Confederate Heritage Under Attack-- Part 3: Bow Ties?

From the June 27, 2019, Google Alerts for Confederate.

**  Fired MLGW worker with pro-Confederate views to get $223,000 judgement.

**  In Your Opinion:  Fly American flag, not Confederate one.

**  Archaeology magazine features Salisbury Confederate prison dig.   (Now, this is the type of article most often in the Confederate Google Alerts before Charleston, SC.  I sure wish we could go back to those days.

**  Beaufort County councilman under fire for bow tie.  (Certain people believe it is a Confederate flag.  See photo in article and you decide.)

**  Jefferson Davis monument lacks context to stand alone.

**  Inaugural Junetenth celebration in Tazewell hindered by rain, rumor.  (There was rumor it might be part of an attempt to take down a Confederate statue.)

**  Adam Scott is in a Twitter war with Mitch McConnell.  Part was a photo of McConnell standing in front of a Confederate flag.

Watch Those Bow Ties.  --Old Secesh

Stoneman's Raid and the Battle of Fort York

Wikipedia.

It was during tghis raid that the Battle of Fort York took place.

His roommate at West Point was Stonewall Jackson.

George Stoneman had led a previous raid in Virginia in 1863, before the Battle of Chancellorsville was fought.  He was later captured during the Atlanta Campaign.

This raid began March 23, 1865, in Knoxville, Tennessee.  His command consisted of 4,000 troopers.  They headed east into North Carolina where they plundered and destroyed towns.  Then they went into Virginia on April 2 where they destroyed 150 miles of railroad track.

Seven days later, on April 9, they returned to North Carolina and went to the towns of Winston and Salem, now Winston-Salem,, then toward High Point.

On April 12, Stoneman's men entered Salisbury with the intention of setting free Union prisoners held there.  But, they had already been removed.  Stoneman then set fire to the town.  It was at this time that the battle of Fort York took place.

Leaving Salisbury, Stoneman plundered Statesville, Lincolnton, Taylorsville and Asheville before returning to Tennessee on April 26th.

They had covered 600 miles and three states during the raid.

--Old Secesh

Fort York, North Carolina-- Part 3: "One Wing York" and "Galvanized Yankees"

General Zebulon York of Louisiana was in command of the fort which was named after him.  he had previously lost an arm and his troops nicknamed him "One Wing York.  About 600 of his troops were "Galvanized Yankees."

He went to the Confederate Salisbury Prison and picked out "Catholics, Irishmen and Scottish men" who would not as likely be loyal to the Union because they had not been born there.  The Confederacy had a serious manpower problem at this late date.  General York's other troops were mostly Home Guard.

The battle took place on April 12, 1865.

--Old Secesh

Escape From Salisbury Prison Camp in December 1864

From the March 21, 2015, Statesville (NC) Record & landmark "Column: Escape route from Salisbury Confederate Prison led through Iredell" by O.C. Stonestreet.

When I first started reading this article, I thought perhaps this man accompanied Barney Losey who escaped from this prison camp at some point before he boarded the ill-fated General Lyon for his trip home.  However, as it turns out, they didn't.

Albert D. Richardson (1833-1869) was a native of Massachusetts and a correspondent of tye New York Daily Tribune, captured by Confederate forces at Vicksburg, Mississippi, on May 3, 1863.  he was held at several Confederate prisons, including Libby Prison in Richmond.  Finally, he ended up at the 16-acre Confederate Military Prison at Salisbury, N.C., on February 4, 1864.  Altogether, he spend twenty months in Confederate prisons.

On December 18, 1864, he and four others escaped and traveled 400 miles very carefully to Union lines in eastern Tennessee.  Part of their escape route took them through Wilkes County, N.C..

--Old Secesh