The Irish Volunteer Official Newsletter of the 116th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Co. B VoL. X. - No. 1] PENNSYLVANIA, MAY, 1863 [SINGLE COPIES SIX CENTS Entered according to Act of Congress, in the Year 1863, by Sullivan et-al in the Clerk's Office for the Far Western District of Pennsylvania May 2005 Joe and Holly Sullivan Editors ¾¾¾¾¾(¾¾¾¾¾ ADMINISTRATION IN THE FIELD Capt. Steve Stowell BEHIND THE DESK Chairman, Kevin Burton ON THE HOME FRONT Civilian Advocate, Holly Sullivan Official Web Site of 116 PVI http://www.116pvi.org ¾¾¾¾¾(¾¾¾¾¾ UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS May 14, 2005. School of the Soldier and School of the Company - at Fort Vancouver, starts 1PM May16th, 2005. Fort Hoskins Phil Sheridan's House Meeting 6:00PM . John Baker's office, 2339 State Street, Salem May16th, 2005. Board meeting 6:30PM . John Baker's office, 2339 State Street, Salem May 20th, 2005. LaPine School Presentation. Contact Stu Johnson for details May 30th, 2005 Memorial Day ceremony at City View Cemetery in Salem Oregon **For more information and for a full calendar of events please visit our web page at http://www.116pvi.org/ and follow the events link. SAVING THE FORT HOSKINS, PHIL SHERIDAN HOUSE Dr. Dave Brauner has indicated that he would like to take any interested parties on a field trip to see the Fort Yamhill, Phil Sheridan house that is being restored at Fort Yamhill. Dr. Brauner hopes to do this towards the end of May. Please contact Joe Sullivan via email at e d i t o r @116pvi.org if you are interested. We hope to have more details at our first meeting on May16th at 6PM, at John Baker's office. ¾¾¾¾¾(¾¾¾¾¾ From our Chaplain: Greetings to all! First I wanted to thank everyone for their support and welcoming me as a participant and Chaplain of our unit at my first reenactment battle event at McIver. It is appreciated and I am truly blessed! In the book of Exodus 14:2 of the Old Testament Scriptures, Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, but they had not crossed the Red Sea yet. They had encamped between Midol and the sea, before Pihahiroth and over against Baalzephon, which meant that they were trapped against the Red Sea from the back side, next to the wilderness on another side, and land or a desert on even another side. They were completely boxed in from three sides, or cornered in within three sides, and Pharaoh was coming in from the front side, which was the only open side. Therefore, there was absolutely no way out and Pharaoh and his six hundred chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with their captains, were hot on their trail to destroy them. Finally, in Exodus 14:9 Pharaoh's army and chariots overtook them at the camp and they were closing in for the kill. Because there was no escape, there appeared to be no other option for the children of Israel and the situation definitely looked hopeless. The point being, sometimes life is exactly like that, when one may be in "a place of encampment." First, in situations like this it may appear that the Lord is not around but the Lord is around and He definitely knew that the children of Israel were encamped and Pharaoh's army was coming. Actually, it is likely that the Lord allowed it to happen so that the people would have a dependency on Him instead of themselves. "A place of encampment" is usually a place of inconveniency and it can be life threatening especially when the enemy is coming against you and there are no options or it appears to be no escape from it. A place of encampment can be a lack of money and financial stress, economic burdens and personal struggles, family crises, health issues in the family, emotional and physical trauma, and much more. A place of encampment can happen to anyone regardless of age, race, gender, ethnicity, social economic status, married or single, whether one is a city dweller or living in rural areas. When one is in this situation, some times they may react just like the children of Israel did in Exodus 14:10. The scriptures says that "they were sore afraid." Their soreness represents that they were wounded and their being afraid represents fear, stress, and anxiety. Fear is one of the main weapons that the enemy uses against people. Fear is the imagination, thought or belief that something terrible or bad is going to happen soon. Consequently, the children of Israel cried out to the Lord but it is very good to know exactly who you are crying out to for help! Moses had a response for them being "sore afraid" and their cries, which is in Exodus 14:13: "Fear ye not, stand still," and Exodus 14:14, says "the Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." Most of us know what happened when the children of Israel led by Moses crossed through the Red Sea, when the waters were divided, but let us look at Moses' words in his response and see the significance of the sequence of it. First, he said "fear ye not." To not have fear I must have faith. I mentioned earlier that the enemy uses fear as a weapon against people. Therefore, to counter that fear I must have faith in the Lord. The Lord sent the ten plagues on Egypt. Why? The Lord was showing that his power was greater than the wisdom of Egypt and the Lord was building faith in his people to trust only in him. 1st Corinthians 2:5 says "your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." If one has faith in the Lord than one can definitely stand still in spite of the situation and circumstances surrounding them. Also, Psalm 34:4 says "I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears." To seek Him I need faith to believe in Him and His power. Faith enables one to stand still because one knows that the Lord will fight the battle for them, which enable us to hold our peace, which also is in Him. There is always the Lord's imminent safety and security even in "a place of encampment." Your servant in the Lord! Daniel E. Hayes Jr. Chaplain of the 116th Pennsylvania ¾¾¾¾¾(¾¾¾¾ "In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The Government will not assail you. You can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressors. You have no oath registered in heaven to destroy the Government, while I shall have the most solemn one to 'preserve, protect, and defend it'." Lincoln's First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861. From the Civilian Advocate: Civilians of Pennsylvania, Greetings! It was good to see so many of you braving the torrential floods at McIver! I hope that everyone's canvas has dried out by now! I wish to call your attention to two Important Announcements: Announcement #1: There will be a potluck for all interested members of the 116th PVI, both civilian and military, on the 116th Civilian Street at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 3rd, 1863, (during the Willamette Mission Reenactment). All participants are asked to bring a dish or two to share and their own place settings and eating utensils. Civilians are encouraged to cook and bring extra food for the benefit of the soldiers. A lyceum will immediately follow dinner. Everyone is urged to participate with a song, a poem, a skit, a dance, or an exhibition of musical or oratorical prowess. (I would be grateful for any help in the way of borrowing and setting up tables, etc.!) Announcement #2: We have started a page on the 116th PVI Website for the display of photographs of Civil War-era ancestors or relatives, both military and civilian, Union or Confederate, of members of our group. The reason for this is twofold: first, to promote our connection with those we are striving to honor in our reenacting, and secondly, to provide a collection of photographs for study for those in our club who may interested in replicating the semblance of our Civil War counterparts. Photographs may be emailed to Cpl. Sullivan, Editor@116PVI.org , along with the ancestors' name, rank (if applicable), occupation, (if applicable), place of residence during the War, relationship to you, and your name. Your name does not have to be listed on the website. This month we will examine the fashions, clothing, and deportment of civilian gentlemen during the War of the Rebellion. There are, alas, far fewer resources available for the Civil War gentleman than there are for the ladies. Even period photographs of gentlemen seem to be fewer and much farther between. We must content ourselves with a sigh of disappointment at the slim pickings available and move on. First and foremost, the civilian gentleman reenactor would be well advised to study as closely as possible photographs of non-military men taken during the Civil War. As with the ladies, achieving the look of a reenactor should not be the goal; our purpose, rather, is to replicate as exactly as possible the true look and standards of the Civil War era. For your perusal, some period photographs may be found at http://www.gentlemansemporium.com/1860-victorian-photo-gallery.php, and http://www.geocities.com/myrtleavenueclothiers/OPCivilWarMen.html . Again, the author suggests that the gentleman reenactor should closely examine photographs of his own Civil War-era gentlemen ancestors. An article by "Fanny & Vera" directed at civilian reenactors (http://www.shasta.com/suesgoodco/newcivilians/gents/menswear.htm) notes that men's fashions have not changed much since the Civil War. The author wishes to take a small exception the statement. While it is true that a well-dressed gentleman of 2005 might wear the same clothing components as his Civil War counterpart, there was absolutely nothing in the Civil War to compare to today's usual male attire of sloganed tee-shirt and jeans slung loosely around the hips. In fact, the author wishes to suggest that the only thing comparable to the fashions of the men of 2005 would be the fashions of the ladies of 2005, who also usually bedeck themselves with sloganed tee-shirts and jeans slung loosely around the hips. The strain upon the aesthetic sensibilities of those with an artistic temperament forced to live in the modern world aside, Fanny & Vera have done their usual very good job, and their short article is well worth reading. (The author also wishes to direct gentlemen with the interest to read Fanny and Vera's articles on Gentlemen's Shirts http://www.shasta.com/suesgoodco/newcivilians/gents/menshirts.htm which includes instructions for transforming a modern men's shirt into a fair replica of a Civil War gentlemen's shirt, (something the author of this piece would not recommend unless a gentleman was truly in a bind and would either have to use a modern shirt or attend a reenactment in his undershirt), and their article on Coats, Jackets, and Vests http://www.shasta.com/suesgoodco/newcivilians/gents/menshirts.htm. Before leaving the subject of the similarities and dissimilarities in the dress of our forefathers and ourselves, it should be pointed out that gentlemen (and soldiers) of the Civil War usually wore the waistband of their trousers up at their waist. In the author's opinion, nothing so spoils the look of an otherwise perfect Civil War outfit, civilian or military, than to see the waistband hanging about the wearers hips. Most slovenly! The very best articles concerning gentlemen's clothing may be found on The Gentleman's Page, http://www.lahacal.org/gentleman/attire.html . On this site the reader will find presented not only much useful information, but also period photographs illustrating gentlemen's dress in the 1860's. Links may be followed from this site for information on frock suits, sack suits, morning suits, the colorful vests and large, bright ties of the era, evening wear, and informal clothing. The photographs included with this last are especially interesting. http://www.lahacal.org/gentleman/informal.html A checklist of men's civilian clothing may be had at http://home.earthlink.net/~gchristen/Mens1.html . This site includes a very nice article, also, and an ambrotype of some gentlemen dressed in 1860's attire. One area in which all of us could use improvement is that of hairstyles. The clothes may be right, but modern hair can spoil the impression. A good article on 1860's gentlemen's hair is found at http://www.citizenscompanion.com/. (For ladies reading this article, the author promises to go into details of women's hair styles of the 1860's at a later date.) No matter where the amateur historian seeks information on the attire of gentlemen during the Civil War, the subject of Gentlemen's Behavior and Deportment comes up. We have no clear idea as to why this should be, but because etiquette seems to go hand-in-glove with clothing for the well-bred (or even working class) man, links back to The Gentleman's Page: Behavior http://www.lahacal.org/gentleman/behavior.html and Deportment http://www.lahacal.org/gentleman/deportment.html , are included herein. The author wishes to state that from her observations the soldiers and male civilians of the NCWC do very well in this regard. (The only time, in fact, which the author can recollect unpleasantness associated with Men's Etiquette was at a reenactment in California, when a woman in a men's uniform and fake mustache tipped her hat at the author's little girls and said, in a voice as low and gruff as she could make it, "Good day, little ladies! My, you look like a bouquet of pretty flowers this fine morning!" We are certain the woman's intention was well-meant, but it had the unhandy effect of unsettling the "little ladies", who were quite repulsed and spent the rest of the reenactment begging their mother to take circuitous routes around the reenactment so as to completely avoid any possible repeat of verbal exchange with the young woman.) Gentlemen wishing to know where to purchase ready-made Civil War era clothing are encouraged to try the Men's Department at Timeless Stitches http://www.tstitches.com/index.html?dummy=HOME . For gentlemen with sewing ability or tailors, patterns may be had from either Timeless Stitches or Past Patterns at http://www.pastpatterns.com/1850.html . (Timeless Stitches has a pattern for removable men's cuffs and collars - removable collars being the norm in the 1860's - for that added touch of period correctness.) The author is certain that there are many more fine companies which supply these items, but lists herein those with which she has had the most success and satisfaction. The above sites and articles will all be printed and available for those without a way to access the links. In hope that the Union will not be permanently torn asunder, I remain Your most humble servant, Mrs. Joseph T. Sullivan ("Molly" Sullivan) ¾¾¾¾¾(¾¾¾¾¾ Wanted to buy: used .58 Caliber, 3 band musket. Rich Lindvall, (541)929-4681 or lindvall@casco.net ¾¾¾¾¾(¾¾¾¾ SI KLEGG: HIS TRANSFORMATION FROM A RAW RECRUIT TO A VETERAN by John McElroy CHAPTER 13 SI "STRAGGLED"- AND THE OTHER BOYS MADE IT MIGHTY LIVELY FOR HIM. ONE day while Buell was chasing Bragg, two or three weeks after leaving Louisville, the army was pushing forward at a gait that made the cavalry ahead trot half the time to keep out of the way of the infantry. The extraordinary speed that day was due to the fact that there were no rebels in sight. Half a dozen ragged troopers with shotguns, a mile away, would have caused the whole army to halt, form line-of-battle, and stay there the rest of the day. The tanned veterans didn't mind the marching. They stretched their legs and went swinging along with a happy-go-lucky air, always ready for anything that might turn up. But it was rough on the new troops, just from home. It taxed their locomotive powers to the utmost limit. The boys of the 200th Ind. started out bravely. Their fresh, clean faces, new uniforms, and shiny accouterments contrasted strongly with those of the weather-beaten soldiers of '61. You could tell a "tenderfoot" as far as you could see him. They trudged along in fair shape for an hour or two. Before starting in the morning strict orders had been read to the regiment forbidding straggling, for any reason, under the most terrifying pains and penalties. "Them fellers that's been in the service longer'n we have think they're smart," said Si Klegg, as he and Shorty plodded on, both already a little blown. "We'll show 'em that we can hoof it jast as fast as they can, and jest as fur in a day "Seems to me we're git'n over the ground purty lively to-day," replied Shorty, who was in a grumbling' mood. "Wonder if the Gin'ral thinks we're hosses! I'm a little short o' wind, and these pesky gunboats are scrapin' the bark off'n my feet; but I'll keep up or bust." Though the spirit of these young patriots was willing, the flesh was weak. It wasn't long till Si began to limp. Now and then a groan escaped his lips as a fresh blister "broke." But Si clinched his teeth, humped his back to ease his shoulders from the weight of his knapsack, screwed up his courage, and tramped on over the stony pike. He thought the breathing spells were very short and a long way apart. Si's knapsack had experienced the universal shrinkage, as told in a previous chapter of our hero's martial career. He still had, however, a good many things that he thought he couldn't spare, but which he found later he could very well get along without. By noon the 200th began to show signs of going to pieces. The column stretched out longer and longer, like a piece of India-rubber. The ranks looked thin and ragged. Lame and foot-sore, with wo-begone faces, their bodies aching in every bone and tendon, and overcome with a weariness that no one can realize unless he has "been there," the men dropped out one by one and threw themselves into the fence-corners to rest. The officers stormed and drew their swords in vain. Nature-that is, the nature of a new soldier-could endure no more. The ambulances were filled to their utmost, but these would not hold a twentieth part of the crippled and suffering men. "How're ye gittin' on, Shorty ?" said Si, as he and his comrade still struggled along. "Fair to middlin'," replied Shorty. "I'm goin' to try and pull through !" "I thought I could," said Si, "but I'm 'bout played out! I am, fer a fact! I guess ef I rest a bit I'll be able to ketch up after a while." Si didn't know till he found out by experience how hard it was to "ketch up" when a soldier once got behind on the march. Si was too fat for a good roadster, but it didn't take a great while to work off his surplus flesh. Shorty was tall and slim, mostly bone-one of the sort that always stood the marching best. Si crept up to the Orderly and told him that he would have to stop and puff a while and give his blisters a rest. He'd pull up with Co. Q in an hour or so. "Better not, Si" said the Orderly; "ye know it's agin orders, and the rear-guard 'll punch ye with their bay'net's if they catch ye stragglin'." But Si concluded that if he must die for his country it would be sweeter to do so by having a bayonet inserted in his vitals, and then it would be all over with at once, than to walk himself to death. So he gradually fell back till be reached the tail of the company. Watching his opportunity, he left the ranks, crept into a clump of bushes, and lay down, feeling as if he had been run through a grist-mill. Soon the rear-guard of the 200th came along, with fixed bayonets, driving before them like a flock of frightened sheep a motley crowd of limping, groaning men, gathered up by the roadside. Si lay very still, hoping to escape discovery; but the keen eye of the officer detected the blue heap among the bushes. "Bring that man out !" said he sternly to one of the guards. Poor Si scarcely dare to breathe. He hoped the man would think he was dead, and therefore no longer of any account. But the soldier began to prod him with his bayonet, ordering him to get up and move on. "Look-a-here, pard," said Si, "don't stab me with that thing! I jest can't git along any furder till I blow a little. You please lemme be, an' I'll do as much for you. P'rhaps come time you'll get played out and I'll be on the rear-guard. The Cap'n 'll tell me ter fotch ye 'long, an' I'll jest let ye rest, so I wi!l !' This view of the case struck the guard with some force. Moved with compassion, he turned away, leaving Si to enjoy his rest. Si threw aside his traps, took off his shoes and stockings, and bathed his feet with water from his canteen. He ate a couple of hardtack, and in the course of half an hour began to feel more like Si Klegg. He geared himself up, shouldered his gun, and started to "ketch up." All this time the stream of troops-regiments, brigades and divisions-had flowed on. Of course, soldiers who were with their colors had the right of way, and the stragglers were obliged to stumhle along as best they could, over the logs and through the bushes at the sides of the roads or skirt along the edges of the fields and woods adjoining. It was this fact added to their exhausted and crippled condition that made it almost impossible for stragglers to overtake their regiments until they halted for the night. Even then it was often midnight before the last of the wayfarers, weary and worn, dragged their aching limbs into camp. Si started forward briskly, but soon found it was no easy matter to gain the mile or so that the 200th Ind. was now ahead of him. It was about all he could do to keep up with the fast-moving column and avoid falling still further to the rear. Presently the bugles sounded a halt for one of the hourly rests. "Now," said Si to himself, "I'll have a good chance to git along tor'd the front. The soljers 'll all lie down in the fence corners an' leave the road clear. Ill jest git up an' dust !" The sound of the bugles had scarcely died away when the pike was deserted, and on either side, as far as the eye could reach, the prostrate men that covered the ground mingled in a long fringe of blue. Si got up into the road and started along the lane between these lines of recumbent soldiers. His gait was a little shaky, for the blisters on his feet began to give evidence of renewed activity. He trudged pluckily along, limping some in spite of himself, but on the whole making very good headway. Pretty soon he struck a veteran regiment from Illinois, the members of which were sitting and lying around in all the picturesque and indescribable postures which the old soldiers found gave them the greatest comfort during a "rest." Then the fun commenced--that is, it was great sport for the Sucker boys, though Si did not readily appreciate the humorous features of the scene. "What rigiment is this ?" asked Si, timidly. "Same old rijiment !" was the answer from half a dozen at once. A single glance told the swarthy veterans that the fresh-looking youth who asked this conundrum belonged to one of the new regiments, and they immediately opened their batteries upon him "Left--left-- -left !" "Hayfoot - strawfoot! Hayfoot - strawfoot keeping time with Si's somewhat irregular steps. "Hello, there, you! Change step and you'll march easier !" "Look at that 'ere poor feller; the only man left alive of his regiment! Great Cesar, how they must have suffered! Say, what rigiment did you b'long to ?" "Paymaster's comm', boys, here's a chap with a pay-roll round his neck !" Si had put on that morning the last of the paper collars he had brought from home. "You'd better shed that knapsack, or it'll be the death of ye!" "I say, there, how's all the folks to home?" "How d'ye like it as far as you've got, any way?" "Git some commissary and pour into them gunboats !" "Second relief's come, boys; we can all go home now." "Grab a root!" "Hep-hep-hep !" "How'd ye leave Mary Ann ?" Si had never been under such a fire before. He stood it as long as he could, and then he stopped. "Halt !" shouted a chorus of voices. "Shoulder -Arms !" "Order-Arms !" By this time Si's wrath was at the boiling point. Casting around him a look of defiance, he exclaimed: "You cowardly blaggards; I can jest lick any two of ye, an' I'll dare ye to come on. If the 200th Ind. was here we'd clean out the hull pack of ye quickern ye can say scat!" This is where Si made a mistake. He ought to have kept right on and said nothing. But Si had to find out all these things by experience, as the rest of the boys did. All the members of the regiment now took a hand in the game. They just got right up and yelled, discharging at Si a volley of expletives and pointed remarks that drove him to desperation. Instinctively he brought up his gun. "Load in nine times-Load !" shouted a dozen of the Illinois tramps. If Si's gun had been loaded he would have shot somebody, regardless of consequences. Thinking of his bayonet, he jerked it quickly from its scabbard. "Fix--Bay'net !" yelled the ragged veterans. And he did, though it was more from the promptings of his own hostile feelings than in obedience to the orders. "Charge-Bay'net !" Si had completely lost control of himself in his overpowering rage. With blood in his eye, he came to a charge, glancing fiercely from one side of the road to the other, uncertain where to begin the assault. Instantly there was a loud clicking all along the line. The Illinois soldiers, almost to a man, fixed their bayonets. Half of them sprang to their feet, and all aimed their shining points at the poor young Hoosier patriot, filling the air with shouts of derision. It was plain, even to Si in his inflamed state of mind, that the odds against him were too heavy. "Unfix-Bay'net !" came from half the regiment. Si concluded he had better get out of a bad scrape the best way he could. So he took off his bayonet and put it back in its place. He shouted words of defiance to his tormentors, but they could not be heard in the din. "Shoulder - - Arms !" "Right - Face! "Right shoulder shift-Arms !" "Forward-March !" These commands came in quick succession from the ranks amidst roars of laughter. Si obeyed the orders and started off. "Left--left-left !" "Hayfoot-strawfoot !" Forgetting his blisters, Si took the double-quick, while the mob swung their caps and howled with delight. Si didn't "ketch up" with the 200 Ind. until after it had gone into camp. Shorty had a quart of hot coffee waiting for him. "Shorty," said Si, as they sat by the fire, "I'm goin' to drop dead in my tracks before I'll fall out again." "Why, what's the matter ?" "Oh, nothin'; only you jest try it," said Si. Had it not been for the "fun" the soldiers had in the army to brighten their otherwise dark and cheerless lives, they would all have died. Si was a true type of those who had to suffer for the good of others until they learned wisdom in the school of experience. 1