Now reading: Uncle Tom's Cabin

I read this famous novel in college, 20+ years ago (yikes!) and finally picked it up again recently. My reading is going rather slowly, I admit, mostly at lunch while at work and on the bus to and from work, but, wow! What a disgusting story, even at the start. I know "disgusting" is not a great word but as I started reading it, that was the first thought that came to mind.

I knew what the story was about and why it was so controversial, but I guess I had forgotten the specifics. On one hand, I can understand why I would forget such details due to time mainly, but I'm kind of sad that I had not remembered more of it. I guess reading it in college, with many other such assignments and a less mature than now (hopefully :) ) mind probably provides a reasonable explanation, but I do wish I had remembered more about this story.

It is very good reading, even when I struggle through the dialects in which Mrs. Stowe wrote many of the conversations and I am happy to have started reading it again. It is a powerful story of slavery and many of the different types of characters involved in it. That it is based in Kentucky and obviously concerns the northern Kentucky and Cincinnati areas does make it a bit more personal to me, especially as I ride a bus across the Taylor-Southgate Bridge that spans the Ohio River, one of the major boundaries between potential freedom and slavery in the mid 1800s and in this story.

I hope I can convince myself to read it more frequently and focus on this story, but I also want to think about what I'm reading and not just glance over words on a page. I know it is a novel and is fiction, but slavery was a real part of this country, this state, this region and even my family.

Families were split up, people were hurt and millions of African-Americans were treated like cattle or pieces of furniture or other such property. This story is re-opening my eyes to one period view of that institution and its affects on so many people no matter how young, old or innocent. I imagine I'll have at least one or two more entries about this book as I get deeper into it and ponder the issues it raises and the stories it tells.

courtesy http://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org

I Need Help in Identifying a Soldier

I recently obtained this CDV because on the back it has "Newport, Kentucky" written on it and since I live near that city, it quickly got my attention and interest. (The fact that the photographer was located just across the Ohio River in Cincinnati also adds to my intrigue.)

I need help in two areas (but I realize that my scanning and image manipulation skills are not perfect. If a better or more detailed scan will help, please let me know)

1. What type of information does the uniform coat give? I am not a re-enactor nor an expert in period uniforms or equipment. It appears to be a frock coat perhaps, and there seems to be some striping on the sleeve. Does this indicate a rank or is it likely to have been for his branch of service (yellow for cavalry, blue for infantry, red for artillery from what I understand.)

2. Can anyone read the name on the back and find anything for him in the Soldiers and Sailors System or any other records? I thought it might be something like "G.W. Fly or Ply" but could not find any soldiers from Kentucky to match that.

I did find a "Gilbert Ely" in the Soldiers and Sailors System and he was in the 1st Kentucky Infantry. This seems to make sense because the first few Kentucky regiments were mustered in in Ohio as Kentucky attempted to be neutral, and Newport is located along the Ohio River, so the commute to enlist would be quick and easy for a soldier from that town. (Of course, I am not 100% sure the first letter is a "G." Most of the time I look and think it may be "F" or "T" or anything but a "G.")

That index shows that Mr. Ely enlisted as a sergeant and mustered out as a lieutenant. That is why I am hoping that the uniform picture may somehow provide some sort of clue.

Of course, he may not have been in Newport or even Kentucky when he enlisted. Maybe he moved and lived there only when the picture was taken. Maybe there is another explanation for that writing that does not help answer my questions, but, at the very least, this is a fascinating clue and one that I hope can help lead me to figuring out who this man was and more information about his life.

Thanks in advance for any help, either on my questions above or suggestions on where else to look.

How (and whom) does volunteering help?

Referring to my previous post when I mentioned (hopefully without coming off as whining or complaining) about how busy I have been with various volunteer work I have been doing, I thought I would take some time to "think out loud" a bit about volunteer work in general, and this blog seemed a good place to do that.

I do think my work helps those organizations where I volunteer - actually, I [i] know[/i] it does - and also the local communities. I am sure several thousand additional people have visited Fort Wright ( the city that owns the Ramage Museum) over the years and even if they don't spend tons of money, they do spend some and they do get to see what the city has to offer.

My work with the Campbell County Historical Society does not generate as many visitors, but those that come have access to a tremendous amount of local genealogical information. Our family files books of local photographs, veterans's records (over 12,000 individual entries as of now) and the database that has more than 250,000 names in it all provide a great deal of information and has helped countless people over the years.

I think my newly found involvement with the Freedom Corridor group and the committee for our annual local History Day will prove to help and inform local citizens in similar fashions.

With that said, I think I get more benefit from these groups than they get from me. That implies no lack of work or effort on my part, but, rather, just describes how many opportunities I get for personal growth, through meeting new people and contacts, to having new experiences (especially in public speaking or presenting, tasks I have not done or enjoyed much in the past) and to gaining new confidence when ideas I suggest are appreciated or work well.

Accomplishments and tasks like those and perhaps others I am forgetting right now make me feel more at ease around others and more confident in my own abilities. Even writing this blog, though not so much recently, lets me know I can contribute my own thoughts and ideas to the world at large instead of always just being alone or quiet or "reserved" and minding my own business all the time.

I know that nobody reads this blog for my psychoanalysis of myself, so I will stop now, but part of this blog's goal is to help me explore my Civil War Obsession and the how's and whys of it, and I think my ventures into the world of volunteering connects with that goal quite nicely.

I appreciate my readers' understanding of an occasional post such as this and I will make more efforts to post on more war-related subjects and not just on myself.

Here I Am

I apologize for the lack of activity this year and do hope to begin posting more often though I realize I said that previously and that some things are easier said than done.

I have been very busy with e Ramage Museum since we reopened, serving as President as well as taking over many of the treasurer's duties. That has been quite an experience. I think it is good for me and my personal development, but, obviously, not so good for my blogging or even my reading.

The museum has had a good year so far. Our Blue/Gray Dinner and Silent Auction just took place this week. We had a great crowd and a lot of good auction items, and bidding was quite impressive. We should end up netting around $3,000, which will cover a good portion of our annual budget. (Yes, we are a small museum.)

Our visitor count has been good, and we were very pleased with the turnout for the Civil War Trust's Park Day earlier this month. Our friends and neighbors helped us accomplish quite a bit of work on the museum grounds, cleaning up leaves and other debris, along with reprinting the garage area that we use for storage.

We have made some new contacts with other local groups and have made plans to be represented at a couple neat local events in June.

It looks to be a promising year for us, and one sure to keep me occupied, thou that is no excuse for me to write so little.

I'm also involved with the Campbell County Historical and Genealogical Society and a group currently being formed as an association of local sites and groups associated with the Underground Railroad or other aspects of people seeking freedom along the Ohio River. Right now, our name is the Freedom Corridor or possibly the National Freedom Corridor, but it has potential to be a good resource in this area.

I do wonder how many other bloggers are involved as volunteers at such groups. Obviously, I have not contributed much to the Civil War blogosphere lately, but I do think my efforts with see other groups still provide a positive contribution to the study of the War and increasing interest and knowledge of it. I've met quite a few people in these roles and think that will only help me going forward.

Hopefully the time between this entry and my next one will not be so long. I ask for your forgiveness for my lack of activity, online at least.

Patriotic cover 2, spanking

 

 The behind on the far left says "Wigfall" while the other two say "Wise" and "Davis." They obviously refer to Louis Wigfall, Henry Wise and Jefferson Davis. With those three names mentioned, this likely was created early in the war, before names like Robert E. Lee emerged, even though it refers to the "end" of the rebellion. That may have been a sign of wishful thinking about a quick war, and is obviously a pun for the side of the individuals it is showing.

Proposed Bill to Preserve Mill Springs Battlefield

This link is the press release with more details about how Kentucky Representative Hal Rogers is proposing to try to preserve this battlefield in eastern Kentucky.

Here is the Civil War Trust's information on this battle of January 19, 1862, where Confederate General Felix K. Zollicoffer was killed.

Back into the Reading Mode

One reason my posting has not been as frequent in recent weeks is I have not done as much reading. I cannot offer any good explanations as to why, other than using my Ipad more often and not being very comfortable with e-books yet (though I have finished most of one such book, though in very piece-meal fashion over several weeks.)

I am, however, ready to get back into doing more reading and finding more ideas for discussion. The book I just started is The. H.L. Hunely: The Secret Hope of the Confederacy by Tom Chaffin. It is a nice coincidence that I started this just before the recent news about the submarine's spar was revealed.Hopefully I can get through this book in a timely fashion and offer some thoughts on it, and maybe even try to analyze how this recent news may change or affect what the author offers in this book.

I also have Mrs. Lincoln by Catherine Clinton on my shelf. I have had it for quite a while, but my recent viewing of Lincoln has made me curious to read this account of the First Lady's turbulent life. That will probably be the next one I read (though I still have quite a few that have been sitting on my shelf for a while.)

Also, as I walked through a Barnes & Noble's store a few weeks ago, I saw they had copies of Uncle Tom's Cabin for sale. I did not buy one as I have at least one copy at home, but I think maybe I need to read this again. I read it in college, but that was about 20 years ago and though I'm not a big fan of reading the same book multiple times (or seeing the same movie more than once) this may be a book worthy of an exception to that ideal (just as Lincoln may be the exception for movies). I think I still have my college copy here as well as a nicer hardback version like the one I saw in the store, so maybe this will be another one I read this year.

After those three, I still have many more on my shelves, and will probably look for other purchases too. I just hope I do actually read them and not just let them sit on the shelf, looking pretty and collecting dust.