Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Monroe County Civil War Roundtable “Exploring, preserving and sharing the history of the American Civil War”
The Sentinel Volume 10, No. 5 January 2014
The Civil War — The Dawn of the Political Cartoon
1
worn out, tired, and frail. He has lost one leg to secession
and is hobbled by anarchy on the remaining one.
The September 3, 1864, cartoon below is arguably
Thomas Nast’s most famous of the war. Nast was an ardent
Unionist and felt that compromise with the South would
mean all the pain and suffering of the war had been in vain.
The symbolism is everywhere– an upside down flag repre-
senting distress; Columbia weeping over the grave of a Un-
ion soldier who fell in a useless war; a victor who looks
strangely like Jefferson Davis and carries a whip that he will
presumably use on slaves. This piece was immediately rec-
ognized as masterful campaign rhetoric and was widely dis-
tributed during the waning days of the war.
It is difficult for 21st century readers like us to
grapple with the issues of the Civil War as these cartoonists
did. From our perspective nearly 150 years later, we like to
think that we are aware of the issues and how they were
eventually resolved. But if we can approach these cartoons
without preconceived beliefs, we can begin to understand the
mindset, the confusion, and the resolve of the people who
lived through these traumatic events.
Want to know more? Get The Lines Are Drawn,
edited by Kristen Smith or Lines of Contention: Political
Cartoons of the War by J.G. Lewin. You will not be sorry.
Member Scott Schroeder brought to the group a pro-
gram that we on the editorial staff would guess that most peo-
ple would not think of, at least readily, as a Civil War topic. It
is the use of the mass produced periodical cartoon as humor, as
sarcasm, as political statement and more. This was a much
more prominently distributed concept in the North simply be-
cause the South had fewer numbers of periodicals, those that
did publish had extreme newsprint shortages almost all the
time so space for simply reporting the news in text was at a
premium. In the end, the South was busy with trying to van-
quish a giant foe that kept its resources from “competing” with
such a seemingly trivial pursuit.
The impetus for these novel journalistic forays actual-
ly arose from our friends across the “pond”, the British, who
saw the war coming as early as 1856 and used their already
established periodicals like Punch to begin commenting on
what they felt the root cause of the war was, slavery...a “black
business” in one cartoon. No one was spared. Buchanan, Lin-
coln, Seward...all were subject to the cartoonist’s acerbic pen.
It would be impossible to cover such a broad topic in
this short space, so let’s look at some of the best cartoons of
the era and see what they offered.
This piece, published in Punch on September 28,
1861, portrays the war as a domestic dispute with the North
holding a torn map and broken furniture in the background to
represent conflict. Note the happy looking slave tiptoeing from
the quarrel in the background, suggesting that slavery was inti-
mately involved in the war no matter what others might think.
The next cartoon represents a very popular pre-war
hobby, as it still is in many circles today...pillorying the presi-
dent. Buchanan was about to leave office and none too soon
according to the illustrator. The nation, represented by an ea-
gle, was majestic, strong and fine of feather when Buchanan
took office. By the time he had danced for four years around
the divisive issues that caused the war, the same bird appears
Monroe County Civil War Roundtable
Annual Dues/Donation Form
Name_____________________________________________Date______________________________
Address____________________________________________
____________________________________________ Mail to:
____________________________________________ Monroe County Civil War Roundtable
E-mail ____________________________________________ c/o Monroe County History Center
202 E. 6th St.
Membership 2013-2014 $20____________ Bloomington, IN 47408
Speakers’ Fund $____________________
[NOTE: unspecified donations over $20 will be considered as membership first with the balance toward the Speakers’ Fund.] Thank you!!!
2
Olustee Battlefield Controversy “The Sons of Union Veterans’ proposal to place a
monument to Union dead at Olustee Battlefield Historic State
Park has sparked a wildfire of controversy ahead of the bat-
tle’s 150th anniversary in February.
The battle, a Confederate victory,
kept Union forces from moving into
Florida’s interior and cutting the
state, along with its cattle and salt
supply, off from the rest of the Con-
federacy. In this vein, many Confed-
erate heritage groups and individuals
vehemently oppose the monument
on the three acres owned by the state where a museum and
three current monuments now stand. The majority of oppo-
nents have said they do not oppose a monument on the rough-
ly 700 acres of surrounding federal land where the battle was
actually fought.” NOTE: This is the beginning of an article in
the Jacksonville, FL, Times-Union newspaper. Olustee is just
west of Jacksonville. For the complete article, go to
http://members.jacksonville.com/news/2014-01-
14/story/midweek-reason-olustee-monument-battle-rages-
150th-anniversary-nears
150 Years Ago in February
2nd US gunboat Underwriter captured near new Bern
NC
3rd Meridian, Miss., campaign begins. Sherman hunts
Leonidas Polk. .
5th Sherman marches into Jackson, MS.
11th Skirmish at Lake City, FL.
14th Sherman captures Meridian
17th Confederate submarine Hunley sinks the USS
Housatonic in Charleston harbor, then disappears
itself for over 100 years.
20th Battle of Olustee (Ocean Pond), FL. [see more
about this battlefield on this page]
22nd Engagement at Okolona, MS.
24th Skirmish near Canton, MS.
25th Engagement at Buzzard’s Roost, GA.
28th Four day US cavalry raid by US Gen. Judson
“Killcavalry” Kilpatrick on Richmond, VA, be-
gins.
29th Custer’s cavalry skirmishes in Albemarle County,
VA.
Can’t Get Enough of Ed?
For most of us, our ears perk up when we hear the
name Ed Bearss. This raconteur, tour guide and Civil War
historian emeritus of the National Park Service is simply irre-
sistible . He was our fea-
tured speaker at the 2012
Wiley Lecture and drew
one of the biggest crowds
in the history of the Mon-
roe County Public Library
auditorium. Below is a
feature article from the
Nov/Dec issue of Arling-
ton (VA) Magazine that covers a bit of his personal life and
story that you might not otherwise hear about. Ed has lived in
Arlington for over fifty years. As always, if you ever get the
chance to tour with Ed...DO NOT pass it up!
http://www.arlingtonmagazine.com/November-
December-2013/Ed-Bearss/#.Un1GlcqolJM.facebook [Thanks to the roundtable's friend, Tulus Marwoto, for sending us this piece!]
New Civil War Exhibit
Our parent organization, the Monroe County History
Center, has just debuted a new exhibit on the Civil War, Gi-
ants in the Cornfield, which will be shown until April. Hope-
fully, you saw the feature piece that Marci Kreps from the
local newspaper did on it a couple of Sundays ago. The focus
of the exhibit is on Indiana and Monroe County's participation
in the pivotal event in our nation’s history. Highlights include
information on the 27th Indiana Infantry and its “star” Big
Dave van Buskirk; the Beanblossom Rangers, another local
company; letters from and to Monroe County soldiers; the
GAR in general and the Paul Slocum Chapter #86 that was
based here; home life in the county during the war; and even a
display of the several national flags of the Confederacy. There
are also many artifacts from the war and a Wall of Honor list-
ing all of those from Monroe County who died in the conflict.
Hours are 10-4, Tue-Sat.
3
USS Monitor Lab Closed Lack of federal funding has closed the lab housing
the USS Monitor's gun turret and other artifacts undergoing
conservation at the Mariners' Museum in Newport News
(VA). The remains of the famous ironclad were recovered off
the coast of North Carolina in 2002. The closing does not af-
fect the other exhibits at the museum's Monitor Center. The
Mariners' is enlisting public support to reopen the lab. Learn
more:
IU Student Heads South
One of our members, Tom Cadwell, sent us this fas-
cinating obituary he stumbled across while doing research on
the rootsweb.com website. It is from a late 19th century Bed-
ford IN, newspaper. If you have any other knowledge of this
piece of local Civil War history, please let us know. We have
noted that Mr. Royer’s name is not included on the wall of
honor in the current Civil War display at the Monroe County
History center!
BEDFORD WEEKLY MAIL
FRIDAY, December 29, 1899
John S. Royer died at New Albany on the 2nd inst.
At the breaking out of the Civil War he was a stu-
dent at Indiana University, and he was in sympathy
with the South. One morning the citizens of Bloom-
ington were surprised to see the Confederate flag
floating proudly from the dome of the University.
John Royer had placed it there and then he had
shaken the dust of the town from his feet. The flag
was hurriedly hauled down and Royer was placed on
the excluded list forever.
Local Theater Group Stages a Unique Play
Cardinal Stage Company, in conjunction with the
Jewish Theater of Bloomington, is presenting a very different
view of the immediate post-Civil War era.
It is April, 1865. Lee has surrendered at Appomattox
and a young Confederate soldier staggers home to Richmond,
VA to find the city in ruins and his family home in shambles.
The soldier’s family is Jewish.
Two freed slaves await the return of the family. Like
many Christian households of the period, the slaves have tak-
en on the household faith. While they wait, the three Jewish
men share an improvised Seder to celebrate their ancestors’
escape from slavery in Egypt. And while the three are no
longer tied by ownership, they discover they remain bound by
faith, family secrets, and the unsparing legacies of slavery. For further details, go to the Cardinal Stage website,
Join Us In February
For a more local look at the Civil War experience,
join us on Tuesday, February 11th, at 7 pm at the Monroe
County History center when our own newsletter editor, Steve
Rolfe, tells the roundtable about the Civil War letters of a
Bloomington boy, Frank Fee, who went to war in 1861 and
came home to marry his Bloomington sweetheart in 1865. And
the story does not stop there.
Digital copies of these letters are a part of the perma-
nent collection of the History Center and provide a personal
and intimate look at what it meant for an ordinary soldier to go
How the Civil War Changed Your Life: 8 Things to Think
About as We Mark the Conflict’s 150th Anniversary
by Betsy Towner
[We saw this interesting reference in The Hardtack, the news-
letter of the Indianapolis Civil War Roundtable and thought we
would pass it along.]
1. We have ambulances and hospitals.
2. We prize America as a land of opportunity.
3. We begin summer with a tribute to fallen soldiers.
4. We let technology guide how we communicate.
5. We identify ourselves as Democrats and Republicans.
6. We see war “up close and personal.”
7. We hold certain rights to be sacred.
8. We’re all Americans.
To read her entire article and to learn more about each of the
items listed above, visit: http://www.aarp.org/politics-society/
Capt. Ephraim Waterman Wiley, Co. H, 8th Maine Inf.—Grandfather of former MCCWR President David Wiley. Present
or active at Port Royal, Fort Pulaski, Drewery’s Bluff, Cold Harbor, Chaffin’s Farm, Deep Bottom, Spring Hill, White Oak
Road, Fort Gregg, Fort Baldwin, Petersburg and Appomattox.
Sgt. Charles Thomas Shanner, Co. A, 63rd Indiana Volunteer Inf.- Great-grandfather to MCCWR board member John Crosby.
Chattanooga-Atlanta Campaign, Clay Springs, Battle of Atlanta.
Col. James McMannomy, Commander, 63rd Indiana Volunteer Inf.- Ancestor of MCCWR member Matt Hoagland. Second
Manassas, fought Morgan’s Raiders at Shepherdsville, Kentucky.
Pvt. William Nicholas Shiflet, Co. I, 10th Alabama Infantry—2nd Great Grand Uncle to Kevin Shiflet, MCCWR member. En-
gaged, to some degree, at Dranesville, Yorktown, Williamsburg, Seven Pines, Gaines Mill, Frazier’s Farm, Second Manassas, Harp-
ers Ferry, Sharpsburg, Hazel River, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Second Cold Harbor, Petersburg, High
Bridge, Farmville and Appomattox. Pvt. Shiflet is only one of a total of seventeen of Kevin’s ancestors who served the Confederacy,
including thirteen cousins, two third great granduncles and two second great granduncles.
Jacob Mann, Co. A, 16th Iowa Inf.- Ancestor of Allan Sather , MCCWR member . Fought at Resaca, Adairsville, New Hope
Church, Kennesaw Mountain, Peachtree Creek, and Bald Hill (Atlanta) where he was captured and sent to Andersonville Prison.
Sgt. Miles M. Oviatt, US Marine Corps- Great grandfather of Mary Pat Livingston, MCCWR member . Served aboard USS
Vanderbilt, USS Brooklyn. Fought in Battles of Mobile Bay and Fort Fisher. Commended for Medal of Honor for his service at Mo-
bile Bay. Voyages included south Atlantic, Indian Ocean chasing blockade runners and capturing those renegades ships.
Pvt. Luther Oviatt, Pennsylvania 14th Cavalry, Co. I- Gr -Gr-Gr Uncle of Mary Pat Livingston, member MCCWR. Harper's Fer-
ry, Monocacy Bridge protection of B&O RR. Died at Hammond Hospital, Point Lookout while on duty. Buried Arlington Cemetery.
Pvt. Cyrenas A. Young, 85th New York Infantry, Co K.- Oviatt ancestor of Mary Pat Livingston. Plymouth, Kingston, New
Bern, Petersburg, Suffolk. Spent time at Andersonville Prison, then sent to Florence Prison where he died days before the war ended.
Cpl. James Dickson- 10th
Wisconsin Infantry, Co. D; 3rd great grandfather of MCCWR member Scott Schroeder. His only real
engagement was at the Battle of Perryville where he was killed in action.
Pvt. William Taylor Neville- 8th Iowa Infantry, Co. A; 3rd great grandfather of MCCWR member Scott Schroeder. Engagements:
Battle of Shiloh, Vicksburg, Red River Campaign. Captured at Shiloh in the Hornets’ Nest. Exch. Oct. ’62 and returned to his unit.
Reuben Newman—27th Indiana Infantry, Co. I, “Putnam County Grays”- Great-great-grandfather of member Eric Newman.
Wounded at Antietam. Also fought at Gettysburg, Winchester, etc. Served Aug. ‘61-Nov. ‘64. Died June 13, 1905. Buried in New
Providence Cemetery in Putnam County, IN.
Cpl. James Stark– 124th Ohio Infantry– Saw service in Kentucky, then Tennessee in the Chattanooga campaign. In action at
Spring Hill and in the Tullahoma campaign. Killed at Chickamauga, Sept. 19th, 1863.
MCCWR Roster of Honor
Contact Information [Note our new officer/board line-up effective with the April meeting!]
President & programs Scott Schroeder 876-9751 [email protected]
Secretary, newsletter ed. Steve Rolfe 322-0628 [email protected]
Treasurer Kevin Shiflet 361-7491 [email protected]
Hospitality Randy Stevenson 824-5284 [email protected]
Board Rep John Crosby 339-2572 [email protected]
Board Rep Ray Beeker 331-8925 [email protected]
Board Rep Larry Cady 935-6124 [email protected]
Webmaster Rick Watson 332-4483 [email protected]
Monroe County Civil War Roundtable
c/o Monroe County History Center
202 E. 6th St.
Bloomington, IN 47408
812-332-2517
4
5
Civil War Events Page
Upcoming events that might be of interest and are mostly not too far away, and other CW related activities/sites
Civil War Trust 150th Events Site– The Civil War Trust is an excellent resource for information on both the timeline and
upcoming events for the Sesquicentennial of the war. Just go to www.civilwar.org/150th-anniversary/150-events/.
Lew Wallace Study and Museum– Crawfordsville, IN, is the home of perhaps the state’s most famous general of the war .
Wallace, and the Civil War controversy arising from his division’s “tardiness” during the first day of the Battle of Shiloh, was the
subject of his biographer, Gail Stephens, when she spoke at our roundtable last year. You can “read all about it” in her excellent new
book Shadow of Shiloh: General Lew Wallace in the Civil War which is available in the Monroe County History center gift shop.
Kentucky’s Generals- “Kentuckians in the Civil War” is an ongoing exhibit of por traits of prominent native sons of the state
who were US and CS generals— Battle of Richmond Visitors’ Center, Richmond, KY. Contact [email protected].
"Meet Mr. Lincoln," at the Mill Spr ings Battlefield visitor center near Nancy, KY, Feb. 20 & 21, 2014 For more info go to .
www.millsprings.net .
Civil War show at the Richland County Fairgrounds in Mansfield, Ohio. 9 am-5 pm Saturday, May 3 and 9 am-3 pm Sunday,
May 4. $6.00. ohiocivilwarshow.com
"Affair at Travisville," Reenactment at the Cordell Hull Bir thplace State Park, Byrdstown, TN. Camps and living history.
Battles each day, May 17-18. affairattravisville.com
Battles of Brice's Crossroads and Tupelo/Harrisburg. Reenactment on the Br ice's Crossroads battlefield, HW 370 and CR
833 near Baldwyn, MS. Friday evening parade/music/reception in Baldwyn, camps, demonstrations, battles weekend days. final-
stands.com, June 13-15, 2014. (Ed. Note: We don’t usually include things seemingly so far away, but this is actually in extreme
northern Mississippi and not that far from the Corinth, MS, and Shiloh, TN, battlefields, so it would make a great weekend CW geta-
way. And, if you get to Corinth, you HAVE to have breakfast at Abe’s...just ask our president, Scott S, the world’s premier foodie!]
"Gettysburg Annual Reenactment on Pumping Station Road near Gettysburg. July 4-6, 2014. Gates open 8:30 am each day.
Battles 6 pm Friday, 11 am and 5 pm Saturday, and 11 am and 2:30 pm Sunday. Ticket info: gettysburgreenactment.com
"Longstreet to the Rescue: The Battle of the Wilderness, May 6, 1864," - Lecture at the Gettysburg (PA) NMP visitor center
1:30 pm. March 9, 2014. Free. nps.gov/gett
"Wisconsin's Black Civil War Company," Lecture at the Civil War Museum in Kenosha, WI. Noon, March 14. Free. ke-
nosha.org/wp-civilwar
Riot, a Clash Between Copperheads and Unionists—March 28-30 Reenactment, symposium, living history, house tour and more
commemorating the anniversary of the Charleston (IL) conflict. Symposium March 27-28, living history camp all weekend. Reenact-
ment 3 pm Sunday. Complete details: charlestonillinoisriot.org
"An Evening with the Painting," after -hours extended behind-the-scenes look at the Gettysburg Cyclorama at the Gettysburg NMP
visitor center. 5 pm. $20. gettysburgfoundation.org NOTE: This par ticular program is on March 22, but it is offered per iodical-
ly throughout the year and is well worth the admission fee (all fees go to the preservation of the painting, by the way) because you
not only get to see the iconic painting “up close and personal”, but also without the distraction of a bazillion people (mostly school
kids!) elbowing for position on the regular public viewing platform. Any time you are going to be in Gettysburg, be sure to ask about
this fascinating program.
"The Battle of Plattsburg," Reenactment at Perkins Park, Route 116, Plattsburg, MO. Camps and demonstration with bat-
tles each day. March 26 & 27. Free. plattsburg150.webstarts.com/
***Quote of the Month***
“...the message was getting out to the public at large. Whether it was sarcastic, sardonic, or simply patriotic, cartoons would
hammer home the essence of the topic at hand. And the popularity of a humorous, graphic representation of a serious issue grew.
Publishers of broadsides and lithographs flourished. Illustrated newspapers became established as an independent genre. And citi-
zenry on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line accepted cartoons as an element of the discourse.”
J.G. Lewin in the introduction of his book Lines of Contention: Political Cartoons of the War
