New park exhibits: Yankee cavalry wasn't much of a factor at First Manassas, but they rode to the rescue, literally, there a year later. It was a wild clash at Portici

Exhibit on fight at Portici, revolver holster for 6th Virginia trooper (NPS), Gens. Buford and Stuart

Ten months before he famously slowed the Confederate advance and secured high ground at Gettysburg, Brig. Gen. John Buford showed similar mettle at Second Manassas.

On Aug. 30, 1862, His outnumbered cavalry brigade protected the Federal retreat by boldly attacking Rebel troopers and slowing their pursuit. Buford’s defense was a bright spot on a day full of disaster for the men in blue.

The clash at Portici, a slaveholding plantation, was the largest cavalry engagement of the Civil War up to that point, to be eclipsed by Brandy Station nine months later.

Manassas National Battlefield Park has two new temporary exhibits marking the service of cavalry at First and Second Manassas. 

Museum specialist Jim Burgess said the case in the visitor center lobby features cavalry arms and equipment (Richmond Sharps rifle, M1860 light cavalry saber, M1860 Colt army revolver, picket pin, spurs, etc.) with brief descriptions of the cavalry action in both battles. (NPS photo below)

An exhibit in the main museum gallery provides more details about the fighting at Portici. The home served as the Confederate headquarters and a hospital at First Manassas in July 1861.

The National Park Service provides these details on the latter:

“Portici’s kitchen and hallways became operating rooms. The wounded, dead, and dying littered the floors throughout the house. Medical supplies and skilled personnel were scarce. Throughout the night of the 21^st, the work of the surgeon’s saw transformed Portici from a stately manor into a charnel house.”

At Second Manassas (Bull Run), action at  Portici came late in the day. A park marker says this of the clash between Southern horsemen trying to cut off the Union escape and Buford’s force deployed at Lewis Ford on Bull Run:

“The opposing lines crashed together head-on in the nearby fields. Buford's troopers initially surprised and routed the leading Confederate regiment, only to fall back when the balance of General Beverly Robertson's brigade appeared. In danger of being cut off, the outnumbered Federals hastened across Bull Run. The Confederates broke off pursuit short of the Warrenton Turnpike.”

The scene must have been amazing and awful, with dying horses rolling in the dirt as wounded men tried to get away on foot. Buford suffered a wound to the knee.

Robertson’s brigade served in Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry division.

I recently asked Burgess (right) to provide details on the two exhibits, Portici and other cavalry action in both battles. His responses have been edited for brevity and context.

Q. Were all these items at either of the battles, or representative?

A. Most of the displayed objects are representative. Only one of the displayed items can be traced back to its original owner. The revolver holster (photo at top) is marked on its flap, "C.H.S./Co. D/6th Va. Cav."  C.H.S. is Pvt. Charles H. Smith.

The 6^th Virginia Cavalry was part of Beverly Robertson's (left) brigade, which saw action at Portici on the evening of Aug. 30, 1862. This item was among a collection of items donated to the park by Robert Lewis, a former owner of Portici, in 1942. How he got it is not known. 

The Confederate Sharps carbine and one of the spurs also came from the Robert Lewis collection as did the M1860 light cavalry saber in the museum exhibit. We have no clue where he found them, but like to think they may have been recovered on the farm after the battle.

The fight at Portici occurred on Day 3 of Second Manassas (Craig Swain, HMdb.org)

Q. From my reading, cavalry saw a big role at Second Manassas. Was there much cavalry action at First Manassas?

A. On the Confederate side, there were independent cavalry companies assigned to support each brigade in Beauregard's army. Evans, for instance, had two companies of Virginia cavalry (Captains Alexander and Terry) covering his flanks at Stone Bridge.

J.E.B. Stuart brought five companies of his 1^st Virginia Cavalry to Manassas, leaving the balance of his regiment in the Shenandoah to watch Patterson. Stuart covered Jackson's flanks and made a notable charge on the Fire Zouaves (11^th New York Infantry) in the Sudley Road around mid-afternoon, which contributed to the loss of infantry support for the Union batteries on Henry Hill. That, in turn, led to the capture of those guns by Jackson's and other infantry troops.

Stuart subsequently shifted farther to the west to cover the left flank of newly arrived troops on the Chinn farm. From there, Stuart pursued the retreating Union forces to Sudley Springs while companies of Radford's 30th Virginia Cavalry pursued in the direction of Centreville, capturing many Union artillery pieces abandoned at the Cub Run Bridge. 

(Federal commander) McDowell had only one battalion (7 companies) of regular cavalry under Maj. Innis Palmer (left) which was assigned to Andrew Porter's brigade. They were not leading the Union advance. They initially covered Porter's right flank on the John Dogan farm. 

Later, after Stuart caused havoc on the Sudley Road, they advanced up the hill and managed to capture one Confederate officer, Lt.  Col. George Steuart of the 1^st Maryland Infantry. They attempted to help cover the retreat and rally the fleeing Union troops but without much success.

All in all, McDowell did not use his cavalry very effectively.

Q. Given so early in the war, I wonder how good the troopers were at First Manassas?

A. Palmer's battalion at least was regular army so they would have had some experience albeit some junior officers like 2^nd Lt. George Armstrong Custer were fresh out of West Point. The Confederate cavalry may have had some experienced officers with former U.S. Army and/or militia service but the rank and file were probably green for the most part with no combat experience and perhaps not as well armed as their Union counterparts. 

Q. Besides Portici, was there significant cavalry action at Second Manassas?

A. The fight at Portici (photo below) was the most significant action in which opposing cavalry confronted each other during Second Manassas.   

Prior to the battle, the 1st Michigan Cavalry, making a reconnaissance south of the Rapidan River, nearly captured J.E.B. Stuart at Verdiersville early on the morning of Aug. 18.  Stuart escaped but Maj. Norman Fitzhugh of Stuart's staff was captured with papers outlining Lee's plans.  

Union cavalry confronted and came close to capturing Gen. (Robert E.) Lee at Salem (today Marshall) on Aug. 27. Lee's staff presented a strong front while Lee was ushered to the rear. The Union cavalry withdrew, not wanting to risk a fight.   

Confederate cavalry confronted Robert Milroy's brigade at Buckland on Aug. 27 and attempted to burn the turnpike bridge over Broad Run but were quickly driven off.   

On Aug. 28, the 1^st New Jersey Cavalry was picketing Thoroughfare Gap and fell back to Haymarket on the approach of Longstreet's forces.   

The following morning, Aug. 29, Union cavalry brigade commander John Buford was in a position to observe several of Longstreet's brigades passing through Gainesville and reported this to McDowell, but it never reached (commander John A.) Pope.

Q. What can people see at Portici? I know of the reconstructed winter hut.

A. Unfortunately, not much. All we have are a couple of wayside markers. All evidence of the house (burned in November 1862) is buried. We have not made any attempt to mark the original house location on the surface, perhaps in the interest of protecting the archeological remains. In the late 1980s, archaeologists exposed the foundation (NPS photo above). Portici was subsequently covered again.   

Q. Regarding the crossed sabers, do you know anything about those particular weapons?

A. The saber with hilt on the left in the photo (at the top of this post) is a contract Model 1860 light cavalry saber imported from Solingen (Germany) during the Civil War. The bow & arrow marking on the blade indicates it was made by J.E. Bleckmann. These foreign-made sabers were close copies of those made by U.S. contractors (Ames, Mansfield & Lamb, Emerson & Silver, etc.) and the high demand for weaponry during the war spurred importation. Since it came (in 1942) from Robert Lewis, who owned Portici in the early 20th century, it is a possible battlefield pick-up that may have been handed down in his family. However, we have no idea where or when he got it so we can't prove anything.

The saber with hilt on the right in the photo is a Model 1840 "Dragoon" saber. These older M1840 sabers were commonly known as "wrist breakers" due to their slightly longer blades and heavier weight. This example exhibits the maker's initials "P.D.L." (P.D. Luneschloss), who was another one of the many swordsmiths in Solingen.

It was imported by Tiffany & Co. in New York who had a U.S. contract for cavalry sabers. The Tiffany imports were unusual in that they had iron guards on the hilt as opposed to brass guards seen on all other M1840 and M1860 cavalry sabers. This saber was transferred to the park from Saratoga Battlefield in 1951.

Both sides had M1840 and M1860 cavalry sabers and they would likely have been used at Portici. Domestically produced prewar M1840 sabers were perhaps more widely available to Southern units but if a lighter U.S. M1860 saber was captured, the Confederates would put it to good use. We have another M1860 saber on exhibit that was carried by Col. William S.H. Baylor who commanded the Stonewall Brigade at Second Manassas.

Q. How long might these two exhibits be up?

A. The two exhibits will be up at least to the end of the year and perhaps longer. The one in the museum may remain in semi-permanent status. It highlights a portion of Second Manassas that deserves more attention.

Veterans of the 7th Georgia Infantry wanted people to know the specific positions they held at Bull Run. They traveled north to place seven markers and remember fallen comrades. You can learn about their effort at a park exhibit closing soon

7th Georgia veterans at an 1897 reunion in Marietta (Georgia Archives), fragment of second position marker, pins showing locations of Manassas markers, and a surviving marker at Ricketts' battery (Picket photos)

The graying veterans of the 7^th Georgia Infantry Regiment – whether convening at a restaurant, saloon or the battlefield – savored snatches of humor amid the serious business of remembering the dead and shared experiences that bonded them for life.

Newspaper articles in Atlanta and Marietta from the early 1870s into the first decade of the 20^th century contained long, florid prose about reunions. Many anecdotes referred to what was on the dinner table.

“Boys, you eat like you did in the army!” former Col. Lucius Gartrell said of a meal featuring fried salmon, trout, deviled crabs, spring chicken, sirloin and cakes.

These lines about a dinner -- as recorded in minutes of the regiment’s 1905 meeting in Groveton, Va. -- likely brought a chuckle:

“There is a charge to be made but not on a battery. There are tables heavily laden with all manner of good things and true to our record we charged, captured and held the fort.”

So it is no surprise the veterans' 1905 visit to the First Manassas (Bull Run) battle in Virginia, where the regiment first spilled and drew blood, promised “a grand and pleasant time and a series of interesting festivities,” according to the Marietta Journal.

Their trip by train was noteworthy for what the warriors planned to do: place six markers indicating where they were positioned during the July 1861 battle and another stone for a position at Second Manassas in August 1862. Other stops during the summer trip included Alexandria, Va., Washington, D.C., Fredericksburg, Richmond and Petersburg.

“We promise a grand and pleasant time and a series of interesting festivities,” the veterans association said, according to the article.

Since that visit, the marble markers fell victim to time, vandals and – possibly – a highway widening, with only two still on the field today, one of them rarely seen by visitors.

An exhibit at Manassas National Battlefield Park, installed in late 2022, contains pieces of two markers and describes the fate of all seven. But you better hurry if you want to see them. The exhibit's two markers are expected to be rotated out on May 21, placed in storage and made available for research by appointment. 

Fragment came 'home' years after it vanished

I learned about the 7^th Georgia markers when I read a park Facebook post in March 2022 describing the return of a chunk from the “second position” marker to the Manassas battlefield.

How the top portion landed at the Country Day School in the upscale Langley neighborhood of McLean – about 45 miles away near the CIA headquarters – remains a mystery.

The son of the school’s director in the 1970s found it while doing construction work on an old barn on the school property. A 1990s Washington Post article about Langley includes a photograph of director Dorothy McCormick holding the stone, described as a tombstone. 

McCormick believed it to be a tombstone for a Georgia boy and it was an indication of the area's historical significance, she told the Post. She kept it on a hearth.

It wasn’t a grave marker, says Manassas National Battlefield Park museum specialist Jim Burgess, who documented the 7^th Georgia position markers and tried to get this one donated to the park 30 years ago after he learned of its discovery. He had no success at the time, given the park had no legal claim because the stone disappeared before the park was established in 1940. 

McCormick kept the stone, apparently for sentimental reasons.

When the director died in 2018, her children sold her home to the school and left the artifact behind. In February 2022, the federal park got a phone call indicating the school’s desire to see the stone back at Manassas.

Burgess believes the lower half of the marker may be the gray stone in the middle of a fireplace, which was built by a farmer on what is now park property.

Jim Burgess points out the grayer stone in a park fireplace (Picket photo)

I stopped by the park last summer to meet with Burgess about the exhibit. He kindly showed me one of the surviving markers and drove me to the fireplace/grill to see the item for myself. It stands out a bit from the other stones and you can readily see how it might match up with the returned piece.

Burgess’ passion about the 7^th Georgia markers is likely matched only by a retired Army lieutenant colonel who served in Vietnam and the 173^rd Airborne Brigade.

He first saw these markers while a young man

To say Henry W. Persons Jr. of Severn, Md., is serious about chronicling the service of the 7^th Georgia Infantry and its brigade wouldn’t quite capture the scope of his passion.

Henry W. Persons Jr. provided this photo of he and his impressive documents 

“I finished my chapter on the battle of Manassas several years ago. It is 214 pages double-spaced with 1,427 footnotes,” he told the Picket.

Persons, 80, has known Burgess for more than 20 years, and they have exchanged notes about the regiment and position markers. The ranger read Persons’ chapter and made some suggestions.

Persons first encountered the 7^th Georgia position markers while walking to Henry Hill in the early 1960s with his father. He later came across what is called the “hidden” marker, which is deep in the woods and rarely seen by park visitors.

The researcher’s passion – perhaps obsession – was a big help to me as I researched this piece. He provided by email numerous newspaper articles, a roster and minutes of meetings held by the regiment’s veterans.

“I have 80 boxes filled with catalog material on Anderson’s brigade,” Persons said.

Brig. Gen. George Thomas “Tige” Anderson (left) was not in command of the brigade at First Manassas but he led it from early 1862 until war’s end.

Regiment suffered big casualties on a big day

The 7^th was mustered into Confederate service in late May 1861. Most of the regiment’s soldiers were from Coweta, Paulding, DeKalb, Franklin, Fulton, Heard and Cobb counties in northern Georgia.

The unit was rushed to Virginia and saw heavy combat at Manassas on July 21, 1861, the first major battle in the Eastern Theater. (Sign at park, Picket photo)

Brigade commander Col. Francis S. Bartow was killed while leading his men against Federal Capt. James B. Ricketts’ battery on Henry Hill during a pivotal moment in the fighting. “One of their men is the first to jump up on the cannon,” said Persons.

The battle swung to the Confederates’ favor late in the day for a victory that left Union forces fleeing to Washington and dashing any hopes on either side for a quick war.

The 7th Georgia suffered a staggering 153 casualties out of 580 men present, according to American Battlefield Trust.

Persons had an ancestor, Aaron Wellborn (Welborn) Mashburn (right), who served with Company E, 7^th Georgia, as a teamster and cook.

“I believe he did participate in First Manassas but that is supposition. My dad didn’t know.”

Persons, who was born in Atlanta, said learning about Mashburn led him to delve deeper into the regiment and brigade, which saw action in numerous, battles including Antietam and Gettysburg. His great-great-grandfather apparently was taken prisoner for a time, but was released and served until the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. He died in 1924 at age 81.

“I was curious what he experienced, having been in war myself.”

Researcher has left no stone unturned

After his 25 years of active duty, the officer retired in Maryland and worked as a civilian for the Army. Research was not new to him, having studied underground operations for Special Forces. He lives south of Baltimore and near Fort Meade.

Persons’ research over the years took him to Emory University on Atlanta, the University of Georgia in Athens and the Georgia Archives, among other institutions. (7th Georgia meeting minutes left, click to enlarge) 

Much of what he found at libraries was on microfilm (He has not conducted research in recent years).

He keeps reams of research and writing about Anderson’s brigade in Hollinger boxes.

“My annotated bibliographies for the brigade and each regiment, battalion and artillery company that was assigned to the brigade numbers some 1,200 single-spaced pages.  It is a wealth of information pertaining to the brigade, its actions and men,” said Persons, who has given several hundreds of pages to the Manassas park archives.

He’d like to see all of this published someday.

'Watching the clouds of dust rising'

I turned to the newspaper articles Persons sent me to gain some insight to the 7^th Georgia veterans and why they got together.

An 1871 reunion included toasts to fallen and current members. “Several hours were passed in recalling the incidents of the war in which they each had taken a part, many of them amusing, many sad, and all of them interesting.”

The men paid tribute to Col. William T. Wilson, who fell at Second Manassas. ”He was the favorite of the regiment, and never will they forget his cheery shouts and words of encouragement to ‘my boys’ as they and he were seeking the thickest of the fights,” recorded the Atlanta Daily Sun.(At right, Burgess in front of exhibit, Picket photo)

An 1885 article recounted details from an evening at an Atlanta saloon.

“Most of them were men considerably past the meridian of life, but a franker, merrier set of men could not be found. There was something of the ring of the camp in their tones and the affectionate pride with which they alluded to their old regiment was as fresh as if they had just been through a campaign.”

The regiment’s flag flew over the dinner. Its words: “Repel the Invader.” The 7^th Georgia veterans, wives and families made at least two trips to Manassas, in 1902 and 1905. (Below, what's left of the "Third Position" marker, Picket photo)

I will leave you with these passages from two unattributed and undated articles about their 1902 journey.

“The Seventh Georgia veterans are here, the guests of Lee camp until tomorrow night, when they board their special for Fredericksburg. The grim old fellows spent the day tramping over battle fields of Manassas and along Bull Run, and a more tired or hungry party of southerners have not stopped off here in many a day. Lee camp and the ladies' auxiliary fixed them up a substantial and dainty repast at their hall, and will provide them with accommodation and interest them in a way that they will remember old Alexandria and her hospitality the balance of their days.”

And this one:

“Just forty one years ago to-day, many of you were standing with me near this spot listening to the rumbling of cannon and caisson on the Centreville pike and watching the clouds of dust rising from the confident tread of advancing thousands, followed by vehicles of different kinds, filled with spectators of both sexes, who had driven from Washington to enjoy the fun of seeing the Rebels run. A few hours later far greater clouds of dust could be seen caused by the furious retreat of these same parties to Washington.”

(Below, a map shows the location of all seven markers)

Schenkl shell was unearthed near a historic home in Manassas. After it is disarmed, the ordnance will be showcased at 200th anniversary of Liberia House

Civil War artillery shell (left) after it was found near creek at Liberia House (City of Manassas)

On a sunny afternoon last week, contractors using heavy equipment at a creek near the historic Liberia House in Manassas, Va., unearthed something quite out of the ordinary.

Workers who are restoring eroded banks of Flat Branch Creek and safeguarding a spring house contacted city staff. Employees sprang into action, calling Manassas police. Police Sgt. Brett Stumpf said the department reached out to the Virginia State Police bomb squad.

Once on scene, experts carefully worked around a 3-inch artillery round caked in dirt but quite intact.

“It’s definitely a Schenkl shell – and it’s in really great shape,” Mary Helen Dellinger, curator for the Manassas Museum -- which manages the site -- told the Picket in an email Wednesday. “The fuse was not present when the shell was discovered.”

Map shows the Liberia House (top left) and the highlighted work area where the shell was found (City of Manassas)

The ordnance, which would have been filled with black powder, is now with Virginia State Police.

“It was determined to be a live round and was removed from the site by our agent,” said Matt Demlein, public relations coordinator for the agency. “At a later date, it will be turned over to Marine Corps Base Quantico for safe rendering and then returned to the City of Manassas.”

Rendering could include removing any explosive material inside. Stumpf said he had no timeline for the examination of the shell. It's possible it will be exploded if it cannot be rendered safe, he added.

City Manager Steve Burke mentioned the April 9 discovery during a council meeting on Monday night. His announcement was first reported by the local Patch news site.

Local officials believe the shell will be a great addition to events marking the 200^th anniversary of the city-owned house, which is notable for its large number of enslaved persons working the plantation before the Civil War and graffiti left by Union soldiers who occupied the dwelling.

The Liberia House is made of bricks fired from red clay on site (City of Manassas)

The Schenkl was primarily used by Federal artillerymen in a variety of cannons, including the Parrott..

“As far as Federal vs. Confederate shell – it’s difficult to say,” said Dellinger of this example. “We do know that during the Battle of Bull Run Bridge the 2^nd New York was stationed on the property (exact location unknown) and were firing at the Confederates at Fort Beauregard (located about ½ mile from Liberia). Because of the history of both sides being on the property during the war, it’s really hard to say which side left the shell behind.”

About 400,000 Schenkl shells were made during the Civil War. They came in several styles, including ones that contained case shot. It had a Papier-mache sabot.

Generals stayed here, and so did soldier graffiti

Before war came to Manassas and other communities in Northern Virginia, the landscape was dotted with small farms and large plantations.

Liberia House was built for William J. and Harriett Weir in 1825. Enslaved laborers did most of the construction on the two-story, Federal style brick home. They are believed to have crafted much of the stylish interior, too. Its 1,600 acres made Liberia House a large working farm and plantation.

The Prince William County property served as headquarters for Confederate and Union forces early in the war. Jefferson Davis (in 1861) and Abraham Lincoln (in 1862) came here to confer with their generals. “Proof of occupation is displayed as faded graffiti left by Union soldiers is visible on interior walls,” the city says.

Soldiers from both sides wrote graffiti in many structures in the region. Those surviving at Liberia Hall are Union.

Among the inscribers were Capt. Levin Bevins Day (left) of the 3^rd Delaware and Leverett Horatio Waldo of the 130^th New York. The inscriptions date from 1863 to 1864.

“Armed with pencils, red crayons or charcoal from a fire, graffiti was a way for soldiers to leave a piece of themselves behind as they marched into uncertain conditions,” a city website says.

Dellinger told the Picket past archaeological digs at Liberia yielded numerous Civil War-related pieces, among them buttons, bullets, small bits a pieces of metal that relate to horse equipage, other accoutrements and a sword -- “the coolest thing until this shell.”

“We’ve also found evidence of civilian life -- clay marbles, shards of dinnerware, bits of old brick, pottery and pieces of farm equipment,” the curator said.

City has long told history of the enslaved

Manassas, obviously, is associated with two major battles and numerous smaller operations and skirmishes. But the city also touts its extensive Black history by creating a trail for residents and visitors.

The Liberia House tells the story of the enslaved people on the land at the time of the war.

“Eliza and Phillip. Frances and Nathaniel. Susan and George. These and more than 70 others, their names lost to history, were enslaved to the Weir Family of Liberia,” a Manassas Museum sign says. “Decade after decade, two generations of men, women and children, regarded as personal property, lived and toiled on this land.”

A 2015 Washington Post article on Liberia House discussed how stories of the enslaved were finally getting attention in many historic sites.

“At the Liberia Plantation … scholars and historians have engaged in an extended debate about whether the name is a reference to the nation of Liberia, where African Americans settled in 1820, or a nod to the Libra sign of the zodiac,” the article says.

The city has told the story of enslaved people at Liberia for more than two decades.(19th century photo right, Library of Congress)

Linneall Naylor, a descendant of one slave who bought his freedom, told the Post said she learned to embrace the past.

“No one talked about it – it was such a touchy subject, especially for African Americans,” she said. “Slavery was such a hardship for families, and a lot of people moved to get away from the memories.”

Celebrating Liberia House through the fall

Manassas officials hope to share the Schenkl shell with the public at the main 200^th anniversary celebration in October.

“We are also putting together a special exhibition, “Liberia: Sentry to the Ages” in honor of the 200^th,” Dellinger said. “That exhibit will open at the Manassas Museum on June 6 and remain on public view through next spring.”

Liberia House and Manassas Museum are among eight historic sites administered by the city.

Rachel Goldberg, programs and education coordinator at the museum, said a daylong event is planned for Oct. 11.

Among events leading up to that are a "basement to attic" tour this Saturday, open house days on Saturdays during the summer and a “history happy hour” in August.

Liberia House is located at 8601 Portner Ave., Manassas. The house is open for special events and tours and an annual bee festival, which is scheduled for June 21. The grounds are open from sunrise to sunset. For more information, contact the Manassas Museum at 703-368-187

James Longstreet was here: Civil War veterans often mailed or gave out calling cards at reunions and meetings. Manassas has one that belonged to the general

One of the general's calling (visiting) cards (Manassas National Battlefield Park)

William Adams Longstreet was born in 1897 to a family noted for its celebrity -- and controversy. His grandfather, Confederate Lt. Gen. James Longstreet, was in his final years, bloodied but unbowed after decades of defying the South, as a biography describes him.

William was just 6 when his grandfather, 82, died in January 1904 in Gainesville, Ga. Like others related to the general, William grew up in the town with a purpose.

“He was a jovial man who was dedicated to clearing the general’s name,” nephew Dan Paterson said of William.

James Longstreet was pilloried by foes for his performance at Gettysburg and, later, support for Reconstruction, black suffrage and the Republican Party. Recent books, however, have brought him a good measure of vindication.

William (second from left), half-sister Jamie (behind stone) and Dan Paterson at Alta Vista Cemetery in 1969

As the last direct descendant with the surname Longstreet, William felt an extra obligation by taking up the mantle and defending “OId Pete” whenever he could. William – who worked for the U.S. Postal Service and lived in Washington, D.C. -- made appearances at battlefields and joined a Sons of Confederate Veterans camp named for his grandfather.

The descendant in 1959 donated a Gen. Longstreet calling card and an unframed print of a painting of the general to Manassas National Battlefield Park. Park museum specialist Jim Burgess told me the painting was made by renowned artist Howard Chandler Christy.

I learned of the calling card after a recent visit to the park, and I decided to delve into the topic. Such cards were the equivalent of today’s business cards, though most did not include contact information.

That’s because they were often mailed or given out, such as the likely case with Longstreet, at battlefields, veteran reunions and public events. The general (right) dispensed them as a sign of goodwill, rather than the pursuit of business.

Calling cards (or visiting cards) were popular with members of the Grand Army of the Republic (Union), United Confederate Veterans and other organizations.

“The heyday was in in the 1880s and 1890s during their highest membership,” said Everitt Bowles, who sells calling cards on his “Civil War Badges” website. “They’re not hard to find if you're involved with Civil War events. The higher prices are usually because of the elite regiments or for how famous the soldier was. Of course, there were a lot more common soldiers in the war versus the generals.”

Such cards can go for as little as $10 to several hundred dollars.

“Longstreet was such a famous person. He would give them out at reunions,” said Vann Martin of the online shop “The Veteran’s Attic.”

General was warmly welcomed at reunions

Longstreet was all about national reconciliation after the Civil War and he famously traveled to Gettysburg and to all manner of meetings and reunions.

His card simply read “James Longstreet, First Corps Army of Northern Virginia, ’61-’65. The top left featured the third national flag of the Confederate States of America.

“I am not familiar with how extensive James Longstreet calling cards might be. Given his longevity, it wouldn't surprise me if he didn't use several different styles over the years,” said Jim Ogden, historian at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. “I'd say this definitely has to be postwar, probably, given the stylized Third National, very postwar.”

The original Christy painting of the general hangs in Chickamauga and Chattanooga visitor center (Picket photo, left).

Longstreet’s widow, Helen Dortch Longstreet, a tireless advocate, commissioned the painting. A second version of the subject is on loan from Gettysburg National Military Park to the Longstreet Society, based in Gainesville.

Ogden cites Longstreet as an example of recent interest in Civil War memory.

Scholars and authors in recent decades have brought new interpretations of the man, finding he was not the “Southern Judas” he came to be called.

Many collectors love postwar reunion items and calling cards

Dan Paterson (right), William’s nephew and a great-grandson of James, said the general made numerous postwar journeys, including Fredericksburg in 1884; Knoxville, Tenn., circa 1893; Chickamauga for the 1899 dedication of the Georgia monument; Chicago; Gettysburg twice; and Richmond, Va., for the 1890 unveiling of its Lee monument

The general must have carried his calling cards to these and reunions.

Martin, with “The Veteran’s Attic,” said he has collected a few calling cards bearing a photograph, but they are somewhat unusual.

Longstreet’s card, he said, would have been treasured by those who received one. “He had people writing him all the time. They wanted his signature.”

Union veterans were more likely to have them printed “because they had more money. The South had to go through Reconstruction,” said Martin.

T.J. Jones of the 41st Tennessee (The Veteran's Attic)

Calling cards draw some interest, but they are not a priority, said Martin.

His website includes a card made for T.J. Jones of the 41^st Tennessee Infantry (above). The private was wounded captured twice during the war. He later worked for the railroad. He died in 1910. The card includes a photo of the bearded Jones as a veteran. The card is on sale for $335.

Some collectors focus on pennants, badges and pins from Civil War reunions. A more unusual item was one made of seashells in the 1890s for a GAR post in Buffalo, N.Y., Martin said.

Cards and portraits of Bowley, Lord and Wolff, click to enlarge (Library of Congress)

The Library of Congress has a few online images of Civil War calling cards, among them one for nurse Helena E. Miller Wolff, 1^st Lt. Charles P. Lord of the 6^th Massachusetts Infantry and 1^st Lt. Freeman Sparks Bowley of the 30^th U.S. Colored Troops.

Bowley, a white officer, is remembered for a vivid account of the battle of the Crater at Petersburg and its aftermath and his memoir.

Hated by many in the South, beloved at Gettysburg meeting

When I visited and interviewed people about Longstreet some 15 years ago, his story was little-known to most Americans. The novel “The Killer Angels” and the film “Gettysburg,” coupled with scholarship by historians, helped to usher in a reassessment of the general. More favorable books have followed.

At the Longstreet Society’s annual memorial at the general's grave at Alta Vista Cemetery this year, president Richard Pilcher gave a brief summary of the general’s life, mentioning his military prowess, public service and courage away from the battlefield – working for reconciliation after the war. “Many Southerners considered him a traitor to the cause, and blamed him for the Confederacy’s defeat,” he said.

Longstreet in postwar years voiced his opinion that Gen. Robert E. Lee should not have launched the disastrous Day Three attack at Gettysburg. Advocates of the romantic Lost Cause myth lashed out at him, and said he failed Lee at Gettysburg by delaying the execution of orders. Some of the general's writings in various newspapers often backfired on him.

Many Confederate veterans lionized him and he was popular at reunions, including a notable gathering at Gettysburg in 1888.

Civil War blogger John Banks has written about Longstreet’s trip to Pennsylvania and the general’s friendship with former foe Dan Sickles and other Union luminaries.

“The most celebrated man at the event sported massive, white whiskers and a cleanly shaven chin: James Longstreet, who commanded the Confederates’ First Corps at Gettysburg on July 1-3, 1863. Nearly everywhere Robert E. Lee’s ‘Old War Horse’ went he drew appreciative, and often awestruck, crowds,” Banks wrote a few years back.

Longstreet (center) and Sickles (right) during the 1888 reunion (Gettysburg NMP)

As the blogger points out, the general was more popular in the North than the South because of his alignment with President Ulysses S. Grant and the Republican Party. Former colleagues in gray savaged him for daring to criticize Lee’s decisions at Gettysburg.

The main hallway at the Piedmont Hotel in Gainesville, home to the Longstreet Society, has copies of documents on his appointment to federal offices, including postmaster, U.S. marshal and minister to Turkey. He also served as a railroad commissioner.

I recently asked Banks to describe Longstreet’s personality.

“Seems like guy I’d want to have a beer with -- good dude. Not a loudmouth.”

As for Sickles?

“Loudmouth”

William A. Longstreet was an ambassador for his grandfather

Dan Paterson’s late mother, Jamie Louise Longstreet Paterson (left), was crucial in the fight to vindicate the general’s conduct, during and after the Civil War.

Jamie was born 25 years after the death of James Longstreet, who had moved to Gainesville in 1875 and operated a hotel.

She was born in Gainesville to Fitz Randolph “Ranny” Longstreet – one of the general’s sons -- and Zelia Stover Longstreet.

Randolph’s first wife, Josie, died in 1904 and he remarried in 1929. William A. Longstreet’s mother was Josie and Jamie was his much younger half-sister.

Jamie grew up in Gainesville, married the late William D. Paterson and they lived in Washington and Bowie, Md.

Dan Paterson, now in his mid-60s and living in Centreville, Va., said the calling cards were passed on to Ranny, who kept them in a metal box. That container survives today and remains in the family.

Dan used the card as a template for his own business card.

Ranny Longstreet was a farmer and loving father, said Dan Paterson. “My grandfather was  … easy-going, he did not go into the military.”

William with book by James Longstreet, with Herman Leonard and in 1969 (Courtesy of Dan Paterson)

Paterson recalls his time with William in Georgia and elsewhere. They joined the same Richmond-based SCV chapter that was named for James Longstreet.

Paterson, a member of the Bull Run Civil War Round Table, has defended James his entire life. So did Herman Leonard, a family friend who gave talks about the general.

Paterson keeps a copy of a photo  (below) of William Longstreet and Leonard taken at Gettysburg in 1965. They stand in front of a shack that was labeled as Longstreet’s headquarters, which actually was a short distance away.

William A Longstreet and Herman Leonard (Courtesy of Dan Paterson)

“It was a tourist attraction from a leftover bunch of buildings in the area that were vendors.  I have the sign hanging in my basement,” said Paterson. The building no longer stands.

“That shack, much like that portrait, were my landmarks at Gettysburg when we were kids.”

William Adams Longstreet died in 1973 at age 76. He and his wife Gladys left behind no children.

He rests near Jamie, his parents and the general in the family plot at Alta Vista.

A U.S. flag flutters above them.