FORT MACON DISPATCH
Official Newsletter of the Fort Macon Civil War Roundtable
Volume 8  Issue 7,  July, 2008

Editor’s Corner. 

The individual from the Civil War era that I admire and respect the most is not one of the politicians such as Pres. Davis or Lincoln, nor one of the noted generals like Gen. Lee or Jackson, but George Washington Rhodes, an illiterate, oldest son of a farmer and Baptist preacher. Today we hear a lot about the volunteer army, George joined a volunteer army on May 24, 1861, four days after North Carolina left the Union. He enlisted not to keep slaves, because no one in his family owned any, but to defend his State from an unwelcomed invader. He would be just as devoted to his cause and maybe more so than his more famous namesake. On June 19, 1861, he was assigned to Company “G”, 2nd North Carolina State Troops and over the years would be joined by four of his brothers, two of whom would died in service. While missing the battles of First Manassas (Bull Run) and the Seven Days, George would be in every other battle of the war with the Army of Northern Virginia except Sayler’s Creek. His regiment would lead Gen. “Stonewall” Jackson’s famous attack on the Union right flank at Chancellorsville. On the Gettysburg campaign alone his unit would march over 400 miles in 40 days. Detached from the Army of Northern Virginia, the regiment would be assigned to Gen. Early for the last Shenandoah Valley Campaign and the attack on Washington, DC. At the Battle of Cedar Creek, he was the 2nd Regiment Color Bearer and was told by his Brigade Commander to plant the colors in a Union cannon battery which he did, before being shot. Among the souvenirs he received were scars from being shot below the left shoulder at Fredericksburg, left leg below the knee at Gettysburg, losing a finger and shot in leg at Spotsylvania, and the a bullet went in his right wrist and side at Cedar Creek. A less painful memory was of leading a prayer meeting for the troops after the Battle of Mine Run, which was joined by Gen. Lee and his staff. While recovering from his wounds at Spotsylvania, he received a 40 day pass which he used to go home and get married.

George would serve until he was captured on April 3, 1865, in Petersburg, VA, six days before Gen. Lee surrendered. He was kept at Point Lookout Prison, MD, until June 17, 1865, when he finally signed an Oath of Allegiance. In 1914 when asked what his most trying experience in the war was he answered; “The fear my comrades would think I deserted.” One of his two sons would be named Robert E. Lee Rhodes. I know about George Washington Rhodes because my Great Grandfather married George’s sister Mary Elizabeth in 1867. George died in 1919 and is buried in New Bern, NC-jfr.


Events From July 1861-65.
 
July 3, 1863 – Longstreet’s Assault (Pickett’s Charge) made on third day of Battle of Gettysburg. 
July 4, 1863 – Gen. Grant accepts Gen. Pemberton’s surrender at Vicksburg.
July 5, 1864 – CSA Gen. Early crosses Potomac River to attack Washington, DC.
July 7, 1865 – Pres. Lincoln’s assassination conspirators are hanged in Washington, DC.
July 14, 1863 – Just one week after Battle of Gettysburg, draft riots break out in New York City.
July 17, 1864 – Pres. Davis relives Gen. Johnston and appoints Gen. Hood to command of the Army of Tenn.
July 21, 1861 – On his wife’s birthday, CSA Gen. Jackson earns his nickname “Stonewall” at the Battle of First Manassas
(Bull Run).
July 28, 1861 – Union Gen. George McClellan is given command of the Union Army of  Virginia (Renamed Army of the Potomac).
July 29, 1862 – Confederate female spy Belle Boyd captured by Union troops in Virginia.
July 30, 1864 – Union troops suffer horrible setback at the Battle of the Crater at Petersburg, VA.

Odds and Ends.

     According to Clifford Linedecker, The humiliating nickname "Outhouse Johnstone," dogged Lt. Col. Robert Johnstone for the rest of his military career after he fled in his undershirt and hid under an outhouse to avoid capture by CS ranger John Singleton Mosby in Fairfax Court House, VA."
     Ulysses S. Grant used his influence to help James Longstreet become minister to Turkey after the Civil War?
     Lt. Gen. James Longstreet, according to William Garrett Piston in "Lee's Tarnished Lieutenant: James Longstreet and His Place in Southern History" pioneered the use of the Traverse Trench.  By adding earthen walls that were perpendicular to the main trench wall, men could be placed in "compartments" which would protect them from artillery shrapnel and/ or enfilading fire.
Above thanks to Jennifer Rosenberry of the Civil War Preservation Trust.
     CSA Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s forces supplied the Army of Northern Virginia with great quantities of loot in their various raids. He used a capture telegraph to send the following message to the Union Quartermaster General; “Quartermaster-General Meigs, United States Army; Quality of the mules lately furnished me very poor. Interferes with movement of captured wagons. J.E.B. Stuart
     Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was tone deaf and had no appreciation what so ever for music.
     After the Battle of Fredericksburg, the men of CSA Gen. Longstreet’s command donated $1,400 to aid the town’s citizens whose home were destroyed and had no place to return to.
     Gail Borden’s condensed milk, patented in 1856, became an important part of the Union Soldiers´ diets.
     In the 1860 election, just fewer than 40 percent of the voters backed Abraham Lincoln, who had pledged to preserve the Union, whatever the cost.
     Pres. Lincoln was became concerned because his son Thomas ("Tad")  had not learned to read at the age of nine.
 

Recipe/Cures of the Month.

During active campaigning, the Confederate army would outrun its commissary system. The troops sometimes were scrambling for corn intended for the army’s horses and mules. The feed corn was general dried so the soldiers were forced to find ways to make the rock-hard kernels chewable. Most resorted to parching the corn.
Parched Corn: 1-2 ears of dried or fresh corn, bacon fat or salt pork grease, salt
If fresh corn , pull back the husk and hang up to dry enough to be easily removed.  Place kernels in a skillet with small amount of bacon fat or pork grease. Cover and place on a bed of coals, shaking the pan frequently. Cook until kernels have burst and remove from the fire.  Salt to taste and eat.

Community Events.

      The “Friends of Fort Macon” meet on the first Wednesday of each month 11:30 AM, at the Golden Corral in Morehead City. For further information E-mail request to: friends@clis.com
    The Friends sponsor the tours of Fort Macon and Tour Guides are needed. The pay isn’t high, but the experience is exuberant. Persons wanting to be guides should contact John Rhodes (252) 393-7313.
    The Jacksonville Civil War Roundtable of Eastern North Carolina meets at 6:30 pm on the fourth Thursday of each month. For more information call (910) 455-9873 or (910) 347-5287.
   The Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp #1597 is located in Morehead City, NC. For information contact Dave Burnette at (252) 223-4765
      The New Bern Civil War Roundtable meets in the conference room of the New Bern Firemen’s Museum 408 Hancock St., at 7 pm on the second Wednesday of the month.

Answers to Last Month’s Questions?

Q. During the Battle of First Manassas, what civilian occupant was of the Henry House was killed?
A. The elderly bedridden Mrs. Judith Henry was mortally wounded when an artillery shell passed into her house and exploded.
Q. What Southern capital was burned on Feb. 17, 1865?
A. On this date Columbia, SC, the capital of South Carolina, was set afire by Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s army and more than half the city destroyed for no military purpose.   
Q. What Union general was known as the “Bull of the Woods”?
A. Gen. Edwin V. Sumner of Massachusetts, receive this nickname because of his bellowing voice.
Q. Who was the Union commander at the Second Battle of Manassas?
A. Gen. John Pope.
Q. During the Battle of Pea Ridge March 7-8, 1862, where did the Confederate commander have his headquarters?
A. During the battle Confederate Gen. Earl Van Dorn, who was ill at the time, directed the combat from an ambulance. Van Dorn lost the battle.  
This Month’s Questions?

Q. How many miles were covered by the Union cavalry during Grierson’s Raid and how long did it take? (This one for the John Wayne fans).
Q. What observation did Union Gen. George G. Meade make after the Battles of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor?
Q. When were Black troops first used in battle?
Q. What battle was launched with these polite words: “Bring up your men, gentlemen”?
Q. What event in December, 1862, forced Gen. Grant to postpone his advance against Vicksburg?

Meetings Schedule.

July 22, 2008 – Meeting will be a discussion of the efforts to preserve Civil War Battlefields and sites at both the national and state levels; including the Civil War Preservation Trust, lesser know organizations, the New Bern and Kinston preservation work, and the State Battlefield Park at Bentonville.  
August 26, 2008 – Open.
      Need speakers and ideas. If you’d like to give a talk or have any ideas for meeting topics, suggestions, or whatever, please contact Brian Kraus.

Membership.
The fee to enlist or re-enlist for 2008 is $15 for an individual membership or the family economy package for $25.

A Membership Form is available by selecting the "Membership" option on the left.

Mail to Address: Fort Macon Civil War Roundtable or FMCWR
                             P.O. Box 1862
                             Morehead City, NC  28557-1862