This Month in the Civil War-- Part 2: Knoxville, Gettysburg Address, Chattanooga, Sand Creek Massacre, Battle of Franklin

NOVEMBER 17

**  Siege of Knoxville, Tennessee, begins.

NOVEMBER 19

**  President Lincoln delivers his Gettysburg Address at the Pennsylvania battlefield.

NOVEMBER 23

**  Battle of Orchard Knob, Chattanooga, Tennessee.

NOVEMBER 24

**  Battle of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee.

NOVEMBER 29

**  Sand Creek Massacre, Colorado

NOVEMBER 30

**  Battle of Franklin, Tennessee

--Old Secesh

Civil War Events in November: Knoxville, Gettysburg Address, Orchard Knob, Lookout Mountain, Franklin

1863

NOVEMBER 17

Siege of Knoxville, Tennessee begins.

1863

NOVEMBER 19

President Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address at the Pennsylvania battlefield.

1863

NOVEMBER 23

Battle of Orchard Knob, Chattanooga, Tennessee.

1863

NOVEMBER 24

Battle of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee.

1864

NOVEMBER 30 

Battle of Franklin, Tennessee

--Old Secesh

Jacob D. Cox-- Part 3: To North Carolina and the Books

Troops under Jacob Cox broke the Confederate supply line on the Macon and Western Railroad on August 31, 1864, forcing Hood to evacuate Atlanta.

Schofield's corps was ordered to join Gen. Thomas in Tennessee after it became apparent Hood was heading that way.  Cox's troops narrowly escaped destruction at Spring Hill, Tennessee.

Then, at the Battle of Franklin, Cox's troops were credited with saving the Union center.

He was then at the Siege of and Battle of Nashville.

When John Schofield was ordered to bring his corps east to join the operations against Wilmington, North Carolina, , Cox led the Third Division.

Afterwards, he  took command of the District of Beaufort and a provisional corps, which he led at the Battle of Wyse Fork.  His corps was eventually named the XXIII Corps.

During his later years, Jacob Cox became a prolific author"

"The March to the Sea:  Franklin and Nashville"  1882
"The Second Battle of Bull Run"  1882
"The Battle of Franklin, Tennessee"  1897
Military Reminiscences of the Civil War"    1900

--Old Secesh

Sherman's 1865 Carolinas Campaign-- Part 2: From Atlanta to Nashville to Fort Fisher

**  After the fall of Atlanta, Schofield's Army of the Ohio was detached to Thomas in Tennessee and that was when the race between Hood and Schofield and Spring Hill and Franklin took place.

**  The Battle of Nashville was December 15-16, 1864.

**  After the Battle of Nashville and destruction of Hood's army, Schofield was ordered to Washington, D.C. and from there to Wilmington to join up with Sherman who was marching through South Carolina to North Carolina.

**  The lead division of Schofield's 13th Corps arrived within three weeks.  Again, that is a great distance in a short time by 1860s standards.  That some logistics.

**  Schofield came east with some 12,000 men.

--Old Secesh

Hood's 1864 Tennessee Campaign-- Part 4: What About Mrs. Peters?

The McHenry County Civil War Round Table discussion group, Jan. 26, 2019.

**  Should Schofield have continued retreating in front of Hood when he had almost the same number of troops?

**  What role did a Mrs. Peters of Spring Hill, Tennessee, play in the Union Army's narrow escape through that town?    Mrs. Peters is of interest also in the death of Confederate General Earl Van Dorn earlier in the war.  I'll have to look up some more info on her.

**  Gen. Hood described "as wrathy as a rattlesnake" after Spring Hill and a big reason for his mad rush to Franklin and attacking before he was ready to do so and as daylight was fleeting.

**  Spring Hill is very built up now.

**  Thomas wanted Schofield to delay Hood at Franklin for three days so he could continue gathering his forces.  That didn't happen.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Discussion Group Sat., Jan. 26: Hood's '64 Campaign

The McHenry County Civil War Round Table discussion group will be meeting this Saturday at Panera Bread (back room) to discuss Confederate General Hood's 1864 Campaign against Nashville, Tennessee that led to the destruction of his army, the once vaunted Army of Tennessee.

The meeting is 10 a.m. to noon and Panera Bread is by the intersection of Main Street and Northwest Highway (US-14) in Crystal Lake.

It is open to everyone, no charge, just an interest in the Civil War and the chance to interact with others of like interest.

I have been reading two books on the subject, one on the Battle of Franklin and the other on the Battle of Nashville.to brush up on it.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Trivia-- Part 3: What Were Hub Wafers?

**  Give the names of four Civil War leaders who have had their picture on U.S. current or past currency.  (The first two are easy, but man those last two.)

**   How many Confederate generals were killed and wounded at the Battle of Franklin?

**   Hub Wafers were eaten by Union soldiers.  What are they known as now?

**  Name the four Lincoln conspirators who were hanged.

ANSWERS

**  Lincoln on the $5 bill, Grant on the $50 bill, McKinley on the $500 and Salmon Chase on the $10,000 bill.   In case you're wondering, the biggest bill, $100,000 had the face of Woodrow Wilson on it.

**  6 died, 7 wounded

**  Necco Wafers   In case you're wondering, Neeco stands for the New England Confectionary Company.

**  Lewis Powell, Mary Surratt, David Herold and George Atzerodt.

Just All Sorts of Learning Going On.  --Old Secesh

Civil War Timeline for November-- Part 2: Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

NOVEMBER 9, 1864--  Lincoln Re-Elected for second time.

NOVEMBER 13, 1814--  Union General Joseph Hooker born.

NOVEMBER  15, 1864--  Sherman begins his March to the Sea.

NOVEMBER 18, 1863--  Lincoln delivers his Gettysburg Address.

NOVEMBER 23-25, 1863--  Battle of Chattanooga.

NOVEMBER 28, 1861--  Missouri formally admitted to Confederacy.

NOVEMBER 30, 1864--  The Battle of Franklin, Tennessee.

Civil War Trust 2017 Calendar-- Part 11, November: Franklin, Tennessee

FRANKLIN, TENN.  178 acres saved.

Battle of Franklin -- November 30, 1864.  Photo of Carnton Plantation.

From poster child for the concept of "lost" battlefield to a thriving heritage tourism destination based around a growing community-supported park, Franklin's preservation renaissance has been nothing short of remarkable.

Acre by acre, preservation advocates have secured once-developed parcels at the heart of the battlefield and pursued an ambitious course of landscape restoration.

Way to Go Franklin!!  --Old Secesh

Putting the Rock Into the War-- Part 1

From March 17, 2016, Science Codex "How rocks shaped the Civil War."

Gettysburg is the most studied battleground of the war and its terrain is due to a mixture of harder igneous and softer sediments in landforms such as Cemetery Hill and Little Round Top.  These were two major defensive positions of the Union Army.

Carbonates like limestone provided defensive positions in battles in both the eastern and western theaters of the war.

Limestone and dolostones form the terrain of the battlefields at Antietam, Stones River, Chickamauga,  Franklin, Nashville and Monocacy.

Rolling.  --Old Secesh

John Peter, Co. K, 88th Illinois-- Part 2: Prisoner at Andersonville

John Peter took part in the Battles of Stone River, Missionary Ridge, Resaca, Kennesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek, Jonesboro and both battles of Franklin (I only knew of one battle there in Tennessee).

In the second Battle of Franklin, he and 50 others were recovering lost Union cannons from the field and were returning when they blundered into Confederate lines and were taken prisoner.

They were marched to Corinth, Mississippi and then by train to Meridian where they were held for a month.  Then, they were sent to Andersonville where he came through in good condition.  He was paroled and sent to Vicksburg for exchange and arrived just when word reached there of Lee's surrender.

He then returned to Illinois.  Obviously he was very fortunate to have not been on the ill-fated SS Sultana which was carrying newly released Andersonville prisoners when the disaster took place.

--Old Secesh

General Adams' Flag in Bad Shape

From the July21, 2014, Daily Reporter "Battle of Franklin flag losing fight with time, donors seeking funds to save it."

FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE"  The Sons of Confederate Veterans are seeking $6500 to conserve a 2X3 foot flag last flown by Confederate General John Adams during the disasterous Battle of Franklin in Tennessee.

He, along with five other Confederate generals were killed there on November 30, 1864.

The flag was made by an unknown Mississippi woman in 1863 and served as Adams' headquarters flag, used to mark where his headquarters was located.

It was donated by Adams' widow to the Tennessee Historical Society in 1907.  It is kept today at the Tennessee State Museum.

It is made of wool and silk with its silk fringe deteriorating a lot in the last ten years.

--Old Secesh

Tennessee's Battle of Franklin Gets New Land (Hopefully)

From Civil War Interactive, from the May 27, 2014, Nashville Tennesseean "Nearly $3 million deal in place to secure more Civil War land" by Kevin Walters.

Reid Lovell has five ancestors who weer at the Battle of Franklin, near Nashville, on November 30, 1864.  On Tuesday, May 27th, Lovell signed a contract to sell 1.6 acres of land adjacent to the focus of the battlefield, the Carter House, for $2.8 million.

Now, Franklin preservationists have a year to secure the money for the deal to go through.

Said Lovell: "We are longtime Franklin people, and we love this community.  My family and I have a 150-year relationship with the property (meaning they owned it at the time of the battle.

The land is considered "core battlefield" near where Confederate General Otho Strahl was killed.

Two buildings currently on Lowell's property will be taken down if the money is raised.

Much as I am glad the battlefield is getting the land, that $2.8 million seems like a whole lot of money.  Too bad Mr. Lovell didn't offer it for considerably less.

Nice Profit, Though.  --Old Secesh

Tennessee Soldier's Teeth Point to Ancestry-- Part 2

Continued from August 3rd entry concerning the body found in Franklin, Tennessee.

Archaeologists found a mutilated .58 caliber minie ball by the bones, but it was probably not what killed him.  It appears to have been chewed, probably by an animal.  Even though the soldier's bones are poorly preserved, they don't indicate a wound.

The site where the bones found is some distance from where any part of the battle took place.  He was probably buried on a temporary basis and was not removed.  Buttons found by the bones were of Federal issue, but Confederate soldiers often wore parts of Union uniforms. 

Two small buttons found around the head also suggest Federal issue.  During the war, caps were a very important part of identification so soldiers would not usually wear one from the other side.

The newly discovered body is most likely not going to be the last one that will be found in the Franklin area because of all the building activity.

Fed or Confed?  --Old Secesh

Tennessee Soldier's Teeth Point to Ancestry-- Part 1

From the Dec. 21,2011, Nashville Tennessean "Civil War soldier's teeth point to ancestry" by Kevin Watters.

Workers constructing the site for a Chick-Fil-A store on Columbia Avenue in Franklin, Tennessee, in 2009 came across a badly decomposed skeleton which had a mix of Native-American and European ancestry.  The soldier probably did not die from gunshot at the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864.  This according to newly released archaeological findings.

The soldier was buried at Rest Haven Cemetery and attracted thousands and national attention.  Sadly, his name and cause of death are still not known.

Hugh Berryman, forensic anthropologist at Middle Tennessee State University said the incisor teeth shaped like a shovel is a genetic trait shown by Asians and Native Americans.  He was probably in his twenties at death and stood five foot ten inches.

More to Come.  --Old Secesh

3rd Tennessee Infantry-- Part 3

At the reorganization, Calvin Henry Walker was elected colonel. Company H, formerly Co. G, was commanded by Captain D.G. Alexander and had one J.B. McCanless as 1st lieutenant, evidently when he went from the enlisted to officer ranks. With recruits, the company stood at 101 rank and file.

The regiment was involved in the Vicksburg campaign, but was not in the city when it surrendered. After the fall of Atlanta, the regiment went with General Hood on his tennessee campaign, arriving too late, fortunately, for the disasterous Battle of Franklin.

They later were detached to Gen. Forrest's command at Murfreesboro and were not at the Battle of Nashville. Rear guard duty was their lot in the retreat to Alabama.

According to a December 21, 1864, report the 3rd and 18th Tennessee were consolidated with a total of 17 men present.

This remnant went with what was left of the Army of the Tennessee to North Carolina where they were again merged into the 4th Consolidated Tennessee Infantry on April 9, 1865 and they surrendered with General Johnston on April 26th. McCanless and the others were paroled iat Greensboro, NC on May 1, 1865.

The Decline and Fall of the Confederacy. --Old B-Runner

Ten Notable Civil War Coincidences-- Part 2

From March 4th List Universe.


7. IRISH FIGHTING IRISH-- At the December 13, 1862, Battle of Fredericksburg, the Union Irish Brigade fought a nearly all-Irish Confederate regiment. The Union soldiers were cut down by the Confederates.


6. BAD MEDICINE-- President James Garfield survived his service in the Civil War unhurt, but in July 1881, he was shot by an assassin. Doctors probed for the bullet with unwashed hands. The president would have survived the wound, but died of a massive infection.


5. HOLE IN HAT SAVES LIFE-- This saved the life of Confederate General John Brown Gordon September 17, 1862, at the Battle of Antietam. He was shot in the face and fell face first into his hat which filled with blood, but a hole in the hat let the blood out, otherwise he would have drowned in it.


4. DIES CLOSE TO HOME-- Todd Carter of Franklin, Tennessee, was wounded almost in his front yard at the Battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864 as he called out, "Follow me boys, I'm almost home." He died two days later.

Some Interesting Stuff. Thanks List Universe. --Old B-Runner

The Blue and the Gray

The October 1st Nashville Tennessean reported that the son of a Union soldier who fought at Franklin and the son of a Confederate soldier who fought at Gettysburg will meet at the October 10th funeral of a Union soldier.

Harold Becker, 91, of Rockford, Michigan, whose father Charles Conrad Becker fought at Franklin with the 128th Indiana and Jim F. Brown, Sr., 97, of Knoxville, whose father was in the 8th Georgia, will be at the ceremony honoring the unknown Union soldier.

Part of a skeleton was found along with a bullet, brass buttons and a glass bead were accidentally unearthed by a construction crew at the site of the Battle of Franklin which was fought November 39, 1864.

The service will be at St. Paul's Episcopalian Church October 10th and the burial service at Rest Haven Cemetery in Franklin.

The Blue and the Gray Together. --Old B-Runner