How Americans respond to defeat?

“It is not characteristic of Americans to sit down despondently after a defeat . . . Reverses, though stunning at first, by their recoil stimulate and quicken to unwonted exertion . . . Let us go to work, then, with a will.”

- The New York Tribune, July 30, 1861

Two more Confederate soldiers’ pictures matched to their marker at McGavock

I picked up this handy resource at the Carnton gift shop recently.

It records the name and places of final restings of all Williamson County, TN, Confederate soldiers.

I found at least two more soldiers who died at Franklin and are buried at McGavock I previously did not have a picture of. Hurray!

They are:

• Sgt. Thomas Lindsey Murrell, 6th TN Infantry; TN sec 52, plot #7
• Pvt. William A. Thomas, 31st TN Infantry; TN sect 66, plot #219

Murrell, 6th TN

Thomas, 31st TN

124th Indiana, William King, part of Sherman’s March

A surgeon in the 124th Indiana, William King’s Civil War service was at its most intense during the Atlanta Campaign, when his regiment was almost continuously engaged.

July 25, 1864:

“We are laying in front of Atlanta throwing shells into the city occasionally and expecting to attack it. We crossed the Chattahoochie River on the 8th of the month and have after the Rebs ever since. Our Regiment are now in fortifications immediately in front and in sight of the town. We are continually exchanging artillery shots and skirmishing, although neither party are loosing many men for several days… I was in our breastworks day before yesterday on Co. I of our Regiment when one of the boys was shot by a sharp shooter through the breast and killed immediately. I was standing near enough to touch him when he was killed…”

Letter from William H. Lunn of the 50th New York Engineers, Company E

Letter from William H. Lunn of the 50th New York Engineers, Company E, composed shortly before the disastrous Battle of the Crater.

Camp near Petersburgh Va / July 21st 1864

letter reads in part:

Dear Sister Huldah

I do most hartily wish I could be at home with you to help pass some of your lonesome moments away. you must keep up good courage. things looks encouraging at the present.

Our Company are buisey evry day. we are expecting some big fighting here before many days. They are about readey now to open the seage of Petersburgh They are agoing to blow up one of the Johnies forts We have got a tunnel dug under it now and the powder is being put in to blow it up I think the Johnies will think there is agoing to be a small earth quake in thear parts.

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The explosion did take place on the 30th.

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William H. Lunn mustered into the 50th New York on 4 January 1864 and mustered out on 13 June 1865 at Fort Barry, Virginia. During his service, the regiment saw action at Mine Run, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Courthouse, North Ana, Cold Harbor, Jerusalem Plank Road and Hatcher’s Run.

Source: Nate Sanders auction

“No sir, we have won this day by the blessing of Almighty God.”

The Battle of Second Manassas (Bull Run II) was a hard fought battle and Confederate victory. Jackson knew whom to give credit to for that victory. His doctor, Hunter McQuire, told him that the day had been won due to hard fighting; to which Jackson replied:

“No sir, we have won this day by the blessing of Almighty God.”
- Jackson to his doctor Hunter McQuire on July 19, 1861

Daily we hear the muffled drum, accompanied by the shrill, shrieking tones of the fife …

Corporal James Henry Gooding, 54th Massachussetts, was a soldier-reporter who reported events to the citizens of New Bedford, MA.

“Daily we hear the muffled drum, accompanied by the shrill, shrieking tones of the fife, which tells us that the ‘fell destroyer, Death,’ is near.”
CWT, Vol. XLII No5 Dec 2003

These are musicians Gooding would have heard playing the drum and fife.

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More about Corporal Gooding

James Henry Gooding was a Seaman from New Bedford, MA., before the war and was 26 years old when he enlisted on 2/14/63 as a Sergeant. On 3/30/1863 he was mustered into “C” Co. MA 54th Infantry.

He was wounded at Olustree and captured in 1864, died at Andersonville Prison on 7/19/64.

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6th Ohio Cav soldier writes about spy hanging

[Written in the upper right hand corner is "These are the ones"]

Fredrick City Maryland

July 8th 1863

Lydia

Yours of the 21st ult was Rec’d on the 4 day of July and yesterday Cole Arrived here with the Cavalry forces from the front of Washington.  I was down to the City as they went through and saw Cole just a few moments as they passed through  he gave me a letter from you and some berries the cake and cheese you sent with him mould on the way.  But never mind we are now in a country where we can get all the fixtures we want to eat.  Cole wanted me to write to you and have you tell Electa that he arrived here all right and has gone to the front where he will not have a chance to send out a letter for several days  in all Probbility Our Prospect are cheering indeed  we hope in a few days to annihilate Lees whole army  all our movements are successful so far to surround his army.  Our men fight more like devils than men  the encouragement and kind usage our soldiers receive by the people of Maryland & Penn cheers them on to victory or death – - – - – - -

I found a fellow in one of the new co of our Regt that was at the spree at Suttells, his name is O.G. Lane  we had a long talk about matters and things   he told me things of which I always had a suspicion – did he ever go with Alma Lake – - – - -

Bully for Ad Darsey he has going to workend [?] on the Rhodes (rodes) its my oppinion that he will have a longer job than he had to bail the Bailey out -

I Rec’d Marias [?] in your letter and was glad to get it.  I will try and send her mine if I can get it off hers looks as natural as life  I went to see the spy hanging yestarday  he had then been strung up about 36 hours and is hanging there yet and will hang untill he stinks  its a free show to any one that wants to see him  his clothes are all torn off but a piece of his drawers and shirt  almost every one that saw him wanted something to Remember him by so took a piece of his clothes as long as he had any.  I send you a piece of the Bark of the tree he was hung on (its a locust tree)  His name is Wm. Richardson a man of about 40 or 45 years old  I have seen him in our camps for the Last 18 months as a paper pedler  But he sliped his neck [?] at last

it Rained very hard here all night last night and to day untill 10 oclock, in fact it has Rained here every day since we came out of Va and 5 or 6 days before we left Va.  I have not heard a word from Pick since I got him put in an ambulance on the 28 of last month (I think it was)  I hear that Major Benj. Stanhope is dead

this is the Richest Country I ever saw and the wheat crop cannot be beat  wheat is mostly harvested but I fear it will all spoil unless we have a change of weather soon

This is great Lime country  almost every farmer has a limekiln and burns his own lime

Respectively yours

Sixteenstring jack or any other man

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Albinus R. Fell enlisted on 9 December 1861 as a private in the OVC. He was promoted to Corporal in 1862 and then Quartermaster Sergeant in 1863. Known by several self-ascribed names, he primarily signed his letters “Bill” or “William”, although he did, for some unknown reason, occasionally sign off as “Oscar”, “Paul Clifford”, “Sixteenstring Jack”, “Orpheius Kin” or various other obscure names. He does state in one of his letters “…my name I will not write that for various reasons…”, so perhaps it was to purposely conceal his identity. His wife Diana – whom he also referred to as Lydia – had a bit of trouble in her later years claiming his pension due to the discrepancies regarding his name ! A General Affidavit was submitted on Diana’s behalf attesting to the fact that Fell served in the Ohio 6th, that he was the only “Fell” in the company, and while in the service “…Albinus Fell always went by the name of Bill Fell…”. His discharge took place on 12 December 1864 in Petersburgh, VA.

Born in 1840 in Mercer County, PA., Fell – according to his letters – seemed to have had a very difficult time growing up, and in one instance referred to abuse he suffered at the hands of his father. His bitterness regarding his family of origin is palpable and made for a brave, fierce soldier. Fell and Diana married on 14 December 1861 in Trumbull County, Ohio and following his service, went on to have 3 children – Clara, John and Jessie. Fell was employed as a retail druggist and merchant.

eBay auction item – February 2008 – Item #250214306536

There are so many North & South possessed with the very Weston 50th Ohio letterspirit of the Devil to destroy it.

Cleveland, Tenn
July 15th 1864

Dear Sister Celia,

Some how I got the blues this afternoon and had to think of some mode to dissipate them. Though I do not like the place of writing letters when my mind is in such a state, I think I had better attempt to answer your very satisfactory letter. As yet there is no prospect of my getting away from here. It is one continued routine of hot days and nights which I spend as quietly as possible for I do not believe in this hot climate. It would be best for me to exercise too much. I am now boarding out though I did board myself for about twenty days. Have not received a letter in a longtime. Wonder why friends don’t write oftener. The last I got was from mother. It was a good kind letter & pleased me very much except one part of it which was “Your father says get out of the army & come home”. He meant for me to leave the service altogether. That I would not do on any consideration now if I could. I don’t know but this country will be destroyed yet. There are so many North & South possessed with the very spirit of the Devil to destroy it, but if it is destroyed everything is lost & we must stake all on the result. Oh, if I had the power I could hang a million men with the greatest complacency & believe I was doing God’s service. How bitter it does make my heart to think of it. The plots from one end of the land to the other to destroy our Government. The doom of the damned for every one of them could not satisfy the implacable enmity of my soul against them. I often think when my mind gets wrought up to this terrible pitch that it is wrong. I ought to be more charitable. Perhaps the dark hour is just before the day if so the day is surely now approaching. But when I think of Mexico, of the terrible wars which have devastated her, that the probability is our fate will be like hers, that it has been all darkness with her & no dawn that it has even settled into the steady unchanging worse than midnight gloom of despotism. Are we approaching that terrible fate, after long years of civil war to have some Napoleon (for sooth) to conquer us & place an Emperor over us to rule with all the tyranny of a selfish ambition? If this rebellion is not put down my word for it 50 yrs will see just this state of affairs & then those who have been the vilest Rebels now will be (such of them as survives) the most object fawning sycophants at the foot of power. These men I could hang and gloat over the sight with as much pleasure as ever a hero witnessed burning cities & tortured martyrs. But I have written enough. All I had to write in the first place was to let you know that I was well. It is now midsummer and before you hear from me again probably my second year of service will be completed safely & I on the begining of the last short year. Whether I live to get out of the service or not does not concern me much. Why should it.

Yours Truly

A.M.Weston

(Asa M. Weston enlisted on 8/11/62 as Sergeant in Company K, 50th Ohio Infantry, 3/4/65 promoted to Sgt Major, 4/22/65 promoted to 2nd Lt, 6/26/65 mustered out at Salisbury, NC)

8th Arkansas fought at Franklin, near Cotton Gin

The 8th Arkansas fought for Govan’s Brigade, Cleburne’’s Division at Franklin.  Four known-dead are buried at McGavock Cemetery. The Captain of the 8th Arkansas, Samuel L. McAllester was captured at Franklin. The colors of the 8th, below, were presented to the 8th by the women of Jacksonport, Arkansas in the summer of 1862.

There is a golden embroidered inscription in the center of the flag that reads, “March on! March on! All hearts are resolved on victory or death!”

The boys of the 8th Arkansas marched this flag into the Federal line just west of the Cotton Gin as they took fire from the 104th Ohio and the 6th Ohio Battery.

Picture credit: Arms and Equipment of The Confederacy (p. 258)

Pvt. A.A. Crews lived through Franklin, not so for several comrades

The 29th AL faced the Union left flank of Casement’s Brigade on the Federal line at Franklin. The 29th was part of Cantley’s Brigade, Walthall’s Division, on the eastern Union flank.

Here is Crew’s kepi he wore in the war, including at Franklin.

Picture credit: Arms and Equipment of the Confederacy (p. 163)

At least six of Crew’s comrades are known to be buried at McGavock Cemetery. One can only wonder how may young men from Alabama were buried after the Battle of Franklin with kepis on their head just like this one.