Battlefield Preservation, Chancellorsville

Another opportunity to save Chancellorsville land

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This from the Civil War Trust:

“The Civil War Trust now has the opportunity to preserve 37 acres of Jackson’s Flank Attack, including the site of the Talley Farm.  These parcels along modern day Route 3 will be added to the more than 115 acres  already saved by the Trust and its partners — another missing piece of the Chancellorsville battlefield that we have the chance to save forever.”

I will admit that I’m never sure how many readers this blog/site actually has, but I am confident that those of you who do stop by do so because of an interest in the 17th CVI. I’ve donated before to save land at Chancellorsville and I’ve donated to this campaign as well. Unlike Gettysburg, where the land that the 17th fought on is more or less intact and preserved for us to visit, the Chancellorsville battlefield has been the victim of decades of “progress.” Any chance to obtain and save land there is money well spent, especially on a $13 to $1 match!

In this case the land contains the remaining property of the Talley Farm (less that covered by modern U.S. Route 3). This is where the 17th CVI first saw combat, where Lt. Colonel Charles Walter was killed along with many others, and where Colonel William Noble earned the lasting respect of his men for his conduct on that day.

I’m hoping that all of you will take the time to donate something, anything, to help save this property. It’s important to the story of the 17th and will make sure that all of us who are descendants of the men who fought there (and those who are not but continue to honor their memory) can visit something that is not paved over or built on (see Salem Church just down Route 3).

Here’s the link:

http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/chancellorsville/chancellorsville-2013/

Soldier Life, South Carolina, Uncategorized

Welcome 2013

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In a few short hours (here on the east coast anyway) it will be 2013. I hope the New Year finds all the readers and visitors of this site healthy and happy.

To mark the occasion I’m posting an account of the 17th’s New Year’s Day 1864 celebration. The previous year had found the regiment suffering through the winter of 1862-63, dealing with an aborted officer’s “mutiny”, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg (and the death of 2 lieutenant-colonels at those battles), and the breakup of their XI Corps. It was a long, hard year for Connecticut men (and boys, really).  New Year’s Day in South Carolina was markedly different. From an account by George Partric of Company F, here is 17thcvi.org’s New Year’s 2013 present:

“The first day of January, 1864, found the Seventeenth still on Folly Island. There was no drill nor other duty excepting guard, and the day was given up to idleness and other enjoyment, the chief feature being the examination of the boxes sent us by the soldiers’ aid societies in Bridgeport and Danbury.

A barrel of genuine Connecticut apple juice in camp was a striking feature. Such a token of good will from the North was received by a George A. Partric, of Company F. It came from his Norwalk friends, and he describes its hearty reception as follows:

“I was on camp guard duty when the barrel arrived. When I came off duty I saw the barrel being rolled by Sergeant St. John and several others toward my tent. I told them to take it to the company’s eating house. They did so, and we immediately tapped it. The cider had been made about three weeks, and was found to be in prime condition. The boys wouldn’t partake of it until I would consent to take compensation for it. We finally agreed on five cents a quart for the juice until a certain number of gallons were gone, and then the balance should be free. The precious liquid then began to flow from the barrel and down the throats of the men in blue, and, as it was the pure juice, the men were loud in its praise. As the news spread some of the 25th Ohio boys heard of it, and they came on to test the virtue of Connecticut apple juice. They were made heartily welcome, and were as loud as the others in praise of the stuff. As we had the night to ourselves, we made a night of it—we and the cider. The cider had had no opportunity to work until now, and it put in its best licks. Perhaps no cider was ever more industrious than was this. As the night advanced the cider in the barrel lowered, and the spirits of the boys rose. There were songs, dances on the table, toasts and applause. In the morning the interior of the cook house presented a very discouraging spectacle.”

Gettysburg, Soldier Life

Lincoln, Gettysburg and 199 pages

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Today I saw Lincoln at the movie theater. I’m not going to go into the movie review business (but I liked it). For some reason that made me remember seeing a story referencing a Massachusetts soldier who, having been saved from injury or death by his pocket New Testament, wrote the President about it and in turn received a new one signed by Lincoln himself. The story went on to say that the soldier, Charles Merrill, did not survive the war.

The Hartford Courant reprint of the Stamford Advocate’s story about Private John Collins and his New Testament.

A quick search on the Internet brings up many, many stories of soldiers being saved by a pocket Bible. The 17th CVI had it’s own story involving an Irish immigrant in Company B.

John Collins was a married laborer from Stamford who enlisted at the age of 28. Collins, unlike Merrill,  survived his other wounds suffered at Gettysburg and died in 1897 at the age of 64. He is buried in Darien, CT.

Among the personal possessions that belonged to soldiers of the 17th that I actually own is a pocket New Testament. It is one of many that were issued to members of Company C in 1862. It is undoubtedly similar in size to Roman Catholic Prayer Book mentioned in this story about John Collins of Company B. It is a small volume in size, but in addition to being a big source of comfort to many a soldier it was, for John Collins at least, 199 pages big enough to give him another 34 years of life.

 

 

General Information

Online research – or what 17thcvi.org means to the research world

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Regular visitors to this site have probably noticed that there are few – a very few – sites and blogs listed on the sidebar. Some are there because they have some bearing on the 17th Connecticut and some are there because I like the content in a more general sense. The NPS blogs are listed because (1) the 17th fought at those locations and (2) because I have a great deal of respect for the people who work at these parks and write on their respective sites. One of those would be Mysteries and Conundrums.

Having been away for a few weeks, I spent some time catching up on those sites and read this post by Chief Historian  John Hennessy of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania NMP on the values and limitations of online research. Disclaimer: I met John – once – at a seminar many years ago and I am pretty sure he may have commented once on the old 17th CVI site, have read all all his books and have a great deal of respect for him.

One of the points made by John is that the availability of information on the internet has not necessarily made research better – that it does not necessarily put a better product on the street. This is a fairly loose paraphrasing of John’s post, and he uses his own work as the basis for that evaluation (and is not taking a shot at anybody with a site like, well, like this one). The bottom line here is that John is right.

How so? Speaking of this site, and only this site, which seems to be used by any number of people for their own research into the 17th CVI.  BUT…this site contains a fraction of the material that is available to those willing to drive elsewhere to look at original source material, whether it is at the National Archives or the Bridgeport Public Library. There is a wealth of information out there waiting to be read that adds depth to the story of the 17th, it’s campaigns, it’s soldiers, the families and towns left behind.

This site is only as good as the source material it uses – a lot of it made available as I get it but much more of it sitting in an archive waiting for someone to distill it and get it out to the world. It is, as it has always been, a work in progress.

Given all this, my hope would be that the information on this site would serve as as an introduction, a stepping stone if you will, to those willing to take it further.

Veterans

Can you identify this ribbon?

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Silk ribbon inserted into frame

These photos were sent along by Bob Davis, with this note:

“Tonight while searching a favorite thrift store I found a poster put out by the national tribune co for the Army of the Potomac. At the bottom it has a raised gold seal and states ” this is to certify, Sergt. Whitman Sackett served in the Army of the Potomac, having been in Company I, 17th Regiment Conn. Inf.

It also contains a silk ribbon under the glass that has G.A.R. surrounding 2 crossed muskets, an I, under the muskets. 17 under that and then Connecticut in large letters across the rest of the ribbon. I love the info I have already found on Sackett but am interested about any information anyone can send on the poster or ribbon.”

The lithograph is a standard National Tribune Company issue for the Army of the Potomac (they also did one for the Army of the Cumberland as well) with space for veterans to write their service record.

The ribbon stumped me, though. Seems clear enough that it is a Grand Army of the Republic ribbon – maybe an encampment ribbon – and not a 17th CVI reunion ribbon. The  “Connecticut” seems to have been original to the ribbon but it really looks like the “I” and the “17” were added, perhaps by Whitman Sackett.

I’ve never seen anything like it – has anyone else?

If someone can add something to the story, comment here and/or contact Bob at  RDavis @ aladdinfood.com (just remove the spaces).

National Tribune lithograph with service record for Whitman Sackett.