Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men

This is to be my last official posting for my BUAD477 class, so I thought I’d do something a little different and compile a post about how soldiers in the Civil War spent Christmas. I can’t imagine how it must have felt to be away from home, especially later in the war, when men had missed a good many Christmases by that point. The following are some excerpts from letters soldiers sent home, which you may find interesting:

"During the days preceding Christmas, I received some boxes from home, full of nice comfortable things, and the letter which came to me at that time, you may be sure, made me feel homesick. On Christmas night, I left for St. Louis as my teeth were troubling me, and greatly in need of the services of a dentist. I was fortunate in finding a good one, and in a day or two the necessary repairs were made."
-Major John S. Brinton, 1861

"This is Christmas, and my mind wanders back to that home made lonesome by my absence, while far away from the peace and quietude of civil life to undergo the hardships of camp, and may be the battlefield. I think of the many lives that are endangered, and hope that the time will soon come when peace, with its innumerable blessings, shall once more restore our country to happiness and prosperity."
-J. C. Williams, 14th Vermont Infantry, 1864

"This is Christmas Day. The sun shines feeble through a thin cloud, the air is mild and pleasant, a gentle breeze is making music through the leaves of the lofty pines that stand near our bivouac. All is quiet and still and that very stillness recalls some sad and painful thoughts. The day, one year ago, how many thousand families, gay and joyous, celebrating Merry Christmas, drinking health to absent members of their family and sending upon the wings of love and affection long, deep, and sincere wishes for their safe return to the loving ones at home, but today are clad in the deepest mourning in memory to some lost and loved member of their circle… When will this war end? Will another Christmas roll around and find us all wintering in camp? Oh! That peace may soon be restored to our young but dearly beloved country and that we may all meet again in happiness."
-Tally Simpson, Confederate Infantryman, 1862

Tally, in his letter, goes on to describe a “Christmas truce” after the Battle of Fredericksburg between soldiers in the two armies, very like the famous World War I truce in 1914. This was a fairly common occurrence up and down the lines, since the soldiers of both armies had begun to see themselves as suffering the evils of war together. The men traded and shared much-needed or missed supplies like coffee and tobacco. Another moving moment occurred after the Battle of Stones River, when the opposing armies were camped very close to each other. A contest of patriotic singing arose until someone started singing “Home! Sweet Home!” and soldiers on both sides joined in, crying. The officers, however, insisted this was not good for morale and every effort was made to discourage any future fraternization. The Lincolns spent Christmas of 1862 visiting soldiers’ hospitals, Robert E. Lee wrote a heartbreaking letter to his wife, and Jefferson Davis spent his in the Confederate presidential mansion. I'm sure Christmas of 1865 was a mix of emotions for American families, with some being glad to have soldiers home and others lamenting the fates of the fallen. It makes you realize how much soldiers and their families today need your support; regardless of whether you supported the war or not (I didn't), we are all Americans and we must pull together to help those who are missing loved ones or are away from home during this festive season.

The picture in my post is a scan of the cover of Harper’s Weekly from Christmas 1862. In it, Santa Claus is depicted as visiting the Union camp. His gift to them is Jefferson Davis with a rope around his neck. Lincoln said it was a good picture in support of the war effort. It’s interesting, since you wonder if a popular magazine of today could get away with printing such an illustration!

I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog. I will try to keep posting from time to time, since I am still interested in the Civil War and hope to continue learning new things about it.

Civil War Christmas

Now that the holiday season is coming, I’ve been doing my Christmas shopping early, since I’m not a last-minute shopper! My dad is very hard to buy for, but one of the gifts I’ve selected is a book on William T. Sherman, whom I’m writing about today. One note, before I begin, though: if you are interested in a great Civil War gift for someone new to reading historical novels, I’d definitely recommend the Shaara trilogy. You can purchase it at a huge discount from the list price at Amazon.

William Tecumseh Sherman is certainly one of the most controversial figures in Civil War history. He was born in 1820 in Ohio, the son of a West Point graduate. He worked several jobs until the Civil War began; at the time it started, he was superintendent of a military school in Louisiana, so he resigned to fight for the North after that state seceded. Oddly, he was a very racist man, but believed strongly in the Union cause. He quickly distinguished himself as a good soldier. At Shiloh, he had three horses shot out from under him!

Sherman is best known for his “March to the Sea” campaign in 1864. The purpose of the campaign was to demoralize the South. He led about 100,000 men through Tennessee and Georgia before moving up to the Carolinas. Sherman’s soldiers burned and pillaged the cities and farms they found along the way, although very few inhabitants were attacked. The true impact of the campaign was psychological and Sherman is credited with inventing the concept of total war, where even civilians are involved and affected. Sherman is also credited with creating the truism “war is hell”, although he never spoke those exact words. Some historians are very critical of Sherman for his total war policy, questioning if it was really necessary to be so brutal.

After the war, Sherman headed the entire U.S. Army, being given the post in 1869. He retired in 1884 and died in New York City in 1891. There’s a statue of him in Central Park, which you may want to check out next time you’re in NYC; it’s beautiful, as you can see from the picture here. Ironically, Joseph E. Johnston, the Confederate commander who opposed Sherman in his southern and western campaigns, was a pallbearer at his funeral! Even more strange was the fact that Johnston caught a cold at the funeral and died as a result. Talk about serious misfortune!

If you're interested in reading more about Sherman, check out the posting on him on the Great Commanders blog. There's other postings on Civil War generals, too, like Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

The Spice of Life

Variety is the spice of life, so I’m going to endeavor to write about two interesting officers in this entry, one Northern and one Southern!

When people generally think of the Civil War, they think about armies fighting. There were actually navies on both sides that fought battles too, the most famous being the Monitor v. Merrimac (please follow this link if you are unfamiliar with this famous battle and would like to read about it). Admiral David Farragut made a significant contribution to the war effort. He was born in 1801 in Knoxville, Tennessee, so he was actually a Southerner by birth! The thing I found most interesting about his background was that his father fought in the Revolutionary War and distinguished himself at the Battle of Cowpens. He later entered the Navy, so it was logical that his son followed in his footsteps. The younger Farragut entered the service at about ten years of age, though! It shows you what a different world it was two hundred years ago! During the Civil War, Farragut was instrumental in maintaining a naval blockade around New Orleans with his ship, The Hartford. He defeated the Confederates at Mobile Bay in 1864 and received the thanks of Congress after the Civil War. He passed away in 1870 after a brief but distinguished post-war career.

It only seems fitting that I would write about a Confederate admiral, in turn! I’ve chosen Admiral Raphael Semmes, whose life seems to run parallel to Admiral Farragut’s. He was born in 1809 in Maryland and entered the Navy at 15. However, he resigned from the U.S. Navy in 1861 to fight for the Confederacy. He was named a Commander and was instrumental in creating the South’s first warship, the Sumter. He spent most of his wartime career aboard the CSS Alabama (like USS but for the Confederacy) until she was sunk in 1864 by the USS Kearsearge. Semmes avoided capture and fought again with the James River Squadron in 1865. He surrendered with Johnston in North Carolina after being forced to burn his fleet to avoid its takeover by Union troops. He died of food poisoning in 1877.

The two pictures, as you may imagine, are the two aforementioned admirals, Farragut at the top left and Semmes on the lower right. I'd very much like to read a book on the Civil War and each side's respective navies, so please leave a comment and suggest a title if you know of a good one!

The Stuff of Soap Operas!

This week, I heard the most interesting Civil War story I think I’ve ever learned. I woke up early on Tuesday, as always, to watch Civil War Journal, and this week’s episode was “Dan Sickles: The General Who Got Away With Murder”. I was so intrigued when I read the title on The History Channel’s website (you can find out what episode will be aired if you click The History Channel link on my page) that I was camped out on the couch waiting for it! I’ve been reading biographies of him online since then, as his life was such a dramatic story.

Sickles was born in 1819 and rose to political power through his connections in the infamous Tammany Hall. He was an uncontrollable youth and was sent by his parents to live with a rather bohemian family, where he met his future wife, Teresa (see the sketch below), who was several years younger than him. He was a Congressman by profession, but he was also what you would call a man-about-town. While this was acceptable behavior for men of the time, it certainly wasn’t for women, so when Teresa took Phillip Barton Key, son of Francis Scott Key (the man who wrote “The Star Spangled Banner”), as her lover, their affair became the talk of the town. Sickles seemed totally unaware of what was happening until a mysterious “friend” sent him a letter informing him about the affair and how the lovers managed to sneak off together. Key would come and wave a white handkerchief in front of Teresa’s window in plain view of everyone on the street, and they would go off together to a house Key had rented specifically for the purpose of seeing her.

Sickles was furious and confronted his wife, making her write out a full confession letter, which is fairly graphic for its time, and you can read a fascimile here. When Key came to the window, Sickles saw him and ran outside. He shot and killed Key out on the street, which was, ironically, just across the road from the White House! Sickles’ lawyer was the first to use the temporary insanity defense, which means that a person cannot be held responsible for their actions when they are under such emotional stress and are feeling such intense feelings. It worked, since Sickles was found not guilty.

Sickles was supported by society up until he reconciled with Teresa. People felt that if he could forgive her later, why couldn’t he have forgiven her originally and not killed Key? For so many, the Civil War was such a terrible event, but for Dan Sickles, it was a career-saver. Sickles fought it almost every major battle, some notables being Sharpsburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. At Gettysburg, he defied orders and marched his troops into the Peach Orchard, where they were cut to pieces by Longstreet’s men. Obviously, Meade and he had words over this. Sickles also suffered because he lost his right leg here, and was eventually given the Medal of Honor for the day. He donated his right leg to the Army Medical Museum, and I’ve included a picture of it here!

Even after the war, Sickles’ life was still exciting! He was appointed Military Governor of South Carolina and later was named Minister to Spain, where he carried on an affair with the former Queen of Spain, Isabella. He also was re-elected in Congress in 1893 and served for two years. He was an active participant in Civil War reunions, and brought his mistress to the fiftieth anniversary reunion at Gettysburg! He finally passed away in 1914 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

I’m graduating in six weeks, and somehow I doubt my life will ever be quite as exciting as Sickles’! His life is truly the stuff of soap operas! Please click here for some excellent primary sources about the Key murder, including some dramatized sketches of the actual murder and trial.

Neat Blog I Found

I just wanted to bring to your attention this really cool blog I found this evening while browsing for Civil War links. It's called Mike's Civil War Musings and I would really recommend you check it out. He's got a lot of neat things on his website, particularly a lot of recent articles and a republishing of a very interesting serial on why the South lost the Civil War. I found the article about the Peach Orchard at Gettysburg being replanted fascinating, especially since it seems some locals are opposed, as you will see in his comments. You can find this article in the news archive for October 5th.

Daughter of the South?

I seem to be writing about Confederate officers lately, so this week’s posting will definitely feature a Union officer! Perhaps it’s that I know less about Confederates, so I tend to read about them to make up for my lack of knowledge, and then write these postings.

I found an awesome website that I think anyone even mildly interested in the Civil War should read. It’s called Son of the South and it's one of the most impressive Civil War sites I’ve ever seen. It’s worth a visit simply for the graphics alone, as it has many photographs of soldiers, plus covers and articles from old Harper’s Weekly editions (a popular journal of the time). The article written shortly after Lincoln’s Assassination is well worth a read. The only thing I find a little creepy about the site is the music; if you click the Confederate Generals’ page, you will hear a strange version of “The Bonny Blue Flag” (a Confederate anthem, if you’re unfamiliar with the tune).

This particular website does feature a few Union officers, however, and I am writing about George Armstrong Custer today, as he’s one of the ones featured. Most of you probably know Custer from either his famous Last Stand or from the classic (and historically inaccurate) western, They Died With Their Boots On, starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Custer actually started his career during the Civil War. He graduated last in his class from West Point (the second class of 1861, as the school produced two classes that year, one in May and one in June, to provide sufficient manpower for the Union). He made a name for himself in the Federal cavalry and was involved in many major battles, including Gettysburg, the Wilderness, and Five Forks. At the end of the war, he was a Brevet Major General, and this renown is what got him appointed as the Lieutenant-Colonel of the Seventh Cavalry.

I've added two pictures you may find interesting. The picture on the left is a photo of the real George Armstrong Custer, and the one on the right is of Olivia de Havilland and Errol Flynn from They Died With Their Boots On. My sister is a big Errol Flynn fan, and we both heartily recommend the movie for its entertainment value. It really rewrites history, but it's a good film.

The General with the Best Name

This week, I’ve chosen to write about P.G.T. Beauregard, another Confederate general. Of all the people in the Civil War, surely he must have the very best name. His full name is Pierre Gustave Toutant de Beauregard; can you honestly do any better than that?

Beauregard was born in New Orleans. Interestingly, I recently learned he was the child of white Creole parents, so I guess he didn’t share the same background as some of his comrades, since he wasn’t born on a rural farm and wasn’t from a prominent Southern family. He was, however, like so many others, a West Point graduate and a Mexican War veteran. He later served as Superintendent at West Point too (so did Robert E. Lee, for a time). He resigned and left for home after Louisiana seceded.

Most people, I’m sure, are familiar with how the Civil War started with the firing on Fort Sumner. Beauregard was the commanding general at that engagement and actually ordered the first shots to be fired. He also played in important role in the First Battle of Manassas (known as the First Battle of Bull Run in the North, as the North tended to name battles for bodies of water and the South for nearby towns or landmarks). Beauregard was later transferred to the Confederacy’s western operations.

Beauregard’s life after the war was just as interesting, if not more so, than his pre-Civil War days. He wrote several military papers after the war, engaged in a war of words with former Confederate president Jefferson Davis, and defended the rights of freed slaves. He continued work as an engineer and an inventor, and rejected offers of military command abroad for Romania and Egypt. He continued his service to his home state as a politician and manager of the state lottery. He died in 1893 at the age of 74.

I’ve never read much about Beauregard, so much of this information is new to me. I hope to eventually read a biography on him. He’s a rather striking-looking person, as you can see by the photograph, and I’d particularly like to learn more about his decision to join the Confederacy and his days fighting in the west.