May 2002 Weekly Firesides

 Hear Ye .... Hear Ye
"The Weekly Fireside"
of the American Civil War History
Special Interest Group;
Distribution Coast to Coast
Week ending 05 May 2002

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

If you know someone who would like to receive the newsletter by email, please have them send an email to HOST GFS Jim and HOST GFS Jayne with subscribe in the subject line.

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We had a GREAT time Thursday night. If you weren't there, you should have been. We had a special guest, Don Gallagher. He "spoke" to us on "Reading the Civil War" It was so interesting, we've decided to include the talk here in the newsletter. You will see it down under "Our Weekly Reading" Be sure to read it!!

This Thursday, May 9, we will have our Special Songs, Letters and Poems night. If you have anything you would like to share with the room members, please send them to one of the hosts and we will be glad to read them for you or if you feel adventuresome you may read it yourself. Please join us for what always is a great night!! The fire will be burning and the cider hot.

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10-11 May 2002 - Annual Dinner & Seminar, Goshen, NY
From: [email protected]

The Orange County, NY Genealogical Society will have it annual Dinner and All-Day Seminar on Friday May 10 and Saturday May 11, 2002 at the Goshen United Methodist Church, Main Street, Goshen, NY

There will be several seminars regarding Historic Documents and Military Records.

For further details, contact
Orange County Genealogical Society
101 Main St.
Goshen, NY 10924.
Information or questions call Marilyn Terry 845-562-2749 or by e-mail
[email protected]

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21-23 June 2002 - Women and the Civil War, Frederick, MD

The Sixth Conference on Women and the Civil War will be 21-23 June 2002 at Hood College, Frederick, MD. The event focuses on the service of women to their country during the War Between the States. QUESTIONS: E-mail: [email protected] or call (301) 293-2820 or WWW: http://www.womenandthecivilwar.org.

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24 Aug. 2002 - Museum Field Trip, Pittsburgh, PA

The Allegheny City Society and Greater Pittsburgh Civil War Round Table will have a Field Trip by bus to The Civil War Museum in Harrisburg on 24 Aug. 2002. Cost is: $50 per person, lunch included. We will need a deposit of $25 per person by April 22, with the balance of $25 due by July 22.

For additional information contact: (412) 321-4502 or: http://www.grpghcwrt.org or write:
Allegheny City Society and Greater Pittsburgh Civil War Round Table
P.O.Box 100255
Pittsburgh, PA. 15233

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More Calendar from [email protected]

Civil War Symposium
Date: Saturday, May 11, 2002
Time: 10:00AM - 4:45PM EDT (GMT-04:00)

The Second Annual War Between the States Spring Symposium will be held in Wilmington, NC at the Northeast Branch Library.

Invited speakers are Dr. Clyde Wilson, Rev. Tim Manning, Rod Gragg, Mike Tuggle, Dr. Tim Wyatt and local historian Steve McAllister. The lectures will be from 10AM-11AM, 11:15AM-12:15PM, and 1:15PM-2:15PM.

A "Southern Viewpoint of the War Between the States" panel discussion will run from 2:30 PM-4:45 PM to wrap up the Symposium. There will be a personal appearance and book signing by author Dr. Clyde Wilson at McAllister & Solomon Bookstore, on 4402 Wrightsville Avenue, following the Symposium.

The Northeast Branch Library is located at 1241 Military Cut Off Road in Wilmington. For further information or directions, please contact John Bernhard Thuersam, President, Cape Fear Chapter of the NC League of the South, at (910) 763-9515, or by e-mail at [email protected]

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1861 Secession Experiences
Date: Saturday, May 18, 2002
Time: 10:00AM - 4:00PM EDT (GMT-04:00)

A Confederate troop encampment will take place on the grounds of the North Carolina State Capitol in downtown Raleigh, and dramas will be performed inside the Capitol to portray events and feelings in Raleigh when the legislature voted to secede from the Union and to enter the War for Southern Independence. Performances will begin on the hour, and reservations are recommended. For further details or directions, please contact the Capitol Visitor Center at (919) 733-3456, or by e-mail at [email protected]

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

(Used with permission from SOMOS PRIMOS, monthly newsletter of the Society for Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research, June 2002 issue, http://www.somosprimos.com/spapr02.htm.)

The Civil War Preservation Trust recently placed the Atlanta site on the top of its list of America's most endangered battlefields, together with more famous sites like Gettysburg, Harpers Ferry, WV, and Stones River, TN.

Hundreds of yards of trenches and fortifications, nearly intact since they were built during the siege of Atlanta in 1864 were recently discovered. The discovery of the area, nestled along the Utoy Creek in one of the largest areas of green space left in Atlanta, was a shock. Atlanta's battlefields had been written off in the 1960's, by which time development had paved nearly all of them over, leaving nothing but memorial plaques on the edges of bustling highways. "We all assumed there was nothing left," says local activist Bob Price. "The relic hunters knew it was there, but nobody else gave it a second thought." Extract from article, A More Civil War by Andrew Curry, U.S. News & World Report, pg. 58, 3-11, 2002

(((((Chuck))))))) Thanks.... Too many of the battlefields are being lost. It's good to see someone is finally taking action.

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

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TheHistoryNet at About.com: Where History Lives on the Web
http://www.thehistorynet.com/

The Virginia Civil War Home Page
http://members.aol.com/jweaver300/grayson/vacwhp.htm

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From [email protected]

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From Cyndislist of new websites

URL: http://www.pacivilwar.com/schuylkill.html
TITLE: Pennsylvania Volunteers of the Civil War - Schuylkill County Regimental Rosters
DESCRIPTION: Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania regimental rosters, histories, draft, casualties, pension roll, diary, letters, Medal of Honor winners, and photos. Help to find your Civil War ancestor.

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OUR WEEKLY READING
(these items are extracts from our Letters, Songs, and Poems evenings)

Good evening everyone, my name is Don Gallagher and I'm speaking and answering questions on "Reading the Civil War". I am president of the 28th Pennsylvania Historical Association, a Lt. in Co. C, 28th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry (Civil War re-enactors) and an avid reader and collector of books on the American Civil War. My personal library is a little over 1500 volumes and nowhere near complete (although my wife has a decidedly different opinion). With close to 80,000 books and articles published, reading the Civil War is a study itself. I'll try to cover where to start for beginners and give some tips and opinions for more advanced readers.

Books on the Civil War are generally divided into primary and secondary sources. Primary being written by those who participated, witnessed or had some hand in the subject. Secondary being everything else. We'll start with the beginner or relative newcomer who isn't too concerned with sources yet. Anyone who wants to begin to understand the war, should read an overview, to put the events and timeline into perspective. James McPherson's work "The Battle Cry of Freedom" is probably the best single volume work. Allen Nevins' 8 volume set "The Crisis of the Union" covering the years 1846 to 1865, with 4 volumes dedicated to the war years, is the most thorough and complete history of the war. Nevins' covers the pre-war (or antebellum) political scene and social history well enough, within the context of an overview, to give a solid foundation for understanding the coming of the war. In between we have, in my opinion the best, Bruce Catton's "The Centennial History of the Civil War." Catton's trilogy while not the biggest or most detailed is unequaled for eloquence and readability.

Now you have before you the table with the literary feast of Civil War history. The question is how to fill my plate and digest my choices? No one can read everything. It would be difficult to read just a little on each of the many battles, campaigns, personalities and politics involved. Most people who are interested, have some idea of where they would like to start. An ancestor's regiment, a battle or campaign, the causes of the war, Abraham Lincoln or Robert E. Lee. Whatever motivates your interest should be your direction. Then see where it takes you. It's a journey, with a lot of forks in the road. The next big question is with so many choices, which books to read, how do I separate the wheat from the chaff? Most of the current Civil War periodicals have a section with book reviews. One quarterly, "The Civil War Book Review" deals only in that subject. Additionally there are dozens of bibliographies. Some extensive like "Civil War Books: A Critical Bibliography," most limited by subject. The best and most commonly used sources are the books themselves. Any author/historian worth his salt, will have in their book a bibliography or bibliographic essay listing the sources of their research. Any modern author who doesn't back up their writing/research with a listing of their sources, risks not being taken seriously. Therefore a good authors book should contain a cornucopia of suggested reading. Also it can be assumed that a good author will have screened his sources and only use those that are pertinent and of good quality.

I have found some of the best reading to be the many diaries and letter collections that have been and continue to be published. These are the plain unedited words written while they were on the scene. They paint a picture in your mind's eye like no other. These compilations run from the semiliterate to the college educated, from private soldier to general officer with all their different perspectives. Their writing also ranges from mundane to excellent. I could continue on here, the subject "Reading the Civil War" is book length in itself, but we have to cut it off somewhere. I'm ready and anxious to hear your questions and opinions. Just bear with me, I'm not a great typist.

Don

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Via [email protected]
Subj:[PA] The Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania at Shiloh
From: [email protected]

Could somebody please give me a couple of ideas about someplace to donate the above mentioned book? I just returned from a trip to California and while there I bought this book at a flea market. It contains the entire history of the unit, including the names of all personnel in all companies, where they were enlisted from, all the battles they fought in, who was wounded or killed, just about everything someone who had a ancestor in the unit would want to know. There are also some pictures of men in the book along with very well done ink drawings of certain officers, maps of battlefields, pictures of spots on the battlefields, etc. It contains much more information than just the Shiloh battle and I would like to see that other researchers have the opportunity to access the information. I am very willing to donate it free of charge to an appropriate respository as long as it is in Pennsylvania, I think that is where it belongs. Please respond answers to this list, and thank you.
Stephen Kellogg
Researching Kellogg Family in Pennsylvania

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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."

Hear Ye .... Hear Ye
"The Weekly Fireside"
of the American Civil War History
Special Interest Group;
Distribution Coast to Coast
Week ending 12 May 2002

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

If you know someone who would like to receive the newsletter by email, please have them send an email to HOST GFS Jim and HOST GFS Jayne with subscribe in the subject line.

============================================

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21-23 June 2002 - Women and the Civil War, Frederick, MD

The Sixth Conference on Women and the Civil War will be 21-23 June 2002 at Hood College, Frederick, MD. The event focuses on the service of women to their country during the War Between the States. QUESTIONS: E-mail: [email protected] or call (301) 293-2820 or WWW: http://www.womenandthecivilwar.org.

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More Calendar from [email protected]

1861 Secession Experiences
Date: Saturday, May 18, 2002
Time: 10:00AM - 4:00PM EDT (GMT-04:00)

A Confederate troop encampment will take place on the grounds of the North Carolina State Capitol in downtown Raleigh, and dramas will be performed inside the Capitol to portray events and feelings in Raleigh when the legislature voted to secede from the Union and to enter the War for Southern Independence. Performances will begin on the hour, and reservations are recommended. For further details or directions, please contact the Capitol Visitor Center at (919) 733-3456, or by e-mail at [email protected]

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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

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

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68th PA Volunteers - Provost Guard
http://www.geocities.com/pathirdcorp/PAThirdcorp.html
DESCRIPTION: Living History Group portraying the Union 68th PA Volunteer and the Provost Guard.

The Kentucky Civil War Research Series
http://www.kycivilwarbooks.netfirms.com
DESCRIPTION: Ordering information for Kentucky Civil War/genealogical books, "Confederate Soldiers of Kentucky" and "Confederate Pensioners of Kentucky.".

Adv in Genealogy: April 1865
http://www.bhocutt.com/April1865.html
DESCRIPTION: A weekly column giving Genealogical hints tips and suggestions. This weeks column is a review of the book April 1865. This was authored by UnkHiram. Thought you might enjoy.

Civil War Resources
developed by Dorthy Hober
http://hometown.aol.com/d2hober/civilwar.htm
Man Oh Man; I am incredibly impresssed with this site. Many, many Regimental histories here. Probably one reason I'm excited is that after 7 or 8 long years of searching I've found an excellent history of Company K and the 47th North Carolina Infantry out here. By all means check it out. Dorothy has received the "Best Site Pick" Award from the Genealogy Forum of AOL....

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Warren was Kentuckian, educated at Vanderbilt, Yale, and Oxford, and early a member of the literary group called the Fugitives, after a journal called The Fugitive that they published for a time at Vanderbilt. He was more ambivalent toward the Southern rural heritage than such fellow Fugitives as Allen Tate, Donald Davidson, and Andrew Lytle. Two soldiers think they kill for different reasons and in different spirits. But both of them kill -- and are killed.

Robert Penn Warren (1905-1989)
Two Studies.

I. Bear Track Plantation: Shortly after Shiloh

Two things a man's built for, killing and you-know-what.
As for you-know-what, I reckon I taken my share,
Bed-ease or bush-whack, but killing -- hell, three's all I got,
And he promised me ten, Jeff Davis, the bastard. 'Taint fair.

It ain't fair, a man rides and knows he won't live forever,
And a man needs something to take with him when he dies.
Ain't much worth taking, but what happens under the cover
Or at the steel-point -- yeah, that look in their eyes.

That same look, it comes in their eyes when you give'em the business.
It's something a man can hang on to, come black-frost or sun.
Come hell or high water, it's something to save from the mess,
No matter whatever else you never got done.

For a second it seems like a man can know what he lives for,
When those eyelids go waggle, or maybe the eyes pop wide,
And that look comes there. Yeah, Christ, then you know who you are --
And will maybe remember that much even after you've died.

But now I lie worrying what look my own eyes got
When that Blue-Belly caught me off balance. Did my look mean then
That I'd honed for something not killing or you-know-what?
Hell, no. I'd lie easy if Jeff had just give me that ten.

II. Harvard '61: Battle Fatigue

I didn't mind dying -- it wasn't that at all.
It behooves a man to prove manhood by dying for Right.
If you die for Right that fact is your dearest requital,
But you find it disturbing when others die who simply didn't have the Right.

Why should they die with that obscene incouciance?
The seem in insult the principle of your won death.
Touch pitch, be defiled: It was hard to keep proper distance
From such unprincipled wastrels of blood and profligates of breath.

I tried to slay without rancor, and often succeeded.
I tried to keep the heart pure, though my hand took stain.
But they made it so hard for me, the way they proceeded
To parody with their own dying that Death which only Right should sustain.

Time passed. It got worse, It seemed like a plot against me.
I said they had made their own evil bed and lay on it,
But they grinned in the dark -- they grinned -- and I yet see
That last one. A woods edge we held, and over the stubble they came
with bayonet.

He uttered his yell, he was there! -- teeth yellow, some missing.
Why, he's old as my father, I thought, finger frozen on trigger.
I saw the ambeer on his whiskers, heard the old breath hissing.
The puncture came small on his chest. 'Twas nothing. The stain then got
bigger.

And he said: "Why, son, you done done it -- I figgered I'd skeered ye."
Said: "Son, you look puke-pale. Buck up! If it hadn't been you,
Some other young squirt would a-done it." I stood, and weirdly
The tumult of battle went soundless, like gesture in dream. And I was
dead, too.

Dead, and had died for the Right, as I had a right to,
And glad to be dead, and hold my residence
Beyond life's awful illogic, and the world's stew,
Where people who haven't the right just die, with ghastly impertinence.

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Via [email protected]
Subj:[PA] The Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania at Shiloh
From: [email protected]

Could somebody please give me a couple of ideas about someplace to donate the above mentioned book? I just returned from a trip to California and while there I bought this book at a flea market. It contains the entire history of the unit, including the names of all personnel in all companies, where they were enlisted from, all the battles they fought in, who was wounded or killed, just about everything someone who had a ancestor in the unit would want to know. There are also some pictures of men in the book along with very well done ink drawings of certain officers, maps of battlefields, pictures of spots on the battlefields, etc. It contains much more information than just the Shiloh battle and I would like to see that other researchers have the opportunity to access the information. I am very willing to donate it free of charge to an appropriate respository as long as it is in Pennsylvania, I think that is where it belongs. Please respond answers to this list, and thank you.
Stephen Kellogg
Researching Kellogg Family in Pennsylvania

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From: HOST GFS [email protected].
You may have this one already, but I was reviewing this publication and saw it.
Chuck

(Used with permission from SOMOS PRIMOS, monthly newsletter of the Society for Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research, June 2002 issue, http://www.somosprimos.com/spapr02.htm.)

The Civil War Preservation Trust recently placed the Atlanta site on the top of its list of America's most endangered battlefields, together with more endangered battlefields, together with more famous sites like Gettysburg, Harpers Ferry, W. Va., and Stones River, Tenn.

Hundreds of yards of trenches and fortifications, nearly intact since they were built during the siege of Atlanta in 1864 were recently discovered. The discovery of the area, nestled along the Utoy "Creek in one of the largest areas of green space left in Atlanta, was a shock. Atlanta's battlefields had been written off in the 1960s, by which time development has paved nearly all of the over, leaving nothing but memorial plaques on the edges of bustling highways. "We all assumed there was nothing left," says local activist Bob Price. "The relic hunters knew it was there, but nobody else gave it a second thought." Extract from article, A More Civil War by Andrew Curry, U.S. News & World Report, pg. 58, 3-11, 2002

{{{Chuck}}}} Thankee friend!

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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."

Hear Ye .... Hear Ye
"The Weekly Fireside"
of the American Civil War History
Special Interest Group;
Distribution Coast to Coast
Week ending 19 May 2002

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

If you know someone who would like to receive the newsletter by email, please have them send an email to HOST GFS Jim and HOST GFS Jayne with subscribe in the subject line.

============================================

Thursday was buuuuusy, busy, busy..... The Hosts/Hostess's were worked long and hard and I think we held our own with questions and advice Heh Heh !! What a great bunch. Thanks for dropping in with your input ....

You know I had an idea, since it's starting into Spring and Vacation time to give you an idea about Civil War Landmarks, and places of Interest to visit. So I'm starting a section in the "Weekly Fireside" called "Travel Tips" to give you places you might want to visit by state if you're interested. Tell me what you think.....

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25 May 2002 - Civil War Workshop, Clarksville, TN
From: [email protected]
Whether your ancestors wore blue or gray in the American Civil War, the East Tennessee Historical Society is offering a free workshop to help find your family's Civil War story. The free class will be held 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, 25 May 2002, at the Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library in Clarksville, TN. The instructor, Dr. George K. Schweitzer, is a popular, nationally-known lecturer and author of 19 genealogy research books.

Participants will learn how to determine if an ancestor served in the Civil War and how to locate records for both Confederate and Union veterans. Participants do not need Tennessee ancestors to participate since the information will be useful to researchers regardless of their ancestor's home state.

Why is the East Tennessee Historical Society bringing free genealogy programs to Middle Tennessee? The classes are a celebration and introduction to a new statewide initiative sponsored by ETHS to track down descendants of Civil War soldiers who lived, fought, or died in the Volunteer State. The new heritage program, "Civil War Families of Tennessee," celebrates the unique role of individuals in Tennessee's Civil War story.

The workshop is co-sponsored locally by the Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library. For additional information about the free workshop contact the CMCPL at 931-648-8826 or contact ETHS at 865-215-8824.

The East Tennessee Historical Society, founded in 1834, is one of the oldest cultural institutions in the state of Tennessee. ETHS, a non-profit organization headquartered in Knoxville, is dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and promoting the history of the region. The society's activities and exhibits are made possible through the support of its membership.

For additional information about the genealogy workshops, membership, or other ETHS programs, call 865-215-8824, or visit the historical society's web site at http://www.east-tennessee-history.org

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21-23 June 2002 - Women and the Civil War, Frederick, MD

The Sixth Conference on Women and the Civil War will be 21-23 June 2002 at Hood College, Frederick, MD. The event focuses on the service of women to their country during the War Between the States. QUESTIONS: E-mail: [email protected] or call (301) 293-2820 or WWW: http://www.womenandthecivilwar.org.

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24 Aug. 2002 - Museum Field Trip, Pittsburgh, PA

The Allegheny City Society and Greater Pittsburgh Civil War Round Table will have a Field Trip by bus to The Civil War Museum in Harrisburg on 24 Aug. 2002. Cost is: $50 per person, lunch included. We will need a deposit of $25 per person by April 22, with the balance of $25 due by July 22.

For additional information contact: (412) 321-4502 or: http://www.grpghcwrt.org or write:
Allegheny City Society and Greater Pittsburgh Civil War Round Table
P.O.Box 100255
Pittsburgh, PA. 15233

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20-21 Sept. 2002 - Tracing Delmarva Ancestors, Salisbury, MD
The Maryland Genealogical Society holds its Tracing Your Delmarva Ancestors seminar at Salisbury Universary, Salisbury, MD. The seminar is co-hosted by the Lower Delmarva Genealogical Society and the Nabb Research Center of Salisbury University

The seminar will feature prominent speakers on the early settlers of the Delmarva Peninsula and topics of interest to researchers of Delmarva families.

THE PROGRAM
Please note that the schedule for the seminar is subject to change without notice.

Early Birds: 19 Sept. 2002 - The Nabb Research Center will be open until 9 p.m.

Friday 20 Sept.

• 8-9 a.m. - Registration.
  
• 9-9:15 a.m. -- Opening remarks: Jerry Hynson, President, Maryland Genealogical Society.
  
• 9:15-10:15 a.m. -- Migration of Virginians into Old Somerset, Dr. Ray Thompson.
  
• 10:30-11:30 a.m. - Early Settlement of the Delmarva: the effects of geography and boundary changes, Russ McCabe.
  
• 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. -- (Option One) Using Probate Records in MD and DE, Vernon Skinner. (Option Two) Researching Old Somerset, Rebecca Miller.
  
• 2-3 p.m. -- Genealogical Research at the Maryland State Archives: an update, Dr. R. J. Rockefeller.
  
• 3:15-4:15 p.m. -- A Survey of Church Records of the Delmarva of the 17th and 18th Centuries, Ed Wright.
  
• 6:30 p.m. -- Evening Banquet at the Salisbury University Dining Hall (register separately) $25 cost. Guest speaker at the banquet will be Dr. Bart Talbert. His topic will be Maryland and the Civil War.
  
  
Saturday 21 Sept.

• 8-8:30 a.m. -- Registration
  
• 8:30-9:30 a.m. -- (Option One) Beginning Your Search for Ancestors, Bob Barnes. (Option Two) Swedes from New Sweden: Those who ventured south into the Delmarva, Dr. Peter Craig.
  
• 9:45-10:45 a.m. -- Slavery and the Underground Railroad on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Dr. Clara Small.
  
• 11 a.m.-12 Noon -- Early Quakers on the Delmarva Peninsula, Dr. Kenneth Carroll.
  
• 12 Noon -1:30 p.m. -- Lunch Break
  
• 1:30-2:30 p.m. - (Option One) Exploiting the Military Records of your Delmarva Ancestor, Ed Wright. (Option Two) Land Records: Their use in genealogical research, Dr. Neil Keddie.
  
• 2:45-3:45 p.m. -- Leaving no Stone Unturned in Your Genealogical Research, Bob Barnes.
  
• 3:45-4:30 p.m. -- Discussion Panel, Various Speakers from Progam.

Registration Information -- Cost: Friday Only: $25; Saturday Only: $25; Friday and Saturday: $50; Friday Banquet: $25.

Register by mail -- Send check or money order payable to: Maryland Genealogical Society (MGS). When registering by mail, please include your phone number, address, email address and options (Friday Only/Saturday Only/Both Days/Friday Banquet) you wish to purchase.
Mail check to:
MGS
c/o Delmarva Roots
217 Schley Ave.
Lewes, DE 19958

Register by Phone -- You may also register by phone by calling 1-800-576-8608 during normal business hours. We accept Mastercard or Visa credit cards.

Register online -- To register online, go to Delmarva Roots Genealogy store (http://www.delmarvaroots.com) and select Maryland Genealogy Seminar from the product list and select the days and/or banquet you wish to attend, add them to your shopping cart and then checkout. We accept Mastercard and Visa credit cards.

Vendors will be in attendance offering a large number of books, CDs, maps, and other miscellaneous items, covering source material, background history, how-to and other topics.

For additional information, contact: (800) 576-8608; or web site: http://www.delmarvaroots.com.

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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).

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Travel Tips for your Vacationing pleasure...............

This week I'm covering the state of Alabama. There are a number of points of interest for your choices.

I recommend for exact details for finding these areas and what you can see, get or review a copy of "Smithsonian's Great Battles and Battlefields of the Civil War - A Definitive Field Guide".

Bridgeport - located on US 72, 3 miles east of the Tennessee state line. This was an important rail depot where the Memphis & Charleston Railroad from the west crossed the Tennessee River before winding around Lookout Mountain and entering Charleston. The depot in Stevenson, is about all that is left of this major rail line area. The depot station is still standing and is a Civil War era landmark.

Athens - A Union stronghold on the Central Alabama Railroad. Captured by Maj. Gen Bedford Forrest in Sept. 1864. Located in north-central Alabama just west off of I-65 on US 72.

Decatur - a strategic location for military operations in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. Sites are the Old Decatur District between Lee Street and the Tennessee River which is the old wartime town site. Within 80 miles is the Tannehill State Historical Site, an old Civil War Iron Furnace which supplied pig iron to the Selma mills.

Day's Gap and Streight's Raid - The skirmish of Union Col. Abel D. Streight and Maj. Gen. Nathan B. Forrest at Day Gap just south (aprox 31 miles) of Decatur on AL 157 as it rises to the Cumberland Plateau.

Montgomery - This was the town that the Confederate government was created.

Selma - Manufacturing area for Confederate Cannons and heavy war material.

Mobile Area - this area is the sites of the Battle of Mobile Bay, Spanish Fort, Fort Blakeley.

............. enjoy, and happy traveling!

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The Washington Post Archives
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41689-2002Apr12.html
Description: A news article, "Confederate Heroes Illuminate Washington National Cathedral

============================================

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* * * * *

Greensboro News & Record columnist Ned Harrison has begun writing a
regular feature about North Carolina's involvement in the War for
Southern Independence. He is requesting information from the
descendants of North Carolina Confederate soldiers. If any of your
ancestors were Confederate soldiers, and you know their stories,
please write Ned Harrison, News & Record, P.O. Box 20848, Greensboro,
NC 27420, or send an e-mail to [email protected].

Harrison's columns can be found at:
http://www.news-record.com/community/neighborhoods/main.shtml

His most recent column is reprinted below.

THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
by Ned Harrison
5-15-02
News & Record

The American Civil War:

* saw the introduction of instant communication by electric telegraph.

* witnessed ships that used steam power to navigate upstream during naval campaigns.

* allowed generals to move thousands of men hundreds of miles by rail in only a few days.

The American Civil War has rightly been called a transitional war. The introduction to combat of never-before-used technology transformed warfare as it had been waged in previous centuries.

In the next several columns, I am going to discuss and give examples of these changes. But in this column, I want to write about how the industrial revolution affected our Civil War.

Basically, the industrial revolution was a period of change in the way people lived and worked and farmed. It also determined where they lived and even how they waged war. It began in England in about 1750, and by 1850, it was over. It was characterized by new inventions which transformed society from one that was rural and agricultural into one where people began to move into cities and used machines to do the work formerly done by hand.

When the United States was founded in 1789, life in all sections of the country was about the same. The new nation was essentially rural, with farming the main occupation of the vast majority of the people. Farm life was difficult, a never-ending series of chores that had to be done so that a farmer could feed his family. Most food was grown on the individual farm; clothing, furniture and farm tools were made in the home for family consumption and use.

While both North and South were essentially rural and agricultural, Southern farm life was somewhat easier in that the growing seasons were longer. Slave labor grew tobacco, rice, indigo and a little wheat, but these crops produced little wealth. In fact, by 1789, Southern agriculture had reached the point where a slave's labor no longer paid for his own maintenance.

Cotton had been the great hope of Southern planters, especially since English mills were demanding cotton fiber. But the problem was that each cotton boll was full of little seeds that had to be separated from the fiber. This was hand-labor at its worst, a time-consuming chore that produced a paltry two pounds of cotton fiber for 20 hours of work.

In 1793, Eli Whitney, a Northerner, invented the cotton gin, a simple and cost-effective machine which replaced the hand labor. It was part of the industrial revolution and made cotton into a profitable crop. Cotton planting expanded exponentially and with it, the demand for slaves. The South was thus wedded even more firmly to slave labor to sustain its way of life.

And this explains why the two sections of the country reacted differently when the industrial revolution reached America early in the 19th century. The North, with a hard-scrabble farming economy, positively inhaled the savings inherent in machine labor. The South, with an agricultural/slave/people-based economy primarily devoted to profitable cotton, never really saw the need to integrate industry into its comfortable plantation life. The South rejected the factories and the move into cities.

When the Civil War began, each section followed its own interests: The South clung to its "King Cotton" economy, confident that it could win any war in which cotton was a player.

The North had spent the previous 60 years in its industrialization. Factories in the state of New York alone produced more goods than the entire South. The Northern transportation system was fully integrated: it had canals crisscrossing the region, and a rail system with common trackage that ran no fewer than four lines from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River.

NORTH CAROLINA AND THE CIVIL WAR

Warren Dixon of Liberty wrote: "My family, like so many others in N.C., is made up of Quakers. My 2nd gt (sic) grandfather and his brothers joined the Confederate forces and, as my gt Aunt told me, my 3rd great grandfather, although 52, joined, too, to 'see the thing through'. He (Nathan Vestal) and his son, my 2nd gt grandad, Daniel, joined the 48th N.C. Regiment from Chatham Co. Another son joined the famous 26th and the other one went into the cavalry. The Vestals had been Quakers, but had fallen out of favor with the meeting earlier.

"At a minor skirmish in 1862 sometimes called French's School House (this is also called Oak Grove or The Orchard. It occurred on June 25, 1862, and was the opening action of the bloody Seven Days Campaign as Union Gen. George McClellan tried to capture Richmond and end the war. Ed.) elements of N.Y. regiments charged the 48th. The 48th, so primed and ready to fight Yankees, left their positions of relative safety, and charged back. Nathan Vestal was shot in the head and killed. Confederate records say that he 'fought with marked bravery'. Gt Aunt Kate said that Daniel and the others tried to bury him on the battlefield, but 'the Yankees were pushing them so' that they had to leave him, arms and legs sticking out of the makeshift grave. Daniel ... missed Antietam (but) ... was wounded at Fredericksburg."

Dixon added more to his account: "About the same time in Chatham, good Quaker Caleb Dixon, who lived near the Vestals, sent his son to the coast...(to avoid) conscription. The son, Jesse Dixon, was supposed to go to Indiana ... where it was safe. He went to Indiana, all right, but joined Northern forces there and fought throughout the war. When it was over, he came back to Chatham and lived next door to Daniel Vestal."

And to close this marvelous story, "Vestals eventually married Dixons ... and created me. I think this says a lot for the complicated nature of war."

It does indeed.

WANT TO WRITE?

Ned Harrison writes about the Civil War and how involved North Carolina and Triad people were during those trying days. If any of your ancestors were part of the war years, either as soldiers or on the home front, and you know their stories, we want to hear from you. Please write Ned Harrison, News & Record, P.O. Box 20848, Greensboro, NC 27420, or send an e-mail to
[email protected].

{{{Maureen}}} Thanks for the info. Went and checked it out and dropped Ned a line. For the membership (if you're so inclined) , send an email to Ned if you have any pertinent information regarding your Civil War ancestors and North Carolina....

* * * * *

From [email protected]
Thanks you so much for sending me the newsletter. I miss the Thursday night sessions, but this is one way I can keep in touch.

Sincerely Edith

{{Edith}} Bless your heart. We're glad that you read them. That seems to be the situation with many of the membership....

* * * * *

From: [email protected].
I've just finished one of the most powerful stories of a wartime life that I've read in a long time. It is reminiscent of COLD MOUNTAIN, and though defined as a novel, the truth bombards its way through every sentence and every page. Although a woman's story, this is a must read for all CW enthusiasts, especially for those of us who have a history in those outskirt states, Missouri and Kansas. A heartbreaking part of the war that until now, no one has told. It was a BOMC selection recently, so will receive the wide readership that it deserves

ENEMY WOMEN by Paulette Jiles.
Nadine

{{{{Nadine}}}}} Hello Cousin :D Thanks for the heads up. I've read COLD MOUNTAIN and it was quite a "read!" Will look this one up as it is in "Our Area" as you mention.

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"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."

Hear Ye .... Hear Ye
"The Weekly Fireside"
of the American Civil War History
Special Interest Group;
Distribution Coast to Coast
Week ending 26 May 2002

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

If you know someone who would like to receive the newsletter by email, please have them send an email to HOST GFS Jim and HOST GFS Jayne with subscribe in the subject line.

============================================

Hope you've had a great Memorial Weekend. I love the extra day off..... :D

Last week I had the idea to give you an idea about Civil War Landmarks, and places of Interest to visit. So we're going to keep the section in the "Weekly Fireside" called "Travel Tips" to give you places you might want to visit by state if you're interested. Tell me what you think.....

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* * * * * 

21-23 June 2002 - Women and the Civil War, Frederick, MD

The Sixth Conference on Women and the Civil War will be 21-23 June 2002 at Hood College, Frederick, MD. The event focuses on the service of women to their country during the War Between the States. QUESTIONS: E-mail: [email protected] or call (301) 293-2820 or WWW: http://www.womenandthecivilwar.org.

* * * * *

24 Aug. 2002 - Museum Field Trip, Pittsburgh, PA

The Allegheny City Society and Greater Pittsburgh Civil War Round Table will have a Field Trip by bus to The Civil War Museum in Harrisburg on 24 Aug. 2002. Cost is: $50 per person, lunch included. We will need a deposit of $25 per person by April 22, with the balance of $25 due by July 22.

For additional information contact: (412) 321-4502 or: http://www.grpghcwrt.org or write:
Allegheny City Society and Greater Pittsburgh Civil War Round Table
P.O.Box 100255
Pittsburgh, PA. 15233

* * * * *

20-21 Sept. 2002 - Tracing Delmarva Ancestors, Salisbury, MD
The Maryland Genealogical Society holds its Tracing Your Delmarva Ancestors seminar at Salisbury Universary, Salisbury, MD. The seminar is co-hosted by the Lower Delmarva Genealogical Society and the Nabb Research Center of Salisbury University

The seminar will feature prominent speakers on the early settlers of the Delmarva Peninsula and topics of interest to researchers of Delmarva families.

THE PROGRAM
Please note that the schedule for the seminar is subject to change without notice.

Early Birds: 19 Sept. 2002 - The Nabb Research Center will be open until 9 p.m.

Friday 20 Sept.

• 8-9 a.m. - Registration.
  
• 9-9:15 a.m. -- Opening remarks: Jerry Hynson, President, Maryland Genealogical Society.
  
• 9:15-10:15 a.m. -- Migration of Virginians into Old Somerset, Dr. Ray Thompson.
  
• 10:30-11:30 a.m. - Early Settlement of the Delmarva: the effects of geography and boundary changes, Russ McCabe.
  
• 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. -- (Option One) Using Probate Records in MD and DE, Vernon Skinner. (Option Two) Researching Old Somerset, Rebecca Miller.
  
• 2-3 p.m. -- Genealogical Research at the Maryland State Archives: an update, Dr. R. J. Rockefeller.
  
• 3:15-4:15 p.m. -- A Survey of Church Records of the Delmarva of the 17th and 18th Centuries, Ed Wright.
  
• 6:30 p.m. -- Evening Banquet at the Salisbury University Dining Hall (register separately) $25 cost. Guest speaker at the banquet will be Dr. Bart Talbert. His topic will be Maryland and the Civil War.
  
  
Saturday 21 Sept.

• 8-8:30 a.m. -- Registration
  
• 8:30-9:30 a.m. -- (Option One) Beginning Your Search for Ancestors, Bob Barnes. (Option Two) Swedes from New Sweden: Those who ventured south into the Delmarva, Dr. Peter Craig.
  
• 9:45-10:45 a.m. -- Slavery and the Underground Railroad on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Dr. Clara Small.
  
• 11 a.m.-12 Noon -- Early Quakers on the Delmarva Peninsula, Dr. Kenneth Carroll.
  
• 12 Noon -1:30 p.m. -- Lunch Break
  
• 1:30-2:30 p.m. - (Option One) Exploiting the Military Records of your Delmarva Ancestor, Ed Wright. (Option Two) Land Records: Their use in genealogical research, Dr. Neil Keddie.
  
• 2:45-3:45 p.m. -- Leaving no Stone Unturned in Your Genealogical Research, Bob Barnes.
  
• 3:45-4:30 p.m. -- Discussion Panel, Various Speakers from Progam.

Registration Information -- Cost: Friday Only: $25; Saturday Only: $25; Friday and Saturday: $50; Friday Banquet: $25.

Register by mail -- Send check or money order payable to: Maryland Genealogical Society (MGS). When registering by mail, please include your phone number, address, email address and options (Friday Only/Saturday Only/Both Days/Friday Banquet) you wish to purchase.
Mail check to:
MGS
c/o Delmarva Roots
217 Schley Ave.
Lewes, DE 19958

Register by Phone -- You may also register by phone by calling 1-800-576-8608 during normal business hours. We accept Mastercard or Visa credit cards.

Register online -- To register online, go to Delmarva Roots Genealogy store (http://www.delmarvaroots.com) and select Maryland Genealogy Seminar from the product list and select the days and/or banquet you wish to attend, add them to your shopping cart and then checkout. We accept Mastercard and Visa credit cards.

Vendors will be in attendance offering a large number of books, CDs, maps, and other miscellaneous items, covering source material, background history, how-to and other topics.

For additional information, contact: (800) 576-8608; or web site: http://www.delmarvaroots.com.

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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

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Travel Tips for your Vacationing pleasure...............

This week we're shifting over to the state of ARKANSAS. There are a number of points of interest for your choices.

I recommend for exact details for finding these areas and what you can see, get or review a copy of "Smithsonian's Great Battles and Battlefields of the Civil War - A Definitive Field Guide".

Pea Ridge - This National Military Park is right on the Missouri/Arkansas border just north of Rogers, Ark. On US Highway 62. The Battle of Pea Ridge or sometimes known as the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern is the largest military park west of the Mississippi River.

Prairie Grove - The Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park is on US Highway 62 at Prairie Grove just 10 miles southwest of Fayetteville, Ark.

Canehill - This area was a running fight between Blunt's force and Marmaduke's cavalry covering about 12 miles beginning at Canehill and running across the mountainous region south to Cove Creek. There are Historical Markers in Canehill which interpret the action and the Canehill Cemetery where some of the fatalities were buried.

Fort Smith National Historical Site - Fort Smith is most famous for its role in the settlement of the Indian Territory before and after the Civil War; however, the second fort was seized by the Confederates in 1861. Located on the Arkansas River, there is a visitor center with museum. Use I 40 to reach Fort Smith.

Arkansas Post - Arkansas Post National Memorial is south of Little Rock on US Hwy 65 then north on US Hwy 165. The park has a visitor's center and paths with interpretative signs.

Helena - Battle of Helena occurred on July 4, 1863. Helena (on the Mississippi River) can be reached from Us Hwy 49. The Tourist Information Center provides additional information on Helena's Civil War Role.

Little Rock - Finally taken over by Federal troops in Sept 1863, there is much to see in Little Rock. The old State Capital, the Little Rock Arsenal (which is now the Arkansas Museum of Science and History) and the Quapaw Quarter.

The Camden Campaign - this campaign is a car tour which is a loop starting from Little Rock traveling south on US Hwy 67 to the intersection of State Hwy 53. The first actions were at Elkin's Ferry, Prairie D'Ane and Moscow, then Poison Spring Monument State Park. From there drive on into Camden to tour some of the preserved earthworks and some restored old houses. From Camden drive on up to Marks' Mills Battleground Historic Monument State Park and then on to Jenkins' Ferry Monument State Park. That will conclude the areas of the Camden Campaign

Old Washington Historic State Park - is an interesting 19th century museum village with buildings, grounds, and a cemetery, located about 9 miles north of I-30 on AR Hwy 4.

Chalk Bluff Park - the battle fought at the conclusion of Marmaduke's raid into Missouri just as he was re-entering Arkansas from Missouri. This park is in the extreme northeast corner of Arkansas and can be combined with a tour of New Madrid and Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

............. enjoy, and happy traveling!

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17th Georgia Infantry Regiment
http://hometown.aol.com/ldsed/seventeenthgaindex.html
DESCRIPTION: A Regimental History of the 17th Ga. Infantry is being written and the website is to locate as many descendants as possible for biography submissions, along with photos and interesting stories. The counties enlisting men into this unit were: Decatur, Doughtery, Harris, Mitchell, Muscogee, Schley, Stewart, Terrell and Webster.

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* * * * * 

From [email protected]
Dear Jim:
I got this in my e mail tonight and thought i would pass it along to you.
[email protected]

Taps
I have never seen the words to Taps nor heard the story before.
It sure is a beautiful story.

We have all heard the haunting song, "Taps." It's the song that gives us that lump in our throats and usually creates tears in our eyes. But, do you know the story behind the song? If not, I think you will be pleased to find out about it's humble beginnings.

Reportedly, it all began in 1862 during the Civil War, when Union Army Captain Robert Ellicombe was with his men near Harrison's Landing in Virginia. The Confederate Army was on the other side of the narrow strip of land. During the night, Captain Ellicombe heard the moans of a soldier who lay severely wounded on the field. Not knowing if it was a Union or Confederate soldier, Captain Ellicombe decided to risk his life and bring the stricken man back for medical attention.

Crawling on his stomach through the gunfire, the Captain reached the stricken soldier and began pulling him toward his encampment. When the Captain finally reached his own lines, he discovered it was actually a Confederate soldier, but the soldier was dead. The Captain lit a lantern and suddenly caught his breath and went numb with shock. In the dim light, he saw the face of the soldier. It was his own son. The boy had been studying music in the South when war broke out. Without telling his father, the boy enlisted in the Confederate Army.

The following morning, heartbroken, the father asked permission of his superiors to give his son a full military burial despite his enemy status.

His request was only partially granted. Captain Ellicombe had asked if he could have a group of Army band members play a funeral dirge for his son at the funeral. The request was turned down since the soldier was a Confederate.

But, out of respect for the father, they did say they could give him only one musician. The Captain chose a bugler. He asked the bugler to play a series of musical notes he had found on a piece of paper in the pocket of the dead youth's uniform. This wish was granted. The haunting melody, we now know as "Taps" used at military funerals, and at the end of each day on US military bases was born.

Day is done.......Gone the sun........From the lakes.......
From the hills.........From the skies.
All is well, Safely rest.......God is nigh........

Fading light..........Dims the sight........And a star.........
Gems the sky,..........Gleaming bright
From afar, Drawing nigh, Falls the night.

Thanks and praise, For our days, Neath the sun,
Neath the stars, Neath the sky,
As we go, This we know, God is nigh.

I too, have felt the chills while listening to "Taps" but I have never seen all the words until now. I didn't even know there was more than one verse.

I also never knew the story behind the song and I didn't know if you had either so I thought I'd pass it along.

Mike Starnes - Legislative Computer Systems
U. S. House of Representatives

{{{Pink}}} This is a neat story and for the readers, this is one of two stories about the origin of TAPS. The generally accepted version is that Butterworth (can't remember his rank or first name) wrote the bugle call and words after the battle of Gettysburg. When I went to visit Fort Monroe at Hampton, Virginia; inside the post Chapel, there is a stained glass window commemorating Butterworth's writting of TAPS....

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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."

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