BCWRT Pages Template

THE “OLD LINER” NEWSLETTER Two Richmond Civil War to the African-American experience or While the Civil War Sesquicentennial immigrants or the role of Jews." has drawn visitors to the museum, Museums Team up for Coleman said the Confederacy overall it has seen a sharp decline in new Center museum's collection will complement attendance through the years as the By STEVE SZKOTAK, (AP) her museum's mission of looking at Virginia Commonwealth University RICHMOND, Virginia — One the social and political stories of the Medical Center and related facilities museum has among its vast Civil War. have grown around it, enveloping Confederate-centric collection "The combination of that is what both buildings. Finding the museum Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's sword makes this so exciting to us," she can be a challenge even for city and the flag that flew at Robert E. said. residents. Lee's headquarters. The other In a joint announcement, the The James River location for the new museum strives to tell the story of the museums said the new historic attraction, a little more than one mile American Civil War through the eyes attraction in the former capital of the (1.6 kilometers) from Museum of the of Northerners and Southerners, secessionist Confederacy has yet to Confederacy, offers a more freed and enslaved blacks, soldiers be named, but $20 million has been expansive and accessible site. It's and civilians. committed to its construction. Ground also home to the National Park Now the Museum of the Confederacy will be broken in 2014, with an Service's Richmond Visitor Center, and the American Civil War Center expected opening the following year. and already is a popular destination are joining forces to build a $30 The new museum will be located for Civil War buffs. Concerts and million museum in Richmond with the along the James River, at the other events also draw city-dwellers goal of creating the top Civil War Tredegar Ironworks, where much of and tourists to the grassy grounds museum in the nation 150 years after the South's cannons were forged along the river. the deadliest conflict fought on U.S. during the war. It's also the home of soil from 1861-65 between the the Civil War Center. The museums The Last Civil War Northern states and the secessionist, said bringing together both pro-slavery Southern states. institutions will "further establish Veterans… Or Were The marriage of museums, Richmond as the foremost Civil War They? announced to The Associated Press, destination in the United States." Smithsonian Magazine, November 6, will meld the collection of At the new attraction, Coleman will 2013 Confederate battle flags, uniforms, share the title of CEO with Waite Albert Woolson loved the parades. weapons and other historic relics with Rawls, president of the Confederacy For Memorial Day in Duluth, a narrative-based museum that uses museum. It dates to 1890 and traces Minnesota, he rode in the biggest car bold, interactive exhibits and living the origins of much of its collections down the widest streets of his history events to relate its 360-degree to the men who fought for the South hometown. The city etched his name telling of the war. and their descendants, in particular in the Duluth Honor Roll, and he was What some might view as an unlikely Lee and other Southern military celebrated at conventions and partnership "makes so much sense" leaders. banquets across the North. Even the to Christy Coleman, president of the The Museum of the Confederacy president wrote him letters on his American Civil War Center, which claims the world's largest and most birthday. Because everyone said he opened in 2000 at a site where the comprehensive collection of was the last surviving member of the new museum will rise. Confederate artifacts: Grand Army of the Republic, a "That's part of the point," Coleman thousands of carefully preserved fraternal organization of Union said in an interview with The battle flags, dolls used to smuggle veterans once nearly half a million Associated Press. "They have an medicine to troops, Jackson's sword. strong, they erected a life-size statue incredible collection that is absolutely Only a fraction of the collection is on of him on the most hallowed ground Confederate strong, but there are a display at the museum's downtown of that entire horrible conflict— lot of artifacts that have not been able Richmond site, next to the former Gettysburg. to be fully explored or used to relate White House of the Confederacy. Though deaf and often ill, he was still spry enough that, even at 109 years BALTIMORE CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE THE “OLD LINER” NEWSLETTER of age, he could be polite and goes, young Albert, blue-eyed and page spread to the old Rebel, mannerly, always a gentleman. He blonde-haired, a mere five and a half including a photograph of Williams was especially fond of children and feet tall, took his father’s place. With propped up on his pillows, a large enjoyed visiting schools and exciting just a year left in the war, he enlisted Stars and Bars flag hanging on the the boys with stories of cannon and as a drummer boy with the 1st wall. An American Legion band steel and unbelievable courage on Minnesota Heavy Artillery Regiment, serenaded at his window, and he the fields around Chattanooga. The rolling his snare as they marched tapped his long, spindly fingers in boys called him “Grandpa Al.” south to Tennessee. time with “Old Soldiers Never Die.” But Woolson could be fussy. His But that had been long ago, more Like Woolson, Williams could be breakfast eggs had to be scrambled than 90 years past. Now Albert cantankerous. On his last birthday, and his bacon crisp. He continued to Woolson’s days were fading, the when he said he was 117, they smoke; he had probably lit up more muffled drum of his youth a softening served him his favorite barbecued than a thousand cigars just since he memory. At St. Luke’s Hospital in pork, though his daughter and a had hit the century mark. And no one Duluth, his health deteriorating, he nurse had to feed him. His bed was kept him from his half-ounce of would sometimes feel his old self, piled high with cards and telegrams, brandy before dinner. quoting Civil War verse or the but he could not read them. He could Gettysburg Address. But then on a hardly pick them up. “I’m tired of Saturday in late July, 1956, he staying here,” he complained in his slipped into a coma. Just before he son’s ear. The son smiled and told drifted off, he asked a nurse’s aide for visitors how they had hunted deer a dish of lemon sherbet. She gave together when his father was 101. him some soft candy too. As she shut “He rode a horse until he was 103,” the door she glanced back at her the son said. patient. “I thought he was looking very old,” she recalled. For a week he lay quietly in his hospital bed, awaiting death. Down in Houston, old Walter Washington Williams had sent Woolson a telegram congratulating him on turning 109. “Happy birthday greetings from Colonel Walter Williams,” the wire said. Williams was blind, nearly deaf, rail- thin, and confined to a bed in his daughter’s house. He had served as a Confederate forage master for Hood’s Brigade, they said, and now he was bound and determined to be the last on either side still alive when Albert Woolson, the last in blue in the twilight America’s great Civil War Centennial of his old age, still could hit the drums like a Death approaching, soon to usher out the last boy sounding the march to war. (Courtesy of commemoration began in 1961. “I’m of the Civil War era, Walter Williams lies near Whitman College and Northwest Archives, going to wait around until the others comatose in the back room of his daughter’s Walla Walla, Washington) are gone,” he said, “to see what Houston home in December 1958. Dr. Heyl G. Tebo, commander of the Houston chapter of happens.” the Sons of Confederate Veterans, presents His grandfather had served in the Williams had ridden in a parade too. him with a citation proclaiming him an honorary War of 1812, and when guns were He was named in presidential lifetime member of the organization. (Courtesy fired on Fort Sumter in 1861, his proclamations and tributes in the of the Houston Chronicle) father went off to fight for Lincoln. He press. Life magazine devoted a three- lost a leg and died. So, as the story BALTIMORE CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE THE “OLD LINER” NEWSLETTER Williams’ last public outing was in an Many who claimed to be well over The last veteran who said he fought Armed Forces Day parade in Houston 100 and survivors of that great war for the Union was Albert Woolson; in May 1959, when he rode in an air- were really imposters, some flat-out Walter Williams said he was the last conditioned ambulance. As he frauds. In truth they had been mere Confederate. One of them indeed passed the reviewing stand, he children and too young to march off to was a soldier, but one, according to struggled to raise his arm in salute. war in the early 1860s. Or they had the best evidence, was a fake. Then they took him home and put him not even been born. Yet as they grew back to bed.

Load more