Dr. Ezra Read-- Part 2: In U.S. Navy, Became a Doctor

Surgeon General of the Texas Navy (Texas Revolution).  Treated the captured  prisoner of war  General  Antonio Lopes Santa Ana (of Alamo infamy) and doctor in Terre Haute, Indiana.  Also in U.S. Navy and surgeon in Union Army.

Well liked and admired in Terre Haute and many attended the funeral.  Friend of the poor and often gave free treatment to them.

Born in Marietta, Ohio.  Attended  college in Athens, Ohio, now University of Ohio, for three years before accepting appointment as midshipman in the U.S. Navy and helped escort controversial John Randolph to posting as U.S.  Minister to Russia in 1830.

Resigned from the Navy and studied medicine, graduating with high honors in 1836.

--Old Secesh

Clays of Ky.-- Part 9: Col. Green Clay, U.S. Army

From Find-A Grave

Attended Transylvania University then transferred as a sophomore to Yale where he graduated.  Graduated from Harvard Law School in 1861.  Married Janie Rhodes.

Served  a year abroad as secretary to the United States minister to Russia, who was his uncle, Cassius Marcellus Clay.

Served as colonel of the 3rd Kentucky Cavalry Regiment 1862-1865.  I can not find any source where he is listed as colonel of this regiment.  I did find one roster of the regiment that listed Green Clay Smith as a major in the unit.  Perhaps there is a mix up here.

His father, Brutus Junius Clay and uncle were sons of Green Clay of Kentucky, his namesake.

There is more to wrote about the Clay family in the Civil War, but I am going to take a break from that and write about the Read family.

--Old Seclay

McHenry County Civil War Round Table-- Part 2: Lincoln Assassination

Things were unsettled in 1864-1865.

The Finians were an Irish group that had decided to invade and seize Canada which led to the Finian Wars.

Russia was advancing along the west coast of North America and had Alaska until Seward bought it in 1867 (Folly though it wasn't).

There was also fear of guerrilla warfare instead of a peaceful return to the Union for the Confederate states.

There was also the 13th Amendment which forever freed slaves and indentured servants.

And, of course, there was what to do with the war profiteers.

--Old Secesh

McHenry County Civil War Round Table-- Part 1: Lincoln Assassination

August 12, 2014, meeting.

The talk was given by Richard Stilling who spent 22 years as an FBI agent and also collects Civil War firearms.  He also worked the Kennedy assassination although his name is not in history books.  He finds lots of similarities between the two assassinations.

There was much political intrigue involved in both.

Then, there was the situation of the empty chair, a man of mystery and a simple letter.

At the time of Lincoln's death, the U.S. was having problems with relations with France, Spain, Britain and Russia.  Russia was expanding its sphere of influence in the Pacific.  (After all, the U.S. bought Alaska from Russia a few years after the war.)

Parts of Mexico had been taken over by England and France.  And France had really made its mark by installing Emperor Maximilian.

--Old Secesh

The Russians Are Coming

During the Civil War, the Russian Czar sent both his Pacific Fleet and Atlantic Fleet to visit United States ports on the east and west coasts to show his support of the Union's war effort and to let France and England know exactly where Russia stood in the conflict.

While the Pacific Fleet was at San Francisco in 1863, a fire broke out in the city and only the help given by Russian sailors contained it. However, six of them died.

In June, the first Russian surface ship since the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, the Crusier Varyag, visited San Francisco in part to honor those sailors.

I made three blog entries on it in my Cooter's History Thing Blog http://cootershistorything.blogspot.com on July 22nd, July 24th and July 27th.

The Russian Bear Visits. --Old B-Runner