153rd Illinois Infantry Regiment-- Part 2

From Dyers Regimental History.

The 153rd was organized at Camp Fry in Chicago and served at Nashville on garrison duty before being transferred to Tullahoma, Ten., March 4-10th, 1865.  It was attached to the 2nd Brigade in the defense of Nashville and then guarded the Chattanooga Railroad in the Department of Cumberland to April 1865.

Then, it was in the 2nd Brigade, 1st Sub-District, District of Middle Tennessee to July 1865.  The last posting was 1st Infantry Brigade, District of West Tennessee until mustered out in September 1865.  During the course of service, the regiment suffered no battle deaths, but did have 37 die from disease.  

--Old Secesh

153rd Illinois Infantry Regiment-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

Adam S. Jackson's regiment, the 153rd Illinois, was organized at Chicago, Illinois and mustered into federal service on February 27, 1865 for a one year enlistment.  They served garrison dutyin Nashville and Memphis and guarded the Chattanooga Railroad.

They were commanded by Colonel Stephen Bronson and mustered out of service on September 5, 1865.

COMPANIES and county of origin:   A-- Boone County,  B-Boone and McHenry counties, C--  Kane County,  D--  Jo Daviess County,  W--  Bureau and Cook counties,  F--  Cook County,  G--Winnebago County,  H--  Lake and Cook counties,  I--Cook County and K--  McHenry County.

--Old Secesh

Private Jackson of 153rd Illinois Infantry

At the McHenry County Civil War Round Table meeting in March, presenter Donald Purn said that a black man by the name of Private Jackson had enlisted in the 153rd Illinois Infantry Regiment, Co. K. This wasn't a USCT unit and I did not know that blacks joining white units happened often during the war.

I found a list of members of Co. K and there was a Private Adam S. Jackson, from Benton mustered in Feb. 15, 1865 and mustered out July 14, 1865.

Most of the company mustered in in February, but mustered out in September, 1865. Further research showed that Co. K was mostly from McHenry County.

--Old Secesh

McHenry County's USCT Connection-- Part 3

These black men had connections to McHenry County, Illinois.

PRIVATE JACKSON-- born in North Carolina and lived in Arkansas. In 1864 enlisted in the 153rd Illinois Infantry Regiment, Co. K. Returned to Arkansas after the war.

ANTHONY STEPP, 29th USCT. Enlisted in 1864 in Marengo, Illinois, and died at sea in June 1865.   May have died en route to Texas where his regiment had been transferred.

LEWIS ELLSWORTH, 29th USCT, Co. B. Born in 1843. Escaped the massacre at Fort Pillow. Later considered to be a deserter and went to St. Joseph, Missouri. Died 1919.

BARTLEY JACKSON of Marengo was a black nurse who died in 1893 and is buried in the Marengo City Cemetery. Believed to have been born in Illinois in 1844.

--Old Secesh

115th USCT

I was unable to find out a lot about this unit. Here is what I did find. It organized in Kentucky and did garrison duty at Louisville, Kentucky, before being transferred to siege operations at Petersburg, Virginia. 

After Lee's surrender, the unit did duty in Texas in 1865 and was mustered out Feb. 10, 1866.

Old Secesh

McHenry County's USCT Connection-- Part 2: Sgt. John R. Brent

John Brent was born in Kentucky in 1841 as a slave and joined the 115th USCT where he rose through the ranks to sergeant. The regiment did garrison duty at Lexington, Kentucky, at first and later was transferred to Virginia where it participated in the Siege of Petersburg.

In 1882, he came to McHenry, Illinois, and worked in a brickyard. He lived in McHenry for the next 40 years. Census records list him as a mulatto. In 1901, he was a janitor at the McHenry Public Schools. He died January 20, 1922 and is buried at Woodland Cemetery.

--Old Secesh

McHenry County's USCT Connection-- Part 1: Sgt. John R. Brent, 115th USCT

At the March meeting of Illinois' McHenry County Civil War Round Table at the Woodstock Library, Don Purn, who knows more about McHenry County Civil War veterans than anyone can possibly know, gave a presentation "Soldiers od McHenry County: Colored Units & Soldiers' Homes."

He first went through a list of McHenry County's veterans who served in United States Colored Troops units. I was surprised to find that there were some, considering how far north McHenry County is.

When blacks were finally allowed to serve in the Union Army, they were put into regiments of the USCT, United States Colored Troops. These units, however, were commanded by white officers. Some of those white officers did so for their belief in equality, but many did so because of the chance for advancement in rank, often from enlisted to officer.

--Old Secesh

Digging at SC's Camp Asylum

From the April 23, 2014, WFAE 90.7 FM NPR "Race to Unearth Civil War-Era Artifacts Before Developer Digs In" by Kevin Kniestedt.

A dozen archaeologists are busily working in downtown Columbia, SC, on a 165 acre fornmer site of a prisoner of war camp for Union officers named Camp Asylum.

Come April 30th, they'll have to vacate it so that a developer can start work.

During the winter 1864-1865, some 1000 Union officers were housed here in a prison that was originally the exercise yard of the state insane asylum, which gave the camp its name.

The prisoners were being moved around as Union General Sherman was moving his army through Georgia and South Carolina. The first prisoners arrived December 12, 1864, most with just a single blanket and there were no barracks, so they had to dig holes for warmth.

So far, archaeologists have found buttons, combs and a few other items. Surprisongly, there was only one recorded death during the time it was a prison, mostly because the cold weather prevented the spread of disease, the biggest killer in prisons.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Art-- Part 9: Frank Vizetelly

In relation to the North, the Confederacy had no illustrated newspapers, other than Frank Leslie's and Harper's which made it across lines. However, the London Illustrated News sent noted British war artist Frank Vizetelly, fresh from covering fighting in Italy, to North America.

He first covered the war from the North's perspective until he saw the debacle at the First Battle of Bull Run. His unfavorable drawings and description of the rout got him banned from Union lines.

He now determined to cover the war from the Southern viewpoint. With the help of Confederate sympathizers and a freed slave, he crossed the Potomac River below the capital and joined the southern army along the Rapidan River.

He took up the cause of the South. The South now had their own special artist.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Art-- Part 8: Censoring

As mentioned in the previous post where an Arthur Lumley illustration of Union troops pillaging at the Battle of Freedricksburg, both Harper and Leslie did their part to shape public opinion, sometimes censoring images they considered to be too negative or graphic.

For instance, Harper editors made Alfred Waud's drawing of a leg amputation at an Antietam field hospital to look less gory.

Another Waud sketch of exhausted horses dragging artillery carts were given lifted heads and kicking up clods of mud.

Even so, the general public was becoming aware of the horrors of war as the war progressed as a result of the illustrations.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Art-- Part 7: Did Union Troops Actually Pillage?

At the December 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg, Arthur Lumley, an Irishman working for the New York Illustrated News sketched Union troops pillaging the town.

He was incensed by the scene and wrote on the back of the drawing: "Friday Night in Fredericksburg. This night the city was in the wildest confusion sacked by the Union troops= houses burned down furniture scattered in the streets= men pillaging in all directions= a fit scene for the French revolution and a disgrace to the Union Army."

The journal never printed this image.

Wonder Why.  --Old Secesh

Fletcher Pratt's "Civil War in Pictures"

Since I have been writing about the artists would brought the Civil War to the people via their illustrations, I decided to go dig out my old copy of this book, over which I spent so much time back when I was a youngster.

It is old, much smaller than I remembered and a bit dog-eared. My mother had used it in her classroom library when she taught. I see my very childish scrawl on the inside cover showing my address at the time as being at 129 North Library Street, Grenvile (well, actually Greenville as in North Carolina). That would have put me in 4th or 5th grade at that time.

My mother had also written our address through junior high, high school and even first year at college. That would be 1102 E. Anderson, Palatine, Illinois.

There are three pieces of tape holding the front and back covers together.

My copy, which I think cost me a small fortune of $5 and bought at a small mom and pop book store in Greenville (maybe) was printed by Garden City Books, Garden City, New York.

Copyright is 1955 by Fletcher Pratt, who also wrote a favorite paperback book of mine about the Civil War. I think it was called "A Short History of the Civil War."

The Garden City Books Edition was printed in 1957.

As I said a few days ago, this book was essentially a compilation of illustrations from Harper's Weekly and Frank Leslie's Illustrated Weekly Newspaper.

Hello, Old Friend. --Old Secesh

Civil War Art-- Part 6: Winslow Homer and Thomas Nast

Winslow Homer was born in Boston and destined for artistic stardom later, created many memorable sketches and paintings from the front lines. His work from McClellan's failed Peninsular Campaign in 1862 is of particular interest.

His Bavarian-born colleague Thomas Nast became America's most influential editorial cartoonist, completely supporting Lincoln and the Republican party and demonizing the Confederacy. His illustrations helped solidify Northern war effort and Lincoln's second election.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Art-- Part 5: Alfred Waud and Edwin Forbes

Alfred Waud was the most prolific special and created some of the most memorable sketches of Gettsburg and Antietam. On July 21, 1861, he traveled to the Bull Run battlefield on the wagon of his good friend, photograoher Matthew Brady. At one point he took up arms against the Confederates that day and used a pistol to deter a Union soldier trying to commandeer his horse on his return.

He had good friendships with officers which allowed him great access to battlefields, but also was prone to showing the regular soldier.

Edwin Forbes of Leslie's Illustrated was very focused on human-interest and figure study of the regular soldiers and made sketches of soldiers relaxing, cooking, cleaning, reading, shaving and doing other daily activities.

Just Regular Folk. --Old Secesh

Loved Those Illustrated Books

Growing up, one of my first Civil War books was Fletcher Pratt's Civil War in Pictures. I looked through those pictures many times and wore out my first copy. I'd even go so far as to count the soldiers in the pictures, that's how bad I was.

That book and the American Heritage Civil War were by far my two favorites. Later, when I had more money, I bought both oversized books, one featuring Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper and the other Harper's Weekly.

You couldn't get much closer to the war.

--Old Secesh