The Boston Massacre

On March 5, 1770 the Boston Massacre took place. The event was an accumulation of rising tension between colonist and British Royal troops. The troop presence in Boston increased in October of 1768 as an effort to enforce taxes imposed by the Townshend Acts. Tensions reached a peak when colonist began to throw snowballs and other objects at the British soldiers. This eventually led to an unknown soldier firing into the crowd. By the end of the massacre three colonist were killed on the site and two more later died from their wounds.

One of those killed was Crispus Attucks. He is commonly referred to as the first martyr of the American Revolution. Little is known about his life including his ethnicity. Many scholars believe he was African American or Native American. During the Abolitionist movement in the early 19th century, Attucks was used as an example of patriotism and heroics of African Americans in U.S. history.

After the incident, the citizens of Boston called for the removal of British troops and Captain Thomas Preston. A trial was held with the future 2nd U.S. President, John Adams defending the British troops. Of the eight soldiers that were put on trial six were acquitted and released. The two who opened fire onto the crowd were convicted of manslaughter. To this day the Boston Massacre is considered to be one of the most significant events leading up to the Revolutionary War. 

Theodor Seuss Geisel, or more commonly known as Dr. Seuss is known primarily as one of the most popular children's authors with titles such as Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and many others. However before becoming an Dr. Seuss, Geisel was a political cartoonist in New York (1941-1943). Below are some of the cartoons Geisel drew. These images and many others can be seen in the book Dr. Seuss Went to War by Richard H. Minear.

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The Letterman Plan

Johnathan Letterman

On March 19, 1865 the home of John and Amy Harper was commandeered by the XIV Corps of the Union Army and used as a field hospital. During the three days of the Battle of Bentonville the Harpers witnessed the result of Jonathan Letterman’s innovative work on how medical care was practiced from the battlefield to the field hospital.

Letterman was born on December 11, 1824 in Can-onsburg, Pennsylvania. Following in his father’s footsteps, Letterman became a surgeon after graduating from Jefferson Medical College in 1849. After medical school, Letterman would spend the next fifteen years as a U.S. Army surgeon. Letterman served as the Medical Director of the Army of the Potomac from June 1862 until the end of 1863. During his tenure, Letterman oversaw medical care at many of the Civil War’s most vital battles such as Antietam and Gettysburg.

Prior to Letterman’s appointment, medical care on the battlefield was rather unorganized and inefficient. The appointment of Letterman led to several innovations in battlefield medical care leading to what historians refer to as “The Letterman Plan.” These improvements aimed to handle the task of caring for the mass casu-alties from the battlefield and standardizing medical procedures.

One of the first and most vital improvements that Letter-man made was establishing an organized ambulance corps. Prior to Letterman’s plan, ambulances were under the authority of the Quartermaster and their primary purpose was to haul supplies to the battle line. Only when empty would the wagons be used to cart off wounded men. In the heat of battle it was common for the wagons to be in constant use, thus making them unavailable for medical purposes. With the help of General George B. McClellan, Letterman was able to assign all ambulances to the sole purpose of removing the wounded from the battlefield. Even if the wagons were empty, they could only be used for their assigned purpose.

Letterman also standardized battlefield medicine and procedure. Before Letterman’s improvements, doctors brought their own supplies and medicine that they used in civilian life. Letterman established a standardization of these tools and supplies. This allowed a doctor to go to any medical supply wagon and find exactly what he needs in its proper location. Field hospitals were to be established before any anticipated engagements. The locations of the hospitals are determined by the Medical Director of each corps.

To make field hospitals more efficient, Letterman formally introduced the triage system in the U.S. Army. Rather than treating the wounded on a first come, first serve basis, the triage system organized the men based upon the severity of their wounds. This responsibility lied with medical officers referred to as “dressers.” The wounded would be placed into one of three categories. Priority one were men who had serious yet treatable injuries. Second priority was given to men who had received less serious wounds. Soldiers who were considered mortally wounded (wounds to the head or the abdomen) were the lowest priority.

Letterman continued to serve in the Union army after his tenure as Medical Director ended, but resigned in December of 1864 with the rank of Major. He later moved to San Francisco where he served as coroner from 1867 until his death in 1872. In just a year and a half, Letterman changed the way medical care was practiced during war. This standard was practiced by the United States military through WWII.

Sources

Civil War Trails, “Jonathan Letterman.” Accessed September 11, 2013. http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/biographies/jonathan-letterman.html

Freemon, Frank R., Gangrene and Glory; Medical Care During the Civil War. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1998.

McGraugh, Scott, Surgeon in Blue; Jonathan Letterman, the Civil War Doctor Who Pioneered Battlefield Care. New York: Arcade Publishing, 2013.


Wiley, Bell Irvin. The Life of Billy Yank. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2008.

The Andy Griffith Show

Barney Fife, Oppie Taylor and Sheriff Andy Taylor.

On October 3, 1960 one of the best television shows ever of all time (at least in my opinion) was aired for the first time on CBS, The Andy Griffith Show. The show stared native North Carolinian and UNC alum Andy Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor in the fictional town of Mayberry. Mayberry's location is never reviled in the show but the mentioning of Siler City (a real town) and Mt. Pilot (real town is Pilot Mountain) hints that Mayberry is most likely modeled after Griffith's home town of Mount Airy in Surry County.

The series centered around Sheriff Taylor's who is a widowed father and often the voice of reason in the typical small southern town where everyone knows everyone and gossip has a tendency to spread like wild fire at times. Besides Sheriff Taylor the cast is full of memorable characters. Taylor's son Opie is played by a young Ron Howard. Other notable characters include Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier), Deputy Barney Fife (Don Knotts), town drunk Otis Campbell (Hal Smith), mechanics Gomer (Jim Nabors) and Goober Pyle (Jim Lindsey) and Floyd the barber (Walter Baldwin), just to name a few. 

After eight seasons and 249 episodes the series ended on April 1, 1968, making it one of the longest running series in television history. The show produced a number of notable spin-offs during and after its tenure. In 1964 Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. starring Jim Nabors and in 1968 Mayberry RFD with Ken Berry. In 1986 NBC aired a reunion special entitled Return to Mayberry, bringing back most off the original cast.

Today the show's legacy still lives on 63 years after it first debuted. Monuments have been erected dedicated to the cultural icon. One such monument can be found in Raleigh's historic Pullen Park, where Andy and Opie have been immortalized in the familiar pose of walking down to the fishing hole with rods at hand. Mount Airy attracts fans from all over with museums and even an annual festival in September called "Mayberry Days."

Andy and Opie at Pullen Park, Raleigh, NC.

Sources:

Powell, William S., Encyclopedia of North Carolina, "The Andy Griffith Show." Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2006.

Robinson, Dale and David Fernandes, The Definitive Andy Griffith Show Reference. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland Publishing, 2004.

"Old Douglas" the Camel

"Old Douglas" grave marker at the Cedar Hill Cemetery in Vicksburg, MS.

Of all the strange and fascinating occurrences that took place during the Civil War, the story of "Old Douglas" has to be one of the oddest. When it comes to the use of animals for military purposes during the Civil War, odds are horses will come to mind, maybe a mule and not much else, especially not a camel. This is what makes the story of Douglas so unique and down right interesting.

"Old Douglas" was used by Company "A" of the Forty-third Mississippi Infantry. For this reason the regiment was commonly referred to as "The camel regiment." Douglas ended up in the service of the Confederacy because of a U.S. War Department program known as the  "Texas Camel Experiment" or the U.S. Camel Corps. The program started in 1856 when then Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis saw a need for a possible alternative to the use of horses and mules in the American southwest. The dessert environment of the southwest proved to be taxing on equine species causing significant cases of death and dehydration. Despite some early success the program was canceled with the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. 

It is unclear has to exactly how Douglas came to be the the service of the Forty-third. One theory suggests that Douglas's handler was a native of Mississippi and with the outbreak of war the pair left Texas to serve in the handler's home state. It is believed at some point the camel came into the possession of Lieutenant William Hargrove of Company B. Hargrove later transferred Douglas to Colonel William H. Moore of Company A. Douglas's primary duty with Company A was to carry the regimental band instruments and cooking equipment. Reflecting on Douglas, one officer wrote "Old Douglas was a quiet peaceful fellow and a general favorite."

The first documentation of Douglas puts him with Company B at the Battle of Iuka, near the Tennessee-Mississippi border in September 1862. The report reads, "He stood bravely in the face on Union fire as his friends fell around him."  Besides his apparent "braveness" during the heat of battle, Douglas might have been a little bit of a nuisance to some. One at least one occasion he had chewed through his tether and managed to break free. According to the story, the presence of Douglas spooked the horses causing them to panic and break free, pulling up the pickets that they had been tied to and causing a stampede.

It is also believed that Douglas was present at the battles of Corinth and Vicksburg. Douglas meet his end during the Siege of Vicksburg in the summer of 1863 when he was shot by Union sharp shooters. It is rumored that Douglas ended up as a meal for some Union troops and his bones were taken as souvenirs.

Like many legends throughout history Douglas's story may not be quite as valiant as it seems.  In an interview with the Virginia Gazette Park Ranger Tim Kavanaugh believes there is a more likely scenario in regards to the last minutes of Douglas's life. Kavanaugh believes that Douglas was most likely kept behind Confederate lines. However in this case Douglas probably broke free from his tether once again and made his way into the middle of the fight, were he would have been easy pickings for the Union sharp shooters. However it is plausible that Douglas was eaten by Federal Troops as rations were in short supply for both sides. In this case Douglas probably fell close to Union lines allowing the Federals to retrieve the camel before the Confederates. Like other wars, many soldiers desired souvenirs from battle. According to Kavanaugh after all of the bones were distributed cow bones were sold to other soldiers who thought they were buying the bones of "Old Douglas."

Today "Old Douglass" is remembered by a grave marker located in the Cedar Hill Cemetery in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Douglas's memory still lives on with the Texas Camel Corps. Since 1995 the group has aimed to educate the public on the use of camels during the Civil War.

Sources:

"Civil War History Remembers Old Douglas the Camel," Virginia Gazette, July 17, 2013, http://www.vagazette.com/entertainment/va-vg-ruegsegger-0717-douglas-20130717,0,4507038.story (accessed September 30, 2013)

Johnson, Forrest Bryant. The Last Camel Charge; The Untold Story of America's Desert Military Experiment. New York: Penguin Publishing, 2012.

National Park Service. "Camels and Eagles and Bears... Oh My." http://www.nps.gov/vick/forteachers/  (accessed September 28, 2013)

Tishomingo Historical and Genealogical Society. "Rebel Camel." http://msgw.org/tishomingo/Camel.pdf  (accessed September 28, 2013)

Flags of the Confederacy

Since I began working at Bentonville Battlefield one of the most common questions that I get has to do with the Confederate flag. Why are there more than one confederate flag? In this post I will share the three national flags of the Confederacy and the Confederate battle flag, which is what most people think of when they think of the Confederate flag. Also note that there were other flags flown by the Confederacy but for today we'll focus on these four.

CSA 1st National

The 1st National Flag of the Confederacy or also known as the "Stars and Bars" was first raised March 5, 1861. It is the only Confederate National flag that was never officially adopted by the CS Congress.  In the upper left corner of the flag are thirteen stars in the formation of a circle. Like the U.S. flag these stars represent the thirteen states that made up the Confederacy. The first time the flag was flown was over the capital building in Montgomery, Alabama. The problem with the flag is that its appearance was too similar to the American flag. As you can imagine this might create just a little bit of confusion on the battlefield.

CSA 2nd National

The 2nd Confederate National Flag was first adopted on May 1, 1863. This version is sometimes refereed to as the "Stainless Banner" due to the field being solid white. The flag made its debut about a week later when it was used to enshroud General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's body after he had died from complications from wounds he had received from friendly fire after the battle of Chancellorsville. The issue with this flag becomes evident when the wind isn't blowing. With no wind the flag can appear as a surrender flag, once again creating the opportunity for confusion.

CSA 3rd National

The 3rd Confederate National Flag was adopted on March 4, 1865. The flag was designed by Major Arthur L. Rogers who added on a red vertical bar on the right end of the flag. This was intended to solve the problem of the 2nd national's appearance. However by the time this version was adapted the war was coming to a close. Odds are that this flag probably never saw action on the battlefield. During the Battle of Bentonville which took place March 19-21, 1865 Confederates were still using the 2nd National. The ones that were flown were most likely flown at garrisons and government buildings.

Confederate Battle Flag

The CS battle flag is what most people associate the confederacy with and is commonly thought to be the national flag. The idea for a battle flag is contributed to General P.G.T. Beauregard on July 21, 1861 at the First Bull Run (Manassas). General Beauregard was the first to notice that the C.S.A. flag looked an awful like the U.S.A. flag. This is a rather large problem, especially when smoke and dust create low visibility and the only way of identifying a group of soldiers was by the flag they were carrying. Thus demonstrating the importance of having a distinct flag for the battlefield. The original design had a blue field, red bars, and gold stars but after much debate the above flag was approved in September 1861 by Commanding General Joseph E. Johnston before receiving final approval from the War Department. From this point forward this would be the flag that Confederates carried into battle for the next four years.