Articles tagged with: US History

First Battle of Memphis / Sesquicentennial

Date: June 6, 2012 Author: Grant Oster Comments: 5 Replies

*I have had some technical difficulties, so I am sorry If I have been spamming your feed all day!

If I told you that there were 10,000 Memphians, with blankets and picnic baskets, sitting on the bluff, you would assume I was referring to a local, minor league Redbirds’ game or young whippersnappers jamming out at Memphis in May’s Music Festival; however, in this instance, I am not. On this day, one hundred and fifty years ago, in Memphis, Tennessee, 10,000 Confederate-supporting Memphians gathered on the banks along the Mississippi River to cheer for an upcoming battle. It was known that the Union’s offensive strategy was to take control of the Mississippi River, in doing so effectively alienating Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas from the rest of the Confederate states. This would also stop all incoming goods coming into the CSA, as the Union was already pressuring the Confederates from the north, had an operative blockade on the east coast, and David Farragut had just recently stormed the gulf and taken control of New Orleans, Louisiana, on their south. The Battle of Memphis would prove pivotal for the Union in vanquishing the Confederate stronghold along the Mississippi River.

As far as battles go, this one was fairly short-lived. The fact that it lasted roughly ninety minutes and that it was exceptionally hard to see because of heavy fog, the onlookers were very disappointed. Of course, it probably wasn’t very enjoyable either since the ‘home team’ lost. Yes, the Confederate’s River Defense Fleet was no match for the skillfully trained crews onboard the Union’s ships. While the specifics, as far as the number of boats (roughly seven or eight for each side), the casualties (ranging from ~80 to ~180 for the Confederates and only 1 for the Union), and the actual events which took place on the river, are unbeknownst to us due to the fog, it was clearly a Union victory. As the Confederate ships were all commanded by civilian boat captains, they were not properly trained for battle and were quickly overpowered. This complete annihilation paired with the defeat at the earlier mentioned Battle of New Orleans, proved–and continues to prove to this day–that naval operations must be commanded by trained professionals subject to military discipline. This battle serves as a milestone in the development of professionalism in today’s United States Navy.

As Union ships ported in Memphis, Tennessee, they removed the Confederate flag hanging from the Post Office, replaced it with an American flag, and quickly occupied the city.

As a result of the Battle of Memphis, the largest inland battle in naval history, Memphis would be affected several way, some instantly, others down the line. Immediately, General Ulysses S. Grant set up base (his tent was on the front lawn of the Hunt-Phelan Home on Beale Street) and would use the city as one of the Union’s major headquarters. Taking over the fifth largest city in the Confederate’s territory was a devastating blow to morale. Without a doubt–as far as strategical tactics go–this was the most important battle for the Union that would take place in the first two years of the war. As the war progressed, there was need for more and more hospitals. Being located on the Mississippi River and an army headquarters in the middle of Confederate territory, Memphis proved to be an ideal place for the much-needed additional hospitals. On June 6th, 1862, the day of the Battle of Memphis, there was only one hospital in the city. By the end of the Civil War, only three years later, there would be fifteen hospitals in Memphis! This has led to Memphis being the major medical city that it is today.

Another result was a substantial increase in the black population. Today–and historically–Memphis and the surrounding areas is viewed as a predominantly black city. This was not always the case. As Memphis was a safe haven controlled by Union forces, slaves that became freed because of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, journeyed to Memphis to start their new lives. By the end of the Civil War, the black population had quadrupled in Memphis.

While the Battle of Memphis was not good for the Confederate States of America, it proved fruitful for the city. Memphis is now a medical powerhouse, not only in the south, but nationwide, and the Battle of Memphis was completely fought on the water so the city itself was spared from destruction, which cannot be said for most of the cities involved in war. Most cities, such as Atlanta, Georgia; and Richmond Virginia; were not so lucky and all but burned to the ground.

Today, the city of Memphis unveiled two cannons at a dedication ceremony to commemorate this day, 150 years ago. And I took pictures… This weekend they are having a few events to celebrate the anniversary. The largest one will take place on Mud Island on Saturday and Sunday. Click here for more information on that!

Civil War IV / 1862

Date: May 30, 2012 Author: Grant Oster Comments: 6 Replies

After a breather from the Civil War, I am back with the next portion: Civil War IV, 1862. If you haven’t been keeping up, check out Part I, Part II, and Part III.

General Ulysses S. Grant

1862–the second year of turmoil and bloodshed starts. After a month or more with no advance from the Union Army, President Lincoln was beginning to grow impatient. On January 27, 1862, Lincoln issued General War Order No. 1, which called for all US naval and land forces to begin a general advance on or before February 22, 1862. Abraham Lincoln believed that all the forces were lackluster for the war, especially General George McClellan. While General Ulysses S. Grant was kicking butt and taking names in Tennessee, capturing Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, General McClellan was hesitant to attack. This continual hesitation forced President Lincoln to remove General McClellan from his current post of supreme command and he was demoted to commander of the Army of the Potomac, and was ordered to attack Richmond, the capital of the CSA. From here, President Lincoln would now call the military shots for the United States Armed Forces. The Army of Potomac, now led by General McClellan, would launch a set of strategic attacks known as The Peninsular Campaign, which would last from March-August.

It is crazy how sometimes you get freebie history lessons as I attempt to explain a current history lesson! Here comes one now…

To understand the first battle of The Peninsular Campaign and its effect on naval engineering, you must first understand the history of ironclad warships. To break it down very, very quickly, one needs to know that ironclad ships are steam-propelled ships that are protected by iron or steel armored plates. Ironclad warships weren’t invented until 1855, by the French. Being a new technology, most countries did not yet have fleets or easy access to ironclad ships. On March 9th, the first naval engagement–ever!–between two ironclad ships took place. (In case you missed it, yes–we are back on the Civil War and the Peninsular Campaign. The first ironclad battle was took place in the Civil War.) This would be a crucial battle for attempted naval control. The duel between these two ironclad ships ended in a stalemate, but not before several wooden ships were sunk. Once both sides witnessed the strength of the ironclad ships, both sides (and also all other nations) would stop production of wooden-hulled ships and focus on what made the ironclads so successful.

The Monitor and Merrimac

On April 6, 1862, Confederate troops, under the direction of Albert Johnston and P.G.T. Beauregard, launched a surprise attack on General Ulysses Grant in Shiloh, Tennessee. (As a child, I visited Shiloh National Park and sadly did not appreciate the historical significance. :( I remember it as a large open field with a “bloody pond”, or something to that effect.) By the end of the day, the Union Army all was but defeated. Both sides suffered unheard of losses, 13,000 Union soldiers and 11,000 Confederate troops, making the Battle of Shiloh the deadliest battle of all American wars combined (to its date.) By sunrise, the Union Army’s reinforcements had arrived. At this point the Confederate forces retreated, and out of exhaustion the Union Army did not advance.

Flag Officer David Farragut

On April 25th, Flag Officer David Farragut would successfully drive seventeen Union ships up the Mississippi River and take New Orleans, which was the South’s largest seaport. (David Farragut, at a later date, would be the man who utters the famous phrase “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”) Having already established ship blockades on the east coast and now having control of the biggest port on the Mississippi River, importing and exporting via ship would become a difficult task for the South.

On May 31st, the Confederate Army, under the command of General Joseph E. Johnson, attacked Union forces at Seven Pines, in Henrico County, Virginia. The Union Army, under the command of General McClellan, was almost defeated, but again last-minute reinforcements showed up and kept the Union Army from suffering a crushing defeat. While both sides claim this war as a victory, the most important event that came out of this battle was that General Johnson was severally injured and was immediately relieved of duty. At this time, President Jefferson appointed General Robert E. Lee as the new General of the Army of Northern Virginia.

If you are geographically challenged, you might not be aware as to how close Washington D.C. (the United States’ capital) was to Richmond, Virginia (the Confederate States of America’s capital.) Now, I am not aware of road and traveling distances in 1865, but Google Maps says: 108 miles. With capital cities this close, control of the area between the two was crucial. After the Battle of Seven Pines, General McClellan was within six miles of Richmond, Virginia. With no room for error, both Generals Lee and McClellan would spend the next few weeks drawing up plans to attempt to control the fate of Richmond. On June 26, 1862, The Seven Days’ Battles would commence.

The Seven Days’ Battles (Oak Grove, Mechanicsville, Ganies’s Mill, Savage’s Station, Frayser’s Farm, and Malvern Hill) was fought with victory going to the South. The importance of these battles were that the South pushed back the Union Army from the six miles that it was away from Richmond all the way to twenty miles from Washington D.C. and that anyone who believed that the war was going to be short was gravely mistaken; northern morale was effectively crushed. Only July 11th, President Lincoln relinquished his command and Major-General Henry Halleck was named general-in-chief of the Union Army.

Battle of Antietam

There were dozens of battles fought here and there in 1862 (that are not as significant and are boring), but they all pale in comparison to the Battle of Antietam, near Sharpsburg, Maryland. The Battle of Antietam was significant for two reasons: the first was because this was the first major battle to take place on Union soil, and second because this battle, to date, is the bloodiest day in U.S. military history. On September 17, 1862, the Battle of Antietam ending with a Confederate retreat and 26,000 total casualties. Although this was seen as a poor victory because General Lee was not vanquished or captured, President Lincoln was confident enough with the victory to issue a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. On September 22nd, Lincoln issued a proclamation stating that he would order the emancipation of all slaves in any state of the CSA that did not return to the Union.

President Lincoln was still unsatisfied with General George McClellan’s performance and his lack of enthusiasm, so General McClellan was replaced as commander of the Army of Potomac on November 7th. General Ambrose E. Burnside was appointed the new commander of the Army of Potomac and directed to start an attack in Fredericksburg, Virginia. General Burnside suffered a horrible defeat and was replaced (as Lincoln does best) by General Joseph Hooker.

This completes the lesson for Civil War, 1862. Stick around for the next lesson: Civil War V / 1863.

Feel free to √Follow me for quick and easy updates!

Another Memorial Day Blog…but it’s History!

Date: May 28, 2012 Author: Grant Oster Comments: 6 Replies

Flags planted in remembrance of Memorial Day

First, I think it is important that everyone remembers what Memorial Day is really about; it isn’t the “official start of summer,” it is not a day to recover from the drunken stupor which was a result of watching the Indianapolis 500, nor is it a day to take off of work to fire up the barbecue. Memorial Day is a federal holiday that is to honor and remember the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Not that today should be a day of complete mourning, but to greet someone with “Happy Memorial Day!”, while slamming down the keg you picked up on the way to the party, is insensitive to the day’s true meaning.

That being said, the history behind Memorial Day.

It seems fitting that the history of Memorial Day falls into the middle of my Civil War “mini-series” (Part I, Part II, and Part III already completed…check them out!), because Memorial Day was originated to remember the fallen from the Civil War.

Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, was established as a day to remember the Union soldiers that had fallen in the Civil War. There are several emotionally stirring stories that have been attributed to the launch of Memorial Day; women in Savannah, Georgia, are documented as decorating graves of those fallen in 1862 (remember, at this point the Civil War was still ongoing and would be until 1865), in 1863, at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, there was a ceremony for the fallen soldiers, and in 1864, Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, the city had services to the fallen. To this day, the city of Boalsburg claims that they are the originators of Memorial Day. However, my favorite story of the first Memorial Day is the one that took place in Charleston, South Carolina.

On May 1st, 1865, only weeks after the end of the Civil War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, nearly ten thousand people (most of which were black, freedmen) gathered to pay honor to the 257 Union prisoners that had died while captive at the Charleston Race Course. When a death occurred for prisoners of war here, the bodies were quickly buried in unmarked graves. In appreciation for their sacrifices made to combat slavery, the freedmen cleaned up, landscaped, and properly decorated the unmarked graves on these honorable soldiers. Historian David W. Blight described it best:

This was the first Memorial Day. African Americans invented Memorial Day in Charleston, South Carolina. What you have there is black Americans recently freed from slavery announcing to the world with their flowers, their feet, and their songs what the War had been about. What they basically were creating was the Independence Day of a Second American Revolution.

General John A. Logan

On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (an organization for Union Civil War veterans), declared that May 30th would be “Decoration Day.” Events were held in 183 cemeteries in 27 states that year and 336 the next.

In 1882, the name “Decoration Day” was changed to “Memorial Day”, but was not officially changed by Federal law until 1967. At this time, the date of remembrance had remained May 30th, but on June 28th of the following year, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which moved Memorial Day, along with Washington’s Birthday, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day, to a revolving Monday schedule to create convenient three-day weekends. (Which is cited as the main reason for lack of respect on this day.)

Until now, I have described how the North viewed and contributed to Memorial Day. Starting in 1866, Southern states established Confederate Memorial Day, a day to remember those that had fallen fighting for the Confederate States of America. If you click here, you can see that each state that celebrates Confederate Memorial Day has its own specific day and specific cause for celebration. The Confederate Memorial Day has become a day not so much about fallen soldiers, but a day of honoring certain soldiers and remembering the Confederate’s cause.

So when did we go from Memorial Day being about the American Civil War to honoring all men? Shortly after World War 1. While there is no legislation or definitive date which led to the change of the public’s mindset of the holiday, there is a general consensus that it was in 1922(ish), which was within a few years of the end of World War I.

So, everyone should take a minute to remember all the fallen soldiers of United States Armed Forces, especially those that lost their lives in the American Civil War. Without their great sacrifices, the thoughts of civil rights and freedom for all would still be a dream.

Civil War III / 1861

Date: May 25, 2012 Author: Grant Oster Comments: 4 Replies

This is the third part in my Civil War “mini-series”, make sure you take the time to check out parts I (Civil War, The Beginning) and II (Civil War II, Creation of the CSA). Now that you are caught up this entry will explore the events of the Civil War that took place in 1861.

From reading the Creation of the CSA article that I published two days ago, you know that three major events happened in 1861 before Abraham Lincoln became President of the United States. First, starting with South Carolina, the original seven states started the secession process. Then, the South meets in Montgomery, Alabama, to create a Confederate Constitution and appoint Jefferson Davis as President of the Confederate States of America. Lastly, the CSA started to seize federal property from the United States. These actions, while still intentional steps to start a war against the Union, were not considered actions of war.

Original Confederate Flag (First of Four)

On April 12th, 1861, the Confederate Army opens fire on Fort Sumter. This is considered the first transgression against the North and the start of the Civil War. As you already know, the Confederate Army forced the Union Army to surrender, and Fort Sumter flew the Rebel “Stars and Bars” flag.

Now that war was a reality for all, it was time for the remaining states ‘on the fence’ to choose their side. Between the months of April and June, three major decisions were made. First, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina joined the South in secession. Second, western counties of Virginia did not believe in the Confederate’s battle and broke off to form their own state, which would officially become the state of West Virginia on June 20th, 1863, joining the Union forces. The last major decision was that made by Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri; as all four states were slave states and openly accepted and participated in slavery, they all decided to stay with the Union. As Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri were all bordered by Union states, it is not fully accepted that they were true to the Union, because many historians believe they only stayed out of fear of the Union’s Army. Now that all of the states had officially chosen sides, it was time for war!

Going back just a little bit, it is important to understand the leaders in charge of each side’s armed forces. As Virginia seceded from the US, General Robert E. Lee was conflicted. The best way to explain as to why Robert E. Lee would have been conflicted, is to let Wikipedia.org tell you….

General Robert E. Lee

The son of Revolutionary War officer Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee III and a top graduate of the United States Military Academy, Robert E. Lee distinguished himself as an exceptional officer and combat engineer in the United States Army for 32 years. During this time, he served throughout the United States, distinguished himself during the Mexican-American War and served as Superintendent of the United States Military Academy.

When Virginia declared its secession from the Union in April 1861, Lee chose to follow his home state, despite his personal desire for the Union to stay intact and despite the fact that President Abraham Lincoln had offered Lee command of the Union Army.

General Lee, having all of this deep history with the Union, while at the same time wanting to fight for his home state of Virginia, turned down the job to lead the Union Army and instead took the position as Senior Military Adviser to President Jefferson. Now that the Union Army needed a new General to command its army, Irvin McDowell was promoted to Brigadier General on May 14th, 1861, and given command of the Army of Northeastern Virginia. It well a known fact that McDowell had moved up the ranks based on connections and that he had no real battle experience, but Lincoln was hopeful based on the fact that the Confederate Army was not not experienced. It was well known that the Confederate’s Army was primarily comprised of volunteers with little or no battlefield training, and the North wanted to take advantage of this fact.

Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson

On July 21st, 1861, the Union made its move and attacked the Confederate Army near the city of Manassas, Virginia. This battle, known as the First Battle of Bull Run, surprisingly led to a Union defeat. Many things were brought to light after this battle: the Confederate Army wasn’t a pushover and had powerful men–like Stonewall Jackson–who would be an opposition, that this was was going to be a long and bloody war, and that McDowell could not lead an army.

As soon as the dust settled, Irvin McDowell was removed from his post and was replaced by General George McClellan. From here Lincoln required that the Navy improve its fleet to properly blockade the South’s coast lines. With proper blockading, the Confederates would have a difficult time getting supplies. Neither side would advance in a significant battle for the rest of 1861.

This completes the lesson for Civil War, 1861. Stick around for the next lesson: Civil War IV / 1862.

Click here to check out Part IV!

History of the Air Conditioner

Date: May 20, 2012 Author: Grant Oster Comments: 3 Replies

Today’s high was 91. It is very hot, but thank goodness for air conditioning. Oh wait!–I don’t have air conditioning in my car. I have had the recent misfortune of not having the luxury of cool air circulating in my automobile. As I drive to work in the uncomfortable heat, I cannot help but think about civilization before A/C. I would imagine people were hot, sweaty, and dirty all of the time.

The first documented testing for the theory of air conditioning was in 1758, by Benjamin Franklin and John Hadley. Their theory was that one could use the principles of evaporation to quickly cool down an object. Franklin and Hadley used bellows directed at a mercury thermometer to “quicken” the evaporation of highly volatile liquid. By the completion of the experiment, these two had accomplished their objective of lowering the temperature of the thermometer to 7 degrees Fahrenheit, while the ambient temperature was 64 degrees Fahrenheit. Benjamin Franklin concluded that, “From this experiment, one may see the possibility of freezing a man to death on a warm summer’s day.”

Really Benji?–the only conclusion is that we “may see the possibility of freezing a man to death”?!??

Though there were many advances in the theory of using evaporation for cooling purposes, we will jump straight to the actual idea of the air conditioner. In 1842, John Gorrie used compressor technology to make ice, which he used to cool air for patients in hospitals. His main plan was to use this technology, in conjunction with centralized air ducts, to cool off an entire building. John Gorrie had grandiose visions of also using his system to cool off entire cities, but sadly was unable to make much headway with his invention due to his poor health and lack of a financial backer. Unfortunately, following Gorrie’s death, the idea for the air conditioner died away too. In 1902, Willis Carrier invented the modern, electric air conditioner. The great thing about his invention is that not only did it control temperature but also controlled humidity. Now this technology was originally invented to increase productivity in the workplace, but of course it quickly made its way into everyone’s homes and cars.

Carrier, since 1902!

In 1906, Stuart Cramer was exploring ways to add moisture into his textile mills, piggybacking off of Carrier’s invention, when he coined the term “air conditioning”. Carrier used this term and included it in his product names, growing his invention and company into the air conditioning dynasty that it is today. Early air conditioners used very dangerous chemicals, but switched to Freon in 1928. Freon was in continued use until recently when scientist found that it was bad for the environment. Just in the last two years all refrigeration products switched to the new Puron chemicals, which are safer for the environment.

As it gets hotter and hotter, you better believe that history will not be the only thing I am hankering for. I will be hankering for air conditioning….

Hankering for History

Hanker: (verb) To have a strong, often restless desire, in this case for–you guessed it–History!