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Home , Edwin Booth, John Wilkes Booth, Robert Todd Lincoln

The Camp Olden Gazette News from the Camp Olden Civil War Round Table Fall, 2009

At the next meeting of the Camp Olden Civil War J. O'Connor graduated from Dixon High Round Table to be held on Thursday, September 3, School in Dixon, and has a Biology at the Hamilton Township Municipal Library, our degree from Northern Illinois University in guest will be Robert J. O'Connor speaking on his DeKalb, Illinois. He has worked full time and book "The Perfect Steel Trap Harpers Ferry 1859" part time as a newspaper reporter, and at a historical novel covering the raid, various jobs -- many that required writing press trial and execution in Harpers Ferry and releases, news articles, or reports. While Charlestown, Virginia in 1859. director of Tourism in Washington County, , he became involved in touring local The story covers the time period July 1859 to places like Antietam Battlefield and Harpers December 1859, the beginning of making plans for Ferry National Historical Park and has collected the raid through the in Charles Town of books on three historical characters — John Brown and four of his men. The book is Abraham , Booth and John narrated by Owen Brown, one of John Brown's Brown. sons, who escaped from Harpers Ferry and lived until 1889. He and another raider, Osborne Besides writing, he works part time for both the Jefferson County CVB and for the City of Anderson, supposedly gathered the information for this book from participants in the events to get for Charles Town. He also does volunteer work for themselves answers regarding what happened. Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and writes for several local and regional All characters in this book, who are real and were publications. He writes about the Civil War in really at the scene, provide about two dozen areas somewhere between Gettysburg, PA and eyewitness accounts provided through their Lexington, VA. unedited reports. You will meet famous persons Mr. O'Connor lives in Charles Town, West who were on the scene, like Brevet Colonel Robert E. Lee, "Jeb" Stuart, Governor Henry Wise, and Virginia, close to most of the sites of this book which was a finalist in the 2006 Best Book Thomas Jackson (later to be known as ―Stonewall‖). Along the way you will be taken on Awards by USA Book News. the harrowing escape of seven of the raiders and His next book is called "A House Divided you will learn about the raid, the trial and the Against Itself‖. ♦ execution. You will also meet highly unlikely participants, like J. B. Wilkes and Samuel F. B. Morse. The Perfect Steel Trap Harpers Ferry 1859 is based on fact. Newspaper accounts, telegrams and court documents included in the book will tell you what really happened during these exciting times. Bring A Dish , who told John Brown that rd Harpers Ferry was ―the perfect steel trap‖, provides Remember hospitality for the September 3 the title of this book. meeting is a covered dish. Bring your favorite last taste of summer or first taste of fall food to share. Special start time is 6:30 PM. ♦

The Camp Olden Gazette 1 subsequently spread rumors of a national Junior Camp Olden abolitionist conspiracy, and then supported a A Successful ―Mud March‖ moderate course in the crisis, backing

Democratic presidential candidate Stephen A. On June 20, 33 young recruits at Junior Camp Douglas in 1860. Olden experienced the sometimes stormy conditions suffered by Civil War soldiers. Rain I opposed the Federal government's prosecution did not drown the campers‘ spirits as they of the Civil War, blamed the war on Pres. learned about the daily lives of the soldiers. and the Republican Party, Using the Civil War Museum collection as well voted against national Conscription, refused to as their own artifacts, club volunteers talked cooperate with congressional war measures, and about soldiering, camp life and medical alienated the powers within my own political conditions. Reenactors told about the difficulties party. Determined to run for the governorship in of being in battle and discussed the role of the 1863, I began an unofficial campaign in spring ―ladies at home.‖ Campers also enjoyed a special 1862, following Democratic victories in Dayton, President Lincoln presentation. and tried to rally support for my candidacy over that of Democratic elder-statesman Hugh J. Enthusiasm was high as recruits practiced Jewett. The preliminary Ohio Democratic loading and firing ―Quaker Rifles‖ and learned convention met in April and rejected my bid for march maneuvers. Camp ended with a grand the gubernatorial nomination. skirmish. Everyone won the day. In April 1863, Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, Commander of the Department Of The Ohio, had ―General‖ Kim Daly displayed her excellent issued General Order No. 38, forbidding ability with ―battle plans‖ and ―supply lines‖. ♦ expression of sympathy for the enemy. I addressed a large audience in Columbus, made Following is a new feature of the Camp Olden derogatory references to the president and the Gazette. In each issue there will be a Civil War war effort, and then hoped that I would be related biography of a mystery person. See if you arrested under Burnside's order, thus gaining can guess. Answer will be given at the next popular sympathy. Arrested at my home, by a meeting. company of troops, I was taken to Burnside's headquarters, tried by a military court, Who Am I? denied a writ of habeas corpus, and sentenced to I was born in New Lisbon, Ohio, on July 29, two years' confinement in a military prison. 1820, A noted New Lisbon attorney, I won Following a May cabinet meeting, President election to the state house of representatives in Lincoln commuted my sentence to banishment to 1845 and 1846, moved to Dayton in 1847, the Confederacy. In May I was taken south to bought a half-interest in the Dayton Empire, Murfreesboro, Tenn., and there entered Southern edited it until 1849, and was the defeated lines. Outraged at my treatment, state Democrats Democratic candidate in the 1852 and 1854 nominated me for governor at their June congressional elections. A candidate again in convention by a vote of 411 - 11. 1856, I contested my third defeat and won my Lincoln and the military ignored my return to the seat in the U.S. House in May 1858. Narrowly U.S in disguise in June 1864. Here I established reelected that autumn, I made a national residence in Ohio, attended the August national reputation as a conservative and as a contentious Democratic convention in , and helped states-rights advocate. I became brigadier construct the disastrous "peace" plank in general of Ohio in 1857, met with the presidential candidate George B. McClellan's captured abolitionist John Brown in 1859, platform. Who Am I? continued on page3.

The Camp Olden Gazette 2

Who Am I? continued from page 2 Abraham Lincoln Presidential Quiz

After I lost a bid in 1867 for election to the state Contributed by Mario Florio senate, I resumed my law practice. In a Lebanon, The year 2009 commemorates the 200th Ohio, hotel on June 16, 1871, a gun went off while I was demonstrating to other attorneys how a anniversary of Abraham Lincoln‘s death. In his defendant's supposed victim may have accidentally honor and remembrance Camp Olden has shot himself. I died there the following day. produced this 10 question quiz. How well can

I am best remembered for the Feb. 1864 Supreme you do?

Court decision, Ex Parte I, which decreed that the Court could not issue a writ of habeas corpus in a 1. Abraham Lincoln and John Kennedy military case, and for a Democratic campaign were both killed on the same day of the week. Which day? slogan I created in 1862: "The Constitution as it is, the Union as it was." Inspired by the story of my 2. Name the 2 Vice Presidents who served with Lincoln. banishment and my remark at that time that I did not care to live in a country where Lincoln was 3. , son of Abraham president, Hale wrote "The Man Lincoln, was present at or shortly after Without a Country" (1863). the of which three presidents? Who Am I? 4. From where did Martin Luther King

Source: Historical Times Encyclopedia of the Civil War ♦ proclaim the words ―I have a dream.‖? 5. Robert Todd Lincoln, son of Abraham Lincoln, became Secretary of War and Here’s a little known event involving how a then Minister to England. True or False? “Booth Saved Lincoln’s Life” 6. How was Lincoln‘s grandfather slain? In the 140 years since the Lincoln assassination, Indians, Hessians or a neighbor? innumerable myths, legends and astonishing 7. Abraham Lincoln was our first statements have been circulated about the ‗crime Republican president. True or False? of the century. One of the latter featured the type 8. Who said ―Now he belongs to the of clever word game that Americans have long ages.‖? relished: Booth saved Lincoln’s life. The 9. Abraham Lincoln coined the political statement is true, but the incident to which it slogan ―Don‘t swap horses while refers did not involve President Abraham crossing a stream.‖ True or False? Lincoln and his assassin, . 10. President Lincoln was the first president Instead it refers to , John Wilkes‘ photographed at his inauguration. True older , and Robert Todd Lincoln, the or False? president‘s only child to reach maturity.

Fate brought Lincoln and Booth together in a Answers on page 4. train station in Jersey City, N.J., in the midst of the Civil War. At the time Robert was on a holiday from Harvard, traveling from to Washington, D.C., while Booth was on his way to Richmond, Va., with his friend, John T. Ford (owner of Ford‘s Theatre in Washington).

The exact date of the encounter is unknown, although Robert consistently recalled it as having occurred in 1863 or 1864.

Booth Saved Lincoln’s Life continued on page 4

The Camp Olden Gazette 3 Booth Saved Lincoln’s Life continued from page 3 Answers to Lincoln Quiz:

According to Robert Lincoln, the incident 1. Friday. 2. Hannibal Hamlin (1861-1865), occurred late at night while a group of (1865). 3. Lincoln, Garfield, passengers were purchasing their sleeping car McKinley. 4. . 5. True.

places from the conductor who stood on the 6. Indians. 7. True. 8. Secretary of War . 9. True. 10. True. station platform at the entrance of the car. The platform was about the height of the car floor, and there was a narrow space between the Scoring scale (numbers correct): platform and the car body. Lincoln was pressed 9-10 – Lincoln scholar

by the crowd against the car body while waiting 7-8 – Lincoln expert 5-6 – Lincoln buff his turn. In this situation the train began to move, and by the motion he was twisted off his feet, 3-4 – Lincoln neophyte and had dropped somewhat, with feet downward, Under 3 – Rank amateur. Please go to the library. into the open space, and was personally helpless,

when his coat collar was vigorously seized and If you would like to submit an article to the he was quickly pulled up and out to a secure Camp Olden Gazette, you can e-mail it to: footing on the platform. Upon turning to thank [email protected] his rescuer he saw it was Edwin Booth, whose or mail your article to: face was of course well known to him. ♦ C. & M. Mazzocchi For the whole story see: 1430 18th Avenue

http://www.historynet.com/edwin-booth-saved- Wall, NJ 07719 robert-todd-lincolns-life.htm

Camp Olden Civil War Round Table and Museum 2202 Kuser Road Hamilton, 08690

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The Camp Olden Gazette 4