From Our Past

Fun Facts from my research, This Week in History, etc.

Fireside Talk Radio Podcast about A Rebel in My House

/ sandramervillehart

 

Cathy Krafve of Fireside Talk Radio interviewed Sandra Merville Hart, author of A Rebel in My House, a Civil War romance set during the turbulent Battle of Gettysburg. Cathy is a talented host and made Sandra feel a warm Texas welcome!

Here is Cathy’s introduction to the interview:

 

Outside the Box. Her Wisdom, Translating Compassion into Fiction Writing with Sandra Merville Hart

“Award-winning Author Sandra Merville Hart joins Cathy Krafve to talk about her wonderful Civil War era book, A Rebel in My House. Both sides of the conflict receive tender grace from Sandra in this engaging, action-packed story. With compassion, Sandy creates characters to love. Cathy asks questions about her inspiration and decision-making when it comes to handling history respectfully.  With five books out by this time next year, Sandra is a rising star in publishing circles. For Sandy, climbing out of the box means creating stories that reflect compassion for people and respect for history.”

Here is the podcast for those who’d like to download and listen:  Fireside Talk Radio A Rebel on My Land Interview

Thank you for a fun visit on Fireside Talk Radio, Cathy!

-Sandra Merville Hart

The Story Behind the Story-A Rebel in My House

/ sandramervillehart

After I wrote A Rebel in My House, my Civil War romance set during the turbulent Battle of Gettysburg, other authors and readers asked me why I wrote the novel. Since the anniversary of the historic battle is almost here, I thought I’d share the “story behind the story” with you, my readers and blog family.

Something drew me yet again to Gettysburg. I knew there was a story waiting there for me. My husband and I walked the battlefields. Ideas stirred when I found Tennessee troops in Archer’s Brigade, part of Heth’s Division who began the fighting on the first day. Nothing solidified so I kept digging. I discovered fascinating history at the Gettysburg Seminary Ridge Museum in Lutheran Theological Seminary. Surely my story touched this place. Spending several hours exploring the museum and surroundings sparked no ideas so I trudged on.

I explored Gettysburg museums, spending hours at the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center, Gettysburg Museum of History, Gettysburg Railroad Station, General Lee’s Headquarters Museum, and The David Wills House where President Lincoln stayed. I learned captivating facts at the Jennie Wade House, Shriver House Museum, and “The Women of Gettysburg Tour,” an evening walking tour.

Ideas swirled as my husband and I walked the town’s streets around the “Diamond” or the town square. This is where the women and children suffered through a nightmare from which they didn’t awaken for many months.

Then we spent another afternoon and evening at the battlefield.

Three Tennessee regiments fought the beginning battle on July 1st. They didn’t fight again until they joined in Pickett’s Charge.  

The sun sank low on the horizon as I stood alone on Cemetery Ridge. The expansive field crossed by Pickett’s Charge on July 3, 1863, captured my imagination. Though the land is peaceful once more, it still tells a story. My imagination soared while the sun disappeared.

As an author, I had to tell what the townspeople endured. What if a Gettysburg woman fell in love with a Confederate soldier? What if they both made promises to loved ones? Some promises are impossible to keep …

I reluctantly left the ridge. I had a story to write.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Release Day for Audiobook!

/ sandramervillehart

Thrilled to announce Release Day for my first audiobook!

Robin Jasper does an excellent job at narrating A Stranger On My Land, my first Civil War romance. Robin has a way of captivating listeners and not letting go. I wrote the story and she drew me in!

A Stranger On My Land is set on Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, at the time of the famous Civil War Battle Above the Clouds. A Southern woman finds a wounded Union soldier on her land after the battle. He will die if she doesn’t help him.

Buy the audiobook today or get it free with Audible trial. Please leave a review as encouragement to both author and narrator. Thanks for celebrating this release with us!

Civil War Battle of Gettyburg’s Numbers

/ sandramervillehart / 1 Comment

Post and rider fence common around Gettysburg in 1863 — at Gettysburg Battlefield

 

 With the July 1st—3rd anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg approaching, I thought it would be fun to dig into some “number” facts pertaining to the battle.

How many soldiers fought in the famous Pennsylvania battle?

Sources disagree on this number due to inaccurate, incomplete, and missing records.

HistoryNet

 82,289 Union soldiers

75,000 Confederate soldiers

157,289 Total

Stone Sentinels

93,700 Union

 70,100 Confederate

163,800  Total

Book of Lists

93,693 Union (Corps Strength)

 70,136 Confederate (Corps Strength)

163,829 Total

Some sources reported round numbers:

Encylopaedia Britannica

94,000 Union

 71,000 Confederate

165,000 Total

The Civil War Battlefield Guide    

170,000+ soldiers fought

When the Smoke Cleared At Gettysburg

172,000+ soldiers fought

As you can see, some of these numbers are very close. The difference between the lowest and highest estimates is 14,711.

How many casualties did both sides suffer?

We first have to understand that casualties were broken down as follows: Killed, Wounded, and Missing. Sources also disagree on this number for the same reasons as above.

HistoryNet

3,155  Union killed

14,529 Union wounded

  5,365 Union missing

23,049 Total Union casualties

 

3,903  Confederate killed

18,735  Confederate wounded

  5,425  Confederate missing

28,063  Total Confederate casualties

 

23,049 Union (all casualties)

28,063 Confederate (all casualties)

51,112 Total casualties

Stone Sentinels*

3,150  Union killed

14,500 Union wounded

  5,165  Union missing

22,815  Total Union casualties

 

4,400  Confederate killed

12,950 Confederate wounded

  5,350  Confederate missing

22,700  Total Confederate casualties

 

22,815 Union (all casualties)

22,700 Confederate (all casualties)

45,515 Total casualties

*Stone Sentinel acknowledges their estimates are conservative, with actual casualties possibly as high as 51,000.

Book of Lists

22,807 Union (Corps)

22,557 Confederate (Corps)

45,364  Total casualties

When the Smoke Cleared At Gettysburg

3,155  Union killed

14,530 Union wounded

  5,365  Union missing

23,050  Total Union casualties

 

4,500  Confederate killed

18,750 Confederate wounded

   5,250 Confederate missing

28,500  Total Confederate casualties

 

23,050 Union (all casualties)

28,500 Confederate (all casualties)

51,550 Total casualties

 

Some sources reported round numbers:

Encylopaedia Britannica

23,000 Union casualties

28,000 Confederate casualties

51,000 Total casualties

The Civil War Battlefield Guide    

50,000+ Total casualties

Again, some numbers are close. The difference between the lowest and highest estimates is 6,186. It’s been surprising to find so many discrepancies in these numbers. As an author of a Civil War romance set during the Battle of Gettysburg, A Rebel in My House, I’m often asked these numbers. It’s not an easy answer.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

“Battle of Gettysburg,” Encyclopeadia Britannica, 2018/06/15 https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Gettysburg.

“Battle of Gettysburg,” HistoryNet, 2018/06/15 http://www.historynet.com/battle-of-gettysburg.

“Battle of Gettysburg Facts,” Stone Sentinels, 2018/06/15 http://gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/battle-of-gettysburg-facts/.

Compiled by Editors of Combined Books. The Civil War Book of Lists, Da Capo Press, 1994.

Edited by Kennedy, Frances H. The Civil War Battlefield Guide, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1990.

Long, E.B and Long, Barbara. The Civil War Day by Day: An Almanac 1861-1865, A Da Capo Paperback, 1971.

Sheldon, George. When the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg: The Tragic Aftermath of the Bloodiest Battle of the Civil War, Cumberland House, 2003.

Cherokee General Watie Surrenders First Indian Brigade

/ sandramervillehart / 2 Comments

Degataga, Cherokee for “stand firm,” was the name given to Stand Watie at his birth. He was baptized as Isaac Watie so Stand Watie is a blend of his Cherokee and English names.

Watie supported the relocation of the Cherokee Nation to Indian Territory (modern-day Oklahoma.) Even though Chief John Ross and the majority of the Cherokee opposed the removal, Watie and a few other tribal members negotiated and signed the Treaty of New Echota. The treaty with the United States forced the Cherokee to leave their lands, traveling what was later called the Trail of Tears.

The treaty signers weren’t popular. A friend’s timely warning allowed Watie to escape being killed with other signers in 1839.

He joined the Southern cause in 1861. As colonel, he raised a Cherokee regiment, the Cherokee Regiment of Mounted Rifles. He and his troops helped drive pro-Union Native Americans from Indian Territory to Kansas.

Watie and his men excelled as scouts and skirmishers. His courage was noticed and he became Brigadier General Watie on May 6, 1864—the only Native American to receive this rank in the Civil War. He commanded the First Indian Brigade, made up of Cherokee, Seminole, Osage, and Creek soldiers.

After General Kirby Smith surrendered the Army of the Trans-Mississippi, Watie knew his turn was coming.

On June 23, he surrendered at Doaksville in Indian Territory.

The last Confederate general to surrender was Cherokee chief Stand Watie.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

“Conclusion of the American Civil War,” Wikipedia.com, 2018/03/21 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conclusion_of_the_American_Civil_War.

“Conclusion of the American Civil War,” Wikiwand.com, 2018/03/22 http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Conclusion_of_the_American_Civil_War.

Long, E.B. and Long, Barbara. The Civil War Day by Day: An Almanac 1861-1865, A Da Capo Paperback, 1971.

Plante, Trevor K. “Ending the Bloodshed,” National Archives, 2018/03/21

https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2015/spring/cw-surrenders.html.

“Stand Watie,” Civil War Home, 2018/04/22 http://www.civilwarhome.com/watiebio.html.

“Stand Watie,” Civil War Trust, 2018/04/22 https://www.civilwar.org/learn/biographies/stand-watie.

Hazelelponah Wood: A Noteworthy Puritan Woman

/ sandramervillehart

Today’s post is written by fellow author, Donna B. Gawell. Her debut historical novel, In the Shadow of Salem, releases this month. Congratulations on the new release, Donna!

Hazelelponah, Haselelponah or Haselepony?  How did Hazelelponah really spell her name or did she even care? This remarkable woman is the bearer of a unique name but has an equally amazing life story from the early years of New England.

Hazelelponah’s unique name is shared by a woman in the Old Testament in the genealogies of Judah. You can find it in 1 Chronicles 4:”These were the sons of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash. Their sister was named Hazzelelponi.” Feel free to use her name to quiz your pastor or rabbi.

In the Shadow of Salem features Hazelelponah as a proprietor of an ordinary tavern. This real Puritan woman was born in 1636 in Exeter, NH and was the oldest daughter of Balthazar and Hannah Willix. In 1648, her mother was attacked, robbed, murdered on the road leading from Dover to Exeter,  and her body was thrown into the river. Balthazar became despondent and moved the family to Salisbury.

Soon after, Hazelelponah was sent into service, a typical practice in Puritan times for many young women and men.  She met and married John Gee, fisherman, but he was lost at sea on December 27, 1669.

The widow Hazelelponah moved with her five children to Boston for several years.  There Hazelelponah met Obadiah Wood, a widower with ten children who lived on East Street in Ipswich and was a “biskett baker.” Obadiah and Hazelelponah married and were proprietors of an ordinary tavern in Ipswich. The couple added another ten children during their years of marriage.

Hazelelponah experienced so much tragedy in her early life, and we can only hope she was revered by her twenty-five children and stepchildren! This impressive woman survived her second husband and died in Ipswich in 1714 at the age of 79.  Her grave is located in the Old North Burying Ground in Ipswich, MA.

-Donna B. Gawell

About the author:

Donna is a writer and genealogist who enjoys writing novels about her infamous and more humble ancestors. She lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband Mark. Her website  features history and travel articles.

 Back Cover Blurb

In the Shadow of Salem is a historical novel about the life of Mehitabel Braybrooke, a Puritan woman born in 1652 in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Mehitabel is accused of crimes−the first for arson and the second for witchcraft. History has not been kind to Mehitabel, but what was the real story behind her scurrilous reputation? Would she ever be redeemed from her lifelong curse? Or was Mehitabel as wicked as her numerous Essex Court Records imply?

Amazon

Brig. Gen. Wofford Surrenders Department of North Georgia

/ sandramervillehart

William T. Wofford served as a captain in the Mexican War. After the war, he was in the Georgia state legislature. As a member of the state convention in 1861, he voted against secession. When Georgia seceded, he joined the 18th Georgia Infantry as colonel.

His regiment was later assigned to General John Bell Hood’s Texas Brigade. As part of this brigade, Wofford and his men fought at Yorktown, Second Bull Run, South Mountain, Sharpsburg, and Antietam.

In November of 1862, 18th Georgia was transferred to the Georgia Brigade. Wofford was promoted to brigadier general on January 17, 1863.

He served with the Army of Northern Virginia until Georgia Governor Joseph E. Brown asked him to assume command of the Department of North Georgia around the end of 1864.

Georgia’s citizens needed protection from guerrilla attacks. Wofford strengthened his forces with stragglers, deserters—any available men. He commanded this department until May 12, 1865.

Lee and others had already surrendered when letters between Union Brigadier General Henry M. Judah and Wofford were exchanged. Union Colonel Louis Merrill believed there to be about 10,000 soldiers in Wofford’s command.

About a third of this number surrendered—the rest deserted.

A sign in Kingston, Georgia, located at the intersection of Church Street and West Main Street, marks where the surrender occurred.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

“Conclusion of the American Civil War,” Wikipedia.com, 2018/03/21 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conclusion_of_the_American_Civil_War.

“Conclusion of the American Civil War,” Wikiwand.com, 2018/03/22 http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Conclusion_of_the_American_Civil_War.

Long, E.B. and Long, Barbara. The Civil War Day by Day: An Almanac 1861-1865, A Da Capo Paperback, 1971.

Plante, Trevor K. “Ending the Bloodshed,” National Archives, 2018/03/21

https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2015/spring/cw-surrenders.html.

“W.T. Wofford (1824-1884),” New Georgia Encyclopedia, 2018/04/21 https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/w-t-wofford-1824-1884.

“Swamp Fox of the Confederacy” Surrenders at Chalk Bluff, Arkansas

/ sandramervillehart

In 1857, M. Jeff Thompson was elected mayor of St. Joseph, Missouri. He gave a speech about the importance of the Pony Express in a ceremony on April 3, 1860, before the first rider left St. Joseph.

Thompson supported secession in writings and speeches while mayor. After the war began, he commanded the First Division of the Missouri State as brigadier general. Located in the “boot heel” of Missouri, he and his troops caused trouble for the Union forces and won their admiration. Then Colonel Ulysses S. Grant called him “Swamp Fox.” He soon became known as the “Swamp Fox of the Confederacy.”

After suffering some defeats, Thompson was assigned to the Confederate riverine navy defending Memphis. This navy was destroyed and Thompson was sent back to Arkansas where he and his men raided into Missouri for the next few months.

Thompson was captured at Pocahontas on August 24, 1863. He spent the next year as a prisoner first at the St. Louis Gratiot Street Prison, then Johnson’s Island, Ohio, and then Fort Delaware. He was paroled in August of 1864.

He rejoined the fighting in Missouri. He had command of the Iron Brigade in Brigadier General Jo Shelby’s division and commanded the Sub-District of Northwest Arkansas beginning in March, 1865.

Union Lieutenant Colonel Charles W. Davis, 51st Illinois Infantry, requested a conference with Thompson. They discussed surrender terms on May 9th at Chalk Bluff, Arkansas. Thompson asked for two days to consult with his officers.

Thompson surrendered on May 11, 1865. The paroles took place at two Arkansas locations, Wittsburg and Jacksonport. Though some of Thompson’s men had already deserted, about 7,500 officers and enlisted men surrendered and were paroled.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

“Conclusion of the American Civil War,” Wikipedia.com, 2018/03/21 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conclusion_of_the_American_Civil_War.

“Conclusion of the American Civil War,” Wikiwand.com, 2018/03/22 http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Conclusion_of_the_American_Civil_War.

“’Great Race Against Time,’ First Run: April 3, 1860,” National Park Service, 2018/04/21 https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/poex/hrs/hrs2e.htm.

“M. Jeff Thompson,” Wikipedia.com, 2018/04/21 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._Jeff_Thompson.

Long, E.B. and Long, Barbara. The Civil War Day by Day: An Almanac 1861-1865, A Da Capo Paperback, 1971.

Perkins, Russell S. “Thompson, M. Jeff,” The Kansas City Public Library, 2018/04/21  http://www.civilwaronthewesternborder.org/encyclopedia/thompson-m-jeff.

Plante, Trevor K. “Ending the Bloodshed,” National Archives, 2018/03/21

https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2015/spring/cw-surrenders.html.

General Kirby Smith Surrenders Trans-Mississippi Department

/ sandramervillehart

Confederate Lt. General Edmund Kirby Smith commanded the Trans-Mississippi Department, which included Arkansas, Indian Territory, Texas, and most of Louisiana.

After the Union army took control of the Mississippi River, Smith’s army was cut off from the Confederacy. He stayed west of the Mississippi until the war ended.

By May 5, 1865, Smith’s force of 43,000 men was the last major army remaining in the Confederacy.

General Grant had turned his attention toward the Trans-Mississippi Department by May 8th.

Smith sent Lieutenant General Buckner to New Orleans for a meeting with Union Major General Peter Osterhaus on May 26th. They discussed terms of surrender similar to those agreed-upon at Appomattox.

Aboard the U.S.S. Fort Jackson just outside Galveston Harbor, Smith signed the surrender on June 2nd.

Some troops, refusing the surrender, fled to Mexico or to the Far West.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

“Conclusion of the American Civil War,” Wikipedia.com, 2018/03/21 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conclusion_of_the_American_Civil_War.

“Conclusion of the American Civil War,” Wikiwand.com, 2018/03/22 http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Conclusion_of_the_American_Civil_War.

Long, E.B. and Long, Barbara. The Civil War Day by Day: An Almanac 1861-1865, A Da Capo Paperback, 1971.

Plante, Trevor K. “Ending the Bloodshed,” National Archives, 2018/03/21

https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2015/spring/cw-surrenders.html.

 

Battle at Palmito Ranch, Texas

/ sandramervillehart / 2 Comments

General Robert E. Lee had surrendered at Appomattox over a month before the Civil War Battle at Palmito Ranch.

Colonel Theodore H. Barrett commanded the Union troops at Brazos Santiago Island. On May 11, 1865, Barrett ordered Lieutenant Colonel David Branson to attack Rebel outposts and camps on the mainland.

Taking the 250 men of 62nd U.S. Colored Infantry and 50 men of 2nd Texas Cavalry, Branson reached White’s Ranch at 2 AM on May 12th. Upon finding no one at the ranch, he withdrew and marched to Palmito Ranch, a Confederate camp located along the Rio Grande River.

Folks from nearby Mexico had spotted the Union army and reported their location to the Confederates in the morning hours.

Branson’s approach scattered the Confederates. Rather than leaving the ranch, Branson and his men decided to eat and feed their horses.

When Confederate reinforcements arrived at 3 PM, Branson returned to White’s Ranch. Barrett brought the 34th Indiana’s 200 men to his aid and then took over the command.

Union troops skirmished most of the way to Palmito Ranch. Then sharp fighting started about 12 miles outside Brownsville.

Around 4 PM, Confederate Colonel John S. “Rip” Ford rode in with a large cavalry force.

Federal troops formed a battle line, which the Confederates hammered with artillery.

Barrett’s retreat ended the last battle of the Civil War—which was a Confederate victory.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

“Conclusion of the American Civil War,” Wikipedia.com, 2018/03/21 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conclusion_of_the_American_Civil_War.

“Conclusion of the American Civil War,” Wikiwand.com, 2018/03/22 http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Conclusion_of_the_American_Civil_War.

Long, E.B. and Long, Barbara. The Civil War Day by Day: An Almanac 1861-1865, A Da Capo Paperback, 1971.

“Palmito Ranch,” Civil War Trust, 2018/03/26 https://www.civilwar.org/learn/civil-war/battles/palmito-ranch.

Plante, Trevor K. “Ending the Bloodshed,” National Archives, 2018/03/21

https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2015/spring/cw-surrenders.html.