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THE “OLD LINER” NEWSLETTER Civil War Trust unveils to donate "a significant collection of keynote speech at the anniversary Civil War artifacts" to the park program. plan to preserve service. Park Superintendent Rick Slade Robert E. Lee credited Lighthizer with preserving nearly one-third of the Monocacy Headquarters battlefield’s 1,500 acres when he was By Jeffrey B. Roth, Reuters, July 1, Maryland transportation secretary 2014 and a state legislator. A non-profit trust dedicated to “Jim is a great advocate for Civil War preserving Civil War sites plans to parks, but he has a specific spend more than $5 million to save connection to Monocacy National and restore a small stone building Battlefield,” Slade said. which served as the headquarters for Lighthizer made the case for Confederate general Robert E. Lee preserving battlefields while during the Battle of Gettysburg. highlighting the importance of the The Battle of Gettysburg, which Battle of Monocacy. He described lasted three days in 1863, is often Monocacy as “the Rodney described as the turning point of the Thompson House, Lee’s Headquarters at Gettysburg, July 1863 - NPS Photo Dangerfield of battlefields. It gets no Civil War. Some 164,000 troops from respect.” both sides participated, and some Vigorous debate exists among Civil 51,000 were left dead, wounded, About $2.5 million of the total cost has already been raised through War enthusiasts, Lighthizer said, captured or missing. about the importance of the so-called The Civil War Trust announced on private donations and the trust is applying for a $1.5 million grant, said “battle that saved Washington." Tuesday it had purchased the four- “I’m not going to argue if it was the acre plot of land surrounding the Jim Lighthizer, president of the Trust. The remaining $1.1 million must be greatest battle, but it is significant,” he building, and plans to raze several said. non-historic buildings at the site, said raised before the end of this year, he said. If Gen. Jubal Early had invaded Mary Koik, a spokeswoman for the Washington, even for a few hours, trust. “I’d suggest to you it would have been The Lee headquarters and another Anniversary speaker able to sink President (Abraham) building that is part of the casts new light on Lincoln,” Lighthizer said. preservation project currently occupy Everyone debates the turning point of the same four-acre property as the Monocacy battle By Ike Wilson, Frederick News-Post, the war, he said, “but think about this: Appalachian Brewery and the Quality If Lincoln didn’t get re-elected, it Inn. In early 2015, the Civil War Trust July 10, 2014 The 150th anniversary program would have had odious will take over the property and raze consequences. There could have those two buildings, Koik said. Wednesday at the Monocacy National Battlefield was educational been independent states and a return "We've torn down smaller buildings, to slavery.” but these are the largest we will have for Barbara Whitacre. “You never heard of the Battle of Looking at history in the rearview ever removed," Koik said. mirror is ill-advised, Lighthizer said, The project will take nine to 12 Monocacy during the Civil War’s centennial celebration,” said but preserving battlefields must be a months once the restoration phase priority on all fronts. begins, and the site will eventually be Whitacre, of Winchester, Virginia. “This was an opportunity to learn. “The world will not remember a damn turned over to the National Park thing about what I say today, but Service and the Gettysburg “I don’t think there was a battle that was not significant," she said. "It’s all what’s going to last, what remains if Foundation, she said. we do it right is the land,” he said. Belmont Partnership, the former history; it’s made us what we are as a country.” “We ought to be focusing on saving owners, will continue to operate their the land because long after time has businesses until 2015, Koik said. In Whitacre and others applauded Civil addition, Belmont Partnership plans War Trust President Jim Lighthizer’s BALTIMORE CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE THE “OLD LINER” NEWSLETTER passed, the land will be here, and gulped the brew and started firing Army camps could always find work we’ll be able to remember our past.” again. “It was like putting a new as cooks if they were good at Local Civil War enthusiast Jim Enright regiment in the fight,” their officer “settling” the coffee – getting the said Lighthizer made a convincing recalled. Three decades later, grounds to sink to the bottom of the argument that if Early had gotten into McKinley ran for president in part on unfiltered muckets. Washington, the headlines would this singular act of caffeinated For much of the war, the massive have read, "Lincoln and Cabinet had heroism. Union Army of the Potomac made up to flee." At the time, no one found McKinley’s the second-largest population center “With all the Civil War writings, act all that strange. For Union in the Confederacy, and each nobody’s ever said that before,” soldiers, and the lucky Confederates morning this sprawling city became a Enright said. “What I learned from the who could scrounge some, coffee coffee factory. First, as another diarist speech is that this was really the fueled the war. Soldiers drank it noted, “little campfires, rapidly battle that saved President Lincoln. before marches, after marches, on increasing to hundreds in number, He really made the Battle of patrol, during combat. In their diaries, would shoot up along the hills and Monocacy more important.” “coffee” appears more frequently than plains.” Then the encampment The anniversary program was the the words “rifle,” “cannon” or “bullet.” buzzed with the sound of thousands culmination of nine months of Ragged veterans and tired nurses of grinders simultaneously crushing planning, Slade said, adding that the agreed with one diarist: “Nobody can beans. Soon tens of thousands of event has brought a number of new ‘soldier’ without coffee.” muckets gurgled with fresh brew. visitors to the battlefield, and the Union troops made their coffee Confederates were not so lucky. The exposure is much needed. everywhere, and with everything: with Union blockade kept most coffee out Monocacy is a relatively young park water from canteens and puddles, of seceded territory. One British that is not that well-known, partly brackish bays and Mississippi mud, observer noted that the loss of coffee because of two larger parks close by liquid their horses would not drink. “afflicts the Confederates even more — Gettysburg and Antietam national They cooked it over fires of plundered than the loss of spirits,” while an battlefields, the superintendent said. fence rails, or heated mugs in Alabama nurse joked that the fierce But Monocacy’s significance has scalding steam-vents on naval craving for caffeine would, somehow, been evolving over time, he said. gunboats. When times were good, be the Union’s “means of subjugating “I’ve learned the jury is still out on the coffee accompanied beefsteaks and us.” When coffee was available, park’s significance, which could be oysters; when they were bad it captured or smuggled or traded with perceived as troubling, but I see it as washed down raw salt-pork and Union troops during casual cease- an opportunity,” Slade said. “It’s been maggoty hardtack. Coffee was often fires, Confederates wrote amazing to see the interest and the the last comfort troops enjoyed before rhapsodically about their first sip. turnout. A lot of people have said they entering battle, and the first sign of The problem spilled over to the Union had no idea of the richness of our safety for those who survived. invaders. When Gen. William T. story.” The Union Army encouraged this Sherman’s Union troops decided to love, issuing soldiers roughly 36 live off plunder and forage as they cut How Coffee Fueled the pounds of coffee each year. Men their way through Georgia and South ground the beans themselves (some Carolina, soldiers complained that Civil War carbines even had built-in grinders) while food was plentiful, there were By JON GRINSPAN, New York and brewed it in little pots called no beans to be found. “Coffee is only Times, July 9, 2014 muckets. They spent much of their got from Uncle Sam,” an Ohio officer It was the greatest coffee run in downtime discussing the quality of grumbled, and his men “could scarce American history. The Ohio boys had that morning’s brew. Reading their get along without it.” been fighting since morning, trapped diaries, one can sense the delight Confederate soldiers and civilians in the raging battle of Antietam, in (and addiction) as troops gushed would not go without. Many cooked September 1862. Suddenly, a 19- about a “delicious cup of black,” or up coffee substitutes, roasting corn or year-old William McKinley appeared, fumed about “wishy-washy coffee.” rye or chopped beets, grinding them under heavy fire, hauling vats of hot Escaped slaves who joined Union finely and brewing up something coffee. The men held out tin cups, BALTIMORE CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE THE “OLD LINER” NEWSLETTER warm and brown. It contained no stuff at every meal pointed ahead revealed: Lyons Wakeman was born caffeine, but desperate soldiers toward the world the war made, a a woman, Sarah Rosetta Wakeman. claimed to love it. Gen. George civilization that lives on today in every The only people who knew for certain Pickett, famous for that failed charge office break room. the soldier’s true identity were the at Gettysburg, thanked his wife for But more than that, coffee was simply parents and eight siblings Lyons left the delicious “coffee” she had sent, delicious, soothing – “the soldier’s behind.

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