Civil War Slang-- Part 3: See the Elephant and the Skedaddle

11.  SEE THE ELEPHANT

Close up combat.  The elephant was sometimes considered a sign of death.  After you had seen the elephant, you had "Saw the Elephant" as this blog is called.

12.  CONTRABAND

Meant something used by the Confederacy.  Specifically this meant runaway slaves.

13.  HOUSEWIFE

There were a few women who went off to war beside their husband.  But most often this term referred to a small, portable sewing kit.

14. SKEDADDLE

Leaving the scene very, very, very quickly.  As my Great Deerfly Skedaddle in Georgia that one time.  I'll avoid those guys in the future.

15.  SOMEBODY'S DARLING

Soldiers would refer to a dead soldier they came across as "Somebody's Darling."

Watch Out for Those Deerflies!!!   --Old Secesh

Edward S. Bragg-- Part 1: Of Wisconsin

From Wikipedia.

I'd never heard of this man until I saw that a Wisconsin senator had suggested that Fort Bragg in North Carolina, named after Confederate general Braxton Bragg had a cousin with the same last name who fought for the Union during the war.  He suggests saving money on the name change and just naming after Edward Bragg.

EDWARD STUYVESANT BRAGG

(February 20, 1827 to June 20, 1912)

American politician, lawyer, soldier, diplomat.  He was an accomplished  Union Army officer during the Civil War and served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Wisconsin.  He was later U.S. Minister to Mexico during the Presidency of Grover Cleveland and consul-general to the Republic of China and British Hong Kong under President Theodore Roosevelt.

He was born in New York and went to Wisconsin in 1850 where he settled in Fond du Lac and was a lawyer.

--Old Secesh

Who Is Edward S. Bragg?

From same source as yesterday's post.

Edward S. Bragg volunteered for the Union Army  at the onset of the Civil War with no prior military knowledge and reached the rank of brigadier general by 1864.

Bragg would command the 6th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment that was joined  with the 2nd Wisconsin,  7th Wisconsin and 19th Indiana which became known as the "Iron Brigade."  (U.S. Highway 12 which goes about a half mile from where I live here in Illinois, is named the "Iron Brigade Highway.")

The brigade came by its name because they were tough fighters and  participated in several bloody battles during the war.

He retired from the Army in 1865 and later served Wisconsin as a state senator and in Congress.

Renaming Fort Bragg As Fort Bragg Sounds Like a Good Choice to Me.  --Old Secesh

How About Renaming Fort Bragg After the Union General Bragg?

From the May 20, 2021, Fayetteville (NC) Observer  Wisconsin senator proposes  renaming Fort Bragg after  Union cousin of Confederate general" by Rachel Riley.

Wisconsin state senator  Dale Kooyenga, R-Brookfield,  announced his resolution  that proposes renaming Fort Bragg after Braxton Bragg's cousin, Union General  Edward Stuyvesant Bragg, of Wisconsin.

The senator said that a friend told him about this Bragg and that he didn't know about him before.  he also had been in the Army and stationed at Fort Bragg.

I know a fair amount about the Civil War but had never heard of Edward S. Bragg.  Good old Wikipedia here I come.

Fayetteville, North Carolina,  is where Fort Bragg is located.

Think about how much money can be saved by renaming the fort after the Union Bragg?

--Old Secesh

McHenry Co. Civil War RT, April Discussion Group 'April-May 1865'-- Part 1: A Hybrid Meeting

The discussion group of the McHenry County Civil War Round Table met April 24, 2021, at Stucky's Bar & Grill in Johnsburg, Illinois with out topic being "Events of April-May 1865."

This was a hybrid meeting in that we had five members present and three via Zoom.

As usual, we started out with the Questions.

Here are the questions.  See how good you are at the Civil War.

1.  What battle on April 1, 1865, virtually assured that Lee would have to give up his Petersburg defenses?

2.  On April 2, two major events took place in Alabama.  What were they?

3.  On what date did Joseph Johnston surrender his army?

4.  Name the steamship that caught fire on the Mississippi River on April 27, 1865.

There Are More Questions.

--Old Secesh

The Battle of Port Hudson-- Part 3: The Siege of Port Hudson

There was a naval battle that occurred at Port Hudson which resulted  in a Union disaster.  Most of the casualties occurred on the USS Mississippi which was also lost in the battle.

Next, the Union Army surrounded the 7,000 Confederates with 40,000 men.  A full-frontal assault was ordered, but only a small number of Union soldiers made it  to the Confederate works and were easily killed, wounded or captured.

A second Union assault also failed and the Union troops began digging  trenches and set up a siege of Port Hudson.

Things got worse for the Confederates who began running out of pretty much everything.  They faced starvation and would eat  mules, horses and even rats.

When word of Vicksburg's surrender reached Port Hudson, at first the Confederates wouldn't believe it.  But finally on July 9, 1863, the 7,000 man garrison surrendered.  However, they had inflicted more than 5,000 casualties on Union forces while losing just 500 of their own.

Most people think that when Vicksburg surrendered on July 4, 1863, that the Union had control of the Mississippi River, but that actually did not occur until July 9 with the surrender of Port Hudson.

--Old Secesh

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The Battle of Baton Rouge-- Part 2

During the Battle of Baton Rouge, the Confederates had a secret weapon they were going to use, the ironclad CSS Arkansas which was to assist in the attack.  A force of  2,600 Confederates were to arrive by rail and between the ironclad and those troops they would crush the Union force at Baton Rouge.

The Confederate troops were battle-hardened soldiers from the Battle of Shiloh and they were facing 2,500 inexperienced Union troops.  The battle began at Magnolia Cemetery and hand-to-hand fighting ensued.  The Federals were driven back to the river where their gunboats fired down the city's streets at the advancing Confederates and slowed them down.

Word came that the CSS Arkansas had been scuttled and the Confederates then withdrew.  (I have been writing about John Julius Guthrie, a Confederate naval officer in my Running the Blockade blog these last couple months.  At one time, he was sent to help speed up the construction of the CSS Arkansas.)

The Confederates set up camp at Port Hudson, north of Baton Rouge.

While all this was going on, Union General Grant  was moving against Vicksburg.

--Old Secesh

The Battles of Baton Rouge and Port Hudson-- Part 1

From the May 16, 2021, Northwest Arkansas Democrat  Gazette  "Phillips discusses Civil War battles" by Rachel  Dickerson.

Dale Phillips spoke before the Bella Vista Civil War Round Table on May 6 about the battles of Port Hudson and Baton Rouge in 1863.

This latter battle is the one where Francis E. Warren of the 49th Massachusetts was seriously wounded, but recovered and eventually ended up in Wyoming after the war where he became a wealthy man and served as that state's first governor and long-time U.S. senator. I have written a lot about him.  Just click on the Warren label below.

Union troops were moving up the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to Vicksburg and the Confederates realized they needed to stop them from occupying the Red River, which was a major supply route.  Disease hit the Union forces, however, and they fell back to Baton Rouge.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Slang-- Part 2: Secesh (Hey That's Me) and Bust Head

6. SECESH

Hey. that's my name!!    Short for secessionist.  Northerners used this as a put down to Confederates and Southerners.

7.  OPEN THE BALL

Starting the Battle.  Let the party begin.

8.  TIGHT

Slang for drunk.  From the old expression "Tight as a Tick."  So full of blood or liquor as it were.

9.  BUST HEAD / POP SKULL

Other names:  Moonshine, Booth  Terms for whiskey.  Well, cheap whiskey to be precise.  The whiskey was so strong that it could pop your skull or bust your head open.  You get what you pay for.

10.  LIGHT OUT

Not turning out the light as we might figure.  In the Civil War light out meant to leave in haste.

Secesh Who?   --Old Secesh

Some More on Col. Gravely's Union Service

The 8th Missouri Militia Cavalry, under  Col. Joseph Gravely were at the Battle of Westport fought October 24, 1864, in modern-day Kansas City., Missouri.

On   The 14th Missouri Cavalry (4 companies) were at Benton Barracks under the command of  Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Gravely.

According to  the Civil War Years in Cedar County, Missouri, the county's most distinguished soldier was Joseph J. Gravely.

The 8th Missouri State Militia, under Gravely was at the Battle of Mine Creek, October 25, 1864.  The Union force was under the command of Frederick W. Benteen, who would later be at the Battle of the Little Big Horn.  It was fought in Linn County, Kansas, across from Kansas City, Missouri.

--Old Secesh

Col. Joseph Gravely Goes After Missouri Bushwhackers-- Part 2

AUGUST 14, 1864

Marched near Maysville, Arkansas, , but found no enemy.  Learned from reliable sources that enemy in the vicinity of Cowskin Prairie had gone south and no rebels left in that sector except some bushwhackers.  They hide in the bluffs and caves when any Federal soldiers are nearby.

Checking Confederate trails he was confident that rebel officers Captains Rusk, Roberts and Robinson, who attacked Major Burch about August 6 had left for Stand Watie near Fort Smith.  there was no possibility of overtaking them.so returned to Neosho.

Ordered all units back to their posts.

On return to Neosho, his advance guard  severely wounded two bushwhackers>  They returned fire and slightly wounded one  man of the 6th Provisional Regiment Enrolled Missouri Militia.

--Old Secesh

Joseph J. Gravely Goes After Missouri Bushwhackers-- Part 1

From RootsWeb.

Gravely was evidently with the 8th Missouri Militia Cavalry before assuming command of the 15th Missouri Cavalry.  James Bolin served with him later in the 15th Missouri Cavalry.

Report of Col. Joseph J. Gravely, 8th Missouri State  Militia Cavalry (Union) to Brigadier General John B. Sanborn.

AUGUST 18, 1864    SPRINGFIELD, MO.

He had complied with Special Orders No. 213,  headquarters District of Southwest Missouri and returned to Springfield, his post.

His mission was to ascertain Confederate strength in the area and kill as many Confederate bushwhackers as possible.

On August 13, he had assumed command of several designated units at Neosho, Missouri, (near Joplin).

AUGUST 13

To Cowskin Creek.  Advance guard saw six men and killed one of them.

AUGUST 14:

Captain Kelso killed Lieutenant  Baxter, a noted bushwhacker, whom we learned from the ladies of the house where he was staying and killed, that he had carried dispatches from (Confederate) General Stand Watie to the companies in that vicinity to join Stan Watie near Fort Smith.

--Old Secesh

The 'Lost Company' That Might Have Saved the Day at Gettysburg

From the June 28, 2018, ListVerse "10 coincidences that helped shape US history" by Christopher Dale.

As brutal and  impassioned as the Civil War was, historians like Shelby Foote know that the South's chances of surviving were never very good.  There was just too much arrayed against them.

One of the rare chances the Confederacy had was at the battle of Gettysburg.  A victory there could very well reverse their fortunes.  That spot on the second day was at the confrontation at the Little Round Top.  If the Confederates had taken this strategically important hill, they could have turned the Union flank and imperiled the whole Union line on Cemetery Ridge.

Many know about Union Col. Joshua Chamberlain's desperate bayonet charge as his 20th Maine attacked the Confederates as they ran out of ammunition.  This caught the Confederates by surprise and many surrendered while others dropped back quickly toward a wall to regroup.

As fortune had it for the Union, that very wall  was being also held by a group of 40 Union soldiers under Captain Walter Morrill, who had been cut off from Chamberlain's lines  hours earlier.    They had been hiding there so well that even Chamberlain did not know about them.

They let loose a volley on the surprised Confederates , killing many and causing the others to either surrender or flee.

The hidden heroes of Little Round Top had saved the day and perhaps even the Union cause.

--Old Secesh

Another Gravely Brother: Thomas Marshall Gravely Fought for the Confederacy

 From Find-A-Grave.

BIRTH:  4 February 1843, Leatherwood, Henry County, Virginia

DEATH:  16 June 1918,  Berwin, McDowell County, West Virginia

BURIAL:  Oakwood Cemetery, Martinsville, Virginia

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2nd lieutenant, Co. F, 42nd Virginia Infantry Regiment.

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Again, a Split Family in the War.  --Old Secesh

Joseph J. Gravely's Brother, Francis B. Gravely, Fought for the Confederacy

I figured since Joseph Gravely was from a prominent Virginia family that there might be the likelihood that some of them fought for the Confederacy.  

From Find-A-Grave.

CAPT. FRANCIS  B. "FRANK" GRAVELY

BORN:  29 April 1840, Leatherwood, Henry County, Virginia

DIED:   27 October 1905 (age 65)  Danville, Virginia

BURIAL:  Green Hill Cemetery, Danville, Va.

Confederate soldier, Co. B Danville Greys, Virginia troops

He was 21 years old when the Civil War began and enlisted as a private in the Danville Greys and served in this command until desperately wounded at the Battle of Gaines Mill.

He was considered by his comrades in arms and by his superior officers as being one of the bravest soldiers in the service.  On several occasions, he was  commended for his display of valor during different engagements.

A Divided Family.  --Old Secesh

Joseph J. Gravely

From Wikipedia.

JOSEPH J. GRAVELY  

September 25, 1828 - April 28, 1872 

He was the commander of the 14th Missouri Cavalry which was James Bolin's outfit.  James Bolin married Helen Jackson who died this past December 2020 and is regarded as the Last Civil War Widow.

Born in Henry County, Virginia.  He attended public schools as a child,  engaged in agricultural pursuits and taught school.  He studied law  and was admitted to the bar in Virginia and had a practice there.   On 1853 and 1854 he was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates.

In 1854, he moved to Missouri and was a delegate to  the Missouri Constitutional Convention in 1860.

During the Civil War, Gravely served as colonel of the  8th Missouri State Militia Cavalry Regiment in the Union Army.  In addition, he was a member of the Missouri Senate in 1862 and 1864.

In 1866, he was elected  as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives and served there from 1867 to 1969.

After that, he was elected lieutenant governor of Missouri on 1870 and served under Governor B. Gratz Brown 1871 until his death in Stockton, Missouri, on April 28, 1872.  He was interred in Lindley Prairie Cemetery near Bear Creek, Missouri.

--Old Secesh

14th Missouri Cavalry (Union)

From Family Search.

This was the last Union regiment James Bolin served in.

The regiment was organized  at St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri,  November 30, 11864, and May 13, 1865.  It was attached to the District of St. Louis to November 1865.  It had duty at St. Louis until June 1865.

It performed a scouting expedition from Waynesville to  Coal Camp Creek May 23-26.

It moved to Nebraska and had frontier duty on the Plains until November.  They mustered out November 17, 1865.

Lost during service:  2 killed and 34 to disease.

It's commander was Lt. Colonel Joseph J. Gravely.

--Old Secesh

James Bolin's Wives: Helen Viola Jackson Bolin

From Find-A-Grave site.

She is the one being called the Last Civil War Widow.  I have been writing about her since April.

The site has her listed as the second wife of James Bolin.

HELEN VIOLA JACKSON BOLIN

BIRTH:  3 August 1919  at Niangua, Missouri   Webster County

DEATH:  16 December 2020  (aged 101)   Marshfield, Missouri  Webster County

BURIAL:  Marshfield Cemetery   Marshfield, Missouri  Webster County

She is buried alongside here sister, Lena Jane Jackson Tiede.

James Bolin's Wives: Elizabeth Davenport Bolin

Of course, his last wife became the country's Last Civil War Widow as far as we know.

From the James Bolin Find-A-Grave site.

His first wife, ELIZABETH DAVENPORT BOLIN

1842-1922   Married 1868

BORN:   27 December 1842, in Alexander, Morgan County, Illinois

DEATH:  24 March 1922,  Niangua, Webster County, Missouri

BURIAL:  Niangua Cemetery  (Also known as Freewill Baptist Church Cemetery.

James Bolin, Helen Jackson's Husband (The Last Civil War Widow)-- Part 1

From Find-A-Grave.

PVT. JAMES BOLIN

BIRTH:  23 March 1843, Tennessee

DEATH:  18 June 1939, Nianagua, Webster County, Missouri

BURIAL:  Niangua Cemetery, Niangua, Missouri

14th Missouri Cavalry

*****************

SPOUSES

ELIZABETH DAVENPORT BOLIN

HELEN VIOLA JACKSON BOLIN

He and Elizabeth had six children.  Three are buried at Niangua Cemetery in Missouri.  One is buried in California, one in Kansas and one in Nebraska.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Events in May: Battle of Cold Harbor

MAY 23, 1864:  Battle of North Anna, Virginia

MAY 25, 1864:  Battle of New Hope Church, Georgia, begins.

MAY 31, 1864:  Battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia, begins.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Events in May: Battles of Resaca and Champion Hill

MAY 12, 1863:  Battle of Raymond, Mississippi

MAY 12, 1865:  Battle of Palmito Ranch, Texas.

MAY 14, 1864:  Battle of Resaca, Georgia, begins.

MAY 15, 1864:  Battle of New Market, Virginia

MAY 16, 1863:  Battle of Champion Hill, Mississippi

MAY 19, 1863:  First assault on Vicksburg, Mississippi

--Old Secesh

Civil War Events in May: Battles of Chancellorsville, Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House

 From the American Battlefield Trust May 2021 Calendar.

MAY 1, 1863:  Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia, begins.

MAY 4, 1865:  Abraham Lincoln buried in Springfield, Illinois.

MAY 5, 1864:  Battle of the Wilderness, Virginia, begins.

MAY 8, 1864:  Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia, begins.

MAY 10, 1863:  Stonewall Jackson dies of pneumonia at Guinea Station, Virginia

MAY 10, 1865:  Union troops capture a fleeing Jefferson Davis in Georgia.

--Old Secesh

Palmito Ranch, Texas

From the American Battlefield Trust 2021 Calendar, May

PALMITO RANCH, Texas

3 acres saved.

Palmito Ranch battlefield National Historic Landmark, Brownsville, Texas.

On the banks of the Rio Grande River, near Brownsville, Texas, Palmito Ranch looks much as it did  at the time of the battle 156 years ago.

On May 11, 1865, 300 men of the 62nd Regiment United States Colored Troops and the 2nd Texas Cavalry set out on an expedition to attack reported rebel outposts and camps, leading to what many historians consider the final land battle of the Civil War, which began the next day.

The trust's three-acre acquisition there in 2001 remains our lone victory in the Lone Star State.

--Old Secesh

X-IT the Union: Confederate Prototype Flag

From the April 2021 Civil War Times magazine by Dana B. Shoaf.

This flag recently sold at auction for $50,787.50. 

The Confederate flag in question here is a curious hybrid of the United States banner and the Southern battle flag.

The colorful flag is 33" by 52" inches in size, is made of red, white and blue cotton fabric with13 white stars, for the seceded states and two border states, applied in an "X" pattern to each side of the canton.

Its exact origin is not known.

A similar version was carried by the 22md/20th Arkansas Infantry and is part of Little Rock's Old State House Museum.

It is also possible that the flag, sold by Heritage Auctions, is an early prototype for the Confederate National Flag, and was one of several designs considered by Confederate Jefferson Davis.

--Old Secesh

The Widow's Secret-- Part 10: Helen Jackson, Last Civil War Widow

Shorty before Christmas 2020, about 20 people gathered at Marshfield Cemetery for Helen Jackson's graveside service.

On December 16, 2020, the 101-year-old woman, very likely the last Civil War veterans widow, died.  Her story made international news.

Perhaps Helen would have been pleased that Jimmy L. Bolin was there on that cold, blustery afternoon.  At 6-foot-11 and 300 pounds, he is Civil War veteran James Bolin's great-great nephew.   He looked nothing like James Bolin, but he was honored to serve as a pallbearer for the "Last Civil War Widow."

So, technically, Helen Jackson would have been his great-great aunt.

"At funerals, people don't like to take pictures," said Jimmy Bolin, a lifelong resident of Missouri.  "How we wish we did at this one.  This was a part of history...."

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I took this from the April Civil War Times magazine.  This was written by John Banks.  John Banks, in my opinion is the best Civil War blogger out there.  He really lives his stories.  You can check out his bklog at (john-banks.blogspot.com).

A Connection to the Past, That Helen Jackson.  --Old Secesh