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Volume 29, Number 3
December 2011
MARY SURRATT FOUND GUILTY!
SCHEDULED TO HANG TOMORROW
6July1865. Mary Surratt in whose boarding house John Wilkes Booth planned the
Lincoln conspiracy, was found guilty after a trial in which hundreds of witnesses
appeared, the military commission held its last session on June 29th and then retired to
deliberate. The judges presented their findings to President Andrew Johnson, who
approved them on July 5th. Maj. Gen. John Hartranft read aloud the sentences to Lewis
Powell, Mary Surratt, David Herold and George Atzerodt. They had been found guilty
and will be hanged tomorrow between the hours of 10:00 A.M. and 2:00 P.M. Last minute
pleas by Mary’s lawyers and her daughter, Anna, are being made.
CDCWRT Newsletter 1
DECEMBER MEETING
FRIDAY, DECEMBER, 9, 2011
WATERVLIET SENIOR CENTER
1541 BROADWAY
WATERVLIET, NY
“The Conspirator”
A Robert Redford Movie
and
Our Annual Holiday Party
Social Hour
Business Meeting
Presentation
Questions & Answers
More Socializing
6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
7:00 – 7:30 p.m.
7:30 – 8:30 p.m.
8:30 – 9:00 p.m.
9:00 – 10:00 p.m.
CDCWRT MEETING
The December meeting of the Capital
District Civil War Round Table will be on
Friday, December 9th. This meeting will be
held at our new location at the Watervliet
Senior
Center,
1541
Broadway
in
Watervliet. This is our Holiday Meeting
and to celebrate, there will be a showing of
Robert Redford’s recent movie entitled,
The Conspirator.” This true and accurate
movie is based on the trial of Mary Surratt.
After the movie there will be refreshments
and socializing. Members are asked to
bring a plate of their favorite seasonal
cookies or sweets to share with others.
There will also be t-shirts and sweat shirts
for sale, and a large selection of new
books just in time for holiday gifts.
BOARD MEETING
The November Dinner and Conference in
memory of Sue Knost was successful. There
were about 55 attendees for the dinner which
was excellent at the Century House. President
Lincoln made a few comments and had an
honor guard of 2 young men in uniform. John
Hennessy delivered a thought-provoking talk
about Virginia’s entry into the Confederacy. In
his summary he shared his perspective on “The
Lost Cause” and the attitudes of American
today, especially those whose relatives fought
for the South. The disconnect between the
official position of southern state governments
and the reasons that individual Southerners
expressed (or their present-day descendents
think they expressed) have fed the rhetoric over
the root causes of the Civil War.
The Conference was attended by about 44
attendees. All the speakers were excellent.
The framed Troiani print raffle earned $400 and
the winner, a new member, was delighted.
Book sales and framed cachet sales totaled
another $363. With the sale of 109 Sue Knost
cachets, $1000 was added to her memorial
fund, bringing the total to $3000.
While the Board was pleased with the final
numbers, it must be remembered that all the
speakers accepted token gifts for their
presentations. Hotel costs were minimal with 2
speakers living locally or staying with friends.
Next year’s conference is already being
planned with the History Department of Siena
College.
We will need to exceed our
attendance in 2012.
The Board voted to send $3000 to the Civil War
Trust for purchase of battle land at Gaines Mills,
Virginia in Sue’s memory. This is a 5.7:1
match. Sue’s name will appear on a plaque.
Finally Matt Farina and Matt George were both
surprised when Gene Gore and John Hennessy
announced that both Matts were voted life-time
members of the CDCWRT for meritorious
performance.
The Board Meeting was held on Monday,
November 7th. The treasurer reported that
there was $1407 in the regular account and
$8418.73 in the preservation account.
CDCWRT Newsletter 2
UP-COMING EVENTS
SEPTEMBER MEETING
The following list of up-coming events is
provided to help Round Table members
plan their long term calendars. These are
events that involve our Round Table,
especially
events
that
provide
opportunities to raise funds for our
preservation activities. Some events may
change as the year progresses, so
members should check the list monthly.
Details of Sesquicentennial Civil War
events can be found on the web-site:
www.nycivilwar150.org.
Steve Trimm‟s portrayal of Sgt. Oliver Clarke,
veteran of the 94th New York and caretaker of
Grant Cottage from 1890 to 1917, captured the
attention of the crowd that turned out for the
September 9th meeting. In 1879 Clarke recorded
his memories of service during the Civil War.
This unpublished manuscript, now at Grant
Cottage, provided the basis for Trimm‟s
presentation.
Friday, January 13, 2012 will be the Round
Table’s Potpourri Meeting for members to
present or display collections or objects of
interest. J.J. Jennings will do a short
presentation on “The Myths and Facts
About the Relationship Between Hancock
and Armistead.” Steve Muller will give a
brief update on the research on the origin
of the plates for the U.S.S. Monitor.
Pat Loz will display some material on her
Civil War relative, Sam Chapman, who was
in Mosby’s Raiders. John Ackner of the
Schenectady County Historical Society will
display his collection of Civil War covers
or envelopes.
With the typical enthusiasm of the time, Clarke
volunteered for the 94th and soon headed south by
train, his unit suffering five casualties only a few
hours into the journey in a rail accident. Once in
Virginia the regiment‟s assignment was to unload
endless coal barges, much to their displeasure.
After their angry colonel‟s resignation, his
replacement simply marches the regiment off in
the middle of the night heading for action when
one more order to unload coal came down. They
were soon involved in real warfare as part of the
attempt to stop Jackson from joining up with
Longstreet at Bull Run, suffering 147 casualties.
Oliver was later wounded on picket duty, his
hospitalization causing him to miss several of his
regiment‟s other engagements.
Friday, March 9, 2012 will be the regular
scheduled meeting of the CDCWRT.
Once back with the 94th, Clarke was promoted
to the rank of Sergeant of Co. B. Shortly after the
first day at Gettysburg, the 94th‟s line see-sawed
back and forth, and when finally flanked by the
Rebels, 250 of the rapidly retreating men were
captured. Clarke was put in charge of Yankee
wounded and the dead. When days later the Army
of Northern Virginia retreated, the prisoners were
at first made to march with them, but proved too
much of a hindrance to the Confederates. After
being paroled by the side of the road, Clarke
rejoined the fight, feeling he had made no
promises to the Confederates.
Friday, April 13, 2012 will be the regular
scheduled meeting of the CDCWRT. Our
special presenter will be Joseph W.
Zarzynski, underwater archeologist and
documentary film maker. His presentation
is entitled “The Search for the Jefferson
Davis: Trader, Slaver, Raider.”
By this time Grant was in the east and on the
offensive, refusing to give up, no matter what the
price, and had reached Cold Harbor. The men
suffered psychologically when, as they excavated
trenches, they came upon the skeletons of
unknown Yankees buried where they had fallen in
a previous battle. When the order came to charge
Friday, February 10, 2012 will be the
regular meeting for the CDCWRT. Our
very special guest presenter will be Dr.
Harry Bradshaw Matthews, Associate
Dean and Director of the U.S. Pluralism
Center at Hartwick College. He is also
President of the U.S.C.T. Institute.
CDCWRT Newsletter 3
the Confederate line, the demoralized men pinned
to their uniforms pieces of paper for identification,
allowing their families to recognize their bodies if
they did not survive. The heroic charge was
doomed and Clarke along with several others of
his regiment surrendered. This time there was no
easy parole.
Shipped to Georgia by rail their destination was
Andersonville Prison where they joined the many
thousands of prisoners already there. With no
shelter from the hot Georgia sun, the small group
of prisoners from Clarke‟s regiment used the four
blankets they had to create a lean-to after bribing
guards to give them some sticks to build a
framework.
Survival in this hellish place
depended on being part of a group.
Water for the prisoners came from a small
polluted stream that flowed through the center of
the 15-acre prisoner camp. Clarke‟s small group
found a handle-less shovel blade and managed to
dig a well, hitting water at 60 feet. A bucket was
fashioned from some wood carved by a jackknife
and a „rope‟ made from strips salvaged from the
remains of the men‟s shoes braided together.
Men died daily of starvation, exposure or
disease, a total of 12-13,000 by war‟s end. The
bodies were taken to the “dead house” to be gone
over for valuable, and then buried. Sadly, in order
to survive a man had to become cold and
unfeeling.
What kind of men were at Andersonville? In
Clarke‟s opinion it was the ordinary cross section
of men found anywhere: some were desperately
wicked, others righteous, men who cursed all day,
others who did good all day and gathered for
prayer at night, some despaired, others who could
look ahead imagined a return to families and
homes. The ones who could see themselves in the
future, had the best chance of surviving the ordeal.
There was a time when criminal prisoners were
terrorizing the camp for months, robbing and
sometimes killing fellow prisoners. When this
finally came to the attention of Capt. Wirtz, the
camp‟s commander, he got the names of the
criminals, allowing their fellow prisoners to put
them on trial, the leaders hanged, and the others
forced to run the gauntlet. After this the
prisoners formed their own police force to bring
order to the prison camp.
Oliver Clarke admitted he did not originally
enlist to free slaves, but after encountering
kindness from two slaves brought in to do
repairs, his attitude changed. One surreptitiously
gave him a plug of tobacco, a valuable item of
trade in the camp, and the other passed along
news of Sherman‟s success in Georgia, giving
Clarke and his friends the first indication the war
was winding down.
Finally in April 1865 they were released,
beginning a two week trek to Union lines in
Florida. Although the war had ended, being that
the released prisoners were unaware that they
were truly free, they feared an attack by roaming
Confederate cavalry. Finally stumbling into the
Union lines in Florida, they wept in joy, rage,
sorrow and gratitude. Clarke was sent to New
York City to be mustered out.
Clarke found in the post-war period that the
near starvation he had suffered at Andersonville
had sapped his strength, making it necessary for
him to find a job that was not rigorous where he
could sit and use his mind. Telegraphy was the
job he took up after his marriage. He became
active in the GAR in Utica. A desire to do good
for others led him to become a lawyer
specializing in pension law, a field where he
could help fellow veterans with war related
disabilities
manage
the
complicated
requirements to get government pensions.
During the 1870‟s he began to experience
blinding headaches, which as time went on
prevented him from effectively practicing law.
Friends, who had heard of the need for a
caretaker/guide for Grant cottage, felt the
position and fresh mountain air would be perfect
for Clarke.
As the cottage was opened for visitors five
CDCWRT Newsletter 4
years after Grant‟s death, Clarke became
caretaker, remaining there until his death in 1917.
Some were curiosity as to why a man who suffered
at Andersonville as the result of Grant‟s greatest
blunder, Cold Harbor, was caretaker. Clarke
answered that while he had some disagreements
with some of Grant‟s strategy, he loved the man
for the way he ended the war. To Clarke the place
where Grant passed away was a sacred place.
determine the position of Lee‟s army. Traveling to
Shepherdstown, he placed his horse artillery on
Douglas Hill to fire across the river to the Virginia
side. With the arrival of two divisions of the Fifth
Corps, fresh troops who had previously been held
in reserve, the Union buildup stretched a mile.
Many men were placed in the drained C & O
Canal, the perfect rifle pit paralleling the Maryland
side of the river.
Clarke and his wife never had children but they
unofficially adopted a Japanese child as their
daughter. She became the second caretaker of the
cottage. When WWII began, she was to be placed
in an internment camp but her friends petitioned
the government which allowed her to be
“interned” at the cottage.
Pendleton‟s
artillery
opened
fire
at
Pleasanton‟s men across the river. The Battle of
Shepherdstown had begun when the artillery on
Douglas Hill returned fire. Pendleton‟s blasts were
aimed at holding off Union soldiers from fording
the river to discover Lee‟s whereabouts and route.
McClellan in the meantime sent General Fitz John
Porter to take over from Pleasanton who then
withdrew his cavalry. Porter ordered Union
infantry to ford the river, and as they came on in
force Pendleton‟s artillery reserve fled, losing four
guns. Pendleton, under the misimpression that all
44 of his artillery pieces had been lost, searched
for Lee to report this disaster. Receiving this bad
news, Lee altered his plans, sending three
divisions to return to the bluffs overlooking the
Potomac to stop the Union army.
OCTOBER MEETING
Our October 14th meeting‟s speaker was
Thomas McGrath, author of Shepherdstown: Last
Clash of the Antietam Campaign September 12-19,
1862, who gave us an overview of Lee‟s 1862
Maryland campaign when Lee led his army into
Maryland hoping to achieve three goals: taking the
war out of Virginia, enlisting fresh recruits and
putting pressure on northern politicians. The
ensuing horrific battle at Antietam put an end to
his plans and shortly after, the Battle of
Shepherdstown interfered with his army‟s
movement back into Virginia.
When the morning after the battle of Antietam
found the two battered armies in what were
basically the same positions as before, Lee gave
orders for his men to withdraw and retreat three
miles across the Potomac back into Virginia.
Because the Shepherdstown Bridge had been
burned earlier, his troops had to ford the river
three miles downstream. Climbing the steep bluffs
on the other side, he left Brigadier General
William Pendleton‟s 44 piece artillery reserve
behind to cover the army‟s rear.
Back at Sharpsburg, once he was aware the
Confederates had pulled back, McClellan sent
Brigadier General Alfred Pleasanton‟s cavalry to
Union troops forded across the river with no
cavalry reconnaissance, unaware they would soon
be facing battle hardened Confederate regiments.
Brigadier General George Sykes ordered Major
Charles Lovell‟s brigade to climb the steep bluffs
up a narrow track. When before long they
encountered the returning Confederate troops,
Lovell immediately sent back word to Sykes that
this was no ordinary reconnaissance and in
response Sykes ordering Lovell‟s men back to the
crest of the bluffs. He quickly supported Lovell by
sending to the top of the bluffs regiments from a
second brigade under Colonel James Barnes.
Climbing up a treacherous ravine to the top,
Barnes‟ three regiments faced the advancing
Confederates. One of these three regiments was
the 118th Pennsylvania, the “Corn Exchange”
Regiment, under the command of Colonel Charles
Prevost. A new regiment, these green troops had
never been in battle before.
CDCWRT Newsletter 5
When he realized his troops were being
overwhelmed, Sykes ordered them to retreat
from the top of the bluff. All regiments except
the 118th came down from the bluffs and began
crossing the river back to the Maryland side.
Meanwhile the 118th were still in the line of
battle all the while the other regiments were
retreating down the steep bluffs and fording the
river under fire. Prevost had refused to accept
the order to withdraw, claiming it did not come
through proper channels. As a result the green
regiment was soon tangling with yelling, tough,
experienced Confederates. To add to the disaster,
many of their Enfield rifles were defective. In
the ensuing vicious fight Prevost, who had
picked up the regimental colors, was seriously
wounded. Finally the 118th broke and fled for the
ravine. Fired on from above as well as by
Confederate sharpshooters in an abandoned
concrete mill on the river bank below, many
were killed or wounded. Attempting to get back
across the river was a nightmare, although Union
artillery fire and shots from Berdan‟s
sharpshooters gave some cover to their retreat.
The battle was over. The 118th lost 63 killed,
101 wounded including Colonel Prevost, and
105 missing or captured. This regiment had a
baptism of fire experienced by few other Civil
War regiments. Although the 118th eventually
saw action in 34 engagements and was present at
the surrender at Appomattox, their badge of
honor was the Battle of Shepherdstown.
The excellent detailed summaries for both
meetings were prepared by the Round Table’s
secretary, Mary Ellen Johnson.
WANTED
The Round Table is looking for someone or
several members to serve as Refreshment Chair.
The Round Table provides a budget for soda,
water and snacks for meetings, but we need
some volunteers to bring the items, set up for the
meeting, and clean up afterwards. We generally
have 10 meetings a year so if the task is divided
by several volunteers, it would amount to 3-5
times per year. Anyone interested should talk to
Fran McCashion or Mary Ellen Johnson.
WHO’S ON FIRST
The Sesquicentennial of the Civil War marks a time
when history buffs like to consider the question:
“Who was the first- - - - - -?”
In the June newsletter it was related that Pvt. Daniel
Hough was the first soldier killed in the War while
he was ramming a cartridge bag into the muzzle of a
cannon at Fort Sumter during the salute to the flag.
The bag ignited prematurely and ripped off his right
arm at the shoulder, killing him. Sparks from the
premature ignition also ignited a pile of cartridge
bags nearby, exploding them, and injuring the entire
gun crew. Pvt. Edward Gallway was brought
quickly to a hospital in Charleston but died that
night and was buried in a Charleston cemetery, thus
becoming the second soldier killed in the War.
Immediately after the bombardment of Fort Sumter,
President Lincoln asked for 75,000 volunteers. On
April 19th the 6th Massachusetts Militia was the
first regiment of “Nationals” as Union troops were
termed, to arrive at Baltimore. As the regiment
marched from one railroad station to another, it was
attacked by a mob of 10,000 pro-secessionists. The
crowd attacked with clubs, stones and firearms. The
1000 soldiers fought back. Four militiamen and at
least one dozen rioters were killed. While this was a
hostile action, it involved soldiers versus civilians.
On May 22, 1861, Union militiaman Thornsberry
Bailey Brown was shot by a Confederate militiaman
near Grafton, VA, an important junction on the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, becoming the first
man killed in soldier-on-soldier hostile action during
the Civil War. Brown‟s body was returned to
Grafton where it was placed on view for friends and
curious onlookers as they voted on the Secession
Referendum. Early the next day, Brown‟s former
unit, the “Grafton Guards,” hopped a train for
Wheeling to be mustered into the Union Army as
Company B, 2nd Virginia (U.S.) Infantry.
In the early morning of May 24th, several Union
CDCWRT Newsletter 6
regiments moved out of Washington, DC to
capture Alexandria across the Potomac. Col.
Elmer E. Ellsworth, a close friend of the
Lincoln‟s, led the 11th New York Volunteer
Infantry (New York City Fire Zouaves) across
the Potomac in boats. He was to seize the
telegraph office and train station. Ellsworth also
wanted the huge Confederate flag that had been
flying from the top of the Marshall House Hotel
flagpole.
As Ellsworth came down the stairs after cutting
down the flag, he was shot in the heart by James
Jackson, the hotel operator. Jackson was shot
and killed by one of Ellsworth‟s soldiers, Cpl.
Francis E. Brownell. Ellsworth‟s body was
taken to the Washington Naval Yard and later to
the White House where the body lay in state in
the East Room at the request of the Lincolns.
The remains were then taken by funeral train to
New York City, Albany, Troy and finally
Mechanicville, NY. Secretary of War, Gideon
Wells, had suggested that the body be preserved
for the extensive public viewing. Embalmer,
Thomas Holmes, had been preserving bodies for
medical dissection, and was asked to embalm
Ellsworth. Elmer became the first soldier to be
embalmed.
But was Ellsworth the first Union officer killed
in the War?
On May 10th the Camp Jackson Affair occurred
in St. Louis, MO. The pro-secession governor
had secretly arranged for a shipment of weapons
to arrive from the Confederacy. Union Capt.
Nathaniel Lyons, fearing the 40,000 muskets in
the St. Louis Arsenal would be lost, raided the
Confederate camp, capturing all 700 in a
bloodless action. While marching the prisoners
through the city, a pro-secessionist crowd began
rioting. Union Capt. Constantin Blandowski was
mortally wounded. Thus Blandowski appeared
to be the first Union officer killed. However,
recently on Find-a-Grave, Blandowski‟s stone
was found. Although wounded on the 10th, he
did not die until May 25th, after Ellsworth‟s
death.
Brig. Gen. Robert S. Garnett became the first
Confederate general officer killed in the War on
July 13th at Corrick‟s Ford in western Virginia
against forces of George McClellan. In one of the
twists of fate, Nathaniel Lyon, now Brig. Gen.
Lyon, became the first Union general officer killed
in the War at the Battle of Wilson Creek in
Missouri on August 10, 1861.
Remember Cpl. Brownell? He became the first
soldier awarded a Medal of Honor in the Civil War
by date of action, May 24, 1861 for killing James
Jackson in Alexandria.
THE YOUNGEST
Who was the youngest general in the Union
Army?
Answer: Galusha Pennypacker, born on June 1,
1844; commissioned captain in 97th Pennsylvania
Rgt. on August 1861 at 17 years of age; wounded
three times at Green Plains, VA, wounded at Fort
Gilmer, VA; seriously wounded at Ft Fisher, NC;
made brigadier general of volunteers to rank from
February 1865 at age of 20 years, 8 months; died
October 1, 1916; buried in Philadelphia National
Cemetery.
George Armstrong Custer is a common answer,
but he was born December 5, 1839 and became
brigadier general of volunteers in June 1863 at the
age of 23 years, 6 months.
JANUARY BOARD ELECTIONS
This is the proposed slate which will be voted
upon at our January meeting. Any member in
good standing can run as a candidate from the
floor.
President – Matt Farina
Vice-President – Gene Gore
Treasurer – Fran McCashion
Secretary – Mary Ellen Johnson
At-Large – J.J. Jennings
At-Large – Art Henningson
At-Large – Erin Baillargeon
CDCWRT Newsletter 7
CDCWRT
P.O. BOX 14871
ALBANY, NY 12212-4871
Created in 1984, the Capital District Civil War Round Table is an incorporated non-profit
educational organization. Meetings are held monthly in various locations in the Capital
District. This newsletter is published eleven times per year. Annual dues are $25. The
purpose of the organization is to promote, educate, and further stimulate interest in, and
discussion of, all aspects of the Civil War period.
THE OFFICERS
President
Vice-President
Treasurer
Secretary
At-Large
At-Large
At-Large
President ex-officio
Matt Farina
Gene Gore
Fran McCashion
Mary Ellen Johnson
Art Henningson
J.J. Jennings
Erin Baillargeon
Matt George
439-8583
439-4569
459-4209
861-8582
355-5353
459-7571
929-5852
355-2131
THE NONCOMS
Newsletter
Program
Education
Refreshments
Membership
Webmaster
Historian
Matt Farina
Matt George
Matt George
439-8583
355-2131
355-2131
Mike Affinito
Mike Affinito
Fran McCashion
281-5583
459-4209