Where Both Sides Are Heard. Founded in The Courier 1

Transcription

1 Where Both Sides Are Heard Founded in 2012 The Courier The Newsletter of the Civil War Roundtable of North Florida Mailing address: Civil War Roundtable of North Florida NE 100 th Street, Williston, FL Website: Phone: Diane Fischler (352) ; or Terry Huston (352) or The Courier is written by Diane Fischler Vol. V, No. 5 Gainesville, Florida Next Meeting (open to the public) Thursday, May 11, 2017, 6:30 to 8 p.m. at: Trinity United Methodist Church (TUMC) 4000 NW 53 rd Avenue (Room 232 in the front Education Center) Gainesville, Florida The Courier 1

2 CWRNF News April 13, 2017: CWRNF meeting: 34 members and guests attended Dr. Tracy Revels, professor of history at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, spoke about her book (2016) entitled Florida s Civil War: Terrible Sacrifices. Dr. Revels, a social historian, presented many provocative social factors that shaped Florida during the Civil War and its role within the Confederacy. She spoke as to why Florida was lost even to the Lost Cause. Her points included: Florida sent a disproportionate number of eligible white males to the Confederate war effort, compared to all the other Confederate states. Florida Gov. John Milton realized that the rallying point of states rights was not a good foundation for governing because that kind of base superseded Confederate nationalism across the South. Florida experienced all aspects of the Civil War in the South: battles, raids, skirmishes, guerrilla activities, refugees, occupation of key cities, a blockade, food shortages, and fleeing slaves. Floridians became disillusioned by the hardships of war and many turned pro-unionist as the dragged on, especially those who lived east of the St. Johns River. Florida s one big battle, Olustee, fought on Feb. 20, 1864, sustained one of the highest proportions of casualties of any battle fought in the Civil War. Florida s had an important role, after the fall of Vicksburg, in supplying foodstuffs, mainly beef, to the Confederate armies. But the state had a poor, if nonexistent infrastructure to herd the cattle north from the mid to southern part of the state. Also, the state s coastal salt production wasn t enough to make a difference. In her conclusion, Dr. Revels stated that Floridians should know their past because they have a debt to the past. Map: Territory in Confederate military possession in 1861: green and yellow. Territory reclaimed by the Federals: green. Territory in Confederate possession in Jan. 1864: yellow. Map courtesy: Florida Center for Instructional Technology, University of South Florida The Courier 2

3 Book sales Please donate your gently used history books, history DVDs, historical maps, and/or magazines for re-sale at our monthly meetings. Nineteenth century American history books, periodicals, and DVDs would be preferred. All proceeds go toward outside speaker fees and room rental fees. Payment by cash or check. Prices are not negotiable at these reduced rates. At the April 13 meeting, the CWRNF made $68 in book sales. Website: Please check the website periodically for updates on the CWRNF s ongoing events, past newsletters, and upcoming speakers. We will the monthly online Courier newsletter as an attachment in PDF format. CWRNF newsletter: The Courier (in PDF format) IF you did NOT receive the online Courier newsletter (sent as a PDF attachment to your requested address) at least one week before the next meeting, contact Diane Fischler to you the latest newsletter (diane@proofinggrounds.com). But before requesting another newsletter attachment, first please check your spam/junk folder in case the with attachment landed in that folder. Membership dues If you didn t pay renewal or new membership dues at the Sept. 8 or Oct. 13 or Nov. 10 meetings, we removed your name with regret from our CWRNF membership list. If you wish to rejoin, please give a check to our treasurer, Terry Huston, or mail a check to: Terry Huston, NE 100 th Street, Williston, FL Make checks payable to CWRNF. Dues go directly toward paying outside speaker fees and room rental fees. Membership dues: $25 individual, $35 couple/family, $15 student. Like the CWRNF page on Facebook We have a Facebook page. Search Civil War Roundtable of North Florida Facebook. Many thanks to member John Walsh for his time and effort to update and maintain this page. Our Facebook page receives about 400 to 500 views a year. Some of our posts have appeared on the Civil War Trust s Facebook page. Upcoming Meetings (second Thursday of each month 6:30 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church) (speakers and topics subject to change) May 11, 2017: Guest speaker Dr. Boyd Murphree, will talk about Florida s governor during the Civil War, John Milton. When John Milton was inaugurated on Oct. 7, 1861, he became Florida s fifth governor. Throughout the Civil War, Milton advocated for greater security for Florida and pressed Richmond to send enough troops for an adequate defense even though the Confederacy largely ignored his pleas. Milton maintained absolute loyalty to the Confederate cause up to the end. On April 1, 1865, he allegedly committed suicide. Right photo of John Milton courtesy: Wikipedia The Courier 3

4 June 8, 2017: Noah Gengler, a retired U.S. Navy officer and former vice president of the Pensacola Civil War Round Table, will give a talk on Sibley s New Mexico Campaign: Blood and Treasure in the Southwest. He will address the dream of a Confederate empire in the Southwest and how Gen. Henry H. Sibley recruited the expedition basically on his own, with little help from Richmond. He will discuss the battles at Valverde (Feb , 1862) and Glorieta Pass (March 26-28, 1862). Left photo: CSA Gen. Henry H. Sibley ( ) Photo by: Mathew Brady Photo courtesy: July 13, 2017: Author Philip Leigh will make a third appearance to speak on his latest book: The Confederacy at Flood Tide: The Political and Military Ascension, June to December 1862 (2016). Leigh states that these seven months offered the Confederate States of America the best opportunity to achieve independence and why the CSA s efforts failed. Phil first spoke to our Roundtable in July 2015 on his book, Lee s Lost Dispatch and Other Civil War Controversies (2015). In April 2016, he gave a talk on another one of his books, Trading with the Enemy: The Covert Economy During the American Civil War (2014). Phil will sell and autograph Confederacy at Flood Tide for $28 (hardback). August 10, 2017: No CWRNF meeting Sept. 14, 2017: Boyd Murphree will give a presentation on The Other Team: Jefferson Davis and His Cabinet. Lithograph shows the CSA president and his cabinet shortly after the beginning of the Civil War. Print courtesy: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division. Note: Robert E. Lee (center) was an advisor, not a cabinet member. This print was originally published in New York shortly after the end of the war, but does not include any of the replacement appointments made during the course of the war. Left to right: Stephen Mallory, secretary of the navy; Judah P. Benjamin, attorney general; Leroy Pope Walker, secretary of war; President Jefferson Davis; Gen. Robert E. Lee; John Reagan, postmaster general; Christopher Memminger, secretary of the treasury; Vice President Alexander Stephens; and Robert Toombs, secretary of state. Oct. 12, 2017: Larry Skinner will give a talk about the diary kept by a young woman, Mary Louise ( Molly ) Creighton, who was born on the St. Johns River at Mandarin, but moved to Waldo during the last year of the war. She wrote of the daily activities and experiences during that time and seeing Capt. John J. Dickison, Florida s Swamp Fox. Right photo: Molly Creighton. Photo courtesy: Larry Skinner The Courier 4

5 Nov. 9, 2017: Author Candice Shy Hooper will speak on her latest book, Lincoln s Generals Wives: Four Women Who Influenced the Civil War for Better and for Worse (2016). The book focuses on Jesse Fremont, Nelly McClellan, Ellen Sherman, and Julia Grant. According to the book jacket, each of these women had been their husband s closest confidantes and had a profound impact on their ambitions and actions. And these women s attitudes toward and relationship with Lincoln had major historical significance. Relying on a close reading of letters, memoirs, and other primary sources and for the first time, mapping the women s wartime travels, the author explores the very different ways in which these women responded to the unique challenge of being Lincoln s generals wives. After the meeting, Candice will sell and autograph Lincoln s Generals Wives for $30. Dec. 14, 2017: No CWRNF meeting Upcoming Local & Regional & State Civil War Events (events & dates subject to change; please confirm event & date before traveling) May 6-7, 2017: Federal Garrison of Fort Clinch Atlantic Avenue, Fernandina Beach. Right aerial photo of Fort Clinch courtesy: Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2017: Rifles, Rails & History: Steam Back to the North and South. Wooten Park in downtown Tavares on Lake Dora. Reenactment, skirmishes, military drill, cannon and musket firing demonstrations. Bobbyag22@gmail.com Left: The Florida Confederate Memorial Wall always makes an appearance at Rifles, Rails & History. The Confederate Memorial is a traveling 10-panel wall for soldiers, sailors, marines, physicians, and chaplains serving with Florida s Confederate units, who died in combat or as a result of wounds, diseases, illnesses, or accidents. Floridians from other Confederate forces are also listed on these panels ( The paintings on each section are by noted Civil War artist John Paul Strain ( Photo by: Diane Fischler The Courier 5

6 Demonizing Civil War Desertion: The Execution of North Carolina s John Futch Dr. Peter Carmichael March 30, 2017, at the University of Florida Back row: left to right: Dr. Peter Carmichael & CWRNF members Jim Dahlman, Bill Smith, Terry Huston Front row: Diane Fischler, Betsy Livingston, Sue Wooley, Bob Wooley Dr. Peter Carmichael, director of the Civil War Institute and professor of Civil War Studies at Gettysburg College, spoke about the execution of 10 Confederate deserters in Sept and the events leading up to these executions only two months after Gettysburg. The Confederates served with Co. K, 3 rd North Carolina, Steuart s Brigade, Johnson s Div., Ewell s (II) Corps, Army of Northern Virginia. Dr. Carmichael discussed the war through the eyes of one of these deserters, Pvt. John Futch, whose letters to his wife Martha formed the basis of the talk. In August 1863, semi-illiterate John Futch wrote to Martha:... we had a hard fight thare [Gettysburg, Pennsylvania] we lost all of our boys nearly thare. Charly [John s brother at Culp s Hill] got kild and he suffered graideal from his wound he lived a night and a day after he was wounded we sead hard times thare but we got a nugh to eat ther but we don t now as to my self I get a nugh for I don t want nothing to eat hardly for I am all must sick all the time and half crazy I never wanted to come home so bad in my life.... Above sketch: An execution by firing squad of five deserters from the Army of the Potomac s V Corps in August Sketch by: Alfred Waud. Courtesy: Library of Congress. The Courier 6

7 Who Said This? Famous Words Spoken during the Civil War by: Union (US) & Confederate (CSA) Politicians & Generals & Other Famous Personalities Part I: 15 quotes Quotes on page 9; answers on pages These 10 photos provide the answers. US Gen. Sherman CSA Gen. Lee CSA Gen. Jackson US President Lincoln CSA VP Stephens US Gen. McClellan US Gen. Hooker US Gen. Grant CSA President Davis The Courier 7 US Gen. Chamberlain

8 15 FAMOUS QUOTATIONS 1. Here is a paper, with which if I can t beat Bobby Lee, I will be willing to go home. 2. Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner-stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition. 3. I propose to fight it out on this line, if it takes all summer. 4. It is well that war is so terrible, otherwise we should grow too fond of it. 5. We feel that our cause is just and holy.... We seek no conquest.... All we ask is to be left alone. 6. He has got the slows. 7. The Father of Waters again goes unvexed to the sea. 8. My dear McClellan, if you are not using the army, I should like to borrow it for a while. 9. Let us pass over the river and rest under the shade of the trees. 10. Wherever the enemy goes, let our troops go also. 11. The president is no more than a well-meaning baboon. I went to the White House directly after tea, where I found The Original Gorilla, about as intelligent as ever. What a specimen to be at the head of our affairs now. 12. Oh, I am heartily tired of hearing about what Lee is going to do.... Try to think what are we going to do ourselves, instead of what Lee is going to do." 13. Fix bayonet! 14. My plans are perfect, and when I start carrying them out, may God have mercy on Bobby Lee for I shall have none. 15. Atlanta is ours, and fairly won. The Courier 8

9 15 ANSWERS TO WHO SAID THIS? 1. US Gen. George B. McClellan on Sept. 13, 1862, on accidentally coming across a copy of Lee s lost Special Order 191. This order detailed Lee s Maryland invasion strategy, which resulted in the Battle of Antietam (Sept. 17, 1862) in Maryland. 2. CSA Vice Pres. Alexander Stephens on March 21, 1861, at the Athenaeum in Savannah, Georgia. 3. US Gen. Ulysses S. Grant on May 11, 1864, in a dispatch to Washington during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House (May 8-21, 1864) in Virginia. 4. CSA Gen. Robert E. Lee on Dec. 13, 1862, to CSA Gen. James Longstreet at the Battle of Fredericksburg (Dec , 1862) in Virginia. 5. CSA Pres. Jefferson Davis on April 29, 1861, to the Confederate Congress in Richmond, Virginia. 6. Pres. Abraham Lincoln in late October 1862 to Gen. McClellan supporter, Francis Blair, about McClellan, who failed to pursue the Army of Northern Virginia after that army retreated from the Antietam battlefield (Sept. 17, 1862). 7. Pres. Abraham Lincoln in a letter on Aug. 26, 1863, to his friend James C. Conkling in Illinois, after the surrender of Vicksburg (July 4, 1863) in Mississippi and Port Hudson (July 9, 1863) in Louisiana. 8. Pres. Abraham Lincoln in early November 1862 in a letter to Gen. McClellan (and a few days later, on Nov. 5, 1862, Lincoln relieved Gen. McClellan of command). 9. CSA General Stonewall Jackson s dying words at Guinea Station on May 10, 1863 after being wounded by friendly fire on May 2 during the Battle of Chancellorsville (April 30 - May 6, 1863) in Virginia. The Courier 9

10 10. US Gen. Ulysses S. Grant on Aug. 1, 1864, in a dispatch to Chief of Staff Henry W. Halleck, from City Point, Virginia. 11. US Gen. George B. McClellan on Nov. 13, 1861, in a letter to his wife Ellen. 12. US Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in May 1864 to his staff on Gen. Lee s advance against the Army of the Potomac just prior to the Battle of the Wilderness (May 5-7, 1864) in Virginia. 13. US Gen. Joshua L. Chamberlain with the 20 th Maine on July 2, 1863, on Little Round Top, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863) in Pennsylvania. 14. US Gen. Joseph Hooker in late April 1863 before the Battle of Chancellorsville (April 30 - May 6, 1863) in Virginia. 15. US Gen. William T. Sherman on Sept. 2, 1864, in a telegram to Pres. Lincoln at the end of his Atlanta Campaign (May 7 - Sept. 2, 1864) in Georgia. Photo credits on pages 7-10: page 7: all photos courtesy Wikipedia page 8: Mississippi River map Courtesy: Mississippi Dept. of Archives and History page 8: Springfield rifle s bayonet Courtesy: Crescent City Sutler page 9: Historical marker of Special Order 191 Courtesy: Pinterest page 9: Cornerstone speech given by Alexander Stephens Courtesy: Korsgaard Commentary page 9: Guinea Station (Virginia) where Gen. Jackson died Courtesy: Library of Virginia page 10: 20 th Maine Monument at Gettysburg Courtesy: Stone Sentinels page 10: Telegram from Gen. Sherman to Pres. Lincoln Courtesy: Lakeside Press The Courier 10