Arkansas Proposes Ending R.E. Lee Birthday

In the Montgomery Advertiser, Thursday, January 22, 2015, I read an article by Norman Merchant of the Associated Press saying that two Arkansas legislators had introduced a bill ending the holiday commemorating the birth of Robert E. Lee.

According to the article, Arkansas has recognized Lee's birthday since the 1940s and State lawmakers voted to recognize Martin Luther King's birthday in 1983. Two years later the State of Arkansas combined the celebration of King and Lee.

Norman Merchant reports that the Arkansas Governor, Asa Hutchinson had not decided whether to support the proposal, as of this past Wednesday

Alabama and Mississippi are the other two states to jointly celebrate King and Lee's birthdays on the third Monday in January. As of now, no bills have been filed in either of these two states to change the holiday.

In Virginia, Robert E. Lee's native State,  there is a separate holiday for Robert E. Lee. The Arkansas legislator does not envision doing that in Arkansas. As my Mother would say, I supposed he proposes to "let the cat die" on that one. Isn't it a shame that "political correctness" has become a phobia.

Robert E. Lee Birthday Party Big Success

Hello readers, I am happy to report that the annual Robert E. Lee birthday celebration at the First White House of the Confederacy, held Monday, January 19, 2015, was a great success! We had a fine crowd, including lots of children, and everyone had a good time.


 The Honorable Mark Anderson, our speaker, made an important talk, emphasizing Lee's  great challenge to his soldiers, with these words: "You cannot barter manhood for peace, nor the right of self-government for life or property...Let us then oppose constancy to adversity, fortitude to suffering, and courage to danger, with the firm assurance that He who gave freedom to our fathers will bless the efforts of their children to preserve it."


 The Judge ended his remarks by saying: "...as we remember and honor Robert E. Lee, the great Virginian, the great Southerner, the great American, the great man, let our response be that of Isaiah (Old Testament prophet) who said 'Here I am. Send me'."

Celebrating Robert E. Lee's 208th Birthday at Confederate First White House

Robert E. Lee's birthday is commemorated annually at the historic First White House of the Confederacy in Montgomery. Monday, January 19 is the date and folks from across the city and environs will gather at 11:00 that morning.




Our speaker will be the Honorable W. Mark Anderson, III., well-known speaker, historian, and friend of the First White House. His remarks are always thoughtful and insightful.


Robert E. Lee served in the U.S. Army for 32 years. When War came he chose to resign his commission and fight on the side of the Confederacy and his beloved State of Virginia.  He became the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia during the War, winning many battles against much larger Union armies.  By 1865, despite inflicting heavy causalities on the North, but unable to turn the tide, Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865.


After the war, Lee became President of Washington College, later named Washington and Lee University. He and his wife and all seven children are buried in the crypt of the Lee Chapel at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.


It is always an honor and a privilege to remember General Lee as we do each year.


 

Endangered Civil War Battlefields And Other Wars To Be Saved

Congress enacted landmark Legislation this week to preserve America's endangered battlefields, expanding the existing program to provide grants for the acquisition of land at Revolutionary War and War of 1812 battlefields. The legislation reauthorizes the Civil War Battlefield Preservation program, a matching grants program that encourages private sector investment in historic battlefield protection to now include these additional battlefields.

Since the program was first funded by Congress in 1999, it has been used to preserve more that 23,000 acres of battlefield land in 17 states. Some of the most famous have been saved, including Antietam, MD., Chancellorsville and Manassas, VA; Chattanooga and Franklin TN; Gettysburg PA; Perryville KY and Vicksburg MS.

The Civil War Trust is the premier nonprofit organization devoted to the preservation of America's hallowed battlegrounds. To date the Trust has preserved more than 40,000 acres of battlefield lands in 20 states. Learn more at www.civilwar.org

John Basil Turchin, Infamous Union Officer During WBTS

A friend shared information about John Turchin after my recent (11/10/14) blog about Union General William T. Sherman. I had never heard of Turchin, but apparently he was the "author" of the "Sherman Plan". Here is what he told me.

Turchin  was born Ivan Vasilovitch Turchininoff in Russia. He and his wife, also Russian, migrated to America and Americanized their names. He had served in the military in Russia and when the War Between the States began, he was commissioned Colonel of the 19th Illinois.

Turchin was placed in command of a brigade by Federal General Don Carlos Buell, and with these men Turchin captured Huntsville and Athens, Alabama. Holding to the Imperial Russian theory that "to the victor belong the spoils", he and his troops became especially notorious for their disregard of the persons and property of enemy civilians.

The story goes that while capturing Athens one of Turchin's regiments was shot up by local guerrillas, and Turchin determined to punish the town. Everything possible was stolen or destroyed and the women were brutally treated. For this and also for allowing his wife to accompany him (a big no-no) General Buell relieved him of command, court-marshaled him and recommended dismissal .

Before that could happen, his wife rushed to Washington and persuaded President Lincoln not only to pardon him, but to promote him to brigadier-general. Turchin's legacy to the nation is significant because his theories on war helped develop a mentality among Union officers and officials in Washington that targeting certain civilians was a necessary wartime measure. Turchin's punitive approach is seen, as I mentioned, in Sherman's "March to the Sea".

It was perhaps ironic that Turchin, in later years, suffered severe dementia, and died penniless in an  insane asylum in Anna, Illinois at the age of 79. He is buried next to his wife. You may want to read more about this Machiavellian man who had such influence on the outcome of the War and the way the post-War South was treated.  

Recap 1864 Events of War Between the States

As this year draws to a close I want to remind us of some of the events of 1864. One of the biggest might have been March 9th when Lincoln appointed Union General Ulysses S. Grant to command all the armies of the United States, and appointed General William T.Sherman to succeed Grant as commander in the west.

A massive campaign in Virginia began in May when Grant began advancing toward Richmond against Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Granit had an army of 120,000 and Lee's forces were down to 64,000.

In the west, Sherman began advancing toward Atlanta with 100,000 men to fight Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Tennessee with 60,000.

In June the battle at Cold Harbor in Virginia resulted in 7,000 Union casualties. Also in June the Union forces missed a chance to capture Petersburg, but began a nine month siege of that city.

In July Sherman battled the Confederates, now under General John B. Hood, who replaced Johnston. Atlanta was captured in September.

In October a Union victory by Cavalry General Philip H. Sheridan was won over Jubal Early and his Southern troops in the Shenandoah Valley. Oh, if only we still had the great and good Stonewall Jackson.

In November Sherman began his March to the Sea which we  discussed in our November 10 blog, and in December, Hood's Confederate Army of the Tennessee, now down to 23,000 was crushed at Nashville by Union General George H. Thomas and his 55,000 troops. I talked about the Battle of Franklin in my December 8 blog, and how that contributed greatly to the disaster at Nashville.

By December 21, 1864 Sherman had reached Savannah, telegraphing President Lincoln, offering him Savannah as a Christmas present. After four years of fighting, 1865 and the eventual downfall of the Confederacy loom ahead.  

The Zouaves in the War Between the States

The Zouave regiments of both North and South during the War Between the States are depicted in many paintings and pictures. The name and  uniforms were  North African-inspired. There were about 70 volunteer Zouave regiments in the Union army and about 25 in the Confederate army during the war.


I read this in the American Heritage Picture History of the Civil War, Volume I: "One company of exotic Zouaves, patterned after the famous French fighting forces, thrilled the public with elaborate drills, but when these warriors went into battle they learned the hard way that their bizarre uniforms were not suited to combat".


The Zouave uniforms were sometimes quite elaborate. Some wore a fez with colored tassel, and turban, short fitting jacket, wide baggy red pantaloons and white leggings. The jackets were cooler than the usual wool ones worn by most of the armies.


Winslow Homer did an 1864 oil painting of two 5th New York Zouaves titled The Brierwood Pipe,  and of course Mathew Brady took photos of them!