tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16936088236050479942024-02-19T09:14:11.415-06:00Civil War MissouriHankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-88594491041631342122017-01-24T21:42:00.002-06:002017-01-25T07:58:30.532-06:00A Geographic PrimerThe geography and towns near the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers can be confusing. The Union used the rivers as much as possible for moving troops, supplies, animals and equipment. A typical river steamer carried about one thousand men, about two regiments.<br />
<br />
The rivers meet at Cairo, Illinois, which is pronounced kerr-oh. When driving east on US-60, you cross the Mississippi from Missouri into Cairo for about 30 seconds and then cross the Ohio into Kentucky. The town occupies a tiny peninsula between the two rivers.<br />
<br />
Cape Girardeau is about 35 miles up the Mississippi from Cairo.<br />
<br />
Paducah, Kentucky, is 35 miles by land and 50 miles by river boat up the Ohio. The Tennessee river enters the Ohio at Paducah. Only 2 miles further and the Cumberland river joins the Ohio.<br />
<br />
Columbus, Kentucky, on the east bank, and Belmont, in Missouri on the west bank of the Mississippi, are about 25 miles down the Mississippi from Cairo.<br />
<br />
Located near the confluences of these four great rivers, Cairo was a logical jumping off point for southward movements by Northern forces. Use of these rivers was a great strategic advantage to the Union army and 'brown-water' navy.<br />
<br />HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-59860982473799899502017-01-24T21:15:00.001-06:002017-01-24T21:15:30.050-06:00Generals in Blue Missouri - Ulysses S. Grant
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Ulysses S. Grant
graduated from the military academy at West Point, served in the Mexican War
and various western posts before resigning from the army as a captain in 1854.
He farmed on his brother-in-law’s property near St, Louis and sold firewood in
the city. In 1856 he and his wife Julia moved onto his father-in-law’s farm
which he dubbed ’Hardscrabble’. Failing as a farmer, they moved into St. Louis
and he worked as a bill collector with no success. In 1860, the family moved to
Galena, Illinois, where he worked in his father’s leather goods shop.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">After the
attack on Fort Sumter, Illinois Governor Richard Yates gave Grant a militia
commission to recruit, organize and train state volunteer units. On July 10<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
1861, Grant was given command of the 21<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup> Illinois Infantry and
assigned to west Quincy in northeast Missouri to protect the Hannibal & St.
Joseph railroad. The 21<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup> moved to Florida (birthplace of Samuel
Clemens) and Mexico, protecting railroad repair crews. At Mexico he took
command of 2 additional regiments and learned of his promotion to Brigadier
General.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Grant’s
command was rushed to Ironton on August 8<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> to counter a Confederate
force moving up from Arkansas. Both his new commission and army politics found
him there. Technically outranked by Gen. Benjamin Prentiss, Grant was relieved
and sent to Jefferson City and a week later to St. Louis. Fremont, sorting out
the rank issue, sent Grant to Cape Girardeau with Prentiss reporting to him.
When the Confederates occupied Columbus, Kentucky, on the Mississippi, on
September 3rd, Grant secured Paducah, Kentucky, on the Ohio, on the 6<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>,
with the 9<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> and 12<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> Illinois regiments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">On November
7, 1861 Grant’s troops crossed the Mississippi River and attacked the
Confederate camp at Belmont, Missouri across from Columbus. Initially taking
the camp, the reinforced Confederates forced Grant’s men to retreat back to
Cairo, wiser and experienced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">After
Belmont, Grant was appointed to command the Army of the Tennessee, leading it
to Shiloh and Vicksburg, then command of the western theater at Chattanooga,
commander of all the armies to Appomattox and finally President in 1868.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-17813771068111852722017-01-23T21:06:00.000-06:002017-01-23T21:06:06.684-06:00Generals in Blue Missouri - John Pope
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">John Pope was
appointed a brigadier General of Volunteers on June 14, 1861 and ordered to
Illinois on recruiting duty. Shortly thereafter, he was given command of the
District of North and Central Missouri, north of the Missouri River and west of
the Mississippi. Pope forced Confederate units out of north-central Missouri,
taking over 800 prisoners at the small battle of Blackwater, in Johnson County,
on December 18. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">This action impressed Halleck who selected Pope to command the
Army of the Mississippi with 25,000 men on February 23, 1862 and ordered down
the Mississippi. A surprise march captured New Madrid on March 14 and then
Island No. 10 on April 7. These actions gave the Union access on the
Mississippi all the way to Memphis.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Promoted to Major General, Pope commanded under Halleck
in northern Mississippi and was then given command of the Army of Virginia. He
is best known as the commander at the worst Union defeat in the east at 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup>
Manassas. He was then transferred to Minnesota for the rest of the war.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Side fact: Island No. 10 is so-named as it is the 10th major island in the Mississippi south of it's confluence with the Ohio, just south of Island No. 9 and north of Island No. 11 ;)</span></div>
HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-90754503225450661052017-01-22T20:35:00.000-06:002017-01-22T20:38:03.290-06:00Generals in Blue Missouri - Samuel R. Curtis<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Samuel
Curtis was a Republican Iowa Congressman and Colonel of the 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> Iowa
Volunteer Infantry. Promoted to Brigadier General on May 17, 1861 he reported
to St. Louis and helped organize the Union forces in the area. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Given command
of the Army of the Southwest on Christmas day and it’s 3 divisions, he moved to
Rolla. In March 1862, the army moved into northwest Arkansas and won the battle
of Pea Ridge on March 7<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> and 8<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>. After campaigning in
Arkansas, Curtis earned command of the District of Missouri. Coming in political
conflict with the Union Republican Governor,</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hamilton Rowan Gamble, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Curtis was reassigned to the
Department of Kansas and Indian Territory.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">On October 6<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>,
1863, Curtis’ son, Major Zarah Curtis, was killed by Quantrill’s guerillas at
the massacre of Baxter Springs, Kansas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">During
Confederate General Sterling Price’s 1864 invasion, Curtis brought his forces,
the self-styled Army of the Border, east and helped defeat Price at the battle
of Westport on October 23. Afterwards he was assigned to the Department of the
Northwest, leading the military response to Native American uprisings against
white settlers. <o:p></o:p></span>HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-79304269278431347122017-01-15T15:18:00.000-06:002017-01-22T20:38:19.752-06:00Generals in Blue Missouri - Henry W. Halleck<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Henry Wager Halleck replaced Fremont as commander of the Department
of Missouri on November 9, 1861. Halleck was a military theorist and able
administrator and quickly sorted out the chaos of corruption, fraud and
disorder left by his predecessor. Seldom close to either superiors or
subordinates, throughout his career he strove to ensure that credit for good work came to him but that blame for bad fell on others.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">While administering the department from St. Louis, Union
troops won victories at Pea Ridge, Belmont, Island Number 10 and New Madrid
under field generals Samuel Curtis, Ulysses Grant, and John Pope.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Halleck was leery of the talents of his most successful
subordinate, Grant. Being risk-averse,
Halleck viewed Grant as overly pugnacious, unreliable and carrying a reputation
for alcoholism. Grant’s victory at the small battle of Belmont allowed Halleck
to give him a bit more leash in Tennessee, after which both their careers
pointed south and then east.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span>HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-61181708760530912332017-01-13T21:04:00.000-06:002017-01-13T21:04:59.228-06:00Generals in Blue Missouri - John Charles Fremont<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">John C.
Fremont is the most famous man to become a general in Missouri. Famous western
explorer, first Republican presidential candidate and controversial adventurer,
he was appointed commander of the Department of the West, headquartered in St.
Louis, on July 1, 1861. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">While Lyon
operated in the field, Fremont organized the far-flung federal forces in Missouri
and Illinois. Many men were enlisted, but they were short of arms, food and
other supplies. Fremont’s manned his staff with friends and family and his requisitioning
and purchasing practices came under scrutiny and he was accused of graft and
corruption.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">With Lyon
moving through Missouri, Fremont appointed Ulysses S. Grant to command the post
in Cairo, Illinois, train the troops there and prepare for operations in southeast
Missouri.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">After Lyon’s
death in the defeat at Wilson Creek, Fremont collected 40,000 green troops, moved
toward Springfield, declared martial law in the state and issued an edict
freeing the slaves of disloyal Missourians. He retook Springfield, but President
Lincoln, opposed to such a bold move early in the war, reversed the emancipation
declaration and removed Fremont from command.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Fremont
transferred east, served desultorily and was removed from active service in
mid-1862.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-60710377577256984142017-01-07T18:01:00.001-06:002017-01-13T21:04:40.530-06:00Generals in Blue Missouri - Nathaniel Lyon <br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Nathaniel
Lyon was born in Connecticut in 1818 and graduated </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">from the United
States Military Academy at West Point in 1841. He fought in the second Seminole
War and the war with Mexico. After the Mexican War he served in California and
was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, where the political climate predicted the
coming sectional conflict. A strict, perhaps severe, disciplinarian he was
considered impetuous and hot-headed by some.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">In February 1861, after the secession winter but before open
hostilities, Nathaniel Lyon was assigned to command the federal weapons arsenal
in St. Louis. Tension was high for Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson was an avowed
southern sympathizer and secessionist. When war began in April and Lincoln
called for troops, including 4 regiments from Missouri, Jackson refused.
Rather, he assembled the state militia outside at the fairgrounds outside St.
Louis in anticipation of fighting for the south.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On May 10, Lyon sent troops to surround and
subdue the militia. After capturing the militia and while marching them through
St. Louis, pro-southern citizens began to riot. Lyon ordered the troops to
defend themselves and they fired into the crowd, killing 28.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">A week later, Lyon was given command of all Union troops
in Missouri. Shortly after, in a fiery meeting, h</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">e and Congressman Francis P. Blair met
with Governor Jackson and General Sterling Price in peace negotiations. The
meeting failed as Lyon stated, “</span><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Rather than concede to the state of Missouri
the right to dictate to my government in any matter however unimportant, I
would see you, and you, and every man, woman, and child in the state dead and
buried. This means war.”</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Forcing the Missouri State Guard, their leaders, Price
and Gov. Jackson, west, Union forces captured Jefferson City, won the first
battle of Boonville on June 17th, gained control of the Missouri River and secured
most of northern Missouri.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">After refitting, recruiting and reorganizing, and uniting
with soldiers under Col. Franz Sigel, Lyon’s troops attacked Price, the Missouri
State Guard and Confederate regular army troops just south of Springfield at
Wilson Creek on August 10. While rallying his outnumbered men, Lyon was shot
through the heart and died instantly, the first Union general to die in the
conflict.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Lyon’s efforts kept Missouri in the Union. Ironically, the
efficiency in clearing northern Missouri of the Guard and regular CSA troops
left many pro-southern men behind Union lines and laid the groundwork for the
deadly guerilla war that lasted the rest of the war.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></span><br /></div>
HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-61291446354970836182016-08-15T13:10:00.002-05:002016-08-15T13:10:56.798-05:00Gettysburg photo mysteriesA few years ago, John Cummings discovered the previously mysterious position of a famous Gettysburg photograph usually titled 'Harvest of Death'. His notes are <a href="http://spotsylvaniacw.blogspot.com/2012/06/harvest-of-death-revisited-june-14-2012.html">here.</a> His research also reveals ways in which that era's photographs were artistically manipulated and don't necessarily record reality.<br />
<br />
His work leads me to identify the position of another Gettysburg photograph, conjectured to be on the Confederate right in the 2nd day's battlefield near the Rose farm, but whose actual location is also unknown. No one else has made this leap.<br />
<br />
In this photo of partially buried Confederate dead, several landmarks appear: the scraggly trees in the background, the up-sloping topography and the pile of white-washed fence boards.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI63S-gKZ6Vl75J6pawSAfeigc0nPVQ2St9Ojg5fqB9GE4UwbuXpZPS73UrxKlQyriZ7nE6j7WvvHuPTOj8yCL1WprGz4FgB2rIu0r0VzE3k3GFmAA5regjrTJdz8aVyaQeia-JllOx-c/s1600/unburied1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI63S-gKZ6Vl75J6pawSAfeigc0nPVQ2St9Ojg5fqB9GE4UwbuXpZPS73UrxKlQyriZ7nE6j7WvvHuPTOj8yCL1WprGz4FgB2rIu0r0VzE3k3GFmAA5regjrTJdz8aVyaQeia-JllOx-c/s320/unburied1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have highlighted the most interesting element, the pile of fence boards.</div>
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In the photograph whose location John has identified, a similar board pile is revealed in the middle distance, highlighted here.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRw3198AEL30aaHCH8_sG4B18WDOrlm95qeu4GPeuPOna9DEwnXapfiQsIF4Yz87Scqo-dBFSmY7jdgZUFzvUJtI1sU7HWlZER9kV3ITNKIlcnCOcm49vwJx87EJKZhyphenhyphenDdgXem5qgY0YQ/s1600/harvest1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRw3198AEL30aaHCH8_sG4B18WDOrlm95qeu4GPeuPOna9DEwnXapfiQsIF4Yz87Scqo-dBFSmY7jdgZUFzvUJtI1sU7HWlZER9kV3ITNKIlcnCOcm49vwJx87EJKZhyphenhyphenDdgXem5qgY0YQ/s320/harvest1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Other than the landmarks, small gnarly trees and up-sloping terrain, there are several ideas regarding this position. </div>
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Concerning the currently theorized position being on the CSA right: there are no other photos of Confederate burials in the area; it was an active combat zone on the evening of the 2nd and the CSA withdrew from it on the night of the 3rd. It's doubtful that exhausted, front-line troops would have engaged in graves operations.</div>
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Now, about my conjecture: This zone was behind Confederate lines from the afternoon of July 1st until the evening of July 5th. The troops in the area were not engaged in fighting after the 1st and conducted extensive graves operations until they left the Gettysburg area. The photographer was in the area on the 6th and it's unlikely they would have limited their photo-taking to a few plates on the ridge near where Reynolds was killed.</div>
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I believe the photo was taken in he swale in the left middle distance, perhaps near the trees just over the ridge.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GqFXD7ckyK-Y3Take4Y_KR5qdcgi1HmlrEKng1uhyphenhyphen-8G40gzAs-LGozrDTMT5kcGAWeM1eBHJuq3hipccg_41703Y5P2cYxaqoVHr9fDLRe4Q_9q6Pnf_ial3K2Cqmp0p-TRIDqbTXU/s1600/harvest2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GqFXD7ckyK-Y3Take4Y_KR5qdcgi1HmlrEKng1uhyphenhyphen-8G40gzAs-LGozrDTMT5kcGAWeM1eBHJuq3hipccg_41703Y5P2cYxaqoVHr9fDLRe4Q_9q6Pnf_ial3K2Cqmp0p-TRIDqbTXU/s320/harvest2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-47307405803095708382016-08-06T11:46:00.004-05:002016-08-06T11:53:47.397-05:00Soldier Ages - Mythical Company Musters OutOur mythical company of 100 originally enlisted for 3 months and then re-upped for 3 more years. <br />
<br />
Now the time to muster out and return to homes and occupations has at last arrived.<br />
<br />
Through more then 3 years of warfare, with discharge, disablement, disease, desertion and death thinning the ranks, the 100 soldiers count only 35.<br />
<br />
Their ages at the last muster are :<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><u>age</u> <u>number</u></span><br />
18 or under 1<br />
19 2<br />
20 8<br />
21 4<br />
22-24 12<br />
25-27 7<br />
over 28 1<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-65767549438276636052016-08-04T14:39:00.000-05:002016-08-04T20:46:40.100-05:00Soldier Ages - some references<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Searching</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'"44 and over" adjutant report' </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">turned up the following in a newspaper and a journal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">They obviously reference the same 'report' and give 1909 as the published year .</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />From the <em>Pittsburgh Post-Gazette</em>, June 1 1911:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyu0IjTERacEINLcKV8OZEFLhuKD8KURwMid9reUGKYtR767UoFiCWIzWpbWs0uuOe7ZIDMDjl41NBB6BD2zLOWKndnRvjUNN_gS0J780pyxwakLg1m1xar8IiK215zGIVlFUEgMHDteI/s1600/ages001.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyu0IjTERacEINLcKV8OZEFLhuKD8KURwMid9reUGKYtR767UoFiCWIzWpbWs0uuOe7ZIDMDjl41NBB6BD2zLOWKndnRvjUNN_gS0J780pyxwakLg1m1xar8IiK215zGIVlFUEgMHDteI/s320/ages001.gif" width="297" /></a></div>
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From the <em>Society of the Army of the Potomac, Report of the Thirty-Eighth Annual Reunion </em>(the same text appears in the <em>Report</em>s of the 35th and the 40th) printed in 1908:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiy3dY0dFuBBcq8Qnd06m3n7zXOZf9v_haIjXhwdlt3fu0HIiUv6faOUwSfI7saPe4vZ4E-iHX8AsdppeutGLEQ4mKvAL1W1XvZ3M3nQM67MOiADfUpzJf7pQhsKiqBJTwhPdTRk5sv_M/s1600/ages002.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiy3dY0dFuBBcq8Qnd06m3n7zXOZf9v_haIjXhwdlt3fu0HIiUv6faOUwSfI7saPe4vZ4E-iHX8AsdppeutGLEQ4mKvAL1W1XvZ3M3nQM67MOiADfUpzJf7pQhsKiqBJTwhPdTRk5sv_M/s320/ages002.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-18082820954440735142016-07-29T10:51:00.001-05:002016-08-06T11:47:20.203-05:00Sodier Ages - Mythical Company<span style="font-family: "arial";">Let's use the Adjutant General's data and recruit a mythical 100-soldier infantry company.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">At the first drill, the company lines up by age.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">As we inspect the ranks, the first 4 'men' are 15 or younger!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";">Walking the line of soldiers, we see:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><u>age</u> <u>number</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";">16 4</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";">17 22</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";">18 11</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";">19-21 37</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";">22-24 20</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";">25-43 1</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">finally, last in line is an old greybeard over 43!</span>HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-90021136566586483772016-07-24T18:04:00.001-05:002016-07-24T18:04:51.530-05:00Soldier Ages - the full textHere is the transcribed text from the booklet, with words replacing the actual ditto, double-quote, marks :<br />
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<br />
Grand Army of the Republic <br />
<br />
The veterans’ organization was founded by Dr. Stephenson, in Decatur, Illinois, in 1866. The final encampment was in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1949. <br />
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Number of men, by age who served in the Union (from the Adjutant General’s report)<br />
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Age 10 and under: 25<br />
Age 11 and under: 38<br />
Age 12 and under: 225<br />
Age 13 and under: 300<br />
Age 14 and under: 1,525<br />
Age 15 and under: 104,987<br />
Age 16 and under: 231,051<br />
Age 17 and under: 844,891<br />
Age 18 and under: 1,151,438<br />
Age 21 and under: 2,159,798<br />
Age 22 and over: 618,511<br />
Age 25 and over: 46,626<br />
Age 44 and over: 16,071<br />
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TOTAL . . . . . . 2,778,304 [actually 2,778,309 ]HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-28350845091504248982016-07-22T09:56:00.001-05:002016-07-22T09:58:23.657-05:00Soldier Ages - rebuttalBefore continuing an analysis of the 'soldiers ages', let's acknowledge some issues with them. <br />
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1) the 'Adjutant General's Report' is an elusive one. I've not seen an original form. The same text I posted can be found in only 3 or 4 places on the web, but strictly as cut'n'paste. Is it in the official records? Is it the GAR AG or the War Department AG, or someone else?<br />
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2) The figures *are* somewhat mind-bending. Most sources use 2.1 million as the number of Union servicemen. The 2.7 million may be double-counting multiple enlistees? Many men would have enlisted for 3 months and then for 3 years.<br />
<br />
3) Some numbers are problematic. Only 46,626 servicemen were 25 or over. This number seems way low.<br />
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4) many reputable historians use 26 as the average soldiers age. That number is impossible given this data. From where did these writers obtain *their* figure?<br />
<br />HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-22440845288500735522016-07-16T17:53:00.000-05:002016-07-16T17:54:01.203-05:00Soldier AgesEarlier this year I commented on another blog that 40% of Civil War soldiers were 18 or younger and 75% were 21 and under. These are numbers that stuck with me from a lecture sometime last century. Politely challenged, I was unable to find *any* backup for my figures.<br />
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This surprised me given the massive Official Records and census data readily available and the web on all topics Civil War.<br />
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Browsing randomly (as I tend to) through the booklet "Civil War Union Monuments" published in 1978 by the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, I found this page:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5Yojw079ELrnAOzoGzhNrax8YtT6f7DeHxXUtgVtPNi-yidEZS0uPKRRF73FWhg-Fb6_yBes-tYE_9XeToBF1E5me7ajmdvgQe_BkUaGHXgBqENi3A-6x7PB3-rFoPwSFtJgGy9_auE/s1600/union-ages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5Yojw079ELrnAOzoGzhNrax8YtT6f7DeHxXUtgVtPNi-yidEZS0uPKRRF73FWhg-Fb6_yBes-tYE_9XeToBF1E5me7ajmdvgQe_BkUaGHXgBqENi3A-6x7PB3-rFoPwSFtJgGy9_auE/s640/union-ages.jpg" width="490" /></a></div>
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Some quick math reveals that 41% of Union soldiers were 18 or under and 78% were 21 and younger. Only 2 in 9 were 22 and older..<br />
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Naturally, one source does not a solid conclusion make.<br />
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However, my primary thesis is that movies, battle reenactments and living history has instilled in us the idea that Civil War soldiers were old, well-fed and graying.<br />
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These numbers tell us that 3 in 4 weren't even eligible to vote.HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-46050587863651981792015-07-12T14:46:00.001-05:002015-07-12T14:46:20.291-05:00Sunset for the confederate flag?Southern life has too long been shackled<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a> (literally and figuratively)
to fealty to the CSA and the flag. <br />
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Art, culture, politics, literature, heritage, history, education,
architecture - anything brushing up with the Confederacy's 4-year life
has to pass a test of 'Confederate-correctness'. <br />
<br />
It's been a case of WWJDD<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a>, 'what would Jefferson<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a> Davis<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a>
do?'. Virtually everything 'southern' has been viewed through the lens of confederate memory. Anything in conflict with that memory is discarded and
the purveyor derided. Now, in a new era, ideas can stand or fall on their own merits.<br />
<br />
The flag should have been lowered when the last CSA veteran was buriedHankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-66826211642103657682012-10-26T08:13:00.000-05:002012-10-26T08:13:01.329-05:00Where is it #2That first one was pretty easy, as Jeff says it's <a href="http://civilwarmissouri.blogspot.com/2007/10/battle-at-fort-davidson.html">Fort Davidson</a> .<br />
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This one may be more difficult, depends on what you're smokin':<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIX23gn9BXjDeZOXw6U0LTqDZsD8irxFcYjJ3bRMLiGEz2HSGx2K7dVZoNE9IFNUTHD7_piQ-8uz_Pqk7FI_AiuxyMGElQHPqMXylwDtbm9HllUjSvQ2KV7-pkWSgmPTWXkPOkDwqC_rs/s1600/image002.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" oea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIX23gn9BXjDeZOXw6U0LTqDZsD8irxFcYjJ3bRMLiGEz2HSGx2K7dVZoNE9IFNUTHD7_piQ-8uz_Pqk7FI_AiuxyMGElQHPqMXylwDtbm9HllUjSvQ2KV7-pkWSgmPTWXkPOkDwqC_rs/s320/image002.bmp" width="273" /></a></div>
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Only comments get credit - email has no standing...</div>
HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-56634922952566336322012-10-24T08:41:00.001-05:002012-10-24T14:57:36.059-05:00Where is it?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
With regards to <a href="http://cwcrossroads.wordpress.com/2011/12/22/where-am-i/">Brooks Simpson</a>, here's a Missouri Civil War site. Who knows where?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXPM8EDfi56KBhcdlZEuGYkWK3mIQdLoDhyphenhyphen9tYEWX4IwyaKgtBBqaJZwfhgp3WnHYg8X4dSyDdNMCFqiXo2eGn4zqAe4-kJ06ZcBFuyNkBxN2ZabDJ-GhEzORuxR-xfQk5_VsuE43e2Yk/s1600/image001.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" oea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXPM8EDfi56KBhcdlZEuGYkWK3mIQdLoDhyphenhyphen9tYEWX4IwyaKgtBBqaJZwfhgp3WnHYg8X4dSyDdNMCFqiXo2eGn4zqAe4-kJ06ZcBFuyNkBxN2ZabDJ-GhEzORuxR-xfQk5_VsuE43e2Yk/s320/image001.bmp" width="311" /></a></div>
HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-8815994570867621762008-09-09T10:31:00.003-05:002008-09-09T10:36:19.319-05:00the battle of AthensPrior to the battle of Wilson’s Creek, Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon pursues the secessionist Missouri State Guard to the state’s southwest corner, but his movement’s also leaves many stranded secessionists behind Union lines as an unintended consequence.<br /><br />The small battle here in extreme northeast Missouri, on Aug. 5, 1861, reveals a typical Missouri scenario early in the war. Believed to be a pro-Southern hotbed, Athens is seized in July 1861 by pro-Union Home Guard Col. David Moore and 500 men. Moore captures many horses and his men bivouac in the town buildings.<br /><br />In hopes of “liberating” the Des Moines River town, a pro-southern Missouri State Guard force of more than 2,000 men and a motley 3 gun collection, including a reinforced hollow log, under Col. Martin Green approach.<br /><br />Although outnumbered, Moore’s men are better armed and fight off the attack, capture 450 horses with full tack, hundreds of arms, and a wagon load of long knives. The defeat demoralizes the State Guard's efforts in Northeast Missouri. They lose the initiative and are obliged to avoid capture by their pursuers rather than move on their own.<br /><br />Although the Battle of Athens secures northeast Missouri for the Union, it gives a taste of things to come: as Lyon’s quick move southwest leaves many yet-unorganized but armed secessionists behind over much of the state.<br /><br />Long known as the “farthest north” battle of the Civil War, Athens is the closest actual combat comes to the state of Iowa. It also reveals the confusion of studying the war in Missouri as the battle pits the 'Home Guard' (pro-northern Unionists) against the 'State Guard' (pro-south secessionists)<br /><br />The <a href="http://mostateparks.com/athens.htm">historic site</a> encompasses most of Athens including several historic buildings including the “Cannonball House,” with battle scars.HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-30371181239997647152008-06-02T17:02:00.001-05:002008-06-02T17:04:03.817-05:00Fremont's Emancipation ProclamationUnion Department commander General John C. Fremont issues an ‘emancipation proclamation on August 30, 1861 declaring rebel enslaved Missourians ‘forever free’. Bypassing Lincoln’s authority, Fremont obviously exceeds his - Lincoln demands Fremont rewrite the proclamation to conform to the 1st Confiscation Act of 1861 which removes slaves from Confederate hands and transfers ownership to the federal government. Fremont declines to admit an error and declines to rescind the order.<br /><br />The general, ahead of his time by about a year, notes that "The time has come for decisive action; this is a war measure, and as such I make it. I have been given full power to crush the rebellion in this Department, and I will bring the penalties of rebellion home to every man found striving against the Union."<br /><br />However, at this stage of the war, Lincoln cannot risk alienating border-state, slave-holding Unionists. Knowing he can better contend with the Fremont act’s abolitionist supporters, Lincoln removes him from command in Missouri and revokes the proclamation.<br /><br />The war’s first act declaring total freedom for the slaves of Confederate masters, allows Lincoln to gauge the political landscape and prepare his arguments for 2nd Confiscation Act of 1862, the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th amendment to the Constitution.HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-46358785034015253542008-04-18T14:19:00.002-05:002008-04-18T14:21:53.323-05:00Missouri's journey from slavery to freedomIn 1821, Missouri is admitted to the Union and gives its name to the Missouri Compromise. To maintain the balance among the 10 slave and 10 free states, Missouri and Maine (1820) are admitted as a package. More importantly, Missouri’s southern boundary is set as slavery’s northernmost border. As history shows, Missouri becomes a region surrounded by free territory and hence a continual fount of controversy and turmoil.<br /><br />Unlike cotton-based slavery in much of the south, Missouri’s 'peculiar institution’ concentrates in the market crops of livestock, grains, hemp and tobacco. Many slaves work as teamsters and boat hands. Their numbers are concentrated in the counties along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.<br /><br />In 1825, the legislature declares blacks ‘invalid’ witnesses in any case involving whites. In 1847, the education of blacks is banned as well.<br /><br />Elijah P. Lovejoy is a prominent abolitionist newspaper editor and publisher in St Louis where he prints editorials critical of slavery. Run out of town in 1836 he moves to Alton, Illinois in 1837, where his printing presses are destroyed 3 times by pro-slavery mobs from Missouri. In November 1837, he is gunned down by a mob seeking to destroy his fourth press.<br /><br />The Missouri compromise is repealed, in effect, by the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854. Almost as an afterthought, the concept of ‘popular sovereignty’ is written into the law, allowing settlers to determine if slavery is allowed in new territories. Pro-slavery settlers, mostly from Missouri, go to Kansas and local elections are influenced by the votes of Missouri ‘border ruffians’. Abolitionist settlers from the north come to Kansas and the clashes now named ‘bleeding Kansas’ are inevitable.<br /><br />After ten years of appeals and reversals, the Supreme Court’s Dred Scott v. Sandford decision in 1857 rules that Congress’ forbidding of slavery in the territories is unconstitutional. It also further states that blacks are not citizens and have no rights that whites must recognize. Many persons believe the decision will lead to the legalization of slavery in all the states. Lincoln says, <blockquote>"what Dred Scott's master might lawfully do with Dred Scott, in the free state of Illinois, every other master may lawfully do with any other one, or one thousand slaves, in Illinois, or in any other free state."</blockquote><br />In 1860, there are 3,572 free blacks in the state of Missouri and 114,931 slaves.<br /><br />Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863 has no effect in Missouri, which has not seceded from the Union. Governor Thomas C. Fletcher proclaims emancipation on January 11, 1865 by executive fiat. Just under a year later, the Thirteenth Amendment forever bans slavery in the United States.<br /><br />In 1866, the Legislature passes laws stating that separate schools should be provided for black children where they number more than 20 in a district.HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-74195690559839729182008-04-11T11:42:00.002-05:002008-04-11T11:44:45.111-05:00CentraliaIn the fall of 1864, Sterling Price’s Army of Missouri raids through Missouri. Price, in communication with the many local partisan guerrilla groups, asks them to raise havoc and confusion by attacking Union posts and railroads. One such group, lead by William T. Anderson, operates in north central Missouri along both banks of the Missouri River. The fighting in this area is especially vicious. Anderson’s sister, Josephine, had died in Union custody when her jail building collapsed. Both sides often mutilated the dead after skirmishes and prisoners were often taken only for hostage purposes. Famous-to-be outlaws, the James and Younger brothers among then, ride with Anderson.<br /><br />On the morning of September 27th Anderson’s band of 80 men, many dressed in captured blue uniforms, ride into Centralia to scout the area for the location of Union troops. The quickly locate and impress into service supplies of boots and whiskey. At 11:00 am the stage from Columbia arrives with the local Congressman and sheriff aboard. They manage to hide their identities as the guerrillas systematically rob them. During the robbery, a train whistle sounds from the east, inbound from St. Louis with 125 passengers including 23 unarmed Union soldiers on leave from Sherman’s army in Georgia.<br /><br />Anderson’s blue-clad men block the rails, stop the train and herd everyone off into two groups: soldiers and civilians. The civilians are robbed and several killed as they fail to comply with guerilla orders. The soldiers are ordered to take off their uniforms. While they comply the rangers surround the half-clothed men. On Anderson’s order, his men to open fire and the Union soldiers pitch to the ground. Several run off, are chased and killed. The rangers walk among the bodies, finishing off the still-living. One sergeant, Thomas Goodman, is spared to be used as a hostage. The train is fired and sent westward on the tracks, the depot is burned and Anderson and his men return to their camp just outside of town.<br /><br />That same afternoon, after seeing the smoke of the burning train and depot, a Union detachment rides into Centralia. Major A. V. Johnston commands 150 men of the 39th Missouri (mounted) Infantry, mostly inexperienced recruits carrying single-shot muzzle loading rifles. They find the smoking depot and the half-naked bodies of the murdered soldiers. Johnston interviews residents and learns that the guerrillas are still nearby. Shortly, thereafter, his scouts spy a small group of rangers who quickly ride away to the south. Not realizing the trick, Johnston orders his men to pursue across the prairie. Advancing to a ridgeline, Johnston spots a number of rangers in the tree line along a creek. His men dismount, form a battle line and move forward. Still a long way from the partisans, Johnston orders a volley, killing three men. At the sound of the volley, 2 bands of rangers emerge from the woods and attack either flank. The group in front moves up as to attack from three sides.<br /><br />The Union soldiers have no time to reload. The Confederates ride upon them, killing the horse holders, scattering the horses and then turning on the main line. Each guerilla carries multiple revolvers. Some can fire 60 rounds without reloading. the ‘battle’ is over in minutes. One (again) Union soldier, Private Enoch Hunt, escapes the battlefield; the rest are killed. Johnston is reportedly shot down by Jesse James. After the battle it is noted that every Union soldier has a bullet in the head.<br /><br />The rangers again walk among corpses, beheading some and scalping others. Anderson’s men then depart, leaving the bodies as a warning to others who may wish to oppose them. Only one month later, Anderson dies in an ambush similar to the one he had just perpetrated. The dead Union soldiers are buried in Centralia and moved to the national cemetery in the capital of Jefferson City after the war.<br /><br />Here is a good battle description and <a href="http://mmcwrt.missouri.org/2000/default0007.htm">maps</a> and aerial photographs.HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-54348597742803358562008-04-10T09:39:00.001-05:002008-04-10T09:41:19.693-05:00CWPT annual meeting in SpringfieldThe Civil War Preservation Trust’s annual meeting is in Springfield Missouri, April 17-20. The conference focus is “War in the Ozarks: Trans-Mississippi and Missouri”.<br /><br />Invited speakers and scholars include:<br />• Troy Banzhaf<br />• Edwin C. Bearss<br />• Vernon Burton<br />• Dave Hinze<br />• Ralph Jones<br />• Connie Langum<br />• Jeff Patrick<br />• William Garrett Piston<br />• John Rutherford<br />• Richard J. Sommers<br /><br /><br />See <a href="http://www.civilwar.org/travelandevents/ac2008.htm">http://www.civilwar.org/travelandevents/ac2008.htm</a> for more detail...HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-45865198041992309462008-04-08T14:39:00.005-05:002008-04-08T14:48:03.827-05:00General Order Number 11<div align="justify">Quantrill's raid and the sack of Lawrence provide the impetus for a measure previously under consideration by the Union authorities in western Missouri. On August 25, General Thomas L. Ewing issues General Order No. 11: everyone living in the Missouri counties of Jackson, Cass, Bates and Vernon, on the Kansas border, are ordered to leave within 2 weeks. Anyone living within one mile of Kansas City or 4 other towns may remain by taking an oath and posting a bond; everyone else has to pack up and go. This rule had been considered before; the Lawrence massacre renders it a practical necessity.<br /><br />The area depopulated by the Order is known as the burnt district. Federal troops and Missouri State Militia patrol the area, burning abandoned crops, houses, barns and buildings and killing stock and abandoned animals. In Cass County, population 10,000 in 1860, only 600 people remained. The exodus is practically total, only 10% of the population remaining in what amounts to a chain of reservations.<br /><br />The refugees are aided by Union soldiers but only with feelings of pity, not guilt: Quantrill's men had subsisted resided in these counties for months. Through August, September and into October, suspected Lawrence raiders were captured, interrogated and usually shot.<br /><br />Here is the text of the order:<br /><blockquote>First, All persons living in Jackson, Cass and Bates Counties, Missouri, and in that part of Vernon included in this district, except those living within one mile of the limits of Harrisonville, Hickman Mills, Independence and Pleasant Hill and Harrisonville, and except those in the part of Kaw Township, Jackson County, north of Brush Creek and west of the Big Blue, embracing Kansas City and Westport, are hereby ordered to remove from their present places of residence within fifteen days from the date hereof. Those who, within that time, establish their loyalty to the satisfaction of the commanding officer of the military station nearest their present places of residence will receive from him certificates stating the fact of their loyalty, and the names of the witnesses by whom it can be shown. All who receive such certificates will be permitted to remove to any military station in the district, or to any part of the State of Kansas except the counties on the eastern border of the State. All others shall remove out of the district. Officers commanding companies and detachments serving in the counties named will see that this paragraph is promptly obeyed.<br /><br />Second, All hay and grain in the field, or under shelter in the district, from which the inhabitants are required to remove, within the reach of the military stations, after the 9th of September, next, will be taken to such stations and turned over to the proper officers there; and reports of the amounts so turned over made to district headquarters, specifying the name of all loyal owners and the amount of such produce taken from them. All grain and hay found in such district after the 9th of September, next, not convenient to such stations, will be destroyed.<br /><br /></blockquote>The artist <a href="http://www.georgecalebbingham.org/bio.htm">George Caleb Bingham</a> created an excellent <a href="http://www.georgecalebbingham.org/html%20photos/30_MartialLaw.htm">painting</a> of the order being implemented.</div><div align="justify"> </div>HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-10357866342013736232008-04-07T10:34:00.002-05:002008-04-07T10:38:03.826-05:00Quantrill's Raid and the Lawrence MassacreWilliam C. Quantrill’s 300 men are armed to the teeth, mostly with multiple, accurate, long-barreled revolvers, and can fire between 30 and 60 rounds each without reloading. They head west and north from near Warrensburg, Missouri toward Lawrence, Kansas on August 20th, 1863. Riding all night, they leave a trail of dead Kansans behind, kidnapping locals who guide them toward Lawrence. As their captives familiarity with the trail dwindles, they are murdered with a bullet to the brain and another settler is pressed into fatal service.<br /><br />In Lawrence, their primary target is Senator Jim Lane, ardent free-stater and anti-Missouri US Senator; looting and murder is a given.<br /><br />Despite riding through Kansas for nearly 12 hours, no alarm is given. Entering the town at dawn, on August 21st, Quantrill misses Lane, who escapes in his pajamas to a cornfield. His men than embark on a morning of mayhem and murder. Houses and stores are looted and burned, men are shot down in their yards and chased into their houses before being summarily executed. Bodies are dumped down wells and thrown onto the burning pyres of houses.<br /><br />A bit after 9 a.m., the bushwhacker column leaves Lawrence with 1/4th of the town destroyed and at least 185 dead men scattered about. They withdraw in the same general direction from which they came. A scattered and generally ineffective pursuit, poorly organized by various US and militia forces, cannot intercept Quantrill but does force him to abandon some loot and they kill and capture a small number of stragglers.<br /><br />In response to the massacre, General Thomas Ewing, commanding the Union District of the Border, issues the (in)famous General Orders No. 11. The Order, in effect, depopulates 3 ½ counties of western Missouri, in an attempt to destroy Confederate guerilla’s support base and prevent similar future raids.<br /><br />The Lawrence massacre is unique in the annals of American history. Large-scale massacres are not unknown – in 1862 Dakota Sioux attacked and killed many settlers near St. Paul in Minnesota; a year later, Colorado militia will massacre Indians at Sand Creek in Colorado. These other massacres in American history are all inter-racial or on the edges of frontier and 'civilization'. Lawrence, however, was a model American town and the perpetrators are other white, protestant, Anglo-Saxon Americans.HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1693608823605047994.post-15501940752724895802008-04-04T14:05:00.005-05:002008-04-04T14:30:38.907-05:00Palmyra<div align="justify">In September, 1862, Confederate forces under Colonel Joseph C. Porter raid Palmyra, in northeast Missouri, and capture, among others, Andrew Allsman, thought to be a Unionist informer. Eventually, Allsman is allowed to leave, but is never seen again. Speculation is that he has been murdered by local, secessionist residents or by some of Porter’s men.<br /><br />On October 8, US Provost Marshal William R. Strachan publishes an open letter in the local Union newspaper, the <strong><em>Palmyra Courier</em></strong> to Porter, declaring that unless Allsman is returned within ten days, 10 of Porter's men, held as prisoners in Palmyra and Hannibal, will be executed.<br /><br />The ten days elapse and nothing is seen of Allsman who, no doubt, has already been killed. On October 18, ten men in US custody are chosen by lot. The <strong><em>Courier</em></strong> reports:<br /><br /></div><blockquote><div align="justify">“A few minutes after 1 o'clock, Colonel Strachan, provost-marshal-general, and Reverend Rhodes shook hands with the prisoners, two of them accepting bandages for their eyes. All the rest refused. </div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">A hundred spectators had gathered around the amphitheater to witness the impressive scene. The stillness of death pervaded the place. The officer in command now stepped forward, and gave the word of command, "Ready, aim, fire." </div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">The discharges, however, were not made simultaneously, probably through want of a perfect previous understanding of the orders and of the time at which to fire. Two of the rebels fell backward upon their coffins and died instantly. Captain Sidner sprang forward and fell with his head toward the soldiers, his face upward, his hands clasped upon his breast and the left leg drawn half way up. He did not move again, but died immediately. He had requested the soldiers to aim at his heart, and they obeyed but too implicitly. The other seven were not killed outright, so the reserves were called in, who dispatched them with their revolvers. </div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">It seems hard that ten men should die for one. Under ordinary circumstances it would hardly be justified; but severe diseases demand severe remedies. The safety of the people is the supreme law. It overrides all other considerations. The madness of rebellion has become so deep seated that ordinary methods of cure are inadequate. To take life for life would be little intimidation to men seeking the heart's blood of an obnoxious enemy. They could well afford to make even exchanges under many circumstances. It is only by striking the deepest terror in them, causing them to thoroughly respect the lives of loyal men, that they can be taught to observe the obligation of humanity and of law.”</div></blockquote><br />In 1907, Palmyra citizens erect a monument inscribed:<br /><em><strong>Erected to the Memory of<br />Capt. Thomas A Sidenor<br />Willis T. Baker<br />Thomas Humston<br />Morgan Bixler<br />John Y. McPheeters<br />Hiram T. Smith<br />Herbert Hudson<br />John M. Wade<br />Francis M. Lear<br />Eleazer Lake </strong></em>HankChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01512324703271088233noreply@blogger.com0