New Discoveries for the New Year

This week, two interesting news stories broke in regard to the War Between the States. It was announced that descendants of John Wilkes Booth are exhuming his brother's body in order to obtain DNA. It will then be compared to the person thought to be buried as John Wilkes Booth. Speculation has circulated since his death (he was shot in a barn two weeks after assassinating President Abraham Lincoln) that an impostor was actually shot, and that the real JWB escaped and lived until 1903, when he committed suicide in Enid, Oklahoma under the assumed name of John St. Helen. Theories exist that he was a member of the Knights of the Golden Circle, an elite group of Confederates who concealed Booth's identity and assisted in his escape.
http://www.aolnews.com/2010/12/23/did-abraham-lincoln-assassin-john-wilkes-booth-escape-dna-may-s/


Another discovery concerns a message in a bottle. The find was given to the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia in 1896. It was a gift from Capt. William A. Smith, of King George County, who served during the Vicksburg siege. The message, dated July 4, 1863, was encrypted, and the curator of the museum finally became curious enough to find out what was inside the tiny 2" bottle. Essentially, the author, who is believed to have been Maj. Gen. John G. Walker, of the Texas Division, and who had under his command William Smith, the donor of the bottle, stated that he was unable to provide support to General Pemberton, the Confederate General who was under siege in Vicksburg, Mississippi. It was on that same day that the Confederate army surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant's Union forces.
http://www.aolnews.com/2010/12/25/civil-war-message-in-a-bottle-opened-decoded/?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl1|sec1_lnk3|192058

Happy Thanksgiving!

I would like to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving. The last Thursday of November was proclaimed a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln on October 3, 1863, thus commemorating "a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens." It took nearly a century before some cities in the South, such as Vicksburg, Mississippi, finally acknowledged the holiday.

Only a week earlier, on November 19, 1863, President Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg to dedicate a national cemetery that was being established to bury Union soldiers who had met their demise there. Everyone is (or should be) familiar with his Gettysburg Address. After delivering his famous speech, which he considered to be "a few appropriate remarks," he was heard to have stated, "I failed, I failed, and that is about all that can be said about it." This was because of the poor reception he received following his speech, but little did he know that his words would become one of the most famous addresses in American history.

With that, let us all give thanks for what we are blessed with. Sometimes it is difficult to perceive the blessings we receive, just as Mr. Lincoln failed to perceive the potency of his words at the time. Many have friends and/or family who are dealing with the loss of loved ones or other critical situations in their lives. During this holiday season, please pray for them, as well as our military personnel.

CSS Alabama

(Above: photos of USS Cairo at Vicksburg National Military Park)

On this date in 1862, the CSS Alabama departed the shores of England where it had been constructed. The ship's career was short-lived, however, because she was sunk in 1864. Originally launched as Enrica, the ship never anchored in Southern waters. She was dubbed the Alabama in August of 1862 to the jaunting melody of "Dixie" following President Jefferson Davis'commission of the vessel as read by the captain.

In 1865, the USS San Jacinto was wrecked. What remained of the vessel was sold at auction, and added to the US Treasury. The total sum was $224.61.

Many ships have survived the ages throughout history, and new wrecks are being discovered all the time. It wasn't long ago that the turret to the USS Monitor was discovered, still containing the remains of the poor soldiers inside. Same goes for the CSS Hunley, one of the first submarines ever used which vanished off the coast of South Carolina in 1864 after torpedoing the USS Housatonic. And in today's news, a 150-year-old ship was discovered off the coast of Canada, which is thought to have been searching for the fabled Northwest Passage and lost its way.

I have seen a few remnants of boats during this era that still remain. One interesting artifact is located at Desoto Bend, near Omaha, Nebraska. Here, a museum houses what remains of a riverboat that sunk in the Missouri River around the time of the Civil War. There is also a wildlife refuge there where you can see a wide variety of water birds as they migrate during the fall. Another fascinating relic resides at the National Military Park in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The USS Cairo was sunk into the murky waters of the Yazoo River during the siege of Vicksburg, but all of the occupants managed to escape before she went down. Nearly a century later, the boat was retrieved, and artifacts are on display at the museum inside the park.

Happy 4th of July!

Here's wishing everyone a happy 4th of July. It was on this occasion in 1863 that two very important events played out: Gettysburg and Vicksburg. The battle of Gettysburg, after three days of heavy fighting, ended on July 4th, with both sides thinking they were victorious. It was realized later that the Confederate army had actually suffered a defeat: the first major loss of the war. And at Vicksburg, Mississippi, Union General Grant succeeded in taking the town after a month-long siege, thus securing the Mississippi River for Federal use.

I have recently read certain sentiments expressing disenchantment about celebrating our national holiday because of the outcome of these battles, as well as the way the South was treated after the war, which I find completely understandable. However, I also consider it to be somewhat disrespectful to descendants of that war: veterans who fought and died for this country in subsequent wars, including both World Wars, the Korean War, which my dad fought in, the Vietnam War, and all other wars since. These servicemen and women deserve our respect by our saluting Old Glory, singing the national anthem, and honoring them with celebration.

Our founding fathers sacrificed home and health to secure our freedom. This 4th of July, let us honor those who so loved, cherished, and believed in our country that they laid down their lives unselfishly. God bless America!

Southern Hospitality

Who says Southern hospitality doesn't exist? Sergeant Gilbert H. Bates of Wisconsin proved that is does. Four years after the end of the Civil War, he set out to march through the defeated South carrying the Stars and Stripes.

Sergeant Bates, a Union veteran, bet a friend that he could walk from Vicksburg to Washington, and without a cent or a weapon, live on the hospitality of Southerners. His goal was to disprove the common Northern notion that disloyalty to the Union was still predominant below the Mason-Dixon line. He also set out to prove that he could make the march without being murdered!

The march was reported in national headlines. Along the route, Sergeant Bates sold postcards of himself for twenty-five cents, the proceeds of which went to widows and orphans of soldiers, both North and South. After a grand send-out by the mayor of Vicksburg, Bates successfully completed his 1,400 mile march, which took him approximately three months, without one major incident along the way. Ironically, Bates was allowed to raise his flag over numerous official buildings in the South, including the state Capitol in Richmond, but not at the Capitol in Washington! He was, perhaps, the predecessor to the "cause" marches and walks we have today.

Witness Trees

At various battlefields and historical buildings across the country, old trees still survive that were living during the Civil War. There are two enormous, craggy old catalpa trees that still thrive on the property of the Ellwood Plantation in Fredericksburg. And even though it's dead, an old tree stump still stands at Vicksburg National Military Park, riddled with bullets.

These trees would tell quite a story if they could talk. Unfortunately, they just can't live forever. One such casualty is a tree at Gettysburg National Military Park that recently died, estimated to have lived 147 years.

The good thing is that they can live on as reminders of our precious past. The wood has been donated to the Gettysburg Foundation for use in preservation, just as bricks from old historic buildings have been auctioned off for fund raising purposes.

Vicksburg: a Sight to See

Last weekend, my husband and I traveled to Vicksburg to see the battlefield. It is impressive to say the least. Interestingly, the paved roadway through the park is lined with majestic monuments and busts of long forgotten heroes. On the west side of the park is a spectacular view of the Yazoo River, and it’s easy to visualize the strategies used by Generals Grant and Pemberton. But the highlight of the battlefield, in my opinion, is the ironclad gunboat, the U.S.S. Cairo.

In 1862, the U.S.S. Cairo was hit by Confederate underwater torpedoes, now called mines, and sank in twelve minutes into the Yazoo. Everyone aboard jumped ship and survived. After discovery was made of its whereabouts in 1964, the gunboat was brought back to the surface, and many of the artifacts inside survived the test of time. This is due to the fact that silt on the river bottom preserved the ship’s contents, as well as the skeleton of the vessel itself. The restored ironclad is now on display at the park, alongside a museum housing its artifacts.

The park ranger informed us that in the 1930’s, the government came up with the not-so-brilliant idea of planting trees alongside the roadway. Now the trees have grown into a scrubby, overgrown mess, and the NPS is deciding whether it should mow the trees down, which obscure sight of the battlefield. The visitors center is informative, with an old movie from (my guess) the 60’s describing the event, as well as dioramas depicting soldiers during the siege, a cave inhabited by Vicksburg citizens, and freedmen fighting for the North. The scene is poignant, and left me with mixed emotions. Within the park, Union soldiers are buried in the National Cemetery, as was the way with battles won by the North. The Confederates are buried in the old Vicksburg cemetery, which is located, sadly enough, on Lover’s Lane.

The town of Vicksburg is marvelous, but in terrible disrepair. The historic downtown district, which brags an old-time apothecary, as well as the Coca Cola Museum (the soft drink started distribution here), is full of empty storefronts and loiterers. However, the old antebellum houses and churches are fascinating. Vicksburg is on its way, pulling itself up from the depths of terrible oppression that it suffered over 145 years ago. Unfortunately, it still has a long way to go.

Happy 4th of July!

I would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy Fourth of July weekend. While we’re out celebrating, please be considerate and cautious. Fifty-one percent of all fatalities on July 4th occur from drunk drivers, so I urge you to be alert.

This year marks the 146th anniversaries of the Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg. Last year, I attended the reenactment at Gettysburg, and it was nothing less than spectacular. There were so many reenactors, artillery pieces, and horses that it was like witnessing the real thing. The experience was profound and awe-inspiring, to say the least. Some fellow SCV members have expressed their dismay at celebrating such dismal defeats. But let us keep in mind that our nation, as a whole, should celebrate this holiday together in unity, for all our freedoms.