HMDB Civil War Updates – Week of July 6

Numbers are up this week.  Fifty-four entries.  These represent Civil War topics in D.C., Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.   Here’s the highlights:

- Two markers from the Cultural Tourism D.C. series this week, both near Fort McNair.  The first briefly discusses the fort’s role as a depot and armory during the Civil War – text supported by a couple of wartime photographs.  The second discusses the Law House, near where Lincoln greeted reinforcements arriving to stop General Jubal Early’s attack on Fort Stevens.

- A memorial simply called “Silence” honors Georgians killed at Gettysburg and buried in Savannah’s Laurel Grove Cemetery.

- Three markers from Cobb County, Georgia – Johnson’s Line East of Kennesaw, Hardee’s Corps at Powder Springs, and the William Nickols House – all discuss activities in the county in May-June 1864.

- Four markers from Paulding County, Georgia discuss the actions on the Dallas-New Hope Line, May 23-28, 1864.  The markers discuss Federal movements around Old Burnt Hickory Post Office, General Jefferson Davis’ Division movements, and the Famous Kentucky Orphan Brigade.

- In Covington, Georgia, three new entries discuss Federal raids and marches through the town.  On July 20-24, 1864 a Cavalry Division under General Kenner Garrard led a raid that came through the town, cutting off communications between Atlanta and Augusta (a marker entered in January goes into more detail about Garrard’s activity in Covington).  Days later, on July 28, General George Stoneman’s ill fated raid past through Covington.  Finally, on November 18, the 14th Corps marched through on the March to the Sea.

- A “Bleeding Kansas” theme this week starts in Lawrence, Kansas with a marker discussing raids by pro-slavery forces in 1855 and the Quantrill Raid of August 21, 1863.  Raiders on both occasions destroyed the Free State Hotel.  And a sizable number of casualties of both raids were initially buried in the Pioneer Cemetery, where a memorial stands to unknown Union dead.

- Quantrill also raided Shawneetown, near the border with Missouri, on October 17, 1862.

- A marker in Topeka, Kansas provides more reminders of that turbulent time in the Territory of Kansas.  In 1856, the U.S. Dragoons dispersed the territorial legislature.  John Brown hid runaway slaves in Topeka.

- A unique memorial from Missouri adds to last week’s Burnt District entry.  The memorial is in the shape of a chimney, and has interpretive panels on each side.

- Two more entries for the Kansas City Round Table tour of the Battle of Westport.  Stops 21 and 22 of the tour cover incidents along the Santa Fe Road.

- The Park Service, knowing that I needed to revisit Antietam, opted to replace the older interpretive markers at the battlefield in order to lure me back out.  The first of these are posted now, with more to follow.  I like the new look of the markers.  Particularly that for the Dunker Church.

- Three new entries this week covering Stoneman’s “end of the war” Raid in North Carolina.   Tracing by this week’s markers – the raid passed through Blowing Rock on March 28, 1865; later on the return, the raid passed through Lenoir on April 15-17;   and a portion of Stoneman’s command clashed with local Home Guard at Morganton on April 17.  At the later place, many Unionists complained the Federals plundered their personal supplies.

- And on that note about North Carolina Unionists, a simple stone memorial in Hendersonville recalls the Union Veterans of Henderson County, North Carolina.

- Out on Cape Hatteras, of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, a wayside relates the story of the Fanny, a Federal tug seized by Confederates in October 1861.

- An addition to the Battle of Bentonville set this week.  A state marker stands at an I-95 rest stop, near Fayetteville, North Carolina.  While well outside the battle area, maybe it does prompt a few visitors to get off the highway to see the field.  Note the three reasons listed for Bentonville’s importance.

- From Haskins, Ohio, another member of Andrew’s Raiders is recalled on a state marker.  John A. Wilson, of the 21st O.V.I. was captured during the raid, but later escaped.  Wilson was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1863.

- In Tontogany, Ohio, a state marker indicates the Custer Homestead, where the family of the cavalry general lived in the 1850s.  The text highlights the story of Tom Custer, recipient of two Medal of Honors (Namozine Church and Sailor’s Creek).

- A plaque attached to a statue of General James McPherson, near the General’s grave in Clyde, Ohio, relates details of the General’s career.

- On the Paris Island Marine Corps Depot, a marker interprets the events of the battle of Port Royal,  November 7, 1861.

- Harry Smeltzer corrected me on a marker for the Wisconsin Sharpshooters.  Having seen it from a distance, I thought for sure it was some warning about buried utility lines.  But no, it is a genuine artifact, placed by a veteran of the U.S. Sharpshooters, at the spot where his company fought at 2nd Manassas.  A note at the bottom relates some of the unique details of this simple wooden “sign” and why I felt it deserved inclusion in the database.

- The man “left holding the bag” at Island Number 10 – General William Mackall -  is buried in the Lewinsville Presbyterian Church Cemetery in McLean, Virginia.  See the related set for other markers offering bits about Mackall’s life and military career.

- Three markers from Richmond, Virginia this week.  Monroe Park, which served as a drill field for the Confederates, features a memorials to General Williams Carter Wickham and General Fitzhugh Lee (his Spanish-American War service).

- The Stewart House in Richmond was the site of several famous photos of Robert E. Lee, taken after the surrender at Appomattox.

- The Virginia Historical Society features a memorial to the one and one-half million horses killed during the Civil War.  Yes, this does remind me of a similar memorial in Middleburg, Virgina (photo 4).

- Four new markers in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia interpret the old armory grounds.  The markers discuss the destruction of the armory in April 1861,  the escape of Union cavalry from the siege of the town in September 1862,  and the temporary “contraband camp” at the site of the old armory.

- Two six-pounder field guns grace the downtown of Moundsville, West Virginia.  One was produced by N.P. Ames of Boston.  The other in Nashville by a Confederate foundry.  The later was captured at the battle of Droop Mountain on November 6, 1863.

- Six entries this week for the Battle of Parkers Crossroads in Tennessee.  Normally I’d have a “complete set” entered.  But when visiting earlier this year, I could push the wife’s patience only so far!  The others must wait for another trip or another marker hunter.  The battlefield is bisected by Interstate 40, which, while making it easy to reach, makes interpretation difficult.

That’s it for this week.  Look for more of the “new” Antietam markers next week.  A few more Missouri-Kansas entries are in the queue this morning for next week’s list, also.