michigan civil war sesquicentennial circular · michigan remembers gettysburg - ... veterans...

Subject: Michigan CWS Circular December 2013

From: [email protected] ([email protected])

To: [email protected];

Date: Saturday, December 28, 2013 9:39 PM

History Remembered, Inc.A Civil War Sesquicentennial

History PartnerDecember 2013 Volume 4, Issue 11

Michigan Civil WarSesquicentennial Circular

In this Issue -

Michigan Remembers GettysburgGettysburg Commemorative Program UpdateA Story of PerseveranceUpcoming EventsInteresting Websites

History Partners

Military Order of the LoyalLegion of the United States,

Michigan Commandery

Sons of Union Veteransof the Civil War,

Department of Michigan

Historic Fort Wayne Coalition

History Remembered, Inc.

Friends of Michigan History

iMichigan Productions, Inc.

As I had stated in the November circular, Iwould be switching from Constant Contactto Robly as a way to deliver these circularsto you. Nothing really changes on yourend. You can still share these with others(and encourage them to join our list ofrecipients) or unsubscribe from receivingthem at all.

One new item beginning witrh this circularis that I have linked each of the History

Michigan Remembers the Civil War -

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12/29/2013http://us-mg205.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.partner=sbc&.rand=5089cbv...

Partners Leadership

Keith HarrisonChair

History Partners website

Bruce B.ButgereitCo-Chair

Libraries, Historical &Genealogical Societies

Tom BerlucchiCo-Chair

Reenactors

John GibneyCo-Chair

Museums & Roundtables

Partners and the Partners Leadership totheir website or email. Just click on thelink you want.

The most important reason I do thesemonthly circulars is for you. Since 2010when I started sending these out, we haveaveraged a nearly 30% open rate, whilethe average is typically 19-20%. Thankyou!

The second most important reason forsending this out is for you to have anavenue to share your events,presentations, exhibits and more withnearly a thousand other recipients of thiscircular. It's a FREE way for you toadvertise how you are remembering theCivil War.

Christmas Day has passed and a newyear is just around the corner. Later in thiscircular is a story about the Third MichiganInfantry as they tried to get home onfurlough in December 1863. I'll alsoprovide a recap of the MichiganRemembers Gettysburg event heldNovember 23 of this year.

As Michigan Remembers the Civil War in2014, one-hundred fifty years ago in 1864were some of the bloodiest battles of thewar in Virginia (Wilderness, Spotsylvania,and Cold Harbor) and Tennessee(Franklin).

Thank you for your efforts tocommemorate Michigan in the Civil War.

Bruce B. Butgereit,Executive DirectorHistory Remembered, Inc.

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Grand Rapids, MI

Michigan Remembers Gettysburg -

After traveling to Gettysburg in a cold rain on Thursday and Friday, we awoke to sunshineon Saturday, November 23, 2013. It was a day will remember for some time.

The Allied Orders of the Department of Michigan, in partnership with the MichiganCommandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, conducted aspecial ceremony on that day in the National Cemetery at Gettysburg to honor Michigan’srole at Gettysburg. Like most states, we decorated the graves of the 175 Michigansoldiers buried there with a U.S. and State of Michigan flag early that Saturday morning.

At 3:30 PM, we returned to conduct a ceremony that personally honored each of the menburied there. This ceremony was the culmination of years of research conducted andcoordinated by Marcia Butgereit of the Champlin Corps No. 41, WRC and HistoryRemembered, Inc. This service included a color guard of the Michigan SVR (Sons ofVeterans Reserve) and other units and a bugler from the 2nd Military District, SVR to playTaps. Brian Egen, member of the Michigan Historical Commission and Chair of theMichigan Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee, presented Michigan Governor RickSnyder’s proclamation and some personal reflections.

As part of the ceremony, Past Commander-in-Chief, Sons of Union Veterans of the CivilWar, Jim Pahl and Michigan Department Commander, SUVCW, Paul Davis assistedMarcia Butgereit, Past National President of the WRC, in reading the names of eachsoldier buried in the cemetery. At the same time, a volunteer honor guard sprinkled asmall amount of soil in front of each headstone. This soil had been collected from thirty-two counties by historians, Boy Scouts, members of our Sister Allied Orders and byeighteen of the twenty-four SUVCW Camps in Michigan. Some of the soil was general tothe city or county where the soldier enlisted while some came from the soldier’s farm orhome. The soil was transported to Gettysburg in a commemorative tin that bore thename, regiment and grave location of each soldier.

Michigan’s own President Lincoln, as portrayed by Fred Priebe, delivered “a fewappropriate remarks” over the graves as did the President 150 years earlier and tributesof floral, evergreen, and grains were placed to close the ceremony.

In the end, we proved that Michigan had not forgotten what they did there.

The photos below are -

l to r: Paul Davis, Marcia Butgereit, and Jim Pahl

The tin of Michigan soil on the graves

President Lincoln as portrayed by Mr. Fred Priebe

Junior members. Rylan Vazquez, Gen. John A. Logan Camp No. 1, Sons of UnionVeterans of the Civil War and Cecilia Jennett, Champlin Corps No. 41, Woman's ReliefCorps

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Tributes: Michigan pine boughs around the base f the stone. Michigan evergreen wreathfrom Michigan Historical Commission. Evergreen wreath with pine cones from Sons ofUnion Veterans. Dried flowers from Michigan Commandery of MOLLUS. Bouquet ofMichigan grains.

Of special interest: During communication regarding the purchase of the dried flowerwreath, I shared the purpose of the wreath with the Saginaw-based artist creatingit. Although we had never met, this woman was so moved by the history and thedescription of the upcoming ceremony that she refunded my money and stated thatalthough she had never done this before, she wanted to do something to honor theMichigan men buried at Gettysburg.

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The Michigan Remembers GettysburgCommemorative Program -

Work continues on the commemorativeprogram. Our best intention was to havethe publication completed by the end ofDecember but that may not beachieved. When the program has gone toprint, I will include more details on how toobtain a copy in the next circular. Weknow you won't be disappointed.

The Third Michigan Infantry on Furlough, 1863 -

This is a story of perseverance.

By 1863, the numbers of men enlisting in the Union Army hadfallen off from the patriotic fervor that had caused so many youngmen to join the ranks in 1861. The death and destruction atAntietam, Gettysburg and other places were not ideal scenes forrecruiting posters.

Needing soldiers to fill the ranks, the Conscription Act of 1863required that all men between the age of 20 and 45 register for adraft. This led to several major uprisings and riots throughout theNorth. The army also offered a 30-day furlough to those mencurrently serving who would reenlist.

Around December 23 and 24, 1863, about 180 men of the ThirdMichigan Infantry Regiment reenlisted as veterans. They weregranted a 30-day "veterans furlough" to return to Michigan.

The following timeline is provided courtesy of Steve Soper,historian of the Third Michigan -

Sunday, December 27: It rained. Still waiting on furloughdocumentation.

Monday, December 28: Still raining. Furlough paperwork arrivesthat night.

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Tuesday, December 29: Several companies board train forhome. Changed trains at Harrisburg, PA.

Wednesday, December 30: Took nearly a day to travel fromHarrisburg to Pittsburgh on account of snow.

Thursday, December 31: Daniel Crotty of Co. F wrote, "...the trainfor Harrisburg, and from there proceed to Pittsburg, through theold Allegheny mountains. From there we travel very slow, for afearful storm of snow is raging all over the north, causing us to layover sometimes on account of its depth. I am sure most of myreaders will remember the first of January, 1864, as thecoldest day that the oldest inhabitant ever saw. I shall alwaysremember it, for the marrow in my bones was almost frozen, andall wished ourselves back to our comfortable camp in old Virginia."

Arrived in Cleveland late New Year's Eve.

Friday, January 1, 1864: Theodore Castor of Co. Gwrote, ",,,started for Toledo and during the night it got to snowing,and after that to freezing. And when we arrived in Toledo earlynext morning [January 1, Friday] there was about two feet of snowon the ground and ten below zero. We got out of the carsand hunted for shelter and something to eat, which we soon foundand waited for something to turn up. And about noon the sun cameout and in a short time the bugle sounded to fall in and everyonerushed for the train and we started for Detroit. And it took us justtwelve hours to make the trip. [The distance between Toledo andDetroit is 54 miles.] And that ended the first day of January, 1864 –– what was called the cold New Year's for many years after."

Saturday, January 2: By January 2, the returning soldiers werestuck in the snow on the Detroit & Milwaukee railroad west ofDetroit. Castor said “We hadn't gone but a few miles when the traingot stuck in the snow and as they had provided themselvesshovels, we were ordered to use them and dig out. And we had to keep up every few miles and finally next day about noon we got toSaint Johns and got a lay off for two hours to get thawed out andrussel[sic] for something to eat. And everybody had his own way ofgetting it.

Sunday, January 3: Three feet of snow on the ground. Crotty

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wrote, "When we arrive in Lowell there are four trains laying over,for the track is blocked with snow in a cut a short distance beyond.Our conductor wants to lay over too, but we can't see it on a 30days' furlough. Now we have built fortifications and breastworks,are as used to the shovel, and can handle it as well as the gun. Sowe tell the conductor to provide us with some of the formerweapons and we will shovel him and his train through. Providedwith the necessary implements, the locomotive snorts and blowsher whistle, and of[f] we go for the snow bank. The engine comesto a sudden halt. We jump out and attack the snow bank, and afterworking hard we soon had the track so clear that the train passedover in safety. We jump aboard, the engine puffs along slowly up the grade, and gains the top all right. She goes faster andfaster, and we come thundering down to the depot of the ValleyCity. [It is 19 miles from Lowell to Grand Rapids.] Of course noone expects us, as all think we are snow–bound somewhere. It iswell they think so, for greater will be their surprise and pleasure tosee us. As we get off the cars the snow is almost blinding, theweather is fearfully cold, and we have to look out for our earsto keep them from freezing. We have a march of a mile to the city,and we find the snow as deep on the road as the mud was at thebattle of Williamsburg –– up to our knees.

When we get to Bridge street, the head of our little column pullsup, for we have some stragglers. Getting into martial order, ourdrummer boy begins to tap his drum, and all keep step as best wecan. Rat, tat, tat, tat, tat, tat, the people all flock from theircomfortable firesides to the doors to see who are passing on thatcold and stormy night. They soon find out who the intruders are,and all flock into the middle of the street, charge on our ranks, andeverything is in utter confusion, for the hands of warm and lovingfriends seize us and welcome us home. We find, onexamination, that some of our number on the march from thedepot, have been attacked by his majesty, king frost, and receivedsevere contusions in the nose and ears, but I myself, as usual,come out without a scratch. A beautiful banquet is prepared for usat the Bronson House, and are welcomed home after two yearsand a half in secessia.

It was Monday, January 4. From the time these men had re-enlisted to the time they arrived home was a total of 13 days to gethome. They would leave Michigan for Virginia on January 25 but

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not before burying their beloved Colonel, Stehpen G. Champlin,who had died from wounds received at Fair Oaks.

Upcoming events -

We had a good turnout for the Michigan Civil WarReenactor Conference, held Saturday, November 9,2013 in Lansing. Many events were placed on thecalendar with additional discussion about each. TheHistory Partners again thank Sandra Clark, Director ofthe Michigan Historical Center, for allowing us theopportunity to hold this conference at the Center. Andthanks again to the Friends of Michigan History forproviding the great-tasting donuts and cider.

There are already 66 events for 2014posted on our website. In 2011, there were169 events. In 2012, there were 180 andin 2013 there were 174. I know of manymore events that never made it to our list.

The website is: www.micw150.us

Your events are posted at NOCHARGE. Please send an email with allof the details and contact information toKeith Harrison at [email protected]

Want your event advertised in thiscircular? Send an email with details andcontact information to Bruce B. Butgereitat [email protected]

Interesting websites -History Remembered, Inc. is not responsible for any additional advertisements that might be on the following websites nordoes HR, Inc. receive any remuneration from any advertiser or website. These sites are provided only for their connection toCivil War stories.

U.S. News & World Report - Several different stories included on this pageCivil War Secrets

New York Times - Several different stories included on this page

The Salt Wars

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Ohio State Marching Band on YouTube - It's 10 minutes long but worth every minutewatching

Gettysburg Address

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michigan civil war sesquicentennial circular · michigan remembers gettysburg - ... veterans...

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