Historic Fort Snelling

Explore with the reenactors as military encampments come back to life at historic Fort Snellingn this Memorial Day weekend. Costumed living historians will be on hand to interpret 225 years of military history. A flag raising will dedicate the new Fort Snelling flagpole, recently reconstructed in its original 1820’s location. Fort Snelling was home to some twenty-five thousand Union soldiers during the Civil War. This event is offered by the Minnesota Historical Society.
May 28, 2007 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
http://www.mnhs.org/index.htm

Civil War Days

Travel back in time at the historic Billie Creek Village, located at Rockville, Indiana. This event is known as the best Civil War Re-enactment in the north. It's held the second weekend in June each year.
Here's a link to check out this event...


http://www.billiecreekvillage.org/events/cwd_gallery.html

The 16th President, Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12th, 1809. A one room log cabin with a dirt floor in Hardin County, Kentucky served as his first home. His family was Baptist and opposed slavery. He had an older sister named Sarah and a younger brother Thomas who died as a baby.
When he was seven years old he moved with his family to Little Pigeon Creek in southern Indiana. "It was a wild region, with many bears and other wild animals still in the woods," Lincoln later wrote about Indiana.
During the tragic year of 1818 his Mother died from milk sickness. That same year while working at a gristmill young Lincoln was kicked in the head by his horse and nearly killed. Some folks around Little Pigeon Creek even said he was brought back from the dead! His Father remarried a woman that brought with her three children.
Out on the frontier a schoolhouse education was hard to come by and Lincoln had only a year of formal schooling. Even though his Father was illiterate, Abraham learned to read and write. One of his favorite books was a biography of George Washington. It goes without saying that Washington was one of Lincoln's role models. I believe that Parson Weem's book helped to propel Lincoln along the way to the White House.
In 1828 his sister Sarah Lincoln-Grigsby died during childbirth. Later that year Lincoln traveled by flatboat to New Orleans. By 1830 the Lincoln family had moved west to the State of Illinois.
Abraham Lincoln worked at many trades before becoming the 16th President of the United States, he was employed as a rail-splitter, a clerk, a postmaster, a ferryboat captain and a lawyer.
His first true love was Ann Rutledge a native of Henderson, Kentucky whom Abraham met in New Saleam, Illinois. She passed away from typhoid fever at 22 years of age leaving Abraham devastated by the loss. His mentor Graham consoled him by saying...
"God had a greater purpose for his life." He later married the southern belle Mary Todd from Lexington, Kentucky. Her family lineage traced back to Scotland, with an ancestor arriving to Pennsylvania in 1735, then to Rockbridge County in Virginia.
At the Republican convention in Chicago, Illinois in 1860 the party chose Abraham Lincoln to run in the presidental campaign. Andrew Jackson of Tennessee was chosen as his running mate. Previously, Lincoln had been elected to serve in the House of Representatives. Although, Lincoln did not win the race by the popular vote, he won the electoral vote to become the president elect.
In March of 1861 he moved his wife and his 'splendid fellows' to the White House. Little did the family realize then that he was nearing the end of his life. It would prove to be a very long four years for America, and a very short remaining lifespan for President Lincoln.
During the Civil War campaign of 1861, the Confederate forces out maneuvered the stronger Union Army. The President responded by saying, "delay is killing us."
As 1862 rolled around Robert E. Lee and his rag-tag army of the south once again beat back McClellan's superior fighting force.
Four of Lincoln's brother-in-laws served in the Confederate Army. It was even rumored that his own wife was a confederate spy. Mary Todd Lincoln was deeply disturbed by such vicious gossip. The death of their son William in 1862 at age eleven from typhoid fever further crushed the First Lady. Earlier, the couple had lost their second son Edward to tuberculosis. Little Eddie who loved to play with kittens was only four years of age when he left this world. The Lincoln's had two other sons Robert and Thomas. Robert severed in the Union over his Mother's protest.
In 1862 President Lincoln signed the Homestead Act which granted 160 acres of land to anyone willing to farm the land for five years. Many of those who had voted for or against Lincoln in the election packed their belongings and headed west. Vice President Andrew Jackson had been a leading spokesman for the Homestead Movement.
On July 2nd in 1863, Mary Todd Lincoln was thrown out of her carriage during an accident which occurred just outside of Washington. Her head hit a rock which caused head trauma from which she never fully recovered.
President Lincoln disliked the nickname Abe. He was the first president to wear a beard while serving in office. He is remembered for his honesty, for preserving the Union and for ending of slavery in America.

“Out of me unworthy and unknown, The vibrations of deathless music! ‘With malice toward none, with charity for all’. Out of me the forgiveness of millions toward millions, And the beneficent face of a nation, Shining with justice and truth. I am Ann Rutledge who sleep beneath these weeds, Beloved of Abraham Lincoln, Wedded to him, not through union, But through separation. Bloom forever, O Republic, From the dust of my bosom!” epitaph on tombstone of Ann Rutledge, written by Edgar Lee Masters in 1890.

Recipes from the Mess Hall

Foods of the 1860's
During the Civil War cooking was done in a stone or brick fireplace or over an open fire. Wealthy families might have had a woodburning cast iron stove.

Meats that were prepared ranged from a fresh catch of fish to domestic or wild game when available. The menu included pork, beef, chicken, venison, squirrel, quail, grouse, pheasant, duck, pigeon and turkey. Fresh produce was harvested from nature. Wealthy families had cane sugar while most families would have used honey, maple syrup and molasses as sweetners.

Recipes were common during the 1860’s but there were few printed cookbooks, so the recipes were handed down. Some recipes were collected in a scrapbook or journal.
Only the list of ingredients would have been written out, no directions for preparation would have been mentioned. The cook was expected to remember what to do with the ingredients.

Print these out and start your own Civil War recipe collection scrapbook.

Raspberry Shrub

This shrub, mixed with water, was considered a delicious summer drink. It was also sometimes served instead of Port or other wine.

Raspberries 1 pint sugar to each pint of raspberry juice
Strong vinegar to barely cover

Put raspberries in a pan and scarcely cover them with strong vinegar. Let stand overnight. Squeeze raspberries through cloth for clear juice. Add sugar in proportion and test for flavor. Scald resulting juice, skim it, and then bottle it when cold.

Currant Wine

Those who had more currants than money often made this beverage and used no other wine.

Prepared currant juice 3 ½ lbs. sugar for each 2 quarts of currant juice

Break and squeeze the currants in a cloth for clear juice. Mix sugar and water with juice proportionately and put in a keg or barrel. Do not close the bung tight for 3-4 days that air may escape while it is fermenting. After it is done fermenting, close it up tight.

Where raspberries are plenty, it is a great improvement to use half raspberry juice and half currant juice.

Addition of brandy is not necessary when the above proportions are used. The wine should not be used under a year or two as age improves it.

Sourdough Bread

2½ cups unbleached flour 1 cup sourdough starter*
2 cups blood-warm water

Four hours (or more) before baking, mix flour and water, then add to starter. Cover and let stand in warm place until bubbly.

2 cups freshly doubled starter 2 tsp. salt
3 cups flour (grind 1 lb. wheatberries in 1 tsp. saleratus (baking soda)
coffee grinder if desired) 1 tsp. drippings

In large bowl, mix freshly doubled starter, salt, soda, and flour. When stirring becomes too hard, knead with hands for a few minutes, using flour to prevent sticking. Shape dough into a round loaf and place in greased round pan. With a knife, score lines to shape wedges. Cover with a cloth and let rise 30 minutes.

Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes. Cool before dividing along wedge-shaped lines.

*Sourdough starter may now be purchased. To make starter yourself, Mix together 1 cup flour, 1 cup water, and 1 Tbsp. sugar and let the mixture stand in a warm place 2-3 days or until fermented (or "ripen" by keeping in refrigerator for several days). Before it is ready to use, it must be "fed" to keep it alive. In a bowl, mix another starter mixture and stir into the live starter (called "doubling"). Let set in warm place for several hours until it is bubbly. Return half to the jar; use part to make bread or biscuits and give part to a friend.

Corn Breads

Corn breads differed between North and South because of the different types of corn which were grown in the regions. Flint corn (yellow) is grown throughout the North; in the southern portion of the Corn Belt (from Ohio through southern Tennessee) farmers grow Boone County White.

Corn Pone

Corn bread, quickly picked up by white settlers, was usually called pone (also known as journey cakes and today as johnny cake) when kept out of the ashes. Following the Indian tradition, when the same basic corn bread was baked in the hot ashes of an open fire, it was called ashcake. If it was baked in the fire on a hoe, it was called hoecake.

White corn meal (about 2 cups) Lard or shortening the size of an egg (4 Tbsp.)
Salt (about 1 tsp.) 1 tea-cupful boiling water (about ¾ cup)
Pinch of baking soda (1/4 tsp.) ½ tumbler buttermilk (about ½ cup)

Sift together corn meal, salt, and baking soda. Work in fat with finger tips until well blended. Pour in boiling water and continue to work the mixture. Gradually add enough buttermilk to make a soft dough, but one firm enough to be molded or patted into small, flat cakes. Place cakes in a hot, well-greased iron skillet and bake in a moderate oven (about 350F) for 35-40 minutes. Makes about 12.

Corn pone should be eaten hot. Serve with butter, molasses, maple syrup, or honey.

Spoon Bread

A famous southern dish, spoon bread originated as the Indian porridge, suppawn, and still retains the consistency of a porridge or pudding. It would have been inexcusable to make Spoon Bread with the yellow northern flint corn; it was always made with ground white corn. Corn bread as we know it today is much lighter and sweeter than Civil War period corn bread.

Butter the size of a large egg (5 Tbsp.) 1 pint boiling water
Water-ground corn meal (about 1 cup) ½ pint cold milk
Salt (about a tsp.) 4 eggs

Put butter in a medium-sized earthenware or glass baking dish and place in oven to melt while you prepare the batter.

Combine corn meal and salt in a mixing bowl and stir in boiling water until smooth. Let stand several minutes, then stir in milk. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating hard after each addition. Stir in melted butter last of all. Pour batter into the hot baking dish and bake in a hot oven (about 425F) for about 25-30 minutes.

Serve hot, right from the baking dish, with plenty of extra butter. Serves 4.


Beef Stew

This was a simple way to provide a meal, even for an inexperienced cook. Stew was constantly over the fire in some homesteads, being added to daily. As a homemaker gained experience, she developed her own personal recipe tailored to the likes of her family.

Rump of beef Salt and pepper
1 pint small beer Lemon peel
Carrots Sweet herbs*
Onion with cloves in it Celery

Cut the meat from the bone, flour and fry it. Pour over it a little boiling water and about a pint of small beer; add carrots, an onion stuck with cloves, some whole pepper, salt, a piece of lemon peel, a bunch of sweet herbs and let it stew an hour. Then add some good gravy. When the meat is tender, take it out and strain the sauce; thicken it with a little flour. Add a little celery already boiled, potatoes already boiled, a little catchup (tomato or walnut ketchup), then the meat and just simmer it up.

Or the celery may be omitted, and the stew enriched by adding fresh or pickled mushrooms, boiled and quartered artichoke-bottoms, and hard yolks of eggs. A piece of flank, or any piece that can be cut free from bone, will do instead of the rump.

* Sweet herbs would have been parsley, sweet marjoram, winter savory, orange and lemon thyme. The greatest proportion was the parsley.

Eggs and Cream

½ pint cream Salt and pepper
8 eggs

Boil cream until reduced by half. Add the eggs; season with salt and pepper. Boil them together until eggs are mostly hard. Pass a salamander (browner) over the top and serve hot.

Potato Soup

1 quart potatoes, peeled and cubed 1½ quarts chicken broth
1 carrot, pared 1 cup stale bread crumbs
2 stalks celery

Place the potatoes, carrot, and celery in a soup pot with one quart of the bouillon. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Add the bread and cook 10 minutes longer. Put through a food mill or blender. Return the puree to the soup pot; add the remaining bouillon and heat 3 minutes longer. Correct the seasonings (to suit your taste). Serves 6.

Baked Beans

As with many other foods, baked beans of the 1860’s were not as sweet as they are today. Civil War soldiers on both sides had baked beans for breakfast when the opportunity arose. They were cooked over or in the campfire all night. It was not often, except during winter, that an army unit could plan to be in the same camp long enough to cook beans fresh during the day, nor would they have been likely to have the saleratus (baking soda) to soften the beans while on the march.

Water ¼ cup molasses
3 cups dried navy or pea beans 3 small onions, cut in chunks
1 tsp. saleratus (baking soda) 2 green peppers, cut in strips
¼ to ½ lb. salt pork

The night before cooking, put beans in saucepan or kettle to soak overnight in water to cover generously (a quart or more). Drain the next morning and refill kettle with water; simmer five minutes. Stir in soda to dissolve. Continue to simmer for about 40 minutes, then test beans for tenderness.

Drain liquid off the tender beans and pour in 5 cups fresh water. Return to simmer, adding salt pork. In 30 minutes pour off extra liquid (save for bean soup or to add later to beans)

Grease a casserole by rubbing with salt pork; leave salt pork in pan. Prepare vegetables and stir into beans. Put mixture in casserole with salt pork. Drizzle ¼ cup molasses over top and add bean water to cover.

Beans can be baked at 250F for 8 hours or at 350F for 4 hours . You may need to add additional bean water so the beans do not dry out. Serve with a small pitcher of molasses.

Pound Cake

1 lb. flour, sifted ½ glass brandy
1 lb. white sugar, powdered and sifted ½ glass rose-water
1 lb. fresh butter 12 drops essence of lemon (extract)
10 eggs 1 table-spoonful mixed mace and cinnamon
½ glass wine 1 nutmeg, powdered

Pound the spice and sift it. There should be twice as much cinnamon as mace. Mix the cinnamon, mace, and nutmeg together. Sift the flour in a broad pan or wooden bowl.

Sift the powdered sugar into a large deep pan, and cut the butter into it in small pieces. If the weather is very cold and the butter hard, set the pan near the fire for a few minutes. If the butter is too warm, the cake will be heavy. Stir the butter and sugar together with a wooden stick until they are very light and white and look like cream (cream thoroughly).

Beat the eggs in a broad shallow pan with a wooden egg-beater (or whisk). They must be beaten till they are thick and smooth and of the consistence of boiled custard.

Pour the mixed liquor and rose-water gradually into the butter and sugar, stirring all the time. Add by degrees, the essence of lemon and spices.

Stir the egg and flour alternately into the butter and sugar with a handful of flour and about 2 spoonfuls of the egg (which you must continue to beat all the time). When all is in, stir the whole mixture very hard for near 10 minutes.

Butter a large tin pan or cake mould with an open tube rising from the middle. Put the mixture into it as evenly as possible. Bake in moderate oven (about 350F) for 2 - 3 - 4 hours (? – watch before this amount of time in modern oven) in proportion to its thickness and to the heat of the fire.

When you think it is nearly done, thrust a twig or wooden skewer (often a clean broom straw, now a cake tester) into it down to the bottom. If the stick comes out clean and dry, the cake is almost baked. When quite done, it will shrink from the sides of the pan and cease making a noise. Then withdraw the coals (if baked in a Dutch oven, coals were put on top of the oven in an effort to keep heat even), take off the lid and let the cake remain in the oven to cool gradually.

You may ice it either warm or cold. Before you put the icing on a large cake, dredge the cake all over with flour, and then wipe the flour off. This will make the icing stick on better. If you have sufficient time, the appearance of the cake will be much improved by icing it twice. Put on the first icing soon after the cake is taken out of the oven, and the second the next day when the first is perfectly dry. While the last icing is moist, ornament it with colored sugar-sand or nonpareils.

Pumpkin or Squash Pie

When made for the family, this pie was often made with 1 egg to a quart of milk. The feeling was, the more eggs, the better the pie. So some used 1 egg for each gill of milk for company dessert.

Pumpkin or squash 2 tea-spoonfuls salt
3 eggs 2 great spoonfuls sifted cinnamon
1 quart milk 1 great spoonful ginger
Molasses or sugar Grated lemon peel (optional)

Take out the seeds and pare the pumpkin or squash before stewing but do not scrape the inside. The part nearest the seed is the sweetest part of the squash. Stew pumpkin and strain through a sieve or colander (or beat with mixer).

Stir the stewed pumpkin or squash into the milk beaten with eggs until it is as thick as you can stir it round rapidly and easily. To make the pie richer for company, make it thinner and add another egg. A decent pie can be made with only one egg to a quart of milk for everyday. Sweeten to taste with molasses or sugar. Some pumpkins require more sweetening than others. Ginger alone will be enough for spice if you use enough. A little grated lemon peel is nice.

Put in paste (pastry) shell. Bake without top crust for 40-50 minutes in moderate oven (350F), or longer if very deep.

Colored Almonds

The same coloring matters used to color these almonds was also used to color other foods when needed. These were considered a confection for a special occasion and were sometimes used as a table favor wrapped in white paper and tied with a ribbon.

Almonds Vegetable liquid (broth) with coloring

Blanch almonds and cut in small pieces (slivers). Put them on a baking plate and pour on them a little of any coloring infusion. Then rub them in your hands to mix them well with the color. When all are so done, dry them in a slow oven (about 200-250F). Watch that the coloring, when done, is light and delicate. Serve with colors either mixed or separate in paper cases.

Coloring:

Infuse (steep) vegetable liquid with the appropriate coloring ingredient for as long as it takes to get the degree of coloring you desire.
For rose color: Infuse cochineal or carmine (both red dyes from cochineal, purchased at an apothecary)
For violet: Infuse a little cochineal with indigo (dark blue dye, purchased at an apothecary) dissolved in water. Use only a small quantity in water as it is very strong.
For green: Take 2 handfuls of fresh spinach, Wash it well, drain and pound very fine, and press through napkin. Let the juice drip on a dish; then place the dish on a hot stove. When the juice
begins to boil, take it off and stir constantly until the green curdles. Then pour it through a very fine sieve. When well drained, strain through a tammy (silk sieve). The juice thus obtained will give the almonds a clean and even green color.
For blue: Dissolve a little indigo in water and strain it through a cloth.
For orange: Infuse a little liquid red and a little infusion of saffron together.
For yellow: Infuse a small quantity of saffron in nearly boiling water for a few minutes; strain.
For chocolate color: Dissolve chocolate in hot water and strain.

Chestnuts

Place chestnuts on the fire in a pan with holes to roast them, first slitting or cutting a notch in the skins to prevent them from flying off (exploding). When done, serve them as dessert as hot as possible.

Some boil the chestnuts instead of roasting them as the skins are cleaner, but the nuts are not quite so mealy. The best way is to boil them in plenty of water and when nearly done, take them out and roast them.

American Snow Balls

Rice Lemon peel to taste
Milk Cinnamon to taste
5-6 apples Linen squares

Boil some rice in milk (about equal parts of each, amount to depend on the size of your apples) till it be swelled and soft. Pare and carefully scoop out the core of five or six good-sized apples. Put into each a little grated lemon peel and cinnamon. Place as much rice as will cover an apple upon a bit of linen. Tie each closely and boil 2 hours. Serve with melted butter sweetened with sugar

Puddings

Puddings were by far the most common types of dessert in the 1700’s and 1800’s. This was partly because of limited cooking facilities in most households of the period. A pudding could be cooked and kept warm in a cast iron pot near the fire for hours until needed. Just about everything was used to make a pudding – fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and dairy products.

Puddings were easy to prepare and generally used inexpensive ingredients at hand and only limited amounts of more expensive ingredients. Richer custards and puddings with expensive or hard-to-obtain ingredients were usually reserved for "company meals." Although some puddings were baked in a deep dish in the oven, most were tied in a closely woven fabric bag and put into already boiling water to cook.

Raspberry Cream

6 oz. raspberry jam Juice of 1 lemon
1 quart cream Sugar

Mix jam into cream and put through a lawn (finely woven thin linen or cotton fabric) sieve. Mix with lemon juice and a little sugar to taste. Whisk until thick. Serve in a dish or glasses.

Strawberry Cream can be made in the same manner. For common use, substitute good milk for the cream.

Common Custard

For everyday use this custard was also flavored (instead of with costlier spices) with a little lemon peel or with peaches leaves boiled in the milk and afterwards strained from it before adding other ingredients. Either of these was said to also give a pleasant flavor.

5 eggs Cinnamon
1 quart milk* Nutmeg
Brown sugar Little salt

Mix eggs and milk. Sweeten to taste with brown sugar. Spice with a small amount of cinnamon and/or nutmeg. Bake 15-20 minutes.

* It is well to boil your milk and set away till it is cold. Boiling the milk enriches it so that boiled skimmed milk is about as good as new milk.

Bread Pudding

This was another way to use stale and dry bread. It well illustrates the old belief, "Waste not, want not."

Stale bread Pinch of cinnamon
Milk Spoonful of rose-water or lemon-brandy
3 eggs 1 tea-cupful molasses or sugar
Pinch of salt Raisins
4 eggs

Crumble the bread the night before you want to serve it in the morning and soak overnight in milk. In the morning, beat the eggs with the bread and add salt. Tie it up in a bag, or in a pan that will exclude every drop of water. Boil it about an hour or a little more. When tied in a bag, no pudding should be put into the pot till the water boils.

Honey Cakes

1½ lb. sifted flour ½ oz. orange peel, cut small
¾ lb. honey ¾ oz. pounded ginger (powdered)
½ lb. finely pounded loaf sugar ¾ oz. pounded cinnamon (powdered)
¼ lb. citron

Melt the sugar with the honey, and mix in other ingredients. Roll out the paste (pastry) and cut into small cakes (cookies) of any form. Bake in moderate oven (350-375F).

Snickerdoodles

Very few people realize these still-popular cookies date as far back as the Civil War. At that time, snickerdoodles were often made with dried currants or raisins included. Try making them with a 50/50 mixture of all-purpose white flour and whole wheat flour. The taste difference is not dramatic but very good. It is approximately the same as these cookies would have tasted to the Civil War soldiers who received them in a box from home.

Although there is no baking powder in these cookies (it was not yet widely available in the 1860’s, but the cream of tartar and saleratus was an approximate substitute), they will puff up at first and then flatten out with crinkled tops.

2¾ cups flour 1½ tea-cupfuls sugar
2 tea-spoonfuls cream of tartar 2 eggs
1 tea-spoonful saleratus (baking soda) 2 table-spoonful sugar
½ tea-spoonful salt 2 tea-spoonfuls cinnamon
1 cup butter

Cream butter, gradually adding sugar and then eggs. Sift dry ingredients together. Gradually beat into creamed mixture. Chill dough.

Form into balls the size of small walnuts. Roll in a mixture of 2 Tbsp. sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon. Place on a tin sheet (ungreased) and bake in a hot oven (about 400F) until lightly browned but still soft (about 10 minutes).

Posted by Blue Bellied Yank at 5/06/2007 12:14:00 PM 0

The Authors and the Hospitals

"Quicksand years that whirl me I know not whither." --- Walt Whitman 1862

The author Walt Whitman was one of several writers that participated in the Civil War. Herman Melville was another author during that era and he went on scouting rides just to get a glimpse of the soldier's lifestyle. Melville went on to write Battle Pieces and Aspects of War. The female author Louisa May Alcott published Hospital Sketches in 1863. She served as a nurse during the winter of 1862. Her nursing career ended when she contracted typhoid fever and had to return home.

Whitman wrote, "The expression of American personality through this war is not to be looked for in the great campaign, and the battle fights. It is to be looked for in the hospitals, among the wounded."

That is exactly where he spent his time. In the converted church hospitals in Washington: Ascension, Methodist Episcopal, Epiphany, Union Methodist Episcopal, Harewood, Armory, Campbell and Carver. It was in these hospital corridors that he wrote his wartime prose. Walt Whitman's book of poetry entitled Drum Taps was published in 1865.

Cases - That Will Make You Squeamish

The Civil War was fought, "at the end of the medical Middle Ages." claimed the Union Army Surgeon General.

Little was known about what caused disease. Little was done to stop disease from spreading. There were few cures for disease, so doctors turned to folk medicine or bloodletting. Surgical techniques were barbaric and many surgeons were barely competent. Civil War soldier's chances of not surviving the war were roughly one in four. These fallen men were cared for by underqualifled, understaffed, and undersupplied medical corps. Sometimes the very means used to keep the men from suffering caused their very death.

Deaths from Chloroform...


CASE 1236.--Private G. Budlinger, 76th Ohio, aged 30 years, admitted into hospital of 1st division, Fifteenth Corps, with a shot wound of hand; placed upon operation table and about a drachm of chloroform sprinkled upon four folds of patent lint applied to face, space being given for the free admission of air. After breathing it for a few moments quietly without any apparent effect, more chloroform was added and reapplied by a nurse in attendance (the surgeon having stepped aside for a moment), when, after six or seven respirations, the patient drew up his legs and arms convulsively, and heavy stertorous breathing came on. Chloroform removed immediately, and a few moments given him to resume his regular breathing, but the difficulty increased; frothy exudation from mouth,excess of saliva; respiration became more and more incomplete, pulse small and imperceptible, veins of neck and face prominently distended; heart action ceased before respiration had entirely stopped. Friction to extremities, cold water dashed in face, jugular vein opened, artificial respiration, without relief. The surgeons of the hospital reported, as the result of an autopsy, that being unable to discover any other abnormal condition, and its the absence of further evidence, it may be proper to conclude that this is a case of apoplexy induced by chloroform.

CASE 1267.--Private Francis Heward, Co. F, 1st New Jersey, was admitted into Fairfax Seminary Hospital, April 5, 1862, with a dislocation of left humerus forward and inward of a few hours' standing. Surgeon Henry A. Armstrong, 2d New York Artillery, reduced the bone without assistance. On May 6th Acting Assistant Surgeon H. W. Ducachet discovered that the bone wits again out of place in the same direction. The patient was chloroformed and reduction attempted with the heel in the axilla, but without success. On the 9th pulleys and counter-extending hands were obtained and adjusted. Chloroform was again administered, a drachm being poured upon a piece of lint about two inches square and held about three inches from his face, a towel being thrown over the head of the patient and hand of the operator, and which was removed from time to time to admit air. Some time elapsed before the muscles became relaxed, when the chloroform was removed. There was no stertorous breathing, choking, or struggling, nor was there occasion to use force to keep him down, as at the previous administration. There was, as there always is, congestion of the conjunctiva and vessels of the neck, but not as much, certainly not more, than when the chloroform was administered on the 6th. Reduction was being attempted when symptoms of asphyxia were noticed; the pulleys were instantly relaxed, the tongue drawn forward, and artificial respiration resorted to, but everything failed. No autopsy was made. The report of the case is signed by Surgeon H. A. Armstrong and Acting Ass't Surgeon H. W. Ducachet.

CASE 1275.--Private Henry S. Ware, Co. K, 38th New York, aged 23 years, was struck by a shell in the upper part of the right leg at the battle of Williamsburg, May 5, 1862, for which injury the limb was removed on the field, at the middle third of the thigh. He was admitted into the general hospital at David's Island, New York Harbor, on June 15th, and came under the care of Acting Assistant Surgeon E. B. Root on June 26th, at which time his general condition was bad. He was suffering from diarrhœa and a very large bed-sore. The wound had nearly united but the bone was denuded. The constant discharge from the stump necessitated the removal of the necrosed bone. On October 9th the patient was placed under the influence of ether and an inch of bone removed with the chain saw, and then two inches off the bone with its involucrum. During the operation the femoral artery was divided, but not much blood was lost. Altlough it was found that more of the shaft was involved, further operative interference was deemed unnecessary. The patient was removed to his bed, when severe vomiting commenced which continued to the time of his death, within seventy-two hours. The post-mortem examination showed all the viscera healthy. Surgeon S. W. Gross, U. S. V., ascribes the death to the effects of the ether superadded to the previous exhausted condition of the system. The constant vomiting and retching could not be arrested.

* Photo of Chisolm's Inhaler

Auld Lang Syne

As the theater of the Civil War closed on 1861, the mudd, muck and stink of war had shown it's bloody face. Those who had thought the hostilities would only last a few short months were disheartened. The Confederates had driven back the mighty fighting force of the North. First at Bull Run, where Willis Gorman became the most hated officer in the army as the 1st Minnesota suffered the highest loss of any regiment. Followed by another depressing defeat at Ball's Bluff to the rallying cry of 'Remember Ellsworth' by the retreating Union troops! Many were dead, wounded or taken captive by the Secesh.
The Iron Brigade would have more battles to wage with the return of spring when the fighting camgaign resumed. Many units remained camped on Capital Hill in defense of the Capital. Others marched up the Potomac River. Winter quarters were being set up near Edward's Ferry, a cardinal crossing on the Potomoc in Maryland.
Most of the units had not yet been paid for services rendered. Complaints of hard grub were commonly heard until the funds finally arrived.
Kentucky had declared herself for the Union. Confederate General Polk had invaded the state and now occupied Columbus. General Grant moved forces to control Paducah, the stragtic spot at the mouth of both the Cumberland and the Tennessee Rivers.
It was heard that Edwin M. Stanton would be replacing Simon Cameron as secretary of war. The word was that Jackson's troops were still on the move.

George W. Rinehimer

George Wesley Rinehimer was born in Hanover, Pennsylvania on September 29th in 1847. The younger brother of Emmanuel Rinehimer and brother-in-law to Daniel Porchet. He enlisted as a private in Company A, 141st Illinois Infantry on June 16th, 1864. Departed for the field on June 27th, 1864. Moved to Columbus, Kentucky and garrison duty. This regiment did not have a band. It lost 21 members by disease. Mustered out on October 10, 1864.

Wright Family Prayer

There is nothing purer than honesty, nothing sweeter than charity, nothing warmer than love, nothing richer than wisdom, nothing more steadfast than faith. Those united in one mind form the purest, the sweetest, the warmest, the richest, the brightest and the most steadfast happiness. Here is some advice also, youth of the Wright clan; that has been taught for years to the youth of the Wright clan; be this they simple plan, Serve God and love they brother man. Forget not in temptation's hour that sin lends sorrow double power. Count life a state upon they way, and follow conscience, come that may, alike with Heaven and Earth sincere, with hand and brow and bosom clear, Fear God and know no other fear. May we of later years emulate the kindly spirit of our forefathers, and keep their precepts, thus doing them honor, and cheering on the world in its struggle of life, as well. We bless God that among the possibilities of humanity is a grand old age. Old men have blessed the world in all generations. They have blessed the secular world, and it has been so in the religious world as well. It was the aged Saint John who wrote the book of Revelation, by means of which we, receive our highest conceptions of heaven. Do not say I must do so and so, just go and do it, and come back and say it is done. Do not put off till tomorrow what you can do today. Always be kind to all whom you meet. The bravest of men are the most tender hearted. Love God and fear no man. Sometimes the sun seems to hang in the western horizon for half an hour, only just to show how glorious it can be. The day is done, the heat of shinning is over, and the beauty of the western skies baffle description. So God seems to let some of his people linger in the west after their work is done, that men may look on them and see how beautiful they are. Some are lingering there now; do you behold their beauty, shining out though Christ Jesus?
Rev. Fred Wright

The Wright Cousins

Reuben Wright was born in Steuben County, New York. He moved with his family to Wisconsin. He was proud to say he was one of the first in line to answer President Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers. He enlisted April 18th, 1861 as a private in Company B, 2nd Infantry Regimentat Madison, Wisconsin. The unit was mustered in June 11th, 1861. The 2nd Infantry was attached to Sherman's Brigade in Taylor's Division of McDowell's Army stationed at Fort Corcoran. Rendered service in the advance on Manassas, July 16-21, 1861 and the occupation of Fairfax Court House July 17th. Saw action at Blackburn's Ford on July 18th. Fought in the Battle of Bull Run on July 21th. Served in defenses of Washington. Promoted to Full Corporal. Discharged due to disability January 4th, 1863.

Rueben's cousin John B Wright, of Mauston, Wisconsin enlisted on October 3rd, 1861
and served as a Sergeant in Company I, 8th Infantry Regiment.
He was wounded at the Battle of Corinth in Mississippi and mustered out Company I, on September 16th in 1864.

His other cousin,Orin L. Wright, from Mackford, Wisconsin enlisted on August 31th, 1864 as a private in Company M, 1st Heavy Artillery Regiment. Discharged due to disability on January 28th, 1865.

Lambert Wright , from Mackford, Wisconsin enlisted on January 2nd, 1864 in Company I, 3rd Infantry Regiment. He was absent from Company I due to illness and mustered out on July 18th, 1865.

Another one of the cousins from Mackford was my GGG-Grandfather, Ransom K Wright. He enlisted on August 31st in 1864 and served as a drummer boy in Company M, 1st Heavy Artillery Regiment. Mustered out on June 26th in 1865.
His parents were R. G. and Clarissa A. Wright from New York. He had a little brother named Randolph who was too young to fight. Ransom lied about his age just to get into the army and serve alongside his older cousins. Ransom caught tuberculious during the war, possibly from his cousin Lambert who was very ill with some disease. Ransom survived the war, married and had a child before succumbing to the disease.
My Grandfather was named after him.

Old Fashion Turtle Soup

There's an ole coonhound running round camp today. It turns out that pup cornered us boys a big snapping turtle. A larger one I have never seen in all my life. The boys yelled to put it in the cook pot. One of the farm boys in our group said he'd fix the turtle up right fine after scalding! He layed it on its back used his Bowie knife on it after it came up out of the pot. Another one of the boys wished to keep the turtle shell as a sovereign. The cook then steeped the turtle parts in spring water while cutting up an onion and some potatoes to throw into the pot, along with a bit of flour and lard. The pot was then left to simmer while we went about our garrison duties.

Old Fashion Turtle Soup

3/4 cup flour
turtle meat, cut
butter/lard
1 celery stalk,chopped
2 onions, minced
1 tomato, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 bay leaves
pinch of oregano
pinch of thyme
pinch of parsley, chopped
pinch of black pepper
pinch of salt
1 quart stock

Melt butter/lard in a heavy pan. Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, until the roux is light brown. Set aside.
In pan, melt butter/lard and add turtle meat. Cook until the meat is brown. Add vegetables and herbs.

Hardtack Recipe

Hardtack Recipe
Hardtack was a staple issued to the Union soldiers as a daily ration during the Civil War. A biscuit made from flour and other simple ingredients. It was very similar to heavyweight soda cracker. It was square or rectangular in shape with holes. The hardtack crackers were packed into wooden crates and shipped to the camps by railroad or wagon. Sometimes the batch brought to the soldiers was already several months old. Far from bring fresh, it was often called sheet-iron or tooth dullers. Weevils infested these worm castles crates that were kept stacked outside of the tents until the rations were issued. Hardtack dipped in bacon grease or hardtack and a slice of salt pork made for a hearty meal to a hungry soldier. Salted pork fried in hardtack crumbles was called skillygallee, and it was a common meal.

Hardtack Recipe

2 cups of flour
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon of lard
Pinch of salt

Mix the ingredients together, knead the dough, and spread the dough out flat on a baking pan. Bake for 1/2 hour at 400 degrees. Remove from oven, cut dough into squares, and punch four rows of holes into the dough. Turn dough over, return to the oven and bake another 1/2 hour. Turn oven off and leave the door closed. Remove the hardtack when cooled

Private William F. Sarver

Over the weekend I was able to piece together the history of my husband's Great-grandfather. We just discovered he served in the Civil War. No one in the family realized this previously. In the 1900 US Fereral Census William was age 71 years and his second wife was just 42. She collected a Civil War pension for many years.

The Sarver Family relocated to Minnesota from Butler County, Pennsylvania. There is a Sarver Township in Butler County and even a Sarver Cemetery. William Foreman Sarver was born on the family farm in 1929, where his Father was a wagonmaker. He was married in Butler County, in 1849 to Mary Jane Davidson who was born in 1833. William and his new wife moved west to Carver County, Minnesota to homestead in the 1850's. His first wife soon died. He enlisted the first autumn of the Civil War. He was later discharged from the Army for disability after being wounded. It is not known at which battle the wound occurred. William remarried two years after the end of the war. He died on December 12th in 1912.


Minnesota Civil War Soldier - Private William F. Sarver, resided at Chanhassan in Carver County, Minnesota when he enlisted and was 32 years of age. His induction date was October the 5th, 1861. He served with the 4th Regiment Minnesota Infantry First Sharpshooters. His Unit served at Bennett's House on April 26th in 1865.

Minnesota 1st Company Sharpshooters History

Organized under authority of the Secretary of War at Fort Snelling, MN, and mustered into service October 5, 1861. Moved to Washington, D.C., October 6-10, 1861, and reported to Col. Berdan, at Camp of Instruction.

4th Regiment Infantry

Organized by Companies at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, as follows: Company "A" mustered in October 4, 1861. Moved to Fort Ridgly, and garrison duty there until March, 1862. Company "C" mustered in October 7, 1861. Also moved to Fort Ridgly and garrison duty there until March, 1862. Moved to Fort Abercrombie, and duty there until March, 1862 Regiment concentrated at Fort Snelling March, 1862, and moved to Benton Barracks, Mo., April 20-23, 1862. Moved to Hamburg Landing, Tenn., May 2-14. Attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, Army of Mississippi, May to November, 1862. 1st Brigade, 7th Division, Left Wing 13th Army Corps (Old), Dept. of the Tennessee, to December, 1862. 1st Brigade, 7th Division, 16th Army Corps, to January, 1863. 1st Brigade, 7th Division, 17th Army Corps, to September, 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 17th Army Corps, to December, 1863. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 15th Army Corps, to April, 1865. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 15th Army Corps, to July, 1865.

Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss., May 18-30. Pursuit to Booneville May 31-June 12. Duty at Clear Creek until August. Expedition to Rienzi and Ripley June. Moved to Jacinto August 5, and duty there until September 18. March to Iuka, Miss., September 18-19. Battle of Iuka September 19. Moved to Corinth October 1. Battle of Corinth October 3-4. Pursuit to Ripley October 5-12. Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign November, 1862, to January, 1863. Reconnaissance from Lagrange November 8-9, 1862. Duty at White's Station and Memphis, Tenn., until February, 1863. Expedition to Yazoo Pass by Moon Lake, Yazoo Pass and Coldwater and Tallahatchie Rivers February 24-April 8. Operations against Fort Pemberton and Greenwood March 13-April 5. Moved to Milliken's Bend, La., April 13-15. Movement on Bruinsburg and turning Grand Gulf April 25-30. Battle of Port Gibson, Miss., May 1. Jones' Cross Roads and Willow Springs May 3. Battles of Raymond May 12; Jackson May 14; Champion's Hill May 16; Big Black River May 17. Siege of Vicksburg May 18-July 4. Assaults on Vicksburg May 19 and 22. Expedition to Mechanicsburg May 26-June 4. Surrender of Vicksburg July 4. Garrison duty at Vicksburg until September 12. Moved to Helena, Ark., September 12, thence to Memphis, Tenn., and Corinth, Miss., and march to Chattanooga, Tenn., October 6-November 20. Operations on Memphis & Charleston Railroad in Alabama October 20-29. Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign November 23-27. Tunnel Hill November 24-25. Mission Ridge November 25. Pursuit to Graysville November 26-27. At Bridgeport and Huntsville, Ala., until June, 1864. Operations about Whitesburg, Ala., February 2, 1864. Veterans on furlough March 5 to May 4, 1864. Moved from Huntsville, Ala., to Stevenson, Ala., thence to Kingston, Ga., June 22-25, thence to A1latoona July 5-6, and garrison duty there until November. Battle of Allatoona October 5. March to the sea November 15-December 10. Siege of Savannah, Ga., December 10-21. Campaign of the Carolinas January to April, 1865. Salkehatchie Swamps, S.C., February 2-5. South Edisto River February 9. North Edisto River February 12-13. About Columbia February 15-17. Cheraw March 3. Battle of Bentonville, N. C., March 19-21. Occupation of Goldsboro March 24. Advance on Raleigh April 10-14, and occupation. Bennett's House April 26. Surrender of Johnston and his army. March to Washington, D.C., via Richmond, Va., April 29-May 20. Grand Review May 24. Moved to Louisville, Ky., June 2-3. Duty there until July 19. Mustered out July 19 and discharged at St. Paul, Minnesota, on August 7, 1865.

Soldier from Osceola, Wisconsin

James B Wright ,
Residence: Osceola, Wisconsin
Enlistment Date: 8 Aug 1862
Side Served: Union
State Served: Wisconsin
Service Record: Enlisted as a Private on 08 August 1862
Enlisted in 10th Light Artillery Regiment Wisconsin on 08 August 1862.
Mustered out 10th Light Artillery Regiment Wisconsin on 07 June 1865

Even Olson

Even Olson resided in Two Rivers, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, (the hometown of my great-grandmother) at the start of the Civil War. He was born in Norway on November 5th, 1837. His family relocated to America and settled in Wisconsin to farm the fertile soil.
Like many Scandinavians he had blue eyes, blonde hair and a fair complexion. He was 5' 6" and 28 years of age when he enlisted on September 21st, 1864. He signed on as a private for one year of duty in the 27th Wisconsin Infantry Company K.

The History of the 29th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment

The Twenty-ninth Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was organized at Camp Randall, Madison, Wisconsin, and mustered into the service of the United States Union Army on September 27th, 1862. The Regiment left the state on November 2nd, reaching Helena, Arkansas, where it engaged in operations in the interior of the state and expeditions up the White River, to Friars Point in Mississippi, and as far as Yazoo Pass.
The regiment left Arkansas on April 10th, in the movement against Vicksburg. Crossing the Mississippi River on April 30th the unit moved to the front and took part in the battle of Fort Gibson on May Day. Serving under General Grant the regiment engaged in the battle of Champions Hill on May 16th, and then took position in the trenches in the rear of Vicksburg, and continued on in the siege until the surrender on July 4th, 1863. The day after the surrender the 29th was detailed to took part in the Jackson Campaign, running from July 5th to the 25th. In August accompanying other forces, it occupied Natchez, Mississippi, and from there moved into southern Louisiana. It was engaged in many expeditions about New Ibrin, and in the early part of January of 1864, joined an expedition to Texas on the Rio Grande, returning to New Orleans by the end of February.
It was next assigned to duty with the forces engaged in the Red River expedition, March 10th-22nd, 1864, and participated in that campaign, and saw action in the battle of Sabine Cross Roads on April 8th, 1864. As a part of the work of the Twenty-ninth in this campaign it assisted Colonel Bailey in constructing a dam across the Red River which saved the Union gun boats. After the abandonment of the movement the regiment was transferred to southern Louisiana where it remained until September. Then the unit was transferred back to Arkansas, with headquarters at Little Rock, from which the regiment accompanied many expeditions in frequent contact with the enemy.
In January of 1865, the Twenty-ninth was again ordered to New Orleans as a part of the forces collecting for the reduction of the fortifications at Mobile, Alabama. This campaign lasting from March 17th to the 4th of May in 1865. It included the reduction of Spanish Fort and the capture of Fort Blakely. The war being practically over, the regiment remained in southern Louisiana until the 22th of June, when it was mustered out of the service of the United States, returning to Madison, and was disbanded on July 17th, 1865.

Wright Family Prayer

aThere is nothing purer than honesty, Nothing sweeter than charity, Nothing warmer than love, Nothing richer than wisdom, Nothing more steadfast than faith. Those united in one mind form the purest, the sweetest, the warmest, the richest, the brightest and the most steadfast happiness. Here is some advice also, youth of the Wright clan;
That has been taught for years to the youth of the Wright clan; Be this they simple plan, Serve God and love they brother man. forget not in temptation's hour that sin lends sorrow double power. Count life a state upon they way, And follow conscience, come that may, Alike with Heaven and Earth sincere, With hand and brow and bosom clear, Fear God and know no other fear.
May we of later years emulate the kindly spirit of our forefathers, and keep their precepts, thus doing them honor, and cheering on the world in its struggle of life, as well.
We bless God that among the possibilities of humanity is a grand old age. Old men have blessed the world in all generations. They have blessed the secular world, and it has been so in the religious world as well. It was the aged Saint John who wrote the book of Revelation, by means of which we, who live in the twentieth century, receive our highest conceptions of heaven
"Do not say I must do so and so, just go and do it, and come back and say it is done." "Do not put off till tomorrow what you can do today." "Always be kind to all whom you meet." "The bravest of men are the most tender hearted." "Love God and fear no man."
Sometimes the sun seems to hang in the western horizon for half an hour, only just to show how glorious it can be. The day is done, the heat of shinning is over, and the unspeakable beauty of the western skies baffle description. So God seems to let some of his people linger in the west after their work is done, that men may look on them and see how beautiful they are. Some are lingering there now; do you behold their beauty, shining out though Christ Jesus?
Rev. Fred Wright 1906

The History of the 7th Wisconsin Light Artillery

The Seventh Battery of the Wisconsin Light Artillery was organized at Camp Utley, Racine, Wisconsin, and mustered into the service of the United States Union Army on the 4th of October, 1861. The battery left the state on the 15th of March, 1862, proceeding to New Madrid, MO, where it was placed in charge of siege guns which it operated until the surrender of Island Number 10, April 8th, 1862. The unit remained for a short time at that station, and was then transferred to Tennessee and assigned to forces operating in middle Tennessee. For several months, the Seventh Battery was engaged in active pursuit of rebel raiders in western Tennessee, and participated in the action at Parker's Cross Roads on December 31st, 1862.
From headquarters at Jackson, Tennessee, the battery accompanied expeditions into various parts of western Tennessee and northern Mississippi, and for a short period in June of 1863, was stationed at Corinth, Mississippi. In the latter part of that month the Seventh Battery was transferred to Memphis, which remained the headquarters of the organization during the remainder of its term of service. From this point, the battery participated in many expeditions against the enemy, including an action at Guntown, Mississippi on June 10th, 1864, and the defense of Memphis on August 1st, 1864. The battery remained at Memphis until its muster out of the service of the United States Union Army on July 20th, 1865.

The History of the Wisconsin 3rd Infantry Regiment

The 3rd Infantry was organized at Fond du Lac, Wisconsin and mustered into the service of the United States Union Army on the 29th day of June, 1861. The regiment left Wisconsin on July the 12th reporting to Hagerstown, Maryland. From the camp at Hagerstown the men marched on to Harper's Ferry.
The Third was then assigned to Patterson's Army and its first year of service was served upon the upper Potomac and in the Shenandoah Valley. The Regiment participated in a number of engagements. The most important being Winchester and Cedar Mountain.
When the Union army under General Pope was being pressed northward by the Confederates in August 1862, the portion of the army in which the Third was serving was united with the army under General Pope, and shortly thereafter General McClellan was assigned as Commandeer in Chief. It was as a part of this force the Third participated in the battle of Antietam.
In the early part of 1863, with the Army of the Potomac, the 3rd participated in the campaign of Chancellorsville, and the battle of Gettysburg.
On July 13, 1863, the Third was sent to the city of New York to assist in quelling the draft riots in that city, and encamped in the City Hall park until the 5th of September, when the regiment returned to Virginia.
In the latter part of September the Twelfth Corps, of which the Third was a part, was transferred to the middle of southern Tennessee as a part of the Army of the Cumberland. The Third was stationed at Stevenson, AL, from the 3rd day of October, and during the latter part of that year to the early part of 1864. The regiment was engaged in guarding important lines of railroad communications in southern Tennessee and northern Alabama.
On the reorganization of the Army about Chattanooga for the advance upon Atlanta under General Sherman, the Third was assigned to the Second Brigade of the First Division of the Twentieth Army Corps and commanded by General Joseph Hooker. As a part of Hooker's force the 3rd participated in the Atlanta Campaign from Chattanooga to Atlanta, May 1 to September 8, 1864; the 'March to the Sea', Atlanta to Savannah, November 15 to December 21, 1864, and from Savannah through the Carolinas, January 1 to April 26, 1865, until the surrender of the Confederate forces under General Johnston April 26, 1865.
Thereafter the Third participated in the Grand Review at Washington. On the 15th of June the 3rd was transferred to Louisville, KY, and was mustered out of the service of the United States on the 18th of July, 1865. The regiment returned to Madison, WI on the 23rd of July and was shortly thereafter disbanded.

The Merry Widow - Rose O'Neal Greenhow

She was born Maria Rosatta O'Neal in Port Tobacco, Maryland in 1817. She was an orphan who lived with her aunt in Washington, D.C. Her aunt ran a boarding house where Rose was introduced to important figures in the Washington area. One of her close friends was Dolley Madison. Rose was a beautiful young woman, educated and well mannered. She had many suitors including Dr. Robert Greenhow, whom she married. The Greenhow family raised up four daughters.
After the tragic death of her husband, the departure of her eldest daughter to the frontier and the death of her second eldest daughter just prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, Rose decided to take the side of the Southern cause. Her loyalty to the Confederacy and the right to secession continued to grow. She was recruited as a spy by Southern loyalists.
Prior to the battle of First Bull Run, Rose passed along secret messages to Confederate General Beauregard containing critical information regarding the tactical plans of Union General Irvin McDowell. Confederate President Jefferson Davis later credited Rose with assisting in a victory at Manassas.
Fearing for her life she sent one of her two remaining daughters to France. On August 23nd, 1861, Allan Pinkerton, apprehended the rebel Rose and placed her under arrest. She celebrated the new year by being transferred to Old Capitol Prison, where her youngest daughter little Rose, was allowed to stay with her. Even while incarcerated Rose was able to pass messages along by concealing them in visitor's hair!

Mesilla Valley, New Mexico

Shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run the conflict of the Civil War reached the southwest. On July 25th, 1861, Colonel John R. Baylor and his 220 Texas Mounted Rifles marched into the Mesilla Valley of New Mexico. The Confederate troops encountered only slight resistance. The skirmish took place when Major Isaac Lynde, commander of the Federal troops at nearby Fort Filmore, attempted to drive the Confederate Regiment of Texas Mounted Rifles from Mesilla. Major Lynde approached the town with his troops and demanded that the Confederates surrender. When Colonel Baylor refused, Major Lynde opened fire with his artillery. He then ordered his cavalry to attack Colonel Baylor's troops. Major Lynde's attack was driven back. The Union forces suffered the loss of three enlisted men, two officers were also killed and another four men were wounded. There were no losses to the Confederates.
Within two days of fighting, the Union troops had abandoned Fort Fillmore, surrendering at San Augustin Spring. Colonel Baylor then set up his immediate headquarters on Calle Principal, off the Plaza in Mesilla where he raised the Confederate flag.

The Hungarian - Julius H. Stahel

Stahel was born in the city of Szeged, Hungary, on November 5th, 1825. He was educated in his homeland's local schools. In 1846 he moved to Budapest and became a printer. This profession enabled him to meet many literary figures. In 1856 Stahel decided to leave Hungary behind for good. He arrived in America and settled in New York City. He found employment in the journalism trade.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Stahel and Ludwig Blenker, organized the 8th New York Volunteer Infantry, the first German-American regiment in the Union army. Stahel became the regiment's lieutenant colonel and Blenker its colonel.
At the First Battle of Bull Run, the 8th New York was assigned to the First Brigade of the Fifth Division. With Blenker in command of the brigade, Stahel led the regiment. Since the division constituted the Union army's reserve at Centreville, it was not engaged in the battle proper. Unlike many of the Union troops, Blenker's men did not disintegrate into a fleeing mob as the Confederates gained the upper hand, but held their ground in perfect formation, covering the retreat to Washington. For their valiant conduct on the battlefield, both Stahel and Blenker were promoted; Blenker was advanced to brigadier-general and Stahel became colonel of the 8th New York. Shortly afterwards, on November 12, Stahel received his star as a brigadier general.

The German - Louis Blenker

Louis Blenker was born in Worms, Germany, July 31st in 1812. In his youth he was apprenticed to a jeweler, but on becoming of age he enlisted in the Bavarian legion. When the legion was disbanded m 1837, he received the rank of lieutenant. He returned home to study of medicine at the University of Munich. Rather then becoming a doctor he found employment in the wine trade in Worms. By 1849 he was a member of the government in that city, and commander of the national guard. He fought in several successful engagements before he retired in Switzerland. In September 1849, having been ordered to leave the country, he came to the United States and settled in Rockland County, New York, where he farmed.
At the beginning of the civil war, he organized the 8th New York Volunteer Infantry, known as the First German Rifles. He was commissioned colonel on May 31st, 1861. Like many volunteer troops, the 8th New York drilled and paraded often, much to the delight of citizens. Blenker never failed to put on a good show. Despite his penchant for theatrics and gaudy uniforms, Blenker was a brave man, a fine horseman, and an organized commander. His regiment was a model unit. The 8th New York left the city at the end of May with Blenker making a grand appearance at the head of his troops on a superb horse.
At the First Battle of Bull Run, the 8th New York was assigned to the First Brigade of the Fifth Division. With Blenker in command of the brigade, Stahel led the regiment. The division was in reserve at Centreville, it was not engaged in the battle proper. Unlike many of the Union troops, Blenker's men did not disintegrate into a fleeing mob as the Confederates gained the upper hand, but held their ground in perfect formation, covering the retreat to Washington. With three regiments he stood to fight against an outnumbering enemy. For their brave conduct on the battlefield, Blenker and Stahel were both promoted. Blenker advanced to brigadier general and Stahel became colonel of the 8th New York.

The Whig - Robert Schenck

Robert Cumming Schenck was born in Franklin, Warren county, Ohio on October 4th, 1809. His father William C. Schenck was an officer in General Harrison’s army. His Father died in 1821 and Robert was placed under the guardianship of James Findlay in Cincinnati, Ohio. Robert graduated from Miami University in 1827, and was a tutor at Oxford for three years. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar and practiced in Dayton, Ohio. He served two years in the State Legislature, and was elected to Congress as a Whig, serving from 1843 till 1851. President Fillmore then sent him to Brazil. While serving in this capacity he distinguished himself as a diplomat by taking part in the negotiation of treaties with Paraguay, Uraguay and Argentina. After two years he returned to Ohio. When the civil war broke out he offered his service to the government, and was commissioned a brigadier-general by President Lincoln on May 17th, 1861. He served with his brigade in the first battle of Bull Run.

The West Point Boys - Ambrose Burnside

Ambrose Everett Burnside was born on May 23, 1824 in Liberty, Indiana. He was the fourth of nine children of Edghill and Pamela Brown Burnside. His father was a native of South Carolina and had been a slave owner who freed his slaves. Ambrose attended Liberty Seminary as a young boy, but his education was interrupted when his mother died in 1841 and he was apprenticed to a local tailor, later becoming a partner in the business. His interest in military affairs and his father's political connections obtained an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1843. He graduated in 1847, 18th in his class of 38, and was commissioned a brevet second lieutenant in the 2nd U.S. Artillery. He performed garrison duty during the closing of the war with Mexico.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Burnside was a brigadier general in the Rhode Island Militia. He raised a regiment, the 1st Rhode Island Infantry, and was appointed colonel on May 2nd, 1861. Within a month, he ascended to brigade command in the Department of Northeast Virginia. He commanded the brigade during the First Battle of Bull Run in July of 1861, taking over division command temporarily for wounded Brigadier General David Hunter. After his regiment was mustered out of service, he was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers, and was assigned to train provisional brigades in the Army of the Potomac.

Battle of Carthage - July 5th, 1881

The Campaign in Jasper County was an operation to control Missouri. The fight broke out on July 5, 1861 with Brig. General Franz Sigel commanding the Union Army and Governor Claiborne Jackson in command of the pro-Confederate forces. It was brought about when Claiborne Jackson who had defied the state legislature by setting up a breakway Confederate state goverment at the town of Neosho decided to lead a ragtag group of rebels against the forces of the Union. Sigel withdrew but then fiery US Army Captain Nathaniel Lyon decided to march into southwestern Missouri to confront the Confederate forces under Ben McCulloch. Captain Nathaniel Lyon chased Governor Claiborne Jackson and his State Militia from the State Capital at Jefferson City and from Boonville and pursued them. Colonel Franz Sigel led another force of about 1,000 into southwest Missouri in search of the governor and his troops. Upon learning that Sigel had encamped at Carthage, on the night of July 4, Governor Jackson took command of the troops and formulated a plan to attack the much smaller Union force. The next morning, Governor Jackson closed up to the Union forces, established a battle line on a ridge ten miles north of Carthage, and induced Sigel to attack him. Opening with artillery fire, Sigel closed to the attack. Seeing a large Confederate force, (actually unarmed recruits), moving into the woods on his left, he feared that they would turn his flank. He withdrew again. The Confederates pursued, but Sigel conducted a successful rearguard action. By evening, Sigel was inside Carthage and under cover of darkness; he retreated to Sarcoxie. Estimated casualties were 244 combined total. The South taking the greater lost of life. The battle had little meaning, but the pro-Southern elements in Missouri, anxious for any good news, championed their first Confederate victory.

The West Point Boys - Irvin McDowell

Irvin McDowell was born in Columbus, Ohio on October 15th, 1818. He attended the college in France before graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1838. He was commissioned a second lieutenant and posted to the 1st U.S. Artillery. McDowell served as a tactics instructor at West Point, before becoming an aide to General John E. Wool during the Mexican War. He was brevetted captain at Buena Vista and received another brevet promotion to major in 1856. McDowell was promoted to brigadier general on May 14th, 1861, given command of the Union Army in Virginia, despite never commanding in combat before. He knew that his troops were inexperienced but pressure from the Washington forced him to launch an offensive against Confederate forces in northern Virginia. His complex strategy during the First Battle of Bull Run resulted in a rout because his troops did not have enough experience to carry out his orders.

The West Point Boys - Erasmus D. Keyes

Erasmus Darwin Keyes was born in Brimfield, Massachusetts on May 29th, 1810. While he was young the Keyes family moved to Kennebec County, Maine. His father was a surgeon but Erasmus pursued a military career and enrolled in the U. S. Military Academy at West Point. He graduated 10th in his class in 1832, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 3rd Artillery. He served in Charleston Harbor, during the nullification troubles and as an aide to General Winfield Scott. Promoted to captain on November 30th, 1841, he served at various garrisons until 1844 and then worked as an artillery and cavalry instructor at West Point. Keyes received his commission of major on October 12th, 1858. He was sent to garrison duty on the frontier until 1860. General Scott appointed him military secretary on January 1, 1860. It was a position he filled until April, 1861. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Keyes was promoted to colonel of the 11th U.S. Infantry on May 14th, 1861, and was later promoted to the rank of brigadier general of the U.S. Volunteers. General Keyes then served briefly on the staff of New York Governor Edwin D. Morgan where he helped to raise militia.At the battle of First Bull Run, Keyes commanded the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, and then led Keyes' Brigade. On November 9th, 1861 he was given command of a division

The West Point Boys - Israel B. Richardson

Israel Bush Richardson was born in Fairfax, Vermont on December 26th, 1815. He graduated from West Point in the Class of 1841. He served in both the Seminole Indian Wars in Florida and the Mexican War where he earned two brevets. In 1855 he gave up his commission as Captain, 3rd U. S. Infantry, and settled on a farm near Pontiac, Michigan.At the outbreak of the Civil War Richardson recruited and organized the 2nd Michigan Volunteer Infantry. He became the colonel of the 2nd Michigan in May of 1861.He commanded the 4th Brigade, 1st Division at First Bull Run. His brigade of Tyler's division was involved in limited action at First Bull Run near Blackburn's Ford and in covered the withdrawal. He was then appointed to Brigadier General of Volunteers. He was liked by his men. They called him 'Fighting Dick'. His men said that he was the plainest general in the army. He wore an old straw hat and never wore his uniform jacket in camp, so no rank insignia was displayed. Sometimes he was even mistaken for a wagon driver. In battle Israel Richardson was a top notch officier. His men said that he would tell them, "I won't ask you to go anywhere I won't go myself."

The West Point Boys - Andrew Porter

Andrew Porter was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on July 10th, 1820. He was the son of the third Territorial Governor of Michigan, George B. Porter. He came to Michigan with his family in 1831, attended school in Detroit and later went on to the U. S. Military Academy at West Point. He married Margaretta Biddle, the daughter of Colonel John Biddle. Porter’s first service after leaving West Point was as 1st Lieutenant of U. S. Mounted Rifles in 1846 during the Mexican War. He was made captain in 1847 for his service during that war. He was Provost Marshal of Washington, D. C. at the outbreak of the Civil War. He was transferred to Alexandria, Virginia and made colonel of the 16th U. S. Infantry.

The West Point Boys - David Hunter

David Hunter was born on July 21st in 1802 in Princeton, New Jersey. He was the cousin of writer and illustrator David Hunter Strother, who would also serve as a Union Army general. His maternal grandfather was Richard Stockton, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1822, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 5th U.S. Infantry regiment.
Records of his military service show that from 1828 to 1831, he was stationed at Fort Dearborn near Chicago, Illinois. While there, he met and married Maria Kinzie, the daughter of the city's first white resident, John Kinzie. Hunter served in the infantry for 11 years, appointed captain of the 1st U.S. Dragoons in 1833.
In July of 1836 he resigned from the Army and moved his family back to Illinois, where he worked as a real estate speculator. He reenlisted in the Army November 1841 as a paymaster and was promoted to major in March of 1842. He saw action during the colsing part of the Seminole Wars and in the War with Mexico. Hunter was stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 1860, and began correspondence focusing on anti-slavery with Abraham Lincoln. This relationship had political effects, the first of which was an invitation to ride on Lincoln's inaugural train from Springfield, Illinois to Washington, D.C., in February of 1861. During this assignment, Hunter suffered a dislocated collarbone at Buffalo, New York when the crowd pressed in on the president-elect.
Soon after the firing on Fort Sumter, Hunter was promoted to colonel of the 3rd U.S. Cavalry. Then within three days he was appointed to the fourth-ranking brigadier general of volunteers. He was wounded in the neck and cheek while commanding a division under Irvin McDowell at the First Battle of Bull Run in July of 1861. He was promoted to major general of volunteers in August. He served as a division commander in the Western Army under Major General John C. Frémont. On November 2nd of 1861 he was promoted as commander of the Western Department after Frémont was relieved of command. That winter he was transferred to a command in Kansas.

The West Point Boys - Samuel Heintzelman

Samuel Heintzelman was born in Pennsylvania in 1805. He served in the Seminole War and the Mexican War and by 1861 had reached the rank of colonel. At the outbreak of the Civil War Heintzelman joined the Union Army. He was wounded during the battle of First Bull Run in July of 1861.

The West Point Boys - William Franklin

William Franklin was born in York, Pennsylvania, on February 27th in 1823. He graduated first in his class from the U. S. Military Academy at West Point in 1843. He fought in the Mexican War where he won two brevets. As an engineer, Franklin supervised several construction projects and taught the subject at West Point.
At the outbreak of the Civil War Franklin joined the Union Army and was named colonel of the 12th Infantry. He took part in the battle at First Bull Run in 1861.

The West Point Boys - George Brinton McClellan

George B. McClellan just wasn't an army commander, he was also a brillant engineer. A native of Philadelphia he entered the academy of West Point from the University of Pennsylvania and graduated in 1846 second in his class. He earned two brevets under Winfield Scott in Mexico. In 1855 he was promoted to Captain in the cavalry. He traveled overseas to study European armies and invented the McClellan Saddle. He resigned his commission on January 16, 1857 to enter railroad engineering. At the start of the Civil War he reentered military life, assigned to the Ohio Volunteers on April 23, 1861. He commanded the Ohio Militia and the Army of Occupation. On July 25th, 1861 George B McClellan was assigned major general, commander of the Army of the Potomac.Dubbed 'The Young Napoleon' his engineering and organizational skills shined brightly as the mighty Army of the Potomac, became a fighting machine. In December of 1861 he was downed by typhoid and this prolonged delays for the Union Army.

The West Point Boys - Dixon Stansbury Miles

Dixon Stansbury Miles was born on May 4, 1804 in Maryland . He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1824. After graduation he was commissioned a brevet second lieutenant in the 4th U.S. Infantry regiment. He was transferred to the 7th U.S. Infantry, where he served until 1847. He fought on the western frontier battling Indian tribes along the Gila River and the Navajo. Promoted to captain on June 8, 1836. He fought in the Seminole Wars in Florida from 1839 to 1842. At the start of the Mexican War, he received a brevet promotion to major for his 'gallant and distinguished conduct' in the defense of Fort Brown, Texas. He was brevetted to lieutenant colonel for his gallant conduct at Monterrey, Mexico. In 1859 he was given the command of the 2nd U. S. infantry, stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. When the Civil War began he was called to Washington to command a brigade under Major General Robert Patterson. He was shortly transferred to the army of Brigadier General Irvin McDowell, where he commanded a division of two brigades. At the First Battle of Bull Run, his division was held in reserve. During the battle, he was accused of being drunk. A court of inquiry validated this accusation and after a leave of absence, he was then reassigned to a quieter post.

The West Point Boys - Oliver Otis Howard

Oliver Otis Howard was born on November 8, 1830 in Leeds, Maine. He was educated at Bowdoin College and then attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1857. He served as 2nd lieutenant in the army for two years and then returned to civilian life, teaching mathematics at West Point.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, he was made colonel of the 3rd Maine Infantry. He fought in the First Battle of Bull Run.

The West Point Boys - Orlando Willcox

Orlando Bolivar Willcox was born on April 16, 1823 in Detroit, Michigan. He entered the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1843. Following graduation in 1847, he was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the 4th U.S. Artillery. Willcox served in the Mexican War, fought on the frontier in the Indians Wars, and in the Seminole Wars. He resigned from the Army in 1857.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Willcox was practicing law in his hometown of Detroit. He reenlisted in the military and was appointed Colonel of the 1st Michigan Infantry. He was wounded and captured in the First Battle of Manassas while in command of a brigade in Heintzelman's Division. He received the Medal of Honor for 'most distinguished gallantry' in that battle.

The West Point Boys - William Tecumseh Sherman

William Tecumseh Sherman was born on February 8, 1820 in Lancaster, Ohio. His father died when he was young. Widowed and unable to care for the family, his mother sent his brother off to be raised by an aunt and William became a foster child to Thomas Ewing, a family friend. He later married the daughter of Thomas Ewing. Educated at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he graduated in 1840. During the Mexican War, Sherman was posted in San Francisco. He resigned his military commission in 1853 to become a banker.On May 8, 1861, Sherman wrote to the Secretary of War, offering his services for three years. On June 20, 1861 he accepted the position of Colonel in the Thirteenth Regular Infantry. He assumed command of a brigade in the First Division of McDowell's army under the command of Brigadier General Daniel Tyler. His brigade was stationed at a stone bridge during the battle of First Manassas - Bull Run, and was routed by devastating Confederate cannon fire.In August, 1861, he was promoted to Brigadier General and assigned to the Department of the Cumberland under the command of Brigadier General Robert Anderson. Anderson was in command of Fort Sumter when P.T. Beauregard opened fire upon it, beginning the Civil War.In October, 1861, Sherman relieved Anderson. Sherman then told Secretary of War Cameron that if he had 60,000 men, he would drive the enemy out of the State of Kentucky, and if he had 200,000 men, he would finish the war in that region. Cameron returned to Washington and reported that Sherman required 200,000 men. The report leaked out to newspapers and the story grew to Sherman must be mad. The public accepted as validation that Sherman had always been crazy. On November 12, 1861, Brigadier General Buell relieved Sherman of his command, and Sherman was assigned to St. Louis, Missouri under Major General Halleck. Newspapers in the west continued to harass him by printing reports of insanity and that he was not fit to command. From all this harassment he fell into a grave state of depression but he was at no time insane.

Manassas, Virginia - The Site of Bull Run

Located a few miles north of the prized railroad junction of Manassas, Virginia, the peaceful Virginia countryside bares witness to the clashes between the armies of the North and South. Henry Hill was the focus of heavy fighting at First Manassas in July 1861. A post-war farmhouse marks this site of old. An unfinished railroad runs through the woods to the north. Chinn Farm reminds us of where the house and outbuildings withstood the violence of the Civil War. The Stone House which served as an aid station still stands as it has since the 1840's.
Casualties suffered at First Manassas from the Union Army totaled 2,896 men.
The officers who fought in battle included: Brigadier General Irvin McDowell, Brigadier General Daniel Tyler, Colonel Erasmus Keyes, Brigadier General Robert Schneck, Colonel William Tecumseh Sherman, Colonel Israel Bush Richardson, Colonel David Hunter, Colonel Andrew Porter, Colonel Ambrose Burnside, Colonel Samuel Heintzelman, Colonel William Franklin, Colonel Orlando Willcox, Colonel Oliver Howard, Colonel Dixon Miles, Colonel Louis Blenker and Colonel Thomas Davies.


The Manassas National Battlefield Park will host the 144th Anniversary Commemoration of the Battle of Second Manassas - Bull Run on Saturday, August 26th and Sunday, August 27th.

Blacksburg, Virginia in the Civil War

A history of the 4th Virginia Regiment, part of the Stonewall Brigade, consisted of many men who were recruited from Blacksburg, Virginia. The Stonewall Brigade was one of the most famous combat units in United States history. It was trained and led by General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, a professor from Virginia Military Institute. His training program and military discipline turned raw recruits into a lean, mean fighting brigade. The Stonewall Brigade distinguished itself at the First Battle of Bull Run also known as First Manassas in 1861.

The Battle of Rich Mountain - July 11th, 1861

The Battle of Rich Mountain took place on July 11th, 1861, in Randolph County, Virginia. Major General George B. McClellan assumed command of Union forces in western Virginia and on June 27th, he moved his troops from Clarksburg south. He meet the forces of Lt. Colonel John Pegram's troops in the vicinity of Rich Mountain on July 9th. On July 11th, Brig. General William S. Rosecrans led a brigade along a mountain path to seize the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike in Pegram’s rear. A short fight split the Confederates in two. Half escaped to the nearby town of Beverly and the other half surrendered. The Union victory at Rich Mountain was instrumental in propelling McClellan to command of the Army of the Potomac.

Laurel Mountain and Carrick's Ford, July 7-13, 1861

In early May of 1861 General George B. McClellan sent 20,000 Union soldiers into western Virginia to hold the area while protecting the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Fiftly miles west of the Shenandoah Valley, General Robert S. Garnett and 4,500 Confederate soldiers protected a supply depot at Beverly with positions on Laurel Mountain to the north and Rich Mountain to the west. On July 5th soldiers from Union General Thomas Morris's Indiana brigade arrived in front of Laurel Mountain and started skirmishing on July 7th with the Rebel defenders. McClellan arrived on July 9th and began to plan for an assault on Laurel Mountain. On the 11th a Union force under General William S. Rosecrans made a successful attack on Rich Mountain. Garnett ordered Laurel evacuated and shortly after midnight his men began marching through the rain toward Beverly. Upon receiving a false report that Beverly had been captured, they retraced their steps and took a different route eastward over Cheat Mountain and into the Cheat River Valley, where they had to ford four wide streams. Morris's brigade closely followed Garnett's retreat, forcing the Confederates to stop and fight delaying actions at each river crossing. At the second crossing, Carrick's Ford, Rebel wagons became bogged down in the stream. Garnett and the rear guard stayed at Carrick's Ford to hold up the Union pursuit until the wagons could cross the next stream, about three miles away. A few minutes later Morriss's Yankees appeared on the other side of the river and began trading shots with the Rebels. Garnett was hit and died within minutes, becoming the first general to be killed in the Civil War. His rear guard hurried away and after a long march, successfully got away. McClellan's success at Rich and Laurel mountains made him into a national hero. He was soon asked to command the North's mightiest army.

Engagement at Boonville - June 17, 1881

General Nathaniel Lyon issued orders for his Union soldiers to advance on Jefferson City, the state capitalof Missouri. Lyon arrived on June 14th with 2,000 troops to learn that the secessionist state government had fled up the Mssouri River toward Boonville, another 50 miles away. Lyon quickly formed a provisional Unionist state government and left a garrison at Jefferson City to preserve order. He then loaded the rest of his force into three steamers and proceeded up the river in pursuit. Lyon disembarked his men several miles below Boonville and, marching along the river road, came upon a small blocking force of secessionists under the command of Colonel John S. Marmaduke. After a short cannonade Lyon ordered an attack, and the poorly armed, outnumbered Rebel force turned and fled in retreat. In military terms the fight at Boonville was insignificant and casualties were light. The Union had firm control of the Missouri River.

The Engagement at Rock Creek - June 13th, 1881

Hundreds of Southern militia assembled along Rock Creek in western Missouri. These fresh troops barely knew the rudiments of a military drill when their pickets reported at dusk that 200 Union cavalrymen were within two miles. The Rock Creek camp and make a show of force, but did not engage, eyeing each other from opposing ridges. Colonel Edmonds B. Holloway of the Missouri State Guard and an aide rode out to meet with Captain David Stanley under a white flag. The officers were surprised to learn they knew one another and had been friends on the frontier. They had spoken only a few minutes when Captain Stanley noticed that some of his men continued to advance despite the truce. Holloway and his aide immediately turned back toward their lines to recall the men, only to be mortally wounded by their own nervous soldiers. The Union soldiers withdrew.

The Battle of Big Bethel - June 10, 1861

Union General Benjamin Franklin Butler arrived at his new command in Fort Monroe on the southern tip of the Virginia peninsula between the York and James rivers. The 2,500 Confederate soldiers on the peninsula were commanded by flamboyant Colonel John B. Magruder, who on June 7th had sent Colonel Daniel H. Hill and 1,400 North Carolina and Virginia troops to occupy an advanced position near Big Bethel, a small village eight miles from Fort Monroe that got its name from nearby Bethel Church. Hill's men worked for two days building a solid earthwork defensive position where the road from Fort Monroe crossed the Back River. General Butler decided to attack the Rebels at Big Bethel to run them clear away from Fort Monroe. He sent 4,400 New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont soldiers under the command of General Ebenezer W. Pierce on a night march. The two columns were to deliver a surprise attack on the Confederates at dawn on June 10th. As the two columns came together in the predawn darkness, one column mistook the other for the enemy and opened fire, inflicting 21 casualties and alerting the Confederates of the Union presence. Two regiments at the front of the column believed they were being attacked from the rear and retreated. The confused federal soldiers then regrouped and continued the advance. At 9:15 A.M., they came in sight of the Rebel position and received fire from an artillery battery commanded by Major George W. Randolph, a grandson of Thomas Jefferson. After two hours of fighting, Pierce wethdrew back toward Fort Monroe. The 2,500 Union men engaged in the action suffered 18 dead, 53 wounded, and 5 missing. The Confederates had 1 killed and 7 wounded. The fighting marked the first land battle of the Civil war, just eight weeks after the firing on Fort Sumter.

The Phillipi Races, June 3, 1861

Brig. General Benjamin Franklin Kelley, advanced 1600 men toward the town of Grafton and occupied it on May 30. Brig. General Ebenezer Dumont, advanced 1400 men and took the town of Webster, several miles to the west. The two forces departed by train to converge on Philippi on June 2nd. Dumont from the north and Kelley from the south. Another 800 men where under the command of Confederate Colonel George A. Porterfield. Both columns arrived at Philippi before dawn on June 3.
The predawn assault was signaled by a pistol shot. The untrained Confederate troops had failed to establish picket lines to provide perimeter security, choosing instead to escape the cold rain that fell at morning and stay inside their tents. A Confederate sympathizer, Mrs. Thomas Humphreys, saw the approaching Union troops and sent her son on horseback to warn the Confederates. While Mrs. Humphreys watched, a Union outpost captured the boy and she fired her pistol at the Union soldiers. Although she missed, her shots started the attack prematurely.
The Union forces began firing their artillery, which awakened the sleeping Confederates. After firing a few shots at the advancing Union troops, the Southerners broke lines and began running frantically to the south, some still in their bed clothes, which caused journalists to refer to the battle as the Philippi Races. Dumont's troops entered the town but Kelley's arrived late and were unable to block the Confederate escape. Kelley himself was shot while chasing some of the retreating Confederates. There were two significant Confederate casualties, one of whom was a VMI cadet, Fauntleroy Daingerfield. Both were treated with battlefield amputations, believed to be the first such operations of the war. The remaining Confederate troops retreated to Huttonsville.
The Union victory in a relatively bloodless battle propelled the young General McClellan into the national spotlight, and he would soon be given command of all Union armies. The battle also inspired more vocal protests in the western part of Virginia against secession. A few days later in Wheeling, the Wheeling Convention nullified the Virginia ordinance of secession and named Francis H. Pierpont governor. This was the birth of the State of West Virginia.

Scott's Great Snake

The Anaconda Plan was proposed in 1861 by Union General Winfield Scott to win the American Civil War with minimal loss of life, enveloping the Confederacy by blockade at sea and control of the Mississippi River.
Major General George B. McClellan, a rising military star in Ohio, proposed an overall strategy for the war directly to President Abraham Lincoln, one that emphasized the part his army could play. Old fuss and feather's (as the men liked to call Scott), wrote a letter to McClellan on May 3, 1861, stating:
It is the design of the Government to raise 25,000 additional regular troops, and 60,000 volunteers, for three years. ... We rely greatly on the sure operation of a complete blockade of the Atlantic and Gulf ports soon to commence. In connection with such blockade, we propose a powerful movement down the Mississippi to the ocean, with a cordon of posts at proper points ... the object being to clear out and keep open this great line of communication in connection with the strict blockade of the seaboard, so as to envelop the insurgent States and bring them to terms with less bloodshed than by any other plan.
– Winfield Scott, letter to McClellan

Passing the Time

To fill the long hours between marches and battles, soldiers often passed the time by reading.
Soldiers who did not have their own Bible could obtain a free copy from the U.S. Christian Commission. Soldiers also read and wrote letters, newspapers and even novels. Some soldiers published camp newspapers. The articles written in the newspapers covered accounts of battles,
included poetry and messages to thenemy. Some of the camps even had debating societies.
Athletic activities were always popular and featured many a game of baseball played with a soft ball and just two bases. Other events inclued cricket, races, wrestling, leapfrog, boxing matching
and even bowling played with cannon balls and wooden pins. Board games were also quite popular, dominoes was a popular game, and checkers was a favorite among the men.