Attacks on civilians

[LindaTrent]

Re: Attacks on civilians

Thanks to Carrie, Linda, Colleen, Joe, Judith, etc., for those very helpful sources! Linda, who is Eric Mink? How could I trace down that document?

I'm too organized for my own good, I just remembered where I filed the info from Eric. I see that Hank answered the question about who he is, so I'll finish the rest of the question.

The quote is in a document entitled Gazetteer of Historic Sites Related to the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park Volume One (Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House Battlefields, and Regional Sites), Noel G. Harrison. Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, 1986. Phew, the source is longer than the quote. :tounge_sm Oops, p. 25, and handwritten in the column is apparently the footnote History of Company D, 149th PA. Vol. Inf. (pg, 348) binder 152.

"

We found it was a general movement of the army. Crossed the river at Germania Ford, and moving out a short distance encamped near the Wilderness Hotel, remaining quietly at the place until morning. We then moved forward into the woods, formed line and after some delay advanced, cutting our way in places through the dense underbrush. We finally struck and open space, and moving forward entered another piece of woodland. Here we found the Rebels in strong force, and soon became engaged. In a short time we were out-flanked and driven back, the Rebel lines following closely. Our boys went back in a hurry; knapsacks went overboard, and in some cases everything was dropped in the rush to save ourselves, in passing over the open space. When we marched down toward the Rebel lines we passed a small cabin or farm house with a picket fence enclosing the house and garden. Company D moved right over this fence and garden smashing the fences and tramping the garden stuff under their feet. A Virginia woman stood in the cabin door and gave us her views on matters in strong language. She declared we were a pack of cowardly Yankees; that we would soon come back in a hurry. We didn't pay much attention to what she said, but the result proved that she was right, at least so far as the coming back was concerned.

We moved down into a piece of wyodland (sic) and found the place full of Rebels in our front, and also on our right flank; we were soon driven back, and in going back passed over the same ground as when advancing. Our lady friend greeted us as we passed with taunts and derision, but we had no time to discuss the matter; in fact she had the best of it, as we were whipped for that time and she knew it."

That's all there is in that source on civilians. This was supposedly the lady of the house, Mrs. Higgerson, her husband in 1860 was Benjamin Higgerson, age 50. He was a farmer with real estate valued at $500, his personal estate valued at$1370.

Another excellent letter of a civilian from the Wilderness (Battle of Todd's Tavern), is the letter of Sallie Todd that's found on Vickie Betts' site http://www.uttyler.edu/vbetts/montgomery_1864.htm , do an edit find on the name Bradshaw. "Private Letter from a Lady near Spottsylvania." This letter was identified by those at the battlefield as being written by Sallie Todd, and as I studied prior to the event, the names fit the neighbors and family members of Miss Todd. She talks about how the Yankees searched the house and left little uncovered.

I'll send more in tomorrow, but I think this post is long enough. I didn't really proof this, and I just know there are tons of errors.

Till then,

Linda.

[LindaTrent]

Re: Attacks on civilians

June 17th, 1864

My Dear Friend:

A long, long time has elapsed since I heard from you, and no doubt you are anxious to hear from your friends in Spotsylvania.

Many changes have taken place since you left us, and I really think you should feel that it was an interposition of Providence which caused you to leave when you did, for had you remained here no doubt you would be as most of us are now.

When Grant first crossed the river, his cavalry force passed here on its way back after having met Gen. Rosser up near Craig's. You have no idea what our feelings were when we first saw them, but they were too much frightened to do much then. However, they took William and sent down for papa. Mama went up just as Gen. Wilson ordered him on a horse. She begged him not to take papa, and after a considerable time they concluded to leave him. We had no idea our forces were so near us until they rushed up the hill in front of the house. A considerable fight too place in our yard and around the house, shells passing over the house. It was the first time I had ever been so near a fight and of course, was much frightened, but an All Wise Providence saw fit to protect us through it all.

Our artillery was planted by Aunt Harriet's house and on that hill in front of our yard. We stood and watched the shelling during the evening from our windows and did not feel afraid, but had a shell been thrown from the enemy's guns I imagine we would not have been so composed.

Two of our loved soldiers are buried in our garden, one only lived about an hour after he was brought here. We also had a Yankee Major here who was wounded just by our barn. Sister saw him when he fell from his horse. He was moved to Mr. Buchanan's the next day. Three weeks ago Captain Jordan was brought here from the hospital. Poor thing. The ball passed through his arm, completely shattering the arm, and then into his side. His arm had been amputated just below the shoulder. I dressed his wounds twice every
day and I never in all my life saw one who complained so little. Never did one murmur escape his lips. His suffering was very great and after having been here several days, he concluded to have the ball taken from his side. We sent for surgeons, who came and took it out. It had become fastened in his ribs. Extracting the ball made him very sick indeed. A few days after, Dr. Daily came and brought his son who had been shot through the lung, the ball passing through his body. He is now a little better but still a great sufferer. Dr. Storry and Harrison are here every day and night with him. I fear he will never recover from his wound.

Last Tuesday we were all very quiet, nursing the sick, when Mr. Dick Todd called to me and said the Yankees were advancing. Before we could get the horses off they came dashing up to the house. Papa fortunately made his escape to the woods. They came, searched the meat house, took all we had from us, and asked for flour. I started up to Mr. Buchanan's for a guard, but found it useless to go, as they were not sending out any. They broke open the house and searched it from top to bottom at least fifty times, broke open every door but the parlor, took every grain of corn and left us without one dust of flour. Nearly all of our meat, every fowl we had, both carriages, all of the horses, played destruction generally.

Our cattle were in the field and I heard them bawling. I asked a Yankee who had come of his own accord to try and protect us to go with me. We started and I was driving the cows to the house when I met a whole regiment. I succeeded in getting them into the yard and I saw a few sheep they had not killed, so I went immediately with the same Yankee and while driving them to the house several fired into them, but I knew they did not dare shoot me and I got them up in the dairy and succeeded in keeping them through the night. Several cussed us and, in fact, I believe they were the worst that ever lived. Dr. Daily, who was here at the time, says he knew that there was more than one thousand in the house. They got here Tuesday morning and did not leave till twelve o'clock Wednesday. We hadn't one mouthful to eat till Wednesday four o'clock. I did not miss it, but I know the sick did. They threatened to take the Captain off, but did not fortunately. He left yesterday. We hated so much to give him up. All became attached to him.

Dr. Storry has been very kind indeed to us. He has provided us with all we have had to eat since they left. They tore up the Chancellors' clothes, destroyed almost all they had, and as far as we can hear, nearly all have fared just alike. I have not been able to hear from Mrs. Todd, presume she fared as we did. There is nothing before us now but starvation, but I trust a just God will protect us.

George was here last Wednesday. He was looking very well. His brigade was then at Waller's Tavern. Miss Nanny, when you write or speak to him about religion he seems very much concerned indeed, and from his conversation, I trust he is a converted boy. He gave me a penknife he captured together with a watch from Gen. Custer's Adj. General.

The Yankees even tore off the plastering of Dr. Pulliam's cellar, thinking something had been hid, took money of Lucie's and his clothes, together with everything else. Lucie is with the Doctor. It is perfectly usely to try and tell what they have done, for we are constantly finding that they have taken things we did not miss at first, and left us only 7 towels. Also robbed the servants of their provisions and clothing.

Fondly yours,

Maria Dobyns.

------------------------------------
Then don't forget Rev. Price's account of the treatment of the civilians of McDowell and how they prepared for the Yankee advance. I've put Rev. Price's diary account back up on a webpage at http://cw186165.homestead.com/RevPrice.html
--------------------------------
Another good source is Too Afraid to Cry: Maryland Civilians in the Antietam Campaign: by Kathleen Ernst. I really only looked at the events leading up to and including Burkittsville, but it was quite good, and nicely footnoted.

That's about all I have.

Linda.

[MissouriStateGuard]

Re: Attacks on civilians

Perhaps the worst attack on civilians I have read about took place in Arkansas in the winter of 1864-65, and involved George W. Hutchinson, reverend of the United Brethren Church in Lawrence, Kansas. Hutchinson had been mustered into the First Kansas Colored Infantry as Chaplain, on May 2, 1863, but had resigned from his post in 1864 in order to "make more money." An Arkansas newspaper reported his arrest, along with two other ex-soldiers from Kansas and Arkansas:

"Ex-Chaplain Hutchinson, who resigned his position in the army some time last spring, in order to follow the real bent of his inclinations with more leisure, stands charged with heavy swindling operations upon the government and people. How far he is incriminated with the deeds of the other prisoners cannot be ascertained yet until a more thorough investigation of the whole case. The other prisoners stand charged with torturing four respectable ladies over a slow fire till they were horribly mutilated about their heads, shoulders and feet and with ravishing them, from the effects of which one died and the others are made cripples for life. One of the prisoners also stands charged with additional crimes upon the body of one of the victims which pen would shudder to record.”

Another source states their motive was to force the women to divulge where they had hidden their money. Apparently Hutchinson was exonorated, because he returns to Kansas a free man soon after, but I have yet to learn the fate of the other two men or ascertain the identities of the unfortunate victims.

Kip

[Dignann]

Re: Attacks on civilians

This was supposedly the lady of the house, Mrs. Higgerson, her husband in 1860 was Benjamin Higgerson, age 50. He was a farmer with real estate valued at $500, his personal estate valued at$1370.

Interestingly, Parmelia Higgerson scolded the Yankees, but after the war she filed a claim, in the amount of $3560.90, with the Federal government for damages to her property and items confiscated during the war. Parmelia had difficulty proving she and her husband had remained loyal to the US, and she was not considered a competent witness, by reason of "extreme age and impaired mind." It was also discovered that at least one of her sons served in the Confederate Army. Her claim was disallowed. So much for trying.

Eric

[KarinTimour]

Nope, don't believe it was money for a minute

Mr. Lindberg posted:

".... torturing four respectable ladies over a slow fire till they were horribly mutilated about their heads, shoulders and feet and with ravishing them, from the effects of which one died and the others are made cripples for life. One of the prisoners also stands charged with additional crimes upon the body of one of the victims which pen would shudder to record.”

Another source states their motive was to force the women to divulge where they had hidden their money. ...."

Ok, let's just look at this for a minute. They raped, tortured and horribly burned four women. There were three of them and four women, so they likely held them or had them tied up close together. Probably the women were standing by and witnessing each other's miseries (or were close enough that they could hear what was going on. And what in the world could be "additional crimes upon the body of one of the victims which the pen would shudder to record," that would surpass rape, mutilation and burning someone so badly that they died or were a cripple for life?

I refuse to believe that this was about money, that all of these women would stand by and watch each other be so terribly tortured rather than give up some cash, however much. Now, if there were other women and children who were hid out somewhere and they were protecting those other potential victims, that I would believe. But that they were willing to watch this inflicted on themselves and each other in turn to protect money -- no sir, I don't believe it. I think these guys were sadists and nothing the women would or could have said would stop this. I suspect that even if they TOLD the women that giving up whatever information they had would result in the end of the torture, I'm not certain that the victims believed that it would. I'm sure that they were just praying to survive the experience.

You wrote:
Apparently Hutchinson was exonorated, because he returns to Kansas a free man soon after, but I have yet to learn the fate of the other two men or ascertain the identities of the unfortunate victims.

I suspect that the newspaper accounts won't print the women's names, but you might could find court records of the trial. Don't know if they'd have transcripts this old, but if so, it would be interesting to see what defense got Hutchinson exonerated.

Karin Timour
Period Knitting -- Socks, Sleeping Hats, Balaclavas
Warm. Durable. Documented.

McDowell, May 2007
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com

[Silvana Siddali]

Re: Attacks on civilians

Karin has a point. I've done some reading in Civil War-era atrocity stories, mostly because I've been interested in the way newspapers report the war at home. Greg Urwin has done a great deal of work in this area (especially in Arkansas archives). Atrocity stories were rife in newspapers published both in the North and South, but are difficult to locate in the historic record.

Some time ago, for example, I was trying to find any actual record of the atrocity stories that were promulgated in northern newspapers shortly after Bull Run, but found no evidence that rebel soldiers had actually killed wounded federals in cold blood, etc. I think stories like these are an unfortunate side-effect of civil warfare -- it's an effort to demonize the opposing side. Urwin's work on Arkansas does cite some atrocities, but they're crimes perpetrated against black soldiers & citizens.

Kip, if you could post the citation, I'll try to hunt this down in court records. It would be an unparalleled story of cruelty against civilian women. There's some interesting discussion of the relative absence of rapes and torture against civilians in Reed Mitchell's The Vacant Chair. Mitchell has researched the treatment of southern civilians by federal soldiers.

I really don't mean to question the quotation or its basis in truth, just would like the opportunity to dig into this a little deeper. It may be that such newspaper articles express the horror & trauma of total warfare, rather than actual historic fact.

[Hank Trent]

Re: Attacks on civilians

Here's an example of an atrocity in a letter home, though it's not clear whether the writer witnessed the finding of the bodies first-hand, or heard about it from others. It's from a member of the 36th Ohio, writing home from Summersville [W]Va. in the summer of 1862, at http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/A...all.htm#l51062 . I love how you can hear his accent in the letter.

I have just come in. I have binn out on a scout. We have binn out five days. We were after some horse theifs and Booshwhackers. Thare was a bout too hundrend of them. Our boys are out after them yet and tha think thay will get them. We hung to of them the 9 of this month at Sutton a bout thirty miles from Summersvill. Tha had killed a union boy a bout fifteen years oald and the mail curry that carred the mail cross Poul mountain. Tha cut the boy open and stuck his head in sid. I think hanging was to good fore them.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[MissouriStateGuard]

Re: Attacks on civilians

Ms. Timor,

I agree with you that anyone who would conduct such an assault would be, at the very least, a sadist, and more possibly sociopathic or psychopathic. The article further states that as many as ten other men were being held by authorities as accomplices in these assaults, including three serving Federal soldiers. If it was indeed the work of a gang of men it might be possible one or two determined individuals carried out the assaults with the other's assistance. Diffusion of moral responsibility among a group can truly lead to horrible acts.

The full article indicates that the ladies' homes were also burned, which may indicate the attacks took place at separate locations. If so the victims may have been unaware of the others' trauma.

We will in all probability never ascertain what caused these men to conduct themselves in such a way, and all I can verify is what the account offers. I, too, believe that even the strongest willed individual would break under this torture and relinquish their money, if it existed. But if it existed only in the attackers' minds, I doubt the victims' denials would be believed. I also agree with you that these unfortunate victims were doomed from the beginning.

Silvana- the article appeared on page two in the 11 February 1865 issue of the Fort Smith New Era. The attacks took place near the town of Clarksville, and at least two of the defendants (including Hutchinson) were sent to Little Rock for trial. I hope your research can shed more light on this story.

Kip

[vbetts]

Re: Attacks on civilians

[LITTLE ROCK] NATIONAL DEMOCRAT, February 25, 1865, p. 2, c. 1

More Prisoners from Clarksville.—Last Sunday, the Carrie Jacobs brought up eight more prisoners from Clarksville, all but one heavily ironed, and safe to be implicated in the cruel outrage of Mrs. Seth Howell and other ladies. Their names are as follows:

J. B. Mills, Sergeant 14th Kansas cavalry.
Adam Scott, "
H. Lowery, "
Wisener Condray, "
Gaines Simeo "
C. Allison "
Smith Russell, "
E. L. Rucker, Co. I, 6th Kansas cavalry.

If these, and the other six brought up last week, are guilty of the awful crimes charged against them, there is scarcely any punishment too severe for them. If they are innocent, they are deserving of sympathy for their needless suffering.

But that crimes of the most unnatural and barbarous kind have been perpetrated, and against highly respectable widow ladies, is a fixed fact. One of the victims has since died and another had her leg amputated. It remains to fasten guilt upon the real culprits. Occurrences of such infamous character are but too readily seized upon by rebels, not only to declaim against Union soldiers and citizens, generally, but also against the cause they advocate. It is useless to conceal that the burning, abusing and robbing of those unfortunate women will be made a pretext by the rebel guerrilla bands, hovering in this part of the State, for severe retaliatory measures, and many a brave soldier, or staunch Union man, will be made to suffer for the crimes of others.

Let justice be done.

[Ft. Smith New Era, 18th inst.

Vicki Betts

[MissouriStateGuard]

Re: Attacks on civilians

Ms. Betts,

This is outstanding! Thank you very much for taking time to search the Little Rock newspaper. It is interesting to see they chose to identify one of the victims. Please let us know if you discover any more.

V/R,
Kip

[John of the Skulkers Mess]

by the by

re: 'Col. Stevenson commanded the 8th Illinois'


To the best of my knowledge, there was never a Stevenson in charge of the 8th Ill. Inf. Now, there was a Stevenson as a brigade commander which the 8th was later a part of. My memory is faulty; he may have been the commander of the 7th Mo. Inf. (also in the brigade).

?

John Pillers

[Silvana Siddali]

Re: Attacks on civilians

Hey John,

I found the information on the 8th Ills. in the special collections dept at Augustana College library, Rock Island, IL. You can access some of the records via their library catalogue, here:

http://www.augustana.edu/Library/SpecialCollections/civil1.html

Are you familiar with this collection? They've actually digitized a number of CW era diaries, so this is really useful & interesting. Anyway, did I get it wrong? I'm far from expert on military stuff, so that is quite likely. Let me know what you find out.