Blogging Through the Alphabet: H is for Howe

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"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword,
His truth is marching on."

One of the most memorable songs to come from the American Civil War time period, The Battle Hymn of the Republic, still inspires us today as it is sung in churches and schools. What started off as a favorite marching song of the Union Army would transform into a staple amongst patriotic music when Julia Ward Howe changed the lyrics.

Julia Ward Howe (b. May 27, 1819 – d. October 17, 1910) was a descendant of Roger Williams (founder of the Rhode Island colony). Her mother died when she was only five years old, and the care of Julia and her siblings was left to her father, Samuel Ward, a successful banker. When Julia's father died when she was 20 years old, she and two of her sisters moved to her brother Sam's house. Between her aunt, her own thirst for knowledge, and her brother's household, she would become very well-educated and meet many famous men and women of the world, including Charles Dickens, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

In 1843, while touring the New England Institute for the Blind, she met Dr. Samuel Howe (who was twenty years her senior). He was a physician of international repute for his work with the blind and the deaf. And Dr. Howe was one of the secret six who helped finance John Brown's insurrection at Harper's Ferry. They had a very tumultuous marriage. She enjoyed writing and socializing while he preferred quiet and solitude.

New Lyrics 

While in Washington D.C., Julia was touring Union Army Camps with her husband and Reverend James Freeman Clarke and heard the men singing John's Brown's Body. This was a perfect song for the marching feet of the soldiers. The melody was from an old Methodist camp meeting song, but the words were added during the American Civil War. Oddly enough, the song's origins were not about the abolitionist John Brown, but about a sergeant in the 2nd Battalion of the Boston Light Infantry of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia. However, it would gain popularity amongst all the Union camps and be connected to the John Brown and not the sergeant with the same name.

When hearing the song, Reverend Clarke suggested Julia write new lyrics to the tune to replace those of John Brown's Body. After the tours of the Union Army camps, she retired and went to bed as usual. She woke before dawn the next day with the words forming. By sunrise, she had finished six stanzas. The first draft is dated November 1861 and over the course of several weeks, she edited her lyrics. 

In February of 1862, Julia Ward Howe's work was published in The Atlantic Monthly. She was paid five dollars and The Battle Hymn of the Republic appeared on the first page. Her song would become an uplifting patriotic anthem during the American Civil War and continue with that fame to today. 

After the American Civil War, Julia Ward Howe would establish and lead several different women's organizations, champion for votes for women, and become a peace advocate. In 1908, Julia was the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She would also be given an honorary degree from Smith College. 

From working with the U.S. Sanitary Commission during the American Civil War to her many writings, Julia Ward Howe has many accomplishments, but perhaps she is best known today as the author of The Battle Hymn of the Republic or even as being instrumental in the celebration of the first Mother's Day (even if it has changed dramatically from her proclamation for a day of peace). I think it will be interesting to see how history changes regarding Howe as – during my research of this article – I found contradictory information and reflections of today's standards being imposed upon her biography. 

Blogging Through the Alphabet: G is for Gunsmiths and the American Civil War

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It goes without saying that gunsmiths played an important role during the American Civil War. From names we know, like Samuel Colt and Eliphalet Remington to Christian Sharps, Christopher Spencer, and Benjamin Henry, there were several influential men in the gunsmith industry who helped modernize weapons and impacted the way the American Civil War was fought.

Revolver 

Samuel Colt (Jul 19, 1814- January 10, 1862) perfected the first pistol of its kind while in his 20s. Colt received his first patent in 1835 and started the Patent Arms Company in Patterson, New Jersey. He would later set up a factory in Hartford, Connecticut, where he introduced interchangeable parts and assembly lines to help with production. After additional improvements were made to the design, his sales increased during the Texas Revolution and the Mexican-American War. Improvements would continue to be made, and the Colt revolver would be a popular choice during the Civil War. In fact, the Union Army purchased 130,000 Colt Revolvers and individual soldiers purchased 70,000.

Rifles 

Christian Sharps (January 2, 1810-March 12, 1874) designed the Sharps .54-caliber rifle, which was a single-shot breech loader. He was issued a patent on September 12, 1848, for what would eventually become the first commercially successful breech-loading rifle. It could fire 8 to 10 rounds per minute. The Sharps carbine, shorter and lighter than the standard rifles, would be a favorite among the cavalry of the Union Army.

Another man from Connecticut, Christopher Spencer (June 20, 1833 – January 14, 1922), would also impact the American Civil War with his gunsmithing.  Spencer, who had 42 patents during his lifetime, would design a gun with a self-priming metallic cartridge in 1860. The Spencer repeating rifle was the first military breech-loading repeating rifle. The ammunition was loaded in a chamber at the rear of the gun barrel instead of the muzzle. The Spencer rifle became the standard arm of the Union Cavalry in the later stages of the American Civil War. This partly came about because Spencer personally demonstrated his rifle in a shooting match on the White House lawn to Abraham Lincoln.

Benjamin Henry (March 22, 1821-June 8, 1898), who worked for the Oliver Winchester Company in Connecticut, designed the .44-caliber Henry rifle. The Henry rifle's magazine held 15 bullets and was produced for army use starting in mid-1861. The Henry rifle was the first reliable lever-action repeating rifle.

Machine Guns 

In 1862, Dr. Richard Gatling (September 12, 1818 – February 26, 1903) patented the first hand-cranked weapon known as the Gatling gun. It had six barrels that would rotate around a central axis. The Gatling gun could fire 175 rounds per minute. It would be the first successful machine gun. Even though Gatling was born and raised in North Carolina, he would be a supporter of the Union, but that did not mean that his gun would only be used by the Union Army. Union General Benjamin Butler was the only Union general to purchase any Gatling guns, and they were only used once during the American Civil War.

The quote is different depending upon where you read it, but Gatling wrote regarding his thought in designing the Gatling gun, "It occurred to me if I could invent a machine – a gun – which would by its rapidity of fire enable one man to do as much battle as a hundred, then the number of men exposed to danger would be diminished." Personally, I understand the dream behind his thoughts, but the practicality is unfathomable. As we know having machine guns in war does not mean fewer men are put in the way of danger, but in reality, more men. We just have to look at the deaths in World War I as men went over the top (in trench warfare) to meet their death at the hands of one soldier operating a machine gun.

There were so many firsts in the world of gunsmithing prior to and during the American Civil War. Each gunsmith set forth to improve upon the design of guns for multiple reasons. Some even wanted to improve upon the design so that there would be less death and danger on the battlefield, like Gatling.  It's interesting to note most of the advancements took place in the North, but then again, it makes sense, considering the North was home to more of the factories than the South. 

Homeschooling Plans for our First Grader

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We were blessed with reviewing My Father's World kindergarten curriculum, God's Creation from A to Z Package last year. I really appreciated having everything organized and laid out for me because it allowed me to focus on pulling materials together for our oldest son's final year of high school. With the great experience with My Father's World, we decided to purchase the first grade curriculum for our daughter.

There are so many wonderful components to the Learning God's Story first grade curriculum from My Father's World. Personally, one of my favorite aspects is the Learning God's Story Teacher's Manual. Each week is laid out on a grid for Monday through Friday and then additional information follows that week's grid. It makes it so easy to plan the individual days as we move through the curriculum. 

Our daughter was so excited when everything arrived and wanted to get started immediately – even though we were finishing up the kindergarten curriculum. As we unboxed everything, our daughter was quite enamored with the math manipulatives, but I was very excited to see My Big Book of 5-Minute Devotions. I love that it included devotions based upon animals. What a neat idea! 

What Did We Get? 

The package that we ordered last year included the following: 

• Learning God's Story Teacher's Manual
• Student Sheets for Learning God's Story
• Student Workbook
• Bible Notebook 
• Bible Reader
• Geared Student Clock
• Horizontal Addition and Subtraction Flashcard Set
• My Big Book of 5-Minute Devotions
• Pattern Animals: Puzzles for Pattern Blocks
• Science with Plants
• Science with Water
• Outdoor Things 
• The Complete Book of Math Grades 1 - 2
• Unifix Cubes - 100
• Wooden Pattern Blocks
  

How Have We Used My Father's World? 

When we started using our first grade curriculum, we spent the first several weeks following the Teacher's Manual and completing the majority of the suggested activities. Everything went very smoothly as we read from My Big Book of 5-Minute Devotions, completed pages in our Math Workbook, and worked in the Student Workbook. I enjoyed working one-on-one with our daughter. 

When my mom's health began to deteriorate more quickly, we needed to take a break from the parent-led instruction of My Father's World and turn to other work that would allow our daughter to continue to learn while freeing me for other tasks. I went through some of the workbooks we have collected over the years, printed out worksheets, and found other activities for her to do. I utilized some of the subscriptions we received as members of the Homeschool Review Crew for our daughter, too. 

After the death of my mom, we were able to jump back into our first grade curriculum from My Father's World. So, while most are finished or finishing up their 36 weeks of first grade, we are right in the middle of it, and because we homeschool, it doesn't matter. We can move at our own pace. Because My Father's World is a complete curriculum that does not rely upon online subscriptions, we didn't have to worry about running out of time. I opened up the Teacher's Manual, collected the books and materials we needed, and we started again. 

Daily Schedule 

Each day when we get started on our homeschooling, I usually hand to our daughter the one or two things she can do on her own as I get her brother organized. Recently, this has been handing her the chart for her to write the numbers over 101 and the chart listing the 66 books of the Bible. 

As we started each day, I looked through the specific day on the grid to see what activities we have scheduled. After our daughter completes the few tasks she can do independently, we review the Proverb for the week together. During the week, she will write it out on her own. Then, each day contains a Bible/History activity or reading, a language arts/reading lesson, a math lesson (utilizing The Complete Book of Math book most days), and sometimes there are music, science, or art activities. 

One of the things I love about homeschooling first grade is that we can complete all the work in a short amount of time, which allows our daughter to have a lot of free time to pursue her own interests. She can play with her toys, read books, color, or complete STEM kit activities.

Adding In 

I also included other activities and lessons from a variety of resources for our daughter this year. As the Social Media Manager of the Homeschool Review Crew, I receive a variety of homeschool products and resources over the course of the year. Some of them are above her age range or grade level, but there have been quite a few that are a good fit for her first grade homeschooling. 

We have been slowly working through Preschool: Exploring God's Love from Positive Action Bible Curriculum. Even though she is in first grade, this curriculum has been a nice addition, as it reviews the key lessons in the Bible. She enjoys the workbook, which includes coloring, cutting, and drawing, and I like the read-aloud sections with questions. 

To sharpen her math skills, we have been using Memoria Math Challenge Level A sporadically. The math curriculum in My Father's World is solid, but I would like her to be able to add more quickly. The Memoria Math Challenge workbook starts with the dictation of numbers, writing the numbers that come after, and then counting and number lines. Eventually, she will be working on her addition math facts. 

Finally, we are adding in more science from Science: Lessons and Investigations from Evan-Moor, courtesy of Timberdoodle (look for a full review in a few weeks). Our son is working on the fourth grade level, while our daughter has the second grade level. They both start with the topic of plants, so we have been completing the lessons and activities together. 

Blogging Through the Alphabet: F is for Fort Pillow

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On April 12, 1864, one of the worst massacres in the American Civil War took place at Fort Pillow, Tennessee. The attack on the Union-controlled Fort was initiated by General Nathan Bedford Forrest, who is a vilified figure in the North as he was involved in several controversial attacks and battles and then became one of the founding members of the Ku Klux Klan. Even though it was counted as a Confederate victory, the attack would be classified as a massacre shortly after the events. 

Background History of Fort Pillow 

Fort Pillow was built by the Confederates in 1861 approximately 40 miles north of Memphis on the Mississippi River. The fort, named for Confederate General Gideon Pillow, itself stood on a high bluff with three lines of entrenchments and a parapet. It would serve to help in the Confederate river defense system until its capture by the Unions in 1862. The Unions would then incorporate it into their own defense system to protect communication and supply lines along the Mississippi River. The Union would even improve upon the defenses at the fort.  

By 1864, Fort Pillow was stationed by mainly recently emancipated and newly trained African American soldiers. The men would come from the 2nd U.S. Colored Light Artillery and the 6th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery. The other half of the 600 men were white troops from the 13th U.S. West Tennessee Cavalry. (Many of these men were also Southerners who had joined the Union cause.) Fort Pillow was under the Union command of Major Lionel Booth on the morning of April 12, 1854. 

Confederate authorities were not pleased with the enlistment of the newly emancipated slaves joining the Union army. In fact, they threatened to execute any African Americans in Federal or Union uniforms. So, while Fort Pillow as not necessary to the success of the Confederate cause, it was seen as the perfect place to attack to teach the Union a lesson. The Confederates saw the fort as filled with runaway slaves and traitors. So, General Forrest set out to attack Fort Pillow.  

The Attack 

On April 12, 1864, 1,500 cavalrymen began the attack on the Union fort. Confederate sharpshooters opened fire from high ground and soon Fort Pillow was on fire. During the early hours of the battle, Major Lionel Booth was killed by a sharpshooter's bullet as he was cheering his men on in the battle. This left the inexperienced Major William Bradford in charge. 

With the surrounding of Fort Pillow by Forrest's men, the Confederate General demanded an unconditional surrender from the Union. So, by the afternoon, Bradford had to make a decision. Keep fighting or surrender and trust that the men of Fort Pillow would be treated as prisoners of war. Bradford, hoping that Union boats would be bringing reinforcements, requested a delay in responding to the surrender. Forrest refused to give Bradford more time, so Bradford sent his refusal to surrender. 

Forrest gave the order for the Confederate troops to swarm Fort Pillow. The 600 Union soldiers fell to one of three fates: 

• Some Union men died or fell wounded fighting.
• Some Union men fled downriver to escape the Confederates. 
• The Union men who attempted to surrender received no mercy. 

After the Massacre

There would be disagreements as to why the men who surrendered were shown no mercy. A Congressional investigation would take place and the actions at Fort Pillow would lead the Union to refuse to participate in future prisoner of war exchanges with the Confederacy.

Forrest would later state that he was not close enough to the action to be able to control his men and that is why they acted the way they did. He also stated that he and his men did nothing wrong, as Bradford had refused to surrender. And supposedly, the men who were surrendering when the Confederates swarmed Fort Pillow were not easy to distinguish between those who were continuing to fight. 

Eyewitness accounts of the day shared that the Union were being shot or bayoneted in cold blood. Even after the Union soldiers surrendered, the Confederates continued to gun down the Union men. They not only attacked the two African American regiments, but also the white Tennesseans whom the Confederates considered to be turncoats. Fort Pillow would turn out to be a slaughter pen in the end. Of the 262 African Soldiers, only 58 would be alive at the end of the fighting.

It was not just the Union men who shared the brutality of the events at Fort Pillow. Confederate Sergeant Achilles Clark of Forrest's command shared with his sister: "I with others tried to stop the butchery...but General Forrest ordered them shot down like dogs and the carnage continued."

Whether or not Forrest gave a clear command to slaughter the Union men at Fort Pillow, it is clear he lost control of his troops that day, leading to it being called a massacre. Historians still debate exactly what happened but it doesn't really matter because "Remember Fort Pillow" became a rallying cry and helped encourage many Union troops for the remainder of the war. 

Do You Want to Learn More? 

History Resources: The Fort Pillow Massacre 

Nathan Bedford Forrest Biography 

Tennessee State Parks: History of Fort Pillow 

Blogging Through the Alphabet: E is for Engineering During the American Civil War

 

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Great feats of engineering took place before and during the American Civil War. According to U.S. General George G. Meade, "The art of bridge building advanced more during 1861-1865 than during the previous one thousand years." Just how did the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers impact the war? 

Who Were the Engineers? 

Only a small portion of those who graduated at the top of their class at West Point would enter the Corps of Engineers. Men like Robert E. Lee, George McClellan, Henry Halleck, Joseph Johnston, George Meade, Gouverneur K. Warren, and P.G.T. Beauregard were all members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prior to the start of the American Civil War. 

Prior to the American Civil War, the engineers would build public buildings and monuments in Washington D.C., and install pipes to transport water, and bridges. They also surveyed land out west, oversaw the construction of lighthouses, maintained harbors, and managed the permanent fortifications to protect the nation. They were a permanent branch of the Army.

What Did They Do During the War? 

The top engineers would guard railroads and bridges and often never saw combat. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers mapped areas, aided in the construction of different bridges and forts, destroyed enemy supply lines, and assisted in siege warfare. 

They were vital because they built and fortified important forts, bridges, and locations to such an extent that they survived the war. For example, the bridges at Washington experienced ten times the volume expected during the war, yet they remained unarmed by all the additional traffic. In addition to the bridges around Washington D.C., they also worked on the multi-fort ring of defenses for the capital. By the end of the war, there were sixty-eight forts within a thirty-seven-mile perimeter to defend the capital. This freed up important generals and troops to enter the battlefield rather than needed to stay behind to defend the capital and White House. 

There were also men from the engineers who served on the battlefield by working as carpenters, masons, and other skilled workers. They would also help construct the pontoon bridges and direct the siege warfare during battles. And after a Confederate town or city fell to the Union, engineers would enter and rebuild the infrastructure. They would repair such things as the railroad lines to reconnect the city with the surrounding countryside. 

Herman Haupt, born in Philadelphia, PA, graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1835. He would go to work as a railroad engineer and would also spend time as a mathematics and engineering professor at Pennsylvania College.  Prior to the American Civil War, he patented a portable truss technique that bears his name - Haupt Truss. Two of his Haupt truss bridges still stand in Altoona and Ardmore, PA. They were both built in 1854. He would receive the rank of colonel and be put in charge of the US Military Railroad System, but after being named a brigadier in September 1862, he turned in his commission and worked without rank or pay. He did not want any restrictions on his work which the commission brought. His organized trains kept the Union Army well-equipped and supplied. 

There are many locations that feature the engineering work of the men during the American Civil War including:  

• Washington's Long Bridge across the Potomac River 
• Trestle bridge near Whiteside, VA
• Cabin John Bridge 
• Fort Stevens 

Even with so much destruction, the American Civil War did bring with it advancements in different areas, such as engineering. 

You can read more about Herman Haupt to find out what he did, in addition to the small bit of information I included here. And you might also be interested to know how Gouverneur K. Warren impacted the battle of Gettysburg, too.