McHenry County CWRT Meeting, June 8, 2021-- Part 2: Scholarship Winner and Don Purn

We had 15 people there in person and some others via Zoom.

Our president Robert Frenz opened the meeting and we presented a scholarship to a McHenry County high school student for $1000 to further her career in college.

This year's topic for the Dr. Edward  F. Witt Jr. Scholarship was a comparison of todays Coronavirus pandemic and Civil War medicine.  We had nine entries and they were all good (I was on the judging committee).  After reading each one, we ranked them, then had a meeting of the committee to reach a winner.

This year's winner was Julia Vogt of Cary-Grove High School in Crystal Lake, Illinois.  She intends to continue schooling at McHenry County Community College with studies in Library Science.  At high school, she was involved in youth leadership and was on the Teen Group of the American Battlefield Trust.

A very poised young lady.  Congratulations.

We also presented a plaque to Don Purn who was our treasurer and webmaster for many years and was in charge of the Round Table's many McHenry County Civil War gravestones.  I doubt anyone knows more about Civil War graves in our county.  In accepting the plaque, he said he got involved with the Civil War while working on the history of his village, Algonquin.

He will be much missed.

--Old Secesh

History of the 135th USCT to Be Exhibited in Goldsboro, N.C.

From the February Wayne County, North Carolina, History Museum.

On Saturday, February 20 the museum will be having the grand opening of its new exhibit "Fighting For Freedom:  The 135th USCT, Black Soldiers of the Civil War."  (United States Colored Troops)

This is in collaboration with the 125th USCT research team.

There will be a video posted on the museum's Facebook page and You Tube channel that day at 1 p.m. (EST).  There will be interviews with descendants of the regiment's soldiers and their histories.

The 135th USCT were organized in 1865 in Goldsboro, North Carolina.  For more information on the 135th, click on the label below.

In addition, for Black History Month,  there will be exhibits at the museum on the old Central High School and the Little Washington neighborhood.

I'd sure like to go to the museum and see these exhibits, but alas, I live 1100 miles away.

Should Be Interesting.  --Old Secesh

Six Civil War Medical Myths That Just Won't Die-- Part 4: Glowing Wounds at Shiloh?

MYTH  #4

At Shiloh, wounds were reported to glow -- which was supposedly cause by bacteria Photorhabdus luminescens.

There are many google search results relating to this story "discovered" by high school students.  They claim to have visited Shiloh National Military Park where they heard a story about glowing wounds.  They, in turn, claim that they have discovered the bacteria responsible for those glowing wounds.

According to a NPS Ranger there:  "The only problem with this story is that there is no historical documentation of the event [glowing wounds] ever occurring, at Shiloh or anywhere else.  Not a single letter, diary entry, newspaper account, soldier's journal, , official report... nothing."

So, no known contemporary primary or secondary source accounts of glowing wounds -- and, the bacteria requires a temperature below 93.4 degrees.  That's well below  the normal temperature of a living human body.

--Old SeceshGlow

Ed Bearss, Mr. Civil War-- Part 1: From Montana

From Wikipedia.

I decided to do some of Mr. Bearss' background before writing about what he said December 7, 2018 in Arlington Heights.

Born June 26, 1923, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of WW II, military historian and author known for his work in the Civil War and World War II eras.  Served as Chief Historian of the National Park Service from 1981 to 1985 and currently is Chief Historian Emeritus.

Born in Montana and grew up on his family's cattle ranch.  His father was a Marine in WW I and used to read accounts of military campaigns to his son.

He graduated from high school in May 1941 and hitchhiked around the United States visiting and visited his first Civil War battlefields.

After that he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps.

--Old Secesh

The Confederacy Under Attack-- Part 66: Taking "Racist" Money-- Part 1

On yesterday's Confederacy Under Attack, I found the headline about the high school student not wanting to take a scholarship from a "Confederate Organization" of somewhat interest, so went to the article in Slate Magazine.  The site was essentially a "Dear Abby" one where advice is given, in this case by Emily Yoffe.

The high school student wrote: "Help! Should I Accept Scholarship Money From a Confederate Organization?  I Don't Want Racist Money!

I think it would imply that I was proud of my Confederate ancestors, which I am not, and that I support this organization, which I don't.  Am I being 'too PC?"

His/her parents had said to take it if she got it.

Actually, I wonder why he/she even bothered to write Emily as her intent is fairly easy to see.  I know our local Chicago area Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp #506 at one time offered scholarships to high school students in Illinois of Confederate descent.  I imagine some United Daughters of the Confederacy groups do as well.

Personally, I never donated a single "racist" dollar to any of those scholarships.

Emily Zoffe's Reply in Next Post. Do You Think She Said Yes or No?   --Old Secesh

Fayetteville (NC) Female High School

From July 2013 to April 2014, I was unable to use paragraphs in any of my blogs.  Here in 2018, I am going back through them and inserting paragraphs.  This is how the non-paragraph entries looked.

From the July 29, 2012 Fayetteville (NC) Observer "Civil War 150th Anniversary--July 1862 developments." . The paper goes back to its editions printed back then for these stories. //// From the July 14, 1862 newspaper. "The all-absorbing war has not extinguished the interest of out citizens in this favorite institution (the Fayetteville Female High School).  ////  Its 7th Annual Commencement gave occasion last week, with diplomas conferred upon the following young ladies, members of the Senior Class of 1862: Irene McNeill, C. Myrover, Joanna McRae, Hattie Starr, Atilia Whitted, Olivia Stedman, E. Rose, E. Tillinghast, Joanna Watts, Alice Cook, Fannie Hinsdale and Hattie Kershaw." //// You have to wonder how the war impacted these young ladies. How many boyfriends were away in the service? --Old Secesh