10 Facts About Phil Sheridan-- Part 3: A Poem and a Horse

4.  HE BECAME FAMOUS, IN PART, BECAUSE OF A POEM

During the Shenandoah Campaign of 1864,  his army came under surprise attack at the Battle of cedar Creek while he was away from his troops.  When he heard the artillery  he raced to the battle, rallied his troops and won a victory.

Sheridan received a letter of thanks from Lincoln and a poet, Thomas Buchanan Read wrote a song about his actions that day called "Sheridan's Ride."

The poem made both the horse, Rienzi, and rider famous.

Some of the poem:

Then, striking his spurs,  with a terrible oath,
He dashed down the line  'mid a storm of huzzas,
And the wave of retreat  checked its course there, because

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5.  HIS HORSE WAS STUFFED AFTER ITS DEATH

After Rienzi died in 1878, he was stuffed and mounted and presented to Sheridan.    The horse is now in the collection of  the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

--Old Secesh

How Did a Small Piece of the Ellsworth Flag End Up in California?-- Part 5

According to the museum curator, "The flag had been heavily 'souvenired' at the time."

Fragments of it are at the National Museum of American History (Smithsonian), the Fort Ward Museum in Alexandria, Virginia, and the Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, Illinois.

The rest of the flag has been in the possession of a military museum since the end of the Civil War.  It was briefly on public exhibit in New York from 2011-2012 for the 150th anniversary of the incident.

--Old Secesh

Lt.-Colonel James M. Green's Sword Comes to Long Island-- Part 2

James Green re-enlisted in the 48th New York Infantry and became the captain of Company F in August 1861.  Promoted to major in June 1861, when he was presented with the sword, and then later that year became the regiment's lieutenant-colonel.

On July 18, 1863, the 48th New York and 54th Massachusetts and other units assaulted Confederate defenses at Fort/Battery Wagner on Morris Island in which Lt.-Col. James M. Green was killed.

His remains were buried in a mass grave and never recovered.

In 1932, his niece Georgiana Ring green donated his possessions, including his shoulder straps, field saber and this presentation sword to the Smithsonian.  After they were taken off display the Long Island Museum asked for the sword's loan and received it.

--Old Secesh

Lt. Colonel Green's Sword Comes to Long Island-- Part 1

This is the man who Fort Green on Folly Island was named after he died at Fort Wagner.

From the October 27, 2014, Smithsonian "A Civil War treasure returns to Long Island" by Joshua Ruff of the Long Island Museum of American Arts, History and Carriages.

The sword is three feet long with a silver grip and a gilt decorated blade.  The inscription reads: "Presented to Major James M. Green, 48th Reg. N.Y.S.V. by the members of Company F.  The sword and scabbard were loaned by the Smithsonian to the Long island museum.

More than 36,000 Long Islanders served in the Union Army during the Civil War.

Green was a 32-year-old Brooklyn resident when he enlisted in the 71st New York Infantry Regiment as a private and fought at the Battle of First Bull Run.

--Old Secesh

Finding the Real "Old Glory"-- Part 12

That same year, the Peabody Essex also sent its "Old Glory" to the Smithsonian who regards Roland's flag as the real one for these reasons. It was directly descended from William Driver and there is documentary evidence in the Tennessee State Library and Archives suggests the one hidden in the quilt and presented to Union troops is Roland's.

Plus, it is common sense that Driver would have hoisted his largest flag over the dome.

So, Is "Old Glory" the One That Is Displayed? --Old Secesh

Finding the Real Old Glory-- Part 4

I knew that "Old Glory" refers to the U.S. flag in general, but I always thought if it referred to a specific flag that would be the Fort McHenry flag.

I did not know anything about this particular flag (and the Smithsonian Magazine has a picture of it where it appears quite worn).

Well, Now I know. Thanks Smithsonian. --Old Secesh

What's the Smithsonian Doing for the War

From the September Smithsonian Magazine "From the Castle" by G. Wayne Clough.

There are exhibitions at many of the Smithsonian's 19 museums. For an overview, check out Smithsonian.com/civilwar. You should experiment with the interactive map of the Battleof Gettysburg, which has troop movements (great if you get confused by such matters and photographic displays of terrain as various military units would have seen them.

This month, Smithsonian will publish their new book "Smithsonian Civil War: Inside the National Collection" where historians have chosen 150 noteworthy and often moving objects such as weapons, uniforms, portraits and even a slave ship manifest. Three shows tied to it will be airing on the Smithsonian Channel (which, unfortunately,  I don't get).

Worth Checking Out. --Old Secesh

Pvt. Stockwell's Rifle Musket

From the September 2013 Smithsonian Magazine "From the Castle" by G. Wayne Clough.

This 1863 Springfield rifle musket was once owned by Private Elisha Stockwell Jr, who lied about his age and enlisted in the Union Army at age 15. He took a cannister shot in the arm and a bullet in his shoulder at the Battle of Shiloh in 1862.

He recovered and was around for General Sherman's campaign to capture Atlanta.

Then, at age 81 and nearly blind, finally got around to writing about his wartime experience. As to the wounds at Shiloh, he wrote: "I thought my arm was gone, but I rolled on my right side and...couldn't see anything wrong with it."

Spotting ripped flesh, a lieutenant ordered Stockwell to sit out a charge which possibly saved his life.

Private Stockwell's rifle is part of the Smithsonian's American History Museum's 5,700 firearm collection.

--Old Secesh

The Stuffed Horse

While doing research on the Zero Mile Marker in Washington, DC, I came across this interesting bit of information.

It's Rienzi, Union General Phil Sheridan's magnificent steed who made a 12 mile gallop back to Winchester to save that battle for the North back in 1864. His tremendous strength and endurance made it possible. During the war, Rienzi was in a total of 19 battles.

After his death, he was stuffed and put on display at the US First Army Museum in New York City. After it burned in 1922, Rienzi was saved and moved to the Smithsonian in DC under full military escort.

Now, That's a Horse of a Different Color, Indeed. --Old Secesh