Sunday, April 29, 2007

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

Thursday, April 26, 2007

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

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

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.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

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.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

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.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

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.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

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.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

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.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

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.

Saturday, April 14, 2007

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.

Friday, April 13, 2007

Civil War Slang

Smoked Yanks - Union soldiers cooking over a fire.
Chicken Guts - Officer's gold braiding on his cuff.
Gallinippers - mosquitoes.
Bombproofs - Term for commissaries due to soft life.
Fighting under the black flag - Soldiers killing lice.
Giving the vermin a parole - Throwing away clothing infected with lice.
Bull Pit - Under-arrest confinement area.
Iron Clad Possum - An armadillo dinner.
Attend to the Inner Man: eat
Bad Fix: unpleasant situation
Big Bugs: important people
Biled Shirt: white shirt
Blaze Away: shoot
Bomb: artillery shell
Brackish Water: water unfit for drinking
Bringing a Brick with him: drunk
Bust-Head: cheap whiskey
By-Play: trick
Caboodle: lot
Cast Up Accounts: vomit
Chaff: stuff
Chicken Guts: uniform braid
Coffee Coolers: worthless soldiers
Company Q: fictitious outfit for cowards and noncombatants
Desecrated Vegetables: dehydrated vegetables
Dog Fall: battle tie
Dose of Cold Lead: gunshot
Dose of Leaden Pills: gunshot
Drissely: rain
Flyblown Meat: meat infested by maggots
Fresh Fish: gullible or inexperienced person, a recruit Gobble (N): whip the enemy
Go Boil Your Shirt: bug off
Gone Fawn Skins: dead ducks
Gopher Hole: trench
Grabbling: the art of fishing with your hands
Grayback: a louse
Gun Stopper: a tompion, used to plug the muzzle of rifle
Gun Wiper: worm, used to run patches down rifle
Gutted: pillaged
Hacked: demoralized
Halloed: called
Hanker: desire
Hardlooking: mean-looking
Here's Your Mule: term of derision
Hospital Rat: one who feigns sickness in order to avoid battle
Hot Stuff: liquor
Indian Style: single file
Infernal Machines: land mines
Jaw: talk
Jim Jams: delirium
John Barleycorn: liquor or beer
ly Tar: sailor
Jug: capture
Leaden Pills: bullets
Light Out: leave
Like a Duck on a June Bug: very fast
Line his Pockets: swindle
Let Drive: shoot
Loophole: hole through which rifle is fired
Loose State: drunk
Mudsill: derogatory Southern term referring to poor white trash and applied by Southerners to Western U.S. Army troops, who perversely adapted it to their own use
Muggins: scoundrel
Mule: beef
Old Bird: veteran
Old Hand: veteran
On His Own Hook: of his own free will
Peacock About: strut
Peg Away: shoot
Peg Out: die
Picked Chicken: dead duck
Pie Eaters: country boys
Play Old Soldier: feign sickness in order to avoid battle
Play Outs: military noncombatants, such as staff officers
Play Smash: destroy
Sacred Soil of Virginia: dust
Salt Horse: preserved beef
Salt Junk: preserved pork
Set To: begin
Shank's Mare: on foot
Sharper: gambler
Shinplaster: currency used by state or bank
Shoulder Strap: officer
Showed His Teeth: showed his meanness
Sing Out: yell
Sink: toilet
Slapjacks: fried batter composed of flour, water and salt
Squeamish: sick
Stockings: socks
Sweets: candy
Thirsty for Tobacco: want some tobacco
Too Thin: unbelieveable
Torpedoe: land mine
Traps: belongings, baggage
Truck: things, stuff
Try Our Metal: see how strong we are
Under Canvas: in a tent
Videt Hole: entrenched picket post
Webfoot: infantryman
Yellow Dog: coward

The St. Louis Massacre - May 10, 1861

In 1861 the border state of Missouri was involved in the violent tug-of-war over the secession issue. The thriving port city of St. Louis, was divided on the issue of secession, and had a large population of German immigrants who were opposed to slavery and secession. In spite of the state's official decision to remain neutral, strong secessionist sentiments continued to exist. Governor Claiborne Jackson, a vehement supporter of secession, personally corresponded with Confederate President Jefferson Davis, that Missouri would prove most favorable to the Confederacy. In May 1861, Postmaster Montgomery Blair learned of a secessionist plot to seize the Union depot at the St. Louis Armory, where large numbers of weapons and ammunition were stored. On May 10th, 3,000 Union soldiers under the command of Captain Nathaniel Lyon marched to the armory at the state militia barracks at Camp Jackson. A large number of German immigrants served in the Home Guard Unit. Missouri militiamen, led by General Frost, surrendered to Lyon, but trouble soon began. To humiliate the Missouri militiamen, Lyon paraded them through the streets between two columns of the Home Guard. Many citizens were hostile toward the Germans and cursed or spat at them. Rocks were even thrown, and someone in the crowd opened fire. The soldiers were ordered to fire back into the crowd. The mob retaliated by throwing blocks at the troops. Gunfire on both sides was heavy, by nightfall 60 civilians were wounded, with another 30 dead. Lyon dismissed the guardsmen in an effort to stop the fighting, but mobs roamed the streets throughout the night, burning and pillaging. It was a scene of total insurrection. The following day another seven people were killed by the Home Guard, who had been called back to duty again to restore order. The idea of Missouri remaining neutral was now out of the question.

Occupation of Alexandria - May 24th, 1861

The occupation of Alexandria began on May 24th, 1861 at 2:00 A.M. It was the day after the citizens of Virginia voted three to one to secede. Union soldiers invaded Virginia and occupied the countryside across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The few Rebel pickets in Arlington, the town directly across the river from Washington, quickly retreated from the two Union columns that descended upon them. Robert E. Lee's estate at Arlington Heights was occupied and used as a Union command post. The 700 Virginia militiamen stationed six miles downstream at Alexandria, an important port and railroad center, were warned of this invasion in time for all but 35 of them to retreat through one end of town as Union troops rushed in the other. Two Union forces converged on Alexandria. Colonel Orlando B. Wilcox and his 1st Michigan Regiment marched down from Arlington and Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth and his 11th New York Zouave Regiment arrived at the Alexandria wharf aboard three river steamers. The Zouaves rushed ashore at daybreak and quickly secured the railroad station and telegraph office. As Ellsworth moved through the town, he spied a large Confederate flag flying from atop an inn called the Marshall House. Ellsworth rushed into the inn with four companions, climbed the stairs to the top, and cut down the flag. As they were going back down with the flag, innkeeper James W. Jackson met them at the third floor landing with a double-barreled shotgun and proceeded to kill Jackson by shooting him in the face. Then to make certain the job of killing Jackson was finished the innkeeper used his bayonet, and finished poor Jackson off by pushing him down the stairs. The innkeeper then pulled the trigger again killing Ellsworth. The Union invasion was a resounding success.
The 24 year old Ellsworth had been a personal friend of President Abraham Lincoln. His body lay in state at the White House. Ellsworth became a Union martyr, and babies, streets, and even towns were named after him.

The Battle of Balls Bluff was the largest Civil War battle to take place in Loudoun County.
Following the Union defeat at Manassas (Bull Run), General George B. McClellan was called to Washington to take charge of the Federal forces there. McClellan named his new command the Army of the Potomac and diligently worked at restoring its confidence. Republicans in Congress soon pressured McClellan to march against Richmond before winter. As a result, General McClellan decided upon a campaign to capture Leesburg on the upper Potomac, thus strategically outflanking the Confederate Army then based in Centreville. McClellans plan consisted of a three-pronged movement toward Leesburg. On October 19, Union General McCalls division marched to Dranesville, Virginia. The following day, McClellan notified General Charles P. Stone at Poolesville, Maryland, of McCalls advance and suggested that "a slight demonstration" by Stones forces might help move the Confederates. On October 21, Stone ordered a feint assault at Edwards Ferry while launching the "coup de grace" via a flanking column under Colonel Edward Baker at Smarts Mill Ford, just upriver from Balls Bluff. But poor communication, intelligence mistakes and the lack of unified Union command doomed the northern effort. Confederates led by Colonel Nathan "Shanks" Evans and Eppa Hunton checked the Union advance at Balls Bluff and turned the battle into a rout. Of the 1,720 Union soldiers engaged, 49 were killed, 158 wounded, 553 taken prisoner and 161 missing and presumed drowned in the Potomac River. Confederates engaged numbered 1,709, of whom 36 were killed, 117 wounded and two taken prisoner. Bodies floating downriver to Washington brought the shocking reality of the war to the publics attention. Among the Union casualties at Balls Bluff was U.S. Senator, Colonel Edward D. Baker, boyhood friend of Abraham Lincoln. Bakers death and the twin Union defeats at Manassas and Balls Bluff prompted the creation of a Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

1861 Timeline of Civil War Battles

Crisis at Pensacola * January - April
Fort Sumter * April 12 - 14
Virginia seizes Harpers Ferry * April 18
Norfolk *April 20
St. Louis Massacre *May 10
Harpers Ferry * May 23
Alexandria * May 24
Philippi * June 3
Battle of Big Bethel * June 10
Roch Creek * June 10
Boonville * June 17
Carthage * July 5
Rich Mountain * July 11
Laurel Mountain and Carick's Ford * July 7 -13
1st Battle of Bull Run/First Manassas * July 21
Occupation of Columbus, Kentucky * September 6
Cheat Mountain * September 11
Ball's Bluff * October 21
Battle of Belmont * November 7

The First Year of the Civil War 1861

The brothers marched on through the stifling heat of the July afternoon. It was the peak of summer. Blackberries hung ripe and succulent, ready for the picking. The marching orders were nearly never much more then in a row down along a dirt road. Marching was much prefered to hacking a path through dense the woodland scouring for firewood. My the soldiers were sent off on reconnaissance.
South Carolina had been the first of the southern states to the leave the Union, followed in succession by Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana. On April 17, 1861 Virginia also joined the Confederacy. On April 19th riots broke out in Maryland. Arkansas and Tennessee following Virgina seceded on May 6th and North Carolina on May 20th. The newly formed Confederate States had elected Jefferson Davis to be their president and on April 22nd Robert E. Lee was confirmed as Commander of the Virginia Army.
The Union men couldn't wait to see the elephant and get a shot in at a reb. The camp has heard news that General McClellan and his Army of the Potomac are defending Washington.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Capture of Norfolk - April 20th, 1861

The Virginia militia advanced on Gosport Navy Shipyard near Norfolk, Virginia on April 20th, 1861. When the Union commander there, General Charles S. McCauley, heard of the Rebels impending arrival, he ordered all the ships to be burned. Only three ships survived the blaze and one charred hull, the USS Merrimack, which was salvaged by the Confederates and rechristened the CSS Virginia. Because Union troops did not completely destroy the Gosport Navy Shipyard, the South was able to take over a 1,000 heavy naval guns. The federals gave way without a fight to defend the valuable facilities of the naval yard. It was a clear victory for the South. The Richmond Daily Newspaper was quick to report that the South had enough material to build a Navy of iron clad war ships.

Saturday, April 7, 2007

Civil War Rations

A ration is the amount of food authorized for one soldier or animal for one day.
Army regulations entitled a Union soldier to receive 12 oz of pork or bacon or 1 lb. 4 oz of fresh or salt beef; 1 lb. 6 oz of soft bread or flour, 1 lb. of hard bread, or 1 lb. 4 oz of cornmeal daily.
Per every 100 rations there was issued 1 peck of beans or peas; 10 lb. of rice or hominy; 10 lb. of green coffee, 8 lb. of roasted and ground coffee, or 1 lb. 8 oz of tea; 15 lb. of sugar; 1 lb. 4 oz of candles, 4 lb. of soap; 1 qt of molasses. In addition, vegetables, dried fruit, pickles, or pickled cabbage might also be issued. The marching ration consisted of 1 lb. of hard bread, 3/4 lb. of salt pork or 1 1/4 lb. of fresh meat, plus the sugar, coffee, and salt. Soldiers also depended on food stuffs sent from home or bought from a local Sutler.

He is Risen! Easter during the Civil War

Many Civil War soldiers celebrated Easter as the Cilvil War raged on. What it was like for many soldiers we don't exactly know. Far away from their homes and families it would not have been easy to celebrate. The stories of a few did. Some men from the North obtained permission to celebrate, and even attempted to organize a dinner. They arranged for the camp sutler to send a few special supplies. The soldiers foraged for items such as chickens, eggs and wine. They found kegs of cider but no wine. The men made do with what they had. Thankful to offer up their prayers to God and rejoicing the Risen Christ!

For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16