July 2001 Weekly Firesides

July 2001 Weekly Firesides

Hear Ye .... Hear Ye
"The Weekly Fireside"
of the American Civil War History
Special Interest Group;
Distribution Coast to Coast
Week ending 01 July 2001

Our Mission: To serve all genealogists by providing an enjoyable online environment with as many helpful and reliable resources as possible.

We had a grand time in OPEN CHAT Thursday night. And since a bit behind getting out the "Fireside" this week, we all wish you a Happy Independence Day.... Enjoy and don't start any fires or burn the Hot Dogs! Heh Heh

Books Notes from your Editor:
I have stumbled onto one of the best ever authors of Maritime and Naval History. I'm an ardent reader of C. S. Forester, Alexander Kent, and Patrick O’Brian Seafaring Novels of the United States, England, etc.. And now I have to add another to that list. I can't believe I've not stumbled on his books before. The most excellent new one that attracted me was FIRE ON THE WATERS and the author is David Poyer. A historical novel of the Federal Navy as the Civil War breaks out. An excellent read! David's web site is: http://www.poyer.com
.......................Enjoy

Civil War History & Genealogy Forum Related Announcements
War Between the States (Tracing your Civil War Ancestors)
With HOST GFS Amy and HOST GFS Wolford on
Friday evenings at 9:00 PM EDT in the Golden Gates Chat Room
of the Genealogy Forum (ONLY ON AOL) at KEYWORD: ROOTS

* * * * *

Military Families Chat
With HOST GFS Beri, and HOST GFS Wolford
Wed, 8 PM ET in the Ancestral Digs Conference Room
of the Genealogy Forum (ONLY ON AOL) at KEYWORD: ROOTS

* * * * *

Note: Next Thursday, HOST GFS Amy is going to tell us about cemetery preservation and replacing or obtaining Civil War headstones and flag holders.

Editor's Note: I sincerely encourage you to feel entirely free to post any Civil War Letters, Stories or articles that you have in our Civil War History Files through the new Military Resources Website. We are trying "beef up" our Library and now those of you who have patiently stuck with us who aren't AOL Members can now participate. There is also an area for you to upload photos, if you would desire to share those with the Civil War History community. On the Web Site, there are links to our Civil War Library (Files, Firesides, and Photo's).

FOR ALL YOU 1ST TIMERS ON THURSDAY - "WE REALLY WELCOME YOU TO OUR MERRY BAND" WE ENJOYED HAVING YOU, TRADING QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS AND ESPECIALLY YOUR CAMARADERIE!!! :-)... COME AGAIN OFTEN, WE DO INDEED "RELISH" YOUR COMPANY..

Every first-timer to the American Civil War History SIG gets put on the newsletter distribution automatically, because we like to send you a "Thank You Card" for coming to visit and this is our way of doing so. We hope to give you an opportunity to jump right in with us. If you desire NOT to receive the newsletter, then just drop us an email saying UNSUBSCRIBE and we will quickly remove your screen name from distribution. We certainly don't want to clog your mailbox with unwanted material. Also many of you pass on the newsletter to others that don't subscribe to AOL. We really want to thank you for spreading the word. I would also like to let you know that we would be happy to add them to our list if they have email of any sort. We distribute everywhere to those that have requested it. AOL membership is not a requirement although we'd love to see you in the Chat Room :D

THE HELP DESK

This segment is to address specific questions that hit our plate on Thursday night that we didn't have a chance to answer or needed a bit of time to check it out. Hope these answer the mail :D

Editor's Note: The new Military Resouces Website has a myriad of options for you. Here are some the choices: US Military Records, Conscription/Draft Records, Civil War Battle Names, Secession of the Confederate States, Your Civil War Ancestors - Where to Begin, Military Resources on the Internet, links to the Stories, Files and Talks of the American Civil War History Chat on AOL, message boards and many, many others. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.
Additional Note from the Webmaster: Although we are thrilled to provide this area for you now, we want you to know that we are still building it and MORE files, Regimental Histories, etc., will be available in the near future. Stay Tuned!

Weekly Web Sites We've Received
From: [email protected]

Free Ancestory Search on -
http://www.civilwarcemetery.com/CMGAD1.htm

* * * * *

From: [email protected]

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Home Page
http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/

MEMBERS HELPING MEMBERS!!.

Here's how it works... If you are trying to get photographs of a gravesite or battlefield, to collect for your Civil War ancestor research and records, then send us a request and we will post it here... Other members see your request, some being in the near vicinity, are willing to assist, and can email you directly (This protects your privacy) to work out the details. We HIGHLY recommend the "Requester" pay for all film costs and any postage involved for a helping member. This is intended to be a "Free" assistance between members (with the exception of defraying film and postage costs). Do unto others as.... you know
:-) Keep us posted on how this is working, so we can share them in the "Fireside"!!
HOST GFS Jim

IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED ANSWER(S) TO YOUR QUESTIONS, PLEASE BE SURE TO LET US KNOW!!!!!
Thanks!! - The Editors

We have had some gracious members offer their assistance in this area. Their screen names and areas they have offered to help in are listed.... Please honor their "goodness" and don't abuse them :-).... We ask that you do follow the guidelines indicated above....

From: [email protected]
Major Rate Increase for U.S. Social Security Application Requests
Effective July 1, 2001, there will be a major fee increase for processing requests for copies of original applications for Social Security cards and for computer extracts of this information. This has been confirmed with Roger Williams in the FOIA office of the SSA.

New Fees (effective July 1, 2001):
Copies of the original application for a Social Security card (Form SS-5) will cost $27 if the social security number is provided, and $29 if it is not provided. These fees were previously $7 and $16.50, respectively. Computer extracts of the application will cost $16 with the number and $18 without.
Social Security Records: Step-by-Step

{{Shirley}} thanks muchly for the information.

A BIT OF COMMUNITY...
Check out the following member inputs for comments and requests for information, Feedback's, Items of Interest and Plea's for HELP...

From: [email protected]

Host Jim, the following is from another list, permission to forward indicated.... The credit for gathering and assembling this great research material is credited to Billy Markland ([email protected]).

I have added a smorgasboard of new stuff to the History Transcripts page.
They include:

Casualty Rolls from the:

3rd NC from the Seven Days Battles (by accident, found a couple of kin, HARDISONs, in there!)
5th NC from Bristoe Station
4th TN After Action Report & Casualty List from Shiloh
14th MS from Ft. Donelson
20th MS After Action Report & Casualty List from Ft. Donelson
Muster Roll of the Officers & NCOs of the 3rd NC Battalion during the Revolution

The URL for the site is:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~familyinformation/
At the Main TOC, click on Transcripts, then History...

Note: the casualty roll of the 3rd NC at the Seven Days was pretty readable EXCEPT...the adjutant could not make up his mind how he wanted to make "J" & "I" so it is impossible to tell them apart. The surnames were pretty easy (who ever heard of an Iohnson?) but the initials for the given names, well it was by Guess & God. Let me know of any corrections that need to be made.

One company of the 3rd was formed in Onslow Cty. NC and I think the remainder came from eastern NC also as I recognize quite a few surnames from the Martin County area where I grew up. The main casualties occurred from what I have read, at Beaver Dam/Mechanicsville where a regiment of D.H. Hill's division attacked with Pender's Regiment of A.P. Hill's and were pretty well blown away. The bulk of the dead & wounded come from 7/1/62 at Malvern Hill. To quote from D.S. Freeman's Lee's Lieutenants on D.H. Hill's division attacking Malvern Hill, "It was not war; it was mass murder." (vol 1 pg 602)

Hope this stuff helps someone.
Billy
P.S. If anyone thinks this information would be helpful to another list, feel free to pass it on.

Note 2: Website improved...The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, run by the National Park Service, is quite impressive although they do not yet have Missouri up. I have somewhat belatedly discovered you can get unit rosters by clicking on the unit designated, and you can get the MICROFILM references by clicking on the participant's name. I was able to verify some information in my great grandmother's widow's pension papers. On another line, there are some 900+ Bailey folks, from the losing side. I'll be looking for the right one to establish my ggf's service if I can. Finally, I wonder if Hildebrand's men will be on the Missouri addition.<G>
URL: http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/soldiers.htm
Tom

{{{Tom}} Great stuff and make sure you give our thanks to Billy :D

* * * * *

From: [email protected]
Dear Friends in genealogy. You have been so helpful to me. I love the fireside letter and the chat sites. You probably have all the sites that I am sending, but in case you don't and they can help someone I am sending them to you. If you have other sites that you think I can use or would like I would appreciate you sending them to me.

Sincerely,
Eleanor
Genealogy Links, AOL Search: Society >Genealogy, Family Genealogy Online - Resources, Cemetery Records Online - Cemeteries and Genealogy, Cemeteries of the United States of America - American Cemetery Records - Genealogy - Geneology, The Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery - Queens County, New York, A Barrel of Genealogy Links, Obtaining New York State Records for Genealogy Purposes - New York State Department of Health, Genealogy Links, GenForum, Good Genealogy Sites to Check, Military libraries, Veteran/Military Web Sites, United States, Civil War Regimental Histories Index, All States, How to do Genealogy Research in Military Records - Links, Good Genealogy Sites to Check, United States, Civil War Regimental Histories Index, All States, AncestralFindings.com - The most popular free genealogy lookup site, Virtual Search Engines - 1,000 Specialized Search Engines, Behind the Name - the Etymology and History of First Names, The Genealogy Forum: Military Resources

{{Eleanor}} Bless your heart. Those were nice words to us and I'm including your websites in the Fireside.

WHAT WE ARE ABOUT
OUR FOCUS: the "History of the American (United States) Civil War", with byproducts of laughter, and comraderie!

OUR GOAL: to enhance your Genealogy activity, knowledge, and "wisdom" by talking about the history surrounding their lives and actions; specifically the "Civil War" that our ancestors lived through and died because of.

Captain Oliver Wendell Holmes of the 20th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, said it so well.

"I think it is a noble and pious thing
To do whatever we may by written
Word or molded bronze and sculpted
Stone to keep our memories, our
Reverence and our love alive and
To hand them on to new generations
All too ready to forget."

OUR PROMISE: to provide an "online" environment that is NOT judgmental and to address ALL aspects of this "Pivotal Period" in our History, with honesty and truth (as we know it).

We do "Fireside Stories" about the battles, the people and the social happenings. In addition we dedicate one Thursday a month to the sharing of Songs, Poems and Letters from that era. So come back and visit; we'll save you a seat at the Fireside, and keep the Cider warm..... For a full listing of upcoming events, either look on the Schedule at the end of this Notice or in the Upcoming Events of the Genealogy Forum.

As we review the logs, and we find new visitors who show an interest or have entered into discussions on this topic in our Thursday sessions, we automatically add you to the distribution for this "Weekly Fireside."

AND Hey!, TO YOU "FIRST-TIMERS" THIS WEEK, "Welcome"... :)

We heartily enjoyed your visit and participation. We really "fire up" with what members bring to the discussions, and we hope to see more of you.... Note that for any reason, should you desire to be removed from distribution of this "Weekly Missif," just drop us a line and we will comply with your wishes "post-haste".

Schedule of Upcoming Topics/Events*****

Time: Every Thursday Night at 11pm ET in the Golden Gates Chat Room (On AOL Only) with hosts HOST GFS Jim, HOST GFS Jayne, HOST GFS TEG and HOST GFS Amy and our many faithful friends :)

7/5/01 - Cemetery preservation and replacing or obtaining Civil War headstones and flag holders - HOST GFS Amy

7/12/01 - Letters, Songs and Poems night. Send in any material you want read in the room to HOST GFS Jim, HOST GFS Jayne, HOST GFS TEG or HOST GFS Amy and we'll be more than happy to do the reading for you :D

7/19/01 - OPEN CHAT

We'll See You Thursday Night..!
Your Joyful, Intelligent and Fun-lovin' Host's & Hostess's :-)
HOST GFS Jim, HOST GFS Jayne, HOST GFS TEG and HOST GFS Amy

Hear Ye .... Hear Ye
"The Weekly Fireside"
of the American Civil War History
Special Interest Group;
Distribution Coast to Coast
Week ending 08 July 2001

Our Mission: To serve all genealogists by providing an enjoyable online environment with as many helpful and reliable resources as possible.

HOST GFS Amy had a great session on Cemetery preservation and replacing or obtaining Civil War headstones and flag holders. She had a great many tips and suggestions and the interchange was good and lively.

More Book Notes ..............
Well I have another surprise for you this week. As I was wandering through one of my favorite bookstores, my greedy little eyes "lit" upon a new book titled "Rise to Rebellion". Then I saw the author's name was Jeff Shaara, and I thought to myself, "I know that name". But he writes about Civil War History and in the case of "Gone for Soldiers" the lead in to the Civil War which was the Mexican War. Well not any more! This is the first of two novels he is producing on the American Revolution. So I just scarfed that little hummer up and I'm a'reading it. I'll let you know my thoughts when I'm done. At this rate it should be about 3am tomorrow morning. Heh Heh
.......................Enjoy

* * * * *

Military Families Chat
With HOST GFS Beri, and HOST GFS Wolford
Wed, 8 PM ET in the Ancestral Digs Conference Room
of the Genealogy Forum (ONLY ON AOL) at KEYWORD: ROOTS

* * * * *

"Genealogy Forum's Military Resources" Website
devoted to Civil War History and the material presented in
the American Civil War History Special Interest Group
in the Genealogy Forum of America On-Line.
The address is:
http://www.genealogyforum.rootsweb.com/gfaol/resource/Military/

The Weekly Fireside Archives
http://www.genealogyforum.rootsweb.com/gfaol/resource/Military/Fireside.htm

Note: Next Thursday night is "Letters, Songs and Poems of the Civil War.... Hope you get the chance to drop by. As Tom Burdett says in the Motel 6 commercials, we'll keep a light on in the window :D

Did you know......................

[During the second Bull Run campaign, August, 1862, Stuart swept,] like the flight of eagles, around the flank of [John] Pope and came down with a rush upon his rear at Catlett's Station. This bold stroke was directed at the very center of the Federal Army on the night of the 22nd while a heavy rain storm was at its height. General Pope's headquarters wagon was captured and plundered with others of a large train. Stuart burned what wagons he could in the storm, and while the Federal army was looking at the flames of this destruction in their midst, he disappeared with his horsemen in the darkness and returned to his own people, with such plunder as he could carry off.
Stuart came galloping up next morning to where Jackson was sitting on a fence and to everybody's amusement unrolled from behind his saddle and displayed a beautiful blue uniform coat, inside of which was a tag with the name of its owner "John Pope, Major General". Our cavalryman was in one of his jolly humors. He dismounted, and repeating to us what he knew, that a week or two before he was surprised in a house he was visiting by some Federal cavalry, and in his hasty flight left his hat and plume to the enemy, he said he had a proposition to make to General Pope. Taking a piece of paper, he wrote a communication about as follows:

Headquarters, Cavalry, etc......

Major General John Pope
Commanding, etc....

General: You have my hat and plume. I have your best coat. I have the honor to propose a cartel for a fair exchange of the prisoners.

Very respectfully
{Signed} J.E.B. Stuart
Maj. Gen. CSA

-- as faithfully documented by Major Henry Kyd Douglas

.........................and there you have it!

THE HELP DESK
This segment is to address specific questions that hit our plate on Thursday night that we didn't have a chance to answer or needed a bit of time to check it out. Hope these answer the mail :D

Editor's Note: The new Military Resouces Website has a myriad of options for you. Here are some the choices: US Military Records, Conscription/Draft Records, Civil War Battle Names, Secession of the Confederate States, Your Civil War Ancestors - Where to Begin, Military Resources on the Internet, links to the Stories, Files and Talks of the American Civil War History Chat on AOL, message boards and many, many others. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.
Additional Note from the Webmaster: Although we are thrilled to provide this area for you now, we want you to know that we are still building it and MORE files, Regimental Histories, etc., will be available in the near future. Stay Tuned!

MEMBERS HELPING MEMBERS!!..
Here's how it works... If you are trying to get photographs of a gravesite or battlefield, to collect for your Civil War ancestor research and records, then send us a request and we will post it here... Other members see your request, some being in the near vicinity, are willing to assist, and can email you directly (This protects your privacy) to work out the details. We HIGHLY recommend the "Requester" pay for all film costs and any postage involved for a helping member. This is intended to be a "Free" assistance between members (with the exception of defraying film and postage costs). Do unto others as.... you know
:-) Keep us posted on how this is working, so we can share them in the "Fireside"!!
HOST GFS Jim

IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED ANSWER(S) TO YOUR QUESTIONS, PLEASE BE SURE TO LET US KNOW!!!!!
Thanks!! - The Editors

We have had some gracious members offer their assistance in this area. Their screen names and areas they have offered to help in are listed.... Please honor their "goodness" and don't abuse them :-).... We ask that you do follow the guidelines indicated above....

A BIT OF COMMUNITY...
Check out the following member inputs for comments and requests for information, Feedback's, Items of Interest and Plea's for HELP...

From: [email protected]

Good Morning, Jim
I want to thank all of you for taking the time to compose these fireside chats.
Bless Eleanor for sending all those wonderful sites.
I sure am glad I waited until today to read this. It was a great reminder to come tonight. :)
Thanks for your time and effort.
Betsey

{{Betsey}} Thanks for the neat compliments.... Eleanor (Pink) did great didn't she?

* * * * *

From: [email protected]
This came in my daily genealogy tip from Emazing, written by Morgan...thought you might be interested in it.

Military Research on the Web

Access Genealogy has produced one of the best military records Web sites at http://www.accessgenealogy.com/military . Here you will find libraries and archives, societies, battles, biographies, casualty lists, courts martial and executions, cemeteries, military histories, maps, query forums, recommended reading, regiments and muster rolls, regimental histories, and surnames. Articles describing how to obtain copies of military service and pension files from the National Archives will guide you through that process. The site is organized into states, under which you will find scores of collections of data. This site is among the best on the Web.

- George G. Morgan

{{{TAZ}}} Thanks for passing on this neat information. George is a tireless researcher and this info is always great. Thanks George!

WHAT WE ARE ABOUT
OUR FOCUS: the "History of the American (United States) Civil War", with byproducts of laughter, and comraderie!

OUR GOAL: to enhance your Genealogy activity, knowledge, and "wisdom" by talking about the history surrounding their lives and actions; specifically the "Civil War" that our ancestors lived through and died because of.

Captain Oliver Wendell Holmes of the 20th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, said it so well.

OUR PROMISE: to provide an "online" environment that is NOT judgmental and to address ALL aspects of this "Pivotal Period" in our History, with honesty and truth (as we know it).

We do "Fireside Stories" about the battles, the people and the social happenings. In addition we dedicate one Thursday a month to the sharing of Songs, Poems and Letters from that era. So come back and visit; we'll save you a seat at the Fireside, and keep the Cider warm..... For a full listing of upcoming events, either look on the Schedule at the end of this Notice or in the Upcoming Events of the Genealogy Forum.

As we review the logs, and we find new visitors who show an interest or have entered into discussions on this topic in our Thursday sessions, we automatically add you to the distribution for this "Weekly Fireside."

AND Hey!, TO YOU "FIRST-TIMERS" THIS WEEK, "Welcome"... :)

We heartily enjoyed your visit and participation. We really "fire up" with what members bring to the discussions, and we hope to see more of you.... Note that for any reason, should you desire to be removed from distribution of this "Weekly Missif," just drop us a line and we will comply with your wishes "post-haste".

Schedule of Upcoming Topics/Events*****

Time: Every Thursday Night at 11pm ET in the Golden Gates Chat Room (On AOL Only) with hosts HOST GFS Jim, HOST GFS Jayne, HOST GFS TEG and HOST GFS Amy and our many faithful friends :)

7/12/01 - Letters, Songs and Poems night. Send in any material you want read in the room to HOST GFS Jim, HOST GFS Jayne, HOST GFS TEG or HOST GFS Amy and we'll be more than happy to do the reading for you :D

7/19/01 - OPEN CHAT

7/26/01 - Southern Successes, April 1862 to January 1863 - HOST GFS Jim

8/06/01 - OPEN CHAT

8/13/01 - Letters, Songs and Poems night. Send in any material you want read in the room to HOST GFS Jim, HOST GFS Jayne, HOST GFS TEG or HOST GFS Amy and we'll be more than happy to do the reading for you :D

We'll See You Thursday Night..!
Your Joyful, Intelligent and Fun-lovin' Host's & Hostess's :-)

HOST GFS Jim, HOST GFS Jayne, HOST GFS TEG, and HOST GFS Amy

Hear Ye .... Hear Ye
"The Weekly Fireside"
of the American Civil War History
Special Interest Group;
Distribution Coast to Coast
Week ending 15 July 2001

Our Mission: To serve all genealogists by providing an enjoyable online environment with as many helpful and reliable resources as possible.

Well Thursday night was our special Letters, Songs and Poems of the Civil War. Those evenings are just great. Wish you could have joined us. Come on out next Thursday and join us for OPEN CHAT. We'll certainly try to answer all your questions.

More Book Notes ..............
Well, I just finished the book "Rise to Rebellion" by Jeff Shaara. It was a completely different approach to that period than I have ever read and I just couldn't put it down. He covered the period leading up to the Revolutionary War and culminated with the presentation of the Declaration of Independence to the people. I just can't say enough.

.......................Enjoy

Civil War History & Genealogy Forum Related Announcements

War Between the States (Tracing your Civil War Ancestors)
With HOST GFS Amy and HOST GFS Wolford on
Friday evenings at 9:00 PM EDT in the Golden Gates Chat Room
of the Genealogy Forum (ONLY ON AOL) at KEYWORD: ROOTS

* * * * *

Military Families Chat
With HOST GFS Beri, and HOST GFS Wolford
Wed, 8 PM ET in the Ancestral Digs Conference Room
of the Genealogy Forum (ONLY ON AOL) at KEYWORD: ROOTS

* * * * *

Did you know......................

For Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., September 13 was the day on which for many years he made an annual pilgrimage. Every year he left his workplace, the nation's highest court, to trek to Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac. The date was a birthday, and the man he came to memorialize with flowers in hand was his divisional commander at one point during the Civil War, Major General John Sedgwick.

Appointed to his bench seat in 1902, Holmes served until retirement in 1932 and died in 1935. Holmes today is recalled as a creature of the twentieth century. We tend to forget, however, that he was born in 1841, and that he was in his twenties during the Civil War, and that he indeed did serve in the war.

Not only did he serve, but he fought at Ball's Bluff, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville; he was wounded three times and at Antietam left for dead. His father, the famous New England author-poet, then published the personal story ("My Hunt After The Captain") of searching out his badly wounded son after receiving word that he had been shot in the neck. Young Captain Holmes had been taken into a home in Hagerstown, Maryland, for his immediate care and treatment, and several days passed before his father, a doctor, finally tracked him down on a train bound for Philadelphia -- obviously much recovered.

Fairly famous in those days were their greetings, one to another:

"How are you, Boy?"

"How are you, Dad?"

In his article for the Atlantic in December 1862, the elder Holmes was moved to point out how careful people of their time and social status were to hide strong personal emotion. "Such are the proprieties of life, as they are observed among us Anglo-Saxons of the nineteenth century, decently disguising those natural impulses," wrote the Boston Brahmin.

His son, the young captain, was back in the field in short time; eventually he was promoted to a lieutenant colonel. At the Battle of Chancellorsville in the spring of 1863, he was sounded one more time -- a nick in his heel that kept him from remaining with his 20th Massachusetts Regiment. Still recuperating, he was assigned duty as aide to Union General Horation Wright, who in the spring of 1864 was in command of the 6th Corps as Ulysses S. Grant moved into position to squeeze both Petersburg and nearby Richmond in an inescapable vice.

While Grant was busy in that regard, however, and while Sherman marched on Atlanta in July, Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal Early made his sudden dash with twelve thousand troops from the Shenandoah Valley into Maryland and drew up before Fort Stevens, a back door to Washington itself.

Since the nation's capital was slightly defended at best, Wright's 6th Corps hustled back from the Union lines outside Petersburg, traveling up the Potomac River by steamboat, and disembarking to a personal welcome by Abraham Lincoln himself. With Wright and his 6th Corps was the young Colonel Holmes. When Lincoln then visited Fort Stevens to see the front lines for himself, there was young Holmes again, assigned to escort the president. And when Lincoln impulsively stood up, his signatory top hat such as obvious target, shots rang out and Confederate rounds whizzed close by. The future Supreme Court justice wasted no time and minced no words as he pulled Lincoln down, while blurting, "Get down, you fool!"

In later life Holmes rarely volunteered the story of his brush with Lincoln, which may have saved the president's life but was also deeply embarrassing to the young officer. Holmes eventually did tell the story to both Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter and to Professor Harold J. Laski of the London School of Economics and Political Science, if not a few others.

As events turned out, Lincoln himself had eased the colonel's possibly lasting pain -- and made things all right -- when upon leaving Fort Stevens, he turned and said a bit wryly, "Good-bye, Colonel Holmes, I'm glad to see you know how to talk to a civilian."

Sadly, the same General John Sedgwick whom Holmes faithfully remembered for years after the war is most famous today for a wry comment of his own. It happened at Spotsylvania, in May 1864. Warned of Confederate sharpshooters nearby, he said, "They couldn't hit an elephant at this range." The words were hardly out of his mouth when he was struck down by a sharpshooter's round.

Perhaps as a result, Holmes was more than commonly sensitive to the effectiveness of unseen snipers when he pushed Lincoln out of harm's way.

.........................and there you have it!

THE HELP DESK
This segment is to address specific questions that hit our plate on Thursday night that we didn't have a chance to answer or needed a bit of time to check it out. Hope these answer the mail :D

Editor's Note: The new Military Resouces Website (Website is listed above in the Fireside) has a myriad of options for you. Here are some the choices: US Military Records, Conscription/Draft Records, Civil War Battle Names, Secession of the Confederate States, Your Civil War Ancestors - Where to Begin, Military Resources on the Internet, links to the Stories, Files and Talks of the American Civil War History Chat on AOL, message boards and many, many others. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Additional Note from the Webmaster: Although we are thrilled to provide this area for you now, we want you to know that we are still building it and MORE files, Regimental Histories, etc., will be available in the near future. Stay Tuned!

Weekly Web Sites We've Received
From: [email protected]

Black Confederates:
http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Bunker/1163/black.html#intro
Your Online Source for Civil War Events:
http://www.civilwarshows.com/search/default.asp
League of the South Homepage:
http://www.dixienet.org/dnframeset.html
North Carolina Division - Guide to Confederate Issues:
http://www.ncscv.org/press/guide.htm#anchor16274414
Civil War Driving Tour:
http://www.ci.salisbury.nc.us/root/cw_tour.htm
These Men Wore Grey:
http://www.hartcom.net/~scv935/grey/
Welcome to the Civil War Preservation Trust:
http://www.civilwar.org/

MEMBERS HELPING MEMBERS!!..

Here's how it works... If you are trying to get photographs of a gravesite or battlefield, to collect for your Civil War ancestor research and records, then send us a request and we will post it here... Other members see your request, some being in the near vicinity, are willing to assist, and can email you directly (This protects your privacy) to work out the details. We HIGHLY recommend the "Requester" pay for all film costs and any postage involved for a helping member. This is intended to be a "Free" assistance between members (with the exception of defraying film and postage costs). Do unto others as.... you know :-) Keep us posted on how this is working, so we can share them in the "Fireside"!!
HOST GFS Jim

IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED ANSWER(S) TO YOUR QUESTIONS, PLEASE BE SURE TO LET US KNOW!!!!!
Thanks!! - The Editors

We have had some gracious members offer their assistance in this area. Their screen names and areas they have offered to help in are listed.... Please honor their "goodness" and don't abuse them :-).... We ask that you do follow the guidelines indicated above....

A BIT OF COMMUNITY...
Check out the following member inputs for comments and requests for information, Feedback's, Items of Interest and Plea's for HELP...

From: [email protected]

Great story re: Jeb Stuarts Hat and Plume...
Kevin* *

{{Kevin}} I hadn't known that particular one, but it certainly sounded like Stuart. :D

* * * * *

For all you you that responded to the reference to Jeff Shaara's new book......

You're Welcome :D

* * * * *

From: [email protected]

Thought you might want to share this - Jayne...

Slotkin wins Shaara Award for Civil War fiction

BATON ROUGE -- The 2000 Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction will be presented Monday, July 16 in Atlanta, Georgia to Richard Slotkin, author of Abe: A Novel of the Young Lincoln (Henry Holt & Co.). The 12 p.m. ceremony will take place at the Georgia State Archives.

The $1,000 annual award is funded by novelist Jeff Shaara and created by Shaara and the U.S. Civil War Center, a department of the Louisiana State University Libraries Special Collections. Slotkin will read from his winning novel, and a reception and book signing, featuring both the winner and Jeff Shaara, will follow the ceremony. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Olin Professor of American Studies at Wesleyan University, Slotkin teaches interdisciplinary courses on American culture, linking literature, film and history. He recently completed the last volume of an award-winning nonfiction trilogy on the American Myth of the Frontier. He has published two other historical novels: The Crater (Atheneum, 1980), a novel of the Civil War; and The Return of Henry Starr (Atheneum, 1988), about the end of the Old West and the beginning of the Western.

Jeff Shaara's father, Michael Shaara, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1975 for the Civil War novel, The Killer Angels, on which the movie Gettysburg was based. Historians and novelists frequently point to The Killer Angels as the book that inspired them to write about the Civil War. Jeff Shaara serves on the U.S. Civil War Center's National Advisory Board. He is the author of the Civil War novels Gods and Generals, and The Last Full Measure. His most recent novels are Gone for Soldiers set in the Mexican War, and Rise to Rebellion on the American Revolution.

The mission of the U.S. Civil War Center is to promote the study of the Civil War from unique perspectives. This purpose is reflected in the criteria for the Michael Shaara Award. Each year the award ceremony is held in a different location to underscore the national focus of the Center. The 1999 award was presented at the New York State Archives to Robert J. Mrazek, author of the novel Stonewall's Gold.

The Georgia Department of Archives and History seeks to identify, select, preserve and make accessible records that constitute Georgia's recorded history. Through exhibitions and special programs, the Archives promotes examination of historical topics of interest to Georgians, including the Civil War. "We are honored to host the presentation of this year's Michael Shaara Award," said David W. Carmicheal, director of the Georgia Department of Archives and History. "Encouraging the examination of history from different perspectives deepens our understanding of events and the people who shaped them."

"The United States Civil War Center is proud to partner with the Georgia Department of Archives and History for this year's Michael Shaara Award," said Leah Wood Jewett, director of the U. S. Civil War Center. "In so many cases it is fiction that first inspires us to seek out our history. By presenting a fiction award at the Archives, we are able to highlight the relationships among literature, history and public memory."

For additional information, contact Leah Wood Jewett, director, U.S. Civil War Center, (225) 578-3151 or by email at [email protected].

{{Jayne}} This is neat. I had heard of this, but it had slipped my mind.

OUR PROMISE: to provide an "online" environment that is NOT judgmental and to address ALL aspects of this "Pivotal Period" in our History, with honesty and truth (as we know it).

We do "Fireside Stories" about the battles, the people and the social happenings. In addition we dedicate one Thursday a month to the sharing of Songs, Poems and Letters from that era. So come back and visit; we'll save you a seat at the Fireside, and keep the Cider warm..... For a full listing of upcoming events, either look on the Schedule at the end of this Notice or in the Upcoming Events of the Genealogy Forum.

As we review the logs, and we find new visitors who show an interest or have entered into discussions on this topic in our Thursday sessions, we automatically add you to the distribution for this "Weekly Fireside."

AND Hey!, TO YOU "FIRST-TIMERS" THIS WEEK, "Welcome"... :)

We heartily enjoyed your visit and participation. We really "fire up" with what members bring to the discussions, and we hope to see more of you.... Note that for any reason, should you desire to be removed from distribution of this "Weekly Missif," just drop us a line and we will comply with your wishes "post-haste".

Schedule of Upcoming Topics/Events*****

Time: Every Thursday Night at 11pm ET in the Golden Gates Chat Room (On AOL Only) with hosts HOST GFS Amy, HOST GFS Jayne, HOST GFS TEG and HOST GFS Jim and our many faithful friends :)

7/19/01 - OPEN CHAT

7/26/01 - Southern Successes, April 1862 to January 1863 - HOST GFS Jim

8/06/01 - OPEN CHAT

8/13/01 - Letters, Songs and Poems night. Send in any material you want read in the room to HOST GFS Jim, HOST GFS Jayne, HOST GFS TEG or HOST GFS Amy and we'll be more than happy to do the reading for you :D

8/20/01 - OPEN CHAT

We'll See You Thursday Night..!
Your Joyful, Intelligent and Fun-lovin' Host's & Hostess's :-)
HOST GFS Jim, HOST GFS Jayne, HOST GFS TEG and HOST GFS Amy

Hear Ye .... Hear Ye
"The Weekly Fireside"
of the American Civil War History
Special Interest Group;
Distribution Coast to Coast
Week ending 22 July 2001

Our Mission: To serve all genealogists by providing an enjoyable online environment with as many helpful and reliable resources as possible.

Thursday night was OPEN CHAT and we had a goodly crew with some newtimers. We certainly tried to answer all their questions and I think we came close. Next week is story time with Southern Successes, April 1862 to January 1863. I'll be the storyteller so come on out if have the chance. It's a great tale.

* * * * *

Military Families Chat
With HOST GFS Beri, and HOST GFS Wolford
Wed, 8 PM ET in the Ancestral Digs Conference Room
of the Genealogy Forum (ONLY ON AOL) at KEYWORD: ROOTS

* * * * *

Did you know......................

Little Johnny Clem was the atom of a drummer-boy, "aged ten", who strayed away from Newark, Ohio, and the first we know of him, though small enough to live in a drum, was beating the long roll for the 22nd Michigan. At Chickamauga, he filled the office of a "marker," carrying the guidon whereby they form the lines, a duty having its counterpart in the surveyor's more peaceful calling as the flagman who flutters the red signal along the metes and bounds. On the Sunday of the battle [September 20, 1963] the little fellow's occupation gone, he picked up a gun that had slipped from some dying hand, provided himself with ammunition, and began putting in the periods quite on his own account, blazing away close to the ground, like a fire-fly in the grass. Late in the waning day, the waif left almost alone in the whirl of the battle, one of Longstreet's colonels dashed up, and looking down at him, ordered him to surrender" "Surrender!" he shouted, "you little d____d son of a _____!" The words were hardly out of the officer's mouth, when Johnny brought his piece to "order arms," and as his hand slipped down to the hammer he pressed it back, swung up the gun to the position of "carge bayonet," and as the officer raised his sabre to strike the piece aside, the glancing barrell lifted in to range, and the proud Colonel tumbled dead from his horse, his lips fresh stained with the syllable of reproach he had hurled at the child.

---------- as told by Benjamin F. Taylor

.........................and there you have it!

THE HELP DESK
This segment is to address specific questions that hit our plate on Thursday night that we didn't have a chance to answer or needed a bit of time to check it out. Hope these answer the mail :D

Editor's Note: The new Military Resources Website (Website is listed above in the Fireside) has a myriad of options for you. Here are some the choices: US Military Records, Conscription/Draft Records, Civil War Battle Names, Secession of the Confederate States, Your Civil War Ancestors - Where to Begin, Military Resources on the Internet, links to the Stories, Files and Talks of the American Civil War History Chat on AOL, message boards and many, many others. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Additional Note from the Webmaster: Although we are thrilled to provide this area for you now, we want you to know that we are still building it and MORE files, Regimental Histories, etc., will be available in the near future. Stay Tuned!

Weekly Web Sites We've Received
From: [email protected]

U.S. Veterans Cemeteries
http://www.interment.net/us/nat/veterans.htm

* * * * *

From: [email protected]:

Court Papers, Lost During Civil War, Show Up on eBay
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49406-2001Jul11.html

MEMBERS HELPING MEMBERS!!..
Here's how it works... If you are trying to get photographs of a gravesite or battlefield, to collect for your Civil War ancestor research and records, then send us a request and we will post it here... Other members see your request, some being in the near vicinity, are willing to assist, and can email you directly (This protects your privacy) to work out the details. We HIGHLY recommend the "Requester" pay for all film costs and any postage involved for a helping member. This is intended to be a "Free" assistance between members (with the exception of defraying film and postage costs). Do unto others as.... you know :-) Keep us posted on how this is working, so we can share them in the "Fireside"!!
HOST GFS Jim

IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED ANSWER(S) TO YOUR QUESTIONS, PLEASE BE SURE TO LET US KNOW!!!!!
Thanks!! - The Editors

We have had some gracious members offer their assistance in this area. Their screen names and areas they have offered to help in are listed.... Please honor their "goodness" and don't abuse them :-).... We ask that you do follow the guidelines indicated above....

A BIT OF COMMUNITY...

Check out the following member inputs for comments and requests for information, Feedback's, Items of Interest and Plea's for HELP...

From: HOST GFS [email protected]
This is a family website but there is one section which covers the Civil War period of time and includes many letters written back and forth between James Griffing & his wife Augusta. http://www.griffinweb.com/

{{Jayne}} This is neat material - thanks.

* * * * *

From: [email protected]
Enjoyed the piece on Oliver Wendel Holmes. There was a book about him published some 50 yrs ago which was excellent reading called "Yankee From Olympus" Also his father was well known in the period as an author- best seller of period was "Aristocrat at the Breakfast Table"

"RS" - thanks for the response and the book references. I have read "Yankee From Olympus" but not the other one.

* * * * *

From: [email protected]
After reading this I thought twice and thought I should pass this on. It seems on so many lists people are destroying cemeteries. This might be a way out of the mess..

Also if a known Indian is buried there by Federal Law it is not to be destroyed. That may be another unkown law for some. Wanted to share and maybe you will share with others............

There is a federal law regarding preservation of cemeteries. I don't know the wording or statute number, etc., but the county/city planners would know. They may not be aware of this particular cemetery, but if someone brings it to their attention then they are required by law to look into the issue and take appropriate actions.

I know this from my daughter who has an M.S. degree in urban and regional planning and who works as a transportation planner with the city/county. Her husband also is a land use planning manager with the state--here in Florida it is the Department of Community Affairs. At any rate, the corresponding offices in PA. would be the ones to contact regarding this matter.

{{Susi}} Thanks for passing on this posting for us. We're loosing too many cemeteries to "progress".

* * * * *

From: [email protected]
Thanks for the Newsletter. I have been busy with my Granddaughter and Community meetings and I so enjoy the SIG. I do especially like the story about Holmes. I always liked him and now maybe I know why..pulling down Lincoln ?
Thanks again. Grace

{{Grace}} Thanks for the feedback. Hurry back we miss ya!

* * * * *

From: [email protected]
This came in the Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter..... thought you all might be interested....

- Court Papers, Lost During Civil War, Show Up on eBay

When Union troops raided the Brentsville Courthouse during their occupation of Prince William County, Virginia in 1863, they made off with batches of court papers from the Revolutionary War era as part of their spoils. The vital records -- including oaths of soldiers, certificates of birth and death, and deeds of property and business ownership -- tore a hole in the county's history and were considered lost forever. Many genealogists would like to obtain some information from those "missing" papers that date back to May 1779. Now they may soon have the chance.

Virginia historians and Prince William officials have recovered some of the documents because a researcher noticed just a few of the pages for sale on eBay. The Library of Virginia in Richmond contacted the dealer, Charles Barger, of Mansfield, Ohio, to see if he had more. The state then bought a 200-page record book for $8,000 from Barger, who had extolled the "beautiful handwriting" and "excellent condition" of the documents, according to the official auction listing.

The entire story is rather long and very interesting. You can read the full article in The Washington Post's online Web site. To view the entire article, go to:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49406-2001Jul11.html

{{Jayne}} Thankee Ma'am.. Great material as usual.

* * * * *

From: [email protected] - Message Board extract ..............
Everything you ever wanted to know about the U.S. Veterans Cemeteries can be found at:
http://www.interment.net/us/nat/veterans.htm I found this on a Mississippi Rootsweb site I belong to! I found my dad with no problem, in the Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside, CA. It's got all the cemeteries, and you can run searches on people. I don't know if it gives ALL the information for every National Cemetery, but it does give all the locations of them. I've got it bookmarked, you will too!

Robert D. Mollenauer, Jr.
Ridgecrest, Kern Co., CA

{{Susi}} This one is great.

* * * * *

From: [email protected]
I have always dreaded old age. I cannot imagine anything worse than being old... How awful it must be to have nothing to do all day long but stare at the walls or watch TV.

So last week, when the mayor suggested we all celebrate Senior Citizen Week by cheering up a senior citizen, I determined to do just that. I would call on my new neighbor, an elderly retired gentleman, recently widowed, who, I presumed, had moved in with his married daughter because he was too old to take care of himself. I baked a batch of brownies, and, without bothering to call (some old people cannot hear the phone), I went off to brighten this old guy's day.

When I rang the doorbell this "old guy" came to the door dressed in tennis shorts and a polo shirt, looking about as ancient and decrepit as Donny Osmond. "I'm sorry I can't invite you in," he said when I introduced myself, "but I'm due at the Racquet Club at two. I'm playing in the semi-finals today." "Oh that's all right," I said. "I baked you some brownies..." "Great!" he interrupted, snatching the box. "Just what I need for bridge club tomorrow! Thanks so much!" "...and just thought we'd visit a while. But that's okay! I'll just trot across the street and call on Granny Grady..." "Don't bother," he said. "Gran's not home; I know. I just called to remind her of our date to go dancing tonight. She may be at the beauty shop. She mentioned at breakfast that she had an appointment for a tint job."

I called my Mother's cousin (age 83); she was in the hospital... working in the gift shop.

I called my aunt (age74); she was on vacation in China. I called my husband's uncle (age 79). I forgot; he was on his honeymoon.

I still dread old age, now more than ever. I just don't think I'm up to it.

{{{Rosie}}}} I was lauging so hard reading this one, I had to put it in the "Fireside". Figured others would get a giggle or two.

OUR PROMISE: to provide an "online" environment that is NOT judgmental and to address ALL aspects of this "Pivotal Period" in our History, with honesty and truth (as we know it).

We do "Fireside Stories" about the battles, the people and the social happenings. In addition we dedicate one Thursday a month to the sharing of Songs, Poems and Letters from that era. So come back and visit; we'll save you a seat at the Fireside, and keep the Cider warm..... For a full listing of upcoming events, either look on the Schedule at the end of this Notice or in the Upcoming Events of the Genealogy Forum.

As we review the logs, and we find new visitors who show an interest or have entered into discussions on this topic in our Thursday sessions, we automatically add you to the distribution for this "Weekly Fireside."

AND Hey!, TO YOU "FIRST-TIMERS" THIS WEEK, "Welcome"... :)

We heartily enjoyed your visit and participation. We really "fire up" with what members bring to the discussions, and we hope to see more of you.... Note that for any reason, should you desire to be removed from distribution of this "Weekly Missif," just drop us a line and we will comply with your wishes "post-haste".

Schedule of Upcoming Topics/Events*****

Time: Every Thursday Night at 11pm ET in the Golden Gates Chat Rooms (On AOL Only) with hosts HOST GFS Amy, HOST GFS Jayne, HOST GFS TEG and HOST GFS Jim and our many faithful friends :)

7/26/01 - Southern Successes, April 1862 to January 1863 - HOST GFS Jim

8/06/01 - OPEN CHAT

8/13/01 - Letters, Songs and Poems night. Send in any material you want read in the room to HOST GFS Jim, HOST GFS Jayne, HOST GFS TEG or HOST GFS Amy and we'll be more than happy to do the reading for you :D

8/20/01 - OPEN CHAT

8/27/01 - The Coastal War - by Kathy Dahl. Kathy was co-hostess in the Civil War History SIG a number of years ago and she did such good stories I thought you might enjoy one of hers again.

We'll See You Thursday Night..!
Your Joyful, Intelligent and Fun-lovin' Host's & Hostess's :-)
HOST GFS Jim, HOST GFS Jayne, HOST GFS TEG and HOST GFS Amy

Hear Ye .... Hear Ye
"The Weekly Fireside"
of the American Civil War History
Special Interest Group;
Distribution Coast to Coast
Week ending 29 July 2001

Our Mission: To serve all genealogists by providing an enjoyable online environment with as many helpful and reliable resources as possible.

Thursday night was Southern Successes, April 1862 to January 1863. We had the story posted on the Events Board on the Genealogy Forum's Main screen so our attendance was great. Wish you could have been there. It was a pretty fast paced story but we had a lot of interaction. Come on out next Thursday and join us for OPEN CHAT.....

* * * * *

Military Families Chat
With HOST GFS Beri, and HOST GFS Wolford
Wed, 8 PM ET in the Ancestral Digs Conference Room
of the Genealogy Forum (ONLY ON AOL) at KEYWORD: ROOTS

* * * * *

Did you know......................

Abner Small, whose diary, "The Road to Richmond", is one of the best of Civil War sources, enlisted as a private in the 16th Maine Volunteers, fought through all the campaigns until 1864, was captured at Petersburg and imprisoned at Libby prison. He was later appointed historian of his regiment. His following "Portrait of a private" is a keeper:
The ideal picture of a soldier makes a veteran smile. Be a man never so much, his importance and conceit dwindle when he crawls into a unteaseled shirt, trousers too short and very baggy behind, coat too long at both ends, shoes with soles like firkin covers, and a cap as shapeless as a feed bag. Let me recall how our private looked to me in the army, in the ranks, a position he chose from pure patriotism. I can see him exactly as I saw him then. He is just in front of me trying to keep his balance and his temper, as he spews from a dry mouth the infernally fine soil of Virginia, and with his hands -- he hasn't a handkerchief -- wipes the streaks of dirty sweat that make furrows down his unshaven face. No friend of civilian days would recognize him in this most unattractive and disreputable-looking fellow, bowed under fifty-eight pounds of army essentials, and trying to suck a TD.
His suit is a model one, cut after the regulation pattern, fifty thousand at a time, and of just two sizes. If he is a small man, God pity him; and if he is a big man, God pity him still more; for he is an object of ridicule. His forage cap, with its leather visor, when dry curls up, when wet hangs down, and usually covers one or both ears. His army brogans, nothing can ever make shine or even black. Perhaps the coat of muddy blue can be buttoned in front, and it might be lapped and buttoned behind. The tailor never bushels army suits, and he doesn't crease trousers, although he is always generous in reenforcing them with the regulation patch.
The knapsack (which is cut to fit, in the engraving) is an unwieldy burden with its rough, coarse contents of flannel and sole leather and sometimes between twenty rounds of ammunition extra. Mixed in with these regulation essentials, the beatitudes, are photographs, cards, huswife, Testament, pans, ink, paper, and oftentimes stolen truck enough to load a mule. All this is crowned with a double wool blanket and half a shelter tent rolled in a rubber blanket. One shoulder and the hips support the "commissary department" -- an odorous haversack, which often stinks with its mixture of bacon, pork, salt junk, sugar, coffee, tea, desiccated vegetables, rice, bits of yesterday's dinner, and old scraps husbanded with miserly care against a day of want sure to come.
Loaded down, in addition, with a canteen, full cartridge-box, belt, cross belt, and musket, and tramping twenty miles in a hurry on a hot day, our private was a soldier, but not just then a praiser of the soldier's life. I saw him multiplied by thousands. A photograph of any one of them, covered with yellow dust or mosaics of mud, would have served any relation, North or South, and ornamented a mantel, as a true picture of "Our Boy" ...
Beans. - Long, weary marches were patiently endured if in the distant perspective could be seen the company bean-hole, and no well-disciplined New England regiment would be in camp thirty minutes without the requisite number. When we went into bivouac, every cook would have one dug and a fire over it before the companies broke to the rear and stacked arms. In the early morning I would hang around a particular hole, and ask Ben to just h'ist the civer and let me get a sniff for an appetizer; and how Ben would roll his orbs, till only the whites were visible, and say, "Golly, Adjutant, dem yalla-eyes don' got der kivers off yet; you'll just natchely have to wait a while!" But many's the time we would have to "git up and git," eating our beans half-cooked, and then would come an internal disturbance -- not that infernal demon, dyspepsia, of civil life, but an almighty bellyache that would double a man up and send him into line at "Surgeon's Call."
Desiccated vegetables. -- Too many beans with salt pork junk demanded an antiscorbutic, so the government advertised proposals for some kind of vegetable compound in portable form, and it came -- tons of it -- in sheets like pressed hops. I suppose it was healthful, for there was variety enough in its composition to satisfy any condition of stomach and bowels. What in Heaven's name it was composed of, none of us ever discovered. It was simply called "desiccated vegetables." Ben once brought in just before dinner a piece with a big horn button on it, and wanted to know "if dat 'ere was celery or cabbage?" I doubt our men have ever forgotton how a cook would break off a piece as large as a boot top, put it in a kettle of water, and stir it with the handle of a hospital broom. When the stuff was fully dissolved, the water would remind one of a dirty brook with all the dead leaves floating around promiscuously. Still, it was a substitute for food. We ate it, and we liked it, too.

.........................and there you have it!

THE HELP DESK
This segment is to address specific questions that hit our plate on Thursday night that we didn't have a chance to answer or needed a bit of time to check it out. Hope these answer the mail :D

Editor's Note: The new Military Resources Website (Website is listed above in the Fireside) has a myriad of options for you. Here are some the choices: US Military Records, Conscription/Draft Records, Civil War Battle Names, Secession of the Confederate States, Your Civil War Ancestors - Where to Begin, Military Resources on the Internet, links to the Stories, Files and Talks of the American Civil War History Chat on AOL, message boards and many, many others. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Additional Note from the Webmaster: Although we are thrilled to provide this area for you now, we want you to know that we are still building it and MORE files, Regimental Histories, etc., will be available in the near future. Stay Tuned!

Weekly Web Sites We've Received
From: [email protected]

Declaration of Causes of the Cherokee Nation
http://www.csawardept.com/documents/secession/IT/cherokee/

* * * * *

From: [email protected]:

The Secession of South Carolina
http://members.tripod.com/sc1860/

MEMBERS HELPING MEMBERS!!..
Here's how it works... If you are trying to get photographs of a gravesite or battlefield, to collect for your Civil War ancestor research and records, then send us a request and we will post it here... Other members see your request, some being in the near vicinity, are willing to assist, and can email you directly (This protects your privacy) to work out the details. We HIGHLY recommend the "Requester" pay for all film costs and any postage involved for a helping member. This is intended to be a "Free" assistance between members (with the exception of defraying film and postage costs). Do unto others as.... you know :-) Keep us posted on how this is working, so we can share them in the "Fireside"!!
HOST GFS Jim

IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED ANSWER(S) TO YOUR QUESTIONS, PLEASE BE SURE TO LET US KNOW!!!!!
Thanks!! - The Editors

We have had some gracious members offer their assistance in this area. Their screen names and areas they have offered to help in are listed.... Please honor their "goodness" and don't abuse them :-).... We ask that you do follow the guidelines indicated above....

A BIT OF COMMUNITY...
Check out the following member inputs for comments and requests for information, Feedback's, Items of Interest and Plea's for HELP...

From: [email protected]
Rosie, thank you so much for sharing your wonderful story with Jim; and Jim, many thanks for passing it onto the rest of us. It provided me with a good laugh---Rosie, you should be a writer!! You have the sense of humor to be a good one. Even though your good intentions were for naught, Rosie, it is good to know that many of our elder folk are out and enjoying life.
Wishes for a good week to both of you,
Eileen

* * * * *

From: [email protected]
Aw, shucks you make me blush! Alas, I have to confess that it came from someone else who got it from someone else. Thus, the real authorship is lost. But it is something worth thinking about and doing in our every day life. 'Guess that's why I pass these on so much, hoping to make it better for someone else.
Brother Jim, thanks for sharing. You do good work for your friends and fellow hosts. And Eileen, I do appreciate hearing from you. Been awhile since we all hung out in the TH gathering nuts and swinging from limb to limb!
God Bless,
Rosie

{{{{{{[Eileen and Rosie}}}}}}}} Heh Heh I just love it when Rosie blushes. Thanks again Rosie for sharing :D And yes it's been awhile since we've been in the Tree House :D LOL

* * * * *

From: [email protected]
Enjoyed your reported experiences with the " elderly"? Had to tell you about a friend of mine's mother- will be 100 on Oct 17th and still so spry, she went on a walking tour of Yucatan to see Mayan ruins last year. Travels by bus 3 days a week to NYC to visit friends and goes to Wall Street to check on her investments. Still can't stand her son-in-law (married to her only child) even though he and her daughter have been married over 50 years. I hear mom is looking forward to another extended trip this winter.

"RS" I love it :D

OUR PROMISE: to provide an "online" environment that is NOT judgmental and to address ALL aspects of this "Pivotal Period" in our History, with honesty and truth (as we know it).

We do "Fireside Stories" about the battles, the people and the social happenings. In addition we dedicate one Thursday a month to the sharing of Songs, Poems and Letters from that era. So come back and visit; we'll save you a seat at the Fireside, and keep the Cider warm..... For a full listing of upcoming events, either look on the Schedule at the end of this Notice or in the Upcoming Events of the Genealogy Forum.

As we review the logs, and we find new visitors who show an interest or have entered into discussions on this topic in our Thursday sessions, we automatically add you to the distribution for this "Weekly Fireside."

AND Hey!, TO YOU "FIRST-TIMERS" THIS WEEK, "Welcome"... :)

We heartily enjoyed your visit and participation. We really "fire up" with what members bring to the discussions, and we hope to see more of you.... Note that for any reason, should you desire to be removed from distribution of this "Weekly Missif," just drop us a line and we will comply with your wishes "post-haste".

Schedule of Upcoming Topics/Events*****

Time: Every Thursday Night at 11pm ET in the Golden Gates Chat Room (On AOL Only) with hosts HOST GFS Amy, HOST GF Jayne, HOST GFS TEG and HOST GFS Jim and our many faithful friends :)

8/06/01 - OPEN CHAT

8/13/01 - Letters, Songs and Poems night. Send in any material you want read in the room to HOST GFS Jim, HOST GFS Jayne, HOST GFS TEG or HOST GFS Amy and we'll be more than happy to do the reading for you :D

8/20/01 - OPEN CHAT

8/27/01 - The Coastal War - by Kathy Dahl. Kathy was co-hostess in the Civil War History SIG a number of years ago and she did such good stories I thought you might enjoy one of hers again.

We'll See You Thursday Night..!
Your Joyful, Intelligent and Fun-lovin' Host's & Hostess's :-)
HOST GFS Jim, HOST GFS Jayne, HOST GFS TEG and HOST GFS Amy

Return to the Weekly Fireside Newsletter index

Return to the Main page