John Quincy Adams Ward-- Part 1: the Man Who Made the Sheridan Statue at Albany

From Wikipedia.

(June 29, 1830-May 1, 1910)

American sculptor whose most-known work is the larger-than-life-size standing statue of George Washington on the steps of the Federal Hall National Memorial in New York City.

Born in Urbana, Ohio, founded by his paternal grandfather, Col. William Ward, an American Revolution officer.  After training as a sculptor in Brooklyn, N.Y., , he went to Washington, D.C., in 1857, where he made a name for himself doing busts of prominent men. 

In 1861, he worked for the Ames Manufacturing Company  in Massachusetts  where he made models for projects, including  gilt-bronze sword hilts for Union officers.  Ames was one of the largest bronze, brass and iron  foundries in the United States at that time.

He set up a studio in New York City and pushed for an American School of Sculpture and became one of the preeminent sculptors of his generation.

--Old Secesh

May 13, 1867: Jefferson Davis Posts Bail and Gets Out of Prison

From the May 13, 2020. WHSV 3 News  "On this day: Confederate President Jefferson Davis posts $100,00 bail" by Rachel DePompa.

On this day, May 13, 1867, former Confederate President Jefferson Davis was released from prison at Fortress Monroe in Virginia after two years of captivity.

In the 1950s, the United Daughters of the Confederacy paid the U.S. Army  to build an archway near the fort that said "Jefferson Davis  Memorial Park.  This was also at the place where black slaves were first brought to Virginia in 1619.

Last year, the arch was removed and placed in a museum (part of the anti-Confederate movement).

After the war, many wanted Davis hanged for treason but it was decided that he would go to trial.  Due to several delays, this trial never happened and he was never tried for treason.  The charges were eventually dropped.

--Old Secesh

What They Said About Sheridan's Statue

The 10 Facts article had four comments, so I figured to take a look at them, thinking at least one would want the statue taken down because of what he did to the Indians.

#1.  Sheridan's desk that he used during the 1864 Shenandoah Campaign can be found at North bend, Virginia, which was his headquarters.  Today, it is a B&B

#2.  Take it down.  Participated in the genocide  of Southerners and Native Americans sits on public land."

#3.  Great commander. Too bad people of Albany don't know about their connection with him.

#4.  "The monument should be taken down because it is a symbol of racism, hate, genocide, and crimes against humanity against Native Americans.  It is an embarrassment to the state of New York."

Sounds Familiar.  --Old Secesh

10 Facts About Phil Sheridan-- Part 7: His Statue

In the fall of 1916, the monument, designed by  sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward, and finished by Daniel Chester French, was ready to be installed.

On October 7, there was a parade for the unveiling.  Albany Mayor John Stevens even declared a half-day holiday so people could attend the ceremony.  A big crowd, described as "a mighty throng", turned out for it.

A series of officials and guests of honor made speeches before the statue was unveiled.

Mayor Stevens said:  I do not posses the eloquence to do so, nor is it my function to speak of the great military genius, the great services rendered to the nation by General Sheridan.  This will be dwelt upon by  the eminent speakers whom I shall have the honor to introduce.  My only desire is to express the appreciation of all concerned for this beautiful memorial -- dedicated to the memory  of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan, in the city of his birth."

--Old Secesh

10 Facts About Phil Sheridan-- Part 6: His Statue in Albany

10.  THE UNVEILING OF HIS STATUE IN ALBANY DREW A HUGE CROWD.

Sheridan died in 1888 and three decades later a movement started in New York to erect a statue honoring him.  Apparently Ohio had taken the lead in claiming  the famous general as its own and New York wanted to get in on the action.

New York's governor, Martin Glynn, publicly started off the campaign, and called for the people of Albany  to raise $10,000 for the monument.  If the city accomplished this, he said the legislature to put up $20,000.  Glynn remarked:  State pride and local pride demand that this be done."

--Old Secesh

10 Facts About Phil Sheridan-- Part 5: Yellowstone and the Great Chicago Fire

8.  HIS INFLUENCE HELPED YELLOWSTONE BECOME A NATIONAL PARK

Sheridan ended up being a key proponent of the protection of what is today Yellowstone National Park in 1870.  At one point, he even directed a cavalry unit to take control of it to prevent development.

A mountain peak there was named in his honor.

9.  HE WAS (BRIEFLY) THE MILITARY RULER OF CHICAGO

The post from which Sheridan oversaw the forces in the Great Plains was Chicago (because it was a major railroad intersection) and he was there during the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.  he took a major role in fighting the fire, ordering his troops to  dynamite buildings in the path of the flames in order to block them.

And, he briefly was ruler of the city when martial law was imposed following the fire.

--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

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

10 Facts About Phil Sheridan-- Part 2: A Short Man and a Key General

**  2.  HE WAS SHORT

Sheridan stood just 5 feet 5 inches and was called "Little Phil"

His diminutive height caused President Lincoln once to remark:  "General Sheridan, when this particular war began I thought a cavalryman should be at least six feet four inches high, but I have changed my mind.  Five feet four will do in a pinch."

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**  3.  HE WAS A KEY GENERAL IN THE CIVIL WAR

He started his military career in the Pacific Northwest and at the start of the Civil War was not an important Union officer.  He worked his way up, eventually becoming a cavalry commander and a key subordinate of U.S. Grant.

At Grant's orders, he used a scorched earth policy against the Confederate Army in the Shenandoah Valley to destroy the base of support.  Then, he made that ride from Winchester, Va., to rally his troops at The Battle of cedar Creek.

It was the troops of Sheridan that pursued and eventually brought Lee to surrender at Appomattox.

--Old Secesh

10 Facts About Phil Sheridan-- Part 1: Born in Albany, New York?

From the October 7, 2016, All Over Albany "10 facts about Philip Sheridan, whose  statue has stood in front of the state Capitol for 100 years."

The statue of a mounted General Philip Sheridan that stands in front of New York's State Capitol  was unveiled 100 years earlier on October 7, 1916.  But, it is felt that most people in Albany couldn't tell you much about the general.

Well, here are ten things:

1.  HE WAS FROM ALBANY-- UNLESS HE WASN'T

He was born in Albany in 1831, the son of Irish immigrants,  on the street that now bears his name.  Back in 1831, it was Fox Street.  His family would move to Ohio not long after his birth and that is where he grew up.

Despite Sheridan's claims that he was born in Albany, there is the possibility he was born in Ireland.  As one version of the story goes, his parents showed up in Albany with a two-week old son.

This question became of particular interest in 1884 when there was talk among Republicans of nominating him for president.

Where Have We Heard That One Before.  --Old Secesh

About That Phil Sheridan Statue in Chicago

I have been writing about the statue of Philip Sheridan in Chicago's Lincoln Park in my RoadDog's RoadLog blog the last couple days.

Not only did he play a huge role in the Civil War, but also in Chicago.

Read all about it and find out about his horse in that blog by clicking on that blog to the right of it.

--OldRoadDog

John Ross Key, Engineer CSA-- Part 1: Yep, That Key Name

One of the men appointed to the Board to detail the defense of Fort Sumter and Charleston Harbor was John Ross Key.  Well, last name of Key.  Could he be related to that other famous Francis Scott Key?

The answer is yes, he was.

From the North Point Gallery site.  Turns out John R. Key was quite the artist and mapmaker.

John Ross Key was born July 16, 1837, two months after the death of his father, and was raised until the age of five by his grandfather, none other that Francis Scott Key, who wrote, of course, "The National Anthem."  His grandfather died in 1843.

As a teenager, he was forced to work to support his widowed mother.

His talent for drawing  led to a job as a topographical artist and draftsman  with the U.S. Coast Survey.  In 1859, he was hired as mapmaker in the advance party of the Lander Expedition to chart the best overland  through hostile Indian territories of Wyoming and Nevada.

In 1861, along with several other Francis Scott Key grandsons, he threw in his lot with the Confederacy.

--Old SeceshKey

Major John Johnson Appointed to Committee to Record the Defense of Fort Sumter and Charleston

From the forward of the Book "Defense of Charleston Harbor, Including Fort Sumter and the Adjacent Islands" by John Johnson.

Understanding the significance of the defense of Charleston even during the war. on April 19, 1864, General Beauregard, in charge of the city's defenses and Confederate commander when the fort was surrendered in 1861, directed that a board be assembled to write the story of the defense of that city.

It was to commence with the Union naval attack on Fort Sumter on April 7, 1863.

He appointed five members to the Board:

Pierre Soule as president
Major W.S. Basinger, Artillery P.A.C.S.
Captain John Johnson, Engineers
Lt. John Ross Key, Engineers, draughtsman
Captain Henry Wemyss Feildon as Recorder of the Board

"Captain Johnson will continue to supervise the defense of Fort Sumter, but will leave an assistant  in immediate charge of that work.  He will be furnished by the chief engineer with a boat and crew, that he may visit the fort whenever necessary."

Important Back Then.  --Old Secesh

Major John Johnson Makes Corrections in Second Printing of His Book "Defense of Charleston..."

The first printing ran out in just six months.

Omissions he wanted to correct:

**  The Confederate transport Marion sunk by a torpedo while placing then in the Ashley River on April 6, 1863.

**  The statement that the finding of the "fish" Confederate torpedo boat, alongside the wreck of her victim, the U.S. sloop of war "Housatonic" is not a certified fact.

**  The captured gunboat "Isaac Smith" afterwards known as the "Stono" by the Confederates,  was lost in attempting to run the blockade.

**  The attack on the Pawnee and Marblehead gunboats  on the Stono River m July 16, 1863,  there were engaged four rifled guns of the siege train (Palmetto Guards) Capt. B.C. Webb, , besides the artillery mentioned.

**  The average range of all (Union) batteries at the reduction of Fort Pulaski, Ga., was 2,559 yards, though the actual breaching was done at  at 1,700 yards.

--Old Secesh

Major John Johnson Obit-- Part 3

Maj. John Johnson was called to his immortal reward Sunday, April 7. 1907.  Ever present in life to cheer and comfort him was the love, esteem, and confidence of all mankind, and in the hour of death those who knew him best have every confidence that the world is better in that he lived.

The father of Dr. Johnson (Major), Joseph Johnson, M.D.,  was a son of William Johnson, one of the Revolutionary patriots of "Liberty Tree" fame and an exile to St. Augustine, and a nephew of Justice William Johnson, of the United States Supreme Court.

General Beauregard said that to Dr. Johnson was due the masterly defense of  Fort Sumter.

--Old Secesh