The Outpost THE NEWSLETTER OF THE SALT CREEK CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE VOLUME XLIII No. 3 November 2005 385th Regular Meeting DATE: 4th November 2005 PLACE: Fairview Village Apts., Great Hall, 200 Village Dr., Downers Grove, Il. TIME: 8:00 P.M. SPEAKER: Roger Bohn TOPIC: “The Union Naval Blockade in the American Civil War: Blockaders and Blockade Runners” FROM: Roger E. Bohn- To put the causes and effects of the Union Naval Blockade of the Confederacy’s seaports in the Civil War into an understandable context , we will first cover the causes of the Civil War itself. We will examine just what created the necessity for such drastic actions as a blockade and blockade-runners. It would seem to be a simple question: One side builds ships to “stand guard” so certain other ships could not enter certain American ports. The other side builds ships to try to circumvent those “guards” and manage to do their commerce as they pleased. It was not that simple, as you will discover. Roger Bohn is a graduate of Elmhurst College and is retired from Montgomery Ward and Commonwealth Edison. He is a past president of Salt Creek and the CWRT of Chicago. He is a long-time student of the war, with a special interest in naval aspects. He is involved with the 1st Michigan Engineers, assisted in the creation of the Bureau County Historical Society’s CW exhibit, and has done background research for Admiral Frank Allston and for Robert Girardi. He also co-edited a book on the 2nd Ohio Vol. Cav. with Girardi, as well. He is also active in local politics, Kiwanis, and was a docent at the Field Museum for ten years. (Don’t get him started on a T. Rex named SUE!) 1 OCTOBER MEETING BY CINDY INTRAVARTOLO On October 7th, 35 members and guests attended the 384th regular meeting of the SCCWRT for the panel discussion on, “Roles of Women during the Civil War”. The panelists included Diane Gallentine, Cindy Heckler, Cindy Intravartolo, Janet Linhart, and Jan Rasmussen. It was the first time in the history of the Roundtable that a panel consisted of all women. Each presenter chose their own topic based on their personal interest in the subject. Cindy Intravartolo opened the discussion with a review of the various roles played by women during the Civil War. The panel began with Diane Gallentine discussing Civil War nursing. She focused primarily on the work of Mary Ann Bickerdyke. She began in Cairo, IL. tending to soldiers under Gen. Prentiss. From there, she spent considerable time with the troops of Grant and Sherman at Shiloh, Corinth, Memphis, Vicksburg, Lookout Mtn., and Atlanta. Her accomplishments during the war were many. She stressed cleanliness with an emphasis on clean clothes and surroundings. She also insisted on hot meals. She helped develop the concept of triage in prioritizing care. She nursed on 19 battlefields and helped set up 300 field hospitals. She developed an efficient laundry system for the army and assisted the Sanitary Commission in raising $50 million. Gallentine commented that her great-greatgrandfather, James Marsh, was wounded at Pittsburg Landing and she likes to think that, perhaps, Mary Ann Bickerdyke was there to offer him a cup of water. Cindy Heckler followed with a discussion of women spies and compared actions of two of the more prominent. They were Belle Boyd, Confederate and Elizabeth Van Lew, Federal. Heckler noted that Belle was probably the more famous but also more ineffective, because she loved the notoriety. One of her more famous acts was a ride through the lines to deliver information to “Stonewall” Jackson at Port Royal, Va. Her spying activities only lasted through 1862. Elizabeth Van Lew, born in Richmond or New York depending on the source, approached spying from a completely different perspective. Van Lew, living in Richmond, absolutely hated slavery and this was her basis for supporting the Union. She started out by visiting Union soldiers in various prisons. Her activities lasted through the war as she helped prisoners escape and supplied them with money and safe houses. She communicated with Union officials via an intricate code. Her code name was Babcock, but in Richmond she was known as “Crazy Bet" for her Union sympathies. Cindy Intravartolo discussed the role of Catholic nuns as Civil War nurses. Intravartolo noted that the sisters became involved in the war primarily because they ran 28 hospitals in various locations around the country. Since the Union army operated one hospital, at Leavenworth KS and the Confederate Army had none; the Catholic hospitals were logical places to take wounded 2 soldiers. Although they were highly regarded during the war, they have received little recognition for their efforts. In 1924, however, a monument to the “Nuns of the Battlefield” was dedicated in Washington, DC. Janet Linhart discussed the U.S. Sanitary Commission and how it developed from the Crimean War and the work of Florence Nightingale. When Lincoln asked for 75,000 volunteers, the government had no idea how to provide for the men. Women formed independent groups to sew garments and collect supplies. Eventually, the U.S. Sanitary Commission was formed to unite these independent networks. Its goal was to obtain and distribute supplies, regulate sanitary commissions in camps and support fund-raising efforts to supply the men during the war. Overall it was estimated that $25 million was supplied to Union soldiers (there was no such organization in the South). Some of the most influential women in this movement were: Elizabeth Blackwell, Annie Wittenmyer, Mary Livermore, and others. Jan Rasmussen discussed women soldiers. Many participated as “daughters of the regiment”, or vivandieres. Unlike women in combat, these made no effort to disguise their gender. They often participated as color bearers and nurses. Some also participated as soldiers. Kady Brownell served in the 5th Rhode Island Infantry with her husband. Two others, Annie Etheridge and Mary Tepee received the Kearny Cross for bravery. It is possible as many as 1000 women, disguised as men, fought in the Civil War. We cannot know for sure. Some were discovered and discharged but came back to fight in other units. Some like Jennie Hodgers, were not discovered until years after the war. The women soldiers suffered the same fates as the men. These trailblazers deserve to be remembered as they went to war strictly by choice. Since the contemporary army now enlists women, these civil warriors were simply ahead of their time. The SCCWRT thanks each member of the panel for their participation and would encourage them to consider developing their topic into a longer program for a future meeting. PRESERVATION REPORT BY LEN OVERCASH, SR. GETTYSBURG, PA.-The National Park Service has a special present in mind for Gettysburg Battlefield visitors this winter holiday season: the Ford dealership at 270 Biglerville Rd. will be demolished before the holidays arrive. “As of this morning we have the keys,” Park Supt. John Latschar said. He added the milestone to a list of land acquisitions that include the Home Sweet Home Motel and the National Tower. The dealership sits within the boundaries of the National Park on part of the 11th Union Corps line on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. The park service bought the property for $1.24 million in August 2001 giving Davidson Motor Co. four years to vacate. The business completed its move last week. A fee was paid for late vacating. That will be used to restore that part of the battlefield to its 1863 appearance. MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST-Beauvoir, the last home of Jefferson F. Davis, suffered severe damage from Hurricane 3 Katrina. Only two of the buildings remain, the mansion and the Presidential Library. Today, Beauvoir is one of the few remaining historical sites on the coast. These two buildings can be restored but it is going to take help from all of us. (Visit the website at beauvoir.org to view some of the damage). Contributions may be sent to Mississippi Division-United Sons of Confederate Veterans Inc. dba The Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library, PO Box 7, Meridian, MS 393020007. Checks may be made out as above or to “Beauvoir Relief Fund”. Source: www.civilwarinteractive.com “The Daily Newspaper of the Civil War” ALL FOR THE UNION Thanks to your frugal board, we are back in the battlefield preservation business! Donations of $500.00 each have been approved for: Franklin, TN, Newtonia, MO., and Picketts Mill, GA. Welcome to new members Dr. Samuel Blackwell of Plano and Charles Kurtz of Downers Grove. Jerry Feinstein will be coordinating a Veteran’s Day Dedication at Rosehill Cemetery on Nov. 13th. Any members planning to attend should bring refreshments. Contact Jerry for details. EDITOR’S NOTES The next board meeting will be held at 7:30P.M. at the home of Jan Rasmussen on 11/01/05. The address and phone no. are: 756 Sterling Ct., Bartlett, IL. 60103. 630-8307614 CALENDAR OF EVENTS Dec. 2nd-Battlefield Preservation Auction- Lisle Hilton. Jan. 6th 2006-Gene Salaker-The Sultana Disaster Feb. 3rd-Larry Hewitt-How Lincoln Won the War March 3rd-Gale Pewitt-The Confederacy in Canada The Salt Creek Civil War Roundtable P.O. Box 4873 Wheaton, Il. 60189-4873 www.saltcreekcwrt.org. President: Rick Zarr Vice-President: Gil Mitchell Treasurer: Bill Hupp Asst, Treasurer: Tony Cichantk Secretary: Jan Rasmussen Historian: Cindy Intravartolo Sgt. At Arms: Ron Kumnick Newsletter Editor: Dan McCarthy, 4358 Lawn Ave., Western Springs, IL,60558. 708-246-7873, macarthaig@aol.com Newsletter Staff: Cindy Intravartolo, Len Overcash Sr., Jan Rasmussen 4