New Virginia historic site honors the brave service of Black soldiers who fought for the Union, including three who were executed nearby

The monument is the focal point of the site (photos Hugh Kenny, PEC)

A monument dedicated over the weekend in a rural Northern Virginia community honors three unknown soldiers of the U.S. Colored Troops who were executed in May 1864 after their capture.

The new Maddensville Historic Site in Culpeper County’s Lignum community features the granite obelisk and three Civil War Trails markers describing the significance of Madden’s Tavern, operated by a free black man, Willis Madden; a Baptist church started by Madden; and the service of 17 USCT members from Culpeper who fought for the 4th Division, 9th Corps Army of the Potomac, which marched through the area.

Keynote speaker John Hennessy, retired chief historian of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, spoke of the immense courage of those in the USCT. They faced discrimination within the U.S. Army and were not recognized as soldiers by the Confederacy, which threatened to execute or return them to slavery.

“It is impossible to overstate how profound the sight must have been as men of the United States Colored Troops marched into Culpeper County on May 5, 1864,” Hennessy said. “It was certainly profound to those men in uniform: some of them had been enslaved here; probably two-thirds of them had been enslaved somewhere. Now they fought for freedom, sensing that the freedom of others -- of all -- would transform the nation.”

While many USCT troops saw combat across the South, those in this campaign likely were guarding supply wagons or performing other duties during the Battle of the Wilderness.

The three soldiers were killed a few hundred yards from the historic site on May 8, 1864. A diary entry by a Confederate trooper is devoid of any emotion.

“We captured three Negro soldiers, the first we had seen," wrote Pvt. Byrd C. Willis of Company B, 9^th Virginia Cavalry. "They were taken out on the road side and shot and their bodies left there."

Willis at the time was a 17-year-old Florida native who had attended Virginia Military Institute and enlisted just a month before. He was wounded at Spotsylvania Court House in June 1864. Willis survived the war.

The new historic site was the work of the Freedom Foundation of Virginia, supported by the Piedmont Environmental Council and Civil War Trails.

In a press release, the groups said about 200 people attended Saturday’s event, some of them descendants of USCT soldiers.

Howard Lambert, head of the Freedom Foundation, has described Culpeper County as a ground zero for the story of the USCT, with some returning to the county -- their place of enslavement -- to fight for the Federal cause.

“They could have stayed free and enjoyed all the privileges thereof, but these men decided to join the Union army and come back as proud soldiers in blue to fight to free people who were still in bondage, knowing that if they were captured, they would be given no quarter, but would be lined up and shot, which is obviously what happened here near Madden’s Tavern,” Lambert said, according to the press release.

Reenactors on Nov. 6 near Ebenezer Baptist Church (Hugh Kenny, PEC)

The Picket reached out to Lambert for comment. He told the Washington Post that reading the line from Willis' diary was chilling. "It was like a common occurrence. No ceremony, just, 'Oh, we lined 'em up and shot 'em,' " he told the Post.

More than 180,000 men served in the USCT, about 10% of all Federal soldiers. More than 40,000 died, according to Hennessy.

He wrote that some members of the USCT, in their first campaign, were stragglers and fell into Rebel hands in May 1864.

“These types of dangers were ever-present for the USCT,” Hennessey said. “That fact magnifies their achievement.  In the coming months, the USCT would see battle. They would suffer indignities at the hands of their brother soldiers and atrocities at the hands of their enemies.”

One of three Civil War Trails markers at the site (Hugh Kenny, PEC)

But, he said, they increasingly gained respect within the Union army.

“The ultimate success of the USCT was no antidote to deeply rooted racism, but it certainly marked a major step forward. The service of the USCT was essential to establishing African Americans as countrymen in the eyes of many who had long refused to see them as fellow Americans.”

Archaeologists find even more old cannons in the Savannah River. They hope to solve the mystery of their origin and history

Will Wilson and Jeffrey Pardee during Oct. 12 dive (USACE Savannah)

The Savannah River is proving to be a graveyard for military cannons.

Following the February discovery in Savannah, Ga., of three artillery pieces that may date to the mid-1700s, archaeologists last month came across more artifacts.

“We were able to confirm two additional cannon that we knew about before. We found what we believe to be another cannon -- a very small cannon. We found what may be the muzzle of another cannon,” Will Wilson, an archaeologist with Commonwealth Heritage Group, said in a video posted last week by the Savannah district of the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Corps district spokesman Billy Birdwell expects the artifacts recovery near Old Fort Jackson to conclude in the next couple weeks.

“Once the recovery efforts are completed, the cannons will be analyzed to determine more information, such as type, age, and use. All cannons are believed to predate the Civil War era,” Birdwell told the Picket in an email.

The Picket recently posted an article about sonar survey and dives that have occurred since the February discovery.

The most recent were on the remains of Confederate “cribs,” or obstructions, placed in the river to prevent a Federal attack during the Civil War.

So what’s the story with the cannons found this year? Were they carried on warships or dumped into the water at some point?

Some theorize the three pieces found in February may have been carried by the HMS Rose, a British warship that took part in the siege of Savannah during the Revolutionary War.

The Rose was scuttled so as to block the channel from French ships that might come to the aid of colonists trying to retake the city.

That find was in the general vicinity of where the Rebel ironclad CSS Georgia was scuttled in December 1864 during the Civil War. Most of the ironclad’s wreckage was removed a few years back as part of the Corps’ deepening of the Savannah harbor.

More than a half dozen CSS Georgia artillery pieces have been pulled up over the years, but there could be a few more still in the river. And it’s possible some of the cannons were used at Fort Jackson, which was constructed in the early 1800s, or elsewhere and later discarded. The CSS Georgia served as a floating battery near Fort Jackson.

The Corps and contractors will try to determine the cannons’ provenance.

Asked whether the cannons explored last month could have been carried by the CSS Georgia or another period warship, Birdwell wrote, “While I understand this is technically possible, we haven’t done anywhere near enough research to say yes or no or anything more than ‘eh, maybe. Maybe not.’”

During their dives in mid-October, archaeologists also found part of an anchor and a bar shot, a type of munition designed to destroy ship rigging. They were commonly used during the Revolutionary War. (Above, James Duff with bar shot, photo: USACE Savannah)

The video briefly describes diving in the Savannah River. Crews using sonar and other technology guide divers to potential artifacts 45 to 50 feet below. Visibility near the bottom can often be nil.

A CSS Georgia Dahlgren gun found in 2015 (USACE)

“You are basically like an astronaut,” said Commonwealth archaeologist Andy Derlikowski. “You have your hard hat on … It’s a lot of just running around the sea floor until you physically encounter something on the bottom to identify.”

Birdwell said discussions are continuing on the final disposition of the cannons and other recently recovered items.

“The artifacts will be placed in temporary conservation while they are being analyzed, and decisions are still pending on potential conservation efforts,” he said.

Gettysburg home where Abraham Lincoln finished his famous address reopens ahead of anniversary events this month

The Wills residence in historic Gettysburg (Library of Congress)

After being closed for two years because of the coronavirus epidemic, a home where President Abraham Lincoln put the finishing touches on his speech will reopen just before anniversary events related to the Gettysburg Address.

Lincoln completed his speech on Nov. 18, 1863, in a second-floor bedroom of lawyer and judge David Wills’ house, which is operated today by the National Park Service. The address transformed the battlefield from a place of death and devastation to the symbol of the nation's "new birth of freedom."

Gettysburg National Military Park spokesman Jason Martz told the Picket the home was last open on Nov. 19, 2019. It then closed for the season but remain shuttered because of the pandemic.

(NPS photo)

It will be open, free of charge, this month for nine days before closing for the seaon: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, from 1 pm to 5 pm, from Thursday, Nov. 4, through Saturday, Nov. 20. No programming is planned. Visitors must wear masks and there are a capacity limits because of Covid-19 protocols.

The residence served as a temporary hospital during the July 1863 battle and citizens huddled in its cellar. It became the center of the cleanup process after the fighting.

Lincoln was one of David (left) and Catherine Wills’ house guests the night before the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. 

According to the Gettysburg Foundation, Wills took a lead role in preparing proper burials for Federal soldiers and planning for the national cemetery that was dedicated during Lincoln's visit.

The three-story brick home at 8 Lincoln Square is now a museum with seven galleries. 

Earlier this year, Gettysburg National Military Park launched a page that features three sites -- including the Wills home -- related to the Civil War and the house and show barn at Eisenhower National Historic Site.

Each page has a virtual walk-through of the structure and a second smaller image that provides audio. Viewers can choose which floor to look at, obtain a 3D cutaway image of the entire structure and view floor plans.

The tours are available for those using home computers, smartphones or virtual reality headsets, park officials said.

Model of wartime Gettysburg at Wills house (NPS photo)

Martz said the park hopes to reopen the Wills house again in 2022, depending on current Covid protocols.

The park and community will have events Nov. 18-20 this year to observe Dedication Day. Among the activities are a parade and illumination of graves at the cemetery. The schedule can be found here.

Lincoln bedroom in the David Wills home (NPS photo)

Divers in Savannah are checking out "cribs" -- underwater obstructions placed by Confederates defending the city from sea attack

Sonar image of four Confederate cribs in Savannah River (USACE, Savannah)

Archaeologists using sonar to scan the bottom of the Savannah River have located the remnants of four underwater obstructions placed by Confederate defenders during the Civil War.

The U.S. Army Corp of Engineer’s Savannah office last week released a video and press release on the discovery of the so-called cribs, which were intended to prevent a Federal attack on the Georgia city.

“A crib is actually the wooden structure that would have held rubble, in this case mostly bricks,” Will Wilson, an archaeologist with Commonwealth Heritage Group said in the video. 

“This is a fairly simple frame system that is (put) in place really to hold the rubble and provide an obstruction to ships that might want to pass up the river.”

Wilson and others recorded 3D images ahead of dives on two of the crib sites. The dives are underway, Corps officials said this week.

While tourists coming to the popular coastal destination gaze upon the supertankers coming from or to the Atlantic Ocean, they likely have no idea what lies beneath the river's surface: Remnants of vessels, pieces of Native American pottery that washed down stream, and other items deposited over the centuries.

The Corps began new fact finding and artifacts recovery in the past couple weeks. (The recent photo above shows diver James Duff holding a bar shot, a form of artillery used against ships during the Revolutionary War.)

The project follows the discovery earlier this year of three historic artillery pieces in the river. (Photo below, USACE Savannah)

The cannons appear to have been made in the mid-1700s, and some theorize they may have been carried by the HMS Rose, a British warship that took part in the siege of Savannah during the Revolutionary War.

The Rose was scuttled to block the channel from French ships that might come to the aid of colonists trying to retake the city.

“A definitive conclusion on their origins is still pending and may require future conservation efforts to study any identifying marks that may tie the artifacts to a specific vessel or wreck,” the Corps said.

It’s possible the artillery pieces were on a Confederate warship, such as the CSS Georgia, which was used in conjunction with cribs to defend the city.

The cannons were found this past February in the general vicinity of where the Rebel ironclad was scuttled in December 1864 during the Civil War. Most of the ironclad’s wreckage was removed a few years back as part of the Corps’ deepening of the Savannah harbor.

The ironclad itself was an obstruction: Too slow to travel downstream and engage the enemy, the CSS Georgia was a floating battery stationed near Fort Jackson, another defensive bastion a few miles east of downtown. 

Smaller batteries dotted the river banks toward Fort Pulaski, near Tybee Island. The fort fell to Union forces in 1862 and the city was effectively bottled up for the remainder of the conflict.

In its press release, the Corps said investigators this spring “found additional artifacts related to the cannons on the river bottom. The exact number and types of artifacts remaining in the Savannah River will be determined through the current and upcoming investigations, and these materials will be recovered for further study.”

Corps spokesman Billy Birdwell told the Picket on Tuesday that the crib dives and artifact recovery are part of necessary clearing for ongoing deepening of the harbor.

He said divers are working in an area filled with all kinds of debris, from before and after the Civil War. A photo shows what appears to be a Revolutionary War-era artifact.

Dozens of cribs were placed in the river during the Civil War.

Click map to see Fort Jackson, area of placed cribs (Library of Congress)

The Confederacy used a wide array of weapons and obstructions to defend against advances on Savannah from the sea. Besides forts and warships, wooden cribs, pile dams, torpedoes (mines), snags, logs and dozens of shipwrecks were employed.

A 2007 report by New South Associates on the CSS Georgia said the ironclad was situated to protect obstructions from Federal wrecking parties.

“The obstructions themselves were double-lines of sunken structures, comprised of cribs put together with 18 to 20-inch timbers, and loaded with bricks. Except for a small opening to allow Confederate patrol boats to go in and out, these obstructions stretched across the navigable width of the river. In the south channel, these cribs were reported to have a height of 30 to 35 feet,” the report says.

Shore batteries supported Fort Jackson.

Confederate torpedoes in Charleston at war's end (Library of Congress)

“There were two lines of obstructions in the vicinity of Fort Jackson. The line furthest downstream, on either side of the head of Elba Island, appears to have been Georgia’s first home,” New South Associates said. “A more irregular line of obstructions was also laid in the immediate vicinity of Fort Jackson, upstream from the first line. This line too appears to have had moorings for Georgia.”

Wilson, the archaeologist speaking in the Corps video, said the cribs being investigated now are north of the river channel, a bit outside of freighter traffic.

An 1865 map in the collection of the Library of Congress (above) shows a narrow waterway labeled “obstructed by cribs” not far from CSS Georgia and Fort Jackson. The river’s flow has changed since then and some land that appeared in the map is now underwater. It is unclear exactly where these cribs being studied by the Corps were discovered.

Will Wilson and Jeffrey Pardee during a recent dive trip (USACE, Savannah)

A map by Robert Knox Sneden, a renowned Union mapmaker, shows Southern batteries and obstructions all the way to Fort Pulaski. (below, click to enlarge)

An 1874 account of the fortifications in and around Savannah includes this description:

“The guns in these positions were supplied with an average of rather more than one hundred rounds of ammunition to the piece. As additional obstructions to an ascent of the Savannah river by the enemy, cribs, filled with brick and stone, had been sunk in the channel below the forts and under cover of their guns. Below the Thunderbolt battery the river was impeded by quantities of live oak logs.”

All of these defensive weapons did the trick: Savannah did not succumb to the Federal navy. Instead, it fell to the Union army during Sherman’s March to the Sea.

After the war, contractors were hired to raise obstructions, including cribs, sunken vessels, piles, snags and torpedoes, so that commercial traffic could safely resume. They even got part of the CSS Georgia. (Interestingly, there were complaints during the Civil War of obstructions left over from the Revolutionary War).

W. Todd Groce, president and CEO of the Georgia Historical Society, told the Picket a friend in 1996 discovered a Confederate torpedo buried in the mud along the river and downstream from the city.

“It was one of the old wooden barrel types. He excavated it and kept it in a big tub of water so it would not dry out and disintegrate.” The man wanted to donate it to the society, but it did not have proper facilities to care for and display it, Groce said.

Stay tuned to the Picket for an update on this project.

“These submerged crib obstructions are believed to be some of the last remaining examples of this type of obstruction placed in the Savannah River during the Civil War,” the Corps said.

Related: Divers find more cannons in Savannah River. Click here

Tennessee city honors US Colored Troops with statue

For the first time in Franklin, Tenn., history, a statue now stands on the historic square honoring the Black enslaved men who enlisted in the U.S. Colored Troops, a segregated part of the Union Army during the Civil War. The statue was unveiled Saturday during an emotional ceremony commemorating the troops and their sacrifices. They fought not only for their individual freedoms, but for those millions of enslaved men, women and children across the nation. -- Article