It was late afternoon, Saturday 2 May 1863. The men of Colonel Leopold Von Gilsa’s Brigade (in Charles Deven’s Division, 11th Corps, Union Army of the Potomac) were at ease. Assigned to hold the far right of the Union line, the 11th Corps was positioned on the Orange Turnpike, near a tavern called Dowdall’s, in a densely wooded area, named “The Wilderness” by the locals. Von Gilsa’s Brigade was the last unit in the Union line, nothing to their right but The Wilderness thickets. It was rumored that Robert E. Lee’s Army of the Northern Virginia was seen to be retreating. Union regiments had tangled with some elements of Stonewall Jackson’s Corps marching along a road in a direction away from the Union lines.

With that knowledge, Von Gilsa’s men were relaxed with rifles stacked, coffee boiling over campfires, eating and playing cards. At about 5:15 P.M., deer began to bolt from the woods into Von Gilsa’s camps. The Yankees tried to catch them in the hopes of having a venison dinner. The leaping deer were soon followed by rabbits and turkeys. The screeches of birds filled the air. The loud bark of a cannon and the “whicker whicker” sound of a passing artillery round made the Yankees stop their activities. The round flew down the Orange Turnpike and exploded over Von Gilsa’s headquarters. The next sound to burst from the woods was the high pitched sound of the Rebel Yell being screamed by thousands of Confederate soldiers. The Wilderness erupted in flame, Von Gilsa’s startled men were bowled over by the volley. Those not shot dropped their cards and kicked over coffee pots in their mad scramble to get their rifles. The Rebels were not retreating! They were attacking!

Lee’s army was not retreating. Jackson’s column, that had appeared to be marching away from the Union lines had, actually been on a long route that took them to the unsupported Union right. Jackson’s entire Corps, 26,000 men, flowed from the Wilderness like lava and overwhelmed the Union Regiments. The shattered remnants of Von Gilsa’s Brigade rushed pell mell into the other brigades of the 11th Corps, followed closely by Jackson’s howling troops. Attempts to form a defensive line to slow Jackson’s hordes were swatted away like flies. The Yankees began to break for the rear in a panicked rush. Jackson’s charge was rolling up the Union 11th Corps like a rug. The one-armed commander of the 11th Corps, General Oliver Otis Howard, with a flag stuck under the stump of his right arm and a pistol in his left hand, tried to set an example in an attempt to organize a resistance.

Howard’s efforts to rally his Corps were unsuccessful. Throwing aside rifles, packs, anything to lighten their load, the men of the 11th Corps continued their mad dash to the rear. The path of their flight was leading them to Chancellorsville, a small gathering of homes dominated by the Chancellor family mansion. The Chancellor house was now the headquarters of Union General Joseph Hooker, commander of the Army of the Potomac. Union staff officers had been paying close attention to the sounds of battle drifting from the 11th Corp position. Peering intently at a rising cloud of dust approaching the Chancellor house, a keen eyed staff officer suddenly shouted “My God! Here the come!”. All was pandemonium at the Chancellor House as officers scrambled to stop the flight and organize a defense. Troops from other units were plugged into the line and artillery was wheeled into position. Dusk was beginning to form and the combination of falling darkness and stiffening Yankee resistance finally slowed Jackson’s assault.

Only 3/4 of a mile from Union Army Headquarters, Jackson desperately wanted to renew his assault. He was willing to risk an night time battle and while scouting possible attack approaches, was accidentally fired on by his own men and mortally wounded. The evening of May 2, 1863 would be hellish. The fighting during the day had started fires in the Wilderness woods. Wounded soldiers calls for help would soon turn to screams as the flames would overtake them. Any movement in the dark woods would cause an eruption of wild shooting.

Stonewall Jackson was already a legend by the time the Battle of Chancellorsville was fought. However, his audacious assault on the 11th Corps and near capture of Union Headquarters would be the crowning jewel of his career. After his wounding, he was hurried to the rear and his arm was amputated. Although it initially seemed that Jackson would recover from his wounds, he contracted pneumonia and died on May 10, 1863.

At the time of the Battle of Chancellorsville, the Union 11th Corps was held in low regard. The unit was plagued by morale problems and was a recent addition to the Army of the Potomac, being transferred from another department. Almost 2/3 of the organization were European immigrants, officers having names like Von Gilsa, Buschbeck, Schimmelpfennig, Schurz. The prejudices of the times led to mistrust of their abilities as soldiers. The 11th Corps would also be driven from the field at Gettysburg, forever being named “The Flying Dutchmen” after that.

Notes: Back in the day, I used to give a presentation on the Chancellorsville Campaign to Civil War Roundtable groups and schools in Connecticut. It was in the days before laptop computers and PowerPoint, so I had big flip chart maps and overhead projector transparency sheets.

I have visited the Chancellorsville battlefield a few times and drove the path that Stonewall Jackson marched to launch his flank attack on the Army of the Potomac. That was many years ago and at the time it was still a narrow dirt road that wound through Wilderness.

sources: Ernest B. Furgurson, “Brave Men’s Souls, Chancellorsville 1863”; John Bigelow, “The Chancellorsville Campaign” (this is the Gold Standard of all Chancellorsville books); issues of Blue & Gray and Civil War Times Illustrated magazines that relate to the Chancellorsville Campaign.

We took a horse drawn carriage tour of lovely Beaufort, South Carolina today. The pre-Civil War era homes, the moss hanging from the oak trees lining the quiet streets of the historic district belie description. To say the town is lovely does not do it justice. We were riding past one of the homes on the tour, 511 Prince Street, a home constructed in 1834. The tour guide pointed out that it had been the McKee home prior to the Civil War. Where had I heard the McKee name in relation to Beaufort? As I was thinking about the significance of that name, the tour guide said that slave by the name of Robert Smalls was born in a small slave cabin behind the home. It hit me like a ton of bricks! The story of Robert Smalls is truly an amazing story, one worth of a book or a movie.

Robert Smalls was born in Beaufort, South Carolina, in 1839, in a cabin behind the McKee mansion on 511 Prince Street. According to historians, the identity of Robert’s father is rather dubious. Some suspect it was plantation owner John McKee, some suspect it was John’s son Phillip. Because of his lineage, Robert was favored more than the other males slaves on the plantation and learned to read and write. Concerned that Robert would not know what life was really like being a slave, his mother made arrangements with the McKee’s to have Robert work in the fields where he witnessed firsthand the brutal mistreatment that slaves had to endure. Small’s granddaughter indicated that the experience had a profound effect on Robert and he became “rebellious”. After a couple of stints in the Beaufort jail, Robert’s mother became concerned for his safety and asked the McKee’s if Robert could be sent somewhere else. The McKee’s sent him to Charleston, South Carolina.

Arriving in Charleston at the age of 12, Smalls would spend his teen years initially performing a number of jobs for the City of Charleston. Within a few years, Smalls would find himself working the wharves on the Charleston waterfront. On Christmas Eve, 1856, Robert married Hannah Jones, a slave who worked as a hotel maid. Hannah was 22 years old with 2 children from a previous marriage, Robert was 17. Robert and Hannah would have 2 more children together.

By 1862, the Civil War is in its 2nd year and Smalls has worked his way from longshoreman, to deck hand to eventually becoming a highly respected pilot of the Conferderate gunboat/freighter CSS Planter sailing the inter coastal waterways from its base in Charleston, SC, down to Savannah, GA. However, because Smalls is black, and a slave, he is prohibited by law from being recognized as a ships officer and is officially on the roster as “Wheelman”.

Becoming increasingly concerned about the possibility of his wife and children being sold by their owner and sent far away, Robert attempts to buy them. He has managed to save $100 to purchase their freedom, but their owner is demanding $800. Robert is despondent knowing that it would take him a very long time to save that much money, however he keeps a brave face to the Confederate officers of the Planter and continues to discharge his duties faithfully. Secretly, Robert has begun to develop a plan for he and his family to escape the bonds of slavery. Travelling the inter-coastal waterways between Charleston and Savannah, Robert and the other enslaved crew members can see the Union fleet that is blockading the outer Charleston harbor. Freedom is so close, but yet so far away.

On May 12, 1862 the CSS Planter is returning to port in Charleston after picking up four gun barrels, gun powder and firewood for a fort that was being dismantled. All of the white crew members disembark the ship to spend time in town, leaving the black crew members to secure the cargo and the ship for the evening. The Captain, First Officer and (official) Pilot of the CSS Planter do not return to the ship. At 3:00 AM on the morning of May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls makes his move. Smalls dons the Captain’s long white coat, straw hat and gloves and steers the Planter out into the harbor. He slowly cruises to another wharf where his wife and children, along with families of the 8 other enslaved crew members are huddled in wait. Loading the families and their belongings onto the Planter, Robert begins to steam towards freedom. He has to pass several Rebel occupied picket boats and Fort Sumter. In his career as a pilot, Robert is aware of all of the signals that are required to pass the picket boats and the Fort, and he blasts the signals. Robert had become a keen observer of the mannerisms of the Planter’s Captain Relyea, he folds his arms the same way, nods and waves in the same manner. In the darkness, he appears to be Captain Relyea.

The Planter passes Fort Sumter, which is the last obstacle. Robert turns up the steam and begins chugging as fast as the ship can go towards the Union fleet. The theft of the Planter is discovered, but the boat is well out in the harbor and it will take some time before Fort Sumter can be notified to turn its guns on the runaway steamer. The Planter is fast approaching the U.S.S. Onward of the the blockading fleet. To make the Union ships aware that the Planter is not attacking the blockading fleet, Robert has his crew run up one of his wife’s largest white bed sheets to indicate that they are surrendering. The crew of the Onward has been tracking the approach of the steamer and initially did not see the white sheet flying from the masts. The crew was prepared to open fire when one of the crew members spots the white sheet. The gun crews stand down. Robert slows the speed of the Planter and now slowly approaches the stern of the Onward. The Planter stops. Robert Smalls steps forward and shouts up to the officers gathered on the stern “Good morning, sir! I’ve brought you some of the old United States guns, sir!” Robert Smalls plan is a success. The members of his crew and their families have steamed to freedom. Word of Robert Smalls daring escape from slavery spreads like wildfire. Because of his familiarity with the the inter-coastal waterways and harbors, he is employed as a Pilot for a Union ironclad. He also receives a tidy sum of $1500 prize money for the captured Planter – that is equivalent to $38,000 in 2020 dollars.

After the Civil War, Robert becomes a successful business man in his home town of Beaufort, SC, opening a store. He becomes a prominent South Carolina politician, serving in the State House of Representatives, eventually moving on to serve as a congressman in Washington D.C. He also invested heavily in the recovery and commercial development of Beaufort after the Civil War. Robert Smalls would purchase the Beaufort home that he was born behind. He discovered that the family (the McKee’s) that he was enslaved to was living in squalor on the outskirts of town. He purchased a small home for them where they lived until the death of John McKee. McKee’s widow began to suffer from dementia after her husband’s death. Robert discovered Mrs. McKee in the foyer of the house one day demanding to know when her bedroom was going to be ready. Robert moved Mrs. McKee into her former bedroom where she remained until her death. Robert Smalls died in 1915.

Epilogue

I knew of the dramatic escape of Robert Smalls, having read about it many years ago in an issue of Civil War Times Illustrated. The escapades and later life of Robert Smalls are worthy of a greater biographical endeavor and, really, a movie.

The regular 2019 Major League Baseball season has ended and teams are preparing to meet for the Wild Card games and the American and National League Championship Series, with ultimate champions from each league meeting in the World Series. The post season playoff series did not enter the MLB picture until 1969, before then the teams with the most wins in each league met for the World Series. Such was the case on October 1, 1903. On this day, 116 years ago, the National League Champion Pittsburgh Pirates Deacon Phillippe threw the first pitch in World Series history to the first batter in World Series history, outfielder Patsy Dougherty of the American League Champion Boston Americans.

The Pirates had dominated the National League at the dawn of the 20th Century, with 1903 being their 3rd league championship. After its creation in 1901, executives from the American League had been in discussions with executives from the National League about playing a championship series between the two leagues, but nothing concrete had come to pass. A National Commission had been created in 1902 to preside over both leagues, but not much had been done on their part either to facilitate a championship series. During the course of the 1903 season, the Presidents of both leagues became more enthusiastic about a championship series. By August, it appeared that the Pirates and Americans were locks to win their respective league titles and with encouragement from the executive from both leagues, the first World Series came about by agreement between the owners of the Pirates and the Americans. This “VOLUNTARY” arrangement would consist of a best of 9 series, the first 3 games being played in Boston, the next 4 in Allegheny City – the North Shore had not yet been incorporated into the City of Pittsburgh – the last 2 in Boston if needed.

The Boston Americans, who would eventually become the Red Sox, finished with a strong first place standing, 14.5 games ahead of their nearest rival, the Philadelphia A’s, with 91 wins and 47 losses. Players of note were 36 year old pitcher Cy Young and player/manager Jimmy Collins – both would enter the Hall of Fame. The Americans played their home games at The Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds, on land now occupied by Northeastern University. Going into the World Series, the Americans were a healthy team, boasting a excellent pitching staff – better statistically than the Pirates pitchers – and had an excellent outfield.

The Pirates won their 3rd consecutive National League Championship in 1903, finishing the season with a 91 – 49 record, 6.5 games ahead of the New York Giants. The Pirates also had two future Hall of Fame members on the team, shortstop Honus Wagner and player/manager Fred Clarke. The Pirates pitching staff was not as strong in its two prior championship seasons, but solid hitting and fielding more than covered for the slip in pitching. Pirates played their home games in Exposition Park. The park was located on the north shore of the Allegheny River, across from downtown Pittsburgh, in what was then Allegheny City. The location of the park was on land between the current Heinz Field and PNC Park. Going into Series, the Pirates were limping. Pitcher Sam Leever, a 25 game winner during the season, injured his shoulder skeet shooting! The 3rd starter on the pitching staff, Ed Doheny, was admitted to a psych ward for “episodes of paranoia” eventually being committed to an insane asylum. That left the pitching staff in the hands of 25 game winner Deacon Phillippe and two ham & egg guys with less than 10 wins each. Star shortstop Wagner had a sore wrist and had injured his leg in the last regular season game.

Despite the advantages in pitching, and the lame Pirates team, the Americans were considered to be under dogs going into the series. The Americans beat the odds and won the World Series, 5 games to 3. Deacon Phillippe would pitch in 5 games, winning all 3 of the Pirate victories. Sam Leever was largely ineffective in his two starts. Honus Wagner would hit only .222 for the series. For the Americans, pitching dominated. Cy Young won 2 games and Bill Dineen 3 games. Patsy Dougherty provided power by hitting 2 home runs including the first out of the park home run in World Series history. Early ballparks had immense outfields, so many home runs were inside the park. Out of the park home runs were extremely rare. For winning the first World Series, each player for the Americans received $1182.00, the losing pirates received $1316.25! The Pirates owner kicked in his share of the ticket sales to the Buccos winnings.

There would not be a World Series In 1904. In 1905 the National Commission decided to make the World Series an annual, compulsory event.

Sources: Baseball Almanac, Baseball-Reference.com, The Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball, Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates team archives, many books that I have read, too numerous and tedious to mention now.

American inventor Hiram Berdan was born on this day in 1824. A mechanical engineer by profession, Berdan held patents on over 30 inventions. Berdan invented a reaper, a mechanical bakery, an amalgamation machine that separated gold from ore, a repeating rifle, a collapsible boat, a center fire cartridge with a primer design that is still in use today. His inventions made him a very wealthy man. Berdan’s hobby was target shooting and by the 1850’s, he had achieved worldwide renown as an expert marksman.

Berdan’s Sharpshooters

In 1861 the Civil War would rip the nation apart. The Union debacle at First Bull Run in August of 1861 indicated that the war was going to be a prolonged affair and the Lincoln Administration sent out the call for volunteer units to flock to the Union cause. Berdan’s reputation as an inventor and marksman enabled him to have friends in high places, so he was able to wrangle a face to face meeting with President Lincoln to pitch a unique idea for an elite fighting unit. Berdan wanted to raise a regiment, or two, of skilled marksmen to act as skirmishes or snipers to wreak havoc on their Confederate foes. The idea would be to target Confederate officers and non-com’s (sergeants & corporals) and artilleryman to disrupt operations. Lincoln was intrigued by the proposal and gave his approval.

Berdan got to work immediately to recruit marksmen for his elite units. The recruits had to pass a rigorous marksmanship test of placing 10 shots in a 10 inch circle from 200 yards away. They were permitted to use weapons of their own choosing during the test. Lincoln himself came to witness the testing. By the end of September 1861, Berdan completed the qualification of enough marksmen to create two regiments, officialy known as the 1st & 2nd Regiments United States Sharpshooters, and were formed into a brigade with Hiram Berdan being appointed a Colonel in command of the brigade. Swiss immigrant and Crimean War veteran Casper Trepp was appointed Lt. Colonel and second in command.

The weapon that Berdan wished to outfit his sharpshooters with was the Sharps breechloading rifle. The Sharp’s rifle fired a .52 caliber conical bullet with a linen cartridge. The breechloading feature allowed the marksman to fire 8 rounds per minute, vs. the 3 per minute that a skilled muzzle loader could fire. It was accurate up to 600 yards. Berdan also permitted the marksmen to use their private weapons, of which a number utilized the newly developed long range scope.

To enhance the uniqueness of this elite unit, Berdan would outfit the Sharpshooters in uniforms that were forest green in color, vs. the standard Union blue. This was most like a suggestion by Casper Trepp who would have knowledge of similar elite marksmen units in European armies were outfitted with forest green uniforms. The green uniforms also did not have any brass buttons, rather they were made of a dark brown leather. All of this was an attempt at some type of camouflage.The Sharpshooters would become famous for their exploits on many battlefields in the Eastern field of operations during the Civil War. One of the legends attributed to the Sharpshooters occurred during the battle of Yorktown during the Peninsula Campaign in 1862. The story is told that the Sharpshooters, by aiming at the embrasures for Confederate artillery pieces and causing dirt to accumulate in the cannon barrels caused them to prematurely explode and rupture the tubes. It is more likely that their skills resulted in a large number of Confederate artillery men becoming casualties.

Although a reputable inventor and engineer, Hiram Berdan’s exploits as a leader were dubious at best. His Civil War exploits are most remembered for the Gettysburg battle where he shouted the command “Advance, firing” to the Sharpshooters, given their type of weapons was something that that could do with ease. Much of the success of the 1st and 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters can be attributed to Casper Trepp. Sadly he was killed in early 1864. However, the Sharpshooters would pass into history being known as Berdan’s Sharpshooters, one of the legendary Union organizations of the Civil War.

Sources: Coddington, Edwin: “The Gettysburg Campaign”, Catton, Bruce “The Army of the Potomac Trilogy: Mr. Lincoln’s Army, Glory Road, A Stillness At Appomattox”, Stevens, Captain C.A. (Historian 1st & 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters): “Berdan’s Sharpshooters in the Army of the Potomac”

One of the Special Exhibits on display at The Heritage Museums & Gardens is a collection of intricately detailed military miniatures representing historical military organizations from the Revolutionary War through the Spanish-American War. On the same shelf in one of the display cases are two Civil War regiments that would become well known for their colorful uniforms and their bravery. The two regiments are the 14th Brooklyn Chasseurs (nickname “Red Legged Devils” – Union) and Wheat’s Louisiana Tiger Battalion (or Wheat’s Tigers – Confederate).  The 14th Brooklyn and Wheat’s Tigers would be “introduced” to each other at the first major land battle of the Civil War, First Bull Run, fought 158 years ago on 21 July 1861.

As their name indicates, the 14th Brooklyn was recruited mainly from the borough of Brooklyn in New York City and its ranks consisted of members of high standing in the Brooklyn community, largely businessmen, tradesmen and firemen. For a uniform the regiment adopted the “Zouave” type uniform worn by the French troops in Algeria at the time. The Zouave style was very popular with several Union and Confederate regiments early in the Civil War. The 14th Brooklyn Zouave style consisted of a navy blue jacket with red trim and bright red pantaloons. Tan leather gaiters covered covered their boots and gathered the cuffs of their pants. For head gear either a bright red cap with blue trim or a blue cap with red trim. Unlike other Zouave regiments, who switched to the standard blue jacket and sky blue pants worn by most Union regiments, the 14th Brooklyn maintained their colorful outfits for the entire conflict.

The 14th Brooklyn departed New York City for Washington D.C. on 18 May 1861 under the command of Colonel Alfred M. Wood.

The background of the men who made up Wheat’s Tiger Battalion was the extreme polar opposite of that of the 14th Brooklyn. The Battalion took their name from their commander, Major Chatham Roberdeau Wheat, who went by “Rob” Wheat. Organized in New Orleans, the men of the Battalion were predominantly Irish immigrants recruited from the docks, wharves and warehouses lining the Mississippi waterfront. Such a band of scamps, scalawags, spalpeens, rascals and rapscallions had never been organized under one flag before. They fought with each other, and with anyone who ventured into their camps. Other Confederate regiments were terrified of them. The only person who was able to control them was Rob Wheat. Wheat was, for the time, a behemoth standing 6’4” and weighing 250 pounds. A New Orleans lawyer, Wheat spent more time practicing military arts than law. Wheat was a “filibuster”, or soldier of fortune. By the time the Civil War started he had been a General in two foreign armies and a Colonel in a 3rd. His “Tigers” were terrified of him because of his immense size and his ferocity. He kept his men in line by maintaining strict discipline, and threatening to dismember them with his sword if they got out of hand. It is probably a good thing that Wheat’s Tigers were so feared, nobody was going to make fun of them because of their uniforms. A Zouave style uniform also, the companies of the Tiger Battalion wore a different color jacket, either blue, brown or red. Head gear varied too, but they were issued red fez with a red tassel. The one uniform article that all the men of the Battalion wore were pantaloons with vertical white and blue stripes. Being the band of cut throats that they were, the Tigers all carried Bowie knives or short swords that were not of military issue. Wheat and his Tigers departed New Orleans for far away Manassas Junction, VA, on 13 June 1861.

On 21 July 1861, 158 years ago, the 14th Brooklyn and Wheat’s Tigers would come face to face on the battlefield at Manassas, Virginia, known as the First Battle of Bull Run. What initially began as a day of promise for the Union Army turned into confusion and indecision. Confusion because rookie troops were expected to perform complicated maneuvers under fire, compounded by the fact that there were Confederate regiments clothed in blue and Union regiments wearing gray.

A case of mistaken identity led to the confrontation between the 14th Brooklyn and Wheat’s Tigers. Two excellent Union artillery batteries (United States regulars led by Captains Griffin and Ricketts) were wreaking havoc on the Confederates. Rebel troops were ordered by General Stonewall Jackson to charge and capture the battery cannons. As the Rebels emerged from the smoke and woods, Griffin & Ricketts stopped firing because the troops were wearing blue. A gust of wind unfurled the flags of the approaching troops to reveal their true identity. It was too late for Griffin & Ricketts to fire on the fast approaching troops. The Rebels unleashed a volley that wounded both Ricketts and Griffin, as well as killing and wounding several artillery men and horses. The Rebels were among the cannons and the surviving Yankees fled. A counterattack by the New York Fire Zouaves, 14th Brooklyn and the 1st Minnesota Union regiments recaptured the guns. Fighting swirled around the guns as both armies attacked and counter attacked the position. The 14th Brooklyn would make four attacks to try and re-take the cannons. As they made their 4th attack Stonewall Jackson tried to steady his troops and said “look out boys, here come those red legged devils again”. From then until the end of the Civil War both Union and Confederate armies would refer to the 14th Brooklyn as “The Red Legged Devils”.

Confederate General Stonewall Jackson would order another counter-attack to try and re-capture Griffin’s & Ricketts’ batteries. In this attack he sent Rob Wheat and the Louisiana Tigers. The Tigers ran right into the 14th Brooklyn and a wild melee occurred. The fighting became hand to hand, clubbed muskets, bayonets and the Tigers putting their Bowie knives to use. In the attack, Colonel Wood and Rob Wheat would fall wounded, Wood severely and Wheat’s wound was thought to be fatal. The 14th Brooklyn was able to cause Wheat’s Tigers to retreat. However, a strong Confederate counter-attack from another location, this time with enough troops that outnumbered the 14th Brooklyn and their supporting 11th New York and 1st Minnesota. The Union regiments slowly withdrew, firing as they went, maintaining their cool as they did so. This was significant because most of the other Union regiments began to flee the battlefield.

After the maelstrom of battle around the batteries of Ricketts and Griffin, and because the 14th Brooklyn got the upper hand of Wheat’s Tigers, the two units would become bitter, deadly rivals and would encounter each other for the next 4 years, on many battlefields. The wounds suffered by Colonel Alfred Wood of the 14th Brooklyn were so severe that he was discharged a few months after the battle because he could no longer perform his duties. The bullet that felled Rob Wheat traveled through his body, through both lungs. In 1861 medical practice, the wound was considered fatal. Doctors told Rob Wheat that there was no history of anyone ever surviving such a wound. Rob Wheat said “Well, put my name down for the first to survive then”. Which he did. He would not be able to survive wounds suffered the following May during the 7 Days battles near Richmond.

After Colonel Wood’s resignation, the second in command of the 14th Brooklyn, Lt. Colonel Edward Fowler would take over the regiment and command it until the regiment completed its 3 year enlistment terms in 1864. After the death of Rob Wheat in 1862, there was no commander who could control the Tigers. The battalion was broken up and distributed among other regiments in Confederate General Harry Hays Louisiana Brigade. The whole Brigade became known as “The Louisiana Tiger Brigade”.

In the display of the military miniatures at the Heritage Museum and Gardens, a Revolutionary War militia unit from South Carolina was put between the Red Legged Devils and Wheat’s Tigers. If I were setting up the display, I would probably have done that. Had they been placed next to each other, I believe that within short order, the toy soldiers of the 14th Brooklyn and Wheat’s Tigers would be at each others throats.

Sources: William C. Davis: “Battle At Bull Run: The First Major Campaign of the Civil War” & Time Life Books Volume II: “First Blood, Fort Sumter to Bull Run”, Shelby Foote: “The Civil War: A Narrative. Volume I, Fort Sumter to Perryville”, Harry W. Pfanz: “Gettysburg: The First Day” (for more info on 14th Brooklyn), Clifford Downey: “The 7 Days: The Emergence of Robert E. Lee and the Dawn of a Legend” (for more info on Rob Wheat & Wheat’s Tiger Battalion), Blue & Gray Magazine issues related to First Battle of Bull Run, Civil War Times Illustrated issues relating to First Battle of Bull Run, Mark Boatner: “The Civil War Encyclopedia”.

I did not include pages, chapters, paragraphs in my references, these are the books that I remember reading and learning about the subject material.

Back on May 28, I entered a post about the anniversary of the departure of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry from Boston to action in South Carolina. The 54th Massachusetts was one of the first regiments of black soldiers to be organized to fight for the Union in the Civil War.

On this day in 1863, the 54th Massachusetts would take part in its first major action of the Civil War, the attack on Fort Wagner, located on Morris Island, South Carolina. As part of General George C. Strong’s Brigade, the 54th was selected to lead the assault. They would be supported by the four remaining regiments in their Brigade, as well as the four regiments in Col. Haldimend Putnam’s Brigade.

Led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the the 600 men of 54th began their advance on the West face of Fort Wagner, about 240 yards away. When they got within about 150 yards of their objective, Confederate artillery and small arms opened fire on the 54th, tearing holes in their formation. The 54th broke into a charge and briefly carried a portion of the works, but could not maintain their position and a Confederate counter attack drove them from the fort.

Casualties were heavy from the attack. General Strong would took a wound in the thigh from a grape shot round and would die two weeks later from sepsis. Colonel Putnam was killed during the assault. The 54th suffered 247 casualties, about 40% of their strength. Among the killed was Col. Shaw.

Word of the gallant charge and bravery displayed by the 54th Massachusetts convinced President Lincoln to create more black regiments. The movie “Glory” chronicals the 54th Massachusetts through recruiting, training and Fort Wagner assault.

Sources:

Boatner, Mark: “ The Civil War Encyclopedia

The Official Records of the War of the Rebellion

Foote, Shelby: The Civil War, from Fredericksburg to Meridien

Assorted articles from Blue & Gray Magazine and Civil War Times Illustrated among others.

On a drive back from Maine a couple of weeks ago, Barb and her brother were kind enough to indulge my desire to make a side trip to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, so I could snap a couple of photos of the equestrian statue of Civil War General Fitz-John Porter. Fitz-who? You ask? I believe that Fitz-John Porter would have been as recognizable a name as Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, or Custer. However Porter was relegated to the scrap heap of obscurity after being court-martialed and cashiered for disobedience of orders. His trial was the sensation of late 1862 through the end of January 1863. It was conducted in an open court with every major newspaper having reporters on hand to witness it. The Official Records of the War of The Rebellion consists of 128 volumes covering all 4 years of the war and they contain pretty much every order, every report, every correspondence, etc. that were written. The Fitz-John Porter court-martial was so significant that one single volume of that 128 book opus covers the trial.
After being cashiered, Porter spent the next 20 years trying to clear his name. He finally was successful.
His is a fascinating story. He was a brave and highly capable soldier, but had an arrogant streak and suffered fools lightly. His intemperate and derogatory comments against an officer (John Pope) who was a close friend of both Lincoln and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton were used to support the claim that he disobeyed orders and contributed to Pope’s debacle at the battle of 2nd Bull Run. I have been laboring over the court martial tome and need to find a few more out of date sources, but basically the trial was rigged. Because of Pope’s political relationships, the members of the court were Officers who were Republicans and supporters of Lincoln. There is only one author that I know of (Kenneth P. Williams) who claims that Porter was guilty as charged, but I have to find the book he wrote to see why he felt that way. I think that there may have been some things that Porter could have done better, but the orders he was given by Pope were confusing and contradictory, and clearly indicated that Pope did not have an adequate understanding of the tactical situation at The 2nd Battle of Bull Run. Porter’s photo is in the center below, John Pope’s photo to the right of Porter. Last picture is a sketch of the trial.

Equestrian Statue of Major General Fitz-John Porter in Portsmouth, NH

Members of court martial included future President James A. Garfield

A single volume of the the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion dedicated to Fitz-John Porter trial.

Photo of Fitz-John Porter as Major General, US Volunteers

Inept commander of Union Army of Virginia and Porter nemesis, Major General John Pope.

Trial was open to public.  War correspondent and artist Alfred Waud captured proceedings.