Generations

          It doesn’t take long to do the math, but you might want to pay attention to what this all adds up to.

          All of us have eight great grandparents, 16 great-great grandparents and 32 great-great-great grandparents. The reader may pause now to figure it out: We each have two parents. They each have two parents (our grandparents, that’s 4) and they each have two parents (great grandparents, 8) and so on.

          Most of our great-great grandparents can have hundreds of descendants. Remember, it was common in the early and mid-1800s to have large families. There were no televisions or even electric lights in those years and, hard as it might seem to imagine, people had to live without the internet. With little else to do, nature frequently took its course.

          Children in farm families were a source of cheap labor, partners in the family effort. Raising a large family on a farm was a common activity.

          And most children that survived early life eventually produced children of their own. While families have generally become smaller in the last half century, each generation has continued to produce off spring. We wouldn’t be here otherwise, don’t you know.

          For the genealogists among us, the challenge of digging up the past is accentuated by the staggering number of ancestors we each have.

          The biologists among you have already determined that each set of grands, great grands and so forth must be equally split between males and females. In order to have a great-great-great grandfather, you must also have a great-great-great grandmother. Even in today’s modern world, you have to combine male and female material in order to generate a new human.

          For the researcher, this brings on a new series of challenges because it has long been a tradition that wives take their husband’s sir names. We will not argue here about the right or wrong of this matter. All that matters for the purpose of historic research is that it has been that way. Thus, we have to dig up great grandmother June’s original last name in order to continue the genealogistic hunt.

          Is genealogistic a word? It should be.

          The point is that you have to research many, many last names if you want to fully research your family background.

          And be careful what you look for. You might discover that you are descended from a Confederate soldier. In today’s politically-correct world, that is a no-no.

          Then again, you might discover that you are descended from a Revolutionary War freedom fighter or a Hall of Fame baseball player such as Honus Wagner. A Wagner link might finally explain your irrational love of the Pittsburgh Pirates or your inexplicable ability to move equally quickly to your left and right.

          It is a wonderful pursuit. It is both challenging and frustrating. But the insights you gain into your family’s life in the past is worth the effort.

          Thanks for reading.

THE REMARKABLE HANNAH DAVIS CLARK

          Do you remember the old Tom Leher line about Wolfgang A. Mozart? That when Mozart was Leher’s age, Mozart was already dead? Leher’s point was that Mozart had accomplished great things in less time than Leher had already lived. Funny line.

          There is another case in point, this time involving a lesser-known citizen than either Mozart or Leher. She was a Massachusetts resident named Hannah Davis Clark, born in 1648.

          A little historic perspective is in order. Hannah Davis Clark was born 28 years after the Mayflower completed its most famous voyage to the New World. The military actions we now call the Indian Wars were not really in full swing yet. Massachusetts was a growing colony then, but human technology had yet to perfect central heating and the winters were brutal for the colonists.

          Survival was a test of endurance, skill and luck. Medical practices were chancy, at best. Everything was organically grown in those days and there was no refrigeration. The most important resource that was in shortest supply was iron nails. Nails were removed from previous emplacements and reused whenever possible because the only source of new ones was somewhere across the Atlantic Ocean.

          There were no television shows but reality was very dramatic.

          Into this struggle came Hannah Davis on November 16, 1648. Born in Reading, she would die in Gloucester. In between there is a remarkable story.

          Hannah Davis was married three times. She out-lived all three husbands but while they were around, she stayed busy. According to one online source, Hannah and her husbands produced 28 children, most of them girls.

          A close look at some of the reports indicates that Hannah and her men actually generated a smaller number of offspring, perhaps 20 or less. It looks like some of the children credited to her by some sources were actually grandchildren. One pair of births, for example, was 40 days apart and another pair was split by only 78 days.

          Hannah and her final husband, Joseph Clark, probably had seven offspring during their marriage. Their final child was born when Hannah was 47, less than a year before Joseph passed away in 1696.

          Joseph Clark fought in the Indian Wars in 1675, when he was about 25 years old. Then, 21 years later, he joined Hannah’s other two mates in the checkout line.

          It’s a darn good thing Hannah Clark was so resilient. There is a family connection to Your Loyal Blogger and many, many good things could not have happened without Hannah’s enduring maternal instincts, specifically during her third marriage.

          Hannah Davis Clark finally rested in peace at the age of 71 years.

          We honor Hannah for her life’s work and we thank you for reading.

The 123rd Ohio and a family tree

          Reuben Berlien enlisted in the Union army August 11, 1862 and became a member of the 123^rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment’s F Company. Born in Pennsylvania, Berlien was 30 when he enlisted.

          A private, Berlien was captured by Confederates during action around Winchester, Virginia on June 15, 1863. He was paroled slightly more than a month later and he rejoined his company October 31, 1863.

          The fight at Winchester was the first action the regiment took part in, but the 123rd was busy for the remainder of the Civil War. According to documents displayed on www.Civilwarindex.com, the 123^rd was involved in 11 more actions, including another fight at Winchester.

          Most interestingly, the 123^rd, with Berlien, was involved in the Appomattox campaign in Virginia and was with the Army of the Potomac when RE Lee surrendered to US Grant on April 9, 1863. Berlien was mustered out of the Army June 12 of the same year.

          Done with his service, Berlien went home to Ohio and here comes the important part of the story. He got married and, in 1880, he and his wife Mary produced a daughter. Reuben died at age 56 and Mary died 37 years later but the family tree had grown a new branch. A few generations later, Mrs. Leeway came into the world.

          That’s four generations that are descended from a veteran who survived 11 Civil War battles and a month as a prisoner of war in a Confederate prison. It would be very difficult to count the number of honest, intelligent and productive people who could not have been born had Reuben Berlien somehow not survived his service as a Civil War soldier.

          The number of military casualties from the Civil War is generally agreed to be in the range of 600,000 or so. Civilian casualties have to be added to that number but, lacking a reliable estimate, we’ll assign that figure to the unknown because the point is that while hundreds of thousands of lives were lost, millions served both the Union and Confederate causes and most of those survivors contributed to their family tree.

          That means that many, many millions of us are descended from Civil War veterans. The Civil War is the story of how we came to be. What could possibly be more important than that?

          Thanks for reading.

Classy Civil War read

          Your Loyal Blogger just finished reading John C. Waugh’s outstanding book, “The Class of 1846 From West Point to Appomattox: Thomas J. Jackson, George McClellan and their brothers.” This is a tremendous piece of writing.

          Sometime ago this blog published a list of favorite 11 Civil War books read by the blogger. Waugh’s book on the class of 1846 joins that list and gets very high up in the standings. This is a very fine read if you like history or if you like people. It is a people story about the Civil War era, the impact one class at the United States Military Academy had upon the US Army and the Confederate cause.

          The book studies closely the impact these men had upon history as well as their impact as classmates on each other. The US Army was a small force at the time and the classmates served with each other often in the years before the nation was split apart by seccession. When Civil War split the nation, the graduating class of 1846 was split as well.

          The book is about the cadets.

          McClellan and Jackson wooed the same woman for her hand in marriage as young men. Waugh’s research into the competing romances is masterfully done. If you don’t know who won, the beans will not spill here. You’d best read the book.

          McClellan was expected to be the star of the class. He graduated second. He eventually became the commander of the entire United States Army. At that point, he had overreached his competence and Waugh looks carefully at McClellan’s shortcomings.

          George Stoneman was a ranking cavalryman for the US Army. He graduated 33^rd in the class of 59 graduates. There is a chapter about his activities during the Chancellorsville campaign and Waugh masterfully used that information as a lead in to Jackson’s greatest performance and final days.

           Jackson was a lesser student at the academy. He struggled his first year and then gradually improved as a student and finished in the middle of the class. From there, Jackson was effective during the Mexican War and became the best-known Confederate commander, except for Robert E. Lee.

          George Pickett was also a member of the class of 1846, finishing dead-last as a student. Best-known as a participant in what we now call Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg, he was a better fighter than he was a cadet.

          How these men navigated the academic difficulties that make up matriculation at West Point is an interesting story by itself. Their interaction as friends and soldiers in the years prior to the Civil War is a little-studied part of our military history. Waugh’s book sheds light on all of this.

           Waugh is a former newsman. His writing is newspaperesque: Sharp, to the point and informative. This is heck of a book. Warning, the book was published back in 1994 and our copy was purchased for five (that’s 5) dollars at a used book store in Tucson, Arizona. You might have to peruse one of the online book sources to get your copy.

          The Class of 1846 was published by Warner Books.

          Thanks for reading.

Awards Season

The 2016 SPEEDY AWARDS

 

          It is time for the 2016 SPEEDY Awards. Awards season is always a fun time if you (A) are given an award or (B) have nothing else worthwhile to watch on television.

          A quick note: Awards are given with a subjective flair and an eye toward objectivity. Read this again a few times and you’ll figure it out.

 

SPORTS DIVISION

 

It’s About Time Award: To the Cleveland Browns for ridding themselves of the Johnny Manziel headache.

 

The Huh? Award: To the Cleveland Browns for signing QB Robert Griffin III. Runner-up: The San Francisco 49ers for hiring Chip Kelly to be their head coach.

 

Team of the Year for 2015: The Alabama Crimson Tide’s national championship football team.

 

Owner of the Year: Jerry Richardson of the Carolina Panthers. He did something nice for a kid, which is fairly common. I wrote an email to the team to compliment the organization, got a reply and then got another reply from Richardson. You have to like that.

 

Move of the Year: The Rams for returning to Los Angeles, their second home.

 

Play-By-Play Announcer of the Year: Verne Lundquist, CBS Television. Tremendous announcer and as great as his career has been, it seemed like his 2015 college football season was his best ever. A classy guy. Never met him but if you have a chance to see him interact with people, then you know why he is popular here.

Live Streaming Division: Mickey Dale, Imperial High School football, Imperial, California (KROP Radio). Challenged by occasional technical complications, the Mickster overcame everything with a terrific words-eye view of the 2015 Tigers campaign. Like Lundquist, a veteran who had his best year.

 

Politics

 

Quip of the Year: To President Barack Obama for telling the Alabama Crimson Tide team they could call him “O’Bama.” Great line.

 

General

 

Spouse of the Year: Mine, Mrs. Leeway, for making recovery from a serious back issue possible and for doing it with a smile.

 

Conventionaide Award: To the Republican Party National Convention for scheduling the 2016 RNC in Cleveland. Thanks to the convention, many of Cleveland’s massive potholes will be eliminated in advance of the event. Normally, a trip to Cleveland means a follow-up trip to the nearest Goodyear store for a wheel alignment.

 

Human Machine Award: To old pal Greg Bert for keeping himself in tremendous physical condition and for tirelessly pushing his students to do the same for themselves. His use of social media shows his willingness to keep the message fresh and moving forward. Bert has previously earned state and regional Physical Education Teacher of the Year awards. Now he has a Speedy, the capstone of his career.

 

Public Employee of the Year: The public, non-charter school classroom teacher.

 

Thanks for reading.

Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College

          If you enjoy history, particularly United States military history, there is still time to register for the 2016 Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. The annual CWI is a five-day seminar about the war from various approaches with presentations by the top authorities in the field.

          Each year the CWI includes battlefield tours. This year all tours are at Gettysburg.

          Attendees learn every year what the latest scholarship is on virtually every Civil War-related topic. This year much of the attention will be devoted to the Reconstruction years from the viewpoint of both returning soldiers and the civilian population.

          Don’t make a decision about the CWI based upon what you read here. Go to www.Gettysburg.edu/cwi/ for more information about the schedule, how to register, who the speakers will be and how to contact the CWI.

          The first time Your Loyal Blogger attended the CWI, it was with the solemn promise not to speak or raise a question during the entire length of the stay. Better to be thought a fool, the thinking went, than to remove any doubt.

          The first speaker that year was Dr. Peter Carmichael, the guy who runs the CWI. And there, on national television, was YLB standing in front of a microphone and challenging a point made by the distinguished Dr. Carmichael. So much for staying quiet.

          The interaction with the speakers is a highlight for many attendees and it is easy to accomplish.

          Another attraction for this reporter is the availability of Civil War-related books during the conference. Lots of Speedylee dollars get spent on new books each year at the CWI. You can’t find a book store with as many current books on the topic as you’ll find at the back of the CUB during the CWI.

          The worst part of the event comes at the end of the final day when attendees realize they have to wait another 360 days before the next CWI.

          Hope you can make it this year and thanks for reading.

The US Congress and a bloody flag

          Your Loyal Blogger is flummoxed. Stuck. Unable to find a way.

          Really sort of irritated about it, too.

          You can fight City Hall, if you understand how and if your cause is an accurate one. You can fight public perception if you understand how (you don’t have to be right to do this, just need to know how). You can even fight against the constant and metronomic march of Time if your ego demands that you do so.

          But fight to get the attention of the Congress of the United States? Hah! Can’t be done without a checkbook big enough to fund a super PAC.

          The issue is this:

          George W. Thomkins was a corporal in the 124^th New York Infantry on March 25, 1865 when the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia mounted a last-gasp attack at the Union Army of the Potomac near Petersburg, Virginia. The Confederates, under the command of Robert E. Lee, were trying to break away from the grasp of the Union army, led by U.S. Grant.

Fort Stedman today.

          The attack showed some initial promise but the Confeds were eventually overwhelmed and pushed back. In the heat of the action, near a location within the Union lines known as Fort Stedman, Thomkins and a few others came upon a Confederate officer who was carrying a regimental flag and attempting to rally his troops.

Battle flag of the 59th Alabama

          Thomkins shot the enemy officer and severely wounded him. Thomkins captured the flag of the enemy regiment and, eventually, was awarded with the Congressional Medal of Honor.

          There is no dispute about the afore-mentioned action. The Confederates attacked, Thomkins and his comrades in the 124^th New York were part of the Union defense and Thomkins captured the flag. Period.

          The screw up came sometime later, no way to know exactly when. But sometime after Thomkins shot the Confederate officer and grabbed his flag, Thomkins’ actions were summed up by someone and that someone got it wrong. Bad keystroke by a US Army typist, maybe? Slip of the tongue by someone during the run-up to the decision to bestow the Medal of Honor on Thomkins? Could be.

          The problem is that Thomkins is credited with capturing the regimental flag of the 49^th Alabama while he actually captured the flag of the 59^th Alabama.

         

Daniel Shipman Troy

The Confederate officer Thomkins wounded was Daniel Shipman Troy of the 60^th Alabama, who was given the assignment of leading the 59^th Alabama in the attack on Fort Stedman. The two regiments had spent the war fighting side-by-side as both were originally part of Hilliard’s Legion, an outfit that was hammered to bits during the iron hail of the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863. Troy was known to the men of the 59^th.

          The 49^th Alabama Infantry Regiment was not in Virginia on March 25, 1865. The 49^th was in North Carolina. The 49^th was not involved in the attack on Fort Stedman. The 49^th was not part of the Army of Northern Virginia. In fact, the 49^th was surrendered at Smithfield, North Carolina on April 9.

          The 59^th and 60^th were part of the attack against Fort Stedman. Both regiments were in the trenches in front of Petersburg, Virginia on March 25, 1865 and all three were part of the Army of Northern Virginia. They were under the command of Brigadier General Archibald Gracie until Gracie was killed in the trenches on December 2, 1864. The group continued to be known as Gracie’s Brigade through the end of the war.

          The flag Thomkins captured did come from an Alabama outfit, but not from the 49^th. It was the 59^th.

          Troy recovered from his wounds and was most grateful for his care. He changed faiths to honor the nurses who saw to his care and he lived until 1895. Troy never met Thomkins, but was put in contact with a Thomkins relative late in life and that relative reportedly told Troy that Thomkins would have been pleased to learn that Troy had survived his wounds.

          Your Loyal Blogger has seen the flag Thomkins captured. It rests in the archives of the Alabama Department of Archives and History, having been returned to the state by the federal government of the United States. Troy’s blood stains the flag to this day.

Could be Fort Stedman, not sure. It IS a federal position
at Petersburg in March of 1865, certainly depicts the
situation accurately.

        

  Several experts contacted on this matter agree that the 49^th Alabama was not in Virginia on March 25, 1865. The 59^th was there and attacked from a location known as Gracie’s Salient. All are in agreement that, given all the facts, Thomkins shot Troy and seized Troy’s regimental flag.

          Now then, how do you go about correcting the record?

          The offices of members of Congress in Alabama, New York and California do not return phone calls. The Library of Congress returns phone calls but can do nothing about 150-year old typos.

As for the military, well, those folks have enough troubles right now and that call has not been made. Probably wouldn’t get a return call and, anyway, it’s a Congressional issue.

Could not find an image of Thomkins. This is his
grave stone. Note the spelling of the name.

          It is frustrating to stand on history’s sideline, see a tape-delayed replay of the event and then be unable to signal the referees to fix the scoreboard. You can throw a red flag until you are blue on the face, but nobody is interested.

          This blogger hopes a reader will have an idea that might help get the process started to change the citation for Thomkins’ Medal of Honor. If so, please leave a note. History would be pleased and neither soldier would suffer.

          Oh, one other thing. Every piece of reference material this blogger has seen spells Thomkins as it is spelled here. His grave marker spells it differently. We'll fight one battle at a time.

          Thanks for reading.