Category: Confederate Flags Heritage

In school we learned about the Monitor and the Merrimac. But the Merrimac was not its name when it battled the Monitor. It was actually Confederate Ship Virginia, and was never defeated in battle. Its Union nickname was “Rebel Monster.”Virginia did start her life as the wood-hulled Merrimak (yes, with a k, historians misspelled it).  A week after Ft. Sumter, the state of Virginia took possession of her – burned and sunk by the Union.The Rebels rebuilt her as an ironclad, with 2-inch steel plate. She was tough.  Admiral Buchanan was in command during her first battle. As a U.S. Navy officer, Buchanan had helped create the Naval Academy at Annapolis. Now he was in command of Virginia’s navy, steaming toward the Union blockade. Thousands lined the river as Virginia closed on the Federal ships. When she reached the bay leading into the Atlantic, the USS Congress, opened fire. The volley bounced off her armor. The two ships exchanged broadsides. A Union officer wrote that shots “bounced off the ironclad like rubber balls.”On fire, Congress ran aground. Virginia continued toward the next Union ship.As she approached, Virginia received simultaneous hits from Union shore batteries and USS Cumberland. Shots ricocheted off the Virginia, causing little damage. Virginia blasted the Cumberland and prepared to ram her.“Hang on!” bellowed Admiral Buchanan, as Virginia pierced the Cumberland. Buchanan backed his ship, then rammed again. The Cumberland was a wreck, and her crew abandoned ship.Virginia advanced and fired on two more Union ships, damaging one before darkness closed in. At this point, Virginia looked like the most powerful ship in the world.The battle continued the next day, in the now-famous slug-out with the USS Monitor. The “Rebel Monster” seemed invincible on the first day of that battle in 1862.On March 8th, the 12-gun ironclad CSS Virginia destroyed the 24-gun USS Congress, the 44-gun USS Cumberland, and was hard at work on more when darkness fell.

The fight was not without cost. As Virginia was bringing on board sailors from Congress, a Union sharpshooter on shore put a minnie ball into her captain’s leg. He would not be fighting today.As the sun rose on March 9th, sitting low in the water was the Union ironclad Monitor. It had arrived after yesterday’s battle. The 263-foot Virginia steamed out to meet her.As Union and Confederate crowds watched from opposite shores, the world’s first battle between iron ships began. The “floating barn roof” Virginia and the 172-foot “cheese box on a raft” blasted away at each other.Monitor could fire once every eight minutes or so, but was faster. Virginia had steamed that day without her cast iron solid shot shells, loading shells most effective against wooden ships. She had not expected a Yankee ironclad.Thick armor was protecting both ships from vital damage. A sailor on the Virginia said he could “do as much damage by snapping my finger at her.”  Virginia was hit 20 times, Monitor 23. If they had been wooden, both would have been smoking wrecks. The battle ended in a draw.

But the Rebels had taken the Federals by complete surprise the first day. The U.S. Navy would not suffer as bad a defeat in battle until World War II.Both of these ships had shown the world that the day of wooden navies was indeed over.

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The day was overcast, winds blowing hard as the Warships neared each other.

The War of 1812 between Britain and America had just begun.  The USS Constitution and the HMS Guerriere were now enemies.  Captain Hull was in command of the Constitution, and we have his report.

“The Gallant crew gave three cheers” when Hull ordered the ship into battle.

After raising her flag, Guerriere, “fired a Broadside, but without effect, the Shot all falling short…”

Constitution raised its 15-star American flag “hoisted at the Mizen Peak.”

The ships maneuvered for almost an hour. Finally, Constitution came alongside the Guerriere.  At a distance ”less than Pistol Shot, we commenced a very heavy fire from all of our Guns.”

Within 15 minutes, the Guerriere had lost a mast and had heavy damage to her sails.  The Constitution “had received but little damage.”

When a sailor on the Guerriere saw a cannonball bounce off the hull of the Constitution, he exclaimed, “Huzzah, her sides are made of iron!”

Constitution’s sides were made of American oak, denser than English oak.  The ribs behind the outside oak were only 4 inches apart.  Normally, ribs were eight or ten inches apart.  The USS Constitution’s hull was tough!

Just as Captain Hull decided to send boarders over, two more of the Guerriere’s masts went down.  She was now totally disabled.

Captain Hull backed the Constitution away.  It became dark, and Hull ordered a boat sent “to see whether she had surrendered or not, and if she had to see what assistance she wanted.”

About 20 minutes later the boat returned, with Guerriere’s captain on board.  It was over.

“Our Boats were immediately hoisted out and sent for the Prisoners, and were kept at work bringing them and their Baggage on board, all night.”

British Captain James Dacres wrote this in his report:

“…the conduct of Captain Hull and his Officers to our Men has been that of a brave Enemy, the greatest care being taken to prevent our Men losing the smallest trifle, and the greatest attention being paid to the wounded…”

The next morning Captain Hull could see the Guerriere was beyond salvage:  “At daylight we found the Enemy’s Ship a perfect Wreck.”

It was not the first victory for Old Ironsides, nor would it be the last.

To read out first story about this ship, click here.

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The world’s oldest ship still in commission is the USS Constitution, launched in 1797. Paul Revere forged her copper spikes and bolts, as well as the copper sheathing on the underwater part of the hull.

One of her early captains was Commodore Edward Preble. He fought in the American Revolution (1775 – 1783), and was not afraid of a battle.

One night the Constitution was entering the Mediterranean Sea when she found herself next to another warship. Preble ordered general quarters, and gave the standard hail, ”What ship is that?”

Instead of the proper response, the other vessel simply hailed back, ”What ship is that?”

Preble identified his ship as the USS Constitution, and again repeated his hail. He still did not get a proper response, so Preble hailed again, ”What ship is that?”

For a third time, the ship did not identify itself. Preble called out, “I am now going to hail you for the last time. If a proper answer is not returned, I will fire a shot into you.”

The other returned , “If you give me a shot, I’ll give you a broadside.”

Preble gave the demand once more and heard this reply:

“This is His Britannic Majesty’s ship Donegal, 84 guns, Sir Richard Strachan, an English commodore. Send your boat on board.”

This was insulting. It meant the American vessel was the inferior.

Preble was out of patience. He bellowed:

“This is United States ship Constitution, 44 guns, Edward Preble, an American commodore, and I’ll send no boat on board any ship. Blow your matches, boys!”

The next command would be to fire the guns. Preble was prepared to take on a ship that might massively outgun him.

But then the British sent a boat over to the Constitution. It turns out that the British ship was not the HMS Donegal. It was the 32-gun HMS Maidstone.

Preble was the wrong man to try to bluff.

In the next story, we’ll cover the battle where the USS Constitution earned its nickname: Old Ironsides. Click here to read it.

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Time for another tale from Civil War author and humorist Private Sam Watkins of the 1st Tennessee Regiment. Here’s how he lived to fight another day.Sam was on guard duty after a battle. It was never much fun. He writes: “You don’t move more than ten feet at furthest before you have to halt…. You haven’t time to sit down a moment before you are ordered to move on again. And the Yankees dash up every now and then, and fire a volley into your rear.”The next day the action got real hot:“Bang, bang, siz, siz. We are ordered to load and fire promptly and to hold our position. Yonder they come, a whole division. Our regiment is the only regiment in the action.”Two or more regiments make a brigade, and two or more brigades make a division. Sam was in a heck of a pickle:“…our poor little handful of men are being killed and wounded by scores. There is General George Maney badly wounded and being carried to the rear…. A minnie ball passes through my Bible in my side pocket.”Then suddenly an order comes to move aside:“Here comes one piece of artillery from a Mississippi battery, bouncing ten feet high, over brush and logs.”“The Rebels get the cannon set and “load, fire—boom, boom.”  The cannon and the rifles were “making music like the kettle and bass drum combined.”The Yankees fell back. As night arrived, the Tennessee boys “strip and wade the Chickamauga river. It was up to our armpits, and was as cold as charity.” Sam tells us he fell asleep by a fire, ”it being the fourth night that I had not slept a wink.”

The Civil War would be a lot less interesting to read about, for both sides, without the first hand accounts of many of the battles as written by Private Sam Watkins, a common soldier serving in the Confederate Army. 

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Thanks, Sam. You made it through another day and the entire war so you could write your memoirs. Seems you got  a little help from that Bible you kept in your side pocket, keeping that minnie ball from doing its intended job.

Robert E. Lee is famous as a battlefield commander, but the Civil War had been raging for over a year before he led men in battle. Here is how it happened.Lee and Joseph E. Johnston were classmates at West Point, and they distinguished themselves during the Mexican-American War (1846). In 1861, they resigned from the U.S. Army and offered their services to the Confederacy. Lee became Jefferson Davis’ senior military adviser in Richmond, Virginia. Johnston was given command in the field.In 1862, a massive Union army was closing on the Confederate capital of Richmond, 100 miles south of Washington, D.C. On May 31st, Yankee and Rebel forces clashed at the Battle of Seven Pines on the outskirts of Richmond. Johnston was leading the Rebels. Lee and Jeff Davis both came to the battlefield and moved to the edge of the fight. The could see their greatly outnumbered boys were taking a pounding. Later, a soldier ran past Lee and Davis, announcing that General Johnston had been hit. They rode to where Johnston was being carried to a wagon. Davis spoke with his general as Lee stood by. Seven Pines was a Confederate victory, with the Federals retreating away from Richmond. But the cost was high. Confederate General D.H. Hill, remarked, “It was not war, it was murder.”

The brave Southerners had saved their capitol, but at great cost. The wounding of Johnston was fateful, however. Jeff Davis gave command of the Virginia army to Lee. Recovering in Richmond, Johnston heard about it. He is reported to have said:“The shot that struck me down is the best shot that has been fired for the Southern Cause…”

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The last time I wrote about Sam Watkins, he got a Minnie ball through his new hat. That’s Sam in the photo above, but definitely not the same hat. (Sam was in Company H, First Tennessee Infantry).

Well, it seems the next day he was on picket duty on top of Missionary Ridge. That’s part of Lookout Mountain outside Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Sam watched a night battle at the base of the mountain: “It looked like lightning bugs on a dark night.”  

Sam, Theodore Sloan and Hog Johnson were in an old log cabin, no sleep for two days, but had to stay awake since they “knew there was something up.”

Sure enough, “Johnson touched me and whispered, ‘Look, look, there are three Yankees; must I shoot?’”

Sam answered back yes, a shot rang out, and things were quiet for over an hour. Then Johnson whispered, “Yonder they come again; look, look!”

Sam was so sleepy he couldn’t see them, so Johnson fired again. But this time the Yankees didn’t drop back:

“The streaks of day had begun to glimmer over Missionary Ridge, and I could see in the dim twilight the Yankee guard not fifty yards off. Said I, ‘Boys, let’s fire into them and run.’ We took deliberate aim and fired. At that they raised, I thought, a mighty sickly sort of yell and charged the house.

Sam, Theodore and Hog raced away.

Now Sam was still on picket duty. This meant he was out in front of his own lines, and now the battle was heating up.

“I heard fighting and commanding and musketry all day long, but I was still on picket. Balls were passing over our heads, both coming and going. I could not tell whether I was standing picket for Yankees or Rebels.”

Sam got separated from the other two boys, and was now at the foot of Lookout Mountain:

“The Yankees were swarming everywhere… No one seemed to notice me; they were passing to and fro, cannon, artillery, and everything.”

You see, Civil War soldiers often dressed in whatever was available, so you couldn’t always tell by looking at a fellow which side he was on.

Then, about mid-afternoon:

“A column of Yankees advancing to the attack swept right over where I was standing. I was trying to stand aside to get out of their way, but the more I tried to get out of their way, the more in their way I got. I was carried forward, I knew not whither.”

Soon he found himself at the foot of Missionary Ridge. The Yankees were ordered to charge up the ridge. Sam didn’t want to get shot as a “deserter,” so up the mountain he went:

“They kept climbing and pulling and scratching until I was in touching distance of the old Rebel breastworks, right on the very apex of Missionary Ridge.”

Sam knew exactly where he was. The Federals had pushed the Rebels back and halted. But Sam kept going:

“I ran on down the ridge, and there was our regiment, the First Tennessee, with their guns stacked, and drawing rations as if nothing was going on.

”Says I, ‘Colonel Field, what’s the matter? The whole army is routed and running; hadn’t you better be getting away from here?’”

“He remarked very coolly, ‘You seem to be demoralized. We’ve whipped them here. We’ve captured two thousand prisoners and five stands of colors.’”

Right then Confederate General Bragg and his staff rode up. Those fellows knew the day was lost:

“Bragg had joined the church, but he had back-slid at Missionary Ridge. He was cursing like a sailor.”

Orders were issued, and the 1^st Tennessee found itself “at once the rear guard of the whole army.”

So it was that Sam lived on to fight another day.

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The story goes that in 1861 the hamlet of Town Line decided to secede from the Union, by a vote of 85 to 40. It wasn’t until 1946 that another vote was held about rejoining the United States. This time there were 90 votes to rejoin the Union. But 23 Rebels were still holding out and voted against it.

Thing is, Town Line is in New York, not too far from Niagara Falls. And the firefighters of Town Line still had a Confederate flag on their uniform patch until 2011. Americans can be a feisty lot.

The city of New York also had Southern sympathies. In January of 1861, its mayor Fernando Wood proposed that the city secede from the Union and form its own sovereign nation called Tri-Insula (meaning three islands).

NYC was a vital source of funding for Washington. About 90% of federal revenue was from fees on imported goods. And the lion’s share of those imports came into New York harbor. In 1959, the Port of New York accounted for nearly two thirds of all federal revenue!

So Mayor Wood figured that if the city left the Union it could support itself on a fraction of the high tariffs that the federal government charged. It could greatly reduce the customs fees, and not have to tax its own citizens.

The idea didn’t go very far, though the war was pretty unpopular with a lot of folks in the city.

Of course, this was the same city that raised the famous Union 69^th Irish Regiment. The 69th was so brave in one battle that it was cheered by the Confederate 24^thGeorgia Volunteers Irish Regiment.

The 69^th lives on today in the New York National Guard 69^th Infantry, which still uses the same flag. Its nickname is the “Fighting Sixty Ninth,” earned in the Civil War. It is reported that Robert E. Lee said, upon learning that the 69^th on the field:

“Ah yes, that fighting sixty ninth.”

Both sides respected bravery in the other. The remark made its way back to the Union boys, and it has stuck ever since.

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Private Sam Watkins was on picket duty on Missionary Ridge, on top of Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, Tennessee.Sam watched a night battle at the base of the mountain: “It looked like lightning bugs on a dark night.”  Sam, Theodore Sloan and Hog Johnson were in an old log cabin, no sleep for two days, but had to stay awake since they “knew there was something up.”Sure enough, “Johnson touched me and whispered, ‘Look, look, there are three Yankees; must I shoot?’”Sam answered back yes! A shot rang out, and things were quiet for over an hour. Then Johnson whispered, “Yonder they come again; look, look!”Sam was so sleepy he couldn’t see them, so Johnson fired again. But this time the Yankees didn’t drop back. He wrote:“The streaks of day had begun to glimmer over Missionary Ridge, and I could see in the dim twilight the Yankee guard not fifty yards off. Said I, ‘Boys, let’s fire into them and run.’ We took deliberate aim and fired. At that they raised, I thought, a mighty sickly sort of yell and charged the house.”Sam, Theodore and Hog raced away. But by now the main battle was on Sam relates:“I heard fighting and commanding and musketry all day long, but I was still on picket. Balls were passing over our heads, both coming and going. I could not tell whether I was standing picket for Yankees or Rebels.”Sam was now at the foot of Lookout Mountain when things got real interesting. He was in the middle of the Union troops:“The Yankees were swarming everywhere… No one seemed to notice me; they were passing to and fro, cannon, artillery, and everything.”Rebel soldiers often dressed in whatever was available, so you couldn’t always tell by looking at a fellow which side he was on. Then, about mid-afternoon:“A column of Yankees advancing to the attack swept right over where I was standing. I was trying to stand aside to get out of their way, but the more I tried to get out of their way, the more in their way I got. I was carried forward, I knew not whither.”Soon he found himself at the foot of Missionary Ridge. The Yankees were ordered to charge up the ridge. Sam didn’t want to get shot as a “deserter,” so up the mountain he went:“They kept climbing and pulling and scratching until I was in touching distance of the old Rebel breastworks, right on the very apex of Missionary Ridge.”The Federals pushed the Rebels back and halted. But Sam kept going:“I ran on down the ridge, and there was our regiment, the First Tennessee, with their guns stacked, and drawing rations as if nothing was going on. Says I, ‘Colonel Field, what’s the matter? The whole army is routed and running; hadn’t you better be getting away from here?’”“He remarked very coolly, ‘You seem to be demoralized. We’ve whipped them here. We’ve captured two thousand prisoners and five stands of colors.’”Right then Confederate General Bragg and his staff rode up:“Bragg had joined the church, but he had back-slid at Missionary Ridge. He was cursing like a sailor.”Orders were issued, and the 1st Tennessee found itself “at once the rear guard of the whole army.”So, that’s how Sam got to live to fight another day.

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The story goes that in 1861 the hamlet of Town Line decided to secede from the Union, by a vote of 85 to 40. It wasn’t until 1946 that another vote was held about rejoining the United States. This time there were 90 votes to rejoin the Union. But 23 Rebels were still holding out and voted against it.

Thing is, Town Line is in New York, not too far from Niagara Falls. And the firefighters of Town Line still had a Confederate flag on their uniform patch until 2011. Americans can be a feisty lot.

The city of New York also had Southern sympathies. In January of 1861, its mayor Fernando Wood proposed that the city secede from the Union and form its own sovereign nation called Tri-Insula (meaning three islands).

NYC was a vital source of funding for Washington. About 90% of federal revenue was from fees on imported goods. And the lion’s share of those imports came into New York harbor. In 1959, the Port of New York accounted for nearly two thirds of all federal revenue!

So Mayor Wood figured that if the city left the Union it could support itself on a fraction of the high tariffs that the federal government charged. It could greatly reduce the customs fees, and not have to tax its own citizens.

The idea didn’t go very far, though the war was pretty unpopular with a lot of folks in the city.

Of course, this was the same city that raised the famous Union 69^th Irish Regiment. The 69th was so brave in one battle that it was cheered by the Confederate 24^thGeorgia Volunteers Irish Regiment.

The 69^th lives on today in the New York National Guard 69^th Infantry, which still uses the same flag. Its nickname is the “Fighting Sixty Ninth,” earned in the Civil War. It is reported that Robert E. Lee said, upon learning that the 69^th on the field:

“Ah yes, that fighting sixty ninth.”

Both sides respected bravery in the other. The remark made its way back to the Union boys, and it has stuck ever since.

 

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The Civil War Battle of Lexington, Missouri is also known as the Battle of Hemp Bales. As you may know, hemp is a variety of the Cannabis plant that is used for making rope.Some quick background. Missouri was sort of neutral in early 1861. Then Lincoln called for 75,000 troops to put down the rebellion. And worse, a zealous Federal Brigadier General Lyon seized Camp Jackson in St. Louis and arrested 800 state militiamen. A riot ensued, and Union troops shot down 15 civilians.Well, the Missourians got really mad. The governor declared Missouri an independent republic. The legislature formed the Missouri State Guards and appointed Sterling Price to command it.Price had been an ardent Unionist, but his friend Horatio Jones described Price as “the picture of wrath” after Camp Jackson.Price marched to Lexington. The town of Lexington did a lot of trade, including hemp.  The Federals had fortified a position there, building earthworks and cutting down trees for long lines of fire. Some of Price’s officers wanted to charge the Union position, but their commander said, “it is unnecessary to kill off the boys here. Patience will give us what we want.” The Rebels seized a bunch of large bales of hemp and soaked them in the river overnight. The next day, Price’s men began to advance on the Federals, rolling the soaked hemp bales in front of them. The wet bales absorbed or repelled the bullets and artillery of the Yankees. It took a day, but the Missouri Militia advanced close enough that the Federals knew a Rebel rush would overwhelm them. The Union boys raised a white flag, and the Battle of Hemp Bales was over.

Who knew big bales of wet hemp could save the day!

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“Fightin’ Joe” Wheeler has the distinction of serving as both a Confederate General in the Civil War, and later as a U.S. Army General. That’s him in the photo, in front of the others.

Joseph Wheeler graduated from West Point in 1859. After completing Cavalry School, he was posted to Fort Craig in New Mexico Territory. It was out West that he got his nickname.

2^nd Lieutenant Wheeler was escorting a wagon that had a pregnant woman on board. Suddenly, marauding Indians attacked. The wagon driver and Wheeler were the only defense. Wheeler charged the attackers. With fire from both men, they managed to drive off them off. When the soldiers heard the story later, Joe became “Fightin’ Joe.”

Things changed the next year when Wheeler’s home state of Georgia seceded from the Union: he resigned his commission and joined the Confederate Army. 

Due to his skills and success as a cavalry officer, Fightin’ Joe rose quickly up the ranks, becoming a major general by 1863. He had 16 horses shot out from under him, and was wounded three times. Robert E. Lee considered him one of the two finest cavalry officers of the war. (Lee was himself a West Point graduate, and had been commandant of West Point Military Academy.)

After the war, Wheeler settled down in Alabama and raised a family. In 1880, he was elected to the U.S. Congress, where he served many terms. 

When the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898, Wheeler left Congress to volunteer in the Army. He was 61. 

Assigned by the President to command the cavalry in Cuba, Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders were under his command. You can see future President Roosevelt to the far right in the photo above.

“Fightin’ Joe” was aggressive, and his men fought the first major battle of the war in Cuba. When the Spanish began to retreat, Wheeler is reported to have hollered out, “Let’s go, boys! We’ve got the damn Yankees on the run again!” His adjutant had to remind him that he was one of the Yankees. 

Wheeler came down with malaria, but was able to get up from his sick-bed in time to take command during the Battle of San Juan Hill.

After success in Cuba, Wheeler was sent to the Philippines, where he continued to fight in the Spanish-American War for over a year. 

Fighting Joe Wheeler has been honored in various ways, including having a Liberty Ship and an Army base named for him. His statue stands in the Statuary Hall in the United States Capital building, and he is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

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When a battle raged, Rebels and Yankees fought like the devil. But when things were quiet, they often got along rather well. Private Sam Watkins had recently been in the thick of battle at Chickamauga – only Gettysburg saw more casualties. It was Sunday and Sam and his buddies were relieving a guard detail on the Tennessee River. There was a Yankee outpost on the opposite riverbank. Sam tells us: “When we were approaching we heard the old guard and the Yankee picket talking back and forth across the river. The new guard immediately resumed the conversation. A Yankee hallooed out, “O, Johnny, Johnny, meet me half way in the river on the island.” Sergeant John Tucker swam out to meet the Yankee, taking the Chattanooga Rebel and some other Southern newspapers with him.

Sam explains, “They got very friendly, and John invited him to come clear across to our side, which invitation he accepted…. Well, they came across and we swapped a few lies, canteens and tobacco, and then the Yankee went back.” Sam tells about another event just a few weeks later: “Theodore Sloan, Hog Johnson and I were standing picket at the little stream that runs along at the foot of Lookout Mountain. We heard a Yankee call, “O, Johnny, Johnny Reb! “I started out to meet him when he hallooed out, “Go back, Johnny, go back; we are ordered to fire on you.” “What is the matter? Is your army going to advance on us?” “I don’t know; we are ordered to fire.” I jumped back into the picket post, and a minnie ball ruined the only hat I had.” But fair warning had been given, and Sam lived to tell the tale!

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