Laurie's Civil trivia facts

8/26/07
On April 10, 1865, General Robert E. Lee issued his final order-one of farewell-to the soldiers of the Army of Northern Virginia. It read:
"After four years of arduous service marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude, the Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources. I need not tell the brave survivors of so many hard faught battles, who have remained steadfast to the last, that I have consented to this result from no distrust of them. But feeling that valor and devotion could accomplish nothing that could compensate for the loss that must have attended the continuance of the contest, I determined to avoid the useless sacrifice of those whose past services have endeared them to their countrymen.
By the terms of the agreement, officers and men can return to their homes and remain until exchanged. You will take with you the satisfaction that proceeds from the consciousness of duty faithfully performed, and I earnestly pray that a merciful God will extend to you His blessing and protection.
With an unceasing admiration of your constancy and devotion to your Country, and a grateful remembrance of your kind and generous consideration for myself, I bid you all an affectionate farewell.
Signed R.E. Lee, Genl.

8/13/07
Clara Barton was working as a clerk in Washington D.C. in 1861 when a Union regiment arrived in town, Dirty and bloodied from a war attack. Clara rounded up baskets of towels, handkerchiefs, bandages, food , clothes and other supplies for the men. It was the start of a new career as a one woman soldiers aid society.
She loaded up a wagon and delivered goods to the field hospitals.
She carried food and water to men still lying in the battlefields. She became known as "an angel in the battlefield".
Clara Barton was the founder of The American Red Cross in 1881.

8/3/07
Julia Ward Howewent to a parade to honor the soldiers. Agroup of soldiers sang a popular war song called "John Brown's Body". Julia stood up and marched and sang with them. Someone asked her why she didn't write some good words to that stirring tune. She said she had often thought of it but no words came to mind. Very early the next morning as she lay in bed " the long lines of the desired poem began to twine themselves" in her mind. " I must get up and write these verses before I forget them" She found a pen and paper and began writing, "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord..." The poem was published in The Atlantic Monthly. Soldiers found inspiration in the lyrics and sang them to the melody of "John Brown's Body" , making the great
"Battle Hymn of the Republic" the war's best rememberd song.

7/17/07
Very little is written about children participating in the Civil War. I found a picture and a story of a William Wood and his son Richard. At age 11, Richard was too young to carry a rifle but he went to war with his dad. He tended the wounded and the dying and also helped to bury the dead. When the father ,William was 11 years old he served as a translator for King Dinnam, a Zulu chief. Apparently he thought it was a normal thing to do... take a young son into war.

6/26/07
Five years before she wrote Little Women, Louisa May Alcott worked in a Civil War hospital under very, very unsanitary conditions. She became known as " the nurse with the bottle" because she tried to douse the strong odors of the hospital with lavender water.

6/4/07
The weather is warming up so its a perfect time to be indoors sewing on the quilt blocks! Last week I visited the Lincoln Shrine in Redlands (behind A.K. Smiley library) . I really enjoyed it. They said they usually have their Civil War quilt up but another display has taken its place until October. Rats!! Try to go. Its fun and interesting to read and see all the info on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. It's free.

Here are some basic facts on Abe Lincoln and the CIvil War
Lincoln was Pres. of the U.S. from 1860 to 1865
The Civil War was fought from 1861 to 1865
In 1863 Lincoln issued The Emancipation Proclamation which declared that all slaves would be free.
That same year he gave his famous Gettysburg Address in a cemetary in Gettysburg, PA. to honor the soldiers that had lost their lives in the war.
Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865 - just five days after the Civil War ended.

5/21/07
Here's a paragraph from the book, Hidden In Plain View .
" The African American quilt is all to often dismissed as something old, tattered, discolored and in pieces. We often fail to look deeper- fail to realize that which is old and torn is spiritually textured; that which is stained is marked by grace; and that which is fragmented comes together to create something new, whole and beautiful. The quilt can be a metaphor for perserverance and continuity. The many scraps of fabric needed to make a quilt ... usually have special meaning because they are taken from garments of deceased relatives or given as tokens of friendship. The quilt then becomes a visible and tangible link to the past and a connection to the future."

5/7/07
Harriet Truman was a runaway slave who found the courage to help lead 300 slaves to freedom through the under ground railroad. The underground railroad was not underground and it was not a railroad. It was simply a secret way of escape for the slaves. The railroad operated before and during the civil war.

4/23/07
Here's an interesting bit about the uniforms the soldiers wore.
The Union States (North) wore dark blue uniforms. The Confederate
States wore grey. Some of the dark blue Union clothes faded to grey and
the confederate grey faded to light brown. Needless to say there was
some confusion on the battlefield. No wonder there were 600,000**
deaths
in this war!