Issue 23, summer 2014 The Sesquicentennial
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PHOTOS OF THE WAR  A Chance to Take a Bath!
 Charleston
 Cold Harbor Bones
MATCHING Match the Numbers with the letters. What weapon did Confederate General John Bell Hood declare the Yankees could use against him? What did Confederate General Richard Ewell say when he was hit in the leg? How did one Confederate relate the speed of the Army of Northern Virginia's advance towards Pennsylvania? For what military contribution is Federal General George McClellan most widely remembered? Upon meeting General Lee, after being out of contact for days, what did General J.E.B. Stuart announce he had taken from the Federals? The name of this Gettysburg prominence held ironic meaning for the Confederates who assaulted it. This Gettysburg hill fell into Confederate hands late on July 2. Most soldiers at Gettysburg carried into battle a standard issue of musket balls—what is a standard issue? The battle of Gettysburg is claimed to be one of the loudest man-made noises heard in the United States. What distant city is reported to have heard the thunder of the cannon on July 3? The fighting was so severe at Gettysburg that many soldiers suffered what hazard of rifles fired too rapidly? Not all Virginians served in Lee's army; name the unit which supported the Lincoln government. What name did Stonewall Jackson's men give themselves after marching four hundred miles and fighting in five different battles? What illness affected nearly two thousand Confederate troops just before First Manassas? Early in the fight at Gettysburg, Confederates quickly realized they were facing regular Federal troops and not militia because of what uniform feature? This Virginia town changed hands over seventy times during the war. According to legend what did a Rebel soldier holler when he saw a rabbit run across the field at Gettysburg? 125 wagons and their teams The McClellan cavalry saddle The Loudoun Rangers of the Piedmont region “Run, rabbit, run, if I was an ole’ rabbit I’d run too!” Sixty rounds per man The Black Hats of the Iron Brigade The barrels became too hot to hold and the powder spontaneously ignited. Cemetery Ridge “Breakfast in Virginia, whiskey in Maryland, and supper in Pennsylvania” J They could “roll rocks down on you!” Winchester, Virginia Pittsburgh, some hundred-fifty miles to the west “It does not hurt a bit to be shot in a wooden leg.” “Old Jack’s foot-cavalry Devil’s Den, named either for a large snake which inhabited the rocks, or the grotesquely shaped rocks themselves Measles ANSWERS 1.J 5.A 9.L 13.P 2.M 6.H 10.G 14.F 3.I 7.O 11.C 15.K 4.B 8.E 12.N 16.D Colonel Robert F. Webb The Last Colonel of the Bloody Sixth North Carolina Robert F. Webb was a 38 year-old farmer who enlisted 5-20-61 as a Captain in Co. B., NC 6th Infantry and rose to full Colonel. He was wounded at Sharpsburg, taken prisoner at Rappahannock station and confined at Johnson’s Island for a year and a half, released on Oath of Allegiance 6-25-65. This is his personal account of his capture. “Many of my men escaped by swimming the river; others dispersed through the country and got off. Some of my officers escaped, but how, I was never able to ascertain. I cannot describe to you the terrible anguish I endured at the thought of being captured, as gradually that host of armed men surrounded me.” “I knew that my escape was impossible. I have faced death often, but never have I endured such fearful hours of horror as I did that night. I thought of loved ones -- wife, children, and home. Tears ran down my cheeks, the first I had shed during the war. I was aroused from my reverie by a stout arm grasping me by the shoulder. Do you surrender? No was my quick response, not to a private. Are you an officer? I am, I replied. A colonel rode up to me. It was the Fifth Maine. Do you surrender, Sir? says he. I presume that I do, I replied as I have no discretion in the matter, being already your prisoner.” When Col. Webb was captured, he held his sword in his one good hand. His other hand was in a sling from his terrible wound at Sharpsburg. Beginning immediately after his capture at Rappahannock Bridge, Webb writes, “I was moved that night about two miles to the rear in company with my brother officers, and I must do the enemy the justice to say that they treated me kindly. They gave me some whiskey, of which I stood much in need!” Buffalo in Ft. Bend County and the Runaway Scrape 1836 Right after the Alamo fell to Santa Anna and his Mexican Army, Santa Anna headed east to find and defeat the rest of the Texas Army led by General Sam Houston. When Santa Anna’s action became apparent, the landowners and settlers east of San Antonio started traveling toward the safety of the Louisiana border because the Mexicans were ransacking and burning everything in sight. This in history is called the “Runaway Scrape.” The people that were living on the west side of the Brazos River were ready to go but couldn’t leave at their chosen time because of a large herd of buffalo blocking their way. They had to wait for the herd to pass before leaving. Apparently this large herd of between 3000 and 4000 buffalo came down from the north through the Brenham area and continued moving south between the San Bernard River and the Brazos River. The herd crossed to the east side of the Brazos somewhere south of where Highway 59 now crosses the River, near the town of Richmond (old Fort Bend). The herd continued on into Brazoria County to some place south of the present day town of Pearland. After the herd passed, the settlers were able to cross the river and then traveled to Harrisburg and continued east to the Lynchburg Ferry located near the present day San Jacinto Monument. Upon arriving at the ferry they found themselves with about 5000 other people waiting to cross the San Jacinto River. This crossing took them three days. Their route took them north of Galveston Bay as they headed toward the Sabine River. It is assumed there was also a ferry across the Trinity River, probably at present day Liberty, Texas. It is also assumed that old Highway 90 was the original route to Louisiana. A large part of the Mexican Army stayed in the Ft. Bend area while General Santa Anna went to engage General Sam Houston and the Texas Army. The two Generals eventually found each other at San Jacinto and… it was the worst eighteen minutes of General Antonio López de Santa Anna’s life. Thanks to Compatriot David G. Whitaker for this bit of Texas History. Source: Texas Tears and Texas Sunshine by Jo Ella Powell Exley. Texas A&M Press, 1985. 
JEFFERSON QUOTES "To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." "I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks will deprive the people of all property - until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered." A Poetic Tribute In 1907 Julia Ward Howe who wrote the Battle Hymn of the Republic penned these words on the anniversary of Gen. Lee's birth: A gallant foeman in the fight, A brother when the fight was o’er, The hand that led the host with might The blessed torch of learning bore. No shriek of shells or roll of drums, No challenge fierce, resound far When reconciling Wisdom comes To heal the cruel wounds of war. Thought may the minds of men divide, Love makes the heart of nations one, And so, thy soldier grave beside, We honor thee, Virginia's son. TRIVIA Although General Rosecrans reported a Union victory at Stones River TN, how did his casualties compare with those of the Confederates? In what state did the engagement of Coffeeville take place? When Indian fighter John R. Baylor recruited 1,000 fellow Texans in spring 1861, actually to secure the New Mexico Territory for the Confederacy, what did he say his mission was? What Confederate cavalryman sometimes demanded surrender as “Brigadier General of Cavalry, C.S.A.”? After Pea Ridge AR, who succeeded Lew Wallace as the youngest Union General? Trivia Answers on page 35 The Coleman Scouts The tactics and strategy of warfare depend on information as well as on soldiers and guns. Spies and scouts are sent into enemy territory to gather news concerning movements of troops, to secure newspapers, and to obtain any vital information about enemy resources. Both the Northern and Southern armies during the War Between the States availed themselves of this medium of securing information. In 1862 following the general practice of organizing scouting operations to keep the commanders informed of enemy operations, a group of young men under Captain Henry B. Shaw was brought together. These scouts, known interchangeably as Shaw's Scouts or Coleman's Scouts, were to play an important part in the operation of Bragg's Army.  Captain Shaw (Coleman) and the Remaining Men of the Coleman Scouts in a Secret Reunion in 1866
Shaw, the Captain of the group, assumed the name of Coleman to hide his real identity. He operated within the enemy lines under the guise of an itinerant herb doctor. Information secured by Shaw was passed from him to the scouts and then relayed to Confederate headquarters.  A Scout Reports to a Band of Guerillas
Sam Davis Early in 1863, a young man named Sam Davis became a member of "Coleman's Scouts." The Yankees were constantly on the lookout for these spies, whom they called Coleman's Scouts after the pseudonym, E.C. Coleman, that Shaw used. On November 20, 1863, they caught a 21 year old man in Confederate uniform with information about federal troop positions and a pass signed by "E. Coleman." Among the papers found concealed on Sam was information that could have only come from the desk of Union General Grenville Dodge. Convinced that one of his own officers was supplying information to the Confederates, Dodge decided to put pressure on Sam to identify the source of the documents. The federal soldiers especially wanted to know where "E. Coleman" was, but Davis would say nothing, even when General Grenville M. Dodge interrogated him and offered not to hang him as a spy if he would turn over the information. Davis refused and insisted that he was not a spy but simply a courier. He was quickly and illegally tried, convicted, and hanged. Throughout the ordeal he composed himself bravely. He stoically refused to betray "Coleman," causing Dodge to exclaim as he saw the body dangle from the gallows: "He was too brave to die." The Yankees did not know it, but they had "Coleman" in the same jail cell as Davis. Shaw, described by his captors as "an old, seedy, awkward-looking man in citizen's clothes," was known to the Yankees only by his real name and had been arrested separately from Davis. Shaw had once been Davis's teacher and they were friends, though they were careful to make sure their captors did not know. Davis's execution was clearly visible to his friend in the jail cell. Davis's patriotism and willingness to die for his country was praised in print and stone throughout the South and caused him to be known as a Confederate Nathan Hale." Sam’s last words still resonate: “If I had a thousand lives to live, I would give them all, rather than betray a friend or my country.” 
Sam Davis 
Sam Davis Monument Nashville Tennessee Less glamorous is the story of another Coleman Scout, Dewitt Smith Jobe and his two cousins, Dee Smith and Thomas Benton Smith. These cousins were natives of the Mechanicsville community. Dewitt Jobe’s father, Elihu C. Jobe, was a cabinetmaker and farmer in Mechanicsville. He was also known for his coffins. Dee Smith was with the 45th Tennessee. Thomas Benton Smith was a “boy” general with the 20th Tennessee. Each met a tragic – horrible – end at the hands of Federal troops. 
Brig. General Thomas Benton Smith Gen. Thomas Benton Smith In 1862 Thomas Benton Smith fought in the Battle of Stone's River, where he suffered a serious wound that put him out of action for much of 1863. After his recuperation, Smith resumed field duties, but was again wounded at the Battle of Chickamauga in September. After another lengthy recovery period, he returned to action during the 1864 Atlanta Campaign. He was promoted to brigadier general on July 29, 1864. His First action as a General officer was on the extreme left of the Confederate flank at the Battle of Utoy Creek where he personally led his Brigade in a charge against attacking Union soldiers capturing some 30 Union Soldiers and the 2 Colors of the 8th Tennessee Infantry, USV and 112th Illinois Infantry, USV of Riley's Brigade, Cox Division of the US XXIII Army Corps. His military career ended at the Battle of Nashville on December 16. Smith surrendered during the battle. After Smith had surrendered and been disarmed, Union Colonel William L. McMillen, whose brigade had suffered heavily in an engagement with Smith's Brigade, reportedly berated and then attacked the Confederate general, now a disarmed prisoner, with Smith's own sword (one source says "wantonly and repeatedly”). Smith's resultant brain injuries were so severe that for a time it was feared he would not live. Held at Johnson's Island in Ohio and later at Fort Warren in Massachusetts, Smith was not released until July 24, 1865. Dewitt Jobe DeWitt Smith Jobe enlisted in 1861 and became part of Company B of the 20th Tennessee Regiment commanded by Col. Joel Battle and his cousin Thomas B. Smith. He was wounded and captured at the Battle of Fishing Creek and fought at Stones River. Jobe was hand-picked as a scout about the time Maj. Gen. Braxton Bragg began his retreat out of Middle Tennessee and into Georgia. As a scout, Jobe did escape the doldrums of routine military life, but his new role with the Army of Tennessee was far more dangerous. Many of the members of Coleman’s Scouts were shot, killed or imprisoned. And each of the Scouts knew about Sam Davis’ end on the Union gallows. In August 1864, Jobe and fellow scout Tom Joplin were far behind Union lines and reconnoitering near the towns of College Grove, Triune and Nolensville. On Monday, Aug. 29, Jobe was hiding in a cornfield after eating breakfast at the home of a family between Triune and Nolensville. He had an important message hidden on his person. With Yankee patrols in the area, the Confederate scout/spy was hiding during the day and traveling at night. Unfortunately, he was spotted by a patrol of 15 men from the 115th Ohio Regiment of the Union Army of the Cumberland. Seeing that he was about to be caught, Jobe tore up the note and began to chew and swallow it. Angered by the near miss, the Union patrol first threatened Jobe and then began to torture him in an effort to get the scout to divulge the content of the dispatch. The Ohio troops first hanged Jobe from a bridle rein and then pistol-whipped him, knocking out some of his teeth. Bound and disarmed, helpless and bleeding, Jobe revealed nothing. The torture went on. The Yanks were whooping now, yelling so loudly that they could be heard at a distant farmhouse. They put out Jobe's eyes. Perhaps then it was that Jobe heaped epithets upon them. In retaliation they cut out Jobe's tongue. The Union patrol finished off Jobe by dragging him to death behind his own galloping horse. The event is not mentioned in Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, but was preserved in Jobe family oral history and letters and books like Bromfield Ridley’s “Battles and Sketches of the Army of Tennessee.” A Tennessee Historical Marker between Nolensville and Triune commemorates Jobe’s death: “DeWitt Smith Jobe, a member of Coleman's Scouts, CSA, was captured in a cornfield about 1 1/2 miles west, Aug. 29, 1864, by a patrol from the 115th Ohio Cavalry. Swallowing his dispatches, he was mutilated and tortured to make him reveal the contents. Refusing, he was dragged to death behind a galloping horse. He is buried in the family cemetery six miles northeast." 
Dewitt Smith Jobe At the time, news of his torture spread quickly. It pushed his cousin, Dee Smith, to exact his own bloody revenge. Smith was with the 45th Tennessee, commanded by Col. Anderson Searcy of Murfreesboro, when he heard of his cousin’s murder. Smith left his regiment near Chattanooga and rode back to Middle Tennessee and raised the “black flag.” He would give no quarter and swore to kill any Yankee who crossed his path. Smith was a quiet killer who did his work with a butcher knife. It was said he used that knife to slit the throats of 14 Union soldiers while they slept in their tents near Tullahoma. Dee Smith’s personal war continued for nearly two months during which he killed as many as 50 Yankees before he was captured. At last they surrounded him near Nolensville, Tennessee, and shot him. Afterwards they brought him twenty miles from Nolensville to Murfreesboro. Although in excruciating pain when the doctors probed his wounds, he said that he would die before his enemies should see him flinch. Fortunately, he died before noon of the next day, at which time he was to be hanged. There’s no indication that the soldiers from the 115th Ohio were punished for the atrocity. Legend says the sergeant in charge of the Union patrol “became a raving maniac.” And for those who believe in such things, there was a bit of karmic justice meted out to the soldiers of the 115th Ohio. A number of them were captured and sent to the horrific Rebel prison at Andersonville, Ga. Other soldiers from the unit died in the Sultana Disaster on April 27, 1865. The Sultana, a side-wheeler, steam river boat, was loaded with Union soldiers headed from Memphis to Cairo, Ill. Just north of Memphis, the river boat exploded in the worst maritime tragedy in U.S. history. An estimated 1,700 died, including a number of soldiers from the 115th Ohio. Carmack’s Pledge to the South These words, written by Edward Ward Carmack of Sumner County, Tennessee, were read into the Congressional Record when he served in the U.S. House of Representatives. They are also inscribed on a bronze plaque at the base of his statue on the Capitol grounds in Nashville, Tennessee. TEXT The South is a land that has known sorrows; it is a land that has broken the ashen crust and moistened it with tears; a land scarred and riven by the plowshare of war and billowed with the graves of her dead; but a land of legend, a land of song, a land of hallowed and heroic memories. To that land every drop of my blood, every fiber of my being, every pulsation of my heart, is consecrated forever. I was born of her womb; I was nurtured at her breast; and when my last hour shall come, I pray God that I may be pillowed upon her bosom and rocked to sleep within her tender and encircling arms. THIS TABLET PLACED HERE BY THE W.C.T.U. 
Plaque at base of Statue Edward Ward Carmack served in the U. S. House from 1897 to 1901 and as a U. S. Senator from 1901 to 1907. 
Carmack 
Nashville Statue of Carmack Sea Raven Press Offers Discount to MOS&B Members Sea Raven Press publishes popular pro-South books by award-winning historian Lochlainn Seabrook. They are offering discounts to everyone associated with the Military Order of The Stars and Bars for bulk orders of their books. They have an extensive on-line bookstore and a list of available books may be found at: www.SeaRavenPress.com. They are also preparing to turn Mr. Seabrook's screenplay about Nathan Bedford Forrest into a full-length motion picture film and seeking financial support i.e. contributions and investments to launch the project. If you are interested in buying books in bulk or contributing to the movie project you may e-mail Cassidy Ravensdale, Company President, at searavenpress@gmail.com. About the Company: Sea Raven Press is an independent academic book publishing company located in Nashville, Tennessee, specializing in nonfiction family-friendly books for all ages on the American Civil War (from the South's perspective), Jesus, the Bible, spirituality, the Law of Attraction, theology, health, healing, the paranormal (ghost stories, UFOs), history, biography, social issues, mythology, etymology, family history, and genealogy. The Company takes great pride in producing well researched, historically accurate, provocative books, with one-of-a-kind titles, timeless themes, easy-to-read interiors, rare and original artwork, and lavishly designed covers. About the Author: Author Lochlainn Seabrook is the recipient of the prestigious Jefferson Davis Historical Gold Medal. His adult, teen, and children’s books have sold thousands of copies throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Russia, Australia, and Central and South America. Known as the "new Shelby Foote," Lochlainn is a recognized historian, Bible scholar, and popular Civil War scholar who has penned over two dozen South-oriented books on the War for Southern Independence. Lochlainn, also an acclaimed screenwriter, has just signed on with renowned filmmaker Christopher Forbes, to bring Lochlainn's screenplay (based on his award-winning book, "A Rebel Born: A Defense of Nathan Bedford Forrest") to the big screen. 
The Last Naval Engagement When and where did the last battle of the War Between the States take place? Well, probably not when and where you think! In 1905, two courtly and erudite old gentlemen were rowing to their residence on an island off the mouth of Mobile Bay. During a visit to the mainland to pick up a load of supplies, they had picked up quite a load of another type at a local saloon. They alternately rowed and sampled a jug, all the while bemoaning the intolerable end of the War Between the States. When a US battleship entering the bay came abreast of them, they became enraged at the sight of the "hated” US flag. Grabbing a fowling piece, first one old gentleman and then the other fired a shot "across the bow" of the ship. One load of shot hit the bridge, resulting in a gig being lowered and the two old men being taken on board the ship. There they demanded to see the captain. Brought to his cabin, they demanded the surrender of the ship. The captain not only possessed rich manners and a quick understanding, but also a sense of humor. Inviting the men to be seated, he offered them cigars and politely and gravely begged for a discussion of terms. These were presented during a conversation over several bottles of champagne. Finally, a formal truce was drawn. This peace treaty between the U.S. and the Confederacy was signed and sealed in duplicate. Under the terms, the ship was allowed to proceed, but not to sail near the men's island, and the captain was allowed to keep his sword. Afterward the captain escorted the Confederates on deck where they were piped over the side with full naval formality. A launch waited there to tow them to their island. As the dory was towed away, one of the old men rose in the boat, raised the returned fowling piece, and fired a salute. Thus ended the last battle of the War Between the States. Reprinted with Permission from: THE REBEL YELL “The Oldest Newsletter in the Confederation” The Rebel Yell is the official newsletter of the Brig. Gen. Stand Watie Society Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Editor Charles H. Smith, DCS TRIVIA ANSWERS Union: 13,200; Confederate: 10,266 Mississippi, April 4, 1862 A buffalo hunt Nathan Bedford Forrest Francis J. Herron CHAPTER COMMANDER’S REPORT Gentlemen, There has been some email discussion about a possible project for our Chapter. We are thinking of doing a little advertising in hopes of gaining some recruits. We have already looked into some of the costs involved, both print and radio. I would like everyone’s input. We need to decide if it is an idea worth pursuing, if we have the financial support needed and what the content of the advertising should be. Please provide your feedback to me at mosb264@valornet.com. I will follow-up with an email to everyone based on what input I receive. I think this is the type project we can get behind. It doesn’t require any travel and therefore fits with our being scattered across the state. My wife and I recently attended the Texas Society Convention. It was well attended for a non-election year. No important changes to report. The Society is showing a good savings by having most members receive the Clarion Call electronically. This savings is being used to establish our Texas scholarship program. There was a good sharing of Chapter projects and activities. Emphasis was, as always, on recruitment. Our membership’s average age keeps climbing. This focus on membership, especial the younger demographic, is part of what prompted our looking into advertisement. There are no other Chapters in Texas pursuing this and it could really help the Order. I spoke with Texas Society Commander, Larry Wilhoite, and he feels the Society could help us with funding, when we get a plan in place. I hope you are all receiving some of this needed rain, minus the storms. God Bless, Gary L. “Nux” Loudermilk Commander Major John Loudermilk Chapter 264 BANNAL AB BRAITHREAN (Band of Brothers) Is a newsletter published of and for the Major John Loudermilk Chapter #264 of the Military Order of the Stars and Bars It is published electronically and issued seasonally. Comments, suggestions or questions may be sent to the Editor, Gary M. Loudermilk at gmldhl@harrisbb.com Two Time Winner of the Captain John Morton Award for Best Chapter Newsletter Military Order of the Stars and Bars Benediction Leader: I asked God for strength, that I might achieve, Members: I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey. Leader: I asked for health, that I might do greater things, Members: I was given infirmity that I might do better things. Leader: I asked for riches, that I might be happy, Members: I was given poverty, that I might be wise. Leader: I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men, Members: I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God. Leader: I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life, Members: I was given life, that I might enjoy all things. Leader: I got nothing that I asked for – but everything I had hoped for. Members: Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered. ALL: I am, among all men, most richly blessed. Prayer of an Unknown Confederate Soldier Found on his body in the “Devil’s Den” at Gettysburg 
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