The Chicago Civil War Round Table: About Those Battlefield Tours

This was the very first Civil War Round Table (CWRT).  I actually belonged to it for a few years back in the late 1970s.

Until 1977, the Chicago CWRT didn't allow women to become members.  They could, however, attend meetings.  That caused one woman, Marilyn Steele to form the Salt Creek CWRT, which currently meets in Glen Ellyn.

The Chicago CWRT offers an annual tour of Civil War battlefields which is well attended.  This year they have scheduled a four-day bus tour to Gettysburg on April 24-28.  (Sorry, you missed it, so did I.)  Last year's tour covered the Red River Campaign in Louisiana.

"The only way to fully understand a battle is to visit the site says Robert Girardi.  I have visited over 100 Civil War battlefields.  In November, I spend two days hiking over the fields at Shiloh, Tennessee."

--Old Secesh

Black Service in the Civil War-- Part 2: 175 Regiments USCT, 20% of Union Navy

Existing volunteer black units  were converted into the United States Colored troops (USCT).  By the end of the conflict, there were 175 regiments of USCT, containing 178,000 enlisted soldiers making up approximately 10% of the Union Army.

Sixteen USCT soldiers earned the nation's highest honor, the Medal of Honor.

In addition, more than 18,000 black men and 3 women served in the U.S. Navy.  That number comprised  20% of all sailors in the war.

Black regiments were formed  in every Union state.  While mostly made up of black soldiers, other minorities  served including Indians and Asians.

--Old Secesh

About That Confederate Woman's Home-- Part 5: Serving Widows and Wives of Honorably Discharged Confederate Soldiers

From the Texas State Historical Association.

Opened in 1908 to take care of the wives and widows of former Confederate soldiers who had been honorably discharged.  Many of these women were related to men who were in the Texas Confederate Home in Austin.

Residents were required to be at least 60 years of age and have no means of support.

At its opening on June 3, 1908, three women were admitted to it, by 1909, 16 women called it home.  But by 1911, the expenses were too much for the UDC and it was deeded to the state.  At the time, residents numbered 18.

In 1913, a two-story addition was added which included 24 new bedrooms. and then a brick hospital was constructed to care for the increasing number of ailing residents.  From 1920 to 1935, the place housed between eighty and 110 residents any given year.

By the late 1930s, new admissions to the home were decreasing and most of the surviving residents were in poor health.  From 1938 to 1945, the population fell from eighty-seven to just fifty-five.  In 1949, the building fell under the control of the State Hospitals and Special Schools.

During the late 1950s, the nine remaining residents were housed in one wing and in 1963, the three remains women were moved into private nursing homes at state expense and the facility closed.  The state sold the property in 1986.

During the course of its run to take care of Confederate wives and widows, the home cared for 3,400 indigent women.  It was popular with the Austin community and many events took place there.

--Old Secesh

About That Confederate Woman's Home in Texas-- Part 1: Confederadication Again

 From the September 3, 2020, Austin (Texas) Statesman "Herman:  Battle brewing over  marker at former Confederate Woman's Home, Opinion" by Ken Herman.

These days nothing having to do with the former Confederacy is safe from efforts of Confederadication.  And that even stretches to homes built to aide Confederate widows in need.  One such home was built in Austin, Texas.  A historical marker was erected at the site which gave its history.  But now that marker has been covered up and the owners want it changed to reflect how bad the Confederacy was or removed altogether.

The marker was put up by the Texas Historical Commission at the request of the owners at the former Confederate Woman's Home at 3710 Cedar Street in Austin.

This is what the offending sign said:

"TEXAS CONFEDERATE WOMAN'S HOME

 The Texas Confederate Woman's Home opened  in 1908 and provided  a home for over 3,000 wives and widows of former Confederate veterans.  Potential  residents were wives,  or widows of honorably discharged Confederate soldiers, women  who could prove active participation  in the Confederate war effort, and women over 60 years of age or older without a means of support.

More.  --Old Secesh

An 1861 Appeal for Aid at the Confederate Hospital in Bowling Green, Ky.

From the December 4, 2019, Bowling Green (Ky) Daily News Way Back in Warren County "In 1861, women asked to provide aid to Confederate hospital in Bowling Green."

An open letter to the December 2, 1861, Louisville (Ky) Courier  Journal asked  'the ladies of Kentucky and northern Tennessee"  for help in providing supplies and services to the Confederate hospital in Bowling Green.

Women were asked to form relief organizations, send needed supplies (such as bed clothes, bandages and soap)  and volunteer at the hospital since "the sick chamber is destitute of its chief solace unless graced by the  presence of your sex."

I find this surprising as I thought Louisville was under Union control at the time.

And, No Corvettes.  --Old Secesh

MCCWRT Trivia-- Part 2: Who Was Lucy Hale?

More things I learned:  (Answers below)

**  Who was Lucy Hale?  (A Frank C. question.)

**  How many Illinois regiments were at the Battle of Gettysburg?

**  Who was the only woman commissioned as an officer in the war?

**  Why was Ducktown, Tennessee, so important to the Confederacy?

ANSWERS

Lucy Hale was/might have been the girlfriend of John Wilkes Booth

There were three regiments from Illinois at Gettysburg:  82nd Inf., 8th Cav., 12th Cav.

Sally Tompkins

Ducktown was the only source of copper in the new country.

--Old Secesh

The Fayetteville Arsenal-- Part 7: 10,000 Rifles and 900,000 Rounds of Ammunition

From Waymarking.  From a Civil War Trails marker.

The U.S. Arsenal at Fayetteville, N.C. was constructed between 1838 and 1853, but the facility lacked equipment until 1857.  Before it could be used, the Civil War began and it was seized by state militia.  In June 1861, the state turned it over to the Confederacy.

Workers converted 36,000 flintlock muskets to percussion cap weapons and installed machinery captured at Harpers Ferry, in present-day West Virginia.  The arsenal produced about 10,000 rifles and assembled a few pistol carbines.

But its greatest contribution to the Confederacy was the more than 900,000 rounds of small arms ammunition, signal rockets and friction primers assembled by women workers.

--Old Secesh

Monuments Around the South Carolina Statehouse

Last week I wrote about a movement to erect a statue of Robert Smalls, a slave who commandeered the Confederate transport Planter in Charleston Harbor, on the grounds of the S.C. statehouse.  This is where the confrontation over  the Confederate Flag started.

Statues on the grounds include an African-American monument, Robert E. Lee tree memorial, Confederate Women memorial, Confederate soldier monument, Wade Hampton (Confederate general) and Dr. J. Marlon Sims.  I have written about Dr. Sims before and his questionable experiments on black women in gynecology so would not have a problem with his statue coming down.

The Statehouse also has bronze star markers where it was struck by Union artillery in 1865.

Again, I would like to see a statue for Robert Smalls there.

--Old Secesh

Woman's Relief Corps Backing Effort in World War II

I recently posted in my Tattooed On Your Soul World War II blog on October 18, 2017, about a member of the Woman's Relief Corps distributing patriotic information to students at Sycamore (Illinois) High School in March 1942.  She was a member of the Woman's Relief  Corps No. 18.

Her organization was organized in 1883 and was an auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic, which was comprised of Union veterans.

--Old Secesh

Dr. J. Marlon Sims, Controversial "Father of Modern Gynecology"

Yesterday, I wrote about critics in New York City wanting a statue to this man, J. Marlon Sims, removed from Central Park.  His work is indeed laudable, but the way in which he did it was shocking.

From 1845 to 1849, in Montgomery, Alabama, he operated on 12 black slave women with fistula.  They were brought to him by their owners.  And, he did it without using anesthetics.  This is where I find a serious problem with him.

Besides the statue in Central Park, there are also ones in the Alabama and South Carolina capitols as well as a marker at his birthplace in South Carolina.

If the memorials are allowed to remain, mention of the slave women and his not using anesthesia definitely need to be mentioned.  This puts him in the same situation as the Nazi doctors who experimented on people in the concentration camps.

Again, I Would Have No Problem With the Statue's Removal.  If It Stays, There Should Definitely Be Signage About the Slave Women He Used.  --Old Secesh

Nancy Harts Militia-- Part 2: Named After American Revolution Hero

The group of women militia called themselves the Nancy Harts, or sometimes Nancies, and were named in honor of Nancy Hart, a Patriot spy who outwitted and killed a group of Tories during the American Revolution.

Two women, Nancy Hill Morgan and Mary Alford Heard organized the first meeting and 40 women attended.

Though they were organized as a military  unit, they primarily served as nurses.  Later in the war, LaGrange became a medical and refugee center because of its close proximity to battlefields and an intact rail line.  There were four hospitals in LaGrange.

An Interesting Group That I'd never Heard of Before.  Thanks, Mort.  --Old Secesh

LaGrange vs. LaGrange in Georgia

From Mort Kunstler's 2017 March Civil War calendar.

LaGRANGE, GEORGIA, APRIL 17, 1865.

As with most military conflicts, the call to duty depletes the male population who marches off to war.  Sometimes the war comes to town, requiring women to take up arms in defense of their homes and firesides.

On April 17, 1865, the LaGrange, Georgia, all female militia known as the "Nancy Harts" was required to take this type of defensive action.

They marched to meet the advancing Union cavalry led by Col. Oscar H. LaGrange.  Outgunned and outnumbered, the women, the women peacefully surrendered, and in return the Union troops spared the town's population and property.

This encounter took place one week after the surrender at Appomattox.

The painting shows the ladies in dresses standing their ground with weapons raised as the Union cavalry comes into town.

Brave Women.  --Old Secesh

Women and Wives the Topic for McHenry County Civil War Round Table Discussion Saturday

I'll be going to the McHenry County Civil War Round Table discussion group meeting tomorrow at Panera Bread in Crystal Lake, Illinois on Northwest Highway (US-14).

The topic will be women and wives during the war.

I intend to look up some of my old blog entries on the subject.

--Old Secesh

Restored Female Confederate Captain's Coat To Be Unveiled

From the July 18, 2016, Washington Times.  AP.

Again, this is what I definitely would prefer to be doing than the Confederacy Under Attack.  If those other people ever stop their attacks and bad-mouthing, perhaps I can get back to what I'd rather be doing.

Matthews, Virginia.  The Civil war coat owned by the only woman believed to have been commissioned by the Confederacy has recently been restored.

Sally Louise Tompkins' uniform coat was unveiled Saturday at Tompkins College in Matthews, Virginia.  She was born in 1833 and was a nurse commissioned by Confederate President Jefferson Davis.  She had already opened Robertson Hospital at the start of the war to aid the many wounded.

She was called the "Angel of the Confederacy" and her hospital had reportedly the lowest death rate of any hospital be it Confederate or Union.

She died in 1916.

--Old Secesh

What the Well-Dressed Woman Wore-- Part 4: Between Mauve and Arsenic

By 1859, William Henry Perkin's new dye color was being called mauve in England and chemists later called it mauveine.  The color came into vogue in 1851, when Queen Victoria wore a mauve gown.

Another gown of Paris green is in the collection.  This dye was made of arsenic.  At the time the dress was made, the arsenic was stable, but caution is used in handling it today since current stability is not known.  I sure wouldn't touch it.

The exhibit ended at the end of August and an entrance fee of $5 was charged.

--Old Secesh Won't Wear That Green Dress.

What the Well-Dressed Woman Was Wearing-- Part 3: The Color Purple

Color was very important to mid-19th century ladies.  Chemists in Germany and France were busy developing new dyes, all of which were made from natural fibers.  And, some of those colors from 150 years ago were quite bright but have faded with the passage of time.

Royalty and the very rich were the ones who got to wear purple clothes as they were made from mollusk shells and were quite expensive.  In 1856, a less expensive purple dye was discovered by William Henry Perkin, quite by accident.

At age 18, he was challenged by his professor to synthesize quinine.  Perkin oxidized aniline using potassium dichromate which yielded a black solid.  Apparently a disaster, but when Perkin cleaned the flask with alcohol, he noticed portions of his solution had turned purple.

--Old Purple Secesh

What the Well-Dressed Woman Was Wearing-- Part 2: Autograph Books

Also included in the Society's exhibit is an autograph book which were popular especially in private schools.  The book on display has several pictures, including one of President Abraham Lincoln.  Often these photos were carte de visites.

Some of the shoes are made of silk and some of leather.  But all shoes were made for much narrower feet than those found on today's women..  Shoes in the collection also include those for babies, children and men.  Others were for every day wear and there is even a pair for ballroom dancing..

Some of the dresses have shortcuts.  One has two bodices and a detachable skirt that allowed the woman to go from daytime to evening events easily.  Another had sleeve extensions and a shawl that could be removed as the lady went from the banquet to dance floor where dresses had lower necklines and shorter sleeves than today.

Sashay 'Round the Dance Floor.  --Old Secesh

What the Well-Dressed Woman Was Wearing During Civil War Era-- Part 1

From the August 13, 2014, Hi-Liter (Lake County, Il) "Lakes Region Historical Society Showcases Civil War Era Ladies Attire" by Gail Peckler-Dziki.

Historian-actress Jessica Michna traveled from Racine to the Lakes Region Historical Society in Antioch, Illinois, and was highly impressed with its "Ladies Attire of the Civil War Revisited" exhibit, saying, "It is a rare thing to see so many genuine items and in such pristine condition and wide variation."

And, she would know her ladies clothing as she has developed programs for 11 historical female figures including Helen Keller, Abigail Adams and three programs about Mary Todd Lincoln.  As such, she does her research on period clothing.

One interesting item on display is a "hat" made of hair.  In the mid-1800s, a woman with thinning hair might have such a hat with curling tendrils of hair down the sides.  Wearing a knit white morning cap and she would seem to have hair.  Ah, vanity.

And What About Those Big Old Hoop Skirts?  --Old Secesh

Brown's Island Munition Explosion in Richmond-- Part 1

From the March 4, 2013, Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch "Brown's Island munitions explosion was worst wartime disaster in Richmond" by Katherine Cales.

This is more information about yesterday's post.  I had never heard of this explosion.

The dedication actually took place this last Saturday, March 9th.  It is regarded as Richmond's worst homefront disaster during the war.  More than 40 female workers were killed.

The reason an exact death toll isn't known was because the victims were afterwards often taken to their homes.  This is of interest in that the factory was employing mostly female workers much like the Rosie the Riveters I'm writing about in my World War II blog.

The first blast lifted Mary Ryan off the floor and the second blew her to the ceiling.  Forty-plus workers, mostly women, died.

This shocked the city and caused an outpouring of sympathy and money.

More to Come.  --Old Secesh

Nancy Bennett's Civil War-- Part 2: A Hard Life

She and her husband James struggled during their early years together. He worked as a sharecropper and then a tenant farmer until they scraped together enough money to buy a 325-acre farm on the Raleigh-Hillsborough Road in 1846 when he was 40. They were in debt, but sold half the land to pay it off.

Their farm was small, but the land fertile. They were what is called yeoman farmers. They grow potatoes, melons, corn and oats, raise chickens, hogs and have two milk cows. Being on the road, they take in travelers for one dollar which gets a bed, breakfast and supper.

They have two sons and a daughter.

When war comes, the two sons and a son-in-law join the Confederate army.

More to Come. --Old B-R'er