Perryville

This ia just a quick post from just outside the museum at Perryville. What a beautiful(though hot) day this is and this park is just gorgeous. I'm not too sure my poor tired legs will agree with me though. I'll post mre in the upcoming days. It is pretty cool to be able to post from here

Planting Corn at Perryville, Sat. May 26

I've copied the below from Kentucky State Park's Facebook page. I think I might try to head down there & help with it. I was planning to do a walk of the field tomorrow anyway, so maybe I can make it a 2 day trip or something.

Planting Corn at Perryville Battlefield-May 26

The historic cornfield at Perryville Battlefield will be re-created by the efforts of the Friends of Perryville Battlefield and volunteers. The cornfield which was so heavily contested during the battle in 1862 is an important part of the sites overall interpretation. The upcoming 150th anniversary reenactment in October would not be complete without recreating the fight in the corn.

An heirloom corn breed which was developed in Wisconsin in 1847 will be the variety planted in this coming Saturday, May 26. Although we know that this was a cornfield, no records indicate what variety of corn Henry Bottoms had planted and was standing in the field the armies invaded his pristine farm. The breed picked by the Friends of Perryville, Wisconsin Red Dent, will be planted in honor of the Wisconsin regiments involved in that terrible contest.

If you would like to help with this planting please come to the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site. We will be taking volunteers from 8:30 to 9:00 a.m. in Civil War Hall at the park. After the corn planting lunch will be provided by the Friends of Perryville in the small picnic shelter. Call 859-332-8631.

Arms and Uniforms for Freedmen

The Covington Journal reprinted this first article on May 17, 1862. Of the many different articles I have found in this paper regarding African-Americans, slaves, freedmen and other issues of race or abolition, this may be the harshest in its judgements and stereotypes. Apparently this judge, despite being so "busy," had enough free time to adjudicate a verdict on an entire generation on this race, based on observations of a comparatively few newly freed men and women.

This same paper, however, included another brief story on the subject of the African Americans in the islands off South Carolina and I have printed it below the first one.

--
Arming the Negroes
[from the Boston Courier May 2]

Enrollment of Loyal Blacks - An order just issued from the War office says a certain number of thousands of guns, and a certain number of thousand pairs of trousers - we will not say how many of either - are to be sent to Gen. Hunter immediately. They will be handled and worn by loyal blacks. - [N.Y. Tribune]

The trousers, we see by the papers, are to be "baggy red," and there are to be braided jackets besides, which will please the darkies; and the muskets, we trust, will be supplied out of those useless weapons purchased  by Fremont, at so high a price, in order that these untutored candidates for freedom may not hurt themselves with handling them. 


"Loyal blacks!"  What an outrage upon common sense - as though these negroes were fit at once to be put upon a par with citizens of the American Republic! WE quote in regard to them from the letter of an impartial judge, under date of April 4th, just received: 


"Since my arrival here I have been quite busy a great part of the time, yet have had several opportunities of going about upon the Island, or to the plantations, and seeing a little of the negro in his 'working clothes.' I have become more than ever convinced that the darkey must have a master to keep him at work; he is lazy, dishonest, and improvident, and cannot be relied on, the present generation is incapable of improvement to any extent; these efforts of abolitionists to improve their condition are the height of folly." 


"Loyal blacks,: forsooth!
--
Uniforms for the Contrabands at Port Royal
 New York, May 3- 
Gen. Rufus Saxton is in town, making every preparation to start of Port royal early next week on, as rumor ascribes tho him, a very peculiar mission. In plainer terms, he will take out with him a large supply of Zouave uniforms and arms, for the wear and use of the contrabands at Hilton Head, Tybee, etc.  The uniforms are of the New York Fire regiment pattern, only a little more showy. This proceeding opens a novel chapter in the rebellion, and promises to pave the way to results of a most startling character. [-[Cor. Philadelphia Inquirer]

Today's Briefs

Here are a couple interesting, but short, items from the  May 17, 1862 Covington Journal 

The first one is sort of a Civil War version of Dewey Defeats Truman though it would come true almost three years later.


Richmond
It is reported that the evacuation of Richmond is going on, and fears are expressed that the city will be burnt on the approach of the Federal forces

This next articles mentions the gunboat Cincinnati, which I had mentioned in this entry. (I see my formatting on that entry was not very good, with the spacing between paragraphs. Hopefully I have gotten better at that.)

Gun-boat Fight
On Saturday the 10th inst., there was a sharp engagement between the Federal and rebel gunboats, near Fort Pillow, on the Mississippi. The Rebels made the attack. The Federal boats Cincinnati and Mound City were run into and sunk. The Mound City has since been raised, and it is supposed the Cincinnati will be. The casualties on the Federal boats are reported at 1 killed, 3 wounded. The Rebels state their loss at 2 killed, 8 slightly wounded - boats uninjured.


Runaway
Was committed to me, as Jailer of Kenton county, on the 6th day of May, 1862, by John A.Goodson, Mayor of the city of Covington, Ky., a man of color, calling himself Nelson Dollins, who says  he is from Nashville, Tenn.  Said man is about 27 or 28 y ears of age, weighs 150 pounds, about 5 feet 7 inches high, of copper color, with a small scar on the left cheek. The owner of said boy is requested to come forward, prove property, pay charges, and take him away. Given under my hand this 6th day of May, 1862.
A. H. Herod, Jailer Kenton county, Ky.

Civil War Duel in Kentucky

This comes from the May 17, 1862 edition of the Covington Journal. I must admit I was surprised to see a report of a duel fought at this time, but in retrospect, maybe it is more surprising there were not more in Kentucky during this time, given the mixed sentiments and emotions about the war, especially once emancipation and the use of African-American soldiers came about. Some of the tactics by Union leaders in the state during the last half of the war were pretty strict, and I wonder if they produced any "contests of honor" such as the one described below, from two fairly prominent families, a former city mayor and the son of a former Kentucky governor.

Here is a link that has more details about this showdown. Apparently at one time, Amazon.com offered a book about this incident, but it says it is currently unavailable. The links I added below include photographs of the two contestants.


A Fatal Duel 
A duel took place at half past four o'clock on Thursday evening last, at some point not far from the city of Maysville, between Wm. T.Casto, Esq., a lawyer of that city, and Col. Leonidas Metcalfe, of Nicholas county. The challenge, we understand, was sent by Casto, and the difficulty grew out of his arrest sometime last winter by Col. Metcalfe, and his being sent to Fort Lafayette. 

Col. Metcalfe received the challenge on Wednesday, promptly accepted it, fixed thursday evening at 4 1/2 o'clock as the time, Colt's rifles as the weapons , and sixty yards as the distance. The parties met, in pursuance to this arrangement, and at the first fire, Casto was killed instantly, the ball passing through his heart. Casto, it is said, fired at the word one, and Metcalfe at the word two. Col. Metcalfe was not injured. 

These facts have been communicated to us by a gentleman who received them from a person who was on the ground. [Lex. Obs] (Editor's note: This refers to the Lexington Observer newspaper)

Book Review: Cain at Gettysburg: A Novel

Cain at Gettysburg: A Novel

by Ralph Peters

copyright 2012

Forge

A Tom Doherty Associates Book

 A few weeks ago, I mentioned the possibility of trying to read more Civil War fiction, in order to try to gain a different perspective on the war and memory of it. Thanks to the folks at TOR/Forge, I just received a chance to do that, with this new book from New York Times bestselling author Ralph Peters.

When starting this book, I did not know what to expect or how I would like or react to it. It's "fiction," not the stuff I am accustomed to and not really "history." At least that's how I've usually thought of such works, but I attempted to put that mindset aside as I took on this new volume.

This is an enjoyable book. I liked it. There is no reason to hide the fact that I enjoyed reading this book and often times just wanted to keep reading and reading and reading it. Some parts were more enjoyable than others, but I appreciated how the author changed scenes and "characters" showing Union and Confederate, Generals and privates, success and failure. Some times I wished he would stay with a certain scene longer, a testament to how well-written those scenes were, but the next section would end up being just as fascinating or better.

In the "author's note" section, Mr. Peters opined that a book like this "must demonstrate war's horror and appeal, while depicting the complex humanity of those who shoulder rifles or lead armies." 

If that was his target, he he it a bulls-eye.

I think it was his ability to explore the humanity of George Meade, James Longstreet, Thomas Blake and others that appealed to me. Meade and Longstreet come across as the most sympathetic figures throughout Peters' narrative, as he explores his vision of their mindset and thoughts during the period of June 28 through July 3. The doubts, fears, hopes, plans and ideas of not only these leaders but of the other men who appear in the book make this such a compelling story. The descriptions of the horrors of war are vivid and make for great reading, but I really enjoyed how he painted the bouts of self-doubt or self-confidence that these men experienced, the ebbs and flows of emotions. Daily actions that all people take (i.e. bathroom breaks) never appear in ordinary history books, but do show up in this story. It's not a pleasant thought, but if "reality" or "truth" is a desired aspect of a book concerning history, it does not get more real than those scenes.

I do wonder if my feeling that Longstreet was a sympathetic character was because of my knowledge of how the battle turned out. Maybe others will view Lee as the great leader, struggling to get an insubordinate Longstreet to follow his orders and to stop stalling and waiting around. Did my preconceived notions of the outcome of Gettysburg influence how I interpreted this book? 

Throughout the story, one character began to question his faith and aspects of his life  before another one suddenly gave him a fresh perspective on this topic. This part of the story was especially fascinating, especially when it reached its zenith. This was the story of "Cain."

A couple brief excerpts that I especially found fascinating and remembered to mark for notation include one on page 257, during the story of July 2, when the author's describes Meade's thoughts amidst the chaos in Union lines: "Grimly, Meade told himself that the Confederate plan was doubtless running like clockwork. Lee's veterans would never succumb to the confusing plaguing the Army of the Potomac." 

Of course, in his narrative, Peters had already shown that not to be the case, but such was Lee's reputation that such a mindset among his enemies seems very plausible.

Peters' descriptions of Longstreet trying to convince Lee to change his plans was a constant theme, and I thought the scene on page 329 was powerful, especially the line "No one would ever tell the truth to Lee" which came across as a realistic portrayal of how the old warhorse might truly have thought during his solo attempts to convince Lee to try a new strategy while others, officers and enlisted men, often seemed in awe of the Confederate hero.

The other instance I noted also involved Meade, on page 352: "The ghosts and hobgoblins of error plagued him." The phrase "ghosts of error" really stuck with me, especially given the struggles the Army of the Potomac had been through to this point in the war. It is just a very appropriate and descriptive phrase, showing a very possible insight into the type of internal struggle Meade was facing during this battle. That might be a phrase I keep in mind for my own writing or thoughts in the future.

The author even managed to add new figures to the story in the last sections of the book, such as Confederate General Dick Garnett and Union soldier Daniel Francis Gallagher, among others. After such a long story involving so many others, this came across as a pleasant and well-done surprise, with new personalities and perspectives tacked onto this tale.

This book covered the days leading up to the battle and the three days of fighting, and touched on many of the legends of Gettysburg, some more than others - Henry Heth's search for shoes, Lee's health issues, JEB Stuart's absence, Longstreet's uncertainty (or slowness, depending on your perspective) and the Dan Sickles-George Meade dispute. Pickett's Charge was featured, with James Pettigrew finding his place in the narrative also, but Joshua Chamberlain's fighting on Little Round Top was not and the absence of Stuart was a fairly minor topic.

I liked that it included a couple of maps of the positions of the contending armies and at times I wished it had included more maps and illustrations, like many non-fiction books do.

As I attempt to review this book without giving away too much or going on too long,  I really must admit this work of fiction did make me think much more about the humanity of the men who met at Gettysburg. I have read many of their writings and reports, their memoirs and biographies and have seen or heard countless hours of analysis of their decisions and though I know this book is based on one authors visions and perspectives of the various personalities in the book, perhaps I need to give more consideration to the human side - the fears, foibles, weaknesses, convictions - of these men, no matter how great or small their reputations are. I did start to develop emotional attachments to many of these men while reading this book, which is a compliment to the author's writing. I do not claim that this book contributed a lot to my quest to understand the memory of the war, but maybe I can think in a new way about the decisions and actions of men so long ago and to see them in a different light, as actual men and women, not just soldiers and historical figures.

For anyone interested in Civil War fiction, this book is an excellent place to start. Granted my experience with this genre is not long, but I have read many enjoyable books and this is certainly one of them.

Disclaimer: I did receive a review copy of this book for no cost. Despite this, the comments in the review are my honest and true thoughts and nobody at the publisher attempted to influence this review.  

National Geographic Looks at Civil War Combat Artists

The May 2012 edition of National Geographic  takes a look at some of the artists who created sketches and other drawings during the Civil War, often times putting themselves in dangerous situations. See below for an excerpt from this article, the full version of which can be found by following this link

Thanks to folks at the magazine for also supplying both of the images seen below the excerpt, including the current magazine cover.  See this link of more views of scenes as these artists sketched them.

Excerpt:

At the time of the Civil War, camera shutters were too slow to record movement sharply. Celebrated photographers such as Mathew Brady and Timothy O’Sullivan, encumbered by large glass negatives and bulky horse-drawn processing wagons, could neither maneuver the rough terrain nor record images in the midst of battle. So newspaper publishers hired amateur and professional illustrators to sketch the action for readers at home and abroad. Embedded with troops on both sides of the conflict, these “special artists,” or “specials,” were America’s first pictorial war correspondents. They were young men (none were women) from diverse backgrounds—soldiers, engineers, lithographers and engravers, fine artists, and a few veteran illustrators—seeking income, experience, and adventure.

It was a cruel adventure. One special, James R. O’Neill, was killed while being held prisoner by Quantrill’s Raiders, a band of Rebel guerrillas. Two other specials, C. E. F. Hillen and Theodore Davis, were wounded. Frank Vizetelly was nearly killed at Fredericksburg, Virginia, in December 1862, when a “South Carolinian had a portion of his head carried away, within four yards of myself, by a shell.” Alfred Waud, while documenting the exploits of the Union Army in the summer of 1862, wrote to a friend: “No amount of money can pay a man for going through what we have had to suffer lately.”

The English-born Waud and Theodore Davis were the only specials who remained on assignment without respite, covering the war from the opening salvos in April 1861 through the fall of the Confederacy four years later. Davis later described what it took to be a war artist: “Total disregard for personal safety and comfort; an owl-like propensity to sit up all night and a hawky style of vigilance during the day; capacity for going on short food; willingness to ride any number of miles horseback for just one sketch, which might have to be finished at night by no better light than that of a fire.”

In spite of the remarkable courage these men displayed and the events they witnessed, their stories have gone unnoticed: Virginia native son and Union supporter D. H. Strother’s terrifying assignment sketching the Confederate Army encampments outside Washington, D.C., which got him arrested as a spy; Theodore Davis’s dangerously ill-conceived sojourn into Dixie in the summer of 1861 (he was detained and accused of spying); W. T. Crane’s heroic coverage of Charleston, South Carolina, from within the Rebel city; Alfred Waud’s detention by a company of Virginia cavalry (after he sketched a group portrait, they let him go); Frank Vizetelly’s eyewitness chronicle of Jefferson Davis’s final flight into exile.

--

BATTLE OF ANTIETAM, MARYLAND, SEPTEMBER 17, 1862; LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Confederates set Samuel Mumma's farm ablaze to keep it from Union hands. By the time Alfred Waud made this sketch, using Chinese white pigment to depict flames, Union troops were in control of the area.