Civil War News February 2021

HAMILTON, N.C.—Saturday, November 28, saw the fulfillment of over two years of effort, running through the idea, then planning, and finally the installation of signage for Fort Branch, Hamilton, N.C.

The project began with a 2017 Blue and Gray Education Society (BGES) tour’s side trip to the fort.

The visitors noted the lack of adequate signs explaining the fort positions, artillery, and its history. The germ started with the visit, then a follow up to find out interest in new signage. Over the next two years, through research, job changes, the covid lockdown, and then more site visits, the final steps were in place. Individual sign sponsors generously stepped forward, the text and imagery were completed, posts were erected, and finally the signs were mounted.

The Blue and Gray Education Society is a 501C-3 organization headquartered in Chatham, Va., that supports learning about our history. The Society’s mission is, among other things, to reveal our past for our future through facilitating the study and

Blue and Gray Education Society Donates Historical Signage for Fort Branch

understanding of the American Civil War. They accomplish this by interpreting and preserving Civil War battlefields and other historically significant places and artifacts. Through the generosity of BGES members and other supporters, the Society focuses on several projects annually.

The Society has prepared Preservation Reports for several threatened Civil War sites including the Mobile and Vicksburg Campaigns, as well as Price’s Missouri Raid of 1864. These reports were presented at BGESconducted conferences sponsored by the American Battlefield Protection Program, for concerned citizens and local governments affiliated with the respective campaigns. The report findings were subsequently published and used as definitive guidance for preservation and educational improvements in their locales.

The Society has also created an artillery display for the Battle of Raymond, Miss., and helped the Friends of Raymond achieve their goal of being the first significant battlefield to have one restored cannon sited where every cannon was actually positioned during the May 12, 1863, battle.

The Society has nearly 200 signs now posted at sites around the country. The BGES provided, in partnership with Chesterfield County, Va., over 40 interpretive markers related to the Bermuda Hundred Campaign. Other sites, supported by the generosity of BGES members, in conjunction with local supporters, include numerous battlefields such as North Anna and Cedar Creek, Va., South Mountain and Crampton’s Gap, Md., Van Dorn’s Holly Springs, Mississippi Raid, Perryville, Ky., and Grand Gulf, Miss.

Doug Cumins noted that “We

visited Fort Branch on a tour. The fort is in good condition and has most of the cannon originally mounted in the fort and that is very unusual.” Len Reidel, BGES Executive Director, mentioned that Fort Branch was “a target of opportunity. It is exactly what BGES exists for.” The Society felt, that “the Fort Branch volunteers are a small group that could use assistance, and BGES is a group able to provide that assistance.” We offered our assistance because the Fort Branch folks did not know we existed, so if we didn’t volunteer our services, they would likely have never asked.

The 18 signs, 12 small, 5 large, and a very large entrance sign, have information about the fort’s history and relationship to the War, the half dozen different cannon types and their particular position in the fort, changing

military and naval technology, and the Confederate efforts defending the Roanoke River valley. Not slighting the Federals who tried to eliminate the fort, there is a marker on the river face to two Union sailors who earned the Medal of Honor whilst attacking the fort July 9, 1862.

The Medal of Honor sign represents a series of coincidental events. The sign’s origin was in a chance conversation, overheard at Fort Fisher, about an ancestor who earned the medal near Hamilton, North Carolina, the nearest town to the fort. Getting his name led to information about a Union sailor who fought at Rainbow Bluff July 9, 1862.

Additional research found the medal’s citation. Other researchers then went through the Official Records and discovered that two sailors earned the medal that day.

Quartermaster Alexander Hand, a Delaware native, was aboard USS Ceres when it came under fire. Hand was cited for his gallantry when he “courageously returned the raking enemy fire and was spoken of for ‘good conduct and cool bravery under enemy fire,’ by the commanding officer.” Hand survived the war as did the other hero, John Kelley, Fireman Second Class. Kelly, born in Ireland in 1841, also returned the Confederate fire and was cited for “courageously carrying out his duties through the engagement.” He too was spoken of for “good conduct and cool bravery under enemy fire.”

Individual BGES donors funded the signs. The smaller signs were credited to individual

L-R Dan Mastin and Holden Spain (SCV), Doug Cumins (BGES) mounting sign at river face gun position Larry Babits.

Navy Medal of Honor sign.

Civil War News

Published by Historical Publications LLC

520 Folly Road, Suite 25 PMB 379, Charleston, SC 29412

800-777-1862 • Facebook.com/CivilWarNews mail@civilwarnews.com • www.civilwarnews.com

Advertising: 800-777-1862 • ads@civilwarnews.com

Jack W. Melton Jr. C. Peter & Kathryn Jorgensen

Publisher Founding Publishers

Editor: Lawrence E. Babits, Ph.D.

Advertising, Marketing & Assistant Editor: Peggy Melton

Columnists: Craig Barry, Joseph Bilby, Matthew Borowick, Salvatore Cilella, Stephanie Hagiwara, Gould Hagler, Tim Prince, John Sexton, and Michael K. Shaffer

Editorial & Photography Staff: Greg Biggs, Sandy Goss, Michael Kent, Bob Ruegsegger, Gregory L. Wade, Joan Wenner, J.D.

Civil War News (ISSN: 1053-1181) Copyright © 2021 by Historical Publications LLC is published 12 times per year by Historical Publications LLC, 520 Folly Road, Suite 25 PMB 379, Charleston, SC 29412. Monthly. Business and Editorial Offices: 520 Folly Road, Suite 25 PMB 379, Charleston, SC 29412, Accounting and Circulation

Offices: Historical Publications LLC, 520 Folly Road, Suite 25 PMB 379, Charleston, SC 29412. Call 800-777-1862 to subscribe.

Periodicals postage paid at U.S.P.S. 131 W. High St., Jefferson City, MO 65101.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Historical Publications LLC 520 Folly Road Suite 25 PMB 379 Charleston, SC 29412

Display advertising rates and media kit on request. The Civil War News is for your reading enjoyment. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of its authors, readers and advertisers and they do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Historical Publications, LLC, its owners and/or employees.

P UBLISHERS :

Please send your book(s) for review to: Civil War News

520 Folly Road, Suite 25 PMB 379 Charleston, SC 29412

Email cover image to bookreviews@civilwarnews.com. Civil War News cannot assure that unsolicited books will be assigned for review. Email bookreviews@civilwarnews.com for eligibility before mailing.

ADVERTISING INFO:

Email us at ads@civilwarnews.com Call 800-777-1862

MOVING?

Contact us to change your address so you don’t miss a single issue. mail@civilwarnews.com • 800-777-1862

SUBSCRIPTION RATES

U.S. Subscription rates are $41/year, $71/2 years, digital only $29.95/year, add digital to paper subscription for only $10/year more. Subscribe at www.CivilWarNews.com

Deadlines

for Advertising or Editorial Submissions is the 20th of each month.

Email: ads@civilwarnews.com

Online DIGITAL Subscriptions for Civil War News and The Artilleryman Magazine

Digital subscriptions for back issues of Civil War News (Archive 2012 to the current issue are available) and The Artilleryman magazine from Vol. 1, No. 1 to the current issue, is now available. From the very first issue to the current publication are now available as an online, as a yearly digital subscription. Over 6,500 pages of artillery information available on your phone, tablet, or computer. This project is entirely up to date, with over 160 issues.

If you are a student of the Civil War, artillery, a historian, researcher, author, or just interested in the hobby, you’ll find plenty of information within this massive archive.

To Subscribe Visit: CivilWarNews.com or ArtillerymanMagazine.com

Back Issues:

To purchase back issues of The Artilleryman magazine please visit our website at www.historicalpubs.com.

Please email: mail@civilwarnews.com

Civil War News

520 Folly Road, Suite 25 PMB 379 Charleston, SC 29412

Dalton Convention Center 2211 Dug Gap Battle Rd Dalton, GA 30720

Charleston Gun & Knife Show

Feb. 20 & 21, 2021

H BGES

.

. . . from page 1

donors who provided $250 for a specific sign. The larger signs were similarly funded at $500. The contributions represent a sizable contribution from folks who recognized the fort’s importance and wished to support its interpretive efforts. The sign donation represents the largest single monetary contribution to the fort’s operation since the 1970’s, when archaeological and conservation work was undertaken by the Department of Cultural Resources and the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. The fort has since seen additional archaeological work conducted by East Carolina University.

The fort, one of the best preserved Confederate earthworks, still has most of its original

armament. It was built with several upgrades between 1862 and late 1864 due to the War’s rapidly changing naval and artillery technology. Today, the fort is managed by the Fort Branch Historical Society, a 501C-3 non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the fort, telling its story, and keeping alive the memory of both those who manned it and those who attacked it.

The fort was initially preserved by the Winslow Family who still own the fort property. At the time of the Civil War Centennial, the preservation group that is today’s Fort Branch Historical Society (FBHS) was founded and moved to help preserve the site. As a 501C-3 organization, some assistance to the fort owner comes from Martin County that does not tax the fort land currently valued at some $300,000.

Along with the N.C. Department

of Cultural Resources and the Winslow Family, the FBHS society helped with conserving the guns when they were brought from the Roanoke River in 1973 and 1977. Today, assisted by a core group of reenactors (1st North Carolina Volunteers) and the Sons of Confederate Veterans (Bryan Grimes Camp), the society hosts the NPS Park Day every April, a Sunday open house most weekends, a reenactment the first weekend of November, and a Christmas camp in December.

During work to erect the signs, an additional fort feature was discovered; at least some river face fortification had infantry positions adjacent to cannon embrasures. This terreplein was not seen before because of tree cover and erosion at other wall sections; the newly cleared area was covered by dense brush that made assessment of the position impossible. To ensure the viewscape known to the soldiers was available for visitors most brush was removed, revealing the infantry fighting position, a flat surface behind the bulwark’s parapet. Similar work at another sign location where no terreplein was observed indicates it underwent probable erosion due to age and foot traffic.

Fort Branch has three projects in various states of planning and work. One is reroofing an 1840’s farm house moved to the site. Another is to raise funding for climate control in the museum display cases. A third is planning an archaeological excavation to document cannon positions including the embrasures, platforms, and fort wall components.

BGES contacts: https://blueandgrayeducation.org

Email BGESExecutiveDirector@ yahoo.com 434-250-9921

Fort Branch contacts: Fortbranchcivilwarsite.com

Email: Fort.Branch.NC@gmail.com PO Box 365 Hamilton, NC 27840

Bryan Grimes Camp SCV members Dan Mastin and Holden Spain preparing to mount sign

Digging post holes for sign.

Jimmy and Jason Braswell fastening Commissary sign.

Large and Small signs at River Face gun emplacement.

Sign mounted inside explaining artillery projectiles.

Sign noting cannon used at Fort Branch.

Philip Shiman

Magazine sign explains pond created when magazine was blown up in 1865. Gun emplacement sign crew in background.

Medal of Honor sign overlooking river where the award was earned.

Pouring concrete post footing at land face gun emplacement.

Sign explaining 4-inch, 18-pounder rifled Fawcett, Preston cannon in background.

By Lawrence E. Babits

Civil War Alphabet Quiz – J as in...

1. “Fool Tom” or “old blue light”

2. This battle precipitated the “fall of Atlanta”

3. Official name of the iron clad first named Muscogee

4. Confederate Army commander killed at Shiloh

5. Lincoln’s second vice president

6. Union division commander killed at Perryville

7. Bank robbing brothers who learned marauding in Civil War Missouri

8. Tactical writer whose studies of Napoleon influenced Civil War generals

9. Late war North Carolina youth corps

10. Commander of Naval Gun Foundry and Ordnance Works at Selma, Ala.

Answers found on page 46.

Digital Issues of CWN are available by subscription alone or with print plus archives from 2012 to present at

Remembrance Day at Gettysburg 2020 Observed by the General Meade Society

GETTYSBURG, Penn.—At

the traditional Remembrance Day observance on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020, the ceremony honoring the victorious commander of the Union Army of the Potomac was held at the General George G. Meade equestrian monument.

The sponsoring groups were: the General Meade Society; American Legion Post 405, Philadelphia (successor of Meade Post #1, G.A.R.); and the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the U.S. (MOLLUS).

Representatives of these groups gathered at Gettysburg Military Park’’s Meade monument to honor General Meade, the veterans of his Army, and all American veterans near the date

of the dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery and President Lincoln’s immortal ‘Gettysburg Address.’

The M.C. of the event was Dr. Andy Waskie, a member of all the sponsoring groups. Patriotic speeches and expressions of greeting were delivered by a number of dignitaries, among whom was the new Park Superintendent, Mr. Steven Sims, himself a West Point graduate assigned to the U.S. Army Engineers as was General Meade. Mr. Sims brought greetings and support from the National Park Service. Greetings and support were also expressed by Commander-inChief of MOLLUS, Dr. Joseph Coleman.

Wreaths of the sponsors were laid. In attendance were uniformed representatives of Civil War units and the Confederation of Union Generals as well as civilians and guests. All observed the state ‘covid’ restrictions. The ceremony was attended by a crowd of supporters and veterans. The weather was exceptionally fine for a late November date.

Superintendent Sims delivers Remembrance Day remarks 2020.

Confederation of Union Generals Honor Guard at Remembrance Day 2020.

Gettysburg Park Superintendent Steven Sims at Remembrance Day 2020.

MOLLUS members at Remembrance Day 2020.

Meade Honor ceremony at Gettysburg.

Major General George Meade. Library of Congress.

Closeup of the Meade monument.

Paper Cartridges for the .577 Enfield Rifle Musket in the Civil War

The only pattern of cartridge to be hereafter used with muzzle loading rifled small arms shall be that known as the English pattern of Enfield cartridge.”

– Colonel Josiah Gorgas, Chief of Ordnance, C.S.A., February 9, 1864

Paper cartridges were first used in a military application as early as the 1600s in Europe, about the same time that smoothbore muskets came into wide use. Soldiers carried their powder and ball together in a cylindrical tube made of paper or linen that was closed in some fashion on each end. Some were twisted or tied with string, others folded over to prevent losing the powder charge

before loading. During loading, the cartridge was torn, and the charge emptied down the barrel. Then the musket ball and the remaining paper were rammed down the barrel to seat it. This was a safer alternative to loading loose black powder from a powder flask or an apostle. The flask had the potential for accidentally exploding in-hand if a “cook off” ignited the charge prematurely, which had been known to happen.

Chauncey Cooke of the 25th Wisconsin noted in, Letters of a Badger Boy in Blue, “I know what father would say. He would quote Napoleon, who said, “Put your trust in well drilled troops and keep your powder dry.”

Most of the rounds used by infantry in the U.S. Civil War were fixed ammunition, in other words paper cartridges fabricated in government arsenals and issued to troops in the field “ready to use.” United States Ordnance

regulations in 1834 provided powder flasks made of copper for “Riflemen.” The powder flask was last mentioned in the 1850 Ordnance manual but was eliminated from later editions presumably because manufactured paper cartridges were by then becoming the norm. The 1861 edition has no mention of flask loading at all.

During the Civil War-era the cartridge paper was often treated with potassium nitrate to make it completely combustible, especially for revolver cartridges. Hence, smoking tobacco in direct proximity to a supply of paper cartridges loaded with black powder was not encouraged. Cartridge paper was not water resistant and black powder does not ignite when wet. There were many references to the practicality of maintaining a buffer zone between water, fire, and paper cartridges, such as the quote above.

Cartridge boxes of the time period feature very tight stitching with “kit” coated thread to aid in keeping water from the loose paper cartridges inside. The vast majority of arms used during the Civil War required some form of paper cartridge and loaded from the muzzle (front of the barrel) or at least the front end. Even handguns loaded from the front of the revolving cylinder, if not the barrel itself. The exceptions such as the Maynard carbine, Henry, and Spencer rifle(s) that used metallic cartridges were by far in the minority during the early to mid1860s. More than a billion paper cartridge rounds were manufactured during the Civil War-era on both sides in a variety of calibers and configurations. The image of Civil War soldiers sitting around a campfire rolling rounds is a modern anachronism for which there is no historical basis.

During the Civil War, cartridges were produced in packages of ten with an eleventh tube containing twelve percussion caps. This is easily remembered by the numerical order 10…11…12. They were wrapped and tied in a paper package, and if packaged by a Confederate Arsenal, often

labeled with such information as the date, originating arsenal, caliber, and type of bullet. With some exceptions, U.S. Arsenals largely abandoned the practice of labeling or stamping arsenal packs by 1861.

The Confederate States imported Enfield cartridges by the hundreds of thousands from England, even late in the war. Frances B. Wallace noted in Memorial of the Patriotism of Schuylkill County in the American Slaveholder Rebellion that “The rebels used English bullets almost entirely. I picked up a rebel cartridge, and on examining the cartridges found the makers’ stamp on them; it was E. & A.

Birmingham, England.” The imported cartridges were too tall to fit into tins for the U.S. and C.S. pattern .58 cartridge boxes. Even though the similar sized rounds

Ludlow,

Paper wrapped Enfield cartridges. The label reads “ 50 BALL CARTRIDGES for ENFIELD RIFLES Manufactured by E. & A. LUDLOW, BIRMINGHAM.”

.577 caliber Enfield bullet.

Above Left: E. & A. LUDLOW BIRMINGHAM Enfield cartridge; right an ELEY BROS LONDON cartridge on the right. Both contain a .577 caliber Enfield bullet with the powder charge below.

would theoretically “work” in both arms, it required adaptation before the Enfield cartridge could be issued in the field. C.L. Bragg noted in, Never For Want of Powder: The Confederate Powder Works at Augusta, Georgia, that difficult as it is to believe, the Augusta Arsenal (and others) supposedly re-rolled or “overhauled” large quantities of .577 imported English cartridges to fit in the C.S./U.S. cartridge boxes. The reason for this extra effort was, while there were a great many English accoutrement sets imported into the Confederacy, they were still fewer in total

numbers compare to domestically produced C.S. and captured U.S. accoutrements. The C.S./U.S. style inner flap would not close over the imported .577 English cartridges in .58 caliber American type tins. Although these were two very common cartridges in the Confederate armies that were in wide use and should interchange, they apparently required different methods of loading and a different cartridge box system for transport and storage.

For the U.S. model 1861 .58 caliber rifle musket, and domestically-made cartridges for the .577 caliber British Enfield

rifle musket, the paper wrapper held the powder charge with a grooved, lubricated Minié ball sitting on top of it pointing up. The whole was then wrapped in another piece of paper and folded to make a completed cartridge. In loading, the soldier bit or otherwise tore off the end of the cartridge, dumped the powder into the muzzle of his gun, and with or without the remaining paper, inserted the bullet, and rammed it down the barrel. British, and some Confederate-made .577 Enfield cartridges, although still made of paper, were constructed differently, with a smooth, un-grooved, slightly undersized conical projectile, wrapped in lubricated paper, and placed point downward. After biting off the end of the Enfield cartridge and dumping the black powder down the muzzle, the soldier reversed the cartridge and seated the bullet, still wrapped in the lubricated paper into the muzzle, discarded any excess paper, rammed it home, and then capped the percussion cone. The point is that without some form of lubricant, the projectiles became very hard to seat over the powder charge after the barrel heated up and fouling began to line the barrel. Beeswax, tallow, and a variety of other substances worked well up

to a point, but after a while the bullet could become stuck in the barrel part way down. This was a common cause of barrels bursting or bulging. Shooting the rifle-musket with imported British or some Confederate arsenal .577 rounds resulted in less fouling than the Union grooved .58 caliber Minié ball coated with tallow or at least that was what Colonel Josiah Gorgas, C.S. Chief of Ordnance, believed.

Craig L. Barry was born in Charlottesville, Va. He holds his BA and Masters degrees from the University of North Carolina (Charlotte). Craig served The Watchdog Civil War Quarterly as Associate Editor and Editor from 2003–2017. The Watchdog

published books and columns on 19th-century material and donated all funds from publications to battlefield preservation. He is the author of several books including The Civil War Musket: A Handbook for Historical Accuracy (2006, 2011), The Unfinished Fight: Essays on Confederate Material Culture Vol. I and II (2012, 2013). He has also published four books in the Suppliers to the Confederacy series on English Arms & Accoutrements, Quartermaster stores and other European imports.

Deadlines for Advertising or Editorial Submissions is the 20th of each month.

by Joe Bilby

The saga of the Third New Jersey Cavalry

The Third New Jersey Cavalry was a most unusual unit, at least in appearance. The regiment

began recruiting towards the end of 1863, and Colonel Andrew Jackson Morrison, hoping to

attract recent European immigrants, designed a uniform reminiscent of European “Hussar”

cavalry, with yards of gold braid and orange piping and an odd hat choice, which appears to be a standard kepi with the bill removed and worn sideways. Enlistees were issued hooded talmas instead of overcoats. Recruits were asked to contribute three dollars of their own money to cover the cost of the unique uniforms. Since they were receiving high bounties to enlist, this was not a serious impediment. Morrison’s pitch seemed at least somewhat effective, since one lieutenant later complained that while he spoke English, the men in his company only spoke German.

There was another more problematic aspect of the Third’s leadership. Colonel Morrison had more prewar military experience, albeit erratic, than most Civil War officers. He ran away to become an officer’s servant in the Mexican War, was hauled off a ship of filibusterers headed for Latin America, met Italian Revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi in New York, and served under him as a cavalry officer in Italy, among other things. There was, however, one unfortunate incident. He had been relieved of command of the 26th New Jersey Infantry when he led it in the wrong direction while inebriated during the 1863 Chancellorsville Campaign. Although he explained to the governor of New Jersey that he failed at leading the infantry regiment because his experience as a mercenary in Europe was with cavalry, his recommissioning was no doubt due to political connections

Colonel Morrison also requested that the regiment be equipped only with sabers, no doubt dreaming of leading the American equivalent of the charge of the Light Brigade against Confederates. In addition to the sabers, the Third was initially issued some Whitney revolvers as well. By the second quarter of 1864, the Third was carrying a hodgepodge of firearms, including revolvers by Whitney and Remington, a few Sharps carbines, and even a few obsolete .69 caliber musketoons. The issue pattern, revealed in the quarterly ordnance report, seems sketchy.

The bulk of the 3rd New Jersey Cavalry was mustered into service on Feb. 10, 1864, in Trenton. The Third was initially assigned as support for General Ambrose Burnside’s IX Army Corps but later transferred to General Phil Sheridan’s Cavalry Corps.

uniforms, fought numerous skirmishes during the 1864 advance on Richmond and then, as part of Sheridan’s Cavalry, engaged in some heavy fighting up and down the Shenandoah valley to the end of 1864.

Sheridan was more aware than Morrison of the weaponry needed for Civil War cavalry tactics in which the mounted arm played a part in various tactical scenes including providing a skirmish line in front of advancing infantry, as on the first day at Gettysburg. This tactical variation demanded a large number of carbines. The Third had more revolvers and a hodgepodge of carbines, including Joslyn, Sharps, and Burnside models. In the third quarter of 1864, Company A reported fourteen Spencer and six Sharps carbines, as well as an assortment of revolvers. Some companies did not report at all.

The regiment moved to Petersburg, where it joined General Grant’s army and participated in the war’s final campaign. Following the end of the conflict, the regiment was issued Spencer carbines for each soldier. The Third New Jersey Cavalry overcame some significant handicaps in its development into an effective unit, especially in the matter of sufficient firearms. In spite of being commanded by a romantic alcoholic and clothed in uniforms more suited for a circus than a modern war, the Third became a hard-hitting combat outfit, even with its sorry weapons issues. It was mustered out of service in July and August of 1865, and maintained a viable veterans organization into the twentieth century.

Joseph G. Bilby received his BA and MA degrees in history from Seton Hall University and served as a lieutenant in the 1st Infantry Division in 1966–1967. He is Assistant Curator of the New Jersey National Guard and Militia Museum, a freelance writer and historical consultant and author or editor of 21 books and over 400 articles on N.J. and military history and firearms.

These images are from the collection of John Kuhl, and were published in Military Images magazine. The CDV on the left was a soldier that has a star on his uniform signifying he was on provost duty. Both of these soldiers were in the Third New Jersey Cavalry, and the number 3 insignia was surrounded by a wreath on the front of their kepis.

Colonel Morrison was relieved again due to drunkenness, but his regiment, dubbed the “Butterflies” due to their unconventional

He is also publications editor for the N.J. Civil War 150 Committee and edited the award winning New Jersey Goes to War. His latest book, New Jersey: A Military History, was published by Westholme Publishing in 2017. He has received an award for contributions to Monmouth County (N.J.) history and an Award of Merit from the N.J. Historical Commission for contributions to the state’s military history. Email at jgbilby44@aol.com.

This soldier is wearing a talma or cape.

Disgrace and Betrayal in Mississippi

by Joseph F. Wilson

On a wintry December morning, General Benjamin Grierson led 3,500 cavalry troopers out of Memphis into Mississippi to destroy the Mobile and Ohio Railroad and cut the Confederate supply line.

Confederate officials immediately detected the movement and patched together a force of 1,500 men under Brig. General Samuel Gholson to oppose Grierson. The two sides clashed on Dec. 28, 1864, near the railroad’s Egypt Station.

One notable aspect of the battle featured the Confederates using artillery mounted on railcars. Besides the artillery on the flat cars, the Southerners made good use of the railroad embankment and a stockade built to defend the station. Although the battle is considered a draw, Union casualties far outnumbered the Confederate losses.

The small battle had large implications for how the South had responded with unsavory methods to resupply their army. Young boys and old men were now being included in the Confederate Army. There was another more disturbing aspect of the fighting that sent shock waves throughout the North.

The formidable position of the Rebels resulted in only two killed and five wounded among the Confederate ranks, but the 500 men defending the fort eventually surrendered. Grierson’s

cavalrymen suffered 22 killed and 101 wounded while attacking the fortified Rebels. Most of the 123 Union casualties came from fighting at the stockade.

In the stockade, the 10th Tennessee Infantry, numbering over 500 Confederate troops, commanded by Lt. Colonel Michael Burke, readied for Grierson’s assault. Sometimes called “Burke’s Battalion,” the 10th Tennessee fought valiantly inflicting heavy casualties in the brisk fight.

The Second New Jersey Cavalry was given the task of taking the fort. The Jersey boys suffered dearly that day, losing 19 killed and 71 wounded before finally taking the position. Surrender only came after Burke’s men ran out of ammunition. Up to that point, the Southerners punished the 2nd New Jersey. The attack of the 2nd New Jersey accounted for nearly all Union casualties that day. The Confederate position was formidable, but the Jersey boys took the stockade and 500 10th Tennessee soldiers as prisoners.

News circulating through camp regarding the prisoners infuriated the Union men. Not long after the Union guards ushered the captured Confederates behind the lines, a courier hurried to General Grierson to inform him of the unusual development. What General Grierson soon discovered had the commander bristling with anger, especially the men of the 2nd

New Jersey Cavalry.

Of the 500 prisoners, 253 were former Union soldiers who betrayed the north by taking the Southern oath of allegiance to gain release from Andersonville Prison. The turncoats pleaded their case claiming they joined the Confederate Army only to escape death from disease and starvation at Andersonville. The traitors also claimed that they joined the Rebels hoping to desert to the Union lines at the first opportunity. Troopers in the 2nd New Jersey weren’t buying it. Many lost friends, either killed or maimed for life by the former Union POWs.

The former Andersonville prisoners, having been captured a second time, were marched north to confinement in Alton Prison in Illinois. Union guards at the prison eyed the disloyal men with a particular hate much greater than their disdain for Southern soldiers. What to do with the men still had to be resolved. Sure death seemed to be the proper course of action.

Such soldiers came to be known as galvanized Confederates. Confederate prisoners who joined the Union Army were galvanized Yankees. Thousands of soldiers on both sides changed their allegiance to escape the dreadful conditions in prisons in the North and South. In the North, the galvanized Yankees drew assignments guarding forts out west or fighting Indians. Many Union soldiers in southern prisons who enlisted to escape the prison camps north dug trenches around Richmond to avoid firing on their countrymen.

Most prisoners who changed sides did so with the understanding they would not be called upon to fire on their fellow countrymen. Apparently, the Union men in the 10th Tennessee felt no such sentiment. They fired on the 2nd New Jersey with deadly accuracy.

The former Union prisoners of Burke’s Battalion had no problem leveling their muskets on fellow troops in the Union Army. In fact, the potential retaliatory threat of execution, made their defense even stouter.

Any argument claiming an intention by the traitors to run for the Union lines at the first chance fell on deaf ears. General William Hoffman, Commissioner of Prisoners, wanted to charge them with desertion and hang them. Few would have argued against it. Hoffman asserted that being in such a forward position afforded the men an easy escape to rejoin the Union. Others rightly

claimed that the men could have fired their muskets high so as to not cause any harm to the attacking Union troops. But the fighting at the stockade was fierce as the Union casualties suggested the former Northerners fought hard until their ammunition ran out. Only then did they lay down their arms.

The 253 former Yankees drew the ire of Northerners. All favored a firing squad or the hangman’s noose; but one Union general argued on their behalf.

General Grenville Dodge, commander on the western frontier, desperately needed men to protect forts and telegraph lines. The general argued the men could be put to good use on the frontier. Meanwhile, Indian attacks mounted on settlements and outposts.

General Dodge pressed hard for the men. Fortune smiled on the former Andersonville prisoners who took the Southern oath and pulled the trigger on other Union soldiers. Dodge eventually had his way. None faced a firing squad. All 253 former Union men of the 10th Tennessee joined with Galvanized Yankees enlisted from northern prisons to form new regiments. The 1st U.S. Volunteer Infantry was created along with the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Regiments of soldiers largely comprised of former Confederate prisoners. The Northerners captured at Egypt

Station formed Co. C and D of the 5th U.S. Regiment.

Nearly all the Andersonville prisoners frowned on men who passed out of the gates at the stockade to save their own skin. Most chose “Death before Dishonor” as they held their heads high and swore to stay loyal to the stars and stripes even in the face of death.

Approximately 250 Union soldiers were executed for desertion during the Civil War, a small number compared to the actual number of desertions. Deserters stood before a firing squad in a supposedly honorable way for a soldier to suffer punishment. Only those committing murder suffered the indignity of a hanging.

The former Union men of Burke’s Confederate Battalion, the 10th Tennessee, betrayed the Union cause they swore to uphold by joining the rebel army and killing and maiming New Jersey soldiers at Egypt Station. Desertion is one thing, shooting their former peers is another. Many Union soldiers felt the deserters should have been hung at the end of a rope until dead!

Joseph F. Wilson is a member of the General Meade Society and the writer and producer of the documentary, “Civil War Prisons – An American Tragedy,” now available on Amazon pay-per-view. Joef21@ aol.com.

General Benjamin Grierson.

Roadside marker for Battle Egypt Station.

Civil War Artillery Book

392 page, full-color book, Civil War Artillery Projectiles –The Half Shell Book. For more information and how to order visit the website www.ArtillerymanMagazine. com or call 800-777-1862. $89.95 + $8 media mail for the standard edition.

Deadlines for Advertising

$19.95 + $3.50 shipping 128 pages, photographs, maps, bibliography. $19.95 + $3.50 shipping. Softbound. ISBN: 978-1-61850-151-6. www.HistoricalPubs.com. Order online at www.HistoricalPubs.com or call 800-777-1862

Marching through Georgia in the 21st Century

In September 1863 war came to Georgia in earnest when Federal and Confederate armies clashed at Chickamauga. The following year, Sherman’s armies campaigned to Atlanta and from thence marched virtually unhindered to the sea. On May 10, 1865, the same day the new U.S. president proclaimed the end of armed resistance to Federal authority, the Confederate president Jefferson Davis was captured near Irwinville.

To learn the story of the war in Georgia from beginning to end, students of the Civil War can follow driving routes established by Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails. Established in 1999, this nonprofit corporation was the brainchild of Steve Longcrier, who has led the organization since its founding. GCWHT has created three historical driving trails that crisscross the state, placing interpretive markers describing numerous episodes about the armies that fought battles and the civilians caught in the war’s path.

In the two decades since its founding, GCWHT has marked driving trails following the route of the Atlanta Campaign and the

twin paths by which Sherman’s force marched to Savannah. A third trail leads travelers along the route Jefferson Davis took in his failed effort to reach the TransMississippi and continue the fight. “Along these three routes are interpretive markers that explain not only the battles, but also the cultural, political, and social history,” Longcrier said.

Georgia is a large state and much of its territory was a battleground. “The sheer size of the project has perhaps been our greatest challenge,” Longcrier said. He pointed out that the two initial trails, covering the Atlanta Campaign and the subsequent march to Savannah, stretch diagonally across the state for more than 1,000 meandering miles. These two trails, first planned for 82 markers, now include a hundred. The Jefferson Davis Trail, when complete, will bring the total to 130.

With a true Civil Warrior’s enthusiasm, Longcrier described some stops along the war’s pathway. “One fascinating location is Tunnel Hill, where a 1,500-foot railroad tunnel connects Atlanta and Chattanooga. Completed in 1850 with slave labor, the tunnel was key for both sides.” He added a reminder that the Andrew’s raiders in the General raced through the tunnel with the Confederates in the Texas following in hot

GEORGIA’S CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS

In Honor of a Fallen Nation

Gould B. Hagler, Jr.

This unique work contains a complete photographic record of Georgia’s memorials to the Confederacy, a full transcription of the words engraved upon them, and carefully-researched information about the monuments and the organizations which built them. These works of art and their eloquent inscriptions express a nation’s profound grief, praise the soldiers’ bravery and patriotism, and pay homage to the cause for which they fought.

www.mupress.org

866-895-1472 toll-free

stops in Milledgeville, the state capital during the war. Here few structures were burned; both the governor’s mansion and the capitol building still survive.

information. Readers will have to visit Chennault and read the two markers there to learn more.

pursuit.

Further south along the Western and Atlantic is Marietta’s Kennesaw House, where the raiders spent the night before boarding the General’s train. “Our marker details the hotel’s history, including its later use as a hospital, morgue, and, briefly, as General Sherman’s headquarters,” Longcrier explained.

A marker in Atlanta, in what is now Grant Park, describes Fort Walker, part of the works protecting this vital Confederate city. “This is the only remaining earthen fort of the 19 that ringed the city,” Longcrier said.

The final battle before Atlanta fell was at Jonesboro, where a marker is placed at the Patrick Cleburne Confederate Cemetery. Longcrier said that the cemetery is a stone’s throw from the Warren House, “the epicenter of the battle’s second day of fighting.”

The trail along Sherman’s route to the coast takes the visitor to Griswoldville, an important manufacturing center and the site of the largest battle between Atlanta and the sea. There are several

Nearer the end of Sherman’s march is Ebenezer Creek, near Springfield. Longcrier explained that “hundreds of slaves had been following the Federals, seeking food, protection, and freedom.” The engineers were ordered to remove the pontoon bridge after the Federal force had crossed the creek. Many desperate slaves drowned attempting to cross the frigid, rain-swollen stream. Longcrier said that his organization “was honored to be chosen to help create the first-ever interpretive marker at the site of this tragedy.”

Not everything of significance is located along the routes trampled by marching armies. “Two markers are located in Augusta,” Longcrier said, “near but not on the route of Sherman’s left wing. These markers describe in detail the story of the Confederate Powder Works and the Augusta Arsenal, two of the Confederacy’s most important industrial facilities.”

The Jefferson Davis Trail runs through 13 counties along the route taken by the Confederate president and his wife, cabinet members, and their escort in the Confederacy’s final days. “In the 150 years since the war, the story of the lost Confederate gold is the subject of many fictitious tales and half-truths,” said Longcrier. “Two markers along our Jefferson Davis Trail unravel this age-old mystery.” Longcrier was mysterious himself, and gave no further

Longcrier is a Georgian, by way of South Carolina, by way of Texas, by way of his native Virginia, where at a young age he developed an enthusiasm for the Civil War. “I was totally fascinated by everything,” he said, “when our family visited the Virginia Civil War Centennial Center. “I was hooked.” His family moved to Dallas when he was 11, but even in faraway Texas he stayed hooked.

He studied communications at the University of Texas and after graduation worked in radio. Later he earned a master’s degree in sports management and pursued a career in that field, He maintained his interest in history, however, and began teaching adult education courses.

A trip to Pennsylvania and back in 1993, and a new job that took him to Georgia, eventually led him to the specific mission that has occupied him for over 20 years.

Longcrier visited Gettysburg for the battle’s 130th anniversary. On his way home he stopped to visit Petersburg National Battlefield. There he met park historian Chris Calkins. “As we chatted, Chris mentioned his involvement with the creation of a driving trail, labeled Lee’s Retreat, following the historic routes of the Confederate and Union armies in the last week of the war in Virginia. I was intrigued.”

As Longcrier continued to work at his day job, he began to develop his plan that eventually led to

Antique print of “The Famous War Engine ‘General’ of the Western & Atlantic R.R. on Exhibition in Union Depot, Chattanooga, Tenn.” Today the General is located on exhibit at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, Kennesaw, Ga.

https://www.exploregeorgia.org/city/tunnel-hill

forming GCWHT. A new position with the state of South Carolina, where he helped create an historical driving trail and managed the state’s program to promote Civil War tourism, served as a prelude to his Georgia project.

In 1999 Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails, Inc., was formed. The following year the corporation obtained 501 (c) (3) status from the IRS and Longcrier began to work full time for his brainchild.

Longcrier stressed that GCWHT is a “bottom-up organization.” Local participation has been critical to the program’s success. Local volunteers help decide what events are chosen for interpretation and write the text for a marker. Longcrier explained that careful review ensures accuracy. “Our history committee of national and state park historians,

university professors, authors, and excellent amateur historians review each draft and recommend proper maps, photos, and other graphic content for each marker.”

The markers along the trail are made to last, built to the same standard as the markers used by the National Park Service. “But nothing lasts forever,” Longcrier said. “Ongoing maintenance is essential. Weather, vehicle accidents, and other concerns are constant. Even commercial lawnmowers striking the legs of the markers and trailblazer signs can become maintenance headaches.”

In addition to the markers themselves, GCWHT has installed over 1,000 directional signs on the state’s highways and byways. “Each trailblazer sign helps guide motorists along the trail. They often followed the same historic roads used by

The restored Texas was unveiled to the public on a 1924 turntable at the N.C. Museum of Transportation, April 28, 2017. Courtesy The Atlanta History Center.

The entrance to Tunnel Hill. Visit

for more information. Jack Melton.

Tunnel Hill Atlanta Campaign Heritage Trail marker by Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails. Jack Melton.

Steve Longcrier at one of 1,000 trailblazer signs. Courtesy of Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails, Inc.

Western & Atlantic Railroad Tunnel marker at Tunnel Hill. Jack Melton.

Union

GCWHT’s work is done largely through volunteers. The organization is governed by a board of trustees. The history and advisory committees assist with the effort. As one purpose of the program is to promote tourism, there is also a marketing committee composed of tourism professionals.

GCWHT operates with grants supplemented by funds appropriated by the state legislature. The work requires coordination with numerous governmental agencies, federal, state, and local; the inevitable red tape has sometimes posed challenges. These challenges were initially underestimated, Longcrier said, but “ultimately were navigated through, over or around.” He named ten state and federal agencies and said that the project also “involves 120 local governments and a like number of local historical organizations, chambers of commerce, tourism bureaus, service organizations, schools, colleges, and more. Plus the public or private landowners who must give written permission for locating markers and trailblazer signs.” That is a lot of red tape and a lot of coordination. A key volunteer carrying a large share of the load is Longcrier’s wife Ginger, who has served as proofreader, webmaster, newsletter editor, and “a willing participant in any other necessary task.”

“With regard to education,” Longcrier said, “countless requests have been made through the website by teachers and students for information about specific sites and for brochures covering the trails as a whole.” He is

developing plans to promote field trips and to create lesson plans for schools tailored for the sites in their communities.

Tourism success is hard to quantify, but very real, said Longcrier. Visits to the website have increased nearly every year, with the virtual visitors coming from every state and 186 foreign countries. Requests for brochures have increased even during the pandemic. Longcrier believes there is a pent-up demand and anticipates a “booming 2021.”

I naively asked when the project would be complete. Longcrier mentioned plans to create an additional trail to track Wilson’s Raid. He is also planning trails for South Carolina and Alabama. There is also the ongoing maintenance for the interpretive markers and trailblazer signs. So the answer to my question is something pretty close to “never.”

Georgia Civil War Heritage Trail’s website is at https://www. civilwarheritagetrails.org/ and its Facebook page is here: https:// www.facebook.com/search/ top?q=georgia%20civil%20 war%20heritage%20trails.

Gould Hagler is a retired lobbyist living in Dunwoody, Ga. He is a past president of the Atlanta Civil War Round Table and the author of Georgia’s Confederate Monuments: In Honor of a Fallen Nation, published by Mercer University Press in 2014. Hagler speaks frequently on this topic and others related to different aspects of the Civil War and has been a regular contributor to CWN since 2016. He can be reached at gould.hagler@gmail.com. Hagler is a former member of GCWHT’s board of trustees.

Patrick Cleburne Cemetery with rows of Confederate headstones. Jack Melton.

Patrick Cleburne Cemetery entrance with marker, and signage from Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails, Inc. Courtesy of Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails, Inc.

“Two Days of Battle at Jonesboro” historic marker at the Patrick Cleburne Cemetery. Jack Melton.

and/or Confederate soldiers,” said Longcrier. “Same roads,” he joked, “but now most are paved and striped.”

Patrick Cleburne Confederate Cemetery marker by Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails. Jack Melton.

Kennesaw House in Marietta. Courtesy of Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails, Inc.

Old Governor’s Mansion, Milledgeville, Ga. Courtesy of Georgia Civil War Heritage Trails, Inc.

Researchers will benefit from the vast sources available, now and in the future, at The Lincoln Archives Digital Project! (http:// www.lincolnarchives.org/) This writer appreciates the assistance Karen Needles, the brains behind this undertaking, who provided helpful information for this article. According to Ms. Needles, this effort “launched in 2002.” The goal of the project is to digitize all federal records created during the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln, including all cabinet positions, as well as Civil War records, providing a 360-degree opportunity to truly study

Lincoln as a President.” Given the magnitude of sources, ranging from November 1860 through late 1865, available in this growing repository, this month an overview of the various sections will set the stage for future articles, which will delve into specific categories. Over 20 years of scanning and digitization represent the current offerings; the work will continue well into the future, so bookmark the site and check back for updates. One can also follow the Project on Facebook and Twitter.

The screenshot shown will serve as a guide for this introduction.

First, the ‘Search’ function offers a great place to start if one has a particular subject under research. A search of “Frederick Douglass” returned 13 documents of varying topics. ‘Website Tips’ provides techniques that will enhance the time spent on the site. The ‘About Us’ section offers valuable information on the project’s history and details the work ahead. (The site does accept financial contributions to assist in the endeavor!) As of December 2020, the ‘Diaries’ section contains only one, a journal from a trooper with the 11th Pennsylvania Cavalry.

Continuing, the ‘GovPubs’— after future digitization—will house the Journal of the House, Congressional Globe, Journal of the Senate, U.S. Congressional Serial Set, Maps, Indian Land Cessions, Journal of the Congress of the Confederate States of America, 1861–1865, Biographical Dictionary of the United States Congress 1861–1865, and Statutes and Documents. The National Archives section (NARA) will eventually contain documents

Search

from various Record Groups on the American Civil War, and the ‘Newspapers’ and ‘Photographs’ categories, both now in the early stages of work, will provide direct links to many period broadsheets

and images. Check the ‘Podcasts’ section now, and listen to discussions on our nation’s 16th president.

Various ‘Cartoons’ from the period’s popular illustrated papers appear here, although much work lies ahead to populate thoroughly. The ‘Site Map’ offers a useful overview of the entire collection and a quick navigation method to select topics. Along with the other areas, this article’s future installment will drill into the ‘Special Features.’ The ‘Timeline’ remains under construction, and the ‘What’s New!’ section provides a great place to start when revisiting the site once bookmarked. Finally, ‘Who’s Who,’ when finished, will give an image and bio of prominent individuals: political, military, and civilian.

As indicated on this site’s homepage, “If you want to truly understand Lincoln as President, you have to see the BIG picture!” So, next month, we will continue to explore The Lincoln Archives Digital Project: (http://www.lincolnarchives.org). Until then, wishes for continued good luck in researching the American Civil War!

Michael K. Shaffer is a Civil War historian, author, lecturer, and instructor, who remains a member of the Society of Civil War Historians, Historians of the Civil War Western Theater, and the Georgia Association of Historians. Readers may contact him at mkscdr11@gmail.com or request speaking engagements via his website www.civilwarhistorian.net. Follow Michael on Facebook www.facebook.com/michael.k.shaffer and Twitter @michaelkshaffer.

The Lincoln Archives Digital Project

The Lincoln Archives Digital Project banner.

Sites Realty, Inc.

40 Hospital Road, Gettysburg, PA 17325

Successful ten-unit bed and breakfast for the past 29 years, “Baladerry Inn” is a turn key business with all B & B equipment and furniture. Review associate documents for full set of floor plans. Private owner’s suite included. Excellent maintained facility. Roofing 8 years old. Fully permitted sewage treatment plant. Call for complete tour of this $250,000+ gross revenue property. Reservation system plus historical client records included. New windows in family room, dining room, kitchen. MLS# PAAD112996. Offered at $1,395,000

142 East Middle Street, Gettysburg, PA 17325

Renovated original 1852 stone home “Crosta House” plus newly constructed addition. Built with all hand-crafted details. Formerly operating “Air B&B” sold with all furnishings, handicap-accessible kitchen area with modified countertops plus handicap first floor bedroom with rollin shower, interior life and safely features, strobes, detectors, and sprinkler fire system. Hardwood floors throughout and hand-crafted doors and trim. Located walking distance to downtown, Culps Hill/Spangler Spring Battlefield area and Gettysburg Middle School and Lincoln Elementary School. Original floor plans altered staircase relocated. See new as-built plans and enjoy the history of the original home and the comfort of new construction. Gorgeous rear yard perennial garden. MLS# PAAD113178. Offered at $449,500

154 Doubleday Avenue, Gettysburg, PA 17325

woods-part of the “First Days Battle” of the Historic battle of Gettysburg Civil War Era. 2,200 + Sq. Ft. 4 BR, 2.5 bath home, Cottage style home renovated since 2007 & 2010 with 1st floor bedroom w/full bath, walk-in closets plus balcony area. Custom features include wood floors throughout home, open kitchen/family room area with direct access to flagstone patio overlooking National Park and Gettysburg College campus. Separate living room w/stone fireplace & access to flagstone floored screened porch. Three bedrooms upstairs with possible office area. Walkout storage area under rear of home. Enjoy this idyllic location. MLS# PAAD113906. Offered at $549,900.

National Park

571 W. MIDDLE STREET GETTYSBURG, PA 17325

Office: (717) 334-4674 • Cell: (717) 487-4000

Email: dsites@sitesrealtyinc.com

Website: https://sitesrealtyinc.com

Sites Realty, Inc.

Surrounded by

Preserved

David L. Sites Broker

Lincoln’s Home

The Graphic War highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War discussing their meaning and the print maker or artist’s goals.

Imagine today someone displaying a picture of Trump Tower, former President Obama’s home in Chicago, or Jimmy Carter’s in Plains, Ga., in his or her living room. During America’s mid19th century existential threat of civil war, printmakers obviously determined that there was a market for pictures of the new 16th president’s home in Springfield, Ill. Early depictions of presidential domiciles were not uncommon particularly when one party was keen on portraying their candidate’s humble origins.

From Washington on down, images of homes were more commonly relegated to the interior of the home with the main subject surrounded by his loving family. With Lincoln’s ascension to the land’s highest office, printmakers geared up interior and exterior images for public consumption. A deluge of “Lincoln at Home” or “Lincoln with Family” were produced between 1865 and 1870. At this point the interior views were more than decorative, they were meant as a solace to the grieving public. The family and the home were sacrosanct and in Lincoln’s case, they had been violently invaded. As Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer has pointed out, they were cheap and inferior.1

Unfortunately they were also un-trustworthy. In 1865, just over a month following Lincoln’s assassination, Chicago lithographer Louis Kurz produced a print of the deceased president’s Springfield home, with the slain leader on a horse doffing his hat to well-wishers. It is a problematic image. The caption claims that this is a scene showing Lincoln returning home from his “campaign” against Stephen Douglas. It reads: “Mr. Lincoln, Residence and Horse, / In Springfield,

Illinois, as they appeared on his return at the close of the campaign with Senator Douglas.” Taken at face value, this appears to be a depiction of Lincoln’s return home from his famous debates with Douglas in 1858. The two were campaigning against each other for the Illinois Senate seat that at that time was chosen by the Illinois State Legislature, not by direct vote of the period.

Lincoln scholars, Harold Holzer, Gabor Borritt, and Mark Neely in their book The Lincoln Image, draw an entirely different conclusion of the print’s meaning. They assert that the lithograph gives a “false impression about presidential campaigns….” They correctly maintain that Lincoln “adhered to the view that presidential candidates should not campaign;

he never left Springfield for the canvass and therefore could not have returned.” If lithographer Kurz meant the presidential election, it is curious that he mentions only Douglas as Lincoln’s opponent and omits John Bell, Constitutional Union ticket, and John C. Breckinridge. Southern Democratic slate, who were part of the four-man race in 1860. They correctly point out that in either case; the depiction of a bearded

Lincoln is an “anachronism.”2

It all becomes murkier with the inspection of another version of Louis Kurz’ print. An identical second edition bears an entirely different title: “Abraham Lincoln’s Return Home/After His Successful Campaign for the Presidency of the United States, in October 1860.” It is unknown which version came first but it is almost as if Kurz realized his first confusing title and rushed

Ca. 1865. By Prang with two-line poem: “He left it in peace, to preside over a nation, then in bondage. / He now reposes under its soil a martyr to the freedom he won.”

President Abraham Lincoln’s home, Springfield, Ill. A.C. Townsend, Enterprise Gallery, Springfield, Ill. 1861. Library of Congress.

out a “corrected version;” or, he planned to sell both versions. Either way, the print with the caption “The Return Home,” had more appeal than one which merely stated the obvious,“Mr. Lincoln, Residence and Horse.”

In competition, the print firm of Louis Prang published two versions of the same view of Lincoln’s home without the president. One edition (it is unknown which came first) merely had the title: “Home of Abraham Lincoln.” The second version read: “Home of Abraham Lincoln. / Springfield, Ill, 1860 / He left it in peace, to preside over a nation, then in bondage. / He now reposes under its soil a martyr to the freedom he won.” Both were published in or after 1865. Neither depicts Lincoln or his family, just the home. Both are unattractive physically and aesthetically.

During his life, prints showing Lincoln’s home life were legion. According to Holzer et. al., political operatives viewed those prints as key to managing the candidate’s image. In other words, bucolic images of Lincoln with his family were the products, and therefore examples of, early presidential marketing. Not so, the exterior of Lincoln’s home. They were produced after his death and “sentimentalized” his image. “They met a grass-roots need. They were not an invention of the politicians.”3 Refreshing, yes?

Endnotes:

1. Harold Holzer, Gabor Boritt, Mark E. Neely, Jr. The Lincoln Image: Abraham Lincoln and The Popular Print, New York: Scribner Press, 1984, 184.

2. Ibid., 185.

3. Ibid., 187.

After 43 years in the museum field, Salvatore Cilella devotes his time collecting American prints and maps and writing. His last professional position was President and CEO of the Atlanta History Center. His most recent books are Upton’s Regulars: A History of the 121st New York Volunteers in the Civil War (U. Press Kansas, 2009). His two-volume Correspondence of Major General Emory Upton, (U. of Tennessee Press, 2017), received the 2017–2018 American Civil War Museum’s Founders Award for outstanding editing of primary source materials. His latest book “Till Death Do Us Part,” an edit of Upton’s letters to his wife 1868–70, was published in May by the Oklahoma University Press.

Kurz: “Abraham Lincoln returns Home / After his Successful Campaign for the Presidency of the United States, in October, 1860.”

Kurz: “Mr. Lincoln. Residence and Horse, / In Springfield, Illinois, as they appeared on his return at the close of the Campaign with Senator Douglas.”

Allen & Wheelock Center Hammer Army Revolvers

The Allen & Wheelock Center Hammer Army percussion revolver was manufactured in rather limited quantities, with production estimated by most published arms historians at only about seven hundred guns. These estimates are based primarily upon the “serial numbers” of known surviving examples. However, for a gun with production figures so low, the survival rate of the revolvers appears relatively high, leading some to believe that the “serial numbers” were really batch or assembly numbers and do not indicate total production. In fact, many have long believed the total production was likely three to four times published estimates. The existence of at least a handful of duplicate “serial number” examples certainly supports this

theory. The gun pictured in this article may finally prove that the actual production figures were likely in the 2,500 to 3,000 gun range.

No matter how many were actually produced, we do know that five hundred and thirty six Allen & Wheelock percussion revolvers were purchased by the Federal government in 1861.

Many of those guns were subsequently issued to the 2nd and 3rd Michigan Volunteer Cavalry regiments (Companies A, F, and I, and I respectively) as well as the 8th Pennsylvania Cavalry’s Co. A. Since these revolvers were purchased on the open market, the guns did not go through the usual Ordnance Department procurement process. According to author and arms historian John D. McAulay’s research, 198 center hammer Army revolvers were purchased December 31, 1861, from William Read & Sons of

Boston for $22 each, a $4,356 total. He noted that an additional 338 Allen revolvers were purchased during the early months of the war. He hypothesized that these guns were really Allen & Wheelock side hammer Navy percussion revolvers, rather than the center hammer Army guns, but I find this unlikely.

McAulay referenced a post-Civil War Ordnance Department inventory of 536 Allen revolvers valued at a total of $9,130.50. After subtracting the amount paid for the .44 caliber guns from William Read & Sons, the average value of the remaining guns equals only $14.13 each. This lower value is the basis for his belief that the remaining guns were the side hammer Navy guns. However, it was not uncommon for open market arms purchase prices to vary wildly depending on the source. More than likely the earlier purchases were made before the War’s real emergency was fully understood within the arms market, and by December 1861 gun retailers were likely selling the same guns for much higher prices than they had been sold for only six months earlier. McAulay noted that only one battery of the First Regiment of Massachusetts Light Artillery is known to have had any side hammer Navy revolvers, so that would only account for a handful of guns, not more than three hundred.

Additionally, the Allen “Side Hammer” design was complicated and weak with the hammer nose prone to breakage. None of these features lent themselves to military service. Until more compelling information is uncovered, I have to believe that all the government purchases were of the larger caliber and more robust center hammer Army design.

The Allen revolvers were not acquired through normal Ordnance Department contracts so they were not marked with standard sub-inspection marks or acceptance cartouches, as guns that were part of official Ordnance Department contracts were. This means that identifying a “martial” example of one of these guns relies upon finding the

serial number in a list of known Allen & Wheelock .44 Army military purchases. The 4th volume of the Springfield Research Service’s “Serial Numbers of US Martial Arms” book has a small number of Allen & Wheelock Army revolver serial numbers, with sixteen guns listed that range from #8 to #325, all in the possession of the 2nd or 3rd Michigan Cavalry during 1864. Since it is likely that these numbers were reused as batch numbers, even identification by this method is problematic.

The Allen & Wheelock Army revolver was a .44 caliber, sixshot, percussion single action revolver that had a 7 ½-inch half-octagon/half-round barrel and a unique ratcheting loading lever that formed the gun’s trigger guard. The revolvers had a blued finish with color case hardened hammers and loading levers/triggerguards. The two-piece walnut grips were usually varnished but some appear to have been oil finished on some extant examples. Like most period revolvers the sights were rudimentary with a tall, “pinched” brass front sight and a notched hammer nose as the rear sight.

The guns were made in three distinct variants that help the collector to categorize and date them chronologically. The earliest guns used a complicated and fragile “hinged pawl” action. This produced a smooth action but was expensive and time consuming to produce and very difficult to repair. These guns also had the hammer mounted on the screw that secured the side plate and entered through the right side of the frame. This made disassembly very difficult. The final feature of the 1st variant revolvers was that the cones (nipples) were screwed into the cylinder from inside the chambers, a very unconventional feature.

The 2nd variant revolvers retained all the mechanical features and designs of the first but had cones (nipples) installed in the conventional fashion, from the rear of the cylinder. The 3rd variant revolvers used a pin that was cast into the right side of the frame to provide a pivot for the hammer to rotate on, while the screw securing the sideplate entered from the frame’s left side. These features made the revolver much easier to disassemble and repair. Third variant guns also utilize a simplified internal action that was cheaper and easier to produce.

The guns were normally marked in two lines on the left side of the octagonal portion of the barrel with the name, address, and patent information about the

gun; however, these stampings were often quite light and as a result are usually only partially legible. Since Allen was the ultimate “cheap skate,” it was not uncommon for the company to use the same dies to mark different models of guns, even if the die did not quite fit in the space where the markings were placed. This often resulted in Allen revolvers that have letters and/or numbers missing from the name and patent information stampings because the die simply did not fit in the area where it was stamped.

It seems fairly certain that the guns were not “serial numbered” per-se but were marked on ma jor parts with assembly numbers. The numbers were usually placed on the left side of the frame (un der the grip), on the loading le ver’s inner surface, on the cyl inder‘s rear, the cylinder arbor pin, and inside both wooden grip panels.

The Allen & Wheelock center hammer Army pictured here is a later production, 3rd variant, re volver with the cones (nipples) installed from the cylinder’s rear and with the simplified lock work allowing the hammer to rotate on the cast frame pin, rather than the sideplate screw.

The most interesting thing about this revolver is that it may actually bear a true serial num ber, in addition to the usual as sembly numbers. The bottom of the grip frame is numbered 2497. Typically, Allen & Wheelock Army revolvers do not have an external serial number like this, and the grips must be removed to find the frame number. The other interesting fact is that the last three digits of the serial number are found throughout the revolver like the assembly numbers usually found on these guns. This four-digit number on the bottom of the grip suggests that at least some 2,500 of these revolvers were really produced. Why Allen did not fully serial number most of the production is unclear, but it seems quite likely that many 3rd variant guns with three-digit serial numbers may really have had a fourth number that was never applied to them.

The three-digit assembly number 497 appears on the expected parts of the gun. The number is found stamped in the usual location on the frame under the left grip, on the top of the cylinder arbor pin, the rear face of the cylinder, the inner side of the loading lever (it is sometimes found under the loading lever), and on the interior of both grips; all locations it is typically encountered on these guns. The last number 7 is visible on the bottom portion of the hammer when the sideplate is

removed. The left flat of the octagonal barrel section shows the usual two line Allen & Wheelock marking for the period’s revolvers reading: ALLEN & WHEELOCK

. WORCHESTER, MASS. U.S. / ALLEN’S PT’S . JAN . 13 . DEC . 15 . 1857 . SEPT. 7, 1858.

Despite the pressing need for revolvers in the field during the Civil War, it is apparent that “substitute standard” guns like the Allens were not always placed in service. McAulay notes that the 1862 year-end inventory for the Washington Arsenal listed twenty-eight Allen & Wheelock revolvers in storage, and a similar 1863 inventory for Fort Riley, Kan., showed seventeen Allens in storage. In fact, the New York Arsenal still had thirty-eight Allen revolvers in its June 1901inventory. These were subsequently sold to Francis Bannerman & Sons for 26.27 cents, or about 1% of the $22 that had been paid for many of them some forty years earlier.

Tim Prince is a full-time dealer in fine & collectible military arms from the Colonial Period through WWII. He operates College Hill Arsenal, a web-based antique arms retail site. A long time collector &

is quite uncommon.

researcher, Tim has been a contributing author to two major book projects about Civil War era arms including The English Connection and a new book on southern retailer marked and Confederate used shotguns. Tim is also a featured Arms & Militaria appraiser on the PBS Series Antiques Roadshow.

Muzzle of the Allen & Wheelock Army showing the tall, pinched brass front sight and the five groove rifling.

Assembly number 497 on the ratchet portion of the loading lever without the “2” at the front. One, two, or three digit assembly or “serial” numbers are common on these guns, but a four digit number as found on the butt

The Revenge Raid on Lake Mattamuskeet

by Donald E. Collins

Following reassignment of most Federal occupation forces in North Carolina to join General George McClellan’s Peninsular Campaign in Virginia, effective Union control of the Tar Heel state consisted of a few sound and riverside towns and the Outer Banks. With North Carolina’s regular Confederate troops largely fighting in other theaters, defense against the occupying Northerners was left to a very few state units or local partisan rangers, “guerillas,” as the irregular Southern soldiers were commonly called. When Federal troops ventured more than five miles from their occupied towns, they entered a “No Man’s Land” controlled by neither side, but regularly patrolled by local partisans.

Captain Colin Richardson and his men hated the guerillas. A time would come when that hate turned to revenge. The men of Richardson’s Company G, 3rd New York Cavalry, kept constant vigilance on the irregular Confederate militia that patrolled the swamps and woods surrounding federally occupied eastern North Carolina. Since the partisans wore civilian clothing they identified themselves as Unionists or neutrals when Union cavalrymen came across a group, but never as Southern partisans. It was even believed, with some occasional truth, that guerrillas disguised themselves in women’s clothing. Difficult to detect, they “murdered” camp guards and pickets “in cold blood.” In Richardson’s estimation, such men were not soldiers and should be shown no quarter.

For Richardson and the Third, the issue came to a head during a raid into the Lake Mattamuskeet region of rural Hyde County. On March 1, 1863, he led an expedition comprised of his company and Company G, 1st North Carolina (Union) Volunteer Infantry under Lieutenant George Joy. Over a three-day period, the expedition circled the 15 by 6 mile lake. They found bridges had been burned by slaves under orders from Henry Cradle, a local resident who possessed a written protection from North Carolina’s Union governor Edward Stanly. Despite the governor’s protection, Cradle was taken back to New Bern as a prisoner.

On the second day, the Yankees drove back enemy pickets belonging to local partisan ranger units. Near Fairfield, they defeated more enemy guerillas. That night, they camped nine miles from Lake Landing on the Lake’s

eastern end. The next morning, local guerillas fired on the Federal column from houses near the road. The rebels were driven into the woods by a combination of howitzer fire, cavalry, and North Carolina Union infantrymen.

Leaving several cavalrymen to burn a “rebel headquarters,”

Richardson’s force continued its march, meeting mounted pickets along the way. At a point about nine miles from Swan Quarter, a force of about eighty guerillas, operating from the cover of a swamp, attacked the Federals. In the fighting that followed, Richardson’s New York cavalry lost two officers, a sergeant, twelve enlisted men, and several horses. Only one man from the Carolina Union company was killed. The expedition returned to New Bern via boat the following day carrying its dead and wounded. Bitter over the loss of so many men, the cavalrymen pushed a prisoner, bound hand and foot, over the side to drown. Upon arrival in New Bern, another prisoner, probably Henry Cradle, was paraded through town wearing a dress and with a sign on his back reading “Guerilla caught fighting in women’s clothing, and protected by Governor Stanly.”

Lieutenant Joy, who commanded the North Carolina Union company in the raid, would be brought up on charges, but pardoned by the governor who knew him as the editor of the Union army newspaper in New Bern.

Captain Richardson, enraged over the loss of so many officers and enlisted men from his company, requested and received permission from headquarters to return to Mattamuskeet with a much larger force. This time the expedition included the 101st and 103rd Pennsylvania Infantry, Richardson’s cavalry company, and two howitzers, under Colonel David Morris of the 101st Pennsylvania. Before embarking, Richardson addressed the men and officers in terms that would encourage excesses and left no doubt in the men’s minds that the mission’s purpose was revenge. Within three days, this much larger expedition was aboard transports returning to the Mattamuskeet region intent on punishing the local guerilla bands.

The expedition arrived off the Hyde County coast the evening of March 7. As the Pamlico Sound waters were shallow, the transports unloaded the troops 13 miles off shore; they were ferried to land by shallow-draft gunboats. Once on land, the troops

marched inland a half-mile to Swan Quarter, where Captain Richardson again addressed the troops on the nature of the expedition. Using the same inflammatory language, he reminded the men that their purpose was to seek vengeance on the guerrillas who had killed and wounded his men. According to his reasoning, guerillas were undeserving of being treated as regular soldiers. Orders were given to show no quarter.

Unfortunately for Richardson, the effort to seek retribution on the guerilla force that had killed his men during the earlier raid was unsuccessful. The offending enemy force was not to be seen; they were operating in groups of six to eight men, too small a unit to challenge the much larger Federal force. Thus no guerrillas attacked; the raiders did take 13 suspected guerrillas into custody, including a wounded Confederate lieutenant who had returned home after being paroled by a Union officer.

The single reported “attack” on the expedition may actually have been by an elderly hunter unaware of the soldiers’ presence.

On the first day, nine miles from Swan Quarter, the troops encamped near an abandoned rebel earthwork. A gunshot awakened them. The guilty party turned out to be elderly, one-eyed Thomas Voliva, who told the Federals he had been hunting bears with his son and was unaware of the soldiers. He wasn’t believed and was sent to New Bern as a prisoner.

To protect themselves from further guerrilla attacks, every male along the route was taken into custody to prevent their joining any attack on the column. In addition to Voliva and the 13 other suspected guerrillas, the Yankees forced an additional 60 civilians to accompany the expedition.

Unable to take revenge on any guerillas, Yankee retribution fell solely on local civilians. This took the form of pillage, plunder, burning, theft, and excessive foraging beyond that needed for food. From the time the raiders left Swan Quarter on March 9 until they re-embarked four days later, officers made no attempt to maintain discipline. The Yankee soldiers, prompted by Richardson’s angry words, turned into undisciplined looters operating beyond control of their officers.

Corporal Luther Dickey, who was present and recorded the events in his regimental history, placed the primary blame for misconduct on the intemperate words

of Richardson. Captain John Donaghy, commanding Company F, 101st Pennsylvania, wrote that blame had to be shared by Colonel Morris, who at no point confronted his officers in regard to the men’s conduct. The colonel himself, in his official report, admitted to a lack of discipline in his own regiment, but placed greater blame on the company officers in the 103rd Pennsylvania. Captain Donaghy wrote: “I would also

call attention to a lack of proper discipline among the line officers of the 103d Regiment Penna. Vols. They seem to have little or no control over their commands, and lack energy to enforce proper discipline.” A contributing factor appears to have been the “fine vintage” of Hyde County, which was freely available to both officers and men without cost.

Historian Mark Grimsley, in his book “The Hard Hand of War,”

This 1865 U.S. Coast Survey map of eastern N.C. identifies the lake as “Mattamuskeet.” North Carolina Division of Archives and History.

Federal soldiers plundering and looting civilian property. Harper’s Weekly.

Federal soldiers plundering and looting civilian livestock. Harper’s Weekly.

argued that conduct such as that exhibited by the troops during the Mattamuskeet raid was seldom seen prior to mid-1863.

As the Union troops moved along the roads circling the lake, it took time to forage for items to be taken to New Bern. While doing so, they also took time to burn and plunder local citizens. Little regard was shown for whether the owner was Unionist, neutral, or Confederate. The expedition encamped on two separate nights at the farm of Sylvester McGowan, a local Unionist who had enlisted in the First North Carolina (Union) and was then stationed in New Bern. He left his home in the care of James Mason and his family. When told that the property belonged to a Union soldier serving in New Bern, Colonel Morris ordered his men to leave it undisturbed. His soldiers ignored orders and warmed themselves by burning McGowan’s cook house and a thousand cypress rails, while killing his poultry and hogs for food. Though no receipts were left for the property taken and destroyed, in 1872 McGowan received $144.50 recompense from the Southern Claims Commission.

On March 12, the column visited the 6,000 acre plantation of Judge Donald, the largest slaveholder in the area. After filling their wagons with cotton, corn, and bacon to be carried to New Bern and burning stacks of fodder, the Federals moved on, followed by some of Donald’s slaves. Thus far, the expedition already had been joined by approximately 60 escaping slaves who brought horses, mules, oxen, donkeys, buggies, carts, and an assortment of household goods with them. It is noteworthy that, of Donald’s 400 slaves, no more than 60 took this chance at freedom.

The fleeing slaves proved to be a hindrance for the Yankees, as they slowed their progress. The decision to flee with the army proved tragic for the slaves who would be left to the mercy of their masters when the expedition boarded transports for the return to New Bern.

Confiscation and plundering of local property began as soon as the troops left Swan Quarter on March 9. As the expedition’s various elements moved along the rutted wagon roads surrounding the lake, they emptied all meat houses and cellars they passed. Every farm lost its hams, chickens, and everything edible, or even what struck the interest of an individual soldier. Sergeant Justus Barr Clark Jr. of the 101st wrote in his diary, “The country was the richest we have yet seen in the Southern state … and having

captured large quantities of hams, chickens, etc. [sic] during the day, (we) began cooking them. All the pots, pans, and kettles in the neighborhood were pressed into service.” At one farmhouse, the soldiers entered and removed a roast beef that had been freshly prepared for the family’s meal. As Captain Donaghy, who partook in the misappropriated food, remarked, “so much for the feelings of chivalry.”

Captain Donaghy, whose company traveled behind the main column, described the devastation left by the army. “Plundering seemed to have been extensively indulged in by the main force ahead of us, to judge from the debris we saw on the road as we followed after. Books, papers, wearing apparel [sic] and household articles were strewn about. We passed by the burning ruins of a family mansion, which we were told afterwards, belonged to the captain of the guerrillas.” Escaping slaves were put to good use in the enterprise. When bees stung several soldiers trying to lift bee hives with their bayonets, they turned the task over to the escaping slaves. The plunder was such that Donaghy feared that the wanton devastation was so great bushwhackers might try to wreak vengeance on the column.

On March 11, the Federals completed their march around the lake and headed toward Swan Quarter. It had rained incessantly for two days so the wagon road was muddy. Any citizens watching the caravan pass might have been amused at its appearance, had they not been witnessing a parade of their own possessions pass by in enemy hands. The two Pennsylvania regiments that began the march as infantry became a comic “cavalry”; a majority of the force was riding, mounted on horses, mules, donkeys, oxen, and cows, or was carried in a variety of vehicles ranging from stylish family carriages to homemade wagons with wheels constructed of boards nailed together crosswise.

Infantry Captain Donaghy commandeered a small donkey and rode along with his feet dangling near the ground until the mule tired of its rider and evicted him by running under a wagon. Donaghy was both greatly amused and highly disgusted at the sight presented by the Yankees. “Such a collection of animals and vehicles never before or since marched in procession on this continent … Every vehicle that had been in vogue in that part of the country during the 18th and 19th centuries must have been brought into requisition on this raid.” He conjectured that the

lack of order and discipline was so great that the column could be have been annihilated by an enemy force one-quarter its size.

Fortunately, no enemy had attacked and no Federal soldier was killed or wounded as the expedition came to an end at Swan Quarter that evening. The troops bivouacked in town that night and all the next day. During that time, they burned a small mill against orders, perhaps a final act of revenge before departing. Although the mission had been a failure in terms of visiting retribution on the guerillas, Colonel Morris’ official report put the best face on it, noting that it had been successful in capturing a large amount of forage and other property.

The expedition returned to New Bern with 17 horses, 13 buggies, a yoke of oxen, the 35 ton schooner Snow Squall, 8 cartloads of cotton, 1,500 pounds of bacon, and 400 bushels of corn. He failed to note that the escaped slaves were left behind to the mercy of their masters.

The expedition departed Swan Quarter on March 13, 1863. The disregard for orders and lack of discipline that had characterized the mission on land continued as the troops boarded the transports. In order to reach the heavier draft transport Northerner anchored thirteen miles offshore in deeper water, the lighter draft gunboat Escort ferried the men from shore to ship. When the first transfers from the 103rd reached the Northerner, they tended to remain on the loading side of the ship, awaiting the next group, and causing the vessel to list dangerously to one side. When the Pennsylvanians ignored repeated orders from both the boat’s and expedition’s commanders, an exasperated Colonel Morris recalled, “Having repeated the order for the men to remain in their places and await orders, and all to no effect, I seized a gun and fired down the side of the boat for the purpose of deterring the men, but with no intention of injuring anyone. At the moment of firing a man rushed forward and was slightly injured.”

The expedition arrived back at New Bern on the following day to the sound of cannon fire. It was at first believed to be a celebration as it was the first anniversary of the Union capture of the city. On landing, it was learned to be the last shots of a Confederate attack on Fort Anderson by Confederate General James J. Pettigrew.

The final word on the failed revenge raid came from outgoing Union Governor Edward Stanly. Two weeks after the raid, the governor, who was widely unpopular with the Union military in

the state, asked to protect North Carolinians against abuses such as those perpetrated against during the Hyde County raid. “In numerous instances, all well authenticated,” he wrote, the soldiers “entered and robbed the houses of loyal men, destroyed furniture, insulted women, and treated them with scorn.” His protest was forwarded to Colonel Morris, who, in his own report on the raid, acknowledged that excesses occurred, but blamed them on the absence of discipline among the two Pennsylvania regiments, while absolving himself of blame for disobedience to his orders. There was little more that Governor Stanly could do in the way of protest. Unpopular with the army, and in disagreement with President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, he resigned as governor and was soon on his way out of North Carolina.

There can be no doubt that the Mattamuskeet raid of March 1863 violated acceptable conduct of Civil War warfare. General William T. Sherman, noted for bringing the hard hand of war to the South’s civilians, presented his views on the limitations of foraging in enemy territory in his Special Field Order 120, issued on November 9, 1864. As a general principle, he wrote, “in districts and neighborhoods where the army is unmolested, no destruction of such property should be permitted ….As for [taking] horses, mules, wagons, &c., belonging to the inhabitants,” this

was permitted, while “discriminating between the rich, who are usually hostile, and the poor or industrious, usually neutral or friendly.”

While applicable only in principle to the Mattamuskeet raid, the actions of the troops were, according to the conscientious John Donaghy, “the most discreditable affair in which the 103d Regiment participated during the nearly four years of its service.” Thanks to the honesty of his memoirs and the determination of Luther Dickey to accurately record the history of his regiment, the raid is remembered in history.

Sources:

• History of the 103d Regiment Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteer Infantry, 1861–1865, by Luther S. Dickey, Corporal of Company C, With Sergeant Samuel M. Evans as Collaborator. Chicago, L.S. Dickey, 1910. • OR Sec. I, Vol. XVIII, pp. 157-158, 181-182.

Don Collins was born and raised in Miami, Florida. He earned a BA at Florida State University, and then the MA and PhD at the University of Georgia. He is now an East Carolina University retired Associate Professor He specialized in the history of Internment of Japanese Americans during WWII. His Civil War interests are the post war life of Jefferson Davis, and the First and Second North Carolina (Union) Volunteer Infantry regiments.

Monocacy National Battlefield’s New Superintendent

WASHINGTON, D.C.— National Park Service (NPS) acting Area Director Lisa Mendelson-Ielmini has named Andrew Banasik as the superintendent of Monocacy National Battlefield, Md. Banasik began his NPS career as a seasonal employee at the battlefield and has 23 years of NPS experience. He begins his new assignment this week.

Banasik currently serves as the acting superintendent of Monocacy National Battlefield. Under his leadership, Monocacy National Battlefield staff have expanded park programs and stories to reach new audiences, fostered relationships with partners and community stakeholders, and completed projects to better preserve resources and improve visitor access.

“Andrew is an exceptional leader with a vast knowledge of park resources at Monocacy National Battlefield,” Lisa MendelsonIelmini said. “He’s shown a commitment to the park staff, to collaborating with the local community, and to telling a more complete

and inclusive history of the events and people of Monocacy.”

Banasik previously served as the chief of resource management at Monocacy National Battlefield. In this position, he integrated the park’s natural and cultural resources management programs, and preserved and protected historic structures, archaeological sites, historic landscapes, and wildlife habitat. He also expanded visitor access by improving trails and park view sheds.

“I am humbled and honored to be chosen as the superintendent at the park where I first began my NPS career,” Banasik said.

“Monocacy National Battlefield has an important history, exceptional employees, dedicated partners, and great neighbors. I look forward to leading our team in preserving this incredible park and sharing its stories with visitors.”

Banasik earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Shepherd College (now Shepherd University) in 1993 and a masters degree in environmental science and policy from George Mason University in 2006.

Banasik lives in Loudoun County with his wife, Jen, and their two children, Josh and Bekah.

Civil War Documents Preserved

This summer I was asked by a friend, Mary Hogan of Issaquah, Washington state, to assess and find a suitable repository for a sizable collection of Civil War documents. The Nixdorff family of Issaquah was interested in preserving the collection. The trove consisted of Confederate hospital ledgers, which I learned were Hospital Steward copies; correspondence between the CSA Surgeon General Samuel Moore and Confederate Hospital No. 3 in Goldsboro, N.C.; correspondence by CSA Surgeon William A. Holt; supply orders for Hospital No. 3; and a very interesting letter written by Williamston, N.C., businessman Docton W. Bagley to CSA Attorney and Judge Asa Biggs. Judge Biggs was a United States Senator prior to the War. In this letter Mr. Bagley discusses the secession convention, the slavery issue, the raising of area regiments, and personal matters.

The documents were taken as war trophies by Private William S. Wade of Company M, 9th New Jersey Infantry. Private Wade was the Hospital Steward for the Company. The 9th New Jersey was in and around New Bern and Goldsboro, N.C., until July 12, 1865, when the regiment mustered out of service. The papers remained in the soldier’s family until the present day when I was asked to help find a permanent place for their safekeeping and preservation.

Four bound volumes comprised the Hospital Ledgers. These listed soldiers from all over the Confederacy, their type of wound, when and where wounded, and current status. It was thrilling to be able to sort through the loose pages and find many references to important events in the war. For example, the Chief Surgeon at Hospital No. 3, William A. Holt, wrote, he “just learned about the fall of Fort Fisher,” and needed to know about the number of sick and wounded his hospital might expect or could be transferred from other hospitals as a result of the battle. Another letter, from HQ 2nd District, Dept. North Carolina and Southern Virginia, directs Holt to expect patients from the state prisons and authorizes him to establish another hospital at the Fairgrounds if it becomes necessary.

Some of Private Wade’s personal papers are included too, such

as a letter of recommendation elevating him to Hospital Steward, his transportation voucher home at war’s end, and personal writings. The materials in the collection are astounding and cover a variety of areas. A few examples are included with this article.

The COVID 19 pandemic has made it difficult to find staff working at many museums. After a few dead ends I received great interest from Matthew Peek, the Military Collection Archivist for Special Collections at the State Archives of North Carolina.

Photos were sent and it was determined that the papers were well suited for preservation in Raleigh. After conservation, they will be made available for research and possible digitization for public use.

As a Civil War enthusiast and amateur historian I was pleased to know these artifacts will go home to North Carolina with a little bit of the story of the Union soldier who was there and his family that kept them all these years.

Andrew Banasik stands in front of the Thomas House at Monocacy National Battlefield. NPS Photo.

Private Wade’s disposition requisition letter.

Private Wade’s steward application letter.

Walt Fogle

The Tomb of Washington’s Mother & The Civil War

by Sarah Kay Bierle

During 1862, some Civil War soldiers near Fredericksburg, Va., went out of their way to protect the grave and memorial of Mary Washington. They honored her as the mother of the first president and the Washington legacy as an ideal that both sides wanted reflected in their causes. Both Union and Confederate war-culture evoked the spirit of Washington, tracing their convictions to the Virginian Father of the Country.

“But go, George, fulfill the high destinies which Heaven appears to have intended for you for; go, my son, and may that Heaven’s and a mother’s blessing be with you always.” So reads the quote, possibly apocryphal, as Mary Ball Washington encouraged her son, George Washington, to accept the highest executive office for the first time in United States

history. Stories about mothers of famous men often abound, creating powerful points for memory and inspiration. Mrs. Washington became a local heroine to the small city of Fredericksburg, and after her death and into the Civil War era, soldiers and civilians felt inspired to protect her final resting place even as conflict erupted in the surrounding area.

Mary Washington died in 1789, just a few months after her son, George, became president. She resided in Fredericksburg for some time prior to her passing and was buried on her daughter and son-in-law’s estate, Kenmore.

Mrs. Washington had previously specified the location of her grave near a large boulder shaded by large trees where she had often liked to walk. The first monument at her grave was placed by the orders of George Washington, but as the decades passed, over-zealous Americans wanting pieces of history chipped away the original memorial.

Beginning in 1826, a new movement started to erect another memorial at Mrs. Washington’s grave; President Andrew Jackson dedicated the cornerstone in 1833. Time passed, money ran low, and by the time of the Civil War, the ambitious graveside monument stood only partially completed. Still, the local community was aware of its history and the burial of that Virginian mother and, as Civil War armies lined the banks of the Rappahannock, word spread about Mrs. Washington’s

half-finished monument and burial spot.

In “My Story of Fredericksburg” published in Volume 54 of Cosmopolitan, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain recalled a Dec. 11, 1862, incident he witnessed on the Stafford side of the Rappahannock River, looking across to the historic city of Fredericksburg.

I may present an incident of this bombardment which impressed me at the time, and has stood vividly in memory ever since. I was near one of our upper batteries—I think Benjamin’s of the 2d Regular—observing the effect of the fire, when a staff officer of Sumner’s rode up and, pointing across, bent low in his saddle and said with softened voice, “Captain, do you see that white shaft over yonder in the green field above those houses?”

“I do, sir,” was the reply.

“That is the tomb of Washington’s mother,” joined the staff officer.

“Let your guns spare that!”

“They will, sir!” was the answer, as if the guns themselves knew.

I turned away, thoughtful of many things.

If Chamberlain’s story stands true, then Union artillerymen tried to avoid targeting the grave site during the December 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg. However, infantry of both sides moved through the land around Kenmore, Mrs. Washington’s grave, and the civilian cemetery a little further to the south. At one point, Confederate skirmishers sent a request to the artillerymen on Marye’s Heights to shell the cemetery and the rest of the area in an attempt to dislodge Union troops gathering there.

One Mississippian soldier later recalled, “The request to shell the grave of the mother of the ‘Father of His Country’ was refused, but they consented to fire a few shots into the cemetery. Soon a great noise of bursting marble was heard and double results were obtained, as a fragment of marble was as good for killing purposes as a shell. Many a Yank doubtless had this inscription on his tomb, ‘Killed by a tombstone that broke loose at Fredericksburg.”

Spared the worst of the destruction, Mary Washington’s unfinished monument also served as a local point of interest during the War for soldiers and civilians alike. Miss Elizabeth Alsop wrote in her diary on July 30, 1864: “Capt. Gregory has been to Fredericksburg…. The last evening he was to spend in F— I promised to walk with him to

the Monument; but as I had much to do all day-did not see him until long after dinner, then I told him I was tired & wished he would excuse me from walking. He was unwilling, so of-course I went. We paid a short visit at Cousin John’s, then went to the Monument, walked about in the semitary [cemetery] sometime, & finally took seats in the main walk.”

Alsop’s entry reflects other walks to the gravesite taken by civilians and soldiers alike to look at the unfinished monument and ponder the life of Mrs. Washington and her influence on her first son. After the Civil War, several groups formed to raise money to complete a memorial at Mrs. Washington’s grave; the new monument, the one standing today, was dedicated by President Grover Cleveland in 1894. Through the years, the Garden Club of Virginia has helped maintain the land and walkways around the grave site.

Though Mrs. Washington’s life paralleled the Colonial and Revolutionary War periods, her memory was part of Fredericksburg’s history, including the Civil War years. Most often, the topics of Civil War and preservation are linked to saving pieces of history connected to the war, but as these details from Fredericksburg, suggest there was an interest among the soldiers themselves to preserve tangible pieces or places connected

to the nation’s founding. Mrs. Washington inspired respect for her role in raising the patriot who became the first president, and whether it was redirecting artillery fire, mentioning her grave as a landmark in battle notes, or taking a stroll to the historic site, her grave was a place of remembrance, memory, and reflection as Americans grappled with what it really meant to live in the nation her son had helped to found.

Sarah Kay Bierle serves on staff at Central Virginia Battlefields Trust. CVBT is dedicated to preserve hallowed ground at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, The Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House. To learn more about this grassroots preservation non-profit, please visit: www.cvbt.org

Mary Washington’s grave with the memorial dedicated in 1894.

Looking across the Rappahannock toward Fredericksburg where Mary Washington lived for part of her life. A similar view would have been familiar to Union troops in 1862.

Chris Mackowski

From the Editor

By the time you read this, you’ll know whether you ended up on Santa’s nice list or naughty list. If you scored a spot on the nice list, perhaps you’re reading some new Civil War books by your favorite authors or you’re appreciating a new-but-really-old relic someone left under your tree.

My Civil War gift came not from Kris Kringle but Meg Groeling, who could be Santa’s stand-in except she has purple hair and no beard. But she does have a big heart, as big as Santa’s, and every year she finds the most thoughtful gifts. This year, she sent me a lovely hand-crafted Christmas ornament: a four-inchtall Stonewall Jackson figurine, complete with stern expression and piercing blue eyes, ready to brighten my Christmas tree. He’s in full dress uniform, with a shiny sword by his side (not rusted into its scabbard as it was at Cedar Mountain), best of all, he has both arms.

“There stands Jackson like a Christmas ornament!” I told Meg

when I called to thank her. What else could I say? She knows me! At a time when Jackson has come down from some prominent locations, he was going up on my Christmas tree. I could not have been more delighted.

Meanwhile for those of you who ended up on Santa’s naughty list, no doubt some of you might be looking for a recount or vowing to fight it all the way to the North Pole. My suggestion would be to make a donation to support battlefield preservation and then drop a hint to the elves. Hopefully the extra effort will grease the skids on Santa’s sleigh for you a little. No promises, but I know the preservation groups will thank you.

In all seriousness, though, I hope you had some fun over the holidays. These pandemic times have been tough on all of us, so the chance to find some levity is vital. I think that’s especially true, too, because we study a pretty grim subject. The war was no laughing matter. That’s all the more reason to be sure we stay in touch with our happiness and humanity.

On behalf of all us here at Emerging Civil War, I wish you all the best for a happy, safe, healthy, and successful New Year.

— Chris Mackowski, Ph.D. Editor-in-Chief, Emerging Civil War

Early Bird Symposium Tickets Available

Thru 12/31

You only have a few more days to secure the early bird rate on tickets for the Seventh Annual Emerging Civil War Symposium. Get your tickets now for $155, because starting January 1, 2021, the regular ticket price of $175 goes into effect. After COVID forced us to go virtual in 2020, many attendees opted to carry over their tickets to 2021, so ticket quantities are limited. Get yours today!

This year’s symposium will be held August 6 - 8, 2021, and will focus on “Fallen Leaders.” Our keynote speaker will be Gordon Rhea, and our Sunday tour, by Greg Mertz, will focus on the wounding of James Longstreet at the Battle of the Wilderness. Find out more info and order tickets here: https://emergingcivilwar. com/2021-symposium.

ECW News and Notes

Sarah Kay Bierle took a Sunday drive to Lexington, Va., to see the changes on the parade field and leave some Christmas holly for the fallen cadets from the Battle of New Market.

the January 2021 issue. The column will be featuring Civil War graves in the U.S. and abroad. The latest issue of the Air Force Journal of Indo-Pacific Studies is out, featuring Chris Kolakowski’s case study on air transport in IndiaBurma 1944. You can read it here: https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/ JIPA/Display/Article/2426083/ volume-03-issue-04-winter-2020/

Cecily Nelson Zander appeared on the Kenosha, Wisc., Civil War Museum’s Hardtack and Coffee chat talking about the Grand Review, available here: https:// youtu.be/0Ct06PUc314.

10 Questions . . . with Bert Dunkerly

Bert Dunkerly and Doug Crenshaw look forward to the release of their Emerging Civil War Series book Embattled Capital, which is a guidebook to Civil War sites in and around Richmond. The book will included newly preserved battlefield land, an updated list of historic sites and museums, cemeteries, monuments (they’re not all gone), prison and hospital sites, resources for research, and more.

Bert and Doug have also been using the cold winter days to get out and explore battlefields. With the foliage gone it is a great chance to find earthworks and study the terrain.

Doug has also finished the manuscript for a book (along with Drew Gruber) on the 1862 Peninsula Campaign for the Emerging Civil War Series, and he is hard at work on a nonECWS study of the Confederate command during the Seven Days battles.

Dwight Hughes’s essay “Riverine Warfare” has been published in the online Essential Civil War Curriculum of The Virginia Center for Civil War Studies at Virginia Tech. The Executive Director termed it “excellent material on riverine warfare.” You can read it here: https://www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com/riverine-warfare.html. The academic reviewer commented: “It’s a very nicely written and well organized piece, and I especially liked the coverage of the challenges confronting the freshwater operations, as well as the early construction of gunboats.” Dwight is beginning work on a new ECW Series volume on this topic.

Frank Jastrzembski has a new column beginning in the January 2021 issue of America’s Civil War magazine called, “Final Bivouac.” The first installment kicked off in

coming out in January. Can you tell us about it?

Robert “Bert” Dunkerly is an historian at Richmond National Battlefield Park and author of a slew of books not only on the Civil War but the Revolutionary War, as well. You can read his full bio here: https://emergingcivilwar.com/author-biographies/ authors/robert-m-dunkerly.

I teamed up with Doug Crenshaw to produce a guide to Civil War sites in Richmond, called Embattled Capital. This includes the most up-to-date information on sites to visit. For example, newly preserved land at the battlefield sites, historic markers and monuments; and new museums that didn’t exist even a few years ago. We tried to organize it logically so you can read up on battlefields, cemeteries, museums, famous people etc. Through the book, we show the importance of Richmond to Confederate industry, government, infrastructure, and highlight the best way to get the most out of a visit.

You also have a new ERW book you’ve been working on. Fill us in!

Yes! I love the Revolution, as well. The book is about lesser-known battles and campsites in New Jersey. Having worked at Morristown a few years ago, I came to appreciate the importance of the war in the Garden State. I really think if you want to understand the Revolutionary War you have to look at New Jersey. It is a microcosm of the whole war: large battles, raids, naval actions, supply and logistics, the home front, loyalists, etc. My goal is to show the evolution of the war and the growth of the Continental army, and encourage visitation to some lesser-known but fascinating sites.

What do you like about working back and forth between centuries?

As a public historian, what has been your biggest challenge in the age of COVID?

Like everyone, I miss interacting with the public: giving tours and doing informal talks, etc. Perhaps the things I miss most are conferences, in-person training, and the networking and learning that occur there like the ECW Symposium.

What is a positive thing for your work that you’ve seen come out of the pandemic?

I’ve learned a lot of new technology! How to film videos, use equipment and software, etc. I think digital programming will be a permanent fixture at my park, and others, long after we go back to normal.

You have a new ECW book

I love the variety. I truly enjoy the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries equally. The weapons and tactics are different, the scale of the battles is different, and how armies march and maneuver changes. Studying each allows one to appreciate the challenges faced by commanders and common soldiers.

Lightning Round (short answers with a one-sentence explanation)

Favorite primary source?

Confederate Veteran Magazine. Favorite Civil War-related monument? Confederate Memorial Monument at Shiloh. The symbolism is very powerful.

Favorite unsung hero of the Civil War era? Don’t really have one.

What’s a bucket-list Civil War site you’ve not yet visited? Picacho Pass, Arizona. Someday....

Favorite ECWS book that’s not one of your own? To Hazzard All: A Guide to the 1862 Maryland Campaign

Bert Dunkerly is the author of, among other things, the Emerging Civil War Series book To the Bitter End: Appomattox, Bennett Place, and the Surrenders of the Confederacy.

Sarah Kay Bierle stands along the empty parade ground at the Virginia Military Institute.

Stonewall Jackson makes the season bright as a handcrafted Christmas ornament.

ECW Behind the Scenes

We asked Savannah Rose, who does the layout for our Emerging Civil War and Emerging Revolutionary War Series, to talk a little about what her work entails. By day, Savannah is a park guide at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.

ECW Multimedia

Have you been following the ECW YouTube page? You can check it out here. Or, go to YouTube and search “Emerging Civil War.” December was an especially busy month!

Dave Powell talked with us about his new book Impulse for Victory: Ulysses S. Grant at Chattanooga.

We did a video tour of Civil War & More bookshop in Mechanicsburg, Penn., with owner Jim Schmick. Jim not only offered some great ideas for Civil War-related Christmas gifts, he told tales of the Confederate presence on the outskirts of Harrisburg during the Gettysburg campaign.

The Adams County Historical Society announced plans for a new Exhibit, Research, and

property.

We also make a number of our interviews available as free podcasts on the ECW Patreon page.

Saturday, including lunch and transportation, and a half-day tour on Sunday, transportation included. Although lodging is not included, a block of rooms have been reserved at the Crowne Plaza Princeton-Conference Center. Hope to see you there!

I design and create the layout of books for the Emerging Revolutionary War and Emerging Civil War Series, working behind the scenes to help produce books for fellow book lovers and history enthusiasts. Typically, I receive a large folder that contains the entire manuscript, photographs, and captions, and it’s my job to piece it together to create a book. I use Adobe InDesign to put the pieces of the puzzle together and create an appealing-looking layout for readers. There are elements of each ERW and ECW book that remain the same, helping to create a unified theme between the books; however, each one is different and has a unique look to it.

The creation and design of the book layout was a part of the writing and publishing process that I had never paid attention to before working on it myself. I’ve had the pleasure of working with several authors in the creation of their books and have enjoyed reading the manuscripts as I put the layout together.

What I like most about designing book layouts is the sense of putting together a puzzle, fitting the text and images onto a page in a way that is both appealing and functional. There is a sense of accomplishment when a layout comes together and looks amazing, and then it’s on to the next. Books have always been a major influence in my life, and I’ve had the best time playing a role in creating them, especially ones for fellow historians and history enthusiasts.

Education Center in Gettysburg. Executive Director Andrew Dalton gave us a sneak peek.

Doug Crenshaw showed off a couple spots at Gaines’s Mill. Days later, the American Battlefield Trust announced a major preservation initiative there. We spoke with the Trust’s Chief Historian, Garry Adelman, as well as Doug, author of the ECWS book Richmond Shall Not Be Given Up! The Seven Days’ Battles, and Bert Dunkerly, an ECW historian who works at Richmond National Battlefield.

The Trust also announced a huge victory at Stones River. We featured an interview with ECW’s Stones River experts: ECW Chief Historian Chris Kolakowski, author of The Stones River and Tullahoma Campaigns: This Army Does Not Retreat, and Bert Dunkerly and Caroline Davis, co-authors of a forthcoming book on Stones River for the ECW Series. The round-robin discussion offered an overview of the battle and provided context about the Trust’s newly preserved

by Phill Greenwalt

On December 14, ERW historians Mark Maloy (pictured) and Rob Orrison visited Mount Vernon on the anniversary of the death of George Washington. A video is on our Facebook site about that day and a walking tour of the grounds.

On December 26, 1776, Washington pulled off a stunning surprise assault against a Hessian outpost at Trenton that was one of the turning points of the war. He would follow this up with

Mark Maloy visited George Washington’s home, Mt. Vernon, on the anniversary of Washington’s death. Washington is buried on the grounds.

a victory at Princeton early in 1777. One of the first Emerging Revolutionary War Series publications, Victory or Death by historian Mark Maloy, sums up this crucial campaign. There will also be another installment of “Rev War Revelry” on December 27 about these “Ten Crucial Days.”

Click onto our Facebook or blog for the line-up of historians and posts leading up to the Sunday night historian happy hour.

While on the blog or Facebook page, check out the newest event, Emerging Revolutionary War’s first annual bus tour that will take place November 12 through November 14, 2021: “Victory or Death: Battles of Trenton and Princeton Bus Tour with Emerging Revolutionary War.”

The $150 fee includes a Friday night lecture, all-day tour on

As a reminder ERW now has a YouTube page where you can rewatch all the “Rev War Revelries” from 2020. In addition to the posts on our blog, we hope the YouTube page will help provide that fix for all your Revolutionary War-era history.

The newly preserved property as Stones River sits along the road to the McFadden Farm (pictured here).

Savannah Rose gets out of Philadelphia for some natural history.

Action Needed to Protect Millions of Rare Gettysburg Artifacts

Pennsylvania’s Adams County Historical Society launches multimillion-dollar campaign to build state-of-theart facility to protect irreplaceable relics

GETTYSBURG, Penn.—

The Adams County Historical Society (ACHS) preserves some of Gettysburg’s rarest treasures, and many of national significance, including a program from Lincoln’s famous address, thousands of relics gathered from the battlefield, personal belongings of esteemed abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower, Native American projectiles, dinosaur footprints, and so much more. To ensure that these priceless, tangible links to the past survive for future generations to study and appreciate, ACHS has launched a bold, $5-million-dollar campaign to construct a new Exhibit Gallery, Archives, and Education Center.

“For over 80 years, we’ve amassed a collection that tells the story of one of America’s most famous communities,” said ACHS executive director Andrew Dalton. “Now is the time to create a worthy home for our unparalleled collection. Without the Historical Society, the memory and legacy of this incredible place would cease to exist.”

The only downside of being blessed with such robust holdings is that the society has long outgrown its current home, which was always meant to be temporary. The building itself, an aging Victorian home in Gettysburg, also poses immediate risks to the collection it houses.

“Our current facility lacks important temperature and humidity controls and there is no fire suppression system,” said ACHS Capital Campaign Chair Jacqueline White. “We worry every day that these incredible resources, the very soul of Gettysburg and Adams County, could deteriorate further or be lost if we don’t act now.”

The new facility, set to open by the fall of 2022, will be built just north of Gettysburg near a portion of the First Day’s battlefield. The 29,000-square-foot complex will house artifact-driven exhibits that explore centuries of Gettysburg and Adams County history through the eyes of ordinary citizens of all ages and backgrounds. According to ACHS historian Timothy Smith, “the interactive galleries will

Current Facilities Problems

A portion of our library.

Artifacts in storage crates at an offsite warehouse.

Boxed maps and newspapers.

Business and court ledgers.

Part of our archival holdings at the Wolf House.

Current home of ACHS at the Wolf House.

draw heavily upon hundreds of incredible, first-person accounts of events like the Battle of Gettysburg and Lincoln’s Address.”

In addition to exhibits, the new facility will feature hands-on programming, a stunning event space overlooking the battlefield’s Barlow Knoll, and a firstclass archive where visitors can conduct research on a variety of topics ranging from genealogy to Gettysburg, Adams County, and Civil War history.

On Dec. 16, the Historical Society hosted a digital campaign event to announce over $3 million in gifts and pledges made to date. Featuring filmed endorsements from documentarian Ken Burns, actor Stephen Lang, and historical novelist Jeff Shaara, the launch included a check presentation from Adams County’s Commissioners for an additional $1 million to support the project.

According to Burns, whose acclaimed film on the Civil War featured materials from the society’s collection, “the history of Gettysburg and Adams County is not just local history, it’s a microcosm of United States history.”

Shaara, author of Gods and Generals, a prequel to his father Michael’s Pulitzer-winning Killer Angels, added to Burns’ sentiment, “If we all do our part and protect our cherished past, the incredible stories of Gettysburg and Adams County will continue to inspire future generations of Americans just like they inspired my father, and just like they inspired me.”

Construction of the Historical Society’s new home will begin next year.

“Not only will we save this incredible collection, we are creating a home for this community’s remarkable story,” said Dalton. “From prehistoric times to the days of Eisenhower and beyond, this will be an experience unlike any other.”

To learn more about supporting the project, please visit www. achs-pa.org/campaign,or email info@achs-pa.org. Donations can also be mailed to the Adams County Historical Society at PO Box 4325, Gettysburg, PA 17325. Naming and sponsorship opportunities are available for a limited time.

Since 1888, the Adams County Historical Society, Gettysburg, Penn., has preserved over three centuries of remarkable local history. With millions of historic items in its care, ACHS inspires people of all ages to discover the fascinating and largely untold story of one of America’s most famous communities. Learn more at www.achs-pa.org.

New Facility Illustrations

Records at an offsite location.

Storage boxes at an offsite location.

Boxed paintings in storage.

Floor plans for the new facility.

New building site plan.

New building rendering.

Rare Artifacts in the Adams County Historical Society Collection

Mike Shovlin smiles for the camera behind a display of some of the rare artifacts in the ACHS collection.

Ambrotype of Sallie Myers, Battle of Gettysburg nurse.

Images of 1863 civilians.

Pen used by Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower to register as voters in Adams County.

Hat owned and worn by First Lady Mamie Eisenhower.

Ike and Mamie registering to vote holding the ACHS pen.

Canteen of William Hake, a local soldier who was wounded when the bullet passed through his canteen.

Cane owned by Battle of Gettysburg hero John L. Burns.

Remington revolver stolen from a Confederate by a citizen of Gettysburg during the battle.

Presentation sword of Edward McPherson, Company K, 1st PA Reserves.

William H. Tipton view camera that he used to take many famous Gettysburg battlefield images.

Chair from the estate of James Gettys, founder of Gettysburg.

Confederate surgeons kit left behind at Gettysburg presented to W.C. O’Neal.

Artillery projectiles and other Gettysburg relics.

William T. King Tailor sign ravaged by bullets during the Battle of Gettysburg.

Fire bucket from the Culp Family, early Gettysburg.

Original program from the Gettysburg Address.

Threatening note left at George Culp Farm by Alabama soldiers.

Book owned by Gettysburg attorney Thaddeus Stevens.

McDonald, Pennsylvania, Emancipation Day Celebration

by John Punola

In 1862, the Civil War was going badly for General George McClellan and the Army of the Potomac; President Lincoln was impatiently waiting for good news and a major victory on an eastern battlefield. General Robert E Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia was winning battle after battle and Union casualties were mounting. Even worse, the Northern populace was getting war weary and many were clamoring for a peace treaty with the South.

In Europe, Britain and France were closely watching the progress of the American Civil War and were considering open support of the South. Another major Confederate victory could have resulted in official recognition of the Confederacy and, possibly, entry into the war allied with the South.

President Lincoln had decided to issue a proclamation of Emancipation freeing all slaves in territories in the South under Union control. He wanted a major military victory before issuing the proclamation and was pressuring McClellan to take the offensive and defeat Lee, the sooner the better. Then word was received that Lee and his army had entered Maryland and could be moving north to threaten Washington, or perhaps turn due north and invade Pennsylvania.

In mid-September 1862, Lee’s army crossed the Potomac River into Maryland; the Union army was alerted and moved to oppose the Confederates. After heavy fighting on South Mountain, a major battle occurred near the town of Sharpsburg, along Antietam Creek, on Sept. 17, 1862. The battle resulted in the heaviest casualties in American

history with 23,500 soldiers left dead and dying on the battlefield.

Both armies suffered a large number of killed, wounded, and captured, and despite superior numbers, the Union army could not dislodge the Confederates from their defensive positions.

That evening General Lee decided to disengage and take his army back across the Potomac River into Virginia to regroup and resupply.

The battle produced no winner, but since the Confederates left the battlefield, General McClellan declared victory and quickly sent a wire to Lincoln advising him of his success. Lincoln was hesitant to celebrate, but finally on September 22, 1862, he informed the North and also issued his famous Emancipation Proclamation. On January 1, 1863 President Lincoln signed the proclamation into law effective

Jan. 1, 1863. However the Emancipation Proclamation did not produce the desired results and the war continued until April 9 1865 when General Lee surrendered his army at Appomattox, Va., effectively bringing the Civil War to a close even though other Confederate forces were still in the field. President Lincoln envisioned hordes of freed slaves leaving plantations, a movement that was expected to cripple the Southern war economy. Slaves in the Border States and Union occupied territory responded, but slaves in the deep South remained on the plantations.

In 1897, the First Baptist Church of McDonald, Penn., initiated their first celebration of Emancipation Day; the tradition was to celebrate the date the Emancipation Proclamation was first issued, Sept. 22, or the Sunday closest to that date. The celebration rapidly grew into a major event with visitors arriving from many states including entertainers, athletes, and marching bands. McDonald, Penn., was now on the list of places to go and the Emancipation observance grew into a major family event. The Emancipation Day celebration continued for 112 years until 2009. At this time, there are no immediate plans to revive the festivities. For most years the McDonald First Baptist Church was the host and organizer; in later years they received valued assistance from the McDonald Pride of the West Lodge 196, the McDonald Elks, and the Good Fellows Club.

All major newspapers covered the Emancipation celebration, and in 1916, a Pittsburgh newspaper ran this item on their front page. “One of the most impressive sights seen on Emancipation Day were the old veterans of the Civil War, in full military dress and in perfect step, leading the parade. Here we witnessed those men who had fought along side other Union troops, marching with Old Glory gently waving in the breeze.

The old black troopers marched out of Lincoln Avenue to the ball park where comrade George Kimberly was the master of ceremonies.

The first speaker up was Banks Holland, who spoke on the freeing of the colored race, what the war was all about and stood for and the ultimate results of the conflict.

“Speaker Charles Briceland related some of his experiences during the war and his meeting

of slaves in the South, comparing their lifestyles to the Northern black folks. Mr. John Vermillion was the last speaker and spoke of the privileges of present coloreds to those in place before the Civil War.

“At the close of the remarks by the Old Veterans, a rising, emotional, vote of thanks was given for their services and excellent speeches, plus a rousing three cheers were given to Old Glory” Great baseball games were played at the Emancipation celebration, with such fabled stars as Satchel Paige from the Pittsburgh Crawfords and Josh Gibson of the Homestead Grays making numerous appearances as they thrilled the thousands of fans who came to see their heroes in action. The McDonald Lyceum baseball team was equally popular and on some occasions played against the visiting black stars.

Superb entertainment was always presented as the biggest names in music; the theatre donated their time and talent to be in McDonald for the Emancipation event and such stars as Billy Eckstein, Fats Domino, Walt Harper, Harold Betters, and others displayed their talents to cheering crowds

The Annual Emancipation Ball was a event featuring ladies dressed in the day’s finest garb and the men in formal wear. The attendees gaily danced to the music of Ray Charles, James Brown, and other notables. The ball was a high class event that was strongly supported by the public. The ball also selected and crowned Miss Emancipation for the year.

Constant entertainment was the norm as the grand parade showcased prominent marching bands featuring talented, high stepping majorettes. The parade included many floats on Lincoln Avenue, the main street of McDonald.

Sadly, the Emancipation Day event in McDonald came to an end in 2009. The First Baptist Church and its loyal supporters faced too many obstacles, but the 112 years of a continuous celebration was like a popular Broadway play; it was successful and lived a long and glorious life, but nothing is forever. Thanks are in order to Kelly Sturdivant, First Baptist Church, who provided valuable assistance to creating this historical story.

J. S. Smith & Co. copy of the Emancipation Proclamation. Library of Congress.

January 1, 1863

By the President of the United States of America: A Proclamation.

Whereas, on the twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, a proclamation was issued by the President of the United States, containing, among other things, the following, to wit:

“That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.

“That the Executive will, on the first day of January aforesaid, by proclamation, designate the States and parts of States, if any, in which the people thereof, respectively, shall then be in rebellion

of the Emancipation Proclamation

against the United States; and the fact that any State, or the people thereof, shall on that day be, in good faith, represented in the Congress of the United States by members chosen thereto at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such State shall have participated, shall, in the absence of strong countervailing testimony, be deemed conclusive evidence that such State, and the people thereof, are not then in rebellion against the United States.”

Now, therefore I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, by virtue of the power in me vested as Commanderin-Chief, of the Army and Navy of the United States in time of actual armed rebellion against the authority and government of the United States, and as a fit and necessary war measure for suppressing said rebellion, do, on this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and in accordance with my purpose so to do publicly proclaimed for the full period of one hundred days, from the day first above mentioned, order and designate as the States and parts of States wherein the people thereof respectively, are this day in rebellion against the United States, the following, to wit:

Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, (except the Parishes of St. Bernard, Plaquemines,

Jefferson, St. John, St. Charles, St. James Ascension, Assumption, Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Mary, St. Martin, and Orleans, including the City of New Orleans) Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, (except the forty-eight counties designated as West Virginia, and also the counties of Berkley, Accomac, Northampton, Elizabeth City, York, Princess Ann, and Norfolk, including the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth[)], and which excepted parts, are for the present, left precisely as if this proclamation were not issued.

And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.

And I hereby enjoin upon the people so declared to be free to abstain from all violence, unless in necessary self-defence; and I recommend to them that, in all cases when allowed, they labor faithfully for reasonable wages.

And I further declare and make known, that such persons of suitable condition,

will be received into the armed service of the United States to garrison forts, positions, stations, and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service.

And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the eighty-seventh.

By the President: ABRAHAM LINCOLN WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State.

Transcript source:

National Archives. To see the original handwritten document visit https://www.archives. gov/exhibits/featured-documents/ emancipation-proclamation.

We take increased to the cause they

Humbled by Support, the Trust Reflects Upon a Year of Accomplishments

Without a doubt, 2020 was a tumultuous year marked by uncertainty in many sectors. Despite having to shift some of our plans and divert emphasis into differing arenas, creating digital education content rather than sending classrooms on field trips, is one example, the Trust was able record a successful year on multiple fronts.

For the 22nd consecutive year, the nation’s premier battlefield land preservation organization preserved more than 1,000 acres of precious hallowed ground. That momentum shows no sign of slowing, as we begin 2021 with another 1,000 acres in our preservation pipeline.

The organization also experienced a historic volume of young and lifelong learners flocking to its array of educational resources. Our website set records for visitation, including more than 5 million sessions logged by students. Throughout the year we launched hundreds of new articles and videos, averaging more than one new piece of educational content every day, and eclipsed 125,000 subscribers to our YouTube channel.

With such success, the Trust remains forever grateful to its

supporters, without whom we would not be able save a single acre of land. You empower this organization to live out our creed: Preserve. Educate. Inspire.

Once Lost, 48 Acres in the Heart of the Stones River Battlefield Are Reclaimed

In mid-December, the Trust announced that it had miraculously reclaimed 48 critical acres at the Stones River Battlefield in Murfreesboro, Tenn. At the center of the victory is a property that had once been home to a manufacturing plant, but will now unite two previously disconnected wings of the Stones River National Battlefield. With such interpretive value and historic significance, it is no surprise this tract had long been near the top of the Trust’s priority list.

“Five years ago, protecting this site seemed an unachievable dream,” said Trust President David Duncan. “But sometimes miracles do happen, so we celebrate one today!”

The Trust made its first inquiries into acquiring the site along Interstate 41 in 2014, when it was owned by General Electric. After the manufacturing plant was badly damaged in a storm, GE relocated its operations, tore down the structure, and put the property up for sale for potential

industrial or commercial use. The Trust attempted to negotiate a purchase at that time, but the requested price was far outside our range. After languishing on the market, the site was purchased by “https://www.oreillyauto.com/”

O’Reilly Auto Parts in 2016; the Trust then approached the new owner to explain the site’s incredible historic significance.

“Having it within our power to see that such a piece of truly hallowed ground was protected forever, we decided to work with the Trust to find a win-win solution,” said O’Reilly Senior Vice President of Real Estate & Expansion Scott Kraus. “As a proud American company, it is our honor and our duty to be a good corporate citizen and work for the betterment of our communities.”

A willing and generous seller did not negate that industrial land in a highly developed area carries a high price tag; the Trust faced a daunting challenge to meet the $4 million negotiated purchase price. Eligible for both federal and state historic preservation matching grants, the Trust prepared application packages for both the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP), administered by the National Park Service, and the Tennessee Civil War Sites Preservation Fund (TCWSPF), administered by the Tennessee Wars Commission under the

auspices of the Tennessee Historical Commission. With grants in place, donors stepped in to finish the job; their contributions were matched $33.94-to$1. This work opened the door for protection of an adjacent six-acre parcel.

The Battle of Stones River, fought in bitterly cold rain and sleet, resulted in 23,500 casualties and a much-needed, strategic Union victory. The Trustsaved property was witness to some of the fiercest fighting during the battle. It was there on December 31, 1862, that the final Confederate assault against the Union left spilled out of the famous Hell’s Half Acre and gave rise to a deadly contest. Despite the lethal conditions, Chaplain John Whitehead of the 15th Indiana seized the opportunity to provide spiritual and physical aid to his brethren in battle, a brave and selfless act that earned him the Medal of Honor.

Report Explores How to Balance Green Energy, Historic Preservation Goals

Virginia is among the many states with a growing appetite for renewable energy resources, especially following the 2020 passage of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which commits the Commonwealth to 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2051. With so many eager to find homes for utility-scale solar energy facilities, preservationists in the Commonwealth have raised a very important question: Where will they go? Considering the state’s wealth of historic sites and cultural resources, and the hundreds of acres such facilities

may require, the concern is a valid one.

However, a new report from the Trust, Cultural Heritage Partners, and Preservation Virginia deems that green energy goals and historic preservation need not be mutually exclusive. The report, Siting Solar in Virginia, draws from real-world cases and offers a roadmap for how solar developers can thoughtfully address historic resources. Suggested methods include mechanisms to proactively engage with the State Historic Preservation Office and preservation advocates, with one case study also detailing a pioneering mitigation strategy for instances where adverse effects to battlefield lands cannot be avoided.

Read the full report, Siting Solar in Virginia: Protecting Virginia’s Historic Landscapes

While Meeting State’s Clean Energy Goals, at HYPERLINK “http://www.battlefields.org/solar”www.battlefields.org/solar.

Read the full report, Siting Solar in Virginia: Protecting Virginia’s Historic Landscapes

While Meeting State’s Clean Energy Goals, at www.battlefields.org/solar.

Working with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 29 Acres Saved at the ‘Bloody Ravine’

Demonstrating the power of partnerships, the Trust joined forces with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation to complete protection of 29 acres that played a critical role in a Civil War battle set amid an area more frequently associated with Revolutionary War history. The effort was largely supported by grant funding from the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Fought on May 5, 1862, the Battle of Williamsburg was the largest engagement fought in Virginia up to that time.

Acknowledging the Foundation’s important role, Colonial Williamsburg President and CEO Cliff Fleet said, “The story of America is dynamic, and Greater Williamsburg is rich with places that figure prominently in that story. It was our honor to ensure that this historic landscape is safeguarded by an organization uniquely situated to interpret it. The work of the American Battlefield Trust to preserve this important piece of Civil War history adds to the diversity of offerings for visitors interested in a more complete understanding of the Battle of Williamsburg and provides an economic boost to

Stones River battlefield. Rob Shenk, American Battlefield Trust.

Siting Solar in Virginia cover.

local businesses.”

When announced in May 2020, the Trust emphasized the extraordinary investment that the opportunity represented. Between a seller donation and anticipated grants from federal and state governments, donor contributions were matched $220-to-$1. The large multiplication factor drew immediate attention and the Trust swiftly raised the amount needed to

secure the property. Fundraising complete, the Trust awaited grant decisions and dispersals before completing the transaction shortly before Christmas.

The project also has incredible potential to expand the historical narrative. Interpretation opportunities include the experiences of seven American soldiers who earned the Medal of Honor for their valor at Williamsburg, as

well as important stories of often overlooked African American involvement in the Civil War. The outcome of the Battle of Williamsburg was greatly influenced when members of the enslaved community that built the Confederate fortifications offered the Union army intelligence about unoccupied positions, enabling them to gain a protected foothold on their opponent’s flank.

The N-SSA is America’s oldest and largest Civil War shooting sports organization. Competitors shoot original or approved reproduction muskets, carbines and revolvers at breakable targets in a timed match. Some units even compete with cannons and mortars. Each team represents a specific Civil War regiment or unit and wears the uniform they wore over 150 years ago. Dedicated to preserving our history, period firearms competition and the camaraderie of team sports with friends and family, the N -SSA may be just right for you.

For more information visit us online at www.n-ssa.org.

Williamsburg ravine near a redoubt. Brian Callan.

CIVIL WAR BOOK,___ B mv 11:

Civil War News book reviews provide our readers with timely analysis of the latest and most significant Civil War research and scholarship. Contact email: BookReviews@CivilWarNews.com.

Ex Parte Milligan and terrorism in the 21st Century

Ex Parte Milligan

Reconsidered: Rage and Civil Liberties from the Lincoln Administration to the War on Terror. Edited by Stewart L. Winger and Johnathon W. White. Photos, notes, index, bibliography, 392 pp., 2020. Lawrence, University Press of Kansas. $45.

Reviewed by Salvatore Cilella

remembered it had something to do with Copperheads, Lincoln, and perhaps the Constitution. After all, the title said it was legalistic and dry.

Fear no longer. The editing team of Stewart L. Winger and Jonathon W. White have accomplished the impossible. Through bright, intelligent and comprehensible writing and editing, the two have not only explained Milligan historically but updated it and made it relevant to current events. Not every historical incident lends itself to that kind of treatment. In addition, the duo and their 10 co-essayists explore the impact of Milligan on civil rights/liberties then and the present day. Think military tribunals in Guantanamo for the last two decades.

Counties.” Governor Morton viewed the southern half of the state as a nest of Copperhead activity populated by southern sympathizers, Democrats, and secret societies. There was serious concern that southern Indiana would secede and join the Confederacy.

A total of nine men were seized, five were released or fled, and the remaining four were tried in Indianapolis during October 1864, charged with inciting rebellion, conspiracy against the federal government, and aiding and abetting the enemy. In December, Milligan and two compatriots were convicted by a military court and sentenced to hang. President Andrew Johnson later commuted their sentences to life.

In 1865, Milligan’s lawyers filed a writ of habeas corpus for justification of their initial arrest and further, whether they should have been tried by a military court.

the Constitution in our current war on terror, conclusions about the actions of Civil War-era Republicans regarding racial resettlement, white racist terrorism, and about the persistent relevance of the Milligan decision.” In the end, the editors wonder aloud about rethinking “the fundamental nature of liberal constitutionalism itself.” (p. 21).

It cannot be overstated, this is an essential read. It is well written, jargon-free, without excessive legalese. It is important to our understanding of America’s long lasting, tragic turmoil between 1861 and 1865 that bedevils us yet today. This book raises serious questions that beg for answers. Once war is declared on terrorism, should captured foreign national terrorists be tried by civilian or military courts?

What of the designation of home grown, white terrorist groups?

Once you read this book, you will be able to visit your high school history teacher, and intelligently discuss your understanding of ex parte Milligan and its ramifications for today.

Salvatore Cilella is the retired CEO of the Atlanta History Center. Between 2001 and 2006 he served as President and CEO of the Indiana Historical Society. He is the author of Upton’s Regulars, A History of the 121st New York Volunteers in the Civil War, University of Kansas Press, 2009; editor of The Selected Correspondence of General Emory Upton, 2017, University of Tennessee Press and Till Death Do us Part, The Letters of Emory and Emily Upton, 1868-–870, University of Oklahoma Press, 2020.

C’mon, admit it. You slept through that history class on ex parte Milligan, or you took off that day, more likely, you were there that day, your teacher glossed over the narrative, and moved on to the next battle. You barely noticed it and if you were lucky or half awake, you vaguely

Ex Parte Milligan deals with the legality of using military tribunals involving civilians during wartime while local civilian courts are in operation and available for the dispensation of justice. Lambdin P. Milligan (farmer/lawyer), Stephen Horsey (private citizen), William A. Bowles (physician and politician), and Andrew Humphreys (U.S. Representative) were all affirmed anti-war, anti-Lincoln, Copperheads entrenched in southern Indiana. At the time, counties below Indianapolis were decidedly pro-Confederate, and indeed were called “Butternut

Their case ended up in the Supreme Court whose 1866 ruling became an important milestone in American jurisprudent history. Three questions before the court were: “Was a writ of habeas corpus necessary for Milligan?” Should he be released?,” and most importantly, “Can military courts operate when civilian courts and law and order prevail?” The court ruled against the government in the majority opinion handed down by Justice David Davis. One of the more surprising revelations, particularly to this reviewer, was that Benjamin Franklin “Beast” Butler was the lead attorney for the government. The Supreme Court held that military courts were not legal where the existing civilian law was alive and well and op erating. The court reaffirmed the right of the military to continue military tribunals where civilian authority had completely col lapsed or been overthrown. It also affirmed the right of Congress to legislate where and when military courts were appropriate.

In this well-researched, well-documented, and well-writ ten treatise, twelve authors in cluding the two editors metic ulously lay out their arguments for the reexamination and rele vance of Milligan to today’s war on terror. The book is laid out in four sections: The Meaning of Martial Law; The Copperheads of the Middle West; The Milligan Decision; and The Precedential Power of Milligan. When a “civ il war” book signals relevance, it behooves all of us to sit up and take notice.

Perhaps the most important points in this book are what the editors call the “startling recent scholarly conclusions about the Civil War period as well as about

Digital Issues of CWN are available by subscription alone or with print plus CWN archives at CivilWarNews.com

The Civil War Before the Civil War

The War For Missouri 1861–1862

The Fake News Media

.

By Joseph W. McCoskrie. Photographs maps, illustrations, appendices, glossaries, index, chapter notes and bibliography. 205 pp. The History Press, www. arcadiapublishing.com,softcover. $21.99

Reviewed by Richard J. Blumberg

ironic since ten bitterly contested battles occurred in Missouri before the First Battle of Manassas on July 21, 1861.

This work provides concise and insightful topical discussions arranged as chapters. McCoskrie provides a detailed discussion of each engagement’s significance.

He includes suggested reading lists, colorful illustrations, and detailed maps that help the reader understand a particular engagement.

The Presidents vs. The Press: The Endless Battles Between the White House and the Media-from the founding Fathers to Fake News. By Harold Holzer. Bibliography, Notes and Index, 576 pp., 2020. Dutton. Penguinrandomhouse. com. Cloth. $30.

Reviewed by David Marshall

through the twenty first century chief executives. He provides lively examples and analysis of disagreements and respites by Richard Nixon; mutual distrust by Bill Clinton as well as occasional collaboration by Theodore Roosevelt. He moves on to “sanitized news” and fake news put out Lyndon Johnson and efforts by both press and presidency to dominate the other.

telling witty stories at a 1914 news conference, created messaging through the Federal Committee on Public Information, and curtailed dissent.

Initially considered a Confederate state, Missouri was among the most hotly contested areas of the nation. Several works cover the Civil War’s Western Theater; however, very few cover activities that occurred in Missouri. Joseph McCoskrie remedies this situation with his The War For Missouri 1861–1862.

He asserts that the national Confederate leadership government failed to recognize the importance of the geographic, demographic, and economic advantages Missouri provided in waging a military contest. This is

This study is an excellent reference tool reminding us that Missouri’s soldiers came in many different forms: state troops, regular soldiers with varying enlistment periods, Home Guards, and guerilla fighters. His work provides scholarly research in a format that is easy to read and understand. McCoskrie does an excellent job describing how Missouri’s geography, demographics, and political situation fit into the beliefs of local citizens. While proving his thesis, he takes the reader on a picture journey of the views shared by various military units, guerrilla fighters, politicians, and ordinary folk . In the end, this somewhat forgotten state saw many battles fought and lives lost; lots of families might say “for what?”

McCoskrie is a Virginia Military Institute graduate who served twenty-eight years in the military. He then completed a twenty-five-year career in banking. He has also shaped the leadership of future military leaders serving as an assistant professor of military science in the Illinois State and Missouri Universities’ ROTC programs.

Richard Blumberg has reviewed books for Civil War News for over eighteen years, and has also contributed a couple of articles for Civil War News.

This new title deals with the relationship between presidents and the press opens with George Washington being concerned that newspapers provided important information to the enemy during the Revolutionary War. Once he became president, he looked for the positives the press can provide the public but was blind to the realities that they are often concerned about selling papers without necessarily always providing honest coverage of his administration.

In The Presidents vs. The Press, distinguished Lincoln historian Harold Holzer examines the challenges presidents have had since the birth of our nation in dealing with the press. Covering many presidents and incorporating subjects either ignored or only lightly touched on in other presidential histories, this is a book of unusual scope and complexity. Holzer has divided this study into five parts from the founding fathers’ “Malignant Industry,”, to 19th Century presidents and “A Government of Newspapers,” early 20th presidents’ “From The Bully Pulpit To The Fireside,” the 1960’s-1970’s a “Far Greater Information,”—and finally to Truth Is the Glue” covering the last fifty years. He provides firstrate insight how presidents from George Washington to Donald Trump have been unhappy with press coverage that today has been called fake or false news.

Holzer allows readers to discover the actions and reactions from the birth of the nation

In the chapters on George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, Holzer provides a clear understanding that these presidents took offense with their press coverage and at times were outraged and attempted to take measures to silence newspapers and reporters. While Washington remained silent except to his close friends and cabinet members concerning his feelings, it is remarkable that our first president withstood so much criticism from the ‘infamous scribblers’ without responding as have future presidents such as Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump. Both Washington and John Adams supported laws that eventually passed and became known as the Alien and Sedition Act under Adams.

While Thomas Jefferson had no issues holding journalists answerable for slander and did not necessarily believe everything written in newspapers, more than most presidents he held that the press was free and should not be interfered with by the Federal government. The implication of the new, broader arguments led to long term tension between the press and citizens for fifty years, with Abraham Lincoln regenerating sedition acts during the Civil War.

In the nineteenth century, Andrew Jackson successfully used former newspapermen in his administration to distort the lines between his presidency and reporters as did Abraham Lincoln by hiring his secretaries who worked in the press. They both used censorship while fighting against secession.

In the early twentieth century, Theodore Roosevelt worked with several progressive muckrakers such as Lincoln Steffens to investigate trusts and became the nation’s first progressive president producing many significant changes including conservation and the establishment of national parks. While Woodrow Wilson surrendered much influence to the press, he also produced the first campaign commercial, demonstrated Lincolnesque qualities by

Presidents who demonstrated an ability to circumnavigate the changing media scenery included Washington, Jackson, Lincoln, both Roosevelts, and Kennedy. After 1974, the press became skeptical of the U.S. elected chief executives because of Vietnam and Watergate, and tried to keep leaders honest. Ford, Carter, Reagan, both Bushes, Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump have all attempted to be transparent with the fourth estate, they often found themselves being questioned concerning their motives, policies, and moral standing.

Holzer makes a strong argument that, while critics of Donald Trump complain that he bypasses the press by utilizing twitter, others have optimized media platforms to persuade American audiences. Thomas Jefferson did this by originating official administration newspapers, Abraham Lincoln in writing newspaper articles and forwarding letters to papers. Franklin Roosevelt used the radio for his fireside chats; Ronald Reagan made his weekly radio broadcasts, and Barak Obama utilizing the internet. Throughout this excellent and fast-moving monograph, readers will find that while Trump is preoccupied with the media reporting of his presidency and has a combative relationship with the press, so did a long list of earlier presidents.

This study weaves a fascinating story on the decisions made by nineteen American presidents and reveals significant changes in presidential press coverage that affected the success of their time in office. This treatment is groundbreaking, balanced, meticulously researched, very readable, provides thoughtful analysis and explanations and is a real page turner.

David Marshall is a high school American history teacher in the Miami-Dade School district for the past thirty-four years. A lifelong Civil War enthusiast, David is president of the Miami Civil War Round Table Book Club. In addition to numerous reviews in Civil War News and other publications, he has given presentations to Civil War Round Tables on Joshua Chamberlain, Ulysses S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the Common Soldier.

Inside Baseball

Into Tennessee & Failure: John Bell Hood. By Stephen Davis. Maps, bibliography, footnotes, index, 358 pp., 2020. Mercer University Press, www. mupress.org. $35.00, hardcover.

Reviewed by Gould Hagler

Mitch: So you hate baseball?

Bonnie: No, I like baseball. I just never understood how you guys can spend so much time discussing it. I have been to games, but I don’t memorize……who played third base for Pittsburgh in 1960. – Mitch and Ed (simultaneously): Don Hoak

Many people who read Civil War News are like the characters played by Billy Chrystal and Bruno Kirby in City Slickers, while in the broader world most people resemble the character played by Helen Slater. Into Tennessee & Failure: John Bell Hood is written for the Eds and Mitches of the Civil War world. In the second volume of his fine study of General Hood, Steve Davis continues to delve into history and historiography in a way that will grab and hold the attention of readers who (if I may continue the metaphor) already know who played third for the Pirates in 1960. These readers want to learn more about Hoak’s batting average and other stats; about controversies involving him and other players; about questionable plays and disputed calls; about a manager’s decision to put him back into the lineup after an injury; and, of course, they want to know how sportswriters judged the third baseman and his team through his career.

Davis’s two volumes are not a biography. They are rather a detailed analysis of Hood’s performance as a commander while he led a corps in the Army of Tennessee and then after he superseded Joseph Johnston as

army commander. The work is also an exhaustive bibliographic essay. Volume 1, over 500 pages in length, covers the story up to the fall of Atlanta. The present volume, somewhat shorter, begins as Hood retreats south, then marches his army into Tennessee and disaster, before concluding with Hood’s and the Confederacy’s fall.

The appraisal of Hood’s generalship and the historiographic survey in this volume are skillfully woven into a narrative of the army’s movements from September 1864 to war’s end, a narrative that would be comprehensible to Mitch and Ed but which would challenge Bonnie. Davis offers the reader thorough and insightful discussions of the various controversies that are well-known to students of the Civil War, such as the Spring Hill affair, Hood’s decisions at Franklin and Nashville, and the general’s wartime and post-war disputes with other Confederate leaders.

These discussions always entail reviews of the primary sources and decades of secondary literature. His contemporaries had a great deal to say about John Bell Hood. So have many historians in the 20th and 21st centuries. Numerous writers have assessed

Hood over the years, and a list of just the works cited fills 22 pages. Davis reviews their work and sometimes assesses the assessors.

The book’s concluding chapter provides a concise recap of Hood’s entire military career. The volume is enhanced by five excellent maps by Hal Jespersen.

Davis gives credit where credit is due and is candid about Hood’s shortcomings and failures.

He points to the young general’s ambitious nature and his back-channel “angling” for promotion. He calls attention to Hood’s carelessness about logistics and other duties of an army commander. Also troubling are his disingenuous reports covering up the scope of the defeat his army suffered in Tennessee and the army’s wretched condition after the retreat. Worse perhaps was his tendency to blame other officers and even his ill-shod, ill-clothed, ill-fed, outnumbered,

and outgunned men. After Gettysburg, Lee said “It’s all my fault;” Hood could never say that.

Gould Hagler is a retired lobbyist living in Dunwoody, Ga. He is a past president of the Atlanta Civil War Round Table and the author of Georgia’s Confederate Monuments: In Honor of a Fallen Nation, published by Mercer University Press in 2014. Hagler speaks frequently on this topic and others related to different aspects of the Civil War and has been a regular contributor to CWN since 2016. He can be reached at gould.hagler@gmail.com.

More about the Civil War’s Eastern Theater than Grant

Grant’s Victory: How Ulysses

S. Grant Won the Civil War, by Bruce L. Brager. Gilford, Conn.: Stackpole Books, 2020. 166 pp. $27.95.

Reviewed by John D. Fowler

War book selection without finding a number of works outlining Grant’s expertise and excellence. Most of these put forth similar claims, but author and ghost writer Bruce L. Brager veers off this path a bit to offer a more nuanced and realistic portrayal of the general. Brager writes better than most authors and far better than most academics.

While the work is entitled Grant’s Victory: How Ulysses S. Grant Won the Civil War, in reality, the book is less a volume on Grant and more a study of the Civil War’s Eastern Theater, primarily from the Union perspective. The bulk of the book (seven of eleven chapters) covers the Union’s many defeats in the East and injects merely a bit of Grant’s commentary.

Confederacy’s only successful commander and army. In the end, Brager concludes that Grant was, indeed, the right general to put an end to the Civil War.

Vicksburg, and Chattanooga.”

Books praising General Ulysses

S. Grant have developed into quite a cottage industry over the past forty years. In fact, it is nearly impossible to peruse a Civil

Only with Grant’s 1864 arrival in the Eastern Theater does the book actually begin to focus on the title subject. In the four remaining chapters, Brager chronicles the general’s struggle to defeat Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia and thus destroy the

It is hard to argue with Brager’s assessment. Grant did defeat Lee and end the war. While the basic premise is true, it does not present an adequate and comprehensive view of the situation. The 1864 Army of the Potomac should have beaten the Army of Northern Virginia. Lee’s army was half the size of the Union force and woefully undersupplied. The fact that Lee kept Grant at bay for more than a year is a testimony to his skill as a general, not Grant’s. Moreover, the book’s dustcover states that “two of the greatest themes of the Civil War are how Lincoln found his war-winning general in Ulysses S. Grant and how Grant finally defeated Robert E. Lee.” The author argues that while Union generals in the Eastern Theater had faced defeat after defeat, “In the West, Grant had been refining his art of war at places like Fort Donelson, Shiloh,

Yet, we never see this development of Grant in the West, and there is no analysis or explanation of his many failures in the West. The author should have examined Grant in the context of his rout at Belmont, his surprises due to overconfidence at Fort Donelson and Shiloh, his many failed attempts at Vicksburg, and his accidental victory at Chattanooga that owed more to the Army of the Cumberland’s men’s valor than anything planned or executed by the general. The Grant we see emerging late in Brager’s story in Virginia is a formidable commander, and yet, is it not just his willingness to take casualties in a war of attrition that eventually wears down the Confederates? Here, Brager unapologetically departs from many academic historians to argue that the answer to that question is “yes.” That is exactly how Grant won the war. This honesty is refreshing considering that over the past decades a forest of trees has been turned into paper with the purpose of recording

how brilliant Grant’s generalship was when in reality it was based on the simplest of facts…he had more men and equipment. This is a popular history written for a general audience of Civil War buffs. The footnotes are thin as is the norm with books of this type, although the bibliography is larger than those generally found in popular press works. I wish I could say that the volume offers nothing new to the scholarly community. However, given that military aspects of the war are being neglected in the training of new professors, this volume could be useful to a wide audience. In sum, while it is another in a long line of hagiographical tributes to Grant, it is written better than most, and its conclusions are sounder than most.

John D. Fowler, Ph.D, holds the B.J. and Dicksie Bandy Chair of American History at Dalton State College. He is co-editor, with David B. Parker, of Breaking the Heartland: The Civil War in Georgia (2011).

The American Civil War was the rst war in which both sides widely used entrenchments, repeating ri es, ironclad warships, and telegraphed communications. It was also the rst American War to be extensively photographed. Mathew Brady, Alexander Gardner and Timothy O’Sullivan are famous for having made iconic photographs in the Civil War’s eastern theater. George N. Barnard deserves to be ranked in this top tier for his photographic work in the war’s western theater. A civilian photographer hired by Gen. William T. Sherman’s chief engineer to take pictures of forti cations around Atlanta, Barnard took several hundred of them in and around the city in the fall of 1864. His most famous is the site of Union Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson’s death in the battle of Atlanta, July 22, 1864. Thus far, no comprehensive, de nitive listing has been made of the photographer’s work. For this book we have chosen a hundred images we deem “signi cant.”

128 page Paperb ac k: $19.95 (+$3.50 S & H)

Ordering

“The best little book on Barnard”

By Jack W. Melton Jr.

Hidden Evidence

A Look Inside Civil War Artillery Projectiles

"Through Jack’s superb photography; the collector and professional can now view an extensive exposure to sectioned projectiles. This is new for the average person in that for the first time since radiography; one can examine the internal makeup of a shell."

CWO4 John D. Bartleson Jr., U.S. Navy EOD

Author of Civil War Explosive Ordnance 1861–1865

6-PounderSphericalCaseShot

Theexpedienttriedbytheconfederatesinimitationof

lyusedbyourownmen,)of

What do they say?

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.

Inthisexample,riflebulletswereutilizedasthecaseshotmaterialincluding3-ring.58caliberbullets,3-ring.69caliberbul lets,andU.S.ring-tailSharpsbullets.IthasabrassBormannsupportplug(underplug)thatiscountersunkonbothsidesof the flame’scommunicationchannel.Theblackpowderburstingchargewaspouredinloosearoundthebullets.Thismethoddid notworkverywellandoftenonlysucceededinblowingthefusesout.Projectilesfilledwithbulletsusedascaseshotarerare. Thisspecimenwasrecovered,alongwithotherConfederateandUnionprojectiles,fromthepost-CivilWardumpsitelocated neartheConfederatePowderWorksinAugusta,Georgia.

• 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

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

Trivia Answers

Terms and Conditions

The following terms and conditions shall be incorporated by reference into all placement and order for placement of any advertisements in Civil War News by Advertiser and any Agency acting on Advertiser’s behalf. By submitting an order for placement of an advertisement and/or by placing an advertisement, Advertiser and Agency, and each of them, agree to be bound by all of the following terms and conditions:

1. All advertisements are subject to acceptance by Publisher who has the right to refuse any ad submitted for any reason.

2. The advertiser and/or their agency warrant that they have permission and rights to anything contained within the advertisement as to copyrights, trademarks or registrations. Any infringement will be the responsibility of the advertiser or their agency and the advertiser will hold harmless the Publisher for any claims or damages from publishing their advertisement. This includes all attorney fees and judgments.

3. The Publisher will not be held responsible for incorrect placement of the advertisement and will not be responsible for any loss of income or potential profit lost.

4. All orders to place advertisements in the publication are subject to the rate card charges, space units and specifications then in effect, all of which are subject to change and shall be made a part of these terms and conditions.

5. Photographs or images sent for publication must be high resolution, unedited and full size. Phone photographs are discouraged.

6. At the discretion of Civil War News any and all articles will be edited for accuracy, clarity, grammar and punctuation per our style guide.

7. Articles can be emailed as a Word Doc attachment or emailed in the body of the message. Microsoft Word format is preferred. Email articles and photographs: mail@civilwarnews.com