Christmas 1864 at Bentonville-- Part 1

From the Nov. 20, 2014, Goldsboro (NC) News-Argus "Bentonville historic site demonstrates a Civil War Christmas" by Steve Herring.

The war was raging in other parts of the country this Christmas season 150 years ago, but here in North Carolina around the Harper House, things were peaceful (the battle took place in the middle of March 1865).

On Saturday, December 6th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the public will be able to gain an idea of what life was like back then  Visitors will be able to enjoy cookies and hot cider while listening to period music.  Costumed military interpreters will discuss the life of a common soldier on furlough from the Army.  Furlough was when they would be given permission to be away from their units and visit family and friends back home.

Re-enactors from the 27th North Carolina, Co. D will participate

--Old Secesh

Confederate Color Guard at Slave's Daughter's Funeral-- Part 2

Mattie Rice was 91 when she died this past September in High Point, North Carolina, and will be buried this Saturday in Monroe's Hillcrest Cemetery.  She spent much time confirming her father's Confederate service.

Tony Way, a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) lead the push for a marker honoring the Civil War service of nine slaves and one free black.  It was unveiled in 2012.  Before that, Mattie Rice dismissed Black Confederates as a myth.

A 1930 obituary for her father, Weary Clyburn said he was buried in his Confederate uniform, but referred to him as "Uncle Weary Clyburn" and described him as "a white man's darkey."  His grave remained unmarked until the SCV lobbied the Veterans Administration for a headstone which was placed in 2008.

--Old Secesh

"Gone With the Wind" Premier Actually December 15, 1939

I looked this up in Wikipedia and found that the movie actually premiered about three weeks later at the Loewe's Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.

Ticket prices were about $1 at the time, which was double what most movies cost back then.

--Old Secesh

"Gone With the Wind" 75th Anniversary

Right now I am watching "Gone With the Wind" on AMC and believe this to be the 75th anniversary of the movie's release in 1939.

And, this also being the 150th anniversary of Sherman's March Across Georgia (March to the Sea) which was shown in the movie with the Union soldier being killed on the steps of Tara.

And, here I am in North Carolina.

--Old Secesh

Confederate Color Guard at Burial of Slave's Daughter-- Part 1

From the October 19, 2014, Goldsboro (N.C.) News-Argus, AP

Mattie Clyburn Rice Wanted to be Buried in Her Father's Grave.

When her ashes were buried Saturday in her father's grave in North Carolina, there was a color guard of Confederate re-enactors, representatives of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) as well as members of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

What made this ceremony really interesting was that Mattie Clyburn Rice's father had been a slave.

"That the daughter of a man enslaved in the 1800s should live toi see the 21st century seems almost extraordinary enough-- but equally remarkable is the record of her father, who went to war to cook for his master, saved the man's life and ended up drawing a pension for his wartime service."

Her father was in his 80s when Mattie was born.  Members of the SCV, who knew her very well, said that Mattie always considered her father a Confederate soldier., but historians say that is not necessarily true because he went to war to serve his master.

Of Course, There Were Others Who Were Drafted to Go Off to War, Often Against Their Will.  --Old Secesh

Union Medal of Honor Winner Frederick Fuger-- Part 2: The Medal and Service After the War

Fuger assumed command of the battery after the death of Alonzo Cushing and fired the remaining rounds of cannister then fought Pickett's men hand-to-hand.

For his gallant action, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and later received the Medal of Honor.

By his figuring, he was present at 63 Civil War battles and minor engagements and was slightly wounded twice: once in the head at the Battle of White Oak Swamp June 30, 1862 and in the left arm at the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862.He was brevetted  to 1st Lt., U.S. Army for meritorious service at the Battle of Dinwiddie Court House.

Other promotions:  1st Lt. 4th Artillery December 1865
Captain 4th Artillery March 1887
Major 4th Artillery 1899

Retired at age 64 in June 1900.  In April 1904 promoted to Lt. Colonel.

Lt. Col. Frederick Fuger died in Washington, D.C. on October 13, 1913 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Quite a Life.  --Old Secesh

Union Medal of Honor Winner Frederick Fuger-- Part 1: Alonzo Cushing's Sergeant

From Wikipedia.

Born June 18, 1836  Died October 13, 1913.

Received his Medal of Honor for his part in the action on Cemetery Ridge during Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863, at the Battle of Gettysburg.

Emigrated from Germany in 1853 and joined the 4th U.S. Artillery in 1856, Battery A.

Served in Florida against the Seminoles in 1856, in Kansas in 1857, Utah in 1858 against the Mormons and Nevada in 1860 against the Paiute Indians.

His enlistment was set to expire in 1861 when the Civil War began and he reenlisted in the same outfit, 4th Artillery, Battery A as sergeant under Lt. Alonzo Cushing.

--Old Secesh

Sherman's March to the Sea-- Part 2: Five Things

The March began on November 16, 1864.

3.  DID SHERMAN DESTROY EVERYTHING?  The answer to this is a firm "No!"  But, cut off from his supply lines, he did allow his men to :forage liberally."  Plus, he was determined to destroy anything that could even remotely be used by the Confederates.  That included cotton gins, barns, factories, Confederate leaders' homes and railroads.

Sherman's neckties were rails heated in the center and twisted around trees and poles.  In some parts of georgia, even today, if you want your steak well done (or burned) you ask that it be Shermanized.

Sherman claimed he had done $100 million of physical damage to the Confederacy during his march.

4.  HOW IS SHERMAN'S MARCH REMEMBERED TODAY"  In some parts of the South he is "The devil Incarnate."  Even considered a war criminal.  He took the chivalry out of war, fighting as the first modern general whose tactics were to do whatever was necessary to end a war as quickly as possible.

5.  WHY TECUMSEH?  His middle name was after a famous Indian warrior chief.

I Prefer My Steaks Medium rare.  Perhaps It Should Be Butlerized.  --Old Secesh

Sherman's March to the Sea-- Part 1: Five Things About It

From the November 15, 2014, Yahoo! News "Sherman's March at 150: 5 questions and answers" by Christopher Sullivan, AP.

WHY MARCH TO THE SEA?  Sherman had captured Atlanta in September 1864.  This greatly helped Lincoln's reelection that November.

Part of the reason for the march was to relieve pressure on Grant at Petersburg, but it also was to split the Confederacy and provide a "Shock and Awe" kind of a campaign.

WHO WAS WILLIAM TECUMSEH SHERMAN"  He was from a very poor family and later a West Point graduate.  Superintendent at a military school in Louisiana when South Carolina seceded and joined the Union Army even though he always considered himself friendly to the South.

He also knew that the Southern will to fight had to be broken and that was a huge reason for his March to the Sea.  The march took barely a month (there wasn't a lot of opposition.

On December 22nd, he telegraphed Lincoln, "I beg to present to you as a Christmas gift the City of Savannah."

Quite a Thrust.  --Old Secesh

Cushing Brothers Burials

Milton Cushing is buried at Forest Hill Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio.

Howard B. Cushing is buried at Fort Lowell in Arizona.  He was later reinterred at the San Francisco National Cemetery at the Presidio.

Alonzo Cushing is buried at the USMA at West Point, New York.

William Cushing is buried at the USNA at Annapolis, Maryland.

--Old Secesh

Cushing Memorial Park in Delafield, Wisconsin

This inscription is on the memorial:  "So long as such men can be produced in the republic there is no danger of its decline and fall."

That pretty well sums up the Cushing Brothers.

--Old Secesh

Alonzo Cushing's Sergeant, Frederick Fuger

At the Battle of Gettysburg, July 3, 1863, Alonzo Cushing was wounded and unable to yell his commands.  Alonzo relayed them through his sergeant, Frederick Fuger and after Cushing's death, Fuger continued operating that one cannon left in the battery.

Fuger was commissioned second lieutenant for his actions that day and, in 1897, received a Medal of Honor for it.

--Old Secesh

Howard B. Cushing, U.S. Army-- Part 2

After Texas, he went to southern Arizona where he and his command  reportedly killed more Apaches than any other troop.

In May 1871, Howard Cushing and 22 troopers were ambushed by  Chiricahui Apaches under Cochise on May 5th and in fierce hand-to-hand combat, Cushing and several of his men were killed.

Their bodies were recovered and he is buried at Fort Lowell, southwest of Tucson.

--Old Secesh

Howard B. Cushing, US Army-- Part 1

The fourth of the Cushing brothers, he was born in Delafield, Wisconsin in 1840 and was a West Point graduate.  Alonzo also graduated from the USMA and William graduated from the USNA.  The only Cushing brother who did not attend a service academy was Milton.

Howard served in the artillery as was his brother Alonzo during the war and reportedly attained the rank of colonel.  He resigned after the war, but came back to the Army in 1867 and was commissioned a second lieutenant.

By the end of 1867, he was first lieutenant of Troop F of the 3rd Cavalry in western Texas.

--Old Secesh

The Cushing Brothers-- Part 2: Milton Cushing

Three of the four sons of Milton Birmingham and Mary B. Cushing achieved fame in the Civil War and beyond.

The oldest brother, Milton, born in 1837 in Ohio served in the U.S. Navy, as did brother William, during the war as a paymaster from August 1864 into 1866.  he died in 1877 in Dunkirk, New York.  Buried at Forest Hill cemetery in Columbus, Ohio.

The Records of Living Officers of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps gives this information on Milton Cushing:

Born Ohio.
Appointed from New York Aug. 20, 1864
Entered service as Acting Assistant Paymaster
Attached to steam gunboat USS Seneca, North Atlantic Blockading Squadron 1864-1865.  The USS Seneca was one of the 90-Day Gunboats built in that amount of time in 1861 and took part if the attacks on Fort Fisher in 1865, when Milton Cushing was on board.  I imagine at some point he got together with brother William while on station off Wilmington.
Assigned to steam gunboat USS Chicora, Gulf squadron 1865-1866
Appointed Passed Assistant Paymaster, U.S. Navy July 23, 1865.
Assigned to steamer USS Suwanee, North Pacific Squadron 1866-1868
Commissioned Paymaster in 1869.

It's a Navy Brother.  --Old Secesh

The Cushing Brothers-- Part 1

From the May 6, 2012, North Against South blog "The Four Cushing Brothers" by Richard Billies.

The last three posts, I wrote about Alonzo Cushing receiving his Medal of Honor for his heroic action at the Battle of Gettysburg, but he also had three other brothers who served during the war.  Two were in the Navy and one other in the Army.

One of these other three, in my opinion should also receive a Medal of Honor for his actions on sea and land, and particularly for leading the expedition that sank the powerful Confederate ironclad ram CSS Albemarle.

I am referring to William Barker Cushing who led many courageous reconnaissance missions as well as being in the naval brigade that attacked Fort Fisher.

This last month I have written a lot about his sinking of the Albemarle in my Running the Blockade blog.  Go to it and click on his name in the labels.

--Old Secesh

Gettysburg Hero Finally Awarded Medal of Honor-- Part 3: Alonzo Cushing

Alonzo Cushing was commander of an artillery battery on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, during what is now known as Pickett's Charge, according to an account provided by the White House.  After Confederate cannon fire ripped into his position prior to the charge, he personally took over firing his single remaining artillery piece.  Most of the rest of his men were either killed or wounded.

During the close-in fighting as Confederates approached, he was wounded in the shoulder and then in the stomach, but refused to be taken to the rear for treatment and continued directing firing of the artillery piece until he was mortally wounded by a bullet.

Cushing was buried with honors at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., from which he had graduated just two years before his death.  He was posthumously promoted to lieutenant colonel.

A monument to his honor stands on the Gettysburg battlefield.

Previously this year, President Obama awarded Medals of Honor to veterans who fought as long back as World War II when he recognized 24 Army veterans who had been passed over for the recognition because of bias.

Well-Deserved Honor.  --Old Secesh

Gettysburg Hero Finally Awarded Medal of Honor-- Part 2

Proponents of Cushing's medal fought opponents, including former U.S. Senator James Webb, a Virginia Democrat who served in the Marine Corps in Vietnam.  He stripped legislative language authorizing the award in 2012, saying more than 150 years later it was impossible to verify the circumstances of battle to determine whether the highest military honor was merited.

U.S. law requires recommendations for the Medal of Honor to be made within two years of the event.  Also, I have my doubts about some of the Civil War Medals of Honor as that was when they were first given and nowhere near the paperwork required no took place. There were instances when a whole unit would receive them.

Of course, perhaps Webb's opposition might have come from Cushing being a Union soldier.

New legislation to award Cushing the honor was passed in December 2013.

--Old Secesh

Gettysburg Hero Finally Awarded Medal of Honor-- Part 1

From the November 7, 2014, Chicago Tribune by Angela Greiling Keane, Bloomberg News.

Wisconsin lawmakers began pushing for it thirty years ago for a Medal of Honor for a soldier who died 151 years ago, 1st Lt. Alonzo H. Cushing.  he finally received it.

Cushing was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania on the climatic final day of the battle, July 3, 1863, and at the climatic point during Pickett's Charge.  He was 22 years old.

The fight, along with the fall of Vicksburg, Mississippi the following day were pivotal victories for the Union Army during the Civil War.

While presenting it, President Barack Obama said, "This medal is a reminder that, no matter how long it takes, it is never too late to do the right thing," as he bestowed the nation's highest military honor on Cushing at a White House ceremony on November 6th,

--Old Secesh

Further Breakdown of N.C. Confederates Buried at ANC-- Part 4

North Carolina Confederates buried at Arlington National Cemetery.  Battles in which these men were captured:

Chester Gap July 21, 1863--  1

Bristoe Station October 14, 1863--  12

Rappahannock Station November 7, 1863--  6

Williamsburg May 5, 1863--  3

Fredericksburg--  1

Mine Run November 28, 1863-- 2

Spottsylvania May 12, 1864--  1

Chancellorsville May 3, 1863--  2

Kelly's Ford, November 7, 1863--  5

Falling Waters July 14, 1863-- 1

Sharpsburg September 17, 1863

--Old Secesh

Further Breakdown of N.C. Confederates Buried at ANC-- Part 3

North Carolina Confederates buried at Arlington National Cemetery.  These are what was listed as cause of death:

Died of wounds--  4
amputations-- 2
diarrhea chronica/diarrhea--  7
typhoid pneumionia-- 1
disease--  1
pneumonia--  1
erysipelas--  1
phthises pulmonalis-- 1
died in hospital--  5
variola--  1
typhoid fever--  2

--Old Secesh

Veterans Day: Civil War Trust Expanding Mission to Save Revolutionary and War of 1812 Battlefields

From the November 10, 2014, Washington Post "Civil War Trust to preserve battlefields from Revolutionary War and War of 1812."

The Civil War Trust, the nation's largest Civil War battlefield protection group is enlarging its mission to cover these, often overlooked, battlefields.

Jim Lighthizer, the group's president said this is a strong and logical connection between the three wars.  "The Revolutionary War created the country, and the War of 1812 affirmed that creation.  The Civil War defined who we are."

The announcement for this expanded mission will come today in honor of Veterans Day at the Princeton Battle memorial in New Jersey.

There are many fewer Revolutionary and War of 1812 sites.  Civil War battlefields cover between 200,000 and 250,000 acres.  The other two combined somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000.

Since its inception 27 years ago, the Trust has preserved over 40,000 acres of Civil War battlefields.

--Old Secesh

A Further Breakdown of N.C. Confederate Buried at Arlington National Cemetery-- Part 2

A Breakdown By Regiments.  All are North Carolina Regiments:

2nd NC-- 2
3rd-- 1
5th NC-  2
6th NC-- 2

11th NC--  1
13th NC-- 1
15th NC--  2
17th NC--  1

20th NC-- 1
23rd NC--  2
24th NC--  2

30th NC--  2
33rd--  1
28th NC--  1

43rd  NC--  2
44th NC--  6
46th NC--  2
47th NC--  1
48th NC--  1

52nd  NC--  1
54th NC--  1
57th NC--  4

Probably not surprising about the most being from the N.C. regiments in the 40s as that would have been the ones arriving on the battlefield around 1863, when the majority of them were captured in action.

--Old Secesh

Confederates Buried at Arlington National Cemetery

From the ANC website.

Arlington National Cemetery was conceived as a "Union" burial ground, but Confederates are buried there as well.  Most died in battle or from wounds received in battle.  Some were prisoners of war who were brought to Washington, D.C. either for prison or to be hospitalized.

Some were "rehabilitated" Confederates whose service later in life authorized their burial there.

The list of Confederates buried there was compiled by Roxsane Wells-Layton.  Thanks.

In addition, and not surprisingly, a large number of of Civil War medal of Honor recipients (and other wars as well) are buried there.

--Old Secesh

A Further Breakdown on N.C. Prisoners Buried at Arlington National Cemetery-- Part 1

My count shows that 41 North Carolina Confederates are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Seventeen of them died of disease after incarceration at Washington, D.C.'s Old Capitol Prison.

Twelve were wounded in battle and died in Washington, D.C.'s hospitals.

--Old Secesh

Lincoln's Home Gets an Energy Update

From the November 2, 2014, Chicago Tribune by William Hageman.

Henson Robinson Co. of Springfield, Illinois, recently undertook a job on a very famous house in town, the one where Abraham Lincoln and family lived in from 1844 to 1860 when they left to take up quarters in an even more famous house.

The 153-year-old firm replaced a 25-year-old heating and air conditioning system and they had to be "inordinately careful."  They did it in April-May at a $150,000 cost.

They have also worked on Lincoln's Tomb, the Capitol dome and the Dana-Thomas (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright) House.  They also restored the home of the firm's founder, Henson Robinson, which is located three houses south of Lincoln's.

I'm Guessing Abe Would Have Approved.  --Old Secesh

N.C. Prisoners Who Died of Disease at Old Capitol Prison-- Part 3

WILLIAM SINK--  Cap. 10-14-63, Died 2-9-64 of chronic diarrhea

WILLIAM STRAHORN--  Cap. 10-14-63, Died 1-21-64 of diarrhea chronica.

SIMEON SWANSON--  Cap. 10-14-63, Died 1-12-64 of variloa.

JAMES (JESSE) BARNES--  Cap. 11-7-63, Died 2-11-64 of typhoid fever.

JAMES BAUNDY--  Cap 7-14-63, Died 4-20-64 of typhoid fever.

Just an Interesting Look at a Prison Located in the City of Washington, D.C., Capital of the United States.

-Old Secesh

N.C. Prisoners Who Died of Disease at Old Capitol Prison-- Part 2

These soldiers arrived at Old Capitol Prison and weren't wounded or injured.  They just went to OCP and most died within two months.


ROBERT JOHNSON: cap. 7-21-63, Died  of chronic diarrhea.

CLARK KINSTON:  Cap. 10-14-63, Died of chronic diarrhea

ARMSTEAD KING: Cap. 11-8-63, Died 2-2-64 of pneumonia

WILLIAM POLLARD:  Cap. 10-14-63, Died 11-19-63

OBED  REEP:  Cap. 11-28-63, Died 2-2-64 of phthisis pulmonalis

NATHAN ROGERS:  Cap. 10-14-63, Hospitalized 12-7-63.  Died of chronica diarrhea

And, TheySaid That Andersonville Was Horrible.  --Old Secesh

N.C. Prisoners Imprisoned at Old Capitol Prison Who Died of Disease-- Part 1

Getting sent to Old Capitol Prison (OCP) in Washington, D.C., was a death sentence for many captured Confederates who arrived healthy but soon died from diseases.  Old Capitol Prison got its name from the fact that it served as the nation's Capitol while the one destroyed by the British in 1814 was being rebuilt.

I compiled this from the list I got from the Confederates buried at Arlington National Cemetery.  These were those that were sent to OCP.  I will also include date captured, dare of death and disease

NATHAN CRAFT--  10-14-63, 1-11-64, diarrhea chronica

JAMES DEAN--  12-3-63, 1-2-64, typhoid pneumonia

JOHN FINCH--  10-14-63, 11-26-63, disease

WILLIAM GUPTON--  10-14-63, 4-21-64, diarrhea chronica

SAMUEL HILL--  10-14-63, 12-20-63, diarrhea chronica

--Old Secesh

William W. Corcoran-- Part 3: America;s First Lobbyist and Peddler of Political Influence?

Today, William Corcoran is known mostly for his art gallery museum across from the White House, but he is a  very important character from American history.

He played a significant role in the transformation of the United States financial and banking systems and held a huge influence on everything that went on in Washington, D.C..  Some regard him as America's first lobbyist and peddler of political influence.

Corcoran influenced and befriended almost every U.S. president from Andrew Jackson to Rutherford B. Hayes.

He included among his friends quite a diverse group, including Edward Everett, Robert E. Lee and John Slidell.  He maintained close business and social relationships with financiers and bankers ranging from Elisha and George Riggs, George Peabody and Junius Morgan.

One day I might look up the Lincoln-Corcoran relationship during the Civil War as this man, though retired, still continued to wield a lot of clout.

--Old Secesh

William W. Corcoran, Financier and Banker-- Part 2

In 1837, he established a brokerage firm on Pennsylvania Avenue and 15th Street in Wasgington, D,C. and was very successful.  Corcoran entered into a partnership with George Washington Riggs as the firm of Corcoran and Riggs (taken over by PNC Bank recently).  .  In 1845, they bought the United States Bank.

With his fortune made, William retired in 1854 and devoted himself to collecting art and philanthropy.

It was around this time that Simon Sommers starting working for him, taking care of his considerable land interests out west.

Since William Corcoran was so wealthy and lived through the Civil War, I'm sure he must have had some role in it, but Wikipedia did not mention it.

--Old Secesh

William W. Corcoran, Financier and Art Collector-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

I have been writing about Simon L. Sommers, a Confederate officer who, before and after the war, worked for W.W. Corcoran and as such ended up living in Macomb, Illinois.  I'd never heard of this W.W. Corcoran, but found out that Sommers was raking care of his real estate holdings in the Macomb area which was why he went there.

WILLIAM W. CORCORAN (Dec. 27, 1798-February 24, 1888)  American banker, philanthropist and art collector.  He started the Corcoran Gallery of Art across from the White House in Washington, D.C., in 1869, one of the first art galleries in the United States.

William was the son of well-to-do parents in D.C. and eloped and married the daughter of Commodore Charles Morris who fought in the War of 1812.  (I wrote about him in my War of 1812 blog yesterday.)

He entered the business world at age 17, working for relatives and opened his own store two years later.  he then established a wholesale auction and commission business that failed in a depression in 1823.   In 1828, he took control of a large amount of real estate that had belonged to his father.  (I have to wonder how a man in Washington, D.C., could acquire large amounts of land out west?)

More to Come.  --Old Secesh

Charles A. Newton, CSN?

Simon Sommers married Margaret Newton, the daughter of Charles A. Newton.  He was listed as being formerly in the U.S. Navy.  Since the marriage took place in 1863, when Sommers were in the service of the Confederacy, I have to assume it was in the South.  Perhaps Charles Newton had offered his services to the Confederate Navy, which always was in need of people with experience?

I did come across the name of a Charles A. Newton who was an Acting Master in the CSN at the Richmond Station and is listed as dying 11 August 1862.

I was unable to find out any more information on him.

--Old Secesh

Simon L. Sommers-- Part 4 War Service and Return to Virginia

Simon Sommers became an Assistant Engineer in the Confederate Corps of Engineers, receiving his commission in 1864 after serving two years in the Corps in the defense of Petersburg and Lynchburg.

He returned to Arlington County in the early 20th century and died there on November 13, 1913.  He was buried with the other Southerners in the Confederate Section of Arlington National Cemetery.

His wife Margaret died January 29, 1923, and is buried alongside him.

--Old Secesh

Simon L. Sommers-- Part 3: From Virginia to Illinois

During the remainder of the war, Simon Sommers was in the South and served as a civil assistant engineer.  He married Margaret Maria Newton on March 17, 1863.  She was the daughter of Charles and Sarah Ann A. Newton, formerly of the U.S. Navy.

In July 1865, he was reappointed as land agent for William W. Corcoran and went to Macomb, Illinois where he resided for many years.  While there, he and Margaret had 7 children, six of whom survived.  He was a Master Mason of the Macomb Lodge No. 17 and served five years as a member of  the town's board of education.

--Old Secesh

Simon L. Sommers-- Part 2: Early Life and Confederate Service

In 1844, Simon Sommers became a school teacher and taught in Charles County, Md., and Montgomery County, Ala., until 1847 when he returned to Alexandria County.  He remained there until 1855 serving as a county surveyor.

In 1855, he became an agent and attorney for W.W. Corcoran of Washington, D.C., and came west to look after his employer's vast land interests.  He continued in this capacity until December 1859 when he returned to Virginia.

He strongly espoused the Southern cause in the tense years leading up to the Civil War.  In the spring of 1861, he raised a company of soldiers and was elected captain.  But, before they could be mustered into service, the company was captured at their homes by Union troops.

The company was disbanded.  At the time of the capture, Simon was at Fairfax Court House and was not captured.

More to Come.  --Old Secesh

Simon L. Sommers-- Part 1: Confederate Engineer and School Board Member in Macomb, Illinois

From the Macomb County, Illinois Genealogy.

The subject of my previous post, Simon Lafayette Sommers, was from Virginia, but somehow ended up living in Macomb, Illinois, after the war and then was buried at Arlington National Cemetery back in Virginia.  I was wondering how he came to be in Illinois so did some more research and after awhile came across this nice account of his life.

He was born October 23, 1823, in Alexandria County, Virginia.  His father was John A. Sommers who was a civil engineer with the Chesapaeke & Ohio Canal.  His grandfather was Simon Sommers, who was a captain in the Revolutionary War.

His mother was Sussana Young, daughter of Abram Young whose farm was located about a mile east of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C..  The government purchased his farm and laid out lots, streets, avenues and reservations and deeded 1/3 of the lots to him in consideration.

Young Simon Sommers, at age 16,  went to an academy in Farquier County, Virginia, for four years.

--Old Secesh

Confederates Buried ar Arlington National Cemetery: Simon L. Sommers

SIMON L. SOMMERS, Captain on Engineers born in Virginia in 1824.  In 1880, he was living in Macomb, Illinois where all six of his daughters were born.  He was listed as a real estate agent.  Died on November 13, 1913, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery alongside his wife Margaret M. who died Jan. 29, 1923.

From the Arlington National Cemetery site.

--Old Secesh

Confederates Buried at Arlington National Cemetery--Part 2: Julian Godwin Moore

The major of the new unit was John W. Moore and Julian Moore, now a captain, commanded the Hertford County company.

They were sent to Virginia without cannons and served with Lee's Army for several months, still without guns.  They finally received their cannons.  During the winter of 1862-1863, they went back to serve in North Carolina.

However, now they were once again without guns for all but two batteries.  They served near Wilmington and finally again were equipped.  They then spent the next year near Wilmington.

After the war, he moved to Washington, D.C. and became a guard at the U.S. Treasury.

--Old Secesh

Confederates Buried at Arlington National Cemetery from North Carolina-- Part 1: Julian Godwin Moore

JULIAN GODWIN MOORE, Captain.

Born 20 October 1840 at Murfreesboro, Hertford County.  Married Emily Bland Southall 12 October 1865 at Murfreesboro.  Died 1929.  Married three times.

In the spring of 1861 he was in the Hertford Light Infantry, a group equipped with uniforms and guns provided by a county bond issue.  The group elected him as their lieutenant.

Marched to Raleigh where they became Co. C, 17th N.C. and were assigned to the incomplete defenses on the Outer Banks.

His company was captured at Fort Hatteras and remained in prison until paroled in the spring of 1862  They became the Third North Carolina Battalion Artillery later that spring.

More to Come.  --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