In April 1865, the capital of the Confederacy fell to Union forces. The McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table discussion group will be talking about it from 10 am to 11:30 am at the Crystal Lake, Illinois.
It will also be on Zoom. So if you're in the area, stop on in. Everybody's welcome and all you need is an interest in the Civil War.
And, we actually do stay on topic most of the time.
Panera Brad is located on Northwest Highway (US-14) by Main Street.
Come On Down. --Old Secesh
When Wesley Willows shut down their facilities during the pandemic, Don Barrett and Ed Kuehl kept the meetings going on by presenting them online via Zoom.
Gob Pressman was elected president in 2021, and with the help of other officers, went to work reorganizing the Round Table and putting it on solid financial footing. "We formed a committee to rewrite the bylaws, based on those of other round tables," said Pressman.
"Prior to the pandemic, attendees paid Wesley Willows for the meal, but paid only $1 for expenses. Jerry Paris volunteered to be treasurer and we raised dues to $25 a year, opened a bank account, and started paying for our Zoom subscription."
Zoom meetings were a mixed blessing. "It allowed us to use speakers from all over the country, since we didn't have to pay travel expenses, so the pool of presenters became very large. It also kept us in contact with each other, but we missed the face-to-face interaction, the camaraderie of in-person meetings.
By 2022, things were starting to reopen, and Wesley Willows said they would allow us to meet there again, but without meals."
--Old Secesh
Bob Ash, Dick Wolff, Mary Webber, Ray Schoenfeld, Ed Rounds and others were instrumental in maintaining and growing the organization. Meeting locations changed a bit, but eventually they moved to the new facilities at Wesley Willows, where an optional lunch preceded each meeting presentation.
By the time COVID -19 closed down all such public gatherings in 2020, the average attendance was over 50.
"I've been a member of the Rock River Valley Round Table for about 15 years, retired Rockford radio and TV journalist Bob Pressman says. "At my first meeting, I was impressed with the number of people and surprised by how many I already knew-- none of whom had ever mentioned [the group] to me."
Pressman, like others in the group, has presented several programs, including ones on Reconstruction and myths and facts about the Civil War.
--Old Secesh
In November 1998, Ed Hunt and Tony Tobak offered a class on Civil War battles through the Center for Learning in Retirement at Rock Valley College. At the conclusion, several members expressed an interest in continuing meetings on the subject. Eventually, about ten people agreed to meet monthly at the Wesley Willows retirement community, where several of them already lived.
Early meetings were informal, and topics or presentations were provided by members of the group. They called themselves the "Rock River Irregulars" or "Rockiregs" for short. As time went on, more people joined the monthly meetings and the name was changed to the Rock River Valley Civil War Round Table (RRVCWRT).
A formal organization developed, complete with bylaws and officers, modeled after similar groups in the area. By 2006, monthly attendance averaged around 30.
--Old Secesh
The Civil War.com site lists seven CWRTs in Illinois:
Champaign County CWRT
Chicago CWRT
Decatur CWRT
Joliet Area CWRT
McHenry County CWRT
Northern Illinois CWRT
Salt Creek CWRT
There is also a Rock River Valley CWRT
--Old Secesh
There is no national organization which oversees Civil War Round Tables. However, the Civil War Round Table Congress serves as an advisory service.
It maintains a website and and convenes meetings to share ideas and promote best practices. It was created partly in response to a trend among CWRTs to disband during the pandemic.
The organization is "dedicated to the sustainability and long-term benefits of CWRTs.
--Old Secesh
Although operations at meetings differ, most Civil War Round Tables (CWRT) follow a similar format at their monthly meetings. Some meet at a restaurant where a meal preceded the program. Announcements or publicity for related events are usually followed by a formal presentation from an author, professor, historian, re-enactor, member or others on a topic related to the Civil War.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many CWRTs have hybrid programs where the live meeting is shared online on Zoom.
This is how my McHenry County Civil War Round Table operates as well. Plus, once a month we have a discussion meeting at Panera Bread in Crystal Lake, Illinois. And, we usually stick to our topic somewhat.
--Old Secesh
From the Cabin Fever Issue of Northwest Quarterly 2024 "Civil War Round Tables" by Jon McGinty.
I currently belong to the McHenry County Civil War Round Table and at one time, back in the 1970s and 80s to The Civil War Round Table of Chicago, which is regarded as the very first CWRT.
Civil War Round Tables are independent groups of people who meet regularly to share a common interest in the military, political and sociological history of that war.
The first Civil War Round Table (CWRT) was started in Chicago in 1940 by Ralph Newman, owner of the Abraham Lincoln Bookstore in that town. He assembled a small group of authors and amateur historians to discuss topics about the Civil War.
Current estimates say that there are roughly 300 such groups worldwide, with most of them in the United States,
There are 17 of them in Illinois.
--Old Secesh
Continuing with Illinois camps:
E. F. Dutton Camp 49, Sycamore
Colonel John C. Bryner Camp 67, Peoria
Colonel Friedrich K. Hecker Camp 443, Belleville
U.S. Grant Camp 1863, Schaumburg
Old Glory Camp 6165, Chicago
Hard to believe there are so few camps in Illinois. At one time there were eight Sons of Confederate Veterans camps in Illinois.
--Old Secesh
This all started when I posted about the Sycamore Camp of Sons of Union veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) working on the DeKalb County Civil War Memorial in Sycamore.
There are eleven SUVCW camps in Illinois according to the department website:
** General George A. Custer Camp 1, Wilmette
** General Philip H. Sheridan Camp 2, Aurora
** General John A. McClernand Camp 4,Springfield
** Captain Frank Reed Camp 24, Tuscola
** John A. Logan Camp 26, Rockford
** Private Henry M. Hardenbergh Camp 39, Tinley Park
--Old Secesh
Since I mentioned the Sons of Union Veterans in the last post, here is some more information about them.
From Wikipedia.
The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUV) grew out of the largest organization of Union veterans established after the war, The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). Much the same as the Sons of Confederate Veterans grew out of the United Confederate Veterans organization.
It would be necessary to find the next generations to carry on the group's good name as they died out. This is why the American Legion has its Sons of the American Legion.
The SUV was established in 1881 and was founded by Major Augustus P. Davis for the preservation of the principles of the GAR. Local groups are organized into camps which then are grouped into departments
Membership on 2022 was 6,574 with headquarters in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Commander-in-Chief in 2022 was Peter J. Hritso.
--Old Secesh
Toward the base of the monument, a pair of soldiers stand watch, each with a rifle in his hands.
Three sides of the marble monument bear the names of major battles and campaigns of the Civil War that DeKalb men fought in, including Fredericksburg, Malvern Hill and Antietam (even though Antietam was misspelled). The side that faces Illinois Highway 64, Main Street, is engraved with an excerpt from President Abraham Lincoln's address at Gettysburg.
More than 6,000 people were in attendance for the monument's dedication in 1896 which included an address by local commanders and a parade of veterans.
The pair of patina-green statues at the base of it were once thought to be bronze, but were found to be copper during a 2008 restoration project. They've also been the subject of routine vandalism, as their weapons have been stolen and replaced several times.
Sycamore's local Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War chapter raised $10,000 to repair them in 2015 before the memorial was rededicated for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War's end.
--Old Secesh
From the March 2024 Northwest Quarterly magazine.
DEKALB COUNTY CIVIL WAR MONUMENT
133 West State St.,
Sycamore, Illinois
An estimated 2,391 DeKalb County residents enlisted in 14 military units during the Civil War. Their sacrifices were formally recognized three decades after the war ended when a monument was dedicated to honor all of the county's residents. (Sad that this is the reason those Confederate monuments in front of courthouses were dedicated.)
The 50-foot monument, dedicated in1897, now stands in front of the DeKalb County Courthouse. At the top of the stone obelisk stands a Union soldier with a long coat and cap. He holds a sword in one hand and bears a flag in the other.
--Old Secesh
There has been much discussion as to whether interest in the Civil War is waning or has it changed in its nature (or both).
But, I know that interest in the Civil War has not dropped so precipitously that it has forced the cancellation of two magazines. If circulation was the issue, the answer would have been to trim from two magazines to one.
*********************
Of course, part of the problem was with the owners who it would seem are of the GRB/Hedge Fund ilk. Only seeing profit as the goal. Plus, these days everyone wants digital instead of hard copy. Also, the young today are not into history. They are not even into joining anything.
Here's hoping someone starts printing these magazines again. Especially Civil War Times.
--Old Secesh
From February 24, 2024.
One of the best Civil War blogs out there, Emerging Civil War, had this to say about the loss of those two wonderful magazines.
There is much sadness in the Civil War community over the news that "Civil War Times" and "America's Civil War" magazines have been shuttered (along with seven other history-focused magazines owned by the same company.
As "The Civil War Times Illustrated (since shortened to just "Civil War Times"), the flagship magazine of Civil War buffs traced its history all the way back to 1962. It was a product of the Centennial, when interest in the war was huge. Many of us have grown up with the magazine. (Certainly I am one of those but couldn't afford it in 1962 because I was just 11.)
I have most of the issues dating back to then as I have some reprints and many of the originals. With the exception of several years I have had a subscription for most of the years.
--Old Secesh
The McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table Discussion Group will meet tomorrow, March 23, at the Panera Bread in Crystal Lake, Illinois. from 10 am to 11:30.
Discussion topic will be "Nathan Bedford Forrest, Cavalry Commander of the West." Lots of opinions on this man and Steve normally keeps us somewhat on topic.
The Panera Bread is located at Main Street and US-14 (Northwest Highway).
This will also be on Zoom.
Everyone is welcome. You do not have to be a member to attend.
--Old Secesh
From the 2015 PBS Antiques Roadshow
Ken Sanders of Ken Sanders Rare Books of Salt Lake City, Utah, gave this appraisal to a woman on the popular PBS appraisal show in Tucson, Arizona. He estimated the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Pardon to Charles Villiers was worthy between $12,00 and $15,000.
It read:
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
To all to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting:
Whereas, it appears that at the March Term, 1861, of the Criminal Court of the District of Columbia, one Charles de Villier was indicted and convicted for obtaining goods under false pretences [six], and it was by the said Court sentenced to be imprisoned in the Penitentiary for the period of eighteen months;
And whereas, the said Charles de Villier has now served out more than six months of his said term of imprisonment, and it appears from the certificate of the Deputy Warden of the Penitentiary that "he has been uniformly obedient and faithful to every duty" in the institution.
More. --Old Secesh
I have been a long-time subscriber to the magazine "Civil War Times" going back to the 1970s with the exception of a several year period on the 80s. As a matter of fact, I have a subscription to it right now that runs for another year.
A short while back they went from a bimonthly magazine to quarterly. I didn't care for that, but, let's face it, these are really hard time for anything published in a non digital form. But, at least we still had the magazine, though not as often.
But, come to think of it, I couldn't remember when the last time was that I had gotten a new issue.
In addition, I often picked up a copy of the CWT's sister magazine, "America's Civil War" at our local Meijer store (which still has a good selection of magazines). The last several months I hadn't seen either magazine offered for sale at Meijer.
Friday, I stopped at the Volo, Illinois, Woodman's grocery store which also has a big magazine selection including these two magazines. Again, no CWT or ACW.
Well, sadly I now know why.
They are gone out of business. I went on the internet and found out why.
A Sad Day Indeed. --Old Secesh
The central Confederate government encountered problems dealing with the states throughout the war inn regards to railroads.
Another problem was that existing tracks and rolling stock were so often cannibalized for iron to put on naval ironclads
It took the Confederate government two years to get some semblance of a plan worked out for its railroads. 1863. Railroads became under de facto control of the military, but there was no record that this ever became so.
Mr. Banks talked quite a bit about the Confederate use of railroads during the First battle of Bull Run (Manassas) Campaign as well as the Great Locomotive Chase and the moving of Longstreet's Corps to Bragg in the Chickamauga/Chattanooga Campaign.
Longstreet's soldiers experienced quite a series of rerouting and ended up going through North and South Carolina and Georgia to get there.
By 1865, the Confederacy's railroads were in ruins, however, they recovered very quickly as it was important to rebuild the South.
--Old Secesh
Charlie Banks gave the presentation.
Strap rails were the most dangerous ones. Steel rails were better than iron ones.
The North outproduced the South by a 9 to 1 margin in rail tonnage.
The cost of an engine was $10,000.
Two Confederate officers were somewhat in charge of the country's railroads: Abraham Myers and Lucius Bellinger Northrup.
There is still a question as to whether Stonewall Jackson moved Baltimore& Ohio rolling stock, including engines, from Harpers Ferry to places further in Virginian in Virginia.
--Old Secesh
Yesterday we had the first meeting of the year for the McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table at the Woodstock Public Library. It was both a live and a Zoom meeting and Charlie Banks gave a presentation on Confederate Railroads. He is quite the expert on Civil War railroads.
His main thing was that it was the failure of the Confederate railroad system that was a big reason for the failure of the new country.
Railroads across the United States increased their mileage drastically in the decade before the war. But the South lagged way behind the North. In the South the Atlantic Ocean states had 5400 miles, Gulf states 2063 and South interior states 2666.
In the North, Chicago had become a major railroad hub with 11 railroads going through there.
In contrast, the future capital of the Confederacy, Richmond, had five, but none of them connected which caused unloading and reloading of cargos. Plus, making it worse, the lines had differing gauges. (Most Northern railroads used 4'8" gauge while Southern ones went with 5 feet.
--Old Secesh
The McHenry County Civil War Round Table will have the opening meeting of the 2024 year this coming Tuesday, March 12 at the Woodstock Library (Illinois).
We will be having a special presentation by Charlie Banks on Confederate Railroads.
The meeting starts at 7 pm at the library at 414 W. Judd Street. It can also be seen on ZOOM.
Before the meeting some of us will be getting together at 3 Brothers on Illinois Highway 47 in Woodstock for dinner or snack. (And, we don't just talk Civil War.) Meets at 5 pl.
--Old Secesh
According to Wikipedia, Elmer Ellsworth was introduced to the zouave military ways by his fencing instructor, Charles De Villiers, a French physician, immigrant and veteran of a zouave unit during the Crimean War.
******************************
History New had an article "This Union soldier's death shocked the north and made Lincoln cry" by Meg Groeling.
A chance meeting with Frenchman Charles A. De Villiers helped guide Ellsworth to a militia unit called the "Chicago Cadets of the National Guard." De Villiers was an excellent swordsman and tutored Ellsworth in fencing and enthralled him with stories of his service during the Crimean War as an officer in a French Zouave unit.
--Old Secesh
CHARLES DeVILLIERS-- Colonel of the 11th Ohio Infantry. Captured and sent to prison, but escaped. Once back in the Union Army, he was court martialed on 13 counts of misconduct, including stealing from local citizens and selling to Army members.
Dismissed from service and returned to France.
This was from our speaker but I forgot his name.
********************************
Looked up this man and found this on Virtual American Biographies.
CHARLES A. De VILLIERS
Soldier born in 1826. He had been an officer in the French Army and afterward became colonel of the 11th Ohio Infantry.
At the beginning of the Civil War he was taken prisoner, 17 July 1861 and sent to Richmond.
Next... His Escape. --Old Secesh
Another former Ellsworth Zouave:
H. DWIGHT LAFLIN-- Became president of Laflin-Vauder Gunpowder Company. One of the largest gunpowder companies in the United States. In 1898, he had 577 acres of land near Kenosha, Wisconsin (area where the outlet malls are located today).
On March 9, 1911, there was a huge explosion there at the Laflin, Rand Company when millions of pounds of dynamite and gunpowder exploded just after 8 pm.
Not only was the plant, covering hundreds of acres, but the people in the community of Pleasant Prairie where it was located and for surrounding area were damaged. The shockwave was felt as far away as 500 miles from Kenosha.
--Old Secesh
This is a continuation thread from a long time ago. From December 8, 2017-- Part 12.
I was listing Ellsworth-trained Zouave Cadets who fought in the Civil War.
LUCIUS LARRABEE-- Mortally wounded July 2, 1863, at Little Round Top, Battle of Gettysburg. Captain, Company B, 44th New York regiment, known as Ellsworth's Avengers.
HARRISON KELLY-- In 44th New York Infantry, made up of many former Zouave Cadets.
JOHN CONANT LONG-- Became drillmaster at Camp Douglas. Trained 50 Illinois regiments there.
JOSEPH R. SCOTT-- Mortally wounded at Stones River, January 2, 1863.
HECTOR A. AIKEN-- Captain, Co. B, 29th USCT Severely wounded at the Battle of the Crater July 30, 1864. Died two days later.
--Old Secesh
Some more Civil War folks buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery.
CHALES FERGUSON SMITH (1807-1862)-- Union general.
HECTOR TYNDALE (1821-1880)-- Union general.
PINKERTON R. VAUGHAN (1841-1866)-- Medal of Honor, USMC, on USS Mississippi at Port Hudson.
LANGHORN WISTER 1834-1891)-- Union colonel.
JACOB ZEILIN (1806-1880)-- Commandant of USMC in 1864.
--Old Secesh
Wikipedia.
I wrote about Philadelphia's West Laurel Hill Cemetery earlier. That cemetery is a part of the larger Laurel Hill Cemetery in that city.
According to Wikipedia, hundreds of era persons are buried there, along with 40 Civil War-era generals.
HENRY K. BIDDLE (1841-1912)-- Union Army officer and Medal of Honor recipient. Forwarded personal effects of mortally wounded Confederate General Armistead to his old friend, Union Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock.
ULRIC DAHLGREN (1842-1864)-- One of leaders of famed 1864 attack on Richmond and son of Union Naval Admiral John A. Dahlgren. His father is also buried there.
SAMUEL GIBBS FRENCH (1818-1910)-- Confederate general. Buried in Florida but family has a cenotaph on family plot.
GEORGE GORDON MEADE (1815-1872)-- Hero of Gettysburg.
JOHN C. PEMBERTON (1814-1881)-- Confederate General who surrendered Vicksburg.
Kind of interesting to have two Confederate generals remembered in the cemetery.
--Old Secesh
Here are four other Civil War folk:
OLIVER CHRISTIAN BOSBYSHELL (1839-1921)-- Claims he was the first Union soldier wounded by enemy activity in the war after receiving a bruise on his head after being hit with an object thrown by a Confederate sympathizer as his regiment marched through Baltimore to relieve Washington, D.C. on April 17, 1861.
CLARISA F. DOYLE (1832-1921)--Army nurse during Civil War. President of National Association of Army Nurses of the Civil War.
JOHN TROUT GREBLE (1834-1861)-- First USMA graduate killed at Battle of Big Bethel.
HERMAN HAUPT (1817-1905)-- Union general and engineer. Revolutionized U.S. military transportation, particularly with the railroads.
--Old Seceh
One thing I like to do is take a Road Trip Through History, starting with one article and seeing how far and where I can follow it to. This started in my Running the Blockade blog when I wrote about Marine Sgt. Richard Binder who received a Medal of Honor for his service at the Second Battle of Fort Fisher. He is buried at West Laurel Hill Cemetery.
That means that I look through lists of people buried there and find anyone of particular interest. I have been doing this in my Cooter's History Thing blog already. Plus, I wrote about four other Medals of Honor recipients buried there in my Running the Blockade blog.
Here is one notable of interest who are buried with Sgt. Binder.
ROBERT COOPER GRIER (1794-1870)-- Associate Supreme Court Justice 1846-1870. He would have been involved with decisions during the war.
I found three others which I will write about in the next post.
--Old Secesh
With the coming of the Civil War, he helped form the 15th Alabama Regiment and was elected its colonel. The regiment participated in Stonewall Jackson's 1862 Valley Campaign where they showed great valor during the Battle of Cross Keys.
They were still with Jackson during the Seven Days Battles around Richmond. After that, he was detached and served around Mobile, Alabama, from January 1863 to April 1864. where he organized a brigade consisting of three Alabama and one Mississippi regiment.
They were transferred to the Army of Tennessee and appointed brigadier general. He was frequently absent from duty because of sickness. His brigade fought in the Atlanta Campaign and in Hood's Franklin-Nashville debacle.
Cantey and his brigade fought at the Battle of Bentonville in the closing days of the war and surrendered with Johnston's forces at Durham Station.
After the war, he returned to his plantation near Fort Mitchell, Alabama. He died at his plantation on June 30, 1874, and is buried in the Crowell Family Cemetery in Fort Mitchell.
--Old Secesh
From Wikipedia.
In the last post I listed the names of six Confederate generals born in Kershaw County, S.C.. One of them was James Kershaw (so I wonder if he had something to do with the county's founding). I was familiar with James Chesnut, Jr., but only because of his wife Mary's diary from the war.
I was not familiar at all with the other four.
Here's one of them.
JAMES CANTEY (December 30, 1818 - June 30, 1874)
He served as an officer in the Palmetto Regiment during the Mexican War. In one battle he was severely wounded and left among the dead until his enslaved servant retrieved the body to be buried at home and found him still alive. He saved James' life. James offered him his freedom for that, but was refused.
After the war, he moved to Alabama and bought land, becoming a planter in Russell County.
--Old Secesh
From carolana.com.
Major General Joseph B. Kershaw
Brigadiers
James Cantey
James Chesnut Jr. Wife was Mary Chesnut who wrote the famous diary.
Zachariah C. Deas
John Doby Kennedy
John Bordenave Villepigue
Old Secesh
After the Battle of Gettysburg, the discarded rifles were collected and sent to Washington, D.C., to be inspected and reissued.
Of the 37,574 rifles recovered, approximately 24,000 were still loaded; 12,000 had two rounds in the barrel; 6,000 had three to ten rounds in the barrel.
One rifle, the most remarkable of all, had been stuffed to the top with twenty-three rounds in the barrel.
That Is Sure A Big Oops. --Old Overloaded Rifle
