MCCWRT Discussion Group: Civil War Technology-- Part 1

On October 22, 2022, the McHenry County Civil War Round Table (Illinois) (MCCWRT) met at Panera Bread in Crystal Lake with the topic being "Civil War Technology."

I had found a list of "Top Ten Innovations of the Civil War" from the May 17, 2017, War History on Line site and we used that to kickoff the discussion with these questions.  Not only did they have to guess the answer, but also tell what innovation it was.

1.  Who was the Father of Battlefield  Medicine?

2.  Who was the first president to be able to communicate effectively during battle?

3.  Who was John Hunt Morgan's code genius?

4.  What was the favorite choice of anesthetic?

5.  Name the Confederate surgeon who perfected a standard anesthetic inhaler.

Answers below.

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1.  Army Ambulance Corps //  Dr. Jonathan Letterman

2.  Portable Telegraph //  Abraham Lincoln  

3.  George A. "Lightning" Ellsworth

4.  Anesthesia Inhaler  //  Ether

5.  Dr. Julian  Chisholm

--Old Secesh

The Good, the Bad & Ugly of Civil War Generals

From the December 26, 2022, Collector  "Six famous generals of the Civil War:  The Good & the Badad" by Curt Smothers.

How he rated them:

Good and Bad was relative to their military skill.  Ugly refers to generals lacking in military skill and undeserving of their rank.

Here they are:

THE GOOD

U.S. Grant & Robert E. Lee

THE BAD

George McClellan & Braxton Bragg

THE UGLY

Benjamin Butler and  John B. Floyd

Read the article to see wht he ranked them like that.

--Old Secesh

Land at Battle of Shepherdstown to be Preserved-- Part 4: Raising Funds

"Far Away Farm is likely one of the last parcels needed to achieve our ultimate goal of turning the battlefield properties over to the National Park Service for their management and protection," Nickerson said.

The West Virginia state government has recently donated a $300,000 Outdoor Grant to American Battlefield Trust.

The only thing holding all this up is the need for around $50,000 in fund, which the SBPA is hoping the community will be willing to donate.

The purchase price of Far Away Farm is $2 million.

--Old Secesh

Land at Battle of Shepherdstown to Be Preserved-- Part 3: To become a NPS Site?

Continued from December 13.

"Since the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association's establishment some 18 years ago, with our partners, we've raised more than $1.4 million and helped save 107 acres of the original battlefield.   And soon will be added another 122 acres, with the purchase of the Far Away Farm, where the core of the battle took place," Mike Nickerson said.

According to Nickerson, while the grant money was awarded through the National Park Service (NPS), it will also inadvertantly be returned in the form of the entire battlefield to the NPS, after all the battlefield is acquired.

The NPS is firmly in agreement withn this decision, after completing a Special Resources Study in 2015, which recommended the Shepherdstown Battlefield, in particular, become a part of the NPS.  Currently the NPS is leaning toward incorporating the Shepherdstown Battlefield into the Antietam Battlefield, due to the two events being interconnected (Shepherdstown Battle took place following Antietam as Lee's Army retreated back to Virginia).

--Old Secesh

Lee and His Generals-- Part 7: Battle of Gettysburg

At the Battle of Gettysburg, Lee had 3 lieutenant generals and 11 major generals.

The Union had interior lines and high ground (two big pluses) and the Confederates exterior lines.  Exterior lines made moving forces much longer.

Gettysburg was the only battle that Lee lost on the battlefield.  (What about Antietam?)

Did Stuart let Lee down at Gettysburg?  Lee had that coment to Stuart when he finally arrived.

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Lee was only interested in the Eastern Theater of operations, not the Western which is perhaps a reason things went so badly there.

Lee was a gambler, especially when he didn't have a choice.

Next month's topic for discussion group will be The Atlanta Campaign 1864:  To Atlanta.

--Old Secesh

Lee and His Generals-- Part 6: Lee Takes Command

Robert E. Lee's first job was as a military advisor to Jefferson Davis and was in charge of coastal defense along the Atlantic Ocean.  He went out in public and said that Fort Pulaski was so strong that it could never be captured.

 Lee essentially got whipped during the early part of the war in command in what became West Virginia.  

In 1862, Johnston was in charge of forces protecting Richmond.  Lee was primarily involved in building up that city's defenses.   So much defensive work he directed that Lee got the nickname "Old Spades.

Johnston was wounded at Seven Pines.  The top Confederate generals in terms of seniority were Samuel Cooper, Albert Sydney Johnston, Lee, Joe Johnston and Beauregard.

Lee took over command of the Army defending Richmond.  He found that he could most rely on Longstreet and the two Hills.  As for Confederate generals Magruder, Holmes and Huger not so much.

--Old Secesh

Robert E. Lee-- Part 5: Winfield Scott and Lincoln

Both Winfield Scott and General Wool were quite elderly when the war began.  Winfield Scott had been in the War of 1812.

Lee had been in command of troops at Harpers Ferry when John Brown attacked because he was senior officer present.  JEB Stuart also there.

One task Lincoln gave Scott was to escort Mary Todd Lincoln to New York City to prevent her from spending too much money.

Scott recommended Lee to be commander of U.S. forces.  Lincoln accepted the recommendation and made Lee an offer which Lee turned down because of loyalty to his state, Virginia.

Scott  came up with the Anaconda Plan to defeat the South by carving it up and setting a blockade off its coasts.

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Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis.  Davis had an extensive military background and Lincoln didn't.  Davis backed his commanding generals regardless of performance.  Lincoln did not.  They had different perspectives on their generals.

--Old Secesh

Lee and His Generals-- Part 4: About Robert E. Lee

From the July McHenry County Civil War Round Table.

ROBERT E. LEE

His father was famed American Revolution officer "Light Horse" Harry Lee.  He was the one who said of General Washington that he was:  "First in War, First in Peace and First in the Hearts of his Countrymen."

He graduated #2 in his class at West Point.  (Didn't say who was #1.)

He was an engineer and the best West Point grads were appointed to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  However, it was pointed ut that he made the statement that Fort Pulaski, guarding Savannah, could never be taken.  Of course that was before rifled cannons.

Lee had no demerits when he graduated from West Point.  The same can not be said for George Armstrong Custer.

During the Mexican War, Lee was in the 2nd U.S. Cavalry and served under Gerneral Winfield Scott.  Scott admired him and was sure Lee was destined for glory.

--Old Secesh

This Month in the War: 13th Amendment, South Carolina Secedes, Mason and Slidell Released

From the December 2022 American Battlefield Trust calendar.

DECEMBER 18, 1865

**  The 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, becomes a part of the U.S. Constitution.

DECEMBER 20, 1860

**  South Carolina adopts  an Ordinance of Secession.

DECEMBER 22, 1860

**  Major Robert Anderson evacuates Fort Moultrie and goes to Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor.

DECEMBER 26, 1861

**  The U.S. releases Mason and Sliddell, ending the Trent Affair.

DECEMBER 30, 1861

**  Banks in New York suspend specie payments.

DECEMBER 31, 1862

**  The Battle of Stones River (Murfreesboro), Tennessee, begins.

--Old Secesh

Lee and His Generals-- Part 3: William Henry Chase Whiting

He was at Fort Fisher when it was captured by Union forces on January 15, 1865, and wounded.  Taken to Fort Columbus on Governor's Island in New York Harbor as a prisoner, he was recovering from the wound when he contracted dysentery and died March 10, 1865, becoming the highest ranking Confederate officer to die in a Union prison.

He was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in New York City, but his widow Kate had the body exhumed in 1900 and sent to Wilmington, North Carolina's Oakdale Cemetery.

One of W.H.C's brothers was Major Jasper Strong Whiting who died of scarlet fever December 25, 1862.

Another brother was Robert Edward Kerr Whiting was later in charge of Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.

--Old Secesh

Lee and His Generals: William Henry Chase Whiting-- Part 2

Continued from Dec. 4.  These were from the July McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Table Discussion group.

Whiting was very much involved in the defenses and action around Charleston Harbor in March and April 1861.

He, however, got in trouble with Confederate President Jefferson Davis for declining the command of a brigade of five Mississippi regiments.  Further problems came for his being very outrspoken about his superiors' shortcomings as he perceived them.

Whiting was at the Seven Days battles after which Lee replaced him and assigned him to the military district at Wilmington, North Carolina.

Promoted to major general in February 1863.   After that, he briefly tookover the defense of Petersburg in May 1864.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Discussion Group Meets This Saturday, Dec. 17: Topic Is 'The Beginning of the End: Dec. '64 & Jan. '65'

The McHenry (Illinois) Civil War Round Table will meet this Saturday at Panera Bread in Crystal Lake, Illinois, from 10 am to 11:30.  We will be in the side room.

This month's topic is "The Beginning of the End:  December 1864 and January 1865."  We will be talking about anything that happened in those two months and somewhat guarantee we will keep on topic.  (Well, sometimes.)

Someone might have something to say about the two battles of Fort Fisher which took place then.

Panera Bread is located at US Highway 14 (Northwest Highway) and Main Street.

Come On Down!  --Old Secesh

Land at Battle of Shepherdstown Preserved-- Part 2: The Battle, September 19-20, 1862

"A little over 160 years ago, on September 19-20, 1862,  Shepherdstown's churches, businesses and homes were overwhelmed with wounded and dying Confederate soldiers from the aftermath of the Battle of Antietam," Michael Nickerson said in an e-mail.  

"As the town's people frantically scurried to save lives, Union and Confederate forces entered a deadly clash just southeast of town, near the Potomac River and the bluffs and fields along present-day River and Trough Roads.

""By the close of the battle, some 677 soldiers were killed or wounded, and Confederate  General Robert E. Lee, now blocked from advancing his troops back into Maryland at Williamsport, called off his campaign [the Antietam Campaign], retreating deeper into northern Virginia.

"In 2004, another conflict ensued -- the battle to preserve  the Shepherdstown Battlefield," Nickerson said, mentioning  the newer battle was  waged between land developers and local citizens.

"Plans had begun  to develop a large portion of the site, by building 125 houses [on Shepherdstown Battlefield].  Residents and concerned citizens banded together to protect the historic integrity of the area."

--Old Secesh

Land at Battle of Sherpherdstown to Be Preserved

This article is of particular interest to me since I wrote a lot about this little-known battle earlier in the year. 

From the November 25, 2022, Shepherdstown Chronicle 'Save the Battlefield':  Civil War location to be preserved, thanks to National Park Service grant" by Tabitha Johnston.

Last Friday, the National Park Service announced that it would be awarding a $1.9 million American Battlefield Protection Program Battlefield Land Acquisition  Grant to the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission, so the organization can use it to preserve more than 200 acres of the Civil War battlefield.

According to  Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association  President Michael  Nickerson, the preservation of a 121-acre farm has been the recent focus of his organization's Save the Battlefield campaign.

Great News.  --Old Secesh

81st Anniversary of Pearl Harbor: Herbert Jacobson-- Part 3: His Parents Married on December 7, 1919

"My grandmother [Mabel], who lived to be 84-years old, never really could get a handle on her son being identified as MIA and presumed dead," Brad McDonald [nephew] said.

"It was really hard on her.  ...The day, Dec. 7, and the name Bert were kind of lost to her forever.  It was a double whammy for her.  The final irony is we are burying Bert on September 13, which was my grandmother's birthday."

Brad McDonald's mother, Norma, was very close to her brother Bert.  In fact, it was Bert who introduced Norma to her husband and Brad's father, Orville "Mac" McDonald, also a member of the U.S. Navy.  The two sailors had met while training together at Naval Station Great Lakes, and Bert brought Orville home for a visit.

"Without Bert, I wouldn't be here, Brad McDonald said.  "He played Cupid."

Bert Jacobson arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, at the age of 21, only 57 days after finishing his training at Great Lakes.  He was on duty the night before the attack and believed to be sleeping aboard the ship when the attack took place.

"He may have died before he even knew there was a war going on," McDonald said.  "Of course, there's no way to know that."

Continued in my Down Da Road I Go blog.

War of 1812 Veteran Fights at Battle of Gettysburg: John Burns

I have been writing about him in my Not So Forgotten:  War of 1812 blog last month and this month.  

He was a veteran of the War of 1812 and Mexican War and had tried to assist the Union cause in the Civil War, but had been turned down because of his age.

But then, the war came to him in a big way and he took full advantage of it to serve.

Quite a character and worth a read, so go to the blog.  You can get there by clicking on the My Blog list to the right of this.

--Old Secesh

Lee and His Generals: William Henry Chase Whiting

Continued from November 10.

Since the McHenry County Civil War Round Table was having its July 2, 2022, discussion group topic on Lee and his generals, I prepared this information on my favorite Confederate general, W.H.C. Whiting.

He was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, the son of Lt. Colonel Levi Whiting.  I haven't found it written anywhere else, but he was most likely named after his father's commander, William Henry Chase (1798-1870).

Whiting graduated 1st in his USMA Class of 1845 and was assigned to the engineers. (The top USMA graduates were assigned to the engineers.)    He spent his prewar career in the Army designing seacoast defenses in Maryland and Florida as well as harbor fortifications in San Francisco, California.

He then spent five years improving rivers, canals and harbors in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.  He also built the Cape Lookout, North Carolina, lighthouse.

--Old Secesh

This Month in the War: 13th Amendment, Battles of Prairie Grove, Fredericksburg and Nashville, USS Cairo Sinks

From the December 2022 American Battlefield Trust calendar. 

DECEMBER 6, 1865

**  The 13th Amendment ratified, officially abolishing slavery.

DECEMBER 7, 1862

**  Battle of Prairie Grove, Arkansas.

DECEMBER 11, 1862

**  Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, begins.

DECEMBER 12, 1862

**  USS Cairo sinks in the Yazoo River, Mississippi.

DECEMBER 15, 1864

**  Battle of Nashville, Tennessee, begins.

--Old Secesh

Preservation at the Battle of Fredericksburg

From the December American Battlefield Trust 2022 calendar.

FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA

259 acres saved.

The preservation of the"Slaughter Pen Farm" on the Fredericksburg Battlefield in Virginia, ranks as one of the most significant and expensive acquisitions of hallowed ground in the history of the Trust and its presevation partners.

This spread of farmland was highly threatened by development, but the Trust was not about tolose the site that witnessed a bloody charge by some 4,000 Union troops during the Battle of Fredericksburg on December 13, 1862!

The Trust and its pivotal partners have saved 259 acres at Fredericksburg.

--Old Secesh

This Month in the Civil War-- Part 2: Knoxville, Gettysburg Address, Chattanooga, Sand Creek Massacre, Battle of Franklin

NOVEMBER 17

**  Siege of Knoxville, Tennessee, begins.

NOVEMBER 19

**  President Lincoln delivers his Gettysburg Address at the Pennsylvania battlefield.

NOVEMBER 23

**  Battle of Orchard Knob, Chattanooga, Tennessee.

NOVEMBER 24

**  Battle of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee.

NOVEMBER 29

**  Sand Creek Massacre, Colorado

NOVEMBER 30

**  Battle of Franklin, Tennessee

--Old Secesh

Monroe County Had Eight Medal of Honor Recipients-- Part 2

**  Private Frederick Ballen, of the 47th Ohio (Monroe County is right by the Michigan-Ohio border) volunteered to serve on a barge loaded with supplies that ran past Confederate batteries on the Mississippi River.

**  Sergeant Daniel  McGall was a member of Detroit's 17th Michigan Infantry.  At Spotsylvania, Virginia, on May 12, 1864,  he captured Confederate Colonel Barker and rescued a Union officer.

**  Private Henry Peters of the 47th Ohio Infantry served in the same action as Frederick Ballen.

**  While serving with the 5th New York Cavalry, Julius Rhodes had his horse shot out from under him at Thoroughfare Gap.  He then voluntarily joined the 105th New York and fought with them at Second Manassas, Virginia, serving gallantly.

**   Private Charles Sancrainte of the 15th Michigan Infantry captured the flag of the 5th Texas Infantry at the  Battle of Atlanta.

**  Peter Sype of the 47th Ohio was in the same action as Ballen and Peters.

--Old Secesh

Monroe County, Michigan, Had Eight Medal of Honor Recipients in Civil War

From the November 6, 2022, Monroe News by Tom Adamich.

Monroe's military history and contributions to major conflicts dates back to the American Revolution and War of 1812 periods.  But, also, Monroe has had an inordinate impact on Civil War history.  Local historians credit the county as having the highest enrollment of volunteers propotionately of any county in the United States.

The Medal of Honor is the highest and most prestigious military honor that can be awarded to the military.   And eight Monroe County residents received one during the war.

**  First Lieutenant  James Christancy of the 9th Michigan Cavalry.  As an aide, he voluntarily led a group in the Battle of Haw's Shop near Cold Harbor, Virginia, in May 1864 where he was  wounded twice.

**  Second Lieutenant Thomas  Custer, younger brother of General George Custer (who was from Monroe).  Thomas Custer was part of the 21st Ohio.  At Sailor's Creek, near Farmville, Virginia, part of the Appomattox Campaign, he leaped his horse over Confederate earthworks and captured two flags and was wounded.

--Old Secesh

Identifying USS Oklahoma Unknowns: Francis Bud Hannon

Since this is Veterans Day, I am writing about veterans in all but one of my blogs.

From the November 9, 2022, KHON Channel 2 Hawaii "Project Oklahoma identifies Pearl Harbor  casualties" by Kristine Uyeno.

There has been a touching tribute after eighty years for the family of Francis Bud Hannon.

"My dad was waiting in California.  He was in the Army," explained  Hannon's second cousin Vanessa Helming.  "And he and Bud were to take their R&R together.  And Bud was at Pearl Harbor, and Dad said as soon as he heard that Pearl Harbor had been hit, he knew that Bud was no longer with us."

Hannon was one of  more than  400 sailors killed aboard the USS Oklahoma.  He was just 20 years old and in the service just two years.

"It was an extreme loss to the family, extreme loss to his parents, my grandparents," Helming said.  "It was just overwhelming.

Some of Bud Hannon's remaining relatives traveled recently to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific on at the Punchbowl in Oahu where he had been buried for decades as an unknown.  But now, his remains have been identified.

A Wonderful Thing Our Government Is Doing.  

Lee and His Generals-- Part 3: Hood, Ewell, the Heberts and Holmes

The McHenry County Civil War Round Table discussion group at Panera Bread on Crystal Lake, Illinois, on July 24, 2022.

**  John Bell Hood:  Lost a leg at Chickamauga and an arm at Gettysburg.

**  Richard S. Ewell fought in the Mexican War.  Was wounded 8 times.

TWO HEBERTS  (Pronounced E-Bear)

**  Louis Hebert :  USMA  1845.   Commander of artillery in and around Fort Fisher.   He was a target of William Cushing in a capture attempt.

**  Paul Octave Hebert:  USMA 1836.  These two were first cousins.

**  Theophilus Hunter Holmes' nickname was "Granny."  USMA 1829   Fort Holmes on Bald Head Island was named for him.  Served as  colonel in the North Carolina Coast Defense in 1861.

Not Sure That I Would Want the Nickname "Granny."   --Old Secesh

McHenry Co. Civil War Round Table: 'Lee and His Generals'

Continuing with the pre-discussion quiz on Confederate general nicknames as well as decade they graduated from the USMA.

6.  Pete, Old Pete

7.  Parson

8.  Little Billy

9.  Beauty

10.  Baldy

Answers below

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6.  James Longstreet, 1842

7.  William N. Pendleton, 1830

8.  William Henry Chase (W.H.C.) Whiting, 1845

9.  James Ewell Brown (J.E.B.) Stuart, 1854

10.  Richard Stoddert Ewell, 1837

--Old Secesh

Fort Branch (NC) Hosting Civil War Weekend Event

From the November 3, 2022, Enterprise by Deborah Griffin.

Musket and cannnonfire will echo through the small community of Hamilton this weekend as Fort Branch, a Confederate Earthen Fort State Historic Site, comes back to life for the fort's 36th annual  battle reenactment.

The weekend's events kick off at 9 am both Saturday and Sunday.  There will be battle reenactments both days at 1:30 pm.

The events recreate what life was like during the Civil War to both military and civilians.

In Sunday, there will be a period church service at 10 am and a ladies fashion show at 11:30.

--Old Secesh

McHenry County CWRT Discussion Group, July 2022: 'Lee and His Generals'-- Part 1: Nicknames

The McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table met July 24, 2022, at Panera Bread in Crystal Lake, Illinois, with the topic being "Lee and His Generals."

I prepared a quiz to get us on going.

I was looking for nicknames, what the initials stood for and in what decade they graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point.  Good luck.

1.  Old Jube, Old Jubilee

2.  Old Wooden Head, Sam

3.  What did the A.P. in A.P. Hill's name stand for?

4.  What did the D.H. stand for in D.H. Hill's name?

5.  Old Jack, Bluelight

Answers below.

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1.  Jubal Early, 1837

2.  John Bell Hood, 1853

3.  Ambrose Powell Hill, 1847

4.  Daniel Harvey Hill, 1842

5.  Thomas Jonathan Jackson, "Stonewall", 1846

--Old Secesh

This Month in the Civil War: Abraham Lincoln Elected and Reelected, Battles of Port Royal, Sherman Burns Atlanta and Departs on March to the Sea

From the November 2022 American Battlefield Trust calendar.

NOVEMBER 6, 1860

**  Abraham Lincoln elected 16th President of the United States.

NOVEMBER 7, 1861

**  The Battle of Port Royal Sound, Soutn Carolina.

NOVMBER 8, 1864

**  President Lincoln reelected.

NOVEMBER 12, 1864

**  USA General William T. Sherman's federal troops burn the city of Atlanta, Georgia.

NOVEMBER 15, 1864

**  USA General William T. Sherman departs Atlanta to begin March to the Sea.

--Old Secesh

Preservation at Sand Creek, Ohio

From the 2022 November American Battlefield Trust calendar.

SAND CREEK, COLORADO

640 acres saved.

In 1864, growing tension between white settelers and Native Americans in Color5ado, prompted Colonel John Chivington to launch an unprovoked surprise attack at dawn November 29 on a winter camp of some 500 Cheyenne and Arapaho at Sand Creek.

His militia massacred some 200 Native Americans, two-thirds of whom were women and children.

The Trust, in collaboration with the National Park Service, the State of Colorado, The Colorado Trust and History Colorado, has saved 640 acres at Sand Creek.

A part of the war that must not be forgotten.

--Old Secesh

22nd Georgia Infantry: The Rest of the War

Lt. Nesbit no longer served in the 22nd Georgia after his wounds on the second day at Gettysburg.  But the regiment continued to see action.

1863

July 23:  Manassas Gap     The regiment suffered 50 casualties.

October:  Bristoe Campaign

November-December:  Mine Run Campaign

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1864

May 5-6:  Battle of Wilderness     Lt. JosephW. Alexander captured

May 8-21   Battle of Spotsylvania Court House    Lt. Harrison Broadwell of Company A killed.

May 23-26:  Battle of North Anna

June 1-3:  Battle of Cold Harbor

--Old Secesh

22nd Georgia Infantry-- Part 6: The Battle of Gettysburg

This taken from the Wright Brigade Gettysburg monument.

JULY 2

Formed line here in the forenoon.  Advanced at 6 PM and dislodged Union troops posted near the Codori House capturing several guns and many prisoners.  Pushing on, broke the Union line at the stone wall south of the  Angle and reached the crest of the ridge beyond, capturing more guns.

The supports on the far right repulsed and those on the left not coming up on both flanks assailed converging columns threatening its rear it withdrew, fighting its way out with heavy losses and unable to bring off the captured guns.  

(This was the day William Nesbit was wounded.)

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JULY 3

Advanced 600 yards to cover the retreat of Pickett's Division.    Afterwards was moved  to the right to meet a threatened attack.

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JULY 4

In line here all day.  At dark began march to Hagerstown.

--Old Secesh

22nd Georgia Infantry-- Part 5: The Battle of Gettysburg

This was the battle that ended William Nesbit's service in the Confederate Army.

BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG

The regiment brought 400 men  to the field and lost about 160 casualties.  

Colonel Wasden was killed while leading the regiment in a charge across Emmitsburg Road on July 2.  Lt. Nesbit was wounded on the second day.

Captain George Jones of Company B was wounded and captured.  Captain Jeff  Leonard of Company D was killed.  Captain Joseph D. Foster of Company E was captured.  Captain Joseph  McAfee of Company I was  wounded and captured.

Captain Isaac  W. Callaway of Company  K was mortally wounded and captured.  

Adjutant J.D. Daniel was captured.  Lieutenant William H. Nesbit of Company E was wounded, losing his arm and captured.  (I am not sure Nesbit was captured.)

Lieutenant William J. Hall of Company was wounded and captured.  Lieutenants Oliver H.P. Beall and James L. Shirley of Company H were captured.  Lieutenant Charles  A. McAfee of Company I was killed.

This was a regiment that was very involved in the fighting, obviously.

--Old Secesh

22nd Georgia-- Part 4: Battle of Fredericksburg and Chancelorsville

These were the engagements the regiment was involved in while Lieutenant William Nesbit was with them.

December  13, 1862:  Battle of Fredericksburg  

APRIL 22, 1863:  Colonel Jones resigned due to disability from his three wounds.  Lieutenant Colonel  Wasden was promoted to colonel.

MAY 1-4, 1863:  Battle of Chancelorsville.

Lieutenant Francis M. Heath of Company H is killed.

MAY:  Assigned to Wright's-Girardey's-Sorrel's Brigade, R.H. Anderson's Division, 3rd Corps Army of Northern Virginia.

Captain John Jones of Company G was cashiered.

And, then came the Gettysburg Campaign.

--Old Secesh

Henry Haupt-- Part 3

**  Henry Haupt organized supply and troop movements during the Gettysburg Campaign.

**  He had permission to commandeer Virginia railroads, but now got control over those railroads in Maryland and Pennsylvania.

**  He was a big enemy of Governor Andew of Pennsylvania.

**  After the war, Haupt was involved in an oil pipeline and became very wealthy.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Meeting: Henry Haupt-- Part 2: The Railroad Guy

**  Henry Haupt was Lincoln's railroad man.

**  He was appointed to the USMA at West Point at age 14 and graduated at age 18.  He graduated in July and resigned his commission in September.

**  At the Second Battle of Manassas, Union General Pope needed troops.  But the question was, where were those troops.  These troops were with General Samuel Davis Sturgiss.  He kept 10,000 troops out of the action.

**  Haupt knew how to use railroads in a wartime sitiation.  The United States Military Rail Road was formed to make sure the railroads could help the war effort.

**  He rose to prominence during McClellan's Peninsular Campaign

**  He was especially good at building bridges, including the 400 foot long, 100 foot-high trestle over the Potomac Creek in Virginia.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT October Meeting: Charlie Banks on Herman Haupt

The McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table (MCCWRT) met Tuesday, October 11 at the Woodstock Public Library.

Round Table News:

**  The MCCWRT attended the Civil War Show in Naperville last month and sold a whole lot of books (with the money going to out student scholarship).  We made $835 and $350 went to other vendors (we were selling them for a real good price).

**  Next month's meeting will not be on Tuesday, November 8 because of elections (voting will be at the library).  Instead, we will meet at 7 pm on Wednesday, November 9.

**  We will be providing Civil War speakers at McHenry County College for their continuing education retired program.  The programs will be on Thursdays at 1 pm.

**  There will be a Civil War living history program at Hainesville, Illinois, this weekend.  There will be Union and Confederate reenactors and the Battle of Shiloh will be recreated.  Lincoln, Grant will be speaking as well as others.  There will be a medical display and an embalmer.

--Old Seceh

McHenry County Civil War Round Table Discussion Group Meets Saturday: Civil War Technologies

 The McHenry County Civil War Round Table (MCCWRT) will meet today at Panera Bread in Crystal Lake on US-14 (Northwest Highway) from 10 am to 11:30.

Today's discussion will center on "Civil War Technologies."

The meeting will be in person and by Zoom.

All are welcome and we actually do stay on topic most of the time.

Come On Down.  --Old Secesh

22nd Georgia-- Part 3: Seven Days, Second Manassas and Antietam

June 25 to July 1, 1862  Seven Days Battles

June 25:  King's School House (Oak Grove)   The regiment lost ten men killed and 77 wounded.

July 1:  Battle of Malvern Hill   Colonel Harris was again wounded.  Lieutenant Samuel Smythe of Company A and Lieutenant Alexander Campbell of Company C were killed.

August 28-30:  Second Battle of  Manassas (Bull Run):  The regiment lost 13 killed and 50 wounded.  Captain Joseph T. Albert of Company K was killed.  Lieutenant  S.B. Treadaway of Company G was mortally wounded.

September 12-15   Siege of Harpers Ferry

September 17:  The Battle of Antietam   The regiment crossed the Potomac River at Blackford's Ford and marched north through the fields to the west of the town of Sharpsburg and took position on the far eastern flank of the Sunken Road.  The regiment may have had only 60 men on the field due to casualties and straggling.

Colonel Robert H. Jones took over the brigade as senior officer when General Wright was wounded, but was shot in the stomach and lung.  Major Lawrence D. Lallerstedt took over the regiment, but was himself wounded.  Neither Jones not Lallerstedt would return to command.

Captain W.F. Jones of Company  G was mortally wounded and captured.

--Old Secesh

22nd Georgia Infantry-- Part 2: Organization to Battle of Seven Pines

From the Civil War in the East site.

The 22nd Georgia organized at Big Shanty, Georgia, on August 31, 1861.  William Nesbit was one of the original enlistees.

It was under the command of Colonel  Robert H. Jones, Lt. Col.  J. Walter Pritchett and Major  Joseph  Wasden.

April-July 1862:  Assigned to Blanchard's Brigade, Huger's Division, Army of Northern Virginia.  They were brigaded with the 44th Alabama and the 3rd and  48th Georgia Infantry.

May 31-June 1:  Battle of Seven Pines

June 2, 1862:  Lt.Col. Pritchett resigned.  Major Joseph Wasden was promoted to lieutenant colonel and Captain Lawrence Lallerstedt of Company A was elected major.  Brigadier General Blanchard was relieved of command due to age and  performance and Col.  Ambrose Wright of the  3rd Georgia was promoted to brigadier general and took command of the brigade.

--Old Secesh

22nd Georgia Volunteer Infantry

This was Lt. William H. Nesbit and Private Albert C. Nesbit's regiment.

 From research online.

This regiment was formed from Schley, Glascock, Bartow, Lincoln,  Washington, Dawson and Henry counties.  Company E, to which they belonged, was formed from Forsyth and Milton counties.

The regiment lost 10 killed and 77 wounded at Oak Grove,

6 killed and 32 wounded and 18 wounded at Malvern Hill,

13 killed and 50 wounded at Second Manassas.

There were 400 engaged at Gettysburg and more than 40% were disabled, including William Nesbit.

It sustained  25 casualties  in the retreat from Pennsylvania and 50 at Manassas Gap.

It surrendered at Appomattox on 9 April 1865 with nine officers and 197 men.

This regiment was in the thick of it.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Days in Hainesville, Illinois, This Weekend

This weekend, a Civil War Encampment and Battle will be held at the Northbrook Sports Club in Hainesville, Illinois.

It will be Saturday, Oct. 15 from 10 am to 4 pm and Sunday, Oct. 16, from 9 am to 3 pm.

Admission and on-site parking is free.

Event highlights include:

**  Narrated military battles with infantry, cavalry and artillery  (They will be doing the Battle of Shiloh.)

**  Military and civilian bivoaucs and encampments

**  Period-dressed military, civilian & presenters

**  Special guests:  Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Lincoln,  Elijah Haines (founder of Hainesville), General Grant,  William Irving Kirk & Thomas Morris Chester.

**  There will be food and souvenir vendors on site.

See You at the War.  --Old Secesh

This Month in the War: Battles of Bristoe Station, Cedar Creek, Ball's Bluff, Mine Creek and John Brown

From the Ameriacan Battlefield Trust 2022 calendar.

OCTOBER 14, 1863

**  Battle of Bristoe Station, Virginia

OCTOBER 16, 1859

**  John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), begins and lasts three days.

OCTOBER 18, 1859

**  U.S. Marines storm engine house at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), and capture John Brown.

OCTOBER 19, 1864

**  Battle of Cedar Creek, Virginia

OCTOBER 21, 1861

**  Battle of Ball's Bluff, Leesburg, Virginia  (This battle sure reminds me a lot of the Battle of Sheperdstown.)

OCTOBER 25, 1864

**  Battle of Mine Creek, Kansas

--Old Secesh

Private Albert C. Nesbit (William's Brother) Died During the War

From Find-A-Grave.

PVT Albert C. Nesbit

BIRTH:  1844, Georgia

DEATH:  19 July 1862 (aged 17-18)

Richmond, Virginia

BURIAL:  Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia

PLOT:  Soldiers Section,   Lot unknown.

Private, Company E, 22nd Georgia Volunteer Infantry.  Enlisted at Camp McDonald on 31 August 1861.  His CSA file states simply that he died at Richmond (not that he was killed).  He never married.  (He very well may have died from a disease.)

He was Lt. William H. Nesbit's younger brother who served in the same company and regiment.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Meets This Tuesday: Topic 'Herman Haupt: Lincoln's Railroad Man'

The McHenry County Civil War Round Table will be meeting Tuesday, October 11 at the Woodstock Public Library in Woodstock, Illinois, at 7 p.m.

Our speaker for the evening will be Charlie Banks on "Herman Haupt:  Lincoln's Railroad Man."

This will be in person and via Zoom.

There will be a pre-meeting meal/snack get together at 3 Brothers Restaurant on Illinois Highway 47 at 5:30.

All invited, so if you have a yen for Civil War stuff, this is where you'll want to be.

--Old Secesh

Lieut. William H. Nesbit-- Part 3: After the War

William Hoyle Nesbit was a lieutenant in Company E of the 22nd Georgia Infantry Regiment, Wright's Brigade.  He lost his arm at the Battle of Gettysburg, July 2, 1863.

He married Martha Curtis Grogan in the village of Alpharetta, Georgia, on December 14, 1865, where he taught school for a few years after the war and was engaged in the mercantile business.  Later he was elected  Clerk of the Court and served Milton County for eight years.  He was then elected  Ordinary and served in that post for sixteen years.

During his last term of office and for several years after, he was owner and editor of the Milton Democrat newspaper.  In this last work, he was associated with his son, G.A. Nesbit, as his publisher.

In 1892, he left Alpharetta and with his family moved to his farm in Cherokee County, where he spent the rest of his life.  Due to the loss of his left arm in the war,  he could not do manual labor, but was very successful  in bee-raising, gardening and stock-raising.

He was devoutly pious and had no fear of death and was buried in Hickory Flat Cemetery in Cherokee, Georgia, with his wife who preceded him.

Not Sure What an Ordinary Is?  --Old Secesh

Lieut. William Hoyle Nesbit-- Part 2: Muster Roll of 22nd Georgia Infantry

From Find-A-Grave.

Muster Roll of Co. E, 22nd Regiment Georgia Volunteer Infantry, Army of Northern Virginia, C.S.A.

Forsyth and Milton Counties, Georgia.

"Warsaw Rebels"

NESBIT, WILLIAM HOYLE

Private August 31, 1861.  Appointed Sergeant Major December 1861.

Elected 2nd Lieutenant and returned to this company June 21, 1862.

Wounded in left arm, necessitating  amputation, at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 2, 1862.

Resigned on account of wounds November 23, 1863.  Resignation accepted December 8, 1863.

--Old Secesh

This Month in the Civil War: Battles of Green River, Corinth, Perryville and Tom's Brook and First Union Ironclad

From the American Battlefield Trust 2022 calendar.

OCTOBER 3, 1861

**  The Battle of Greenbrier River (Camp Bartow), Virginia (now West Virginia)

OCTOBER 4, 1862

**  Second Battle of Corinth, Mississippi,  begins.

OCTOBER 8, 1862

**  Battle of Perryville, Kentucky

OCTOBER 9, 1864

**  Battle of Tom's Brook, Virginia

OCTOBER 12, 1861

**  The first ironclad in the U.S. navy, the USS St. Louis, launched in Carondolet, Missouri.

--Old Secesh

Lieut.William Hoyle Nesbit

  I wrote about this man losing his arm at the Battle of Gettysburg in the last two posts (in September).  Here is his entry in the Find-A-Grave site:

BIRTH:  12 July 1841, Georgia

DEATH:  28 June 1925, Cherokee County, Georgia (aged 83)

BURIAL:  Hickory Flat Cemetery, Hickory Flat, Cherokee County, Georgia.

William and Martha (his wife 1842-1922, also buried at the cemetery) had children George A, nesbit,  Mary J. Nesbit,  Anna M. Nesbit, Elizabeth  C. Nesbit, John G. Nesbit and Hugh M. Nesbit.

The family first moved to Alpharetta  in what was then Milton County, and later moved to Hickory Flat in Cherokee County.

--Old Secesh

A Sad Telegram-- Part 2: Survived the War

The caregiver who handled the young soldier's message apparently did not know how to spell the name and only that he lived somewhere near Atlanta, so he sent the telegram to the city's leading newspaper, the Daily Intelligencer.

Editor John Steele published the plea July 26, prefaced by a notice to readers:  "The following dispatch has been received at this office.  We do not know the residence of Mr. J.W. Neisbit, to whom it is directed, under our care, and therefore publish it. hoping some one will convey to him the information it imparts.  --ED. INT."

Apparently, no one knew where the elder Neisbit (Nesbit) lived, but the case of the wounded lieutenant, who turned 22 just ten days after his Gettysburg wound, worked out well.

On August 3, he was granted a 60-day furlough to return home.  He resigned from the Confederate Army in November 1863.

After the war, he started farming, married and raised a family north of Atlanta.  He died at the age of 83 in 1925, one of approximately 60,000 Civil War amputees.

--Old Secesh

A Sad Telegram: 'I Lost My Left Arm at Gettysburg'

From the same source as the previous post.

Twelve days after he was shot in the left arm on the second day of fighting at Gettysburg, Lieutenant William Hoyle Nesbit wrote or dictated a telegram to his father in far-away Georgia.

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

RICHMOND, July 14-- To Mr. J.W. Neisbit, care of the Intelligencer (Atlanta Daily Intelligencer):

Dear Father-- I am at Jordan Springs Hospital, near Winchester.  I lost my left arm at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  Come to me.  Answer by telegraph.

W.H. Neisbit

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

--Old Secesh

An Interesting Story: Who You Going to Draft Now?

From the Autumn 2022 America's Civil War "Rebel Beacon: The reputable Atlanta Daily Intelligencer was both news source and cheerleader for Southern readers" by Stephen Davis and Bill Hendrick.

An article about this Atlanta newspaper during the war.

I found this part of interest.

Then  there were the strikes by printers, demanding higher wages.  In the spring of 1864, after their workers walked out, Atlanta editors visited the city's conscript office and addressed the printers' status.

They were exempt from the draft while working, the editors claimed; but now, as they were on strike, the draft officer was encouraged to draft them for Confederate service.

The connscriptor liked the idea.  "Gentlemen," he said, "you are undoubtedly right.  I will go to work at once, and as you are here, I will conscript you to begin with."

"Conscript us!" exclaimed the editors.

"Certainly.  As you have no printers, you can't get out your papers.  So you no longer belong to the exempted class."

The editors raced back to their respective offices and contacted the printers' union.  In fifteen minutes, everyone was back at work.

Good Story.  You've Just Got to Have Some Incentive.   --Old Secesh

This Month in the War-- Part 2: Chickamauga, Shepherdstown, Third Winchester, Wood Lake, New Market Heights & Peebles' Farm

From the American Battlefield Trust September 2022 calendar.

SEPTEMBER 18, 1863

**  Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia, begins.

SEPTEMBER 19, 1862

**   Battle of Shepherdstown, West Virginia, begins.

SEPTEMBER 19, 1864

**  Battle of Third Winchester, Virginia.

SEPTEMBER 23, 1862

**  Battle of Wood Lake, Minnesota

SEPTEMBER 29, 1864

**  Battle of New Market Heights, Virginia, begins.

SEPTEMBER 30, 1864

**  Battle of Peebles' Farm, Virginia, begins.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Discussion Group Meets Saturday: Topic 'Sherman in Georgia-- Part 2, the March to the Sea'

The McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table will meet this Saturday via Zoom and in person at Panera Bread in Crystal Lake, Illinois  (US Highway 14, Northwest Highway and Main Street).

Time from 10 am CDST and 11:30.

The topic will be a follow up to last month's Atlanta Campaign, "General Sherman in Georgia, the March to the Sea."

Plenty of Room and Everyone is Welcome (members and non-members).  Where there is always good discussion and conversation and we've even been known to stay on topic on occasion.

Come On Down!!  --Old SeceshMouth

MCCWRT Presentation Tonight: Gen. John E. Smith of Illinois

The September Meeting of the McHenry (Illinois) Civil War Round Table will take place tonight at 7 p.m. at the Woodstock, Illinois Public Library.

Our speaker will be Robert Girardi and his topic is "General John E. Smith:  Galena's Forgotten General."

This will be in-person and via Zoom.

There will be a pre-meeting get-together for dinner or snack for any interested at 3 Brothers restaurant on Il-47.  It is open to all, as is the meeting, member or not.  

--Old Secesh

9/11 Commemoration at WVU

I was unable to post any blogs yesterday, so will do my annual commemoration to that day today.

From the Sptember 11, 2022, DA, West Virginia University's Independent Newspaper "WVU observes 21st anniversary of the 9/11  attacks with annual vigil" by Christina Rufo.

To commemorate the 21st anniversary  of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, West Virginia University held its annual wreath laying ceremony Sunday morning.

As part of the ceremony, cadets with the Army and Air Force ROTC will stand for a 24-hour vigil at the University's 9/11 memorial site, located at the University's 9/11 memorial site, located in front of the Downtown Campus Library.

Cadets played "Taps" and observed a moment of silence Sunday morning in recognition of the exact time that the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.

The vigil will last until 8 a.m., Monday.

Earl Van Dorn-- Part 2: Success at Holly Springs Then Death

After the Battle of Corinth, Van Dorn was removed from command of the army and placed instead in command of the cavalry under  General John C. Pemberton.

Van Dorn's most impressive  achievement of his career took place while in command of the cavalry.  He led his troopers in action in December 1862 against the supply depot of  Union general U.S. Grant located at Holly Springs, Mississippi.

His forces destroyed hundreds of thousand of dollars worth of supplies and disrupted Grant's operations against Vicksburg until the following year.

After the battle, Van Dorn took part in several minor cavalry skirmishes until his death in May 1863.  On May 7, 1863, George B. Peters  shot and killed Earl Van Dorn after Van Dorn had allegedly committed adultry with Peters' wife.

--Old Secesh

Earl Van Dorn-- Part 1

From the American Battlefield Trust.

Van Dorn led the Confederates on the successful raid on Holly Springs.

He graduated number 52 out of 56 from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on 1842.  He served several posts in the southern United States before fighting in the Mexican War where he saw combat at  the battles of Monterrey and  Vera Cruz and received brevet  promotions to major for his participation in  in the battles of Cerro Gordo,  Mexico City, Contreras and  Churubusco.

After the war, he saw action against the Seminoles  from 1849-1850 and the Comanches from 1858 to 1859.

He was made a brigadier general in the regular Confederate Army on June 5, 1861, and major general  September 19, 1861.

His first major action of the war came when his force was defeated at the Battle of Pea Ridge.  After the defeat, he was transferred to the Army of the Mississippi and commanded troops at the Battle of Corinth where he did well in the initial phase, but misjudged the Union position and was forced to retreat.

--Old Secesh

The Holly Springs Raid Delayed Grant's General Order No. 11 That Expelled Jews from His Department

From Wikipedia.

Van Dorn's raid nearly coincided with U.S. Grant's General Orders No. 11 issued on December 17, 1862.  Thus expelled the Jews as a class from his military district within 24 houirs.  (Van Dorn's raid occurred on December 20.)

Grant believed that Jewish traders violated U.S. Treasury Department cotton trade regulations  which was the reason for the General Order.

Van Dorn's raid disrupted Union communications for weeks.  Additionally, Nathan Bedford Forrest's West Tennessee Raids, starting December 10, destroyed communications along 50 miles of the Mobile & Ohio Railroad behind Grant's front line.

The raid delayed implementation of Grant's orders, saving many Jews from possible expulsion.  It took 11 days for the orders to reach Paducah, Kentucky.  After which, many Jewish leaders appealed to President Lincoln.

At Lincoln's insistence, General-in-Chief of Union armies Henry Halleck ordered Grant to revoke General Order 11.  When Grant ran for president in 1868, this order  proved such an embarrassment that he disavowed it.

--Old Secesh

Holly Springs-- Part 7: The Aftermath

These Holly Springs enties were taken from the June 2022 presentation at the McHenry County Civil War Round Table meeting.

Van Dorn eventually covered 500 miles on his raid on Holly Springs and returned to Grenada on the 28th.   As  a result of Van Dorn's action, Grant withdrew from northern Mississippi.

In the meantime,Sherman went ahead with hisattack at Chickasaw Bayou.  With Grant's withdrawl from northern Mississippi, Confederates reinforced Chickasaw Bayou which  led to Sherman's defeat.

On his part, it wasn't too long before Van Dorn was killed by a jealous husband.

As for our hapless Colonel Robert Murphy at Holly Springs, he was mortified and sacked of his command.  He appealed all the way to Washingtn, D.C., but to no avail and after fifteen years, gave up.

He died in 1888 and is buried in the Congressional Cemetery.  In 2021 a headstone was put up for him.

--Old Sesh

Holly Springs-- Part 6: A Huge Confederate Success

On December 20, 1862, Van Dorn was just 14 miles awayfrom the Union supply depot at Holly Springs.  

When they attacked at 6 am, they hit the court house first, then the fairgrounds and by 8 am, had Holly Springs secure and started destroying supplies.  In seven hours,the Confederates had destroyed some $400,000 worth of Union assets.  Van Dorn estimated the destruction at $1.5 million.

In addition, 1500 Federal soldiers were captured and paroled.  According to Ed Bearss, Van Dorn's men became the best equipped Confederates in the South as a result.

The only casualty was a civilian.

North of Holly Springs there is Davis Mill.  Colonel William Morgan and 200 men of the Indiana regiment saved the trestle there.

Grant sent Grierson to go after Van Dorn.

--Old Secesh

This Month in the War: Chantilly, Atlanta, South Mountain, Harpers Ferry and Antietam

From the American Battlefield Trust 2022 September Calendar.

SEPTEMBER 1, 1862

**  Battle of Chantilly, Virginia

SEPTEMBER 2, 1864

**  Atlanta, Georgia, falls to Federal forces

SEPTEMBER 14, 1862

**  Battle of South Mountain Gap, Maryland

SEPTEMBER 15, 1862

**  Capture of Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia)

SEPTEMBER 17, 1862

Battle of Antietam, Maryland

--Old Secesh

Holly Springs-- Part 5: The Expedition Begins

Colonel John S. Griffith wanted to lead th  raid on Holly Springs, but the command went to Earl Van Dorn.

Colonel Theophilus Lyle Dickey commanded the 4th Illinois Cavalry and was to attack the Mobil & Corinth Railroad.

The raid was to be planned and begun in total secrecy.  Van Dorn had 3,500 men.  It began on December 16, 1862,   He took along no artillery or wagons and had orders not to engage in the opening days.  His column covered 45 miles the first day.  On December 17, they headed north.

Colonel Dickey caught sight of the Confederates on December 18. On December 19, Van Dorn was at Cotton Plantation then he moved northwest to Holly Springs.

In the meantime, Mrs. Grant and a son were in Holly Springs at the Walter Place House and had to leave quickly.

Old Secesh

Murphy's Law & the Peter Principle-- Part 4: Murphy Returns to Command

This was the topic of the presentation given to the McHenry County (Illinois) Round Table in June 2022.

On November 29, 1862, U.S. Grant established his headquarters at Walter Place.  In early December, Colonel Robert  Murphy returned to duty.  Grant hates Rosecrans and Rosecrans hates Murphy.

Grant promoted Murphy and posts him in charge of the huge Union supply base at Holly Springs.  Murphy's command, however, did not include his regiment, the 8th Wisconsin.

It did include:

six companies of the 2nd Illinois Cavalry

eight companies of the 29th Illinois Infantry

200 men of the 62nd Illinois Infantry

101st Illinois Infantry

--Old Secesh

Murphy's Law & the Peter Principle-- Part 3: Earl Van Doren

THE BATTLE OF CORINTH  (October 3-4, 1862)

Confederate General Earl Van Dorn's force was attacked and defeated.  Van Dorn was originally well-liked by the Confederacy, but his popularity was declining because of scandal, inpropriety and professional misconduct.  He was a bit of a wild man.  

As a result, he was replaced in command in the area by John C. Pemberton.  Now he faced a Court of Inquiry  by November 28.  Every allegation against him was fully disproved.  That despite Sen.James Phelan of Mississippi accusing him of whoring and drunkeness.

Jefferson Davis decided to keep Van Dorn in Mississippi.

--Old Secesh

McHenry Co. CW Round Table: Battle of Holly Springs

Of interest, the Spires-Boling House is located in Holly Springs,  Mississippi.  Famed Ida B. Wells was born there.

Robert Murphy, the colonel of the 8th Wisconsin was into Wisconsin politics and his family was well-connected to presidents.  He had, however, little military experience and didn't learn on the job either.  He was promoted to command of the 2nd Brigade  of Gen. Rosecran's Army of Mississippi.

George Driggs, a sergeant with the 8th Wisconsin kept a journal and said that Murphy was generally well-liked by his men.

At Iuka, Mississippi, Murphy was arrested for abandoning his post at the September 19, Battle of Iuka.  The Union Army retook Iuka, but the Confederates were able to get away. Grant blamed Rosecrans for it.  As a result, Grant and Rosecrans now disliked each other.

A court martial was held for Murphy and Murphy covered himself and was acquited.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT June Meeting: 'Murphy's Law & the Peter Principle'

The McHenry County Civil War Round Table met Tuesday, June 7, 2022, at the Woodstock, Illinois, library and heard a talk onte Battle of Holly Springs by Jerry Allen.  We had earlier heard him give a talk about the 8th Wisconsin  The commander of the 8th Wisconsin was Colonel Robert Murphy.  He played a part in the Union disaster at Holly Springs, Mississippi, on December 20, 1862.

This caused General Grant's planned attack on Vicksburg to be delayed until the next spring.  Grant was depending the supplies at Holly Springs to support his advance on that city.

And, Murphy went far beyond his level of competence.

Earlier in 1862, the Union forces made great strides coming up the Mississippi River from New Orleans.  By April 29, 1862, New Orleans was in their control, followed by Baton Rouge on May 9 and Natchez on May12.  Union naval commander S.P. Lee even went to Vicksburg to demand its surrender.  James Autry refused to do so.

Then, came Holly Springs.

--Old Secesh

Something Else Maybe You Didn't Know About the Civil War: Elvis' 'Love Me Tender'

From the August 14, 2022, Parade Magazine "Elvis!" by Jim Farber.

One of Presley's most beloved ballads has its roots in America's Civil War.  The tune borrowed the plaintive melody of "Aura Lee," which had become popular during that period of American history.

Elvis sang the song in his film debut, also called "Love Me Tender," in which he played the sibling of three Confederate soldiers.

"Tender" is one of the few Elvis hits in that era that didn't feature his regular band.  Instead, it showcased the Ken Darby Singers, led by the man who wrote the lyrics.

--Old Secesh

Something Maybe You Didn't Know About the Civil War

From the August 14, 29022, Chicago Tribune.

"How to dine like a local in New Orleans" by Alan Behr.

"It was not until I arrived at Cafe Du Mond that I realized you now have to stand in line to get your beignets and coffee with chicory.  The beignet -- a puffy, fried doughnut swimming in powdered sugar -- has been a New Orleans tradition since the city was French.

"Cutting Columbian coffee with chicory has been a New Orleans practice since the Union blockade during the Civil War made it a necessity."

Well, considering that the city fell in April 1862, it wasn't long under the Union blockade.  But, it does make for an interesting jolt in your coffee.

Those Beignets and Chicory Coffee.   Mighty Good!!   --Old Secesh

Saving Battlefields: Wilson's Creek, Missouri

From the American Battlefield Trust 2022 Calendar.

WILSON'S CREEK, Mo.

278 acres saved.

More than 2,500 Union and Confederate soldiers were killed, wounded, missing or captured after the Battle of Wilson's Creek on August 10, 1861, in the first major battle west of the Mississippi River.

The Trust and its partners, including the Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Foundation and Ozark Greenways Incorporated, have preserved 278 acres of the battlefield near Springfield in southwest Missouri.

--Old Secesh

Anthony Eugene Stocker, MD

From Find-A-Grave.

BIRTH:  5 March 1819

DEATH:  23 May 1897 (aged 78)

BURIAL:  Saint James the Less Episcopal Churchyard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

PARENTS: 

John Clements Stocker (1786-1833)

Louise Francoise Caroline, De Tousard Stocker (1788-1877)  (Daughter of Anne-Louis de Tousard, if American Revolution fame (see my Not So Forgotten: War of 1812 blog).

Lt. Col. Anthony Eugene Stocker, MD-- Part 3

Medical Director, District of Key West, FL to 8 Dec 1863.  Medical Director of the District of Key West and Tortugas, FL. to Nov 1864 and there  contracted Yellow Fever.

In charge of  Prisoners Hospital, Elmira, NY until mustered out.  This would have been during the time that the prisoners captured at Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865, would have started arriving.

Brevet Lieutenant Colonel US  Volunteers June  1, 1865.  Honorably discharged September 15, 1865.

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

University of Pennsylvania MD degree 1840.

Companion Member:  Militay Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.

Freemason and Master of Franklin Lodge #134.  Royal Arch Mason in Chapter #91 and charter member of Philadelphia Chapter #169 and High Priest in 1852.

Knights Templar in St. Johns Commandery #4 then in Philadelphia #5.  Grand Master of Knights Templar in  Philadelphia 1856.  Scottish Rite 33 and Commander  in Chief of Philadelphia Consistory 1868-1896.

Married  Jane Randolph in 1845.

--Old Secesh

Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Eugene Stocker, MD-- Part 2: Lots of Duty Stations

Major and Surgeon in US Volunteers 3 August 1861.  At the Battle of Drainsville Dec 1861.  Attached to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 1st Corps Army of the Potomac.  In the Department of the Rappahannock to May 1862.

Then Medical Director of  of the 3rd Division, 5th Corps until 30 June 1862, when wounded in the right wrist by bullet fragments in the Battle of New Market  Cross Roads.  Was in the battles of the Seven Days  Retreat.  In charge of the Field Hospital at  Harrison Landing and was the last officer to leave when it was evacuated.

In charge of the Hospital at Craney Island, VA.  On inspection  duty in the Department of Virginia 5 Nov 1862 to 5 Jan 1863.

In charge of  Chesapeake General Hospital, Fortress Monroe to 14 Oct 1863.

We Be RoadTrippin'.   --Old Secesh

Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Eugene Stocker, MD-- Part 1

From the Society of Cincinnati in the State of New Jersey.

I like to do RoadTrippin' Through History in these blogs and here is an example of it.  I was writing about a man named Anne-Louis Toussard (or Tousard) in my War of 1812 blog.  He was French consul in New Orleans in 1812 when a strong hurricane hit.  Further research on him showed that he played a major role fighting for the colonists in the American Revolution and because of it became a member of the Society of Cincinnati.

Go to my Not So Forgotten: War of 1812 blog July and August to read about Anne-Louis Toussard.

He had a grandson who fought in the Civil War and because of his relationship to Toussard, he also became a member of the Society of Cincinnati.

He was classified as a Hereditary Member, Admitted in 1888.

Grandson of propositus Anne-Louis de Toussard.  Born in Philadelphis, PA, on  5 March 1819 and died in Philadelphia, PA on 23 May 1897.

He began his Civil War service in the Army of the Potomac, 2nd Brigade of General McCall's Divivion from August 1861 to March 1862.

More.  --Old Secesh

McHenry County CW Round Table Meets Today: USS Merrimack

The McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table (MCCWRT) will meet tomorrow, Tuesday, August 9, at the Woodstock Library at 7, both in person and via Zoom.

David Noe will speak on the USS Merrimack, the ship that was turned into the ironclad CSS Virginia by Confederates and fought the famous battle against the USS Monitor.  (Which ship were you pulling for?)

All are invited to attend.  You do not have to be a member, just have an interest in history.

There will also be several of us meeting at 3 Brothers restaurant in Woodstock (on Illinois Highway 47) at 5:30.  Come for dinner or dessert.

--Old Secesh

Kentucky Campaign, 1862, Part 3: Future WW II Generals

8.  Two officers who fought at the Battle of Perryville were fathers of significant World War II generals.  Simon Buckner commanded a third of the Confederate Army and the 24th Wisconsin Infantry had Arthur McArthur.

Simon B. Buckner, Jr. was killed in WW II and the Wisconsin regiment had the father of Douglas MacArthur.  They were the only two father/son duos to ever receive the Medal of Honor.

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

9.  Perryville Battlefield has maybe the first monument dedicated to Confederate dead paid for by the U.S. government.

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

10.  Perryville State Battlefield Site was established on October 8, 1954, 92 years after the battle.  By 1952, the battle site had deteriorated badly and the Perryville Lions Club rehabilitated the small Confederate cemetery and surrounding area.

They got the Kentucky State Conservation Commission to create a state park that opened on October 8, 1952.

--Old Secesh

The Kentucky Campaign, 1862-- Part 2: The Battle of Perryville

4.   A severe drought in the region drew both armies to Perryville.

5.  The Union Army greatly outnumbered the Confederates but only one corps was significantly involved in the battle.

6.  Famous Confederate diarist Sam Watkins declared that Perryville was the "hardest fighting" he  experienced during the war.

"I was in every battle,skirmish and march that was made by the First Tennessee Regiment during that war, and I do not remember of a harder contest and more evenly fought than that of Perryville."

7.  Small quantities of Henry repeating rifles were used at Perryville, probably the first time they were used in combat.  The Henry rifle was the predecessor  of the more famous Winchester lever action rifles.

--Old Secesh

Back to the Discussion Group, the Kentucky Campaign 1862-- Part 1

We've been doing a bunch of RoadTrippin' Through History on this topic when I started finding out about one of the three major Union leaders in the campaign, one Charles Champion Gilbert, whom I had never heard of.  That led to his brother, who also was breveted to a general,  Samuel A. Gilbert and then, people buried in the same cemeteries they are in.  That was quite a bit of RoadTrippin' but I found out a lot of interesting stuff.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand for the October 2021 discussion group in Crystal Lake at Panera Bread.

I based most of what I had to offer to the discussion on this list of ten facts about the Battle of Perryville from the American Battlefield Trust.

1.  The largest battle fought in Kentucky during the war.

2.   Considered the "High Water Mark" for the Confederacy in the West.

3.  At the time, it was the second bloodiest battle in the Western Theater..  The Battle of Shiloh was the first.

--Old Secesh

Also Buried at Louisville's Cave Hill Cemetery-- Part 7: A Navy MoH Recipient and the Man Who Led St. Albans Raid

These people are buried where Gen. Charles C. Gilbert is.

**  There are a lot of Union generals and some Confederate officers buried there.

**  PERRY WILKES (1830-1889)

Union Navy Medal of Honor recipient.  While the pilot aboard the Union steamer USS Signal proceeding up the Red River  5 May 1864 engaged a large force of enemy shore batteries until the ship was completely  disabled.  Wilkes remained at his station the whole time with his hands on  the ship's wheel until a bursting shell destroyed it.

After the war, he became one of the best steamboat men  between Pittsburgh and New Orleans.

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

**  BENNETT HENDERSON YOUNG  (1843-1919)

Confederate Army officer and author.  As a private, he was captured in 1863 during John Hunt Morgan's Ohio raid and escaped, eventually making his way to Canada and then back to the Confederacy.  He was made a lieutenant and sent back to Canada where, on October 19,1864, he led a raid on St. Albans, Vermont.

--Old Secesh

This Month in the Civil War: Mobile Bay, Wilson's Creek, Fort Sumter, Quantrill's Raid and Second Manassas

From the American Battlefield Trust 2022 calendar.

AUGUST 5, 1864

**  Battle of Mobile Bay

AUGUST 9, 1862

**  Battle of Cedar Mountain, Virginia

AUGUST 10, 1861

**  Battle of Wilson's Creek, Missouri

AUGUST 17, 1863

**  Federals begin the great bombardment of Fort Sumter, South Carolna.

AUGUST 21, 1863

**  Quantrill's Raid on Lawrence, Kansas

AUGUST 25, 1862

**  Second Battle of Reams Station, Virginia

AUGUST 28, 1862

**  Second Battle of Manassas, Virginia, begins.

AUGUST 29, 1862

**  Battle of Richmond, Kentucky begins.

--Old Secesh

Also Buried at Louisville's Cave Hill Cemetery-- Part 6: "Pappy" Van Winkle and "Charlie Ward

Buried at the cemetery along with Charles C. Gilbert.

JULIAN PROCTOR "PAPPY" VAN WINKLE, SR.  (1874-1965)

Businessman known as "Pappy" Van Winkle, he is the namesake of the premium bourbon of the same name (Old Rip Van Winkle).  Other brands his former company produced were Old Fitzgerald and Rebel Yell.  (I'm quite fond of Rebel Yell even though they changed its logo.)

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

CHARLES L. "CHARLIE" WARD  (1838-1875)

Songwriter, Confederate soldier and musician.  Well-known writer of minstrel and ,olotary songs in the 1850s and 1860s.  He wrote the words and/or music to such songs as "I'm Coming to My Dixie Home," "Think of Your Head in the Morning," "The Faded Gray Jacket" and "The Kentucky  Battle Song."

There has been speculation that the  tune "Dixie" was actually written by Charles Ward, with words by  Will S. Hays (not by Daniel Emmett)

During the Civil War, Ward  was the Chief Musician of the 4th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, CSA, of the famous Kentucky Orphan Brigade.

Bourbon and Dixie.   --Old Secesh

RoadTrippin' with Gen. Charles Gilbert-- Part 5: Lincoln's Good Buddy and Brother and, the 'Gonzo'

Also buried at Louisville's Cave Hill Cemeery.

**  JAMES SPEED  (1812-1887)

In 1864, he was appointed Secretary of the Treasury by Abraham Lincoln.  Brother of Joshua Fry Speed.

**  JOSHUA FRY SPEED  (1814-1882)

Friend and confidant of future President Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois.  During the Civil War, served as Lincoln's Western Affairs advisor and was offered the position of Secretary several times but refused it.

**  HUNTER S. THOMPSON  (1937-2005)

Journalist and author.  Internationally recognized "Gonza"  journalist.  Had a big best-seller with "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."

--Old Secesh

RoadTrippin' with Gen. Charles Gilbert-- Part 4: All That Chicken, Geography and the 'High Five'

When I go RoadTrippin' Through History with someone, such as in this case, Charles Gilbert, one of the things I do is go to the cemetery where he's buried and see if there are any names that pop to interest.

There are a lot of then in Louisville, Kentucky's Cave Hill Cemetery.  Here are some more:

**  COLONEL SANDERS

Well, we all know him and that chicken of his.

**  ELLEN CHURHILL SEMPLE   (1863-1932)

Geographer and advisor to President Wilson at the Versailles Peace Conference in 1919.    Helped establish Georgraph as a legitimate field of study.  First woman ever placed in the president's position of any national academic organization in the United States,   Association  of American Geographers.  

Georgraphy was my college minor.

**  DEREK  ERVIN SMITH  (1961-1996)

Starting forward for Louisville's 1980 NCAA Championship Tea, and played in NBA.  Given credit as the "High Five" creator.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Discussion Group Meets Today: Topic 'Lee's Generals'

The McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table discussion group will meet tomorrow from 10 am to 11:30 pm at the Panera Bread Company on US Highway 14 (Northwest Highway) in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

The topic will be "Lee's Generals."

We are meeting in person and via Zoom.

All are welcome, so come on in out of the heat.  (And, we do sometimes stay somewhat on topic every so often.)

Come on By.  --Old Secesh

RoadTrippin' with Charles Gilbert-- Part 3: Gettysburg, Pro Football and 'The Kentucky Giant'

Charles Gilbert was buried at Louisville's Cave Hill Cemetery.  Here are some other persons of interest buried there.

**  ANDREW J. COWAN  (1841-1918)

Scottish-born Union Army artillery officer.    At Gettysburg, his battery was posted just south of the copse of trees during Picket's Charge.    Ordered his cannoneers to fire double canister.

**  PAUL HORNUNG  (1935-2020)

Heisman Trophy recipient and Pro Football Hall of Famer.   Played got the Green Bay Packers.

**   A whole lot of Union and Confederate officers and generals.

**  JAMES D. "BIG" PORTER (1811-1859)

Small as a child, but started to grow at age 17.    In three years, he grew to the height of 7 feet 8 inches.  Around 1830, the name "Big" was added.  Also known as the Kentucky Giant.

--Old Secesh

RoadTripping with Charles Gilbert to Cave Hill Cemetery-- Part 2: Undercover Confederate and Grandson of William Clark Who Est. Kentucky Derby

Some other folks of interest buried at Louisville, Kentucky's Cave Hill Cemetery:

JOHN BRECKINRIDGE CASTLEMAN:  Confederate Army officer.  Was involved with the Northwest Conspiracy in 1864 to free Confederate prisoners of war at Camp Douglas in Chicago.  Led guerrilla force to burn supply boats at St. Louis.  Captured and sentenced to death and spared only by personal intercession of Abraham Lincoln

After Lincoln's assassination, he was deported to France.  Returned to U.S. in 1866 after a pardon from President Andrew Johnson.  In 1898, he led the 1st Kentucky Volunteer Infantry in the invasion of Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War and later became the island's governor.

His statue in Louisville came under attack and has been removed to be placed by his grave at Cave Hill Cemetery.

MERIWETHER LEWIS CLARK:  (1846-1899)  With a name like that, he'd have to be related to somebody famous.  Actually, he was the grandson of famed explored William Clark.  (Wonder where he got the names Meriwether Lewis?)

Also, he established the Louisville Jockey Club, now known as Churchill Downs and created the Kentucky Derby race.

--Old Secesh

RoadTripping with Charles Champion Gilbert to Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville--Part 1: Ali and Clark

Back to the McHenry County Civil War Round Table  discussion group meeting from October 23, 2021.  This is where all the Gilbert posts from the past month have come from.

He is buried at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky.  A glance at some of the other people buried there shows quite a few folks of interest.

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

Some of the burials:

MUHAMMAD ALI  (1942-2016)  Heavy weight boxer.

HENRY ATKINSON  (1782-1842)  Officer in War of 1812.  Later commanded U.S. forces in the Black Hawk War.

GEORGE ROGERS CLARK  (1752-1818)  Ranking U.S.officer in the Old Northwest during American Revolution.  Noted for captures of Kaskaskia and Vincennes.

ALBERT FINK  (1827-1897)  Major railroad man.

--Old Secesh

Roadtripping with Samuel A. Gilbert-- Part 3: Politicians and Brigadier Generals

**  ELEAZER ARTHUR PAINE 1815-1882):    Graduated from West Point in 1839.  Colonel of 9th Illinois Infantry.  Commanded 4th Division of Army of Mississippi at battles of Corinth,  Island No. 10 and Fort Pillow.  Placed in command of District of West Kentucky and deployed his corps to protect railroads from Confederate  raiders from 1862 to 1864.

Formally reprimanded for  brutality toward citizens  and violating their civil rights, he resigned in  November 1864.  After the war was a lawyer.

**  SAMUEL D. PHILLIPS  (1845-1915):  Indian Campaigns Medal of Honor recipient as member of 2nd U.S. Cavalry.  Received it for action at Muddy Creek, Montana.

**  Quite a few Union brigadier generals and Minnesota politicians.

**  JOHN BENJAMIN SANBORN (1826-1904):  Brigadier General.  Led troops at Battles of Iuka Corinth and Vicksburg.  After war sent to western frontier to subdue hostile Indians and attempted mediation  of difficulties between Indians of Indian Territory and their former slaves who had been freed by the 13th Amendment.

--Old Secesh

This Month in the Civil War-- Part 2

Continuedfrom July 1.

From the American Battlefield Trust 2022 calendat.

JULY 11, 1864

**  Battle of Fort Stevens.  Confederates fail to capture Washington, D.C.

JULY 13, 1863

**  Riots erupt in New York City in protest of the draft.

JULY 18,1863

**  The 54th Massachusetts attacks Fort Wagner near Charleston, South Carolina.

JULY 18, 1864

**  Battle of Cool Spring, Virginia.

JULY  21, 1861

**  First Battle of Manassas, Virginia.

JULY  22, 1862

**  President Lincoln presents to Emancipation Proclamation to his Cabinet.

JULY 22, 1864

**  Battle of Atlanta, Georgia.

JULY 24, 1864

**  Second Battle of Kernstown, Virginia.

JULY  28, 1864

**  Battle of Ezra Church, Georgia.

JULY 30, 1864

Battle of the Crater at Petersburg, Virginia.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Meeting Today Talk Will Be Mysteries of the Hunley

The McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table will be having our monthly meeting tomorrow at the Woodstock Public Library in that town.  

The topic will be of great interest to me because it is on the Hunley.  I'm really into all things naval during the war.

The speaker is Bruce Allardice and the subject is "Mysteries of the Hunley."

It will be in person or via Zoom (and we're slowly getting better at that).

Some of us will be getting together for a pre-presentation meal or snack at 3 Brothers Cafe on Il. Highway 47 in Woodstock at 5:30.

The meeting starts at 7 pm.

Everyone welcome, even non-members.  Just an interest in the war is all you need.

--Old Secesh

RoadTrippin' with Samuel A. Gilbert-- Part 2: A Route 66 Connection and Indian Wars

Since he was buried in this cemetery, we'll be taking a sroadtrip to see some othersof interest buried there.

**  MARY ELIZABETH JANE COLTER  (1869-1958)

Architect, interior designer credited as "The Architect of the Southwest" for her designs that incorporated Spanish and Indian influences with contemporary designs.

She worked with the Fred Harvey Company and completed 21  projects for them and the Santa Fe Railroad.  Also designed the  Navajo Hotel in Gallup, New Mexico, in 1923 and the La Posada Hotel in Winslow, Arizona, in 1929.

This is of special interest to Route 66 fans.

**  ALBERT WALTER McMILLAN  (1862-1948)

Indian Campaigns Medal of Honor recipient.  Awarded it as a member of  Co. E, 7th U.S. Cavalry for action at Wounded Knee in December 1890.  His father, SAMUEL JAMES RENWICK McMILLAN (1826-1897)) is also buried there.  His father was  a 2nd lieutenant with the Stillwater Guards in the Dakota Wars in 1862.

Of interest, I already have written about Samuel's brother, Charles, who was a Union general as well, whose daughter Isabel married John Chowning Gesham who was also in the 7th Cavalry and received a Medal of Honor at Wounded Knee.

**  Quite a few Civil War brigadier generals are also buried at Oakland Cemetery.

RoadTrippin' with Samuel A. Gilbert: Oakland Cemetery in St. Paul, Minnesota-- Part 1

When I RoadTrip, one of the things I check out is to see in any persons of particular interest are buried where that person is.  I have been doing that lately in my Running the Blockade: Civil War Navy blog for the inventor of the revolving turret, Theodore Timby.

Samuel A. Gilbert is buried at Oakland Cemetery in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Others buried there:

JAMES ALLEN--  Civil War Medal of Honor recipient.  Member of  16th New York Infantry at Battle of South Mountain on September 14, 1862,  he tricked 14 Confederates of the 14th Georgia into surrendering to him when he was alone.  (An interesting story)  One of four 16th NY soldiers receiving Medals of Honor during the war.

JOSEPH BURGER--  Civil War Medal of Honor recipient.  Member of  2nd Minnesota Infantry.  Received medal for action on February 15, 1863, at Nolensville,Tennessee.  One of 16 men who heroically defended a wagon train against an attack by 125 cavalry men. His grandson was U.S. Supreme Court justice Warren Burger.

--Old Secesh

Samuel A. Gilbert

From Find-A-Grave.

SAMUEL AUGUSTUS GILBERT

BORN:  15 August 1825, Zanesville, Ohio

DIED:  9 June 1868 (aged 42), Saint Paul, Minnesota.

BURIED:  Oakland Cemetery, Saint Paul, Minnesota.

His father was a lawyer in Zanesville, Ohio,  who went on to become a prominent banker there.

His son, Cass Gilbert was a noted North American architect called "The Skyscraper Pioneer"  Designed the Woolworth Buiding, the tallest skyscraper at the time.

--Old Secesh

Resolution for Samuel A. Gilbert-- Part 2: A Coast Survey Resolution

At a meeting of the assistants (of the U.S. Coast Survey), present in Washington, on the 19th of June, 1868, the following resolutions were adopted:

"Whereas information has reached us of the death, at St. Paul, Minnesota, on the 9th instant, of our friend and associate, Brevet Brigadier General Samuel A. Gilbert, assistant in the Coast Survey

"Resolved, That the officers of the  Coast Survey learn with profound grief and sensibility of the removal from among them, by death, one whose high qualities had impressed themselves on all who became associated with him, and whom they equally loved and respected.

"Resolved, That they recognized in their late associate the possession of those emminent abilities which are sure to lead to distinction, whether displayed in scientific pursuits or in military life.  He possessed sound discretion and judgement, combined with vigor and energy in action.

"Setting his aims high, he was only satisfied when he attained his own ideal.  He combined in an eminent degree gentleness with courage, modesty with knowledge,  and self control with enthusiasm.  He gave his services as a military officer to the country during the late war, with the same ardor and vigorous ability which had marked his civil career, and won merited  distinction.

"Resolved, That the Superintendent of the Coast Survey be respectfully requested to cause a copy of  these resolutions  to be placed  upon the records of the Coast Survey, in token of our appreciation of the merits of our late valued associate, and to communicate these  proceedings to his family."

High Words of Praise.  --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

Ten Civil War Generals Who Were Famous for Other Things-- Part 1

From the June 29, 2022, ListVerse by David Williams.

They achieved something more than just "being" a general.  Interesting list.  I am just doing the names and what else they did.  For more information, go to the site.  Pictures as well.

10.  Lewis Wallace (Union)--  Wrote "Ben-Hur:  A Tale of the Christ."

9.  Lawrence Sullivan Ross (Confederate)--   As sheriff of Waco, Texas, arrested 700 outlaws, was governor and saved Texas A&M.

8.  Jefferson Columbus Davis  (Union)--  Besides having the same name (except middle) as the Confederate president, killed another Union General but not prosecuted.

7.  Benjamin McCullough  (Confederate)--  Friend of Davy Crockett.  Fought for Texas independence.  Killed at Battle of Pea Ridge in 1862.

--Old Secesh

This Month in the Civil War, July: Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Executions and Monocacy

From the American Battlefield Trust July 2022 calendar.

JULY 1, 1862

**  Battle of Malvern Hill, Virginia

JULY 1, 1863

**  Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, begins

JULY 3, 1863

**  Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, concludes with Pickett's Charge.

JULY 4, 1863

**  Confederates surrender Vicksburg, Mississippi.

JULY 7, 1865

**  Conspirators in the assassination of Lincoln executed.

JULY 9, 1863

**  Surrender of Port Hudson, Louisiana.

JULY 9, 1864

Battle of Monocacy, Maryland.

--Old Secesh

Obituary of Samuel Augustus Gilbert, U.S. Coast Survey-- Part 1

From "Report of the Superintendent of the Coast Survey Showing the Progress of the Survey During  the Year 1868."

Assistant Samuel A. Gilbert died at St. Paul, Minnesota, on the  9th of June.  He was by brevet, a brigadier general,  for active and meritorious  services in the field in the recent war; and as a civilian, was one of the most experienced of the assistants in triangulation and topography.

The resolution passed at a meeting of his associates, a few days after his decease, well express the sterling qualities of the man, as evinced within my own knowledge during the short period of my personal acquaintance with him.

In the  hope of recovering from  the effects of hardships undergone in the military service, Assistant Gilbert left his home and his interesting family in Zanesville, Ohio, and dwelt during the greater part of the year in St. Paul.  The cessation from active duty brought some measure of personal comfort, but failed to restore strength to his powerful  frame and constitution, which finally wasted away in consumption.

--Old Secesh

Samuel Augustus Gilbert-- Part 2: Further Service and Resignation

In August 1862,  he was ordered to join  General John Pope east of the Blue Ridge and he served there until 1863, when he assumed command of a brigade in Kentucky.  

There, he dispersed a political convention in Frankfort which he considered to be plotting treason.

He continued  in Kentucky and Tennessee until  November 1863 when he became an engineer on the staff of  General John G. Foster until Confederate General James Longstreet retreated at which time he resumed command of his brigade.

Colonel Gilbert's health having deteriorated by exposure caused him to resign  on 20 April 1864.  He was brevetted to brigadier general of volunteers, 12 March 1865.

--Old Secesh

Samuel Augustus Gilbert-- Part 1: The Battle of Lewisburg, Va. (WestVirginia)

From Famous Americans.net.

GILBERT, SAMUEL AUGUSTUS, soldier, born in Zanesville, Ohio, 25 August 1825; died in St. Paul, Minnesota, 9 June 1868.  He was educated at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, and then entered the U.S. Coast Survey.  He remained there until the coming of the Civil War and attained the rank next to that of superintendent.

On 11 June 1861, he was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 24th Ohio Volunteers, and accompanied his regiment to  western Virginia.  He was appointed colonel of the 44th Ohio Volinteers on 14 October 1861, and in May, 1862, he took part in a raid upon the Central Railroad, in which his command marched more than eighty miles in sixty hours, including all stops.

He then commanded the right flank in the Battle of Lewisburg, Virginia (now West Virginia), on 21 May 1862, and captured a Confederate battery.

--Old Secesh

General Samuel Augustus Gilbert-- Part 2: His Unit Went from an Infantry to a Cavalry Regiment

Next, he participated in skirmished in central Kentucky and eastern Tennessee, throughout 1862 and 1863.

In early 1864, his command was reorganized as the 8th Ohio Cavalry.  Because of his deteriorating health,  and the fact that his command was now a cavalry unit, Gilbert resigned his command on April 20, 1864.

On March 13, 1865, he was made a brevet brigadier general "for faithful and meritorous service during the war."

After the war, he resumed his career as an assistant to the U.S. Coast Survey.

--Old Secesh

General Samuel A. Gilbert-- Part 1: In West Virginia Early in the War

Two posts ago, I mentioned that Gen. Charles C. Gilbert was the brother of Brig. Gen. Samuel A. Gilbert.  Another Civil War general whom I do not know.  Some more research and Wikipedia does not have an article about this man.  

But, GENi does have some information.  So, we will continue our Roadtrip Through History that started with Charles C. Gilbert.

SAMUEL AUGUSTUS GILBERT

Birthdate:  August 15, 1825

Death:  June 9, 1868  (age 42), St. Paul, Minnesota

Civil War brevet brigadier general.  Was a civil engineer in the U.S. Coast Survey service and took leave of absence during the war and appointed lieutenant colonel of the 24th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and sent to what became West Virginia to defend Union positions.

On October 14, 1861, he was given command of the 44th Ohio Volunteer Infantry as colonel and later participated in the Battle of Lewisburg, West Virginia.

--Old Secesh

General Gilbert's Daughter Isabel Cass Gilbert Gresham: A Wounded Knee Connection

Charles Gilbert and his wife, Martha J. Prather Gilbert (1837-1930), had four children, two of whom survived to become adults.

His daughter, Isabel Cass Gilbert Gresham (1862-1938) married John  Chowning Gresham (1851-1926).  He was also in the U.S. Army and received a Medal of Honor during the Indian Campaigns.

Served as first lieutenant in the 7th Cavalry and received his medal for service at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota,  on December 29, 1890.

His citation reads:  "Voluntarily led a party into a ravine to dislodge Sioux Indians concealed therein.  He was wounded during this action."

This is what is known today as the Wounded Knee Massacre.  Twenty soldiers were awarded Medals of Honor at it.

He and his wife Isabel are both buried at the San Francisco National Cemetery.

--Old Secesh

Union Gen. Charles C. Gilbert-- Part 4: Rest of War and Afterwards

Major General William S. Rosecrans took command of the Army of the Ohio and the subsequent reorganization as the Army of the Cumberland left Gilbert without a permanent command.  He commanded the 10th Provisional Division in Tennessee at the Battle of Harpeth.  

In July 1863 he was assigned to the  East on administrative duty, serving as assistant  provost marshal  general and chief  mustering officer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and later Hartford, Connecticut, for the remainder of the war.

AFTER THE WAR

Gilbert served on the frontier after the war with the 28th U.S. and 7th U.S. Infantry Regiments.

When he retired in 1986, he was commanding officer of  the 17th U.S. Infantry with the rank of colonel.

He died in Baltimore, Maryland, on January 17, 1903, amd is buried at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky.

He was the brother of Union Brigadier General Samuel A. Gilbert and  uncle to Samuel's son Cass Gilbert.

--Old Secesh

Union General Charles C. Gilbert-- Part 3: At the Battle of Perryville Then Problems

Roadtripping Through History.

Gen. Gilbert was temporarily placed in charged of the corps-sized Army of Kentucky in the absence of the recovering General William "Bull" Nelson.  When the Army of Kentucky became a part of the  Army of the Ohio and redesignated the  III Provisional Corps, Gilbert remained in command.  

Just one week later, Gilbert commanded it at the Battle of Perryville on October 8, 1862.  There, his troops were successful in checking the last Confederate attacks and driving a Confederate brigade back through Perryville.

Even so, Gilbert was criticized for his slow action in the battle and his men generally did not like him, considered him as a martinet.

His appointment to brigadier general was not approved by the  Senate and it expired on  March 4, 1863.  Some officers in the Army, including Carlos Buell's chief of staff, James B. Fry, were surprised to find out Gilbert had not officially been promoted to major general.

Leaving the Volunteer service, Gilbert returned to the regular army and was appointed major in the  19th U.S. Infantry.  He was also brevetted to lieutenant colonel and colonel.

--Old Secesh

Roadtripping with Charles C. Gilbert-- Part 2: Civl War Service

After the Mexican War, he served in Texas for two years before returning to West Point in 1850 as  Assistant Professor of Geography, History and  Ethics and being promoted to first lieutenant on June 10, 1850.  In 1855, now a captain, he returned to Texas and fought the Indians

When the Civil War started, he commanded Fort Cobb in present-day Oklahoma.  Gilbert rejoined his regiment and fought at the Battle of Wilson's Creek where he was wounded.  During the Battle of Shiloh and Siege of Corinth, he was Inspector General of the Army of the Ohio.

During the Confederate  Heartland Offensive, also known as the Kentucky Campaign which led to the Battle of Perryville, Major General  William "Bull" Nelson was wounded at the Battle of Richmond and his Army of Kentucky severely mauled.  Department commander Horatio G. Wright needed to find a replacement for Nelson.

But, the two ranking officers, Generals Charles Cruft and James S. Jackson, refused the promotion.  At their recommendation, Wright promoted Gilbert to fill the vacancy and Gilbert was elevated to acting major general pending the approval of the president.

Several days later, President Abraham Lincoln promoted Gilbert to the rank of brigadier general of U.S. volunteers.  Major General Carlos Buell appointed Gilbert to a corps commander in his Army  of the Ohio, over such generals as  Jeremiah T. Boyle, Jefferson C. Davis and Albin F. Schoeph.  Buell later  denied knowing that Gilbert had not received an official appointment.

Of course, Generals Nelson and Davis were later involved in that shooting incident.

--Old Secesh

This Month in the Civil War: Seven Days' Battles Begin

From the American Battlefield Trust June 2022 calendar.

JUNE 17, 1863

**  Battle of Aldie, Virginia.

JUNE 19,  1862

**  Lincoln signs legislation prohibiting slavery in the current and future federal territories.

JUNE  25, 1862

**  The Seven Days' Battles begin at Oak Grove, Virginia.

JUNE 27, 1862

**  Battle of Gaines Mills, Virginia (Seven Days' Battles)

JUNE 27, 1864

**  Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia.

JUNE 29, 1862

**  Battle of Savage's Station, Virginia.  (Seven Days' Battles)

JUNE 29, 1864

**  The First Battle of Reams  Station, Virginia.

June 30, 1862

**  Battle of Glendale (Frayser's Farm), Virginia.  (Seven Days' Battles)

--Old Secesh

Roadtrippin' Through History-- Part 1: Well, Who Was Charles Champion Gilbert?

In the last post,I mentioned this man's name.  Even though he was a West Point graduate and Union general, not many people know of him.  I didn't.  That why it was our "Frank" question.  I like to Roadtrip Thru History where I start with one thing and see where it takes me, much like finding a road and seeing where you end up.

So, we're going to Roadtrip Charles Gilbert.

And, what better place to start in the unknown than with good ol' Wikipedia?

CHARLES CHAMPION GILBERT

(March 1, 1822 to January 17, 1903)

United States  Army officer during the Mexican War and Civil War.

Born in Zanesville, Ohio,  and graduated from West Point in the famed Class of 1846, finishing 21st of 59 students.

His classmates included twenty future Civil War generals, including  George B. McClellan,  Stonewall Jackson,  George Stoneman,  and George Pickett.

During the Mexican War he served in the  3rd U.S. Infantry and 1st U.S. Infantry and fought at Veracruz and Mexico City.

Do You Know Me Now?--  Old Secesh

McHenry County Civil War Round Table Discussion Group: The Perryville Campaign

Opening Questions continued.

6.  What were the reasons for Bragg's invasion of Kentucky?

7.  Bragg started from what Tennessee city?

8.  Who's July Raid through Kentucky served as a factor in Confederate plans that led to the Battle of Perryville?

FRANK QUESTION  (These are generally impossible to answer, but in honor of our good buddy Frank who is out of state these days.)

One of the main Union commanders at the Battle of Perryville was born in Zanesville, Ohio, and a member of the West Point class that included 20 future Civil War generals.  What was his name?   (Also, what class from the USMA had all those generals and how many members were in it?)

Answers below.

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

6.  Gain support of Confederate symphatizers.  Draw Union Gen. Carlos Buell back across the Ohio River.

7.  Chattanooga

8.  John Hunt Morgan

FRANK QUESTION:  Charles Champion Gilbert.  Class of 1846.  59 members.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Discussion Group of 10/23/21:The Kentucky Campaign Aug-Oct 1862 & the Battle of Perryville

The McHenry County Civil War Round Table (MCCWRT) held its October 2021 discussion group meeting at Panera Bread Co.in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

As usual, we opened with a quiz.  As always, these quizzes pertain to the day's subject.

1.  The Battle of Perryville is also known as the _______ __ _________ ____.

2.  On what date was it fought?

3.  This was a campaign and battle fought over what strategic state?

4.  What famous Northern woman came from the Lexington, Kentucky, area?

5.  Strangely or not strangely enough, many of this woman's relatives were what during the war?

ANSWERS BELOW

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1.  Battle of Champlin Hill

2.  October 8, 1862

3.  Kentucky

4.  Mary Todd Lincoln

5.  They were Confederate officers

--Old Secesh

American Battlefield Trust's Vicksburg Battlefield Preservation

From the June 2022 American Battlefield Trust calendar.

VICKSBURG, Mississippi

46 Acres Saved

Consuming the entire month of June 1863, the 47-day siege of Vicksburg came to an end on July 4.  Approximately 30,000 Confederates surrendered the firtress city, giving Union forces, commanded by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, full control of the Lississippi River for the first time.

This feat helped turn the tide of the Civil War in favor of the North.  (Well, in addition to the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863.)

The Trust and its partners, including the Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign, have saved 46 acres at Vicksburg.

--Old Secesh