Rest in Peace, Bob Clements

I frequently mention that I volunteer at the James A. Ramage Civil War Museum in Fort Wright, Kentucky, just a few minutes south of Cincinnati.  I started there in September 2006 when I responded to an article about a public archaeology dig at the museum, on the grounds of an actual Civil War defensive position known as Battery Hooper. After that dig, I became a volunteer and soon thereafter attended a local festival called Tall Stacks (a really neat experience - hopefully it will be back soon.)

I saw the museum represented there, and a man in a Civil War re-enactor's uniform was giving a presentation. He was very enthusiastic, obviously out-going, and a very effective speaker.

After the talk ended, I went up and introduced myself to Bob Clements, then President of the Board of the Directors of the Ramage Museum and told him I was a new volunteer at the museum. He welcomed me very warmly and since then I have been fortunate enough to call him a friend and even colleague as I became more involved at the museum.

This morning, I woke up and, after getting ready for work, sat down at my computer to check a few things out before heading out the door. One of the sites I checked was Facebook and there I learned that Bob had passed away last night due to a heart attack. He was only 52.

This devastated me and though I managed to get through a whole day at work, this news rarely was far from the front of my mind. It is so sad and hurts so much. I can't imagine what his wife and 2 children are feeling right now, but my pain is bad enough. I certainly will keep them in my thoughts and prayers.

Bob is, was, a great guy and I really loved meeting another person who shared my passion for the Civil War. He really was the first one like that I met and we became good friends, talking about the war, reenacting, museum business or collecting. He was a big collector of Civil War items - nothing huge, but a lot of relics, some swords and bayonets and quite a few items about the Grand Army of the Republic, especially the 1898 and 1930 encampments in Cincinnati. I loved looking at the stuff he loaned to the museum or occasional other items he would show us.

I even got the collecting fever from him. I have quite a few books, including some antique ones, Abraham Lincoln busts and images and other small items. I'm hardly a wealthy collector of big fancy items, but I have quite a few smaller things that I enjoy having. Perhaps I should blame Bob for leading me to spend so much money on stuff like that, but, seriously, I have learned to appreciate these items thanks to my relationship with him.

I know this is a rambling post, with no real relevance to the war itself, but I feel the need to express my feelings and Bob certainly encouraged and helped me discover how far my obsession goes. He encouraged me by complimenting my blog and some of the items I bought and loaned to the museum. He was always very friendly and open, and has more friends than I can imagine. He seemed to know everybody, and I am lucky and happy enough to say that included me.

Battery Hooper Days, the 8th version, is coming up at the museum this weekend. Perhaps I will still find time to write about it and publish the schedule, but that seems less important right now. Bob loved BHD (as we call it) and for him to pass away just before this weekend seems especially cruel, though I guess there is no good time for something like this. Why could he not last just one more week and enjoy just one more BHD weekend?

I'm sure I'll be thinking about Bob a lot in the future, especially the next few days. He was one of the greatest men I knew, far from perfect, but a great friend, open, honest and optimistic. I will miss him greatly but will try to remember how much richer my life has been by knowing him.

Bob - I will miss you, your friendship, your enthusiasm, your love and knowledge of the Civil War.  I hope you can meet Francis Washburn where you're at now and see if you look as much like him as his tintype indicated. I'm sure he has many stories to share with you and will be proud of how you took care of his artifacts that found their way to your hands. People like you who help preserve such items do a favor for all the future history enthusiasts to follow. Thank you for providing an example for me that you do not have to have guns or cannons or uniforms in order to have a collection worth having and sharing. Thank you for adding to my obsession with this war.

Rest in eternal peace, buddy. Rest in eternal, heavenly peace, my friend.

I will miss you

Richard.

Siege of Cincinnati / Battery Hooper article in Cincy Enquirer

I had not planned to make this entry, but the Cincinnati Enquirer today published a good description of the "Siege of Cincinnati" that I mention frequently and I found it to be worth sharing.

It is somewhat surprising that the Confederates did not make a more serious attempt to attack Cincinnati during the war, as it  was quite an important city at the time, and the Ohio River was a major transportation route. It was, however, far enough north to be a difficult challenge for the southerners to undertake, and after Heth and his men saw the fortifications that had been built by the time of their approach in September of 1862, they knew a successful attack would not be easy. The bend in the Ohio River, the hills of Northern Kentucky and the skills of U.S. Engineers like Charles Whittlesey and James Simpson combined to create a strong line of defenses.

Within a few weeks of this threat, a major battle took place a few hours south of Cincinnati,  at Perryville and soon after that fight the Confederates would leave the Bluegrass State, virtually for good. Despite later raids by men such as John Hunt Morgan and the grandiose late 1864 dreams of John Bell Hood,  no major Confederate force ever remotely approached Cincinnati again.

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The above image from Google Earth displays my attempt to show the general outline of where the defenses of Cincinnati were. This, of course, is a modern image, but the path of the Ohio River is fairly obvious as it winds its way towards a meeting with the "father of all waters." The yellow pins represent my understanding of where, amongst the modern sprawl, the fortifications were located. I know they are not exact and there were more than I have pinned so far (plus 2 north of the river) but I think this image provides at least a basic bird's-eye view of the how the shape of the river, the topography of Northern Kentucky and the man-made defensive positions worked together to make this a formidable position, almost a "ring," especially for a force as small as Henry Heth's (estimated from 6,000 to 8,000 men.)

The small, dark north/south line almost exactly in the middle of the page is the Licking River, which runs from southeastern Kentucky and empties into the Ohio River across from Cincinnati. (One of Cincinnati's early names was Losantiville, meaning "across from the Licking.") It divides Campbell County (on the right) and Kenton County (the left) in this image, and for an aggressive attacker, this small river could have served almost as a driveway straight into the heart of the defensive lines, but the engineers knew that and designed some of the positions, including Battery Hooper, to overlook this river and the valley it carved out along its route. If anybody gets the opportunity to visit the Ramage Museum, the view from the front yard, where Battery Hooper once stood, is of this valley and is quite spectacular at times. That type of view makes it seem obvious why the engineers put the batteries where they did. The below image shows a slightly zoomed-in view during the middle of summer.

Battery Hooper Days, August 21 and 22, 2010

Boom! It's just one week away - the 6th Annual Battery Hooper Days, at the James A. Ramage Civil War Museum in Fort Wright, Kentucky, just a few minutes south of Cincinnati, Ohio.


The Ramage Museum, on the location of Battery Hooper, one of the batteries that helped defend the region from the threat of a Confederate invasion in September 1862, hosts this annual free and family friendly event every August, featuring Civil War re-enactors, Living History Displays and other activities for adults and children.

One exciting change this year is that we will begin selling Hooper's Heroes Museum Memberships to help support the museum as we become self-sufficient. For just $20 annually for an individual or $35 for an entire family, you can support us financially. Among the benefits you will receive will be museum newsletters and email updates, 10% discounts off our gift shop and used-book sale prices and opportunities to preview future museum events before they open to the general public.

Our lineup of entertainers and presents is, again, very strong.

Once again, we will have Stan Wernz  (see the picture below) doing his wonderful impression of President Abraham Lincoln. He will speak twice on both days, and will do the Gettysburg Address, of course.

 The Ladies' Living History Society of Greater Cincinnati will also be present, showing their display of period fashions. I have included a picture from their appearance last year

Among the re-enactors scheduled to appear and set up an encampment are the 6th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, the 5th Ohio Artillery and the 9th Kentucky, a Confederate group.

On Saturday, we will have a local man singing some of the music of Stephen Foster.

Bernie O'Bryan will again impressively dress and speak as Major General Lew Wallace, and, for the first time, Tom Kriedler will appear as General Horatio Wright, for whom the city of Fort Wright was named.

For the children, Honey Hill Farm will show up with their petting zoo, which kids will love. We will also have a face painting station and contests for kids to play and win prizes.

Since Battery Hooper was an actual Civil War site, archaeological digs still take place here and we will have a display on that archaeology with several people who have worked on the site present to answer questions.  (For those interested in archaeology, you can sign up for our next public archaeology digs, on September 11 and 12 of this year, starting at Battery Hooper Days.)

Several local historical societies and groups will also be on hand, providing material about their groups. These include the Campbell and Kenton County Historical Societies and the Cincinnati Civil War Round Table.

Detailed driving directions can be found in the museum's link at the top of this page, or at this article, courtesy of CivilWar.com

Admission and parking are both free, though donations are, of course, always welcome. Parking is in the lot at the Community of Faith Presbyterian Church. In addition to our Battery Hooper Days, the church will be having its annual cook-out and ice cream social, with lots of good food to enjoy.

Battery Hooper Days is always a fun event for the history buff, the Civil War enthusiast, for those interested in local events and for families in general.

Please consider coming out and visiting us. You will have a blast.

2010 at the James A Ramage Civil War Museum

For this post, I will unashamedly discuss the plans for the James A. Ramage Civil War Museum in 2010, a year in which I have the privilege and honor of serving as the President of the Board of Directors for the museum. It is a challenge I look forward too, as the museum celebrates its 5th anniversary this year.

We closed down for 2009 after our wonderfully successful Civil War Christmas event, during which we drew a record 286 visitors to our one day event. It went tremendously well, even better than we expected and it was nice to close the year on a high note.

Before we reopen, we are busy coming up with new ideas and displays for the museum, including some re-painting of wall and overall cleaning. Our ideas include using a new type of wallpaper-like material to give one of our larger displays a new appearance, and the addition of more display cases so that we can put more items on display, and perhaps have them arranged even better than now.

We officially reopen on Friday February 12, which happens to be the 201st birthday of Abraham Lincoln. We will celebrate this day with a Happy Birthday President Lincoln event on Sunday the 14th (yes, on Valentine's Day.)  Plans, like for all our events, are still being arranged, but we hope to have an entertaining event for children and adults.

In March, the museum will be represented with a table at Northern Kentucky History Day at Northern Kentucky University. (This link is to last year's event, giving an idea of how this neat event is set up.) This years event is on March 20.

On April 10,  as the many trees around the 17 acres of Battery Hooper Park, home of the Ramage Museum, start to bloom, birds start to sing and the greenness of the grass becomes more beautiful, we will take part in Park Day, sponsored by the Civil War Preservation Trust, as volunteers from the museum and community will help plant flowers, pull weeds and take part in other clean-up activities the museum grounds need.

May features our next event, the Public Archaeology Dig and Civil War Authors Event on the 15th and 16th. The Public Dig is a wonderful opportunity for local citizens (age 10 and up) to dig at an actual Civil War site, the location of Battery Hooper, which was built in 1861. I first became involved with the museum when I read about this event in a local newspaper and showed up for it.  It is an eye-opening experience. Watch the museum website, linked above for more details such as when people can start signing up for it (pre-registration is required, but is free, and we provide all the equipment.)

The Authors event will feature talks and displays from local authors and/or authors of books about local Civil War events and history.

In June, we will host no events, but will be represented in Fort Mitchell celebrates its centennial June 24th through the 27th. Organizers are hopeful that descendants of Civil War (Union) General Ormsby B. Mitchel (for whom the city is named) will be able to make it to town for this event.

July will be a quiet month, as we gear up for a busy last few months of the year.

August 21 and 22 will witness our biggest, most popular annual event, Battery Hooper Days. Join us as we host a Civil War encampment, featuring dozens of local re-enactors, a cannon firing, live music, children's activities such as a petting zoo and other living history displays and presenters. We're always looking for new ideas to make it bigger and better, so who knows what else we will come up with this year? It is a fun, family-friendly event, and is totally free. (Though our neighbors at the nearby church will likely have an ice cream social going on too, with lots of delicious food for those who get hungry.)

Our second and final Public Archaeology Dig will take place September 11 and 12. Once again, advance registration will be required. What is neat about this fall dig is that it takes places near the anniversary of the "Siege of Cincinnati" when Confederate forces under Henry Heth approached Cincinnati, just a few minutes away from where Battery Hooper is located.

In October, we have our Antiques Appraisal event. Details will be worked out, but  it will likely be $5 to have 2 appraisals, of items smaller than a child's wagon. Watch the website for exact details as the date approaches, but it is neat to have an item appraised or just to see what cool items other people bring.

November 7 will see us head to Highland Cemetery in Fort Mitchell for our annual salute to veterans in honor of Veteran's Day. Plans for this year call for us to focus on Korean War veterans, while honoring all who have served this great country. The neat thing about having this event at Highland Cemetery is that this cemetery is the burial ground for veterans from every major American war, from the Revolution through the conflict in Iraq, including some Buffalo soldiers, African-American cavalrymen in the late 19th century.

Finally, we will close out 2010 with our Civil War Christmas event on December 12, with the museum decorated in period decorations, providing insight into how many of our current traditions were just getting started during the mid-1800s. A jolly elf from the North Pole will pay a visit and children will be able to make ornaments out of period material, such as hardtack. It's a great way to celebrate the holiday season for our museum to end its year.

I'm hopeful that 2010 can be at least as successful as 2009, a year in which we had record attendance at several events. With some hard work by the museum board, it's volunteers (all staffing is volunteer, there are no paid employees) and some help from Mother Nature, I'm confident that our 5th Anniversary year will be very memorable and enjoyable.