Thursday, April 5, 2012
Events scheduled at two Kentucky sites
Plans are under way to mark the 150th anniversary of two Civil War battles in central Kentucky. The sesquicentennial of the Battle of Richmond will be Aug. 25 and 26 in Madison County. The re-enactment of the Battle of Perryville, the largest Kentucky conflict, will be Oct. 5-7 in Boyle County. • Article
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Film tells story of 1864 battle near Savannah, team's archaeological finds
Archaeologists have uncovered and analyzed bullets, canister shot, gun parts and soldiers' personal belongings that will help tell the story of a little-known action west of Savannah, Ga., during the final days of Sherman's March to the Sea.
About 350 Confederates slowed the advance of 12,000 members of the Union 20th Corps for seveal hours on Dec. 9, 1864, at the Battle of Monteith Swamp (Monteith Station). Although it was a relatively minor confrontation, it delayed the taking of a vital Southern railroad for a day.
The Federals were able to force the Rebels off the field near the Chatham and Effingham county lines, employing an effective flanking movement in the snake-infested swamp.
The LAMAR Institute team found the rusted and smashed remains of a Union soldier's Springfield rifle (below) in that portion of the battle.
"I guess someone lost the gun. It was pretty much laying in the swamp with the barrel still sticking out," said Dan Elliott, director of the non-profit archaeological group.
The group's research and the battle are detailed in a 15-minute film that will premiere April 12 at Fort Pulaski National Monument, which next week is marking the 150th anniversary of the fort's fall to Union forces.
The LAMAR Institute in 2010 received a $40,000 grant from the American Battlefield Protection Program of the National Park Service to “conduct archeology fieldwork to identify and document the battlefield as well as foster public outreach.”
The ABPP’s mission is to "safeguard and preserve significant American battlefield lands for present and future generations as symbols of individual sacrifice and national heritage."
( Previous Picket coverage of the battle )
Local historian and documentary producer Michael L. Jordan worked with Elliott and re-enactors to make the film, entitled "Stalling Sherman's Army: the Battle at Monteith Swamp."
"It was a real chokepoint," Jordan told the Picket of the Confederate artillery-supported positions.
Union forces were anxious to lay siege to Savannah.
"When they got here they were hungry, tired and running out of supplies," said Jordan, owner of Cosmos Mariner Productions. "A small number of Confederate troops forced thousands of Yankees into one spot."
The team, working in late 2010 and early 2011, found about 50 bullets, most of them Yankee, the rifle, canister rounds, an artillery friction primer, buttons and personal items, including jewelry, the latter found at the site of an encampment occupied by Federal soldiers after the battle.
"It's always fun to go where we are supposed to find something and be able to prove it," Elliott said, who expects to submit his formal report on the project during the summer.
The battle was typical of desperate Confederate efforts to stall Union advances on Savannah.
The small force felled trees and built an abatis and trench lines for its flanks. The Rebels used a long line of swamp to its advantage against an overwhelming force.
On Dec.9, 1864, the entire 20th Corps (12,000 regulars) under Brig. Gen. Alpheus S. Williams advanced down Monteith Road from Zion Church. Around noon they hit Confederate positions.
“The sounds of fighting could be heard for miles, as units of the Twentieth Corps began to stack up like an accordion along the narrow road,” historian Barry Sheehy writes.
A flanking movement became bogged down in marsh and reinforcements flooded in to assist the 61st Ohio, the 31st Wisconsin and the 82nd Ohio. The going was slow.
Eventually, a flanking attack on the Rebel right bought some high ground and sent the Confederates out of their entrenchments, across Monteith Road and to Harrison’s Place, where they fought some more.
By late afternoon, the defenders were gone, leaving knapsacks and camp equipment but taking their colors and four guns with them. The Confederates had about 14 killed and four captured in the six-hour battle. Union losses were one or two dead and six wounded.
"We have a pretty good understanding of where the battle is, based on the distribution of bullets," said Elliott.
Elliott is heartened by the fact that a local resident whose family has owned much of the battlefield since the 1870s is committed to its preservation.
That family has a trove of artifacts picked up over the years. Most of what was documented and analyzed by the LAMAR Institute was on their property.
But that doesn't mean parts of the battlefield in private hands aren't at risk.
Elliott cites the construction of a couple retail establishments and the anticipated rebirth of housing developments in the area.
He hopes the film and project will be the first step in drawing attention to threats to Savannah's wartime defenses. He'd like to see the movie shown on public television.
"Very little is done to preserve the area," Elliott said.
The archaeologist will attend the premiere of the film, made in conjunction with his research. Fort Pulaski that same evening will premiere another film by Jordan called "Savannah in the Civil War."
Observations of the war's 150th anniversary are "a good opportunity to tell the stories of the Civil War," Elliott said. "These are the resources we need to protect."
Images from the film courtesy of LAMAR Institute and Cosmos Mariner Productions. Fort Pulaski National Monument will air the two movies beginning at 7:30 p.m., April 12, on a wide screen in the parade ground. Admission for the screenings is $5 for adults. Children 15 and under are free.
• Fort Pulaski 150th anniversary events
About 350 Confederates slowed the advance of 12,000 members of the Union 20th Corps for seveal hours on Dec. 9, 1864, at the Battle of Monteith Swamp (Monteith Station). Although it was a relatively minor confrontation, it delayed the taking of a vital Southern railroad for a day.The Federals were able to force the Rebels off the field near the Chatham and Effingham county lines, employing an effective flanking movement in the snake-infested swamp.
The LAMAR Institute team found the rusted and smashed remains of a Union soldier's Springfield rifle (below) in that portion of the battle.
"I guess someone lost the gun. It was pretty much laying in the swamp with the barrel still sticking out," said Dan Elliott, director of the non-profit archaeological group.The group's research and the battle are detailed in a 15-minute film that will premiere April 12 at Fort Pulaski National Monument, which next week is marking the 150th anniversary of the fort's fall to Union forces.
The LAMAR Institute in 2010 received a $40,000 grant from the American Battlefield Protection Program of the National Park Service to “conduct archeology fieldwork to identify and document the battlefield as well as foster public outreach.”
The ABPP’s mission is to "safeguard and preserve significant American battlefield lands for present and future generations as symbols of individual sacrifice and national heritage."( Previous Picket coverage of the battle )
Local historian and documentary producer Michael L. Jordan worked with Elliott and re-enactors to make the film, entitled "Stalling Sherman's Army: the Battle at Monteith Swamp."
"It was a real chokepoint," Jordan told the Picket of the Confederate artillery-supported positions.
Union forces were anxious to lay siege to Savannah.
"When they got here they were hungry, tired and running out of supplies," said Jordan, owner of Cosmos Mariner Productions. "A small number of Confederate troops forced thousands of Yankees into one spot."
The team, working in late 2010 and early 2011, found about 50 bullets, most of them Yankee, the rifle, canister rounds, an artillery friction primer, buttons and personal items, including jewelry, the latter found at the site of an encampment occupied by Federal soldiers after the battle."It's always fun to go where we are supposed to find something and be able to prove it," Elliott said, who expects to submit his formal report on the project during the summer.
The battle was typical of desperate Confederate efforts to stall Union advances on Savannah.
The small force felled trees and built an abatis and trench lines for its flanks. The Rebels used a long line of swamp to its advantage against an overwhelming force.
On Dec.9, 1864, the entire 20th Corps (12,000 regulars) under Brig. Gen. Alpheus S. Williams advanced down Monteith Road from Zion Church. Around noon they hit Confederate positions.“The sounds of fighting could be heard for miles, as units of the Twentieth Corps began to stack up like an accordion along the narrow road,” historian Barry Sheehy writes.
A flanking movement became bogged down in marsh and reinforcements flooded in to assist the 61st Ohio, the 31st Wisconsin and the 82nd Ohio. The going was slow.
Eventually, a flanking attack on the Rebel right bought some high ground and sent the Confederates out of their entrenchments, across Monteith Road and to Harrison’s Place, where they fought some more.
By late afternoon, the defenders were gone, leaving knapsacks and camp equipment but taking their colors and four guns with them. The Confederates had about 14 killed and four captured in the six-hour battle. Union losses were one or two dead and six wounded."We have a pretty good understanding of where the battle is, based on the distribution of bullets," said Elliott.
Elliott is heartened by the fact that a local resident whose family has owned much of the battlefield since the 1870s is committed to its preservation.
That family has a trove of artifacts picked up over the years. Most of what was documented and analyzed by the LAMAR Institute was on their property.
But that doesn't mean parts of the battlefield in private hands aren't at risk.
Elliott cites the construction of a couple retail establishments and the anticipated rebirth of housing developments in the area.He hopes the film and project will be the first step in drawing attention to threats to Savannah's wartime defenses. He'd like to see the movie shown on public television.
"Very little is done to preserve the area," Elliott said.
The archaeologist will attend the premiere of the film, made in conjunction with his research. Fort Pulaski that same evening will premiere another film by Jordan called "Savannah in the Civil War."
Observations of the war's 150th anniversary are "a good opportunity to tell the stories of the Civil War," Elliott said. "These are the resources we need to protect."
Images from the film courtesy of LAMAR Institute and Cosmos Mariner Productions. Fort Pulaski National Monument will air the two movies beginning at 7:30 p.m., April 12, on a wide screen in the parade ground. Admission for the screenings is $5 for adults. Children 15 and under are free.
• Fort Pulaski 150th anniversary events
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Scholars accept higher death toll
By analyzing newly digitized census data from the 19th century, David Hacker, a demographic historian from Binghamton University in New York, has recalculated the estimated Civil War death toll and increased it by more than 20 percent — to 750,000. • Article
Monday, April 2, 2012
After years of wrangling, Georgia will begin building historic site at Resaca battlefield
The state of Georgia later this spring will begin construction on the Battle of Resaca historic site, the first Civil War venue located directly off an interstate highway.
The decision to build along two miles of I-75 was welcomed in Gordon County in northwest Georgia, which has lobbied hard over the past 15 years.(Click image to see master plan)
"After many years of delays, false starts, too many meetings, phone calls, and e-mails to count, and one false groundbreaking ceremony, the group is elated over the state's decision to move forward," said Ken Padgett, president of the Friends of the Resaca Battlefield.
( Previous Picket coverage of efforts to build site )
The park, at Exit 320, has the tentative name of Resaca Battlefield State Historic Site. It is scheduled to open by May 2013, one year before the 150th anniversary of the battle.
Kim Hatcher, public affairs coordinator for Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites, told the Picket on Monday that the state will take bids on April 26. Construction will begin in late May or early June, she said. A pre-bid meeting was held late last week.
The site, with an anticipated price tag of $3.75 million, will include a road with interpretive signs, parking and an open-air pavilion with displays and information on the battle. A green restroom facility will feature solar power and self-composting commodes supplied by stored rainwater.
"The hills of earthen infantry and artillery fortifications and Camp Creek Valley will contain over five miles of walking trails with Confederate and Federal lines having interpretative signage," Padgett said in a statement.
"Due to funding limitations we do not plan to build a visitor's center at this time," said Hatcher.
Gordon County is expected to operate and maintain the site, she added.
On May 13-15, 1864, Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s army and Gen. Joseph E. Johnston’s Confederate Army of Tennessee bloodied each other at Resaca. There was no clear winner. Sherman continued his march toward Atlanta, which he took several months later.( • Summary of battle) The fighting at Resaca demonstrated that the outnumbered Confederate army could only slow, but not stop, the advance of Union forces, according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia.
An annual battle re-enactment is held each year. This year's event is May 19-20.
Local residents began pushing for the park in the 1990s and the state acquired the property. The Friends of Resaca organized support and raised money. Finally, the state appeared poised to build the visitors center after a November 2008 groundbreaking.
Plans, however, soon went south.
The Department of Natural Resources realized it did not have the money to finish the project.
Frustrated, Gordon County stepped in ago and took over, agreeing to do the construction and staff and maintain the facility. But in March 2010, citing costs and inherited permit problems, Gordon County punted on building the site. The state agreed to take the project back, but it has taken about two years to work out the details.
In early March, the Civil War Trust closed on the purchase of 51 acres of another portion of the Resaca battlefield, about 3 miles northeast of the site where the state will build. The Georgia Battlefields Association has financially supported a conservation easement on 473.48 acres of land at Resaca.
The 51-acre parcel contains the site of the battery led by Capt. Max van den Corput (left), whose four guns were captured by the Federals on May 15, 1864. The gun positions are discernible, but the site is accessible only by transiting a private driveway. The Civil War Trust will deed the land to Gordon County, which will build a parking area, walking trail and interpretive markers, according to GBA.
Gordon County is currently building an interpretive area at Fort Wayne, which was constructed near Resaca in 1862-63 to guard a river railroad bridge against further attacks following the Andrews Raid. The county is putting in a trailhead, parking area, walking trails and informational signage, with an anticipated opening date of early 2013.
Padgett, who is active in local affairs as a historical adviser, said "Gordon County will become a Civil War destination for historians, visitors, nature lovers and future generations of school students to learn from and enjoy history."
Drawings courtesy of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
• Learn more about Fort Wayne
• Friends of the Resaca Battlefield
The decision to build along two miles of I-75 was welcomed in Gordon County in northwest Georgia, which has lobbied hard over the past 15 years.(Click image to see master plan)"After many years of delays, false starts, too many meetings, phone calls, and e-mails to count, and one false groundbreaking ceremony, the group is elated over the state's decision to move forward," said Ken Padgett, president of the Friends of the Resaca Battlefield.
( Previous Picket coverage of efforts to build site )
The park, at Exit 320, has the tentative name of Resaca Battlefield State Historic Site. It is scheduled to open by May 2013, one year before the 150th anniversary of the battle.
Kim Hatcher, public affairs coordinator for Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites, told the Picket on Monday that the state will take bids on April 26. Construction will begin in late May or early June, she said. A pre-bid meeting was held late last week.The site, with an anticipated price tag of $3.75 million, will include a road with interpretive signs, parking and an open-air pavilion with displays and information on the battle. A green restroom facility will feature solar power and self-composting commodes supplied by stored rainwater.
"The hills of earthen infantry and artillery fortifications and Camp Creek Valley will contain over five miles of walking trails with Confederate and Federal lines having interpretative signage," Padgett said in a statement.
"Due to funding limitations we do not plan to build a visitor's center at this time," said Hatcher.
Gordon County is expected to operate and maintain the site, she added.
On May 13-15, 1864, Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s army and Gen. Joseph E. Johnston’s Confederate Army of Tennessee bloodied each other at Resaca. There was no clear winner. Sherman continued his march toward Atlanta, which he took several months later.( • Summary of battle) The fighting at Resaca demonstrated that the outnumbered Confederate army could only slow, but not stop, the advance of Union forces, according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia. An annual battle re-enactment is held each year. This year's event is May 19-20.
Local residents began pushing for the park in the 1990s and the state acquired the property. The Friends of Resaca organized support and raised money. Finally, the state appeared poised to build the visitors center after a November 2008 groundbreaking.
Plans, however, soon went south.
The Department of Natural Resources realized it did not have the money to finish the project.
Frustrated, Gordon County stepped in ago and took over, agreeing to do the construction and staff and maintain the facility. But in March 2010, citing costs and inherited permit problems, Gordon County punted on building the site. The state agreed to take the project back, but it has taken about two years to work out the details.In early March, the Civil War Trust closed on the purchase of 51 acres of another portion of the Resaca battlefield, about 3 miles northeast of the site where the state will build. The Georgia Battlefields Association has financially supported a conservation easement on 473.48 acres of land at Resaca.
The 51-acre parcel contains the site of the battery led by Capt. Max van den Corput (left), whose four guns were captured by the Federals on May 15, 1864. The gun positions are discernible, but the site is accessible only by transiting a private driveway. The Civil War Trust will deed the land to Gordon County, which will build a parking area, walking trail and interpretive markers, according to GBA.Gordon County is currently building an interpretive area at Fort Wayne, which was constructed near Resaca in 1862-63 to guard a river railroad bridge against further attacks following the Andrews Raid. The county is putting in a trailhead, parking area, walking trails and informational signage, with an anticipated opening date of early 2013.
Padgett, who is active in local affairs as a historical adviser, said "Gordon County will become a Civil War destination for historians, visitors, nature lovers and future generations of school students to learn from and enjoy history."
Drawings courtesy of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
• Learn more about Fort Wayne
• Friends of the Resaca Battlefield
Tour takes in Civil War Savannah: Preserved, possible and lost to history
The Georgia Battlefields Association conducted its annual March tour this year in and around Savannah. About 30 people took in well-known forts Pulaski, Jackson and McAllister, as well as lesser-known locations, including Rose Dhu, Shaw’s Dam and the privately-owned site where the Old Augusta Road crosses Ebenezer Creek. The Picket spoke with GBA President Charlie Crawford (above), who guided the group.Q. What is the purpose of these tours?
A. They are to raise awareness of sites that can still be preserved if the opportunity arises. We can tell the contextual stories of where they are. Pulaski already is saved. Before then we went to Battery Halleck (above) , which is virtually unprotected. (Halleck was one of the Union batteries that fired upon Fort Pulaski in April 1862). Halleck is grown over but you can still see two big pits where they fired large mortars. I think the county is trying to buy it but they have been unsuccessful in finding who owns the property. There were 11 Federal batteries and that is the only one they could find evidence of. Q. Could you please tell me about some of the stops?
A. We went to Fort Jackson and by Battery Boggs, which is on the golf course. There’s no mistaking it. Obviously it’s been damaged by the golf course but now that it’s there it will be preserved. We also went to Fort Wimberly, a [Confederate] battery that was built to protect the causeway. It was an attempt to protect the internal lines of communication. There is a noticeable and large remnant of the battery. It is on the grounds on Wormsloe state historical site. It could eventually be eroded away because it is right on the water.
Then we went to Rose Dhu (battery, above). The owner deeded the property to the Girl Scouts long ago. It protected another approach to the city. The mounds are taller than at Wimberly. They are both distinctive. At Rose Dhu and Wimberly you can see in several cases where the gun emplacements were. The trouble with digging pits it doesn’t take very long before you get to water. The Confederates had to build up for protection, as opposed to digging down. (A portion of Rose Dhu is being partially eroded by the river, photo, above).Q. Was there a first for you on this trip?
A. I had never had been to Rose Dhu before. Rose Dhu is well south of the city [Savannah].
Q. Part of the tour was by water. What sites do you see from there?
A. We took a boat trip to see Gibson’s Point, Turner Rock, Thunderbolt, Bonaventure and Causton’s Bluff to see the sites of the Confederate batteries. Now there is hardly anything to see. Most of them are in people’s back yards. They were put there because once Pulaski fell the Confederates still needed to protect the rivers, including Bull Creek and Wilmington. At Causton’s Bluff there are a couple of mounds that are in a gated community. Fort Bartow on Causton’s Bluff was the largest fort in the area besides Pulaski and it’s almost gone because of the housing. When the housing recovers someone will build the last few. There’s no chance we will have the money to go buy the lots. It’s not a high priority because it wouldn’t be publicly accessible to interpret.
Q. What about the stop at Ebenezer Creek in Effingham County?A. We were the first tour group to see the site. The Old Augusta Road is now in private hands. Several people wrote about an old road bed. The terrain is much the same as people described it. [On Dec. 9, 1864] the Union 14th Corps was passing through [on the way to Savannah]. The Confederates were annoying and following them. Because the 14th was on a narrow road they were anxious to get across the creek. They made a pontoon bridge, but when they were done they pulled it up. The black people [trailing the Union Army] were left wondering what the hell happened.
Confederate Gen. Joseph Wheeler talks about picking up 2,000 slaves, but that applies to several days’ worth. About 500 to 600 were left at Ebenezer. Some were picked up and put in the provost, some drowned and others made it across. The Confederate policy is you give them back to their owners. Jefferson Davis, the 14th Corps commander, quite consciously ordered them to pick up the bridge. He didn’t like black people, anyway. He was saying, ‘Why I am I wasting time on these contrabands’? [Editor’s note: The episode caused an outrage in the North and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton met with black leaders in Savannah after the city fell. Four days later, President Lincoln approved Sherman’s Special Field Orders No. 15, confiscating over 400,000 acres of coastal property and redistributing it to former slaves in 40-acre tracts.]Q. Where else did you go?
A. We followed the route of the 14th Corps to Monteith Swamp. Went past a couple HQ sites. Also to Savannah Christian Preparatory School and saw the earthworks there with historian Barry Sheehy.
Q. What were some of the highlights?
A. Ebenezer Creek was a highlight. Rose Dhu was pretty cool. Hardly anybody had been there before. Savannah Christian School is relatively protected. They use it as a teaching area about the environment. There are wetlands nearby. There is a preservation opportunity nearby. The owner knows there are earthworks on his land but he wants to put in a warehouse, but not directly on them. The land has the continuation of trenches and there is an opportunity to preserve. We went to Battery Jones, which is essentially already lost. [Gen. William] Hardee used defenses in the wetlands. It’s overgrown, has a lot of bugs and poisonous plants. McAllister(photo, above) is protected as a state park. Jackson is a private non-profit. We did a walking tour of downtown, where the slave market used to be. On the western side of the city, there’s an awful lot of it that is already gone. It would be nice to protect what’s left.Photo credits: Battery Halleck by the Picket; first Rose Dhu photo courtesy of LAMAR Institute; all others courtesy of Georgia Battlefields Association.
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