cavalry regiments merged into the brigade suffered the indignity of government-ordered dismounting (and subsequent desertion). Long-distance assignment east of the Mississippi led some Texans to drift back so as to fight closer to home. Still, the veterans who stayed in the ranks evidenced a stalwart devotion to the Confederate cause. Dr. Lundberg offers a corollary question: “why in particular did Confederate soldiers in the western theater, deprived of battlefield victories and effective army leadership, fight for so long?” Are you hooked yet? I was. Take the 7th Texas Infantry. Organized in September 1861, it was assigned to duty at Fort Donelson and there was surrendered in February 1862. During seven months in captivity, 62 of the 379 prisoners died at Camp Douglas. Of the survivors, Lundberg explains, “the men of the 7th Texas remained more willing than ever to lay down their lives for the Confederacy, a fact that belies the argument that Confederate soldiers lost faith in their cause in the face of adversity.” Indeed, the author concludes that “the casualties suffered at Donelson and in prison served to
bind the Texans closer together and strengthened their resolve.” The author also examines desertion by Texas cavalrymen after the government confiscated their horses in the summer of 1862. In the 15th mounted regiment, some 80 men deserted; 140 men deserted in July from the 17th Texas Cavalry. In the 18th Texas Cavalry, 180 slipped away from camp. Altogether the desertions and resignations amounted to sixteen percent of the three regiments’ strength at the time. Here’s the interesting part. Lundberg followed the deserters through the war, and found that “even though these Texans deserted their original regiments, most of them returned home and joined regiments in the TransMississippi Department or in Texas itself.” In other words, “when the Confederate officials decided to dismount the cavalry regiments…in 1862, it did not erase their loyalty to the Confederacy or their desire to defend the Southern way of life. It merely changed how and where they would fight.” Assignment to Arkansas Post on the Arkansas River, maybe twenty miles from the Mississippi, brought the 6th and 10th Texas Infantry together with the 15th, 17th, 18th, 24th, and 25th Texas Dismounted Cavalry. The Confederate surrender of the place, in January 1863, sent 3,912 officers and men, in regiments that would eventually form Granbury’s Brigade, to Northern prisons. Before they were exchanged in April ’63, twenty to twenty-five percent died. The survivors were assigned to Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee the following month. So many had died in prison that Bragg ordered the seven Arkansas Post regiments consolidated into two. The 6th and 10th Infantry joined the 15th
May 2019 Dismounted; the 17th, 18th, 24th and 25th Dismounted formed a second Texas regiment. These units became part of Brig. Gen. Thomas J. Churchill’s Brigade of Cleburne’s Division. After Churchill requested transfer farther west, the brigade came under the command of Brig. Gen. James Deshler in late July 1863. The Texans fought at Chickamauga, where Deshler was killed. Succeeding him was Brigadier James A. Smith, who was wounded at Missionary Ridge. Two weeks previous, the 7th Texas Infantry, Col. Hiram Granbury’s regiment, had been added to the brigade. To replace Smith, Cleburne assigned Granbury, whose promotion to brigadier general followed in March 1864. In the Atlanta Campaign, Granbury’s Brigade shone in the Battle of Pickett’s Mill, fought on May 27, twenty-five miles northwest of Atlanta. A few weeks later, the 5th Confederate Regiment joined Granbury’s Brigade. But the unit continued to be called the Texas Brigade of the Army of Tennessee. In the battle fought July 22 east of Atlanta, Lundberg states that “the Texans captured fifteen pieces of artillery, two stand of colors, numerous ambulances and a brigade commander,” Col. Robert Scott. “They could also take credit for the demise of James McPherson at the hands of the 5th Confederate.” Indeed, history has handed down that it was Capt. Richard Beard of the 5th who fired upon and killed Maj. Gen. McPherson, commander of the Union Army of the Tennessee. “Granbury’s Texas Brigade served as the shock troops, the diehard Confederates of the Confederate Army of Tennessee for roughly a year, from its formation in November 1863 to
November 1864,” the author writes, implying the effective death of the unit on November 30, 1864 at the battle of Franklin, where 1,100 officers and men went in; more than 400 were killed, wounded, captured, or missing, including General Granbury, who was shot in the head while leading his men. Lundberg acknowledges that after Franklin and Nashville, “dedication of the Texans began to fail.” But he emphasizes the continued resilient morale of the men who stayed with the colors— all the way to surrendering with Joe Johnston in North Carolina. There, in April 1865, the eight Texas regiments of Granbury’s Brigade still had 401 men to take their paroles and head home. In the end, the author returns to his initial question: why did Confederates fight as long as they did? Lundberg argues, convincingly, in my view, that it was a combination of Confederate patriotism, faith in their officers, and a perspective that celebrated victories like Pickett’s Mill more than bemoaned such defeats as Chattanooga. “These Texans demonstrated a loyalty to the Confederacy and a faith in their line officers that refute the arguments of historians who claim the Confederacy died from within”—that is, from lack of moral and war spirit. Way to go, Professor! Stephen Davis’ article, “Simply Criminal,” on the battle of Pickett’s Mill, appears in the May 2019 issue of America’s Civil War. Civil War News of January 2019 also carried Steve’s article about an incident of that battle—how Union soldiers complained that all the bugling from Willich’s brigade alerted Confederates of their march to Pickett’s Mill. He and Bill Hendrick are working on a book on the Atlanta Daily intelligencer, leading wartime newspaper in the city.
View north from Hood’s headquarters on Winstead Hill. General Hood’s troops formed on Winstead Hill before the Battle of Franklin. (engraving from Battles and Leaders of the Civil War)
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May 2019
April 27, Illinois. Civil War Show and Sale
Zurko Promotions presents The National Civil War Collectors Spring Show and Sale which will be held at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $9 – includes admission to the CADA Collector Arms Dealers Assoc. Show. For information; www.chicagocivilwarshow.com.
May 1-4, Maryland. 6th Annual National Ed Bearss Symposium on Military Leadership & Combat
Before making plans to attend any event contact the event host. Deadlines for Advertising, Editorial or Events Submissions is the 20th of each month. We strive to add all events submitted to us but do not guarantee that your event will be published. There is a 100 word maximum for each event. Email events to: ads@civilwarnews.com
April 12-14, North Carolina. Symposium
Featuring Ted Alexander, Steve Bockmiller, Dr. Richard Sommers, Martin West & others based in Chambersburg, Pa. Special guest Edwin C. Bearss will also join us. Exploring American military history! Tours of the following: Civil War sites in southern Pennsylvania including Monterey Pass; military history sites in Washington County, Maryland, including the Hagerstown Aviation Museum; the Forbes Campaign of 1758 featuring stops at Fort Ligonier, Bushy Run Battlefield and more. Talks also given by the historians listed above. For info visit www.CivilWarSeminars.org.
May 4-5, New York. Artillery School
The 31st Annual Artillery School will take place, at Old Fort Niagara in Youngstown, New York. Open to all branches of service, both Federal and Confederate. Registration fee is $7. Sponsored by the National Civil War Artillery Association and Reynolds’ Battery L. For information; Rick Lake, rlake413@aol.com or 585-208-1839. Registration Forms and additional information can be found at: www.reynoldsbattery.org.
22nd Annual Salisbury Confederate Prison Symposium sponsored by the Robert F. Hoke Chapter 78, UDC. Event begins on Friday with Friendship Banquet, 3 lectures, music, and recognition of veterans. On Saturday there will be 4 lectures, lunch, door prizes, displays and books. Sunday there is a 10 a.m. Memorial Service for prisoners at the Salisbury National Cemetery and an 11 a.m. Service for guards at the Old Lutheran Cemetery. Tour of Prison site after lunch. $70 per person when postmarked by Mar. 22, $80 afterwards. Send checks to Robert F. Hoke Chapter 78, UDC, PO Box 83, Salisbury, NC 28145. For info; Sue Curtis 704-637-6411, southpawsagain@gmail.com.
May 4-5, Ohio. Civil War Show and Sale
April 14, Pennsylvania. Annual Symposium
The 155th Anniversary “Battle of Resaca” reenactment will be held on over 650 acres of the original battlefield. This event will have main camps located within the original US and CS lines. Camping allowed in or near the breastworks. Amenities include straw, hay and firewood; food and ice on site. The planned activities include main battles both days at 2 p.m., period dance, medical demo’s, cavalry competition, ladies’ tea, civilian refugee camp, period church services and a memorial service at the Confederate cemetery. Handicapped parking is available. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the preservation efforts of the Friends of Resaca Battlefield, Inc. A $150 bounty will be paid to the first fourteen 57-inch cannon and crews registered by May 1st. Reenactor registration fee is $10 due by May 1. For more information, www.georgiadivision.org or Battle of Resaca, P.O. Box 0919, Resaca, GA 30735-0919.
General George G. Meade – Life & Legacy will be held at the Conservatory at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd. For information; Jerry McCormick 215-848-7753; ged-winmc@msn.com.
April 27-28, Alabama. Thunder on the Bay 2019
Come celebrate the upcoming 155th Battle of Mobile Bay Sponsored by the 6th Alabama Cavalry and the Alabama Division of Reenactors. Event will be held at Fort Gaines Historic Site, 51 Bienvile Blvd, Dauphin Island, Alabama 36528. Battle will be held Sat. at 2 p.m. and a surrender ceremony at 3 p.m. On Sunday, there will be a 1 p.m. tactical. For information; 251-861-6992, via facebook (fb.com/fort Gaines) or call 251-861-6992.
42nd Annual Ohio Civil War Show & 25th Annual Artillery Show at Richland County Fairgrounds, Mansfield, Sat. 9-5, Sun. 9-3. Living history, cannon firing, field hospital, music, demonstrations. $7 ages 12 up. Seven buildings – One Gate Admission, Food and Handicapped Facilities, 30-Gun Artillery Show – Indoor/Outdoor, 6-Gun Battery Firing Demonstrations, Sutler’s Row, Civil War Field Hospital by the Society of Civil War Surgeons. Period Church Service Sun. Morning with Period String Music, Abe Lincoln Live Presentations, Living History Campfire by Brigade of American Revolution, 8th Pennsylvania Regiment, Period Music by Camp Chase Fife & Drums. For info; call 419-884-2194; or visit the website www.ohiocivilwarshow.com.
May 17-19, Georgia. Reenactment
May 17-19, Virginia. Period Firearms Competition
The North-South Skirmish Association 139th National Competition near Winchester. Over 3,000 uniformed competitors in 200-member units compete in live-fire matches with muskets, carbines, revolvers, mortars and cannon plus costume competitions and historical lectures. The largest Civil War live-fire event in the country. Free admission, large sutler area, and food service. For information; www.n-ssa.org.
May 18-19, Virginia, Reenactment
41st Annual Southeastern
Civil War and
Antique Gun Show Cobb County Civic Center 548 S. Marietta Parkway, S.E., Marietta, Georgia 30060 Free Parking $6 for Adults Veterans and Children under 10 Free
August 10 & 11, 2019 Saturday 9–5 Sunday 9–3
Over 230 8 Foot Tables of: • • • • • • •
Dug Relics Guns and Swords Books Frameable Prints Metal Detectors Artillery Items Currency
Inquires:
NGRHA Attn.: Show Chairman P.O. Box 503 Marietta, GA 30061 terryraymac@hotmail.com
www.NGRHA.com
Come join us for the 155th Anniversary Battle of New Market Reenactment, the nation’s oldest continual reenactment fought on the original battlefield. Reenactment battles held at 2:30 on Saturday, May 18th and at 1:00 on Sunday the 19th. Learn about the action in which 257 Cadets from the Virginia Military Institute made the difference between victory and defeat. Be sure to visit the Virginia Museum of the Civil War, the historic Bushong Farm and don’t forget to stroll through the camps or buying that special 19th century item on Sutler’s Row. For information: https://www.vmi.edu/museums-and-archives/virginia-museum-of-the-civil-war.
May 26, Pennsylvania. Annual Memorial Day Observed at Historic Laurel Hill Cemetery
Recreating the Original G.A.R. Decoration Day Service of 1868: The traditional Decoration Day service of the Grand Army Meade Post #1 will be recreated at Historic Laurel Hill Cemetery, 3822 Ridge Ave. Philadelphia at 12 noon. For information; 215-228-8200.
May 31-June 2, West Virginia. Battle of Philippi Reenactment
Walk through the Covered Bridge that was a focus of McClellan’s Campaign in Western Virginia and the town that was the site of the first land battle of the War. Grant, Stonewall, Mark Twain to visit. Friday: Walking History, firemen’s parade, music. Saturday: Ladies tea, little soldiers’ battle, skirmish at bridge, reenactor’s dinner, ball, night canon fire, and skirmish. Sunday: 1861 church service, battle on original site. Simulated amputations throughout the weekend. For information; blueandgrayreunion.org and on Facebook.
June 1-2, Pennsylvania. Lehigh Valley Civil War Days
The 11th Camp Geiger Reenactment will be held at Whitehall Pkwy., Whitehall, Pa. There will be a battle reenactment each day. This will include fighting in trenches and a tactical. Living History Street. Medical demos, historical personages, children’s activities and more. Period music and speakers each day. Sat. evening period dance. Sutlers and food vendor will be on site to serve reenactors and spectators. Water & wood is provided. Ice & straw available for small fee. Sutlers by invitation only. Registration fees – $10 until May 15, $15 after May 15. Sutler fees – $50 until Apr. 15, $75 Apr. 15 – May 15. No sutler registration after May 15. For information and registration forms visit our website at www.friendsofcampgeiger.webs.com.
June 1-2, Virginia. 155th Anniversary – The Action at Wilson’s Wharf
Pocahontas was the site of the May 24, 1864 Action in which United States Colored Troops defended the fort they built against an assault by Fitzhugh Lee’s Confederate Cavalry. Open to the public 10-4 Sat. and 10-3 Sun. $10/adults, $8/students. Battle reenactments 1 p.m. both days. Civil War living history weekend including a dress parade, mortar demonstration and family activities. For reenactors: campsites with James River views, Proud Hound Commissary, Friday night Officer’s Social, Saturday night live music, artillery fire and tactical. Free T-shirts. Discounted early
May 2019
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