The RUNNER

Newsletter of the Cape Fear Civil War Round Table

Editor Tim Winstead

***** February 2012 *****

Our Annual Dinner Meeting will be Thursday, 9 February 2012 at the Madeline Suites on the campus of UNCW. Dinner will begin at 7:00PM. Contact Bruce Patterson (910-794-8905) or Dan Geddie (910-799-5338) for additional details.

We invite and welcome all people with an interest in Civil War history to attend a meeting of the Cape Fear Civil War Round Table. The speakers for our programs are diverse in their views, interpretations, and presentations.

***** February Program *****

John Michael Priest

Mike Priest, scholar, author, teacher, and certified Civil War battlefield guide, will join us on February 9^th at the Madeline Suites on the UNCW campus. Mike’s presentation will be entitled Into the Fight, Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg.

Mike provided the following summary of his presentation:

I discovered while researching what I thought was an easy book, that a considerable number of the Confederates, for whatever reason, other than being wounded, decided that "discretion was the better part of valor." I also could not verify the horrendous casualties they allegedly suffered after conducting a study of the nominal list of casualties for all the regiments but those from Tennessee and Arkansas. For years, I wondered if I would have crossed that field knowing full well what lay ahead. The story of the charge has been distorted by myth. The tactical presentation you will receive will put to rest the history we have been taught.

Into the Fight

Mike was born in Georgetown, DC. He received a B.A. in History and Secondary Education from Loyola College (Baltimore) and a M.A. in Social Sciences from Hood College (Frederick. Maryland). Mike taught World History, Government, U.S. History, Civil War History, and Psychology for the Washington County Board of Education from 1980 – 2011. The author and editor of many Civil War books and articles, he received a Maryland Council for the Social Services Program Excellence Award for his involvement with motivating and inspiring his students to research, edit, and publish several books. In addition to sixteen books and numerous articles in The Civil War Times Illustrated, North & South, and the Potomac Magazine, Mike has served as historical consultant to several television and movie producers. In his spare time, he has conducted walking tours of Antietam, the Wilderness, South Mountain, and Gettysburg. In 2011, Mike became a licensed tour guide at the Antietam National Battlefield.

Mike listed his hobbies as Irish Folk music, black powder shooting, writing, and giving tours.

Please join us on 9^th February for dinner with an accomplished historian who will share his research and thoughts about one of the most dramatic events of the Civil War.

Editor

***** Raffle Winners *****

Raffle Master: Ed Gibson

If you have books, prints, or other items that you would like to donate to the CFCWRT raffle, talk to Ed at our next meeting.

January Meeting:

Civil War Calendar - Dave Paul

Quantrill in Texas - Tim Barton

Charles Dahlgren of Natchez - Bob Cooke

Complete Civil War Road Trip Guide - Palmer Royal

Lee Takes Command - Tom Morgan

Ulysses S. Grant - Tim Barton

***** Trivia Questions February 2012 *****

1 – Who was this officer? Another Opportunity to win a free dinner reservation at the February 9^th Dinner Meeting!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2– On July 3, 1863, a Confederate Brigadier General in Pickett’s Division determined to show his courage in the face of his enemies. This general, unable to walk because of an earlier injury, mounted his horse and went forward to his death and disappearance from his comrades. Who was this officer and what prompted him to seek a “glorious” end?

3 – Keith Hardison shared the story of Jefferson Davis’s 1825 carousing incident at Benny Havens’ Tavern while he attended West Point (See Trivia question #4, January issue of The Runner for additional details). According to Hardison, who may have intervened to prevent Davis’s dismissal from West Point? What incident did Davis become embroiled in during the Christmas season of 1826?

4 – Jefferson Davis served as Secretary of War in the administration of Franklin Pierce 1853 -1857. Keith Hardison outlined the many accomplishments that Davis oversaw while in this office. What was one of the most unusual experiments that Davis implemented?

5 - Throughout his life, Jefferson Davis failed to embrace the art of compromise. What did Varina Davis say about her husband’s stubbornness?

6 – Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln shared many experiences as commander-in-chiefs. They also shared a similarity as parents during their stay in their separate White Houses. What was that parental similarity?

***** Member News *****

If you have member news that you think would be of interest to CFCWRT membership, let me know about it.

1 – Welcome new member, Connie Hendrix, to the Cape Fear Civil War Round Table. We hope you enjoy the programs and fellowship.

2 – Time is running out!! Still time to make your reservations for the February 9, 2012 dinner meeting. John Michael Priest will make a presentation entitled Into the Fight, Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg. The dinner will cost $26 per person and will be held at the Madeline Suite at UNCW. Contact Bruce Patterson (910-794-8905) or Dan Geddie (910-799-5338) via email or telephone for further details.

***** Museum of the Confederacy *****

CFCWRT members at Pamplin Park

On January 18^th, Lance Bevins, Dan Geddie, John Munroe, Dale Lear, and Tim Winstead headed north for a visit to the Petersburg and Richmond areas of Virginia. On Wednesday, they toured the Blandford Church and the Petersburg National Battlefield. The church was located at the Blandford Cemetery and each of its Tiffany windows honored the war dead of a southern state. The battlefield sites included the Crater, Fort Stedman, and other scenes of the nine month long siege that strangled the Confederacy.

Blandford Church’s Tiffany Window

Honoring South Carolina’s Soldiers

January 19^th was the anniversary of the birth of Robert E. Lee. The group was privileged to enter the vault and research room at the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond. Robert E. Lee’s sword and uniform, Wade Hampton’s cavalry sword, and Joe Wheeler’s pistol were a few of the numerous items they were shown. The Research Librarian shared a few of the items that had been saved by the ladies who started the MOC. Lee’s General Orders No. 9 was, as it had been on April 10, 1865, emotionally moving and remarkable. “After four years of arduous service, marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude………….” The MOC was remarkable, not just for the collection of artifacts of the famous, but for the artifacts and records of the lower level officers and regular soldiers.

The 20^th found the group at Pamplin Park and the site of the April 2, 1865 breakthrough by Union forces that led to the Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. NOTE: Wilson Greene, executive director at Pamplin Park, will speak about the breakthrough to the Brunswick Civil War Round Table on February 13, 2012 at Trinity UMC is Southport at 6:30.

***** February 1862 *****

February 1862 did not witness a massed Unionist attack on Richmond despite the orders of Lincoln. However, a major Confederate fort was captured by Grant's men - a move that boosted morale in the capital.

February 1st: Confederate generals became aware that Union forces were massing along the line of the Mississippi River and planned to expect a major Union offensive with the targets thought to be either Fort Henry or Fort Donelson.

February 2nd: Confederate intelligence indicated that the Union’s ability to move its men along river systems was not good. However, the Confederates were unaware of Lincoln’s order – to attack regardless.

February 3rd: Lincoln again asked McClellan to make a major move for Richmond using the Army of the Potomac. McClellan again showed his usual reluctance to do anything without having it precisely mapped out first. He told Lincoln that he wanted to move troops by sea to the Virginia Peninsula and then push the 40 miles inland.

February 5th: General Grant concentrated his forces for an attack on Fort Henry. He had 15,000 men under his command while the Confederate defenders at the fort numbered 3,200.

February 6th: Union gunboats on the Tennessee River bombarded Fort Henry. The fort commander, General Tilghman withdrew as many men as he could to Fort Donelson but ensured that gunners remained in Fort Henry. By mid-afternoon the walls of Fort Henry were broken and Tilghman decided to surrender. Only 63 men were left in the fort. Over 3,000 made it to the relative safety of Fort Donelson, which prepared itself for an attack. However, the control of the Tennessee River at that point was very important to the Unionists as it allowed them to make river patrols up to northern Alabama.

February 7th: Grant prepared for an attack on Fort Donelson, which was a far tougher proposition than Fort Henry. Fort Henry was by the river’s edge while Fort Donelson was 100 feet above the Cumberland River.

February 8th: Union forces took prisoner 2,527 Confederate troops at Roanoke Island, North Carolina.

February 10th: Grant told his men that they would move on Fort Donelson within 24 hours. The fort was 12 miles from Fort Henry. Grant’s large land force was bolstered by a large river force as more Union gunboats joined the attack.

February 12th: 20,000 Union troops moved on Fort Donelson. By the time Grant’s men arrived at the fort, it is thought that there were about 18,000 Confederate troops in it.

February 13th: The attack on Fort Donelson started though the gunboats were late in arriving. Artillery fire continued throughout the day and into the night.

February 14th: Six Union gunboats arrived at Fort Donelson. They accompanied ten transport ships that brought an extra 10,000 Union troops to the fight. The gunboats added an extra 70 guns to the Union’s artillery capability. As well as being pounded from the land, the fort was attacked from the river. During the night, the fort’s commander, General Floyd (John B. Floyd, Buchanan’s Secretary of War), decided that the Confederate force in the fort had to fight its way out and push into open land. Floyd assumed that they had no chance of holding Fort Donelson.

February 15th: One hour before daybreak the Confederates in Fort Donelson attempted their breakout. They had surprise on their side and attacked on just one front but after initial success had to face Union troops sent to reinforce that front. By the afternoon, the Confederates had to return to Fort Donelson. By the end of the day, Fort Donelson was totally surrounded. Union troops surrounded it on three sides on land and the Union gunboats dominated the Cumberland River.

February 16th: At dawn Fort Donelson surrendered. The Confederates had hoped to negotiate terms but Grant told them that “unconditional and immediate surrender can (only) be accepted”. The loss of Fort Donelson resulted in the Confederates losing control of Tennessee and Kentucky. Over 14,000 Confederates were taken prisoner.

February 18th: There was much celebration in Washington DC when news reached the capital of the surrender of Fort Donelson. The First Congress of the Confederate States of America met in Richmond.

February 21st: The Battle of Fort Craig in New Mexico was fought. This saw a Confederate victory against a larger Union force. The Confederates captured six artillery guns from the Unionists.

February 22nd: Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as the first President of the Confederate States of America.

February 25th: General Halleck, commander of the Army of the Southwest, sent a series of telegraph messages stating how well the Unionist forces were doing in Missouri – a state seen as a thorn in the side to Federal aspirations. However, these telegraph messages were misleading in that Halleck had yet to achieve anything decisive.

February 27th: Davis was given permission by the Confederate Congress to suspend habeas corpus if he felt it was necessary to do so. Davis asked for martial law to be introduced at Norfolk and Portsmouth – both important naval bases in Virginia.

February 28th: Charleston was captured by Unionist forces. Charleston was to become the capital for the new state of West Virginia.

Source: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/february-1862-civil-war.htm, accessed December 23, 2011.

***** Through the Blockade *****

“What possible chance can the South now have?”

This is the third in a series of articles that will examine the efforts of the United States and Confederate governments to arm and equip the untrained mob of volunteers who flocked to their respective banners. This article will focus on the Confederate Ordnance Department and Massachusetts born, Major Caleb Huse, C.S.A. In April 1861, Caleb Huse was ordered to proceed to Europe to undertake a mission for the Ordnance Department. He was to travel, at considerable risk, through the North to secure passage to England. The following from Huse’s book explained, in some detail, the challenges that he faced as he made his way on his mission:

It was impossible to get farther than Philadelphia that day. The next morning, on taking my seat in the train, I recognized the gentleman directly behind me as the Hon. Caleb Cushing. I did not accost him, not caring to meet acquaintances just then, and, moreover, I had no reason to think that he knew me, for although we were born in the same town,—Newburyport, Mass.,—he was a distinguished public man when I was a boy.

The route from Philadelphia to New York was by the way of Camden to South Amboy, and thence by steamboat. The latter was a ferry boat with room for teams on each side of the engine. There were no teams on board, and, as I had been sitting for some time, and now that we were nearing New York where I was likely at any moment to meet an acquaintance, I was a little nervous, I walked about the lower deck. In doing so I met Mr. Cushing face to face. He was passing the time in a similar manner. I lifted my cap, as I would to any superior officer, or public man. Immediately Mr. Cushing stopped and said:

"Good morning, Mr. Huse, you are with the South, I understand."

For the moment I was staggered, but quickly calling to mind that Mr. Cushing had been chairman of the Charleston Democratic Convention which nominated John C. Breckenridge for President, I replied:

"Yes, sir, what chance do you think the South has?"

"What chance can it have?" he said, "the money is all in the North; the manufactories are all in the North; the ships are all in the North; the arms and arsenals are all in the North; the arsenals of Europe are within ten days of New York, and they will be open to the United States Government, and closed to the South; and the Southern ports will be blockaded. What possible chance can the South have?" There was nothing for me to say in reply, and I probably did the best I could have done under the circumstances. Looking him squarely in the eye, I lifted my cap and said: "Good morning, Mr. Cushing." I never saw him afterwards.

Huse may have been staggered by his encounter with the Massachusetts politician, Caleb Cushing, but he was not deterred from his task. NOTE: Caleb Cushing was President Franklin Pierce’s Attorney General. He was known as a “doughface” for his southern sympathies; however, Cushing supported the Union during the Civil War.

Upon his arrival in England, Huse quickly went to the London Armory Company to fulfill his orders to procure 12,000 rifles and a battery of field artillery. In a strange scene, Huse found an American engineer who had recently installed a plant of gun-stocking machinery from the Ames Manufacturing Company of Chicopee, Massachusetts. Huse asked the engineer if he was an agent of the United States Government whose presence was to purchase arms. Huse informed the man that his intention was to secure arms for the Confederate government and that he intended to fulfill his mission. Huse felt that the engineer was indeed an U.S. agent and that he was there to lock up the production the London Armory. Huse waited for the engineer to complete his business and depart. Afterwards, Huse approached the superintendent and the chairman of the company and asked the price of all the arms that London Armory could produce in the coming year. Unable to respond to Huse’s request of a price quote on such short notice, the chairman asked Huse to return to his offices on the following day.

The chairman told Huse that the company directors felt the output of the company should go to their current customers. Without the ability to consult with the Confederate Government in Montgomery, Huse determined to offer the London Armory a substantial profit to shake their resolve to commit their production to the U.S. agent. By dangling profit and the prospect of a renewed contract, Huse convinced the chairman that a solid business arrangement was possible after the company fulfilled the relatively small order for the U.S. Government. At the time of these negotiations, Caleb Huse had no authorization for his proposal nor did he have at his disposal the funds to complete the transaction. By his rash actions, Huse proved Caleb Cushing’s prophesy as false – the South had indeed the ability to secure arms for its armies regardless of the seemingly insurmountable advantages of the North.

In his book, Huse outlined the reasons for his successful efforts. Caleb Huse proved to be a resourceful and confident officer. After the passage of many years, Huse detailed the reasons he thought of himself as being able to achieve results and to compete with the U.S. Government. Huse made no mention of the mission that Edward Clifford Anderson undertook to ascertain Huse’s loyalty to the Confederate cause. (The Runner December 2011 issue, “Through the Blockade.”)

Baring Brothers were, at that time, the London financial agents for the United States Government, and they would unquestionably have been supported and gratefully thanked, had they assumed the responsibility of contracting for all the arms in sight in England. Any army officer, fit for such a mission as that of buying arms for a great Government at the outbreak of a war, would have acted, if necessary, without instructions, and secured everything that he could find in the line of essentials, especially arms, of which there were very few in the market. There were muskets enough to be had for almost any reasonable offer, but of modern Enfield or Springfield rifles—which were practically the same—there were only a few thousand in England, and none elsewhere except in Austria, where all were owned by the Government. And, according to Mr. Cushing, these would be available by the United States but impossible of purchase by "the South." Yet even so high an authority as Ex-Attorney General Cushing proved to be wrong in his assumption, as will be shown below.

Any young, intelligent West Point graduate holding an army commission and as fearless in assuming responsibility as the average "graduate," would not only have prevented my making this important contract, but would have blocked my efforts in every direction; for in all Europe the supply of arms ready for use or possible of manufacture was very limited. Such an officer would have secured everything worth having—in other words, all the best—and only inferior arms of antiquated model would have been left for the Confederacy. The effect would have been not only to give the United States good arms in profusion, but utterly to discourage their opponents by the inferiority of their weapons.

Mr. Davis did not make the great mistake of sending a civil agent to purchase supplies—a duty as thoroughly military as any that could be named—nor the still greater blunder of setting several men to do what one man, with uncontrolled authority, could do so much better. Doubtless he could have found men who would have performed the duty as well as did the young officer whom he selected, and some who would have done their part better; but, during the whole war, no change was made, although not to remove him often required that firmness—not to say obstinacy—which was a prominent trait of Mr. Davis's character, and which, right or wrong, but especially when he was right, he exercised to a remarkable degree.

Through the Blockade will continue in the next issue.

Source: Caleb Huse, The Supplies for the Confederate Army: How They Were Obtained in Europe and How Paid For: Personal Reminiscences and Unpublished History [Boston: Press of T.R. Martin & Son, 1904] 5-36.

Editor

***** January Meeting *****

Jefferson Davis

“Confederate Commander”

The members and guests who attended the January 12^th meeting were fortunate to enjoy the presentation by one of Jefferson Davis’s most knowledgeable scholars, Keith Hardison. Keith’s experiences from 1986 - 1999 as executive director at Beauvoir, Confederate President Jefferson Davis’s home and library, were evident in the depth and insight provided during his presentation. However you personally view Jefferson Davis, Hardison presented a detailed look at the man, his talents, his accomplishments, and his failings.

Keith Hardison – Director of the Division of State Historic Sites and Properties

Keith’s discussion focused on Davis’s qualifications to be the Confederate President and Commander-in-Chief. His brief comparison between the qualifications of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis revealed a major difference in the experiences each man brought to their respective offices. Davis ,by virtue of this training at West Point (1824 -1828), his service in the U.S. Army from 18828 – 1835, his success as the colonel of the Mississippi Rifles during the war with Mexico 1846 -1847, and his service as Secretary of War in Franklin Pierce’s administration, was experienced in many matters of the military sciences. While Davis had been a reluctant West Point cadet and subject to dismal for several infractions, his service in the US Army both in the western territories and his volunteer service during the Mexican War were more than adequate. While both Lincoln and Davis were to endure an awesome burden as Commander-in-Chiefs, Davis was the man whose résumé reflected considerable talents.

Why then, if Davis was so qualified for his position, did he fail? Keith provided a listing of factors, some controllable and others not, that weighted into Davis’s shortcomings.

Situational factors (uncontrollable):

- The geographic size and character of the Confederacy was simply too large for the resources (men and materials) available to the Confederacy to effectively manage.

- Davis was faced with building a national government at the same time the Confederacy was fighting for its survival.

- The infrastructure, manufacturing capacity, and capital resources available to the south were insufficient for the needs.

- States Rights, which Davis supported on many occasions before the war, were too divisive to allow centralization of power to a national government. Keith related an example that reflected the problem of appeasing the sensitivities of each individual state. The first three Secretaries of War, each of whom served for short intervals and with mixed results, were all lawyers with little or no military experiences. Jefferson Davis’s personal choice for Secretary of War had been Braxton Bragg. Davis, because of the need to placate the various states, had selected less able men – an Alabama secessionist lawyer, a Louisiana lawyer and wealthy planter, and a Virginian lawyer who grandfather had been Thomas Jefferson. For all his shortcomings and inability to get along with almost anyone, Braxton Bragg was an effective organizer and planner with an understanding of what an army needed to give battle.

- The strategy of the Confederate government was limited to the defense of many sites within the country. The Confederate Army did launch invasions of the north; however, the need to defend so many locations prevented the commitment of sufficient forces to successfully take the war to their enemies. NOTE: Early in the conflict, Davis had said that the Confederacy just wanted to be left alone.

Personal factors (controllable):

- Davis was extremely loyal to his friends and hostile toward to those he disliked.

n Davis supported Bragg when others called for Bragg’s dismal as an army commander. After Bragg had failed in many duties, Davis sent Bragg to command in Wilmington in late 1864. (“Hello Bragg, goodbye Wilmington.”)

n Davis disliked Joe Johnston, P.T.A. Beauregard, D.H. Hill, and others, Sometimes his animosity clouded his judgment – Hood to replace Johnston at the gates of Atlanta,

- Davis had military experience but he had never commanded an army. He did; however, consider himself to be extremely knowledgeable about all military matters.

- Davis was a workaholic who immersed himself in minutiae that could and should have been delegated to subordinates.

Hardison’s conclusion about the role Jefferson Davis played as commander-in-chief: His qualifications and skills were considerable; however, his personal failings overshadowed his talents. Considering the challenges faced by Davis, Hardison did maintain that few, if any man, could have done more to sustain the Confederacy through four years of war.

***** Comments and Suggestions *****

Comments and suggestions to make the Cape Fear Civil War Round Table and “The Runner” more relevant to your Civil War experience are welcomed. Send them to me at tpwinstead@gmail.com. Please include “CFCWRT News” in your Subject line.

***** Trivia Question Answers December 2011 *****

1 - Who was this officer? Another chance to win, but this is your last chance. The first one who tells me who this man was wins a reservation to the February Dinner Meeting. This is a $26 value for the inquisitive individual among you who can correctly answer this trivia question. If you need additional hints about this man’s identity (other than he is a Confederate with a semi-Napoleonic pose and he commanded Neverson Columbus Winstead late in the war, send me an e-mail tpwinstead@gmail.com). Hint#1: This officer was a West Point cadet who resigned to serve his southern state.

2 - On July 3, 1863, a Confederate Brigadier General in Pickett’s Division determined to show his courage in the face of his enemies. This general, unable to walk because of an earlier injury, mounted his horse and went forward to his death and disappearance from his comrades. Who was this officer and what prompted him to seek a “glorious” end? Richard B. Garnett, an 1841 West Point graduate, had run afoul of Stonewall Jackson for his alleged actions at the Battle of Kernstown on March 23, 1862. Jackson had Garnett arrested for an unauthorized retreat (per Garnett, only after his men ran low on ammunition while fighting a superior Union force). Jackson proposed to court-martial Garnett; however, Robert E. Lee reassigned Garnett to Pickett’s former brigade. Garnett spent the next year trying to prove his bravery; on July 3^rd_, he paid the ultimate price. To remove the stain against his name, Garnett, having been previously kicked by his horse, rode his black charged forward into the hell that became known as “Pickett’s Charge”. Garnett’s body was never recovered from the battlefield.

In one of those ironies that seemed to appear throughout Civil War history, Garnett served as a pallbearer at Stonewall Jackson’s funeral after Jackson’s death from wounds received at Chancellorsville.

Approximately thirty years after the Gettysburg battle, General George H. “Maryland” Steuart found Garnett’s engraved sword in a Baltimore pawnshop. The sword was an artillery officer’s pattern and had “R.B. Garnett, U.S.A.” engraved on the blade. Steuart purchased it and evidentially returned the relic to Garnett’s family. Today, Richard Garnett’s sword is included in the collection of the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia.

Source: http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Garnett_Richard_B_1817-1863, accessed December 25, 2011. http://www.gdg.org/Research/SHSP/shgarnet.html, accessed December 25, 2011.

3 - Keith Hardison shared the story of Jefferson Davis’s 1825 carousing incident at Benny Havens’ Tavern while he attended West Point (See Trivia question #4, January issue of The Runner for additional details). According to Hardison, who may have intervened to prevent Davis’s dismissal from West Point? What incident did Davis become embroiled in during the Christmas season of 1826? John C. Calhoun was Secretary of War when Jefferson Davis was appointed to West Point. Calhoun also aided the young cadet by perhaps preventing Davis’s dismissal for the Benny Havens’ incident. Davis was also linked to the Christmas Eve 1826 “Eggnog Riot” (See http://www.army.mil/article/49823/The_Eggnog_Riot/ for additional information.)

4 - Jefferson Davis served as Secretary of War in the administration of Franklin Pierce 1853 -1857. Keith Hardison outlined the many accomplishments that Davis oversaw while in this office. What was one of the most unusual experiments that Davis implemented? The U.S. Army Camel Corps (its 77 camels, and chief camel driver, Hadji Ali) was the subject of much interest in the barren west prior to the Civil War. The tensions of the gathering sectional discord prevented Congress from following recommendations to increase the camel corps and continue the experiment.

5 - Throughout his life, Jefferson Davis failed to embrace the art of compromise. What did Varina Davis say about her husband’s stubbornness? Varina Davis supposedly remarked that her husband. “did not know the arts of the politician and would not practice them if understood.”

Source: http://www.aboutfamouspeople.com/article1031.html accessed January 16, 2012.