DOCSLIB.ORG

A New Look at Old Abe's Color Guard

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A New Look at Old Abe's Color Guard A New Look at Old Abe’s Color Guard By Tyler Phillips, Kenneth E. Byrd and Xukai Zou ne of the best-known images of the Civil War is that of of 1861, Chief Sky sold Old Abe to Daniel McCann, a French-Canadian the 8th Wisconsin Infantry Color Guard with its live eagle employee of Hudson’s Bay Company during a trading expedition. Chief mascot, Old Abe, taken shortly after the fall of Vicks- Sky received a bushel of corn in exchange for the eagle. burg, Miss., in July 1863. Although this image is widely Later that year, McCann sold Old Abe to Capt. John E. Perkins for familiar, the identities of the soldiers within the image are $2.50. Perkins had recruited volunteers from Wisconsin’s Eau Claire and uncertain. The original glass plate negative made by an Chippewa Counties to fight for the Union. They called themselves the unknown photographer resides at The Old Court House “Eau Claire Badgers.” These men adopted Old Abe, named by Perkins after Museum in Vicksburg. President Abraham Lincoln, as their mascot. The company’s quartermaster A copy print of the photograph, part of the A.G. constructed an ornate wooden perch for him. Weissert Collection in the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, In early September 1861, the Eau Claire Badgers traveled to the state features inscribed notes of some of the soldier’s identities. capital in Madison, and mustered into federal service as Company C of These inscriptions have become the de facto identifica- the 8th Wisconsin Infantry. After a few weeks of basic training at tions of the men in the image, though by an unknown author in what Camp Randall in Madison, the 8th left for the war’s Western appears to be a modern hand printing. We recently performed Theater. By this time, the 8th had become known as “The Oclassic and cutting-edge photo sleuthing techniques on this image Eagle Regiment.” According to a wartime account, the to gain insights about the true identities of the members of the enemy referred to Old Abe as “Yankee Buzzard.” color guard and the reliability of previous identifications. The Eagle Company had a volunteer “eagle Old Abe has a rich and unusual history. Chief Sky of the bearer,” who carried the perch to which Old Abe Ojibwa Native American tribe captured Old Abe within was tethered. This eagle bearer was charged with present-day Chequamegon National Forest. In the spring protecting and caring for Old Abe and would bring MI Spring 2019 60 Researchers combine classic and cutting-edge techniques to reexamine the identities of soldiers in an iconic image the eagle into battle alongside the color guard. Old Abe survived these forays and the war. The man who introduced him to the regiment, however, did not. Capt. Perkins suffered a mortal wound in the side at the Battle of Farmington, Miss., part of the Siege of Corinth, in May 1862. After the dawn of peace, Old Abe became an honorary Wisconsinite and American icon. He lived in a special room inside the Wisconsin Capi- tol. Popular at veterans’ reunion and other events, his photographs raised funds for various charitable causes. His death in 1881 was widely mourned, and taxidermists stuffed his body for display as a war relic. A 1904 fire in the Capitol consumed his remains. His likeness adorns many historical structures throughout Wisconsin and serves as the logo for the equipment manufacturer Case Corporation, as well as the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division. The image of Old Abe with the Color Guard pictures eight soldiers standing at parade rest in two rows of four. In the front row on the far left, a private holds the shield-shaped perch with Old Abe resting on top. Also in the front row, a sergeant holds the national colors, flanked on either side by a corporal. All the men wear broad-brimmed hats. The Wisconsin Veterans Museum print contains inscriptions on the A.G. Weissert Collection, Wisconsin Veterans Museum, Madison, Wis. View of the front and back of the print, and the mount to which it is attached. Spring 2019 MI 61 back identifying six of the eight soldiers. They are, from left to right: Soldier No. 3 Edward Homiston, an unknown soldier, Ambrose Armitage, Martin Diker- SUPPORTS CLAIM shield (or Dickerschied), David McLain, George Reily [sic], Adolph Pitsch, and another unknown soldier. Next, we considered the soldier third from the left, identified as We set out to verify Ambrose Armitage (1839-1880) of Rubicon, Wis. Armitage taught school the widely accepted iden- before he enlisted and kept a detailed diary of his daily activities during the war. An annotated edition of this diary appeared in 2006 by Alden Carter Old Abe’s likeness tifications. As noted in can be found on previous issues of MI, as Brother to the Eagle: The the insignia of the even museum holdings Civil War Journal of Sgt. Army’s can sometimes be mis- Ambrose Armitage, 8th 101st identified, and inscrip- Wisconsin Infantry. Armit- Airborne tions cannot be taken age noted that he was a Division part of the color guard, and and the at face value. We used equipment traditional techniques, spent most of his time with manufacturer as well as biometric and Company C. On March Case Corporation. computational analyses. 8, 1863, he wrote: “I have We began our photo heretofore been in the third sleuthing by gathering rank of the color guard on reference images, military the right of the state colors. To day I was placed service records and contemporary accounts for each of the soldiers named in the front rank on the right of the US flag. on the back of the image. Sergt Briggs Co ‘C’ is color bearer.” Here are our findings. Later, during the Siege of Vicksburg, Armitage stated that he was still part of the color guard. He also mentioned “Briggs” several times as the flag bearer, and “Homaston” (Homiston) as the eagle bearer. Unfortunately, he did not identify other color guard members. Soldier No. 1: Eagle Bearer Thus, by his own account, Armitage stood to the right of the national SUPPORTS CLAIM colors, a position supported by the photo’s inscription. The man’s chevrons match Armitage’s rank of corporal (later sergeant) in 1863. Finally, identi- First, we considered the leftmost soldier, the eagle bearer, identified in fied wartime portraits of Armitage from the aforementioned annotated the inscription as Edward Homiston (1837-1915) of Eau Claire. The 1865 edition of his diary and Ancestry.com show a similarly clean-shaven, square- book, History of ‘Old Abe’ the War Eagle of the Eighth Wisconsin Volunteers jawed man, leading us to identify him as Armitage. Soldier No. 5: National Flag Bearer CHALLENGES CLAIM Armitage’s diary supported two identifications from the inscription— of Homiston, and Armitage himself. But it called into question a third by Joseph O. Barrett, identifies Homiston (or Homaston) as the eagle bearer in the Color Guard photo. Having established identification. While this, we moved on to Armitage named “Sgt. the visual evidence of Briggs” as the flag the man’s uniform and bearer, the photo in- facial features. The scription indicates that soldier wears a sack coat the fifth soldier, the flag without chevrons, con- bearer, is David McLain sistent with Homiston’s (1837-1921) of Gil- rank of private. We manton, Wis. While then compared the soldier’s face with two identified reference photos—a period accounts name wartime view from the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and a postwar view McLain as a former from Ancestry.com—and found strong similarities. Thus, all the evidence eagle bearer, there is no supports the inscription’s claim of Homiston as the soldier. evidence he carried a MI Spring 2019 62 flag. Furthermore, unlike the flag bearer in the photo, McLain never held To test this theory, we compared the facial features of the flag bearer the rank of sergeant. with those of several other candidate soldiers who served in the Color The evidence favoring “Sgt. Briggs” is stronger. Myron A. Briggs (1838- Guard. We performed a range of tests using traditional biometric and state- 1923) of Eau Claire served as a sergeant in Company C. In the 1929 book of-the-art deep learning techniques. History, Tradition and Adventure in the Chippewa Valley by William W. The traditional biometric techniques involve two main steps. First, as Bartlett, the photo of Old Abe and the Color Guard is reproduced. Bartlett a preparatory step, we increased the contrast of the images using a process credits the image to the daughter of Briggs, who identified her father as known as “contrast equalization.” Then, we applied hundreds of Gabor the fifth, flag-bearing soldier. Unfortunately, we were unable to locate any filters, which are commonly used by researchers to reveal minute features in photographs of Briggs to compare facial features. images. These traditional techniques yielded interesting results that motivated us to apply a deep learning method called FaceNet, developed by Google for Soldier No. 6: Regimental Flag Bearer large-scale face recognition and verification. FaceNet analyzes visual imagery CHALLENGES CLAIM using a “convolutional neural network,” which extracts facial features from images for easy comparison. The method has been proven extremely ac- The mount inscription identifies the soldier holding the regimental flag curate. as “George Reily,” likely a reference to Cpl. George William Riley (1838- A detailed, scientific description of our methods can be viewed at 1905) of Eau Claire. The soldier’s rank insignia, if any, is obfuscated by the https://cs.iupui.edu/~xzou/CivilWarFacialAnalysis.pdf Our analysis using these techniques found that Riley’s wartime portrait had a 20 percent lower facial similarity than Quick’s 1905 portrait.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • “Old Abe” Camp #8 Commander's Corner
    Camp Orders 2011 ~ 2 Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War Grand Army of the Republic “Old Abe” Camp #8 Wisconsin Department NEXT Commander's MEETING Corner March 21, by Vince Barker 2011 Lower Level Lecture Room, Oshkosh Public Museum, Oshkosh, Wis. Doors open ~ 6:00 PM Meeting Begins Greetings Brothers of Camp 8! at 7:00 PM I hope you all are surviving our rough winter. It may not seem like it but spring is right around the corner and with 1331 Algoma Blvd. it our main activity season in the SUVCW. We have some great events lined up to kick off the Civil War Oshkosh, WI Sesquicentennial, starting with our March meeting in the Lower Level Lecture Room at the Oshkosh Public Musuem “Social Hour” before on March 21st. Start time is our usual 7pm. The museum the business portion curator, Brad Larsen, is giving a presentation on the history begins. and restoration efforts of the 3rd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry battle flag. Camp 8 is being asked to assist with the restoration costs. It should be a very interesting and informative program. Also, mark your calendars for Saturday, May 21st, for what will probably be our first dedication ceremony of the season. We are dedicating five new headstones in Plummer Cemetery, located just north of Oshkosh, on old Hwy 110. Several of these veterans were well known in the area and the event has stirred up considerable interest among descendants near and far. So far several are planning to attend and are spreading the word to more family members.
    [Show full text]
  • (July-November 1863) Lincoln's Popularit
    Chapter Thirty-one “The Signs Look Better”: Victory at the Polls and in the Field (July-November 1863) Lincoln’s popularity soared after the victories at Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Port Hudson. His old friend from Illinois, Jesse W. Fell, reflected the changed public mood. In August, Fell told Lyman Trumbull that during the early stages of the war, “I did not like some things that were done, and many things that were not done, by the present Administration.” Along with most “earnest, loyal men, I too was a grumbler, because, as we thought, the Gov't. moved too slow.” But looking back, Fell acknowledged that “we are not now disposed to be sensorious [sic] to the ‘powers that be,’ even among ourselves.” To the contrary, “it is now pretty generally conceded, that, all things considered, Mr. Lincoln's Administration has done well.” Such “is the general sentiment out of Copperhead Circles.” Lincoln had been tried, and it was clear “that he is both honest and patriotic; that if he don't go forward as fast as some of us like, he never goes backwards.”1 To a friend in Europe, George D. Morgan explained that the president “is very popular and good men of all sides seem to regard him as the man for the place, for they see what one cannot see abroad, how difficult the position he has to fill, to keep 1 Fell to Lyman Trumbull, Cincinnati, 11 August 1863, Trumbull Papers, Library of Congress. 3378 Michael Burlingame – Abraham Lincoln: A Life – Vol. 2, Chapter 31 the border States quiet, to keep peace with the different generals, and give any satisfaction to the radicals.”2 One of those Radicals, Franklin B.
    [Show full text]
  • Abraham Lincoln's Personality
    I Abraham Lincoln's Personality Honesty Excerpts from newspapers and other sources From the files of the Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection yz-zw*) ogr^j^/ HONEST OLD ABE. The Life and Pub- lic Services of Hon. Abraham Lincoln, with a por- trait oa steel, to which is added a biographical sketch of Hon. Hannibal Hamlin. The Reason Why of Natural History, by tho author of Inquire Within, etc. Travels In Europe, its people and scene y, embracing graphic de- scriptions of the principal cities, buildings, scenery, and most notable people In Engljrvland on the continent by Geo. H. Calvert, Esq. HtoflGUSd Disease, by the eHitor of Halls Journal of Health. "^Travel and Study In Italy by Xorton. Memorials of Thomas Hook. The Barbarism of Slavery, by Charles Sumner. The Jdill on pie Floss, by the author or Adam Bede, etc. ja.* ^ < . , C /, d J ** w lor sale by, „- fiEDDDTG <fc,CO.,l I • • ' ,'...'; , .. auy7 i .-, .. i 7 ^8 State street. MI?. IJKCOftZFS EAEIiY STRUGGLES. He who observed Abraham Lincoln's life from boyhood to manhood might have appropriately applied to him Tennyson's expressive phrase, "And breasts the blows of circumstances." The blows were severe, for the circumstances were hostile. The poverty of bis parents allowed him to altend school only at intervals, when be could be spared from the log cabin and the corn-patch. His father and mother encouraged him to learn, bnt they could not give him a school attendance of more than a single year during bis whole boyhood. But he made the best use of bis rare opportunities.
    [Show full text]
  • Military Images Index the Index Is Organized Alphabetically by Subject Followed by the Month and Year of the Issue, and the Page Number of the Article
    Military Images Magazine Magazine Index Military Images Index The index is organized alphabetically by subject followed by the month and year of the issue, and the page number of the article. Please refer back to this index periodically as issues are still being added. This is an index of Civil War era photographic images only, not magazine articles. Many of the photos are owned by private collectors or descendants of those pictured. Please contact Military Images magazine directly for more information at http://militaryimagesmagazine.com. Soldiers are Privates in the Infantry unless otherwise noted. Regiments are Infantry unless otherwise noted. Abbott, Lt. Edward. 17th U.S. Jul./Aug. 1996, page 22. Abbott, Francis H. Co A, 17th Virginia. Mar./Apr. 2008, page 14. Abbott, Henry H. 7th Indiana Cav. Jul./Aug. 1985, page 25. Abbott, Lt. Lemuel. 10th Vermont. Sep./Oct. 1991, page 11. Abercrombie, Brig.Gen. John. and staff. May/Jun. 2000, page 13. Abernathy, Macon. Co G, 10th Alabama. Nov./Dec. 2005, page 24. Ackerman, Andrew W. 11th New Jersey. Nov./Dec. 2003, page 21. Ackles, Lt. George. unknown. Jul./Aug. 1992, page 18. Acton, Capt. Frank. Co F, 12th New Jersey. Sep./Oct. 1989, page 21. Adair, William Penn. 2nd Cherokee Mounted Rifles. C.S.A. Sep./Oct. 1994, page 11. Adams, 1stLt. Allen. 21st New York. Nov./Dec. 1987, page 25; Nov./Dec. 1999, page 47. Adams, Charles Francis. 1st & 5th Massachusetts Cav. Sep./Oct. 2007, page 28. Adams, George. 6th New York Hy. Art. Winter 2015, page 44. Adams, Henry M. Co F, 83rd Pennsylvania.
    [Show full text]
  • The Battles of Mansfield (Sabine Crossroads) and Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, 8 and 9 April 1864
    RICE UNIVERSITY DEAD-END AT THE CROSSROADS: THE BATTLES OF MANSFIELD (SABINE CROSSROADS) AND PLEASANT HILL, LOUISIANA, 8 AND 9 APRIL 1864 by Richard Leslie Riper, Jr. A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS Thesis Director's Signature Houston, Texas May, 1976 Abstract Dead-End at the Crossroads: The Battles of Mansfield (Sabine Cross¬ roads) and Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, 8 and 9 April 1864 Richard Leslie Riper, Jr. On 8 April 1864 a Union army commanded by Major General Nathaniel P. Banks was defeated by a Confederate army commanded by Major General Richard Taylor at the small town of Mansfield, Louisiana. In Union records the engagement was recorded as the battle of Sabine Crossroads, and the defeat signaled the "high-water mark" for the Union advance toward Shreveport. General Banks, after repeated urging by Major General Henry Hal- leck, General-in-Chief of the Union Army, had launched a drive up the Red River through Alexandria and Natchitoches to capture Shreveport, the industrial hub of the Trans-Mississippi Department. From New Or¬ leans and Berwick, Louisiana, and from Vicksburg, Mississippi, the Fédérais converged on Alexandria. From Little Rock, Arkansas, a Union column under Major General Frederick Steele was to join Banks at Shreve¬ port. Three major infantry forces and the Union Navy under Admiral David D. Porter were to participate in the campaign, yet no one was given supreme authority to coordinate the forces. Halleck's orders were for the separate commands only to co-operate with Banks--a clear viola¬ tion of the principle of unity of command.
    [Show full text]
  • The Vicksburg Campaign
    THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN By WILLIAM FREEMAN VLAS WISCONSIN HISTORY COMMISSION ORIGINAL'PAPERS, NO. ( Presented by Senator Fred A. Risser THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN WILLIAM FREEMAN VILAS WISCONSIN HISTORY COMMISSION: ORIGINAL PAPERS, NO. 1 A VIEW OF THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN A Paper read before the Madison Literary Club, October 14, 1907 BY WILLIAM FREEMAN VILAS, LL. D LIEUTENANT-COLONEL OP TWENTY-THIRD WISCONSIN VOLUNTBER INFANTRY WISCONSIN HISTORY COMMISSION AUGUST, 1908 TWENTY-FIVE HUNDRED COPIES PRINTED DEMOCRAT PRINTING CO., STATE PRINTER ¿Oí', Où J er* CONTENTS PAGE WISCONSIN HISTORY COMMISSION . .ix PREFACE xi A VIEW OF THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN. William Freeman Vilas i APPENDIX: Wisconsin Soldiers in the Vicksburg Cam­ paign. William Freeman Vilas . 59 Selected List of References. Minnie Myrtle Oakley 84 ILLUSTRATIONS PORTRAIT OF AUTHOR - - - Frontispiece MAP OF VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN - - - - I WISCONSIN HISTORY COMMISSION (Organized under the provisions of Chapter 298, Laws of 1905, as amended by Chapter 378, Laws of 1907) JAMES 0. DAVIDSON Governor oj Wisconsin FREDERICK J. TURNER Projessor oj American History in the Univer­ sity oj Wisconsin REUBEN G. THWAITES Secretary of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin HENRY E. LEGLER Secretary of the Wisconsin Library Commission CHARLES E. ESTABROOK Representing Department of Wisconsin, Grand- Army of the Republic Chairman, COMMISSIONER ESTABROOK Secretary, COMMISSIONER THWAITES Committee on Publications, COMMISSIONERS LEGLER, THWAITES, AND TURNER [ix] PREFACE Chapter 378 of the Laws of Wisconsin
    [Show full text]
  • March 2014 Dispatch (PDF)
    The Dispatch A Monthly Journal of WCWA News Vol. 8, Issue 3 Everett, WA March, 2014, depicting 1864 New Event Registration Protocol By Elizabeth Sier The Dispatch Staff At the February 15th Board Meeting, a new present, to complete the registration process procedure for registering WCWA and NCWC and pay dues. A signed, stamped receipt will Editor: members at our events was approved. The be given to those people to present to unit Gary Michie, process was conceived by US Battalion commander/leader to verify they have [email protected] 509-233-8912 Commander Alan Geho in concert with CS registered ; Battalion Commander Rob LeCocq. The e) Unit commander/leader will sign the roster Co-Editor Membership Committee spent some time stating/certifying that every person participat- Elizabeth Sier, working on it, and the Board has approved it ing in their unit is a current WCWA or NCWC [email protected] 425-308-7963 for our 2014 events. member; f) At first sergeant's call, first sergeants will The process, in a nutshell, will be: Contributing Writer return their unit's daily report form to their bat- a) The Membership Coordinator (MC) will John Strand, talion commander; civilian unit leaders will re- [email protected] create a separate new Daily Report form for turn their unit's daily report form to their civilian 206-784-4123 each unit that lists current military and civilian community leader; members for each unit. MC will also get a g) At the end of each day or within two days current roster from NCWC; of the end of the event, battalion staff and civil- Check out the b) The MC, or designee, will provide those ian community leaders will convey all daily WCWA Website forms to the Battalion Commanders and Civil- report forms, new membership forms and pay- www.wcwa.net ian Community Leaders on Friday of each ments to the MC or an MC designee.
    [Show full text]
  • Timeline 1863
    CIVIL WAR TIMELINE 1863 Jan. 1 President Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation. It frees all slaves in regions under Confederate control and authorizes the enlistment of black soldiers. Note that it does not outlaw slavery in all areas of the country. Tennessee, which is under Union control (and whose constitution will be among the first to ban slavery); Southern Louisiana, which has remained loyal to the Union; and the border states of Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri are exempt from the Emancipation Proclamation, even though slavery exists in its cruelest forms in all six states. [See September 5, 1864] “ African Americans in New York City hold a Grand Emancipation Jubilee at Shiloh Church, a night-watch of celebration in anticipation of the Emancipation Proclamation. Hundreds of people attend, almost one-third of them white. “ TN Lucy Virginia French of McMinnville writes in her journal: “A New Year commenced today—heaven grant that ere it ends peace may reign among us once more.... I rose with new thanksgivings for the victory of yesterday [Stones River]....Old Abe is said to have revoked his Emancipation Proclamation—his message is a ‘funny’ document—the butt and laughing stock of all Europe—in it he recommends ‘gradual’ emancipation.” “ TN Skirmishes near Clifton as Forrest crosses the Tennessee River there, On his way out of West Tennessee; skirmishes at and near LaVergne and at Stewart’s Creek. Jan. 2 TN C.S. General Breckinridge attacks the Federal position at Stones River late in the day. Although initially successful, he is eventually repulsed & withdraws. With 23,000 casualties, Murfreesboro/Stones River is the second bloodiest battle fought west of the Appalachians during the Civil War.
    [Show full text]
  • Camp Orders 2019-03
    Camp Orders 2019-03 Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War Grand Army of the Republic “Old Abe” Camp #8 Wisconsin Department March 2014 Camp May 20th Meeting Will Be Held At Oshkosh Fire Station #17, 1813 Algoma Blvd, Oshkosh, WI Our March meeting, Monday, May 20th, is being held at Oshkosh Fire Station #17, 1813 Algoma Blvd, Oshkosh, WI. This fire station is located at the southern end of Riverside Cemetery in Oshkosh, WI. Parking will be in back of the fire station where the red arrow is. - Meeting Directions - Coming from the north or south take Hwy 41 to exit 120. After exiting head into the city of Oshkosh on Algoma Blvd. Drive on Algoma Blvd past the large cemetery on your right which will be Riverside Cemetery. At the end Riverside Cemetery you will see Fire Station #17 just before the intersection of Algoma Blvd & West Murdock Avenue. From Waupaca & the west take Hwy 45 straight into Oshkosh. Hwy 45 becomes Algoma Blvd once you pass over Hwy 41. Stay on Algoma Blvd & go past the large cemetery on your right which will be 1 of 11 Riverside Cemetery. At the end Riverside Cemetery you will see Fire Station #17 just before the intersection of Algoma Blvd & West Murdock Avenue. Commander’s Comments Camp Commander Kim J. Heltemes Brothers, The summer months are upon us. With summer comes dedications and graveyard work. I am ordering 3 headstones, one is for an unmarked grave and 2 are replacement markers. We will need to install them. Also, we have to place 5 of the neighboring counties Last Soldier markers and have the dedications for each.
    [Show full text]
  • Civil War Diary Keeping: Every Man Was His Own Historian
    Undergraduate Library Research Awards ULRA Awards Civil War Diary Keeping: Every Man Was His Own Historian Noelle Toland Loyola Marymount University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/ulra Recommended Citation Toland, Noelle, "Civil War Diary Keeping: Every Man Was His Own Historian" (2011). Undergraduate Library Research Awards. 1. https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/ulra/awards/2011/1 This Event is brought to you for free and open access by the William H. Hannon Library at Digital Commons @ Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. It has been accepted for inclusion in Undergraduate Library Research Awards by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY CIVIL WAR DIARY KEEPING: EVERY MAN WAS HIS OWN HISTORIAN SENIOR THESIS April 8 th , 2011 1 Let history tell of their glorious deeds! In poetry, prose, and in song! Let angels shout victory, as veterans pass Through the gates of the glorified throng. – Corporal Charles E. Smith All quiet. – Captain Richard Blackstone 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………..……..3 CHAPTER I: Richard Blackstone Keeps Track …………………………………..……13 CHAPTER II: Charles E. Smith Rhymes and Reasons ………………………………...21 CHAPTER III: Same Infantry, Similar Histories, Separate Intent s…………...……….31 CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………….……...38 WORKS CITED………………………………………………………………………..39 ENDNOTES…………………………………………………………………………….41 3 INTRODUCTION: Every Man Was His Own Historian Official records and secondary sources provide an overview of historical events, but the substance of history is built on the aggregate output of human agency. Personal accounts of the Civil War offer a close-up view of the past.
    [Show full text]
  • The Emancipation Proclamation
    Chapter Twenty-nine “I Am Not a Bold Man, But I Have the Knack of Sticking to My Promises!”: The Emancipation Proclamation (September-December 1862) Though Lincoln’s announcement that he would issue an Emancipation Proclamation seemed to do more harm than good in the short run, he refused to back down. His deep commitment to black freedom led him to stand by his decision despite intense pressure. BACKLASH: ELECTORAL REVERSES The Proclamation, which some commentators dismissed as a ploy to strengthen the Republicans politically, instead contributed to the party’s severe losses in the fall of 1862. As Montgomery Blair had warned, the Proclamation became a club which the Democrats employed to cudgel Republicans in election campaigns that October.1 During the fall electoral contests, Democrats relentlessly employed their customary appeal to what the New York Tribune aptly called “that cruel and ungenerous 1 V. Jacque Voegeli, Free But Not Equal: The Midwest and the Negro during the Civil War (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1967), 52-67; Forrest G. Wood, Black Scare: The Racist Response to Emancipation and Reconstruction (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1968), 17-39; Frank L. Klement, “Midwestern Opposition to Lincoln’s Emancipation Policy,” Journal of Negro History 49 (1964): 169-83. 3129 Michael Burlingame – Abraham Lincoln: A Life – Vol. 2, Chapter 29 prejudice against color which still remains to disgrace our civilization and to impeach our Christianity.”2 Those appeals were especially virulent in the Midwest.3 The Cincinnati
    [Show full text]
  • The Enlisted Men of the Illinois Infantry in the Civil War
    Illinois Wesleyan University Digital Commons @ IWU Honors Projects History Department 1987 Lincoln's Boys: The Enlisted Men of the Illinois Infantry in the Civil War Peter R. Wells Illinois Wesleyan University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/history_honproj Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Wells, Peter R., "Lincoln's Boys: The Enlisted Men of the Illinois Infantry in the Civil War" (1987). Honors Projects. 46. https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/history_honproj/46 This Article is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Commons @ IWU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this material in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This material has been accepted for inclusion by faculty at Illinois Wesleyan University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ©Copyright is owned by the author of this document. LINCOL N'S BOYS The Enlisted Men of the Il linois Infantry in the Civil Wa r Peter R. Wells April 27, 1987 Hi s tory 450 Dr . Michael Young Dr . Ro bert Bray Mr . Robert Frizzell Dr . John Heyl Tabl e of Contents Ackn owl edgments v Introduction 1 1. Te nting on the Ol d Camp Gr ound 5 2. Hard Cracker s 19 3. We eping Sad and Lonely 30 4 .
    [Show full text]