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

Civil War Events in April-- Part 2: Lee Surrenders, Fort Sumter Fired Upon, Lincoln Assassinated

APRIL 9, 1864

**  Battle of Prairie D'Ane, Arkansas, begins.

APRIL 9, 1865

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

APRIL 12, 1861

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

APRIL  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

U.S. Presidents with Union Ties

Same source as the presidents with Confederate ties.

Some of the ex-presidents still alive during the Civil War, including Martin Van Buren and James Buchanan, were vocal supporters of Lincoln and the Union cause.

Charles Francis Adams was the son of one president and grandson of another and was minister of Great Britain under Lincoln.  (John Quincy Adams and John Adams)

Lincoln's second vice president, Andrew Johnson, was a Tennessee senator who had remained loyal to the Union.  This helped present a united ticket in the 1864 election.  Johnson became president after Lincoln's assassination.

Five future U.S. presidents:  Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Harrison and McKinley, all fought for the Union.

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Not a Union Tie

Robert E. Lee's wife Mary was the granddaughter of George Washington's stepson.

--Old Secesh

Presidential Visits to Antietam Battlefield-- Part 2: Andrew Johnson's Visit

**  Andrew Johnson, Lincoln's successor,  was next to pay a visit to the battlefield.    While the Radical Republicans in Congress were doing everything they could to impeach him, Johnson traveled to the battlefield on September 17, 1867, the fifth anniversary of the battle, to deliver an address at the dedication of the National Cemetery there.

While his speech that day was not as famous or eloquent as Abraham Lincoln's at Gettysburg, it was at times stirring:  "When we look at yon battlefield, I think of the brave men who fell in the fierce struggle of battle, and who sleep silent in their graves.  Yes, many of them sleep  in silence and peace within this beautiful enclosure after the earnest conflict had ceased."

--Old Secesh

10 Facts About Phil Sheridan-- Part 4: "The Only Good Indians I Ever Saw Were Dead"

**  6.   HE WASN'T A FAN OF TEXAS

After the war, Sheridan went to Texas and Louisiana to oversee Reconstruction there.    He's credited with being an opponent to corruption and  stirred things up when he dismissed the governor of Texas.  He ended up being removed by President Johnson who reportedly told U.S. Grant that Sheridan's term there had "been one of  absolute tyranny."

Sheridan, for his part, wasn't too impressed with Texas.  Reportedly he once said:  "If I owned Texas and Hell, I would rent Texas and live in Hell."

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**  7.  HE OVERSAW BRUTAL CAMPAIGNS AGAINST NATIVE AMERICANS --  AND BISON

His postwar career also had him overseeing military campaign against the Indians of the West.  And, he employed the same "scorched earth" tactics he had used against the Confederates.  In addition, he gave little consideration to non-combatants who got in his way, meaning Indian women, children and the elderly received harsh treatment.

It was during this time, that Sheridan supposedly uttered the words:  "The only good Indians I ever saw were dead."

Another casualty of his Indian Wars were the bison.  Since they were such an important part of the Plains Indians life, he urged the widespread, over-hunting of the animals.  He brought in hunters to take out the herds, telling them:  "For a lasting peace,let them kill, skin and sell until the buffaloes are exterminated."

One Has to Wonder Why There Has Not Been a Movement to Take Down His Statues.  --Old Secesh

Jesse Merrill-- Part 7: Further Administrative Duty and Major General

In the fall of 1864,he went east on a sick leave, and was soon afterwards assigned  to duties in the Army of the Potomac and Army of the James, and later in the Department of the South, where he had his headquarters at Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Here he remained until mustered out of the service in October 1865.

It was at this time that he was brevetted to major  by President Johnson for long , faithful and meritorious service.

He returned to Lock Haven in November 1865, and resumed the practice of law.  An April 1871, he was appointed major-general of the Pennsylvania National Guard by Governor Geary.  It was during this term that the Eleventh Division was called out to quell the riot at Williamsport.

In 1880, General Merrill received the Republican nomination for assembly, but was defeated by S. Woods Caldwell, the democratic nominee.

--Old Secesh

Col. Lewis Merrill-- Part 3: Battled Guerrillas and KKK

Col. Merrill later commanded  the District of St. Louis and then the Department of Northern Missouri.  In 1864, he was cavalry commander of the bureau at St. Louis and took part  in the engagements at Franklin, Missouri.

The next year he was sent against guerrillas in northern Georgia and Alabama.

On January 13, 1866, President Johnson nominated Merrill for appointment to the grade of brigadier general in the U.S. Volunteers to rank from March 13, 1865.  The U.S. Senate confirmed the promotion on March 12, 1866.

After various western assignments, he was appointed command of a military district in York County, South Carolina, with orders to break up the KKK.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Discussion Group Meeting Today on Johnson Impeachment

The McHenry County Civil War Round Table will meet today at Panera Bread at 6000 Northwest Highway in Crystal Lake, Illinois, from 10 am to noon.  Today's discussion topic will be the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson, kind if appropriate with the recent impeachment of someone else.

It is open to anyone, not just members, so drop on by and sit a spell, talk awhile.

--Old Secesh

Some More on Elijah M. Haines

I got together with my buddy Bob earlier today and figured this would be a good time to ask him about what he knows about Elijah Haines (he has played Elijah, the founder of Hainesville, Illinois and quite an important person in the early history, including Civil War, of Lake County, Illinois).

Elijah Haines never had a permanent home in Hainesville and lived in Waukegan where he taught school and studied law.  When he was in Hainesville, he stayed at his mother's.

He did meet Abraham Lincoln in Chicago where they both attended a meeting about improvements to Illinois harbors and rivers.  It is very likely that Lincoln stayed at Elijah Haines' home twice.

I wasn't sure about Haines' role in the Andrew Johnson movement and could find nothing on the internet about this movement.  However, I know there was a move to impeach Johnson that fell just barely short.  So this most likely was what that statement was about.  Since I knew that Haines was no longer a Republican by then, because of his dislike of the Radical Republicans, he would have been with the people opposing his impeachment.

Also, Haines is not buried at the lost Cranberry Lake Cemetery but at the Oakwood Cemetery in Waukegan, Illinois, which would have made sense since this is where he lived most of the time.  This is still there.  I couldn't find out any information about his grave though.

--Old Secesh

Elijah M. Haines-- Part 2: Lawyer, Politician, Republican, Not-A Republican

Born April 21, 1822, in Oneida County, New York. At age 12, he and his brother John Charles Haines, moved west and settled in Lake County, Illinois.  In 1846, he surveyed and platted and named the town Hainesville in the western pert of the county.

He taught school in Waukegan, by Lake Michigan, and began studying law., admitted to the bar in 1851.    Opened a law office and began writing about the law.  From 1855 to 1860, he wrote three books on law and eventually two others after the war.

Early in his life, Haines was a Democrat, but in 1859 left that party and joined the Republicans because of slavery.  He was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1858 and reelected for two more two-year terms later

During this time he increasingly found himself at odds with the party and in 1865, joined the Andrew Johnson movement and became involved in the anti-monopolists against large chains of warehouses.

I am not sure if the Andrew Johnson Movement was people supporting President Johnson or wanting him impeached.

ELIJAH HAINES IN THE ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

All of his 6 terms were in the House of Representatives where he also served twice as Speaker of the House (SoH)

The first number is of the General Assembly and second the year elected:

21st   1859   As the nation was careening toward the Civil War.
27th   1871
29th   1875  (SoH)

33rd  1883
34th  1885  (SoH)
36th  1889

--Old Secesh

Martin R.M. Wallace-- Part 2: At Battles of Fort Henry, Donelson and Shiloh

With the coming of the Civil war, Martin Wallace helped organize the 4th Illinois Cavalry with Theophilus Dickey (where he studied law with his brother William Wallace).  He was commissioned as major of the unit on October 12, 1861.  Theophilus Dickey was the regiment's colonel (William Wallace was married to Dickey's daughter.)

Martin Wallace led troops at the battles of Fort Henry, Fort Donelson and Shiloh.  His brother William was killed at Shiloh.

He assumed command of the 4th Illinois Cavalry following the death of Col.William McCullough in December 1862.  Promotions to lieutenant colonel and colonel came in January and June.  He was mustered out  on November 3, 1864.

On May 4, 1866, President Andrew Johnson nominated him Wallace to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers to rank from March  13, 1865.The United States Senate confirmed it on May 16, 1866.

After the war, Wallace was named U.S.  Assessor in the Chicago District.  In 1869, he was elected to the Cook County Court and served for eight years.  He also served as attorney on the Cook County Board.  His wife, Emma, became a noted philanthropist.

Martin R.M. Wallace died on March 6, 1902, in Chicago and is buried in Rosehill Cemetery.

--Old Secesh

Clays of Ky., Green Clay Smith, Congressman and Montana Territorial Governor Ky.-- Part 6: An Unconditional Unionist, C

In 1862, he was elected as an Unconditional Unionist to the 38th Congress and resigned his military  post on December 1, 1863.  In Congress, he served on the Committee of Militia.  He was brevetted to major general of volunteers in 1865.

He resigned from Congress in 1866 after President Johnson appointed him to be Territorial Governor  of Montana.  During his tenure, he helped moderate tensions between the white settlers and Indians.

After he resigned from that, he returned to D.C. and became  an ordained Baptist minister and got involved in the temperance movement.

In 1876, the National Prohibition Party nominated him for president but he didn't receive but a little more than 9,000 votes.

He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

--Old Secesh

Illinois' O.H. Browning-- Part 2: A Life-Long Friend of Lincoln

His political and military careers overlapped that of Lincoln and they became life-long friends.

He served the rest of Douglas' term until 1863 and did not run again.  After Lincoln's death, he became a supporter of Andrew Johnson and in 1866 was named Secretary of the Interior where he served until the end of Johnson's presidency in 1869.

After that he was a lobbyist and practiced law in Washington, D.C., and Illinois.

Browning died in Quincy, Illinois, on August 10, 1881 and was buried at Woodland Cemetery in Quincy.

--Ols Secesh

Lewis Washington-- Part 3: What Happened At the Trial and the George Washington Artifacts

During John Brown's trial for treason against the State of Virginia, Lewis Washington testified as a witness for the prosecution.  During the cross-examination, Washington testified that Brown had treated his hostages well and gave orders not to harm civilians.

When the Civil War began, Lewis sided with the Confederacy.  On July 17, 1865, he was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson.

Many pieces of the Washington family, including the sword given George Washington by Frederick the Great and the pistols from Lafayette, were donated to the New York State Library by his widow in 1871.

Lewis Washington married twice, and one of his sons was James Barroll Washington, the friend of Custer.  James had one son, William Lanier Washington, who died in 1933, but had sold the rest of the Washington of the family collection of George Washington heirlooms at public auction in 1917.

--Old Secesh

Lincoln's Blood Relics-- Part 11: Booth's Arsenal

Booth's Deringer used that night is just one of several arms he purchased for his March 1865 plot to kidnap the president and soon deployed in his plot to kill Lincoln.  He also had two Colt revolvers and a Spencer repeating carbine with him when he was killed.

he had issued a  revolver and knife to George Atzerodt who was supposed to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson.  (Atzerodt got drunk and ran away, throwing the blade into the street and selling the pistol at a Georgetown shop.)

Booth lent a knife and Whitney revolver to Lewis Powell who made a bloody but failed attempt to kill Secretary of State William Seward.  (Powell broke the pistol on the skull of one of Seward's sons and used the knife to stab Seward nearly to death, along with several other members of the household.)

Along with his Deringer, Booth also carried into Ford's Theatre a Rio Grande camp knife which he used to stab Lincoln's guest, Major Henry Rathbone, in the theater box, and which, after he leapt onto the, he thrust above his head for all the audience to see as he shouted, "Sic Semper Tyrannis" (Thus always to tyrants").

The audience was too far away to read the mottoes acid etched onto the blood-smeared blade: "Land of the Free/Home of the Brave"; "Liberty/Independence."

--Old Secesh

It Happened Christmas 1868: Confederates Pardoned By Johnson

From December 25, 2014, Yahoo! News "Three other big historical events that happened on Christmas Day" by NCC Staff.

President Andrew Johnson pardoned most Confederate soldiers in 1868, in one of the most controversial moves of his presidency.  He had just fought a hard and long battle against his own party, i.e. Radical Republicans.  Earlier in 1868, he had survived a trial in the Senate after he had been impeached in the House.

He issued a general pardon for the Confederates on Christmas Day in 1868 for all who had fought for the Confederacy, provided that all eligible had applied for a pardon.

Actually, this was his 4th amnesty for Confederates and restored civil and property rights and provided immunity from treason charges.  But, it didn't allow former Confederate officials to vote or hold office.

In 1872, the Amnesty Act was amended to allow almost all former Confederates, except a few hundred high-ranking officials (such as Jefferson Davis, to hold public office and vote.

--Old Pardoned Secesh