Sgt. Henry H. Taylor at Vicksburg-- Part 2

Art Fort Hill, the colors of the Forty-fifth remained until the line could be extended to another work farther to the right, which was also blown up.  Then, as the general saw that he could not hold the position and prevent its reconstruction without remaining in the crater, he withdrew the troops about seventy-five feet from it, and there remained his position until the surrender of Vicksburg.

This work was done under the orders of Generals Logan and McPherson.  The mining was done underbthe immediate guidance and supervision of General A. Hickenlooper, the corps engineer.

--Old Secesh

Sgt. Henry H. Taylor at Vicksburg-- Part 1

From "Deeds of Honor:  How America's  Heroes Won Medals of Honor" by Walter  F. Beyer, Oscar Frederick Keydel, 1901.

FIRST UNION FLAG IN VICKSBURG

When Fort Hill, one of the defenses  of Vicksburg, was undermined and blown up on the 25th of June, the 45th Illinois, of which Sergeant Henry H. Taylor was color-bearer, was the first regiment taken into the breach by General  M. D. Leggett, and fought there most gallantly until relieved.

According to the statement by General Leggett, he struggle was desperate.  The regimental colors were bravely supported  by Sergeant Taylor, and the first to be placed  in the rebel works during the siege.  

In the assault on the 22nd of May, a color bearer, further to the left of McClernand's front, had advanced far enough to plant his flag on or against the enemy's works.  This achievement, however,  was not regarded  as the placing of the Union's colors on the rebel works, as they were not held there.

--Old Secesh

Sgt. Henry H. Taylor, Medal of Honor Recipient

Last month I wrote about Sgt. Henry H. Taylor getting a Medal of Honor for action at Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Here is his Find-A-Grave information:

BIRTH:  4 July 1841,  Galena, Illinois

DEATH:  3 May 1909 (aged 67), Leavenworth, Kansas

BURIAL:  Greenwood Cemetery, Clay Center, Kansas

Civil War Medal of Honor recipient.  Born in Galena, Illinois, he became a  sergeant in Company C, 45th Illinois Infantry Regiment.  At Battle of Vicksburg, Mississippi,  on June 25, 1863, Sergeant Taylor was first to plant colors on the Confederate fortifications on Fort Hill.

For this heroic  action in the face of the enemy, he was awarded the Medal of Honor on September 1, 1893.

He gave the city of Clay Center the cemetery.

--Old Secesh

Some More About the Gettysburg Medals of Honor Recipients

Same surce as the last two.

**  Of the 64 Battle of Gettysburg recipients, only 20 received them during the war.

**  Corporal Joseph De Castro became the first Hispanic  Medal of Honor recipient.

**  Lt. Alonzo Cushing received his Medal of Honor 151 years after he was killed.

**  Corporal Thaddeus Smith of the 6th Pennsylvania Reserves is the youngest Gettysburg recipient at age 16.  He was also the last Gettysburg recipient to die in March 1933.

**  Only one of the recipients was killed in the battle, Lt. Alonzo Cushing.

**  One bugler (Charles Reed) and one musician (Richard Enderlin) earned the Medal of Honor at Gettysburg.

--Old Secesh

 

Preservation at Champion Hill, Mississippi

From the May 2023 American Battlefield Trust calendar.

The fierce clash at Champion Hill, Mississippi, was the largest, bloodiest and most significant battle of the Vicksburg Campaign of 1863.

On land owned by Sid and Matilda Champion, Grant's army drove the Confederates back to the relative safety of their fortifications at Vicksburg and set the stage for a game-changing siege.

Today, the Champion family still calls this historic spot home but has kindly worked with the Trust to ensure that their ancestral lands are preserved for generations to come.

--Old Secesh

This Month in the Civil War: Battles of Chancellorsville, Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House Begin, Lincoln Buried

From the 2023 May American Battlefield Trust calendar.

MAY 1, 1863

**  Battle of Chancellorsville, Virgina, begins.

MAY 4, 1865

**  Abraham Lincoln buried in Springfield, Illinois.

MAY 5, 1865

**  Battle of  the Wilderness, Virginia, begins.

MAY 8, 1864

**  Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia, begins.

MAY 10, 1863

**  Stonewall Jackson dies of pneumonia at Guinea Station, Virginia.

MAY 10, 1865

*  Union troops capture a fleeing Jefferson Davis in Georgia.

--Old Secesh

Alonzo Cushing Was Last Gettysburg Medal of Honor Recipient in 2014

Same source as last post.

When Pickett's Charge finally reached the famed "copse of trees" on Cemetery Ridge, Union canister continued blowing holes in their ranks.  1st Lt. Alonzo Cushing commanded one of the Federal batteries there.

He received a severe abdomen wound and two of his guns were knocked out.  Even so, he refused to be taken off the field and kept his men firing at the advancing Confederates.  Later, he was hit in the mouth by a Minie ball bullet and was killed.

One hundred and fifty-one years after the battle, he would receive his Medal of Honor from President Obama.

Personally, I think that Alonzo Cushing's brother, Navy Lt. William Cushing should also receive one for his daring deeds, including sinking the feared Confederate ironclad CSS Albemarle with a small steam launch.

--Old Secesh

Medals of Honor at Gettysburg

Since I have been writing about Richard Enderlin receiving a Medal of Honor for what he did at the Battle of Gettysburg, I decided to take a look at other Medals of Honor given at this, the arguably biggest battle of the war.

From the National Medal of Honor Museum "The Battle of Gettysburg and the Medal of Honor."

Ten different Union soldiers earned their Medal of Honor on the first day, July 1.

Twenty-two different soldiers earned it on the second day (including Richard Enderlin), July 2.

Thirty-two Union soldiers won theirs on the 3rd day, July 3.

This was more than any other single battle in the Eastern Theater of the war.  Only twenty received their Medal during the Civil War.  Forty more were awarded between 1897 and 1905.  The last Medal of Honor recipient from Gettysburg, Corporal Thaddeus  Smith of the 6th Pennsylvania Reserve Infantry, would die in March  1933.

--Old Secesh

Some More on Sgt. Henry H. Taylor: Early Military Career

From the Encyclopedia Dubuque, (Iowa)

Assigned to the 45th Illinois on November 20, 1861.  The regiment was officially mustered into federal service on December 25, 1861, in Camp Douglas, Chicago.

The 45th would fight in many major battles including Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Shiloh,  Corinth, Vicksburg Campaign, Atlanta Campaign and the Carolina's Campaign.

Taylor mustered in as a private and rose to the rank of sergeant of Company C where he became the color bearer.

It was during the Vicksburg Campaign that Henry Taylor merited the Medal of Honor.  On June 30, 1863, after the reduction of the Third Louisiana Redan, by an underground mine, the infantry was sent into the breach.

--Old Secesh

Some More on Sgt. Henry H. Taylor- Part 2

This is also called the Battle of Vicksburg Crater.  Explosives were placed in a mine under this part of the Confederate defensive lines and exploded, creating a huge gap in their lines.  Union infantry was sent in.  (I have also been writing about the 27th USCT regiment which went on a similar mission to exploit the Battle of the Crater at Petersburg and later participated in the Second Battle of Fort Fisher in my Running the Blockade: Civil War Navy blog.)

The 45th Illinois was part of U.S. Brigadier General Mortimer D. Leggett's First Brigade, assigned to U.S. Major General John Logan's First Division of Major General James B. McPherson's XVII Corps.

The regiment was led by Colonel Jasper Maltby and rushed into the gaping hole left by the detonation of the mine in what Gen. Leggett describd as "desperate" fighting.  Taylor, as color bearer was in the front of the regiment.

As they clawed their way to the top of the Third Louisiana Redan, Sgt, Taylor planted the regiment's colors on the works.  The fighting would continue until late in the night.  The federaal troops eventually pulled back 75 feet to a position they held until the city's surrender on July 4, 1863.

Taylor received his Medal of Honor during the fight which also became known as "General Logan's Canal."

After the surrender, the 45th Illinois was the first regiment into the city.

Taylor remained with the 45th until he was mustered out on September 8, 1864, when his three year term of enlistment expired.

After the war, he and his wife Margery, lived in Wyandotte, Kansas, where he worked as a banker.

--Old Secesh

Sgt. Henry H. Taylor, Medal of Honor Recipient from Galena's 45th Illinois Infantry

I wrote about him back on April 13.  He will be having a bust dedicated in Galena this Saturday.

From Wikipedia.

Received the country's highest military honor for action at Vicksburg, Mississippi, on June 25, 1863.  Received the Medal of Honor on 1 September 1893.

He was born in Galena, Illinois, on July 4, 1841, and enlisted in Company C of the 45th Illinois Volunteer Infantry in Galena.  He died on May 3, 1909 and is buried  in Clay Center, Kansas.

MEDAL OF HONOR CITATION:

"Was the first to plant the Union colors upon the enemy's works."

--Old Secesh

Richard Enderlin to Be Inducted Into Ohio's Military Hall of Fame for Valor This May

From the April 18, 2023, Chillicothe (Ohio) News "Recognized  for service:  Local Civil War veteran once saved the life of Nixon's great grandfather" by Shelby Reeves.

Quite the coincidence that I had just found out about Richard Enderlin in the last few weeks and to come across this article.  Like I said, you never know where you're going to go when you start RoadTripping Through History.

Richard Enderlin is getting another honor next month.

The Ohio Military Hall of Fame and Valor was established in 2000 to recognize Ohio servicemen and women who were decorated for heroism while in combat situations.

He is one of 11 members of this year's class to be inducted after his death.  There are a total of 24 honorees who served from trhe Civil War to Operation Enduring Freedom.

His Medal of Honor and another medal are on display at the Ross County  Heritage Center in Chillicothe, Ohio.

--Old Secesh

Richard Enderlin's Statue Returns to Chillicothe's Yoctangee Park

From the July 1, 2021,  littermedia "Civil War statue returns to Yoctangee Park" by Mike Smith.

The statue at the head of Chillicothe's Yoctangee Park was damaged by a traffic crash in December 2019.  It has now been repaired and returned to its pedestal.

Although Richard Enderlin's name appears on the pedestral, the Union soldier statue is not him, but represents the men who served with him.

Its return on June 30th comes just in time to commemorate the 158 years since Medal of Honor recipient Richard Enderlin "voluntarily took a rifle and served  as a soldier in the ranks during the first and second days of the Battle of Gettysburg.  Voluntarily and at his imminent peril went into the enemy's lines at night and, under a sharp fire, rescued a wounded comrade."

The inscription of it reads:

"Erected 1917 by Richard Enderlin, Co. B, 73 Regt. O.V.V.I. to the memory of his comrades who helped preserve the Union.  LOYALTY"

It is so refreshing to see statues being returned instead of removed or torn down.

--Old Secesh

Some More on Richard Enderlin-- Part 3: Medal of Honor and a Long Life

I found out that both George Nixon and Richard Enderlin were in the same Company B of the 73rd Ohio.

For his extraordinary courage, Richard Enderlin was promoted to sergeant the next day.  He continued his duties as musician until seriously wounded himself in the spring of 1864.  He finished the war in the Veteran Reserve Corps.

Then on September 11, 1897, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Enderlin went on to live a long life and died February 11, 1930 and is buried at Grandview Cemetery in Chillicothe, Ohio, his hometown.  Chillicothe had  a memorial to Enderlin outside of Yoctangee Park.

--Old Secesh

Some More on Richard Enderlin, Medal of Honor Recipient-- Part 2

From the July 6, 2020, "Medal of Honor Monday:  Army Sgt. Richard Enderelin" by Katie Lange.

Richard Enderlin was born in Baden, Germany on January 11, 1843, but grew up in Chillicothe, Ohio.  As a member of Company B of the 73rd Ohio, he found himself at the Battle of Gettysburg July 1-3, 1863.  

He voluntarily joined in the defense of Cemetery Ridge, thinking that his unit was not directly involved in the battle.  But it turned out that this ridge, in the middle of the Union defense was the main object of Confederate attacks.

He earned his Medal of Honor during the night of July 2-3 when he rescued Private George Nixon, the great-grandfather of future President Richard Nixon.  According to the National Civil War Museum, George Nixon had been seriously wounded and lay between Cemetery Ridge and the Confederate position.

After hearing Nixon's cries of pain, Enderlin put down his instrument (he was a musician) and picked up a rifle and went to Nixon's exposed position at great peril and under heavy fire and dragged him back to safety.

Unfortunately, Nixon did not survive his wounds.  He died several years later and is buried at the National Cemetery at Gettysburg.

--Old Secesh

Richard Enderlin, Medal of Honor Recipient: His MoH Citation

Rank and Organization:  Musician, Company B, 73rd Ohio Infantry.

Place and Date:    Gettysburg, Pennsylvania  1-3 July 1863

Entered service:  At Chillicothe, Ohio

Birth:  Germany

Date of Issue:  September 11, 1897

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

CITATION

"The President of the United States on America in the name of  Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Musician Richard Enderlin, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism from 1 to 3 July 1863, while serving with Comapny B, 73rd Ohio Infantry, in action at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

"Musician Enderlin voluntarily took a rifle and served as a soldier in the ranks during the first and second days of the battle.  Voluntarily and at his own imminent peril, went  into the enemy's lines at night and, under sharp fire, rescued a wounded comrade."  (That would be President Nixon's great-grandfather.)

--Old Secesh

Richard Enderlin, Medal of Honor Recipient: Helped President Nixon's Grandfather

From Wikipedia.

Born January 11, 1843 -- Died February 11, 1930

Was a musician and U.S. soldier who received a Medal of Honor  for heroism in the Battle of Gettysburg.

Born in Germany and grew up in Chillicothe, Ohio.  Enlisted in the Army in November 1861.

He thought his unit was not directly engaged in the Battle of Gettysburg, so the bugler voluntarily joined the defense of Cemetery Ridge.  In July 2, 1863, during combat, George Nixon III (the grandfather of President Richard Nixon) was mortally wounded and was carried out of harm's way by Enderlin.

For this action, he was promoted to sergeant the next day and received a Medal of Honor for it on September 11, 1897.

He was later wounded in the foot at the Battle of Dallas (in the Atlanta Campaign).  He served the rest of the war in the  Veteran Reserve Corps until his discharge in May 1865.

Enderlin is buried at Grandview Cemetery in Chillicothe, Ohio.

--Old Secesh

RoadTrippin' Time, Chillicothe's Grandview Cemetery

In my Running the Blockade: Civil War Navy blog I have been writing about the 27th USCT (United States Colored Troops) Infantry Regiment which took part in the Battle of Fort Fisher.

I found that two members of the 27th had a last name of Butler and were buried in Grandview Cemetery in Chillicothe, Ohio.  In keeping with my RoadTripping Through History thing, I had to take a look at others buried in this cemetery and see if any were of special interest.  They were.

Also, this cemetery obviously was not a segregated one.

There were quite a few governors, Congressmen and Senators from Ohio along with several Civil War brevet generals and one Medal of Honor recipient.  Also, several veterans from the War of 1812.  I will be writing about the Civil War men in this blog.  The War of 1812 men will be in my Not So Forgotten:  War of 1812 blog.

The Civil War generals were Joseph Scott Fullerton, Joshua Woodrow Sill and Richard Long, Jr.  The Medal of Honor recipient was Richard Enderlin.

--Old Secesh

Medal of Honor Recipient Sgt. Henry H. Taylor of 45th Illinois Infantry Bust Dedication April 29

From the April 10, 2023, The Reconstruction Era" blog.  "Sgt. Henry Taylor Vicksburg Medal of Honor winner will have bust dedicated  April 29, 2023."

I have been writing a lot recently about the Galena, Illinois' 45th Infantry Regiment from the Civil War and came across this post in this blog.  Something I am considering attending.

Taylor was born and raised in the Galena area (northwest Illinois) in Jo Daviess County.  The memorial will be coordinated  with the 2023 U.S. Grant Pilgrimage (a Boy Scout function), Blackhawk Area Council and Boy Scouts of America.  The community is invited to  attend the event and brief ceremony.

The Fickbohm-Hissem Post 193, American Legion Department of Illinois is the coordinating post for the event.

--Old Secesh

This Month in the Civil War: Fort Sumter, Lincoln Assassinated, Johnston Surrenders, Booth Killed

APRIL 12, 1861

**  Bombardment of Fort Sumter, Charleston, South Carolina.

**  APRL 14, 1865

** Abraham Lincoln shot at Ford's Theatre, Washington, D.C.

APRIL 15, 1865

**  Abraham Lincoln dies.  Andrew Johnson sworn in as President of the United States.

APRIL 16, 1862

**  District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act passes.

APRIL 18, 1865

**  USA General William T. Sherman and CSA General Joseph E. Johnston sign armistice memorandum at Durham Station, North Carolina.

APRIL 26, 1865

**  John Wilkes Booth captured and killed in the Garrett Barn, Port Royal, Virginia.

--Old Secesh

Otto C. Hager-- Part 4

His first work in Atchison was hauling one hundred cords of wood from Sumner to Atchison for John F. Ingalls.  For awhile he  hired out as a clerk to John M. Crowell who had a grocery store.  He also sold produce  at the old market.

In the later 1860s he married  Miss Mary Held and a short time later started a restaurant.  In the 80s he built a building at Tenth and Main streets and did well.  He had eight children but death came and his wife and seven of his children died within three years.

--Old Secesh

'The Tullahoma Campaign' at MCCWRT Tuesday

The McHenry County Civil War Round Table will have Dave Powell presenting "The Tullahoma Campaign" this Tuesday, April 11 at the Woodstock, Illinois, Public Library at 414 W. Judd Street (close to the famous Woodstock Square).

Probably on of  the lesser-known actions of the war, but one with significant results.  Find out about it.

It will be in person and via Zoom and will start at 7 and go to 9 pm.

There will be a pre-meeting get-together at 3 Brothers restaurant on Illinois Highway 47 at 5:00.

--Old Secesh

Otto C. Hager-- Part 3

Captain Hager returned to Galena, Illinois, but "itched" to fight and re-enlisted and marched with Sherman to the sea  His company was at Raleigh when Lincoln was assassinated  He was dipping water from a creek when he looked up and saw the camp's flag at half mast.  he knew at once what had happened

The war was over, but Sherman's Army had not been mustered out.  After taking part in Sherman's Grand Review at Washington, Hager and his company were mustered out in Chicago.

In 1866, he went to St. Joe and here hired out to a freighter  named Galbraith, an Atchison man.  He went with Galbraith's caravan of prairie schooners as far as Cottonwood Falls, where he quit his job and began splitting rails for the Union Pacific.

In 1867, he came to Atchison, Kansas.  At that time there was one brick building there, the rest of the city being made up mostly of frame shanties between Fourth and Fifth Street on Commercial Street.

--Old Secesh

Otto C. Hager of the 45th Illinois Infantry-- Part 2

His first battle under General Grant was at Fort Henry, Tennessee, and then at Fort Doneleson.  He was promoted to orderly sergeant after this.

Then came the Battle of Shiloh. After this, he was made captain of Company D. 45th Illinois.  The reason for this was that the captain, 1st and 2nd lieutenants had been killed.  (Just the captain, Thomas Connor had been killed.)

Then came Vicksburg and Co. D was there.  During the siege, Captain Hager received a flesh wound in the leg and was in the hospital for two months.    On July 4, 1863, the Union Army entered the surrendered city.  Captain Hager, at the order of the colonel of his regiment, planted the United States flag upon the Vicksburg court house.

After Vicksburg, Company D was granted a furlough and Captain Hager returned to Galena.

--Old Secesh

Otto C. Hager, Captain of Co. D., 45th Illinois

He started as a 2nd lieutenant, then 1st lieutenant and finally captain and mustered out in 1865.

From Find-A-Grave

OTTO CHARLES HAGER

BIRTH:  16 May1833 /  Berlin, Germany

DEATH:  24 May1911 /  (Aged 77-78)

BURIAL:  Mount Vernon Cemetery,  Atchison, Kansas

From the May 26, 1911, Atchison Daily Globe

While an infant, his parents crossed the Atlanic Ocean, landed in New York and traveled to St. Louis wheren they lived for a year and then moved to Washington, Missouri.  (On the banks of te Missouri River about 50 miles west of St. Louis.)  The Hagers erected the first log cabin there.

His mother died when he was ten and his father told him he had to go out on his own and earn a living.  He worked several years on a farm near St. Louis and then clerked at a country store 30 miles outside St. Louis.  In 1850, he was clerking in a St. Louis wholesale grocery house.

The year 1861 found him visiting a sister in Galena, Illinois when the war started.  He enlisted in Company D of the 45th Illinois Infantry.

--Old Secesh

Preservation at the Battle of Shiloh

From the American Battlefield Trust 2023 April Calendae.

SHILOH, TENNESSEE

The Battle of Shiloh began on the morning of April 6, 1862, when Confederate soldiers poured out of the nearby woods and struck a line of Union soldiers encamped near Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River.

The resulting carnage was unprecedented, causing both sides to realize the magnitude of thye war.

The Trust has protected more than 1,300 acres of the battlefield, including land that witnessed the initial Confederate assaults against the Union camps.

--Old Secesh

This Month in the Civil War: Fort Blakely, the End of the Confederacy

From the American Battlefield Trust 2023 April calendar.

APRIL 2, 1865

**  Battle of Fort Blakely, Alabama.

APRIL 2, 1865

**  Union breakthrough at Petersburg, Virginia.

APRIL 3, 1865

**  Union forces occupy Richmond, Virginia.

APRIL 5, 1862

**   Siege of Yorktown, Virginia begins and lasts for 28 days.

APRIL 6, 1862

**  Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee begins.

APRIL 8, 1864

**  Battle of Mansfield, Louisiana (Red River Expedition).

APRIL 9,1865

**  Robert E. Lee surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.

--Old Secesh

Company D, 45th Illinois Infantry Officers-- Part 2: Lieutenants

FIRST LIEUTENANTS  

Name, Residence, Date of Rank, Date of Muster, Remarks

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

William R. Rowley / Galena  /  Nov. 13, 1861  /  Nov. 20, 1861  /  Promoted General Grant's staff

John O. Duer  /  Galena  /  March 1, 1862  /  June 30, 1862  /  Promoted

Joseph W. Miller  /  Galena  /  April 6, 1862  /  April 23, 1863  /  Promoted

Otto C. Hager  /  Galena  /  June 25, 1863  /  Promoted

John R. Dawson  /  Dixon  /  Oct. 31, 1863  /  December 22, 1863  /  Mustered out  July 12, 1865

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

SECOND LIEUTENANTS

John O. Duer  /  Galena  /    Sept. 3, 1861  /  Nov. 20, 1861 /  Promoted

Joseph W. Miller  /  Galena  /  March 1, 1862  /  June 30, 1862  /  Promoted

Otto C. Hager  /  Galena  /  May 1, 1862  /  April 23, 1863  /  Promoted

Edwin O.  Hammond  /  Dixon  /  Jan. 25, 1864  /  Mustered out July 12, 1865

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

Two of Galena's nine generals were with this company at one time or another.

--Old Secesh

Company D, 45th Illinois Infantry Officers: Captains

From Family Search.

Name, Residence, Date of Rank, Date of Muster, Remarks

CAPTAINS

Thomas D. Connor / Galena / September 3, 1861 / November 20, 1861 / Killed at Shiloh April 6, 1862

John O. Duer / Galena / April 6, 1862 / April 23, 1863 /  Promoted Major

Joseph W. Miller / Galena / June 25, 1863 /  Not mustered /  Promoted by President

Otto C. Hager /  Galena /  June 25, 1863  /  December 21, 1863  /  Mustered out  July 12, 1865

--Old Secesh

45th Illinois Infantry Company Origins

Same source as the last two posts.

Regiments were often organized by county or area.  Members of the companies were often from one area as well.

COMPANY

A--   Many from Carroll and Jo Daviess counties

B--   Jo Davies County

C--   Cook and Jo Davies counties

D--   Joo Daviess County

E--   Carroll and Jo Daviess counties

F--  Boone and Winnebago counties

G--   Winnebago County

H--   Rock Island County

I--   Mercer County

K--   Knox County

--Old Secesh

With the 45th Illinois at Shiloh-- Part 3: Union Graves and 'Half Seas Over'

"We buried  our Union boys in a separate trench, and on another board were the words:  '35 Union.'

"Many of our men had been taken away and buried separately by their comrades.  It was night when we finished the task, some of the squad, 'half seas over' with liquor, but they could not be blamed, for it was a hard job.

"The next day, we burned the dead horses and mules."

So, "Half Seas Over" is another way of saying "Snockered."

An Unpleasant Job All Around, But the Whiskey Helped.  --Old Secesh

With the 45th Illinois After Shiloh-- Part 2: Burial Detail Plied with Whiskey

"On Tuesday I was detailed with others to bury the dead lying within our camp and a distance of  two hundred yards in advance.  I had charge of digging the grave, if a trench over sixty feet long and four feet deep, can be called a grave.

"The weather was hot, and most of the dead had been killed early Sunday morning, and dissolution had already commenced.  The soldiers gatherd the bodies up and placed them in wagons, hauling them near the trench, and piling them up like cord wood.

"We were furnished with plenty of whiskey, and the boys believed that it would have been impossible to have performed the job without it.

"When the grave was ready, we placed the bodies  therein, two deep; the father, brother, husband and lover, all lie till Gabriel's trumpet shall sound.  All the monument to those brave men was a board nailed to a tree at the head of the trench, upon which I cut with my pocket knife, the words: '125 rebels.' 

--Old Secesh

With the 45th Illinois After the Battle of Shiloh Was Over-- Part 1: Sleeping Amongst the Dead and 'Indignant Over Loss of My Girl's Picture'

Same source as previous post.

April 7, 1862

When darkness fell, the 45th took over their former camp again "filled as they were with the dead of both armies.  We had no difficulty in sleeping well, even though the silent dead lay all about us.  The dead do not disturb us; it is the living we should be  afraid of.

"We built fires and cooked our frugal meal, and, after eating, gathered 'round the camp fire and recounted the deeds of valor done during the  the great battle, speaking kind words of our brave comrades who had fallen.

"A few Sibley tents, torn and riddled by shot and shell, were all we had left.  I lost my shirts, blankets, letters from home, my testament (mother's gift) and a picture of 'the girl I left behind me.'  I was more indignant over the loss of my girl's picture then I was  over the other articles."

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Discission Group Saturday: 'Antietam- What If the South Had Won?'

The McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table meets Saturday, March 25, at Panera Bread in Crystal Lake from 10 am to 11:30.

The topic promises to be a good one and involves all sorts of thoughts:  "Antietam-- What If the South Had Won."  Would this have made a difference in the outcome of the war?

Come on out and put you two cents worth in.

Panera Bread is located at the corner of US-14 (Northwest Highway) and Main Street.  Have some expensive, but good, coffee and food and give your thoughts.

"Where there is always good discussion and debate (sometimes even on topic).

See You There.  --Old Secesh

45th Illinois at Shiloh Casualties

STRENGTH AND LOSSES OF THE 45TH ILLINOIS AT SHILOH

Present for duty:  562

KIA:  23

WIA:  187

MIA:  3

Total casualties:  213

Loss ratio:  38%

--Old Secesh

An Amusing Incident with the 45th Illinois at Shiloh: 'I'll Show Dem!'

From "With Grant at Fort Donelson, Shiloh and Vicksburg, with an Appreciation of General U.S. Grant" by Wilbur F. Crummer.

"I remember no amusing incidents during the battle, save that one of my company, who was shot through the mouth in such a way as to knock out all of his front teeth.  

"He was a German who spoke English brokenly, and swore like a trooper; he would spit blood and then curse the enemy with great vehemence, and loading his gun and firing, would explain:  "D--- 'em, dey tinks dey vill spile me so I can't eat hardtack, d--- 'em, I'll show dem!"

And so he fought while his comrades cheered  him on.

--Old Secesh

Capt. Connor's Co. D, 45th Illinois Infantry

From Adjutant General's Report, 45th Illinois Infantry.

CAPTAINS

THOMAS D. CONNOR of Galena, Ill.,  Date of rank:  Sept. 3, 1861 Date of Muster: Nov. 20, 1861,  Killed Battle of Shiloh on April 6, 1862.

JOHN O. DUER of Galena.  Date of Rank: April 6, 1862.  Promoted to Major

JOSEPH  W. MILLER of Galena.  Date of Rank:  June 25,  1863.  Promoted by President

OTTO C. HAGER of Galena.  Mustered out  July 12m 1865

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

PRIVATES  (Killed at Battle of Shiloh or died later from wounds received there.)

WILLIAM BRYSON of Elizabeth, Ill.  Killed at Shiloh April 6, 1862

WILLIAM W.  BLACK  of Jo Davies County, Ill.  Died Jackson, Tn. on Sept. 8, 1862

JOHN CHAPMAN of Hanover.  Died Evansville, Indiana, May 14, 1862

JOHN REED of Galena  Died at Jackson, Tn., on Aug. 21, 1862

FRANCIS REED of Galena.  Died  at Camp McClernand, April 2, 1862 (before the battle)

Were these last two brothers/ related?

ROBERT YOUNG of Hanover, Ill.  Died at Savannah, Tn. April 16, 1862.

--Old Secesh

Galena's 45th Illinois Infantry-- Part 4: The Second Day of Shiloh and Corinth

The second day of the Battle of Shiloh, Monday, April 7, 1862, it was a forward movement nearly all day.  After a final charge near the end of the day, the 45th found itself at nearly the same spot as their camp had been the day before.

The losses of the 45th at the Battle of Shiloh were 26 killed and 199 wounded and missing.  The missing turned out to be but few and continued to rejoin the regiment starting about dark on the 7th.  One of the dead of the 45th was Captain Thomas Connor, who I have written about before.

They remained in camp until April 24th when they broke camp and moved slowly forward with the Army toward Corinth.  During the siege at that city, the 45th  was attached to the First Brigade, Third Division of the Reserve.

Its labors on the trenches were severe; its dangers were few.

--Old Secesh

Galena's 45th Illinois-- Part 3: Really Saw the Elephant at Shiloh

There, the camp of the 45th Illinois was  at the junction of the  Purdy and Corinth roads, not far from Shiloh Church.

On April 6, 1862, the regiment had its regular Sunday morning inspection, and left its arms stacked on the color line at the close of inspection, to take breakfast.  Breakfast call had just sounded when the "long roll" was beaten on the color line.

In three minutes,  the men had their weapons in hand and the officers took their places.  The order was given to move to the left and front at "double quick" to support Sherman.

The 45th went into action that day with about 500 men.  It was in the front line from the first to the last of the day fighting.  On Sunday it mainly fought on its "own hook" after the first engagement under Col.  Smith.  Several times they fought back and forth over the same ground.

Late in the day, they fell back, "leisurely" and took their place with its Brigade and Division on the right of the line.  A stand was finally made here.  The men laid on their arms in the rain that came that night.

--Old Secesh

Galena's 45th Illinois Infantry-- Part 2: Action at Fort Donelson and 'Baptism of Fire'

On February 1, 1862, the 45th was assigned to the Second Brigade, commanded by Colonel W.H.L. Wallace, First Division, commanded by  General John  A. McClernand.

On February 2, the regiment left Cairo with General Grant's Army for the Tennessee River and on the 4th reached Camp Halleck, four miles below Confederate Fort Henry.  On the evening of the 6th, the regiment marched into Fort Henry after its abandonment by the Confederates.

On Feb. 11th, they moved toward Fort Donelson and on the 13th took position on the right of the Union line.  That afternoon, the 45th received its "baptism of fire."  In other words, they "saw the elephant."  The regimet saw plenty of action at Fort Donelson and lost two killed and 26 wounded.

Afterwards, the 45th remained in camp at Fort Donelson until March 4, when it marched to Big Sandy River mouth and took boats up the Tennessee River, arriving at Savannah on March 11.  There they remained until March 25.

Saw the Elephant Indeed.  --Old Secesh

MCCWRT Meeting Tuesday, Mar. 14: 'How Did They Die? Murder or Natural?

The McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table (MCCWRT) will meet Tuesday, March 14, 2023, at the Woodstock Public Library in Woodstock, Illinois.  The meeting starts at 7 pm and will be in person or via Zoom.

This month's presentation will be given by Steve Alban.  "How Did They Die?  An Agatha Christie Whodunit.  Prominent Civil War  Persons Who Died.   Natural Causes or Murder?"

There will be a pre-meeting get-together at 3 Brothers Cafe on Ill. Route 47 at 5:30.  Snacks are meal, your choice.

--Old Secesh

Preservation at North Carolina's Bentonville Battlefield

From the American Battlefield Trust 2023 March calendar.

BENTONVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

The March 1865 Battle of Bentonville, the largest battle ever fought in the Tarheel State, was the catalyst for the last series of standoffs between Union General William Tecumseh Sherman and Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston, as Federal forces closed in around the Confederate army.

The Trust has saved more acreage at Bentonville -- nearly 2,000 acres -- than at any other battlefield outside of Virginia.

I was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, which was a major goal for Sherman's army.  The city is close to the battlefield, so appreciate the Trust's efforts.

--Old Secesh

This Month in the Civil War: Lincoln Inaugurated, Battles of Averasboro and Bentonville in North Carolina

From American Battlefield Trust March 2023 calendar.

MARCH 4, 1861

**  Abraham Lincoln inaugurated 16th President of the United States of America.

MARCH 7, 1862

**   Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, begins.

MARCH 16, 1865

Battle of Averasboro, North Carolina.

MARCH 17, 1863

Battle of Kelly's Ford, Virginia.

MARCH 19, 1865

Battle of Bentonville, North Carolina begins.

MARCH 23, 1862

**  First Battle of Kernstown, Virginia.

MARCH 5

**  Medal of Honor Day.

MARCH 26, 1862

**  Battle of Glorieta Pass, New Mexico Territory, begins.

MARCH 31, 1865

**   Battle of White Oak Road, Virginia.

--Old Secesh

Thomas D. Connor Buried at Galena's Greenwood Cemetery

Two blogs before this, I wrote about this prominent citizen of Galena who was killed at the Battle of Shiloh in 1862.   Evidently his body was recovered after the battle and returned to Galena for burial.

From Find-A-Grave.

CAPT THOMAS D. CONNOR

Birth:  1814

Death:  August 6, 1862 (aged 47-48)   I believe this should be April 6, 1862, the date of the first day of the Battle of Shiloh.

Burial:  Greenwood Cemetery, Galena, Illinois.

This is where several of the Galena generals are buried as well as Edward Kittoe.

--Old Secesh

Galena's 45th Illinois Infantry-- Part 1: 'Washburne Leadmine Regiment

Quite a few of the things I have been writing about recently have had to do with this regiment, including Edward Kittoe, his son and T.D. Connor in the last post.

From Report of the Adjutant General

Called the Washburne Leadmine Regiment in honor of Elihu B. Washburne, member of Congress from the Galena district.  (His home is still standing and open for tours on certain days.)  It was organized by John  E. Smith of Galena, Illinois who was commissioned Colonel of Volunteers for it July 23, 1861.

During its organization, the regiment rendezvoused at the Jo Davies County fairgrounds, near Galena, which was renamed Camp Washburne, in in his honor.  Seven companies were organized here and they organized fully and were equipped with the short Enfield rifle.  (This fair started in 1860 and is considered the oldest continually running county fair in the state.  Today it is in Warren, Illinois.)

November 22, 1861, Camp Washburne was broken up and the regiment ordered to Camp Douglas in Chicago.  Here they reached full complement of ten companies and mustered into service of the United States on December 25, 1861.

A short time later, on January 12, 1862, they left for Cairo, Illinois.

--Old Secesh

Some Other Galenians in Union Service

From Recollections of seventy years by Augustus  L. Chetlain, 1889.

CAPTAIN Thomas D. CONNOR, Co. D of the 45th Illinois Infantry.  Lost his life at the Battle of Shiloh.

He was an intelligent and brave officer and greatly beloved by the men of his company.

As a businessman in Galena before the war, he was well-known and highly esteemed.  His word was regarded as "good as his bond."  In all dealings with others was the soul of honor.

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

MAJOR U. G.  SCHELLER de BUOL, a topographical engineer, with a European education, entered the volunteer service in 1861 and by order of General C.F. Smith constructed, in the fall of that year, the fortifications at  Smithland, Kentucky, to command the mouth of the Cumberland River

"I was in command of that military post and while engaged in this work he was a member of my staff and one of my military family.," Gen. C.F. Smith.

In 1864, under Gen. C.C. Washburn, Commander of the District of Memphis,  he improved and strengthened  the extensive fortifications of Memphis.  He showed his skill and excellent judgement there, and for it was highly recommended by the  Engineer-In-Chief of the department.

--Old Secesh

The Edward Kittoe House in Galena, Illinois, Is a B&B Now

Is located at 105 South High Street.

It is now Miss Murphy's B&B.   Rooms rent from $175 to $225.

Edward Kittoe was good friends with U.S. Grant, who rented a house a few doors away before the Civil War.

The original part of the house was constructed 1845-1850 and additions have been made  in 1861 and 1870.

Dr. Kittoe was  recorded as a physician practicing on Main Street in Galena in 1854 in the City of Galena Directory and listed as living at this home.

His obituary describes him as  "a very modest man who shunned notoriety...  No man living had a kinder or more sympathetic heart.  He despised falsehood, hypocrisy and sham, and was incapable of amean or despicable act."

When Dr. Kittoe died in  September of 1887, his funeral procession  was reported as being oneof the largest ever seen in Galena.  After the service at Grace Episcopal Church, of which he was a member  for over 30 years, he was buried  in Greenwood Cemetery.

Stay in Some History.  --Old Secesh

Edward Kittoe Inspects Chicago's Camp Douglas Prison in 1864-- Part 3

"The barracks and grounds in the northwest square, occupied by Morgan's men (John Hunt Morgan), were pre-eminently  filthy."

Things are also bad in the center square.  "The old privies have been removed, and the sinks have been but imperfectly covered, so that the filth is seeping up through the ground.  When there is a rain the grounds are flooded with an infusuion of this poisonous matter...."

The hospitals are in good order and a new one is being built.

When Edward Kittoe was there, the prison held 5,616 Confederates of whom 225 were sick in the hospital.  The previous month, December 1863, there was a total of 2,011 with 57 deaths. Most prevalent camp disease is diarrhea, arising from poorly cooked food and conditions.

--Old Secesh

Edward Kittoe Inspects Camp Douglas in Chicago-- Part 2

Continued from February 6, 2023.

The part of Camp Douglas where the Union guards were quartered were by and large very good.  However, when it came to the Confederate prisoners being held there, it was quite another story.

The prisoners stayed in quarters built in 1861, when Camp Douglas was used for traing Union troops.  The floors were not raised to allow the flow of  of air beneath.  The floorboards were taken out to prevent tunneling and as a result floors were a "mass of mud and filth."

The buildings were 100 feet by 30 feet and into which 125 to 150 men were crammed, "who are mostly in a filthy and disgusting state and swarming with vermin."

They are supplied with ample rations, but arrangements for cooking are poor and food improperly prepared, resulting in much waste.  There is a great "neglect of police duty"to the grounds.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Artillery Shell Found at Gettysburg-- Part 2

Though rare, this is not the first time unexploded munitions have been recovered from the Gettysburg battlefield.  In August 2022, a 3-inch Hotchkiss shell was found lodged in  a historic building being  refurbished according to an Army statement.

Antique munitions  from various conflicts have been found across the United States and the world.

In February 2022,  archaeologists found  a ten pound shell at Kennesaw Mountain  Battlefield Park in Georgia.  

In December  2022, five construction workers were hospitalized after being exposed to gas released from striking a World War II-era phosphorous bomb while doing work  at Army Garrison Stuttgart in Germany.

--Old SeceshShell

This Month in the Civil War: Davis Inaugurated and President-Elect Lincoln Arrives in D.C.. Wilmington Captured

From the February 2023 American Battlefield Trust calendar.

FEBRUARY 15, 1861

**  The Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America establishes a Peace Commission to prevent war with the United States.

FEBRUARY 18. 1861

**  Jefferson Davis inaugurated as President of the Confederate States of America.

FEBRUARY 20, 1864

**  Battle of Olustee, Florida.

FEBRUARY 21, 1862

Battle of Valverde,New Mexico Territory.

FEBRUARY 22, 1865

**  Union captures Wilmington, North Carolina, the last major southern port on the east coast.

FEBRUARY 23, 1861

**  President-elect Abraham Lincoln, arrives in Washington, D.C.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Artillery Shell Discovered on Gettysburg

From the February 13, 2023, Military Times by Jonathan  Lehrfeld.

An unexploded artillery shell was found February 8 at the Gettysburg Battlefield.  Explosive  Ordnance Disposal soldiers of the Army's 55th Ordnance Company safely removed and destroyed the device which was determined to be a 3-inch Burton case shot.

Steven Braun, a contract  archaeologist, found the artillery shell while  doing a groud sweep over  the Little Round Top area which saw considerable action during the three-day battle.

The soldiers traveled from Fort Belvoir, Virginia,  and carried the ten pound shell to an alternate location, dug a hole and placed it in there with a C4 explosive to blow it up.

"We're never going to know whether the thing was live or not," said Jason Martz.  "And, we're never going to know how the shell got to the point where we found it."

It's Too Bad They Didn't Try to Disarm It.  --Old Secesh

Camp Nelson National Park-- Part 3: Major Recruitment and Training Center for USCT

Camp Nelson quickly became the largest of the eight black recruitment centers in Kentucky and the third largest training camp in the whole country for United States Colored Troops (USCT).  Once all restrictions on recruitment were removed by June 1864, the number of black enlistments exploded.

These new recruits, who were formerly slaves, were able to be emancipated upon joining.

More than 500 USCT mustered in during the month of June 1864, and a record 1,370 new troops enlisted at the camp in July.  In total, eight USCT regiments organized at Camp Nelson in 1864 to 1865.  Four were infantry units (114th, 116th, 119th and 124th), two were cavalry (5th and 6th) and two were artillery (12th and 13th).

By the time the 13th Amendment was ratified in December 6, 1865, ending slavery throughout the United States, roughly 10,000 Blacks had enlisted at Camp Nelson.

--Old Secesh

Camp Nelson National Monument-- Part 2: A Huge Camp and USCT Training Facility

At the heighth of its use in 1865, Camp Nelson encompassed roughly 4,000 acres, organized around an 800 acre core, including  more than 300 outlying buildings and tents that housed a quartermaster commissary depot, ordnance depot, recruitment center, prison and hospital.

In addition, eighteen earthen forts or batteries, primarily built by Blacks ringed the camp for protection.  The camp was also home to stables and corrals, a bakery and a steam-driven waterworks that could pump water up 470 feet from the Kentucky River tp a 500,000 gallon reservoir.

However, its location proved to be poor as a supply depot because of lack of transportstion, so Gen. William T. Sherman decided to also turn it into a training camp for incoming black soldiers of the United States Colored Troops (USCT).

Because of the supplies, it was also a possible target of Nathan Bedford Forrest.  

Some 3,000 impressed black workers were stationed at Camp Nelson by 1863, performing critical supply jobs as well as fortifying the camp and construction of railroads and the 300 buildings of the post.

And, then the USCT training camp was set up, and eventually some 23,000 black soldiers trained there, making it the second largest training center for them.

--Old Secesh

Camp Nelson National Monument

From Wikipedia.

CAMP NELSON NATIONAL  MONUMENT

Formerly Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park, is located about 20 miles south of Lexington, Kentucky.  The camp was established in 1863 as a depot for the Union Army and it became a recruiting and training ground or new soldiers from eastern Tennessee and for former slaves.

On October 26, 2018, President Trump proclaimed the site as Camp Nelson National Monument, the 418th unit of the National Park Service.

It was established as a supply depot for Union efforts in the area and in Tennessee.  It was named for Union General William "Bull" Nelson who had recently been murdered by Union General Jefferson C. Davis (not the Confederate president) over an insult.  (Another interesting story in itself.)

It was placed near the Hickman Bridge, the only bridge over the Kentucky River upriver from the state capital (Frankfort, Kentucky).

Only he northern side of the camp needed protection as the other three sides  have almost verticle 400-500 foot cliffs.

--Old Secesh

Preserving the Civil War's Camp Nelson in Kentucky

From the February 2023 American Battlefield Trust calendar.

CAMP NELSON, KENTUCKY

Beginning as a supply depot and encampment for the Union Army, Kentucky's Camp Nelson became the third largest recruitment and training ceneter for the U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War.

By the end of  1865, when slavery ended, some 10,000 Blacks had enlisted there and had been emancipated.

In 2018, the Trust, National Park Foundation and Jessamine County Fiscal Court helped facilitate a 380-acre donation to the National Park Service to create Camp Nelson National Monument.

--Old Secesh

This Month in Civil War: The Formation of the Confederate States of America

From the February 2023 American Battlefield Trust calendar.

FEBRUARY 4, 1861

**  The seceded states meet in Montgmery, Alabama, to form a new government.

FEBRUARY 5, 1865

**  Battle of Hatcher's Run, Virginia, begins.

FEBRUARY 8, 1861

The Confederate States of America adopts a provisional constitution.

FEBRUARY 9, 1864

**  109 Union officers escape from Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia.

FEBRUARY 16, 1862

Union captures Fort Donelson, Tennessee, where U.S. Grant gains the nickname "Unconditional Surrender."

--Old Secesh

Edward Kittoe Inspected Camp Douglas Prison in Chicago in 1864

From Official Records War of the Rebellion.

Report of inspection made by Edward Kittoe by order of  Cpl. R.C.  Wood, Assistant Surgeon General , U.S. Army,  on January 18, 1864.

He reported that the site was not very good  because of drainage and proximity to Lake Michigan and exposure to cold, damp winds.  "Marshy character of the soil" perfect for fostering diseases.  Plus, at time of inspection ground covered by frost and snow.

As far as prisoners, the soil is excellent for tunneling for escape.  Plus, proximity to large city pf Chicago makes it hard to guard against southern sympathizers.

Barracks and latrines of guards in very good shape.

However, this can not be said for the conditions of the prisoners.

--Old Secesh

Dr. Edward Kittoe

Dr. E.D. Kittoe, surgeon of the 45th Illinois Volunteer Infantry in the first year of the war,  impressed himself upon the Army of the Tennessee by his ability, skill and superior executive force.

He was later in charge of important work in the medical department he managed.

During his long term of service, Dr, Kittoe, both as a surgeon and medical director, had no superior.  General Grant, on whose staff he served for some time as medical inspector, was  much attached to him, and had great confidence in his skill, integrity and administrative ability.

--Old Secesh

Surgeon Edward Kittoe-- Part 5: On Grant's Personal Staff

**  Promoted to Surgeon U.S. Volunteers, December 1862.

**  Promoted to successive ranks of Major and Lieutenant Colonel.

**  Placed on the personal staff of U.S. Grant, October 1863.

**  Appointed Medical Inspector for the Department of the Cumberland, February 1864, and Medical Inspector U.S. Army, April 1864.

**  Medical Director Army of  the Tennessee during Sherman's Georgia Campaign.

**  Brevetted Colonel for "faithful and meritorious" services, June 1867.

**  Died in Galena, September 29, 1887; buried in Galena.

--Old Secesh

Surgeon Edward Kittoe-- Part 4: Born in England

Same source as previous post.

EDWARD DOMINICUS KITTOE

**  Born June 20, 1814.    Woolwich, Kent, England

**  Emigrated to U.S. at age 18.

**  Graduated Pennsylvania Medical College.

**  Moved to Galena to practice medicine in 1851.

**  Appoined Regimental Surgeon of the 45th Illinois Infantry,  August 1861.

--Old Secesh

Surgeon Edward D. Kittoe-- Part 3

From Galena and US Grant Museum.

Dr. Edward Kittoe is not one of Galena's nine generals but his importance to the overall Union war effort was far greater than some of those nine generals.

He served on U.S. Grant's personal staff and later in Sherman's  Georgia campaign.  It was Kittoe who worked to institute more sanitary conditions and better medical procedures during the war.  His efforts probably saved  thousands of lives.

Dr. Kittoe quietly returned to Galena, Illinois, after the war, continuing to serve his town as a beloved family physician until his death in 1887.

--Old Secesh

Surgeon Edward Kittoe of Galena-- Part 2

Civil War Union Army surgeon.

He was commissioned as  Chief Surgeon of the 45th Illinois Volunteer Infantry on August 10, 1861.

Served on that duty until November 7, 1862,  when he was appointed an Assistant Surgeon in the U.S. Volunteers.    Promoted to  full Surgeon  on December  14, 1862, he was  promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and Medical Inspector on March 30, 1864.

He served until  honorably mustered out on October  31, 1865, having been brevetted to Colonel, US Volunteers on September 30, 1865, "for faithful and meritorious service."

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

His son, William Kirby Kittoe (1843-1927) served as a Private in the 45th Illinois Volunteer Infantry.

--Old Secesh

Surgeon Edward D. Kittoe of Galena

From Find-A-Grave.

DR. EDWARD DOMINICUS KITTOE

BIRTH:   23 June 1814, Kent, England

DEATH:  25 September 1887 (aged 73)

BURIAL: Greenwood Cemetery, Galena, Illinois.

He was the father of Maria Fiester Kittoe who married Alfred Smith, the son of John E. Smith.

--Old Secesh

Alfred T. Smith-- Part 3: His Service

From Colonels in Blue:  Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Lieutenant, U.S. 8th Infantry May 14, 1861

Assistant Professor of Mathematics  USMA  Sept. 1862-March 18, 1865.

Captain, 8th U.S. Infantry, Sept. 19, 1863.

Colonel, 156th Illinois Infantry, April 4, 1865.

Commanded Post of Chattanooga, TN., June 1865.

Commanded 3 Brigade, 2 Separate Division, District of the Etowah, Department of  the Cumberland, June-Aug. 1865.

Acting AIG, staff of  Major General John E. Smith (his father), District of West Tennessee, Aug.-Sept. 1865.

Honorably mustered out, Sept. 20, 1865.

Bvt. Captain, US Army, July 1862 for gallant and meritorious services during the Peninsular Campaign.

Bvt. Major and Bvt. Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, March 13, 1865, for gallant and meritorius services during the war.

Battle Honors:  The Virginia Peninsular Campaign.

Education:  Graduated U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY, 1860.

Was Colonel of 13th U.S. Infantry in the Spanish-American War,

Retired 16 June 1899.

--Old Secesh

Alfred Smith-- Part 2

CAPT. ALFRED THEOPHILUS SMITH

Civil War Union officer.  An 1860 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, he served during the war as a captain in then 8th United States Regular Infantry before being commissioned colonel and commander of the 156th Illinois Volunteer Infantry.

He ended the war with brevets to Major and Lieutenant Colonel in the Regular Service.

After the war, he served as Colonel of the  13th United States Infantry and was promoted to Major General on the retired list.

He died in Buffalo, New York, and was cremated there.  His family erected a cenotaph for him in their family plot in Galena.

--Old Secesh

John E. Smith's Son, Alfred Smith, Also Union Officer

I have been writing about Galena, Illinois, General John E. Smith earlier this month.  He had a son who was also a Union officer and as a cenotaph at the same cemetery as his father.

From Find-A-Grave.

CAPT. ALFRED THEOPHILUS SMITH

BIRTH: 29 May 1838, St. Louis, Missouri

DEATH:  23 May 1905, Buffalo, New York

BURIAL:  Cremated there.   Cenotaph at Greenwood Cemetery, Galena, Illinois.

Alfred Smith was the son of John E. Smith.

In 1862, he married Maria Fiester Kittoe (1841- 1878).  She was the daughter of Union surgeon  Dr. Edward Dominicus Kittoe of Galena, Illinois.

--Old Secesh

Where the Other Four of the Galena 9 Are Buried

In the last post, I wrote about five of Galena, Illinois' nine Union generals being buried at  Greenwood Cemetery in Galena.

Well, what about the other four?

**  U.S. GRANT  

Buried at Grant's Tomb in New York City.

**  JOHN OLIVER DUER

Buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Monticello, Iowa.

**  ELY S. PARKER

Buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York.

**  JOHN AARON RAWLINS

Buried at Arlington National Cemetery

Who's Buried in Grant's Tomb.  --Old Secesh

Many of the Galena Nine Buried at Greenwood Cemetery

From Find-A-Grave.

Five of the Galena Nine are buried at Galena's Greenwood Cemetery, including John E. Smith.

The other four:

Augustus Louis Chetlain

Jasper Adalmorn  Maltby

Willima Reuben  Rowley

John Corson Smith

In addition, a very important politician who helped Grant's career immensely, Elihu  Benjamin Washburne is buried there.  Also, Edward Kittoe, a Union surgeon.

--Old Secesh

Galena's Gen. John E. Smith-- Part 6: Postwar Service in U.S. Army

John Smith commanded at Fort Phil Kearny and was in command there during the Red Cloud War in the late 1860s.  He was an advocate for Indian rights and treatment.

Later, he was with the 14th U.S. Regiment at Fort Laramie.

After that, he administered several Indian reservations.

His retirement from the Army came in 1881 and he lived in Chicago for the remainder of his life.  He is buried in Galena, Illinois, at Greenwood Cemetery.

He also served as executor of John Rawlins' estate.

He remained friends with Grant and was one of Grant's earliest and truest friends.

His bust is at Vicksburg.

--Old Secesh

Galena's Gen. John E. Smith-- Part 5: Service to End of War

Ely Parker got a job as an engineer on John Smith's staff.  Grant needed an engineer and got Parker who served in that capacity on Grant's staff for the remainder of the war.

Smith's division was the first to enter Vicksburg after its surrender on July 4, 1863.

Then the division went to Chattanooga.  After Chattanooga, Smith was in charge of the task of keeping Union railroads open during the Atlanta Campaign.  His troops were at Altoona Pass, but he wasn't there.

Smith went with Sherman in his March to the Sea and during the Carolina's Campaign, Smith said that the water was "not deep enough for navigation, but too deep to say we came by land."

He was still with Sherman when Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered at Bennett Place.

He didn't go to the Grand Review in Washington, D.C., and was sent to Memphis to serve as military governor of Western Tennessee.

John Smith mustered out in 1866 as commander in the volunteer service, but chose to remain in the regular Army and was made colonel of the 27th U.S. Infantry.

--Old Secesh

Galena's John E. Smith-- Part 4: At Fort Donelson and Shiloh

When the Star of the West was fired upon at Charleston Harbor, Smith went to Springfield to get Governor Richard Yates to do something.  He got a colonel's commission and was apponted aide-de-camp in charge of  Illinois militia.

He got Grant to train Galena's troops which ultimately became part of the 12th Illinois Infantry.  Grant wanted a commission in the regular U.S. Army, not militia and went to Ohio to get it, but McClellan refused him.

Then, Smith introduced Grant to Governor Yates.

Smith received command of the Leadmine Regiment from the Galena area, which became the 45th Illinois Infantry.  Their nickname was the Washburne Leadmine Regiment.  Smith commanded this regiment at Fort Donelson and Shiloh.

Smith was courageous in both actions.  He was in the open at Shiloh and was seen cleaning and filling his pipe and then took a puff while under fire.

The regiment took heavy losses at Shiloh and had to cut their way out.

----Old Secesh

Galena's Gen. John E. Smith-- Part 3: Born Overseas

In 1861, John E. Smith probably was the most important man in Galena.  He was born overseas and in 1832, at age 16, arrived in St. Louis where he lived for three years before coming to Galena, Illinois. He had a store at 85 Main Street there.   (Grant was at 15 Main Street.  They became friends.)

Smith was very active in Galena's civic affairs.

Ely Parker was an Indian civil engineer and built the Galena Custom House.  (One of the Galena Nine.)

He also became friends with Joseph Russell Jones who owned the Belvedere Mansion in town.  Jones was very involved in the steamboat industry. 

Smith was a staunch anti-slavery man.  He became a supporter of Lincoln.

Grant did not come to Galena until April 1860.

--Old Secesh

The Galena Nine

Nope, not a baseball team.

For most communities, having one person reaching the rank of general during wartime is something to be proud of.  However, a city in the northwestern corner of Illinois, Galena, had not just one (and, he was then biggest of all generals) but nine.

Here is a list of the nine in case you were wondering who they might be from the last post:

Augustus Louis Chetlain

John Oliver Duer

Ulysses Simpson Grant

Jasper  Adalmorn Maltby

Ely Samuel  Parker

John Aaron Rawlins 

William Rueben Rowley

John Corson  Smith

John Eugene Smith

Grant?  Who?  --Old Secesh

MCCWRT Sept. 2022 Meeting-- Part 1: 'Gen. John E. Smith: Galena's Forgotten General'

The McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table September 2022 meeting was held at the Woodstock Library.

The presentation was on a Union general I had never heard of, John E. Smith, described as one of the most important people of the Civil War that you've never heard of.  He was from Galena, now sometimes called the City That Time Forgot, but in the early 1800s it was a very important town and busy port.  

From 1827 to 1850, some 85% of lead mined in the U.S. came from the Galena area.  Galena was the largest river port north of St. Louis.

And, when the Civil War came, Galena supplied nine generals to the Union cause, the best-known being one U.S. Grant.   As a matter of fact, the U.S. Highway that runs through Galena, US-20, is called the U.S. Grant Highway.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Technology-- Part 7: Longstreet, Railroads and Cannons

**  General Longstreet was able to move his corps from Virginia to Georgia by rail and took Union forces by surprise which led to victory at Chickamauga.

**  Improvements were made in steam engines plus safety measures.

**  Smoothbore cannons were best against infantry.  

**  Whitworth cannons had a range of 5 miles.  There were some at Fort Fisher.

**  Two main Union foundries:  West Point and Pittsburgh.

**  Trench warfare.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Technology-- Part 6: All About Railroads

**  At the beginning of the war, the Confederacy had 1/3 of the rolling freight, 1/5 of the locomotives and 1/10 of the telegraph stations.

**  Neither the Union or Confederate railroads were ready for war.

**  Rails at the time were made of iron, not steel.  This caused frequent derailments.

**  The Wilmington & Weldon Railroad was one of the longest continuous ones in the country.

**  A major problem facing war railroads was the differing gauges of railroad tracks (how far apart they were).  In 1986, the U.S. adopted a standard railroad gauge.

**  Gauge was based on the standard distance that Roman chariot wheels were apart.

**  Then, there were Sherman's Neckties.

--Old Secesh

This Month in the Civil War: Emancipation, Fisher, New Bern, Monitor and Lee

From the January 2023 American Battlefield Trust calendar.

JANUARY 1, 1863

**  President Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation.

JANUARY 15, 1865

**  Fall of Fort Fisher, North Carolina.

JANUARY 19, 1862

**  Battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky

JANUARY 28, 1864

**  Operations around New Bern, North Carolina.

JANUARY 30, 1862

**  The USS Monitor launched at Greenpoint, Long Island, New York.

JANUARY, 31, 1865

**  Robert E. Lee assumes command of the Confederate armies.

A Little Too Late.  --Old Secesh

Civil War Technology-- Part 5: About Dem Shoes and Shoddy Uniforms, Ben Butler's Nest and Railroads

**  Left and right shoes.

**  Shoddy uniforms  (where the term shoddy came from  in the Civil War)

**  Lincoln had his own private telegraph.

He went to Fortress Monroe 14 times during the war and had private meetings there.  It was away from the prying eyes of Washington, D.C..  Plus, the commander there, Benjamin Butler had his iwn private netwodk of spies and informants.

**  Repeating rifles, but the knock against them was that they used too much ammunition.

**  Railroads had a boom in the 1840s and 1850s.  In 1850, there were 9,000 miles of rails, by 1860 there were 30,000.

However, of that, 21,000 miles were in the Union and 9,000 in the Confederacy.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Technology-- Part 4: Money, Lincoln and Lowe

From the McHenry County Civil War Round Table discussion group, October 2022.

**  MONEY

GREENBACKS:  As a way to pay the Army.  Use of stamps as money.    Lincoln's wallet (at Ford's Theater) has a compartment for stamps.

Confederate money was only redeemable ten years after the war.

**  LINCOLN

A big supporter of any and all things new with technology and innovation.  He even had a patent for a way to get boats over shallow water.

**  THADDEUS LOWE

He had a competitor at Fortress Monroe.  A Union barge as a base to launch balloons could be considered the first U.S. aircraft carrier.

A Balloon Corps was established.  Zeppelin came to visit Lowwe during the war.

Thomas Jefferson had seen the Montgofier Brothers launch a balloon in Paris.

--Old Secesh

Some More Technology

**  Standard shoe sizing

**  Aerial surveillance

**  Signal Corps

**  Dart-tipped grenades

10.  Jelly Beans  (an ideal candy to send to soldiers)

Give Me Those Jelly Bellies.  --Old Secesh

Civil War Technology-- Part 2

Continuing with the opening questions for the McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table discussion group's October meeting.

Answer the question and tell what technology it refers to.

6.  Who was the Union Secretary of the Treasury?   What did he do in regards to raising money for the war effort?

7.  Who was the Union man responsible for bringing observation to new heights?  And what did he push?

8.  Who's system was used  by the pass messages on the battlefield other than the telegraph??

9.  What were limelights?

10.  What were they also known as?

Answers below.

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

6.  Salmon P. Chase.  Instituted the Federal Income Tax.  This continued until 1872, when it was rules unconstitutional.

7.  Professor ThaddeusS.C. Lowe.  Balloons.

8.  Albert James Myer.  These messages were passed by flags during the day and by turpentine torches at night.

9.  Bright incandescent lights which had been used in theaters before the war.

10.  Calcium or drummond lights.

--Old Secesh