James Longstreets wound. A foresnic study.

I found a great article on the forensics's of James Longstreets 1864 wound. It includes photographs, diagrams and a nice biography with references. Check it out:


http://archotol.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/126/3/353

Book Review #5 Reading the Man: A Portrait of Robert E. Lee through his Private Letters

Elizabeth Brown Pryor calls Robert E. Lee's personal saga as one of the "most riveting stories of American history" because of its scope which ranges from a family tale to an national epic. Author Bruce Catton called the Civil War "the greatest and most moving chapter" in history and Lee was at the center of it all. Other than Lincoln, I don't think that any other Civil War figure has received as much attention as General Lee.

Douglas Southall Freeman's 4-volume work remains the best biography of Lee but the work is littered with Lost Cause sentimentality. Other Lee biographies have sprung up over the years along with the best post-Freeman assessment of Lee by Emory Thomas's 1995 book.Ms. Pryor took a unique approach on her Lee biography by avoiding the standard stance on the subject. Instead each chapter starts off with a piece of primary source material written by Lee, a family member or a friend. A few times more than one letter or document is presented. After that the author uses these manuscripts as a basis for the subject of each chapter. After presenting the primary source, Pryor writes an account on how that source fits in Lee's life and she discusses each in detail by backing up her statements with some of Lee's other writings.I have to say that it is one of the most interesting books that I have ever read because it includes primary source material that I have never read before. Moreover, the author presents a man who is more human than Freeman's "marble model" of perfection.

The book digs deep into Lee's character including ones that are virtually unknown. Lee's pioneering role in engineering science, his tense relationships with other men and his deep affection for women are explored in depth. Pryor does a brilliant job by explaining Lee's actions within the societal developments of the time. She accurately asserts that this made Lee one of the leading actors in the formation of the nation even though it cost him his own private happiness.If your looking for Lee worship in this book than think again. It is easy for any reader to see that Pryor respects Lee but she doesn't worship him. She is willing to openly explain Lee's faults and this sheds light on parts of Lee's character that have been rarely explored before. Did Lee cheat on his wife? Why was the love for his children so intense? Why did he choose to leave the army that he served for thirty-four years? Was Lee ambitious? Did Lee face depression or anxiety in his lifetime? Pryor handpicked Lee's own personal writings in which he portrays himself as a confused, passive, and vulnerable person who never had a premonition of fame or saw himself as a tragic figure. Her feelings on Lee are balanced, well-researched and some Lee cultists might find them offending.

If you agree with her assessments or not there is one fact that is perfectly clear. Robert E. Lee wasn't the "marble model" that history has painted him as. Lee was a human being who had strengths and weaknesses just like anybody else. Lee could lie, Lee could feel intense anger, Lee could be racist and all the other things that people detest. At the same time he could be a wonderful father, a brilliant commander and a good friend.History will argue that Lee was against slavery just like Jefferson or Washington. Pryor includes Lee's writings that speak of a man who saw whites as superiors to blacks and accusations of Lee beating his slaves is explored. Lee was also a womanizer who had more female friends than male and he hinted at having intimate relationships with many of them. Lee loved to flirt and he was very playful in his correspondence. Moreover, Lee was a bit of a dandy and this allowed ladies to notice him even more. He even appears to be a bit overconfident in his beauty as he sought to keep up on the popular clothing fashions of the time. Pryor's Lee jumps out of the page at you and is unlike any other Lee that you will meet in your Civil War readings.If you read her book you will no longer think of Lee as the stone icon. Instead you will know more about a complex, sometimes contradictory and even more fascinating figure. Lee made many tough decisions throughout his life buy leaving the Union army might have been his hardest choice. Through this decision Pryor explains that Lee's situation teaches more about him and brings to light something that we can learn about ourselves. "His decision" she writes "tells us something more: that following the heart's truth may lead to censure, or agonizing defeat--and yet be honored in itself." Doesn't that quote describe Robert E. Lee perfectly?

Ms. Pryor's fine book has brought to life a man who "did the best he could", at all things for which he took responsibility. His striving for excellence became both a blessing and a curse as he and his soldiers fought against terrible odds. I think it does and you will agree when you purchase or borrow Reading the Man by Elizabeth Brown Pryor.

Shiloh versus Ken Burns

There are times when I can still hear David McCullough narrate Ken Burns The Civil War in my head. I almost know the series by heart because I listened to it on cassette tape as a kid. Yes I was a nerd. However, during the film McCullough states that the Battle of Shiloh had more deaths and all previous American Wars combined. This blog will go inside the numbers and see if Burns and his writers are correct in their assumptions. First lets take a look at the Battle of Shiloh and the casuality lists then I'll list the casualites of the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Mexican war.According to the pbs.org website

"On the morning of April 6, 1862, Confederates commanded by Albert Sidney Johnston roared into Grant's encampment around Pittsburg Landing, beginning the bloodiest battle of the war. It would be remembered by the name of the little whitewashed church around which some of the fiercest early fighting swirled - Shiloh, a Hebrew word meaning "place of peace.""

According to the national park service the casulties at Shiloh were very high. The site lists 23,746 total casualities for both sides at Shiloh(US 13,047; CS 10,699). Total forces engaged Army of the Tennessee and Army of the Ohio (65,085) [USA]; Army of the Mississippi (44,968) [CSA].

Lets look at the three previous wars that the United States fought in.The Revolutionary War had 10,623 total casualties, the War of 1812 had 6,765, The Mexican War had 5,885. If you add those three together your grand total over three wars is 23,273. If you take Shiloh's total and the pervious was totals and subtract them The Battle of Shiloh had 473 more men fall. Not a staggering total but Burns and his researchers were accurate in their assessment. This backs up the historical argument that warfare had changed and the old tactics caused horrundes amounts of casualities.

It should be noted that the Battle of Shiloh lasted two days, The Revolutionary War lasted seven years, The War of 1812 lasted two years and the Mexican War lasted two years. So 746 more men fell in two days of combat versus eleven years of combat. Astonishing isn't it?Moreover, in the three previous wars a grand total of 8,428 men died while serving in combat. At Shiloh or Pittsburg Landing a grand total of 3,477 men died in just two days of combat. Thats a difference of 4,951 men which isn't alot when you think that the previous wars had over eleven years of time to build a big lead. These numbers just jump out at me and its hard to grasp but it is there and the rest is left to history.

CRS Report to Congress on American War deaths/wounds is here:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL32492.pdf

The page devoted to Shiloh, along with the map is on the PBS page:

http://www.pbs.org/civilwar/war/map4.html

The nps webpage on Shiloh is here:

http://www.nps.gov/shil/

Forgotten battles of the Civil War: The Battle of Westport, Missouri, October 23, 1864

It is sometimes called the "Gettysburg of Missouri" and President Harry Truman (a native of Missouri) promoted it but so many of us have never heard of this battle. I talked about Sterling Price, his Missouri Expedition and the Battle of Pilot Knob in another blog. The Battle of Westport was the decisive victory in this campaign and it closed the doors of Missouri to the Confederacy.Price and his small band fought several small battles against Union forces until he realized that the cities of St. Louis and Jefferson City were too fortified to take. He moved his army to Fort Leavenworth and when the Union general commanding the area, Samuel Curtis realized this he moved the 1st Division composed mostly of volunteers regiments under the command of James Blunt and some Kansas militia to check Price's advance. The militia was organized into a 2nd division led by George Dietzler.

Curtis placed his 1st Division in a defensive posture along Brush Creek. He placed his 2nd Division of men on the right flank of the 1st. For those that don't know this Brush Creek flows through present day Kansas City. Seeing that Curtis was going to receive reinforcements Price hoped to strike before the extra troops arrived. His overall plan was a good as any general could create under the circumstances. To protect his flank and prevent Curtis' reinforcements from arriving too soon, Price placed a division under John S. Marmaduke across Byram's Ford. This would effectively block the reinforcements for the time being but would weaken Price's overall force.At dawn on October 23, 1864 Price attacked and drove the Union forces back. Curtis counter-attacked and he managed to force Price back across Brush Creek. During the next four hours the ground changed hands several times until a small brigade under Thomas Moonlight attacked the Confederate flank via a small ravine. Price ordered his men to fall back and reestablish a new defensive front. General Curtis smelled blood and ordered a attack just as his reinforcements approached Confederate general Marmadukes' division. With the Union army converging on three sides Sterling Price ordered a retreat.

The results of the Battle of Westport were obvious. The overall result was a Union victory and Prices Missouri Expedition failed. The National Parks Service reports that around 1,500 men fell on both sides during the contest. Westport was the decisive battle of Prices Missouri Expedition, and from this point on, the Rebels were in retreat. Also, it marked the last time that a Confederate army invaded a northern state. Moreover, it was the last time that the United States itself was invaded by a "foreign" army. We've been safe ever since. The largest battle ever fought west of the Mississippi and its aftermath made the Battle of Westport the "Gettysburg of the Trans-Mississippi Department".A book written by Paul Jenkins in 1906 sought recognition for the Battle of Westport. The book was a minor success and it fostered interest in the battle and a preservation effort in the Kansas City area. In 1923 the city issued ordinances recognizing the site as a historical monument. This allowed the battlefield's supporters to lobby Congress who made the area a national military park in 1924. This did not protect the battlefield from businesses disturbing the battlefield by building factories and stores in the area. By 1962, two large factories existed on the land the battlefield was seriously endangered.In 1958 the national military park received a new supporter. Former President Harry Truman helped form the Civil War Round Table of Kansas City. This group created and funded several projects on the Westport battlefield but since much of the land was in private hands their efforts have been stymied. Today, the group seeks to restore the battlefield to its 1864 condition and further information is located at http://www.battleofwestport.org/ A wonderful video entitled Saving KC's battlefield is also located at this website. If you are a Civil War buff who is interested in battlefield preservation you have to watch that video. Donations are accepted as well.

As a useless sidenote both Curtis and Price would survive the war but neither man lived for long after its conclusion. Price died in 1867 and Curtis passed on into the next world in 1866. And the rest is left to history.




http://www.battleofwestport.org/

http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/battles/mo027.htm

http://americancivilwar.com/statepic/mo/mo027.html

Abraham Lincoln and his view on Judism

We know how Lincoln felt about slavery but how did he feel about the most discriminated group in world history. Abraham Lincoln's dealings with the Jews was an issue explored in the 1909 book "Abraham Lincoln and the Jews," a self-published book by Isaac Markens. The book deals with Lincoln's views on Jews before and during the American Civil War.It recounts Lincoln's reversal of a law that allowed only Christians to serve as military chaplains and his rescinding of a notorious 1862 order by Gen. Ulysses Grant expelling all Jews from Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee. The book utalizes contemporary accounts, letters and other documents produced by our 16th President.Grant's order appeared in part motivated by anti-Semitism, but Jewish peddlers who roamed the region despite orders against such transience also frustrated him. Troops forced 30 Jewish families out of Paducah, Ky., under the order. Jewish leaders from the region appealed directly to Lincoln, who ordered Gen. Henry Halleck to tell Grant the order was unacceptable."The President has no objection to your expelling traitors and Jew peddlers, which I suppose was the object of your order," Halleck wrote, according to Markens' account, "but as in terms proscribed an entire religious class, some of whom are fighting in our ranks, the President deems it necessary to revoke it." The book recounts the outrage Grant's order provoked in the U.S. Senate and in newspapers across the nation. Featured in a recent issue of Secrecy News, the publication of the Federation of American Scientists, the book is available at Google books. Just do a search for it, its free and its interesting reading.

General Jesse Reno: A True American Hero

Reno, Nevada is named for him but very few people in American know who Jesse Reno was. Reno was a close friend of Thomas Jackson A.K.A. "Stonewall" and his family ties could be traced back to immigrants who came to the United States in 1700.Reno was born on June 20, 1823 in Wheeling, Virgnina (now West Virginia) to Rebecca and Thomas Reno. When Reno reached the age of 16 the family moved to Franklin, Pa. and within a few years Reno was accepted at West Point. His class at West Point was the famous class of 1846 which contained many men who would become key Civil War leaders. A.P. Hill, Thomas J. Jackson and George Pickett were the men that Reno stood next too in class and drill. Future Union generals George McClellan, John Gibbon also attended classes with Jesse. He was well liked and respected by his classmates, thanks in part to his easy going personality that stood out amongst the hard-nosed cadets that surrounded him.During the Mexican War Reno served faithfully within General Scotts army as an artillery officer. He served with distinction at the battles of Vera Criz, Cerro Gordo, and Chapultepec. The war brought even more prosperity to Reno because he recieved a brevet as captain for what was termed as for "gallant and meritorious conduct."After the war, Reno became a Professor of Mathematics at West Point and in 1853 he married Mary Blanes Cross and together they had five children between 1853-1862. After working in various military positions in Minnesota and Pennsylvania until 1857

Reno accompied future Confederate general Albert Sidney Johnston around the state of Utah as chief ordinace officer.At the start of the Civil War the north saw West Point graduates as a scarce commidity. Future Generals Grant and Sherman were promoted because of the military educations that they recieved at "the Point". Reno was no exception and on November 12, 1861 he recieved Brigadier General commission. Reno was placed in charge of the Union troops whose assignment was to take Roanoke Island in North Carolina. On February 2, 1862 the Confederate garrison surrendered and the Union had one of its first heros. Jesse recieved a promotion to Major General for his success.Placed in command of the Army of the Potomac's Ninth Corps, Reno would rise to further fame. Reno led his corps in the Second Battle of Bull Run on August 29 to 31, 1862 but that would be his last major battle as corps commander.

After his victory at Second Mannassas, Confederate General Robert E. Lee saw the opportunity to invade the Northern states. Lee divided his command during the invasion and this opened the door for McCellan the divided rebel forces. South Mountain is often overlooked by the Civil War novice, overshadowed by the atrocities of the Battle of Antietam (near Sharpsburg), which took place three days later and resulted in a loss of 23,000 men. The Battle of South Mountain broke out on September 14, 1862 in the Fox's Gap and Turner's Gap areas after rebel gunners opened fire on union troops. Future presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley participated in the battle and so did Jesse Reno. It is interesting to note that McKineley was assassinated in office on September 14, 1901, 39 years to the day of the battle. General Reno was killed almost as soon as he came up to the line occupied by his men at Fox's Gap. Reno's final words were "Tell my command that if not in body, I will be with them in spirit." and at age 39 he died.

Reno was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington D.C. Reno had two sons listed in Who's Who in America - Conrad a lawyer of Boston 1883 to 1912, author of the History of Judicial System of New England, and Jesse W. Reno, New York, engineer, did mining work in Colorado and electric expert in railway work; employed by the Edison Company. He invented the inclined elevator or moving stairway which is now known as the escalator.Reno was a great leader whose loss was felt by the Army of the Potomac and many subsquent campaigns in which his leadership could have made a difference. He is one of the many Civil War officers to die so young, so gallalently and too soon.

Some cool sources:

http://www.civilwarlibrary.com/

http://www.wvculture.org/hiStory/civilwar/renojesse03.html

History has always interested me because of the connection that historical people have before, during and after the events that made them important. Such is the case of General William T. Sherman and General Joseph E. Johnston. Both served on opposite sides during the conflict, fought against one another for the prized city of Atlanta and Johnston surrendered his rebel army to Sherman in April 1865. I am not going to waste time with this blog speaking about the biographies of both men but I would rather engage you the reader on an interesting story between these former enemies.

Our Civil War was unlike any other in history. The high cost of life, the destruction and devastation ranks it among the toughest wars in history. But the unique thing about our Civil War is not about battles, weapons or supplies. Our war was about healing and despite this horrendous conflict many men who were former enemies went home and our nation didn't plunge itself into something worse. Over the long term scheme of things, peace was maintained and people began to rebuild their lives without further bloodshed. Joseph E. Johnston and William T. Sherman were such men.General Sherman died in New York City on February 19, 1891. His body was transferred to St. Louis where the official funeral was held on February 21. Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston who had opposed Sherman in Georgia and the Carolinias was there serving as a pallbearer. The day was very cold and Johnston, out of respect for Sherman, carried the casket outside without wearing a hat to shield his head. Old Joe had just turned 82 years old on February 3 and many friends asked him to wear a hat to keep warm. Johnston refused to disrespect Sherman stating "If I were in Shermans place and he were standing here in mine, he would not put on his hat."

This quote shows the respect that the two men had for one another and his final reunion is representative of the reunion that was occurring between the north and south. After Sherman was laid to rest Johnston caught a cold that turned into pneumonia and he died the following month. Johnston, a native Virginian was buried in Baltimore, Maryland. Sherman received several monuments in his honor including one in Washington D.C. Joe Johnston didn't received such acclaim and was vilified by Confederate leaders for not attacking Sherman. In 1912, Johnston received his first and only monument in Dalton, Georgia.

October 12, 1870, Robert E. Lee's last day

Just because I forgot to post on the 137th Anniv. of General Lee's death here we go. Lee suffered a stroke on September 28th from which he never recovered. Lee died from the effects of pneumonia, a little after 9 a.m., October 12, 1870, two weeks after the stroke, in Lexington, Virginia. According to history his last words were "Strike the tent" and that he revisitied Virginia battlefields in his dreamish state. The stoke made speaking nearly impossible for Robert E. Lee. This was backed up by Mary Lee and others who were present at Lee's bedside. It is likely that his famous last words were conjured up by Lee supporters and Lost Cause leaders.

According to J. William Jones' Personal Reminiscences, Anecdotes, and Letters of Gen. Robert E. Lee, his last words, on the day of his death, were:

"Tell Hill he must come up. Strike the tent."

Ken Burns film The Civil War uses Jones account. I do not know if Jones was at Lee's bedside and even if he was the family of Lee wrote of his passing. Again, Mary Lee and one of Lee's daughters wrote of Robert's death scene and neither of them make any mention of any last words. Furthermore, Lee's stroke caused Aphasia and this would have made communication impossible. Whatever you wish to believe General Lee died on his day. He was 63 years old or was he???? Read my other blog about General Lee's age at the time of his death.