Mary Surratt, convicted in the Lincoln conspiracy, was executed on a hot July day in 1865. Her conserved bonnet is still a curiosity at a Georgia museum

Bonnet before (left) and after conservation (Drummer Boy Civil War Museum)

Many visitors to the Drummer Boy Civil War Museum in Andersonville, Ga., are surprised to learn it displays a quilted black bonnet worn by convicted Lincoln conspirator Mary Surratt.

The museum near the infamous Confederate prison tells them about Surratt, who was the first woman executed by the federal government. To this day, her conviction and punishment remain controversial. The bonnet underwent repairs in 2015.

On July 7, 1865, Surratt and three others were marched to the gallows on a sweltering afternoon at the old Washington penitentiary, now the site of Fort McNair. The boardinghouse owner and the others had been convicted in the conspiracy to kill President Abraham Lincoln, who was shot dead nearly three months before at Ford’s Theatre.

The executioners wanted Surratt (left) shielded from the sun and heat in the moments before she was hanged. 

After the distraught Mrs. Surratt was carried by soldiers up the steps to the top of the gallows, her bonnet apparently was removed and an umbrella lifted as the death warrants were read.

Surratt's last words, spoken to a guard as he put the noose around her neck, were purported to be, "Please don't let me fall.” Moments later, with the temperatures near 100 degrees, the four condemned were swinging on ropes. They were buried only a few feet away.

Her bonnet has been at the Drummer Boy museum  since the 1980s. A collector acquired the artifact in New York and brought it to Andersonville.

The bonnet first came into the possession of Union Maj. Thomas Eckert, chief of the military telegraph department. Eckert, who was a friend of Lincoln, contended that he supplied paper and a telegraph office for Lincoln to write the first draft of the Emancipation Proclamation. He also wrote a telegraph announcing the assassination.

Eckert (right) eventually become president of Western Union.

Many of Eckert’s personal belongings are housed in the small Andersonville museum, which houses a variety of Civil War memorabilia. The black bonnet sits on a mannequin head in one case, with a brief description.

Curator Cynthia StormCaller says the museum has done upgrades in the past several years, including the conservation of the Surratt bonnet, done by textile conservator Jessica Hack of the New Orleans area.

They didn’t take a chance of losing the item through the mail or shipment.

“We actually hand-delivered it,” StormCaller said. At the time, the silk bonnet looked aged.

Hack, now retired, told the Picket the item was one of her favorite projects that came to the studio. “We took the entire thing apart,” she said. A gallery on the company’s website said the bonnet was stabilized by heat seal consolidation.

“We had to disassemble the bonnet to fuse new material to the fabrics,” said Hack. “It was a really interesting piece.” The conservator said the silk was deteriorating in places. She was unable to learn anything about who made it and where.

Prosecutors contended Surratt knew of the plot, which they say was hatched by assassin John Wilkes Booth and others at her Washington boarding house, and gave support. Her defenders say she knew little or nothing of it and never should have been executed.

Conspirator Lewis Powell spent his last hours pleading for her life. “Mrs. Surratt is innocent. She doesn't deserve to die with the rest of us,” he said before he was hanged. (At right, Surratt on the gallows, Library of Congress photo)

StormCaller said she doesn’t believe the businesswoman should have been executed.

She questions why the four were tried in a military court.

“I think she should have gone to jail, but not have been hung,” the curator said. “She knew a tiny bit and was not a full part of the conspiracy.”

The Andersonville Guild, a historic preservation society, and the town used a grant to purchase the museum collection in 2003. The guild is in charge of conservation and care of the items.

The Picket first wrote about the Surratt bonnet in 2009. Read that post here.

Ruff's Mill: Archaeological report on July 4, 1864, battle in Ga. urges preservation, education opportunities about soldiers, slaves and citizens

Field work was conducted in late 2020; here artillery item (Lamar Institute)

A growing and diverse suburb of Atlanta should be thinking of how to preserve more portions of a Civil War battlefield and educate its residents about how the conflict affected civilians and enslaved persons, authors of an archaeological report have concluded.

Despite the loss of large parts of the Ruff’s Mill battlefield in Smyrna, Ga., to development, residents and Cobb County government have the opportunity to protect remaining areas on public and private property, the Lamar Institute wrote in a report, “Linchpin in Atlanta’s Fall.”

The Battle of Ruff’s Mill (Nickajack Creek) on July 4, 1864, occurred in what is now the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District and Heritage Park. It was one of several brief clashes waged as Union forces under Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman continued their relentless push on Atlanta after a setback at Kennesaw Mountain.

The Confederate lines taken at Ruff’s Mill 158 years ago Monday were among the few defenses taken by direct assault during the Atlanta Campaign, authors of the report say.

The Savannah-based nonprofit Lamar Institute, working with local landowner Philip Ivester and other Smyrna area residents, set out to determine the location of the fighting and more fully identify the Federal and Confederate troops involved. Much of the work was funded by the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection program, which awarded the Lamar Institute a $96,000 grant.

Researchers said they corrected some misconceptions about exactly where the battle occurred and pinpointed three battle areas and 11 trenches. They also analyzed nearly 530 artifacts.

“The project was rewarding because we were able to locate and document exact battle areas on the modern landscape, uncover a huge amount of new information from the archaeological and historical research that will be available to the public and to those entities wishing to include the information in interpretive efforts, and to work with a large number of very interested and dedicated members of the public,” Rita Elliott of the Lamar Institute told the Picket in an email.

The project team in May gave an overview of their excavations and research to about 60 preservation-minded people at the Smyrna Public Library. They also showed an accompanying 40-minute documentary entitled “Double Quick and Bayonets Fixed” detailing the Atlanta Campaign and Ruff’s Mill.

Charlie Crawford, president emeritus of the Georgia Battlefields Association, says Ruff’s Mill has gotten relatively little attention because it was a brief incident between much more notable events -- namely the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain (June 27) several miles north and the crossing of the Chattahoochee River by Federal forces (July 9) to the southeast.

After his army had repulsed Sherman at Kennesaw Mountain, Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston once again had to resort to delaying tactics and a slow retreat toward Atlanta. “Johnston occupied the Smyrna Line principally to buy time for his wagons to retreat behind the Chattahoochee, and he did not intend to hold the line once that was accomplished,” said Crawford.

Rita Elliott (in dress) and Philip Ivester with items he found (Smyrna Public Library)

On July 4, 1864, Brig. Gen. John Fuller’s brigade with the 16^th Corps, supported by Sweeney’s division, attacked works held by Rebels in Hood’s command at Ruff’s Mill. “The Southerners fell back and dug in.

Union casualties in this action totaled 140 killed and wounded. Confederate losses are not reported,” writes historian and author Stephen Davis.

That night, Johnston withdrew troops to their next position, even closer to the river.

Attack of Fuller's Ohio brigade at Ruff's Mill (Wikipedia Commons)

While the documentary is heavy on military strategy and combat, it highlights other topics, including enslaved African-Americans forced to construct Rebel defenses in and around Atlanta. The report also looked at white residents, slaves and free blacks in the community.

That part of the presentation brought “in the perspectives of … people who had been overlooked in the past,” including the formerly enslaved in Georgia who fought for the Union army, said library director Mary Moore.

Moore told the Picket about educational opportunities to get more people involved in studying Smyrna’s history, and what it means today.

About one-third of the city’s 56,000 population is African-American and there are many newcomers. “One way you build community is make people aware of what happened before you came to this community,” she said.

A local historical society, plaques, parks, arts council and the Smyrna History Museum have a role in education, she said. The Jonquil City Historical Trail, an online guide, could add compelling information generated by the report.

The popular Silver Comet Trail brings tens of thousands of walkers and bicyclists through Heritage Park each year. The project could provide an excellent opportunity to educate them about the Civil War. (Right, entrenching tool found during dig, courtesy Lamar Institute)

Philip Ivester’s interest in his neighborhood’s history and an extensive collection of Civil War bullets and other relics he’s found on his property were the spark for the archaeological survey at Ruff’s Mill.

His parents in the mid-1970s purchased the remaining 11 acres from the Martin Luker Ruff property dating to the 19^th century.

Ivester talks in the documentary about finding numerous Civil War artifacts on their land, the heart of the Federal assault. He recalls finding nine bullets in one day. Friction primers found on a knoll show where cannons were placed, he said.

He recently posted a link about the report on the Concord Covered Bridge website, saying it was available in print to members.

“Beyond the military campaign itself, the report goes in-depth into life in Cobb County in the 1860s. This report includes perspectives of women, children, African Americans (both enslaved and freed), and everyday civilians affected by the Civil War. Numerous maps, diaries, photographs, letters, and aerials supplement the narrative and make this report a valuable research tool for future use.”

The updated Smyrna History Museum a few miles away includes interpretive panels and artifacts about the Civil War in the city and Cobb County. (At left, a map painted on the museum floor, photo by Picket. Click to enlarge)

Ivester told the Picket he is planning to make a donation or loan of “artifacts with known provenance” to the facility.

While nearby Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park preserves about 3,000 acres, no such federal protection was afforded to other Civil War sites in the area, including Ruff’s Mill.

The report covers ideas for saving battlefield from relentless development.

County-owned land should be protected from looting, vandalism and inadvertent damage from visitors or recreation-related construction, it says.

“Purchasing parcels from agreeable landowners at fair market value would be a first step in the long-term preservation of the battlefield," a summary says.

Ruff's Mill is adjacent to the Concord Covered Bridge (Picket photo)

"Other options may be to work with landowners to create conservation easements and other legal mechanisms for ensuring that land parcels stay protected in perpetuity.”

Cobb County Commissioner Lisa Cupid, who is African-American, said the artifacts found at Ruff’s Mill are a tangible link to the past.

“If you can see where things were so many years ago and where things are today, maybe it even gives you a chance to appreciate how far we have come,” Cupid says in the documentary. (The Picket reached out to Cupid for additional comment but did not receive a reply.)

Patricia Burns and Cobb Commissioner Cupid at the site (Cobb County)

Moore, of the Smyrna library, said she and her son volunteered on one of the days the public was invited to take part in the archaeological digs. It brought home what occurred on hills, farmland and ravines around Ruff’s Mill.

“I have come to appreciate the legacy of the war, how disastrous it was … how it shaped (us) for a century and more afterwards. We are still dealing with the ramifications of what happened.”

You can download the report. Note: Each file is very large and takes several minutes to download. Search Ruff's Mill here for report 230.

Percussion caps and friction primers: Q&A on students in Georgia who found evidence of wild cavalry chase, valiant rearguard stand

Big Buchkead Church, percussion cap (top right) and artillery primer (Camp Lawton project)

Members of the archaeology program at Georgia Southern University have pinpointed where a Ohio cavalry regiment helped successfully hold off charging Confederate horsemen during Sherman’s March to the Sea, the head of the project says.

Students at the university in Statesboro participated in a summer field school from May 15-June 16 at the site in Jenkins County.

Associate professor Ryan McNutt, who heads up the school’s Camp Lawton Archaeological Project, said about 1,000 artifacts were recovered. “I think we’ve made a very good start to confirming the location of portions of the Buckhead Creek battle lines, and this is something that future work will only develop and refine.”

The project for several years has been researching the remains of a nearby Confederate prison camp that was in operation for several weeks in fall 1864.

In 2020, the university was awarded a $116,247 grant from the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program to document and evaluate the archaeological integrity of two skirmish sites toward the end of Gen. William T. Sherman’s march to Savannah: Buckhead Creek and the subsequent Lawton (Lumpkin’s) Station.

Students tackled the Lawton Station fight first, finding evidence in early 2021 of an engagement.

The program decided to study Buckhead Creek this year, concentrating on property around an historic church caught up in the fighting.

The Battle of Buckhead (or Buck Head) Creek on November 28, 1864, involved cavalry forces under Union Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick and Confederate Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler (below, right). It took place across what are now Jenkins and Burke counties.

Kilpatrick (above, left) was in the area to destroy railroad between August and Millen and burn a trestle. Another objective was to release the Camp Lawton prisoners, but Union forces discovered they had been moved to other sites. Federal forces were able to destroy a mile of track.

On the 28^th, Wheeler “almost captured Kilpatrick, and pursued him and his men to Buckhead Creek. As Kilpatrick's main force crossed the creek, one regiment (the 5^th Ohio Cavalry), supported by artillery, fought a rearguard action severely punishing Wheeler and then burned the bridge behind them,” says a National Park Service summary of the fighting. “Wheeler soon crossed and followed, but a Union brigade behind barricades at Reynolds' Plantation halted the Rebels' drive, eventually forcing them to retire.”

The Picket’s questions about Buckhead Creek and McNutt’s written responses below have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Q. Was all of the work at the church? Why there -- any particular historical accounts you wanted to map?

A. All of our work took place around the Big Buckhead (Baptist) Church, on property owned by the Jenkins County Historical Society, for which we had permission to conduct archaeology on. This was for a few reasons. First, primary sources mention the church extensively as a landmark during the conflict over the creek crossing, and the Union withdrawal to Reynolds' Plantation. Secondly, the church’s property encompasses the end point of the causeway from Buckhead Creek Bridge, on line with the historic pilings visible from the modern bridge, and straddles the route of the historic road Gen. Kilpatrick and his 3^rd Cavalry Division retreated along. The (Federal) rear guard artillery action is the bit that likely occurred around the church.

Q. What date was the skirmish or skirmishes your team was studying? Were most of those engaged cavalry?

A. The battle occurred November 28, 1864 -- the action at the church occurred at noon on this date, which we know from a letter from the colonel commanding the 5^th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry who documented the regiment’s involvement in his report. All troops engaged were cavalry, with one light artillery regiment (the 10^th Wisconsin) on the Union side as part of Kilpatrick’s 3^rd Cavalry Division. Wheeler’s Confederate forces are less clear. He seemed to have some artillery attached, and we found some potential evidence of ad hoc Confederate canister shot that seems similar to items recovered from the Battle of Pea Ridge, but this is very tenuous at the moment and needs more lab analysis and documentary research. (Photo of left, Camp Lawton project)

Q. One of your Facebook posts said "pistols were used in the skirmish at Buckhead Creek Church alongside long arms and artillery pieces." Did you find artifacts from all three?

A. We found evidence of .22-caliber rimfires from a Smith & Wesson Model 1, and a lone percussion cap that fits a Colt Army 1860 .44-caliber revolver (or its equivalent). Artillery was identified primarily through fired friction primers, which were all localized in one area of the grid, in a position to deliver enfilading fire on the causeway and bridge across the road. We have some potential evidence of canister tins, and one possible piece of canister shot, but confirming the identification of these is an ongoing process tied to their conservation. Evidence of long arm use so far comes from exclusively percussion caps, in the top hat style, but there are some odds and ends that might be arms-related as well.

Brass rimfire casing for a revolver (Camp Lawton Archaeological Project)

Q. How far below the surface were the artifacts typically found?

A. Fairly deep -- almost all the munitions were recovered between 20 and 25 cms (8-10 inches below surface.

Q. How many in total were recovered? Any personal items or were all arms-related?

A. We recovered probably around 1,000 individual artifacts, and this included some historic glass, lantern parts, ceramics, numerous machine-cut nails, several boot nails and a few potential horse shoe nails, as well as the arms related items.  Many of these domestic items likely relate to the use of the site by the church, which has been continually used a place of worship since before the Revolutionary War and was certainly in existence from 1787. There were no clearly identified personal items from soldiers, but that may be a result of a long-term metal detector activity on the site.

Q. Any related to horse tack?

A. We almost certainly have some iron items that are related to horse tack, but they’re not obviously military in origin.

Reproduction percussion caps have maker's mark less patina (Camp Lawton project)

Q. You found lots of percussion caps. Were those mostly from pistols?

A. In fact, they’re almost all from long arms, and likely Sharps, which were the carbines the 5^th Ohio was issued with -- we found about 23 top hat style percussion caps, in a distinct line with several clusters, that likely indicates a skirmish line (given that the clusters are about 3-4 meters apart across the site, and in an angled line facing the causeway and old bridge site).

Q. The friction primers – Union or Confederate? Their use?

A. These are likely all Union, given their location. Friction primers were a gunpowder-filled copper tube inserted into the touchhole in the rear of the cannon barrel into the gunpowder charge. A roughened wire was fixed into a spur that was filled with antimony sulfide and potassium chlorate, which essentially acted like a matchhead when the wire was pulled through the spur.

A lanyard would have run from the wire to the hands of the gunner and yanking the lanyard pulled the wire out, ignited the friction primer, and fired the gun. The used exploded copper tube was then explosively hurled into the air and to the rear of the gun (depending on the cannon tube’s elevation).

For our purposes, the exact location of these friction primers is quite important, because we have primary accounts describing the presence of artillery at the Battle of Buckhead Creek Church, and general indications of their positioning.

Wartime photo of 5th Ohio Cavalry (Library of Congress)

The 5th Ohio Cavalry Regiment, Company G, had obtained two 12-pound mountain howitzers, and these were positioned to the right and left of the road running from the bridge at Buckhead Creek past the church and were loaded with canister to sweep the causeways leading up to, and away from the bridge. Another possibility is the 10th Wisconsin Light Artillery, who were attached to Kilpatrick’s 3rd Division, and were also involved in the rear-guard action at the creek, and who were also armed with mountain howitzers. Using the location of these friction primers and working out the potential distance these would have been hurled from where the guns were fired, we may be able to actually identify where precisely the Union artillery pieces were placed next to the church and add these to the battle interpretation. Moreover, these small copper pieces of conflict also indicate that there is quite a lot of integrity of the battlefield surviving.

Q. You posted on social media the discovery of buck and ball loads (left). What are those?

A. We found two, possibly three pieces of shot from buck and ball loads. Buck and ball loads were essentially two or more .32-caliber shot loaded into a paper cartridge with a .69-caliber ball. When fired, it had the effect of a shotgun, spreading the lethality of impact across a wider target.

Both of our shot has banding from the barrel of the firearm, and impressions from the .69-caliber ball, which is how we know they’ve been fired, since shot can only pick up those alterations from contact when it goes semi-molten from the powder charge when fired.

Wheeler himself requested buck and ball cartridges to be sent to Millen for his resupply, and when Sherman’s army took Savannah at the end of the campaign, part of the captured Confederate munitions included a total of 11,500 buck and ball cartridges.

Q. What types of equipment were used during the school?

A. We used exclusively metal detecting. There are several potential earthwork features that might be ad hoc Union fortification -- rifle pits, a potential tiny lunette -- that we need to return to and examine with GPR (ground-penetrating radar).

Q. Regarding open and public days, any particular questions or themes raised by visitors?

A. One of the consistent themes raised is how heavily metal detected the area has been in the past, and how surprised they were that were finding items. And also a deep appreciation for us working in the area, and raising the profile of both the battlefield, and the church. Despite its great historical importance, it’s not listed on the National Register (of Historic Places), and part of the final reporting of this project will be to nominate the church itself to the National Register as historically significant.

Dr. McNutt with visitors to the excavation site (Camp Lawton Archaeological Project)

Q. I imagine is analysis is to come, but do you have any takeaways from what was found/observed during the five weeks? Anything become clearer about the fighting around the church?

A. I think we’ve likely pretty much confirmed that we uncovered evidence of the 5th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry’s actions at Buckhead Creek. They were a regiment who served in the 2nd brigade of General Kilpatrick’s 3rd Division. Originally, the entire 5th Ohio formed the rear guard, dispersing Confederate attempts to cross the bridge over the creek with canister shot from two 12 pounder mountain howitzers from Company G commanded by Capt. John Pummill.

John Pummill may be individual at left with 5th Ohio howitzer (Library of Congress)

At noon on November 28 , 1864, they opened fire at the charging Confederates charging over the bridge and ‘when the smoke of [their] discharge cleared away’ the causeways were swept clean. Co D of the 5th Ohio destroyed the bridge, but Wheeler himself said his command used the pews from Buckhead Creek Church to rebuild it.

The 5th Ohio began a slow withdrawal to join Kilpatrick at Reynolds' (Bellevue) Plantation, leaving the 3rd battalion consisting of companies E, I, H, and K lead by Capt. (Alexander) Rossman to defend the rear at the creek crossing. Finally, only Company K was left, fighting dismounted as skirmishers. By this point in the war, Company K held only 61 men, who tenaciously held off Wheeler’s forces. And this accords well with what we’re uncovering in the archaeological record. Contrary to popular belief, only three regiments in Kilpatrick’s entire 3rd division were armed with Spencer repeating rifles. All the rest possessed either Springfield rifle muskets, or carbines of various effectiveness.

The 5th Ohio, which is our most likely candidate for the troops whose positions we’re investigating, were armed with Joslyn carbines at the start of their service, transitioning to Burnsides and then Sharps. As well as the standard issue Colt Army 1860 .44-caliber revolver, most importantly for our purposes, all of these carbines used top hat style percussion caps to ignite their breech loaded cartridges -- the exact style we’re finding in abundance, spaced at regular intervals facing the still visible causeway, strongly indicating a skirmish line. Potentially, the line of Company K. I think we’ve got really good evidence for the position of at least one of the 5^th Ohio’s artillery pieces, and accompanying skirmish line. (Damaged percussion cap in photo)

Q.  What do you think students most experienced/learned at this field school?

A. I think we’ve made a very good start to confirming the location of portions of the Buckhead Creek battle lines, and this is something that future work will only develop and refine. Most importantly, I think we’ve clearly demonstrated that portions of the creek battle site have really good archaeological integrity, with surviving artifacts, battle lines and detritus from the action, despite the extensive metal detecting activity in the area. This is incredibly important for these aspects of the conflict that spun off from Sherman’s March to the Sea, given that the battle of Waynesboro, and so many other of the smaller skirmish sites have vanished under development and urban expansion. I think this publicity and confirmation of intact historic terrain and battlefield material should help heighten the visibility of the battle, and encourage tourism to Jenkins County to witness a landscape in very good condition for visualizing one of the last major battles in Sherman’s March to the Sea.

Dr. McNutt (back row, left) with members of the summer field school team

Our students learned how important this local history is to the people of Jenkins County, and how it intersects with heritage tourism and real world impact. And of course, they also learned the value of hard work in 111 degree heat, and how much team work and strict scientific approaches are necessary to uncovering the past. Most of our percussion caps were in areas that were untouched because they covered over with extensive modern garbage, and it’s only through dedication and discipline that we uncovered them.

Moreover, I think the battle at Buckhead Creek Church really drove home to the students the concept of the Civil War as the first industrialized war, with a stark contrast between black powder muzzle loaders and buck and ball loads utilized by the Confederates, and breech-loading carbines and lever action repeaters and pistols with cased ammunition being used by the Union.

Ohio community near Cleveland hopes to rebuild a 120-year-old Civil War monument crushed by a tractor trailer

The so-called Sherman statue before Tuesday's accident (Village of LaGrange)

Updated July 7: A rural community in northern Ohio hopes to pick up the pieces – literally – and rebuild a Civil War monument that was obliterated this week when a tractor trailer careened through a downtown square.

Officials in LaGrange told the Picket the big rig cruised through a stop sign at the circular intersection in the middle of the village on June 28. The stone memorial with a soldier on top was shattered and a flagpole was crushed.

An incident report from the Ohio State Highway Patrol said the driver told a responding officer that he fell asleep and ran a stop sign. The driver was not found to be impaired.

“There are four or five big pieces that are there, they weigh hundreds of pounds apiece,” village Mayor Kim Strauss told the Picket. While those remain on the ground, the broken soldier figure was picked up, as well as stone chips that could help in repairs. The soldier’s head was severed by the force of the accident.

The force blew the monument into pieces (Photo by Gary Burnett)

Called by residents the Sherman statue, the monument was erected in 1903 (some sources say 1904) for about $3,000. The project was a joint project of the village and LaGrange Township, a separate political entity.

The monument base carried the names of LaGrange area residents who served during the war, the names of a few battles and of Union generals Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, Philip Sheridan and George Thomas.

Strauss and Gary Burnett, one of three trustees for the township, would like to see the monument restored, though one expert said that may not be possible. Another option is starting over with a new monument. Strauss said officials will work with insurance carriers.

The statue literally is the focal point of the town, at the intersection of routes 301 and 303 (Main Street). When it was erected 120 years ago, the soldier was facing to the north, toward the county seat.

“There was a big commotion over that you are never supposed to turn your back to the enemy. They lifted him and turned him south” to face battlefields hundreds of miles away, said Strauss.

The mayor said the driver was headed south on 301 on a route often used by trucks to reach another highway. The driver was apologetic after the incident, which occurred around 2:30 a.m., he said.

“He is OK. That is the most important thing,” Strauss said.                               

Burnett said residents of the township – a metro Cleveland bedroom community and farming area -- want officials to work with village to rebuild the memorial.

“I personally would like to put it back up. It is part of our identity in LaGrange. Everyone feels a little connection to it.” Officials said they are unaware of any opposition to putting the monument back up. 

Township trustees asked the public to stay away from the site for now.

“Nothing in the statue area can be touched and anyone attempting to take ‘souvenirs’ will be charged! The area has video cameras,” a Facebook post said.

The Sherman statue suffered another indignity 65 years ago, according to a Lorain County nostalgia blog. A newspaper article in November 1957 said pranksters tarred and feathered the base.

Monument to USCT dedicated in Tenn. city that was a recruitment center

A monument to U.S. Colored Troops was unveiled at Fort Defiance Civil War Park and Interpretive Center in Clarksville, Tenn. Hundreds gathered for a weekend Juneteenth ceremony filled with speeches, music, poems and dance in honor of the troops. Clarksville served as a recruitment center for escaped slaves who joined the Union army. -- Article