Va. Side of White's Ford Slated For Park
We have good news from the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority on the preservation front. Park officials have announced plans to purchase a 275-acre farm on the Potomac River that includes the ford where the Army of Northern Virginia crossed into Maryland on Sept. 5-6, 1862, bringing the war to the North. Twelve days later came Antietam.
The property, near Leesburg, Va., includes the home and farm of Elijah Viers White, commander of the 35th Battalion of Virginia Cavalry. The ford, named for him, is a wide, shallow crossing on the river where the water is usually only a few feet deep.
On the Maryland side, the shoreline is already protected as part of the C & O Canal National Park. Re-enactors often stage a crossing on the September anniversary but have only been able to enter from the Maryland side, cross over to Virginia, then turn around and march back.
This is the place where historians often note how the Confederates entered the North, with flags held high and regimental bands playing "Maryland, My Maryland," a song written after the 1861 riots in Baltimore when Union troops were attacked as they passed through that city. The song, a powerful indictment of the federal occupation of the state, is now Maryland's state song.
Confederates were expecting hundreds to thousands of Maryland men to immediately join their cause as they marched through the state, but few did so.
White and the 35th Battalion fought in Jackson' s Valley Campaign and were among the first units to arrive at Gettysburg.
After the war, White returned to his farm, ran successfully for sheriff and took over operation of Conrad's Ferry, now known as White's Ferry. The ferry, a few miles down the river from the ford, was once one of about 100 ferries that crossed the Potomac River but is the last one still in operation today.
According to a press release, the Authority plans for White's Ford Regional Park to be used for camping, fishing and hiking and will preserve White's house.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/house-divided/2009/10/va_side_of_whites_ford_slated.html#more
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Memorial Held at Point Lookout
4,000 Ghosts Honored at Point Lookout Prisoner of War Cemetery
ST. MARY'S COUNTY - 10/13/2009
The Captain Vincent Camalier Camp Sons of Confederate Veterans along with the Point Lookout Prisoner of War Association held a Memorial service to honor the 4,000+ prisoners buried at the Confederate cemetery on Point Lookout on Saturday, Oct. 10.
According to Jim Dunbar, association head, the event held each year to honor the descendants of those Confederate soldiers that died at the Camp Hoffman prison. “There were probably close to 14 thousand men that died in the prison,” said Dunbar. “The monument has the names 3,300 men that died and we have gone through records and uncovered an additional 700 names that need to be honored.
The moving service included color guards, re-enactors and guest speakers. After the service the Confederate Memorial park next to the cemetery was opened for an all day event of celebration, living history, food and more speakers.
One of the speakers, H.K. Edgenton, a black Confederate activist who works to provide the ‘real truth’ as President of Southern Heritage 411, Inc. Edgenton gave an impressive, passionate speech to the audience as part of the ceremony designed to tell the facts from the perspective of hundreds of thousands of black people who love and support the south, its people, customs and history.
The prison – a facility for Confederate prisoners of war was built at Point Lookout on the tip of the peninsula at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. During the two years the camp was in operation from August 1863 to June 1865, the prison was jammed with inmates, easily overwhelming the camp’s capacity of 10 thousand. It is estimated that at any given time, the camp contained from 12 thousand and to 20 thousand prisoners. During its two years in operation, it is estimated that 50,000 military and civilians were held.
The camp was laid out in a series of streets and trenches designed to drain runoff. It was surrounded by a fourteen foot parapet wall. Prisoners lived sixteen or more to a tent and suffered from short rations and limited fire wood in winter. When the coffee ration was suspended for federal prisoners at Andersonville, the Point Lookout prisoner lost theirs as well.
The worst suffering came because the physical conditions. The ground was flat and sandy and at almost sea level so that was just above high tide, adding to the misery, including every imaginable weather extreme, from blazing heat to bone-chilling cold.
http://www.thebaynet.com/news/index.cfm/fa/viewstory/story_ID/15142
ST. MARY'S COUNTY - 10/13/2009
The Captain Vincent Camalier Camp Sons of Confederate Veterans along with the Point Lookout Prisoner of War Association held a Memorial service to honor the 4,000+ prisoners buried at the Confederate cemetery on Point Lookout on Saturday, Oct. 10.
According to Jim Dunbar, association head, the event held each year to honor the descendants of those Confederate soldiers that died at the Camp Hoffman prison. “There were probably close to 14 thousand men that died in the prison,” said Dunbar. “The monument has the names 3,300 men that died and we have gone through records and uncovered an additional 700 names that need to be honored.
The moving service included color guards, re-enactors and guest speakers. After the service the Confederate Memorial park next to the cemetery was opened for an all day event of celebration, living history, food and more speakers.
One of the speakers, H.K. Edgenton, a black Confederate activist who works to provide the ‘real truth’ as President of Southern Heritage 411, Inc. Edgenton gave an impressive, passionate speech to the audience as part of the ceremony designed to tell the facts from the perspective of hundreds of thousands of black people who love and support the south, its people, customs and history.
The prison – a facility for Confederate prisoners of war was built at Point Lookout on the tip of the peninsula at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. During the two years the camp was in operation from August 1863 to June 1865, the prison was jammed with inmates, easily overwhelming the camp’s capacity of 10 thousand. It is estimated that at any given time, the camp contained from 12 thousand and to 20 thousand prisoners. During its two years in operation, it is estimated that 50,000 military and civilians were held.
The camp was laid out in a series of streets and trenches designed to drain runoff. It was surrounded by a fourteen foot parapet wall. Prisoners lived sixteen or more to a tent and suffered from short rations and limited fire wood in winter. When the coffee ration was suspended for federal prisoners at Andersonville, the Point Lookout prisoner lost theirs as well.
The worst suffering came because the physical conditions. The ground was flat and sandy and at almost sea level so that was just above high tide, adding to the misery, including every imaginable weather extreme, from blazing heat to bone-chilling cold.
http://www.thebaynet.com/news/index.cfm/fa/viewstory/story_ID/15142
Preservation In Franklin, TN
Preservationists target second pizza place
Franklin's Charge hopes to have replica cotton gin built
by 150th anniversary of 1864 battle
By Kevin Walters • THE TENNESSEAN • October 15, 2009
FRANKLIN — Franklin's reclamation of its battlefield land could take another leap forward in time for the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Franklin.
Organizers of local nonprofit Franklin's Charge are negotiating to buy the Domino's Pizza restaurant and Four Star Market at the corner of Cleburne Street and Columbia Avenue and convert them into a new park, where a replica of a cotton gin that once stood there would be built.
The buildings and land are owned by developer and longtime resident Don Cameron, who says he's willing to give Franklin's Charge a chance to buy the buildings for the park, but he says he won't wait forever.
"I want to be more than fair about it," said Cameron, who recently had the site reappraised. "It's time to fish or cut bait with them. I've agreed to do it, and now it's time for them to step up to the plate."
If the deal happens, it would be another reclamation of land where hundreds of soldiers died when four Confederate divisions met Union forces on Nov. 30, 1864, in the fighting of the Battle of Franklin. The 150th anniversary would be in 2014. In 2005 a Pizza Hut restaurant across the street from the land was demolished.
Details of the deal are emerging after a weekend in which thousands of people and national media attention turned to Franklin for the funeral and burial of an unknown soldier killed sometime around 1864. The soldier's bones were accidentally unearthed in May and reburied Saturday in Rest Haven Cemetery.
Ernie Bacon, president of Franklin's Charge, said the high attendance for the funeral proved there's great public interest in historic-themed events and sites.
"I think it speaks very well for the value of heritage tourism," Bacon said.
Franklin's Charge is a local coalition of local nonprofit groups first organized for the $5 million purchase of a 110-acre golf course adjacent to Carnton Plantation that will be a Civil War park.
Bacon says Cameron's land at that intersection is a key piece to creating the larger plan for land begun years ago. He said negotiations have been ongoing.
"We're reclaiming what land is available to us now," Bacon said. "The property on that corner is significant because of the intense fighting that occurred during the Battle of Franklin."
Sale is 'not a business deal'
Cameron, who can trace his family roots here to the earliest days of the city's founding, said he's previously turned down offers to sell that land to other investors, including a bank.
"This is not about a business deal," Cameron said.
In 2005, city officials paid $300,000 for roughly a quarter of an acre on the thern side of the intersection where the Pizza Hut once stood. After a public ceremony was held where the restaurant was torn down, a park was built commemorating where Confederate Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne was killed during the Battle of Franklin.
Last year, Franklin's Charge bought a house and property at 1219 Columbia Ave. for $950,000 to add to land for the park. The Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County already owns the Carter Cotton Gin property, which adjoins this land. Carter House, considered the site of the most intense fighting, is across the street on Columbia Avenue.
Bacon, who was an alderman when the city bought the former Pizza Hut land as well as the Eastern Flank property, said the group would not seek public money to pay for this acquisition.
The group might turn to the Civil War Preservation Trust for grant money.
"We're stepping up our fundraising," Bacon said.
Cameron declined to give the sale price of the land. County records show Cameron Properties bought the site, which includes addresses 1221 through 1225 of Columbia Avenue back in September 1997 for $620,000. No contract for a sale of the property has been made, and Cameron declined to say what the sale price would be.
Bacon estimated that Franklin's Charge would spend $3.2 million, including last year's purchase, the purchase of Cameron's property and building a replica of the former cotton gin.
Meanwhile, plans are under way for this year's commemoration of the Battle of Franklin. Volunteers will light 10,000 candles as part of an annual commemoration of the battle, which is set for Nov. 28 at the Confederate Cemetery at Carnton Plantation.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091015/COUNTY090101/910150317/Franklin%20preservationists%20target%20second%20pizza%20place
Franklin's Charge hopes to have replica cotton gin built
by 150th anniversary of 1864 battle
By Kevin Walters • THE TENNESSEAN • October 15, 2009
FRANKLIN — Franklin's reclamation of its battlefield land could take another leap forward in time for the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Franklin.
Organizers of local nonprofit Franklin's Charge are negotiating to buy the Domino's Pizza restaurant and Four Star Market at the corner of Cleburne Street and Columbia Avenue and convert them into a new park, where a replica of a cotton gin that once stood there would be built.
The buildings and land are owned by developer and longtime resident Don Cameron, who says he's willing to give Franklin's Charge a chance to buy the buildings for the park, but he says he won't wait forever.
"I want to be more than fair about it," said Cameron, who recently had the site reappraised. "It's time to fish or cut bait with them. I've agreed to do it, and now it's time for them to step up to the plate."
If the deal happens, it would be another reclamation of land where hundreds of soldiers died when four Confederate divisions met Union forces on Nov. 30, 1864, in the fighting of the Battle of Franklin. The 150th anniversary would be in 2014. In 2005 a Pizza Hut restaurant across the street from the land was demolished.
Details of the deal are emerging after a weekend in which thousands of people and national media attention turned to Franklin for the funeral and burial of an unknown soldier killed sometime around 1864. The soldier's bones were accidentally unearthed in May and reburied Saturday in Rest Haven Cemetery.
Ernie Bacon, president of Franklin's Charge, said the high attendance for the funeral proved there's great public interest in historic-themed events and sites.
"I think it speaks very well for the value of heritage tourism," Bacon said.
Franklin's Charge is a local coalition of local nonprofit groups first organized for the $5 million purchase of a 110-acre golf course adjacent to Carnton Plantation that will be a Civil War park.
Bacon says Cameron's land at that intersection is a key piece to creating the larger plan for land begun years ago. He said negotiations have been ongoing.
"We're reclaiming what land is available to us now," Bacon said. "The property on that corner is significant because of the intense fighting that occurred during the Battle of Franklin."
Sale is 'not a business deal'
Cameron, who can trace his family roots here to the earliest days of the city's founding, said he's previously turned down offers to sell that land to other investors, including a bank.
"This is not about a business deal," Cameron said.
In 2005, city officials paid $300,000 for roughly a quarter of an acre on the thern side of the intersection where the Pizza Hut once stood. After a public ceremony was held where the restaurant was torn down, a park was built commemorating where Confederate Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne was killed during the Battle of Franklin.
Last year, Franklin's Charge bought a house and property at 1219 Columbia Ave. for $950,000 to add to land for the park. The Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County already owns the Carter Cotton Gin property, which adjoins this land. Carter House, considered the site of the most intense fighting, is across the street on Columbia Avenue.
Bacon, who was an alderman when the city bought the former Pizza Hut land as well as the Eastern Flank property, said the group would not seek public money to pay for this acquisition.
The group might turn to the Civil War Preservation Trust for grant money.
"We're stepping up our fundraising," Bacon said.
Cameron declined to give the sale price of the land. County records show Cameron Properties bought the site, which includes addresses 1221 through 1225 of Columbia Avenue back in September 1997 for $620,000. No contract for a sale of the property has been made, and Cameron declined to say what the sale price would be.
Bacon estimated that Franklin's Charge would spend $3.2 million, including last year's purchase, the purchase of Cameron's property and building a replica of the former cotton gin.
Meanwhile, plans are under way for this year's commemoration of the Battle of Franklin. Volunteers will light 10,000 candles as part of an annual commemoration of the battle, which is set for Nov. 28 at the Confederate Cemetery at Carnton Plantation.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091015/COUNTY090101/910150317/Franklin%20preservationists%20target%20second%20pizza%20place
RESULTS OF GEC MEETING
Compatriots,
On Saturday October 17, 2009 the General Executive Council (GEC) held the annual fall meeting met at Elm Springs.
Below is a condensed account of the actions taken at that meeting.
1. Meeting opened at 8:30 AM with prayer, pledge, salute to the Confederate Flag and reading of The Charge.
2. Roll Call of Officers made. Thirteen were present and a quorum was established.
3. The Minutes of the pre and post Convention GEC meetings, held at Hot Springs, AR, were reviewed and approved.
4. Commander In Chief McMichael announced that an agreement has been reached with the trustees of Mt. Jackson Cemetery in VA regarding the financial support the SCV would provide. A large benefactor of the SCV asked the SCV assist the cemetery with some of the funds he left to the SCV. An agreement regarding this support was agreed to by the SCV and the cemetery trustees.
5. Executive Director Ben Sewell gave a report to the GEC outlining what maintenance work had been completed on Elm Springs. He discussed the increased rate of new membership applications and reinstatments of former members that GHQ has been receiving. He also stated that members have been making donations to the SCV Building Fund when renewing or reinstating their memberships.
6. Adjutant In Chief Simpson reported that the SCV had received two requests for funding of heritage related memorials. One request was deferred pending further discussion with the camp requesting funding. The request that was approved by the GEC will fund the procurement and installation of an historic marker for William Porcher Miles - designer of the St. Andrews Cross pattern Confederate Battle Flag - at the cemetery where he is buried in Monroe, County West Virginia.
7. Lt. Commander In Chief Givens discussed membership growth and the development of a speakers list for each division.
8. The Sam Davis Camp of Brentwood, Tennessee requested the GEC approve their proposed camp articles of incorporation. After discussion the GEC approved the camp incorporating. Note: the SCV Constitution requires any camp that wishes to incorporate receive the permission from the GEC.
9. The GEC approved two additions to the convention guidelines. The first requires approval if the host camp wishes to alter the schedule of events that had previously been approved by the Commander in Chief . The second addition establishes deadlines for reunion host committees to submit convention information to the Convention Planning Committee for review prior to publication in the Confederate Veteran.
10. The GEC approved a policy on the use of the SCV logo. The details of the policy will be published on the SCV Telegraph, SCV Blog and the Confederate Veteran.
11. The GEC approved allowing Dixie Outfitters ( who we have an agreement with to sell shirts bearing the SCV Sesquicentennial logo ) to also sell license plates bearing the Sesquicentennial logo under the same conditions as the shirts are sold.
12. The Hardwick Case in South Carolina was discussed. The Litigation Review Committee will review the case and make a recommendation to the GEC regarding how to proceed.
13. Heritage Defense Chief Frank Earnest discussed the offer of a donation of land located on Interstate I-95 near the North Carolina / Virginia state line to the SCV.
14. Rev. Fayard discussed plans for the ground breaking for the new Jefferson Davis Presidential Library at Beauvior. The ground-breaking will be on Sunday December 6, 2009 -the anniversary of the death of President Davis. More details will soon be forthcoming.
15. The GEC voted to establish the rules that would govern the SCV's Bicentennial Endowment Fund.
16. The GEC voted to allow non-SCV members to join the Sesquicentennial Society.
17. An executive session was held dealing with SCV employee compensation and one disciplinary case.
18 The Commander In Chief announced that the SCV had established a relationship with an on-line mall. SCV members who purchase items thru the mall will generate funds for the SCV. Details to be soon announced.
19.Commander in Chief. McMichael announced the next meeting of the GEC would be on Saturday March 13, 2010 at Elm Springs.
20. The meeting ended with a closing prayer and the singing of DIXIE!
Prepared by:
Chuck Rand
Chief of Staff
chuckrand3@gmail.com
On Saturday October 17, 2009 the General Executive Council (GEC) held the annual fall meeting met at Elm Springs.
Below is a condensed account of the actions taken at that meeting.
1. Meeting opened at 8:30 AM with prayer, pledge, salute to the Confederate Flag and reading of The Charge.
2. Roll Call of Officers made. Thirteen were present and a quorum was established.
3. The Minutes of the pre and post Convention GEC meetings, held at Hot Springs, AR, were reviewed and approved.
4. Commander In Chief McMichael announced that an agreement has been reached with the trustees of Mt. Jackson Cemetery in VA regarding the financial support the SCV would provide. A large benefactor of the SCV asked the SCV assist the cemetery with some of the funds he left to the SCV. An agreement regarding this support was agreed to by the SCV and the cemetery trustees.
5. Executive Director Ben Sewell gave a report to the GEC outlining what maintenance work had been completed on Elm Springs. He discussed the increased rate of new membership applications and reinstatments of former members that GHQ has been receiving. He also stated that members have been making donations to the SCV Building Fund when renewing or reinstating their memberships.
6. Adjutant In Chief Simpson reported that the SCV had received two requests for funding of heritage related memorials. One request was deferred pending further discussion with the camp requesting funding. The request that was approved by the GEC will fund the procurement and installation of an historic marker for William Porcher Miles - designer of the St. Andrews Cross pattern Confederate Battle Flag - at the cemetery where he is buried in Monroe, County West Virginia.
7. Lt. Commander In Chief Givens discussed membership growth and the development of a speakers list for each division.
8. The Sam Davis Camp of Brentwood, Tennessee requested the GEC approve their proposed camp articles of incorporation. After discussion the GEC approved the camp incorporating. Note: the SCV Constitution requires any camp that wishes to incorporate receive the permission from the GEC.
9. The GEC approved two additions to the convention guidelines. The first requires approval if the host camp wishes to alter the schedule of events that had previously been approved by the Commander in Chief . The second addition establishes deadlines for reunion host committees to submit convention information to the Convention Planning Committee for review prior to publication in the Confederate Veteran.
10. The GEC approved a policy on the use of the SCV logo. The details of the policy will be published on the SCV Telegraph, SCV Blog and the Confederate Veteran.
11. The GEC approved allowing Dixie Outfitters ( who we have an agreement with to sell shirts bearing the SCV Sesquicentennial logo ) to also sell license plates bearing the Sesquicentennial logo under the same conditions as the shirts are sold.
12. The Hardwick Case in South Carolina was discussed. The Litigation Review Committee will review the case and make a recommendation to the GEC regarding how to proceed.
13. Heritage Defense Chief Frank Earnest discussed the offer of a donation of land located on Interstate I-95 near the North Carolina / Virginia state line to the SCV.
14. Rev. Fayard discussed plans for the ground breaking for the new Jefferson Davis Presidential Library at Beauvior. The ground-breaking will be on Sunday December 6, 2009 -the anniversary of the death of President Davis. More details will soon be forthcoming.
15. The GEC voted to establish the rules that would govern the SCV's Bicentennial Endowment Fund.
16. The GEC voted to allow non-SCV members to join the Sesquicentennial Society.
17. An executive session was held dealing with SCV employee compensation and one disciplinary case.
18 The Commander In Chief announced that the SCV had established a relationship with an on-line mall. SCV members who purchase items thru the mall will generate funds for the SCV. Details to be soon announced.
19.Commander in Chief. McMichael announced the next meeting of the GEC would be on Saturday March 13, 2010 at Elm Springs.
20. The meeting ended with a closing prayer and the singing of DIXIE!
Prepared by:
Chuck Rand
Chief of Staff
chuckrand3@gmail.com
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Confederate Canteen Donated to Port Hudson
Minnesota man donates artifact to Port Hudson
By JAMES MINTON
Advocate Baker - Zachary bureau
Published: Oct 13, 2009
PORT HUDSON ( LA ) — A Minnesota couple has returned a Confederate soldier’s canteen to caretakers of the Civil War battlefield where it was found more than 146 years ago.
“I figured it belonged here,” said Torney Marshall, who inherited the wooden canteen but decided to donate it to the museum at Port Hudson State Historic Site.
The canteen is built in the same manner as a wooden barrel, with two round pieces of wood separated by short stave-like pieces of wood around the circles’ circumferences.
Two bands of iron, similar to barrel hoops, hold all the pieces together.
A pewter neck completes the canteen, which Port Hudson Curator Mike Fraering said probably had a cork for a stopper.
Port Hudson’s museum has no authentic Union canteens, which were made of thin metal saucers soldered together, Fraering said.
Marshall’s donation now gives the museum two wooden canteens, although the one donated 20 years ago had no documentation to show that it was used by a Confederate soldier, Fraering said.
“The most notable thing about this one is that it’s documented,” site Manager Gregg Potts said.
A fading label, written in brown ink, pasted on the canteen tells its story:
“Rebel Canteen. Taken from the battle of Port Hudson, La., during the grand charge, June 14, 1863, by Pfc. John Little, 53rd Reg., Mass. Volunteer Infantry.”
Fraering said the 53rd Massachusetts Regiment participated in the June 14 assault on a Port Hudson fortification known as the “Priest Cap,” now on private property, and the canteen probably belonged to a soldier either in the 1st Mississippi Infantry or 49th Alabama Infantry Regiment.
Marshall, of Hanover, Minn., said John Little was either the father or grandfather of a woman who later married his dad’s uncle, William Marshall.
The canteen was passed on to Torney Marshall when his father died.
“I never saw it until he passed away. Even after I acquired it, it didn’t mean that much to me until I started looking into Port Hudson,” he said.
Marshall said he offered to donate the canteen to the museum “a number of years ago” but could not get assurances that it would remain at Port Hudson.
Passing through the area again two years ago, Marshall and his wife, Marion, “got a completely different story.”
“We were assured it would stay here, and I decided it would come here,” said Marshall, who was en route with his wife last week to Hanover from Sarasota, Fla., when he stopped at Port Hudson.
After the canteen is appraised and the necessary legal documents are completed, the canteen will be placed on exhibit, Fraering said.
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/64062907.html?showAll=y&c=y
By JAMES MINTON
Advocate Baker - Zachary bureau
Published: Oct 13, 2009
PORT HUDSON ( LA ) — A Minnesota couple has returned a Confederate soldier’s canteen to caretakers of the Civil War battlefield where it was found more than 146 years ago.
“I figured it belonged here,” said Torney Marshall, who inherited the wooden canteen but decided to donate it to the museum at Port Hudson State Historic Site.
The canteen is built in the same manner as a wooden barrel, with two round pieces of wood separated by short stave-like pieces of wood around the circles’ circumferences.
Two bands of iron, similar to barrel hoops, hold all the pieces together.
A pewter neck completes the canteen, which Port Hudson Curator Mike Fraering said probably had a cork for a stopper.
Port Hudson’s museum has no authentic Union canteens, which were made of thin metal saucers soldered together, Fraering said.
Marshall’s donation now gives the museum two wooden canteens, although the one donated 20 years ago had no documentation to show that it was used by a Confederate soldier, Fraering said.
“The most notable thing about this one is that it’s documented,” site Manager Gregg Potts said.
A fading label, written in brown ink, pasted on the canteen tells its story:
“Rebel Canteen. Taken from the battle of Port Hudson, La., during the grand charge, June 14, 1863, by Pfc. John Little, 53rd Reg., Mass. Volunteer Infantry.”
Fraering said the 53rd Massachusetts Regiment participated in the June 14 assault on a Port Hudson fortification known as the “Priest Cap,” now on private property, and the canteen probably belonged to a soldier either in the 1st Mississippi Infantry or 49th Alabama Infantry Regiment.
Marshall, of Hanover, Minn., said John Little was either the father or grandfather of a woman who later married his dad’s uncle, William Marshall.
The canteen was passed on to Torney Marshall when his father died.
“I never saw it until he passed away. Even after I acquired it, it didn’t mean that much to me until I started looking into Port Hudson,” he said.
Marshall said he offered to donate the canteen to the museum “a number of years ago” but could not get assurances that it would remain at Port Hudson.
Passing through the area again two years ago, Marshall and his wife, Marion, “got a completely different story.”
“We were assured it would stay here, and I decided it would come here,” said Marshall, who was en route with his wife last week to Hanover from Sarasota, Fla., when he stopped at Port Hudson.
After the canteen is appraised and the necessary legal documents are completed, the canteen will be placed on exhibit, Fraering said.
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/64062907.html?showAll=y&c=y
Sunday, October 11, 2009
General Robert E. Lee Remembered
Death of General Robert E. Lee
Calvin E. Johnson Jr.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
The headline from a Richmond newspaper read,;
“News of the death of Robert E. Lee, beloved chieftain of the Southern army, whose strategy mainly was responsible for the surprising fight staged by the Confederacy, brought a two-day halt to Richmond’s business activities.”
The United States flag, which Robert E. Lee had defended as a soldier, flew at half mast in Lexington, Virginia and throughout the USA.General Lee died at his home at Lexington, Virginia at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, October 12, 1870. His last great deed came after the War Between the States when he accepted the presidency of Washington College, now Washington and Lee University. He saved the financially troubled college and helped many young folks further their education.
Some write that Robert E. Lee suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on September 28, 1870, but was thought to greatly improve until October 12th, when he took a turn for the worse. His condition seemed more hopeless when his doctor told him, “General you must make haste and get well—-Traveller—-has been standing too long in his stable and needs exercise.”
Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Cadet William Nalle said in a letter home to his mother, dated October 16, 1870; “I suppose of course that you have all read full accounts of Gen Lee’s death in the papers. He died on the morning of the 12th at about half past nine. All business was suspended at once all over the country and town, and all duties, military and academic suspended at the Institute, and all the black crape and all similar black material in Lexington, was used up at once, and they had to send on to Lynchburg for more. Every cadet had black crape issued to him, and an order was published at once requiring us to wear it as a badge of mourning for six months.”
Read entire letter on Virginia Military Institute website
The rains and flooding were the worse of Virginia’s history on the day General Lee died. On Wednesday, October 12, 1870, in the presence of his family, Lee quietly passed away.The church bells rang as the sad news passed through Washington College, Virginia Military Institute, the town of Lexington and the nation. Cadets from VMI College carried the remains of the old soldier to Lee Chapel where he laid in state. Memorial meetings were held throughout the South and as far North as New York.
At Washington College in Lexington eulogies were delivered by: Reverend Pemberton, Reverend W.S. White—Stonewall Jackson’s Pastor and Reverend J. William Jones. Former Confederate President Jefferson Davis brought the eulogy in Richmond, Virginia. Lee was also eulogized in Great Britain. When all settled down, Mrs. Robert E. Lee said, “If he had succeeded in gaining by the sword all the South expected and hoped for, he could not have been more honored and lamented.”
Many thousands witnessed Lee’s funeral procession marching through the town of Lexington, Virginia, with muffled drums and the artillery firing as the hearse was driven to the school’s chapel where he was buried.
US President Dwight D. Eisenhower knew and appreciated our nation’s rich history. President Eisenhower was criticized for displaying a portrait of Robert E. Lee in his office. This was part of his response; “Robert E. Lee was, in my estimation, one of the supremely gifted men produced by this nation.”
Robert E. Lee was the hero of the Southern people and admired both North and South of the Mason-Dixon Line. This Christian- gentleman’s last words were, “Strike the Tent.”
There will be a Remembering Robert E. Lee Program at Lee Chapel on Monday, October 12, 2009.
Calvin E. Johnson Jr. A native of Georgia, Calvin Johnson, Chairman of the National and Georgia Division,Sons of Confederate Veterans, Confederate History Month Committee—-Scv.org lives near the historic town of Kennesaw and he’s a member of the Chattahoochee Guards Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans. He is the author of the book “When America Stood for God, Family and Country.” Calvin can be reached at: cjohnson1861@bellsouth.net
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/15656
Calvin E. Johnson Jr.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
The headline from a Richmond newspaper read,;
“News of the death of Robert E. Lee, beloved chieftain of the Southern army, whose strategy mainly was responsible for the surprising fight staged by the Confederacy, brought a two-day halt to Richmond’s business activities.”
The United States flag, which Robert E. Lee had defended as a soldier, flew at half mast in Lexington, Virginia and throughout the USA.General Lee died at his home at Lexington, Virginia at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, October 12, 1870. His last great deed came after the War Between the States when he accepted the presidency of Washington College, now Washington and Lee University. He saved the financially troubled college and helped many young folks further their education.
Some write that Robert E. Lee suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on September 28, 1870, but was thought to greatly improve until October 12th, when he took a turn for the worse. His condition seemed more hopeless when his doctor told him, “General you must make haste and get well—-Traveller—-has been standing too long in his stable and needs exercise.”
Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Cadet William Nalle said in a letter home to his mother, dated October 16, 1870; “I suppose of course that you have all read full accounts of Gen Lee’s death in the papers. He died on the morning of the 12th at about half past nine. All business was suspended at once all over the country and town, and all duties, military and academic suspended at the Institute, and all the black crape and all similar black material in Lexington, was used up at once, and they had to send on to Lynchburg for more. Every cadet had black crape issued to him, and an order was published at once requiring us to wear it as a badge of mourning for six months.”
Read entire letter on Virginia Military Institute website
The rains and flooding were the worse of Virginia’s history on the day General Lee died. On Wednesday, October 12, 1870, in the presence of his family, Lee quietly passed away.The church bells rang as the sad news passed through Washington College, Virginia Military Institute, the town of Lexington and the nation. Cadets from VMI College carried the remains of the old soldier to Lee Chapel where he laid in state. Memorial meetings were held throughout the South and as far North as New York.
At Washington College in Lexington eulogies were delivered by: Reverend Pemberton, Reverend W.S. White—Stonewall Jackson’s Pastor and Reverend J. William Jones. Former Confederate President Jefferson Davis brought the eulogy in Richmond, Virginia. Lee was also eulogized in Great Britain. When all settled down, Mrs. Robert E. Lee said, “If he had succeeded in gaining by the sword all the South expected and hoped for, he could not have been more honored and lamented.”
Many thousands witnessed Lee’s funeral procession marching through the town of Lexington, Virginia, with muffled drums and the artillery firing as the hearse was driven to the school’s chapel where he was buried.
US President Dwight D. Eisenhower knew and appreciated our nation’s rich history. President Eisenhower was criticized for displaying a portrait of Robert E. Lee in his office. This was part of his response; “Robert E. Lee was, in my estimation, one of the supremely gifted men produced by this nation.”
Robert E. Lee was the hero of the Southern people and admired both North and South of the Mason-Dixon Line. This Christian- gentleman’s last words were, “Strike the Tent.”
There will be a Remembering Robert E. Lee Program at Lee Chapel on Monday, October 12, 2009.
Calvin E. Johnson Jr. A native of Georgia, Calvin Johnson, Chairman of the National and Georgia Division,Sons of Confederate Veterans, Confederate History Month Committee—-Scv.org lives near the historic town of Kennesaw and he’s a member of the Chattahoochee Guards Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans. He is the author of the book “When America Stood for God, Family and Country.” Calvin can be reached at: cjohnson1861@bellsouth.net
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/15656
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Battlefield Trail Opens in New Mexico
N.M. Civil War trail tells tale of 'the Gettysburg of the West'
10/7/2009
By Susan Montoya Bryan
Interpretive markers in Glorieta Battlefield tell the story of a Civil War battle near Pecos, N.M., that historians call "the Gettysburg of the West."
IF YOU GO ...
PECOS NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK: Pecos, N.M.; http://www.nps.gov/peco/ or 505-757-7200. Located about 25 miles from Santa Fe; $3 entrance fee.
To access the new 2 1/4-mile Glorieta Battlefield Trail, stop at the park visitors center to obtain directions, a printed trail guide and other information. The trail is about a 15-minute drive from the center. Winter hours for the visitors center are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily (closed Christmas and New Year's Day).
Two-hour van tours of Civil War sites in the area are offered every Saturday at 1:30 p.m., departing from the visitors center, $2 per person, six people per tour.
N.M. Civil War trail tells tale of 'the Gettysburg of the West
"The Glorieta Battlefield Trail -- more than 2 miles through the wooded and rocky hills southeast of Santa Fe -- has been in the planning stages for several years. It's aimed at educating people about the decisive 1862 battle.
ALBUQUERQUE — The plan was to march up the Rio Grande, capture the city of Santa Fe and seize the thousands of rifles, dozens of cannons and other supplies at Fort Union for a campaign that would expand the Confederacy's borders all the way to the California Coast. But Union soldiers stood their ground at a pinch along the Santa Fe Trail known as Glorieta Pass, resulting in a battle that historians often refer to as "the Gettysburg of the West."
Until recently, public access to the Civil War battlefield was limited. But earlier this year, the National Park Service opened a new trail that allows visitors to explore the area. The Glorieta Battlefield Trail — more than 2 miles through the wooded and rocky hills southeast of Santa Fe — has been in the planning stages for several years. It's aimed at educating people about the decisive 1862 battle.
"In many ways the Civil War was a defining moment for this country but very few people know much about this campaign," said Jim Houghton, a Civil War buff and president of the Glorieta Battlefield Coalition. "Had it been successful, the outcome of the war could have been significantly changed."
Unlike states in the East, New Mexico isn't known for its Civil War battlefields, of which there are less than a handful. Still, preservation of such sites is a priority for the Park Service, said Christine Beekman, chief of interpretation and visitor services at Pecos National Historical Park, which oversees the Glorieta Battlefield.
The park acquired much of the land necessary for preserving the battlefield in 1990. But it wasn't until it acquired a key piece of property at Pigeon's Ranch — which was used during the battle as a hospital for both Union and Confederate troops — that planning for the trail began in earnest.
After two years of work by the park and several volunteer groups, the trail is lined with metal signs that recount what happened during those last few days of March 1862.
The Confederate soldiers, which had mobilized in Texas for the mission westward, were out for supplies, weapons, sympathetic recruits, gold and silver in Colorado and California's blockade free ports. By late March, they had already taken Fort Fillmore near Mesilla and Albuquerque and were camped at the west entrance to Glorieta Pass. On the other side was the Union.
After two days of exchanging volleys and another day of burying the dead, the Confederate troops took Sharpshooters Ridge, gained the upper hand and forced the Union colonel to order his troops to fall back.
With their attention turned to the battlefield, the Confederate troops had no idea that another group of Union forces had circled around and destroyed their supply train. With that, the Confederates had to retreat without food or supplies, ending their plans to take the West.
Houghton said the challenge at Glorieta has always been that a state highway bisects the battlefield.
"By placing this trail on the ridge, it gives visitors an opportunity to actually hike through parts of the battlefield in a safe manner and it also gives them a panoramic view where they can look down on portions of the battlefield," he said. The new trail was dedicated in June.
Beekman said it's also important for visitors to see the topography and other obstacles at Glorieta Pass that would have hampered the troops during battle.
Glorieta has been listed in years past as one of the most endangered and at-risk Civil War sites in the nation by the Civil War Preservation Trust in Washington, D.C. Trust spokeswoman Mary Koik said preservation and interpretation of such sites is becoming more important as development increases.
"Every day about 30 acres of Civil War battlefield get paved over," she said. "It's certainly something that's going at an alarming rate."
Part of the problem, she said, is people are unaware that such historic sites can exist in their communities.
"It's sad but true," she said. "Often folks will have this history quite literally in their backyard. You may drive by it every day but you'll never really connect to what's there. That's why having these trails and signs, interpretation of the battlefield, is really important."
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2009-10-07-new-mexico-civil-war-trail_N.htm?POE=click-refer
10/7/2009
By Susan Montoya Bryan
Interpretive markers in Glorieta Battlefield tell the story of a Civil War battle near Pecos, N.M., that historians call "the Gettysburg of the West."
IF YOU GO ...
PECOS NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK: Pecos, N.M.; http://www.nps.gov/peco/ or 505-757-7200. Located about 25 miles from Santa Fe; $3 entrance fee.
To access the new 2 1/4-mile Glorieta Battlefield Trail, stop at the park visitors center to obtain directions, a printed trail guide and other information. The trail is about a 15-minute drive from the center. Winter hours for the visitors center are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily (closed Christmas and New Year's Day).
Two-hour van tours of Civil War sites in the area are offered every Saturday at 1:30 p.m., departing from the visitors center, $2 per person, six people per tour.
N.M. Civil War trail tells tale of 'the Gettysburg of the West
"The Glorieta Battlefield Trail -- more than 2 miles through the wooded and rocky hills southeast of Santa Fe -- has been in the planning stages for several years. It's aimed at educating people about the decisive 1862 battle.
ALBUQUERQUE — The plan was to march up the Rio Grande, capture the city of Santa Fe and seize the thousands of rifles, dozens of cannons and other supplies at Fort Union for a campaign that would expand the Confederacy's borders all the way to the California Coast. But Union soldiers stood their ground at a pinch along the Santa Fe Trail known as Glorieta Pass, resulting in a battle that historians often refer to as "the Gettysburg of the West."
Until recently, public access to the Civil War battlefield was limited. But earlier this year, the National Park Service opened a new trail that allows visitors to explore the area. The Glorieta Battlefield Trail — more than 2 miles through the wooded and rocky hills southeast of Santa Fe — has been in the planning stages for several years. It's aimed at educating people about the decisive 1862 battle.
"In many ways the Civil War was a defining moment for this country but very few people know much about this campaign," said Jim Houghton, a Civil War buff and president of the Glorieta Battlefield Coalition. "Had it been successful, the outcome of the war could have been significantly changed."
Unlike states in the East, New Mexico isn't known for its Civil War battlefields, of which there are less than a handful. Still, preservation of such sites is a priority for the Park Service, said Christine Beekman, chief of interpretation and visitor services at Pecos National Historical Park, which oversees the Glorieta Battlefield.
The park acquired much of the land necessary for preserving the battlefield in 1990. But it wasn't until it acquired a key piece of property at Pigeon's Ranch — which was used during the battle as a hospital for both Union and Confederate troops — that planning for the trail began in earnest.
After two years of work by the park and several volunteer groups, the trail is lined with metal signs that recount what happened during those last few days of March 1862.
The Confederate soldiers, which had mobilized in Texas for the mission westward, were out for supplies, weapons, sympathetic recruits, gold and silver in Colorado and California's blockade free ports. By late March, they had already taken Fort Fillmore near Mesilla and Albuquerque and were camped at the west entrance to Glorieta Pass. On the other side was the Union.
After two days of exchanging volleys and another day of burying the dead, the Confederate troops took Sharpshooters Ridge, gained the upper hand and forced the Union colonel to order his troops to fall back.
With their attention turned to the battlefield, the Confederate troops had no idea that another group of Union forces had circled around and destroyed their supply train. With that, the Confederates had to retreat without food or supplies, ending their plans to take the West.
Houghton said the challenge at Glorieta has always been that a state highway bisects the battlefield.
"By placing this trail on the ridge, it gives visitors an opportunity to actually hike through parts of the battlefield in a safe manner and it also gives them a panoramic view where they can look down on portions of the battlefield," he said. The new trail was dedicated in June.
Beekman said it's also important for visitors to see the topography and other obstacles at Glorieta Pass that would have hampered the troops during battle.
Glorieta has been listed in years past as one of the most endangered and at-risk Civil War sites in the nation by the Civil War Preservation Trust in Washington, D.C. Trust spokeswoman Mary Koik said preservation and interpretation of such sites is becoming more important as development increases.
"Every day about 30 acres of Civil War battlefield get paved over," she said. "It's certainly something that's going at an alarming rate."
Part of the problem, she said, is people are unaware that such historic sites can exist in their communities.
"It's sad but true," she said. "Often folks will have this history quite literally in their backyard. You may drive by it every day but you'll never really connect to what's there. That's why having these trails and signs, interpretation of the battlefield, is really important."
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2009-10-07-new-mexico-civil-war-trail_N.htm?POE=click-refer
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