McHenry County CWRT Discussion: The Beginning of the End December 1864, January 1865

The McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table discussion group met at Panera Bread on December17, 2022 to discuss events in these two months.

Of course, a lot was said about the two battles of Fort Fisher in those two months and the fall of the fort on Jan. 15.

On January 15, 1865, Confederate General Beauregard arrived in Tupelo, Mississippi, to inspect what was left of the Army of Tennessee.  There wasn't much to inspect.  It was in complete chaos.

He sent 4,000 of them to Mobile to reinforce that garrison and furloughed 3,500 to go home.  (You have to wonder how many returned after the furlough was over.

Also in South Carolina, Charleston Harbor was abandoned.  The Union fleet was preparing a demonstration to draw attention away from its entrance to the harbor.

The USS Patapsco hit a torpedo while participating in obstruction removal and sank with the loss of 75 of her 105 man crew.  One of the few survivors was its executive officer, Lieutenant William T. Sampson who would later find fame for the naval victory over the Spanish at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba in the Spanish-American War.

--Old Secesh

Six More Questions on Fort Fisher-- Part 2

Answers below.

6.  The fall of Fort Fisher closed of what Confederate port?

7.  Who was the Confederate general in charge of the whole area who did not attempt to save the fort?

8.  Fort Fisher was built to protect Wilmington and help what kind of ship get into the harbor?

9.  What was the name of the famed Confederate naval officer  who commanded the CSS Albemarle, CSS Florida and also blockade runners?  

10.  Fort Fisher is often called the Malakoff Tower of the South."  In what war was the Malakoff Tower?

11.  Frank Crawford question.  (This means it is really hard.)  Fort Fisher was surrendered buy a Confederate major who had also surrendered Fort Johnston across the Cape Fear River to the Confederate earlier in the war.  What was his name?

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ANSWERS

6.  Wilmington, North Carolina

7.  Braxton Bragg

8.  Blockade Runners

9.  John Newland Maffitt

10.  Crimean War

11.  Major James Reilly

I got them all correct, but, of course, I'm a Fort Fisher nut.

--Old B-Runner

McHenry County CWRT Discussion Group: Quiz on Fort Fisher

The McHenry County Civil War Round Table discussion group met December 17, 2022 at Panera Bread in Crystal Lake, Illinois, with "The Beginning of the End: December 1864-January 1865" as the topic.

I made up a list of questions to get us started.  Since the two Battles of Fort Fisher took place in those two months, I made up some questions about you-know-what to get us started.

Answers are below:

FORT FISHER

1.  What was the length of the land face and sea face of Fort Fisher?

2.  Who were the fort's two commanders during the two attacks?

3.  Who commanded the Union Army and Union Navy during the First Battle of Fort Fisher?

4.  What was Benjamin Butler's secret plan to destroy the fort?

5.  Who commanded the Union Army during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher?

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

ANSWERS

1.  Half mile land face, one mile sea face.  (It formed the upside down letter "L".)

2.  Col. William Lamb was the fort's commander, and assisted by General W.H.C. Whiting.

3.  Benjamin Butler commanded the Army and David Dixon Porter commanded the Navy.

4.  Loaded a ship with gunpowder and blew it up.

5.  Alfred Terry

How'd You Do?  --Old Secesh

About That John Brown-- Part 5: Well, What Was He?

He was found guilty and condemned to death which is exactly what he wanted.  He became a martyr to the North and, of course, was the very essence of the devil to Southerners.  They now knew that many Northerners wanted to see them murdered by their slaves.  They could not live in a country that felt that way about them.

His execution was attended by Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, J.E.B. Stuart and one John Wilkes Booth.

Voting in Congress now became very sectional  Brown helped disrupt the existing party system.  Had it not been for him, Lincoln likely would not have been elected president in 1860. That was the final straw that forced the South out of the United States.

A song that became popular during this time "John Brown's Body Lies A-Mouldering in the Grave" eventually got new words and became "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" at the hands of Julia Ward Howe, whose husband was one of John Brown's Secret Six.

At then end of the presentation, Bob Pressman had everyone weigh in on the question: "Was John Brown a Hero, Terrorist, Martyr or Mad Man?"

The majority of those assembled chose all of the above.

I, of course, could in no way call him a hero, though II know that he was a hero to some if not many.

--Old Secesh

About That John Brown- Part 4: The Attack and Capture

John Brown developed a group of close associates referred to as The Secret Six.  He was definitely a religious fanatic by now.  The year 1859 saw John Brown heading for Harpers Ferry.  On July 3, 1859, he rented a farm across the river from Harpers Ferry.

Then came his attack on the armory at Harpers Ferry on October 16, 1859.  One of the first things he did was have Lewis Washington, a relative of George Washington, arrested.

At this time Brown became a national phenomenon.  Everyone in the South  was against him obviously.  People in the North at first were against him as well, but many soon considered him a hero.  The South became hysterical.

Even so, John Brown's group only numbered 18 men.

After his capture, three charges were brought against him at his trial:  1.  Treason, 2.  Murder,  3.  Inciting a slave rebellion.

For the newspapers it was the Trial of the Century.  To say the least, it captured the nation's attention.

--Old Secesh

About That John Brown-- Part 3: 'I Consecrate My Life to the Destruction of Slavery'

John Brown had a slow arc to his militaristic hatred of slavery.  He further careened with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and then the Kansas-Nebraska Act really pushed him over the line.  This really energized supporters and opponents of slavery and expansion.

Then came the Sacking of Lawrence, Kansas, May 21, 1856.

He had a son living in Kansas and John Brown gathered guns and went to Kansas. He established a militia group he called the Liberty Guards (which was mostly John Brown and his sons).  His group came upon five pro-slavery men in Kansas and hacked them to death in what became known as Potawatomie Massacre on May 24, 1856.

At this time, John Brown was becoming a national figure.

He spend the next three years traveling throughout the North gathering support, men and guns with an idea of of an attack on the armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia.

--Old Secesh

About That John Brown-- Part 2: Becoming More and More Radical

John Brown was unknown nationally until almost five years before Harpers Ferry.  His father was an outspoken opponent of slavery and that carried over to his son, John. 

 A key point in John Brown's move toward radical abolition took place when, at age 12, he went to live in Michigan and stayed with a U.S. Marshal who owned a slave and beat him.  This deeply offended John Brown.

As a young man, Brown moved often and suffered many business failures.  Along the way, he sired twenty children with two different wives (who were sisters).

Throughout the 1830s, he became more and more outspoken against slavery.  Another major turning point was the death of abolitionist newspaper editor Elijah Lovejoy in Alton, Illinois, at the hands of a mob.

On 1837, John Brown said, "I consecrate my life to the destruction of slavery.:  And that he surely did.

--Old Sercesh

McHenry County CWRT Presentation June 11, 2024: John Brown: Hero or Terrorist, Martyr or Mad Man?

 The McHenry County Civil War Round Table met June 11, 2024, at the Woodstock Public Library in Woodstock, Illinois, and were treated to an presentation on none other than John Brown by Bob Pressman of the Rock River Valley CWRT.  I wrote about Bob Pressman and his Round Table earlier this month in this blog.

 At the end of his talk, he had us vote as to which of the four descriptions of him were most appropriate:  Hero or Terrorist, Martyr or Mad Man.  I voted all but hero.  I am Southern and there was no way he was a hero.  But I did agree on the other three cases.  He fit them all. And, yes, I can see why he is a hero to some, just not me.

Bob Pressman opened saying that John Brown was a "bundle of contradictions."  He was probably the single biggest solo reason why the Civil War was fought.  Some say the Civil War actually began at Harpers Ferry on October 16, 1859.

I agree.  

What John Brown was trying to do was the biggest Southern fear of them all.  The fear of a slave insurrection, armed and killing owners went to the deepest part of the Southern heart.  And, it would have been one thing for John Brown and a small band of followers doing what they did.

But what really got the Southerners was how the North regarded John Brown as a hero and/or martyr.

How can you live in a country where a lot of the people want you dead?

--Old Secesh

McHenry County CWRT Discussion Group Meets Saturday to Discuss Union General Steven Hurlbut

The McHenry County Civil War Round Table (MCCWRT) will meet this Saturday June 22 at Panera Bread in Crystal Lake, Illinois between 10 am and 11:30 to discuss Union General Steven A. Hurlbut who had quite the interesting career for many reasons.

It will also be carried on ZOOM.

All are invited and we generally stay somewhat on topic most of the time.  If we don't Steve is bound to say something.

Panera Bread is located at the corner of Main Street and Northwest Highway (U.S. 14).

Come on By.  --Old Secesh

Adele Cutts Douglas-- Part 2: A Second Marriage

Adele was just twenty when she first met the widowed Stephen Douglas.  Though he was more than twice her age (she was born in 1835 and he was born in 1813) they courted briefly and were married in a Catholic ceremony in November 1856.

She had a transforming effect on the somewhat disheartened  Illinois senator and their house became a center for the Washington, D.C., social scene.

She was at his side during the famous Lincoln-Douglas Debates in Illinois and the presidential campaign that followed in 1860.

When Douglas died in Chicago in June 1861, Adele never entertained again and went into extended mourning.

Following the Civil War she met and married a Union career officer from Virginia named Robert Williams. (He was born in 1829) She then took on the life of an Army wife.

She had a miscarriage and lost a baby daughter when she was married to Douglas.  With Williams, she reared six children during his long career which ended in 1893 as Adjutant General of the Army.

Adele died at her home in Washington in January 1899 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

--Old Secesh

Adele Cutts Douglas-- Part 1: Related to Dolley Madison

From House House Divided site.

As I was writing about this woman in my last post, I couldn't help but think she might have been considerably younger than Stephen Douglas.  

Rose Adele Cutts was a famous Washington beauty (also, I have to think that Douglas wasn't particularly handsome) and valuable second wife to Stephen Douglas.  She was born in Washington, D.C., on December 27, 1835.  She was the daughter of James Madison Cutts, nephew of former first lady Dolley Madison, and Eleanora  O'Neale, from a prominent Maryland Catholic family.

Tall with chestnut hair and a universally proclaimed beauty. Addie (as she was called)  grew up under tutelage of her great aunt, Dolley Madison, and could not help but become a poised and popular figure with a political mind.

Then, her husband-to-be , Stephen A. Douglas stood 5 feet 4 inches and could be described as being somewhat pudgy.

So, how did this match come to be?  Was she a "Trophy Wife?"

--Old Secesh

The Colonel and Stephen Douglas' Widow-- Part 2: Adele Cutts Douglas

Colonel Robert Williams remained in the Army after the war, serving during the Indian Wars.  In July 1892, now a brigadier general, he was named adjutant general of the U.S. Army and retired in November1893.

Despite his prickly disposition, Williams won the heart of Adele Cutts Douglas, widow of Senator Stephen Douglas--  Abraham Lincoln's longtime rival, who had died in June 1861 after contracting typhoid fever.  

She was a chestnut-haired beauty who came from an old Washington family.  She became Douglas; second wife in 1856 and raised the senator's two sons from his first marriage.

Her family's Southern sympathies--- Rebel spy Rose O'Neal Greenhow was her aunt-- made her a popular capital hostess even after Douglas' death.

In 1866, Adele met and married Williams, later accompanying him to the Frontier, where she bore him six children.  She died in 1899 in Washington, predeceasing her husband by two years.

--Old Secesh

The Colonel and Stephen Douglas' Widow-- Part 1

From the July 2021 America's Civil War magazine "Love in the Ruins."

As I said before, I sure miss this magazine.

Colonel Robert Williams, the first commander of the 1st Massachusetts Volunteer Cavalry, usually did not get along with his men.  

At the time he became the commander, it was customary for men to elect  their company and field commanders.  Williams, a strict disciplinarian-- and Virginian by birth-- was not a natural fit for the New Englanders of his regiment.  And, making matters worse, Williams was not picked by the men of the 1st.  (More on this later.)

But, he was a professional soldier and had served for a decade in the Army on the western frontier. 

Despite discord in the ranks, he stayed with the regiment during early campaigning in South Carolina and its transfer to the Army of the Potomac in August 1862.  At Antietam, however, Williams complained  that he had been the victim of an unspecified injustice.

He resigned his colonel's commission and returned to the Adjutant General's department in Washington, D.C., which had been his previous posting.

--Old Secesh

2024 'Talks' at McHenry County CWRT-- Part 2: 'Rank Discord'

JULY 9:  And Then He Was a Lion:  Major General James Steedman

AUGUST 13:  Meade at Gettysburg  (Impersonation)--  David Eisele

SEPTEMBER 10:  Rank Discord--  Rob Girardi

OCTOBER 8:  George Custer, His Rebel Buddy, Harpers Ferry & John Yates Beall--  Don Hatch

NOVEMBER 12:  Loose Lips: "Military Intelligence in the Civil War"--  Bruce Allardice

DECEMBER 10:  Partisan Warfare in 1862 Kentucky   (ZOOM only)--   Derrick Lindow

So, there you have it.  One year of Civil War stuff from your friendly local McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table.

--Old Secesh

'Talks' at the McHenry County Civil War Round Table 2024: 'Last Man Standing'

Earlier this month I listed the presentations that have been and will be given to the Rock River Valley CWRT.

I decided to list the ones at my Civil War Round Table.

JANUARY:  Morgan's Great Raid:  Taking the War to the North--  Dave Mowery

FEBRUARY:  "Last Man Standing" the 20th Indiana--  Chuck Rebesco

MARCH:  Confederate Railroads--  Charlie Banks

APRIL:  Central Florida's Civil War Veterans--  Bob Grenier

MAY:   Charles River Ellet, the Queen of the West and USS Indianola--  Ed Urban

JUNE:  John Brown:  Hero or Terrorist?  Martyr or Madman?--  Bob Pressman

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Meeting June 11: John Brown: Hero or Terrorist?

The McHenry Civil War Round Table (Illinois) will be meeting Tuesday, June 11 at the Woodstock Public Library in Woodstock, Illinois.

It will be in person and via Zoom.

Presenter will be Bob Pressman on "John Brown:  Hero or Terrorist."

Meeting starts at 7 p.m. and runs to 8:30.

The library is located at 414 West Judd Street.

All are also invited to attend a pre-meeting get together for dinner or snacks at 3 Brothers Restaurant on Illinois Highway 47.    No need to RSVP.  Just show up.

(Personally I regard John Brown as quite a terrorist and a major reason the war was fought.)

--Old Secesh  (With a name like that, how could I not?)

Match Each General With the Site of His Death or Mortal Wounding-- Part 2: Robert E. Rhodes

These extra hard questions (I only got two matched and some of these men I'd never heard of before) were submitted to America's Civil War by Stewart  Douglas, a reader of them magazine in the United Kingdom.

Five More of which I only got Zollicoffer right and that was kind of an educated guess.

1.  Joseph Mansfield

2.  Lloyd Tilgham

3.  Robert E. Rhodes

4.  Daniel Chaplin

5.  Felix Zollicoffer

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

A.  Obequon

B.  Antietam

C.  Mill Springs

D.  Deep Bottom

E.  Champion Hill

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

ANSWERS

1.  B

2.  E

3.  A

4.  D

5.  C

Bring Back America's Civil War and Civil War Times.  --Old Secesh

Match Each General with the Site of His Death or Mortal Wound-- Part 1

From the July 2021 America's Civil War.  (I sure miss this magazine).

1.  J.E.B. Stuart

2.  George Duncan Wells

3.  Philip Kearny

4.  Samuel Zook

5.  Edward Don Tracy

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

a.  Cedar Creek

b.  Chantilly

c.  Port Gibson

d.  Gettysburg

e.  Yellow Tavern

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

Answers

1 e

2 d

3 b

4 d 

5 j

I only got Stuart right and had never heard of Wells, Zook or Tracy.  Shows what I don't know.

--Old Secesh Don't Know Much.

Rock River Valley CWRT 'Talks' 2024-- Part 2

JULY 1:  Bjorn Skeptason  "Battery H in the Atlanta Campaign"

AUGUST 5:  Bob Girardi  "Civil War Engineers"

SEPTEMBER  9:  Dwight Hughes  "Battle of Hampton Roads"  Okay, about time they had a talk on the naval side of the war!!

OCTOBER 7:  TBA

NOVEMBER Douglas Egerton  "Thunder at the Gates"

DECEMBER 2:  Daniel Weinberg  "Dealing in Historical Artifacts"

So, That's What They Talk About.  --Old Secesh

In Case You're Wondering About the 'Talks' at CWRTs: Rock Valley CWRT Speakers for 2024

JANUARY 8:  Steve Acker "Life in the Trenches at Petersburg"

FEBRUARY 5:  Dave Powell  "Joseph Johnston and the Atlanta Campaign"

MARCH 4:  George Dammon  "Civil War Medicine"

APRIL 1:  Stanley Campbell  "Money & Banking in the Civil War"

MAY 6:  Dave Oberg  "History of Battery H, 1st Illinois Light Artillery"

JUNE 3.  Bob Pressman  "Religion in the Civil War"

Six More Months to Go.  --Old Secesh

Some More on Rockford's Veterans Memorial Hall

From Wikipedia.

Official name Veterans Memorial Hall and Museum.  Formerly the Soldiers and Sailors memorial Hall.

Construction on the hall began in 1901 and was finished in 1902.  But it wasn't formally dedicated until June 3, 1903, when President Theodore Roosevelt visited Rockford for the opening and dedication.  (That's pretty good to have a sitting U.S. president do the dedication.)

It originally was built to honor Winnebago County veterans of the Mexican War, Civil War and Spanish-American War but it was decided that it should honor Winnebago Count vets of all decades.

The architecture of it is classical Greek revival.

On the same day that Roosevelt dedicated the building, the local Civil War veterans held  the first meeting in it.  Over its existence, the hall has hosted some sixty different veterans and veterans-associated groups.

--Old Secesh

Rockford's Veterans Memorial Hall-- Part 5: About That Moving Statue

In 1984, the statue was moved to the southwest corner of Greenwood Cemetery at Main and Auburn streets, where it stood atop a column that once was a part of the facade of the Carnegie Library, now being replaced by a new building across Wyman Street from Memorial Hall.

When the new roundabout at Main and Auburn, now called Veterans Memorial Circle, was completed in 2014, the statue was removed, restored and reinstalled on the same column in its present (and hopefully last) location.

--Old Secesh

Rockford's Veterans Memorial Hall-- Part 4: Saved From Wrecking Ball Three Times

Memorial Hall has been saved from the wrecking ball three times and was renovated twice in 1966 and 1998.  To protect its historic value, it was designated an Illinois Landmark in 1974 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

Outside the east entrance of Memorial Hall is a recently renovated space entitles "Armistice: A Memorial to Peace."  Central to this memorial is a replica of a Civil War soldier on a column, affectionately known as "The Boy in Blue."

It was originally a part of a fountain outside the old courthouse on West State Street from 1900 to 1967.

While a new courthouse was being constructed, the statue was put in storage until 1969, then paced inside the front lobby of the new building.

--Old Secesh

Veterans Memorial Hall in Rockford: SUVCW

A successor organization to the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) is the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) which was established in 1881.  Also, the Ladies Auxiliary was founded.

Both organizations are to carry on the mission of the GAR.

A local camp (different groups in the SUVCW are called camps) of the SUVCW was organized in Rockford and met at the Memorial Hall from 1903 to 1957.

They reorganized in 2005 as the Logan Camp No. 26 and still meets in the same Post Room where the original camp met.

To continue the legacy of the GAR to honor the memory of Civil War vets, the SUVCW cleans and replaces grave markers of Civil War veterans, and members conduct ceremonies to commemorate the history of the war.

They meet the first Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Discussion Group Meets Saturday May 25

The McHenry County Civil War Round Table (MCCWRT) meets this Saturday at Panera Bread in Crystal Lake, Illinois.  This week's discussion will revolve around April-May 1865 Escape from Richmond and the capture of Jefferson Davis.

Panera Bread is located at the intersection of Main Street and U.S. Route 14 (Northwest Highway) and the meeting runs from 10 a.m. to 11:30.

There is also Zoom available.

Come On By.  --Old Secesh

Veterans Memorial Hall & Museum in Rockford, Illinois-- Part 2: It Was a GAR Thing

Display cases throughout the building contain artifacts, photographs and other items from America's wars, including recent conflicts in the Middle East.  The museum contains 15,000 such pieces in its collection.

When memorial Hall opened in 1903, the first organization to meet in the Post Room was a local contingent of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), the first and eventually the largest veterans organization of the Civil War veterans in the country.

Founded in Decatur, Illinois, in 1866, its peak membership exceeded 409,000 Union veterans, including five U.S. presidents.  

This national organization established the pension system for veterans, funded homes and hospitals for soldiers, widows and orphans; and created Memorial Day to honor all deceased veterans.

--Old Secesh

Veterans Memorial Hall and Museum in Rockford

Also from The Cabin fever Quarterly Magazine, 2024.

The Rock River Valley Civil War Round Table is just one of several regional military-related organizations to find a home at Veterans Memorial Hall.  At least eight other veterans groups have offices or hold meetings there, and the magnificent edifice is often used as a venue for many municipal events.

Designed in a Classical Greek Revival style, the Hall is one of only three such buildings to survive in Illinois to honor veterans.  It's also the only building in Rockford, maybe even the state, that was dedicated by a sitting U.S.  President Theodore Roosevelt did that in 1903, soon after construction was completed.

The top floor contains an auditorium with a raised stage and a curved balcony.  A wide wooden staircase leads down to the Great Hall where names of Civil War battles adorn the tops of walls.  Two tablet rooms contain bronze plaques which list the names all veterans from Winnebago County who served in the Civil War and the Spanish-American War and were buried by 1903.

--Old Secesh

Bruce Allardice

Bruce Allardice joined the Chicago CWRT in 1987, has served as president of that group, and is currently president of the Northern Illinois CWRT.  They meet on the first Friday of the month in the Arlington Heights Memorial Library.  They also offer hybrid meetings with live and Zoom.

"The Civil War ended almost 160 years ago, and yet we are still talking about it," says Allardice.  "There's nothing comparable to CWRTs  with regard to World War I or II, even the Revolutionary War.  The issues are still with us."

One of his favorite battle site experiences was walking the path of Pickett's charge at Gettysburg, he remembers.

"It was a real revelation," he recalls.  "I don't know how the [Confederate] soldiers got as far as they did, advancing into those Union guns."

--Old Secesh

Bruce Allardice and the Northern Illinois CWRT

Bruce Allardice is a recently retired history professor from South Suburban College in South Holland, Illinois.  He is the author of five books on the Civil War and a frequent presenter at CWRTs (Civil War Round Table) throughout the northern Illinois area.

"I've tried to visit all Illinois round tables," says Allardice.  "I finally spoke at Rock River Valley (CWRT) in July 2022 and again in August 2023."

Allardice's great-grandfather served as a lieutenant in the 113th Illinois Infantry during the Civil War, and he frequently saw his presentation sword when visiting his grandparents as a child.

"He was overage and sickly the whole time," says Allardice, "and his regimental commander called him the worst officer in his command."

Nice Guy.  --Old Secesh

THE McHenry County Civil War Round Table-- Part 2

Attendance at meetings averages between ten and fifteen, while discussion groups are smaller.  We also have ZOOM in both venues. 

"COVID took a toll on us as well as other groups and we are still recovering," says Jim Stannis.  "But we are starting to grow our membership again."

Several members of the McHenry group have presented Civil War topics to adult education classes at McHenry County College and they've assisted the McHenry County Historical Society in restoring artifacts and writings.

Membership dues are $25 a year, and part of the money is used to support a $1,000 scholarship to the annual high school winner of a historical contest.

--Old Secesh

Now for the Best (In my Opinion) CWRT: McHenry County Civil War Round Table

These are all from the 2024 Northwest Quarterly Magazine "Civil War Round Tables" by Jon McGinty.

Then McHenry County Civil War Round Table (MCCWRT) was founded in 1997, and it holds monthly meetings on the second Tuesday of every month (that would be tonight) at the Woodstock Public Library in Woodstock, Illinois.  Meetings are also shared on Zoom with members and other regional round tables.

"We also conduct a monthly discussion group every  fourth Saturday at Panera Bread  restaurant in Crystal Lake, Illinois, also on Zoom," says Jim Stanis, secretary of the Round Table.  "They are informal  conversations about Civil War topics, whereas the meetings  usually include a presentation."

Tonight's presentation will be given by Ed Urban on the Ellet rams at Vicksburg.

The meeting starts at 7 at the library.  Before hat some of us will gather at 3 Brothers Restaurant in Woodstock on Illinois Highway 47 for dinner or snacks.  That starts around 5:30.

Come on By.  --Old Secesh

Robert Girardi: Author and Presenter

The author of nine books, Robert Girardi says he is primarily interested in the Western Theater, railroads, logistics and engineers.  He will discuss Civil War engineers with the RRVCWRT on August 5.

"I am currently working on a biography of Gen. G.K. Warren, the 'Savior of Little Round Top' [at the Battle of Gettysburg].  There is a monument to him there," Girardi says.  

"He was later sacked by Sheridan after the Battle of Five Forks, allegedly for moving too slow.  I don't think he's been given his due."

Had Warren not realized the importance of the Little Round Top, the outcome of the battle might have been different.

Girardi understands the convenience of having CWRT programs on Zoom, but he prefers to make his presentations in person.

"I enjoy the fellowship of people who share a love f history, he says.  "W can talk about divisive issues but still go home as friends."

--Old Secesh

The Chicago Civil War Round Table: About Those Battlefield Tours

This was the very first Civil War Round Table (CWRT).  I actually belonged to it for a few years back in the late 1970s.

Until 1977, the Chicago CWRT didn't allow women to become members.  They could, however, attend meetings.  That caused one woman, Marilyn Steele to form the Salt Creek CWRT, which currently meets in Glen Ellyn.

The Chicago CWRT offers an annual tour of Civil War battlefields which is well attended.  This year they have scheduled a four-day bus tour to Gettysburg on April 24-28.  (Sorry, you missed it, so did I.)  Last year's tour covered the Red River Campaign in Louisiana.

"The only way to fully understand a battle is to visit the site says Robert Girardi.  I have visited over 100 Civil War battlefields.  In November, I spend two days hiking over the fields at Shiloh, Tennessee."

--Old Secesh

The Civil War Round Table (Chicago)

Already mentioned in this series was them very first Civil War Round Table CWRT) which started in 1940 by Ralph Newman, owner of the Abraham Lincoln Bookstore in Chicago.  This remains the premier CWRT.

Robert Girardi is a historian, prolific author, speaker, former Chicago police detective and past president of the Chicago CWRT.  He has been a frequent presenter at CWRT meetings across the country.

"At my first meeting in 1982, I was the youngest person in the room," Girardi recalls.  "We used to meet at a downtown Chicago hotel, but now we meet at the Holiday Inn Oak Brook, near O'Hare Airport.  Our gatherings are the second Friday of the month, 5:30 p.m. for cocktails, then dinner.

"Programs start at 7:15 p.m..  One of our members videotapes the presentations, then posts them on You Tube."

--Old Secesh

CWRT-- Part 12: A View on Removal

Ron Lee's view is that, while it is "deeply problematic to have memorials which glorify leaders of a society based on slavery," their removal or relocation should be the result of public discussion and debate, rather than by groups of "angry citizens motivated by a sense of righteousness, taking it upon themselves to remove them by force."

"Civil War Round Tables (CWRT) can play a positive role in these debates by providing a forum where these discussions can take place in-person, face-to-face, not anonymously on social media.  An important part of being a citizen in a democracy-- government of, by and for the people-- is the willingness and ability to engage in civil dialogue about the issues that divide us, according to Lee.

--Old Secesh

CWRT-- Part 11: One Speaker on Confederate Monuments

Ron Lee, associate professor of political science at Rockford University spoke at the RRVCWRT in early November on the controversy surrounding the removal of Confederate monuments to the Civil War.

"The argument over these  monuments is part of a larger debate about how we want to remember our past," says Lee.  Both sides have staked out extreme opposing positions and seem unwilling to admit that their opponents have something to contribute to a fuller understanding of America's past."

He describes these positions as  represented by  the "1619 Project," which was produced by writers at the New York Times, and the 1776 Commission, an advisory committee appointed by then-president Trump in response to the "1619 Project."

According to Lee, the "1619 Project," sees American history mostly as a story of racism and oppression, whereas the 1776 Commission wants to promote "patriotic education" but dos so at the expense of "acknowledging significant political, social and economic injustices of the past in its insistence on the uniqueness of our founding in 1776 on principles of equality and liberty."

--Old Secesh

CWRT-- Part 10: Significance of the Civil War Today

While they are aware of the popular image of CWRTs as a bunch of guys  sitting around and rehashing old battles, they are keenly aware of the relevance of studying the events of a war that ended almost 160 years ago.

"Most of us have an interest in military history, but many of the issues still facing us today had their roots in the outcome of the Civil War, according to David Byrnes.  "The consolidation and growth of the central government, the 'culture wars' and diversity, equality and inclusion, interpretations of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution -- these were all raised and not necessarily settled during that conflict.  

"It's more than just retelling battles."

--Old Secesh

CWRT-- Part 9: Rock River Valley CWRT

Before he resigned as vice president in 2023 for health reasons, Pete Thomas had all but completed a schedule of speakers for 2024.  In addition to members of the RRVCWRT, speakers include members of nearby CWRTs and authors from various sources (some self-published), including Savas Beatie, a history publishing house from El Dorado Hills, California.

David Byrnes, current president of the RRVCWRT, is the retired executive director of Midway Village Museum in Rockford and past president of the Rockford Rotary.

"We currently have more than 80 members on the rolls, and a fourth are women," says Byrnes.  "Our average in-person attendance is about 30 to 40, with eight to ten others on Zoom.  We also share our Zoom links with other CWRTs, so some attendees are from other groups.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Round Tables-- Part 7: Rock River Valley CWRT

Bob Pressman and other officers decided it was time to look for another venue to hold their meetings.  This search eventually brought them to Veterans Memorial Hall, which they describe as "a perfect fit."  Hall manager Scott Levandowski was already providing hybrid meetings for the Rotary of Rockford and other organization.  (This would be in-person meetings and Zoom.)

Meetings are held the first Monday of the month.  Lunch begins at 11:30 a.m. and the presentation starts at noon.

Currently, lunches can be pre-ordered from a nearby Jimmy Johns or attendees can pack their own brown bags.  Annual dues are now $35, which covers hall rental ($50 per month), Zoom fees and honoraria for out-of-town speakers ($100).

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Discussion Group Meets Tomorrow: Topic 'The Fall of Richmond'

In April 1865, the capital of the Confederacy fell to Union forces.  The McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table discussion group will be talking about it from 10 am to 11:30 am at the Crystal Lake, Illinois.

It will also be on Zoom.  So if you're in the area, stop on in.  Everybody's welcome and all you need is an interest in the Civil War.

And, we actually do stay on topic most of the time.

Panera Bread is located on Northwest Highway (US-14) by Main Street.

Come On Down.  --Old Secesh

Civil War Round Tables-- Part 6: Rock River Valley CWRT

When Wesley Willows shut down their facilities during the pandemic, Don Barrett and Ed Kuehl kept the meetings going on by presenting them online via Zoom.

Bob Pressman was elected president  in 2021, and with the help of other officers, went to work reorganizing the Round Table and putting it on solid financial footing.  "We formed a committee to rewrite the bylaws, based  on those of other round tables," said Pressman.

"Prior to the pandemic, attendees paid Wesley Willows for the meal, but paid only $1 for expenses.  Jerry Paris volunteered to be treasurer and we raised dues to $25 a year, opened a bank account, and started paying for our Zoom subscription."

Zoom meetings were a mixed blessing.  "It allowed us to use speakers from all over the country, since we didn't have to pay travel expenses, so the pool of presenters became very large.  It also kept us in contact with each other, but we missed the face-to-face interaction, the camaraderie of in-person meetings.

By 2022, things were starting to reopen, and Wesley Willows said they would allow us to meet there again, but without meals."

--Old Secesh

Civil War Round Tables-- Part 5: Rock River Valley CWRT

Bob Ash, Dick Wolff, Mary Webber, Ray Schoenfeld, Ed Rounds and others were instrumental in maintaining and growing the organization.  Meeting locations changed a bit, but eventually they moved to the new facilities at Wesley Willows, where an optional lunch preceded each meeting presentation.

By the time COVID -19 closed down all such public gatherings in 2020, the average attendance was over 50.

"I've been a member of the Rock River Valley Round Table for about 15 years, retired Rockford radio and TV journalist Bob Pressman says.  "At my first meeting, I was impressed with the number of people and surprised by how many I already knew-- none of whom had ever mentioned [the group] to me."

Pressman, like others in the group, has presented several programs, including ones on Reconstruction and myths and facts about the Civil War.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Round Tables-- Part 4: Rock River Civil War Round Table

In November 1998, Ed Hunt and Tony Tobak offered a class on Civil War battles through the Center for Learning in Retirement at Rock Valley College.  At the conclusion, several members expressed an interest in continuing meetings on the subject.  Eventually, about ten people agreed to meet monthly at the Wesley Willows retirement community, where several of them already lived.

Early meetings were informal, and topics or presentations were provided by members of the group.  They called themselves the "Rock River Irregulars" or "Rockiregs" for short.  As time went on, more people joined the monthly meetings and the name was changed to the Rock River Valley Civil War Round Table (RRVCWRT).

A formal organization developed, complete with bylaws and officers, modeled after similar groups in the area.  By 2006, monthly attendance averaged around 30.

--Old Secesh

Seven Illinois Civil War Round Tables Listed

The Civil War.com site lists seven CWRTs in Illinois:

Champaign County CWRT

Chicago CWRT

Decatur CWRT

Joliet Area CWRT

McHenry County CWRT

Northern Illinois CWRT

Salt Creek CWRT

There is also a Rock River Valley CWRT

--Old Secesh

Civil War Round Tables-- Part 3: Civil War Round Table Congress

There is no national organization which oversees Civil War Round Tables.  However, the Civil War Round Table Congress serves as an advisory service.

It maintains a website and  and convenes meetings to share ideas and promote best practices.  It was created partly in response to a trend among CWRTs to disband during the pandemic.

The organization is "dedicated to the sustainability and long-term benefits of CWRTs.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Round Tables-- Part 2: And Then There's the McHenry County Civil War Round Table

Although operations at meetings differ, most Civil War Round Tables (CWRT) follow a similar format at their monthly meetings.  Some meet at a restaurant where a meal preceded the program.  Announcements or publicity for related events are usually followed by a formal presentation from an author, professor, historian, re-enactor, member or others on a topic related to the Civil War.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many CWRTs have hybrid programs where the live meeting is shared online on Zoom.

This is how my McHenry County Civil War Round Table operates as well.  Plus, once a month we have a discussion meeting at Panera Bread in Crystal Lake, Illinois.  And, we usually stick to our topic somewhat.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Round Tables-- Part 1

From the Cabin Fever Issue of Northwest Quarterly 2024 "Civil War Round Tables" by Jon McGinty.

I currently belong to the McHenry County Civil War Round Table and at one time, back in the 1970s and 80s to The Civil War Round Table of Chicago, which is regarded as the very first CWRT.

Civil War Round Tables are independent groups of people who meet regularly to share a common interest in the military, political and sociological history of that war.  

The first Civil War Round Table (CWRT) was started in Chicago in 1940 by Ralph Newman, owner of the Abraham Lincoln Bookstore in that town.  He assembled a small group of authors and amateur historians to discuss topics about the Civil War.

Current estimates say that there are roughly 300 such groups  worldwide, with most of them in the United States,

There are 17 of them in Illinois.

--Old Secesh

The Illinois Department of Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War-- Part 2: Camps

Continuing with Illinois camps:

E. F. Dutton Camp 49, Sycamore

Colonel John C. Bryner Camp 67, Peoria

Colonel Friedrich K. Hecker Camp 443, Belleville

U.S. Grant Camp 1863, Schaumburg

Old Glory Camp 6165, Chicago

Hard to believe there are so few camps in Illinois.  At one time there were eight Sons of Confederate Veterans camps in Illinois.  

--Old Secesh

The Illinois Department Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

This all started when I posted about the Sycamore Camp of Sons of Union veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) working on the DeKalb County Civil War Memorial in Sycamore.

There are eleven SUVCW camps in Illinois according to the department website:

**  General George A. Custer Camp 1, Wilmette

**  General Philip H. Sheridan Camp 2, Aurora

**  General John A. McClernand Camp 4,Springfield

**  Captain Frank Reed Camp 24, Tuscola

**  John A. Logan Camp 26, Rockford

**  Private Henry M. Hardenbergh Camp 39, Tinley Park

--Old Secesh

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

Since I mentioned the Sons of Union Veterans in the last post, here is some more information about them.

From Wikipedia.

The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUV) grew out of the largest organization of Union veterans established after the war, The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR).  Much the same as the Sons of Confederate Veterans grew out of the United Confederate Veterans organization.

It would be necessary to find the next generations to carry on the group's good name as they died out.  This is why the American Legion has its Sons of the American Legion.

The SUV was established in 1881 and was founded by Major Augustus P. Davis for the preservation of the principles of the GAR.  Local groups are organized into camps which then are grouped into departments

Membership on 2022 was 6,574 with headquarters in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  Commander-in-Chief in 2022 was Peter J. Hritso.

--Old Secesh

DeKalb County (Illinois) Civil War Monument-- Part 2

Toward the base of the monument, a pair of soldiers stand watch, each with a rifle in his hands.

Three sides of the marble monument bear the names of major battles and campaigns of the Civil War that DeKalb men fought in, including Fredericksburg, Malvern Hill and Antietam (even though Antietam was misspelled).  The side that faces Illinois Highway 64, Main Street, is engraved with an excerpt from President Abraham Lincoln's address at Gettysburg.

More than 6,000 people were in attendance for the monument's dedication in 1896 which included an address by local commanders and a parade of veterans.

The pair of patina-green statues at the base of it were once thought to be bronze, but were found to be copper during a 2008 restoration project.  They've also been the subject of routine vandalism, as their weapons have been stolen and replaced several times.

Sycamore's local Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War chapter raised $10,000 to repair them in 2015 before the memorial was rededicated for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War's end.

--Old Secesh

DeKalb County, Illinois Civil War Monument-- Part 1

From the March 2024 Northwest Quarterly magazine.

DEKALB COUNTY CIVIL WAR MONUMENT

133 West State St., 

Sycamore, Illinois

An estimated 2,391 DeKalb County residents enlisted in 14 military units during the Civil War.  Their sacrifices were formally recognized three decades after the war ended when a monument was dedicated to honor all of the county's residents.  (Sad that this is the reason those Confederate monuments in front of courthouses were dedicated.)

The 50-foot monument, dedicated in1897, now stands in front of the DeKalb County Courthouse. At the top of the stone obelisk stands a Union soldier with a long coat and cap.  He holds a sword in one hand and bears a flag in the other.

--Old Secesh

What the Emerging Civil War Blog Had to Say About the Loss of the Two Magazines-- Part 2

There has been much discussion as to whether interest in the Civil War is waning or has it changed in its nature (or both).

But, I know that interest in the Civil War has not dropped so precipitously that it has forced the cancellation of two magazines.  If circulation was the issue, the answer would have been to trim from two magazines to one.

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

Of course, part of the problem was with the owners who it would seem are of the GRB/Hedge Fund ilk.  Only seeing profit as the goal.  Plus, these days everyone wants digital instead of hard copy.  Also, the young today are not into history.  They are not even into joining anything.

Here's hoping someone starts printing these magazines again.  Especially Civil War Times.

--Old Secesh

What the Emerging Civil War Blog had to Say About the Loss of 'CW Times. and 'America's CW'

From February 24, 2024.

One of the best Civil War blogs out there, Emerging Civil War, had this to say about the loss of those two wonderful magazines.

There is much sadness in the Civil War community over the news that "Civil War Times" and "America's Civil War" magazines have been shuttered (along with seven other history-focused magazines owned by the same company.

As "The Civil War Times Illustrated (since shortened to just "Civil War Times"), the flagship magazine of Civil War buffs traced its history all the way back to 1962.  It was a product of the Centennial, when interest in the war was huge.  Many of us have grown up with the magazine.  (Certainly I am one of those  but couldn't afford it in 1962 because I was just 11.) 

I have most of the issues dating back to then as I have some reprints and many of the originals.  With the exception of several years I have had a subscription for most of the years.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Discussion Group Meets Tomorrow: Topic 'That Devil Forrest'

The McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table Discussion Group will meet tomorrow, March 23, at the Panera Bread in Crystal Lake, Illinois. from 10 am to 11:30.

Discussion topic will be "Nathan Bedford Forrest, Cavalry Commander of the West."  Lots of opinions on this man and Steve normally keeps us somewhat on topic.

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

This will also be on Zoom.

Everyone is welcome.  You do not have to be a member to attend.

--Old Secesh

A Presidential Pardon for De Villiers-- Part 1

From the 2015 PBS Antiques Roadshow

Ken Sanders of Ken Sanders Rare Books of Salt Lake City, Utah, gave this appraisal to a woman on the popular PBS appraisal show in Tucson, Arizona.  He estimated the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Pardon to Charles Villiers was worthy between $12,00 and $15,000.

It read:

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

To all  to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting:

Whereas, it appears that at the March Term, 1861, of the Criminal Court of the District of Columbia,  one Charles  de Villier was indicted and convicted for obtaining goods under false pretences [six], and it was by the said Court sentenced to be imprisoned in the Penitentiary for the period of eighteen months;

And whereas, the said Charles de Villier has now served out more than six months of his said term of imprisonment, and it appears from the certificate of the Deputy Warden of the Penitentiary that "he has been uniformly obedient and faithful to every duty" in the institution.

More.  --Old Secesh

A Sad Day for Us Civil War Fans: Goodbye to 'Civil War Times' and 'America's Civil War'

I have been a long-time subscriber to the magazine "Civil War Times" going back to the 1970s with the exception of a several year period on the 80s.  As a matter of fact, I have a subscription to it right now that runs for another year.

A short while back they went from a bimonthly magazine to quarterly.  I didn't care for that, but, let's face it, these are really hard time for anything published in a non digital form.  But, at least we still had the magazine, though not as often.

But, come to think of it, I couldn't remember when the last time was that I had gotten a new issue.

In addition, I often picked up a copy of the CWT's sister magazine, "America's Civil War" at our local Meijer store (which still has a good selection of magazines).  The last several months I hadn't seen either magazine offered for sale at Meijer.

Friday, I stopped at the Volo, Illinois, Woodman's grocery store which also has a big magazine selection including these two magazines.  Again, no CWT or ACW.

Well, sadly I now know why.

They are gone out of business.  I went on the internet and found out why.

A Sad Day Indeed.  --Old Secesh

Confederate Railroads-- Part 3: Three Major Operations

The  central Confederate government encountered problems dealing with the states throughout the war inn regards to railroads.

Another problem was that existing tracks and rolling stock were so often cannibalized for iron to put on naval ironclads

It took the Confederate government two years to get some semblance of a plan worked out for its railroads.  1863.  Railroads became under de facto control of the military, but there was no record that this ever became so.

Mr. Banks talked quite a bit about the Confederate use of railroads during the First battle of Bull Run (Manassas) Campaign as well as the Great Locomotive Chase and the moving of Longstreet's Corps to Bragg in the Chickamauga/Chattanooga Campaign.

Longstreet's soldiers experienced quite a series of rerouting and ended up going through North and South Carolina and Georgia to get there.

By 1865, the Confederacy's railroads were in ruins, however, they recovered very quickly as it was important to rebuild the South.

--Old Secesh

Confederate Railroads-- Part 2: Did Stonewall Steal the Locomotives?

Charlie Banks gave the presentation.

Strap rails were the most dangerous ones.  Steel rails were better than iron ones.

The North outproduced the South by a 9 to 1 margin in rail tonnage.

The cost of an engine was $10,000.

Two Confederate officers were somewhat in charge of the country's railroads:   Abraham Myers and Lucius Bellinger Northrup.

There is still a question as to whether Stonewall Jackson moved Baltimore& Ohio rolling stock, including engines, from Harpers Ferry to places further in Virginian in Virginia.

--Old Secesh

Confederate Railroads-- Part 1: A Real Mess

Yesterday we had the first meeting of the year for the McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table at the Woodstock Public Library.  It was both a live and a Zoom meeting and Charlie Banks gave a presentation on Confederate Railroads.  He is quite the expert on Civil War railroads.

His main thing was that it was the failure of the Confederate railroad system that was a big reason for the failure of the new country.

Railroads across the United States increased their mileage drastically in the decade before the war.  But the South lagged way behind the North.  In the South the Atlantic Ocean states had 5400 miles, Gulf states 2063 and South interior states 2666.

In the North, Chicago had become a major railroad hub with 11 railroads going through there.

In contrast, the future capital of the Confederacy, Richmond, had five, but none of them connected which caused unloading and reloading of cargos.  Plus, making it worse, the lines had differing gauges.  (Most Northern railroads used 4'8" gauge while Southern ones went with 5 feet.

--Old Secesh

How Elmer Ellsworth Met Charles de Villiers

From the blog Sept. 19, 2022, Discovering Lives "A Conversation with Meg Groeling, author of  "First Fallen: The Life of Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, the North's First Civil War Hero."

Elmer Ellsworth was born in New York in 1837 and moved to Chicago in 1854 to seek his fortune. There, he met a former Zouave.  The Zouaves were a unit of the French Foreign Legion-type unit that had gained fame in the Crimean War.   That man was Charles de Villiers.

Ellsworth was apparently a very really coordinated both physically and athletically.  As a young boy he was fascinated with soldiers.  In Chicago he was working out at the Y and this Charles de Villiers became his fencing instructor.  De Villiers had served with the Zouaves in Crimea as a member of their medical corps.

Fencing was easily mastered by Ellsworth and they soon expanded to Zouave-type moves.  Together, the two developed something called the "Lightning Drill."

To see an example of Zouaves at drill go to You Tube and look up "American Legion Zouaves Jackson & Michigan Drill Team on the Ed Sullivan Show.

--Old Sercesh

MCCWRT Meeting This Tuesday: Presentation on Confederate Railroads

The McHenry County Civil War Round Table will have the opening meeting of the 2024 year this coming Tuesday, March 12 at the Woodstock Library (Illinois).

We will be having a special presentation by Charlie Banks on Confederate Railroads.

The meeting starts at 7 pm at the library at 414 W. Judd Street.  It can also be seen on ZOOM.

Before the meeting some of us will be getting together at 3 Brothers on Illinois Highway 47 in Woodstock for dinner or snack.  (And, we don't just talk Civil War.)  Meets at 5 pl.

--Old Secesh

Charles De Villiers Introduced Ellsworth to the Zouave Way

According to Wikipedia, Elmer Ellsworth was introduced to the zouave military ways by his fencing instructor,  Charles De Villiers, a French physician, immigrant and veteran of a zouave unit during the Crimean War.

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

History New had an article "This Union soldier's death shocked the north and made Lincoln cry" by Meg Groeling.

A chance meeting  with Frenchman Charles A. De Villiers helped guide Ellsworth to a militia unit called the "Chicago Cadets of the National Guard."  De Villiers was an excellent swordsman and tutored Ellsworth in fencing and enthralled him with stories of his service during the Crimean War as an officer in a French Zouave unit.

--Old Secesh

Chales DeVilliers: Capture and Escape

As I wrote in the last post, he was taken prisoner on July 17, 1861 (the Battle of Bull Run was July 21) and sent to Richmond.  About the middle of September he escaped  in the guise of an aged, infirm and nearly blind mendicant Frenchman.  (Okay, I had to look up mendicant.  It means a beggar.)

He was able to get the prison commandants permission to go to  Fort Monroe (still under Union control) under a flag of truce that he might embark "for his dear old home in France,"

After a two week delay, the supposed Frenchman was assisted on board a transport in Norfolk and taken to a Union boat.  When safely under his own flag, he cast off his pack, green goggles and rags, thanked the officers for their politeness, shouted a loud huzza for the stars and stripes and gave them the pleasing information that they had just parted with Colonel De Villiers of the 11th Ohio.

He arrived safely in Washington, rejoined his regiment, and was brigadier general, 10 October 1861.

He had been military instructor for Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth.

His discharge from the Army on 23 April 1862, and returned to France.

--Old Secesh

Ellsworth & the U.S. Zouaves-- Part 15: Charles DeVilliers

CHARLES DeVILLIERS--  Colonel of the 11th Ohio Infantry.  Captured and sent to prison, but escaped.  Once back in the Union Army, he was court martialed on 13 counts of misconduct, including stealing from local citizens and selling to Army members.

Dismissed from service and returned to France.

This was from our speaker but I forgot his name.

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

Looked up this man and found this on Virtual American Biographies.

CHARLES A. De VILLIERS

Soldier born in 1826.  He had been an officer in the French Army and afterward became colonel of the 11th Ohio Infantry.

At the beginning of the Civil War he was taken prisoner, 17 July 1861 and sent to Richmond.

Next...  His Escape.  --Old Secesh

Elmer Ellsworth and the United States Zouaves-- Part 14: H. Dwight Laflin and the Big Bang in Kenosha 1911

Another former Ellsworth Zouave:

H. DWIGHT LAFLIN--  Became president of Laflin-Vauder Gunpowder Company.  One of the largest gunpowder companies in the United States.  In 1898, he had 577 acres of land near Kenosha, Wisconsin (area where the outlet malls are located today).

On March 9, 1911, there was a huge explosion there at the Laflin, Rand Company when millions of pounds of dynamite and gunpowder exploded just after 8 pm. 

Not only was the plant, covering hundreds of acres, but the people in the community of Pleasant Prairie where it was located and for surrounding area were damaged.  The shockwave was felt as far away as 500 miles from Kenosha.

--Old Secesh

Elmer Ellsworth and the United States Zouave Cadets-- Part 13: Some Other Members

 This is a continuation thread from a long time ago.  From December 8, 2017--  Part 12.

I was listing Ellsworth-trained Zouave Cadets who fought in the Civil War.

LUCIUS LARRABEE--  Mortally wounded July 2, 1863, at Little Round Top, Battle of Gettysburg.  Captain, Company B, 44th New York regiment, known as Ellsworth's Avengers.

HARRISON KELLY--  In 44th New York  Infantry, made up of many former Zouave Cadets.

JOHN CONANT LONG--  Became drillmaster at Camp Douglas.  Trained 50 Illinois regiments there.

JOSEPH R. SCOTT--  Mortally wounded at Stones River, January 2, 1863.

HECTOR A. AIKEN--  Captain, Co. B, 29th USCT  Severely wounded at the Battle of the Crater July 30, 1864.  Died two days later.

--Old Secesh

Road Trippin' in Laurel Hill Cemetery: Medal of Honor, USMC Commandant

Some more Civil War folks buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery.

CHALES FERGUSON SMITH  (1807-1862)--  Union general.

HECTOR TYNDALE  (1821-1880)--  Union general.

PINKERTON R. VAUGHAN  (1841-1866)--  Medal of Honor, USMC, on USS Mississippi at Port Hudson.

LANGHORN WISTER  1834-1891)--  Union colonel.

JACOB ZEILIN  (1806-1880)--  Commandant of USMC in 1864.

--Old Secesh

More Road Trippin': Laurel Hill Cemetery's Civil War Connection

Wikipedia.

I wrote about Philadelphia's West Laurel Hill Cemetery earlier.  That cemetery is a part of the larger Laurel Hill Cemetery in that city.

According to Wikipedia, hundreds of era persons are buried there, along with 40 Civil War-era generals.

HENRY K. BIDDLE  (1841-1912)--  Union Army officer and Medal of Honor recipient.  Forwarded personal effects of mortally wounded Confederate General Armistead to his old friend, Union Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock.

ULRIC DAHLGREN (1842-1864)--  One of leaders of famed 1864 attack on Richmond and son of Union Naval Admiral John A. Dahlgren.  His father is also buried there.

SAMUEL GIBBS FRENCH (1818-1910)--  Confederate general.  Buried in Florida but family has a cenotaph on family plot.

GEORGE GORDON MEADE  (1815-1872)--  Hero of Gettysburg.

JOHN C. PEMBERTON  (1814-1881)--  Confederate General who surrendered Vicksburg.

Kind of interesting to have two Confederate generals remembered in the cemetery.

--Old Secesh

Road Trippin' Through History: Civil War Notables Buried at Philadelphia's West Laurel Hill Cemetery

Here are four other Civil War folk:

OLIVER CHRISTIAN BOSBYSHELL  (1839-1921)-- Claims he was the first Union soldier wounded by enemy activity in the war after receiving a bruise on his head after being hit with an object thrown by a Confederate sympathizer as his regiment marched through Baltimore to relieve Washington, D.C. on April 17, 1861.

CLARISA F. DOYLE  (1832-1921)--Army nurse during Civil War.  President of National Association of Army Nurses of the Civil War.

JOHN TROUT GREBLE  (1834-1861)--  First USMA graduate killed at Battle of Big Bethel.

HERMAN HAUPT  (1817-1905)--  Union general and engineer.  Revolutionized U.S. military transportation, particularly with the railroads.

--Old Seceh

Road Trippin' Through History: Civil War Notables Buried at Philadelphia's West Laurel Hill Cemetery-- Part 1

One thing I like to do is take a Road Trip Through History, starting with one article and seeing how far and where I can follow it to.  This started in my Running the Blockade blog when I wrote about Marine Sgt. Richard Binder who received a Medal of Honor for his service at the Second Battle of Fort Fisher.  He is buried at West Laurel Hill Cemetery.

That means that I look through lists of people buried there and find anyone of particular interest.  I have been doing this in my Cooter's History Thing blog already.  Plus, I wrote about four other Medals of Honor recipients buried there in my Running the Blockade blog.

Here is one notable of interest who are buried with Sgt. Binder.

ROBERT COOPER GRIER (1794-1870)--   Associate Supreme Court Justice 1846-1870.  He would have been involved with decisions during the war.

I found three others which I will write about in the next post.

--Old Secesh

James Cantey, CSA-- Part 2

With the coming of the Civil War, he helped form the 15th Alabama Regiment and was elected its colonel.  The regiment participated in Stonewall Jackson's 1862 Valley Campaign where they showed great valor during the Battle of Cross Keys.

They were still with Jackson during the Seven Days Battles around Richmond.  After that, he was detached and served around Mobile, Alabama, from January 1863 to April 1864. where he organized a brigade consisting of three Alabama and one Mississippi regiment.

They were transferred to the Army of Tennessee and appointed brigadier general.  He was frequently absent from duty because of sickness.  His brigade fought in the Atlanta Campaign and in Hood's Franklin-Nashville debacle.

Cantey and his brigade fought at the Battle of Bentonville in the closing days of the war and surrendered with Johnston's forces at Durham Station.

After the war, he returned to his plantation near Fort Mitchell, Alabama.  He died at his plantation on June 30, 1874, and is buried in the Crowell Family Cemetery in Fort Mitchell.

--Old Secesh

James Cantey, One of Those Confederate Generals Born in Kershaw County, S.C.

From Wikipedia.

In the last post I listed the names of six Confederate generals born in Kershaw County, S.C..  One of them was James Kershaw (so I wonder if he had something to do with the county's founding).  I was familiar with James Chesnut, Jr., but only because of his wife Mary's diary from the war.

I was not familiar at all with the other four.

Here's one of them.

JAMES CANTEY (December 30, 1818 - June 30, 1874)

He served as an officer in the Palmetto Regiment during the Mexican War.  In one battle he was severely wounded and left among the dead until his enslaved servant retrieved the body to be buried at home and found him still alive.  He saved James' life.  James offered him his freedom for that, but was refused.

After the war, he moved to  Alabama and bought land, becoming a  planter in Russell County.

--Old Secesh

Six Confederate Generals Born in Kershaw County, South Carolina

From carolana.com.

Major General Joseph B.  Kershaw

Brigadiers

James Cantey

James Chesnut Jr.  Wife was Mary Chesnut who wrote the famous diary.

Zachariah C. Deas

John Doby Kennedy 

John Bordenave Villepigue

Old Secesh

About Those Discarded Rifles at Gettysburg

After the Battle of Gettysburg,  the discarded rifles were collected and sent to Washington, D.C., to be inspected and reissued.

Of the 37,574 rifles recovered, approximately 24,000 were still loaded; 12,000 had two rounds in the barrel; 6,000 had three to ten rounds in the barrel.

One rifle, the most remarkable of all,  had been stuffed to the top with twenty-three rounds in the barrel.

That Is Sure A Big Oops.  --Old Overloaded Rifle