Jaybird's Jottings

The Battle of Mechanicsville

“What if, what if,” Winston Groom said a few weeks ago at his lecture at the National Geographic Live.   “You can “what if” all day long.”

When thinking about the Battle of Mechanicsville, which took place on June 26, 1862, one can’t help but wonder “what if.”

Finding success in the first part of his Peninsula Campaign that spring, General George McClellan had the Confederates retreating to within a few miles of Richmond.  On top of that, Jefferson Davis worried about their losses out west. 

But instead of retreating after he punished Lee’s men at Mechanicsville (Beaver Creek), what if McClellan would have continued to push his 100,000 strong and fully-supplied Federals towards the Confederate capital?   Might the war have ended then?

We’ll never know, of course.   The cautious McClellan did pull back.    As a result, Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia pushed as far north as Gettysburg in 1863.    Before that, staggering tolls were counted at Manassas, Antietam, and Chancellorsville.  The Peninsula Campaign alone took over 36,000 casualties (killed, wounded, or missing).  

Several years ago, the better half and I visited the major Civil War battlefields in the area.    In Richmond, we only had time for their Civil War Museum at the Tredegar Iron Works.    Certainly a great place to start, but there’s so many Civil War sites to see in and around the city.  We were merely scratching the surface.

My goal this time was to see some of the Seven Days Battles.    Once again I had to choose one spot due to a lack of time.   Decided on The Battle of Mechanicsville (known in the north as The Battle of Beaver Creek).   It was the first of the Seven Days Battle, a series of confrontations that ended McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign (March-July 1862).   The battle also marked the beginning of Robert E. Lee’s on the field leadership.

Sort of like McClellan, I strategically chose not to go to Richmond by the most direct route.    Instead of I-95, I took Highway 301.   They’re actually about the same distance-wise from Alexandria, but the variable is the traffic. 

Going down on a weekday morning, I had a pleasant drive.    Given the rickety appearance of the James Madison Bridge over the Potomac, that part is a bit scary.   You do get views of the Potomac not available on I-95, but now I see where they are beginning a rehab.  

The other caveat with 301 is the stoplights.   You just have to ramp down and accept the stoplights.   Instead of going through Waldorf, I took 210/225 to the south side of La Plata, which worked fine as far as avoiding the lights around Waldorf.

Anyway, an uneventful drive down that took two hours and ten minutes.    There’s a bit of a military theme as this route takes you past the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Dahlgren and Fort A.P. Hill.   The latter is named for A.P. Hill, who initiated the Beaver Creek attack.  

When it come to preserving Civil War Battlefields, there’s been mixed results in protecting the sacred grounds.    Antietam Battlefield benefits from the city of Sharpsburg controlling growth.   Manassas/Bull Run Battlefield holds on as best it can.   With so many Civil War sites in Richmond and its greater area, preservationists there have faced huge challenges in this regard.  

Turning off I-295 and onto Highway 360, I came upon the busy intersection of Mechanicsville Road and Cold Harbor Road.   150 years ago this was the whole of Mechanicsville, a small crossroads village (The name came from a wheelwright and blacksmith shop).  Nothing I see - a gas station, 7-11, small businesses - suggest these humble beginnings except the street sign for Cold Harbor Road.   But I’ve scouted things out beforehand, a luxury Stonewall Jackson would have loved to have when he arrived from the Shenandoah Valley.

Further down the highway lies the Chickahominy River.  Lee’s army was positioned there on the morning of June 26.    McClellan’s troops were east of the crossroads, protected by Beaver Creek and a swamp that served as a moat.    The Union soldiers had occupied the village for a month.

  From the intersection, I drove down Cold Harbor Road, and turned right into the National Park Service’s site.    It’s a beautiful sunny morning.   The creek forms an s-shape in front of me, full of water and flowing underneath the pedestrian bridge.    The trees hide the surrounding neighborhoods, and I’m the only there save a family crossing the bridge.   Everything is so peaceful.  The only interruption is the soft hum of the unseen cars motoring along I-295.    

On the afternoon of the 26^th, Lee had grown very impatient.   On the drawing board, his plan called for Jackson to turn the Union right flank, approximately where the 295/360 interchange lies now.   Jackson arrived late, so A.P Hill made his move anyway in the mid-afternoon.   Five of his brigades, untested infantrymen, moved toward the creek.   They came under heavy fire from General Fitz John Porter’s V Corps and took almost 1,500 causalities. Porter suffered about 360 losses.

McClellan had an overall advantage in troops but believed he was outnumbered.   Jackson’s arrival in the late afternoon made him even more cautious, so he ordered Porter and his men to retreat.   Thus ensued the rest of the Seven Days Battle.   McClellan’s army marched to the James River, fighting Lee’s chasing army along the way.   Five battles later McClellan’s army reached Harrison’s Landing.  His Peninsula Campaign was over. 

Lee took more losses, but had taken the initiative and chased the Union away from Richmond.   Confederate morale soared.   Lincoln lost more sleep and patience with his two star commander.  

On the ride home I took I-295 and I-95.   The snake bulged around Quantico, but no major slowdowns occurred.    The driving time beat the 301 route by 20 minutes, but beware this stretch.   From here on out it will only get worse.

The final thought goes to the “what ifs.”    In his essay  from "The Richmond Campaign of 1862", William A. Blair notes:

Had the war ended with McClellan’s siege of Richmond, it is unclear whether slavery would have died immediately or continued as part of a conciliatory peace won by the conservative prescription for war and reunion. 

What is certain is that Robert E. Lee launched his career at Mechanicsville and McClellan did himself no favors with President Lincoln.   As a leader of men, Lee was only getting started.  Unfortunately, so was the war.

 

Sources:

“To the Gates of Richmond,” Stephen Sears (Considered the best)

“The Richmond Campaign of 1862,” Edited by Gary Gallagher (Contains an excellent Bibliographic Essay)

Civil War Animated website (Awesome!)

Interpretive Markers at Beaver Creek Battleground Site

The Seven Days Battle at Civil War.com

Village of Mechanicsville, 2012 Calendar, Battlefield Press, Mechanicsville

 

 

 

 

You Never Know Who You’ll Meet in Old Town

The Alexandria History Center got a surprise visit yesterday from three Colonia-era Governors, re-enactors who had stepped down from the Carlyle House’s French & Indian War event.

Walking back to my car on Prince Street, I came upon a professional photo shoot.  A beautiful model, a vintage car, the cobblestone street, Captain Row townhomes, a beautiful day – my, my.

 

 

 

Nats Win Wild Home Opener

Always nice to win the first home game of the season, which the Nats did yesterday in exciting fashion.  After blowing a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth, they won it in the tenth when Zimmerman scampered home on a wild pitch.   MASN announcer F.P. Santangelo had just said watch out for a wild pitch.

The love for the home team is spreading.   The Post’s Weekend Section has a good rundown on food items and the new “Fairgrounds.”

The recycled shipping containers are kind of ugly, but the options for fans are good.   Even beyond the day-game happy hours and live music, there’s plenty to do including shopping for clothing and art, a Farmer’s Market on Saturdays, Family Day on Sundays, food trucks, and lunchtime concert series.   

Mid-May is the target for everything going full-tilt.   Hopefully, the Nationals will still be in first.

 

 

 

 

BOC Concert Memories

This is a series of posts about my recollections of seeing Blue Oyster Cult in concert (Cross-posted at Hot Rails to Hull).    Previously was my first in 1976.  

December 26, 1980, Cumberland County Memorial Arena, Fayetteville, NC

I joined the Air Force in 1978, getting stationed at Pope Air Force Base, just north of Fort Bragg and about 20 minutes from Fayetteville.    Seeing concerts there was a mixed bag.   Fayetteville by itself did not have the population to draw in the big bands, but with Fort Bragg there, it added 40,000 to the pool.   

The venue, however, was the pits.   Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium had terrible acoustics and paled into comparison with the Greensboro Coliseum.

The boys had put out “Cultosaurus Erectus” that summer, one of my favorite Cult albums.   I was also catching up on the first three albums, and discovering just how good they were.  "Some Enchanted Evening" had come out in 1978 and showed how good they could sound live.

As far as the show, I have a hazy memory of Eric bringing out the motorcycle.

The support group was Nantucket.   To those not from the area, they must have seemed an odd pairing in that Nantucket was a regional band.   But they were very popular in North Carolina and hot as a firecracker at that point.    I remember seeing them at The Cellar in Fayetteville.

Wish I could remember more, but it is what it is.   At least I have the ticket stub!

 

Civil War 150: Peninsula Campaign, March-July 1862

With Shiloh in Federal hands, Lincoln took a sigh of relief and Grant took a draw from one of the cigars the President sent him.    

The sesquicentennial spotlight now turns back to the east and the Peninsula Campaign (March-July).    It was the largest campaign of the war, involving 250,000 troops and culminated with the Seven Days Battle. Casualties were 36,000, second most of the war behind Gettysburg.

I only know the basics on this one, reading both Catton and McPherson’s overview.   Started reading, “To the Gates of Richmond” by Stephen W. Sears.   He has received high praise and I can see why.

If you’ve ever traveled on I-64 between Richmond and Norfolk, you’ve split the middle of the Virginia Peninsula.    This long stretch of land, along with east of Richmond, is where General George McClellan fought the Confederates under General Johnston, then Robert E. Lee.    The campaign culminated with the Seven Days Battle and McClellan’s retreat.  (No cigars for this general).

It’s been said McClellan would have excelled as a Quartermaster.    His movement from Washington to the peninsula certainly was on a grand scale.   Instead of moving his Army of the Potomac southward through Manassas, he chose to send them from Alexandria to Fort Monroe on boats (almost 400 vessels) down the Potomac.   With visions of Napolean dancing in his head, his plan was to take Richmond and end the war.   

Sears writes:

Nothing comparable to the movement of the Army of the Potomac to the Virginia Peninsula had ever been seen in America.  

Richmond is gearing up for events. 

I also noticed a new book, “The Peninsula Campaign and the Necessity of Emancipation: African Americans and the Fight for Freedom” by Glenn David Brasher.

"Drawing on the voices of Northern soldiers, civilians, politicians, and abolitionists as well as Southern soldiers, slaveholders, and the enslaved, Brasher focuses on the slaves themselves, whose actions showed that they understood from the outset that the war was about their freedom. As Brasher convincingly shows, the Peninsula Campaign was more important in affecting the decision for emancipation than the Battle of Antietam."

There’s also a commemoration for the 150^th anniversary of “Taps.”  

Finally, be sure and check out the Civil War animation site.   

 

 

BOC Concert Memories

Blue Oyster Cult is on tap to play the newly refurbished Howard Theater next month.   I decided to write down my memories of seeing them through the years.   I’ve been in contact with Ralph of "Hot Rails to Hull".  He’ll be posting my write ups at his giglopedia.

Here we go with the first one.

July 23, 1976, Triad Arena, Greensboro, NC

1976 was a seminal summer for yours truly.    My friends and I started listening to RUSH and BOC that spring.     Both had put out three albums but we did not know it at the time.

We only knew about 2112 and Agents of Fortune.   The former was luck, my friend thumbing through albums at Belk’s Department Store and liking the cover.    BOC had exploded on to the scene with DFTR getting lots of airplay.

Anyway, when we heard they were coming to Greensboro, we knew we had to go.

I don’t remember much, but if memory serves me, they served beer in bottles.   It was hotter than hell inside too.   The Triad Arena, which we were still calling the Piedmont Sports Arena, was a hockey rink that held about 6K.    Festival seating so we got up fairly close.

We were thrilled the most with RUSH playing Side One of 2112, and the oyster boys playing DFTR.   At the end of the show, Albert joined the others for the five-man guitar assault.  Now that was cool!

Mott surely played All the Young Dudes, but my brain cells are fried on that one.

An interesting side note.

For years, PowerWindows, a great RUSH site by Eric, listed this show as being held at the Memorial Auditorium.   I finally had enough, and went to the Library of Congress (about a 20 minute drive on a Saturday morning) and looked through the microfilm for the Greensboro Daily News.  Found the ad, sent it to Eric and he updated it with the correct info.

By the way, in the newspaper, the Ramada Inn had an ad for “All You Can Eat Seafood Nite.”   $1.95.

Of course, all the rock heads went to Roy Rogers on High Point Road.  Double R Cheeseburger, anyone?

 

 

 

 

The Masters

With each passing year, I find it more difficult to sit down and watch TV for an extended period of time.   The Masters, however, always keeps me seated.

Off the course, challenges remain with Augusta National, including the stubborn leadership who still insist the caddies wear those white overalls.    The CBS announcers are obviously drilled.   Thus, "the stands," becomes, "spectator viewing platforms."

And why they still don’t allow women to join is beyond me.

But once the cameras turn to the tall pines, the azaleas and the holes golf fans are so familiar with, all is well.

I still go back and forth about the Masters and the U.S. Open, and which is the greatest tournament.    When asked about the penal way they set up the courses for the Open, the USGA always says, “We’re trying to identify the best golfers.”

It never seems to work out that way for the Open.   Instead, it’s the Masters where the cream always rises to the top.  

The Masters has its set of clichés, and one of them is, “The tournament begins on the back nine on Sunday.” 

True, but watching the action on Saturday is great entertainment too.   CBS announcer Ken Venturi called it “moving day.”  Yesterday, fan favorite Phil Mickelson made his move, including draining a long putt for eagle at 15.  The roar of the crowd was so loud the sound was distorted.   Peter Hanson carded a 65 to surge into the lead, and will be paired with Lefty in the final twosome in today's final round.

This afternoon when the players head for "Amen Corner," American jingoism will pull for Mickelson, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan and Freddie Couples.   Four nicer gentlemen you will not meet on the tour.

Geography teachers will be delighted to see Hanson, Louis Oosthuizen, Lee Westwood, Padraig Harrington, Henrik Stenson, and Paul Lawrie (Sweden, South Africa, England, Ireland, Sweden and Scotland).  

 The winner will feel like he's on top of the world.

When modern day golf fans and analysts talk about the greatest player of all time, they talk about Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.   We’ve forgotten Bobby Jones, who won the "Grand Slam" and was considered the best player of his time.   Jones also gave us Augusta National and The Masters.

Have a seat.

 

 

 

 

 

Morven Park

On the heels of our visit to Hillwood, making the next one to an estate bequeathed to the public, as Marjorie Merriweather Post did, would seem repetitious and boring.

I suppose in some ways, that’s true.   Morven Park’s estate and grounds, however, is different from Hillwood if for no other reason than it holds 1,000 acres.   

This hidden gem just north of Leesburg has been on my list for a while, but they were closed for the season until earlier this week.  The mansion, built in stages between 1780 and 1902, was the last home of Governor Westmoreland Davis (1918 to 1922) and his wife Marguerite Inman Davis.    Mrs. Davis, a force in her own right who gave generously to libraries, churches and schools, established a foundation to ensure the mansion and grounds would be open to the public and a forgotten era maintained.   Thomas Swann, governor of Maryland, also owned the property at one time.

For 45 years, Morven Park has welcomed visitors.   Their stated purpose is to preserve and promote the ideals demonstrated by Davis who was a true sportsman and progressive thinker.   Swann expanded the manor when he lived there.   Davis transformed the entire place into a Mecca for horse and hunt lovers.    In fact, on the second floor lies a small Hunt and Hounds Museum.  

After financial loss at the end of the Civil War, Davis (1859-1942) became a successful corporate lawyer in New York.   In 1903 he switched gears and purchased Morven Park where he promoted progressive farm techniques.   After a term as Governor of the Commonwealth, Davis advocated for reform as owner of the “Southern Planter.”   In the 1930, he supported FDR and the New Deal.   He passed away at Morvern Park on September 2^nd, 1942.  He rests peacefully beside his wife in the masoleum on the grounds.

Morven Park would never stoop to marketing itself with a catchy slogan, but if they did, “More than the Manor,” would fit perfectly.   Options include the mansion, gardens and grounds, an internationally-known Equestrian Center, a Civil War camp and trails with markers, the Museum of Hounds and Hunting, and a Carriage collection.   

Disappointing no photos allowed, but our guide was fully knowledgeable.   Walking into the house is indeed like stepping back in time.   A bonus is one room, recently opened, with relics and photos from the Civil War.   Moseby fans will enjoy the portrait hanging there of the famous rebel rouser.   Small touches, such as the laying out of two newspapers headlining the Governor’s election win, add to the meticulous presentation.    The library room impresses with a large collection of books and the view eastward is inspiring.

 

Shiloh

“The Battle of Shiloh on April 6 and 7, 1862, was the first great and terrible battle of the Civil War and the one that set the stage for those to come…”  - Winston Groom, “Shiloh 1862.”

It is Shiloh week for Civil War buffs.     Today and tomorrow mark the 150^th anniversary of the battle, the greatest fought in the nation up to that point, and one that took almost 24,000 casualties.   

Jeff Shaara (“Civil War Battlefields”) describes the fighting as “face-to-face massacre,” and adds, “Shiloh is the first bit of graphic evidence that the cost of the war will in fact be much higher and much more horrible than anyone could have previously imagined.”

As someone living in Virginia, I had previously concentrated on the battles here and in Maryland.     With some catch-up reading to do on the Western Theatre, I’ve read Groom’s book, which was published last month.  

I also went to see him lecture last night at the National Geographic.    In front of a nearly packed auditorium, he gave an overview of the battle and answered over a dozen questions.    Groom, born in D.C. and now living in Alabama, speaks in the slow Southern style.   Probably not everyone enjoyed it but I rather did.   He fully answered each and every quesion, and impressed with a sense of balance.   

To understand the Battle of Shiloh, start by thinking of a football field running north and south through Tennessee.  The sidelines are Nashville and Memphis.  

The Confederacy wants to keep the Union army in the northern part of the state, while the boys in blue seek to gain ground in the southern part of the state.  

The Union army, aided by naval support and led by Grant, starts with a pair of February victories at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson near the northern border with Kentucky.   This gives them control of the Tennessee River.    

Uncontested, they head down to Pittsburg Landing, just south of the riverside city of Savannah and just a day’s march to the southern border of the state.    Just beyond the border lies pay dirt for the Union Army, the “Memphis and Charleston Railroad,” a vital east to west link for the South.    Defeat General Johnston’s army camped near Pittsburg Landing and Shiloh Church, take the railroad, and Lincoln just might start sleeping at night.

Of course, Albert Sydney Johnston, would have something to say.  The near-legendary leader and his 30,000 rebel yellers were tough as nails, and none too happy about the defeat at the two forts.

On April 6, they attacked the Union soldiers, who were encamped between Shiloh Church and the Tennessee River.   Drive General Grant’s men back to the muddy bogs along Pittsburg Landing and the river, and the Confederacy would win the first major battle of the war since they defeated the Union at the Battle of Bull Run/Manassas the previous summer.

Starting in the early morning hours of April 6, the Confederate Army came out of the woods and punished Grant’s forces.   They might have finished them off, but Johnston was mortally wounded in mid-afternoon.   Beauregard has been second-guessed for not continuing the fight, but darkness fell, command and control was weakened, and the men were exhausted.     

Come light the next day, the Union, aided by the arrival of fresh troops, counterattacked.   Outnumbered, low on ammo, and demoralized by the loss of Johnston, the Confederates retreated. 

A few weeks after the battle, General Hallack and his men joined Grant’s forces and marched to Corinth, Mississippi.   Outnumbered, Beauregard retreated further.     The railroad fell into Union hands.

The Battle of Shiloh told both sides the war would be a long one.  Groom observes:

"It was as if at Shiloh they had unleashed some giant, murderous thing that was going to drench the country with blood…"

Unfortunately, the monster could not be stopped.   The loss of life and limb near the peach orchard and between the groves 150 years ago merely foreshadowed the final toll of the four-year conflict.   The nation would be wrecked and over 600,000 brave souls would be lost.

Note:  Recent research by J. David Hacker increases the death toll from 618,222 to 750,000.    

 

 

 

Finding Francis Scott Key: His House in SE DC

When it comes to the places where Francis Scott Key laid his head at night, few remain.   "Terra Rubra," his childhood home, is a replica, built after strong winds damaged it beyond repair.    The folly of man allowed his mansion in Georgetown to be torn down, now just a patch of land lacking even a commemorative marker.    The site of his home in Judiciary Square is now a kleenex box for the Department of Labor, and also not marked.  

Fortunately, his room and board during his school and college days still stands, the handsome home of his great aunt and uncle in Annapolis.    

And then there’s the Maples/Friendship House in SE DC (630 South Carolina/619 D Street).    Key purchased the Georgian townhouse in 1815.   Some sources say he lived here until 1838, but Jeanne Fogle ("A Neighborhood Guide to Washington, D.C.'s Hidden History") notes he probably just leased it until 1833, and then lived there for a short period of time.

The great news about this historic house is the guardians of preservation have secured its future.    True, it won’t be open to the public, but new life comes in the form of rehabilitation.  The plans are to convert the property into flats, duplexes and townhomes.   The Maples is the oldest privately owned building in Capitol Hill.

The property stands out with its additions and a large front lawn, a rare sight in this urban community of row houses.   Of course, "front" and "back" depends on the point of view.    Walking along D Street, one gathers the pair of steps that curves up to an iron gate mark the front.   A commemorative marker says, The Maples Built in 1797.   Originally, the primary entrance looked to South Carolina Ave.   The view to and from South Carolina Avenue will be maintained.

Commissioner Norman Metzger (ANC 6D) recently provided an update on the status.

During the demolition we did find some pipes in the walls that we were unaware of with wrap that we suspected contained asbestos. We brought in an environmental engineer to survey our findings and submitted that report to the city. Our engineer is in the process of getting the remediation plan done and approved and we hope to complete the interior demolition shortly.

We did submit for our garage permit last year. Issuance of the permit was delayed because of some of confusion by zoning review, despite the fact that we received a reliance letter from the zoning administrator to avoid such confusion. We have subsequently resolved the issue and expect the permit to be issued as soon as our contractor submits their traffic plan to the city. We anticipate starting construction late spring with delivery of the townhouses and carriage house in early 2013.

Unknown to most is the history of the house prior to becoming a Hull House-like community center.    Before the turn of the 18^th Century, a log cabin and maple grove resided on the tract of land.   Anticipating the capital real estate boom Washington promised, a wealthy Englishman, William Mayne Duncanson, bought the land and built the original house in 1796.   As Kim Roberts, of DC Writers' Homes notes:

The real estate investments bankrupted him and he died almost a pauper in 1812.  The Maples is the only remaining trace of Duncanson in the city.  

President George Washington graced the house as a guest.   It served as a hospital for the wounded in the Battle of Bladensburg in 1814.   A year later, Key bought the house.   His personal fortune had increased after Philip Ross Key, his wealthy uncle passed away.    

Roberts also said:

Other prominent owners of the house include: Senator John Clayton of Delaware (who purchased it in 1856, and added a ballroom decorated by Constantin Brumidi, the painter of the US Capitol), the journalist Emily Edson Briggs (first woman political correspondent based in DC and first woman admitted to the Congressional press galleries), and a nonprofit group who turned it into a social service center and renamed the property Friendship House (purchased in 1937).