Children can have a hand at building a bridge (Michigan Historical Center) |
President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address provides the framework for an exhibit that details Michigan’s contribution during the second half of the Civil War and what many of the veterans did upon returning home.
Themes from the address are used throughout “Conceived in Liberty” at the Michigan Historical Center in downtown Lansing.
“It set the
tone for both the end of the war, this time when Native Americans and blacks are
allowed to fight in the war, and this period of Reconstruction of the South
after the war,” center director Sandra Clark told the Picket this week. “It
asks what does liberty mean and what does it mean in achieving it for everyone?”
One area focuses on Company K of the 1st Michigan Sharpshooters. The company
was comprised of Native Americans who served with valor in the Virginia
campaigns. (The Picket will be doing a separate story on Company K soon and will include pertinent photos then.)
While “Conceived
in Liberty” has a good bit of information on the struggle for civil rights, it
includes a wide range of items about the entire Michigan experience, and
includes a couple of oddities. Clark
provided an overview of a few of the highlights of the exhibit, which continues through Sept. 27.
The story of Vernors, a Michigan soft-drink staple, adds a little extra fizz to “Conceived in Liberty.”
(Photos courtesy of Michigan Historical Center) |
Michigan made
a significant contribution to Union cavalry. Its most famous horseman? George
Armstrong Custer. James H. Kidd of the 6th Cavalry served with
Custer during part of the conflict, and Kidd’s saddle is one of the exhibit’s
focal points. “Little girls walk in and see saddle and think about horses and
they are interested,” said Clark. But cavalry duty wasn’t a piece of cake.
“They rode hard and slept on the cold ground.”
Capt. McCarter drew sketches for cannon mounts |
They saw no
glory in battle but make no mistake: The First Michigan Engineers and Mechanics made a vital
contribution to the war effort in Kentucky and Tennessee.
“It was
fascinating how quickly they could move, build a sawmill and build pontoon
boats, whatever,” said Clark, referencing a book about the unit, “My Brave
Mechanics.”
The engineers
constructed the Elk River bridge in south-central Tennessee and built block
houses and other structures to keep the army and supplies moving.
Exhibit
artifacts include a diary, tools, instruments and sketches. “We have some
pretty amazing photographs of some of their work at the time.”
The unit was
pretty good at destroying stuff, too. They crippled Confederate infrastructure
during Sherman’s March to the Sea and Georgia.
Talk about an
attention-getter. “Conceived in Liberty” includes a copy of a newspaper printed
on wallpaper at the end of the siege on Vicksburg, Ms., which ended in a
significant loss for the Confederacy.
“When they
see wallpaper on the back, it stops them and makes them curious about this,”
said Clark, who wants people to see how tough the siege was on Southern civilians. “The
town was without any kind of supplies by the time it fell.”
It’s not
known whether the editor of the Daily Citizen peeled wallpaper from homes. More
likely there were stocks somewhere in town. On July 2, the newspaper made a
snide remark about Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses Grant’s plans to have dinner in
Vicksburg on July 4. Grant first had to catch the rabbit, an article said.
Once the city
fell, mischievous Union soldiers reprinted that final edition with an updated
article to show that Grant, in fact, had caught the rabbit. This copy was brought back by a Michigan soldier, said Clark.
The exhibit includes a coat worn by a sailor who served on a Union gunboat during the campaign against Vicksburg, a Rebel strong point on the Mississippi River.
The exhibit includes a coat worn by a sailor who served on a Union gunboat during the campaign against Vicksburg, a Rebel strong point on the Mississippi River.
Luther Baker
helped in the successful hunt for Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth and
received a handsome reward for his contribution. After the war, the native New
Yorker moved to Michigan and eventually lived in Lansing.
The exhibit
includes a case Baker carried during the war and a cabinet card showing him
with his old war horse, Buckskin. The text of a card details the exploits of
the horse, from his point of view.
After
Buckskin died, his remains were displayed. His whereabouts are unknown
today, says the Detroit Free Press.
African-American
men could not become Federal soldiers until after Lincoln issued the
Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.
The 102nd U.S. Colored Troops was
organized first as the 1st Michigan Colored Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The unit was sent to
South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, where it participated in smaller
skirmishes and picket and guard duty.
Clark told radio station WKAR that
a Detroit newspaper urged black men to join the Michigan unit rather the famous
54th Massachusetts. The exhibit provides examples of men who joined
both units.
The exhibit includes a tobacco pouch belonging to abolitionist and former slave Sojourner Truth.
The exhibit includes a tobacco pouch belonging to abolitionist and former slave Sojourner Truth.
The men of
the First Michigan Engineers were among those who came home and got into the
furniture-making business.
“They upped their game,” said Clark. “Grand Rapids becomes the furniture capital of the world.”
“They upped their game,” said Clark. “Grand Rapids becomes the furniture capital of the world.”
The exhibit
includes this bed frame made by a soldier.
(Dr Pepper Snapple Group) |
The story of Vernors, a Michigan soft-drink staple, adds a little extra fizz to “Conceived in Liberty.”
James Vernor,
who served in the 4th Michigan Cavalry, was a Detroit pharmacist who
experimented with flavored waters.
According to legend, Vernor stored a
secret mixture containing ginger in an oak keg before he shipped off to serve
as a hospital steward. Upon his return, he found the ginger concoction tasted pretty
darned good.
I'm looking forward to what you have to write about Co. K.
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