It's always the same. Wake up early. Quick breakfast. Lots to see. Lunch and supper when you can. Only so much daylight. Follow the brown signs. Arrive at the VC when it opens. Stamp your NPS Passport. Get the brochure. Buy the hat pins. Peruse the books. Watch the movie. Take a guided tour if possible and practical. If no guide, grab the Blue & Gray and take General Roth's tour. The Stamp Guys want to see places that few see. We're all about the minutiae, Orders of Battle & troop movement maps. We want the forest and the trees.
This particular trip lasted a week, highlighted the Trans-Mississippi Theater of Operation and covered more than 3000 miles . Pete originally labeled this the "Civil Wargasm" Tour & it certainly was that. We visited some 17 CW sites. More if you include the Lincoln stuff. But the further we went, the more it morphed, outside the scope of traditional warfare, into a "Man's Inhumanity to Man" tour. While the recipe was mostly Woody Guthrie, there was also a pinch of Vine Deloria Jr, a dab of Dr. King and a smattering of Mr. Miagi. We left Thursday morning May 19 and returned late Wednesday evening May 25. Jamie was with us for 5 of the 7 days, missing days 1 and 7 because of work obligations. Dave and Brian couldn't make it.
I (Mike) waited at Tim's house in Westerville while Pete and Tim went to pick up the rental car. That gave me ample time to check out Tim's library. Some nice WW2 titles and a few CW books I don't have. I needed a bib to contain my drool.
The car, supposed to be a Ford Taurus, was a black Chevy Impala with adequate trunk space and a working AC. However, it smelled of fish and mildew, had a compass that didn't work and came bearing MICHIGAN plates. For 4 graduates of The Ohio State University, the last was blasphemous and could have been a deal breaker. But our love of history trumped all and we sped out the road toward our first stop -- Mount Nebo, North Bend, Ohio.
The large obelisk tomb contains the remains of President & Mrs. William Henry Harrison, as well as their son John Scott Harrison, the only man in US history to be both the son and father of a president. John was originally buried in the Congress Green Cemetery just up the road from the "Avenger of River Raisin's" tomb. In the 1800s, it was common practice for medical schools to steal recently buried cadavers and such happened to John Scott Harrison..His body was recovered at the Ohio Medical College, returned to Mt. Nebo and placed in the presidential tomb, beside his parents. We visited the cemetery in question, where John Cleves Symmes, among others, is interred. He was a member of the US House of Representatives, a judge of the Northwest Territory and Tippecanoe's father-in-law. There was a sign in the cemetery which warned not to mow a certain section until July. This particular section contains the federally endangered plant species Trifolium stoloniferum. It is called "Running Buffalo Clover" because of its shape and because the adult stems dispatch "runners" to create new plants.
Next we traveled to Corydon, Indiana and stopped at the downtown Information Center,. There I found "The John Hunt Morgan Heritage Trail in Indiana" book, authored by COCWRT member Lara Cahill. It is a hard book to find and it was the center's last copy. After that it was off to the small battlefield park where there are a couple of monuments and a cannon dedicated to Arville Funk, deceased historian of the battle.
There is also a mooring post and anchor recovered from the "Alice Dean," a boat sunk by Morgan after crossing the Ohio River. Not much to see at Corydon. But it completes my trifecta of Tebb's Bend, Corydon & Buffington Island, the 3 battles of Morgan's 1863 KY/IND/OH Raid.
On to our first NPS site, the boyhood home of President Lincoln, located two miles east of Gentryville, Indiana. Tim signed us in as "The Stamp Guys" from Columbus, Ohio. That would be our signature at each and every NPS site. This was a quick stop. We walked briskly to the grave of Nancy Hanks Lincoln, Abe's mom. It would be close, but we had just enough time to make the day's last destination in Vincennes, Indiana.
We got behind school buses, slow moving farm vehicles and the like. Double yellow lines prevented us from passing. But Pete still got us to the George Rogers Clark NPS site 10 minutes before closing. More than enough time to stamp passports, buy hat pins and check out the books. We got nervous when we saw the flag was down, the parking lot was closed and the lights were off inside the VC. Then we got mad, at least I did, when we realized that the park employees had closed early. I called and left a message on their voice mail and E-mailed the superintendent from my Blackberry. I was not a happy "stamper!" Gnats attacked us as we walked the grounds of Ft. Sackville. We did find a beautiful CW monument off the park grounds.The wayside there had a photo of a regiment which I recognized, the 14th Indiana Infantry of the AOP's Gibraltar Brigade.It did little to quell the anger. Vincennes may be the birthplace of Red Skelton. But as we left the city, no one was laughing.
We had supper, after 10 PM, just outside St. Louis at a pizza place called Imo's. Signs boasted that it was the best pizza in St. Louis. Pete, the Curmudgeon Culinary Critic, who hates Gettysburg pizza, calling it tomato paste over cardboard, gave a thumbs up on this one. It had a thin crust and a cheese which was different, almost like whiz. But it was definitely good.
On day 2, we met up with Jamie and Wes Wescott at the Wilson's Creek VC. Wes, a volunteer guide originally from Iowa, gave us a super tour! One of Wes' favorite places on the battlefield is the Ray House, which served as a Rebel hospital during the battle. Even today, the front porch offfers a spectacular vista of the battlefield. Inside, Wes showed us a bed that was part of the Ray furnishings in 1861. In a case of rank having its priviledge, the dead body of Union General Lyon was placed there even as wounded Confederate soldiers were treated on the floors. 19th century chivalry!
At the Stamp Farm site, Wes discussed Sigel's final position. It was here that Sigel was routed when he mistakenly took the 3rd Louisiana for the 1st Iowa. Wes also spoke of MOH recipient Private Nicholas Bouquet, Company D, 1st Iowa Infantry and action that ocurred elsewhere on the field. Under heavy fire from the enemy, Bouquet "assisted in capturing a riderless horse at large between the lines and hitching him to a disabled gun, saved the gun from capture." Corporal Lorenzo Dow Immel, Company F, 6th US Artillery, also received a MOH for this action. He was born in Ross County, Ohio.
Rain threatened all morning but held off until Bloody Hill, the final portion of our tour. We were drenched. We stopped by Totten's Battery. While we waited for a group of students to clear the area, Wes spoke passionately about one of his favorite generals, Ben McCulloch. What a character! He was a Texas Ranger and friend of Davy Crockett. He missed the San Antonio trip because of the measles. His preferred military uniform was a wide-brimmed planter's hat and velvet suit. OK you sold me! I've gotta get his bio. Steve Earle, on his "Train A Comin'" album sang the following:
"We signed up in San Antone my brother Paul and me
To fight with Ben McCulloch and the Texas infantry
Well the poster said we'd get a uniform and seven bucks a week
The best rations in the army and a rifle we could keep
When I first laid eyes on the general I knew he was a fightin' man
He was every inch a soldier every word was his command
Well his eyes were cold as the lead and steel forged into tools of war
He took the lives of many and the souls of many more "
"We signed up in San Antone my brother Paul and me
To fight with Ben McCulloch and the Texas infantry
Well the poster said we'd get a uniform and seven bucks a week
The best rations in the army and a rifle we could keep
When I first laid eyes on the general I knew he was a fightin' man
He was every inch a soldier every word was his command
Well his eyes were cold as the lead and steel forged into tools of war
He took the lives of many and the souls of many more "
Near the Lyon Marker, we were directed to an off-trail graffiti rock. According to legend, a soldier awaiting medical treatment cut his name and regimental info into the stone. The soldier, either C. S. Lanning or G. A. Newsom, was in Company E, Colonel John T. Hughes Regiment, William Slack's Fourth Division, Missouri State Guard. However, Wes didn't tell us about the "Spanish Treasure Stone," another rock on the Wilson's Creek battlefield. According to online information:
"In recent years, the supposed discovery of a rock with mysterious Spanish writing on it, has lured hundreds of curious treasure hunters to Wilson's Creek. All hope to decipher the writing on it, to determine its origin and the secret it holds.
"A long time Wilson's Creek resident finally answered the mystery in 1995. Apparently her father, Dick O'Connor, who resided on the battlefield and operated a museum there (before it became a National Battlefield) became irritated with a local college professor. According to his daughter, in a letter to the battlefield, he made the stone in his garage in unintelligible symbols, and "discovered" it on the battlefield. The college professor, Mr Meadows, examined it and advised it was the writing of ancient Spanish traders, and probably revealed the directions to a secret burial place of Spanish gold. Apparently what turned out to be a hoax, snowballed so fast, and drew so many more tourists to his museum, Mr O'Connor never revealed the hoax. The legend lived on until his daughter finally revealed the truth to Park Ranger Jeff Patrick."
Interesting!
We dried off slightly in the VC. Wes pointed me to a book on the 1st Iowa Infantry, a favorite Trans-MS regiment of mine, written by Eugene Ware, a member of Company E, the Burlington Zouaves. Ware, who wrote under the pen name of "Ironquill," survived the war, moved to Kansas and became a poet. I also picked up a good book on the CW in 1863 Arkansas. Surprisingly, we left without visiting The Sweeney Museum, now owned by the park.
We had lunch at a truck stop called "Hood's Diner." I ordered a slaw dog and a sweet tea, dried out some more & watched the torrential rain pound the big rigs in the parking lot.
 |
| Cancellaltions from Missouri; GW Carver site had not changed the date yet when we arrived in the afternoon! |
Diamond, Missouri was the next place on our itinerary. It is home to the George Washington Carver NPS site. Very educational! An extremely nice lady behind the counter, whose name presently escapes me, gave us directions to Newtonia, locale of 2 Civil War battles. Once there, the Blue and Gray Fall 2004 issue directed us to a monument commemorating both battles and to the Mathew Ritchey mansion. The house served as headquarters for both Union and Confederate troops. At one time Belle Star was imprisoned there.
Newtonia was the last planned stop on our daily schedule and since there was a good deal of daylight remaining, we decided, per my suggestion, to drive into Oklahoma to visit the Cabin Creek Battlefield. Improvise and adapt! It was Jamie and Tim's first visit to Oklahoma. As we drove through the Indian Nations I remembered a Hank Thompson song, which was a favorite of my father's. Oklahoma Hills was written by Woody & Jack Guthrie in 1945:
'Way down yonder in the Indian Nation
Ridin' my pony on the reservation,
In those Oklahoma hills where I was born.
Now, 'way down yonder in the Indian Nation,
A cowboy's life is my occupation,
In those Oklahoma hills where I was born.
Ridin' my pony on the reservation,
In those Oklahoma hills where I was born.
Now, 'way down yonder in the Indian Nation,
A cowboy's life is my occupation,
In those Oklahoma hills where I was born.
The CWPT guide book I had, gave incomplete directions but we finally passed over Cabin Creek, thanks to Tim's outstanding navigation. We went down, what we believe, is the correct county road, but had to turn back because of high water. 2 other attempts to circumvent had the same results. We never did find the battlefield. A missed opportunity. We should have visited Harry Truman's birthplace and Carthage before George Washington Carver. And there would have still been time for Newtonia. Lesson learned in time management. I'll take my whoopin, as well as the blame, like a man.
Day 3 was devoted entirely to the Pea Ridge National Battlefield. Originally scheduled as a half-day affair, Jamie suggested it needed a full day's treatment. Good advice Counselor!
For too long, the Trans-MS Theater has been a red-headed step child to the more popular Eastern and Western Theaters. Let the ignorant and prejudiced come to Pea Ridge! I stepped into the VC, looked out the back window and fell in love with an auburn-haired beauty. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She is gorgeous! A young, vivacious mistress has re-ignited a passion in this old Civil War buff.
Pea Ridge is my new favorite battlefield. She is every bit as pristine as Perryville and Antietam, two other sexy ladies. Yet hers is a natural beauty devoid of cosmetic monuments which festoon the more popular Gettysburg and Vicksburg girls. OK, there are two markers located to the left of the Elkhorn Tavern. But that's about all that's changed in 150 years. William Shea, co-author with Earl Hess of the battle's definitive work, says that if you brought the soldiers back to life and placed them on the battlefield today, they would know exactly where they were. Pristine enough for you?
The credits rolled. We exited the auditorium and met our guide, NPS Ranger and historian Troy Banzhaf.
The rental car followed Troy's white HHR to our first stop, where we got a generic overview of the campaign. Carpooling seemed a better option, so we drove back to the VC. Troy parked his car and climbed into the Jed Hotchkiss seat.
Troy asked if we wanted to do some "off-roading," go outside the park to a smaller, not-so-well-known battlefield. Here was the litmus test. What kind of trompers are these guys? Are they wannabees, content with looking at the field through a windshield, while comfy in their air-conditioned car? Do they only stop at waysides and monuments? Or are they the real deal? Do they get out, walk the field in all kinds of weather? Do they want to see everything? Do they need to experience the terrain?
In junior high, we might have responded with a question re: the Pope's religion or a bear's toilet habits. My grandpa might have said, "That don't deserve no answer Hoss!"
Not yes, but HELL yes! Let the games begin!
Troy seemed a little relieved as he pointed the way to Dunagin's Farm, AKA Little Sugar Creek, Arkansas' first Civil War battle. The property is the same as it was in 1862, virgin land untouched by development. And it's for sale. Hopefully, the Civil War Trust can work with a local group to purchase this important ground. It's a buyer's market. Now is the time, before development molests it.
At the intersection of the Wire and Huntsville Roads sits the Elkhorn Tavern, Pea Ridge's signature structure. The original building burned down in 1863 and a new one was reconstructed on the actual site. The tavern was a stop on the Butterfield Overland Stage Line.
The Wire Road was built in 1838 and linked Springfield, MO and Fort Smith, AR. The road is the reason that the 3 major Trans-MS battles were fought. Location! Location! Location! In the winter of 1838-39, Indians were forced off their lands and "relocated" to the Oklahoma Territory. The Cherokees called the brutal, degrading, deadly walk "Nunna Daul Isunyi." This is translated as "The trail where we cried," since shortened to the "Trail of Tears." Pea Ridge contains a 2 and a half mile section of the trail, along the Wire Road. A wayside at the tavern talks about this. We walked the road north to the Tanyard Ravine. From the Ravine it was back to the tavern and then east on the Huntsville Road to Clemens Field. My mind drifted. Troy was talking Civil War and I was thinking Manifest Destiny. I recalled a book I had read in college, Vine Deloria Jr's "Custer Died for your Sins." Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Sioux musician, political activist and actor, recorded a single with the same title:
For the lies that were spoken
For the blood we have spilled
For the treaties that were broken
For the leaders you have stilled
Custer die for your sin ...
For the tribes you terminated
For the myth you keep alive
For the land you confiscated
For our frreedom you deprived
Custer died for your sin ...
For the truth that you pollute
For the life that you have cost
For the good you prostitute
And for all that we have lost
Custer died for your sin
We toured the village of Leetown, now vacant of any structures. According to Troy, there have been archaelogical studies of the area. More interpretation and outlining of buildings are planned for the future.
At Morgan's Woods, Troy talked about the 3rd Louisiana and 37th Illinois, 2 infantry units that were engaged there. I came away from this trip impressed with these guys. They always seemed to be in the thick of it.
A Trans-MS battlefield guide book, written by Hess, Hatcher, Piston and Shea, calls the fighting at Foster's Farm the turning point of Pea Ridge. And that it might be. I'll let the scholars debate that. But it will long be remembered for what happened after the fighting. A dozen or so wounded and dead Federals, belonging to Elbert's Battery and the 3rd Iowa Cavalry, were scalped and mutilated by 2 Confederate Cherokee regiments. These units were commanded, and I use that term loosely, by Brigadier General Albert Pike. Pike, a political general without combat experince, could not control his troops. This episode, one of four confirmed scalpings by Confederate Indian troops during the war, forever tarnished Pike's reputation.
We drove by the West Overlook without stopping. What? But Troy knew what he was doing. We pulled the car over and walked down to the East Overlook. Oh my! There was the sexy lady again, flirting and smiling at the graying, paunchy, middle-aged man. Wow! What a looker! In my younger days, I might have whistled. There is not a better view of a Civil War battlefield anywhere! Vista! Vista! Vista!Beautiful now, but in 1862 it was Carnage Incorporated. From this position Union Artillery rained down hard on the Rebels.
Our final walk of the day was out to Welfley's Knoll -- Troy's favorite section of the field -- and it offered another spectacular view. I looked back toward the East Overlook. It was one final glance at a lady walking away. She looked back over her shoulder, smiled and winked through windblown hair. She's quite confident the "old guy" will be back. And she's spot on with her assessment.
It was a couple of minutes before 5 PM when we returned to the VC and dismounted. I was hoping to purchase an Osterhaus bio, I had discussed with Troy, but knew the VC was closing. Troy said not to worry! As I paid for my book, it was a few minutes past 5 PM. Others ventured into the VC to get their passports stamped and to make purchases. Are you reading this Vincennes?
Thus ended one of my best days ever on a battlefield. Our tour of Pea Ridge was magnificent, even considering the chiggers and ticks we encountered. E. F. Ware, 1st Iowa Infantry, gives suggestions on dealing with the pests:
"The prescribed treatment for chiggers was to take a smoked bacon-rind and resmoke it over a smoldering chip fire and rub with it the places where the chiggers had bored. Then in a hour or so wash it off with strong bar soap. This seemed to neutralize the poison and kill the chigger and recovery was rapid. But for the ticks, they had to be picked out with a sharp point of a knife, and then wet chewing tobacco rubbed on. The tobacco seemed to kill the poison, but, if any part of the tick remained in, a sore was the consequence, no matter what was done."
I'll keep this in mind, next time I visit, but am hoping for a more modern, less invasive procedure.
The battlefield tromping done for the day, we drove in quest of beer. There was none to be found in Bentonville. A clerk, at a convenience store, said we'd have to go to Missouri, which was only a few minutes away. I grew up a Southern Baptist in the Bible Belt South, and still don't understand the concept of "dry" counties.
Troy recommended we supper at "Smokin' Joes." The meal was excellent and the portions were huge. It was hard to eat everything. But we gave it our best effort. We loosened our belts, took a short break and then dove back into the slaw and BBQ sauce. Pete even took some leftovers back to the hotel. Sadly, he left them in the hotel fridge when we departed Bentonville.
Part one of my "Trans-MS Blitzkrieg" blog entry is finished. The final volume of the opus will cover days 4-7. See you soon!
Fez
The rental car followed Troy's white HHR to our first stop, where we got a generic overview of the campaign. Carpooling seemed a better option, so we drove back to the VC. Troy parked his car and climbed into the Jed Hotchkiss seat.
Troy asked if we wanted to do some "off-roading," go outside the park to a smaller, not-so-well-known battlefield. Here was the litmus test. What kind of trompers are these guys? Are they wannabees, content with looking at the field through a windshield, while comfy in their air-conditioned car? Do they only stop at waysides and monuments? Or are they the real deal? Do they get out, walk the field in all kinds of weather? Do they want to see everything? Do they need to experience the terrain?
In junior high, we might have responded with a question re: the Pope's religion or a bear's toilet habits. My grandpa might have said, "That don't deserve no answer Hoss!"
Not yes, but HELL yes! Let the games begin!
Troy seemed a little relieved as he pointed the way to Dunagin's Farm, AKA Little Sugar Creek, Arkansas' first Civil War battle. The property is the same as it was in 1862, virgin land untouched by development. And it's for sale. Hopefully, the Civil War Trust can work with a local group to purchase this important ground. It's a buyer's market. Now is the time, before development molests it.
At the intersection of the Wire and Huntsville Roads sits the Elkhorn Tavern, Pea Ridge's signature structure. The original building burned down in 1863 and a new one was reconstructed on the actual site. The tavern was a stop on the Butterfield Overland Stage Line.
The Wire Road was built in 1838 and linked Springfield, MO and Fort Smith, AR. The road is the reason that the 3 major Trans-MS battles were fought. Location! Location! Location! In the winter of 1838-39, Indians were forced off their lands and "relocated" to the Oklahoma Territory. The Cherokees called the brutal, degrading, deadly walk "Nunna Daul Isunyi." This is translated as "The trail where we cried," since shortened to the "Trail of Tears." Pea Ridge contains a 2 and a half mile section of the trail, along the Wire Road. A wayside at the tavern talks about this. We walked the road north to the Tanyard Ravine. From the Ravine it was back to the tavern and then east on the Huntsville Road to Clemens Field. My mind drifted. Troy was talking Civil War and I was thinking Manifest Destiny. I recalled a book I had read in college, Vine Deloria Jr's "Custer Died for your Sins." Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Sioux musician, political activist and actor, recorded a single with the same title:
For the lies that were spoken
For the blood we have spilled
For the treaties that were broken
For the leaders you have stilled
Custer die for your sin ...
For the tribes you terminated
For the myth you keep alive
For the land you confiscated
For our frreedom you deprived
Custer died for your sin ...
For the truth that you pollute
For the life that you have cost
For the good you prostitute
And for all that we have lost
Custer died for your sin
We toured the village of Leetown, now vacant of any structures. According to Troy, there have been archaelogical studies of the area. More interpretation and outlining of buildings are planned for the future.
At Morgan's Woods, Troy talked about the 3rd Louisiana and 37th Illinois, 2 infantry units that were engaged there. I came away from this trip impressed with these guys. They always seemed to be in the thick of it.
A Trans-MS battlefield guide book, written by Hess, Hatcher, Piston and Shea, calls the fighting at Foster's Farm the turning point of Pea Ridge. And that it might be. I'll let the scholars debate that. But it will long be remembered for what happened after the fighting. A dozen or so wounded and dead Federals, belonging to Elbert's Battery and the 3rd Iowa Cavalry, were scalped and mutilated by 2 Confederate Cherokee regiments. These units were commanded, and I use that term loosely, by Brigadier General Albert Pike. Pike, a political general without combat experince, could not control his troops. This episode, one of four confirmed scalpings by Confederate Indian troops during the war, forever tarnished Pike's reputation.
We drove by the West Overlook without stopping. What? But Troy knew what he was doing. We pulled the car over and walked down to the East Overlook. Oh my! There was the sexy lady again, flirting and smiling at the graying, paunchy, middle-aged man. Wow! What a looker! In my younger days, I might have whistled. There is not a better view of a Civil War battlefield anywhere! Vista! Vista! Vista!Beautiful now, but in 1862 it was Carnage Incorporated. From this position Union Artillery rained down hard on the Rebels.
Our final walk of the day was out to Welfley's Knoll -- Troy's favorite section of the field -- and it offered another spectacular view. I looked back toward the East Overlook. It was one final glance at a lady walking away. She looked back over her shoulder, smiled and winked through windblown hair. She's quite confident the "old guy" will be back. And she's spot on with her assessment.
It was a couple of minutes before 5 PM when we returned to the VC and dismounted. I was hoping to purchase an Osterhaus bio, I had discussed with Troy, but knew the VC was closing. Troy said not to worry! As I paid for my book, it was a few minutes past 5 PM. Others ventured into the VC to get their passports stamped and to make purchases. Are you reading this Vincennes?
Thus ended one of my best days ever on a battlefield. Our tour of Pea Ridge was magnificent, even considering the chiggers and ticks we encountered. E. F. Ware, 1st Iowa Infantry, gives suggestions on dealing with the pests:
"The prescribed treatment for chiggers was to take a smoked bacon-rind and resmoke it over a smoldering chip fire and rub with it the places where the chiggers had bored. Then in a hour or so wash it off with strong bar soap. This seemed to neutralize the poison and kill the chigger and recovery was rapid. But for the ticks, they had to be picked out with a sharp point of a knife, and then wet chewing tobacco rubbed on. The tobacco seemed to kill the poison, but, if any part of the tick remained in, a sore was the consequence, no matter what was done."
I'll keep this in mind, next time I visit, but am hoping for a more modern, less invasive procedure.
The battlefield tromping done for the day, we drove in quest of beer. There was none to be found in Bentonville. A clerk, at a convenience store, said we'd have to go to Missouri, which was only a few minutes away. I grew up a Southern Baptist in the Bible Belt South, and still don't understand the concept of "dry" counties.
Troy recommended we supper at "Smokin' Joes." The meal was excellent and the portions were huge. It was hard to eat everything. But we gave it our best effort. We loosened our belts, took a short break and then dove back into the slaw and BBQ sauce. Pete even took some leftovers back to the hotel. Sadly, he left them in the hotel fridge when we departed Bentonville.
Part one of my "Trans-MS Blitzkrieg" blog entry is finished. The final volume of the opus will cover days 4-7. See you soon!
Fez
