DOCSLIB.ORG

The Story of Old Abe : Wisconsin's Civil War Hero

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Story of Old Abe : Wisconsin's Civil War Hero The Story 01 Old Abe By Malcolm and Marlaret Rosholt The Story of Old Abe Wisconsin's Civil War Hero by Malcolm & Margaret Rosholt Illustrated by Don Mullen Copyright 1987 by Malcolm & Margaret Rosholt All rights reserved Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 87-090548 ISBN: 0-910417-09-1 . First Edition ROSHOLT HOUSE 406 River Drive, P.O. Box 104 Rosholt, WI 54473 Madison and Camp Randall The Story of Old Abe Wisconsin's Civil War Hero I am a bald eagle. My name is Old Abe. It is a name ofhonor as you will learn when youreadmy story. I have had a mostinterestinglife. I servedinthe Union Army for three years during the Civil War and took part in thirty-seven battles. I was wounded once when a bullet shot off some of my tail feathers. After the war I traveled in many states helping to raise money for hospitals,to take care ofwounded and disabled soldiers. But let me start from the beginning. Twenty years ago, in the spring of 1861, I was hatched from an egg in a nest in a tree top overlooking the south fork ofthe Flambeau River in northern Wis­ consin. I had a sister who was hatched two days· later. We both enjoyed the comfort ofa warm nest which my father had built of sticks and grass. My motherlaidtheeggs andbothmyfather and. mothertookturns keepingthem warm. Mymother told me she turned the eggs from time to time and .that she loved me even before I was hatched. 1 At thirty-nine days, she said, I pecked a small holeinmy egg shell andb"egan to cheep and cheep. She answered me and we talked together. It took me two days to get out ofthe shell completely. My mother couldn't help me but she encouraged me to get out. When I was hatched, I was covered with a soft grayish fuzz or down. My father had left a whole fish at the edge ofthe nest and my mother took a piece ofit to feed me right away. She could hardly get the food into my mouth because my head was so weak it wobbled from side to side. After one bite I fell asleep. When I awoke she fed me again and then I slept. After only one day I was stronger. Then I heard cheeping from the other egg and my mother answered. Two days later a little fuzz ball broke through the shell. That was my sister andI didn'tlike heronebitbecausemymotherwas fussing overher andfeeding hertoo. I wasjealous. I tried to grab the food away from her but my motherfed us both andthen we slept. I triedto peck my sister too but soon she was strong enough to protect herself. Everydaythefuzz on ourbodies becamethicker. We ate every four hours between naps. At the end offour weeks I weighedthreepounds andso did my sister. We were also beginning to grow stubby 2 wing feathers, and our claws were strong enough to grasp food for ourselves. When we were five weeks old my mother did not sitonthenestanymoreexceptatnight. Duringthe day my father and mother flew off,together in search offood. Butthey stillhadto'protect usfrom other birds. They screamed and whistled to warn strangers, like hawks and owls, to stay away from our,nest. This was their territory and anyone who came close could expect a fight. Our nest was so high in the tree we could see all around us, and we often watched the deer come to the riverfor a drink. Therewere beavers buildinga dam in the river too. Sometimes we heard the par­ tridge beating their wings, like distant drums. We eagles havesuchgood eyesightthatwe could see our parents returning to our nest while they were still far off. We cheeped and cheeped until they returned. We loved to watch them. Our parents were beautiful bald eagles with white heads and necks and white tail feathers. Their wings and body feathers were dark brown and shiny. They hardly moved their'wings to fly. They soared and circled most of the time, riding the wind currents, shifting their tail feathers to wing over, banking and turning, up and down, around and around. We knew that one day we would belike them. 4 At eight weeks we had all our feathers. Our mother taught us to put our beaks into the oil sack atthebaseofourtail andrub theoil on ourfeathers to make them shine. My sister slept more than I did. While she slept I walked around the edge of the nest exercising my legs and testing my wings into the wind to see if they were getting strong enough to fly. 6 Chapter Two Oneday while I was preeningmyselfattheedge ofthenest, a manwalked underourtree. He looked up and saw me. He started to chop at the tree with an ax. Whatin the world was he doing down there· shaking our nest? Pretty soon the tree moved and my sister and I began to shriek, hoping that our parents would hear us. The man had been chopping so fast that he did notcarewhich waythetreefell, and down itcame, crashing into a pile ofbrush. My sister was killed by a sharp stick that pierced her heart, and I was thrown from the nest and landed between the branches. I wasn't hurt but I did not know how to fly to get away. The stran·ger reached down be­ tween the branches and grabbed me. I screeched as loud as I could but that did not bother him. He stood there and gave a loud war whoop that could be heard up and down the Flam­ beau River. Two children rushed to his side and they looked at me and reached out to touch me. I pecked at them butmybeakwas softandtheylaughedwhen I tried to defend myself. 1"he man who kidnapped me was Chief Sky, a member ofthe Flambeau band of Chippewa Indi­ ans. He tucked me under his arm and away he went through the forest with the children running 7 to keep up. Finallywe cameto theirwigwam where the mother was making supper. She was boiling a piece ofbeavertailmixed with wild rice andmaple sugar. It smelled good. Thechildren, I counted three ofthem, treated-me well but sometimes they got a little rough and I squeaked in protest. But they just laughed and teased me more. Often they forgot to feed me, or maybe they did not have enough food for them­ selves. But the worst was that I had lost my freedom. I wondered whethermyparentswould everfind me. TheIndianskeptmetiedto a postwith a thinpiece ofbuckskin aroundoneleg. I wondered whetheror not I would ever soar through the air as I had seen my parents do. I don't remember how long I lived with the In­ dian family but one day Chief Sky told his wife that he was going to take me to a fur trading post and exchange me for some flour or corn. His wife agreed. She said I was extra work around the wig­ wam and shehad plenty to do without taking care of me. Besides, the children had grown tired of playing with me and I was left alone. Soon after, ChiefSky stuffed me into a sack and he and his family started walking to the trading post at Jim Falls. It was uncomfortable in that sack and it was hard for me to breathe. 8 The trading post was a place where trappers came to sell their furs and buy supplies. Loggers and lumberjacks also stopped there to buy things like soap, wool mittens, and tobacco. The post was owned by two brothers, Stephen and Daniel McCann, and Daniel's wife, Margaret. When Chief Sky took me out of the sack, Mrs. McCann said, "Oh, the poor creature. Whatis it?" "Him eagle, bald eagle," said ChiefSky. "Some day grow big, so big." He held his hand up to his waist to show how tall he thought I would be. Mrs. McCann agreed to give ChiefSky a bushel ofcornin exchangefor me andnow I belongedto a new family. The McCanns had two children and theyjumpedupand down andclappedtheirhands when they saw that their mother had bought me. Daniel McCann made a cage for me from an old wooden molasses barrel which he sawed in two. I .could see outbutI couldnotgetoutbymyself. I had to stretch my neck through a hole in the side to get myfood andto drinkfrom a panofwater. Themen caught fish for me to eat. They did not keep me in a cage all the time. Sometimes Mrs. McCann put a leash on one ofmy legs and took me out in the sunshine, and the children played with me. They held up a piece of meat for me to jump for, and they teased me by 9 holding it out ofreach. But after awhile they gave it to me and I gulped it down and screeched. This madethemhappybecausetheyknew I washappy. More and more I was allowed to be outside where I could flap my wings but I was not yet strong enough to fly. Sometimes in the evening we had music in the little log house, Daniel McCann played a violin and Stephen a mouth organ. The family sang and the children danced around. I was allowed out of my cage, and I danced too and screeched every time Dan McCann hit a high note on the violin. I always loved music and I think it was because I first enjoyed it with that happy family. One day I heard Dan McCann say to his wife, "I hear that President Lincoln is calling for volun­ teersto jointheUnionArmy. Some southernstates havebroken awayfrom theUnion andwe can'tlet that happen." "Indeed not," said Mrs.
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]