Civil War News Roundup - 04/30/2004

[paulcalloway]

The latest from Jim Campi at CWPT: Civil War News Roundup - 04/30/2004 Courtesy of the Civil War Preservation Trust ------------------------------------------------------- (1) Preservationists fight for Franklin Battlefield – New York Times (2) Colored Troops Institute meets - Oneonta (NY) Daily Star (3) Hunley exhibit to open in Myrtle Beach – Myrtle Beach Sun News (4) Somber Shiloh, lively Franklin big contrast – Nashville Tennessean (5) Battlefield gets national recognition - Corinth Daily Corinthian (6) Land Transfer at Moccasin Bend – Chattanooga Chattanoogan (7) Colonel finally gets his stars – Hanover Evening Sun (8) Sandusky house's role in Civil War - Danville Register & Bee (9) Convention spotlights state's battle sites – Nashville Tennessean (10) Struggling to Save South Mountain Battlefield – Washington Post --(1)----------------------------------------------------- TRAVEL Havens: ...And Bulldozing It By STEVE DOUGHERTY 04/30/2004 The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/pages/travel/index.html FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- ''IT was a horrendous scene, so many brave boys,'' Thomas Cartwright said haltingly as he stood on the porch of the Carter House. The two-story brick building was at the center of a battle here that was among the bloodiest of the Civil War. Mr. Cartwright, executive director and resident historian of the Carter House Museum, spoke in a voice tight with emotion about the 8,000 soldiers, Union and Confederate, who had died within a span of five hours on Nov. 30, 1864, in a battle that rivaled Pickett's Charge in terms of carnage. Many of them were killed within a radius of a few hundred yards from where Mr. Cartwright stood, on land that has long since been paved over and developed for commercial use. ''Those boys consecrated this ground with their blood,'' he said. ''And on that ground we build Pizza Huts and parking lots.'' As the 140th anniversary of the battle approaches, Mr. Cartwright is among a small but active group of residents in Franklin, an affluent bedroom community some 20 miles south of Nashville, that has joined with far-flung preservationists to try to save what is still left of the site. And like the cause for which the South fought, the effort to save the battleground from the bulldozers long appeared futile. Last year, the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission, created by Congress in 1990 to identify battlefields threatened by residential and commercial development, gave Franklin its lowest ranking -- Priority 4. Because so much of the battlefield was already lost, saving it looked like a hopeless cause, said Jim Campi, spokesman for the Civil War Preservation Trust, an affiliated organization based in Washington. The trust, following the advisory commission's decision, added Franklin to its list of the 10 most endangered Civil War sites, which also included Chancellorsville, Va.; New Bern, N.C.; and Mansfield, La., where housing subdivisions, strip malls and fast-food spots now stand on former battlegrounds. To preservationists like Mr. Cartwright, who tells tour groups that acres of Civil War battlefields are being destroyed nationwide by developers each day, the situation is desperate. ''Here in Franklin,'' he said, ''we have the equivalent of a Wendy's at Shiloh or a KFC at Devil's Den in Gettysburg; we're paving over battlefields just as haunted and hallowed as those places.'' It has been a struggle for preservationists since the turn of the last century, when Congress rejected repeated requests to appropriate money to preserve the battlefield as a national military park, as was done at paces like Gettysburg and Antietam. ''It was such a horrific battle, maybe they simply didn't want to be reminded,'' Joe Smyth, president of Save the Franklin Battlefield, said of the lack of a local grass-roots campaign to preserve the battlefield. ''They spent the rest of their lives trying to forget the carnage.'' Mr. Smyth, a native of Maine who moved to Franklin in 1981 and who plays drums for the country rock band Sawyer Brown, said the fields and pastures and front yards where so many had died were sold off in chunks as the town of 2,500 grew to a city of nearly 46,000 by 2002. Only scattered sites were preserved, including a nine-acre overlook on Winstead Hill, where Gen. John Bell Hood watched his army attack Union forces dug in two miles north. ''The field was lost in parcels, bit by bit,'' Mr. Smyth said. ''If we're ever going to succeed in putting it together again, it will be bit by bit.'' ''THE fighting was vicious at times,'' Victor Andrews said. But Mr. Andrews, a real estate appraiser, was talking not about the battle fought in 1864 but about the more recent confrontations among local business interests and those who he said wanted ''no new development at all.'' The skirmishes -- won by developers -- centered around new construction projects on Columbia Pike, the north-south thoroughfare along which Confederate troops charged to their deaths. Now lined by strip malls, car washes, auto repair shops, fast-food stores, nondescript warehouses and a ribbon factory, Columbia Pike bisects the western portion of the battlefield. Near the crest of a rise where a deep trench and earthworks protected the center of the Union lines, the pike now intersects Cleburne Street, where the fighting ''was brutal and at such close quarters, the dead were left standing, with no room to fall,'' Mr. Cartwright said. Today, the same ground is occupied by pizza shops and parking lots; a cluster of simple signposts identify the spots where five Confederate generals died -- including Patrick Cleburne, for whom the street is named, and a commander with the telling name of States Rights Gist. ''We're dumb not to preserve our heritage,'' said Mr. Andrews, a fifth-generation resident whose grandparents were sharecroppers on land north of town where the Cool Springs Mall and the familiar logos of Starbucks, Borders, T.G.I. Friday's and Marriott have replaced pecan trees and cotton fields. ''But we have to do it intelligently, with preservationists and developers working hand in hand.'' Mr. Andrews points to the Cool Springs development as an example of the kind of tax-generating managed growth that Franklin and surrounding Williamson County need to prosper in the face of soaring property values and a population boom that is expected to bring 35,000 new homes within 10 years. ''No growth means no prosperity,'' he said. ''If you kill growth, you kill the goose that laid the golden egg.'' But many preservationists see it as ''Cool Springs Sprawl,'' an example of what the community would look like if growth were to continue unchecked. ''People don't want to live in Anywhere U.S.A.,'' said Mary Pearce, president of Franklin's Heritage Foundation, a nonprofit preservation group. ''They don't want to wake up in the morning confused whether they're in Denver or Nashville. People want to move here and to visit because of those things that make Franklin unique -- its downtown historic district, its heritage and its beauty.'' (Recently the local debate over preservation has also included Harlinsdale Farm, a place hallowed by Tennesseans not as a battleground but as the birthplace of the famed breed of Tennessee Walking horses. A $10 million bond issue has been proposed to turn the farm's 200 acres into a public park. Opponents of the bond issue have argued that some of the property should be preserved, but that a portion of it should also be developed for housing.) Prominent in the preservation camp is Robert Hicks, a Nashville music publisher and native Tennessean, who joined a migration to Franklin that now includes other transplants like the country singer Alan Jackson and the songwriter John Hiatt ''One of the reasons I moved here in 1974 was that there was still plenty of green space,'' Mr. Hicks said. ''Here was a town that respected its history; or so I thought.'' Mr. Hicks helped raise financing to restore the Carnton Plantation house on the east edge of the battlefield. The much-scrubbed floor planks of the house are still stained with the blood of Confederate soldiers. ''This is not only about battlefields,'' Mr. Hicks said over breakfast at Dotson's, a popular downtown restaurant housed in two converted double-wide trailers and where the ''meat and three'' menu includes Jell-O among its long list of vegetables. ''It's about preserving the quality of life that draws people here to live.'' It wasn't until after national groups like the Civil War Preservation Trust decided last year that the battlefield was a lost cause that Mr. Hicks scored a coup for preservationists. Heading a campaign to buy a golf club next to the plantation property where the owner planned to build 250 homes, he convinced a former president of the trust, Rod Heller, a Virginian who is a descendant of the family that owned Carnton during the Civil War, to buy the property for $5 million and hold it until Mr. Hicks's informal coalition of preservation groups could raise the money to buy it back. ''I'm very confident that that's going to happen,'' said Mr. Campi of the preservation trust, adding that there has been a turnaround in Franklin. ''So much of the core battlefield had been lost in the past few years that a lot of people are determined to protect what is left.'' Mr. Campi said that there were economic factors, too, and that public officials were beginning to realize that heritage tourism can be a real boon. Preservationists like Mr. Hicks say they believe that what many had considered a lost cause may now actually be within reach. ''Scattered Civil War sites with a few historical markers are not enough,'' he said. ''We need a battlefield where you can walk where men fought and died. People don't want to take their families to Franklin to see a parking lot.'' --(2)----------------------------------------------------- Colored Troops Institute ready to elect officers By Adam Dolge 04/30/2004 Oneonta Daily Star http://www.thedailystar.com/news/sto...04/30/mat.html ONEONTA — The United States Colored Troops Institute for Local History and Family Research at Hartwick College has reached a six-year milestone and is preparing to elect new officers. According to its website, USCTI is an educational institute to promote and encourage original historical and genealogical research about the 200,000 black men and their 7,000 white officers who comprised the U.S. Colored Troops during the American Civil War. The institute encourages communities of America to find their local USCT members and to place soldiers and their families within a local historical context through educational and commemorative events. USCTI will hold its annual meeting in the Morris Conference Center at the State University College at Advertisement Oneonta this weekend. The institute is seeking to modify its constitution and bylaws to allow administrative operation to be guided by an executive director. Since its inception in October 1998, USCTI has been led by Harry Bradshaw Matthews, associate dean and director of U.S. Pluralism Programs at Hartwick College. Matthews is ineligible for re-election because he has served the maximum three consecutive two-year terms as president. Also ineligible for re-election are vice-president Stanton R. Biddle of Brooklyn and treasurer Sylvia Cooke Martin of Columbia, Md. An additional seven charter members of the board of directors will end their terms at the annual meeting, including Hugh MacDougall of Cooperstown and George Betts of Worcester. "I've learned so much from him (Matthews) and the institute," Betts said. "I'm part of the NAACP, and if there is anything that helps to promote or advance the lives of people of color, I try to be a part of it. "This is one of those things that's so different, it's really on its own, just marvelous," Betts said. In anticipation of the changes in leadership, USCTI's Board of Directors voted at its October meeting to recommend that Matthews be appointed executive director. Under this arrangement, Matthews would be responsible for administrative supervision of the institute and the newly elected president would chair the board of directors and guide governance of the institute. The change in operations has been provoked by the rapid growth of the institute over the past six years, officials said. More than 100 members now reside in 20 states and Canada, according to the institute's website. The institute has been honored with the Congressional Black Caucus Veterans Braintrust Award, the Jeffries Carey National Achievement Medal and the Senate of Maryland Resolution 423 for its contribution to historical and genealogical research. The public is invited to view an exhibit of rare historical and military items from the Matthews Collection between 4 and 6 p.m. today and from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday in the Craven Lounge, Morris Conference Center on the SUCO campus. Four presentations Saturday are also open to the public: • Ben Hawley of Silver Spring, Md.: "Oakley Cabin: A Slave Cabin in Maryland," 10 a.m.; • John Gourdin of Severn, Md.: "First to Serve: Contraband Slaves From South Carolina," 10:30 a.m.; • Hugh MacDougall of Cooperstown: "The Search for Stephen Swails,"11 a.m.; and • David Anderson of Rochester: "Laurence Dunbar and Frederick Douglass: A Lithograph," 11:45 a.m. --(3)----------------------------------------------------- BROADWAY AT THE BEACH Hunley exhibit to open in Myrtle Beach By Kathleen Vereen Dayton 04/29/2004 Myrtle Beach Sun News http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld...ss/8546944.htm The H.L. Hunley, or at least a version of it, is coming to Myrtle Beach. Visitors will be able to climb aboard a replica of the Confederate vessel - which became the first submarine to sink an enemy ship - turn its cranks and gaze through a porthole. Burroughs & Chapin Co. Inc. on Wednesday announced it will open the H.L. Hunley Experience as an interactive educational exhibit to be be housed in a new building at Broadway at the Beach. B&C also will use the new Science, History & Nature building for future exhibits, but the company expects interest in the Hunley exhibit to last for years. Tom Jones, B&C's chief officer for sports, entertainment and recreation, said the exhibit will tell an important story to millions of people who visit Myrtle Beach every year. Jones also said the exhibit, which is expected to draw 500,000 people a year, will help fund the continuation of discovery missions and the conservation of the Hunley. "The H.L. Hunley is a story of American inventiveness and American ingenuity. That is what our exhibit will focus on and explore," he said. B&C has partnered with Friends of the Hunley, a nonprofit organization formed to fund the excavation and preservation of the submarine, which is in a conservation lab in North Charleston. B&C will pay Friends of the Hunley a licensing fee of $54,000 each year and will donate 20 percent of revenue from the attraction's gift shop sales to the organization. "This partnership will not only help us preserve the legacy of the Hunley, but the Hunley experience will now be available to people outside of Charleston," said Warren Lasch, chairman of Friends of the Hunley. "We want to immerse people into this," said Pat McBride of McBride Co., which is designing the exhibit. McBride said visitors will learn about the Hunley in the attraction's displays and in a theater where special effects and surround sound will introduce them to the submarine. "The shadow of the Hunley will float over ... you'll have the sensation of being underwater," McBride said. The film takes visitors to the moment when the Hunley is about to attack the Housatonic. Then they are led to a room where they see the Hunley floating under a night sky, about to fire its weapon. "At the moment of impact, the Hunley backs away and disappears," McBride said. "The Housatonic goes down in five minutes, and the Hunley goes down for 133 years." B&C representatives said during Wednesday's announcement that they have thought of using the lake and a replica of one of the vessels as part of the attraction. "That's one of the details we're working on," Jones said. "It's not complete." B&C has plans to create a traveling Hunley experience that would tour metropolitan areas. The original submarine was raised from the Charleston harbour in August 2000 and eventually will be placed in a $40 million museum in North Charleston. The eight men who died aboard the Hunley were buried earlier this month in a Civil War-era funeral. The seven-hour event drew Civil War re-enactors and history buffs from all over the world. Lasch said it will take about five years to finish conservation of the submarine, which will cost about $1.2 million the first year and gradually decrease as work is completed. Archaeologist Maria Jacobsen said the real archaeology is just beginning and the vessel is covered with corrosion. "The vessel itself holds important clues as to what happened," Jacobsen said. "Probably the most expensive part will be the conservation to stabilize the vessel for museum display." "The Hunley is first and foremost a technological marvel," said B&C Chairman J. Egerton Burroughs. "It was conceived and built by American hands. It was born during a tragic period in American history when we fought among ourselves, but the Hunley can survive as a lesson to all of us that we should never allow these issues to damage the heart and soul of our country again." --(4)----------------------------------------------------- Stivender: Somber Shiloh, lively Franklin big contrast By KNIGHT STIVENDER, For Williamson A.M. 04/28/2004 Nashville Tennessean http://www.tennessean.com/williamson...nt_ID=50489540 Thu-thump. Thu-thump. Thu-thump. Driving through the Shiloh battlefield, the rhythm of my wheels over the paved road sounds like a heartbeat. It's eerie. It's lonely. It's beautiful, but it isn't peaceful. Instinctively, I turn off my radio, roll down my windows, even though it's about to rain. It's in reverence to the 23,741 troops — both Union and Confederate — who were killed there in one of the Civil War's nastiest battles. Shiloh, in Tennessee's Hardin County on the Mississippi border, draws pilgrims to its battlefield from miles and miles. It's a must-see if you're a history buff. Heck, it's a must-see if you're a Southerner. I'm not so sure you can say the same thing about Franklin, at least not for the same reasons. And while some may decry that notion, I believe it's not necessarily a bad thing. Some background: Franklin's battle, at the tail end of the war, was fought in the city, along Columbia Avenue and on land around Lewisburg Pike. School kids all over this county have been to Carnton Plantation, to Carter House, to Winstead Hill. There's a school, in fact, where the battle was staged, across from a house used as headquarters by Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood. This land, steeped in modern development, also is saturated with Civil War history. It's in that respect that it differs from Shiloh, which is in a rural county relatively untouched by growth. Around here, in Williamson, you frequently hear criticism that Franklin has paved over its history, that it has cut its ties to the past and severed any chance it had for what preservationists sometimes call heritage tourism. As if Franklin stood a chance of being Shiloh. As if Franklin should want to be Shiloh. While not a Mecca for Civil War pilgrims, Franklin is a destination point for Middle Tennesseans who want to go antiquing in its depot district, who appreciate the diversity of its Main Street shops, who relish the ingenuity of renovated places like The Factory, and who enjoy the convenience, cleanliness and restaurant options of Cool Springs. Its Harpeth River and several parks and green spaces are a draw for outdoorsy types and families, as its beautiful antebellum homes and preserved Fair Street and Hincheyville communities are for architectural fans. Its characters and caretakers decorate the town and plan constant events to promote and celebrate it. Yes, Hardin County has a pristinely preserved battlefield at Shiloh — as well it should. But it doesn't have thousands of people enlivening its Main Street for a yearly festival drawing folks from all over the region. Shiloh has due reverence for the dead, but Franklin has a lifeblood that suits its future brightly. Knight Stivender is assistant community news editor. You may reach her by phone at 771-5424 or by e-mail at kstivender@tennessean.com. --(5)----------------------------------------------------- Local group gets national recognition 04/27/2004 Corinth Daily Corinthian http://www.dailycorinthian.com/review.htm Development of local historic sites has earned the Siege & Battle of Corinth Commission the Civil War Discovery Trail Site of the Year Award. The honor was bestowed Saturday in Nashville , Tenn. , by the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT), the nation's largest battlefield preservation organization, which also gave awards such as preservationist of the year, National Park Service person of the year and others. The organization recognized Siege and Battle for “its outstanding commitment to preserving and promoting America 's Civil War heritage.” Siege and Battle Chair Rosemary Williams said the honor encompasses the entire Civil War heritage preservation project locally. The Civil War Discovery Trail links nearly 600 sites in 32 states that teach the story of the Civil War. Among them are battlefields, historic homes, cemeteries, parks and other places that bring history to life. The sites are chosen for historical significance and educational opportunities. “We were very fortunate to get this award,” said Williams. “They have been such a wonderful group to work with.” The CWPT has assisted Siege and Battle with land acquisitions and other efforts. --(6)----------------------------------------------------- Bredesen Signs Land Transfer For Moccasin Bend National Park City, County To Also Turn Over Property For Park 04/26/2004 Chattanooga Chattanoogan http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_49737.asp Gov. Phil Bredesen arrives at Moccasin Bend for signing of land transfer. Click to enlarge. Governor Phil Bredesen on Monday morning signed a letter of intent to convey approximately 220 acres of state land on the Moccasin Bend peninsula to the National Park Service to create the Moccasin Bend National Archaeological District, a new park that will be a unit of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. Mayor Bob Corker and County Mayor Claude Ramsey said they will act soon to transfer 571 acres of city and county property at the historic Bend for the new federal park. The state land transfer is near the tip of Moccasin Bend, but does not include the main campus of the mental facility. Gov. Bredesen said, “The state of Tennessee is very pleased to partner with the city of Chattanooga, Hamilton County and the National Park Service on this important project. The Moccasin Bend property has invaluable historical and cultural significance. Working together, we’re going to protect the property for the education and enjoyment of future generations.” Archaeologists and historians consider Moccasin Bend to be one of the most compelling and significant historical sites in the region, he said. Native Americans occupied the peninsula for more than 10,000 years, leaving behind evidence of camps, villages and burial grounds. During the Civil War, Union artillery placements on the Bend played a critical role in the Battle of Lookout Mountain. Rep. Zach Wamp, who spearheaded federal legislation to make the long-sought park a reality, praised Gov. Bredesen while noting that a former governor would not go along with the park idea. In the 1950s, the site was almost a park but Gov. Frank Clement did not complete the deal. “We are very appreciative to Governor Bredesen and the State of Tennessee,” said Pat Reed, superintendent of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. “We share in the desire to have this property protected and preserved, and to provide a greater understanding of this area’s heritage.” Rep. Wamp said, “For more than a half-century, stakeholders have waited and many have worked to see Moccasin Bend protected and preserved. The commitment by Governor Bredesen and the state of Tennessee virtually seals the agreement to proceed with the implementation of the Moccasin Bend National Archaeological District created by federal law.” Rep. Wamp added: “It wouldn’t be possible without the cooperation of the state of Tennessee, the city of Chattanooga and Hamilton County.” As part of the agreement, the Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute will retain 110 acres for its facilities and grounds. Moving forward, the Institute and the Park Service will work cooperatively to identify and mark boundaries between the public-use areas and the Institute, it was stated. Gov. Bredesen told the group gathered under a tent near the Winston Building that the mental health facility "will have a new neighbor." County Mayor Ramsey said he was thankful that the mental hospital "will remain at this beautiful place for many years to come." Mayor Corker thanked the governor and Rep. Wamp as well as fervent citizens who had kept the park cause alive. Park Supt. Pat Reed called it "a very large step in realizing a dream of over 50 years." He said it will be "one of the finest units of the park in the nation." He said a new road will be built along the east edge of the Bend past the Pete Serodino property where a visitor center is to be constructed. The road will take visitors along a route that will not have them going by the city's sewage treatment plant. Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute, which was constructed in 1961, serves 24 counties in Southeast Tennessee and utilizes up to 170 beds daily. Bredesen reaffirmed the state’s commitment to quality mental health services in the Chattanooga area. “Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute has a long and successful history in this community,” Bredesen said. “Strong relationships have been fostered through the years. What has been accomplished here is a testament to the cooperation and hard work of both the State and the citizens of Chattanooga.” Moccasin Bend loops in the Tennessee River at the base of Lookout Mountain. Appropriately named, the peninsula sports the shape of an Indian moccasin. The land is a treasure trove of Native American history. Studies of the Bend traces habitation back 10,000 years, making it one of the oldest archaeological finds in the United States. During the 1500s, Spanish explorers found the Bend to have the largest population of Native Americans in the region. In the 1700s, the Chickamauga Cherokees inhabited the area. During the Civil War, Moccasin Bend played a key role in the Battle of Lookout Mountain. The site’s Civil War “earthworks,” or artillery entrenchments, are recognized as the best preserved in the state. Disputes regarding the future of Moccasin Bend erupted in the 1900s. Some people in the region wanted to see the property developed for commercial and industrial use, while others campaigned for preservation. The Bend was in a largely agricultural state until the 1960s, when the State of Tennessee began acquiring land on the peninsula for a mental health facility. Moccasin Bend is listed as a National Historic Landmark and now will become a unit of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. --(7)----------------------------------------------------- Colonel finally gets his stars Gettysburg soldier honored 141 years after Civil War battle. By R. SCOTT RAPPOLD For The Evening Sun 04/26/2004 Hanover Evening Sun http://www.eveningsun.com/Stories/0,...109474,00.html Col. Edward Cross knew he had come to Pennsylvania to die. He'd already been in some of the worst fighting of the Civil War and survived a dozen wounds by the afternoon of July 2, 1863, when his brigade of Union troops was perched near the Wheatfield at Gettysburg, waiting to attack. In the midst of the whirlwind, up rode his commander, Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock. "Col. Cross, this day will bring you a star," Hancock said. Cross gravely shook his head. "No, general, this is my last battle." Sure enough, within minutes of leading his men into battle, Cross was mortally wounded. He died the next day, July 3, 1863, without receiving his promotion. It's a tale of deadly premonition that's long been a favorite of Civil War buffs and Gettysburg battlefield guides. And it's a tale that's not quite over. On Thursday, Cross finally got his general's stars, when New Hampshire Gov. Craig Benson signed a posthumous promotion to a brigadier general in the New Hampshire state militia. For Harvey Griff a Civil War enthusiast in Massachusetts who has worked for 13 years to get Cross his promotion it's only the beginning of a long road to finally getting justice for the officer from neighboring New Hampshire. "He was a brave, competent, committed and gallant soldier," said Griff, of Waltham. "I saw an injustice, and I figured this injustice had to be corrected." Cross was a newspaper reporter and editor turned adventurer. A dueler and an officer in the Mexican army before the war broke out, he had been having premonitions of his death in the days leading up to the battle and several times asked his aide, Maj. Charles Hale, to be sure to get his personal property and papers to his brother. It was Hale who recorded the famous encounter with Hancock. Cross "spoke calmly, with no apparent emotion, and as the general rode on, turned his attention out in the direction of the Peach Orchard, where the battle was now raging at a white heat," Hale wrote. Not long after, his brigade was thick in the fight, and Cross was brought down by a sharpshooter's bullet in the stomach. He was taken from the field and died around midnight. "I think the boys will miss me," were his last words. Unlike another colonel killed nearby that day at Gettysburg, Col. Strong Vincent, Cross received no deathbed promotion. His former co-workers at a Cincinnati newspaper later lamented this fact. "He died unpromoted, a lasting disgrace to the Washington people who slighted him after his valor on the battlefields ... but the faded eagles on his shoulders will shine with greater luster in the history of that mighty conflict, than though he had born the insignia of his merited rank, the stars of a major general." Part of the problem was Cross' reputation. He was a strict disciplinarian at the battle of Antietam, he threatened to have any retreating man shot who often rubbed people the wrong way. It also didn't help matters that he was a Democrat and friends with former President Franklin Pierce, who had been soft on the issue of slavery. Plus, Hancock was also wounded at Gettysburg and was bed-ridden for months and would not have been able to push for a posthumous promotion. Griff, a part-time sanitation worker and Civil War buff, first heard the Cross story in 1991, talking to other buffs. He read more, and decided to do something about it. But he soon found the wheels of government move slowly indeed. His letter-writing and lobbying, though it attracted some media interest, brought little else. "It takes a lot for people to get moving in a lot of these situations," said David Smith, president of the Civil War Roundtable of Greater Boston, who is working with Griff. They brought some lawmakers on board and testified at a hearing of the New Hampshire state House Veterans Affairs Committee, where lawmakers wanted more evidence of Hancock's promise of a promotion. Finally, a resolution calling for his promotion finally passed the state's legislature April 1, making him a brigadier general in the state's militia and urging the federal government to do the same. Incidentally, Thursday, when the governor singed the resolution, would have been Cross' birthday. "I kind of looked up to the heavens in relief," Griff said. "It's a good birthday for Col. Cross." "If he hadn't died, he would have been given the same brigadier general promotion he was given today. It was just 141 years late," Davis said. The next step is to convince the federal government to promote Cross in the regular U.S. Army, the ultimate goal. They have some members of Congress interested and will send letters to the White House, asking for an executive order to be sent to the Army ordering the posthumous promotion. Smith is hoping for approval, since it is not controversial and would not involve any pension money; Cross has no known living descendants. "I would hope so," Smith said. "It is an election year and I hope they will see the benefit of doing something like this." --(8)----------------------------------------------------- Sandusky house's role in Civil War revealed By CATHY KOPLEN 04/25/2004 Danville (VA) Register & Bee http://www.registerbee.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=DRB%2FMGArticle%2FDRB_BasicArti cle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031775091204&path=!frontpage DANVILLE, Va. - A little known fact about Lynchburg’s history and how it relates to Danville was discussed at the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History Sunday. Dr. Peter Houck, a Lynchburg pediatrician and Historic Sandusky Foundation executive board member, and Historic Sandusky Foundation Executive Director Gregory Starbuck spoke about the Sandusky house -headquarters for the Union Army during the Civil War battle of Lynchburg. The presentation was the last in Danville Historical Society and Danville Museum Guild’s joint programs that was rescheduled from January due to snow. Part of the presentation was directed toward educating those gathered about Sandusky while the other part dealt with process of beginning and establishing a historical foundation and subsequent museum. “Museums rely on tourism and partnerships between restorations and tourism is something we all must do,” Houck said. “Sandusky has many interesting features historically and architecturally. The house is almost 200 years old and is in great shape.” Houck said that the Virginia Department of Travel and Tourism has concluded that tourism in Virginia is a $13 billion industry. In a visitors’ profile commissioned by the Department of Travel and Tourism it was revealed that those people interested in the Civil War who travel to sites by car will spend on average $75 per day per person in a community. Those who travel for pleasure were recorded as having spent on average $35 per day per person. “In Virginia there were 84,688 requests for Civil War information from the tourism department as compared to the second highest requests for information - 50,000 requests golf information,” Houck said. The Sandusky Foundation is banking on tourism and education to build support for the restoration and continued improvement of the Sandusky house. The carriage house at Sandusky will soon be turned into a visitors’ center. The house will then be listed on the Civil War Trails map as a destination. The following phase the foundation plans is the accumulation of artifacts and furniture that will complete the picture of Sandusky during the Civil War. The importance of Sandusky during the battle of Lynchburg is tied to the battle itself - one of the last victorious rebuffs the Confederate soldiers had in the last year before Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomatox. When the Union Army decided it must cut off Lee’s supply line, Lynchburg - as one of the main supply hubs - was targeted. Because most of the healthy men were off fighting, there were only the sick and elderly left to defend the city. The Confederate Army raced to defend the city and the supply line. The Union Army arrived and took over Sandusky. But the Confederate Army trick the Union soldiers into thinking there were more of Confederate soldiers than there actually were by sending in empty box cars, which were greeted by the citizens and a welcome band. Only 500 Union soldiers and 100 Confederate soldiers were killed during that battle, an amazingly low numbers in a war where thousands of soldiers on each side were killed in many of the battles. Sandusky was built by Charles Johnston in the early 1800s, the same time Thomas Jefferson was building Popular Forest. Johnston, who went on a Western expedition published a book about his adventures and gave a clear picture of the Native Americans relations during that time, including an account of his capture and escape from a Native American tribe. The foundation hopes to republish the book. The Hutter family purchased the house from Johnston and it stayed in the Hutter family for three generations. One of the Hutter sons lived in Danville for while and the Danville museum has his sword. As Houck was describing Sandusky and the foundation which is preserving the house, he constantly referred to the Danville museum as an inspiration. The Danville museum, which was the site of the last formal meeting of the cabinet of the Confederacy, evolved from a residence to a library to finally a museum used for educational, recreational, art and private functions. The museum has become a destination site for many history buffs from all over the world, especially those with an interest in the Civil War. Contact Cathy Koplen at ckoplen@registerbee.com or at (434) 793-2311 Ext. 3043. --(9)----------------------------------------------------- National convention puts spotlight on saving state's battle sites By KELLI SAMANTHA HEWETT, Staff Writer 04/21/2004 Nashville Tennessean http://www.tennessean.com/growth/arc...nt_ID=50247372 Historic preservationists gathering in Nashville Local history buffs are going to have to get rowdy if they want to preserve more historic battle sites in Tennessee, experts say. And the majority of the state's known sites are now on private land, ripe for lucrative development and at risk of being lost for historical study, education and enjoyment. ''People who share our interest aren't too politically active. Therefore, they don't get too much attention,'' said state Rep. Steve McDaniel, R-Parkers Crossroads. ''The priority for historic preservation is just below the surface.'' McDaniel, who is also president of the nonprofit Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association, spoke yesterday at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown to battle site enthusiasts from around the world. They are here this week for a conference of the American Battlefield Protection Program, part of the National Park Service. Also happening here this week are the related Workshop on Earthworks and Battlefield Terrain and the Civil War Preservation Trust convention. Experts and enthusiasts are talking about it all: researching, preserving, touring, interpreting and promoting war sites. In the growing and developing Midstate area, emphasis is often on preserving and promoting the sites. Usually, national or state organizations join with local groups to identify and learn about local sites, then help preserve and promote them by finding grant money and other resources. ''I think Tennessee has finally reached a point now where a great number of the general population are aware of what we have and that we are losing them fast,'' said Fred Prouty of the Tennessee Wars Commission, part of the state historical commission. Some national figures estimate that one acre of historical battlefield land is lost every minute in the United States. About 800 acres have been preserved in Tennessee since stronger efforts emerged in the late 1990s, Prouty said. That is accomplished through buying the land and getting easements to keep the land from being developed. The trend also is growing to work with local and state government officials to designate battlefield land, say, for parks or other uses. Battle sites can be a ticket to boosting local economies, as well as a source of education and history. There is plenty from which to learn. The state, within convenient driving range of much of the nation, had more than 2,900 military actions during the Civil War alone, involving 240,000 casualties, according to the Tennessee Historical Commission. State figures show that millions of visitors each year come to Tennessee's 61 battle sites, with a growing interest among some minorities. African-Americans and Mexicans often fought or were involved in battles on U.S. soil, and research continues to draw new enthusiasts. Tourism, especially among baby boomers, continues to grow. Clarksville officials are working to develop a Civil War site at the Cumberland and Red rivers. It was known as Fort Defiance when under Confederate control and Fort Bruce when under Union control. Thomas Winn and Anderson Grant, both of Clarksville, attended the American Battlefield Protection Program events yesterday to learn more for their city's project. ''I want to see the whole picture,'' Grant said. ''It's got huge potential — tour- ism, tourism, tour- ism,'' Winn said. ''The Civil War is a lot more than just the battles.'' Kelli Samantha Hewett can be reached at 726-5938, or khewett@tennessean.com. --(10)---------------------------------------------------- Metro Struggling to Buy Bits Of Civil War History; Many Owners Wary of Selling Property Rights By Fredrick Kunkle, Washington Post Staff Writer 04/11/2004 The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2004Apr10.html Nearly 142 years ago, "Fighting" Joe Hooker's men charged across what today is Dennis Walters's front yard, bayonets flashing, bullets flying. Close by, another swarm of Union soldiers hastened along the Frostown and Dahlgren roads -- past where Dave Bollman's place is now -- eager to rout a band of vastly outnumbered Confederate soldiers defending one of three passes on South Mountain. Now, as preservationists renew their push to protect the Civil War battlefield from encroaching development in Frederick and Washington counties by buying up development rights, some landowners, including Walters, are reluctant to go along. Scattering straw over a muddy patch beside his long driveway one day last week, Walters, 58, a retired federal employee, said he has been repeatedly wooed over the past two years by state officials and private organizations interested in blocking future development on his property on Frostown Road. But Walters, who owns 33 acres, said he is no longer interested in selling development rights. For one thing, two years of on-again, off-again discussions with preservationists never led to a price he could be satisfied with, he said. What's more, Walters said, he worried that entering a permanent agreement known as an easement, which would pay him thousands of dollars per acre for the land's development rights, could lead to bureaucratic tangles over putting an addition on his home or building any new structure on his land. Such easements have been purchased with money raised by private organizations as well as the state and federal governments. "Given some time to think about it, I have some reservations about having the federal government and state government in partnership with ownership of my property," Walters said. "You can't modify anything on your property without their permission." Despite success in setting aside thousands of acres around South Mountain, the Civil War Preservation Trust in its Feb. 24 annual report listed South Mountain among the nation's 10 most-endangered battlefields and urged renewed efforts to preserve it. "It's important to keep the land preserved. You can go there and get a feeling of time and place," said Civil War historian Edwin C. Bearss. "Even if you don't give a damn about the Civil War, it's a handsome area." O. James Lighthizer, president of the trust, said during a tour of the battlefield that he hoped the report would trigger action to preserve properties such as Walters's. The group, drawing on state and federal funds and as much as $3 million a year from its 50,000 members, hopes to entice more landowners to sell their development rights. "We could probably use another 1,000 acres," Lighthizer said. "That's about what you need to do it right." Triggered by the Union's serendipitous discovery of Confederate military plans, the battle of South Mountain gave the Union's beleaguered, ever-cautious Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan a much-needed victory and thwarted Gen. Robert E. Lee's first attempt at invading the North. It also was a prelude to the bloodletting at Antietam, where the young nation would set a grim benchmark for suffering -- 23,000 American casualties in a single day -- that would remain unmatched through the Normandy invasion in World War II and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. On Sept. 14, 1862, the battle rolled across South Mountain. The action spread over seven miles and focused on three mountain gaps: Crampton's, Fox's and Turner's. The Union soldiers carried the day -- but the Confederates held long enough to allow Lee to regroup. Each side lost about 1,800 men. Among the casualties was Lt. Col. Rutherford B. Hayes, who survived his wounds to become president 15 years later. Another future president, Sgt. William McKinley, was unscathed. Thousands of acres in and around the South Mountain battlefield have been conserved by the state and federal governments, including Washington Monument State Park to the north, Gathland State Park to the south and land along the Appalachian Trail, which passes over South Mountain. But Washington's suburbs have crept closer as dairy farms and fields fade into McMansions and cul-de-sacs. "The pressures for development in the Middletown Valley are tremendous," said Bill Clipper, president of Friends of the South Mountain State Battlefield. "There's not too many alternatives when someone waves a million or $2 million at you for a farm that you've been sitting on for 60 years." In 1992, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources' Program Open Space began mixing federal highway funds with state money to preserve Civil War battlegrounds, largely through the purchase of development rights. Private groups such as the Civil War Preservation Trust also stepped in. In October 2000, the General Assembly created the South Mountain State Battlefield, the first and only such state battlefield. To date, 10,136 acres, representing 51 properties and $16.6 million in state funds, have been preserved around South Mountain, said H. Grant Dehart, policy director for capital grants and loans administration in the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. But there is only so much public and private money available for the work, and persuading landowners to give up their development rights is not easy, Dehart said. "They're always comparing it to what they could get if they sold it for development," Dehart said. "They're doing exactly what you or I would do if we owned the property." So far, preservationists have spent as much as $15,000 an acre on a historically desirable property that had approval for subdivisions. The average is about $3,800 an acre, he said. Walters, for example, gives a toothy laugh as he declines to discuss what preservationists offered him for his property's development rights or how much he would want. But he acknowledged that the 33 acres he bought in the 1970s for $45,000 would go for much more. Other farms, he says, sell for $6,000 an acre and more, he said. Next door is Dave Bollman, a 45-year-old construction worker well versed in the flow of battle that occurred on the mountaintop. Bollman, who said he has not been approached by preservationists, endorsed the idea of conserving the land. "In my opinion, you should try to preserve a lot of this. It's historical," he said. At the same time, however, Bollman said he would be wary about signing away his development rights. Bollman, a gun collector who already fears that suburban newcomers will want to take his guns away, said he also wasn't sure that he would permanently surrender development rights on his property. "A lot of times," he said, "it's too much government." ------------------------------------------------------- TO REMOVE YOUR NAME from the Civil War News Roundup e-list, click on the reply button and type "remove" in the subject line of the message. --------------------------------------------------------- Jim Campi, Policy and Communications Director Civil War Preservation Trust 1331 H Street NW Suite 1001 Washington, DC 20005 Phone: (202) 367-1861 http://www.civilwar.org

[KathyBradford]

Re: Civil War News Roundup - 04/30/2004

Thank you for keeping this at the forefront, Paul.

Lest we forget,