Civil War News - September 2017 by Historical Publications LLC

CW N Civil War News

Vol. 43, No. 9

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America’s Monthly Newspaper For Civil War Enthusiasts

Central Virginia Battlefield Trust Acquires Key Property in Jackson Flank Attack Sector Central Virginia Battlefields Trust has recently acquired a property closely related to a Medal of Honor commendation from the Battle of Chancellorsville. The 1.1 acre “Kinney Tract” in the Jackson Flank Attack sector sits adjacent to the intersection of the Plank and Orange Plank roads. Historically, this property sat beneath the very muzzles of Captain Hubert Dilger’s battery during one of the greatest rearguard actions of the entire war. Formerly a horse artillerist for the Grand Duke of Baden (whose daughter he was rumored to be romancing) Dilger spoke only German when he arrived in New York. After being assigned to 1st Ohio Light Artillery he soon earned the

Captain Hubert Dilger.

48 Pages, September 2017

New Quarterly Subscription Drive Grand Prize is 12 Books from Publisher Savas Beatie LLC

Civil War News is excited to introduce a new quarterly promotion that we are sure our subscribers are going to love. It’s going to be a chance for you to help us build our readership while earning a chance to win great prizes. Refer as many friends as you can to subscribe to the Civil War News (new subscriptions only). There is a place on both the new subscription forms as well as the downloadable online version for new subscribers to note who referred them. Older forms will Workers demolish a condemned house on the property. (CVBT) not have this option, so please make sure your name is noted for proper credit. For every new subscriber you refer, your name will go into a pool for a drawing to be held at the end of that quarter. This contest is open to individuals as well as groups (Round Tables, SCV, UCV, Preservation groups, etc.) who want to award the prize within their organization. Each new subscription you give as a gift will be considered as an entry for you, too. Our first quarterly contest, sponsored by Savas Beatie Publishing Company, will begin immediately. The winner will Kinney Tract Intersection. The house in the background was be selected by a random drawdemolished. (CVBT) ing and announced on Saturday afternoon, December 2, 2017, nickname “Leatherbreeches” for brought him into contact with at MK Shows Middle Tenneshis eccentric habit of wearing Jackson’s soldiers massing for a see Civil War Show in Franklin, durable doe-skin trousers instead surprise attack. A spirited chase Tenn. Show promoter, Mike Kent of the regulation wool. He followed but Dilger eluded the will officiate the drawing and anquickly earned a reputation as Confederates and made his way nounce the winner at the show. one of the best artillerists in the through several miles of thick Attendance is not necessary to entire Union Army. woods to the Army of the Potomac win. The winner will also be anOn May 2, 1863, the German- headquarters at Chancellorsville. nounced on the Civil War News born Captain found himself His warnings ridiculed, the Facebook page immediately after in the middle of a rapidly frustrated captain made his way the drawing and will be contacted deteriorating situation. Disturbed back to his battery of six twelve- upon our return from the show. by persistent reports of enemy pounder Napoleons to prepare his Secondly, every individual movement across the XI Corps men for the inevitable fight ahead. CWN subscriber who refers five front, Dilger had conducted a When Jackson’s flanking attack new subscribers will automaticalpersonal reconnaissance that struck the unprepared XI Corps, ly receive a one-year subscription only a handful of units, including to Civil War News, in print or digDilger’s battery, were properly ital format, to keep or give away faced to meet them. As the 119th as a gift. and 61st Ohio regiments before The grand prize for our first them withdrew, Dilger’s battery subscription drive is an amazing was left completely exposed to collection of 12 Civil War books an entire brigade of Georgians. which have been personally handpicked by publisher Ted Savas for Jackson Flank one lucky winner. The collection . . . . . . . . . . . see page 16 will consist of the following titles:

H Civil War Books . . . . . . . . . . . see page 2

Inside this issue:

47 – 39 – 6 – 30 – 45 – 36 – 40 – 10 – 3 – 12 – 9 – 8 – 37 –

Advertiser Index Ask The Appraiser Black Powder, White Smoke Book Reviews Classifieds Critic’s Corner Events Section Inspection, ARMS! Preservation News The Source Through The Lens The Unfinished Fight Small Talk-Trivia

September 2017

Civil War News

Civil War News Published by Historical Publications LLC 520 Folly Road, Suite P-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: Peggy Melton Columnists: Craig Barry, Joseph Bilby, Matthew Borowick, Stephen Davis, Stephanie Hagiwara, Tim Prince, John Sexton, Michael K. Shaffer Editorial & Photography Staff: Greg Biggs, Joseph Bordonaro, Sandy Goss, Gould B. Hagler Jr., Gordon L. Jones, Michael Kent, John A Punola, Bob Ruegsegger, Gregory L. Wade, Joan Wenner, J.D. Book Review Editor: Stephen Davis, Ph.D., Cumming, Ga. Book Review Advisory Board: Gordon L. Jones, Ph.D., Senior Military Historian, Atlanta History Center; Theodore P. Savas J.D., Managing Director, Savas Beatie LLC, El Dorado Hills, Calif.; Steven E. Woodworth, Ph.D., Professor of History, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas.

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H Civil War Books . . . . . . . . . . . from page 1

• Calamity at Chancellorsville: The Wounding and Death of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson • Chancellorsville’s Forgotten Front: The Battles of Second Fredericksburg and Salem Church, May 3, 1863 • Confederate General William “Extra Billy” Smith: From Virginia’s Statehouse to Gettysburg Scapegoat • The First Battle for Petersburg: The Attack and Defense of the Cockade City, June 9, 1864 • Divided Loyalties: Kentucky’s Struggle for Armed Neutrality in the Civil War • The Gettysburg Campaign in

• •

•

Numbers and Losses: Synopses, Orders of Battle, Strengths, Casualties, and Maps, June 9 July 14, 1863 A Little Short of Boats: The Battles of Ball’s Bluff & Edwards Ferry, October 21-22, 1861 The Maps of Bristoe Station and Mine Run: An Atlas of the Battles and Movements in the Eastern Theater after Gettysburg, Including Rappahannock Station, Kelly’s Ford, and Morton’s Ford, July 1863 - February 1864 “No Such Army Since the Days of Julius Ceasar”: Sherman’s Carolinas Campaign from Fayetteville to Averasboro, March 1865 The Rashness of That Hour: Politics, Gettysburg, and the Downfall of Confederate

Brigadier General Alfred Iverson • Seizing Destiny: The Army of the Potomac’s “Valley Forge” • The Siege of Petersburg: The Battles for the Weldon Railroad, August 1864

This total prize package, a collection of Civil War books, has a retail value of over $375. So, start today. Help your friends and relatives see what they have been missing out on by getting them to subscribe to the most popular and most read Civil War newspaper in print today, and get your name in the drawing as many times as you can for a chance to win this amazing collection of Civil War books. Visit www.CivilWarNews.com to start today.

Getting More Young People Interested in the Civil War: Some Suggestions By Chris Mackowski During a recent panel discussion at the Gettysburg Heritage Center, several of us from ECW pondered a question we all hear these days: “How do we get more young people interested in the Civil War?” My colleagues offered a lot of good advice, everything from “get students onto the battlefields” to “focus on great storytelling.” I heartily endorse such sentiments! I hear this same lament a lot when I’m on the road speaking to roundtables. Everyone seems to be feeling the same pinch and comments, “We need more young people.” It’s true; we do! With everything competing for their attention these days, and with so many teachers forced by state testing to boil things down to names/dates/places, Civil War history can seem downright boring compared to the entertaining multimedia immersion students can otherwise experience. Since the panel discussion, I’ve tried to think of several specific suggestions I can offer as ways to get more young people interested in the Civil War. I offer these suggestions specifically with roundtables and historical societies in mind. I warn you in advance, the list is not exhaustive; in fact, I would encourage all of you to chime in with specific things your group successfully does. But here, at least, is a stab. Reach out to young people through the media channels they’re most apt to engage. A notice in the local paper is great for people in the traditional roundtable demographics, but how many teenagers, or even twenty-somethings, read the local newspaper? Instead, what are you doing with social media, and not just Facebook (which has become kinda uncool for teens) but Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, YouTube, and others? You have to keep current,

too. After all, remember a crazy little thing called “MySpace”? Most teens today don’t remember it, either. “Vine” was a big thing for a while, too, but that seems to have withered. You have to know what social media young people are using today, and then consider how you’re actively using it to reach them. For example, are you sending out tweets about your meeting times? Is that all you’re tweeting, or are you retweeting links to interesting news stories and blog posts you like, too? If that social media stuff all sounds like work, it is, but that’s what it will take if you want to reach young folks. Beyond social media, what other ways do you have to reach them? Through their social studies teachers at school? Through history clubs at their schools? Through Scouts? Through church youth groups? Reach out to people and groups that have influence with them. Expand your net and think creatively. Be sure your meetings are inviting to younger people. Sure, you might think the atmosphere of your meetings is welcoming, but the people who’ve been going for years and years are used to the routine. What’s it like to show up as a new person? What’s it like to show up as a new young person? Is the room full of old fogies? Are people friendly to strangers, or do people hang with their own cliques? Then there’s the larger question of getting younger people in the door in the first place. Is the meeting time convenient for younger people? How about the meeting location? Dress code? What about the cost of dinner, if any? A $35 sit-down meal isn’t too much for most of us, but for a teenager, that’s a day’s wages at their part-time job. Get involved with National History Day, the Civil War Trust’s

National Teacher Institute, and other organizations that promote history education. The more you can do to partner with groups that already focus on history education, particularly Civil War history, the more you can build off of each other’s efforts. For instance, sending a local teacher off to the Trust’s annual Teachers Institute is an excellent investment in someone who’s working on the front lines with young people. Not only are you helping that person better kindle an interest in the Civil War in their students, but that teacher is also far more apt to funnel interested students in the direction of your roundtable. For National History Day, offering a special prize for the best Civil War-themed project in the regional competition might encourage more Civil War projects. Aside from offering the prize, you can also show off the projects at one of your meetings, and that gets students in the door. Solicit volunteers to go into schools to talk with students. This is more complicated than it sounds, though. First, you need to find the right person/people to contact at the school. Then you need to talk with them about ways you and your group can interact with students most effectively. Because of state testing requirements, the amount of time teachers can devote to the Civil War is limited, so class time must be used as effectively as possible. Going and “talking about the Civil War” might not be enough. Find out what your teachers need and then work with them to develop programming that helps them. Similarly, it’s not enough to send just anyone into a class. Be sure your volunteers aren’t just passionate about the subject

H Suggestions . . . . . . . . see page 5

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Preservation News From Civil War Trust National Preservation Groups Join Interior Secretary Zinke For Battlefield Announcements At Antietam Civil War Trust and National Park Foundation join Interior Secretary Zinke in announcing President Trump’s donation to Antietam plus $7.2 million for battlefield sites nationwide. SHARPSBURG, Md.—During a July 5 news conference at Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced that President Donald J. Trump’s first-quarter salary donation would benefit Antietam’s restoration and maintenance projects. Secretary Zinke also announced $7.2 million in Federal matching grants to preserve battlefield lands associated with the American Revolution, War of 1812, and Civil War. “As both the Secretary of the Interior and a military veteran, I’m deeply honored and humbled to deliver the donation to Antietam National Battlefield on behalf of President Trump,” stated Secretary Zinke. “Visiting the hallowed ground the day after Independence Day is incredibly moving and it underscores the importance of why we must preserve these historic grounds.”

Joining Secretary Zinke at the event were James Lighthizer, president of the Civil War Trust, a national nonprofit dedicated to protecting America’s battlefields; John L. Nau III, chairman emeritus of the Civil War Trust; and Will Shafroth, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation, the national nonprofit partner to the National Park Service. Mr. Nau serves on the governing boards of both the Civil War Trust and the National Park Foundation. Secretary Zinke and assembled guests were welcomed to the park by Antietam National Battlefield Superintendent Susan Trail. “It is a privilege to be standing here today with Secretary Zinke on one of America’s most famous battlegrounds,” noted Lighthizer, whose interest in battlefield preservation was kindled by visits to Antietam. “We are proud of our long-standing partnership with the Department of the Interior to protect America’s endangered battlefield parks, and we look forward to working with President Trump and Secretary Zinke to preserve these irreplaceable national treasures.” President Trump’s donation of $78,333 for national battlefield park maintenance, first announced in April, will benefit two important restoration projects at Antietam: preservation of the historic Newcomer House near the battlefield’s Middle Bridge

site, and replacement of 5,000 linear feet of deteriorated rail fencing along the Hagerstown Turnpike where some of the most intense fighting occurred. The President’s gift will be matched by an $185,880 donation from the Civil War Trust, the National Park Foundation, and the Save Historic Antietam Foundation, an outstanding local nonprofit involved in preservation at Antietam for more than three decades. Representatives of all three organizations presented a ceremonial check to Secretary Zinke and Superintendent Trail during the news conference. “As a place where wounded soldiers found much-needed care after the battle, the historic Newcomer House is vital to the story of Antietam,” Shafroth said. “The National Park Foundation is honored to work with President Trump, the Civil War Trust, the Save Historic Antietam Foundation, and generous donors to preserve the site so that current and future generations can experience first-hand this incredible piece of history.” In addition to announcing President Trump’s donation, Secretary Zinke also announced $7.2 million in American Battlefield Land Acquisition

Grants to protect 1,200 acres of hallowed ground at 19 battlefields throughout the country. This Federal matching grants program, which encourages state and private sector investment in battlefield preservation, is administered by the American Battlefield Protection Program, a bureau within the National Park Service that promotes preservation and maintenance of historic battlefield sites. Since the American Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants Program was created in 1999, it has been used to save more than 28,500 acres of hallowed ground associated with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War. The battlefields benefiting from the $7.2 million in American Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants announced today are as follows: Prairie Grove, Ark., South Mountain and Williamsport, Md., Brices Cross Roads, Miss., Fort Ann and Sackets Harbor, N.Y., Brandywine, Pa., Eutaw Springs, S.C., Fort Donelson, Tenn., Appomattox Courthouse, Fredericksburg, Gaines’ Mill, Kelly’s Ford, Malvern Hill, New Market, Second Manassas, Third Winchester, and Trevilian Station, Va., and Shepherdstown, W.Va. Secretary Zinke indicated that today’s announcements are part of a renewed commitment by the Department of the Interior to preserve important historic sites and address the maintenance backlog at national parks. The Department estimates there is $12 billion in deferred maintenance at NPS sites, including $229 million at the 25 battlefield parks in the National Park System. According to Superintendent Trail, “Sites across the National Park System are sorely in need of maintenance

aid, and we are glad to have this additional support at Antietam. I hope today’s announcement sends a message of commitment to our sister parks around the country.”

About the Civil War Trust The Civil War Trust is a national nonprofit land preservation organization devoted to the protection of America’s battlegrounds. Although primarily focused on the acquisition of Civil War battlefields, through its Campaign 1776 initiative, the Trust also seeks to save battlefields connected with the Revolutionary War and War of 1812. To date, the Trust has preserved more than 46,000 acres of battlefield land in 24 states, including 1,300 acres of hallowed ground associated with the 1862 Antietam Campaign. Learn more at Civilwar.org.

About the National Park Foundation The National Park Foundation is the official charity of America’s national parks and nonprofit partner to the National Park Service. Chartered by Congress in 1967, the Foundation raises private funds to help PROTECT more than 84 million acres of national parks through critical conservation and preservation efforts, CONNECT all Americans with their incomparable natural landscapes, vibrant culture and rich history, and INSPIRE the next generation of park stewards. In 2016, for the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary, the Foundation launched The Centennial Campaign for America’s National Parks. Learn more at www.nationalparks.org.

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BRIAN & MARIA GREEN On July 5, 2017, the Civil War Trust, the National Park Foundation and the Save Historic Antietam Foundation present U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke with a check to match President Donald Trump’s donation for preservation and restoration at Antietam National Battlefield. Pictured here (l to r): Susan Trail, Superintendent of Antietam National Battlefield; John L. Nau III, Chairman Emeritus of the Civil War Trust; Secretary Zinke; Jim Lighthizer, President of the Civil War Trust; Dr. Tom Clemens, President of the Save Historic Antietam Foundation; and Will Shafroth, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation.(Lindsey Morrison/Civil War Trust)

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The Graphic War By Salvatore Cilella An occasional article in a continuing series examining prints and printmakers during the Civil War. Trivia Question: where was the first Civil War Battlefield monument erected? The answer is Bull Run, Manassas, Va., and there were two not one. The summer of 1865, with the war barely over, the Union army agreed to build a monument to those who fell at First Bull Run, July 21, 1861, and Second Bull Run, Aug. 28-30, 1862. Both were “plain, simple structures of red sandstone, the first twenty seven and the latter twenty one feet high.”1 They were block pyramids cemented together and adorned with spent artillery shells. They took only four days to build and were completed June 10 and officially dedicated on June 11, 1865. The monument dedicated to First Bull run stands on Henry Hill; the second, at Groveton. According to Harpers Weekly, “the movement to erect such monuments on this field was quite impromptu.”2 The paper credited a Lieutenant Callum of the Sixteenth Mass. Lt. Btry. with the idea. The Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection at Brown University lists the designer and builder as Lieut. J. McCullum.3 Actually it was James McCallum, a 32 year old railroad conductor who enlisted in company C, 43rd Mass. Inf.and transferred to the 16th Mass. Lt. Btry. March 11, 1864 nine days after he was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant.4 The New York Times recorded him as “Lieut.

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Civil War News

MCCallom.”5 Federal units that participated in both battles duly attended the ceremonies. A brass band played, hymns were sung, homilies were given, an artillery salvo was rendered and a Reverend Dr. McMurdy read “a most impressive prayer and the solemn burial service of the Episcopal Church.” Generals Montgomery Meigs, Samuel Heintzelman, Orlando Wilcox, William Gamble, and Henry Benham were in attendance. In addition, the First Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Joseph Henry, was present. McMurdy’s words were followed by a hymn and a military parade by the 5th Penn. Hvy. Arty. and a salute by the 16th Mass. Btry. Speaking that day were associate Justice of the Washington, D.C., Supreme Court, Abraham Olin; Gen. Orlando Bolivar Wilcox, a Bull Run veteran; his immediate commander Maj. Gen. Samuel P. Heintzelman and Brvt. Brig. Gen. Addison Farnsworth.6 The first monument dedicated was for the first battle. The group moved two miles to Groveton where the proceedings were repeated. Harpers described the first monument as “about twenty feet in height, and is a pointed column, built of sandstone ornamented with 100 pound elongated [Parrott] shells. This shaft,” the paper continued, “will not, we are inclined to believe, last many years. It bears on its surface the inscription, ‘Erected to the memory of the patriots who fell at Bull Run July 21, 1861.’ The other is about sixteen feet in height, and

Bull Run, Va. Dedication of the battle monument; Judge Abram B. Olin of the District of Columbia Supreme Court, who delivered the address, stands by the rail. (Library of Congress)

is composed in great part of shot, shell and other materials of war collected.”7 The dedication ceremony, the earliest in the post war world, was held with evidence of the two battles still present. At Groveton, “pieces of shells, broken muskets, and here and there human bones…lay bleaching in the sun.” One participant picked up “part of a human skull exhibiting the hole of the deadly bullet.” The New York Times reported on the devastation but noted the tremendous commercial possibilities the scorched landscape around Manassas offered to Northern businessmen. Visitors to the area had become so numerous that “a hotel is talked of, to be erected as soon as the railroad is again in operation. It will be a paying investment,” the Times wrote.8 Almost immediately Alexander Gardner, the Government’s official photographer, was there to record the two events. In his Sketchbook of the American Civil War, he included only a photograph of the first Bull Run monument.9 It appears, however, that he took several photographs of the crowd and the ceremonies at both monuments. Today, in the Library of Congress, at least three original photographs of the day can be found. Harper’s Weekly printed a composite of Gardner’s photos in its July 1, 1865 edition. As it turned out, two Gardner photographs were reproduced as lithographs. The two prints featured in this article capture the veterans of both battles. Today, the whereabouts of the two photographs is unknown. If not for these prints, these images would be lost to time. The lithographic firm of Louis Prang & Co. chose to highlight the soldiers and not the dignitaries who appeared in Gardner’s published photographs. The firm may have copied all of Gardner’s other photographs of the dedication, but none have come to light. Prang, a German immigrant who settled in Boston, elevated color lithography to “fine art work.” Known as “chromolithography,” it became the main staple of the company’s production. According to art historian Peter Marzio, Prang believed that “colors…make the picture itself.” He developed his process during the war when a “demand for popular prints of war-related subjects,” and an opposing “sentimental popular affection for peaceful genres” made him a very wealthy man.10 In 1860 he bought out his partner and as the war commenced, he produced colored pictures devoted to those “peaceful genres.” In addition he did war maps, portraits of famous generals and, collaborating with artist Winslow Homer, camp and soldiers scenes. It was only after

war’s end that he collaborated with several other prominent artists to depict several well-known infantry and naval battles.11 His two, small lithographs of the Bull Run monuments featured here, were not sweeping but done in color. Yet they probably remain as the only two pictorial representations left by Gardner that we have of the common soldier remembering his fallen comrades. Both prints reveal an unmilitary-like, casual repose of the soldiers as they lean and rest on the wooden fence surrounding the new monuments. The impression one has is that the ceremonies were over when these photo-lithos were taken and only the comrades in arms remained. Gone are the ladies in their finery, the generals in their uniforms and the government dignitaries in their long frock coats. Several secondary sources have been devoted to Louis Prang and his lithographs, but not one mentions these two prints. Many listed below were consulted in writing this meager article. Perhaps these words will fill a gap in our history of the Graphic War and, more importantly, our history of memory.

Salvatore Cilella is retired after 43 years in the museum field. His last position was President and CEO of the Atlanta History Center. He is the author of Upton’s Regulars: A History of the 121st New York Volunteers in the Civil War (U. Press Kansas, 2009) and editor of The Correspondence of Emory Upton, 1856-1881 (U. Tennessee Press, 2017). 1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

7. 8.

New York Times, June 12, 1865. Harper’s Weekly, July 1, 1865. https://repository.library.brown. edu/studio/item/bdr:233334/. Last accessed, March 26, 2017. Historical Data Systems, Inc. Last accessed March 26, 2017. New York Times, June 12, 1865. Alexander Gardner, Gardner’s Photographic Sketchbook of the American Civil War, 1861-1865. New York, Delano Greenridge Editions, LLC, 2001. P. 210, plate 100. Hereafter Gardner, Sketchbook. Harper’s Weekly, July 1, 1865. New York Times, June 13, 1865. Two days later, the Times erroneously reported that rebels had destroyed the two monuments. “This seems impossible,” the paper wrote, and yet there is strong reason to believe it. The temper of the people in that part of Virginia is not a whit

The first Bull Run monument on Henry Hill by Prang & Co.

Prang’s print of the Second Bull Run Monument at Groveton.

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Civil War News

more loyal than it was six months ago.” New York Times, June 16, 1865. 9. Gardner, Sketchbook. P. 210, Plate 100. 10. Peter Marzio, The Democratic Art: An Exhibition on the History of Chromolithography in America, 1840-1909. Fort Worth Tex; Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, 1979, p. 11 as cited in Mark E. Neely, Jr. & Harold Holzer, The Union Image: Popular Prints of the Civil War North, Chapel Hill, The University of North Carolina

Press, 2000, p. 215; Harold Holzer, ed. Prang’s Civil War Pictures: The Complete Battle Chromos of Louis Prang. New York, Fordham Press, 2002, p.5. See also Peter Marzio, The Democratic Art: Chromolithography, 1840-1900 Pictures for a 19th Century America. Boston, David R. Godine, Publisher, 1979, especially chapters 6-8, pp.94-129. 11. Katharine Morrison McClinton, The Chromolithographs of Louis Prang, New York, Clarkson Potter, Inc. Publisher, 1973, pp. 139-151.

Letters To The Editor TO THE EDITOR: As I read Frank Williams’ predictably critical review of Elizabeth Brown Pryor’s Six Encounters with Lincoln: A President Confronts Democracy and Its Demons (July CWN), I recalled Elizabeth quipping that she might have to go into exile when this book was published. Her similarly “hard-hitting” evaluation of Robert E. Lee in Reading the Man (which Judge Williams neglected to mention) brought death threats from zealous Lee admirers—and earned her the Lincoln Prize. Elizabeth knowingly strode into the lion’s den of Lincoln biography because she had continually stumbled across contemporary sources that revealed a very different picture of Lincoln than what she read

in the familiar hagiographies. She determined to present the sixteenth president as his contemporaries saw and judged him. For her analytical framework, she chose seemingly trivial vignettes that she found —“encounters”—which provide insightful microcosms into larger, significant themes. Judging whether or not those insights are valid and significant is, of course, the reviewer’s responsibility, and I respect Judge Williams’ evaluation. However, in the course of dismissing Six Encounters as “unfair,” Williams cites presidential polls that consistently rate Lincoln number 1 or 2 and observes that “[f]or most readers, Lincoln is a hero and America’s ‘captain.’” Inadvertently, Williams

makes a strong case why students of history need and should welcome Six Encounters and other scholarly works that don’t fall into lockstep with polls and hero worship. Elizabeth Pryor’s death in an automobile accident was a personal tragedy for her family and friends. Judge Williams’ review reminds us that her death was also a tragedy for the historical profession. If she were alive, she would be able to engage her critics using her own exhaustive research, her formidable and penetrating intellect, and her firm confidence in her own conclusions—and we would all be richer for the resulting spirited discussions. John M. Coski Richmond, Va.

H Suggestions

help. If you conduct a campaign in conjunction with other Civil War Roundtables in your state, you’ll amplify your voices. This is, of course, fraught with political landmines. Battles and leaders are usually the most attention-grabbing hooks for getting a young person’s interest, but in the context of the overall curriculum, those things are not as important as talking about the causes and impacts of the war, as well as the war’s long-term ramifications. Today, of course, the issue of slavery remains thorny, although it’s absolutely central to any discussion. Some of what I’ve suggested is apt to raise some hackles, I’m sure. It’s tough to take an honest look at what you’re doing, sometimes, and admit, for instance, that perhaps Chris isn’t the best guy to go speak to a room full of eighth graders. Or, by gummy, we’ve had our meetings on

Thursdays at the Good Old Boys Club downtown at 5:30 p.m. on the dot for forty years, and their dress code has worked just fine. If you want to attract more younger people, some folks are going to have to be open to change. You’re also going to have to work at it a little bit. You have to meet them on their ground and then, from there, you can invite them over to your “hallowed ground.” Remember that younger people love interactivity and engagement so what can you do to get them involved? I’m sure other folks have suggestions beyond the five I’ve offered here. I’d love to hear what’s worked for you!

. . . . . . . . from page 2

Monument to Union soldiers who fell at the two battles of Bull Run during the U.S. Civil War, Manassas, Virginia. (Photographs in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, 1980)

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but that they’re also good public speakers. It’s a mistake to think passion alone will carry a speaker. Students today have a billion and one things vying for their short attention spans; they get bored easily, so guest speakers need to be dynamic and engaging, not just passionate about the Civil War. Urge your state legislators to support more Civil War education in schools. Much of what teachers teach today ties back to standardized state curricula. Write to your state legislators and ask them to support more Civil War education as part of the state’s curriculum. Get each member of your roundtable to write a letter, and have the roundtable itself send a letter, too. Provide form letters or offer letter-writing workshops for anyone who needs

Chris Mackowski is a writing professor at St. Bonaventure University and editor-in-chief of Emerging Civil War (www. emergingcivilwar.com).

Gettysburg Foundation New Chairman Elected GETTYSBURG, Penn.—At its annual June meeting, the Gettysburg Foundation’s Board elected Eric B. Schultz as the second board chairman in the organization’s 10-year history. Robert Kinsley, the Foundation’s founding chairman, will assume the role of chair emeritus. “I look forward to working with Dr. Matthew Moen, our dynamic Friends of Gettysburg members, and our other generous donors who support the Foundation’s critical mission.” said Schultz. “I’m delighted that Mr. Kinsley will remain actively involved as we continue to preserve, educate, and inspire citizens all over the world about the lessons and values of this remarkable place.” Eric Schultz is an entrepre-

neur and author who joined the Gettysburg Foundation Board in 2013. He is the former CEO, and now consultant to Sensitech, a unit of United Technologies Corporation, and the former Chairman of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, co-chairing it’s successful $62 million “Connecting Families, Advancing History” capital campaign. He has authored or co-authored three books, King Philip’s War: The History and Legacy of America’s Forgotten Conflict, Weathermakers to the World, and Food Foolish: The Hidden Connection Between Food Waste, Hunger and Climate Change. Schultz received a B.A. in History from Brown University and an MBA from the Harvard Busi-

ness School. He resides in Boxford, Mass., with his wife, Susan. The Gettysburg Foundation is a non-profit philanthropic, educational organization operating in partnership with the National Park Service to preserve Gettysburg National Military Park and the Eisenhower National Historic Site, and to educate the public about their significance. The Foundation raised funds for and now operates the Museum and Visitor Center at Gettysburg National Military Park. The Gettysburg Foundation has a strong focus on education and the preservation of land, monuments, and artifacts-all in support of the National Park Service’s goals at Gettysburg. For more info visit www.gettysburgfoundation.org

September 2017

Civil War News

Black Powder, White Smoke

are in France, you may purchase your copy directly, no doubt autographed, from Schiffers.

By Joe Bilby

We had a preview of a prototype Pedersoli Model 1854 Lorenz rifle a few months back, and there were some conversations that followed regarding the original rifle and its role in combat, as well as the varying quality of Lorenzes, depending on who made them, an Austrian government facility or a private contractor. Pedersoli is now officially introducing their Lorenz, and with it a Youtube video in which Stefano Pedersoli introduces and describes the gun. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=FsIOTicLSZ8

Pedersoli Lorenz

More on Multiple Handguns, My New Book, New Book on the Morse Carbine & a Cartridge Question Multiple Sixguns Dave Powell is, of course, the ultimate Chickamauga guru. His expertise goes well beyond that crucial battle, though. Dave recently posted some words on the far western theater of the Civil War. By “far western” I mean New Mexico and Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley’s invasion of the territory in early 1862. Sibley, of tipi-style military tent fame, apparently believed, while in a not uncommon for him alcoholic haze, that his brigade of Texans might end up capturing California for the Confederacy. The result of the grand invasion, which Dave appropriately characterized as “quixotic,” was the battles of Valverde and Glorietta Pass, and an eventual withdrawal to Texas. Of interest to me was his citation of Don Albert’s The Battle of Glorietta: Union Victory in the West, on the firearms carried by Sibley’s troops. Using archaeological as well as primary sources, Albert’s research tends to reinforce the belief that the Confederate horsemen were commonly armed with, as I have noted in the past, multiple revolvers, and one citation mentions that four captured Rebel scouts were armed with nine Colt handguns, as well as “four splendid Maynard rifles.” I strongly recommend looking at Dave’s Chickamauga blog, which had a recent post on Civil War rifle muskets and what passed as “target practice” during the war. See it at https://

chickamaugablog.wordpress. com/2017/07/05/target-practice

A Plug for Self I would like to give my new book, New Jersey: A Military History, a mention here. The military history of New Jersey, from New Netherland’s struggles with the Leni Lenape through colonial wars of empire to twenty-first century conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, is far more extensive and significant than most of the state’s modern residents realize, and although a brief history of the state’s military affairs was published by the New Jersey Historical Commission in 1991, it was, by intent and definition, not a detailed account. From “the Crossroads of the Revolution” to “the Arsenal of Democracy” and beyond, over more than 350 years as a colony and state, hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents have served in regular armed forces, militia, and National Guard units or in direct support of those organizations. New Jerseyans in the military included Sgt. William McCrackan of Somerset County, a 1757 prisoner of war who ended up in France, Gen. “Scotch Willie” Maxwell of Sussex County, an unappreciated Revolutionary War master tactician, First Sergeant George Ashby of Allentown, of Co. H, Forty-fifth U.S. Colored Inf., the state’s last surviving Civil War veteran, Clara Maas of Newark, a nurse who sacrificed her life in the effort to eradicate yellow fever,

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New Jersey: A Military History, by Joseph G. Bilby. Captain William J. Reddan, who led his company into hell during the Meuse-Argonne offensive in 1918, and World War II Medal of Honor winner John Basilone, whose sense of duty and honor led him to return to combat and death. My book is an attempt to tell, for the first time, the long, diverse, and sometimes complicated story of New Jersey’s citizens and their significant and continuing role in their country’s defense. Published by Westholme Press, it is available on Amazon and at your local bookstore.

U.S. .58 caliber Minié ball and a English .577 Minié ball. Paper cartridges.

New Book on the Morse Carbine Since I am in a literary mood, I would like to mention Peter Schiffers’ new work, The Morse Carbine: Myth vs. Reality, Schiffers, a French shooter, hands on historian, and American Civil War buff, is the author of Civil War Revolvers: Myth vs. Reality, an excellent work in which he test fired original sixguns of the era. His new work provides a list of all units which were, or might have been, issued the rare Morses. He also deals with the Civil War in South Carolina and the efforts of that state, to hold off the Union army, especially in the final months of the war. His book, which is priced at U.S. $39.99, is published by Mowbray Publishing, http://gunandswordcollector.com/ If you

U.S. .58 caliber 3-ring Minié ball and a English .577 caliber smoothsided Minié ball.

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Cartridge Question I occasionally get questions on Civil War shooting and small arms history from newcomers to the field, and so I will answer the most common ones here. Question: How were Civil War musket cartridges constructed? How were they used? Answer. Civil War cartridges for the U.S. .58 caliber Springfield rifle musket, and American made cartridges for the .577 caliber British Enfield rifle musket, contained a paper wrapped 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 to make a completed cartridge. In loading, the soldier bit off the end of the cartridge, then dumped the powder charge, 60 grains of musket powder, down the muzzle of his gun, discarded the remaining paper, inserted the bullet, rammed it down the barrel and then placed a percussion cap on the gun’s nipple, or “cone.” British (and some Confederate) made Enfield cartridges, although paper, were constructed differently, with an ungrooved bullet, more undersized than the Springfield style projectile, wrapped in lubricated paper and pointing downward. After biting the end off of the Enfield cartridge and dumping the powder down the muzzle of his gun, the soldier reversed the cartridge and seated the bullet, still wrapped in the lubricated paper, in the muzzle, discarded the excess paper, rammed it home and capped his weapon. 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 20 books and over 400 articles on NJ and military history and firearms, and as publications editor for the NJ Civil War 150 Committee edited the award winning New Jersey Goes to War. He has received an award for contributions to Monmouth County (NJ) history and an Award of Merit from the NJ Historical Commission for contributions to the state’s military history. He can be contacted by email at jgbilby44@aol.com

Digital Issues of CWN are available by subscription at CivilWarNews.com

September 2017

Civil War News

Civil War History for World War II Veterans ROCKAWAY, N.J—The Battle of The Bulge Assn. meets monthly at Picatinny Arsenal near the town of Rockaway, N.J., and is a chapter member of the parent national association formed Dec. 16, 1981. The group is named after the famous World War II battle; their monthly meeting often features a WWII speaker. A member asked that a Civil War historian be contacted and invited as a guest speaker at a future event. The battle veterans liked the idea of learning about the history of the Civil War from an expert. John A. Punola, a Civil War Historian who writes for Civil War News, was chosen to present a Civil War program for the WWII vets who survived the Battle of the Bulge. For Civil War readers, there are probably plenty who are not familiar with WWII’s Battle of the Bulge. Briefly, in the latter days of the war, the allied armies were strung out in a long defensive position, resting and regrouping before the final offensive into the German homeland. The line extended from Holland/Belgium area, southward along the French border with Germany. Suddenly, with swiftness and precision, the German army struck the weakest position and surged westward, creating a large bulge in the Allied defensive line, with St. Vith and Bastone the major battle sites. The Americans badly outnumbered and under heavy attack at both places, were holding their positions. Swift reinforcements under Gen. George S. Patton arrived to save the Bastone position; St. Vith was aided by British and American forces. The Battle of the Bulge was stalled forcing the decimated German survivors to retreat back into Germany. This was a battle that hastened the end of World War II. Soon afterwards, the Americans crossed the Rhine River into the German heartland, ending the war May 8, 1945. Aged veterans of the famous Battle of the Bulge are getting fewer every day, but the remaining veterans are bonded by their monthly meeting. They are faithful to their veteran brothers and still inspire others by their patriotic spirit and faith of their commitment to the Battle of the Bulge Assn. For them, Punola prepared a program the veterans would enjoy, and was assisted by photographer Nancy Punola, who also appeared in full Civil War dress. Jeff Chandler, a veteran reenactor familiar with guns and ammo, showed standard Union Army issue items i.e., mess kit, utensils, canteen, personal items for grooming and writing letters. Jeff pointed out to the

WWII vets the wide difference in basic equipment issued in 1862 compared to 1944 equipment. Picatinny Arsenal denied us permission to display an array of muskets, bayonets, and pistols. John wanted to connect the Civil War to the WWII Battle of the Bulge, and he had the perfect connection. The highly publicized American general in the European Theatre of Operations was George S. Patton who commanded the celebrated Third Army. Patton’s Third Army led a dramatic thrust into and thru German occupied territory, opening a relief corridor thru and around Bastone, Belgium, which was under siege and heavy attack by elite troops of the German army. John pointed out that Patton was from a military family that featured six great uncles who served in the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia commanded by Robert E Lee. Two of his uncles, W.T. Patton and George S. Patton were killed at the battle of Gettysburg. W.T. Patton was seriously wounded on day one, and died a week later. George S. Patton was killed on day three as he led his unit as part of Pickett’s charge. Hugh Patton was killed during the 1864 battle at Winchester, Va. All the Civil War Pattons were Confederates and related to George Patton who led the U.S. Third Army to victory during WWII. Another surprising revelation was the mention that more than 50,000 Canadian recruits served with the Union Army. At the battle of Gettysburg, 50 plus Canadians died early the first day as their unit, Buford’s Cavalry, took the initial brunt of the Confederate attack. Many Canadian flags fly from gravesites in the National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pa. The WWII vets were surprised to learn that Civil War battle casualties, 1861-1865, are estimated by the official Union records to have been 620,300, combined for both the Union and Confederate forces. The total for American armed forces for 1941-1945 is 292,315 killed. When you add in the Americans killed during other wars to the WWII losses, they are LESS than the total killed during the Civil War. The highlight of the Civil War program was a Powerpoint presentation about the July 15, 1864 train wreck at a small Pennsylvania town, Shohola. The train was carrying the first scheduled delivery of Confederate prisoners to the new POW camp at Elmira, N.Y. In the aftermath of the wreck, it was discovered that two N.C. Confederates left to recover at a private home had disappeared. The family told the

Union Army the two soldiers had died and were given a Christian burial at an undisclosed location. The story revealed how John and Nancy Punola located the lost Confederates in a graveyard in Barryville, N.Y. They decided to place flags on the site and when in the area they check to see if replacement flags are needed. To date, no one has disturbed the site or taken the flags. In 1911, all the Confederates buried in a mass grave at the site of the train wreck were disinterred and buried in the National Cemetery at the site of

the former Elmira, N.Y., POW Camp. The Battle of the Bulge vets were active during the Civil War program and asked many questions. There was not a strong interest in specific battles, or any particular generals, however, there was strong interest in lesser known events and associated stories. Behind the scenes events were nicely presented and the audience loved the interaction. The veterans clearly enjoyed learning about the Civil War. President Jerry Manning,

who arranged the appearance of Punola and associates, stated the approval comments were overwhelmingly positive and the 60 in attendance voiced their interest in learning Civil War History. The Battle of the Bulge vets showed little to no interest in discussing their military life and there was no pressure to do so. In closing the meeting, President Jerry Manning presented nice certificates to John A. Punola, Nancy Z. Punola and Jeff Chandler, thanking them for a well done Civil War presentation.

Battle of the Bulge veterans still meet monthly.

(Nancy Z. Punola)

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The Unfinished Fight By Craig L. Barry Old Timey Music

“I don’t believe we can have an army without music.” – Robert E. Lee Just south of Nashville, the City of LaVergne, Tenn., celebrated a milestone anniversary last month. Originally incorporated in 1860, the city reincorporated in 1972 and offered festivities in honor of the 45th anniversary of that event. It may as well have been a 150th anniversary because the programs had a distinct 1860s feel to them. To begin with, the city of LaVergne asked the nearby Stones River National Battlefield Park in Murfreesboro, Tenn. To provide a historic weapons program, specifically a Civil War musket firing demonstration. As a long-time volunteer at Stones River, I offered to present the program. This is not only because I enjoy doing these presentations, but also because we live in a time when many municipalities are removing any reminders of their involvement in the Civil War, LaVergne seems to be doing the opposite. They are actively celebrating their proximity to battles that occurred in the area during late 1862. The Mayor of LaVergne, Dennis Waldron, is quick to point to historical markers on US Highway 41 commemorating Civil War events right in front of the park where the programs are held. They include “Major General

Joseph Wheeler’s Ride around Rosecrans” (Dec. 30, 1862) and another marker commemorating local citizens involved in the war effort. There were also nearby skirmishes when the left wing of Rosecrans’ Army of Cumberland came through the area on Dec. 26, 1862.Hence, in my case even though it meant doing three battlefield park events on three consecutive weekends, that alone is enough of a reason to make the LaVergne anniversary program a “must do.” The historic musket firing demonstration was the standard “load in nine times” program. It ends with an attempt to recreate the expected “three shots per minute” rate of fire for a Civil War infantryman. Someone in the crowd with a watch offered to track the time and, if memory serves, I was able to duplicate the feat in just under a minute, although just barely (59.6 seconds). Let me hasten to add that unlike what an actual Civil War soldier experienced, nobody was firing back at me. After the demonstration, the crowd lingered with some questions about the program, which is normal. This time people dissipated more quickly, and the reason for that quickly became apparent.

September 2017

Civil War News

As I was cleaning my musket, the sound of a violin playing “St. Anne’s Reel” became audible. Upon further investigation, and to my delight, the city had arranged for an “old timey” music program. The band played “Arkansas Traveler,” followed by “The Year of Jubilo (Kingdom Coming),” the old fiddle tune “Soldiers Joy” (it’s not what you think,…the song is about morphine addiction), “Aura Lea,” “Battle Cry of Freedom,” and finally, “Ashokan Farewell.” That particular song is not of the Civil War time period, but once Ken Burns included it in his 1990 Civil War documentary, it might as well have been. There is nothing contemporary sounding about “Ashokan Farewell,” which is composed in the traditional style of a slow waltz or a Scottish lament. It is played twenty-five times during the course of the documentary’s eleven hours of. For that reason, most listeners closely associate it with the Civil War-era. All in all, those lucky enough to be in attendance were treated to about twenty “old timey” songs. There was also a “buck dancing” performance to the period musical accompaniment by Thomas Maupin. So what exactly is “buck dancing”?

The turn of the tune: traveller playing the “Arkansas traveller”. Published by Currier & Ives, c1870. (Library of Congress)

According to Margaret Binnicker of Middle Tennessee State University, “buck dancing” is a traditional form of percussive dancing that originated in the Southern Appalachian region. It was brought to the area by Scottish and Irish settlers in the 18th century. It works well with “old timey” music, such as songs from the Civil War-era. It is something like “clogging,” except that it is performed solo whereas cloggers are usually in a group. The band was called “Home Sweet Home,” an American string band consisting of a violinist or fiddle player (Elaine Winters), and a banjo player (Daniel Rothwell). According to Winters, the violin and the fiddle are the same instrument, with the difference being how the instrument is played, or the type of music being played. The banjo played by Rothwell was the period’s correct open back variety played in the claw-hammer style. It sounded very distinct from the steel stringed, fretted bluegrass banjo with the large resonator plate. There was also a guitar/dulcimer player (Rob Pearcy) in the group, but he was absent from that particular performance. Professional musicians of this caliber are in high demand during the summer months. The players in the band are all award winners and Winters serves as a judge for fiddle events in the region. In the theatrical film, “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou” (2000), the rival politician Homer Stokes levels a stern accusation at the Soggy Bottom Boys when he says to the crowd, “Hell, they ain’t even old timey.” So what is meant by the term “old timey” in reference to music exactly? It is not limited to the Civil Warera or the Appalachian region of the Southern states, although it is mostly associated with that time and that region. Similar music was played in all parts of America in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many songs that we closely associate with the Civil War period are based on traditional folk songs, including reels and jigs, some of which can be traced back to European sources while others are completely of American origin. When the writing credits of a song are credited as “Traditional” it usually means the author, if there was only one, is not known or can’t be determined. Many “old timey” songs certainly fall into this category. Others were just written in that style. In a way modern bluegrass music evolved directly from this traditional country folk music. So “old timey” is a categorization or grouping of traditional country folk music before the term “bluegrass” came into usage during the 1920s.

“Old timey” music originated with, and is meant to be played, on acoustic stringed instruments. Historically the violin was the common leading instrument and, for all intents and purposes, much of the music heard by Civil War soldiers was courtesy of the violin and banjo. These songs had the right feel to them. John Billings noted in “Hardtack & Coffee: The Unwritten Story of Army Life,” published in 1889, “There was probably not one regiment in the service that did not boast at least one violinist, one banjoist... one or both of them could be heard in operation, either inside or in a company street, most any pleasant evening....The usual medley of comic songs comprised the greater part of the entertainment, and, if the space admitted, a jig or clog was stepped out on a hard tack box or other crude platform.” Lastly, many songs in the “old timey” music genre are played at a surprisingly fast tempo. Civil War soldiers enjoyed upbeat music they could dance to, or that at least would lift their spirits and for a while take their mind off the hardships of camp life. That is exactly the kind of program that on hand with the band “Home Sweet Home” at the recent anniversary program in LaVergne, Tenn. It is a throwback to a date and time before recordings, when music was played live and the “hits” of the time were in the form of sheet music. As Robert E. Lee put it, “I don’t believe we can have an army without music.” 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 both books and columns on the material culture of the mid-19th century 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) and three books (soon to be four) 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. Email to: ads@civilwarnews.com

September 2017

Civil War News

Through The Lens By Stephanie Hagiwara No Joy In Lovejoy “My God! Captain, look at that thousand legged worm.” – U.S. 1st Ohio cavalryman spotting rebels approaching through the head high rows of corn. In May of 1864, U.S. Gen. Tecumseh Sherman was ordered to capture Atlanta, Ga. Both Sherman and Atlanta were dependent on the railroads to keep supplied. Both sides used their cavalry to destroy the enemy’s railroad supply lines. Within days both sides would have the tracks repaired. After the capture of both U.S. Gen. George Stoneman’s and U.S. Gen. Edward McCook’s cavalry, Sherman was convinced that infantry was needed to wreck defended railroads. As he was planning an infantry sweep, C.S. Gen. John Hood ordered C.S. Gen. Joseph Wheeler out of the area to attack the Union’s supply railroad. Sherman ordered U.S. Gen. Hugh Judson Kilpatrick’s cavalry to wreck the Macon & Western, the last supply line for Atlanta. Kilpatrick took with him 4,000 men consisting of two divisions of cavalry and the Chicago Trade Board [Flying] Artillery Battery with eight 10-pdr. Parrott cannons. On August 18, Kilpatrick’s men immediately began tearing up tracks on arrival at Jonesboro, Ga. On the 19th they burned the supply depot. On the 20th, Kilpatrick arrived at Lovejoy Station just after the C.S. 48th Tenn. Infantry arrived by train. The Confederates immediately spread out

into a long line. On the south side of the road was a big cornfield, 400 yards long and 200 yards wide, which was the only clear space. As the Federals charged, “an orange sheet of flame blazed down the length of the Rebel line.” The Battery began firing at the approaching enemy. Still, the Confederates moved forward. The Federals continued to pound the approaching force. The outnumbered rebels were running low on ammunition and slowed their forward momentum. Then the disquieting sound of gunfire came from the Federal’s rear. C.S. Gen. Lawrence Sullivan Ross and his Texans were arriving from Lee’s Mill, Ga. “A fierce battle seemed now to be going on in every direction, but which was the front or main point of the attack I could not for the life of me tell,” said U.S. Lt. William Webb of the 4th Regulars. “About this time one of Kilpatrick’s aides dashed up and directed Webb to take his battalion to some high ground on the left and build a barricade. ‘Which way shall I face it?’, asked Webb. ‘Suit yourself,’ the aide shouted as he galloped away.” Unlike his brethren Stoneman and McCook, when faced with the enemy Kilpatrick charged. Kilpatrick sent for the highly regarded Col. Robert Minty. Kilpatrick announced, “Col. Minty, we are surrounded. You know what is in our front; [C.S. Gen.

William ‘Red’] Jackson with 5,000 cavalry is in rear of our left, and Pat Cleburne with 10,000 infantry is closing on our right; our only salvation is to cut our way out. We will form here, facing our present rear; you will form line on the right of the road, Colonel Murray will form on the left; you will charge simultaneously.” Minty studied the ground Kilpatrick had indicated, an old field, cut up by several deep gullies and two small fences. “General,” he said, “I will form in any way you direct; but, if it was left to me, I would never charge in line over this ground; when we strike the enemy, if we ever do so, it will be a thin, wavering blow that will amount to nothing.” “How, then, would you charge?” Kilpatrick asked. “In column, sir,” Minty replied. “Our momentum would be like that of a railroad where we strike, something has to break.” Kilpatrick pondered this for a moment and then said, “Form in any way you please.” It would be a sabre charge, “in column of fours; the regiments of my [Minty’s] brigade side by side.” Kilpatrick told Minty, “You will break them ... Long will follow with his brigade and clean them out.” Swinging his saber overhead, Minty yelled, “Charge! … The bugles echoed [the order]. A wild cheer rose in the throats of a thousand troopers as three compact columns of fours surged up and over the crest. Boot to boot, stirrup to stirrup, they spurred hellfor-leather, here-we-come down the gullied slope, their upraised sabers flashing in the sun. About a dozen men Minty had detailed from each column to race ahead on foot pulled down sections of the rail fence at the bottom of the hill and the horsemen hurtled through the gaps.” The Texans threw down their guns and ran. The cavalrymen slashed with their sabers anyone who didn’t surrender. “Our horses went kiting over the fences,” wrote Capt. Robert Burns. “The muddy ground trembled under the urgent fury of pounding hooves. The smoky air shook with each fiery blast of case shot and canister. Horses screamed in agony, men shouted, and the clanging of camp kettles strapped the backs of panicked pack mules, said one Officer, ‘beat any noise I ever heard.’” Ross was in the process of pulling out his men when the charge came. “No order was heard; not a word was spoken noted Lt. Sam Barron of the 3rd Texas; “every officer and every man took in the whole situation at a glance; no one asked or gave advice; no one waited for orders. The line was maintained intact for a few

Tracks of the Orange & Alexandria Railroad, destroyed by the Confederates between Bristow Station and the Rappahannock, Va.; Oct. 1863 Colorization © 2015 civilwarincolor.com courtesy civilwarincolor.com/cwn (Library of Congress) seconds, the men emptying their pieces at the heads of the columns. This created a momentary flutter without checking their speed, and on they came in fine style.” Twice Ross ordered Lt. George Young to leave his howitzer and save his men. “Not while I have a shot left!” Young replied. “Finally, Ross gathered about thirty men and led them to the top of the knoll. ‘Well, Young,’ he said, ‘if you are determined to stay with your gun, we will stay with you.’” “Our men stood manfully and fought like madmen,” declared a Rebel gunner. “Ramming home canister and case shot, they fired in three or four different directions, cutting down men and horses in midstride.” As they thundered past, the Federals could feel the howitzer’s “hot breath on their faces.” Afterward, U.S. Col. Eli Long’s troops of the 3rd Ohio held off the Confederates as the Federals reorganized and moved out. About 6 p.m. torrential rain fell. The exhausted, sleep deprived men sluggishly moved forward as thunder and lightning punctured the dark night. At dawn, the troops came to the rain swollen Cotton Indian Creek. A country stream had turned into a raging torrent. It was an ordeal crossing 4,000 troops, the wounded, horses, mules, cannons, and wagons across the water. The troops persevered across the river and the many miles to the Union lines at Decatur, Ga. They had traveled from the right end of the Union line southwest of Atlanta, around the city, the Confederate army and reached the left of Sherman’s fortified position.

That evening, on August 22, Kilpatrick went to see Sherman at his headquarters near Atlanta. Kilpatrick boasted that it would take days to repair the damage he caused to the enemy’s railroad. In the distance, the sound of the whistle of a supply train could be heard approaching Atlanta. Kilpatrick’s true accomplishment at the Battle of Lovejoy Station was keeping the cavalry intact for Sherman’s March to the Sea. Sherman would justify assigning Kilpatrick to the March by saying, “I know that he is a hell of a damned fool, but that is just the sort of man I want for my cavalry.” Sources: • David Evans, Sherman’s Horsemen: Union cavalry operations in the Atlanta Campaign • Samuel J. Martin, Kill-Cavalry: Sherman’s merchant of terror: the life of Union General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick • Homer L. Keer, Fighting with Ross’ Texas cavalry brigade, C.S.A. The diary of George l. Griscom, Adjutant, 9th Cavalry Regiment • Joseph G. Vale, Minty and the Cavalry: a history of cavalry campaigns in the western armies • Richard M. McMurry, Atlanta 1864 Stephanie Hagiwara is the editor for CivilWarinColor.com and CivilWarin3D.com. She also writes a weekly column for HistoryinFullColor.com that covers stories of photographs of historical interest from the 1850’s to the present. Her articles can be found on Facebook, Tumblr and Pinterest.

September 2017

Civil War News

Inspection Arms!

Standard Whitney Navy 2nd Model Barrel Mark.

By Tim Prince Whitney’s “Navy” Revolver In 1847, the Whitney Arms Company made its first foray into the production of handguns. From the time the company was founded by the inventor of the cotton gin, the Whitneyville Armory had been engaged in producing military muskets for the United States government, as well for the various states. The firm started when it received a contract to produce U.S. M-1798 contract muskets and had not manufactured any civilian arms or handguns since its inception. In 1847, the Whitney Arms Company was hired to produce Colt Walker revolvers. Samuel Colt no longer had his original Patterson, N.J., manufacturing facility and had received a U.S. government contract to manufacture 1,000 of the new “Walker Colt” .44 percussion revolvers. Colt had no way to complete the contract, so he arranged for Eli Whitney Jr. to manufacture 1,100 pistols; 1,000 for the U.S. contract and an additional 100 for commercial sale. This was

a lucrative arrangement for the company, and Whitney decided it was time to enter the revolver business himself. Whether it was due to fear of Colt’s lawyers, or simple respect for Colt’s patents, the first Whitney revolvers did not violate Colt’s patents for the revolver mechanism, and were manually rotated, rather than rotating by cocking the hammer. Circa 1850, Whitney introduced his “Hooded Cylinder” line of pocket percussion revolvers. The guns saw limited success and by 1853 only about 200 had been produced. At that point, Whitney introduced his “Two Trigger” series of pocket percussion revolvers. These were more conventional looking handguns, but were still manually rotated. Whitney manufactured about 650 of these pistols over the next year or so. In 1854, Whitney introduced his “Ring Trigger” revolver. This was the first Whitney revolver that was not based upon manual cylinder rotation because a ring

Tim Prince College Hill Arsenal PO Box 178204 Nashville, TN 37217 615-972-2418

www.CollegeHillArsenal.com

trigger operated the cylinder; the hammer still cocked manually and then fired by pulling the trigger fully to the rear. Almost immediately this variation was improved upon by Fordyce Beals, who would go on to become one of Remington’s most successful early handgun designers. The Whitney-Beals’ Pocket Revolver, better known as the “Walking Beam,” was moderately successfully with about 3,200 being produced between 1854 and mid1860s. All these early Whitney handguns were pocket models and were either .28 or .31 caliber. None were considered a “man stopping” combat caliber that could be considered for military use. Whitney knew that military contracts had always been the bread and butter of the company, and it was with the introduction of the Whitney “Navy” Revolver in .36 caliber that the company hit handgun pay dirt. In 1857, Colt’s patents expired, and Whitney was free to produce a single action percussion revolver with a mechanism that rotated the cylinder when the hammer was cocked. Free from fear of legal reprisals, the company started producing an improved version of the Colt’s Model 1851 “Navy” revolver. The biggest weakness of the Colt design was that it was two-piece with the frame and barrel being separate components secured only by a tapered wedge that locked the barrel onto the cylinder arbor of the frame. The open top design had sleek lines and was probably less expensive to manufacture than a solid frame gun, but it was not as strong. The Whitney version used a solid frame with a top-strap that the barrel screwed into. This made a much stronger and more robust revolver. Like the Colt Navy, the Whitney “Navy” was .36 caliber (hence the name “Navy” as that indicated .36 caliber, while “Army” indicated .44 caliber) and had a 6-shot cylinder. Like the Colt, the barrel was octagonal and 7 ½" was the standard length, although barrels could be had (and are known) in lengths from 4" to 8". The standard finish was blue, with a color case hardened hammer and two-piece walnut grips. The earliest production examples did not have loading levers, and came with iron triggerguards. In fact, the earliest guns were not even Whitney marked, but were typically marked EAGLE CO. Very quickly (after about 100 guns) a loading lever was added.

Whitney Navy Revolver 2nd Model 4th Type. (All photos by Tim Prince)

2nd Model, 4th Type cylinder scene with “Whitneyville” on the shield.

2nd Model, 4th Type cylinder with naval engagement scene.

Lion panel found on Whitney Navy cylinders. The lever was a compound linked lever that included the cylinder arbor pin. The entire assembly was retained by a wingnut on the left side of the frame that had a keyway machined into it. This allowed the entire assembly to be removed from the frame by turning the wingnut 180-degrees, freeing the arbor to be withdrawn. The cylinder could then be easily removed. This was a major

improvement over the Colt wedge system, in both simplicity and ease of operation. The lever was retained in the “up” position by a spring-loaded ball detent that engaged a catch under the barrel, near the muzzle. Approximately 1,500 of the 1st Model Whitney Navy revolvers were produced, in four subvariations. These changes were fairly subtle, with the exception

September 2017

Civil War News

Standard shield panel found on Whitney Navy cylinders.

Whitney Navy cylinder face with the “GG” inspection mark of U.S. Navy Commander Guert Gansevoort.

Whitney Navy 2nd Model, 4th Type inspected by Frank C. Warner as part of a US Navy contract. of the difference between the 1st Model, 1st Type which had no loading lever, and the three following 1st Model types, all of which did have that mechanism. As with most Whitney made arms, these types were really production evolutions of the model, and were certainly never cataloged as different patterns or variants. Very quickly the 1st Model Whitney Navy was supplanted by the improved 2nd Model Whitney Navy. Between 33,000 and 34,000 of the 2nd Model were produced over slightly less than a decade. The primary changes between the two models were that the 2nd Model had a heavier, thicker frame than the 1st Model, the triggerguard was now brass instead of iron, and the standard barrel marking was now E. WHITNEY over N. HAVEN in two lines on the barrel, rather than the original EAGLE CO. marking. Collectors divide the production of 2nd Model Whitney Navies into six “types”. Again, the changes between types were fairly minimal, with the most obvious being the replacement of the ball detent loading lever catch that had been introduced on the 1st Model, 2nd Type revolvers with a Colt-style “wedge shaped” catch on the 2nd Model 3rd Type Revolvers, somewhere around serial number 13,000. Like any product improvements, the changes appeared sporadically before they

were in continuous use, as older parts were used up. The 2nd Model, 2nd Type Revolvers introduced safety notches on the rear of the cylinder between each chamber, a feature that originally was a single notch introduced on the 1st Model, 4th Type revolver. Another change that occurred during production was an addition to the motifs that were roll engraved on the cylinders. From the start of manufacture, the images showed an eagle, a shield, and a lion. The 2nd Model, 4th Type revolvers (circa serial number 15,000) introduced a naval engagement scene in addition to the other images, and added the legend “Whitneyville” to the shield. The two final changes were an increase in the size of the triggerguard (2nd Model, 5th Type circa s/n 25,000) and a change from 7-groove rifling to 5-groove rifling (2nd Model, 6th Type circa s/n 29,000). Like most of Whitney’s earlier products, the new .36 caliber revolver found its primary customers to be the United States government and various states, who acquired them for military use. About half of all Whitney Navies were purchased by the U.S. Army or the U.S. Navy during the American Civil War. The U.S. Army acquired 10,587 revolvers between 1861 and 1864; the U.S. Navy purchased an additional 6,226 between 1863 and 1865. The state of New Jersey

U.S. Navy “anchor” inspection mark on barrel of a Whitney Navy revolver. purchased 920 Whitney Navy revolvers in 1863, but 792 of those guns were subsequently resold to the U.S. Army in 1863 and 1864. Those guns are included in the U.S. Army purchases listed above. The Army contract revolvers were sub-inspected on the frame, barrel, and cylinder like Colt and Remington revolvers, and received a final acceptance cartouche on the left grip. The Navy purchased guns were either inspected at the factory by Frank C. Warner (who was inspecting the Whitney Naval Rifle contract) or later by Naval inspectors during the period of “reinspection” that started in 1864. The Warner inspected guns usually have his block F.C.W. mark on the forward portion of the lower left side of the frame and his cartouche on the left grip. Those inspected later were viewed by Commanders Guert Gansevoort or John R. Goldsborough, who marked the guns they inspected either “G.G” or “J.R.G”, respectively on either the face or side of the cylinder. These guns were often additionally marked with an anchor on the top of the barrel. A number of Whitney Navy revolvers also appear to have been acquired by the South and saw Confederate service during the Civil War. Some were purchased prior to the outbreak of hostilities, and these guns tend to be early production 2nd Model revolvers produced prior to the spring of 1861. A good example

is Whitney Navy #3110; this was owned by Confederate cavalry general J.E.B. Stuart, and is now in the collection of the Virginia Historical Society. Confederate forces acquired many more Whitney Navy revolvers after the conflict started. These later production guns were no doubt obtained through a combination of capturing weapons and purchasing the guns surreptitiously from secondary retailers rather than directly from Whitney. At least two-dozen Whitney Navy revolvers (in the 2nd Model 3rd, 4th & 5th Type serial number ranges) are known to have been repaired by a Warrenton, Va., gunsmith for use by the 4th Va. “Black Horse” Cav., and a handful of identified Whitney Navy revolvers with Confederate provenance exist as well. It is not surprising that the revolver found favor on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line, as the robust design with a reinforcing top strap, a solid frame with a screwed in barrel, and the simple turn of a wing nut to release the loading lever and cylinder arbor were all significant improvements over the open top frame and wedge-retained barrel of the Colt design. The popularity of the revolvers in the south is further indicated by the fact that the design was copied by Confederate gunmakers like Spiller & Burr and T.W. Cofer, both of whom produced Whitney-inspired revolvers for the south. With the end of the American Civil War, the era of the percussion

U.S. Ordnance Department cartouche on grip of an Army contract Whitney Navy. revolver came to an end, and the period of metallic cartridge handguns began. Most Whitney Navy revolvers in government hands were sold off as obsolete, and some were altered to cartridge for resale to the general public. By the early 1870s, the only handguns being produced by Whitney were pocket sized, “suicide special” type metallic cartridge pistols, and by 1888, the company had sold its assets to the Winchester Arms Company. The Whitney “Navy” will go down in history as the only service sized combat handgun produced by the company and as a gun that saw significant use by both sides during the Civil War. Despite its superiority to the Colt design, the Whitney Navy would never achieve the same level of success. 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 & researcher, Tim has been a contributing author to two major book projects about Civil War era arms including The English Connection and an upcoming book on southern retailer marked and Confederate used shotguns. Tim is also a featured Arms & Militaria appraiser on the PBS Series Antiques Roadshow.

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Vol. 42, No. 3

48 Pages, April 2016

Battlefield Of Franklin Land Preservation Purchase By GreGory L. Wade

FRANKLIN, Tenn. — What is considered the bloodiest acreage in the Nov. 30, 1864, Battle of Franklin is now being reclaimed as part of the evolving Carter Hill Battlefield Park. Local preservation leaders recently closed on a $2.8 million purchase from owners Reid and Brenda Lovell after a months-long process of coordinating various funding sources for the critical 1.6 acres that adjoin the Carter House, a major battle landmark. Details were recently provided at a press conference led by Franklin’s Charge board member Julian Bibb, who praised the “remarkable transition” of the Franklin battlefield. Franklin’s Charge is a coalition of civic and preservation groups who joined together more than ten years ago to purchase local battleground. Over 150 years ago the Army of Tennessee stepped off in a series of charges to be virtually destroyed by Federals under John Schofield in hopes of taking Franklin and later Nashville. At that time, most of the terrain was open farmland on the outskirts of what was once a small Middle Tennessee farming community. Over time development covered much of the battlefield with houses, light industry, and small businesses. All that remained of the critical area where the Confederates temporarily broke the Federal line was the small farmhouse and a few acres known as the Carter House farm. The 1.6 acres purchased, which adjoin the southern boundary of the Carter House property, is comprised of two lots. Today, they are occupied by a flower shop and other structures

that were turned over to the City of Franklin Parks Department by Franklin’s Charge and the Battle of Franklin’s Trust (BOFT), managers of the Carter House the nearby Carnton Plantation. The structures will be removed in coming months, possibly relocated for other use. The purchase is only the latest step in a long and arduous effort to rebuild the Franklin battlefield. “It had to be a miracle,” quipped Civil War Trust (CWT) President James Lighthizer, referring to the most recent acquisition. Local resident Michael Grainger, long time Trust board member and former chairman, said, “Local leadership has been incredible and will continue to be a partner [with the CWT].” In 2005, after years of frustration attempting to preserve Franklin battleground, local preservationists decided it would have to be done the hard way, by buying properties, often with buildings on them. The largest parcel of land was originally a local golf course slated to be sold to a developer to build houses on what was the right flank of the Confederate attack north toward the Federal lines just south of the town. It was then that Franklin’s Charge came into existence. Funds have been raised for the $5 million purchase from private donors, the CWT, the City of Franklin and others. That 110-acre segment, now fully interpreted and known as the Eastern Flank Battlefield, is what got the preservation ball rolling in Franklin. Since that time nine other parcels in proximity to the Carter House have been purchased and have been, or will be, turned over to the Frank-

Franklin Charge leader Julian Bibb speaks at the Lovell purchase closing. (Gregory L. Wade photos)

Battle of Franklin. 1891 print by Kurz and Allison. Restoration by Adam Cuerden. (Library of Congress) lin Parks Department, according to Bibb. But it was the land just south of the Carter House, long considered the most bloodied ground in Franklin, and some say in America, that was the most coveted. BOFT Chief Executive Officer Eric Jacobson noted, “to not have this ground reclaimed and preserved, would be like having Omaha Beach cut out of Normandy.” The most recent acquisition evolved when Franklin’s Charge and the BOFT began discussions with the Lovells, who have a strong sense of the history of the land, having grown up in Franklin. “I was born and raised in Franklin on ground many believe should have been a national park,” said Reid Lovell. He recalled when visitors came to town and had to envision what happened, not walk on ground where it transpired. “My great-grandfather, who fought here, and my parents would be proud of what we are doing here today,” he said at the press conference. The Franklin Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted unanimously in February to fund part of the remaining debt on the Lovell property purchase. The previously saved plots, valued at $6.8 million, are being transferred to the city in exchange for $1.08 million to be paid by the city on a non-interest basis over seven years. These funds will cover the balance now bridged by a local bank and will be derived from the city’s hotel-motel tax. Local banker Chuck Isaacs was instrumental in working out the loans. All the city funds are allotted as well as a donation of $25,000 by his employer, First Farmers and Merchants Bank. A $1.3 million grant from the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) was a major piece of the

Franklin Alderman Michael Skinner, left, and Franklin Charge Board member Ernie Bacon attended the Franklin press conference. funding and the most complex, according to Bibb. “With help from city officials, the Civil War Trust and others at the ABPP, we got it done,” Bibb noted. Other funding came from private donors including local Civil War Trust board member Grainger, who has been involved with other national preservation efforts. Representatives of Save the Franklin Battlefield, the oldest battlefield

preservation group in Franklin who for years advocated the possibility of a battleground park, attended the signing of official documents and “have been with us every step,” said Bibb. The site interpretation work will be led by representatives of the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage

H Franklin

. . . . . . . . . . . see page 4

Inside this issue: 23 – Black Powder, White Smoke 24 – Book Reviews 33 – Critics Corner 36 – Events Section

11 – The Source 8 – Through The Lens 10 – Treasures From The Museum 14 – The Watchdog

September 2017

Civil War News

The Source

writers to avoid political issues. In volume one, Evans and two other authors dispatched with many of the political topics. In addition to Evans, who wrote a section entitled ‘The Civil History of the Confederate States,’ J.L.M. Curry penned the ‘Legal Justification of the South in Secession,’ and William R. Garrett authored a section on ‘The South as a Factor in the Territorial Expansion of the United States.’

By Michael K. Shaffer

Confederate Military History – Extended Edition

Broadfoot reprint of the Confederate Military History. “This truly great contribution to Confederate literature, written by devoted Confederates, surpasses anything yet undertaken on behalf of the Southern cause, and will be received and preserved as an invaluable compendium of the records of the most momentous period in American history.” This description, from a review in the August 1899 edition of Confederate Veteran Magazine, offers a glimpse into the wealth of information contained within the pages of Confederate Military

History. Originally appearing in 1899 as a 12-volume set, printed in Atlanta by the Confederate Publishing Company, former Brig. Gen. Clement Anselm Evans served as editor and assembled a lineup of former Confederate officers to write the history of their respective states. The set also included the states of West Virginia and Maryland and a volume on naval operations. Evans endeavored to capture the military history, which occurred within each state and encouraged

Vin Caponi

Editor Clement A. Evans. Working tirelessly with each volume’s author, Evans strove to ensure the timely completion of the entire series. Some writers battled ill health; Jed Hotchkiss completed his work shortly before dying. The authors of each of the state volumes follows: Bradley T. Johnson, Md.; Robert White, W.V.; Jed Hotchkiss, Va.; D.H. Hill (son of Lt. Gen. Daniel Harvey Hill), N.C.; Ellison Capers, S.C.; Joseph T. Derry, Ga.; Joe Wheeler, Ala.; Charles E. Hooker, Miss.; James D. Porter, Tenn.; J. Stoddard Johnston,

Map example. Ky.; John C. Moore, Mo.; John Dimitry, La.; John M. Harrell, Ark.; Orin M. Roberts, Texas; J.J. Dickison, Fla.; and Lt. William Harwar Parker wrote the naval edition.

Historic Antiques

We carry a very large inventory of Colt and Civil War firearms including muskets, carbines, rifles and accoutrements. Our inventory of historic antiques and firearms begin at the early collectors level and range all the way up to the advanced collector and investors level.

One benefit to modern researchers rests in the biographical sketches and images of general officers from each state. Following the military recap in each volume, these descriptions provide information on famous officers, as well as those of lesser renown. Some of these sketches offer details not found elsewhere. The original set, sold on a subscription basis at the cost of $48 for a cloth edition or $60 for half-leather, proved out of financial reach for the primary target audience—the veterans. In 1910, Confederate Veteran Magazine

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Cross-reference chart in Broadfoot edition.

Texas officers.

September 2017 purchased the entire run and offered them at half-price. (See March 2017 installment of this column for more information on Confederate Veteran.) For many years, researching the set presented a challenge given the absence of an index. Tom Broadfoot removed this obstacle in 1987 with the reprinting of an expanded version of the original collection. Robert S. Bridgers served as the editorial director for the index and developed a systematic method to capture the 5,925 individual names, more than 600 maps, and various illustrations found in the original set. Amassing copies of each of the original expanded editions— never widely available—Broadfoot Publishing reprinted the collection, with each state as a standalone version. The included cross-reference chart, shown, assists researchers referencing the original version. With the addition of a two-volume index, the Broadfoot set numbers 19 volumes and 12,000 pages. The original set contained approximately 7,000 pages, so the expanded version offers researchers much more, including the ‘Biographies of Confederate Soldiers Residing in the North’ section, published for the first time. The Broadfoot collection also significantly expands the biographical sketches—including many officers below the rank of general—from roughly 400 in the original to over 6,000. Despite the bias of the original writers, and numerous errors found within the pages—incorrect ranks, dates, and inaccuracies in certain maps—this source contains a large amount of information helpful to researchers. Those seeking printed copies of the set (and some individual state titles) can obtain them from Broadfoot Publishing, at http:// www.broadfootpublishing.com, or check WorldCat http://www. worldcat.org for help in finding the collection in a local library. A few websites contain digitized versions of the original Confederate Military History, including the Internet Archive at https://archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Evans%2C+Clement+Anselm%2C+1833-1911% 2C+ed%22 and Hathi Trust at https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000113357 https://collections.nlm.nih.gov/catalog/nlm:nlmuid-14121350R-mvset. At both sites, users can view pages

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Civil War News online, conduct searches, or download different file formats. Please keep suggestions for future ‘The Source’ columns coming; send them to the e-mail address shown below. Continued good luck in researching the 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 to request speaking engagements via his website www.civilwarhistorian.net. Follow Michael on Facebook www.facebook.com/ michael.k.shaffer and Twitter @ michaelkshaffer

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Vol. 42, No. 3

48 Pages, April 2016

Battlefield Of Franklin Land Preservation Purchase By GreGory L. Wade

Franklin Charge leader Julian Bibb speaks at the Lovell purchase closing. (Gregory L. Wade photos)

H Franklin

. . . . . . . . . . . see page 4

Inside this issue: 23 – Black Powder, White Smoke 24 – Book Reviews 33 – Critics Corner 36 – Events Section

11 – The Source 8 – Through The Lens 10 – Treasures From The Museum 14 – The Watchdog

September 2017

Civil War News

“The First 400” – Confederate Prisoners Arrive in Elmira By Joseph Bordonaro The first 400 Confederate prisoners, and their guards, arrived in Elmira, N.Y., on July 6, 1864. On the weekend of June 24-25 2017, a reenactment of their arrival took place in the now-quiet town. The “prisoners” were marshalled at the old train depot (built in 1867 on the footprint of the original depot and faced by a street paved with 1860s brick). They were formed up and marched through town to the site of “Division No. 3,” later called Camp Chemung. One “prisoner,” Patrick Fetta,

is the great grandson of Confederate soldier, Thomas David Crouch, 22nd Va. Inf., who was imprisoned in the camp. The prison was inside what had been a Federal training camp established in 1861 as Camp Rathbun alongside the Chemung River. With enlistments falling off drastically by 1864, and with the Confederate prisoner population swelling dramatically with the breakdown of the prisoner exchange system, the decision was made to convert the training camp into a prison camp.

Sadly, virtually nothing remains of the old camp. An original building once located near the camp was moved next to the new museum building (formerly part of the Elmira Water Works), and is now inside the former prison camp area. In addition, work was begun on an exacting reproduction of a barracks building. As part of the reenactment, “prisoners” worked on planking the building under the watchful eyes of “ward bosses” (prisoners selected to be leaders of sections of prisoners) and “Camp Commandant Major Cox” (portrayed by Alexander Stowe).

Prisoners Building Barracks Under Supervision. (Terri Olszowy)

Ethan Ezra Doane entertains his fellow prisoners. (Claudia Carnes) Throughout Saturday, groups of visitors were taken through Arriving at the Camp from the Railroad Depot. (Claudia Carnes) the “camp” by organizer Doug Oakes, while the other main organizer, Terri Olszowy, facilitated the event’s logistics. Visitors were able to climb up an observation tower, similar to the one used in 1864 to allow the town’s folk to view the Confederate prisoners from a safe distance. They then THE FINEST HISTORICAL ANTIQUE MILITARIA followed Doug into the prisoner camp (a group of “A” tents) and the guard camp (another group of “A” tents). The Confederate “prisoners” were wearing very authentic Confederate uniforms, and the guards were also dressed in authentic uniforms. The guards portrayed both volunteer State Troops and members of the “Veteran Reserve Corps,” experienced soldiers who were no longer up to active campaigning but were fit enough for lighter duty. A series of scenarios unfolded during the course of the event, including a “town ball” game by the prisoners, cooking for and feeding the prisoners by “civilian contractors,” with prisoners doing most of the work, “delousing” the prisoners, followed by a dip in the Chemung River, punishment of a Confederate prisoner, and various other activities. www.csacquisitions.com On Sunday, a march to Elmira’s Woodlawn Cemetery Wallace Markert which is also the burial site info@csacquisitions.com of Mark Twain, was followed 16905 Nash Road • Dewitt, Virginia 23840 by a commemoration inside 804-536-6413 • 804-469-7362 Woodlawn National Cemetery,

Elmira Prisoners Being Lined Up at the Railroad Depot. (Terri Olszowy) where nearly 3,000 Confederate prisoners are buried of the more than 12,000 incarcerated. They were victims of overcrowding, inadequate shelter, and disease. A 21-gun salute was fired by Union and Confederate reenactors, and

“Amazing Grace” was performed on violin by Patrick Fetta. The event was very successful. Efforts to finish the barracks building continue and a link to a donation site may be found at www.elmiraprisoncamp.com

September 2017

Civil War News

‘Admiral’ Forrest and his Horsemen By Joan Wenner, J.D. Some years ago a dedicated group of preservationists in Tennessee, “Raise the Gunboats, Inc.”, retrieved a collection of artifacts from the Tennessee River 30 miles above Paducah, Ky. Found by a dredging operator who alerted state archaeologists, they came from remains of the Union gunboat Undine 55, a Union vessel significant for its capture by Nathan Bedford Forrest. Forrest then turned the boat around and engaged in a naval battle with a small convoy from which it had been separated by a bend in the river. The daring maneuver earned Forrest the rank of ‘Admiral’ by his cavalry “crew.” A court of inquiry followed for the vessel’s Acting Master who spoke more candidly than would be likely today.

Nathan Bedford Forrest. Forrest and cavalry commander Joe Wheeler had been wreaking mayhem in the region for a couple of years in their attempts to disrupt Union supply lines. On Oct. 30, 1864, about 30 miles above Paducah, Ky., Forrest and his gunners spied a lone enemy gunboat and saw an opportunity in the making though he would modify his plan from destruction to one of disabling, repairing, and launching the gunboat into Confederate service unbeknownst to the other Federal transports. Artillery quickly got the

Undine in its sights and, after an hour of sparring, a cannonball shattered the exhaust pipe, another smashed the furnace, and four more blasted through the casemate. Another round cracked a steam pipe, the scalding mist forcing the engineer from the engine room. Acting Master John L. Bryant attempted to surrender his boat now “entirely unmanageable” and, after hastily spiking the guns, headed toward the river’s east bank where he and surviving crewmen scrambled into the woods and trekked to Union held Fort Donelson. Meanwhile two transports that “jumped into the tempest” were so battered by Southern shellfire from Forrest’s judicious placement of artillery they were beyond being of assistance. Summarizing a long story that involved a previous calamity to the stricken ship in a previous life that nearly sunk her, now Forrest would took the 180-ton warship to Paris Landing for quick repairs to turn his new “flagship” against its previous operators or lure them within range of sharpshooters. He also planned on using Undine to carry detachments of cavalry to raid the Union Johnsonville supply base and then haul supplies to Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood’s army at Tuscumbia, Ala. The vessel with her eight 24-pounder howitzers disabled was rearmed with two 20-pounder Parrott rifles captured from one of the transports. Soon more Federal ships would descend upon the Undine as it lay at anchor, under Cobb’s Ky. Btry. officer and an old experienced steamboat captain, who thus relieved Forrest of his naval commission. Undine met its demise after a barrel of oil was poured over some shredded mattresses and set ablaze. But not before, supposedly, a cargo of fine brandy for a general and more importantly, the captain’s signal code book were confiscated. Forrest then proceeded onward on Nov. 4, 1864, to the destruction of the Johnsonville supply depot. On Nov. 6, Sherman telegraphed

Undine 55 drawing by artist Aryeh Wetherhorn.

Grant, “That devil Forrest was down about Johnsonville making havoc among the gunboats and transports.” Sherman was correct, By Nov. 10, it was said Forrest had destroyed or captured 4 gunboats, 14 transports, 20 barges, and a large quantity of stores. Some six to eight million dollars was the estimated tab for Johnsonville alone.

Gunboat Captain Explains Capture at Military Inquiry On Nov. 7, 1864, a military court of inquiry was convened at Mound City, Ill., “to ascertain and report all the facts connected with the loss of the U.S.S. Undine, in Tennessee River.” The embarrassing loss of the signal codes to Forrest’s troopers-turned watermen was conceded although Bryant was absolved of fault and justified in his decision to abandon his gunboat when “opened on by rebel artillery and infantry fire” and “again opened on by a battery of four or five field pieces crossing their fire from different points.” The tribunal held the vessel well-fought and creditable discipline maintained throughout with proper actions taken that had been “occasioned by the attack of a superior force.” Perhaps it could be added also by a bolder force? Acting Master Bryant recounted, most candidly it appears, what happened Oct. 30, 1864: “When abreast of Paris Landing I was hailed by a man on the bank, ‘Halloo there gunboat’ or some such words. I immediately stopped my engines. At that instant was opened on from the west bank by a heavy artillery and infantry fire about 50 yards from shore. I returned their fire and immediately headed the ship for the batteries and fought them for 55 minutes up to 700 yards distance, where I had my escape pipe shot off. A shot passed in through my furnace and knocked the fire out. “I then got out of range of the upper battery, under the west point of the river, in order to repair my damages and to warn the transports that might come down from Johnsonville. I had not been anchored over 10 minutes when I was again opened upon by a heavy fire of musketry from the west bank which was immediately returned from our broadside guns.” “At 3:10 the enemy opened with a crossfire of artillery and musketry...and I used at that time canister, the range not being over 100 yards, which apparently had good effect among the enemy concealed in the bushes on the

banks. At 3:45 the main steam pipe in the doctor room was cracked and filled the place with steam, and drove the engineer from his station. I headed her for the east bank to save as many of the crew as possible. At 4 o’clock, knowing that I could not get off from the enemy, I struck my flag, which the enemy did not respect, but kept up an incessant fire upon me. I fired my broadside guns, ordered all the guns spiked and the ship fired, knowing I had fought as long as I could. I ordered the men to save themselves. At this moment I was knocked senseless and when I came to I got on shore and followed after the crew.”

Forrest Too Late While another brilliant move by Forrest, the sacking the Johnsonville depot came too late to have a larger impact on war in the Western theater. By November 1864, Sherman had already amassed enough stores and ammunition in the Atlanta area that Johnsonville no longer of crucial importance. Joan Wenner, J.D. is a longtime contributor to CWN, The Artilleryman and other historical publications, and member of CWN Editorial and book review staff. Comments are welcomed at joan_writer@yahoo.com

Digital Issues of Civil War News are available by subscription alone or with print plus archives at www.CivilWarNews.com

In Sept. 1864 a grand jury of the United States Circuit Court sitting in Memphis, declared that Nathan Bedford Forrest was a traitor against the United States, “wickedly devising and intending the peace and tranquility of the United states of America... engaged in a warlike manner, that is to say with guns, swords, pistols and other warlike weapons.” A year later the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Salmon P. Chase, directed the marshal of the District of West Tennessee to “take the body of Nathan B. Forrest...[and] have him before the Judge of the Circuit Court of the United States...to answer the United States on a Bill of Presentment against him for Treason.” Forrest was never arrested and tried for treason. The marshal of the United states District Court simply wrote that “Defendant not to be found in my district.” (National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)

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

September 2017

Civil War News

Confederate Monuments – An Objective Discussion PUBLISHER’S NOTE: In the October 2017 issue of Civil War Times is an article titled “Empty Pedestals. What Should Be Done With Civic Monuments To The Confederacy And Its Leaders?” by Dana B. Shoaf, Editor. Fifteen prominent Civil War historians, who are on the magazine’s advisory board, wrote interesting and thoughtful opinions on the controversial Confederate monument removals. Here are a few of their comments. Christy S. Coleman, CEO, American Civil War Museum, Richmond, Va. “Many want the museum to take a firm stand to support or oppose the removal of these items from the public landscape… When it comes to the American Civil War, the answer is not always “blue and gray. Americans of every background grapple with the war’s legacies in contemporary times. This history is not dead or past. This history is present.” William “Jack” Davis, Professor of History, retired, Virginia Tech University “Removing statues in New Orleans and elsewhere is unfortunate, however understandable…“Lost Cause” mythology claims that Confederates seceded over self-determination. Ironically, as local populations today reevaluate who to memorialize, that argument is ascendant.” Gary W. Gallagher, John L. Nau III Professor of History, Director, John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History University of Virginia “Debates about the Civil War’s memorial landscape erupt periodically and usually feature the same arguments from those who want to leave statues and other monuments in place and those who want to remove them… Taking down statues, in contrast, potentially inhibits a real understanding of our past, warts and all, and can obscure important themes, movements, and eras.”

H Jackson Flank

. . . . . . . . . . . from page 1 His was, for a time, the only unit west Wilderness Church that was actively resisting the Confederate onslaught. Dilger volunteered to hold his position while scattered elements of several Union regiments coalesced into the Buschbeck line behind him. Firing single, and then double, canister at extremely close rang-

Thos. V. Strain Jr., Commander–in–Chief, Sons of Confederate Veterans “It is my opinion, and that of many others, that these removals are an attempt to erase history.” Harold Holzer, The Jonathan F. Fanton Director of Hunter College’s Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, and Vice Chairman, The Lincoln Forum “In effect, I remain torn. I abhor the iconoclastic destruction of art—whether by the Taliban at Bamiyan, Afghanistan [where two monumental sculptures of Buddha were blown up in 2001] or by our own justifiably offended citizens in New Orleans. Using the preservation of a mediocre Jefferson Davis statue to rally neo-Nazis waving the Stars and Bars is a repugnant exercise that deserves condemnation.” For more information visit www.historynet.com TO THE EDITOR: In the July issue of CWN, subscriber’s comments were requested about the controversy concerning removal of Confederate statues and monuments. I do not think these statues and monuments should be removed. The campaign to do so is aligned with a movement to revise and sanitize history. This is what happens in totalitarian nations. Hitler and Stalin were experts in rewriting history to further their own nefarious ends. Good history tells all, the good and the bad, warts and all. If these statues and monuments are removed, where will all this end? Next we will have to take down statues of George Washington because he owned slaves and made war on Indian people, didn’t he? Andrew Jackson forcibly removed native tribes from the southeastern states so the land would be open to white settlement. Those tribes were at peace with the U.S. government. This resulted in the “Trail of Tears.” Hundreds lost their lives in that forced move to Oklahoma. Robert E. Lee was a gentleman and es, the shock of Dilger’s battery bought the Buschbeck line 20 minutes needed to organize a desperate defense, before the Georgians closed in for hand to hand combat with the gunners. Dilger finally gave the order to withdraw, miraculously only losing one gun as the Confederates demanded surrender. It was then that Dilger’s horse was mortally wounded, pinning him underneath, directly in the path of the rapidly advancing Confederates. In an act of extreme bravery Dilger’s orderly, a

a good man. What does that matter, drag him through the dirt too. President Polk engineered the war with Mexico. Was this not a blatant land grab? Get rid of him, adios. Look what Sherman did in Georgia. Why don’t the people in Georgia raise enough hell and get him out? The point I am trying to make is we could wind up removing just about all American historical figures for one reason or another. I am originally from Indiana and have ancestors who fought for the Union so I cannot be called a Confederate apologist. We are embarking onto a dangerous slippery slope just to appease the politically correct. If this comes to pass, one day we will wake up in a nation we do not know. Blair Clifford Yuma, Az.

TO THE EDITOR: “If I had my druthers,” I would let all Confederate statues remain, because I am strongly interested in Civil War history, and, perhaps, also because I am a collateral descendant of a Confederate soldier. With that said, statues on public property may be legally removed, as was the case in New Orleans. Disappointments, protests, and letters may not prevent the removals. Whether the reason for removal of a statue

TO THE EDITOR: Removing Confederate monuments under the gun of political correctness is a bad idea for two reasons. First, the history of the South’s evolving society becomes more apparent by adding new shrines to honor more recent heroes than by destroying old ones. Both will remain as tangible evidence to future generations of how our history evolved. Moreover, the South has been doing this for decades, but getting no credit for it. Despite anger among the politically correct over their state flag, for example, Mississippi towns have seventeen streets named in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island have none. Minnesota and Iowa have one each, while Massachusetts and Connecticut have two each. Pennsylvania has three. The second reason to retain Confederate monuments is that almost nobody today realizes the magnitude of the losses endured by Southern families and their descendants. About six percent of the region’s white population died as soldiers. If America went to war today with comparable losses, the number of people in uniform killed would be over eighteen million, or three times the number of Jewish Holocaust

victims. Given such losses, nobody should wonder why Confederate families wanted to honor the loved and lost. To the contrary, I’d wager $100 against a good Cuban cigar that today’s average American would think something would have been wrong with them if they didn’t. Philip Leigh Tampa, Fla. TO THE EDITOR: I have been a reader for 10 years and thought the Civil War News could not get any better, but thankfully I was wrong. It is now my favorite Civil War “magazine”. Thank you for soliciting opinions on the removal of Civil War monuments. Unfortunately, in the last eight years our country has slipped further to the Left. Our society has become so polarized that everything is Black or White and there is no area for discussion. In Mayor Landrieu”s press release he says “ I am not judging people”. Really? Does he really believe that the rewriting of Civil War history is better for the people and really what we want? Recently the NAACP has demanded that the State of Arizona remove all 10 of it’s memorials to the Civil War. Without taking sides in the issue I have advised all of my 418 members to write and call the Governor’s office and voice their opinion. I wondered if the Civil War Trust had advised their 58,000 members to write the socialist mayor of New Orleans it would have made a difference. I doubt it. The Mayor seems to know what is best for the country. Since George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were slave owners, do you believe the people will stand by while Mount Vernon and Monticello are burned to be politically correct? I think it is time that we all take a proactive part and let the politicians know where we stand on this issue. John Bamberl Scottsdale Az.

small boy named Ackley, noticing that Dilger had been left behind, took it upon himself to ride directly in front of the Confederates to search for him. After finding his Captain, both managed to ride back to relative safety behind the soon to be broken Buschbeck Line at Dowdall’s Tavern where Dilger continued the fight. Dilger’s splendid efforts and heroism would ultimately lead to a Medal of Honor in 1893, to which he responded, “It is highly gratifying to me, as an

old professional soldier, to have my services…even after a lapse of 30 years, at last officially appreciated and thus handsomely rewarded.” It is CVBT’s honor to finally ensure that the land so closely associated with Captain Dilger’s heroic actions is faithfully preserved. Since the Kinney tract was already zoned as a commercial district and sits at a high volume intersection, one can only imagine what might have been otherwise.

Since the acquisition, CVBT has set to work restoring the area to its historical appearance. This included removing a nonhistorical condemned structure that was in partial collapse. This all comes at a cost of course, and CVBT has recently begun soliciting donations from members to offset the $144,000 price tag for such an important purchase. To learn more about CVBT’s mission please visit our website at www.CVBT.org.

TO THE EDITOR: The future of interest and caring for our American Civil War rests on connections to communities as a whole . We, elders who have collected, studied and written of the war, should accept that the lives of younger men and women are focused on health, employment, climate and a way of life working with all races and lifestyles. Battle flags and monuments should be looked at in ways that are about the “other” person. Consider what is needed to preserve individual beliefs and service—then make it work for us all. Henry Deeks Ashburnham, Mass.

is claimed to be for diversity, or due to changing demographics in large cities, the statues might be removed. It will be more difficult to remove any statues or monuments on State property, and particularly on Federal property, such as on NPS battlefields, but at some point in the future it could happen. In the meantime, people can study Confederate history and biographies and put up portraits of Davis, Lee, or other favorite Generals in their homes. Hopefully, this will never be forbidden, and the books and prints seized and burned. Leon Basile Woburn, Mass.

September 2017

Civil War News

St. Louis Monument Settlement Agreement Whereas, there is now pending the case of the Missouri Civil War Museum v. the City of St. Louis, Cause No. 1722-CCl 0277 (“Lawsuit”), in the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, and Whereas, the parties desire to resolve the issue of the ownership and disposition of the Confederate Monument currently located in Forest Park (hereinafter “the Monument”), and Whereas, the City of St. Louis (“City”) intends to permanently remove and relocate the Monument from Forest Park, and Whereas, the Missouri Civil War Museum, United Daughters of the Confederacy-Missouri Division, and the St. Louis Confederate Monument Association have all asserted claims of ownership of the Monument, and Whereas, the Missouri Civil War Museum, United Daughters of the Confederacy-Missouri Division and the St. Louis Confederate Monument Association agree to certain stipulations concerning the final disposition of the Monument. Wherefore, the parties agree as follows: 1. The Missouri Civil War Museum shall remove the Monument, in its entirety, from its current location in Forest Park no later than June 30, 2017. The City will ensure that the Missouri Civil War Museum and its contractor, Heitkamp Masonry, Inc., have access to the Monument as necessary to dismantle and remove the Monument from Forest Park. Additionally, the City will provide the Missouri Civil War Museum and its contractor access to the cap or “crown” of the Monument that was previously removed and permit the Civil War Museum to remove it as well. 2. The Missouri Civil War Museum agrees to bear all costs associated with dismantling the Monument, transporting it out of Forest Park and storing the Monument subsequent to its removal. The

City acknowledges that removing the Monument may cause some minor damage to the Monument site and the ground immediately adjacent to the site. Neither the Missouri Civil War Museum nor its contractor shall be responsible for the anticipated and normal wear and tear or damages associated with removing the Monument from the site. 3. The Missouri Civil War Museum, United Daughters of the Confederacy-Missouri Division, and the St. Louis Confederate Monument Association each agree that after the Monument is removed from Fore st Park, it will not be placed or publicly displayed in the City of St. Louis or St. Louis County at any time in the future. 4. The Missouri Civil War Museum, United Daughters of the Confederacy-Missouri Division, and the St. Louis Confederate Monument Association each agree that any future placement and display of the Monument will be limited to the following locations: a Civil War Museum, Civil War battlefield, or Civil War cemetery. Prior to the Monument being placed at any of those locations, the Missouri Civil War Museum will first advise the Office of the Mayor of the City in writing, with copies provided to the City Counselor, no less than five days prior, of the location of its intended placement so that the City may confirm that the placement is consistent with the terms of this Settlement Agreement. 5. The United Daughters of the Confederacy-Missouri Division and the St. Louis Confederate Monument Association each attest, agree and covenant that they have conveyed any and all ownership they might have in the Monument to the Missouri Civil War Museum.

6. The Missouri Civil War Museum warrants, covenants and agrees that if it ever voluntarily relinquishes its possession, control or custody of the Monument to a third party, said third party shall be bound by the terms and conditions of this Settlement Agreement. 7. The Missouri Civil War Museum agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the City for any damages it may incur as the result of the City’s compliance with the terms of this Settlement Agreement, including but not limited to any third party claims asserting any type of ownership interest in the Monument. 8. The Missouri Civil War Museum, United Daughters of the Confederacy-Missouri Division and the St. Louis Confederate Monument Association do each, for themselves and their respective executors, administrators, successors in interest and assigns, hereby release and forever discharge the City of St. Louis, its agents, servants and employees, from any and all claims, demands, actions, or causes of action that they now have, or may hereafter have, in any way related to the ownership or disposition of the Monument, including but not limited to claims asserted, or which could have been asserted, in the Lawsuit. 9. The Missouri Civil War Museum, United Daughters of the Confederacy-Missouri Division and the St. Louis Confederate Monument Association shall dismiss the Lawsuit with prejudice immediately after removal of the Monument is complete and confirmed by the City’s Director of Parks, Recreation & Forestry or by July 6, 2017 at 9 a.m., whichever occurs first. The parties agree to bear their own costs and attorneys’ fees. 10. If removal of the Monument

is complete and confirmed by the City’s Director of Parks, Recreation & Forestry no later than July 6, 2017 at 9 a.m., the City consents to the release and return of the bond posted with the Court by the Missouri Civil War Museum in conjunction with the temporary restraining order previously issued in the Lawsuit. If the Missouri Civil War Museum fails to complete the removal of the Monument prior to July 6, 2017 at 9 a.m., the City shall be entitled to complete the removal of the Monument, retain any portions of the Monument that the City removes, and recover against the aforementioned bond posted by plaintiff in the Lawsuit to reimburse the City for expenses incurred in such removal. In such case, the City shall also be entitled to pursue claims for any Monument removal expenses that exceed the amount of the ten-thousand dollar ($10,000) bond posted in the Lawsuit. 11. Except as provided in paragraph 11 above, the City

hereby waives and releases any and all claims, causes of action and/or demands which it may have against the Missouri Civil War Museum, United Daughters of the Confederacy - Missouri Division and the St. Louis Confederate Monument Association related to the claims asserted in the Lawsuit. 12. The waiver and release terms contained in this Settlement Agreement shall not be construed lo prevent the parties from enforcing the terms of this Settlement Agreement. 13. This Settlement Agreement represents a compromise of disputed claims, and the considerations set forth herein, including the mutual promises and agreement, are not to be construed as an admission of liability on the part of anyone. Attorney for Plaintiffs Missouri Civil War Museum, United Daughters of the Confederacy Missouri Division and the St. Louis Confederate Monument Association.

Statement by County Executive Ike Leggett On the Moving of Montgomery County’s Confederate Statue MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md.—July 22 “I am pleased to announce today that the County is relocating the Confederate soldier statue from County property next to Rockville’s Red Brick Courthouse to a private location overlooking the Potomac River at White’s Ferry. This location is near the river crossings actually used by Confederate forces during the War Between the States. The County

recently transferred ownership of the statue, given to us by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1913, to White’s Ferry, Inc. “My motivation in wanting the statue moved is simple and straightforward.” “Montgomery County residents fought on both sides of the tragic conflict that so divided our nation more than 150 years ago. I agree with President Obama, who said

that understanding the history of the Confederacy and the history of the Civil War is something that every American should be part of. “However, this statue is inaccurate because it pays tribute only to the Montgomery County young men who fought for the Confederacy, not also to those County residents who fought to preserve the Union and free those held in bondage. “Therefore the statue does not

represent a balanced view of our County’s sacrifice during the Civil War. I believe it should not be located on County property. Because it has significance locally, I want it to remain in Montgomery County – but not on County-owned land. I wanted it to be accessible to those who want to visit it. “Like most Americans, I do not believe in ‘erasing’ past history to conform to what might be

presently prevailing politics. As President George W. Bush said at the dedication ceremony for the National Museum of African American History & Culture, ‘A great nation does not hide its history. It faces its flaws and corrects them.’ I believe that this relocation is consistent with those sentiments.” Contact: Patrick Lacefield, 240-777-6528, 301-919-9372 (cell)

September 2017

Civil War News

The Personal and the Public, the Importance of Memorials By Cain Pence Nearly twenty years ago I graduated from Georgetown University. The colors of Georgetown are blue and gray because at the time of the Civil War many of her sons fought on both sides of the conflict. It was the hope of school fathers that the colors together would represent the Union of North and South. Fresh out of school, I took a different course from my fellow graduates. Law school or working on Capitol Hill was not in my future. Instead, I took my Rand McNally Road Atlas and Michael Barone’s Almanac of American Politics and set out to visit every congressional district in America. Without funding, the journey took me half a decade as I worked various jobs, bummed gas money, and a spare couch from everyone and their cousin. It was a great rite of passage and education for a young man interested in politics and American history. Throughout my journey, I loved to stop and read historical markers. Military and Civil War sites were of particular interest. I soon noticed that the South commemorated the War Between the States far more than the North did. Nearly every Southern city had a memorial, markers, or a plaza dedicated to the War of Northern Aggression as it was sometimes called. It wasn’t that the North did not remember the Conflict to End the Rebellion as some Northerners referenced it. Indeed, most major Northern cities and cemeteries do have memorials to those who wore the

Blue, yet it certainly seemed that the South remembered it more. Why? First, in terms of devastation, the South certainly paid a greater price. With the exception of major battles like Antietam and Gettysburg the vast majority of the War was fought on Southern soil. With a smaller population and economy, the Civil War’s casualties and economic losses fell much harder on the South. The physical landscape was changed by battles and events like Sherman’s March to the Sea and the political landscape was forever altered by the end of slavery. The side that lost paid a greater price and that led to a greater desire, one could say need, to commemorate and recognize the suffering and loss not just of life, but of an entire way of life as well. My journey through America was not just political; it was deeply personal as well. Early in my travels, my mother, who long suffered from a mental illness, died. My travels were a way to escape my family demons and find some semblance of meaning. Many years later, my family still struggles with the loss of our mother and we feel a need to mourn her death in a way much deeper than other relatives we have lost. The need to commemorate tragic loss is both personal and public. It is also true that in families and society we mourn our tragedies more than we celebrate our victories. That is why the South remembers the Civil War more than the North, that is why in Washington, D.C.,

we built the Vietnam memorial before a World War Two memorial and yes, that is why the anniversary of my mother’s death brings about much stronger emotions than the anniversaries of my Grandmothers’ deaths. Memorials are not just for remembering the dead; they are for comforting the living. As a proud Minnesotan who had the gift to travel every part of America, with a personal interest in memorials and the Civil War, I have watched with great interest the removal of Confederate memorials from Southern public spaces. I believe the debates on this issue are important and essential. What we choose to celebrate with public memorials is as important as who we remember in our prayers when we gather at church or temple. Thus, I offer a couple of reflections on the removal of Confederate Monuments in New Orleans. First, it is up to local citizens to decide these matters. Here in Minneapolis, hundreds of miles up the muddy Mississippi, we built a memorial to the people who lost their lives when the Interstate 35 Bridge fell. As much as we love our neighbors down the river, the people of Minneapolis had to decide how to memorialize that tragedy, not the people of other states. New Orleans, like all Southern cities, must decide how to remember the great loss her citizens endured during the Civil War. Public spaces should remember what the local public holds dear. New Orleans had many commissions and hearings on this topic and it was decided by the City Council action of

duly elected representatives. The public should decide what the public should commemorate. The speech by New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu on removing the Confederate monuments was eloquent and important. Landrieu appeals to what is best about New Orleans and offers a candid yet hopeful view for his city, indeed for all of America. That said, I believe it is false to imply that all Confederate memorials were placed in public as symbols of white supremacy. Robert E. Lee was a great man, and his gift to America was in what he did both before and after the Civil War. Due to his service as a brilliant officer in the MexicanAmerican War and having served as Superintendent of West Point, Lee was offered the leadership of the Union’s armies and refused. Lee would not take up arms against his beloved Virginia. He most certainly was a patriot in his mind. His duty to his native state was greater than his duty to the United States. When it became apparent that the North was going to win, Lee surrendered with honor and dignity. Many Confederates wanted to wage guerrilla war in the Appalachian hills and rural Southern strongholds. Lee refused and orchestrated an orderly surrender that saved America a protracted and ugly conflict. Despite the struggles that certainly followed, Lee’s graceful and complete surrender laid to rest the ideas of an armed resurgent Confederacy. Lincoln was graceful in victory, Lee was magnanimous in defeat. After the War, Lee spent his last years in the service of education

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at Washington and Lee University where he is buried. Having seen enough young men die, Lee wanted to see young men educated. New Orleans can honor Lee just like we can admire and learn from Washington and Jefferson despite the fact both men owned slaves. I understand the desire to remove Confederate memorials from public space, yet Robert E. Lee can teach all Americans many lessons. It is wrong to assert a memorial to Lee is simply about racism. The commemoration of tragedy is both personal and public. It is psychological and I would argue spiritual. And above all else, it is necessary. June 28th marks the worst day of my life, the day my mother’s mental illness led her to jump off a bridge near the Mississippi River. A week later, July 4th marks the birth of our nation. Our families, like our nation have both triumph and sorrow. Both joy and tears. I took a long walk this holiday weekend past the place where Mom died, up the river to where 13 people died when the Interstate 35 Bridge fell. A beautiful memorial remembers the tragedy of the bridge falling; a small grave marker in a Catholic cemetery in Minneapolis marks my mother’s grave. A thousand miles to the South down that flowing river, the good people of New Orleans know well that that river brings life and death. It is important to commemorate both. How we choose to remember those events, where we choose to remember our history and why we choose to remember the events that shaped us as a family and a nation is up to us and our local communities, but remember them we must....all along that Mighty Mississippi. Cain Pence is a Minneapolis based writer. Mr. Pence is a graduate of Georgetown University and has traveled extensively throughout all 50 states. Mr. Pence’s writings have appeared in numerous publications including The Washington Times, The Hill, The Washington Examiner, The Salt Lake Tribune, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Santa Fe New Mexican, The American Thinker, The MinnPost and others. He can be reached at caino@cainpence.com.

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September 2017

Civil War News

Lee, Hood and the Fog of War By Stephen Davis Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and John B. Hood had few things in common, but one of them was that both assumed army command at a critical juncture, thanks to General Joseph E. Johnston. In Lee’s case, it was Johnston’s retreat up the Peninsula in May 1862, to the very outskirts of Richmond, and his uninspired attack on Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan’s army at Seven Pines, that precipitated the change. Johnston was severely wounded on May 31, and Lee took over the Army of Northern Virginia the next day. It was arguably Joe Johnston’s greatest contribution to the Confederate cause. In Hood’s case, Johnston’s nerveless retrograde through north Georgia two years later, during the spring of 1864, brought Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s Federal forces to the very outskirts of Atlanta. Again, the good of the service demanded Johnston’s removal, this time by presidential order. On July 18, Hood acceded to army command. Military historians see another trait shared by Lee and Hood: their inclination to offensive battle. It was Lee’s order for a frontal attack at Gaines’ Mill, June 27, 1862, that allowed Hood to shine at the head of his Texas Brigade. Lee’s order for infantry charges at Malvern Hill and Gettysburg

proved as bloody as Hood’s at Franklin. At the same time, both Hood and Lee looked for alternatives. Lee devised his masterful flank attack at Chancellorsville, May 2, 1863; Hood did the same east of Atlanta, July 22, 1864. Historians have not, on the other hand, paid much attention to another striking similarity between Lee and Hood: how both generals responded to a swift movement of the enemy at a critical point in their campaigns of 1864. In Virginia, Lee’s challenge was to respond to the Union Army of the Potomac’s crossing of the James River. During June 13-18, Grant stealthily, but suddenly, shifted his front from north of the James to the south, from Cold Harbor to Petersburg, a key railroad junction south of Richmond. During several critical days, Lee scrambled for intelligence of the enemy’s movement and struggled to move his troops accordingly. Similarly, Hood’s challenge was to deal with Sherman’s abrupt change of front, August 26-31. Having laid loose siege to Atlanta for a month, Sherman suddenly slipped six of his seven infantry corps away from the city in a wide sweep to the southeast, aiming to cut Hood’s vital railway between East Point and Jonesboro. Hood scrambled to learn details of the enemy’s movement and struggled to shift

Gen. John Bell Hood. (Library of Congress)

his troops to cope with it. Actually, the argument can be made that in contending with his respective enemy’s front-shifting crisis, both Lee and Hood performed comparably. Each responded as best he could, given the limitations of their numerical strength and their uncertainty as to the enemy’s objective—the mysterious “fog of war.” The difference is that Lee held onto Petersburg and prevented Grant from cutting the railroads south of the capital, which Confederates held for another nine months. Hood, on the other hand, failed to prevent Sherman from cutting his railroad south of Georgia’s prize city. The result was that he abandoned Atlanta within twentyfour hours. A tactical detailing of the two different campaigns will thus demonstrate how Bob Lee and Bell Hood, in the summer of ’64, responded similarly to a command crisis.* After the June 3 battle of Cold Harbor, Lee and his army held defensive positions northeast of Richmond with Grant and his forces before them. On June 7, Grant sent Sheridan and his cavalry off raiding, at least partly to force Lee to send away his mounted troops. “The only practical effect of the raid,” English military historian Alfred Burne has written, “was that it deprived Lee of his ‘eyes’ at a time when, as will be seen, he had most need of them.”1 Just then, Grant began shifting troops leftward, to the south. Longstreet’s A.A.G., Lt. Col. Moxley Sorrel, sent out word on June 7, that “General Lee is exceedingly anxious to be advised of any movement the enemy may undertake.”2 The really anxious one, however, was not Lee, but Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, the Confederate commander at Petersburg, with only several thousand troops there. On June 7, Beauregard cautioned Richmond that if Grant were on the march, it could be to cross the James River. “Petersburg being nearly defenseless would be captured before it could be re-enforced,” he warned.”3 To be sure, Lee was aware of this threat. Yet he had to worry more about Grant’s presence nearer the capital. “Grant was within nine miles of Richmond and might continue his hammering,” Dr. Freeman writes.4 Unwilling to expose Richmond, Lee kept most of his army north of the James. As Beauregard pleaded with Lee to return troops he had earlier sent him, Lee tried to settle the jittery Creole down. “No troops have left General Grant’s

army to my knowledge,” he wrote on June 9, “and none could have crossed James River without being perceived.”5 Compounding Beauregard’s concerns was a Federal attack, June 9, upon his line at Petersburg, conducted by Maj. Gen. Ben Butler’s forces out of Bermuda Hundred. Petersburg’s scratch garrison repulsed the assault, but that night Beauregard called for more help: “Necessity for troops here still urgent.”6 On June 11, Grant informed Butler that he intended to cross the James. That day he instructed Maj. Gen. George Meade, nominal commander of the Army of the Potomac, on how the several infantry corps would head south. They began doing so on the June 13. Grant held back enough cavalry to screen the movement and keep Lee in the dark. By the end of the day, however, Lee knew that Grant was moving troops. “I think the enemy must be preparing to move south of James River,” he wired President Davis on June 14, “with the view of getting possession of Petersburg before we can reinforce it.”7 As a precaution, Lee sent Maj. Gen. Robert F. Hoke’s infantry division toward Petersburg; beyond that Lee awaited developments. “He could not afford to cross the river in anticipation of Grant’s crossing,” Lt. Col. Burne wrote, “for it would uncover the city that he was expressly enjoined to protect.”8

June 14 was the day Grant’s engineers laid their pontoon boats over the James. Enough troops got across the next day, joining Butler, to launch an attack on Beauregard’s fortified lines at Petersburg. The Federals broke through at one point, but that night the Southerners drew back and stitched together another line. Beauregard called for help; Lee sent another brigade of infantry, Brig. Gen. Matt Ransom’s. Lee could not be sure that Grant was still not hovering north of the river, within striking range of the capital. As one historian has written, “poor intelligence kept Lee in the dark.”9 On the afternoon of the June 15, Lee wired Gen. Braxton Bragg, the president’s advisor in Richmond, “unless therefore I am better satisfied, I shall remain where I am today, as the enemy’s plans do not seem to be settled”10 When Beauregard yammered for more reinforcements, Lee could only reply somewhat testily, “I do not know the position of Grant’s army and cannot strip north bank of James River,” he wired at 10:30 a.m. on June 16. “Have you not force sufficient?”11 Robert E. Lee on June 16 seems to have been testy to everybody. Brig. Gen. Eppa Hunton observed that Lee was “in a furious passion….He was mad because he could not find out what Grant was doing.12 “I do not know the position of Grant’s army,” Lee acknowledged to

Gen. Robert E. Lee.

(Library of Congress)

September 2017 Beauregard, who failed to send confirmation that the buildup of enemy forces before him had come from Grant.13 Meanwhile Grant realized he had stolen a march on Lee. By mid-afternoon on June 16, Grant and Butler had three corps in front of Petersburg, 48,000 troops against Beauregard’s some 15,000. More, the Army of the Potomac’s other two corps were on their way, another 35,000. That night Col. Theodore Lyman noticed, “He smiled, like one who had done a clever thing.”14 Indeed Grant had. On June 17 Beauregard confessed in a telegram to Lee, “nothing positive yet known of Grant’s movements.” That afternoon Lee ordered his available cavalry to “push after the enemy and endeavour to ascertain what has become of General Grant’s army.”15 That night, Lee finally received confirming intelligence that Grant’s entire army was across the James. He sent the rest of his infantry on to Petersburg; it arrived in the nick of time. Union assaults had been testing Beauregard’s lines, and their main assault came on June 18. The Confederates repelled the enemy attack; Lee arrived at Petersburg, and the crisis was over.

Civil War News Lee has been criticized for all of this. As the British historian J. F.C. Fuller comments, “Beauregard was attacked on the 15th, 16th and 17th, and sent message after message asking for support; Lee however did nothing till the 17th.”16 Marse Robert, though, has always had his defenders. Of his performance during those several critical days in June, Freeman judges that Lee “was not outgeneraled nor taken by surprise.”17 Yet by this narrative, it is hard not to conclude that for a couple of days, at least, June 15-16, Robert E. Lee had been blindsided on the Southside. Faced with a similar crisis in late August 1864, Gen. John B. Hood at Atlanta has also been accused of having been outgeneraled and taken by surprise—hoodwinked, as it were. In the concluding portion of this essay, we’ll see if such criticism is merited. Just as Grant sought to break the stalemate at Cold Harbor with his swift lunge to the James, so did Sherman determine to end his semi-siege of Atlanta with a campaign–ending coup. For a month, from mid-July, his forces had faced Hood’s army in its fortifications, as Sherman extended his right gradually south, hoping to cut the last railroad, the Macon

Sherman’s march on the Macon & Western—The approach of Howard’s Army of the Tennessee on Jonesboro occupied Hood’s attention Aug. 30-31, but it was actually Schofield’s and Thomas’ infantry which cut the vital railroad on the afternoon of Aug. 31. Map by Hal Jesperson, from Davis, All the Fighting They Want.

& Western, feeding the Rebels. Characteristically, though, Sherman grew impatient, especially when Hood proved able to stretch his lines to guard the railroad wherever Sherman threatened. “I do not deem it prudent to extend more to the right,” he wired General Halleck in Washington on Aug. 7.18 So after he sent his cavalry to try to cut the railroad (Judson Kilpatrick’s raid, Aug. 18-22), and learned that it had failed to do so, Sherman planned his big move, which he called “the grand movement by the right flank.” Leaving his XX Corps at the Chattahoochee River, he swung the rest of his army (56,000 officers and men) south of Atlanta, in a wide sweep to cut the railroad somewhere between Jonesboro and East Point. During the night of Aug. 25-26, Federal infantry on Sherman’s left flank withdrew from their lines north and east of Atlanta. The XX Corps retreated back to the river; the IV Corps marched west, behind the Union line. Confederates knew quickly, from the sound of wagons and artillery, that the enemy was on the move. Pickets probing at dawn on Aug. 26 found trenches north of the city empty and the Yankees gone from that sector. “General Hood and his Chief of Staff (Brig. Gen. Francis A.) Shoup are in high glee,” a staff officer recorded in his journal, “they think that he is now preparing to retreat.”19 Two weeks before, Hood had sent Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler and 4,500 troopers raiding behind Sherman’s lines toward Chattanooga. On the morning of the 26th Confederate HQ jumped to the conclusion that maybe Wheeler had broken enough of Sherman’s railroad supply line to force the Yankees to retreat. Several hours later, the euphoria wore off; Southern infantry in their lines west of Atlanta found the enemy still in their front. Hood ordered out cavalry patrols to ascertain Sherman’s new position. That night Hood wired Richmond that the enemy left had withdrawn, but his right remained in place. During night of Aug. 2627, four more Union infantry corps slipped out of their lines, marching southwest. Hood knew of their withdrawal the next morning from picket reports. But he also learned the enemy remained southwest of the city, where Maj. Gen. John Schofield’s XXIII Corps still held its position. On the morning of Aug. 27 a reconnaissance-inforce confirmed a large Union presence at the Chattahoochee (prisoners belonged to the XX Corps). More important, cavalry reported enemy movements southwest of Atlanta. That night, Hood wired Richmond the enemy

were moving to the south, but he could not deduce their objectivepoint. Hood’s cavalry were busy. The leader of the corps, Gen. Wheeler, had continued his raid into Tennessee. But more than half of the army’s mounted troops, at least 5,000, remained under Brig. Gen. William H. (“Red”) Jackson. These men contested the Union advance and reported when it reached the railroad heading southwest of Atlanta to Montgomery. “The enemy have made their appearance at Fairburn, on West Point railroad [eighteen miles southwest of Atlanta], in quite a large force, consisting of cavalry, artillery, and infantry,” General Shoup entered in his journal on the night of Aug. 28.20 That day, too, the last of Sherman’s infantry (Schofield’s XXIII Corps) followed the rest of the army marching southwest. Hood reckoned that the enemy were heading ultimately toward the Macon & Western Railroad. He shifted troops gradually in that direction, but rather cautiously (as Lee had done when Grant was marching southward). Infantry were sent by rail to Rough and Ready, a depot fourteen miles south of Atlanta. Another two infantry brigades along with a cavalry regiment were dispatched late on Aug. 28 to Jonesboro, almost thirty miles south of Atlanta by rail. Shoup, Hood’s chief of staff, wrote on Aug. 28, “Every precaution has been taken

by the commanding general to keep our line of communication from being cut by the enemy.”21 On the 29th Sherman halted his columns to wreck more of the railroad to Montgomery; Southern cavalry reported their position mid-afternoon. That evening, Hood called in his corps commanders for a briefing. “We know that five certainly, perhaps six Corps are on the West Point R. Road,” Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee wrote his wife, summarizing the situation accurately. The presence of the bulk of Sherman’s army on the West Point Railroad, a dozen miles southwest of East Point, pointed to the Yankees’ intent to break the Macon line well below that place. “The enemy are still moving,” Shoup recorded on Aug. 29, “in the direction of Jonesborough and Rough and Ready, on the Macon railroad.” But where precisely the Federals would strike was unknown. “I suppose by tonight we shall know more of his designs,” Hardee observed.22 All of the intelligence streaming in and being mulled over by Hood should invalidate the accusations of otherwise redoubtable historians, who have written about Hood’s leadership during these days. Accusations there are, aplenty. “Hood seems to have been completely in the dark as to Sherman’s plans and intentions,” Thomas R. Hay intoned in a seminal 1923 essay. Stanley Horn was harsher two decades

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later: “Hood had apparently been completely bewildered by Sherman after August 25.” “It was August 30 before Hood…realized that Sherman was attacking, not retreating,” McDonough asserted in his biography of General Schofield. Dyer, Hood’s biographer, is even worse, claiming that it was not till the afternoon of Sept. 1 that Hood “at last comprehended Sherman’s plans.” “He had no idea that practically the entire Federal army was about to march on the Macon & Western,” Bailey remarkably claims in his TimeLife volume. Even McMurry is off-base in his biography, stating, “for several days Confederate headquarters in Atlanta simply lost contact with the Northern army.” More recently in their narrative on the war, Murray and Hsieh repeat the old saw that “Hood had no idea of what was transpiring other than the fact that much of the Union host had pulled back from their positions surrounding Atlanta.”23 They’re all wrong. Hood knew where Sherman’s forces were heading, at least generally. The question was thus not one of intelligence, but of manpower. Could the Confederate commander stretch his outnumbered army far enough to meet all possible threats? Just as General Lee had to keep men north of

September 2017

Civil War News

the James to guard the capital, so too did Hood have to keep several divisions, plus the Georgia militia, in the fortifications of Atlanta, against a possible strike by Slocum’s corps. Still, Hood threw most of his strength to the left. On the 30th, he had at least four infantry divisions from Hardee’s and Lt. Gen. Stephen D. Lee’s corps in a fortified line running parallel with the railroad to five miles below East Point. The leftmost flank was still another seven miles north of Jonesboro. In between were no Confederate infantry, only cavalrymen who were contesting the advance of three Federal corps (IV, XIV and XXIII) with some 35,000 men. At Jonesboro itself there were still two infantry brigades with cavalry. One might argue that this tactical situation was far dire than that faced by Lee and Beauregard at Petersburg. The Army of Tennessee on Aug. 20, without cavalry, numbered just under 38,000 officers and men, who were stretched from fortifications north of Atlanta to Jonesboro. Hood’s inability to both guard the city and stretch his army along the M. & W. was his weakness, not any failure to have figured out Sherman’s general goal. Hood did the best he could. On Aug. 29 General Shoup recorded, “the general commanding, in his opinion, has taken all

With Beauregard anxiously calling for reinforcements, Lee finally sent enough troops to help repel a big Union attack on Petersburg, June 18. This Civil War Trust map is titled, “Second Petersburg”; Beauregard had repelled an earlier Federal assault on June 15. Courtesy Civil War Trust www.CivilWar.org.

necessary precautions, and made such disposition of his forces as to prevent either of the abovenamed places [Rough and Ready and Jonesboro] from falling into enemy hands.”24 Note the “opinion” part, for the argument has traditionally been made that Hood did not mass troops quickly at Jonesboro, toward which Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard and 20,000 infantry were marching. It is worth pointing out, however, that in none of his orders for a week, Aug. 23–29, did Sherman specify where he wanted his columns to fall on the Macon railroad. On Aug. 30, when they got moving again after wrecking the Montgomery railroad around Fairburn, the six corps marched east on a broad, seven-or eight-mile front. They could strike the road at Jonesboro (Howard’s three corps), or just as easily north of it (Schofield’s XXIII and Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas’ IV and XIV). Sherman seems to have been content to set his troops in motion, and then see what developed. Somewhere— it didn’t really matter—Federal infantry would break Hood’s lifeline. Break it, they did. About 3 p.m. on Aug. 31 elements of Brig. Gen. Jacob Cox’s division of the XXIII Corps struck the Macon & Western at Quick Station, eight miles north of Jonesboro. By that time, Hood had sent Hardee’s and Lee’s infantry to Jonesboro, where the Yankees of Howard’s army also threatened. Hood ordered them to attack, which they did on the afternoon of Aug. 31. The Confederates were repulsed at Jonesboro, but without strategic consequence: the railroad had already been broken to the north. Cox had seen no infantry before him, so his men easily drove off the hovering Rebel cavalry, then started tearing up the track. Southern horsemen stopped two southbound trains as Hood was trying to get the army’s reserve ordnance stores out of the city. The troopers told the engineers that Yankees were up ahead. Chugging back to the city in reverse, they arrived around 5 p.m. News of the enemy on the Macon road was immediately sent to Hood’s headquarters. Even before he learned of Hardee’s/Lee’s repulse (the enemy had cut the telegraph as well as the railroad), Hood thus concluded that he would have to evacuate the city. Orders went out for the withdrawal of Stewart’s corps and the militia the next day, Sept. 1. In the end, there are at least two important distinctions to make between Lee and Hood’s respective situations in explaining why the Confederates succeeded in holding their rail base in Virginia, but failed to do so in Georgia. First, when Sherman

began his flanking march, Hood did not have a base of strength at Jonesboro. The place was an undefended railway station; what troops Hood eventually had there were pushed south Aug. 28-29. In Virginia before Grant set out, Beauregard, commander of his own department on the Southside, had a division of infantry at Bermuda Hundred, in addition to a few thousand local defense troops in Petersburg. Another division soon joined these forces June 15-16. Moreover, the Confederates at Petersburg had an earlier, well-constructed earthwork system, the Dimmock Line, which helped them repel Federal attacks that started on June 15. Second, Grant’s and Butler’s forces had only one target, made obvious by the convergence of three railroads at Petersburg and the contours of the James and Appomattox Rivers. Sherman’s infantry, in contrast, were spread out on a broad front during Aug. 30-31, aiming in two, if not three, directions, with their only objective to cut the Macon & Western somewhere south of East Point. Sherman’s wide frontage and open target made Hood’s task of deployment that much harder. Most students of the GrantLee campaign have accepted Dr. Freeman’s judgement that during Grant’s crossing of the James and attack on Petersburg, Lee “was not outgeneraled nor taken by surprise.” Rather, their generous conclusion is that Lee during June 13-16 was a temporary victim of the fog of war, the shroud of uncertainty which besets generals trying to deduce their enemy’s aims. If one accepts this for Lee, one may do the same for Hood, who was beset by the fog of war enshrouding Sherman’s movement in the last days of the Atlanta Campaign. Both generals responded to their respective crises with cautious deployments and wary troop movements. At the same time, Robert E. Lee may have been blindsided on the Southside, but I will argue that John B. Hood was not hoodwinked south of Atlanta. End Notes:

*In postwar letters to his wife Anna, Hood signed himself “Bell,” a fact which Stephen M. Hood learned when he found a priceless cache of Hood papers in a Philadelphia attic in 2012. See Stephen M. Hood, The Lost Papers of Confederate General John Bell Hood (El Dorado Hills CA 2015), p. 148 (“Anna’s pet name for him was ‘Bell’”). 1. Alfred H. Burne, Lee, Grant and Sherman: A Study in Leadership in the 1864-65 Campaign (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1939), 53. 2. Official Records, vol. 36, pt. 3, 877-78. 3. OR, vol. 36, pt. 3, 878.

4. Douglas Southall Freeman, R. E. Lee: A Biography (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1935), vol. 3, 397. 5. Alfred Roman, Military Operations of General Beauregard (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1884), vol. 2, 566. 6. OR, vol. 36, pt. 3, 885. 7. Clifford Dowdey and Louis H. Manarin, eds., The Wartime Papers of R. E. Lee (Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1961), 777-78. 8. Burne, Lee, Grant and Sherman, 55. 9. Thomas J. Howe, The Petersburg Campaign: Wasted Valor, June 15-18, 1864 (Lynchburg Va.: H. E. Howard, 1988), 38. 10. Dowdey and Manarin, eds., Wartime Papers, 781. 11. OR, vol. 40, pt. 2, 659. 12. Howe, Wasted Valor, 58. 13. Burne, Lee, Grant and Sherman, 57. 14. Brian Holden Reid, “Another Look at Grant’s Crossing of the James, 1864,” Civil War History, vol. 39, no. 4 (December 1993), 309. 15. Burne, Lee, Grant and Sherman, 59. 16. J. F. C. Fuller, Grant and Lee: A Study in Personality and Generalship (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1957 [London, 1933]), 227. 17. Freeman, R. E. Lee, vol. 3, 445. 18. OR, vol. 38, pt. 5, 408. 19. W. L. Trask war journal, May-September 1864, manuscript at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. 20. OR, vol. 38, pt. 3, 693. 21. OR, vol. 38, pt. 3, 694. 22. Hardee to “My own dear Mary,” Aug. 30, 1864, William J. Hardee Papers, Alabama Department of Archives and History; Shoup journal, entry of August 29, OR, vol. 38, pt. 3, 694. 23. Thomas Robson Hay, “The Atlanta Campaign” (Part Two), Georgia Historical Quarterly, vol. 7, no. 2 (June 1923), 113; Stanley F. Horn, The Army of Tennessee: A Military History (Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1941), 367; James L. McDonough, Schofield: Union General in the Civil War and Reconstruction (Tallahassee: University Press of Florida, 1972), 95; John P. Dyer, The Gallant Hood (Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1950), 270; Ronald H. Bailey, Battles for Atlanta: Sherman Moves East (Alexandria Va.: Time-Life Books, 1985), 143; Richard M. McMurry, John Bell Hood and the War for Southern Independence (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1982), 147; Williamson Murray and Wayne Wei-Siang Hsieh, A Savage War: A Military History of the Civil War (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2016), 443. 24. Shoup journal, entry of August 29, OR, vol. 38, pt. 3, 694.

September 2017

Civil War News

New Book on J.E.B. Stuart’s Communication with Confederate Headquarters before Gettysburg A new book includes proof that Jeb Stuart did communicate with Confederate headquarters in Richmond during his ride to Gettysburg. A dispatch, written and signed by Maj. Gen. Stuart on June 27, 1863, announces that he has taken possession of Fairfax Court House and the Union Army is on its way to Leesburg, Va.

The dispatch was published in the Richmond Whig newspaper on July 3, 1863, proving that it did reach the War Department and was released for publication. It is the first evidence uncovered that Stuart advised the Confederate hierarchy of his whereabouts. Stuart has been criticized by many in the years since for not communicating his location while on the way to Gettysburg. The copy of the dispatch was uncovered by author Carl Sell as part of his research for the book, written in coordination with the restoration of the Stuart

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monument in Richmond. The Stuart-Mosby Historical Society commissioned the work and raised the funds necessary for the work completed in May 2016 by Bronze et al, Ltd. All proceeds from the book have been earmarked by the Society to a fund that will maintain the statue in the future. Sell wrote the book as a gift to the Society and a private anonymous donor paid for the printing. The striking cover picture of the restored Stuart statue was taken by Society member Janet Greentree. Sell found a reference to the dispatch and its publication date. He asked Society member Don Hakenson to search electronic records to see if it could be found. Close scrutiny of the Whig published that day resulted in success. The copy of the dispatch is printed with this story and is part of Sell’s introduction in the book. The book also includes a copy of a letter published July 2, 1863, in the Philadelphia Press that proved Stuart stopped in Brookeville, Md., on June 29. The letter is from a clergyman whose home Stuart used as headquarters that night. Reverend W. Kent Boyle described Stuart and staff as “polite, behaving themselves with perfect decorum.” The Confederates released prisoners taken in nearby Rockville but did appropriate numerous local horses in Brookeville. Also included in the book is a heretofore unpublished letter written by Stuart on April 20, 1863, that announces he is

sending a “notorious rascal” to authorities in Richmond. Jay Harvey Sherman, a Union spy, had been captured in northern Virginia. The letter was provided by Lewis Leigh Jr., a Civil War historian and collector whose uncle, Dr. John T. Day, is mentioned in Stuart’s letter. The book is available at the Stuart-Mosby Cavalry Museum in Centreville, Va. The price is $25 for Society members and $30 for non-members. Make checks payable to Stuart-Mosby Historical Society and include $6 for shipping and handling. Mail orders to Stuart-Mosby Cavalry Museum, 13838 Braddock Road, Centreville, VA 20120. Sales of the book by outlets and individuals are limited to those who will contribute proceeds to the Society. Copies can be ordered electronically through franconiamuseum.org. Click on the e-store page. The Franconia Museum is a sister organization of the Stuart-Mosby Historical Society and will forward all book proceeds to Stuart-Mosby. Carl Sell is a member of the Stuart-Mosby Historical Society and currently serves as president of the Franconia Museum. He has written two books about his relatives who fought for the Thirty-Eighth and Fifty-Third Va. Inf. His great-grandfather and great-uncle both were wounded and survived Pickett’s Charge. Sell can be reached at sellcarl@ aol.com

This dispatch was published in the Richmond Whig newspaper on July 3, 1863. (GenealogyBank.com)

Photographer Janet Greentree and author Carl Sell display copies of Sell’s new book about Major General James Ewell Brown Stuart. Greentree took the cover picture. Both are members of the Stuart-Mosby Historic Society. Proceeds benefit the Society’s Stuart Statue maintenance fund.

September 2017

Civil War News

Frank and Virginia Williams gift extraordinary Lincoln and Civil War Collection to Mississippi State University STARKVILLE, Miss.—An unparalleled private Lincoln and Civil War collection amassed over the past 50 years by former Rhode Island Chief Justice, and nationally known Abraham Lincoln authority, Frank J. Williams will be donated to Mississippi State University.

Virginia and Frank J. Williams in 2011. MSU President Mark E. Keenum and Judge Williams today [June 20] announced the extraordinary gift that Keenum said will transform MSU into one the nation’s leading destinations for scholars and students of the American Civil War. Williams, the longtime president of the Ulysses S. Grant Association, was previously instrumental in relocating that group and its own archives—now the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library—to MSU nine years ago. By donating his extraordinary Lincoln collection, Williams has also helped elevate MSU into a presidential research center of national prominence. Considered the nation’s largest privately owned holding of Lincoln research and display material, as well as the country’s most comprehensive privately owned Lincoln and Civil War library, the Frank J. and Virginia Williams Collection boasts rare historical

memorabilia: priceless artifacts, original, signed documents, ephemera, books published over a span of 150 years, and both original one-of-a-kind, and early mass-produced, artwork relating to Lincoln and the Civil War era. The collection, which Judge and Mrs. Williams will officially gift to the Mississippi State University Libraries, has been valued at nearly $3 million. Committing themselves to providing perpetual support to maintain, study, and publicly display highlights from the collection, the Williamses have also offered a promised gift of $500,000 for the creation of the Frank J. and Virginia Williams Research Fund, an endowment to Mississippi State to curate the material in the years to come. Additionally, the Williamses have pledged to fund a new, annual Frank and Virginia Williams Lecture in Lincoln and Civil War Studies at Mississippi State. In an extraordinary gesture, they will continue to make acquisitions to add to the collection at MSU. “Mississippi State University is immensely proud to receive the Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana, a truly unique and comprehensive collection that provides unprecedented insight into the life and times of our 16th president and the Civil War era,” Keenum said. “With this incredibly generous donation and their guiding hand in bringing what has become the U.S. Grant Presidential Library to our campus, the Williamses have made MSU one of the nation’s foremost repositories for research into this pivotal period in our nation’s history.” Williams said, “As a longtime supporter of the Ulysses S. Grant Association, which I am so proud to say is now permanently housed at MSU, I believe the University is the perfect repository for the material my wife and I have spent

a lifetime gathering, preserving, studying, and making available on request to research scholars among our countless friends in the Lincoln world. MSU’s commitment to the study of Grant, the Civil War, and, now, Abraham Lincoln, in the heart of the Deep South takes us a giant step forward in our everchallenging quest for civility, common purpose, and national unity.” “When we brought Grant to Mississippi, some doubters scoffed that neither Civil War scholars nor a Southern campus would welcome the change. But the reverse has been true. I feel privileged to have the opportunity now to invite Grant’s commander-in-chief to join his most famous general on a campus that is so manifestly committed to scholarship, research, and interpretation of this historical period and its greatest figures,” he said. Williams has notched a long and acclaimed career in Lincoln studies and organizational leadership. He has served as president of the Lincoln Group of Boston, the Abraham Lincoln Association and, for the past 21 years, as founding chairman of The Lincoln Forum, a national organization that hosts an annual November symposium at Gettysburg, Penn. As president of the Grant Association, Williams spearheaded the successful negotiation to bring the Grant papers to MSU in 2008 from their former home at Southern Illinois University. In 2012, the Ulysses S. Grant Association designated the holdings at MSU as the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library. The Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana comprises more than 17,000 items, including artifacts, photographs, statues, paintings, popular prints, broadsides, philately, collectibles and miniatures, as well as numismatics.

Nearly 100 original manuscripts and the entire, legendary Claude Simmons collection, which consists of a dozen bankers’ boxes of Lincoln-related materials and scrapbooks, are also included. In addition, the gift includes some 12,000 published volumes, many of them exceptionally rare, separated into two collections: the Lincoln Book and Pamphlet Collection and the Civil War/Collateral Book and Pamphlet Collection, comprehensively covering historical writing on the Civil War era from 1860 to the present, and including nearly every title ever published on Lincoln. Williams, 76, said he began his Lincolniana collection as a sixth-grade student in his native Rhode Island. “I used my lunch money, all 25 cents a day, to buy used Lincoln books. That’s how I started collecting,” Williams said. “With the encouragement and help of Virginia, this passion has never abated.” His early interest in Lincoln, sparked by daily exposure to a portrait of the 16th president hanging in his Rhode Island classroom, evolved into a deep admiration of the 19th century’s most prominent historical figure and also inspired Williams to follow in Lincoln’s footsteps and pursue a career in law. Lincoln’s legacy remains inspirational, he said, “because of his exemplary character, his strong leadership in crises, his unwavering political courage, and the fact that he trusted his own judgment, even after he made mistakes, which we all do. Lincoln continues to be ranked by historians as our greatest-ever president, and he should continue to be studied and appreciated in the future.” Asked to name his best-loved Lincoln artifact, Williams emphasized that, while he has been able over time to acquire more and more precious items, “it’s really difficult to put a finger on one particular favorite, when you are entrusted with, and love, so many of them.” He said that among his most treasured pieces are a first edition, first printing of the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates, signed by Lincoln as president in 1863, as well as a full-length Lincoln portrait by James Montgomery Flagg, creator of the iconic Uncle Sam “I Want You” military recruiting posters for both World Wars. Also among the most prized items is an early copy of the Emancipation Proclamation, printed in miniature for distribution to Union soldiers in the South. Williams said that al-

though many copies were printed during the Civil War, very few have survived. Single copies are valued at up to $20,000. Among the statuary to be donated are superb early casts of the Lincoln busts from life by Leonard Wells Volk (1860) and Thomas Dow Jones (1861). Williams is a graduate of Boston University and Boston University Law School, and earned a Master of Taxation degree from Bryant University. A longtime jurist in the Rhode Island court system, he served on the state’s Superior Court beginning in 1995 before ascending to the Supreme Court bench in 2001, serving as chief justice until his retirement in 2009. A veteran of the U.S. Army, he served three years in Germany and one year in Vietnam, for which he was highly decorated by both the U.S. and the Republic of Vietnam. He was appointed by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Court of Military Commission Review, the military appeals court responsible for adjudicating detainment cases in Guantanamo, and served as its Chief Judge from 2007 to 2009. Virginia Williams is a Texas native and graduate of North Texas State University. She served as a teacher overseas for the U.S. Department of Defense, and met her husband during their mutual time in military service. She was a kindergarten teacher in the Cranston, R.I., public schools for nearly three decades, and has been deeply involved with The Lincoln Forum since is inception. Frank J. Williams is also an acclaimed author whose books include The Emancipation Proclamation: Three Views (with Edna Greene Medford and Harold Holzer; Louisiana State University Press, 2006); Judging Lincoln (Southern Illinois University Press, 2007); and, with William D. Pederson and featuring a chapter by MSU Giles Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History John F. Marszalek, Lincoln Lessons: Reflections on America’s Greatest Leaders (Southern Illinois University Press, 2009). His most recent book is Lincoln as Hero (Southern Illinois University Press, 2012), and he is currently at work on a companion volume, Grant as Hero. A popular lecturer, Williams not only speaks semi-annually at The Lincoln Forum, but appears at Civil War Round Tables, Lincoln Groups, college campuses, and other organizations, writes often for magazines and newspapers, and teaches at both the Roger Williams School of Law

September 2017 and the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, R.I. In 2006, MSU’s Pre-Law Society awarded Williams its prestigious Distinguished Jurist Award, and in 2011, Williams gave Mississippi State’s fall commencement address. He told graduates that young leaders of America “are charged with an important duty—the preservation of democracy.” He is also the winner of the Illinois Order of Lincoln, that state’s highest honor, presented during the bicentennial year of 2009. Williams served as well on both the national U.S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (appointed by then-Mississippi Senator Trent Lott in his role as Senate Majority Leader), and as a board member of its successor organization, the Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation. At MSU, the Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana will be housed in the new $10 million addition to Mitchell Memorial Library, scheduled to open later this year. More than 100 items from the collection will be showcased in a nearly 1,200-square-foot gallery, organized around themes such as family, politics, the law, the presidency, the Civil War, slavery, assassination, and Lincoln in popular culture. The new space will be designated as the gallery for “The Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana.” The library addition will also house the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library, the Ulysses S. Grant Association, and the Congressional and Political Research Center. “The Mississippi State University Library is indebted to Frank and Virginia Williams for entrusting this unique and precious collection of Lincolniana to our care,” said MSU Dean of Libraries Frances Coleman. “Our goal is to display its great treasures on a rotating basis while making the entire archive available to researchers throughout the world by cataloging each piece, digitizing the unique materials, and developing a website for the collection.” John Marszalek, who in addition to being an MSU professor emeritus, serves as executive director and managing editor for the Ulysses S. Grant Association and the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library, said Williams is one of the nation’s leading Lincoln scholars and his collection is the best private collection in the nation. Marszalek emphasized, “The donation of this priceless material to MSU, when linked to our marvelous Ulysses S. Grant collection, will make MSU and the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library a true national center for the study of the American Civil War.”

Civil War News

New Bern Historical Society Honors Volunteers NEW BERN, N.C.—The strength of any non-profit organization comes from the time and commitment of its volunteers. More than 100 members attended the New Bern Historical Society’s Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet held recently at the New Bern Golf and Country Club to honor many of the Society’s hardest-working volunteers. Following a silent auction and dinner, Board of Directors President Nelson McDaniel and Executive Director Mickey Miller presented the 2017 Awards: Ambassadorship Award, Wendy Card; Newcomers Award, Bill Long and Cheryl Jukich; Executive Director’s Award Phyllis Hoffman; President’s Award, Carl Huddle; Extended Service Award, Jim & Kathy Morrison; Education Award, Sandie Swigart & Linda Burke; Battlefield Award, Don Ingraham & John Wright; Lifetime of Service Award, Nat Baggett. Society members unanimously approved Joe Hunt as President and Kathy Morrison as First Vice President. Lynne Harakal and outgoing President Nelson McDaniel were approved to fill vacated director positions. Curator and Nominating Committee Chair Jim Hodges

honored Nelson McDaniel and expressed the profound thanks of the Board and the Members for his years of service as President. Outgoing Board member Nat Baggett was also thanked for her many years of service. Scholarship Committee Chair Mary Parrish introduced New Bern High School Senior Gretchen Deters as the 2017 Harriet Marks Scholarship recipient. Gretchen and her family were present to celebrate her Scholarship Award. The renewable scholarship provides financial assistance to a deserving senior based on a combination of financial need, scholarship, and service to community and school. It can be used for tuition, board or lodging. The Historical Society looks forward to following Gretchen’s successful progress through college. The mission of the New Bern Historical Society is to celebrate and promote New Bern and its heritage through events and education. Offices are located in the historic Attmore-Oliver House at 511 Broad Street in New Bern. For more information, call 252638-8558 or go www.NewBernHistorical.org or www.facebook. com/NewBernHistoricalSociety.

Mickey Miller, Sandie Swigart, Linda Burke, Nelson McDaniel.

John Wright, Bill Long, Mickey Miller and Gretchen Deters.

Maker’s Mark found on the USS Monitor’s Turret By Joan Wenner, J.D. Newport News, Va.—The Mariners’ Museum and Park is excited to announce the discovery of the very first maker’s mark found in the USS Monitor’s turret. Over a multi-year effort, various portions of the Monitor were recovered and placed in conservation, a process that also involved excavation of larger artifacts such as the turret. Now in the latter stages, conservation involves the finer work designed to eliminate corrosion products and further stabilize the historic vessel’s components. During this more detailed work, unexpected historically significant details have emerged. Beginning in August 2016, conservation staff of the USS Monitor Center began using dry-ice blasting technology to remove corrosion on many large wrought-iron artifacts within the Monitor collection. This work was financed in part with federal funds from the National Park Service through the U.S. Department of the Interior. Among the cleaned artifacts were engine room structural bulkheads, gun slides, and the ironclad’s turret’s forward and aft diagonal support braces. During the dry-ice cleaning, conservators

made a remarkable discovery on the aft diagonal brace. As the corrosion flaked off, a maker’s mark was found stamped into the artifact spelling “ULSTER.” Research indicated that Ulster Iron Works was located in Saugerties, Ulster County, N.Y., about 100 miles north of New York City on the Hudson River. According to the 1884 Directory of Iron and Steel Works of the United States, Ulster Iron Works was built in 1827 and had an annual capacity of 6,700 net tons of iron products. During the Civil War, one primary source of its income was U.S. Navy contracts. While this firm was never mentioned as a supplier during the Monitor’s construction at Continental Iron Works, it is now believed that Ulster provided materials for modifications to the ship while it was undergoing sea trials at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The museum is still working on deciphering the lineage of the company. Joan Wenner, J.D. has contributed for many years to the Civil War News and The Artilleryman among other history publications and has a law degree. Comments are welcomed at joan_writer@ yahoo.com

Monitor’s turret lifted from the wreck site in 2002. (The Mariners’ Museum and Park/ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.)

Diagonal brace with a closeup of the “Ulster” inscription. (The Mariners’ Museum and Park.)

September 2017

Civil War News

Reenactors Work Together, Achieve Success By Joseph Bordonaro NEWPORT NEWS, Va.—“On to Richmond!” was the Union battle cry in 1862, so it was chosen for reenacting key parts of the Seven Days Battles, held at Endview Plantation in Newport News, Va., over the weekend of June 2-4. Finding a location for a Civil War reenactment is not an easy task, but Endview Plantation is an excellent venue. It was actually used by the Confederate Army as a field hospital following fighting on the Warwick River Line during the Siege of Yorktown. Organizer S. Chris Anders, of Rear Rank Productions, explains how he was able to hold the reenactment at Endview: “Putting on a proper Seven Days event has long been a goal of mine, and I spent a few months traveling the area looking for the perfect site. When I contacted Tim Green (Education Coordinator at Endview), he said he had always wanted to host a Rear Rank Production event at Endview and it all fell in place.” In fact, Mr. Anders gives Endview Plantation the lion’s share of the credit for

the event taking place. He does, however also give other people credit, as well: “Reenactors were involved in every step of the program. There were many who took personal ownership of the event, from myself, who served as both event organizer and Confederate Commander, to my dear friend Mike Lavis who served as Federal Commander, Dick Watters who led the CS 1st Division, Brian Geseuro who led 2nd Division, Ted Brennan and Bob Minton who led Federal brigades, Susanna Vaughn who did an amazing job as civilian coordinator, and Todd Harrington who put together a stellar sutler row.” Once the site was found for the reenactment and a team put together to organize the event, a major chore loomed: How to fill the ranks. Unlike established events that almost automatically achieve a large turnout from the reenactors, a new event is faced with the daunting challenge of getting the word out and recruiting reenactors. This is where the track record of S. Chris Anders and Rear Rank Productions is

Confederates Attack Casey’s Redoubt. (Tom George Davison)

crucial. Over the years, some of the best reenacting events have been organized by this group, including: Fire on the Mountain 2000; Burkittsville, 2001; To the Gates of Washington; Summer of ‘62; War on the James; September Storm; Maryland my Maryland; At High Tide; Down the Valley; Lee Takes Command; Balls Bluff 150th; and Campaign Before Richmond. With this record, and with the creation of a Facebook page to publicize the event, registrations started rolling in. A major stumbling block that has, in the past, prevented many reenactments from achieving maximum success was addressed adroitly by Rear Rank Productions: How to get all reenactors to fit in together at one event? The major key to success here was the creation of separate camping areas for each side, as well as an area for civilians. There were “campaign” camping areas as well as “garrison” camps within the Union and Confederate areas to accommodate all reenactors. All reenactors had to agree to a common code of behavior during the battle scenarios, and their “kit” had to meet posted standards reflecting the 1862 appearance of the soldiers, but the ability to camp in a setting and style of their choosing made it possible for reenactors to set aside their sometimes acrimonious differences and work together to present the best battle scenarios possible. The On to Richmond event featured four scenarios, “Casey’s Redoubt,” a Battle of Seven Pines scenario; the Battle of Gaine’s Mill; the Battle of Savage’s Station, and the Battle of Malvern Hill. Another unique

5th N.Y. Battle against the Confederates at Gaine’s Mill. (Tom George Davison) feature of this reenactment was the site early Sunday morning for the use of two separate locations the last two scenarios, which in for the battles. Casey’s Redoubt itself is an impressive logistical and Gaine’s Mill were reenact- feat. ed at Endview Plantation, while Perhaps the highest accolades Savage’s Station and Malvern an event can be awarded are Hill were reenacted at nearby Lee those of its participants. To close Hall. Used as a headquarters by this article I am including some both Maj. Gen. John B. Magrud- quotations from participants: er and Gen. Joseph E. Johnston “Saturday’s Dusk battle my during the Siege of Yorktown, unit got to portray the 7th TenLee Hall, like Endview Planta- nessee...and marching into the tion, is a restored historic site wood line our Colonel screamed, owned by the City of Newport “Hawgdrivers Advance!”… gave News. Reenactors were bused to me chills on the back of neck,

Union Counterattack on Casey’s Redoubt. (Tom George Davison)

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September 2017 greatest battle I’ve been in, hands down. – Pvt. Eric Cosentino, 7th Tennessee, 10th Battalion, ANV.” “Moving forward through the trees, with Gen. Hood leading us forward sent chills up my spine. The smoke was so thick you could barely make out the silhouettes of the Union Army. Never before had I seen such a fight as that.” – Pvt. Joshua Drega, 5th Texas, Co. D “My heart was racing as we climbed up the walls of the redoubt and went into the attack at Gaine’s Mill. The dusk battle was unreal and the 5th New York Zouaves’ part was especially notable. This event provided many new insights and new experiences.” – Sgt. John Settle, 19th Virginia, Co. B “The realism of “our house lawn” being turned into an aid station for Saturday’s night battle, filled with the cries of the wounded & dying was beyond any scenario I’ve ever been part of. Holding onto boys pleading

Civil War News for life, water, mother, then holding my own “dying” husband in my arms is something I will likely never forget.” – Jessica Babcock, Civilian “Looking out over our lawn to see the dead laid out, some who had been in my arms just mere moments ago; words cannot describe the feeling. I stood there covered in sweat and only the good Lord knows what else, looking at the place we had luncheon just hours before, listening to the sound of men begging for their wives and mothers. We helped those we could and comforted those we couldn’t, easing them into the Lord’s arms with a gentle touch and a soft word of verse or song.” – Laura Swisher, Civilian. 4th Texas, Co. E “This was my first reenactment and I have to say that it was an experience I will never forget as long as I live! It was a true honor to reenact and live like those men did for a weekend! …My great, great, grandfather John Henry

Guy W. Gane III as General Hood at Endview. (Shelly Liebler)

Shelton served in the Confederate army under the command of Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and served until the end of the war. It gave me chills and almost a tear to my eye as we marched in formation out onto the field. I got to experience what he did…I know that he was looking down from heaven knowing that his service and sacrifice hasn’t been forgotten. All of us reenactors whether blue or gray honor those brave men who fought and died for what they believed was right!” – Pvt. Walker Shelton, 26th North Carolina “With superb attention to detail and planning, participant commitment to accuracy, and proper mindset, we all were rewarded with an experience that is about as close as one could achieve without lead flying through the air. Seeing a 300 yard skirmish line, muzzle flashes in the dark, the rebel yell reverberating through the trees, and correct distances between troop lines, this event has raised the bar for future events …Glad I was able to be a small part of this watershed event.” – Lee Gordon, Capt. ANV Campaigner Battalion. “…Our home was full of wounded...our yard ...there was no more room. We had no more bandages, no medicine...nothing...all we could offer was some water, whiskey, and prayers…” – Jennifer Mitchell, Civilian, 4th Texas “…watching them (the reenactors) experience magic windows to the past made it all worthwhile, for in the end, I work for them and our collective history.” – S. Chris Anders, Event Organizer

Preserving the military history of the Western Hemisphere since 1949. Membership includes a scholarly quarterly magazine with an annual twelveprint uniform series.

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David M. Sullivan Administrator Email: cmhhq@aol.com Confederates Advance on Casey’s Redoubt at Endview. (Shelly Liebler)

Visit our website at www.military-historians.org

Jesse Henry being taken off of the Gaine’s Mill battlefield. (Tom George Davison)

OTR Russell Dashiel, portraying a Confederate officer, rests in the woods after a battle. (Tom George Davison) Deadlines for Advertising or Editorial Submissions is the 20th of each month. Email to: ads@civilwarnews.com

September 2017

Civil War News

The Wars after the War: Canby and Davis vs. Captain Jack and Hooker Jim The first in a series on Union officers who served in the Indian wars By Gould Hagler You people can shoot any Indians any time you want whether we are in war or in peace. I charge the white people with wholesale murder. – Captain Jack, Chief of the Modocs When the Civil War ended in the spring of 1865, the U.S. Army demobilized rapidly. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers went home and re-entered their peacetime occupations. Not so for many regular army officers. These professionals, now reduced to their permanent ranks, stayed on. Many went west to fight in the wars that followed the Civil War, wars of an entirely different character, the wars against the Indian tribes. In this article we take a look at the Modoc War of 1872–1873 and the role played in that conflict by Edward Canby, Jefferson C. Davis, and the lesser known Alvan Gillem.

Edward Canby. (Library of Congress) Edward Canby graduated from West Point in 1835. He served in the Second Seminole and the Mexican Wars and was engaged in fighting Indians in New Mexico when the Civil War began. He commanded the Department of New Mexico, overseeing the forces which defeated the Confederates at the Battle of La Glorieta Pass, which

ended Confederate designs on New Mexico, and drove them back into Texas. Canby held a desk job in Washington, and then had more exciting duty commanding the forces arrayed against the July 1863 New York draft rioters. In 1864 he moved west again when he was put in charge of the Military Division of West Mississippi. He captured Mobile on April 12, 1865, and received the surrender of the last Confederate army in the field on May 26. His next duties included commands in the Carolinas and Texas during Reconstruction. Canby logged a lot of miles during his busy career, one marked by quiet competence and lack of controversy, capped with promotion to the permanent rank of brigadier general. General Canby’s final assignment in Oregon was meant to be a peaceful prelude to retirement; it was not. Jefferson C. Davis enlisted to fight in the Mexican War and won a commission in the artillery. Lieutenant Davis was at Fort Sumter at the receiving end of the war’s opening shots. He commanded troops in Western Theater campaigns, including the Atlanta Campaign and the March to the Sea. In stark contrast to Canby’s service, Davis’s career was marked with serious controversy. Davis is well-known for gunning down a superior officer, General William Nelson, with whom he feuded during the Confederates’ 1862 invasion of Kentucky. He got away with it. He is also famous for the affair at Ebenezer Creek during Sherman’s march through Georgia. Burdened by thousands of slaves following his corps, Davis rid himself of the impediment by hastily taking up a pontoon bridge on the swollen creek, leaving thousands of desperate black men, women, and children on the other side. Many drowned or were slain by Wheeler’s cavalry; many others were returned to slavery. Davis got away with this as well. He finished the war as a brevet major general, then reverted to his permanent rank of colonel.

Alvan Gillem was a Tennessean in the West Point class of 1851. He remained with the old army and fought in the Western Theater, then held positions in Tennessee’s Unionist state government during the war and in the Reconstruction government afterwards. Before going to Oregon he served in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas. He achieved the ranks of brevet brigadier in the Regulars and major general of volunteers. The Modocs who would encounter Canby, Davis, and Gillem were a small tribe in Oregon near the California border. As pioneers trekked through their territory and later began to settle there, the Modocs suffered with the coming of the white man, as did all Indian tribes. Some 400 people—half the tribe—died of smallpox in the 1840s. Following an 1852 Modoc raid on a wagon train, settlers retaliated and shocked the tribe into seeking an accommodation with the settlers. It was an uneasy peace, but intermarriage, other (less formal) relationships, and the Indians’ adoption of some white man’s ways made for a modus vivendi. However, like Canby’s quiet path the retirement, a lasting peace was not to be. The Modocs were moved to a reservation with neighboring tribes in 1864. Dissatisfied with the arrangement, they returned to their old home in 1870. Tensions with their white neighbors grew. Canby declined a request to force the Modocs to return to the reservation, believing it more prudent to wait for the Interior Department to find a new home for the tribe. The new superintendent of Indian affairs was less prudent and ordered the commander of Fort Klamath to do the job. Fighting erupted when soldiers arrived at one Indians camp; soldiers were wounded, and one Modoc was killed. Under their chief, Captain

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Kintpuash, also known as Captain Jack. Portrait of Kintpuash created shortly before his execution in 1873. (Wikipedia)

Jack, this group retreated to a natural fortress, the Lava Beds, later known as Captain Jack’s Stronghold. A group of settlers attacked another Modoc camp. After driving off the settlers, these Modocs also retreated to the Lava Beds. Under a leader known as Hooker Jim, the Indians raided settlements along the way and killed several whites.

Hooker Jim (1851–1879). (Wikipedia) Gillem’s Jan. 1873 attack on the stronghold failed miserably. The Lava Beds would be hard to penetrate even for troops welltrained and competently led. The U.S. troops were neither. The Modocs were split into two factions. Hooker Jim, who did the indiscriminate killing during the retreat to the Lava Beds, led the war party. The peace party, led by Captain Jack, favored negotiating a surrender. Canby arrived on the scene and took over command from Gillem. He strengthened the besieging U.S. force and, as instructed by Washington, sought a peaceful solution. Buoyed by their initial victory, and believing in the magical power of their shaman, the militants prevailed in the Modocs’ intra-tribal dispute. The negotiations led nowhere. A fourhour parley on April 2 did nothing to break the stalemate. Inside the fortress, the militants threatened to kill anyone who tried to surrender. Canby ignored signs that the militant faction had taken over and continued his efforts to convince the Modocs to give up. Against the advice of those who believed that talk was futile—and dangerous—the general agreed to another meeting on April 11. Toby Riddle, a Modoc woman married to a white settler, had been warned by a cousin that Jack was being pressured to kill Canby at the next parley. She and her husband pleaded with Canby, but to no avail.

When Canby and the other peace commissioners arrived at the meeting, they were faced with six belligerent Modocs armed with pistols. Canby attempted for the last time to convince the Indians to surrender. Jack insisted that the soldiers be withdrawn; Canby of course refused. Suddenly more armed Modocs rushed from their hiding places. Jack pulled out his revolver, fired and wounded Canby. Another Modoc finished him off with a rifle. A second negotiator was killed and a third seriously wounded. Henceforth there would be no talk and no chance of peace. The murders destroyed whatever goodwill and sympathy there was for the Modocs. The war against them would be relentless. Gillem resumed the assault on Captain Jack’s Stronghold. He closed in and bombarded the fortress with mortars. For the first time since the siege began Modocs fell in battle. The U.S. Army was getting serious and the shaman’s medicine was shown to be ineffective. Captain Jack retreated by a secret path with those capable of fighting and left the others behind. Jefferson C. Davis, who replaced the fallen Canby as commander of the Department of the Columbia, relieved Gillem and assumed personal command. With 70 scouts recruited from another tribe, the army pursued the Modocs. With Davis there would be no half measures or hesitation. The Modocs were defeated in a battle on May 10. They split up and were hunted down by cavalry patrols.

Jefferson C. Davis. (Library of Congress) One aspect of the Indian wars that we sometimes overlook is the intertribal and intra-tribal conflicts which weakened the Indians and aided the U.S. As they were chased by Davis’s men, the Modocs turned on each other. Hooker Jim, probably the one Modoc most responsible for

September 2017 the trouble and the one least deserving of mercy, cut a deal with Davis. In return for amnesty, he helped the army find and capture Captain Jack. According to Peter Cozzens, Davis considered Hooker Jim to be a cutthroat who deserved nothing but hanging; however, Davis seized this opportunity not just to capture the chief but to further divide and demoralize the weakened tribe. Captain Jack was captured on June 1. Had the decision been left to Davis, the execution of Jack and other leaders would have been carried out swiftly and without the niceties of a trial, but Washington wanted a show of justice. Jack and two others were tried by a military commission on July 1 and swiftly convicted of murder. They were hanged on October 3. The survivors of the war were packed off to a tiny plot of land in the Indian Territory. Others, who had not engaged in the war, remained in Oregon. Today the Modoc tribe numbers approximately 800, three-quarters in Oregon and the rest in Oklahoma. Hooker Jim was among those sent to the Indian Territory. He died in 1879. Gillem died four years before Hooker Jim. His son, grandson, and great grandson—all sharing

Civil War News his name—were all high ranking officers in the United States armed forces. Davis, who fought against Confederates and Indians, murdered a fellow officer, and callously abandoned runaway slaves counting on his protection, died in the same year as Hooker Jim—killed by one enemy against whom he could not prevail—pneumonia. Sources: Peter Cozzens, The Earth Is Weeping: The Epic Story of the Indian Wars for the American West, 2016; Patricia L. Faust, Editor, Historical Times Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Civil War, 1991; “Betrayal at Ebenezer Creek,” http://www.historynet. com/betrayal-at-ebenezer-creek. htm. Various online sources were consulted for information on the three U.S. officers, the Modoc leaders, and the Modoc tribe. Gould Hagler is the author of Georgia’s Confederate Monuments: In Honor of a Fallen Nation (Mercer University Press, 2014), available from Mercer University Press, retail outlets, online sellers, and directly from the author (gould.hagler@gmail. com). His new book on Alabama’s Confederate monuments is to be published by Indiana University Press.

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September 2017

Civil War News

Reviews

Civil War Books

Civil War News book reviews provide our readers with timely analysis of the latest and most significant Civil War research and scholarship. Stephen Davis, Civil War News Book Review Editor. Email: BookReviews@CivilWarNews.com

A Tidy Little Gem of Lincoln Lore Lincoln in Indiana. By Brian R. Dirck. Illustrations, notes, index, 132 pp., 2017, Southern Illinois University Press, www. siupress.com, $24.95 cloth. Reviewed by James A. Percoco

The most recent publication in the Concise Lincoln Library collection is a tidy little gem. Lincoln in Indiana by Brian R. Dirck offers a terrific, yet concise overview of Lincoln’s life experiences growing up in the Hoosier State. The author draws on a variety of sources, starting with Lincoln’s law partner, William Herndon (who in order to clear away the growing haze of early Lincoln mythology penned Herndon’s Informants). Dirck provides not only a glimpse of a slice of Lincoln’s formative years, but places it within the context of the history of the pioneer movement of the early to middle 19th century— thus creating a parallel narrative. That he does so well in such a trim effort, which is immensely readable, is quite noteworthy. Dirck pulls back the curtain and provides an arguable thesis regarding Lincoln’s father, Thomas, who has often been characterized as a shiftless and unmotivated individual, whose attitudes the younger Lincoln spurned. To be sure, some of that unfavorable attitude was perpetuated by Lincoln himself, who often ignored any discussion about his upbringing and youth; he famously declined to attend his father’s own funeral. For Dirck, Thomas Lincoln “was actually a hardworking, if somewhat hapless Indiana farmer and carpenter.” The author provides a new view of Lincoln’s father, demonstrating that he cared for his family, did the best he could under his circumstances, and rec-

ognized the importance of being a present parent when needed. When Lincoln’s mother Nancy dies of the milk sickness, Thomas Lincoln not only knows that he needs to replace the lost female head of the household, but he knows exactly to whom to turn as his second wife, Sarah Bush; he brings her home as stepmother for his children. Dirck analyzes Lincoln’s relationship with his stepmother, as well as his early years on Indiana’s hardscrabble soil. In 1860 Lincoln wrote, “My life can simply be summed up as the short annals of the poor,” and his life in Indiana proved to be just that. In Indiana, Abraham Lincoln learned the value of hard work and of material rewards, as well as an understanding of the struggles of ordinary people--a value that served him well as an adult and as President. It is easy, then, to see how President Lincoln could dismiss his wife’s redecorating the White House with “flub dubs.” Prior to his presidency, Lincoln left his adopted state of Illinois to revisit the sites of his youth in Indiana and penned a doggerel poem of personal reflection. The opening stanza reads, “My childhood home I see again, And sadden with the view; And still as memory crowds my brain, There’s pleasure in it, too.” Abraham Lincoln clearly had mixed feelings about his childhood existence in Indiana. There he did, after all, at the age of nine lose his mother, with whom he was close. At the same time, Sarah Bush cultivated in her stepchild a confidence that put young Lincoln on the path to the White House. Without getting into exhaustive detail, the author has written a book, based on solid research, which offers an intriguing and colorful look at the childhood of the 16th president. Jim Percoco of Lorton, Va., is Teacher-in-Residence for the Journey through Hallowed Ground Partnership, a non-profit initiative to raise historical awareness in the Pennsylvania-Maryland-Virginia area.

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Abolitionist’s Golden Trumpet Wendell Phillips: Social Justice and the Power of the Past. Edited by A.J. Aiseirithe and Donald Yacovone. Notes, index, 370pp., 2016, Louisiana State University Press, www.lsupress. org, $55 hardcover. Reviewed by Wayne L. Wolf

The editors of this compilation present twelve articles that illustrate the life of Wendell Phillips—abolitionist, advocate for women’s rights, opponent of unfettered capitalism and social justice icon. Each of these selections portrays Phillips as the consummate agitator, a role he felt was ordained for him to protect a true democratic society. His effectiveness in this role rested upon his evoking and playing upon deep-seated historical values and loyalties. His aristocratic background created for him an urgency to make his life’s work significant and even transformational. People were drawn toward Phillips by his charisma, intellect, and forensic ability. He used these gifts to channel his early Calvinistic philosophy and republican ideals into a life of action on behalf of social equality, worldly economic cooperation, temperance, and full suffrage for women and blacks. Wendell Phillips was a lawyer who respected the rule of law. While advocating for racial justice, labor rights, and women’s equality he never could accept the need to break the law or engage in violence to achieve his objectives. The power of words would be his weapon in the battle against slavery and for justice and fairness. After his marriage in 1837 to Anne Terry Greene, an ardent abolitionist, he found

not only love but an impetus to channel his life into the abolitionist cause. His motto could easily have included “the liberty of the intellect and the effusion of knowledge to the masses.” This he felt would create a modern democracy, pure in form, universal in appeal, and equal for all. He always maintained that political and economic pressure on the South, not violence, would end slavery. Contemporaries like William L. Garrison, John Brown, and W.E.B. DuBois did not always agree with his strategy, but never failed to applaud his achievements toward abolition and racial equality. Phillips was always “comfortable in his own skin” in dealing with all races and income levels. He never wandered from his life’s mission, never compromised his ideals and thus became an icon for equality and freedom, even after his death in 1884. For historians there is much to see in these essays that relates to contemporary society. Are sanctuary cities today the equivalent of antebellum Northern cities that refused to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act? Is peaceful resistance to perceived social injustice more effective than violent protests? And is universal suffrage and direct election preferable to the Electoral College? These questions need attention today as they did in Wendell Phillips’ America and their relevance still energizes today’s activists. The editors have done a splendid job of selecting readings that address every aspect of Phillips’ life, political philosophy and moral crusade. While earlier works, e.g., Thomas Wentworth Higginson’s Wendell Phillips and George Austin’s The Life and Times of Wendell Phillips, concentrate substantial energy on abolitionism, the current selections

extend his philosophical impact to Native American rights, the labor movement, temperance movement, civil dissent, interracial relationships and women’s rights. While many of the articles contain material that is redundant, each stresses an important aspect of who Wendell Phillips was and thus is valuable in its own right. Despite its hefty price tag, this book is recommended for readers interested in the role of abolitionist agitation in the demise of slavery, political alliances in antebellum America, and how radical ideas were transformed into mainstream aspects of American democracy. Wayne L. Wolf is Professor Emeritus at South Suburban College in Illinois and the author of numerous Civil War books and articles including Two Years Before the Paddlewheel: Charles F. Gunther, MThe sissippi River Confederate, co-edited with Bruce S. Allardice (2012). He currently is lecturing on “Civil War Firsts” to area roundtables.

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September 2017

Civil War News

Brandy Station and the Evolution of the Union Cavalry The Union Cavalry Comes of Age: Harwood Church to Brandy Station, 1863. By Erick J. Wittenberg. Maps, photographs, appendix, index, bibliography, 411 pp., 2017. The History Press, www.arcadiapublishing. com, $24.99 paperback. Reviewed by Walt Albro

At many times during the cavalry battle of Brandy Station, the fighting descended into a melee involving sabers and pistols. As one of the Union brigade commanders, Col. Judson Kilpatrick, watched on June 9, 1863, he noticed something that displeased him. He spied a Confederate officer whom he had known while a cadet at West Point—a person whom he had never liked. The colonel spurred his horse into the fray and engaged the Rebel officer, who fired his pistol, but missed. Both men drew their sabers and vigorously slashed away at each other. Although cut on the arm, Kilpatrick still managed to kill his opponent. Then, Kilpatrick rode back to his troops, explaining, “That rights a wrong.” The colonel’s brash action was representative of the new, bolder, more aggressive cavalry of the Army of the Potomac that emerged during the Battle of Brandy Station. This book is a detailed analysis of how that cavalry evolved: from an embarrassment in 1862 into what ultimately would become the world’s finest corps of horse soldiers by 1864. Eric J. Wittenberg’s original hardcover book, which has been out of print for eight years, is reprinted here in paperback. The author focuses on a series of all-cavalry engagements in 1863, including Hartwood Church, Stoneman’s Raid, Kelly’s Ford, Alsop’s Field and Brandy Station. Under Maj. Gen. George McClellan in 1862, the cavalry arm never reached its potential. Little

Mac had little respect for volunteers, who comprised the bulk of the horse soldiers. He believed that it took two years to train a good cavalryman, and he did not expect the war to last that long. So McClellan broke up the volunteer units and used them mostly as vedettes, messengers or headquarters’ guards. The situation improved when Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker was appointed commander of the Army of the Potomac. He implemented a plan that consolidated the cavalry into a single corps. Hooker named Maj. Gen. George Stoneman as the corps’ first commander. The author argues that Stoneman’s Raid, during the Battle of Chancellorsville, was actually a success, and not a failure, as Hooker claimed. Because of Hooker’s criticisms, Stoneman and Brig. Gen. William W. Averell have been underappreciated by most historians. In fact, the author says, both made critical improvements that bolstered the cavalry’s growing effectiveness. The Battle of Brandy Station was the coming-out party of the new and improved Northern cavalry. Not only did commander Alfred Pleasonton catch Jeb Stuart and the Southern cavalry by surprise, but he also fought them on an equal basis—in other words, he gave as good as he got. Although Brandy Station was a confusing engagement, with some locations captured and re-captured multiple times, one of the virtues of this book is the clear and understandable description and overview of the action. I was particularly impressed by the large number of colorful quotes gathered from diaries and letters of front-line participants. This personalizes the story and enlivens the narrative.

Detailed Treatment of Little-Known Battle on the James River U.S. Colored Troops Defeat Confederate Cavalry. By Edwin W. Besch. Photos, notes, index, bibliography, 292 pp., 2017. McFarland, www.mcfarlandpub. com. $35 softcover. Reviewed by Gould Hagler

Edwin Besch has conducted extensive research and accumulated a great store of factual information on the small battle at Wilson’s Wharf on the James River, fought on the afternoon of May 24, 1864. In addition to describing the battle itself (in one 36-

page chapter), Besch provides: mini-biographies of the principal commanders (the Federals’ Edward Wild, the Confederates’ Fitzhugh Lee and others); short histories of the units involved; coverage of controversies related to the use of black troops; a summary of Benjamin Butler’s James River Campaign; and an analysis of the conflicting estimates of the size of the forces engaged and the number of casualties. A final chapter discusses the preservation of Fort Pocahontas, which was completed at the wharf soon after the battle. The author relies on numerous primary and secondary sources, and is to be commended for his prodigious research, which he pursued from 1993 to 2016. Unfortunately, the quality of the writing and editing is uneven. The facts are not properly marshalled to create a coherent and unified whole. The reader would be better served if the many long quotes from other sources were distilled into more comprehensible narration and more concise analysis. The book is further weakened by digressions, repetitions and barely relevant minutia, as well as stylistic eccentricities

and organizational shortcomings that distract and confuse the reader. The only map in the book is not a map of Wilson’s Wharf but of the unrelated Battle of Yellow Tavern. Faust’s Encyclopedia has no entry on Wilson’s Wharf. Long’s Almanac devotes a total of five words to this affair on the James. Besch’s work fills the void and tells us much about a small but significant engagement. There is much to be found in this book, but the reader must labor to find it. Gould Hagler is the author of Georgia’s Confederate Monuments: In Honor of a Fallen Nation (Mercer University Press, 2014). His new book on Alabama’s Confederate monuments is to be published by Indiana University Press.

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Walt Albro is a writer and editor who resides in Rockville, Md. He serves as a director of the Monocacy National Battlefield Foundation, Frederick, Md.

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organization. Competitors shoot original or approved reproduction firearms at breakable targets in a timed match. Some units compete with cannons and mortars. All teams represent 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 W W W. N - S S A .O R G

September 2017

Civil War News

An Invitation, Not a Guide A Tourist Guide to Civil War Washington, D.C. By Thomas P. Lowry. Maps, appendix, 136 pp., 2017, Idle Winter Press, www. idlewinter.com. $9.99 paper. Reviewed by Douglas Ullman Jr.

In Specimen Days, his final work, Walt Whitman claimed that the real Civil War soldier, “with all his ways, his incredible dauntlessness, habits, practices, tastes, language…will never be written—perhaps must not and should not be.” More than 100 years later, Dr. Thomas P. Lowry endeavored to right this wrong

by studying the dark corners of Civil War history. He is, perhaps, best known as the author of The Story the Soldiers Wouldn’t Tell, an exploration of the sex lives of the men of the Union and Confederate armies. He has written a number of other books, most of them aimed at uncovering previously hidden history, the dark underbelly of our nation’s defining conflict. Lowry’s most recent work, A Tourist Guide to Civil War Washington, D.C. is very much in the same vein. Evidence of the more sordid episodes of life in the divided nation’s capital-–tales that Whitman and a good many others would rather forget—can be found in the records of the National Archives. Lowry once again attempts to shed light into these dark corners, providing future researchers a guide for their own discoveries. Those interested in examples of the depravity and debauchery to which Civil War soldiers often descended will find much to excite their imagination in Lowry’s book. Unfortunately, they will find little to satisfy their curiosity. Lowry provides lists of infractions or offenses, but seldom delves more deeply into the details. For example,

a chapter on gambling contains many examples of gambling in the army in general (spoiler alert: Civil War soldiers gambled), but virtually no references to stories of gambling within the confines of Washington City, presumably Lowry’s focus. Thus, those few who think of the 19th century Americans as perfect paragons of Victorian virtue will be easily disabused of the notion, but they will learn comparatively little about the nature of those nefarious deeds or about the characters who committed them within the limits of Washington City. Most critically, A Tourist Guide to Washington, D.C. fails to live up to its title. Those wishing to trace the footsteps of Civil War soldiers will find little in the way of guidance in Lowry’s work. The maps, of which there are too few, are offered with little to no explanation. Little is done to orient the reader to either the modern or historical landscape. Thus, those who are not familiar with Washington will struggle to find the locations described in Lowry’s book; the task is only slightly easier for residents of the Capital City. The book does, however, have its bright spots. Lowry’s writing

is flavored with a diverse mélange of literary references (one passage contains references to Marlene Dietrich, Rudyard Kipling, and a well-worn sea chantey, providing a chuckle to those who get the joke.) Dr. Lowry also shines in his description of Ricord hospital, the medical facility where most cases of sexually transmitted infections were treated. Likewise, the chapter on Washington’s theatres, about which the “provost marshal’s files had nothing to say,” is, ironically, quite strong. Here, Lowry has provided descriptions of the theatres with historical sketches from the Civil War period to today, as well as tales of misadventures experienced by soldiers in Washington City. This is precisely the sort of thing you’d hope for in a tourists’ guide, of which there is, sadly, too little in Lowry’s work. It is apparent Lowry never

intended to draw many conclusions from the records he discusses. Instead, he presents topics often overlooked in broader studies and gives the reader the tools by which they might embark on their own journey of discovery. Indeed, Lowry’s appendix is an incredibly valuable guided tour of the available sources at the National Archives. Would that all the resources in the Archives had such a guide. Thanks to Dr. Lowry, enterprising students may know where to begin their search. Douglas Ullman Jr. is an independent historian who focuses on the Union Twelfth/ Twentieth Corps. He is currently working on a regimental history of the 102nd New York Volunteers. He works for the Civil War Trust and lives with his wife and son in Centreville, Virginia.

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Most Unpopular Civil War Book By Thomas P. Lowry & Lewis Laska Tales of battle and heroism attract readers. Details of justice and executions – not so much. Few Civil War readers know that Confederate military justice was far more ferocious than in the North. Compared with Union justice, a soldier in Lee’s army, for the same crime, was twice as likely to be ordered shot, three times more likely to be flogged, four times more likely to be branded, and five times more likely to be tattooed. A separate section has surprises about Braxton Bragg. Beyond heart-rending stories, a complete index – by name and by regiment – makes this a valuable reference.

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September 2017

Civil War News

Massive New Study on the Army of the Potomac’s High Command Lincoln’s Lieutenants: The High Command of the Army of the Potomac. By Stephen W. Sears. Illustrations, maps, notes, bibliography, index, 912 pp., 2017, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, www.hmhco.com. $38 hardcover. Reviewed by Paul Taylor

The battles fought by the leading generals of the Army of the Potomac occurred not only on the battlefield with musket and shell against its Confederate adversary, but also against each other, President Abraham Lincoln, and Congressional legislators. Over the army’s four-year existence, its generals initiated—and often endured—such backbiting and political infighting that made the high command often appear to be defending itself against its own civilian leaders rather than waging war on their behalf. In Lincoln’s Lieutenants: The High Command of the Army of the Potomac, eminent Civil War historian Stephen W. Sears lays out in detail these behind-thescenes maneuverings and the effect they had on army efficiency. From presidential secretary John Hay’s private allegation against General George McClellan’s “insolence of epaulettes” toward Lincoln, to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton’s chameleon-like character, Sears’ new work is primarily a study that examines the

Army of the Potomac’s internal political machinations and various command crises, rather than a traditional military analysis. Sears is familiar with the topic, having first explored this theme in his 1999 book, Controversies & Commanders: Dispatches from the Army of the Potomac. The high command’s early growing pains were almost pre-ordained, given that the nation was primarily a loosely woven compact of states, where any military need would be met via state militia and the citizen-soldier. As Sears explains, “a one-dimensional ‘national’ Army would not be tolerated.” To help clarify the army’s necessary and rapid growth, and how these men came to obtain their respective posts, Sears offers biographical background on the AOP’s general officers who held corps, division, and brigade commands. He describes how each man’s personality, quirks, military experience, and political beliefs eventually worked for or against army cohesiveness. The army’s initial dismal results created a revolving door of seven commanding generals in only three years, until Ulysses S. Grant took control of the army in 1864. Only six generals who were with the AOP in 1861 were still there when the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia surrendered at Appomattox in April 1865. In addition, twenty-one of the army’s general officers had been killed during that four-year period. Sears certainly does not ignore the military fighting, though his narrative and interpretations of the various battles serve as context for the cooperation—and often dysfunction—which characterized the AOP’s senior leadership. As is the case with Sears’ earlier work on the army’s internal controversies, Sears is well versed in the Civil War’s eastern theater, having penned previous, highly-regarded strategic and tactical studies on the 1862 Peninsula Campaign, as well as individual works on the battles of Antietam, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg.

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All of these fine books also analyze the political intrigues that infected the AOP within their respective time-frames. Sears succinctly points out that “the high command that closed the war in April 1865 was a world apart from the high command that opened the war.” Whereas the latter was largely a closeknit one filled with career military men from West Point, those that finished the war were mostly self-taught volunteers from civilian life who rose from regimental and brigade command. These men were often held in contempt by the professional soldier, especially in the war’s early stages. The author praises these unsung officers as the core of the army, and the ones who held it together from one march through Hell to the next. It is an argument shared by Thomas Goss in his book, The War within the Union High Command: Politics and Generalship during the Civil War (University Press of Kansas, 2003). Since war is merely politics by other means, Goss contended that the AOP’s civilian “political generals” served a vital, symbiotic role between Washington and the army that career military men often could not appreciate. Stephen R. Taaffe took a slightly different tack in his Commanding the Army of the Potomac (Kansas, 2006) by focusing on the AOP’s thirty-six men who held corps command during the war. All three authors agree that personal connections, along with the ever-changing whirlwind of Washington politics, played as much a role in determining a senior general’s career success as did military prowess. Thirteen maps and over 150 period photographs, drawings, paintings and political cartoons enhance a deeply researched, career-capping work that shines with Sears’ polished, elegant prose. For newer or casual students of the Civil War who are not familiar with Sears’ distinguished body of work, Lincoln’s Lieutenants should stand as a superb, robust portrait of the pitched battles—fought concurrently against the Confederacy, the White House, Congress, and each other—by the Army of the Potomac’s high command. Paul Taylor is an award-winning author of six books pertaining to the Civil War era. His next book is titled “The Most Complete Political Machine Ever Known”: The North’s Union Leagues in the Civil War and will be published by Kent State University Press in early 2018.

A Shenandoah Scholar’s Guide to Winchester Winchester’s Three Battles: A Civil War Driving Tour Through Virginia’s Most WarTorn Region. By Brandon H. Beck. Maps, photos, bibliography, 175 pp., 2016, Angle Valley Press, AngleValleyPress.com, $21.95. Reviewed by Shelby R. Shrader

Perhaps no city endured more during the Civil War than Winchester, Virginia. The scene of three major battles, scores of other actions and numerous occupations, Winchester experienced the conflict incessantly. While various historians have written about elements of Winchester’s Civil War history, few publications exist that make its rich Civil War history accessible. Therefore, anyone wishing to immerse themselves in Winchester’s Civil War history will want to invest in Brandon H. Beck’s recent guidebook. Beck, professor emeritus of history at Shenandoah University, is the author of numerous books on the Civil War and has based this exquisite guide on decades of research. For those unfamiliar with Winchester’s Civil War story, he begins the guide with background information on the conflict in the Shenandoah Valley. After ably setting the contextual stage, Beck devotes the book’s core to each of Winchester’s three major battles. In the guide’s section on the First Battle of Winchester, Beck provides sixteen tour stops. In an effort to provide broader context for this engagement, Beck offers stops in Front Royal as well as Middletown to help users understand troop movements in Stonewall Jackson’s victory on May 25, 1862. The author, unlike traditional guidebooks, does more than provide clear directions from site to site and describe the significance of each stop—he provides crisp analysis of Stonewall Jackson’s leadership, strategic and tactical abilities. Beck’s examination of the Second Battle of Winchester, June 15, 1863, is equally impressive. Throughout this chapter Beck tells the story of Union general

Robert H. Milroy, an ardent abolitionist from Indiana. In addition to offering a succinct examination of Milroy’s occupation and the battle’s ebb and flow, Beck does a fine job discussing the construction of Union earthwork fortifications during Milroy’s sixmonth occupation of the city— Star Fort, Fort Milroy, and West Fort. While Fort Milroy is inaccessible and West Fort is mostly destroyed, Beck’s guide takes users to Star Fort, an impressively preserved and interpreted site. As important as the First and Second Battles of Winchester were to the course of the conflict, none proved more significant than the Third Battle of Winchester, Sept. 19, 1864. Although the tour for the opening battle of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan’s 1864 Shenandoah Campaign contains seven stops, Beck places special emphasis on the culmination of the battle: the cavalry attack at Fort Collier Throughout this marvelous book Beck not only focuses on the soldiers’ thoughts and feelings during the war, but he frequently includes examinations of how the war impacted Winchester’s civilians. Through the inclusion of diary excerpts from such notable citizens as Cornelia McDonald, Beck offers the opportunity to contemplate how civilians felt during the war, how they coped with the conflict and tried to maintain normalcy in the midst of the war. Beck’s magnificent guide not only informs and transports readers to Winchester’s most significant Civil War sites; it serves as a reminder of the preservation challenges the lower Shenandoah Valley community confronts in the twenty-first century in what Beck calls the “Fourth Battle of Winchester.” This superb field guide, replete with numerous illustrations, excellent maps, and orders of battle, does more than just guide tourists over the hallowed grounds of Winchester’s three battles. It offers the user an immersive experience, one that allows them to connect with the soldiers and civilians who endured Winchester’s three gruesome battles. Shelby R. Shrader is a magna cum laude graduate of Shenandoah University with a BS in History, where she studied Civil War Era history under Prof. Jonathan A. Noyalas. She is a member of Shenandoah University’s McCormick Civil War Institute Advisory Board and is a recipient of CWI’s first-ever Miles Summer Fellowship.

September 2017

Civil War News

Recipient of Ed Bearss Award Announced CHAMBERSBURG, Penn.— Chambersburg Civil War Seminars & Tours is pleased to announce Thomas J. Ryan as the 2017 recipient of the Ed Bearss Award. Given annually, the award encourages the study of the American Civil War era by reimbursing the awardee with up to $1,000 for scholarly research.

Thomas J. Ryan. (Lifetouch Photography) Named in honor of the esteemed, nationally-known historian, Edwin “Ed” C. Bearss, the award will assist in the expenses associated with Ryan’s project, “Eleven Fateful Days in July 1863: Meade Tracks Lee’s Army after Gettysburg.” This project is co-authored with Rick Schaus, and the funds will help gather essential information for their project at Civil War repositories. “It is particularly gratifying that the award is named in honor of Ed Bearss, a man who is known universally throughout the Civil War community and a person of great charm and warmth who has contributed more to the cause than any two or three people could in a lifetime,” Ryan said. “My personal involvement with Ed has been primarily in relation to Gettysburg Magazine for which Ed wrote the introduction for each issue over many years; he was always especially complimentary about my articles.” The award is given each year to a deserving author working on a non-fiction book about the Civil War in Penn., Md., W.V., or the Shenandoah Valley. Ryan and Schaus plan to have their project completed by the end of this year to be included in Savas Beatie’s spring 2018 publication schedule. “It is indeed our honor to have Thomas Ryan as the recipient of the 2017 Ed Bearss Award,” said Ted Alexander, facilitator and co-founder of Chambersburg

10th Annual Major Jonathan Letterman Medical Excellence Award

The National Museum of Civil War Medicine (NCMWM) is proud to announce Captain Frank K. Butler, (USN ret), MD, as the recipient of the 10th Annual Major Jonathan Letterman Medical Excellence Award.

Civil War Seminars. “Mr. Ryan has published many articles relating to the Civil War including his critically acclaimed Spies, Scouts, and Secrets in the Gettysburg Campaign. He is currently working on a book about the Confederate retreat from Gettysburg from the Union perspective.” Submissions for the award are reviewed by the Ed Bearss Award Committee with Dr. Richard Sommers of the U.S. Army War College as chair. Dr. Sommers and his committee of distinguished scholars will review applications in 2018. Applications are being accepted now through February 1, 2018. Funds raised for the award originate from donations, silent auction proceeds, and raffles. The award is supported by both Chambersburg Civil War Seminars and attendees at tours held throughout the year. Interested individuals should contact Lark Plessinger at lplessinger@chambersburg.org or call 717-2647101 ext. 206 for more information or to receive an application. Chambersburg Civil War Seminars & Tours is a division of the Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce and held in partnership with historian Ted Alexander. Tours planned for 201718 include Lincoln at Antietam, National Ed Bearss Symposium, Roads to Gettysburg, and Mr. Lincoln’s Washington & John Wilkes Booth Escape Tour. Ed Bearss, John Schildt, Carol Reardon, Daniel Toomey, Eric Wittenberg, Ed Steers, Joan Chaconas, and more than 20 other speakers/ guides will lead our upcoming military history tours. Please visit www.CivilWarSeminars. org for more details or call Lark Plessinger at 717-264-7101 ext. 206. Thomas J. Ryan is also a book reviewer for Civil War News.

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Dr. Frank K. Butler. Dr. Butler, has served as a Navy SEAL, as an innovator and leader in Navy and civilian dive medicine, and, most importantly, as the driving force of Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC). TCCC are strategies for providing the best trauma care on the battlefield and a set of guidelines to properly train non-medics to deal with preventable causes of death in the field and now in the civilian world. “In researching the career of Dr. Butler, it became obvious that he is indeed a ‘Living Letterman,’” explains NMCWM Executive Director David Price, “Dr. Butler’s accomplishments in the military, in the diving world, in ophthalmology, and in civilian medicine are too numerous to list, however the singular achievement of his amazing career is conceiving and bringing TCCC to worldwide implementation He literally wrote the book on the guidelines to critical care in combat, just like Major Jonathan Letterman did during the Civil War. There are few more deserving of this award than Dr. Butler.” The civilian world is now impacted by Dr. Butler through the ‘Stop the Bleed’ initiative, which is based on the success of the TCCC guidelines in dramatically reducing combat deaths. The ‘Stop the Bleed’ campaign aims to teach citizens basic techniques in hemorrhage control so an injured person has the greatest chance of surviving until they can reach a hospital. “The potential impact

of this initiative could rival the benefits of CPR and the Heimlich maneuver in the civilian world. Military medicine quickly translates to the civilian world, in this case through training people in the use of a tourniquet,” observed Executive Director Price. “Without any exaggeration, Navy SEALs are more lethal, military and civilian divers are safer, and thousands of wounded combatants are alive because of his singular efforts,” says Butler’s colleague and nominator Dr. John B. Holcomb. “The military community understands his tremendous contributions, as evidenced by a Forward Surgery Team located just south of Mosul, in northern Iraq, naming the road in front of their tents, the ‘Frank Butler Boulevard’.” Nominator Dr. Holcomb was the recipient of the 2016 Major Jonathan Letterman Medical Excellence Award. The Jonathan Letterman Medical Excellence Award was established in 2008 and is named for Major Jonathan Letterman, who is known as the ‘Father of Battlefield Medicine.’ Recipients are modern-day visionaries who keep Letterman’s spirit of collaboration and problem solving alive today.The Letterman legacy continues to save lives through the work performed by dedicated medical professionals. Each year the award grows

in stature and prestige as the importance of Civil War medical innovations becomes increasingly relevant in today’s medical community. The award is meant to honor individuals, military units or entities, companies, organizations or project groups who are leaders in innovative efforts in combat casualty care, prosthetic technology, regenerative medicine, improving outcomes for patients with traumatic brain injuries incurred on the battlefield, or drawing on today’s cutting edge medical technology to develop new ways to assist Armed Forces members who have suffered severe disfiguring wounds. These innovations carry over into civilian life, contributing to the advancement of medical processes and improved patient outcomes and quality of life for all. This year’s presentation ceremony will be held at Strong Mansion in Dickerson, Md., on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $75 for civilians and $50 for active-duty military. Sponsorships are available. All tickets and sponsorships are available at www.civilwarmed. org/event/10thlettermanaward For more information please contact Meg Gaulding at Meg. Gaulding@civilwarmed.org or 301-695-1864 ext. 1014.

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September 2017

Civil War News

S teve D avis ’ s C ritic ’ s C orner

By Stephen Davis Come Retribution: The Confederate Secret Service and the Assassination of Lincoln Joan Wenner’s fine article, “Confederate Secret Service” in our June issue recommended for further reading Come Retribution: The Confederate Secret Service and the Assassination of Lincoln (University Press of Mississippi, 1988). Her citation reminded me how much I enjoyed reading this book almost three decades ago, and reviewing it for The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. From the start I was impressed by the three authors’ credentials. William A. Tidwell and David Winfred Gaddy were career military intelligence officers. James O. Hall was a preeminent authority on Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. All three scholars have since passed away.

Together they set out to argue in Come Retribution that Jefferson Davis and key Confederate Cabinet officers sanctioned a plot to kidnap Lincoln in the spring of 1865, and use him for leverage in negotiations with the U.S. government to end the war. The story of Rebels nabbing Lincoln is not new, complete with fictional trappings. No less than Joel Chandler Harris—yes, he of the “Uncle Remus” stories—wrote an adventure about how Confederates kidnapped the Northern president and sneaked him to Richmond as hostage. The Southerners were so moved by the Railsplitter’s magnanimity that they let him go. But back to history, and John Wilkes Booth. After the assassination, U.S. government officials knew that Booth and his co-conspirators had planned to kidnap, not kill Lincoln. William Hanchett, in his The Lincoln Murder Conspiracies (1983), counted at least three Confederate abduction plots. Hanchett stopped short of implicating Jefferson Davis in them. …which is what Tidwell, Hall and Gaddy attempt to demonstrate. “There is no documentary evidence that directly proves Confederate involvement,” they acknowledge, but add that “circumstantial evidence, however, abounds.” As an example, John Surratt met with Secretary of State Judah Benjamin in late Jan. 1865, leading the authors to conjecture, “Benjamin may have been President Davis’ chief assistant in overseeing the Lincoln

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operation.” Secretary of War James A. Seddon seems to have been in on it, too. A Confederate agent, Thomas N. Conrad, later claimed that Seddon approved a scheme to snatch Lincoln at one of his favorite retreats, the Soldiers’ Home in Washington. As for Davis, the notorious Dahlgren raid upon Richmond in March 1864 had a chilling effect after Confederates learned that the Yankee cavalrymen planned to storm into the capital and kill Davis. “In the first months after the Dahlgren raid, several different schemes to capture Lincoln may have been discussed,” the authors state; “Jefferson Davis, however, was no longer automatically disapproving such ideas.” Booth and his accomplices began plotting their kidnapping during the fall of 1864. They were waiting for the right time when, on April 1, 1865, the unexpected happened; Grant broke through Lee’s lines at Petersburg. Richmond was evacuated the next day, and Lee surrendered a week later. With no motive left other than vengeance, Booth changed his goal from abduction to assassination. “For six months,” he recorded in his journal, which the authors quote, “we had worked to

capture, but our cause being almost lost, something decisive and great must be done.” Booth struck his belated blow for the South at Ford’s Theater on April 14. Discussion of Booth’s links to Southern agents in Canada, of Seddon’s and Benjamin’s ties to other presidential kidnapping schemes, and of the C.S. War Department’s efforts to secure an escape route out of Washington for the “action team” are particularly intriguing. There is also some colorful guesswork on the role of Col. John S. Mosby in these doings. Though much of their evidence is circumstantial, the authors’ argument for high-level Confederate involvement is exhaustive, comprehensive, painstaking, and at times close to overkill. For instance, they consulted the Federal Tidal Current Table to gauge levels of the Potomac tributaries which Booth had to cross in his escape from Washington. In my review for The Virginia Magazine, I observed that it is hard at times to discern when the authors’ documentation ends and when their speculation begins. “On the whole, however,” I concluded, “Come Retribution presents a convincing case that

Confederate leaders plotted to have Lincoln kidnapped.” Now, several decades later, present-day conspiracy theories about foreign meddling in U.S. presidential politics, sanctioned at the highest levels, make Tidwell’s, Hall’s and Gaddy’s work of speculative scholarship seem less fanciful than ever. Steve Davis of Atlanta is a regular contributor to Civil War News and is the Book Review Editor. His book, A Long and Bloody Task: The Atlanta Campaign from Dalton through Kennesaw Mountain to the Chattahoochee River May 5-July 18, 1864, was published as part of Savas Beatie’s Emerging Civil War paperback series. The companion volume, All The Fighting They Want: The Atlanta Campaign From Peachtree Creek To The City’s Surrender, July 18-September 2, 1864, has just been published this Spring.

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Civil War News

Small Talk By Stephen Davis 1. Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Confederates attacked and overran a Union fort on the Mississippi, Apr. 12, 1864, half of whose garrison were Negro troops. The Confederates inflicted such heavy casualties that Northerners called it a “massacre.” Name the fort. 2. One of the four stone bridges across Antietam Creek on the battlefield of Sept. 17 was the Rohrbach Bridge, but since the battle it also bears the name of a Union corps commander. Who? 3. In the fall of 1861 the United States and Great Britain got into a diplomatic argument after a U.S. naval commander boarded a British steamer in the Caribbean and seized two Confederate envoys heading for Europe. Who was the U.S. naval officer, and what was the name of the English vessel? 4. This formidable fortification of logs and sharpened stakes, designed to obstruct infantry assaults, commonly carried a French name translatable as “horses of Friseland.” What do we usually call it? 5. After Federals broke Bragg’s line at Missionary Ridge, they pursued the retreating Rebels until stopped by the division of what Confederate general? Where? 6. This Southern spy had her life ended in Oct. 1864 when, attempting to re-enter the Confederacy from Europe by blockade runner, she drowned off Wilmington. Who? 7. In the Confederate attack at Second Manassas, Aug. 30, 1862, this New York regiment was virtually destroyed. In about ten minutes, nearly 300 men were shot—120 mortally (Hennessy, Return to Bull Run). Which regiment? 8. Who was the large-statured Prussian who served as a major on Jeb Stuart’s staff? 9. After Lincoln’s death, Walt Whitman entitled his mournful poem, “When ___ Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d.” Fill in the name of the blossoming flower. 10. John Ford directed a feature film, starring John Wayne, based on Col. Benjamin Grierson’s raid through Mississippi in April 1863. Name the movie. See page 45 for answers. Steve Davis is the Civil War News Book Review Editor. He can be contacted by email at SteveATL1861@ yahoo.com

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Civil War News

Conservation of a Rare USCT Banner By Jessica Hack With his issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln not only decreed that all slaves held in the Southern states were “then, thenceforward, and forever free,” he also officially approved the enlistment of black soldiers into the Union Army. During the next four years, more than 180,000 men of color would answer the call to duty. One of the rarest and interesting artifacts to come through my studio was an honor banner, displayed by the 21st Regiment of the United States Colored Troops during Civil War processions and parades. The banner is certainly one of the earliest, largest, and most ornate artifacts from the United States Colored Troops’ infantry regiments. It measures 5' x 5.75', and almost 6' x 7' in its frame. Consolidating the former 3rd and 4th Regiments of the South Carolina Colored Infantry, the 21st participated in key operations against Charleston. After the city’s capture in Feb. 1865, the 21st Regiment garrisoned Charleston through the end of the war. Erasmus W. Jones, chaplain of the 21st USCT, retained possession of the banner when the unit was mustered out of service in April 1866. Jones then traveled through his native Wales, displaying an extensive collection of slavery-related items, including this “Sons of Africa” banner. After Jones’ death in 1909, the banner remained for many years in Wales and England. During its time abroad, the banner was loaned for display in museums in Manchester and Middlesex, England. In 2003, it was offered at auction in the U.S. The inner banner was produced between March 1864 and April 1866 (the dates of the 21st’s existence) by Schuyler, Hartley and Graham, a New York merchant house, noted for military and Masonic items. The appliquéd composition and bullion work was contracted to Baker, Godwin & Co., a small firm known for high quality Masonic and holy art works. The silk damask backing was likely adhered as an addition to the piece in the 1870’s though the fabric itself is circa 1850’s. The multi-media inner banner is resplendent with iconography relevant to American, Masonic, and military traditions. Much of the panel’s surface is raised, either in appliqué, embroidery, gilded twine, or bullion wire. An unusual and noteworthy element of the banner’s imagery is a Native American striped blanket fragment that forms the banner’s

background between the Greek columns. Lettering on the banner includes various pertinent words and phrases: “FREEDOM,” “SONS OF AFRICA,” “UNION,” “this Flag….Preserve,” “21st USCT,” “CONSOLIDATED MARCH 1864,” “FREEDOM TO SLAVES,” and (on the reverse of the banner) “True as the Stars that are Shining.” The banner is currently owned by Mr. Jay Johnson, of Purcellville, Va., for whom I restored it, and who has generously given permission to present the historical information and documentation of that restoration included here. Upon receipt, the banner was extremely dusty, and was generally dirty overall. There was significant blue/green oxidation in evidence on the metal nail head spikes, on the gold fringes and woven metallic braid trims, and in a horizontal line across the red cotton backing fabric at the point where the metal spikes are set into the banner. The red backing fabric was also dusty and stained throughout. The silk brocade fabrics comprising the wide border on the left and right sides of the central inner banner were in shreds, although the original silk brocade remains intact on the upper and lower borders. Several silk velvet tabs for hanging the banner were torn. The Conservation treatment included the following: 1. All the gold metallic fringes, the woven metallic braid trim, the nail head spikes, and their flat mounts were first cleaned with ammonia applied with cotton swabs. Vinegar was subsequently applied, after which the metals were flushed with distilled water. Additional cleaning of the metal work included application of mineral spirits in areas that previously resisted cleaning, and cleaning by mechanical means, lightly scraping away some oxidation. 2. The raised and painted elements of the inner banner were cleaned with distilled water and organic enzymes. The Navajo carpet fragment backing the center medallion was cleaned with sodium lauryl sulfate (a neutral pH surfactant) and distilled water. 3. The front and back of the banner were hand vacuum cleaned with a low suction HEPA filtered cleaner through a screen of fiberglass mesh.

4. New Chinese silk brocade material was located in a paisley pattern that approximated the design of the original 1850’s gold and white silk brocade, that had been painted brown for use in the banner. The new silk material was painted brown with matte watercolor paint. 5. Strips of the new, painted replacement silk were cut, fitted, and stitched into the borders over the original fragments. 6. Holes in the silk velvet hanging tabs were secured by insetting patches of new silk velvet into the holes and securing them to the interlining with Jade 403 PVA adhesive. 7. In order to support the banner’s hanging weight, a sheet of corrugated plastic board was attached to the strainer before it was covered with brown cotton velveteen mounting fabric which was stretched, pinned, and stapled to the mount. 8. The perimeter of the banner was stitched to the mounting fabric with linen carpet thread. The inner banner was secured to the mount by stitching directly through the coroplast board with linen carpet thread. 9. The metallic bullion fringes and plied red and white silk fringes were secured to the banner by stitching with cotton and linen threads. 10. The banner was framed in a wooden shadowbox frame.

3. Detail, damage to silk border, bottom left corner, before treatment.

4. Reverse of banner, before treatment.

6. Stitching painted silk brocade border material in place, during treatment.

7. Banner, during treatment. 5. Detail, carrying handle, left, reverse of banner.

Conservation treatment was completed in October 2012.

5. Closeup of the carrying handle on reverse of banner.

9. Banner, after conservation, mounting and framing.

1. Banner, front, before conservation treatment.

2. Detail of banner, before treatment.

8. Banner, before stitching to mount.

September 2017

Civil War News

Ask The Civil War Appraiser By John Sexton North Carolina State Seal Dear John: My name is Anthony Amick. A couple months ago my wife bought me my first metal detector. You wouldn’t believe what I’ve found in just a couple of months detecting right in my backyard! First I found a heavily corroded 1773 Virginia half penny, then the next week I found what seems to be a rare North Carolina state seal militia officer’s sword belt buckle plate! I am almost 100% sure this piece is authentic. I found this beautiful N.C. buckle plate near the 1773 Virginia half penny. I am very interested in learning what this rare, dug plate is worth and any other information you might have about it. Any references you can direct me toward? Are you may be able to tell me how many of this style plate exist in excavated condition? Anthony Amick Dear Anthony: What you found is just the center decorative “button” that attaches to the tongue of a two-

piece sword belt plate. This is a very scarce and desirable buckle. The device represents the antebellum North Carolina state seal circa 1850-1860. State seal buckles of other states are more common and North Carolina is probably the rarest of all Civil War Southern state buckles. Normally, the button portion would have little value, but in this case your die-struck centerpiece presents nicely even though excavated. Examples of complete buckles with this device are shown in all the major books on Civil War accoutrement plates and belt buckles, including page 163 of William Gavin’s Accoutrement Plates North and South 18611865, (1963). It is also pictured on page 385 of Sydney Kerksis’s Plates and Buckles of the American Military 1795-1884, (1974). The most recent and best book on Confederate and Southern belt plates is Confederate Belt Buckles and Plates by Steve Mullinax (1991), which shows examples of both known manufacturers, J.S.

This picture displays the item’s condition on the day I removed it from the ground. Complete North Carolina belt buckle made by N.P. Ames of Chicopee, Mass.

This photo is after the “button” was rinsed.

This picture shows the reverse side. The solder marks show where the “button” was attached to belt buckle’s tongue.

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ks e e

m o c .

d y r n

Smith & Sons of New York and N.P. Ames of Chicopee, Mass.. Your buckle was made by Ames as can be seen by the die variance shown in these reference books. A complete non-excavated example is valued at $25,00035,000, and there are only a handful of examples known. There are also only a few excavated specimens and I am personally unaware of a complete example with both tongue and wreath other than the example owned by well-known Confederate buckle expert, collector, and dealer, Nick Periut of Knoxville, Tenn. Mr. Periut values his complete excavated example between $15,00020,000. I have little doubt that your decorative North Carolina state seal “button” would garner a lot of attention if taken to a Civil War show. It is quite possible in my opinion that someone would pay as much as $3,000-4,000, though dealers would try to buy it for less. John is an certified appraiser with International Society of Appraisers specializing in Civil War memorabilia. He authenticates and evaluates other rare and valuable historic items as well. His website is http://www.civilwardealer.com. He is coauthor of the book Confederate Bowie Knives (2012) by Jack Melton, Josh Phillips and John Sexton, that was published by Mowbray Publishing Inc. Send “Ask The Appraiser” questions and photographs to civilwarappraiser@gmail.com.

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September 2017

Civil War Events Sept.–Nov.

Aug. 25-27, Pennsylvania. Reenactment

27th annual Lebanon County Civil War weekend at Union Canal Tunnel Park West Lebanon, Pa. Hosted by 93rd Pa. Volunteer Infantry 13th Mississippi Friends of Union Canal Tunnel Park. Battles both days. Saturday morning tactical, artillery bounty, no mounted cavalry, no horses. Registration is $10. Sutler fee is $25 due by Aug. 10. Hosted by 93rd Pa. Volunteer Infantry 13th Mississippi Friends of Union Canal Tunnel Park. For information, Dennis R. Shirk, 717-993-4294 or drshirk93@comcast.net

Aug. 26-27, Virginia. Reenactment

Battle of Kettle Run Anniversary Weekend. 11–4, Free, $5 suggested donation. Join Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park staff and volunteers on the 155th anniversary of Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s capture of Bristoe Station and the Battle of Kettle Run—the opening round of what would become the Second Battle of Manassas. This August 27th battle, while small, was bloody and took a heavy toll on the regiments that fought there. Visit the park on the actual anniversary for specialized in-time walking tours that will make this forgotten battle come to life in vivid detail. Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park. The parking lot is located off of Iron Brigade Unit Ave., Bristoe, Va. 703-366-3049.

Sept. 2, New York. Reunion

14th Annual Descendants of the 136th New York Infantry Regiment Reunion at the Hunt G.A.R. Hall in Hunt, N.Y. Free event open to everyone. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Chuck Ikins, 136th NY descendant will be the guest speaker. For info contact John DuBois at 585-226-9397 or 136thhistorian@gmail.com

Sept. 9-10, Ohio. Reenactment

Join the ranks with over 1,500 Civil War soldiers and civilians for a weekend, and experience life in the 1860s at Ohio’s largest and greatest Civil War event! Walk through historic Union and Confederate camps, witness cavalry and artillery demonstrations, enjoy the Saturday Civil War Ball, tour all 10 of Zoar’s historic buildings, and much more! This event is only every other year, so don’t miss your chance to take part in this weekend filled with fun! Admission is $10/person and children 12 and under are FREE, and your ticket is good for the whole weekend! Hours are Saturday, Sept. 9, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 10, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sept. 16, Virginia. Civil War Round Table Congress.

CWRT leaders from throughout the nation will gather to learn ways to improve meetings, attract more members, raise more money, solidify partnerships and run great programs. Attendees will hear from leaders of successful CWRTs who will share their knowledge and experience to help you strengthen your organization. All CWRT members are welcome. Space is limited. Participants are invited to an optional tour of the Manassas battlefield on September 17, hosted by the Bull Run CWRT. $30 registration fee includes Congress admission and boxed lunch. For information; 360-481-3117 or http://www. pscwrt.org/congress.html

featuring street fighting through the Village. Registration $8 by April 1st, $10 after. Sutlers $75. Registration deadline August 31st. No walk-ons. HCSV contact: Jim Stephens, jstephens@hcsv.org, (609) 898-2300, x 17.

Sept. 21-24, Maryland. Tours

“Lincoln at Antietam” Featuring bus tours of Lincoln’s October 1862 visit to Antietam with John Schildt and others. Based in Chambersburg, Pa. For information contact Lark at lplessinger@chambersburg.org or 717-264-7101. www. civilwarseminars.org

Sept. 23, Illinois. Civil War – WWII Show

Chicagoland’s Civil War & Military Collector’s Extravaganza at DuPage County Fairgrounds, Wheaton, Sat. 9-4. Admission $9. The DuPage, Illinois Civil War Show, will bring delight to the Civil War Enthusiast. Civil War dealers from throughout the United States. The history of America’s Great Heritage can be viewed on the 100’s of tables of unique artifacts offered for sale. For information, 715-526-9769; www.zurkopromotions.com

Sept. 23-24, North Carolina. Living History

Come join the 3rd annual School of the Soldier Event at Bennett Place State Historic Site. Watch as soldiers perform basic drill, cook and sleep while in the field. Learn about the different weapons used during the war, the flags they carried and see how the uniforms changed from 1861 to 1865. There will be weapons demonstrations throughout the day each day. Sat. 10-4 and Sun. 10-3. Free admission. For more information; 919-383-4345, bennett@ncdcr.gov, www.bennettplacehistoricsite.com

Sept. 28, Lecture

Reception at 6 p.m. and lecture begins at 6:30 p.m. at Historic Tredegar. $10 Adults, Members: $8. Not everyone in the United States or Confederacy agreed with the War, and many people chose to actively oppose it. How did anti-war Democrats (known as “Copperheads”) in the Union voice their objections to the actions of Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party? How did pro-Union southerners demonstrate their commitment while living in the Confederacy? For information contact: Sean Kane at 804-649-1861 x123 or skane@acwm.org

Oct. 4-5, North Carolina. Reenactment

The 1st N.C. Volunteers / 11th N.C. Troops proudly present the 31st Annual Battle Reenactment of Fort Branch, in Hamilton, N.C. Seven original cannons on site. Battles both days at 1:30. Confederates and Federals needed. Registration begins at noon Friday. Usual amenities. Saturday – morning tactical that evolves into 1:30 spectator battle, evening BBQ meal, and dance. Sunday – morning church service and 1:30 spectator battle. All proceeds go to Fort Branch preservation and restoration! For information; www.fortbranchcivilwarsite.com U.S. units: 252-756-3382, leecats@suddenlink.net, Howard Lee, 108 Regalwood Rd., Greenville, NC 27858 C.S. units: 919-732-6986, LGordon3@nc.rr.com, Lee Gordon, 383 St. Mary’s Rd., Hillsborough, NC 27278

Oct. 6-8, Virginia. Period firearms competition

The North-South Skirmish Association 136thh National Competition near Winchester. Over 3,000 uniformed

Sept. 16-17, New Jersey. Reenactment.

Civil War Weekend at Historic Cold Spring Village, a 19th century living history museum, Cape May. Living history, battles 2 pm Saturday and Sunday

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42 competitors in 200 member units compete in live-fire matches with muskets, carbines, breech loading rifles, revolvers, mortars and cannon. The largest Civil War live-fire event in the country. Free admission, large sutler area, and food service. For more information visit the N-SSA web site: www.n-ssa.org or e-mail spartan70@sbcglobal.net

Oct. 7, North Carolina. Tours and Living History

3rd annual Reunion and Remembrance. Bennett Place State Historic Site. Take a special guided tour around the farm where you will learn about the years 1865 to 1890 from living historians and actors portraying people who lived through that tumultuous time in our history. This event gives voice to black and white, soldier and civilian. Program is Sat. 10-4. Tickets will be required. 2 guided tours –11:30 a.m. and at 2 p.m. Activities all day long. Cost $3 per Adult and $2 per child. For more information; 919-383-4345, bennett@ncdcr.gov, www.bennettplacehistoricsite.com #187

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September 2017

Oct. 14, Pennsylvania. Ball

The Friends of the Laurel Hill Cemetery will again ‘resurrect’ the Gravediggers’ Ball. This black-tie or masquerade event will be held at the Ballroom of the Sugar House Casino at 1001 N Delaware Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. and will include cocktails, dinner, dancing and musical entertainment by an 11-piece dance band. All proceeds go towards the continued restoration and preservation of historic Laurel Hill Cemetery, burial site of General Meade and many Civil War veterans. $200 donation per person (Meade Society Table - $180 discounted). For information; 215-228-8200, or visit theundergroundmuseum.org

Oct. 14, Virginia. Art on the Battlefield

Painting, drawing, photography has traditionally been a significant part of capturing history, particularly that of the Civil War. We continue this artistic tradition by inviting artists to find inspiration at our battlefields and historic homes. Artists will be working all over the Park throughout day. Pre-registration is encouraged for participating artists. For information; 804-861-2408, pamplinpark.org/things-to-do/special-events

Oct. 14-15, Virginia. Living History

The Battle of Bristoe Station Anniversary Weekend and Luminary. 11-4 daytime demonstrations, Evening Luminary begins at 7 p.m.; Free, $5 suggested donation. Join Battlefield Park staff for the 154th Anniversary of the Battle of Bristoe Station. Tour a Civil War encampment, watch artillery firing demonstrations, and tour the site of the third and final battle that took place in Prince William County. On Saturday evening, visit the battlefield for a rare treat to see over 2,000 luminary candles for every soldier who died at Bristoe Station. Living history vignettes will be located across the battlefield and self-guided tours will lead visitors to meet the men and women who made history here. Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park, parking lot is located off Iron Brigade Ave., Bristow, Va. 703-366-3049.

Oct. 14-15. Virginia. Living History

Please join us for the 153rd Anniversary of the Battle of Cedar Creek which will be held on the actual battlefield of Cedar Creek located at 8437 Valley Pike, Middletown, Va. Regular registration (by July 31) is $20, late registration (by Sept. 30) is $25 and walk-ons price is $30. For more information; http://ccbf.us/?page_id=994

Oct. 19. Massachusetts. CWRT Jubilee Dinner

The Olde Colony Civil War Round Table will hold their annual Jubilee Dinner at Lombardo’s. 6 Billings Street, Randolph, MA. Guest speaker Michael Chesson, Ph.D. will speak on “The Richmond Bread Riots”. For tickets and more information; contact Bob Hearsey at 781-828-3183.

Oct. 20-22, Virginia. Symposium

21st Annual National Civil War Symposium: Generals we Love to Hate. Seven outstanding scholars discuss topics surrounding these controversial and contentious Civil War Generals. Friday evening through Sunday afternoon. Speakers include Steve Engle, A. Wilson Greene, John Hennessey, Sam Hood, Brian Jordan, George C. Rable and Craig Symonds. Reservations are required. For information; 804-861-2408, pamplinpark.org/things-to-do/specialevents

Oct. 28, Virginia. Seminar

Shenandoah University’s McCormick Civil War Institute annual fall semester seminar and tour with Prof. Jonathan

DuPage Co. Fairgrounds DuPage Co. Fairgrounds

WHEATON, IL WHEATON, IL 2015 W. Manchester • Wheaton, IL 60189

2015 W. Manchester • Wheaton, IL 60189

September 2017

Civil War News

A. Noyalas—”Love Not, the One You Love May Die”: The Battle of Milford (Overall’s Run) and the Front Royal Executions, September 1864. (10 a.m.4:30 p.m.) Beginning at 10:30 a.m. with a lecture at Samuels Library in Front Royal (330 E. Criser Road) followed by an afternoon car caravan tour of sites associated with the Battle of Milford and Front Royal Executions. Lunch not provided. $25 registration fee, pre-registration required. To register contact: cpfieste@su.edu or 540-665-4587. For more information: jnoyalas01@ su.edu Space is limited so please register early!

Oct. 28-29, Alabama. Skirmish

portrayals welcome, ages 12 and up, period attire required. A lovely afternoon break to gather with your friends or make new friends! Sponsored by Civil War Lady by Joy Melcher. Advance tickets only. For information, www. NationalVictorianTea.com or call 712-310-9383.

Nov. 18, Pennsylvania. Remembrance Day Dedication

General Meade & his Generals and the veterans of the Battle of Gettysburg Honor/Dedication Ceremonies during the Remembrance Day Observance. Honoring all commanders and veterans of the Battle. Please meet at the General John Gibbon Monument along Hancock Ave. at 10 a.m. then proceed to the General Meade Equestrian Monument at 10:30 a.m. for traditional honor ceremonies and wreath layings. For info; 215- 848-7753 or gedwinmc@msn.com

Old Baker Farm is Alabama’s oldest active working farm. Located approximately 25 minutes south on Hwy. 280 from Birmingham in Harpersville. All branches invited to the Cotton-Picking Celebration and Skirmish. Firewood, hay, water and powder for artillery. Sutlers welcome. For info; Jimmy White, 205-594-0136, alabamabattery@yahoo.com

Nov. 18-19, Florida. Civil War, Gun, Knife & Military Show

Oct. 28-29, Virginia. Evening Tour

Nov. 19, Pennsylvania. Civil War Ball

Voices from the Shadows: A Walk Through Hallowed Ground Experience the Park after dark as costumed guides lead you on a spine-chilling tour of the Park’s historical sites. Listen to haunting stories from the 19th century as you embark on a hair-raising tour by lantern light. Reservations required. For information; 804-861-2408, pamplinpark.org/things-to-do/ special-events

Nov. 10, Pennsylvania. U.S. Marine Corps Birthday Observance

Will be held at the grave of General Jacob Zeilin, 7th Commandant of the Marine Corps; a Veterans’ Day Tour follows ‘Servicemen Killed in Action’ Tour - at Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia at 11 a.m. Keynote speaker. Marine Corps Ceremony. Honor guards, flags ad wreaths welcome. For information; 215-228-8200.

Nov. 11-12, Virginia. Civil War Show

MKShows presents the “Original Richmond” Capital of the Confederacy Civil War Show in Richmond for collectors and history enthusiasts. Located at the Richmond International Raceway, 600 E. Laburnum Ave., Richmond, Va. 23222. Free parking. Over 350 tables. Adults $10, Children under 12 are free. Sat. 9-5 and Sun. 10-3. For information, www.MKShows.com. Email Mike Kent at mike@mkshows.com.

Nov. 17, Pennsylvania. Remembrance Day Ball

Friday, November 17 at the spacious Eisenhower Inn with plenty of dance space for all with the largest ballroom in Gettysburg. Free parking, discount hotel room block, Photographer on site, Adjacent Lounge. Banquet begins at 6:30 p.m. and Ball commences at 8 p.m. Attend one or both events! The Susquehanna Travellers Band and caller Tom Mack for your enjoyment. Immediate seating, light refreshments and a professionally run event for your enjoyment. For information, www.GettysburgBall.com, 712-310-9383 or joymelcher@hotmail.com

Nov. 18, Gettysburg. Remembrance Day Victorian Tea

Held directly after the Remembrance Day Parade at the 1863 Inn of Gettysburg, right on the parade route. Join us for Chef prepared Victorian delicacies, Period entertainments and Living History. Military and Civilians

“The Vision Place of Souls” An exhibition of Civil War works created by acclaimed artist Jeff Fioravanti

The Vision Place of Souls

July 3-December 22, 2017 Lynn Museum, 590 Washington St, Lynn, MA, 01901

A nationally accomplished pastel artist and oil painter, Jeff Fioravanti has long possessed a love of the American Civil War in part due to the artists of that conflict, Winslow Homer, Conrad Wise Chapman, Richard Norris Brooke, Alfred Waud among others as well as prints produced by Currier and Ives. He has often parlayed his love of art and American history to help a number of organizations preserve the lands and artifacts of this traumatic period of our nation.

For more information call 781-581-6200 or visit www.lynnmuseum.org

The Florida Military Antique Collectors, Inc. presents the Snowbird Collector’s Show with antique arms and military collectibles thru WWII. Modern and used forearms, war medals, etc. at the Araba Shrine Temple, 2010 Hanson St. at Rt. 41, Ft. Myers, Fla. 33901. Admission is $8, parking is free. Dealer set-up on Fri. 11-5 and Sat. 7:30-9. Show hours are Sat. 9-5 and Sun. 9-2. For table reservations and information call Pat at 954-294-2526 or Gary at 847-863-3929. The National Civil War Ball, the official and original ball of Remembrance Day, sponsored by the Sons of Veterans Reserve, the Military Department of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, will be held 8-12 p.m., Sat., Nov. 18, at the Eisenhower Hotel, 2634 Emmitsburg Rd., Gettysburg. Dancing and music by the Philadelphia Brigade Band. All dances will be demonstrated by the VDE. Period attired encouraged but not required. Ladies’ cake walk, door prizes, and cash bar. $20/ in advance, $25/door. For information; 740-369-3722, hshaw@columbus.rr.com.

Civil War News

September 2017

Wreath Laying Ceremony Honors Confederate Commodore John Randolph Tucker By Bob Ruegsegger John Randolph Tucker’s illustrious naval career began as a 14-year-old midshipman in 1826. By the time his career concluded, he had served with distinction in three navies; the United States Navy, Confederate States Navy, and Peruvian Navy.

John Randolph Tucker was born in Alexandria, Va. He died in Petersburg and was interred near his wife in Norfolk’s Cedar Grove Cemetery. (Courtesy Image) One hundred thirty-four years to the day after Rear Admiral Tucker’s death, his memory was honored at a wreath laying ceremony in Norfolk’s Cedar Grove Cemetery. “The ceremony today is specifically a Peruvian Navy ceremony honoring a remarkable person who served in the Peruvian Navy as a rear-admiral,” said Chris Melhuish, a board member with the Norfolk Historical Society. “After about 6 to 8 months, he resigned his command honorably and was commissioned by the president of Peru to be the president of the Peruvian-Amazonian Hydrographic Commission,”

Captain Franz Bittrich offered a tribute to Rear Admiral John R. Tucker during a wreath laying ceremony in the Norfolk cemetery at the gravesite of John and Virginia Tucker. “We’re here because we want to honor our Admiral Tucker,” said Capt. Bittrich. He is the commanding officer of the Peruvian sail training ship BAP Union.

noted Melhuish. “His team explored about 3,000 miles of the Amazon River over a period of seven years.” While the ceremony was conducted by a contingent of Peruvian naval officers and midshipmen, representatives from the United States Navy, Sons of Confederate Veterans, and the Norfolk Historical Society were also on hand to formally pay their respects. The wreath laying ceremony opened with the singing of the Peruvian national anthem. Captain Franz Bittrich, commanding officer of the BAP Union, offered remarks. R. Breckenridge Daughtrey, clerk of the City of Norfolk, presented Captain Bittrich with a City of Norfolk proclamation formally recognizing the occasion. “We’re here because we want to honor our Admiral Tucker. He collaborated with Peru in preserving our independence when we were at war with Spain in the 19th century,” said Bittrich, commanding officer of the Peruvian naval training tall ship. The BAP Union was among a host of tall ships participating in the Parade of Sail during Norfolk’s annual Harborfest event. Norfolk was among the cities the BAP Union scheduled for port calls. “We’re making our trip with the midshipmen,” said Bittrich. “This year we decided to visit the United States so we’re visiting Jacksonville, Norfolk, and Boston.” Tucker’s experience in the United States Navy included service in the Mediterranean and in the Mexican-American War. He later commanded the USS Pennsylvania, a receiving ship stationed in Portsmouth. Later, Commander Tucker received an appointment as ordnance officer at the Navy Yard in Portsmouth. “We’re here joining our brothers-in-arms from the Peruvian navy as they are visiting Harborfest to pay tribute to Admiral Tucker,” said Commander Kevin Hoffman, USN. “It’s an opportunity to celebrate Rear Admiral Tucker, a phenomenal leader

in the United States and Peru,” noted Hoffman. “This offers both maritime nations the opportunity to celebrate and honor a true hero.” In 1858, Commander Tucker suffered a personal tragedy when his beloved wife of 20 years, Virginia Webb Tucker, died and left him with three children. His second military career began in 1861 when Virginia seceded from the Union. Tucker resigned his commission after 35 years of service in the U.S. Navy Drewry’s Bluff Gun Battery. Tucker’s sailors and marines and was offered a commission in manned one of the gun batteries at Drewry’s Bluff to defend the Confederate States Navy. Richmond. Pictured is a Bellona Foundry 8-inch Columbiad. While in command of the James River Squadron, CSS Pat- Tucker surrendered his sword to great dangers. They completed rick Henry and CSS Virginia, General Keifer in the end,” he their mission to chart the Amazon Commodore Tucker participated said. “At the end of the war his in seven years– without the loss of in the Battle of Hampton Roads 1860 naval cutlass was allegedly a single member. Admiral Tucker with distinction and witnessed the given back to him because of his became widely-recognized as the advent of the age of iron warships bravery in battle.” “Admiral of the Amazon.” in the historic clash between the Following the Civil War in “Once I heard about this USS Monitor and the CSS Vir- 1866, Tucker was offered a com- ceremony, there was absolutely ginia. When the Union Navy at- mission as a rear admiral in the no way that I would not be at the tacked Drewry’s Bluff near Rich- Peruvian Navy. Tucker accepted cemetery,” said Frank Earnest. mond, Tucker commanded one of command of the Peruvian fleet “I am a native Virginian, born the Confederate gun batteries. and raised his flag above the cor- in Norfolk, son of a WWII Navy Tucker took command of the vette Union during the Chincha chief, and a naval retiree myself,” ironclad ram CSS Chicora at Islands War with Spain. he explained. “I had to be here to Charleston, S.C., in Sept. 1862. After serving in the Peruvian honor this great naval officer from He soon became the flag officer of Navy for eight months, Tucker the United States Navy. I also had the Confederate’s small ironclad resigned his commission. Tucker to honor him as a Virginian.” squadron in Charleston harbor. outlined a plan to establish a Under his command, Charleston hydrographic expedition to became a platform for Confeder- explore the essentially uncharted ate naval technology, involving Amazon River and its tributaries. mines, spar torpedo boats, and President Mariano Prado of Peru the submarine Hunley. appointed Tucker as president During the final months of the of the Peruvian Hydrographical Civil War, Tucker command- Commission of the Amazon. ed a detachment of sailors and Tucker’s commission fought marines—Tucker’s Naval Bri- hostile tribesmen, suffered gade—and again engaged in de- countless hardships, and faced fending Richmond at Drewry’s Bluff. During the Appomattox Campaign, Tucker’s Naval Brigade saw service as the rear guard protecting General Lee’s army. Bill Hunnicutt, a member of Tucker’s Naval Brigade with the North-South Skirmish Association, was among the individuals Midshipmen from the sail who came to honor the service of training vessel BAP Union John R. Tucker. “Tucker’s Naval participated in Harborfest and Brigade became Lee’s rear guard Tombstone Inscription. In as well as the wreath laying during his retreat on the way to ceremony at Cedar Grove Appomattox,” said Hunnicutt. loving memory of Admiral Cemetery. “They fought ferociously and John R. Tucker. even counterattacked against greater odds, but Commodore

Peruvian Officers Salute in honor of Rear Admiral Tucker. The ceremony began at 10 a.m. on June 12, 2017. It was—to the day—the 134th anniversary of Admiral Tucker’s death.

Saylor’s Creek. Tucker’s Naval Brigade distinguished itself at the Battle of Saylor’s Creek. Tucker’s men continued fighting after most of the Confederate infantry units had surrendered.

September 2017

Civil War News

Small Talk

Classifieds Art JOHN PAUL STRAIN prints – Framed, signed & numbered. Spring Campaign ($550), Snowmoon ($750), Romney Expedition ($750), Return to Clarks Mt. ($650), Road to Front Royal ($550). Prices include shipping within the continuous United States. Contact Linda Seamon at LLSeamon@aol.com or call 717359-7339. 10.17

GENERAL INTEREST INDIANA SEEKING LETTERS, Journals, etc. on 39th Indiana/8th Indiana Regiment for regimental history book I’m writing. Contact Mike Baker at psufan79@yahoo.com or 739 W. Hamilton St., Apt. Farr305, Allentown, PA 18101.

NEW HAMPSHIRE JOIN A CIVIL WAR outfit that you can brag about! The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is a fraternal brotherhood in New Hampshire and nationally that maintains the memorials to the Union soldiers and sailors. Contact Dave Nelson: 603-654-9437, danelson.in.nh@comcast.net

NEW YORK 125TH NEW YORK: Seeking copies of photos of anything to do with the 125th New York. For my personal research on the Regiment. Email mmarchand@ americoninc.com.

Books Did you know? That the critical role religion and Faith played in the Civil War is often ignored?? Interested in knowing more? Get the nationally acclaimed “Both prayed to the same God” (Robert J. Miller). Go to www.amazon.com or www.civilwarreligion.com “MARYLAND LINE Confederate Soldiers’ Home and Veterans’ Organizations in Maryland” $20; “Union Civil War Veterans’ Organizations in Maryland” $10; both titles by Dan Toomey. All prices include taxes and shipping. Visa, MasterCard or check to Toomey Press, PO Box 122, Linthicum, MD 21090 or toomeypress@aol. com.

ANSWERS:

Books

DANCE

“Can You Find It?”

DANCE WITH THE BEST! Presenting balls, demonstrations, classes, living history programs, and artifact displays for over 21 years. The Victorian Dance Ensemble of the Civil War Dance Foundation has presented programs for the Smithsonian, Ken Burns Tours, National Park Service, and Civil War Trust and conducts the National Civil War Ball and Civil War Preservation Ball. IRS recognized nonprofit educational organization. Events have raised over $200,000 for preservation. Instructional DVD available. Visit www.CivilWarDance.org.

Hidden locations on the Gettysburg battlefield.

Iron Posts on Little Round Top. Nine Confederate Burials in the Gettysburg National Cemetery, Dinosaur Footprints, The Boy Colonel, Mount Rushmore, Witness Tree Tags, JFK, Actor Jimmy Stewart, Notre Dame, The God Tree, Christmas in July, Alexander Gardner’s “All Over Now” photograph plus 100 more locations.

Take the challenge.

How many can you find? Softcover, 8-1/2" X 11", 104 pages, 165 color photographs. $21.95 to Dan G. Siderio, PO Box 3074, Gettysburg, PA 17325. Rebels In The Rockies: Confederate Irregulars In The West. Dr. Walter Pittman. McFarland Publishing. $39.95. Available from Amazon.

SHARPSHOOTER BOOK. Definitive study. Over 500 pages with illustrations & endnotes. $50. Sharpshooter Press, PO Box 569, Aguilar, CO 81020 GEORGIA’S CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS: In Honor of a Fallen Nation, by Gould Hagler. Available at retail stores, online sellers, and from Mercer University Press. Photos of all of Georgia’s monuments, the complete inscriptions and other information on the monuments and the organizations that built them. Retail price: $45. Available from author for $35 plus shipping. Contact author at gould.hagler@gmail.com NEW GETTYSBURG BOOK “After Gettysburg-Lee retreats, Meade pursues” All in one place: retreat & battles incl.: Monterey Pass, Bristoe, Mine Run. Biographies of notables. 144 pp. Available from Amazon, B&N, or the Gettysburg Heritage Center. josephmieczkowski@gmail. com Cell: 717-253-6880.

WE CALL dances as the Shenandoah Valley Civil War Era Dancers are all-volunteer & non-profit, raising money for battlefield preservation. Visit our website for schedules and photos. https://sites.google.com/site/ svcwed. Like us at www.facebook. com/SVCWED. 4.15.18

RESEARCH SERVICES “RECORDS OF History”: Pension and military records from the National Archives, American Revolution to Spanish-American War. Great for collectors or family history. Reasonable fees, no charge until found. John Emond Phone: 301-384-2809. Historyrecords@aol.com

ROBERT E. LEE PROGRAMS ROBERT E LEE from “West Point to Washington College”. Al Stone, long time portrayer of Gen. Robert E. Lee retired his “field” impression in April 2015 at the 150th anniversary of the Appomattox campaign. However as the great Southern Chieftain went on to educate, so has Al who is now offering a unique series of programs in which he will speak to any and all issues you desire about Robert E. Lee from “West Point to Washington College”. Recognized by leading historians, artists and reenactors as offering the most accurate impression of the South’s most famous general, Al will address any groups, schools, conferences or other gatherings anywhere and is currently scheduling for summer, fall and winter of 2017. Visit: www.generalrelee.com or contact Al at: astoneasrelee@ frontier.com, Phone 813-7821297 or 304-660-7390.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Fort Pillow, Tennessee. Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, IX Corps commander. Capt. Charles Wilkes; HMS Trent. Chevaux de frise. Maj. Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne at Ringgold, Ga. Rose O’Neal Greenhow. Fifth New York Zouaves, organized by Col. Abram Duryee. Heros (Johann August Heinrich Heros) von Borcke (18351895). 9. Lilacs. 10. The Horse Soldiers (1959).

Publishers/Authors: Please send your book(s) for review to:

CWN Book Review Editor, Stephen Davis 3670 Falling Leaf Lane • Cumming, GA 30041-2087 ROUND TABLES ALABAMA CIVIL War Round Table in Birmingham, Alabama meets at 6 p.m. the second Thursday of each month except Dec., June, July and Aug. at the Vestavia Hills library on Highway 31. For more information, see our website at www. civilwaralabama.org.

VIDEO Last Raid at Cabin Creek

– Ride along with Stand Watie on one of the most daring raids of the war – the Confederacy’s greatest victory in the Indian Nations. Award winning 90-minute documentary available as a download rental, download purchase or as a DVD at Amazon.com. 10.15.17

September 2017

Civil War News

Books Reviewed In This Issue Page 30Lincoln in Indiana. By Brian R. Dirck. Illustrations, notes, index, 132 pp., 2017, Southern Illinois University Press, www. siupress.com, $24.95 cloth. Reviewed by James A. Percoco Wayne Wendell Phillips: Social Justice and the Power of the Past. Edited by A.J. Aiseirithe and Donald Yacovone. Notes, index, 370pp., 2016, Louisiana State University Press, www.lsupress.org, $55 hardcover. Reviewed by Wayne L. Wolf Page 31The Union Cavalry Comes of Age: Harwood Church to Brandy Station, 1863. By Erick

J. Wittenberg. Maps, photographs, appendix, index, bibliography, 411 pp., 2017. The History Press, www.arcadiapublishing. com, $24.99 paperback. Reviewed by Walt Albro U.S. Colored Troops Defeat Confederate Cavalry. By Edwin W. Besch. Photos, notes, index, bibliography, 292 pp., 2017. McFarland, www.mcfarlandpub. com. $35 softcover. Reviewed by Gould Hagler Page 32A Tourist Guide to Civil War Washington, D.C. By Thomas P. Lowry. Maps, appendix, 136 pp., 2017, Idle Winter Press, www. idlewinter.com. $9.99 paper.

Reviewed by Douglas Ullman Jr. Page 33Lincoln’s Lieutenants: The High Command of the Army of the Potomac. By Stephen W. Sears. Illustrations, maps, notes, bibliography, index, 912 pp., 2017, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, www.hmhco.com. $38 hardcover. Reviewed by Paul Taylor Winchester’s Three Battles: A Civil War Driving Tour Through Virginia’s Most WarTorn Region. By Brandon H. Beck. Maps, photos, bibliography, 175 pp., 2016, Angle Valley Press, AngleValleyPress.com, $21.95. Reviewed by Shelby R. Shrader

Want To Advertise In Civil War News? Email us at ads@civilwarnews.com or Call 800-777-1862 For a rate sheet visit: www.civilwarnews.com New Titles from Stephen Davis A Long and Bloody Task

The Atlanta Campaign from Dalton through Kennesaw Mountain to the Chattahoochee River May 5–July 18, 1864 Davis’ narrative history of the Atlanta Campaign is divided into two paperbacks from Savas Beatie’s Emerging Civil War Series. Volume One, A Long and Bloody Task, carries Sherman’s forces from Dalton in northwest Georgia to the Chattahoochee River. There the Confederate government was forced to relieve its army commander, Joseph E. Johnston, and replace him with Gen. John B. Hood. Paperback, 192 pages. $14.95 + $4.95 shipping

All the Fighting They Want The Atlanta Campaign from Peachtree Creek to the City’s Surrender July 18–September 2, 1864

With the Yankee army five miles outside of Atlanta, Hood promised not to give up with city without a fight— which is all President Jefferson Davis asked. Davis’ companion volume, All the Fighting They Want, describes Hood’s efforts to defend Atlanta. Its fall in early September 1864 was a mortal blow to Confederate hopes for independence and a big boost to Lincoln’s hopes for presidential reelection. Paperback, 192 pages. $14.95 + $4.95 shipping

To order a signed copy from author Stephen Davis call 404.735.8447 or email SteveATL1861@yahoo.com

Civil War News

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Advertisers In This Issue: Ace Pyro LLC 39 American Digger Magazine 39 Antietam Battlefield Guides 3 Beaufort Naval Armorers 6 Brian & Maria Green 3 C.S. Acquisitions 14 Civil War Antique Shop - Steve Heller 6 CWMedals.com, Civil War Recreations 33 CivilWarMugs.com - Wallace Enterprises, LLC 14 Civil War Expo 19 Civil War Shop - Will Gorges 19 Civil War Trust 13 College Hill Arsenal - Tim Prince 10 Company of Military Historians 27 David L. Sites - Berkshire Hathaway Realty 5 Dell’s Leather Works 37 Dixie Gun Works Inc. 7 Franklin Battlefield Tours 6 Fugawee.com 23 Georgia’s Confederate Monuments - Book 15 Greg Ton Currency 19 Gunsight Antiques 13 Harpers Ferry Civil War Guns 16 Henry Deeks 39 Historic Surratt House Museum 42 Home Sweet Home Band 37 The Horse Soldier 23 James Country Mercantile 18 Jeweler’s Daughter 19 Jessica Hack Textile Restoration 24 John Sexton Appraiser 48 Kimberly Brigance - Civil War Appraiser 34 Le Juneau Gallery 29 Mike Brackin 28 Military Images Magazine 21 National Museum of Civil War Medicine 37 N-SSA 31 Old South Antiques 45 Panther Lodges 39 Quartermaster Shop 27 The Regimental Quartermaster 35 Richard LaPosta Civil War Books 34 Savas Beatie 13 Stephen Davis 35 Stephen Davis Emerging Series Books 46 Thomas Power Lowery MD - Author 27, 32 Ulysses S. Grant - Curt Fields 7 University of Oklahoma Press 18 Vin Caponi Historic Antiques 12

Events:

Battle of Franklin Trust 43 Chicagoland’s National Civil War Show 42 Gettysburg Civil War Battle Reenactment 35 Image of War Seminar - Charleston, S.C. 42 MKShows, Mike Kent 29, 41 New England Events 40 Remembrance Day Military Ball - Gettysburg 46 Rifles, Rails & History Living History - Fla. 46 13th Annual Warrenton-Fauquier Heritage Day 40 “Vision Place of Souls” - Lynn Museum 43

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Please send your book(s) for review to: CWN Book Review Editor, Stephen Davis 3670 Falling Leaf Lane • Cumming, GA 30041-2087 Email cover image to bookreviews@civilwarnews.com

Civil War News cannot assure that unsolicited books will be assigned for review. We donate unsolicited, unreviewed books to libraries, historical societies and other suitable repositories

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