The Bushwhacker
January 2014
The Civil War Round Table
of Saint Louis
“The Big Divide: A Travel Guide to
Historic and Civil War Sites in the MissouriKansas Border Region”
by Diane Eickhoff and Aaron Barnhart
Diane Eickhoff is a textbook editor turned historian. Her first
book was “Revolutionary Heart: The Life of Clarina Nichols”
and the “Pioneering Crusade for Women’s Rights.” She
lectures for the Kansas Humanities Council.
Aaron Barnhart is the former TV and media critic for the
Kansas City Star. He has contributed to the New York Times,
Village Voice, CNN’s Reliable Sources, MSNBC’s Hardball,
and Macworld.
For sixteen years, they have been driving back and forth across one of the least visible
and most contentious borders in American history: the Missouri-Kansas state line. This
line in the dirt once produced the fierce border wars that gave the world John Brown,
Jesse James, William Clarke Quantrill, and Ride With the Devil. But it also produced
Harry Truman, Amelia Earhart, George Washington Carver, and three world-famous
painters whose works could not have happened anywhere else. The Civil War was
fought here in the West before it was won in the East. The battles at Wilson’s Creek and
Pea Ridge were crucial to keeping Missouri in the Union. History was made right here,
by African-American regiments who were seeing combat for the first time in the Civil War
(long before the 54th Massachusetts of Glory renown). Now it’s your turn to discover
these most compelling and unique sites, where history happened along this turbulent
border. Diane and Aaron — she’s a historian, he’s a journalist — can tell you why these
sites mattered and make it easy for you to put together a themed driving tour to your
tastes. If you’ve got kids, they’ve got you covered, too.
MEETING DATE: JANUARY 22, 2014
ROYALE ORLEANS BANQUET CENTER, 2801 South Telegraph Road, 63125
Doors open at 5:30; Meal served at 6:30; Presentation at 7:30
Make reservations by January 15 via our Web Site at www.civilwarstlouis.org
A Note From Our President
Friends,
Happy New Year!
It is indeed a new year; these are new times; and there are new ways to do things. We now have a
new, improved web site. Please let me address some comments and concerns regarding our new
web site.
We now have a web site that features lots of information about our organization, its speakers, and our
meeting place with map directions and meeting times. It is easy to make on-line reservations for any
or all meetings in advance. It is also easy to become a member on-line and save time in line at the
meetings.
Why do we need to have passwords to view the most current Bushwhacker and the Trivia Quiz
before the meeting? One of the benefits of being a CWRT member is to have the most
advanced/current information. If we just allow non-members to view the latest information, then we
lose one of the advantages of being a member. Another membership advantage is the savings on
the dinner/presentation costs.
The main reason that we have membership dues is so that we have sufficient funds to cover the cost
of our speakers’ expenses, meeting costs, and the costs of promoting the organization that includes
the web site, brochures, et cetera. Also, budget permitting, we can help in the preservation of
regional Civil War sites with financial grants.
You do not need a password to view our web site. Paid members are given a “password” to use as
both their user name and password required for access to the most current Bushwhacker and
advance Trivia Quiz questions. When entering, you can check the box below to retain this
information. Once entered, you can use this for either the newsletter or quiz without re-entry. The
“password” is the same for the entire campaign.
“What if I lose the password?” Just go to the Contact page and email us the on-line form. A
volunteer will email you the information you need and attempt to answer any questions you may
have.
“Why do we have to fill out those on-line forms?” We operate solely with the help of non-paid
volunteers. How would you like to receive over sixty reservation emails with different information and
try to decipher them all?
By using an on-line form, the person(s) who need this information will receive it in the same manner
from everyone. There is no guesswork. There is also no need to have a volunteer’s personal phone
number shown on the World Wide Web. I would not like my phone number on the web so that
anyone can find out where I live. Would you like your phone number published on the web?
“Why should we visit the web site at least once a month or more often?” If you’ve noticed,
there have been several special events that we were made aware of on short notice and the best way
to let you our members know is through the web site. These do not require login/password.
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“Why does the web site have to have so much information?” We are working to provide a onestop spot for learning what Civil War events are happening as soon as we learn of them. We try to
give you maps that allow you to get driving directions from your home to the events.
“Why is the web site sometimes so hard to find?” Now that we are finally over to our new web
site, you should not have a problem using either www.civilwarstlouis.org or www.civilwarstlmo.org. If
you stored anything else in your favorites, you may have to remove that and enter the new one.
Keep in mind that there will be links on the internet that will remain there for years. The old saying is
“once on the web, always on the web.”
As time permits, we will devote a portion of a future meeting to doing a web site demonstration and
answer questions for the attendees. In the meantime, use the contact page and a volunteer will
hopefully provide you with all the answers to your questions.
Thanks in advance for your patience and understanding,
Bill
Officers for the 2013-2014 Campaign
President –
Vice President –
Secretary –
Asst. Secretary –
Treasurer –
Asst. Treasurer –
Board Member –
Board Member –
Board Member –
Board Member –
Board Member –
Board Member –
Board Member –
Board Member –
Board Member –
Bushwhacker Editor –
Assistant Editor –
Webmaster –
Bill Jackson
Murnai Winter
Gloria Grouzos
Ed Rataj
Curt Wittbracht
Larry Lapinski
Bob Katsev
John Mullen
Barry Rinderknecht
Greg Wolk
Phil Baker
Vince Heier
Mike Scully
Curtis Fears
Bob Schultz
Walt Bittle
John Harris
Paul Ullrich
2013 – 2014 Campaign
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February 26, 2014 – “Not the Best General, But Certainly the Best Man: A Curious Event in
Custer’s Civil War Career (Among Others)” by Round Table Member Reverend Vincent A. Heier
March 26, 2014 – “Lincoln’s Tragic Admiral, The Life of Samuel Francis Du Pont” by Colonel
Kevin J. Weddle (US Army Retired), Professor of Military Theory and Strategy, US Army War
College
April 23, 2014 – “Abraham Lincoln and the Press” by Harold Holzer, author, lecturer, and Lincoln
scholar
May 28, 2014 – "Cinders & Silence: Order No. 11 and Western Missouri's Burnt District" by Tom
Rafiner, author and storyteller
Bushwhacker deadline: Three weeks prior to each meeting.
Please submit items of interest to Walt Bittle waltb50@charter.net
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Events of Interest
Now Through June 1, 2014
Civil War Missouri: A House Dividing
Artifacts and documents. Daily 8:00 am to 5:00 pm except Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and
Easter. Missouri State Capitol Museum, 201 West Capitol, Jefferson City MO.
January 18, 2014, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Squeezing Your Sources: Getting the Most from Local & County Histories
Join Saint Louis Public Library Subject Specialist Tom Pearson as he shows genealogists how to get
the most information possible from town and county histories. Free. Pre-registration recommended,
but not required. Saint Louis City Central Library, 2nd Floor Training Room. To register or for more
information, e-mail tpearson@slpl.org
February 8, 2014, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Heroes of the USCT (United States Colored Troops)
Join Saint Louis Public Library Subject Specialist Tom Pearson as he discusses book, manuscript,
microfilm, and Internet sources of information on the struggles and triumphs of African-American Civil
War soldiers. Free. Pre-registration recommended, but not required. Saint Louis City Central Library,
2nd Floor Training Room. To register or for more information, e-mail tpearson@slpl.org
September 27 – September 28, 2014
Reenactment of the Battle of Pilot Knob
The Battle of Pilot Knob marked the beginning of Sterling Price's 1864 invasion of Missouri. The
reenactment will be held at Fort Davidson State Historic Site in Pilot Knob and will be open to the public
each day at 8:00 am. For more information, contact the historic site at 573-546-3454.
Off The Shelf
Smithsonian Civil War: Inside the National Collection (Smithsonian, 368 pages,
$40) is a handsome look at a war whose effects still echo 150 years later. It’s one to
browse, with pages of photographs of uniforms, equipment, and the people involved,
along with one-page looks at a particular aspect of the conflict: Zouaves, treating the
wounded, flags, and the “Miscegenation Ball,” among others.
Submitted by Bill Jackson
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Off the Wall
Female Confederate at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery
There are 1,140 Confederate Soldiers buried in six sections of
the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. Among them is one
woman, Jane N. Foster, a civilian from Randolph County,
Arkansas.
Jacob Foster married Lucretia H. J. (Jane) Bigger in Randolph
County, Arkansas in 1853. Jacob became a Lieutenant and
subsequently Captain of Company A of the 25th Arkansas
Infantry Regiment. This regiment was ordered to move east of
the Mississippi River by General Earl Van Dorn after the loss at
Pea Ridge, but in February 1863, Foster was ordered to the
Trans-Mississippi Department on recruiting service where he
ended up as a Private in Col. Reeves Cavalry Company.
There was a skirmish at Pulliam’s farm [some have called it a
massacre] in southwestern Ripley County, Missouri on
Christmas Day, 1863. Reeves’ company had camped with
Union prisoners taken at Centerville, Reynolds County, and were
celebrating Christmas, maybe with family, when they were attacked by elements of the 3 rd Missouri
State Militia. Some were killed, some captured, and some escaped. Among those captured was Jacob
Foster, who was taken to Gratiot Street Prison in St. Louis.
Jane Foster now re-enters the picture. In Randolph County, Arkansas, she was informed of her
husband’s capture and resolved to travel to visit him in St. Louis. In the spring of 1864, she left her five
children behind and made the journey from Pocahontas, Arkansas to St. Louis on horseback with
another woman. (The distance by today’s roads is over 200 miles.) How they were able to travel
through the military lines is unknown, but on arriving she was able to visit her husband. While at the
prison, she discovered that one of the prison inmates who had been thought dead back in Arkansas
was alive. She agreed to take a letter back to his grieving wife. Unfortunately, one of the guards
observed the passing of the letter and reported the action. Both Jane and the other woman were
arrested as spies at Pilot Knob and they were returned to St. Louis and placed in the women’s section
of Gratiot St. Prison.
Jane Foster was never tried as a spy, but remained in the prison. She died there on November 4, 1864
of unreported causes. Her remains were transported from Gratiot Street to Jefferson Barracks Military
Cemetery, where she was interred.
Submitted by Robert Schultz
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150 Years Ago – January 1864
Jan 1
Irish-born General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne (formerly a pharmacist in Helena,
Arkansas) proposes to free slaves who fight for the CSA. The idea is shelved and
ignored until March 13, 1865 – several months after Cleburne’s death.
Jan 2
Jefferson Davis loses three slaves, one of whom tries to burn the Confederate
White House (which is actually painted Confederate gray) on his way to freedom.
Jan 4
General Sherman takes Sheridan, Mississippi – opposed by Joseph E. Johnston,
who is outgunned, outsupplied, and outnumbered almost two to one.
Jan 11
The 13th Amendment to the Constitution (ending slavery) is proposed by Senator
John B. Henderson of Missouri.
Jan 17
Battle of Dandridge, Tennessee
Jan 20
Abraham Lincoln instructs Arkansas commander General Frederick Steele to
permit elections following the proposed anti-slavery constitution of the state.
Jan 22
Arkansas selects pro-Unionist Isaac Murphy as provisional governor, pending
elections to be held that spring.
Jan 23
Trade restrictions for Missouri and Kentucky are lifted.
Jan 26
Battle of Athens, Alabama. Local elections are permitted in Tennessee where the
federal government feels it is in control of the state
Jan 27
Battle of Fair Garden, Tennessee
Jan 29
Major General William S. Rosecrans arrives in St. Louis to take command of the
Department of Missouri. The Sir William Wallace, a steamer filled with northern
goods, falls under attack as it moves down the Mississippi River towards New
Orleans
Jan 31
Governor Gamble, who had been in ill-health for several years, dies of pneumonia
at St. Louis. Lt. Governor Willard P. Hall becomes head of the Provisional
Government of Union-occupied Missouri.
Off The Wall
Of every 1000 men actually in battle, 112 are wounded. Only four of every 1000 wounds are caused
by bayonet or saber, and more of those are in the back than in the chest. It has been estimated that it
required 240 pounds of powder and 900 pounds of lead to produce each casualty. Fortunately,
embalming had been invented in 1856.
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Editorial Cartoon of the Month
COLD COMFORT
Harper’s, January 30, 1864
Jeff Davis (reading the Pope’s Letter): “Well, it’s very good of His Holiness to call me
‘Illustrious President’ and all that, but it would have been more to the purpose if he had
sent me a lot of his cast-off clothes and some broken victuals!”
There was a sequence of letters beginning in the summer of 1863. Pope Pius IX first wrote letters to
his Archbishops in New York and New Orleans (originally written in October, 1862, but apparently lost
for a time) urging them to work together for peace. (N.Y. Times, Aug. 3, 1863.) Then on September
23, 1863, Jefferson Davis wrote to Pope Pius IX, addressing him as “Very Venerable Sovereign Pontiff”.
The hope was for recognition as a sovereign state. Unfortunately, in the Pope’s response there was
no such recognition of the Confederacy – nor any aid.
Member Bob Schultz has created Political Cartoons of the American Civil War, a 52-page book of
contemporary cartoons from many sources. Available to members for $10 each (see Bob Schultz at the next
meeting) or for $14.95 postage paid. Contact waltb50@charter.net for further details
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St. Louis Civil War Roundtable
November-December 2013
1. Match the future US President with the Civil War unit he is associated with:
a. US Grant
( E ) 70th Indiana
b. James Garfield
( A ) 21st Illinois
c. Rutherford Hayes
( B ) 42nd Ohio
d. William McKinley
( C&D ) 23rd Ohio – (pick two)
Answers: e, a, b, c & d
e. Benjamin Harrison
2. What US Presidents were the only presidents to have served in the enlisted ranks?
William McKinley, who enlisted as a private and was promoted to captain because of his
accomplishments. He lastly received a brevet promotion to major and enjoyed being called “Major
McKinley” when president. He braved enemy fire to bring hot rations to the starving 23d Ohio at
Antietam. He was brevetted for his actions in West Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley in 1864. Abraham
Lincoln volunteered as a private during the Black Hawk War and was elected captain in his first company
from New Salem. After this enlistment was up, he signed up twice more and served as a private each
time in two different companies. He served from 19 April 1832 to 10 July the same year.
3. What affliction did Gen. Benjamin Harrison acquire while in Georgia that affected him the rest of his life and
resulted in his being known as “kid gloves Harrison”?
Poison ivy
4. Who was the future US President that risked his personal safety to bring cooked rations to his starving unit,
the 23rd Ohio, in a wagon with only two horses, over a distance of two miles under fire at Antietam?
Supply Sergeant William McKinley
5. Match these Civil War veterans and future US Presidents, Grant, Garfield, Harrison, Hayes, and McKinley
with their appropriate Civil War achievements:
Captured Vicksburg
( Grant
)
Served on Court Martial Board of Gen. Fitz-John Porter
( Garfield
)
Brigade Commander with Sherman in Atlanta Campaign
( Harrison
)
First General officer commander at Belmont, Missouri
( Grant
)
Brigade Commander at Cedar Creek with Sheridan
( Hayes
)
Elected to Congress and resigned his commission to serve
( Garfield
)
Planned Tullahoma Campaign as Rosecrans’ Chief of Staff
( Garfield
)
Captured Forts Henry and Donelson
( Grant
)
Cleared the Kanawha River Valley of East Kentucky in 1861
( Garfield
)
Brevet promotion to major in Shenandoah Valley 1864
( McKinley )
Brigade Commander at Battle of Nashville 1864
( Harrison
)
Elected to Congress but stayed in service until the war’s end
( Hayes
)
Heroically supported Thomas on Snodgrass Hill at Chickamauga
( Garfield
)
Performed duties as surgeon at Kennesaw Mountain
( Harrison
)
One of two US Presidents wounded in action (Monroe was the other)
(Hayes-5 times)
5. What were the Civil War nicknames of the future US Presidents Hayes, Garfield, Harrison, McKinley and
Grant?
“Rudy” Hayes, “Jamie” Garfield, “Uncle Ben” Harrison, “Mac” McKinley, and
“Ulys” or “Sam” Grant
6. What US President held the rank of Brigadier General in the Civil War but never served in the military?
Andrew Johnson, who held the rank as Federal Military Governor of Tennessee
7. How many words are in President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address?
272 words in 10 precisely crafted sentences.
8. Who served as Quartermaster General for New York State in uniforming, arming, and equipping the over 200
regiments and 50 separate companies of state troops?
Brigadier General Chester A. Arthur, 21st President of the US
Copyright© 2013 John A. Nischwitz
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