The Confederacy Under Attack-- Part 419: New Orleans Takes a Step Toward Going Lower Case

From the March 7, 2017, Google Alerts for Confederate.

**  New Orleans Can Remove Confederate Statues, Federal Appeals Court Says.  (LOSS)

And, this is a big loss.  I am not surprised as there is no way we're going to get a fair hearing in any court as they are all on the anti-Confederate side.  I am sure they will be down very quickly and with nothing said about what will be done with them.

Just like in the case of (l)ouisville, Kentucky, New Orleans is well on its way to lower case shame for the shameful act they contemplate now.  Too bad, as this will have a big impact on my choice to ever go back to the shamed city.

And, I still believe that when a governmental body wants to be that insensitive to others, they should pay.  I would put the sum to be paid at $1 million apiece for the Lee, Davis and Beauregard statues.  No charge for the fourth one.

The city will remain upper case until they do their ignoble move.

And, With New Orleans' Black Murder Rates, You'd Think They'd Have Bigger Issues.  --Old Secesh

The Confederacy Under Attack-- Part 418: Save the Confederate Statues, Memorials and Monuments

From the March 2 and 5, 2017, Google Alerts for Confederate.

**  Confederate Flag flies high near Chesapeake toll plaza.  (Virginia)  (Win)  Always love it when one of the Flags flie flags flies high and proud.  Kind of an "In Your FACE!!"

**  Editorial:  What Richmond should do about its Confederate statues.  (Virginia)  (Win)  Richmond Times-Dispatch.  The editorial says to keep the statues and monuments, but have a marker accompany each to tell the stories behind the monuments and individuals they honor.

I can certainly agree with this.  And, if need be, even to mention that the Confederacy was also fighting to keep slavery.  It is rare when the Confederacy can get a fair shake in the media.

Save Our Statues, Monuments and Memorials  --Old Secesh

17th Maine Infantry-- Part 2: Service

From May 23 to October 7, 1862, they were in the Washington, D.C., defenses.

Battle of Fredericksburg

Battle of Gettysburg--  They were in the Wheatfield fighting for 2 1/2 hours July 2 and reinforced the Union's center during Pickett's Charge.  Casualties during the battle:  3 officers and 37 enlisted killed,  5 officers and 87 men wounded.

Bristoe Campaign

Battle of the Wilderness

Battle of Spottsylvania

Cold Harbor

Petersburg Siege

Mine Explosion

Sailor's Creek

Appomattox

--Old Secesh

17th Maine Infantry-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

This was Private John W. Haley's regiment.

Mustered in at Cape Elizabeth, Maine, August 18, 1862, for three years service.  Mustered out June 10, 1865.  Men still having time to serve were transferred to the 1st Maine Volunteer Heavy Artillery Regiment.

During the course of the war, 1,371 served in the unit.

12 officers and 116 KIA or mortally wounded.
4 officers and 159 died from disease.
31 died in Confederate prisons.

Their colonel was George Warren West.

--Old Secesh

3rd Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment: Many Battles

From Wikipedia.

In the previous post, I recounted what Private  Jon W. Haley had to say about the veterans of this unit transferring to his 17th Maine.

The regiment mustered into U.S. service June 4, 1861, at Augusta, Maine for three years service.  They mustered out June 28, 1864.  veterans who re-enlisted and recruits still with time to serve transferred to the 17th Maine.

Its colonel was Moses B. Lakeman.

During its service, the regiment enlisted 1,586 men and lost ten officers and 124 enlisted killed in action or mortally wounded.  In addition, another one officer and 149 died from disease.

This was a regiment that fought in most of the major battles in Virginia and the east, including Bull Run, the Peninsular Campaign, 2nd Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and the Overland Campaign.

--Old Secesh

"The Rebel Yell & Yankee Hurrah"-- On the Veterans and Getting Out Alive

This past week, I wrote about going to the Lake County Civil War Round Table meeting in Grayslake, Illinois, and stopping earlier at the town library where I found a really good soldier's diary by Private John W. Haley of the 17th Maine Regiment.

Earlier this month I wrote about Union soldiers classified as "Veterans."  These were soldiers who reenlisted after their term of service was over.  If most of their regiment declined to reenlist, they would be sent to other regiments.

Here is Private Haley's writing for June 5, 1864, during Grant's Overland Campaign against Lee (A Real Bloodbath):

"Soon as the light was strong enough we struck out for our regiment and soon ran afoul of them near where we were laying a few days before.  Nothing unusual transpired during the day except for the transfer of the 3rd Maine veterans to our regiment.

"Those who won't re-enlist are to go home in a few days, and a happy lot of mortals they are.  It makes me positively sick to see them!

"My term of service will not expire until August 6, 1865, a trifle over a year from now.  The way things look now, it is a ten-to-one chance that I will expire before my term does."

Telling It Like It Is.  --Old Secesh

MCCWRT Discussion Group Meets March 25 in Crystal Lake

I am planning on being there.

The McHenry County Covil War Round Table discussion group will meet Saturday, March 25, 2017, at Panera Bread at 6000 Northwest Highway (US Highway 14) in Crystal lake, Illinois.

The topic will be Ulysses S. Grant Beyond Chattanooga.  All welcome to attend and add to the discussion or just listen.

I plan on mentioning the "Fistfight That Stopped a Battle" at Saunders Field during the Battle of the Wilderness and the sharpshooter who killed Gen. Sedgwick at the Battle of Spotsylvania.

Many think it might have been Charles D. Grace of the 4th Georgia from the town of LaGrange who killed Gen. Sedgwick.   This town also was home to the female militia unit known as the Nancy Harts, named after an American Revolution heroine.  I have written about them in this blog earlier this month.  I also have had quite a few blog entries on Nancy Hart in my Cooter's History Thing blog.

Maybe also find out if Spottsylvania is spelled with one or two ts?

See You There.  --Old Secesh

The Confederacy Under Attack-- Part 417: Confederate Flags and Statues

From the March 3 and 5, 2017, Google Alerts for Confederate.

**  Confederate Flag flies high near Chesapeake toll plaza.  (Virginia) (Win)  Always moves my heart to see one flying tall and proud.  While coming back from Florida, i saw a big one flying off I-65 in northern Alabama.  Sure liked that.

**  Editorial:  What Richmond should do about its Confederate statues.  (Virginia  Richmond Times-Dispatch)  (Win)  The author wants to keep the statues and monuments but have markers that tell the stories behind the monuments and individuals they honor.

I fully agree.  And, they can mention that they fought to keep slavery if that makes certain people happy.

--Old Secesh

Who Shot General Sedgwick?-- Part 2: Was It Charles D. Grace?

"One of the most interesting incidents relating to the Battle of Spotsylvania (I've seen it spelled with double ts and a single t) Court House is the death of Union General John Sedgwick on May 9, 1864.  His apparent disdain for enemy bullets and his last remarks provided an ironic end yo a brilliant career."

Two other Federal officers of rank were also shot on May 9th, about the same place and same time.  They were Col. Frederick T. Locke, a staff officer, and General William H. Morris, one of Sedgwick's subordinates.  Both recovered, though Morris was quite badly hurt.

At least a half dozen Confederates have been named as the one who fired the fatal shot: Charles D. grace, 4th Georgia; Thomas Burgess, 15th South Carolina; Benjamin M. Powell, 1st South Carolina; Reuben Garnett Willis, 13th Virginia; Waller Holladay, Charlottesville Artillery (Va.); and an unnamed skirmisher identified by the 6th Vermont and killed soon after.

--Old Secesh

Who Shot General Sedgewick?-- Part 1

From the December 1995, Blue & Gray magazine.

The Woodstock (Illinois) Public Library was getting rid of some of their old magazines, so I picked this one up as it featured the North Carolina Battle of Bentonville, fought near Goldsboro, N.C., where I was born.  The magazine also had the article"The Man Who Shot John Sedgwick" by Roger S. Durham.

One man who most believe was the shooter was Charles D. Grace of the 4th Georgia Infantry Regiment.  That regiment number sounded recently familiar to me and then I read that Grace was from LaGrange, Georgia, where the female military unit, the Nancy Harts were from.

I have been writing a lot about Nancy Hart, the American revolution heroine, in my Cooter's History Blog lately.

--Old Secesh

The Confederacy Under Attack-- Part 416: Maryland Church Reverend Oversteps Boundary

From the March 3, 2017, Google Alerts for Confederate.

**  Annapolis church pulls Confederate ceremony over 'connections with racism.'  (Annapolis, Md.)  (Loss)  Rev. Amy Richter of St. Anne's Episcopal Church denied the James I. Waddell Camp 1608 the right to commemorate the life and grave of Confederate Navy Captain James I. Waddell as they have done on occasions in the past.  (Waddell commanded the famous Confederate raider CSS Shenandoah, the last part of the Confederacy to pull down its flag after the war.)

Does she know how many Episcopalians were  involved with slavery?  Does she know that since Maryland was a slave state and her church was established in 1816, with the present structure being built in 1858.  Perhaps the building should be torn down for its connection with racism, since that was a basic tenet of slavery.

At least, change the name of the church because of its racist ties.

Shame On Her.  --Old Secesh

The Confederacy Under Attack-- Part 415: N.C. School Board Stands Up to Blacks

From the March 1, 2, 2017, Google Alerts for Confederate.

**  North Carolina School Board Rejects Ban On Confederate Flag.  (Hillsborough, Orange County, N.C.) (Win)  It is great to see someone stand up against the tyranny of the blacks these days.

**  Confederate statue to be removed from outside Maryland courthouse.  (Montgomery County)  (Loss)  The UDC donated it in 1913.  BLM vandalized it and it will be moved to another spot.

I wonder what we should start doing to the Union monuments on courthouse lawns in the North?  Considering what their occupying armies did.

--Old Secesh

Murder and Mayhem in Chicago

Remember, so much of this anti-Confederate thing started in earnest after the Charleston murders when the white racist killed the 9 blacks in that church.  Unfortunately, he was shown in previous pictures waving a Confederate flag.

That was nine lives and a horrible thing, for which I still hope execution takes place.

However, meanwhile, in Chicago, the mostly black on black shootings continue.

I went to the handy Hey Jackass, Murder and Mayhem site for these statistics:

March:  16  killed and 80 wounded

This week, so far (3-12 to 3-18):  5 killed 11 wounded

Year to Date:  114 killed and 505 wounded

On average, a person is shot every 2 hours 52 minutes.  A person is killed every 14 hours and 34 minutes.

And, Most of These Are Blacks Killing Other Blacks.  And the White Racist Killed Nine Blacks.  It Seems That the Black Groups Should be More Concerned With Their People Killing Each Other.  --Old Secesh

The Confederacy Under Attack-- Part 414: Couple Sentenced for Horrible Behavior

From the February 28, 2017, Google Alerts for Confederate.

**  Couple sentenced for disrupting birthday party with Confederate Flags, making threats."  (Georgia)  (Loss)  I do not say this is a loss because of their being sentenced, but because of what they did.  This is entirely unacceptable and hopefully, it will be a painful sentence.

This took place at a black child's birthday party.  The couple was white.

Things like this gives us a bad impression.

--Old Secesh

What's With This Neo-Confederate Name?

I keep seeing a lot of articles with headlines and content referring to Neo-Confederate groups.

And, the use is not in a positive view.  It is way too close to the term Neo-Nazi and I am sure that is why anti-Confederate groups and journalists use it.  Connecting Confederate people with the Nazis makes them look bad.

Wikipedia describes a Neo-Confederate as a group or person trying to portray the Confederate States of America in the most positive light.

Interesting enough, Wikipedia does not list the Sons of Confederate Veterans or United Daughters of the Confederacy as Neo-Confederates.

The Other Side Is Comparing Confederates to Nazis.  No Way!!  --Old Secesh

McHenry County Civil War Round Table Meets Tonight

March 14, 2017.

Ed Urban will make a presentation on McHenry County and the Civil War. This will take place at the Woodstock (Illinois) Public Library a couple blocks from the historic Woodstock Square.  All welcome.

March 25, Saturday.  The McHenry County Civil War Round Table discussion group will meet in Crystal Lake, Illinois, at Panera Bread on Northwest Highway from 10 to noon.  Discussion will be on Ulysses S. Grant Beyond Chattanooga.

Getting My Civil War On.  --Old Secesh

Lake County Civil War Round Table Meeting-- Part 1: A Great Book

Last Thursday, I went over to Grayslake, Illinois, and attended the meeting of the Lake County Civil War Round Table at the Grayslake Heritage Museum in downtown.

I arrived early and found the Grayslake Library and checked it out.  I bought a CD by blues singer Anson Funderburgh and an excellent book "The Rebel Yell & the Yankee Hurrah: The Civil War Journal of a Maine Volunteer, Private John W. Haley, 17th Maine Regiment."  Edited by Ruth L. Silliker.

This could very well be one of the best diaries/journals written during the war and I have already enjoyed reading some of the accounts.

These were offered by the Friends of the Grayslake Library which has a wall of great books and CDs, etc..

--Old Secesh

The Confederacy Under Attack-- Part 413: Different Parade Date

From the December 3, 2016, Google Alerts for Confederate.

**  Confederate veterans group granted permit for Lexington parade.  (Virginia)  (Win)  It will be held January 15, two days after the state holiday for Lee and Jackson.  This is big win n these days of rabid anti-Confederate hatred.

**   New Orleans asks federal court for warning before Confederate monument decision.  (Loss)  The city still wants to take them down.

New Orleans seems intent of shaming itself and becoming lower case.

--Old Secesh

The Confederacy Under Attack-- Part 412: Alexandria's Statue Saved Back in December

From the December 1, 2016, Google Alerts for Confederate.

**  Not so fast: Alexandria's Confederate symbols will stay put for now.  (Virginia) (Win)

**  Legislators Shut Down Alexandria's Attempt To Move Confederate Statue.  (Virginia)  (Win)

**  Hints of Confederacy fall with UNLV newspaper name change.  (Nevada)  (Sort of a Loss)  Name changed from the Rebel Yell to "The Scarlet & Gray Free Press."  Hey, fellas, hate to tell you that the color gray is often associated with you know who.

The Blue and the ____.  --Old Secesh

The Confederacy Under Attack-- Part 411: Defenders and Offenders Clash in Charleston

From the February 23, 2017, Google Alerts for Confederate.

**  Confederate Flag supporters and protesters clash outside activist Bree Newsome's lecture at the College of Charleston.  (South Carolina)  (Loss)

It is alright to peacefully demonstrate, but never to get physical or verbally abusive.  I'm sure both sides were both in this instance.

**  Anchorage-area high school bans Confederate Flag.  (Alaska)  (Loss)

All the Way in Alaska?  --Old Secesh

Nancy Harts Militia-- Part 2: Named After American Revolution Hero

The group of women militia called themselves the Nancy Harts, or sometimes Nancies, and were named in honor of Nancy Hart, a Patriot spy who outwitted and killed a group of Tories during the American Revolution.

Two women, Nancy Hill Morgan and Mary Alford Heard organized the first meeting and 40 women attended.

Though they were organized as a military  unit, they primarily served as nurses.  Later in the war, LaGrange became a medical and refugee center because of its close proximity to battlefields and an intact rail line.  There were four hospitals in LaGrange.

An Interesting Group That I'd never Heard of Before.  Thanks, Mort.  --Old Secesh

The Nancy Harts Militia-- Part 1: To Defend While the Men Were Away

From the New Georgia Encyclopedia.

On March 4th, I wrote about the Nancy Harts, a female group who stood up to Union cavalry in the closing days of the war in LaGrange, Georgia.  This was featured in the Mort Kunstler 2017 Civil War calendar for the month of March.

The Nancy Harts were formed in LaGrange, Georgia, at the onset of the war.  They were an all-female military unit organized by the wives of Confederate soldiers with the realization that their men would not be there to protect them.

On April 26, 1861, the Liberty Light Guards of the 4th Georgia Infantry Regiment, composed of local men, mustered and marched off to war.  Over the course of the war, some 1,300 left for Confederate military service.

It was obvious that LaGrange would be of some military importance as it was located half way between Atlanta and the first Confederate capital at Montgomery, Alabama.  Plus, it had rail connections.

--Old Secesh

The Confederacy Under Attack-- Part 410: Mississippi State Colleges Face No Penalty for Stand on Confederate Flags

From the February 22, 2017, Google Alerts for Confederate.

**  No penalty for furling Confederate-themed Mississippi flag.  (Loss)

All eight Mississippi public colleges refuse to fly the state flag.  I have said and will continue to say that if they will not fly the state flag then they should receive absolutely no state funds.  Let the all-things Confederate-haters come up with the money.

This Really Burns Me.  --Old Secesh

56th Illinois's Co. I: What Kind of a Company Was It?

I mentioned several of the 13th Illinois' veterans transferring to Company I of the 56th Illinois after their term of enlistment expired in 1864.  They were now classified as "Veterans."

Most of Company I's soldiers had transferred out of the company back in 1862, so it must have been a company in name only between then and the 13th Illinois' men transferring in.

--Old Secesh

The Colonel Ellsworth Flag-- Part 3: Legacies

The 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia had a major exhibit dedicated to Ellsworth.

Ellsworth, Michingan, Ellsworth, Wisconsin and possibly Ellsworth, Iowa are named for him.

Also, Fort Ellsworth, a timber and earthen fortification in Alexandria, Virginia, part of the Civil War defenses of Washington, D.C., also was named for him.

--Old Secesh

The Colonel Ellsworth Flag-- Part 2: Who Has What

The New York State Museum and Veterans Research Center in Saratoga Springs has most of the flag and the colonel's uniform, which still shows the hole left in it by the fatal shot.

The Fort Ward Museum in Alexandria, Virginia, has a whole section dedicated to Ellsworth including the kepi he was wearing when killed.  In addition, they have envelopes that appeared afterwards with his likeness on them, a piece of the Confederate flag he died over (still showing his blood) and the "O" from the Marshall House which a soldier took as a souvenir.

--Old Secesh

The Colonel Ellsworth Flag-- Part 1: Pieces for Sale

From Wikipedia.

Relics associated with Col. Elmer Ellsworth's death became prized souvenirs.

The Smithsonian and Bates College Special Collections Library have pieces of the flag.  Evidently, so does the San Bernardino County Museum.

In 1894, Brownell's widow offered small pieces of the flag for sale for $10 and $15 each.

She was the wife of Corporal Francis E. Brownell of Troy, New York.  This soldier was the one who immediately shot James Jackson (or stabbed him with his bayonet) after the shooting.  He later received a Medal of Honor for his role in the incident.

--Old Secesh

The Confederacy Under Attack-- Part 409: And the Fight Continues.

From the February 7-8, 2017, Google Alerts for Confederate.

**  North Bend School District bans Confederate Flag after student fight at H.S..  (Oregon)  (Loss)  But, again, if the person with the Confederate Flag was deliberately taunting a black student, I might be inclined to agree with the ban, to an extent.

**  Two Confederate Flag Wavers Convicted For Disrupting Black Child's Party.  (Douglasville, Georgia)  If they were doing it on purpose, I'm glad they got in trouble.

There Is No Excuse for This Last Thing.  --Old Secesh

LaGrange vs. LaGrange in Georgia

From Mort Kunstler's 2017 March Civil War calendar.

LaGRANGE, GEORGIA, APRIL 17, 1865.

As with most military conflicts, the call to duty depletes the male population who marches off to war.  Sometimes the war comes to town, requiring women to take up arms in defense of their homes and firesides.

On April 17, 1865, the LaGrange, Georgia, all female militia known as the "Nancy Harts" was required to take this type of defensive action.

They marched to meet the advancing Union cavalry led by Col. Oscar H. LaGrange.  Outgunned and outnumbered, the women, the women peacefully surrendered, and in return the Union troops spared the town's population and property.

This encounter took place one week after the surrender at Appomattox.

The painting shows the ladies in dresses standing their ground with weapons raised as the Union cavalry comes into town.

Brave Women.  --Old Secesh

Veterans

Union soldiers who re-enlisted after their term of service was over were then classified as veterans.

That applied to those who re-enlisted in the previous post.

--Old Secesh

13th Illinois Infantry, Company F

Company F was made up mostly of men from Sycamore.

Some of the officers:

Azro A. Buck--  Sgt., 2nd lt., 1st lt.,, captain Nov. 19, 1863

Everell Dutton, 1st lt, captain, Sycamore

Nelson R. Harrington Veteran, from Sycamore.  Transferred to Company I, 56th Illinois

Alonzo Houghton, Sycamore

Zelotus B. Mayo, Sycamore, captain.  Resigned July 25, 1861.

Frederick Myers, transferred to Company I (probably the 56th Illinois)

Charles W. Orvis (or Ovis), Sycamore, veteran  Transferred to Co. I, 56th Illinois

Richard A. Smith, Courtland--  2nd lt., 1st lt., captain.  Discharged August 21, 1863.

Old Secesh

13th Illinois Infantry: Company E

From Illinois Gen Web.

Officers:

A.J. Brinkerhoff of Sandwich, Illinois.  1st. Lt., Captain.  Resigned March 14, 1863.

George H. Carpenter, Sandwich.  2nd Lt., 1st Lt., Captain  Mustered out June 18, 1864

George B. Devoli, Sandwich.  2nd Lt.  Resigned March 31, 1862

Benjamin J. Gifford, Plano.  2nd Lt.

Henry T. Porter, DeKalb County.  2nd Lt., promoted to Adjutant

William Wallace, Sandwich.  Sgt., 1st Lt.

--Old Secesh

Companies of the 13th Illinois Infantry

I already mentioned that Companies E and F were comprised mostly of men from DeKalb County.

The other companies:

A  from Lee County

B from Whiteside County

C from Lee County

D from Rock Island

G from Whiteside County

H from Kane County

I from Cook County

K from DuPage County

--Old Secesh

13th Illinois Infantry-- Part 5: Where They Reenlisted

Earlier, I mentioned that I didn't know where any of the men from the 13th reenlisted, if they did.

Some of them are shown as having reenlisted, but in other regiments.  The 13th Illinois ceased to exist.

I went through the roster of Company F, primarily consisting of men from DeKalb County, Illinois.  Most of them were from Sycamore and evidently, most did not reenlist and that was the end of the company and regiment.

However, a few did re-enlist and were then classified as Veterans.

I came across four men from Sycamore who were sent to Company I, 56th Illinois.

Explained.  --Old Secesh