“our sad, though interesting duties”

Posted on July 20, 2015 by SUMPTER
Clara Barton - from portrait taken in Civil War and authorized by her as the one she wished to be remembered by (1890; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/93513623/)

“Clara Barton – from portrait taken in Civil War and authorized by her as the one she wished to be remembered by ” (1890, Library of Congress)

From a Seneca County, New York newspaper on July 20, 1865:

Miss Clara Barton, daughter of Judge Barton, of Worcester, Massachusetts, who has obtained national repute by publishing a list of missing soldiers and by heroic deeds to the wounded, and even under fire, left Washington on Friday, on a Government vessel, with a party for the purpose of enclosing the area of ground at Andersonville where so many Federal prisoners perished from want and exposure, and of putting up head-boards at their graves. She conceives that she has a correct list of the deceased, and has accordingly obtained seventeen thousand head-boards for the purpose.

From The New-York Times August 2, 1865:

The Graves of Union Martyrs at Andersonville.; TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-SIX MURDERED AT THE “DEAD LINE.”

From the Washington Republican.

Miss CLARA BARTON, the humane annalist of our Union martyrs, who accompanied Capt. MOORE on his expedition to Andersonville to give Christian burial to the prisoners who died there, writes the following note to her uncle, JAMES BARTON, Esq., of this city:

ANDERSONVILLE, Ga., Wednesday, July 12, 1865.

DEAR UNCLE: We arrived here on the 13th [?], and are now in the active prosecution of our labors. Capt. JAMES M. MOORE, kindly detailed by Gen. D.H. RUCKER to assist me in the performance of our sad, though interesting duties, is now organizing our forces, and preparing the ground for the reception of our heroic dead. Two hundred and seventy-six were recovered yesterday from the ground known as outside of the “dead line,” or, as it was generally known to the public, outside of a prohibited line, beyond which they had accidentally strayed for the purpose of procuring a little fresh water, or the roots of shrubs or trees, to allay the pangs of thirst and hunger, and for so doing were barbarously murdered. The grounds are all selected for the cemetery, and in a few days I will send you a statement for publication, if the editors of Washington think it worthy of publication in their columns. Your affectionate niece,

CLARA BARTON.

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Month, Aftermath, Civil War prisons | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Southern roadblock?

Posted on July 16, 2015 by SUMPTER

If delegations from the rebel states are re-admitted to the Congress without conditions, could they stifle the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment outlawing slavery?

wendell-phillips-1 (http://ushistoryimages.com/wendell-phillips.shtm)

keep the rebels out

From The New-York Times July 9, 1865:

Letter from Wendell Phillips.

THE RESTORATION OF THE SOUTHERN STATES.

The following letter from WENDELL PHILLIPS appears in the Anti-Slavery Standard this week:

To the Editor of the Standard:

Let me call your attention an[d] that of the country to the danger pointed out in the following extract from the letter of an acute and vigilant friend:

President JOHNSON is rapidly issuing proclamations for the reorganization of all the rebel States. The Governors appointed are old politicians, who know all the ropes. Is it not their design, and will they not be able, before next December to make all their new Constitutions and elect new Governors and full Congressional delegation? Then what is to prevent those States from presenting themselves, fully accredited, on the floor of the new Congress, and participating in its organization. They will claim, as President JOHNSON does, that their States have never been out of the Union; that the government declares (as it will) the rebellion suppressed and military occupation withdrawn, and that they now resume their relations with the Federal Government, which have been only temporarily suspended. In this claim they will be backed by the whole power of the Administration, and this is the trap to be sprung on us. The Clerk of the House, you remember, presides until a new Speaker is elected. If he had firmness enough to refuse to receive the credentials of these rebel members, and to refuse to count their votes, this danger might be averted. But can we count on so much virtue in any politician? We may, perhaps, ba[???]ie this plan in the Senate. That body being always organized, no members can be admitted without the concurrence of the rest. But how long would even the Senate stand up against the action of the House of Representatives, and enormous pressure of every other kind?

Pioneers of freedom (1866; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/94507586/)

Mr. Phillips, et al. as Trailblazers (1866)

I believe that this attempt will be made at the next meeting of Congress. Possibly South Carolina might be kept out, but even that is doubtful. I may exaggerate the importance of this matter, but that the attempt will be made there can be no doubt.

The importance of these suggestions cannot be overestimated, and every means should be taken to avert this peril. We have been counting on the possibility of rallying a majority of the legally elected members of Congress to keep the members from the rebel States out of Congress, at least till they consented to certain conditions — ratifying the anti-slavery amendment and other matters. Some sanguine friends believe they can be kept out until they agree to give the negro the right to vote. But, according to this rebel plot, the Southern members may enter Congress without agreeing to the anti-slavery amendment, or to any other conditions. Once inside the doors, they may take part in all the discussions and votes affecting themselves and their claims, and may checkmate the anti-slavery amendment itself. In fact, our fate rests in the hands of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. I know nothing about him; but how few men in the nation could be trusted to stand firm in such a post? The whole North should be roused to guard against this danger. If the rebel States, in their present mood, can in any way get inside Congress, and wield eighty-four votes there, and more especially if they can get there unpledged to any conditions, and wield those votes, then truly the “South” will be as strong as ever, and the negro almost as defenceless. Yours,

WENDELL PHILLIPS.

As it turned out the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified with the support of previously seceded states, although some of those states tried to attach conditions:

When South Carolina ratified the amendment in November 1865, it issued its own interpretive declaration that “any attempt by Congress toward legislating upon the political status of former slaves, or their civil relations, would be contrary to the Constitution of the United States”. Alabama and Louisiana also declared that their ratification did not imply federal power to legislate on the status of former slaves. During the first week of December, North Carolina and Georgia gave the amendment the final votes needed for it to become part of the Constitution. (references at Wikipedia)

150 years ago today Wendell Phillips was thinking beyond the Thirteenth Amendment:

wendell phillips july16,1865

it’s fundamental

The portrait of Mr. Phillips is found at U.S. History Images. The Library of Congress provides the images of the Pioneers and the Notice to Freedmen
Posted in 150 Years Ago This Month, Aftermath, Northern Politics During War, Postbellum Politics, Postbellum Society, Reconstruction | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

cleaning up

Posted on July 13, 2015 by SUMPTER

Soldier's graves near cemetery no. 2 (Wilderness) (by G. O. Brown, Baltimore, MD : American Scenery (Stereoscopic) 267 West Lexington St., [1865]; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2015647109/)

“Soldier’s graves near cemetery no. 2 (Wilderness)” (1865; Library of Congress)

From a Seneca County, New York newspaper apparently in July 1865:

The party which went out to bury the dead in the Wilderness battle field, took with them twenty wagon loads of coffins and three weeks’ rations.

Soldier's graves of the 5th A.C. (i.e. Army Corps) Wilderness battle field (by G. O. Brown, Baltimore, MD : American Scenery (Stereoscopic) 267 West Lexington St., [1865]; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2015647105/)

“Soldier’s graves of the 5th A.C. (i.e. Army Corps) Wilderness battle field” (1865, Library of Congress)

Rebel grounds, near triangle of death. Wilderness field (by G. O. Brown, Baltimore, MD : American Scenery (Stereoscopic) 267 West Lexington St., [1865]; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2015647112/)

“Rebel grounds, near triangle of death. Wilderness field” (1865, Library of Congress)

Poet Thomas Bailey Aldrich saw Nature helping restore the sacred battlefields of Virginia to a more antebellum order. From The Atlantic Monthly, VOL. XVI.—JULY, 1865.—NO. XCIII.:

Virginia 1865

Nature hides the horror

150 years ago CYMON reported that agriculture was having a similar healing effect on a famous battlefield north of Mason-Dixon. From The New-York Times July 10, 1865:

GETTYSBURGH BATTLE-FIELD.; The Field Revisited Old Scenes Revived Appearance of the Battle-Field Two Years After the Conflict Vestiges The Cemetery and Monument Gettysburgh and its People.

GETTYSBURGH, Penn., Tuesday, July 4, 1865.

Our swords are ploughshares and our spears are pruning-hooks. The wand of the husbandman and the influence of the season has so tenderly healed the scars of savage war, that but few vestiges remain of the terrible conflict of two years ago. Here and there fast crumbling breastworks or grass grown lunettes mark the spot where our line of steel and flame hurled back the enemy from the heights he sought to storm; but on other portions of the field, where the battle was fiercest, and where fortune hung quivering over the contestants for two days, there are only fields of waving, golden grain, or green pastures, fresher and richer for the rivulets of blood and battalions of dead that sunk beneath the sod.

gburg 1906 maps (LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/99439178/)

Army War College studied Gettysburg in 1906

But this is now historic ground. The carnage and smoke and dust of battle are not needed to bring back vividly the scenes of those first days of July, ’63. Engraven as upon stone in the memory of every eyewitness and participator, the scene is freshly reenacted as the eye rests upon the now quiet and serene landscape, then so red and hot with the glare of the conflict. And the battle is being “fought over again” with a vigor akin to the struggle of the armed hosts when the onward march of rebellion was forever stayed. Thousands of visitors stroll along the lines, and every hill, every ravine, this stone wall, that clump of trees, yonder woods, Culp’s Hill, Cemetery Hill, Round Top and the peach orchard where SICKLES began the fight, are all before us again as natural as when they were bristling with the cannon and bayonets of the soldiers of the republic.

But though the vestiges of that battle fade away and disappear until nothing is left but the ground on which it was fought, it is nevertheless perpetuated not alone in history but in a grand and holy work first inaugurated by LINCOLN and EVERETT, whose monuments now too tower toward the skies simultaneously with this, which is to mark for ages the resting-place of four thousand other patriots. The country is familiar with the conception of this exceedingly appropriate plan, and will rejoice to know that the work is being steadily pushed forward by the National Monument Association, and another year will see this mausoleum complete in all respects, its grounds highly ornamented, its avenues hard and smooth, and its chaste marble shaft surmounted by the Genius of Liberty and the victor’s wreath of laurel, while war, history, peace and freedom shall be typified in allegorical statues at its base. …

[Much of the long article is a kind of walking tour of the battlefield and a description of the monument that had its cornerstone laid on July 4, 1865, but there was evidence that the human commercial spirit helped clean the field of war relics]

The right of the line, held by SLOCUM, still presents the most visible evidences of the conflict. The breastworks still remain, though in a crumbling condition, for the avarice of the owner of the ground has induced him to demolish these monuments of the battle for the sake of selling the timber cut down by the soldiers for the defence of their line. Culp’s Hill, so well defended by GEARY, is still covered by the forest of oaks and beeches, with their battle faces sadly marred by weather-beaten and slowly-healing wounds. The axe has been busy, and the relic-hunter and speculator in old iron has tramped over every inch of the ground, and now scarce a piece of iron or lead is ever discovered. It is only when a heavy rain washes bare a few battered bullets that a relic of the battle can be found on the grounds. … Passing still further down the road, we alight at the primitive cottage known as “Gen. Meade’s Headquarters,” surprised to find that there is still a board or shingle left. There is not on the line a point of greater interest. Situated within a stone’s throw of our line of battle on the left, subjected to a converging fire of artillery, I remember most vividly the scenes of Thursday and Friday, July 2 and 3, 1863. Headquarters were never so thoroughly and completely “under fire.” A perfect simoon of shot and shell came screeching over the line, and raking this miserable little dwelling; a score of staff horses tied to the very fence which now incloses the humble garden, were killed outright; two or three staff officers wounded, and a hundred narrow escapes; everybody hugging the ground, and wishing themselves as thin as wafers; a thundering, screeching, tearing shower of shells, plunging and bursting everywhere; it seemed impossible that anything should live through such a feu d’enfer. But the cottage stands; it looks not a bit older; a mark of rude treatment only here and there; the fences as they were; the well, which was the only hospitality of the place; the single apple-tree, bearing now a few specimens of red harvest apples, one of which we pluck as a memento; while the poor German widow traffics in relics from the field, and bemoans to visitors the destruction wrought upon her household effects. …

Laying the corner-stone of the Soldiers' Monument at Gettysburg, July 4, 1865 (LOC: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/89706320/)

“Laying the corner-stone of the Soldiers’ Monument at Gettysburg, July 4, 1865) (Library of Congress)

The monument whose corner-stone was so imposingly laid to-day, will undoubtedly be reared before the close of the present year, and perhaps by another fourth of July the entire cemetery will be complete in all its respects — the gatekeeper’s house occupied, the drives in good order, the ornamentation of the grounds complete, and the whole plan happily carried out. Descriptions of the cemetery have been heretofore given. There are now buried here nearly 3,000 soldiers, most of whom are known, and their names, company and regiment cut into the granite which forms their head-stone. These head-stones form a continuous line of granite blocks, rising nine inches above the ground, and showing a face or width of ten inches on their upper surface. The designer of the monument is JAMES G. BATTERSON, of Hartford, Conn., who furnishes the following description: …

National Homestead Gettysburg (LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/scsm000533/)

“Proposed design for the National Homestead of Gettysburg for soldier’s orphans” (Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Alfred Whital Stern Collection of Lincolniana.)

Gettysburgh and its people, on a former occasion, received considerable attention at my hands. This time your correspondent came near receiving considerable attention at the hands of the citizens, of a character not calculated to impress him with the justice of their claims for hospitality and kindness. In other words, it was proposed to resort to lynch law to prove that my statements of two years ago were not correct. But happily the leading and respectable citizens of the place, having the honor of Gettysburgh and a desire to preserve law and order at heart, promptly put down the demonstrations of a few demagogues, and gave your correspondent every opportunity for learning that the claims of the village for hospitality and kindness are not unfounded. Having no desire but to deal justly by all, I must say that notwithstanding the experiences of this occasion, I was able to learn that many of the citizens, on recovering from the paralysis of the battle two years ago, devoted themselves, with self-sacrificing ardor, to the care of the wounded. Some noble women ministered to our men at their own houses, with the shot and shell flying over their heads. The people who acted thus deprecate and condemn as strongly as any one the disreputable conduct heretofore complained of, and are anxious that all should have an opportunity to learn that that class does not constitute the majority of the citizens of Gettysburgh. Personally, the treatment and courtesies extended to me by those with whom I came in contact were of the most cordial and happy character, and convinced not only myself but many other strangers that Gettysburgh has a large population of intelligent, influential and hospitable citizens. CYMON.

I’m pretty sure the citizens of Gettysburg have shown a lot of hospitality over the last century and a half.

Wilson at Gettysburg (1913; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/ggb2005013864/)

President Wilson at Gettysburg reunion in 1913 (Library of Congress)

And from a Seneca County, New York newspaper in July 1865:

There is said to be some 800 New York soldiers buried in the Gettysburg Cemetery at the present time.

Gettysburg battlefield ( Illus. in: Frank Leslie's illustrated newspaper, 1882 June 24, pp. 280-281. ; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/95522081/)

from Frank Leslie’s on June 24, 1882

You can find out more about the Gettysburg maps at the Library of Congress. The National Homestead at Gettysburg apparently operated from 1867-1877.

The world might be much bigger than the American Civil War, but so far I haven’t done much else.

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Month, Aftermath, Battle Monuments, Northern Society, Postbellum Society | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

“boots and saddles” no more

Posted on July 7, 2015 by SUMPTER
1stCavalryStandard2006.0315

standard after three-year term

From the Seneca County Courier July 13, 1865:

LETTER FROM A SENECA FALLS SOLDIER-BOY.

The following interesting letter is from a native of this town, who was among the very first to respond to the President’s first call for Volunteers and who continued in the army during the war:

CAMP 1st N.Y. (LINCOLN) CAVALRY,
HART’S ISLAND, N.Y. HARBOR,
Friday, July 7th, 1865.

FRIEND FULLER – Today our regiment, with others has been discharged from the military service of the United States. Four years ago, with hundreds of thousands more, we marched southward to aid in restoring the authority of the Union. We followed McClellan through his Peninsula campaigns and through his subsequent campaign in Maryland. Transferred to the Department of West Virginia shortly after the battle of Antietam, we saw arduous service among the Alleghany Mountains and in the Valley of Virginia until Milroy’s retreat from Winchester in June 1863. After participating in the second campaign north of the Potomac, we returned to our rich “hunting grounds” in the Shenandoah Valley, where the tracks of our scouting parties would make a complete net work stretching from the Potomac to Harrisonburg; and from the South Branch, beyond the Blue Ridge. In January, 1864, we re-enlisted for three years or during the war. Returning from veteran furlough, we fought with Sigel at New Market, and followed Hunter on his raid to Lynchburg, and on that long weary retreat across the mountains to the Ohio River. – Returning to the Valley by railway, we went through Sheridan’s active campaign, under the immediate command of the gallant Averill. Breaking camp on the morning of Feb. 27th, the regiment now in Custer’s division, followed Sheridan until Lee and Johnston had surrendered. Ordered back to Alexandria and thence here, we are again to-night civilians, and proud citizens of the grandest nation on earth.

ShenValley1862 (by Jedediah Hotchkiss, 1862; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/99446754/)

net work effect (Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division)

To-night we look on a picture of peace. – Near the long rows of the white tents of our camp, now almost deserted, the waters of the old salt sea ripple gently along the shore. – Ships and schooners are slowly sailing past where the full moon shines down on the harbor and the opening sound. There are no more details for guard or picket duty during the long night. No more fear of bugles sounding “boots and saddles” to call us hurriedly at midnight from our hard beds. No more expectation of going into battle in the morning. No more bivouacs on the frozen ground, holding our horses by the bridles as we sleep. It is hard to realize the change as we recall some of the stirring times through which we have passed, when a day without fight was something unusual. We recall the “Seven days” before Richmond, and the long weary days on Hunter’s raid, where, with nothing to eat, we would ride all day, and lie down supperless at midnight to dream of splendid dinners at our homes in the North; awaking to breakfast on birch bark and a handful of corn, and resume our march over the interminable mountains. Faint as we were, how we found strength to cheer the wagon train, with its precious load of “hard tack,” that at last met us.

We remember the dark days of doubt when we would wonder if all these things were to be, after all, in vain. We have always had a kind of respect for bold-fighting rebels, but words are wanting to tell what we have thought, and still think of the faint-hearted or malicious traitors in the North; old men finding fault with the Administration and Gen. Grant, and worrying about the price of gold; young men fleeing to Canada, or bravely submitting to any sacrifices, even the mutilation of their own bodies, that they might not be subject to the draft; women, who never sewed a stitch nor spoke a word of encouragement for the suffering soldiers. On that memorable Sunday after the fall of Sumter, a venerable man of God taught the religious duty of patriotism. said he, “If there be in this church any man or woman who will not, with all their energies, support the cause of our country in this hour of her peril, let them not enter my house nor touch my hand.”

It is with different feelings that we remember those who have worked so constantly for the soldiers; who have supplied them with necessaries and luxuries; who have written and spoken so many kind words of encouragement, friendship and Christian hope. The remembrance of their good deeds will be a source of happiness to them always.

We have many sorrowful recollections of brave, generous comrades whom we have left buried in Southern soil; either killed in battle or starved in prisons. But it some consolation to know that they do not rest in a foreign land.

We believe that the sacrifices it has cost to preserve the Union will teach the people vigilance in the future. None of us can ever forget our sorrow for the martyred Lincoln, nor what we owe to the true patriot Generals and statesmen who have led the country through its past perils.

Yours, &c., ***

The New York State Military Museum explains that the standard pictured up top was used after the initial three year enlistment had been served.

The Library of Congress provides the 1862 map of the Shenandoah Valley by Jedediah Hotchkiss. A few days ago I noticed that a 1945 dictionary did not have an entry for network

___________________________________________________________

Less than three months after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln four convicted conspirators were hanged:

Washington, D.C. Adjusting the ropes for hanging the conspirators (by Alexander gardner, July 7, 1865; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/cwp2003001013/PP/)

July 7, 1865: “Washington, D.C. Adjusting the ropes for hanging the conspirators” (Library of Congress)

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Aftermath, Military Matters, Northern Society, Veterans | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

“devout joy at the salvation of the country”

Posted on July 4, 2015 by SUMPTER
NY Times 7-4-1865

NY Times July 4 1865

memorial badge (LOC:)

people showed “spirit of devout gratitude and unselfish patriotism”

From The New-York Times July 6, 1865:

THE CELEBRATION OF INDEPENDENCE DAY.

The observance of the National Anniversary was characterized everywhere throughout the country by a sober heartiness and earnest enthusiasm, in perfect keeping with the peculiarities of the occasion. The public fully appreciated the moral grandeur of the festival. The all-pervasive sentiment, finding its expression in public utterances and private merrymakings, was profound gratitude at the happy issue of the terrible ordeal through which the nation has just passed victoriously. This feeling of gratitude, though dominant, was tempered, nevertheless, by the saddened memories which must cling for long, long years to the epoch of the rebellion. There was devout joy at the salvation of the country, redeemed from the dark stigma of slavery, and established on surer and better foundations as the land of a free people, whose right to self-government has been vindicated before the world, and whose success finds a response of thankfulness in the hearts of the down-trodden and oppressed among all peoples. There were also the sorrowful remembrances of homes made desolate, families bereft, broad lands devastated, and great cities laid waste by fratricidal strife. No wonder, then, that the day was fraught with conflicting emotions, and was not the less fruitful of sober thoughtfulness than exhuberant patriotism.

NY Times July 6 1865

NY Times July 6 1865

New York Times July 6 1865

New York Times July 6 1865

In all the demonstrations yesterday the gallant men to whose courage and endurance the nation owes its life, received, as was meet they should, the homage of a grateful people. Their’s was the honored place in the public celebrations and at the festive board. The people themselves mingled harmoniously together, everywhere imbued with the same spirit of devout gratitude and unselfish patriotism, animated by the same noble sentiment which the late President so forcibly expressed, of “malice toward none — charity for all,” and thus showed in their manner of observing the day that they were worthy of the heritage of a free and enlightened republic.

General Grant attracted a lot of attention as he traveled by train from New York City to Albany on the Fourth. At Albany General Butterfield presented many New York regimental battle-flags to Governor Fenton. Further North in Saratoga another Union general urged a charitable policy towards the defeated rebels. From a Seneca County, New York newspaper in July 1865:

GENERAL SICKLES, who lost a leg during the rebellion, was at Saratoga on the 4th and made a speech on the state of the country. He simply urged the policy of mercy and fraternity towards the subjugated foe, and made this pointed thrust at the radical hyenas who thirst for the blood of the prostrate victims: “If those who have served their country in the field can can sincerely look with these sentiments upon those with whom they have been so lately engaged in battle, then, I think the civilians throughout the land – especially the politicians who have done so much to get us into this war – can do so.

Gen. Daniel E. Sickles & Staff (LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/brh2003003954/PP/)

General Sickles and staff after Gettysburg

Presentation of two hundred battle-flags to Governor Fenton at Albany, New York, July 4, 1865 / sketched by Theodore R. Davis. (Harper's Weekly June 29, 1865; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/89706322/)

“Presentation of two hundred battle-flags to Governor Fenton at Albany, New York, July 4, 1865 / sketched by Theodore R. Davis. ” (Library of Congress)

____________________________________________________________________
In Seneca Falls, New York the day was beautiful, the war had ended, peace, returned soldiers marched in the procession and were honored. Unfortunately, the fireworks were only fair. From a Seneca County, New York newspaper in 1865:

Soldier's return quickstep (1865; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200000280/)

a tune for the 148th’s band? (1865; Library of Congress, Music Division.)

The Celebration.

The celebration of the Fourth of July in this village was in all respects a successful and imposing demonstration. The weather was propitious and the occasion one of no ordinary interest. At an early hour the people began to assemble and by the time the procession commenced forming a very large crowd thronged the streets, all anxious and eager to participate in the festivities of the day. The morning train from the west brought in the splendid Band of the 148th regiment, and large delegations from neighboring towns. At 10 o’clock the procession was formed on State street under Brigadier General Guion and his assistants, and conducted through the principal streets to the Park, where a large stand had been erected for the occasion. In the procession were a large number of returned soldiers of the 15th and 50th Engineers, the 148th regiment, the 8th cavalry and the 3d Artillery, bearing their appropriate colors, and preceded by a fine band of martial music. Conspicuous in the procession were the colors which the gallant 148th regiment had borne through so many sharp engagements. The boys of the 8th cavalry carried a banner upon which was inscribed “Heroes of Sixty-four Battles.”There were also quite a number of veterans of 1812 in the procession, among the number our venerable friend Gen. Z.A. Disbrow, of Waterloo. During the parade through the streets the reception of the returned soldiers was most enthusiastic, they being the object of the attention of all. The music of the 148th Band was particularly fine during the march.

Declaration of Independence (1819; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/2003690785/)

well-read document (1819, Library of Congress)

The exercises at the Park were of a very pleasant character. The President of the day, Mr. Abram Failing, announced the order of exercises, which consisted of prayer by the Rev. Mr. Baker, the reading of the Declaration of Independence by Charles A. Hawley, Esq., an an oration by Col. John B. Murray, interspersed with patriotic airs by the Band of the 148th. Mr. Hawley read the Declaration of Independence very acceptably, and Col. Murray spoke with his accustomed force, vigor and eloquence. His remarks were most favorably received. Immediately after the oration, Col. Johnson alluded to the proposition for an erection of a suitable monument to those from our town who have fallen in the defense of the government, announcing that a meeting for that purpose would be held at Union Hall this (Friday) afternoon.

After the benediction by the Rev. Mr. Oakley of the baptist Church, the procession re-formed and marched to Union Hall where a sumptuous dinner had been provided by the ladies of the place. The tables were bountifully supplied with all the substantials and delicacies of the season and their appearance reflected much credit upon all interested in their arrangement. Not being present at the Hall we cannot particularlize as to what occurred, but learn that everything passed off most agreeably to all.

Fireworks in the country (Harper's Weekly 10 July 1869,; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/2003673135/)

what might have been (from Harper’s Weekly July 10 1869 (Library of Congress))

The Horse fair brought together a large concourse of people and was one of the most attractive features of the day. It was all respects a success.

The Fireworks in the evening were fair, but not brilliant. The exorbitant price of every thing of a pyrotechnical character precluded the committee from the purchase of many very brilliant pieces. No accident occurred during the display, and the people generally expressed themselves satisfied with the entertainment.

This closed the Fourth so far as relates to the public celebration. The affair was creditable to all concerned, and every way worthy of the day of the occasion.

John B. Murray

“force, vigor and eloquence”

The success of the Horse Fair kind of reminded me of the popularity of classic car shows today – people admiring a good-looking ride?

From a Seneca County, New York newspaper in July 1865:

Brigadier General Disbrow.

Lundy's Lane / from an original painting by Chappel. (1859; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/2012645298/)

Remember Lundy’s Lane!

Our old fellow townsman, Brig. Gen. Zalmon A. Disbrow, was ferried across Cayuga Lake last Fourth of July, it being just seventy years since he came into our county by the same route. Since the year 1795 General Disbrow has been a citizen of Seneca county. Occupying an honorable and distinguished post in the last war with Great Britain, his martial spirit has burned with unabated fire thro’ the winter of his declining years. In grateful remembrance of military services rendered, the State conferred upon him, last year, the star of a Brigadier of Veterans of 1812.

During the past war he has been as unswerving and earnest in his loyalty as his record would indicate. His voice and influence have been for that country his young arm helped sustain, and his action such as we might expect from one whose maiden vote was cast for Jefferson, and whose bold heart dared the battle’s front at Queenstown Heights and Lundy’s Lane. – Waterloo Observer.

Peace--Fourth of July, 1865

Peace–Fourth of July, 1865 (Library of Congress)

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Fireworks Sanderson & Lanergan, pyrotechnists, ... (LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/2003653318/)

ready for some “whiz, pop, screech, bang!”?

The Fourth of July (1) The Day Before (c1906; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/2004681979/)

“The Fourth of July (1) The Day Before ” (c.1906; Library of Congress)

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Aftermath, Northern Society, Reconstruction, Veterans | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“noble devotion”

Posted on June 29, 2015 by SUMPTER

"[Portrait of Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, officer of the Federal Army, and corps commanders, vicinity of Washington, D.C., June 1865: Horatio G. Wright, John A. Logan, Meade, John G. Parke, Andrew A. Humphreys] " (Library of Congress)

“[Portrait of Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, officer of the Federal Army, and corps commanders, vicinity of Washington, D.C., June 1865: Horatio G. Wright, John A. Logan, Meade, John G. Parke, Andrew A. Humphreys] ” (Library of Congress)

From The New-York Times June 30, 1865:

ARMY OF THE POTOMAC.; Maj.-Gen. Meade’s Farewell Order.

WASHINGTON, Thursday, June 29.

The farewell order of Gen. MEADE is published. It is as follows:

HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, June 28, 1865.

SOLDIERS: This day two years ago, I assumed command of you under the orders of the President of the United States. To-day, by virtue of the same authority, the army ceasing to exist, I have to announce my transfer to other duties, and my separation from you. It is unnecessary to enumerate all that has occurred in these two eventful years, from the grand and decisive battle of Gettysburgh, the turning point of the war, to the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court-house. Suffice it to say that history will do you justice. A grateful country will honor the living, cherish and support the disabled, and sincerely mourn the dead. In parting from you, your Commanding General will ever bear in memory your noble devotion to your country, your patience and cheerfulness under all the privations and sacrifices you have been called on to endure.

Soldiers, having accomplished the work set before us, having vindicated the honor and integrity of our government and flag, let us return thanks to Almighty God for his blessing in granting us victory and peace, and let us earnestly pray for strength and light to discharge our duties as citizens as we have endeavored to discharge them as soldiers.

GEORGE G. MEADE,

Major-General United States Army.

"War views. No. 1501, Camp life, Army of the Potomac - writing to friends at home " (LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/2012649696/)

the stories they could tell (“War views. No. 1501, Camp life, Army of the Potomac – writing to friends at home” (1865; Library of Congress))

In his Memoirs Ulysses S. Grant summarized General Meade’s performance during the war:

General Meade was an officer of great merit, with drawbacks to his usefulness that were beyond his control. He had been an officer of the engineer corps before the war, and consequently had never served with troops until he was over forty-six years of age. He never had, I believe, a command of less than a brigade. He saw clearly and distinctly the position of the enemy, and the topography of the country in front of his own position. His first idea was to take advantage of the lay of the ground, sometimes without reference to the direction we wanted to move afterwards. He was subordinate to his superiors in rank to the extent that he could execute an order which changed his own plans with the same zeal he would have displayed if the plan had been his own. He was brave and conscientious, and commanded the respect of all who knew him. He was unfortunately of a temper that would get beyond his control, at times, and make him speak to officers of high rank in the most offensive manner. No one saw this fault more plainly than he himself, and no one regretted it more. This made it unpleasant at times, even in battle, for those around him to approach him even with information. In spite of this defect he was a most valuable officer and deserves a high place in the annals of his country.

[Portrait of Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, officer of the Federal Army, and staff, vicinity of Washington, D.C., June 1865] (LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/cwp2003000354/PP/)

“Portrait of Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, officer of the Federal Army, and staff, vicinity of Washington, D.C., June 1865” (Library of Congress)

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all over the space …

Posted on June 27, 2015 by SUMPTER

and the time

Back on the day, I was absorbed in my own mini-liberation from almost-daily war posting. Here is General Gordon Granger’s June 19, 1865 order at Galveston Texas as the Unio army took control:

General Order No. 3 states:

“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.”

Back on the day, the war was apparently only almost over. 150 years ago this week a rebel pirate wreaked havoc on Yankee shipping up north – way up north. On June 22, 1865:

The Confederate raider CSS Shenandoah under Lieutenant James I. Waddell fires the last naval shots of the war by capturing the Union whalers William Thompson, Euphrates, Milo, Sophia Thornton, and Jerah Swift in the Bering Sea. Waddell hears rumors that the war has ended from his captives but disbelieves them for lack of evidence.

On June 23 and 26 the Shenandoah captured and burned seven more whalers in the Bering Sea. And on June 28:

The Confederate raider CSS Shenandoah seizes Union whalers Brunswick, Favorite, James Murray, Nile, Hillman, Nassau, Isaac Howland, Waverly, Martha, Favorite, Covington, and Congress, bonding a handful and burning the rest. In a voyage traversing 58,000 miles, this is Waddell’s most enterprising day.[1]

It would be another six weeks before Lieutenant Waddell would be made to believe that the war was really over.

JamesIredellWaddellCSA

still eyeing Yankee whalers in the Bering Sea

Rip_Van_Waddell

Rip Van Waddell

_____________________________________________________________

Away down south in the lower thirty-six, Northern troops were on their way home. From a Seneca County, New York newspaper in 1865:

Third New York Light Artillery.

discharge paper

Union Soldier’s Discharge Certificate

Three batteries of the Third New York Light Artillery arrived in this city yesterday morning, direct from Morehead City, North Carolina. The Citizen’s Committee gave them a breakfast at the Stanwix Hall. The repast over, Lieut.-Colonel Kennedy made a brief and appropriate speech, returning thanks to the citizens of Albany for the generous welcome extended to them. His remarks were greeted with cheers from the troops, who were apparently delighted with the prospect of soon returning to their homes.

The regiment was one of the first raised in this State, and was mustered into the United States’ service at Elmira, April 16, 1861, as the 19th New York Volunteers, John S. Clark, Colonel. It was soon afterward organized as the Third New York Artillery, James H. Ledlie, who was afterward promoted to a Brigadier-General. The vacancy was filled by the appointment of Charles H. Stewart, of Auburn, as Colonel, who has ably filled the position, he being now on his way to this city with another portion of the regiment. Col. Stewart went out originally as Captain, but was quite early advanced to the position he now so worthily fills. Among the Majors connected with the various batteries, we remember Ammon, Schenck, and Jenny, who have proved their bravery on the field. Lieut.-Colonel Stone died in the service, and was lamented by all who knew him.

3rdArtyBtryAGuidon2004.0051

Battery A, 3rd Artillery (Light)
NY Volunteers
Guidon

The batteries of the Regiment have been in service in the Department of the South, before Charleston, in the Florida campaign, and in all the battles in North Carolina, on the James River, and in the first engagement under McClellan on the Peninsula. Three of them return under command of Lieut.-Colonel Terrence J. Kennedy, who went out as Captain. He was the first man to enlist in Cayuga county. He commenced recruiting on the 9th of April, 1861, six days before Sumter was fired on, and was looked upon as mad by his neighbors, who laughed at the idea of war. He raised his men, and applied to Gov. Morgan for arms and equipment as Light Artillery. The request was denied, upon the mistaken idea that artillery organizations were not then needed.

The following are officers of the Batteries returned:

Battery D. – Capt. Stephen Van Husen; went out as Sergeant. Lieutenants John Stevenson, Jr., Vanderbergh and Brinkerhoff.

Battery C – captain Mowers; went as Sergeant. Lieutenants Edward Cunningham and P.J. Newcomb.

Battery A – Captain Russell; Lieutenants Richardson and Morley.

The men were mainly recruited in Cayuga county, the balance having been raised in Onondaga, Oneida, Seneca and Wayne.

The regiment was accompanied as far as Albany by a portion of the Seventh Ohio Artillery, and while at the landing Lieut.-Colonel Kennedy addressed them briefly. Three cheers were given for each regiment, when they separated, the Seventh Ohio homeward bound, and the Third New York to the barracks on Troy road, where they are expected to remain until mustered out. An effort will be made, however, to secure an order for their removal to Syracuse, that city being near the home of a large portion of the men. Col. Kennedy is exerting himself to accomplish that object, application having already been made to Gov. Fenton. We learn from Major Mulinburgh, the mustering officer here, that permission has been asked of the War Department to transfer the regiment to Syracuse. – Albany Argus, June 29.

Dragging artillery Through the Mud (By Alfred R. Waud, Harper's Weekly, March 19, 1864

dragging artillery through the mud

A book published in 1873 backed up the idea that Terrence Kennedy was preparing for war well before the rebel capture of Fort Sumter:

[The 49th Militia’s] Capt. T.J. Kennedy, of Auburn, [a paint merchant by occupation, and an artillery officer in the militia of long standing] tendered his services to Gov. Morgan for the enlistment of troops, Jan. 11th, 1861. Thanking him for the patriotic offer, the Governor declined the tendered service on the grounds that troops were not then needed. Our newspaper press of the North, in January 1861, scouted the thought of war, and it required more heroism than the Governor possessed to authorize what Capt. Kennedy proposed. The captain, however, was a close student of public affairs, and was convinced that he was right. He resolved to act, though unauthorized. March 12, he began the formation of an artillery company in auburn, to be held in readiness for service in case of an outbreak in the South. An enlistment paper was prepared in these words: “We, the Undersigned, hereby pledge our Words of Honor to associate ourselves together, for the purpose of forming a light artillery company, to server as long as the war shall last.” It was signed by Kennedy first, then by John Polson. In the course of twenty days, five men signed it. Then enlistments began to come in briskly. After the capture of Sumter, an office was opened in the Armory. By April 17th, Kennedy had 130 men. Next day he heard by letter from Gov. Morgan, that the State could accept infantry only. Disbanding his company, he began again. Forty of the artillerymen re-enlisted. By the 22d of April, such was Capt. Kennedy’s reputation and the esteem in which he was held, he had the honor of reporting again to Albany the enrollment of Cayuga’s first full company of volunteers.[2]

Captain Kennedy’s company would become part of the 19th Volunteer Infantry until it converted to artillery.

Terrence J. Kennedy

Terrence J. Kennedy

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

On June 28, 1860 (I believe) a Philadelphia newspaper previewed the 1860 presidential election (You can read all about it at the Library of Congress):

Philadelphia Inquirer June 28, 1860

Philadelphia Inquirer June 28, 1860

_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

Shenandoah_destroying_whale_ships

last shots at last? (“Destruction of Whale Ships off Cape Thaddeus Arctic Ocean June 23 [22?] 1865 by the Conft Stmr Shenandoah”)

The image of the guidon and bio from the unit roster are found at the New York State Military Museum
  1. [1]Fredriksen, John C. Civil War Almanac. New York: Checkmark Books, 2008. Print. pages 595-596.↩
  2. [2]Hall, Henry, and James Hall Cayuga in the Field. Auburn, New York: 1873. Reprinted by Talbothays Books, Aurora,New York. Print. pages 18-20.↩
Posted in 150 Years Ago This Month, 150 Years Ago This Week, Aftermath, The election of 1860, Veterans | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The End.

Posted on June 19, 2015 by SUMPTER
The Blue and the Gray at Gettysburg, Assembly Tent, Gettysburg Celebration, Pennsylvania (1913; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/93505802/)

or maybe not

Under blue and gray - Gettysburg (1913; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/ggb2005013841/)

“Under blue and gray – Gettysburg ” (Library of Congress)

The reunion at "Bloody Angle" - Pickett's men in for[e]ground; Union men lined against wall (1913; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/ggb2005013846/)

“The reunion at “Bloody Angle” – Pickett’s men in for[e]ground; Union men lined against wall ” (Library of Congress)

Pickett's men at Bloody Angle (1913; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/ggb2005013842/)

“Pickett’s men at Bloody Angle ” (Library of Congress)

The Library of Congress provides many photographs of the 1913 commemoration at Gettysburg including handshake, two flags, opposing sides, and Pickett’s men
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my only friend …

Posted on June 18, 2015 by SUMPTER
Reading the news--off duty / EF. (1864; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/2004661884/)

history

From a Seneca County, New York newspaper in June 1865:

The Papers.

The war is over! and yet we hardly appreciate the fact. We have become so accustomed to look for and read attentively the details of battles, that the daily papers seem dull already; and this no doubt will be the case for sometime to come.

The great questions growing out of the war, such as re-construction, negro suffrage, etc., will now occupy the public mind; and these matters are of vital importance to all classes of our people; and although these discussions will not be read with as much avidity as war news, still every citizen will do wise to keep himself familiarized with the questions at issue, and be at all times ready to act and vote with a clear understanding of the whole subject.

Let no one, therefore, discontinue taking papers because the war is over. Intelligence is still needed, yes, even demanded, more in the future than in the past. We shall live faster, and be wiser in the future than ever before.

I have loved this Sesquicentennial, and, as a matter of fact, I’m somewhat disappointed I won’t be … available … for the Centennial of the Norman Conquest of England – with maybe a battle of Hastings re-enactment!

I have loved this Sesquicentennial, but is time to do other things. The world and even history are much bigger than the American Civil War. I’m somewhat disappointed that already this year I’ve forgotten about the Battle of New Orleans, the sinking of the Lusitania, and Magna Carta. I wouldn’t even have thought about the big battle in Europe 200 years ago today, but I guess we have always wanted to commemorate major anniversaries of significant historical events. From a Seneca County, New York newspaper in June 1865:

A Survivor of the Battle of Waterloo.

The 50th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, fought by the forces of Wellington and Blucher with Napoleon occurred on Sunday last, June 18th inst.

Among the survivors of that battle, who reside in this country, is Rev. D. Willers, of Varick, in this county,who has preached at Bearytown and vicinity for more than 44 years past, and who in the course of his discourse last Sabbath feelingly alluded to his celebration of the Semi-Centennial anniversary of one of the greatest and most decisive battles (for the fate of Europe,) of the Century.

I know even less about Reconstruction than I do about the Civil War, so I probably should learn more about the “great questions growing out of the war” as they were taking place 150 years ago. Reconstruction probably wasn’t as flashy as a war’s battles and even NCpedia refers to “The complexity of the Reconstruction period”. Sounds interesting.

at the commencement exercises

at the commencement exercises

Edwin Forbes’ drawing resides at the Library of Congress, as does the photo in Philadelphia on June 10, 1865 when returning veterans paraded.

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Month, 150 Years Ago This Week, Aftermath, Northern Society, Reconstruction | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

this is the end …

Posted on June 17, 2015 by SUMPTER
Mr. Edmund Ruffin, said to have fired first shot against Fort Sumter (between ca. 1860 and 1865]; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/99471869/)

at least one of the first shots

From The New-York Times June 22, 1865:

THE SUICIDE OF RUFFIN.; The Man who Fired the First Gun on Fort Sumter Blows His Brains Out He Prefers Death to Living Under the Government of the United States.

Correspondence of the Petersburgh Express.

RICHMOND, Monday, June 19.

EDMUND RUFFIN, whose name is familiar with every one as a distinguished agriculturalist, and latterly as a politician, committed suicide on Saturday last in Amelia county, near Mattoox station. The sad act had been duly considered by him, as his diary is said to show. He seated himself, and placing the muzzle of the musket in his mouth, sprung the trigger and landed his spirit into the eternal world, with a desperate and unnatural coolness. I think Mr. R. was born in Henrico county. He has been so clssely indentified with the struggle of the south as an active participant and a warm and earnest vindicator of her claims for a separate nationality, that he seems to have been considered rather as a citizen of the South than as belonging to any one particular locality. He had lost his property by the war. His remains reached the city at 10 o’clock last night on the Danville cars, accompanied by his son. The result of the war is said to have been the cause of this art. Mr. R. was upwards of seventy years of age.

Confederate flag flying. Ft. Sumter after the evacuation of Maj. Anderson - interior view (4-15-1865; LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/2011645052/)

glory days (Fort Sumter April 15, 1861)

Ruffin map Charleston 1863 (httpwww.loc.govitem001-ocm53315869)

Mr. Ruffin reduced a Coast Guard map of Charleston harbor in October 1863

I have learned since the above was written, that Mr. RUFFIN declared it impossible for him to live under the government, and that he had intended to commit the awful deed on the 9th of April, the day on which Gen. LEE surrendered, but was prevented on account of having company at his house.

Fort Sumpter. A Southern song (LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/amss002759/)

stay away, Uncle Abe

From the Petersburgh Express, June 20.

Mr. RUFFIN was known throughout the State as a most successful agriculturalist. He lived in this city many years, and published here an agricultural periodical called the Farmer’s Register, which attained a large degree of public favor. He was also the author of a popular volume on calcareous manures, which contributed greatly to the improvement of our tidewater lands by bringing marls into use.

Mr. RUFFIN was at one time of his life, and for several years, a State Senator, and discharged his legislative duties with ability and industry. He was of a warm and excitable temperament, and maintained his political opinions with great earnestness and inflexibility. He belonged to the extreme Southern Rights’ party, and participated actively in the secession moveme[n]t, the disastrous issue of which was no doubt a terrible shock to him, and in all probability led to his self-destruction.

Charleston, S.C. April 14, 1865. Flag-raising ceremony, with Brevet Maj. Gen. Robert Anderson and Henry Ward Beecher present (LOC: http://www.loc.gov/item/2014646445/)

they’re back (Fort Sumter April 14, 1865)

It will be recollected that Mr. RUFFIN dug the first spadeful of earth for the building of works with which to assault Fort Sumter. Subsequently he fired the first gun at Sumter, an act of which he always spoke with pride and exultation.

You can read some of Mr. Ruffin’s last diary entry at the Library of Congress:

I here declare my unmitigated hatred to Yankee rule—to all political, social & business connection with Yankees—& to the Yankee race. Would that I could impress these sentiments, in their full force, on every living southerner, & bequeath them to every one yet to be born! May such sentiments be held universally in the outraged & down-trodden South, though in silence & stillness, until the now far-distant day shall arrive for just retribution for Yankee usurpation, oppression, & atrocious outrages—& for deliverance & vengeance for the now ruined, subjugated, & enslaved Southern States!

Edmund Ruffin is buried at Marlbourne

FortSumter2009

still turnin’ over in his grave?

Bubba73’s 2009 photo of Fort Sumter is licensed by Creative Commons
Talk about Southern hospitality- I could have wrapped this thing up a couple of months ago if Mr. Ruffin didn’t have company?
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