U.S. Civil War History bits

Cheers Pricie. I know people who collect stereographs from WW1, and as you say, the level of detail in them is amazing.

 

"SIMPSONVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A memorial to honor the memory of black soldiers who were killed in a Confederate ambush during the Civil War has been dedicated in central Kentucky.
Members of several groups gathered Sunday for the ceremony on U.S. 60 west of Simpsonville. The groups helped pay to investigate the solders' likely burial site and build the memorial."
Memorial dedicated for black Union soldiers - FOX19 News - Greater Cincinnati Area

 

Thanks Gordon, I wasn't aware they still did those type photographs in WWI. I'll have to check that out. Do you know if anyone has put out a compilation in book form similar to the two books I mentioned?

 

No worries. There are a few on ebay from time to time. Here are a couple of companies who produced them--
World War 1 Stereographs
World War 1 Stereographs
I'm not getting anything on a compilation of those other two books though, sorry.

 

Civil War Tidbits.

Champ Ferguson, a Confederate guerrilla was hanged before U.S. Colored Troops for the reported massacre of black prisoners of war taken at the Battle of Saltville.

Before the Civil war fellow US Army officer Simon Bolivar Buckner lent a broke U.S. Grant travel money to return home after he resigned from the army while stationed in California. Years later, after Confederate General Buckner was forced to surrender Vicksburg to Grant on July 4th 1863, Grant tried to return the favor but was rebuffed by Buckner because he felt Grant's terms of surrender too harsh.

Abraham Buford, weighing in at about 320 pounds was likely the south's heaviest general officer.

The C.S.A. Furlough and Bounty Act of 1862 offered $50.00 cash for a 3 year reenlistment. Paid in Confederate money.

Five Native American Tribes furnished warriors for the Confederacy: Cherokees, Creeks, Chikasaws, Choctaws and Seminoles.

 

Some of you might find this useful-
"----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "Linda Derry" <cahawba@BELLSOUTH.NET>
To: HISTARCH@asu.edu
Sent: Friday, 15 April, 2011 6:53:19 AM
Subject: Re: War (1861-1865)

Histarchers,

As long as we are on the Civil War topic, I wanted to mention a nifty tie-in with historic site interpretation and preservation. I am the director of an archaeological park, which includes the ruins of a prison that was used to house captured union soldiers. Most of the soldiers that died aboard the Sultana (said to be the large maritime disaster in U.S. History) were prisoners released from Cahawba who were returning home to their loved ones after surviving the war and this P.O.W. camp.

Last weekend, I had David Rothstein, the author of a new novel called Casualties: a Novel of the Civil War do readings from his novel to an audience while all sat within the ruins of the walls of that prison. It was very emotional and I believe created emotional ties between the participants and our archaeological site that are already paying off, as people speak out about budget cutbacks after our governor declared historic and archaeological sites "non-essential."

The book is not about the glory of battle but about how everyone (Confederate, Union, solider, homefront, black and white) were devastated by that war. For the most part, the setting for the novel is in the prison, that was converted from a cotton warehouse and whose remains are now part of our archaeological site. Here is what the author said in his afterword:
"if you go to Cahawba today and sit quietly under the live oak trees, you will feel the spirits of the people who lived and suffered and died there. If you stand in the center of the space that was the warehouse, you can trace the remains of its brick foundation where they once were kept, and they will speak to you. It feels as if Cahawba is still holding its breath."

You can't even buy a better advocacy piece than that!

In fact, I'm finding that our archaeological site is increasingly becoming the muse for novelists, poets and song writers. I think this is an underappreciated avenue to constituency building, and it might be a very effective one since it does touch the heart and play to the emotions.

If anyone is interested, here's a link to reviews of the novel on Amazon:

Amazon.com: Casualties A Novel of the Civil War eBook: David Rothstein: Kindle Store"

And this is interesting too-
"THE NATIONAL Museum of Ireland is marking the 150th anniversary of the first shots fired in the American civil war with a special exhibition this weekend at Collins Barracks.
A number of Irish and international historians are presenting lectures from 11am until 1pm today that will highlight the role Irish soldiers played in the conflict.
Tomorrow, the public will get a chance to see how the soldiers might have looked, with replica weaponry and uniforms on display."
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0416/1224294798411.html

 

Civil War Tidbits No. 2

Confederate General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beaurguard was carried on the roll of a New Orleans unit as an honorary private, with the color sergent answering "Absent on duty" when the roster was called.

Frank C. Armstrong served as a Brigadier in the Confederate Army, and a Captain in the U.S. Army during the Civil War.

Maj. Gen. David E. Twiggs was the only U.S. Army officer considered guilty of treason for having joined the Confederate army.

Heinrich Hartman Wirz, commandant of Anderson Prision was they only prision commandant executed for war crimes.

Six defenders of Fort Sumter became major generals: Anderson, Crawford, Davis, Doubleday, Foster, and Seymour.

 

Not true - Twiggs, commander of the Department of Texas, did not become a general in the Confederate Army until AFTER he was dismissed from the US Army. Twiggs was dismissed on March 1, 1961 from the US Army and was not appointed as a Confederate General until May 22, 1861.

He was considered guilty of treason, because he surrendered all Federal forces and property to the Confederates, a windfall of an estimated 1.2-1.6 million dollars. Many Union sources believe, and which the facts tend to support, that Twiggs colluded with the Confederates in this surrender.

 

Well, not to stray off-topic, but if your interested in Little Bighorn. I highly recommend browsing through this website: Welcome to the Little Bighorn History Alliance!

 

"APRIL 12 was the 150th anniversary of the attack on Fort Sumter, which ignited the Civil War. Over the next four years, Fort Sumter, as well as Fredericksburg, Manassas and other major Civil War battlefields, will see heavy foot traffic. Gettysburg alone is expecting more than four million visitors in 2013, the 150th anniversary of that battle and the Gettysburg Address.
But for every story told in history books and on tourism trails, dozens more have been mostly ignored. "
In Virginia, Touring Lesser-Known Civil War Sites - NYTimes.com

 

Tom Custer's two Medals of Honor show exactly what calibre of soldier he really was.

Contemporary opinion, and later, postulated that George Armstrong had something to do with the award of both medals. This overstates the influence that the Custer's wielded in military/political circles and certainly does not explain why Armstrong was never able to finnegal a Medal of Honor for his own chest!

 

It must be taken into consideration that at the time, the Medal of Honor was the only medal to be awarded. For example, the entire honor guard escorting Abram Lincoln's body from Washington to Springfield were all awarded the MoH.

 

"Discover how Alexandria was transformed by the Civil War on the 150th anniversary weekend of Alexandria’s occupation by Federal troops! “Life in Civil War Alexandria: A 150th Commemorative Event,” a kick-off for Alexandria’s Civil War Commemoration, will be held on Saturday, May 21, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Old Town at Market Square, 301 King Street.
This extensive living history event will feature an opening ceremony; music by the Federal City Brass Band; interpretations of Robert E. Lee, a Civil War photographer, an army surgeon, Union and Confederate soldiers, and African American civilians; as well as a U.S. Military Railroad portrayal; the Victorian Dance Ensemble; and a variety of other interpretive activities to help tell the story of Alexandria’s experience during the Civil War."
Alexandria Kicks Off Civil War Commemoration May 21 | Historic Alexandria | City of Alexandria, VA

 

"This is an in-progress ABPP grant (2010) with the TN State Library and
Archives. They hope to grow it to a really wonderful on-line resource.

Tennessee State Library and Archives
Tennessee
$40,750


This statewide project will take a comprehensive GIS database of 38 Civil War
sites and make it available on-line for federal, state, and local planning
agencies and preservation organizations. The geospatial database with
economic and demographic overlays will be accessible to the public on the web
through the Tennessee GIS server. Greater access to historical information
should lead to increased public advocacy."
TN Civil War GIS Project

 

Good stuff Roger, I have a particular interest in Vicksburg, my Great-great grandfather fought and was surrendered there with the 39th Georgia, along with four of his brothers. They were paroled and sent home till exchanged. They were assigned to Cumming's Brigade, Stevenson's Division so you can see where they fought on the maps.