The Sentinel. Monroe County Civil War Roundtable Exploring, preserving and sharing the history of the American Civil War

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1 Monroe County Civil War Roundtable Exploring, preserving and sharing the history of the American Civil War The Sentinel Volume 8, No. 8 April, 2012 The Great Locomotive Chase and the First Medals of Honor Most of us know at least something about what was one of the most audacious adventures of the Civil War. But the details of what turned out to be a fiasco for its perpetrators are always fascinating. Member and program chair Scott Schroeder brought the roundtable a story which kept everyone on the edge of their seats, and did it, appropriately, just two days before the 150 th anniversary of the actual raid. It was 150 years ago in April that James J. Andrews and his group of raiders boarded a train pulled by the Western and Atlantic Railroad locomotive General and set in motion his daring plan. Andrews had convinced Brig. Gen. Ormsby Mitchel, the Union commander in East Tennessee, to send him south to try to accomplish an outlandish raid. As we learned earlier this year in the presentation on the importance of the telegraph in the war, the North had vastly more mileage of railroad lines than the South. Andrews believed, and was able to convince General Ormsby, that the South could be cut in two by destroying the ability to move men and materials through the bottleneck of the single line between Chattanooga and Atlanta. This would assure the continued successes that the North had already had at Fort Donelson and, just days before this raid, the hard-fought victory at Shiloh. Early on the morning of April 12th, Andrews and nineteen men boarded the General at Marietta, Georgia. Andrews originally had four Raider James J. Andrews more men with him, but two of them never made it to Marietta, having been forced to enlist in the Confederate army as they traveled south to avoid suspicion of being Northern spies which, of course, they were. Two more men forgot to pay the fee to have someone wake them at the hotel that morning and overslept, missing the train. Once aboard, the raiders rode the train for an hour until it made a breakfast stop at 6:00 am in Big Shanty, GA. While the train s crew and most of the passengers left the train to eat, Andrews and his men moved forward. Directly behind the tender were three empty boxcars. This was ideal for Andrews as his men could hide in the cars. Their cover story if they were stopped along the way was that they were taking an emergency load of ammunition to General Beauregard at 1 Corinth, Mississippi. The empty cars fit in perfectly with their story. The raiders released the coupling behind the boxcars and climbed inside. Inside the Lacy Hotel, just forty feet from the tracks, the General s conductor, William A. Fuller, ate his breakfast with Jeff Cain, the engineer, and Anthony Murphy, a foreman for the W&A RR. Looking out the window, Fuller saw smoke pouring from his train s stack as the locomotive began moving up the tracks. He jumped up from the table and ran out the door, Cain and Murphy following just behind. The raid got off to a shaky start as Knight had to stop the train shortly after leaving Big Shanty. They were losing power. A damper wasn t in the correct position and the engine was running out of steam. It Conductor William Fuller only took a few minutes to fix the problem and build steam to get under way. During that time Fuller, Cain, and Murphy continued to pursue the train on foot. When they reached Moon Station, Fuller borrowed a platform car from a work crew and the three men propelled the flat car along the tracks by kicking at the railroad ties with their feet and pushing with poles like a gondolier in Venice. Ahead of them Andrews stopped to cut the telegraph line along the tracks and pull up a section of rail. Things seemed to be going well until they crossed the Etowah River and came to a spur that led to Cooper s Iron Works. Sitting on the spur, with smoke coming from the stack, ready to go, stood the locomotive Yonah. Though leaving an able locomotive right behind them wasn t good, Andrews decided to leave the bridge and Yonah unharmed, to avoid giving away their mission. They continued northward in a light rain, heading for Kingston. There, they expected to pass through with little or no delay. Meanwhile, Fuller, Cain, and Murphy continued their pursuit on the platform car. When they came upon the missing rail that Andrews men had taken up, they didn t see it in time and the platform car crashed off the tracks. None of them was hurt, though, and in a short time they had the car back on the rails. When they got to the Etowah River, the Yonah was still there. The three railroad men seized the locomotive and raced north under full steam. While things were working out for Fuller, it wasn t going so well for Andrews at Kingston, a junction point where the Rome Railroad joined the W&A. Kingston was a busy place. The hoped for short delay turned into more than

2 an hour wait. The Raiders had to sit idly while three southbound trains passed by before they could use the main line. it was only four minutes after the General finally pulled out of Kingston in a heavier rain to continue north before the Yonah arrived. Fuller and the Texas was getting closer all the time. Worried by the delay and the potential of pursuit from Kingston, the raiders stopped to pull up another piece of track and load ties and other wood for burning bridges further north. Up the tracks at Adairsville was a siding where they expected to pass yet another southbound freight train. It was, indeed, there, and, as they passed, they noticed the name of the locomotive was the Texas. Not giving up in the pursuit of his train, Fuller and company boarded a new train, the William R. Smith, at Kingston. Worried about more track obstructions, Fuller rode as pilot and watched for trouble. He spotted in time the missing piece of track the raiders pulled up and had the engine stopped. Once again, they set off on foot. Cain soon gave out and returned to the William R. Smith. A few miles up the track Fuller and Murphy came upon the southbound Texas. The engineer recognized Fuller and stopped for him. Fuller explained the situation and the Texas was put in reverse. Along the way the Texas stopped to unload its cars on a siding and proceeded north, unhindered by the extra weight. Meanwhile, Andrews decided to stop again to obstruct the tracks. The men were attempting to pry loose a rail when they heard a whistle behind them. They abandoned their work and climbed back on the train. Trying to delay the pursuit any way he could, Andrews had the rear boxcar detached from the train, reversed the General, and pushed it towards the pursuers. Unfortunately for Andrews, the track at that point was relatively flat and the lone boxcar could not gather any speed. When they spotted the car, the Texas was able to stop and catch the loose car without crashing into it. They were soon able to resume their chase north. South of Resaca, GA, the General came to the wooden covered bridge that crossed the Oostanaula River. Their plan was to set the rear boxcar on fire and leave it on the bridge to ignite that structure. The rain, however, had soaked the wood enough that they couldn t get a good fire going even with coals from the General s firebox. They left the smoldering car on the bridge, but watched as the Texas pushed the car through the bridge. Fuller was then able to leave the two boxcars left in his path on a siding at Resaca and steam after the General at full speed. North of Resaca the raiders tried to block the rails by dumping ties on the track, but they were moving so fast The raiders abandon the General just north of Ringgold, GA. 2 that the ties simply bounced off the tracks. They soon stopped to take on more wood water, but didn t have time to get all they needed. The Texas was too close. Passing Dalton, Andrews stopped to cut the telegraph wire and pull up more rail. Before they could finish, the Texas came into view and they The General on display today in Kennesaw, GA. had to leave. The General raced onward with the Texas in sight. As they got to Tunnel Hill, the raiders simply didn t have time to stop and block the tunnel, which would have assured their success. Two miles north of Ringgold, the General began to lose power as the fuel and water were running low. Andrews knew they were at the end and told the men to abandon the train. It was now every man for himself. Luck was not on the side of the raiders. April 12th happened to be muster day at Ringgold and there were hundreds of mounted and armed men there. It only took a couple of days before every man was captured. One of the great adventures of the war had ended in failure. The raiders had only been able to do minor damage to the tracks and hadn t burned a single bridge. Charged with being spies, Andrews and seven others were hanged. Eight of the raiders managed to escape from their jail cells and six others were exchanged. The newly approved Medal of Honor for gallantry in action against the enemy had not yet been issued to a single person. In looking for heroes worthy of the new award, Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton decided the six exchanged raiders were what he needed. On March 23, 1863, the six men, William Bensinger, Robert Buffman, Elihu H. Mason, Jacob Parrott, William Pittenger, and William H. Reddick received the very first Medals of Honor ever awarded. Scott finished with the Indiana connections to the raid. One of the raiders awarded the Medal of Honor, William Reddick, while an Ohio soldier, had been born in Bloomington in Wilbur Kurtz, from Greencastle, a screenwriter on Gone With the Wind, also worked on the 1950s Disney movie about the General and was the son-in-law of General conductor William Fuller. And one of our own MCCWR members, Ron Marquardt, has perhaps the best connection of all. Now retired, Ron was a railroad man all his life and, as a young man, was one of the last engineers to actually run the General when it was on its last historic tour. [Ed. Note: Ron tells us that in England, you drive a train, but in this country you run it.] Today, the General is on display at the Museum of Railroad and Civil War History, a Smithsonian affiliate, in Kennesaw, Georgia, while its pursuer, the Texas, sits in the lobby of the Atlanta Cyclorama in Atlanta, Georgia. If you get the chance, they are well worth a visit to see a little bit of history. [NOTE: Some of this information came from an article by Andy Turner in the latest e-newsletter of Gatehouse Press, an excellent publisher of Civil War materials, including Gettysburg Magazine. We invite you to look at their website and take advantage of their unusually good offerings on Civil War related publications. *** Quote of the Month *** Have a good breakfast, Mr. Fuller. And don't you worry about any deserters, I'll take care of your train. - James J. Andrews to William Fuller in the 1956 Disney movie The Great Locomotive Chase.

3 Vicksburg Battlefield Saved! As an update to a story in an earlier newsletter this season, a recent press release from Vicksburg National Military Park says that the feared threat of damage from wild hogs has now dissipated. After flooding on the Mississippi River earlier in the year drove many animals, including these hogs, to higher ground in places like the property of the battlefield at Vicksburg, there was concern that their rototiller-like rooting would destroy areas of the park. But, fortunately, as time has passed the hogs have moved back to lower and more remote places. Just as after July 4th, 1863, Vicksburg is no longer under attack! May 8 June 12 Jul/Aug Sept. 11 Oct. 9 Nov. 13 Dec. 11 Visitation Up at Fort Sumter Fox News has reported that one of America's most famous Civil War sites has again made history as a record 328,000 visitors (this Sentinel editor was one of them!) took the tour boat last year to Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor to see where the Civil War began. Spurred in part by the observance of the 150th anniversary of the war, the trend continues this year. Visitation at Fort Sumter was up another 11 percent during the first three months of this year as compared to the recordsetting mark in 2011, said Dawn Davis, the chief ranger of the U.S. Park Service Fort Sumter National Monument which includes Sumter, Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island and the Charles Pinckney Historic Site in nearby Mount Pleasant. Read more at CW Museum Attendance Down? Janna Bortt, an MCCWR member, brought our attention to an interesting article from the Associated Press on the struggle for some Civil War museums, especially in the south but really on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line, to stay relevant in a 21st century milieu. Misperceptions as racist, struggles to stay ahead of, or even along side, technology advances, higher and higher travel costs...all are contributing to a decline in attendance at some museums, unlike the view in the article about Fort Sumter above. For the full article, go to newsone.com/ /civil-war-museums-changing-as-viewson-war-change/ 2012 Program Schedule The Truth About the Confederate Flag by Member Kevin Shiflet Wilder s Brigade At Hoover s Gap by Member Charles Matson Summer Break take a CW trip! Indiana at Antietam by CW historian and guide Ed Bearss. Hoosiers in the Mexican War Who Became Leaders in the Civil War by member Matt Hoagland Confederates Raid Newburgh, IN! by Ray Mulesky Annual Holiday Dinner 3 CW Mortality Figures Going Up A couple of our members have forwarded recent articles arguing that the long-accepted number of deaths in the war, around 620,000, are far lower than actually occurred. Newly discovered information, flawed census figures and other reasons have left scholars to think this figure could be as high as 850,000. For the articles got to:...in the NY Timeshttp:// The New Yorker - closeread/2012/04/recounting-the-war-dead.html 2012 Civil War Stamps Arrive 4/24/12 The Civil War: 1862 (Forever ) postage stamps depict two pivotal Civil War battles from 1862; the Battle of New Orleans and the Battle of Antietam. In 2011, the U.S. Postal Service launched a stamp series to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which engulfed the nation from 1861 to A souvenir sheet of two stamp designs is being issued annually through The capture of New Orleans was a major victory for the Union. It placed the Confederacy's most vital port in Union hands affecting southern trade, finance, and shipbuilding. The Battle of New Orleans stamp is a reproduction of an 1862 colored lithograph by Currier & Ives titled The Splendid Naval Triumph on the Mississippi, April 24th, Antietam was one of the most important military operations of the war. Aside from forestalling foreign recognition of the Confederate states, the battle gave a tremendous boost to Northern morale. Antietam also emboldened Lincoln to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, announcing his decision to free the slaves in areas of rebellion. The Battle of Antietam stamp is a reproduction of an 1887 painting by Thure de Thulstrup. The painting was one of a series of popular prints of the 1880s by Boston publisher Louis Prang & Co. The souvenir stamp sheet includes comments on the war by David G. Farragut, James C. Steele, Walt Whitman, and the New York Times. It also includes some of Charles Carroll Sawyer's lyrics from the popular 1862 song Weeping, Sad and Lonely, which is also known as When This Cruel War Is Over (music composed by Henry Tucker). [This information is taken from the website.]

4 Jefferson Davis in Kentucky If you are travelling down I-65 in our neighboring state to the south, consider a side trip sometime to the Jefferson Davis Birthplace State Memorial in Fairview, KY. Located between Bowling Green and Hopkinsville, this imposing obelisk sits on several acres of very neatly manicured park grounds just off US Highway 68. This seemingly out of place spire is the tallest poured concrete structure in the world, and the fifth tallest monument in the US. It is 335 feet tall and ranks second in height of obelisks to the Washington Monument in our nation s capitol (555 ft.). It is open every day of the year from the first of April until November. A small but excellent museum adjacent to the monument tells the story of the only president the Confederacy ever had, from his birth here just a year before Lincoln was born just up the road in Hodgenville, KY, to his service to the US government as soldier, senator and Secretary of War (he selected Robert E. Lee to be Superintendent of West Point in the 1850s) to his eventual split with the Union and his election as CSA president, and concludes with his later life. Don t miss it! New Book for Fall Speaker Our September David Wiley Lecturer, preeminent public historian and battlefield guide Ed Bearss (pronounced BARS), will have his latest book released in May, Titled The Petersburg Campaign: Volume 1: The Eastern Front Battles, June - August 1864, it is the first of a two-volume indepth look at the campaign that, it can be argued, finally won the war for Grant and the Union. Lasting from the late summer of 1864 until April, 1865, this campaign and siege was the determining factor in reducing Lee s Army of Northern Virginia to a smaller and essentially ineffective fighting unit through disease, near starvation, attrition, desertion, etc., evidenced by the final push and surrender of this near legendary fighting force at Appomattox on April 9th. And, of course, Petersburg is famous for the Battle of the Crater on July 30th, Look for Volume 2 to be released in June. 4 32nd IN Monument Preserved 32nd Indiana Regiment Monument: The nation s oldest Civil War monument, the Bloedner Monument, (above) marks the graves of thirteen soldiers from the 32nd Indiana who were killed on December 17, 1861 at the Battle of Rowlett s Station, Kentucky. The original monument was carved by Private August Bloedner in January The monument and eleven of the soldiers graves were moved to Cave Hill National Cemetery in June 1867, and the other two soldiers graves were moved to private cemeteries. Because over half of the inscription had worn off, the monument was moved to a conservation lab at the University of Louisville on Dec. 17, The treated monument was moved to the Frazier History Museum in Louisville, where it is now on free public display. The National Cemetery Administration hosted an event on December 6, 2011 to commemorate the conservation and replacement of this monument. A replacement monument was installed at the site of the original monument on December 16, To read the full article, please visit articles/2012/febmar/32in htm. [This information was taken from The Hardtack, the newsletter of the Indianapolis Civil War Roundtable. You can check out this excellent newsletter and find information on meeting times and membership possibilities of the granddaddy of Indiana roundtables at May Program Alert It is a symbol of many things to many people. The Confederate battle flag has long been a subject of pride, controversy, and endless brisk discussions around the old campfire. Join us at 7 pm on May 8th at the Monroe County History Center, 202 E. 2nd St. in Bloomington to hear our president, and Sons of Confederate Veterans member, Kevin Shiflet, relate the Truth About the Confederate Flag. 150 Years Ago in May 5th Battle of Williamsburg, VA 8th Battle of McDowell, VA 9th Bombardment of Pensacola, FL 15th Battle of Drewrys Bluff, VA 20th Lincoln signs the Homestead Act 25th First Battle of Winchester, VA 30th Confederates evacuate Corinth, MS 31st Battle of Seven Pine (Fair Oaks), VA

5 MCCWR Roster of Honor Capt. Ephraim Waterman Wiley, Co. H, 8th Maine Inf. Grandfather of former MCCWR President David Wiley. Present or active at Port Royal, Fort Pulaski, Drewry s Bluff, Cold Harbor, Chaffin s Farm, Deep Bottom, Spring Hill, White Oak Road, Fort Gregg, Fort Baldwin, Petersburg and Appomattox. Sgt. Charles Thomas Shanner, Co. A, 63rd Indiana Volunteer Inf.- Great-grandfather to MCCWR board member John Crosby. Chattanooga-Atlanta Campaign, Clay Springs, Battle of Atlanta. Col. James McMannomy, Commander, 63rd Indiana Volunteer Inf.- Ancestor of MCCWR member Matt Hoagland. Second Manassas, fought Morgan s Raiders at Shepherdsville, Kentucky. Pvt. William Nicholas Shiflet, Co. I, 10th Alabama Infantry 2nd Great Grand Uncle to Kevin Shiflet, MCCWR member. Engaged, to some degree, at Dranesville, Yorktown, Williamsburg, Seven Pines, Gaines Mill, Frazier s Farm, Second Manassas, Harpers Ferry, Sharpsburg, Hazel River, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Second Cold Harbor, Petersburg, High Bridge, Farmville and Appomattox. Pvt. Shiflet is only one of a total of seventeen of Kevin s ancestors who served the Confederacy, including thirteen cousins, two third great granduncles and two second great granduncles. Jacob Mann, Co. A, 16th Iowa Inf.- Ancestor of Allan Sather, MCCWR member. Fought at Resaca, Adairsville, New Hope Church, Kennesaw Mountain, Peachtree Creek, and Bald Hill (Atlanta) where he was captured and sent to Andersonville Prison. Sgt. Miles M. Oviatt, US Marine Corps- Great grandfather of Mary Pat Livingston, member MCCWR. Served aboard USS Vanderbilt, USS Brooklyn. Fought in Battles of Mobile Bay and Fort Fisher. Commended for Medal of Honor for his service at Mobile Bay. Voyages included south Atlantic, Indian Ocean chasing blockade runners and capturing those renegades ships. Pvt. Luther Oviatt, Pennsylvania 14th Cavalry, Co. I- Gr-Gr-Gr Uncle of Mary Pat Livingston, member MCCWR. Harper's Ferry, Monocacy Bridge protection of B&O RR. Died at Hammond Hospital, Point Lookout while on duty. Buried Arlington Cemetery. Pvt. Cyrenas A. Young, 85th New York Infantry, Co K.- Oviatt ancestor of Mary Pat Livingston. Plymouth, Kingston, New Bern, Petersburg, Suffolk. Spent time at Andersonville Prison, then sent to Florence Prison where he died days before the war ended. Cpl. James Dickson- 10 th Wisconsin Infantry, Co. D; 3 rd great grandfather of MCCWR member Scott Schroeder. His only real engagement was at the Battle of Perryville where he was killed in action. Pvt. William Taylor Neville- 8 th Iowa Infantry, Co. A; 3 rd great grandfather of MCCWR member Scott Schroeder. Engagements: Battle of Shiloh, Vicksburg, Red River Campaign. Captured at Shiloh in the Hornets Nest. Exch. Oct. 62 and returned to his unit. Reuben Newman 27th Indiana Infantry, Co. I, Putnam County Grays - Great-great-grandfather of member Eric Newman. Wounded at Antietam. Also fought at Gettysburg, Winchester, etc. Served Aug. 61-Nov. 64. Died June 13, Buried in New Providence Cemetery in Putnam County, IN. Contact Information President Kevin Shiflet keshift@aol.com Secretary, newsletter ed. Steve Rolfe srolfe@indiana.edu Treasurer Larry Cady pencil66@gmail.com Hospitality Allan Sather aks0407@yahoo.com Programs John Crosby marjohn28@comcast.net Programs Ray Beeker marvin.beeker4117@comcast.net Programs (Chair) Scott Schroeder sts.mccwr@gmail.com Board Rep & tech help Rick Watson rawatson@indiana.edu Board Rep & tech help Randy Stevenson rks_jfs@yahoo.com [Anyone is welcome to attend board meetings on the first Tuesday of each month at 11:30 at the History Center.] Monroe County Civil War Roundtable c/o Monroe County History Center 202 E. 6th St. Bloomington, IN

6 150th Anniversary Events Page and More! [It is the 150th anniversary of the war and there are so many special events scheduled in the upcoming months that we decided to add this page with anything we could find that might be of interest to members and that are not too distant. If you have material to contribute to this we-will-publish-it-as-long-as-we-have-stuff page, send it to Secretary Steve Rolfe at Civil War Relics Show and Logistics of War Battle Cave City, KY May 4-6, 2012: Celebrating the 150th anniversary of John Hunt Morgan s Cave City train raid. For details, go to or call The Civil War in Missouri Exhibit Missouri History Museum, St. Louis Now thru March, Explore the story of the Civil War in Missouri. Through documents, objects, and interactive activities you will get a view of this pivotal conflict in an immersive and engaging way only possible here. Civil War Heritage Days: The second annual Civil War Heritage Days will be held June 23 24, 2012 in Danville, Indiana. Contact Cindy, or Gail, , for details Battle of Corydon Reenactment- July 6-8, 2012 in Corydon, Indiana, just a short drive west of Louisville, KY, off Interstate 64. Hayswood Nature Reserve is the main location of battle reenactment and encampment activities with downtown Corydon hosting a reenactment of Morgan s raid on the downtown and other events. Civil War Trust 150th Events Site The Civil War Trust is an excellent resource for information on both the timeline and upcoming events for the Sesquicentennial of the war. Just go to or Sassafras Days & Civil War Living History April 28 & 29 Held on the Jennings County courthouse lawn in Vernon, IN, this event will include battles, a blue/gray ball, skits, skirmishes, a bake sale and a tea. For more information, call Lew Wallace Study and Museum In honor of International Museum Day, admission will be free to this Crawfordsville, IN, landmark on Friday, May 18. Crawfordsville is the home of perhaps Indiana s most famous general of the war. Wallace, and the Civil War controversy arising from his division s tardiness during the first day of the Battle of Shiloh, was the subject of his biographer, Gail Stephens, when she spoke at our roundtable last year. You can read all about it in her excellent new book Shadow of Shiloh: General Lew Wallace in the Civil War which is available in the Monroe County History center gift shop. Civil War Heritage Days: The second annual Civil War Heritage Days will be held June 23 24, 2012, in Danville, Indiana. One new event will be a Grand Ball held on Saturday evening in the Courthouse Rotunda. A dance class will be given before the Ball for anyone who would like to learn the dances beforehand. Once again two High Teas will be held on the Courthouse Grounds. Music will be heard from the stage on the square. Civil War re-enactors will be camping at the museum, courthouse and government center. For more information, visit or contact Cindy, or Gail, Central Kentucky Civil War Relic Show and Logistics of War Battle: This show will be held May 4-6 (9-9 Saturday and 9-5 Sunday) at the Cave City Convention Center in Cave City, Kentucky. There will be 300 tables with CDs, tapes, books, memorabilia, currency, documents, stamps, weapons, photographs, uniforms and other collectibles. There will also be a tea party, fashion show, two meals and standard amenities. For more information, visit or call Cave City City Hall , Gary Hogan , or Ed Keiley Fort Negley Memorial Day Program Set Saturday, May 26, Fort Negley Park announces a Memorial Day weekend observance to honor all serving members of the U.S. Armed Forces and to commemorate those who gave the final devotion to their country. The observance will also honor those who perished building and defending the fortifications of Nashville during the Civil War including Fort Negley. The program begins at 11 AM and continues until 1 PM on Saturday, May 26, The event is free and open to the public. Call for Volunteers! Marlin Elementary will hold its annual Education Day on Friday, May 18th, from 1-3pm, for grades K-3. They will have different stations with activities or presentations that the kids will rotate through. Time at each station will be approximately minutes. They would like to have a Civil War Demonstration be a part of this special educational day at Marlin. These are fun and easy things to do and, who knows, we could get a new member or two in a few years. If you are interested in presenting any CW topic at all, contact Jill Storm at (812) , jstorm6@comcast.net. [Remember, if you have information to include here, or anywhere in The Sentinel, send it to MCCWR Secretary Steve Rolfe at srolfe@indiana.edu.] * * * * * 6