Government Shutdown

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Eireann

The current shutdown is affecting more than just access to the nation’s historical parks and sites, it’s putting their security at risk too. Here’s hoping the jerk at Kennesaw is an isolated case, and that others aren’t taking advantage to raid the battlefields.

Although Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield is closed due to the partial government shutdown, it didn’t stop a Cherokee County man from searching for Civil War artifacts, which, according to the chief park ranger, is illegal whether the park is open or closed…

Some 14 employees of the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield have been furloughed due to the government shutdown, however, four individuals remain on staff daily, which includes law enforcement rangers.

via Local man arrested in Kennesaw park – The Cherokee Ledger-News: Weekly News.

Winslow Homer in Maine

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Eireann

It’s too far for me to visit, but if you’re in the vicinity of Portland, ME in the next months, stop by the Portland Museum of Art. This exhibit of Winslow Homer Civil War works promises to be spectacular. Homer was on the front lines as a Harper’s war artist, and produced some memorable images.

In conjunction with the Maine Civil War Trail, a state-wide series of special displays at more than 20 institutions commemorating the sesquicentennial of the conflict, the Portland Museum of Art will present a focused exhibition on the war-related imagery of the American artist Winslow Homer (1836-1910). On view at the PMA from September 7 through December 8, Winslow Homer’s Civil War will feature 29 wood engravings and other prints drawn from the PMA’s permanent collection. The exhibition will examine the artist’s unique vision of this event and its profound impact on American society.

via Portland Museum of Art opens Winslow Homer Civil War focused exhibition.

To Appomattox

Posted on July 26, 2013 by Eireann

12 Years a Slave, I’d forgotten about. To Appomattox, I didn’t even know existed. My initial happy surprise faded fast when I looked at the cast list. Rob Lowe as Grant? Really? And Noah Wyle (a Civil War buff!) wasted as Pickett? I love it when movies cast actors who bear a resemblance to the historical figures, but given the casting here, half this production’s costs will be on makeup and prosthetics.

To Appomattox is an upcoming American television eight-hour miniseries centering around the military service of General Ulysses S. Grant, leading up to the surrender of General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox, which effectively ended the American Civil War in the East. The series begins with Grant as a young boy, then follows his years as a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point along with future Civil War officers, the Mexican War, the Civil War years, then the decades following.

via To Appomattox – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

One Ring’s Journey

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Eireann

I wouldn’t normally comment on a story like this, but the accompanying image struck a chord. Kudos to the relic hunter who selflessly turned it over to the family. As his descendant is also a veteran, I bet the gesture was all the more appreciated.

The ring was worn by Levi Schlegel, a Reading-area native who is believed to have lost it nearly 150 years ago at an encampment near Fredericksburg, Va.

Relic hunter John Blue found the ring at a construction site in 2005. Though it was engraved with Schlegel’s name and unit — ‘‘Co. G., 198th P.V.,’’ or Pennsylvania Volunteers — Blue wasn’t sure how to find Schlegel’s descendants, and kept the ring in a box for several years.

A genealogist ultimately helped Blue track down Schlegel’s family. On Tuesday, Blue presented the ring to a distant cousin during a ceremony at Levi Schlegel’s grave in Reading.

via Lost Civil War ring returned to kin of Pa. soldier – News – Boston.com.

Meet the Monitor’s Lost Sailors

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Eireann

There’s a ceremony being held at Arlington this week for two of the sailors recovered from the Monitor’s deep sea wreck. Possible descendants of the sailors are being DNA tested against the remains. Forensic reconstruction artists have given us a peek at what these men looked like; bringing the dead back to life just in time to bury them again.

The ceremony Friday at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington will include Monitor kin who believe the two sailors – whose remains were discovered in 2002 – are their ancestors, despite DNA testing that has failed to make a conclusive link. But the families stress that the interment pays homage to all 16 Union sailors who died when the ship went down, and nearly 100 people from Maine to California are expected to attend.

via Ceremony for Civil War ironclad sailors stirs family ties | National & World News | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News.

Civil War Detective Buried With Soldiers He Championed

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Eireann

I love the local heroes of Civil War history: The researchers and custodians and docents and volunteers of all stripes who keep history alive or fight hard to preserve it. This newspaper mourns one of those special individuals. It’s a great read.

…My friend Charles Purser, who died in January at age 73. He’s the only reason anyone knows Dolson’s name.

I’ve told you about Purser before, the quiet airman and postal worker who doggedly uncovered names for hundreds of forgotten soldiers, including Dolson.

I’ve described him poring through muster rolls and census reports from the 1860s to identify the men buried in Oakwood Cemetery – a self-appointed Civil War detective…

Now I’ll tell the last piece of Purser’s story.He died of cancer in January and took his place in Oakwood, next to the men he rescued from obscurity. From his grave, you can see the rounded tip of Dolson’s stone – the only Union man in his row.

via RALEIGH: Shaffer: Civil War detective buried with soldiers he championed | Josh Shaffer | NewsObserver.com.

‘The Abolitionists’ Begins Tonight

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Eireann

In the rush to get my podcast finished, I forgot all about The Abolitionists – a new American Experience 3-parter which begins tonight. I doubt this will be as lovable as Ken Burns’ work, or even as accessible as Death and the Civil War – as this review reminds us, the Abolitionists were a prickly lot. That said, there’s no denying the effect they had on society. As one of my favourite quotes goes, “a crank is a small instrument that makes great revolutions.”

This is an in-your-face set-up with the Abolitionists themselves coming across as harsh, strident and even anxious to carry their feelings into acts of rioting and violence not formerly hooked to the abolition wagon.

via ‘The Abolitionists’ begins January 8 on PBS: Frederick Douglass to John Brown | Washington Times Communities.

Naming the Dead

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Eireann

Another wonderful account of civic philanthropy. Three cheers for amateur historians like KellyAnn Grimaldi.

In 2007, Grimaldi decided to take on the unique task of identifying every Civil War soldier buried in the 114-acre St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands. Using a list of 248 names culled from a survey of vets in the area, the historian set out to restore and replace the cemetery’s decrepit tombstones.

Grimaldi has already identified 508 soldiers, and is certain there are more.

“The veterans are going to be forgotten and that’s just not acceptable,” Grimaldi said. “I want people to come to me if they know they have an ancestor that was a veteran that may not be marked at all. We want to be able to identify the location of the soldier’s grave and make sure it’s properly memorialized.”

via Present-day search honors past – Spotlightnews.com.

Fredericksburg Construction Site

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Eireann

There was no expectation that the investigators would find anything. When the archaeologists initially checked city records, they were unable to find any indication that a building had been on the propery before 1886.

“We’re ecstatic about what we found,” said Robert K. Antozzi, the city’s coordinator for the courthouse project. “Now we have a major expansion of the story of Fredericksburg, and that’s really exciting.”

If you’re a history buff, and you’ve never worked on an archaeological dig, you’re missing out. My own experiences are limited, but even in the case of the replica dig site I was on as a high school student, there’s a huge rush of adrenaline when you finally uncover something that’s lain hidden for hundreds of years. I can only imagine how thrilled these diggers were when Fredericksburg offered up some of its history.

When Burnside’s forces charged on Dec. 13, Lee’s forces were perched on the heights above the city. They easily repelled the Union soldiers, inflicting terrible casualties. Afterward, Union soldiers likely sheltered anywhere they could, including in the basement Mr. Kiser’s crew discovered.

There, the soldiers would have opened tins of food and warmed themselves around the fireplace. They broke out whiskey bottles, and smoked tobacco pipes. As they entered the basement, they were probably told to empty their rifles to prevent accidental discharges, which resulted in a pile of ammunition on the floor.

The next day, the Union generals ordered their troops to fall back across the Rappahannock River, and Joseph Hooker, a major general, told officers to check houses for Union troops who had taken shelter. At some point, fire engulfed the building, which collapsed into the cellar, sealing in its contents.

Incidentally, there are worldwide working-holiday opportunities out there for anyone wishing to get involved in archaeological digs, though as dreary November approaches, I’ll understand if you forego them in favor of all-inclusives at Caribbean resorts.

via Construction Site Offers Fleeting Glimpse of the Civil War Past – NYTimes.com.

The Lincoln Letters

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Eireann

Another week, another discovery of a trove of historical letters. This time, though, the collection is a doozy: The letters of Leonard Swett, one of Lincoln’s closest advisors. Here’s an excerpt of the article, detailing some of the treasures within (and a great summary by one of the preservationists!)

Rose Burnham’s scrapbooks held several letters — one sent in September 1864 — on Executive Mansion letterhead from her grandfather. The name of the mansion located at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. was changed in 1902 to the White House.

The collection also included a letter from Col. Custer dated June 21, 1875, a year and four days before the Battle of the Little Bighorn. While much of Custer’s handwriting is illegible to anyone who doesn’t know his penmanship, the signature is unmistakable…

Another keepsake is a menu of a state dinner Swett attended, which featured little neck clams, green turtle soup, boiled salmon, spring chicken, frogs fried in crumbs and broiled woodcock.

“Isn’t that cool? These guys were having a blast traveling all over the country, going here and going there,” said Ransick, as she looked through a magnifying glass at some of the documents. “It really shows you how distant our relationships are today with e-mail, cell phones and computers. These people exchanged handwritten letters and met often. We’re much less likely to shake hands and have frog legs together than people back then.

via Lincoln letters.

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