Respect

For the past few days, I have been driving through the park and noticing a cannon that had fallen over. Rumors are swirling as to how this happened. The central theme to all of these rumors is that an employee of the park banged into it with a mower....whether this is true or not, it doesn't really matter. What matters is that this cannon has fallen over.

Now these cannon barrels are heavy, weighing well over 1000 lbs, so when one of these falls over, it does damage. The damage done here seems to be that it lifted the concrete that the cannon was bolted into, right out of the ground.

So, what does this have to do with respect???? Well, fortunately, this appears to have been an accident involving park personel. But what if it hadn't? What if it had been a family having their children sitting on the barrel while Dad takes a picture? What if someone had gotten hurt?

So often I drive around the park and notice kids climbing on the cannons or the monuments and I wonder if they realize that these things are old. Most of the cannons are from the Civil War era....meaning that they are at least 140 years old. Most of the monuments at Gettysburg were placed in their spots by veterans of the War in the 1880's and 1890's....meaning that most of these monuments are over 100 years old. The park has taken great strides in taking care of these memorials to the past....but they can't keep them young forever. Things break, things fall apart, things age.

Sitting on a cannon or a monument is just asking for disaster. How do you know when one is going to break? You don't. They can do all sorts of things to reinforce the carriages but until they build a NEW one, we can't guarantee that it will hold extra weight.....and with new ones, you can't guarantee that either.

So, how is this being disrespectful? Well, these memorials to the past were placed here by the veterans so that we can remember what they did here. When we crawl on, over, or under one of these memorials, we are taking the risk of destroying that thing that the veterans wanted placed so that we would remember. We are crawling on, over or under our past. We are destroying what future generations will need in order to remember.

This doesn't just go for Gettysburg, it goes for all battlefields, historic sites, or town squares. We need to be careful of what the past has given us so that future generations can remember as well.

Who ordered the charge?

One of the people who fought at Gettysburg that really fascinates me is Rufus R. Dawes. I'm not sure why he fascinates me so much....up until a few months ago, I didn't even know what he looked like, but he does. I guess you could say that I admire this man....especially after I read his book "Service with the 6th Wisconsin". If you haven't read this book, I HIGHLY recommend it. This book is a blend of his diary, letters, memories and such. It's a great source of information on the average life of a Civil War soldier.

But on to Rufus Dawes. A little background information: he was born on July 4, 1838 and died August 2, 1899 in Marietta, Ohio, where he was buried. He was a businessman and Congressman. His four sons came to be known nationally (and I find it ironic that he was born on July 4th and his four sons were great patriots). His one son, Charles, actually became Vice President of the United States. His grandfather, William Dawes, rode with Paul Revere in his famous ride. This is a family who has played an important role in American History.

At Gettysburg, he was a Lieutenant Colonel, commanding the 6th Wisconsin. Now the 6th Wisconsin was one of the regiments in the famed Iron Brigade and because of his brigade, his regiment is one of the better known. But what the 6th did at Gettysburg is cause enough for them to be well known.

On July 1, 1863, the Iron Brigade was led into action at Herbst Woods...to fight off the advances of the Confederate forces under the command of James J. Archer. As the regiments were put in place, the 6th was told to hold back as their reserve unit. Dawes wasn't sure where to hold his men at, so he went up to the McPherson farm and held his men there. Its a good thing that he was in the area. As the rest of his brigade were in a hellacious fight, Dawes and his men plus the regiments of the 84th NY (14th Brooklyn) and the 95th NY had their own struggles. The Confederate Brigade of Joseph R. Davis (a nephew of Jefferson Davis) came towards them and threatened to flank the Iron Brigade. These three regiments fought hard against this brigade and they were holding their own. What these men didn't know was that just on the other side of the road, there was a railroad cut. This cut was unfinished and no tracks were laid, but the cut existed. Suddenly the Confederates disappeared into the cut. Dawes and the commander of the 95th NY talked for a bit and they decided to make a charge. Both Dawes and the commander of the other units claimed that they were the ones to order the charge. But it doesn't really matter who ordered it, the fact is, it took place. They went across Chambersburg Pike and headed towards where the Confederates had disappeared. Here they found the Railroad Cut. Dawes looked down into the opening, saw that the Confederates wouldn't be able to get anywhere and asked who was in charge. The commander who was down in the cut with his men answered the call and was ordered to surrender. In the meantime, some of his men went to the eastern end of the cut, which was fairly level to the ground, and covered it so that no one could escape. Some of the Confederates were able to sneak out the western end of the cut....but not many. Dawes and his men captured around 200 of the enemy's soldiers!

By July 2nd, the 6th Wisconsin was placed on Culp's Hill. Although there are no monuments in the area, they fought alongside the 95th NY on Culp's Hill for a bit. Then they were eventually placed on the summit and western side of the hill along with the rest of the brigade in time for the fighting on July 3 (where there is a marker).

The stories of these individual men and how they affected the outcome of the battle is extremely intriguing. Each person played a role and if they hadn't done what they did, would the battle have ended the same way? This is a question I ask myself often. But its the individual regiments and their stories that I like to learn. Rufus Dawes may not have been a very important person prior to this battle....but for the students of the Civil War, especially Gettysburg, he was very important.

Stonewall Jackson

I had never been a big fan of Stonewall Jackson. I always thought he was lunatic who just happened to be a good general. Its not a bad thing, but I just never really liked him....until I happened to read a book about him. Suddenly all his weird idiosyncrasies made sense. The way that he was brought up explained the weird things that he did. After understanding him, I realized that maybe he wasn't so bad.

All this leads to some of my travels. About 3 years ago, I took a trip down to Manassas Battlefield. At that time, I didn't know much about the fighting that took place there, but it was a place that I really wanted to experience. I arrived at the Visitors Center on a cold windy day in February. There were about 3 cars in the parking lot, so I knew that I would have the battlefield to myself. I looked at the far end of the parking lot and just a few yards out (on Henry House Hill) I saw it.....my very first statue of Stonewall Jackson. Now, I didn't know much about this battle(s) and I certainly didn't know that Stonewall Jackson was there, but the minute I saw that statue, I KNEW it was him. Before I even headed into the VC, I walked right over to that statue. I got chills just standing and looking at this statue (and it wasn't because it was a blustery winter day either). This was THE Stonewall Jackson. He was HERE....right where I was standing. He fought here. And this was where he got his nickname.

A few months later, I took a trip down to Chancellorsville. This trip was a complete accident. I didn't feel like staying home and I just took off. I didn't know where I was going, I just went. Three hours later, I found myself at Brandy Station. Upon looking at a map I realized that I was really close to Chancellorsville. I thought, "Why not?" and off I went. I did know a bit about this battle. I KNEW that this was where Stonewall Jackson was shot by his men...but I also knew that he died about a week later at Guiney Station. So when I went into the VC I had a bit of a background on this battle.

I was talking to a park ranger about the battlefield when suggested that I take a little stroll around the building. He handed me a brochure and said, "If you have any interest at all in Jackson, this is something you MUST do." Ok....you don't have to tell me twice. So I headed off on my little tour around the VC. This walking tour is only a couple of hundred yards long. Its not much by way of ground, but the importance of this area is unreal. The first thing I noticed was a fairly large monument directly behind the VC so I went to check it out. This monument was dedicated to Gen. Jackson. Ooohhh....the chills I got. This monument claimed to be the spot where Gen. Jackson was shot by his men. Now, I can't explain the feeling that you get the first time you see something that you hadn't seen before, especially if its something that you want to see but didn't know it existed. The feeling was there. Then there is a big rock that was placed there by some of his men to commemorate the spot where he was shot. I've been back to Chancellorsville since and I didn't get the same feeling that I got the very first time I saw these spots. I found out later that on the old mountain road there is a wayside marker that claims that it was in that area that Stonewall Jackson was shot. Doesn't matter....the feeling from the first time seeing the spot still exists....deep down inside me.

I don't claim to be a Stonewall Jackson fanatic. I'm not his greatest admirer. But I do like him. He wasn't just a good general....he was great....despite all his idiosyncrasies. To stand in the same spots that Gen. Jackson stood was an experience that I would like to experience again....but I know that I will never feel that same way again. The next time I hit Antietam, I'm going to concentrate on Jackson so that I get a feel of where he was and what he did. I'm hoping to actually get to Guiney Station and the Jackson Shrine sometime in the near future. That should really give me the chills!

Fort Ocracoke

The Confederate fort near Ocracoke Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina interests me. It was located on a small island called "Beacon Island" and was the last of four forts to be constructed on this island. From what I have read, they were probably all built on top of each other.

The Confederates built a bunch of forts along the North Carolina coast to prevent the Union navy from being able to land on the North Carolina coast. This fort was also known as Fort Morgan. At the peak, it appears that there were 500 COnfederates in the area. So whether they were all at Fort Ocracoke or on Ocracoke Island remains to be seen.

Evidently, some of the men were sent up to Hatteras Island when that fort was being shelled to help protect it and they left a skeletal crew at Fort Ocracoke. Supplies hadn't been received and they had no help, so when word got to them that Fort Hatteras fell, the men who were at Fort Ocracoke abandoned the fort but not before doing some damage to it.

Here is a description of the fort by Lt. Maxwell of the Union steamer Pawnee:
It is octagonal in shape, contains four shell rooms, about twenty five feet square, and in the center a large Bomb-proof, one hundred feet square, with the magazine within it. Directly above the magazine, on each side, were four large tanks containing water. The fort had been constructed with great care, of sand in barrels covered with earth and turf. The inner framing of the bomb-proof was built of heavy pine timbers. There were platforms for twenty guns, which had been partly destroyed by fire. The gun carriages had been all burned. There were eighteen guns in the fort-- namely, four eight inch navy sell gunes, and fourteen long thirty-two pounders.

When you visit Ocracoke Island, in the parking lot at the Visitors Center in the Ocracoke Village, there is a monument dedicated to the Fort. Here is what the monument says:
The remants of Fort Ocracoke are submerged in Ocracoke Inlet, 2 miles to the west-southwest, towards Portsmouth Island. The last of possibly four forts on Beacon Island, the mostly earthen Fort Ocracoke was constructed by mainland Confederate volunteers. Beginning on May 20, 1861, the day North Carolina seceeded from the Union and joined the Confederacy.

After Union victories on Hatteras Island in August, 1861, the Confederates partly destroyed the fort and abandoned it without a fight. Mainland Union forces completed the destruction in September, 1861. Beacon Island was consumed by the waters of Ocracoke Inlet in the first half of the 20th century. The forts remain where discovered and identified by members of Surface Interval Diving Co. in August, 1998, acting on a tip by Ocracoke charter boat captain, Donald Austin.

This is definitely a site worth exploring, although today, the island itself is under water, you can still stand and look out into the water and wonder "Just what DID that fort look like from this spot?"

Montgomery Cemetery

I grew up in a little town in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Our county seat was less than a half hour drive from home in Norristown. Norristown is "famous" within the Civil War community for being the home of a few Civil War generals. Well one day, after searching for hours, I stumbled across the final home of these same generals.

Montgomery Cemetery sits off Main Street in West Norriton on a little road called Hartranft Ave (hmmmm...wonder where they got that name from?????). The road has row homes on either side and as you approach the cemetery, you get the feel that this isn't really a good neighborhood. Whether the neighborhood is good or not, I don't know, but you do get that feeling that you should be hiding your valuables. At the very end of the street is a big metal archway that leads into Montgomery Cemetery.

The very first time I went there, the cemetery scared me. Not that I expected to find ghosts or anything, but most of the headstones were turned over, the grass hadn't been cut and was close to waist high, and not a soul in site. I went in and started looking around. I had a map of the cemetery and it described where some of these Civil War generals were buried. I had a difficult time finding any of them.

The first one that I found was my hero, General Winfield Scott Hancock. The mausoleum was off to the left at the base of a small hill. From the rest of the cemetery, you could not see this mausoleum as it was built into the hill and is facing away from the cemetery. It took me about a hour to locate it, but when I did, I was extremely glad. There is a story as to why Gen. Hancock is buried where he is and here is what I know. The General's daughter, Ada Elizabeth (I really like that name), got sick and died when she was 18 years old. Before she died, she told her father that she didn't want to be buried in the ground....something about being buried in the ground scared her. Ada and her father were very close (daddy's little girl) and he wanted to grant her final wish. At the time of her death, General Hancock was having some financial difficulties (he was taking care of his alcoholic twin brother, Hilary) and didn't have the money to buy or build a mausoleum, so he had her placed in an underground mausoleum. This was only to be temporary. In the meantime, General Hancock was able to raise enough money (through borrowing) to build this mausoleum. He then removed his daughter from the other grave and put her in this one. When General Hancock died in 1886, his wife knew that he really wanted to be buried in the mausoleum with his daughter, and thus he was placed. The General and Mrs. Hancock's son Russell had died prior to General Hancock and was buried where he was living, in St. Louis, MO. Mrs. Hancock was from St. Louis. When she died, she was buried with her son in St. Louis at the family cemetery. And General Hancock was buried in Montgomery Cemetery with his daughter, Ada. John Hancock (no, not THAT John Hancock), the Generals younger brother, wanted to have him removed and placed in Arlington National Cemetery, because as a war hero, that's where he belonged, but Almira (the Generals wife) insisted that this is where he really wanted to be buried. General Hancock grew up in Norristown, although he was born in Montgomery Square, PA. As a matter of fact, the home in which he grew up was about 100 yards away from the Cemetery, although it has been torn down. And the reason the mausoleum is facing AWAY from the rest of the Cemetery: so he can face his beloved Norristown.

I also found the grave of Samuel K. Zook. General Zook was killed in the Wheatfield at Gettysburg. He grew up on the actual fields of Valley Forge, just outside of Norristown. When he was killed at Gettysburg, he was brought back to Norristown to be buried. He is buried right next to his father.

John F. Hartranft, another Civil War general, is buried in his family plot at this cemetery. Gen. Hartranft also served as governor of Pennsylvania. He is buried in a large plot that is surrounded by a cement wall and is in the very back corner of the cemetery facing the Schuylkill River. There are about 15 or more people buried in this plot. There is a large obelisk in the middle of the plot with the Generals face and name on it, but the headstone is placed next to the larger monument. John F. Hartranft was not at Gettysburg as the previous two were.

There are also two other generals buried here: Adam Slemmer and another one that I neither remember the name of nor have I found his grave. These both were lesser generals in the Civil War.

Off to the right, when you enter and about halfway down to the end, is a large area of nothing but Civil War burials. This is a plot of about an acre just full of Civil War soldiers. I think that next to visiting General Hancock, this is my favorite spot in the entire cemetery. There are a couple of hundred men buried here. Its amazing to stop and look at their names.

This cemetery is large. I think I read that it is 70+ acres. I've spent hours just wandering around looking at names and dates....wondering who these people were and what is their story? The cemetery is owned by the Historic Society of Montgomery County but the majority of the work the has been done over the years, has been done by The W. S. Hancock Society: a wonderful group who has spent years trying to promote the name of General Hancock. Today when you go there, the headstones are uprighted (not all, but quite a few are back where they should be), the grass gets mowed a few times a year, and there are people visiting.

If you are ever in the area, this cemetery is worth an afternoon of exploring!

What did the 29th Ohio do at Gettysburg?

I went up to Culp's Hill today and sat under a tree to read Harry Pfanz's Culps' Hill and Cemetery Hill book. Harry Pfanz has a way of making you feel like you CAN understand what took place....no matter which part of the battlefield you happen to be studying at the time. Now, I love Culp's Hill. I don't know why....I don't completely understand what took place there....but I'm learning.

So, while sitting under that tree and contemplating the battle, I happened to see the monument to the 29th Ohio. Its a larger monument but nothing really eye catching. And I started to wonder just what those men did on this hill. So I went straight to Harry Pfanz and checked it out.

Now before I get into just what they did, I need to write out exactly what is on that monument. There are four sides to it....so I will write out each side starting with the front and working my way around the monument from right to left (yeah, I know, I'm backwards!)

Side 1

29th Ohio Infantry

1st Brig, 2nd Div, 12th Corps

This memorial is erected by the

State of Ohio

Side 2

Gettysburg

July 2d and 3d 1863

engaged 332 killed 7

wounded 31 2 mortally

total loss 38

Side 3

Principal

Battles

Winchester

1862

Port Republic

June 9, 1862

Cedar Mountain

Chancellorsville

Gettysburg

Lookout Mountain

Dug Gap in Rocky Face

Resaca

New Hope Church

Pine Mountain

Kenesaw Mountain

Peach Tree Creek

Atlanta

Savannah

Carolina Campaign

The 29th Ohio Infantry

Commanded by Capt. Edward Hayes - J.B. Storer Adjutant

Occupied several positions in this vicinity both in the

intrenchments and in Reserve July2 and 3 1863

Side 4

Mustered in for 3 Years

Aug to Dec 1861

Reenlisted as Veterans

Dec 10, 1863

Mustered out July 8-13 1865

OK....so I looked in Pfanz to see just what these guys did and here is what I figured out. They initially were in a "hollow" behind the breastworks. Well, after looking around, the only "hollow" that they could have been in is along current day Williams Avenue. It seems that this area was used to hold reserve units. When the regiment who was fighting ran out of ammunition, the reserve unit would run up, cover the other regiments retreat and keep on fighting. The first regiment then would go to the back, pick up more ammunition, clean their guns, or whatever they needed to do. It seems that the 29th Ohio ran up and relieved the 137th New York. For those who are not familiar with the 137th NY....this regiment was the "20th Me" of the extreme RIGHT of the Union army. They did almost the exact same thing that the 20th ME did on Little Round Top....but they aren't getting the recognition that Chamberlain and his men got. So the 29th Ohio relieves them. But after awhile they get relieved by the 28th Pennsylvania. Until all was said and done, 5 Confederates personally surrendered to these men.

So, when I head up to Culp's Hill and I see the monument to the 29th Ohio, I have a whole new respect for them. They got some of the most intense fighting up there and yet only lost 38 men....that comes out to 11% casualty rate. For this battle, that's fairly low! Go Buckeyes!

The Civil War reached Vermont!

About 5 years or so ago, our family had to travel to Vermont. Its a long, personal story as to why we had to go, but we did. So while we were there, we decided to tour around and see just what was in Vermont. If you have ever been to Vermont, you know that the towns are small and there isn't much in between the towns. Its a very mountainous terrain and the little villages are tucked in here and there. Its a beautiful state and hope that I can get back up there again.

While we were up there, my sister said that she wanted to hit a town on Lake Champlain called St. Albans. Seems one of her hockey heroes was from this little town. Hmmmmm....St. Albans??? Why did that name sound so very familiar???? It took me awhile to figure out why I knew that name but once I realized how I knew the name, I got very excited. So off to St. Albans we went.

Its a lovely little town sitting right on the banks of Lake Champlain. One thing that I noticed immediately when I entered the town was how green everything was. I guess this is why its called the "Green Mountain" state. The houses were old but very well taken care of and the lawns were all meticulously well manicured. This was a wonderful town with some wonderful history.

A raid took place in this town by some Confederates. A raid...in Northern Vermont....far from the battlefields of Virginia....in October of 1864. It seems that some renegade Confederates headed to Canada...they had escaped from their military prison. They decided that they needed cash and they tried to force the Union army to look to the north and take some of their troops away from the Virginia countryside. So they crossed the Canadian border and came to the small town of St. Albans. They arrived a couple at a time but by the time they were ready, there were twenty one fellows. They stood on the steps of one of the banks and announced that they were taking over the town and it was now part of the C.S.A.

Until all was said and done, the Confederates robbed banks, held the town hostage, tried to burn the town, and escaped. The escaping Confederates were able to grab around $200,000. before they escaped back to Canada. The townspeople were held hostage on the Village Green while all of this was taking place in their little town.

The Confederates were arrested in Canada but because of their neutrality, they determined that these men were doing this under orders of the Confederate army and they weren't extradited to the U.S.

The Village Green still stands today. I walked around it and noticed quite a few monuments. Its a beautiful park. But the one monument that stands out more than any other is the Civil War monument. Right on it, printed in large letters, is the Gettysburg Address. Its funny how Mr. Lincoln's speech, although it was written about the Gettysburg Battlefield (and the rest of the Civil War), made its way to this sleepy little town in New England. To stand on that Green and see where all these events took place is to understand how those poor people felt. It was a horrible thing to happen and it had a devastating effect on the people of the town. But it didn't do what the Confederates wanted. They wanted the Union army to take some of their troops away from the battlefields in the south to guard their borders to the north. It didn't work and the United States was able to maintain their fighting in the south.

If I ever get to take another trip to Vermont, this will definitely be a stop on my tour....again.