Battlefield Preservation, Chancellorsville

Something worthy to put your money on

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I read this tonight on Michael Bell’s XI Corps blog and thought it was worth sharing with my own readers. The  Central Virginia Battlefields Trust (CVBT) has once again managed to line up a significant purchase on the Chancellorsville battlefield, specifically the land south of Route 3, otherwise known to those of us who follow the XI Corps as the area of Jackson’s flank attack on May 2, 1863.

This land is just east of the Talley farm property where the 17th CVI fought that day. Any land saved in this area is a huge accomplishment – and this is huge. My first visit to the Chancellorsville battlefield was in 1981 and it is an understatement to say that an awful lot of land has been lost forever since that time. I left visited in 1988 and did not return until the spring of 2008…and that 20 year period, while providing a few victories, saw a lot more losses.

I’ll be honest, I have no idea how many people really take the time to come along here and read what gets posted, but I expect there are some of you. If everyone donated something I have no doubt that it will go far. I made my donation – how about you? I know money is tight for everyone, but I have always tried to donate to CVBT and I have always felt that my money really does buy dirt. I’d like my grandkids to be able to visit this area and see more than the commercial sprawl that has grown all along Route 3 in the last 30 years plus.

Here is the link to the CVBT page – consider donating to preserve land that the 17th fought on!

General Information

Roster update

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The rosters have been updated with the additional information through Company D. I still need to go into the volunteer records from 1864 to update later enlistments, and will have to look at some other sources to get the remaining late-war enlistments. The original 1862 volunteers will be there, though!

Biographies, Soldier Life

Roster changes…for the better

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For the regular visitors to the site (and thanks for coming by again and again!) there are some updates on the roster pages. I’ve been hitting the old Connecticut Catalog of Volunteers to add extra information to the rosters – namely occupation, age and marital status at the time of enlistment. It is very much a work in progress and I’m still not sure I like the way it looks, but the information adds an extra dimension to the names on the page.

Personally, I’m finding it interesting to read occupations that are really unfamiliar. For example, anyone know what a “knob turner” is? I haven’t had a lot of luck with that one. As expected, lots of hatters and shoemakers are turning up in the regiment thus far. One, Lt. Colonel Doug Fowler, listed HIS occupation as “soldier” when he enlisted in the 17th…his third regiment of the war by 1862. It may be worthwhile to have an entire section on the various jobs held by the soldiers of the 17th. After getting Company A done, I did notice that in this Norwalk company there were not many farmers – so by 1862 Norwalk seems to have been very much a manufacturing town (or at least well on its way).

Keep checking back as the work progresses – and if you like the additional information let me know.

General Information

The photos return and the old site is gone for good

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A little housekeeping note for anyone who follows the site – today I officially put the old pages to rest and just redirected  anyone using the old URL to this site. I think this one is an improvement since it lets me update faster and easier and hope everyone feels the same.

The one issue I have had is with finding a good way to display the various photos from the old site on this one. The last attempt ended in some pretty annoying security breaches that caused me to remove the plugin I was using. As a quick fix I’ve decided to retain the old image pages from the old site and just placed a link on this one to get to them. It is not all that pretty but at least they are once again accessible for the viewing pleasure of all.

In the meantime I’ll keep looking for something better – I’ve tried “free” but I’ve had the best success with professional plugin’s, so if anyone knows a reasonable one that works well please let me know about it!

Biographies, General Information, Gettysburg

The Gettysburg Star (and Colonel Ira Wildman)

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I found this article in the July 9, 1938 edition of the Gettysburg Star and Sentinel (published during the 75th reunion of the Blue and Gray):

I suppose it still doesn’t answer the question of whether or not the star was actually from the National flag carried at Gettysburg by the 17th Connecticut, but it still makes for an interesting story.

Also interesting? Colonel Ira Wildman was Danbury, Connecticut’s last surviving soldier from the Civil War. He had served with the 5th Michigan Volunteer Cavalry, joining that regiment in 1865 as a substitute for another man and serving one year with the 5th and 7th Michigan Volunteer Cavalry. It would seem as if young Ira Wildman was in fact quite young – listing his age as 18 when in fact he was only 15 years old. After his discharge in Utah in 1866, he appears to have enlisted in the US Army for 3 years, re-enlisting in 1870 as a cavalry trooper. If in fact it is the same Ira Wildman, he  deserted his regiment, was caught and confined at Fort Douglas in Utah in 1874 before being dishonorably discharged. While Ira Wildman may not have been a colonel in the army, he was a major player in the national reconciliation between veterans North and South.

Ira Wildman made national news when he married in 1935 to a much younger woman (age 58, so not so young as others had married!), even earning a mention in the December 9th issue of Time Magazine as well as  local papers across the country. This is from “The Mansfield News-Journal,” Mansfield, Ohio, on November 29, 1935:

“Blue Bird of G.A.R. a Bride — 900 see woman, 58, become wife of Veteran, 85” (Danbury, Conn.)

The “Blue Bird of the G.A.R.” Mrs. Ella C. Bond of Oshkosh, Wis., has become the bride of Col. Ira R. Wildman, the last of Danbury’s Civil War Veterans.In keeping with her sobriquet, bestowed on her by Civil War veterans because of her fondness for the color, the 58-year-old bride wore a gown of blue velvet. Her hair was covered by a blue lace handkerchief.

Nine hundred persons crowded into St. James church for the wedding which was performed by Rev. Hamilton Hyde Kellogg. At least two hundred more gathered outside of the church for a glimpse of the 85-year old Colonel and his bride, the niece of Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside of Civil War fame.

I guess I still have no idea as to whether or not the star ever made it back to the National colors of the 17th Connecticut…and given the fact that this flag was described as being in poor condition in 1879 when it was brought to the State Capitol on Battle Flag Day it seems unlikely, but the story is in itself an interesting one – right down to the military career of Ira Wildman. That in itself is probably worth a closer look someday. Maybe someone out there has some information on Ira Wildman, if not the fate of the star?