In Case You're Wondering About the 'Talks' at CWRTs: Rock Valley CWRT Speakers for 2024

JANUARY 8:  Steve Acker "Life in the Trenches at Petersburg"

FEBRUARY 5:  Dave Powell  "Joseph Johnston and the Atlanta Campaign"

MARCH 4:  George Dammon  "Civil War Medicine"

APRIL 1:  Stanley Campbell  "Money & Banking in the Civil War"

MAY 6:  Dave Oberg  "History of Battery H, 1st Illinois Light Artillery"

JUNE 3.  Bob Pressman  "Religion in the Civil War"

Six More Months to Go.  --Old Secesh

Ten Civil War Generals Who Were Famous for Something Else-- Part 2

6.  James A. Garfield  (Union)--  20th President of United States.  Defeated fellow Union General  Winfield Scott Hancock in 1880 election.  Shot while in office.  Died at hands of his physicians.

5.  John C. Breckenridge  (Confederate)--  Vice President of U.S. before the war.

4.  George B. McClellan (Union)--  Lost to Abraham Lincoln for president in 1864.  Governor of New Jersey after the war.

3.  Stand Watie  (Confederate)--  Last Confederate general to surrender.  Was a Cherokee Indian.

2.  George Crook  (Union)--  Made quite a name for himself after the war fighting Indians out West.  Involved with Custer's Last Stand and fighting Geronimo.

1.  Leonidas Polk  (Confederate)--  Episcopal priest and bishop.  Killed in the Atlanta Campaign.

--Old Secesh

Ephraim Dod Saunders of Philadelphia

Back on February 16 and 17, I wrote about this man, who was the father of Captain Courtland Saunders who was killed at the Battle of Shepherdstown at the end of the Antietam Campaign.

From the Famous Americans.net site.

EPHRAIM DOD SAUNDERS

Clergyman born in Brookside, Morris County, New Jersey, 30 September 1808; died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 13 September 1872.

He graduated from Yale  in 1831, and after studying theology in New Haven for a few months, went to Virginia where he was engaged in teaching.  He was licensed to preach there in 1833, ordained to the Presbyterian  ministry in 1834 and was instrumental in building three churches, but relinquished  preaching on account of throat problems and became  principal of an academy in Petersburg, Virginia.

After traveling to Europe, he engaged in missionary work in the Pennsylvania coal region, but in 1852, established, in West Philadelphia, the Saunders  Institute, a military school which attained a high reputation.

He discontinued the school in 1870, and in 1871, gave the buildings and grounds, which was valued at $100,000, to found, as a memorial to his son, Courtland, the Presbyterian Hospital, towards whose endowment he raised $100,000 more by his personal efforts.

He received a degree of D.D. from Lafayette.

During the Civil War,  Dr. Saunders was active in raising volunteers and obtaining money for bounties, and established a drill class in which he trained a lot of officers for the volunteer service.  His son Courtland was a teacher at the institute.

--Old Secesh

Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, a Tribute to Courtland Saunders

From Wikipedia.

PENN PRESBYTERIAN MEDICAL CENTER

Is a hospital located in the University City section of  West Philadelphia.  It was founded by Reverend Ephraim D. Saunders in 1871 and formally joined the Pennsylvania  Health System in  1995.

Presbyterian was founded  in 1871 by the  Alliance of Philadelphia Prebyteries as a 48-bed facility on 2.5 acres.  The Reverend Dr. Ephraim D. Saunders, a Presbyterian minister, dedicated the land  in memory of his son, Courtland, who was shot and killed as a captain in the 118th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Shepherdstown on September 20, 1862.

He also gave a $400,000 endowment to it.

Reverend Saunders said the dedication, "A few days before the Battle of Antietam ... he[Courtland] passed with me  from his tent in the forest....  In view of the perils of war ... he recommended that in the case of his death ... the property should all be donated to some prominent ... charity."

So, the father donated the land and $400,000 to the memory of his son.

The incorporators of the Presbyterian Hospital declared its purpose was "to provide medical and surgical aid and nursing for the sick and disabled..."  Care and nursing was granted to the indigent of Philadelphia, funded by donations from individuals and Presbyterian churches.

It is now a 300-bed institution on 16.5 acres of land.

So, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center Owes Its Start to Capt. Courtland Saunders and His Father.  --Old Secesh

Captain Courtland Saunders, 118th Pa., Killed at Shepherdstown-- Part 2

Union Army officer.  Served as captain of Company G of the 118th Pennsylvania Infantry (The Corn Exchange Regiment).  He led his company at the September 20, 1862, Battle of Shepherdstown, a small but bloody engagement that marked the end of the Antietam Campaign

In the battle, his unit was sent to the Potomac River to engage retreating Confederates whose rear guard took up defensive positions to guard fords across the river near Shepherdstown, Virginia (it was not yet in the state of West Virginia).

Facing a determined enemy who outnumbered them and had advantages in terrain, the Union troops across the river were ordered to fall back.  The 118th's commander, Colonel Charles Provost, objected to the way his retreat orders were received and refused to fall back and ordered an attack.

He was then struck down by a bullet and the 118th was forced back to the river and across it in confusion with many casualties. Of 737 men in the regiment at the beginning, their first combat after having been formed just a month prior, 60 men and three officers were killed.

One of those killed was Captain Courtland Saunders.

--Old Secesh

The First Day at the Battle of Shepherdstown-- Part 3: William Pendleton Prepares for the Union Chase

William N. Pendleton was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1809 and graduated from West Point in 1830, a year after Robert E. Lee.  He spent three years in the Army before resigning to become an Episcopal priest, a vocation he continued  in addition to his military duties during the Civil War and that led to his nickname "Parson."

He taught at the Virginia Military Institute, serving on the faculty  with the future "Stonewall" Jackson.  At the outbreak of the war, Pendleton commanded the Rockbridge Battery, taking with him four cannons from VMI dubbed "Matthey", "Mark", "Luke" and "John."

Valued for his administrative skills, he moved through the ranks of the Confederate Army from colonel to brigadier general by March 1862.  And then he was  in the command of the Army of Northern Virginia's artillery.

He put together an artillery reserve of 44 cannons to guard the crossing at Boteler's Ford.  He managed to place 33 of the in position.  Despite looking good on paper, many of the guns were of too short range to battle with federal artillery on the other shore.  He also was given two battered brigades to protect the artillery which he posted along the shore.

--Old Secesh

About That Everett Gettysburg Address-- Part 3: Education and Political Service

Continued from December 15, 2021.

Edward Everett was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts in  1794.  A precocious youth, he graduated from Harvard at age 17, receiving highest honors in spite of being the youngest member of the class.  Three years later, after  earning a Masters of Divinity  degree, he was invited to be the minister of the Brattle Street Church, then Boston's largest and most fashionable congregation and was installed as its minister before reaching his 20th birthday.

After a year in the pulpit, he decided  that he preferred scholarship to the ministry and accepted a faculty appointment in Greek Literature at Harvard.  Since he was only 21 and only had a Master's degree, the university sent him to Europe for two  years of further study.  He completed a Ph.d. in Germany before returning to Harvard in 1819.

Everett was unusual for a 19th century scholar in his having aspirations beyond campus.  He  left teaching to serve five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (1825-1835); four (one year) terms as the Massachusetts governor (1836-1839); four years as ambassador to England (1841-1845); Secretary of State  under President Millard Fillmore; one term   in the U.S. Senate (1854-1860)

In the mid 1840s, he took a break from politics to serve as Harvard's  rsident.

A Remarkable Man.  Maj. Charles Winchester Would Be So Proud.  --Old Secesh

The Widow's Secret-- Part 7: Lived Along Route 66 in Marshfield

Of course. Helen Jackson lived her whole life with heavy emotional baggage from her short marriage to James Bolin.  What would people think of her when  and if they found out about that staggering age difference?

In Marshfield, Missouri, she was employed at a wood-working factory and later as a substitute cook in local schools.  She lived alone in a farmhouse along Route 66 and became an active member of the Elkland (Mo.) Independent Methodist Church.

For 81 years, she kept her secret.

Then, her pastor, Nicholas Inman found out about her former marriage and he set out to find out if she was indeed the last Civil War widow.

Stories of "last" Civil War widows come around every so often.  The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War confirmed Jackson as the "last" publicly documented widow.  But, who knows if there are still any other widows out there harboring secrets of their own?

--Old Secesh

David H. Budlong-- Part 1: Postwar Career

From The Journal of  Proceedings  of the United States Senate in Executive Session.

On March 3, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt  nominated David H. Budlong, of Idaho,  to be register of  the land office at  Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, his term having expired.

The U.S. Senate agreed..

He was appointed and paid $1,177.

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From the Minutes of the Presbyterian Church.

May 21, 1903

There was a David H. Budlong  as a Ruling Elder  of the Synod of Washington.  (There was no Synod of Idaho so that probably was a part of the Synod of Washington at the time.)

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The 1860  Methodist Episcopal Church listed a David H. Budlong.

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From The First reunion of the Army of the Tennessee in 1892

135th USCT

Colonel:  John E. Gurley

Lieut.-Col: David H. Budlong

Major:  David Dixon

Henry Mack, Born a Slave, Served USCT-- Part 5: 'There's a Lot of Damn Good Fight in Me Yet!'

His second wife, Sadie Johnson, died in 1935.  Then in his nineties, Mack moved in with her son from a previous marriage and his wife, Clarence and Allie Johnson.  They regularly drove him to GAR meetings and Sunday services at Zion Baptist Church.

With the United States engaged in World War II, Mack was in his 100s when he climbed the stairs for the first time in years, loaded a shotgun and put on his Army jacket.

When his family members found him on a nearby porch, he was headed to an Army recruiting station.

Told that he was too old to go to war again, Mack said:  "There's a lot of damn good fight in me yet!"

--Old Secesh

The Southern Abolitionist Preacher, William Irving Kirk

One of the presenters at the Hainesville re-enactment was Robert Kaplafka who was William Irving Kirk, a Southern abolitionist preacher.

I always thought most abolitionists were of the Northern persuasion, but here was a Southerner preaching against the evils of slavery.  He did not have much luck and was even wounded once and came close to other horrible things during the course of his preaching.

He was from Rowan County, North Carolina, and tried to convince slave owners they were wrong and figures he only got six of them in all his travels to change their mind.  However, he noted that the N.C. vote to secede was just barely passed.

I was unable to find out any more about him.

--Old Secesh

Clays of Ky., Green Clay Smith, Congressman and Montana Territorial Governor Ky.-- Part 6: An Unconditional Unionist, C

In 1862, he was elected as an Unconditional Unionist to the 38th Congress and resigned his military  post on December 1, 1863.  In Congress, he served on the Committee of Militia.  He was brevetted to major general of volunteers in 1865.

He resigned from Congress in 1866 after President Johnson appointed him to be Territorial Governor  of Montana.  During his tenure, he helped moderate tensions between the white settlers and Indians.

After he resigned from that, he returned to D.C. and became  an ordained Baptist minister and got involved in the temperance movement.

In 1876, the National Prohibition Party nominated him for president but he didn't receive but a little more than 9,000 votes.

He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

--Old Secesh

Confederate Soldiers' Tract Association: Religion in the Army

Yesterday, I mentioned in the blog entry about William W. Bennett, Methodist minister, that he was Superintendent of the Soldiers Tract Association at one time.  i was not aware of what that might mean, but since he was a preacher, imagined it must have something to do with Christianity.

I was not able to find any articles about the organization, but think it probably was centered on saving the soldiers' souls via becoming Christians.  This would probably include providing Bibles, hymnals and making sure there were enough chaplains for their needs.

It also probably had something to do with the evangelical revivals that swept through the Southern armies.

Just Thinking.  --Old Secesh

Confederates Buried at Arlington National Cemetery: John C. Tennett

From the Arlington National Cemetery Site.

A large number of Confederates are buried at the cemetery, despite its establishment as a final resting place for Union soldiers.  Most of these Confederates died during the war, many in Washington D.C.'s Old Capitol Prison, but others were buried there going into the early 1900s.

I have listed in the last few months all the North Carolina ones (Use the label Arlington National Cemetery) except for two.  This one was in the Confederate Navy, so i will also make an entry on him in today's Running the Blockade blog.

JOHN C. TENNETT, N.C. First Assistant Engineer, CSN

Appointed from North Carolina.  Served aboard the CSS Fredericksburg in the James River Squadron in 1864.  Resigned in late 1864 and joined the Confederate Army as chap[lain.

Died July 11, 1913.

--Old Secesh

As We Commeorate the Last Day of the Battle of Gettysburg-- Part 7: The Christian Commission and Aftermath

Ten years ago, John Wega quit his job to move his family to Gettysburg to open a museum and ministry devoted to the story of the Christian Commission.  This organization enlisted men and women to follow armies to minister tospiritual and physical needs.  After Gettysburg, dozens of the members stayed to attend the wounded, bury the dead and feed doctors, nurses and burial details.

"We are dedicated to not telling just the story of the fighting, which is an incredibly compelling story, and there are so many what-ifs," says Catherine Lawhon, the NPS spokeswoman at Gettysburg.  "But there is an important story of the aftermath and the recovery and what happens when the armies leave Gettysburg, and that kind of culminates with the Gettysburg Address."

Some families returned to destroyed homes and farms, and 'some of them never recover.'"

Old Secesh