Civil War reenactors present at Navy ship commissioning in Cleveland had hoped to fire artillery salutes. Gun #179 did fire a volley in 1865 at Lincoln funeral there

Original Napoleon (foreground) and 3-inch ordnance rifle at Saturday's event (1st Ohio LA, Battery A)

Ohio Civil War reenactment crews present for the commissioning of a U.S. Navy combat ship in Cleveland on Saturday displayed two cannons, including one that reportedly saluted assassinated President Abraham Lincoln during his funeral train stop in the city in 1865.

They had hoped to fire the guns but increased security ahead of the ceremony precluded the booming display, officials said.

Gun #179, an 1864 Napoleon that was at the Lincoln events, was transported from the Statehouse grounds in Columbus to Cleveland, which saw the first U.S. Navy commissioning in Ohio in 250 years. A 3-inch ordnance gun was placed next to the Napoleon. Both were pointed toward Lake Erie.

Lake Erie made a picturesque setting Saturday morning (U.S. Navy photo)

Littoral warship USS Cleveland was launched three years ago; Saturday morning brought its formal commissioning in military service before it is deployed to Naval Station Mayport in Florida.

The guns were placed about a 100 yards from the stern of the ship so the public could learn about Civil War artillery, said Tim Daley of the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation.

The 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A reenactment unit brought the Napoleon “for a much happier occasion” than the wake for Lincoln on April 28, 1865, according to a news release from Battery A and the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board.

Cleveland was one of several Lincoln funeral train stops between Washington, D.C., and Springfield, Ill. Church bells and cannon firing were part of the public viewing of Lincoln and procession in Cleveland. The 1^st Ohio Light Artillery saw extensive service in the Western Theater.

The 19th Ohio Light Artillery from the Cleveland area showed off the 3-inch gun (above, in foreground, courtesy Wes Smith).

Saturday’s ceremony was full of Navy tradition, and speakers mentioned Cleveland’s contribution of steel and welding to the construction of the vessel. One pointed out the city’s service to the U.S. military intensified with manufacturing during the Civil War.

“This crew is ready to sail. This crew is ready to fight. This crew is ready to serve,” said its commander, Capt. Bruce Hallett near the completion of the ceremony.

Members of both reenactor groups on Cleveland waterfront (Special to the Picket)

In a Facebook post following the events, the 19th Ohio Light Artillery wrote:

"We were treated like royalty, being police-escorted from Berea, Ohio, to Cleveland Lakefront! Although we were unable to fire the guns we were put pretty close to the ceremony and able to mingle with the public and witness history."

They were able to tour the ship, though one participant had to remove her outer hoopskirt in order to take the stairs and maneuver in tight places.

I contacted both reenactment groups ahead of the event, and the following provides background: Responses have been edited for order and brevity.

Background on 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A

Reenactors man 1864 Napoleon on the Cleveland waterfront (1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A)

From Capt. Duane Rezac:

Q. Do you have a history of gun #179? Where was it from October 1864 until the Lincoln assassination?

A. I have done research on the history of the four cannon on the Statehouse grounds. The cannon were part of a purchase of two batteries of 6-pdr and 2 batteries of 12-pdr guns for the newly formed Ohio National Guard in 1864. At the start of the war, the states provided arms and equipment for troops going into federal service. By mid-1863, Ohio had sent 40 6-pdr field guns with Ohio troops going into federal service. When the process of disbanding the Ohio militia and forming the Ohio National Guard began in 1863, Ohio had no functional artillery remaining in the State Arsenal. The few artillery pieces that remained with the Ohio militia were in poor condition and were unserviceable.

The Ohio National Guard was authorized to have 20 2-gun batteries of artillery, but they had no equipment for them. A requisition was sent to the U.S. government requesting that the 40 6-pdr field guns be replaced. The request was denied, with the response including, "If we provide the guns, it will set a precedent and the other states will request the same, and we cannot do that in a time of war.”

The business end of gun #179 in Cleveland ((1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A)

Ohio came up with a solution. They would purchase four batteries of artillery, two 6-pdr batteries, 2 12-pdr batteries and 200 horses. The 6-pdr batteries would be used to train Ohio National Guard batteries so they would be prepared when more guns could be procured. The first two batteries to be trained would be expanded to a six-gun strength, and on the completion of their training, would be issued 6 12-pdr guns and 100 horses. These batteries would be stationed in Cleveland and Cincinnati to provide protection for the cities and borders of Ohio. The Ohio Statehouse has one gun from each of the batteries purchased.

Gun #179 was one of 6 12-pdrs issued to the 8th Independent Battery Ohio National Guard. The 8th was stationed in Brooklyn Ohio (now a suburb of Cleveland) and maintained an armory there.They kept the 100 horses they were issued stabled close to Brooklyn; however I have not been able to determine its exact location. In fall of 1864, Gen. Hooker wrote a letter to the governor of Ohio requesting that an Ohio Battery be made available to him in Cleveland. Gen. Hooker had information from spies that Confederate refugees in Canada planned " an early decent upon Detroit or Cleveland for purposes of Plunder and incendiarism" and he requested a battery for support in the event the attack occurred. The 8th was given that assignment and were on active duty from fall of 1864 until spring of 1865 with orders to provide Gen. Hooker any support requested.

Lincoln's casket was brought to Public Square (Courtesy The Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

When President Lincoln's funeral was at Cleveland, the 8th was selected to participate. The 8th fired the 36 -gun National Salute on the arrival of the train carrying the president’s body ( gun #179 would have fired six volleys). The 8th was a part of the honor guard escorting the casket from the train to the square where the president’s body was on repose, and the 8th fired salutes through the day.

Q. What kind of cannon is it? How long has it been at the Statehouse grounds?

The cannon is a M1857 12-pdr field gun commonly referred to as a Napoleon. All of the cannon were manufactured by Miles Greenwood of Cincinnati. #179 refers to the foundry number on the trunnion of the gun. While I am still researching to determine the exact date the guns were placed on the Statehouse grounds, I have a photograph from 1879 of the Statehouse that shows a cannon in the same location they were when the renovations to the Statehouse were done in the late 1980s. During that same time period, the inventory reports have a column of “Items at the State Campground or otherwise assigned by the Adjutant General’. This column contains two 12-pdr guns and two 6-pdr guns. While there is no way to definitively prove that these four guns are the Statehouse guns, I believe that it is highly likely that they are.

Q. How many members of the battery will be there? Do they have experience with this weapon?

A. All of our battery members are experienced operating muzzle-loading cannon with experience from new recruits to over 20 years operating cannon. We currently have nine members that are planning to attend

Q. Has this gun been fired before, in recent years?

A. While I can't say exactly when the last time this gun was fired, all four of the guns are maintained in operating condition. Due to logistics of handling the guns without horses, we typically use one of the lighter 6-pdr guns. Since 12-pdr #179 served in Cleveland during the war, we are very happy to return it back to where it served 161 years ago. When the Ohio Statehouse underwent major restoration in the late 1980s, all four of the cannon were completely reconditioned and new carriages built, using as much of the original hardware that was salvageable, with the remainder being newly manufactured by Cannon Ltd. In Coolville, Ohio (now out of business). The cannon are maintained by our battery and the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board, who are responsible for the Statehouse, grounds and monuments.

Background on the 19^th Ohio Light Artillery

From Capt. Wesley Smith

The 19th Ohio Light Artillery is a reenactment group that portrays the original 19th Ohio Independent Light Artillery, which was formed in the Cleveland area in September of 1862. They fought mainly in the Western Theater. Our reenactment group was formed way back in the 1960s during the centennial of the Civil War. Through the years, we’ve been reenacting and doing living history displays all over the mid-Atlantic states through Ohio and Michigan, also. We are a member of larger reenactment organizations like The Artillery Reserve and Birney’s Division. We take great pride in safety and historical accuracy while in the field. Our group is a very tight knit family group. Most events we field at least two cannons with limbers.

Saturday's Antietam Memorial Illumination: Each of 23,110 candles represents a soul

The familiar Dunker Church at Antietam (NPS)

The soldiers, Georgene Charles says, still walk the fields of Antietam.

Volunteers often have company as they set out 23,110 candles -- one for every casualty in the momentous Sept. 17, 1862, Civil War battle – for the annual Antietam National Battlefield Memorial Illumination.

They might perceive a chill. Or the presence of someone looking over a shoulder.

"The volunteers feel the soldiers out there. We just know they are telling us, 'Keep doing this,'" says Charles, founder and general chairman of the event, marking its 25th year this Saturday, Dec. 7.

The candles, positioned in brown bags weighted with a little bit of sand, speak for themselves during the illumination, which is expected to draw between 1,500 and 3,000 vehicles for a 45 minute-1 hour solemn drive through the northern portion of the battlefield in Sharpsburg.

Walking up Bloody Lane (Judi Quelland, ©Valley Studio)

The sight of thousands of flickering candles, lined up like soldiers along the rolling hills of western Maryland, is breathtaking.

“After 25 years, your mind cannot get wrapped around about what you are seeing,” Charles told the Picket on Wednesday. “We take you back to 1862. You will see nothing commercial and no signs.”

“None of the bags are marked Union or Confederate. This memorial honors those who paid the last full measure of devotion, on the altar of freedom,” said Tom Riford, president and CEO of the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“It is awe inspiring. You don’t realize what 23,000 lives are until you a get a visual representation,” said Tom Jones, acting chief ranger at Antietam National Battlefield.

N.Y. monument (NPS)

The battlefield, the tourism bureau and the American Business Women’s Association are sponsoring Saturday evening’s illumination, which begins at 6 p.m. The last car will enter at about midnight, officials said.

Here are some key details for Saturday:

-- The main entrance to the event is Richardson Avenue off Maryland Route 34. Visitors begin lining up in early afternoon on the westbound shoulder of Route 34. The wait from the line of cars can be up to two hours long, park rangers caution.

-- Stopping or exiting vehicles during the event is not permitted and there are no bathrooms.

-- Pedestrians are not allowed to walk along the 5-mile drive.

-- The visitor’s center closes at 3 p.m. in preparation for a ceremony honoring the nearly 1,500 volunteers who set out and pick up the candles.

-- There is no fee, but donations are accepted. Each vehicle will receive a brochure.

-- The weather forecast is mostly favorable for this weekend, with a wintry mix expected Sunday. If it turns worse, the event would be rescheduled for Dec. 14.

(Judi Quelland, ©Valley Studio)

Officials advise visitors to monitor the park’s website or call the visitors center at 301-432-5124, which opens at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

The Battle of Antietam – America’s bloodiest single day -- ended the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia's first invasion into the North and led to Abraham Lincoln's issuance of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, according to the National Park Service.

Jones says 3,654 men were killed and 1,771 were captured or missing. Nearly 18,000 were wounded in places now part of the American military lexicon – Dunker Church, Bloody Lane, the Cornfield and Mumma Farm.

Volunteers set out the candles, made to specification by Root Candles in Medina, Ohio, by 11:30 a.m. the day of the event. The lighting of the candles begins at about 2 p.m. or 2:30 p.m. 

One person can, with favorable conditions, light 100 candles in 15 minutes. “We can light that battlefield in an hour and a half,” said Charles.

(NPS)

The candles are in “soulful” brown bags rather than white ones, which, Charles said, would appear garish in such large numbers. “It would have looked like marshmallows. We wanted to make it look more of a remembrance,” she said.

“The candles will burn in snow and rain. You can close those bags slightly in the top. Our biggest problem is the wind. We have had 35 mph winds.”

Candles burn until about 6 a.m. the next day. Volunteers then return and pick up the bags.

Without its legion of volunteers since 1989, the annual illumination would not happen, said Charles.

Some individuals and civic groups, including Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, have been volunteering for years. They work in all kinds of weather, sometimes sleet, to set out the candles. Along the way, they become stewards of the battlefield, according to Charles.

The organizers will have a private ceremony at about 4 p.m. Saturday for those who have helped out.

Maryland monument and luminaries (NPS)

A special component this year is the participation of the 3^rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) the Army’s ceremonial unit. Members will present the colors and perform a 21-gun salute. A bagpiper will play “Amazing Grace” and Echo Taps will sound over the hills.

“This is a time [for volunteers] to gather together and view their works. It is a somber and spiritual time for them,” said Charles. “It affects different people different ways. Some came to see lighting of candles. They translated it to this [candle] being a person. This is a soul.”

The volunteers, who come out year after year, are allowed to view the illuminated battlefield first.

The Antietam National Battlefield Memorial Illumination this year is presenting a scholarship for the first time. It also has a book in the works and is working on becoming a foundation, according to Charles.

Organizers say their costs are about $15,000 a year; area businesses provide in-kind or donated services, such as a sound system and trailers to carry the candles to the battlefield.
 

Another view at Bloody Lane (NPS)

The park, visitor’s bureau and donations from illumination visitors help cover the expenses.

The route is reverse of the normal driving tour of the Antietam battlefield. Motorists first drive up to Bloody Lane, where they can gaze at 11,000 candles between the viewing tower and the visitor’s center.

“When they crest the hill by the tower it just hits you,” said Charles. “People are crying at the end and people have come back to the donation station to give more.”

Reverence for the sacrifice of soldiers who died or were wounded at Antietam extends to visitors themselves.

Motorists are asked to use parking lights only, but that can be difficult because of newer technology, according to the Jones, the acting chief ranger.

People use pieces of paper, carpet or other material to shield some of their lights.

“They have been very inventive,” said Charles.

Brown bags are made of sturdy material (Judi Quelland, ©Valley Studio)

In addition to the thousands of candles, visitors will see two small campfire encampments of re-enactors portraying Union and Confederate soldiers.

 

The Picket asked Charles whether 25 years of organizing the event makes the effort become rote.

“Absolutely not. Every year, I am seeing it like the first time.”

• PDF map of the event and route