Major John Johnson Obit-- Part 3

Maj. John Johnson was called to his immortal reward Sunday, April 7. 1907.  Ever present in life to cheer and comfort him was the love, esteem, and confidence of all mankind, and in the hour of death those who knew him best have every confidence that the world is better in that he lived.

The father of Dr. Johnson (Major), Joseph Johnson, M.D.,  was a son of William Johnson, one of the Revolutionary patriots of "Liberty Tree" fame and an exile to St. Augustine, and a nephew of Justice William Johnson, of the United States Supreme Court.

General Beauregard said that to Dr. Johnson was due the masterly defense of  Fort Sumter.

--Old Secesh

Major John Johnson Obituary-- Part 2: Sheathed His Confederate Sword and Drew His Sword for the Lord

It is fortunate that the defense of Fort Sumter has had an eminently fair, impartial, unimpassioned  and scientific history from both contestants --  Gilmore writing  as to the attack and Johnson as to the defense.  Major Johnson's most valued historic contribution is remarkable  in its entire accuracy, its completeness of detail, and, above all, for the supreme modesty of its author.

Forever the name of Major John Johnson will be linked with the fame of the historic defense of Fort Sumter.

After sheathing in honor his Confederate sword, he drew bright and fair the sword of the Lord, and for many years the beloved rector of St. Philips Church, Charleston.  Brave in the struggle of life, consistent in every action, persistent in every duty, loving and tender  to all around him, he was in a long life of peace devoted to all that was pure, lofty, and enobling as true as when, amidst war's alarums  (old word for alarm),  he was coolly and skillfully rebuilding the ramparts of Fort Sumter.

--Old Secesh

Major John Johnson, Obituary-- Part 1

From Confederate Vets.com.  From the Confederate Veteran magazine of the United Confederate Veterans.

REV. JOHN JOHNSON D.D.

Tribute by Gen. Cornelius Irvine  Walker, Charleston, S.C.

The most obstinate , prolonged and gallant defense of the whole war was that of Fort Sumter in Charleston, S.C. Harbor. There the first Confederate flag was planted in victory, and there almost the last was lowered in disaster.

For two years the vast resources of the United States, its navies and its armies, were in vain expended against the fortress.  Shot and shell from the most powerful armaments of the day were thundered against its ramparts; but it never yielded to a front attack, and was abandoned only when Sherman flanked the Confederates out of Charleston.

The heroic men who so gallantly held the fortress won an imperishable glory.

The man who, by his skill, patience, untiring energy, and superb courage, made possible the prolonged holding of the fort was its chief engineer, Major John Johnson.  His genius converted the crumbling ruins  of Fort Sumter into an impregnable stronghold.

So preeminent and  and well-known were these services that  all unite in yielding him credit.

--Old Secesh

Major John Johnson-- Part 6: Surrendered With Johnston, Religious Pursuits and a Book

John Johnson was promoted to Major of Engineers in October 1864.  Upon recovering from his wounds, he joined Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's army in eastern North Carolina and took part in the battles of Averasboro and Bentonville.  He was paroled as senior officer of engineers at the surrender of the army at Greensboro in April 1865.  (Probably Johnston's surrender at Bennett Place in Durham, N.C..)

After the war, he resumed his ministerial studies  and in January 188, was ordained  to the Episcopal ministry and assumed charge of Grace Church in Camden, South Carolina.  In 1871, he returned to Charleston and became assistant minister of St. Philip's Episcopal Church.  he was made rector the following year, at age 43, and served in that capacity for the next 34 years.

In July 1890 he published his work "The Defense of Charleston Harbor, Including Fort Sumter and Adjacent Islands 1863-1865."  This book received high commendation from the best literary and military critics.

In the summer of 1891,  he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from the University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee,  and a few years later the College of Charleston conferred on him the degree of LL.D..

The Reverend John Johnson died  in Charleston at age 78 on April 7, 1907, the 44th anniversary of his posting to  Fort Sumter.  he was survived by his wife of  of 42 years, Floride Canteyand eight children.  he is buried at St. Philip's Church Cemetery..

--Old Secesh

Major John Johnson-- Part 5: Fifteen Months Under Fire

John Johnson was posted to Fort Sumter on April 7, 1863,  in time to witness the U.S. Navy attack on that place and then served for 15 months as engineer-in-charge of the fort's severest bombardment.  Applying his expertise and constant attention to detail, he oversaw daily repairs to damage and reinforcement efforts to sustain the fort throughout the devastating  rain of shellfire  from Union guns.

On July 28, 1864, he received his second and most serious of two wounds which left him a cripple for the rest of his life.

General Beauregard said to Major John Johnson was due  the masterly defense of Fort Sumter:

"It did not end in triumph, but it has left behind a setting of glory as of the western skies, a blazonry of heroism where gold and purple serve to tell of valor  and endurance, and the crimson hue is emblem of self-sacrifice in a cause  believed to be just."

--From the concluding sentence of Major John Johnson's book "The Defense of Charleston Harbor, Including Fort Sumter and Adjacent Islands 1863-1865."

--Old Secesh

Major John Johnson, CSA-- Part 4: Engineering and Divinity

Born in Charleston on December 25, 1829, he received his academic  education in engineering and pursued that for ten years where he was employed in surveys, railroad construction and water-works.  In 1853, under the patronage of the state, he prepared and published a large map of South Carolina.  He continued his academic studies at sessions offered at the University of Virginia 1858-1860.

In addition, he decided to enter the ministry  of the Protestant Episcopal Church and began  preparation at Camden, South Carolina,  under the direction of Bishop Thomas F. Davis until the war broke out.

He entered the engineering corps of the Confederate Army in August 1862 at age 33 with the rank of Lieutenant of Engineers, then Captain in 1863 and Major in 1864.  He was initially engaged in the construction of defenses at several towns (including Wilmington).

--Old Secesh

Major John Johnson of Fort Sumter-- Part 3: Also Saw Service at Wilmington

From the Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie NPS.

Joined Confederate Army in 1862 and rose through ranks from lieutenant, captain to major in the Corps of Engineers.  Saw service at Savannah, Wilmington (another Fort Fisher-Wilmington person) and especially noted for his time in Charleston and at Fort Sumter.

He was twice wounded at Fort Sumter  where he served as engineer in charge for the 15th months of the severest Union bombardment of that place.

Survived the war and authored "The Defense of Charleston Harbor, Including  Fort Sumter and Adjacent Islands 1863-1865."  It was published in 1890 and is still considered the one of the best historical and technically detailed accounts of that bombardment.

--Old Secesh

Major John Johnson, Fort Sumter Defender of Charleston-- Part 2: Of Engineers and the Church

The Rev. John Johnson, rector emeritus of St. Philips Episcopal Church in Charleston, Confederate Major of Engineers in charge at Fort Sumter,  and author of "The Defense of Fort Sumter" and other historical works, died last night at the age of 78.

He studied civil engineering, to which for ten years he devoted his energies in railroad constructing and other large engineering work throughout South Carolina.  In 1853, he published the largest map of this state ever undertaken.

In 1860, he studied for the ministry at the Camden University in South Carolina, but at the outbreak of the war, he entered the engineering  corps of the Southern army  with the rank of Lieutenant of Engineers and rose rapidly through the ranks to major of Engineers.

He was mostly engaged  on the fortifications of several towns and was at Fort Sumter for fifteen months of its bombardment.  During this time, he was wounded twice by shells which left him crippled for life.

After the war, he was paroled as senior officer in the engineers and resumed his his ministerial studies, being ordained in 1866.   In 1872, he was appointed rector of St.Philips.

--Old Secesh

Major John Johnson, Fort Sumter Defender of Charleston-- Part 1

In the last post, I mentioned four young ladies who dedicated the Confederate defenders of Charleston statue in 1932.  One of them was Alicia Rhett, who was in the movie "Gone With the Wind" and whose name inspired that of the Rhett Butler character in that movie.

Unfortunately, the site I went to for the statue did not list the names of the four young ladies but I will do some research on their ancestors who were among the defenders.

The granddaughter of this man was one of the four young ladies.  He was listed as a Confederate engineer and author of a book on the defense of Charleston.

From the Find-A-Grave site.

REV. JOHN JOHNSON

BIRTH:  December 25, 1829  Charleston, S.C.

DEATH:  April 7, 1907  Charleston, S.C.

BURIAL:  St. Philip's Episcopal  Church Cemetery,  Charleston, S.C.

Alicia Rhett and her father Edmund Moore Rhett and mother Isobell Murdoch Rhett are buried there as well.  Also, John C. Calhoun is buried there.

--Old Secesh

Confederate Defenders of Charleston-- Part 4: The Four Young Ladies

The monument was unveiled by four young ladies, all descendants of members of the Confederate Defenders of Fort Sumter:

**  The granddaughter of Colonel Alfred Rhett, the first commanding officer of Fort Sumter.  (Alicia Rhett)

**  The granddaughter of Captain Thomas A. Hueguenin,  the last Confederate commander of Fort Sumter

**  The grandniece of Major Stephen Elliott, the second in command under Colonel Rhett

**  The granddaughter of Major John Johnson, a member of the Confederate Engineers and author of "The Defense of Charleston."

Two ushers placed on the monument the last Confederate flag that flew over Fort Sumter.

"The young ladies," the News & Courier reported, "then placed on the base of the monument  two wreaths of red and white carnations."

--Old Secesh

Col. William Robert Greer-- Part 2

Not only was William Robert Greer one of Fort Sumter's 1863 Defenders, but, he was captured at Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865 and held prisoner for the remainder of the war at Elmira, New York.

Of course, anything involving Fort Fisher immediately sparks my interest.

He was a private when captured at Fort Fisher, so the "Colonel' title must have been an honorary one.

--Old Secesh

An Added Little Nugget for Col. William Robert Greer and a Roadtrip Through History-- Part 1: A War of 1812 Trip

As I usually do when I come across names while researching a topic, I look them up to see if there is any more information as part of my Roadtrip Through History and I found a piece of information about this man that really made my day.  He was the featured speaker at the dedication of Charleston's "Defenders of Charleston" statue in 1932.  At the time, he was the last living of those defenders who held onto Fort Sumter during the tremendous Union attacks in 1863.

Right now, I am doing research on the disappearance of Theodosia Burr Alston in my Not So Forgotten War of 1812 blog.  And with a middle name like Burr, well, I just had to know.  Aaron Burr?  That scamp of American history who killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel, had been a former U.S. vice president and later attempted to cause a rebellion in the South?  That Burr?  Well, she was his daughter.

I arrived at the name Theodosia while researching about the HMS Nimrod which captured a whole lot of American ships during the War of 1812 and bombarded two Massachusetts towns.  There had been an earlier HMS Nimrod (1799) which had formerly been a French privateer, was taken into British service, which had captured a French privateer in 1807.  This one was also taken into British service  as the HMS Venturer which later had its name changed to HMS Theodosia.  This was why I came across the name Theodosia and how I ended up with Burr's daughter.

I also found out that there was a HMS Venturer submarine during WW II, that became the first submarine to sink another submarine (a German U-boat) with a torpedo while both were submerged.  I wrote about this in my Tattooed On Your Soul: World War II blog.

And, Theodosia, Burr's daughter, disappeared while on a ship during the War of 1812, and to this day, no one knows what happened to her.  I have been writing about her and her disappearance in that blog.

Now, yesterday,  I found out that she had a song about her in the popular musical "Hamilton."  I didn't see it, so this was news to me.  In it, Aaron Burr sang to his just-born daughter while Alexander Hamilton sang to his just-born son, Philip.  Both saw great things in store for their progeny.  The song was "Dear Theodosia."

But, as I said, Theodosia disappeared and Philip Hamilton was killed in a duel three years before his dad met a similar fate.  And, I found out that both Hamiltons were killed at the same place.

This is what my Roadtrippin' Through History is all about.  I start at one place and see where it takes me.

And, you're probably wondering about that nugget of information I found out about Col. William Robert Greer.  Well, I found out this information by Roadtrippin'.  You'll have to wait until the next post.

And, I wonder why it takes me so long to do these blogs.

A Road Tripping Through History I Go.  Or, If Your Name Is Hamilton, Don't Duel.  --Old Secesh

Confederate Defenders of Charleston Statue-- Part 3: "In Perpetue With Love and Veneration"

The last living Confederate Defender of Charleston in 1932 (the dedication date), Col. William Robert Greer, attended the ceremony.  He described Fort Sumter's ordeal and praised Andrew B. Murray, the philanthropist who donated $100,000 to the city to fund the monument.

There was never "at any time  and lack of courage,"  Col. Greer said, "but a determination unalterable that this great Gibraltar of Charleston should never be captured or  surrendered.... There were many flags shot down in the fort during the siege...

"But before the force embarked for the city, the commander, the gallant and intrepid  [Thomas A.] Huguenin, removed the standard and consigned it as a scared  relic to the care of the Sumter Guards, where it has been held in perpetue with love and veneration."

--Old Secesh

Confederate Defenders of Charleston Monument-- Part 2: Dedicating the Monument in 1932

The monument is topped by two figures, that of a woman representing Charleston and a young man representing the Confederate defenders.  The young muscular man is wearing nothing but a strategically placed fig leaf.

On October 20, 1932, some 8,000 people gathered for the statue's dedication in White Point Gardens, the Battery, for the Confederate defenders of Fort Sumter.  Many of those present had fathers, uncles and  grandfathers who fought  in what many still called "The Confederate War."

The statue's sculptor, Hermon A. McNeill, said of the monuments:  "The motif in brief, is that of a stalwart youth, standing in front with sword and shield symbolizes by his attitude the defense not only of the fort, but also of the fair city behind the fort in which are his most prized possessions, wife and family.

"And she, the wife,  glorified into an Athena-like woman, unafraid, stands behind him with arms outstretched toward the fort, this creating an inseparable  union of the city and Fort Sumter."

--Old secesh

Confederate Defenders of Charleston Monument-- Part 1

In the last post, I mentioned this monument as being one that Alicia Rhett helped dedicate in 1932.

Hopefully, it will be allowed to remain in place with all that is going on with Confederate monuments these days.

From HMdb.

Inscription:  "To the Confederate Defenders of Charleston   Fort Sumter 1861-1865."

Around the bottom of the base:  "Count Them Happy Who For Their Faith And Their Courage Endured A Great Fight."

Erected 1932 by the Fort Sumter Memorial Commission.

It is in Charleston, S.C., in White Point Garden.

The monument was erected  with the major portion of a $100,000 bequest of Andrew Buist Murray.  The artist was Hermon A. MacNeil, 1866-1947, sculptor.  Dawson Engineering Co. set the base.

--Old Secesh

Edmund Moore Rhett-- Part 3: A Du Pont Connection and a Statue in Charleston

**   Edmund's sister Marianna Rhett Du Pont ((1875-1967) married Francis Irenee Du Pont (1873-1942).  He was one of the famous Du Pont family and this is who Edmund was working for when he died in 1918 of the Spanish flu and Wilmington, Delaware.

No doubt his family relationship helped with the job.  Although in the past, only the top West Point graduates got into the Army Corps of Engineers so Edmund must have been very talented.

**  From Ancestry boards.

**  Alicia Rhett

On October 20, 1932, Alicia and three  other young ladies, all descendants of members of the Confederate garrison of Fort Sumter, unveiled the Confederate Defenders of Charleston monument.  (Hopefully it will be allowed to remain.)

In June 2019, this statue was "vandalized." (Hate Crime)   Two people were arrested, one of whom was a white person.

--Old Secesh

Edmund Moore Rhett-- Part 2: St. Philips Episcopal Church, Charleston, S.C.

From Find-A-Grave

Edmund Moore Rhett was buried  at St. Philips Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.  There are quite a few famous people buried there.

John C. Calhoun

Christopher Gadsden--  Revolutionary War, state legislator

James Gadsden--  War of 1812, Gadsden Purchase

Charles Pinckney--  Signed U.S. Constitution.  American Revolution  U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.  Laid groundwork for Louisiana Purchase.  Castle Pinckney in  Charleston Harbor named for him.

Thomas Pinckney--  American Revolution, S.C. governor and U.S. statesman.

Alicia Rhett--  Edmund Moore Rhett's daughter.

William Rhett--  Captured the pirate Stede Bonnet.

Edward Rutledge--  Signer of Declaration of Independence and American Revolution

--Old Secesh

Edmund Moore Rhett (Alicia Rhett's Father)-- Part 1: Died of Spanish Flu in 1918

I did find out some more about Edmund Moore Rhett.

From WikiTree.

Born 7 April 1877 in Charleston, SC.   Died 10 October 1918 in Wilmington, Delaware.  His father was a colonel in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, who had commanded Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor until 1863.

Edmund was admitted to the United States Military Academy June 15, 1896.  Graduated in 1900 as a lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers.

He was working for the railroad when he met his future wife, Isabel Beatrice Murdoch, who worked as a stenographer for the company.  The couple married in 1913-1914,  and had one child, Alicia (who was in the cast of "Gone With the Wind"), born in Savannah in 1915.

The family moved to Wilmington, Delaware, sometime around 1917.  He was employed as a chemical engineer at Du Pont  Company and the family resided at 1623 Rodney Street in Wilmington.  This was also his address given for his World War draft registration.

This is also where he was living when he died of the influenza.

When I saw he died that date, I was wondering whether he had died of the Spanish flu.  He had.

He was buried in Charleston, S,C, at St. Philips Episcopal Church Cemetery.

--Old Secesh

80th Anniversary of "Gone With the Wind"-- Part 3: Alicia Rhett, Her One and Only Movie Role

Alicia Rhett, who played India Wilkes, was the granddaughter of a Confederate Army soldier who served during the Civil War.

**  She died in 2014, one of the last of the actors and actresses from the movie.  This was her one and only movie role.   Reportedly, she did not much care for the whole Hollywood scene.

**  From IMdb:  Quote on the making of the movie:  "Clark Gable was great, always on time, always  knew his lines.  Leslie Howard had charm to burn.    Vivien Leigh  was delightful, an indefatigable worker, and just as pretty offstage as on.    So was Olivia de Havilland."

**  Originally tested for the role of Melanie.

**  Was an accomplished sketch and portrait artist before her role as India Wilkes.

**  During the filming of the movie, she did thumbnail sketches of everyone.

**  Her father was Lt. Edmund Moore Rhett (1877-1918)  Died at age 41.  He graduated from West Point in 1900 and was in the Army Corps of Engineers.  Died in Wilmington, Delaware.

I am unable to find any more information of him.

**  Reportedly, the Lady Baltimore cake was invented by one of her father's sisters, Alicia Middleton Rhett Mayberry.

**  And, her actual family name would appear to have had something to do with a famous name from the movie.

Rhett?  Rhett?  Where Have I Heard That Name?  --Old Secesh

80th Anniversary of "Gone With the Wind"-- Part 2" "I Am Not In It"

**  While visiting Atlanta's Cyclorama, the famed panoramic depiction o the Battle of  Atlanta, Clark Gable joked that there was one thing wrong with it:  "I am not in it."

Soon afterwards, one of the mannequins in the exhibit was altered to look like Rhett, with a handlebar mustache, fallen on the battlefield.

From the December 15, 2009 Civil War Picket on the 70th anniversary of "Gone With the Wind."

"I saw Rhett Butler today.   He didn't look so good.

"He was lying on the ground.  His eyes had no focus.  Blood covered part of his abdomen."

On the morning of December 15, Atlanta Mayor William B. Hartsfied (for whom Atlanta's airport is named), took Clark Kent and his new wife Carole Lombard o the Cyclorama at Grant Park.  Although impressed, Clark said it didn't have him, Rhett, in it.

Hartsfield later had artist Weis Snell  make a Rhett Butler of a dying Union soldier.

And, evidently, he is still there.

"Take a good look my dear.  It's a historic moment you can tell your grandchildren about -- how you watched the Old South fall one night."    Answer below.

Who Said That?  --Old Secesh


Rhett Butler

80th Anniversary of "Gone With the Wind"-- Part 1: Ohh, That "Dixie"

Last year was the 80th anniversary of the epic movie "Gone With the Wind," whether you like it or not, I am going to take through some information from one of those 100-page coffee table magazine books that I find so interesting.

From the Hollywood Legends Collector's Edition "Gone With the Wind."

Three bona fide Civil War-related facts about the movie:

1.  During the motorcade from the airport at the Grand Opening of the movie in Atlanta, at one point, star Vivien Leigh (Scarlet O'Hara)  noticed the band was playing "Dixie" and was overheard gushing,  "They're playing the song from the picture!" -- not realizing it was the "song" of  the Confederacy during the war.

Some Southern Belle.  --Old Secesh

"Gone With the Wind" Quotable Quotes

The movie "Gone With the Wind" was released in December 1939, and was at the theaters for months after that.  So, we are in the 80th anniversary of it.

From Wikipedia.

AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE

100 Years Series

Top 100 Movies:   #4

Top 100 Passions:  #2

************************************

SEE IF YOU REMEMBER THESE "GONE WITH THE WIND" QUOTATIONS:

From the AFI's 100 Years...100 Quotes

What do you think is the #1 quote?

These two were nominated, but didn't make the list:

"I don't know nothin'  'bout birthin' babies!"

"Fiddle-Dee-Dee."

#59.  "As God as my witness, I'll never be hungry again."

#31.  "After all, tomorrow's another day."

#1.  "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

But You Knew That.  --Old SeceGone

Sure Wasn't Expecting to Be "Out West" with This Blog, But, Here I Am: "RoadTrippin' Through History"

Now, this is about mt 17th blog entry dealing with Nebraska and Colorado.  Two months ago, I did not know of any of this and it all started with a move in Nebraska to put up a statue in honor of their 1st Nebraska Infantry Regiment at Fort Donelson.  Before that, I did not even know Nebraska had any regiments during the war.  And, I suppose that since this is not a Confederate statue, certain people will leave it alone.

Both were territories during the war.

You just never know where any of my blogs are headed as I do my research and writing according to road cruising.  I start at a point and just don't know where I am headed with it or how far I'll go with it.   Kind of like going to YouTube to hear a song, and then four hours later, you're still listening to music on that site.

This is something I get from my love of cruising down old roads, especially Route 66, the Lincoln Highway and the Dixie Highway.  You know where you start, but have no idea where you're headed.  I call this "Roadtripping Through History."

It will be interesting to see how far I go with this, or, for that matter, where I go with this.

See You When and Where I Go.  --Old Secesh

Coronavirus Ends Maryland's General Assembly Early, First Time Since the Civil War-- Part 1

From the March 18, 2020, Baltimore Sun "Coronavirus ended this year's General Assembly early.  The last time this happened  we were fighting the Civil War"  by Frederick N. Rasmussen.

The last time this happened, it wasn't a pandemic, but the opening stages of the Civil War.

This past Wednesday, the Maryland General Assembly adjourned early  as a precaution to stop the spread of you-know-what.

In early morning April 12, 1861, Confederates opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, starting the you-know-what.  A week later, troops of the 6th Massachusetts were marching through Baltimore on their way to guard Washington, D.C., when they were attacked by a pro-Southern mob in what became known as the Pratt Street Riots.

By the tine it ended, six civilians, a bystander and three soldiers were dead.  Twenty-four soldiers were wounded as were an unknown number of civilians.  This is considered where the war's first blood was shed since no one was killed at the Battle of Fort Sumter.

--Old secesh

Coronavirus Ends Maryland's General Assembly-- Part 2: Arrested for Thinking Southern

Maryland Governor  Thomas Holliday Hicks and Baltimore Mayor George William Brown summoned the state militia to suppress any further rioting.  Governor Hicks called the General Assembly to meet in Frederick on April 26.

They met through the summer and then a bill for cessation was introduced causing the governor to play a waiting game until enough federal troops were in the state

The Lincoln administration deemed any attempt of Maryland to secede as something that couldn't happen.  Lincoln's Secretary of War, Simon Cameron, said that "the passage of any act of secession by the Legislature of Maryland must be prevented.  If necessary, all or any part of the members must be arrested.

The day the session ended, September 17, twelve members of the Senate and fifty Delegates were arrested  by federal troops and charged with being Southern sympathizers, and jailed at Fort McHenry using Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus as justification.

--Old Secesh

Some More On Fort Sedgwick

From Fort Wiki.

FORT SEDGWICK

1864-1871

U.S. Army post established in 1864 as the Post at Julesburg Station by Col. Christopher H. McNally, 3rd Volunteer Infantry in Sedgwick County, Colorado.  Renamed September 27, 1865, for Major General John Sedgwick., who was killed May 9, 1864, at the Battle of Spotsylvania.

Abandoned in 1871.  Also known as Camp Rankin and Fort Rankin.  (I have been unable to find out who Rankin was.)

Established May 17, 1864, as the Post at Julesburg  It was located at a strategic point where there were several river crossings.  It was also  on a branch of the Overland Trail, which was used by settlers heading west as protection from Indian attacks.

The South Platte River was about a quarter mile away.

The post was abandoned May 31, 1871, after the cessation of Indian hostilities in the area.  It was transferred to the Department of the Interior on July 22, 1884.

It is on private property.  There is one marker near Ovid and one roadside marker near the location of the post hospital alongside CR-28 in Sedgwick County, Colorado.

--Old Secesh

Robert Byington Mitchell-- Part 2: Perryville, Chicakamauga and New Mexico

After his recovery, Lincoln appointed him a brigadier general an d he was given command of a mixed brigade at Fort Riley (Kansas).    Later, he commanded a division at the Battle of Perryville and then he was stationed at Nashville for awhile after that.

During the Chickamauga Campaign, he served as George H. Thomas' chief of cavalry for the Army of the Cumberland.  Just before the Third Battle of Chattanooga, he was ordered to Washington, D.C., for court martial duty.  There is some question as to whether this was because of incapacitation due to a wound.

Either way, he did not see active duty again against the Confederates, and commanded the District of Nebraska, District of North Kansas and finally the District of Kansas.

In January 1865, he commanded a unit chasing after a group of Indians who had attacked Julesburg, Colorado but was unable to catch them.

He was honorably discharged  on January 15, 1866, the same day the Senate confirmed his nomination as Governor of the New Mexico Territory.  He resigned from it in 1869 and returned to Kansas before moving to Washington, D.C., where he died January 26, 1882, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

--Old Secesh

Robert Byington Mitchel-- Part 1: Born in Ohio, Fought in Mexican War, Wounded at Wilson's Creek

From Wikipedia.

Two posts ago, I mentioned that this general organized a group to pursue the Indians after the Battle of Julesburg.  I'd never heard of him, so Wiki me.

April 4, 1823- January 26, 1882.  Brigadier general in Union Army.  Born in Mansfield, Ohio.  Practiced law in Mansfield  Was a second lieutenant in the Mexican War with the 2nd Ohio Volunteers.

Moved to Kansas Territory where he was a legislator and treasurer.  Delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Charleston, S.C., in 1860.

After the Civil War started, he was adjutant general of Kansas from May 2, 1861 to June 20, 1861.   Later commanded the 2nd Kansas Infantry.  He was badly wounded at the Battle of Wilson's Creek on August 10, 186, when he was shot from his horse while leading his regiment.

--Old Secesh

Fort Sedgwick, Colorado

Fort Sedgwick is also known as the Post at Julesburg, Camp Rankin and Fort Rankin.  The last two were the original names.  The town of Sedgwick (pop. 146) is named after the fort, which was named after Union General John Sedgwick.  Nearby Julesburg's population is 1,225 and was named after  Jules Beni, who had a somewhat checkered life.

John Sedgwick (1813-1864) was wounded three times in the war and killed by a Confederate sharpshooter at the Battle of Spotsylvania on May 9, 1864, shortly after uttering the words, "They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance."

In 1864, there had been an increasing number of skirmishes between Indians and white settlers.  As a result, military base Camp Rankin was established near Julesburg with a couple sod huts.  It was renamed for General Sedgwick.

It was used after the Civil War as well.

Nothing remains of the fort today.   The original fort flagpole is now in front of the Julesburg Library and  the town also has the Fort Sedgwick Museum.

--Old Secesh

Battle of Julesburg-- Part 3: Aftermath

After the battle, Union Brigadier General Robert Byington Mitchell gathered about 650 soldiers and set off after the Indians.  On January 19, he found their camp at Cherry Creek but they had already left it.  With bitterly cold weather and 50 of his soldiers incapacitated by frostbite, he called after the chase

The Indians, meanwhile, moved north to the Black Hills.  En route, they raided and looted ranches and even attacked Julesburg again.

--Old secesh

Battle of Julesburg (Colorado)-- Part 2: An Indian Ambush and Victory

Strength:  60 U.S. soldiers and 50 civilians versus about 1,000 Indians.

This battle is kind of strange in the fact that most of the information about it comes from the Indian side.  The Indian plan was to use a decoy group of braves to lure the fort's garrison out and into an ambush.  It worked, but some young Indian warriors fired at the soldiers prematurely, alerting them to the fact that they were riding onto an ambush and they turned and rode rapidly back to the fort.

Some of the soldiers were killed before reaching safety, but the rest got back and drove off the Indians.  Losses were some 14 soldiers and 3 civilians.  It is doubtful that any Indians were lost.  All the civilians of Julesburg were in the fort and then the Indians started looting the settlement.

--Old Secesh