Volume 21, Issue 1 August-September, 2013

Newsletter of the Inland Empire Civil War Round Table

Program Notes: From Chris Johnson

Next Meeting – September 11, 2013 at the Lincoln Shrine – 6:30 pm For the up-coming September 11th program, I have booked Mr. Michael Oddenino, speaking on "The Battle of Ball’s Bluff". For the October 9th meeting, Steve Lund will present "Civil War Ironclads". He is going to bring several of his models. On another note, this must be my last season as program chair. I will fill the year up for the scheduling, but someone needs to take over for me and continue the management of our pro- grams. Lincoln Memorial Shrine and University of Redlands Proudly present 1863: The Turning Point, A Civil War Symposium Featuring noted scholars from across the September 21 and 22, 2013 At University of Redlands and Lincoln Memorial Shrine

The passage of 150 years has not diminished the importance of the dramatic events of the . The secession of 11 southern states in early 1861 sparked the worst crisis in the history of the nation. After two years of costly battles, President was seemingly no closer to his goal of restoring the Union. In 1863, however, the war reached its turning point. First, Lincoln changed the moral basis of the war by issuing his Emancipation Proclamation, a crucial step in putting slavery on the path to ex- tinction. Second, during the first three days of July, a decisive Union victory at Gettysburg repulsed Robert E. Lee’s invasion of the North. The following day, General Ulysses S. Grant forced the Confederate bastion of Vicksburg to surrender, thereby secur- ing Union control of the strategically vital Mississippi River. These twin triumphs were the beginning of the end for the Confederacy.

As part of the ongoing commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War, the Lincoln Memorial Shrine is proud to collaborate with University Redlands to present a special symposium entitled 1863: The Turning Point. The two-day event will take place on Saturday, Sep- tember 21 and Sunday, September 22 at University of Redlands, with a special reception and din- ner on the evening of the 21st at the Lincoln Memorial Shrine and AK Smiley Public Library in Red- lands. A roster of some of the nation’s finest scholars will discuss both the battles and the important political developments that profoundly altered the course of American history. In addition they will examine the conflict through ground-breaking new research on casualties, as well as how the war has been depicted in cinema. Civil War enthusiasts and history buffs should be sure to join us in September for what is certain to be a very memorable event.

About the Speakers…

Hans Davidson J. David Hacker Physician and Executive Director Associate Professor of History at of the Southern University of Minnesota, David Medical Museum in Riverside, Hacker’s main areas of research Hans Davidson lectures on Civil are U.S. Demographic and Social War-era medicine. History and American Civil War. Don McCue His ground-breaking research Director of A.K. Smiley Public has culminated in a forthcoming book, The Library and the Lincoln Memorial Demographic Consequences of the American Civil Shrine in Redlands, Don McCue War. is a member of several regional Joan Waugh and national archival and Lincoln Professor of History at University organizations. of California, Los Angeles, Joan Craig Symonds Waugh is author and coauthor of Professor Emeritus of History at several works on the American United States Naval Academy, Civil War, including The Memory Craig Symonds’s expertise is in of the Civil War in American Culture and U.S. American Naval History and Grant: American Hero, American Myth. the American Civil War. He has Frank J. Williams written and edited several works on these topics. Retired Chief Justice of the Kathleen Feeley Supreme Court of Rhode Island, Associate Professor of History Frank J. Williams is a renowned at University of Redlands, Kathy expert on Abraham Lincoln Feeley focuses on United States and is founding chairman of the History, Gender Studies, and Lincoln Forum. Chief Justice Williams has written Media. She serves as chair oft he History and edited fourteen books. Department and as a Trustee of the Watchorn Lincoln Memorial Association. The two-day event is $115 for members of the Lincoln Memorial Association and $135 for nonmem- bers who pay by September 1. From September 2 through September 14, the price is $150 for members and nonmembers alike. Included are two continental breakfasts, one lunch, and one dinner, plus access to all ses- sions. Full-time undergraduate or graduate students with student ID may attend the entire program for $85. Please make check payable to Lincoln Memorial Association and send to: Inland Empire Civil War Round Table Lincoln Memorial Shrine For lodging information, please visit: Membership - $15 125 W. Vine St. www.lincolnshrine.org or e-mail [email protected]. Name: Redlands, CA 92373 ______

Address: IECWRT Officers Preservation Notes – By Steve Madden ______Ken Ballou- President

______Tom Fontanes - Secretary/Treasurer Phone: September brings us to the 150th anniversary of the battle of Chickamauga, Georgia. It was Chris Johnson - Programming the second largest battle in the Second War for Independence. Because it was fought in northern ______J. David Hacker Oscar Weingart - Editor Georgia instead of southern Pennsylvania, and because the Confederates won, the 34,000 Ameri- Associate Professor of History at Email: can casualties there are largely forgotten. ______University of Minnesota, David Would you like to receive the Hardtack Newsletter via: Hacker’s main areas of research The fields that were part of those awful summer days of September 18-20 were preserved in are U.S. Demographic and Social the first battlefield park, Chickamauga-Chattanooga. However, key portions of those fields were not Postal Mail______Email______protected and Chattanooga has been compromised by urban sprawl. History and American Civil War. His ground-breaking research However, Chickamauga retains much of its undeveloped character. A key battleground of the The IECWRT meets the second Wednesday of every month (except February, July and first day's fight can be preserved with your help. The fighting at Reed's Bridge saw the 44th Tennes- August) at 6:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Shrine at 125has W. culminated Vine St., in aRedlands, forthcoming CA book, 92373. The see Infantry defeat the Yankees for what would be the first of three defeats in three days. As a proud (909) 798-7632. Yearly dues are just $15. ChecksDemographic should Consequencesbe made out ofto the IECWRT American Civil descendent of Private Edward Kimsee McClanahan, Co. K, 44th Tennessee Infantry, I'm glad to War. save 109 acres of critical land where the battle began. Content you would like to share with our membersJoan should Waugh be submitted to the Heritage Room or by email to: [email protected] of History at University Join me in learning more and giving a little. Go to www.civilwar.org and learn how you-- and our roundtable-- can save this piece of hallowed ground. of California, Los Angeles, Joan Waugh is author and coauthor of

several works on the American Civil War Sesquicentennial Timeline, August/September, 1863

Civil War, including The Memory (Courtesy of the Web Site, Blue and Gray Trail)

of the Civil War in American Culture and U.S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth. August 1, 1863 Federal forces begin a prolonged bombardment of entrenchments around Charleston Harbor Frank J. Williams August 1, 1863 David Porter assumes command of federal Navy forces on the Mississippi Retired Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island, River.

Frank J. Williams is a renowned August 2, 1863 Following Lee's retreat from Gettysburg, the Army of Northern and the Army of the

expert on Abraham Lincoln Potomac establish lines facing Virginia's Rappahannock River and is founding chairman of the August 5, 1863 In a letter to Nathaniel Banks, Abraham Lincoln states 'I am an anti-slavery man and goes on to state he would never return a "negro" freed under the Emancipation Proclamation to slavery. Lincoln Forum. Chief Justice Williams has written August 8, 1863 Robert E. Lee offers his resignation to . Davis refuses the offer. and edited fourteen books. August 10, 1863 President Lincoln meets with former slave and abolitionist . Among the topics discussed are the treatment and pay of US Army black soldiers August 11, 1863 Confederate forces pound Federal entrenchments on Morris Island August 12, 1863 Federal batteries on Morris Island open up a ranging barrage that will last 4 days Mrs. Pryor and Fremont moved first to Norfolk, Virginia, to live as man and wife (though unmarried); they later August 17, 1863 In an impressive display of firepower, Federal batteries begin heavy shelling of Confederate settled in Savannah, Georgia. Mrs. Pryor financed the trip and purchase of a house in Savannah by selling positions ringing Charleston Harbor including Fort Sumter. Using Parrott rifled cannon recently inherited slaves valued at $1,900. When the Virginia House of Delegates refused Mr. Pryor’s divorce petition, it was impossible for the couple to marry. In Savannah, Mrs. Pryor took in boarders while Fremont including the 200 pound Swamp Angel, the artillery is deadly accurate and easily breaches taught French and dancing. On January 21, 1813, their first child, John Charles Fremont, was born. The son Sumter, but no assault is forthcoming. Although the initial attack is the heaviest, Federal was born out of wedlock, a serious social handicap. A household slave called Black Hannah helped to raise assaults continue off and on until September, 1864. young John. August 18, 1863 The Great Sioux Uprising begins under Chief Little Crow in Minnesota. In 1818, Frémont's father Fremon died leaving Mrs. Pryor to take care of the child and several young August 18, 1863 General Thomas Ewing issues orders freeing slaves of Missourians actively involved with the children alone on a limited inherited income. Mrs. Pryor and her family moved to Charleston, South Carolina. Confederate Army. The young Frémon was known to be "precious, handsome, and daring" and he had an apt ability at gaining protectors. A lawyer, John W. Mitchell, provided for Frémon's education and in May 1829 Frémon entered August 19, 1863 300 men under the command of William Quantrill, popularly known as Quantrill's Raiders, Charleston College. Frémon continued at Charleston College teaching at intervals in the countryside. Fré- leave Blackwater Creek, heading for Lawrence, KS mon, however, was expelled from Charleston College for irregular attendance in 1831. Although Frémon did August 21, 1863 The Confederate Navy attempts to attack the USS New Ironsides with a torpedo from the not graduate, he had been grounded in mathematics and natural sciences. four-man vessel the CSS David. The attack is ineffective In Andrew Jackson, His Life and Times, H. W. Brands wrote that Frémon added the accented E and August 21, 1863 Quantrill's Raiders, now numbering more 400, attack Lawrence, , killing every male the T to his surname later in life. But in John Charles Frémont: Character as Destiny, André Rolle wrote that they could find who was old enough to carry a gun (a total of 183 men). One they missed was Frémon began using the accent in 1838 at the age of 25. Rolle relates how Charles Fremon was originally U.S. Senator James H. Lane, who hid in a cornfield in his nightshirt. Quantrill's men burned named Louis-René Frémont, born in Québec, Canada, and had changed his name to Charles Fremon or the town following the raid Frémon to avoid pursuit by British naval agents. Thus, John was reclaiming his father's true French name. August 25, 1863 In response to Quantrill's raid on Lawrence, Kansas, Brigadier General Thomas Ewing [US] orders civilians out of their homes in 3 Missouri counties (Jackson, Cass and Bates) and parts of a fourth (Vernon). Union soldiers burn the homes, barns and crops. SAVE THE DATE: November 1-4, 2013 – WEST COAST CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE CONFER- August 26, 1863 General John Floyd dies of natural causes in Abingdon, VA ENCE (Courtesy of Janet Whaley) August 27, 1863 Ford's Theater reopens as Ford's New Theater Topic – The American Civil War – 1863 August 29, 1863 The Army of the Cumberland begins the Chickamauga Campaign, heading east for passes in Lookout September 1, 1863 Battle of Devil's Backbone (Backbone Mountain) The San Joaquin Valley Civil War Round Table, which is sponsoring this year’s event, is liter- ally “charting new seas.” The conference will be held in conjunction with a Mexican Baja cruise September 2, 1863 occupies Knoxville aboard Carnival’s “Inspiration” sailing from Long Beach. Featured speakers include: Craig Symonds, September 3, 1863 Lord Russell (Great Britain) orders two ironclad Laird Rams bound for the Confederacy to be Richard and Mary Hatcher, Alex Fabros and General Parker Hills. Prices include the conference, detained. your cabin and all meals, and range from $400 to $450/person (depending on interior or ocean view September 5, 1863 British forces stop the shipment of two ironclads from Liverpool under orders from Lord cabins). A deposit of $150 per person is due at the time of booking, with the final payment due by Russell. This dashed Confederates hopes of British support August 26. For more information, contact Central Valley Travel at (559) 686-1631 or trav- September 6, 1863 P. G. T. Beauregard orders Battery Wagner and Morris Island evacuated. The evacuation is [email protected]. accomplished that night. “THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN” – June 1 to September 30, 2013 September 8, 1863 General William Franklin [US], intending to begin the occupation of , steamed past Presidential Library & Museum – 40 Presidential Drive- Simi Valley Sabine Pass to Confederate Fort Griffin on the Texas-Louisiana border. John Bankhead Thirty renowned Lincoln collectors and DreamWorks Studios join the Reagan Library for a major Magruder [CS], with two "cotton-clads" and a force of 44 men turned back more than 200 Abraham Lincoln exhibit. Over 250 original objects will be on display, including President Lincoln’s Union troops famous stovepipe hat, a bloodied pillow from the night he died, a Lincoln-signed Emancipation Proc- September 9, 1863 Brigadier General John W. Frazier [CS] surrenders his men guarding the Cumberland Gap lamation and 13th Amendment, and sets from DreamWorks’ “Lincoln” movie. For more information and tickets, go to September 9, 1863 Federal troops enter Chattanooga, Tennessee following its evacuation by the Army of Tennessee DRUM BARRACKS CIVIL WAR MUSEUM September 9, 1863 leaves Virginia with his corps to reinforce the Army of Tennessee The Drum Barracks is proud to announce its participation, along with 1,800 museums across September 10/11, 1863 the United States, in the Blue Star Museum program, which offers free admission to all active duty September 11, 1863 Battle of Davis Crossroads military personnel and their families from through Labor Day (Sept. 2), 2013. Located at 1052 Banning Boulevard in Wilmington, the Museum is open for tours on Tuesday, Wednesday September 10, 1863 Battle of Bayou Forche (Little Rock) and Thursday at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday tours are given at 11:30 a.m. and 1 September 10, 1863 [CS] withdraws from Little Rock p.m.. The Museum is closed on Mondays and Fridays. For additional information, check out September 13, 1863 Sensing a change in Lee's lines, [US] pushes the Army of the Potomac to the www.drumbarracks.org. Rapidan River John C. Fremont – The Great Pathfinder September 15, 1863 Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus. September 16, 1863 Thomas Crittenden [US] reaches Lee and Gordon Mill on the Chickamauga River. Rosecrans INTRODUCTION [US] orders the rest of his men, spread out along 50 miles of Georgia's backwoods, to concentrate at this landmark. John Charles Frémont or Fremont (January 21, 1813 – July 13, 1890) September 17, 1863 Forward echelons of Longstreet's Corps begins arriving in Northwest GA was an American military officer, explorer, and politician who became the first September 18, 1863 Rosecrans [US] orders Thomas north on Layfayette Road in an attempt to outflank Bragg's candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the forces. sobriquet The Pathfinder. Historians call him The Great Pathfinder. September 19, 1863 Battle of Chickamauga Frémont, a Major in the U.S. Army, implemented the Bear Flag Republic September 20, 1863 General [CS] tries to split General [US] forces as they try to in 1846. During the Mexican American War, Frémont served as military Gover- return to the safety of Chattanooga. A second day breakthrough at the Brotherton Cabin forces the federals into a retreat, halted only by the Rock of Chickamauga, General George Thomas on nor of California, however, he was court-martialed for mutiny and insubordina- Snodgrass Hill. The bloodiest two days in American history cost the Federals 1,657 dead, 9,756 tion. President Polk commuted his sentence for his military service. Frémont re- wounded, and 4,757 missing for a total of 16,170 casualties out of 58,000 troops. The tired from military service and settled in California after leading a fourth expedi- Confederate losses were 2,312 dead, 14,674 wounded and 1,468 for a total of 18,545 out of tion, which cost ten lives, seeking a rail route over the mountains around the 38th parallel in the winter of 1849. Frémont was soon bogged down with lawsuits 66,000 troops. over land claims between the dispossessions of various land owners during the September 21, 1863 After withdrawing from Chickamauga, Gen. George Thomas forms a line in Rossville. He Mexican -American War, and the explosion of Forty-Niners immigrating during abandons the position that evening. the California Gold Rush. These cases were settled by the U.S. Supreme Court where Frémont was allowed to keep his property. Frémont acquired massive wealth during the California Gold Rush. Frémont became September 21, 1863 Mortally wounded at Chickamauga, Confederate Brigadier General Benjamin Hardin Helms one of the first two U.S. Senators elected from the new state California in 1850. He was the first presidential dies. He was Abraham Lincoln's brother-in-law. candidate of the new Republican Party, carrying most of the North. He lost the 1856 presidential election to September 22, 1863 General Joseph O. "Jo" Shelby raids Missouri and Arkansas Democrat James Buchanan when Know-Nothings split the vote and Democrats warned his election would September 23, 1863 President Lincoln orders the 11th and 12th Corps to Stevenson, Alabama to relieve the Army of lead to civil war. the Cumberland surrounded in Chattanooga.

During the American Civil War he was given command of Department of the West by President Abra- September 23, 1863 Colonel Henry Sibley defeats the Sioux at Wood Lake, ending the Great Sioux Uprising ham Lincoln. Although Frémont had successes during his brief tenure as Commander of the Western Armies, September 24, 1863 President Lincoln wires Gen. Rosecrans [US} in Chattanooga, telling him 40,000 to 60,000 he ran his department autocratically, and made hasty decisions without consulting Washington D.C. or Presi- troops are on their way. Within a week a corps arrives at Stevenson, Alabama dent Lincoln. After Frémont's emancipation edict that freed slaves in his district, he was relieved of his com- September 26, 1863 President Lincoln and members of his Administration are distressed that troop movements mand by President Lincoln for insubordination. In 1861, Frémont was the first commanding Union general who recognized an "iron will" to fight in Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant and promoted him commander of aiding General Rosecrans in Chattanooga are published in the Post. Cairo. After the Civil War, Frémont's wealth declined after investing heavily and purchasing an unsuccessful September 28, 1863 Repercussions from Chickamauga: US Generals Crittenden, Alexander McDowell and McCook Pacific Railroad in 1866. Frémont served as Governor of appointed by President Rutherford B. Hayes are relieved of duty and ordered to Indianapolis to face a court of inquiry. and served from 1878 to 1881. Frémont, retired from politics and financially destitute, died in New York in September 30, 1863 1890. October 17, 1863 Gen. [CS] raids Federal positions north and east of Chattanooga.

Historians portray Frémont as controversial, impetuous, and contradictory. Some scholars regard him as a military hero of significant accomplishment, while others view him as a failure who repeatedly defeated Editorial his own best purposes. The keys to Frémont's character and personality may lie in his being born out of wed- During my three-plus years of working on this Hardtack Newsletter, I have reviewed the life histories of lock, ambitious drive for success, self-justification, and passive-aggressive behavior. a number of outstanding Civil War characters. These have included the “Trio of Heroes”; Joshua Lawrence

Chamberlain, George Armstrong Custer and James Ewell Brown “JEB” Stuart; as well as Robert Todd Lin- EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION coln and the 15th California Governor, George Stoneman. During my present Summer vacation in Northern California and the Central Coast, I couldn’t avoid re- peatedly hearing of another politician and controversial historical figure, John C. Fremont. This fascinating, Frémont's mother, Anne Beverley Whiting, was the youngest daughter of socially prominent Virginia colorful guy was involved in many of the dramatic events in California History, including early path-finding ex- planter Col. Thomas Whiting. The colonel died when Anne was less than a year old. Her mother married peditions, the Bear Flag Republic, the Mexican War, the Gold Rush, the Railroads and the Civil War. He con- Samuel Cary, who soon exhausted most of the Whiting estate. At age 17, Anne married Major John Pryor, a stantly failed in his ambitious endeavors, but always came up “smelling like a rose”. He was an early Califor- wealthy Richmond resident in his early 60s. In 1810, Pryor hired Charles Fremont, a French immigrant who nia Military Governor, a U.S. Senator, and the first Republican Presidential candidate. He made and lost vast had fought with the Royalists during the French Revolution, to tutor his wife. In July 1811, Pryor learned that fortunes. his wife, Mrs. Anne Whiting Pryor, and Fremont were having an affair. Confronted by Pryor, the couple left Richmond together on July 10, 1811, creating a scandal that shook city society. Pryor published a divorce pe- Therefore, I have decided to start a series on Fremont in Hardtack. He had a full and interesting life, tition in the Virginia Patriot, in which he charged that his wife had "for some time past indulged in criminal in- so we won’t be able to cover everything in one issue of the newsletter. (Much of the biographical information tercourse." [Continued on next page] is courtesy of )