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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