100 Significant Civil War Photographs – Charleston in the War. By Stephen Davis & Jack W. Melton Jr. Maps, photos, illustrations, bibliography, index, 160 pp., 2020. Historical Publications LLC, www.historicalpubs.com Softbound. $19.95 Reviewed by Tom Elmore
The Civil War still resonates with so many people because it was the first American war captured by cameras. Photographers, using bulky equipment and working in harsh, often dangerous conditions produced a remarkable visual record that has withstood the test of time. Not only did they document all aspects of the war, but they did it in remarkably vivid and dramatic photos that remain among the most famous and recognizable pictures in American history.
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“alternative” takes made just minutes or hours apart, or in some cases, days or years apart from the better known versions.
The book is thematically arranged. The first section is appropriately devoted to the men who took the photographs, most notably George N. Barnard, one of the war’s greatest photojournalists. While there is a section devoted to famous individuals, the bulk of the images are still lifes of buildings and various areas of Charleston. Many reminded this reviewer of the bombed cities of Europe at the end of World War II. There are once fine, stately homes, now pock marked with holes from artillery fire. Sections of the city are burned out. Magnificent ruins of mansions and churches stand next to unharmed shanties, and vice versa. Perhaps most compelling is an image of Fort Sumter the day after its initial shelling, riddled with holes, but still a three story structure with architectural aesthetics. Below that image is another taken two years later showing the fort reduced to a one story rubble pile.
The photographs have been digitally restored and look so clean and crisp you would have thought they were just recently taken. Even if it is a picture you have seen dozens of times before, the odds are good you will see something you never noticed before. Almost every individual picture is accompanied by an excellent commentary from the editors explaining when, where, and by whom it was taken and the picture’s significance.
For anyone interested in the history of Charleston and/ or photography in the Civil War, 100 Significant Civil War Photographs – Charleston in the War, is a must have.
Graball Road: The True Story of the Civil War’s Greatest Mystery: The Lincoln County Gold Train Robbery of 1865. By Bob Young. Maps, bibliography, 195 pp., 2019, Eagle Veterans Services LLC, Augusta, GA, www.bobyoungbooks.com. Paperback. $14.95.
Reviewed by Joseph A. Derie
A train carrying the Confederate Treasury gold and silver reserves left Richmond on the night of April 2, 1865, just before the city fell. That train also carried the gold and silver reserves of several Richmond banks. Accompanying the cargo were clerks from both the Confederate Treasury and the banks who took great care that the cargoes remain separate.
As the Confederacy collapsed behind it, the valuable cargo wound itself further and further south, sometimes by train and sometimes by wagon. It finally reached Washington, Ga., by wagon on May 4, 1865, the third time that town was visited during the trip. The Confederate Treasury was dispersed to soldiers and other members of the Confederate government at Washington. The bank funds were left in local Bank of Georgia vaults; the bank clerks started their return trip to Richmond.
Following order being restored, on April 27, the Richmond banks decided it was safe to return their funds to Richmond. The clerks received travel passes from the Union Army and traveled to Georgia to bring the funds back. A few days after the clerks arrived in Washington, the 40 kegs of gold and silver coin were loaded onto five wagons and left with a light escort. They headed for Abbeville, S.C., to place the specie on railroad cars.
The first night out, not too far from Washington, the wagon train was robbed by persons unknown. No shots were fired, and no one was ever apprehended for it. The robbery was something of a makeshift affair with the robbers placing the gold in saddlebags, feed sacks, and, reportedly, trousers tied at the leg. Not all the treasure was taken; some $40,000 in gold coins was found on the ground after the wagon train left to return to Washington the next morning.
Most, if not all, the robbers were ex-Confederate soldiers, many from Tennessee or Kentucky, who had been paroled and were reluctant to return home due to the uncertainty of their welcome. It turned out that many thought the funds were Confederate and didn’t think of it as robbery. On that basis, some loot was returned, ing to $110,000 of an original $280,000. None of the remaining funds were ever recovered.
The final results were: 1. The Union Army search
2. The Federal treasury placed
3. A trove of rumors and innu
I have not mentioned a chest of jewelry that accompanied the treasure. Oh – and the $110,000 the government put a hold on? On June 22, 1893, the US Court of Claims stated the banks were entitled to $16,987.88!
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for the robbers became something of a reign of terror, using torture to obtain information.
a hold on the $110,000 in the vaults, their thinking being that it must have been Confederate States money and therefore now belonged to the Union. and endos about lost Confederate gold buried somewhere in Lincoln County, Ga., that continue to this day. There are recent postings on the Internet regarding this story.
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The author has done an exhaustive search for records pertaining to the treasure and its history, all of which are included in the volume. They range from Union Army passes, statements of the bank clerks, bank officials, Union officials, statements from locals, as well as 19th-century newspaper articles from papers in Boston, New York, California, and the Atlanta Constitution.
Graball Road is a readable look at a minor Civil War legend. It is also an interesting look at the South immediately following the war when there was no local government and lots of transient personnel. This volume is not for everyone but will reward those with a special interest in the subject or those who want something different in their Civil War studies. It is recommended with those caveats.
CAPT Joe Derie is a longtime Civil War buff with a special interest in Civil War naval history and the Civil War in the West. He is a retired USCG officer and a licensed officer of the Merchant Marine, currently self-employed as a marine surveyor and marine accident investigator in Portland, Oregon.
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It’s a quiet location, tucked back from the busy road. A place where—with a little imagination—it’s evening in May 1863 and two generals are meeting for their final council of war. That’s where my Civil War journey and love of Central Virginia battlefields began.
I’ve had a life-long interest in history and avidly collected volumes about Winston Churchill, and, of course, the American Civil War. My connection to Central Virginia’s battlefields really started in 2014 when I arrived in the area for a friend’s wedding. I lived in Alaska at the time and arrived in 90-degree Spotsylvania after a 20 hour journey. Over that weekend, between wedding festivities and celebrations, a friend took me battlefielding. We visited Salem Church, toured the Mule Shoe at Spotsylvania, drove through the Wilderness Battlefield, and spent time at Chancellorsville. That first time I visited the Lee-Jackson Bivouac my battlefield guide shared the story in vivid detail, and I gained an appreciation for the leadership moment that occurred at this secluded spot.
Five years later (to the day!) I returned to Virginia to interview for the position of Executive Director at Central Virginia Battlefields Trust. In the years that I’d been away, I spent significant time digging deeper into Civil War history and gaining a greater appreciation of the leadership decisions and courage displayed on these battlefields. When I arrived here to start my new job, I stayed at my friend’s home and we talked about local, historic places to visit, I said, “There’s a place I have to go back to.”
So, we returned to where my journey started five years earlier. The place where Lee and Jackson had met to start their great, final partnership for victory. As I walked to the spot, I realized I had returned with greater historical knowledge, a skill set I’d been honing for over 25 years in the nonprofit world, and an understanding of all that battlefield hallowed ground represents. Taking out my flask of bourbon, we shared a sip and poured a little on the land as a memorial symbol. (I’m not sure if Lee or Jackson would have appreciated the drink, but I think they would have recognized the gesture.)
I settled into my role as executive director, working through stacks and files of paperwork about land, grants, and administrative projects. Sometimes, the days are long, but the need to preserve the land and the stories it holds motivates me to “press on.”
My weekends are often spent on the battlefields, walking, taking photographs, and pondering the meaning of what happened at these places. Often, I return to Chancellorsville—drawn, I think, by the interest that came from that place of leadership council.
A couple months ago my weekend adventures brought me to the fields of First Day Chancellorsville. This pristine tract of land tells the story of the opening shots and fighting on May 1, 1863. Central Virginia Battlefields Trust worked with American Battlefield Trust in 2004 to save 134 acres of this area. When people zoom by this battlefield on Route 3, they might notice some changes in topography, but walking the ground gives an entirely different perspective, particularly if moving west from the parking area. There’s a hill that the Confederate charged, and every time I walk it, I still wonder why the Union isn’t still sitting at the top. It’s a solid defensive position! Looking at the topography gives the chance to reevaluate Civil War leadership (or lack thereof). On May 1, Union General Joseph Hooker made the decision to pull back his troops, but I can’t help wondering if the battle could’ve been very different if he had more fully explored the defensive high ground initially held by his men on that day. One army overcame while another gave up its advantage.
More recently, I explored McLaws’ Wedge—a 99-acre tract located south and east of the National Park Visitor Center at Chancellorsville. In 1998, CVBT saved this land as one of their earliest preservation projects, and the ground has since been turned over to the National Park Service for continued preservation and interpretation. Here, again, with my boots on the ground, I see how topography influenced and changed the battle. At first it seems like “just a big old field,” but then a deep valley slopes across the land, creating high ground that Federal troops could’ve held to their advantage.
Could’ve is a word packed with hindsight and judgement, I know. Looking closer at the battlefields and the history, I can take in the Terry Rensel, Executive Director of Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, enjoys a weekend hike at McLaws’ Wedge on Chancellorsville Battlefield.
big picture critically, but I don’t lose my understanding of what it must have been like for the men who fought here. These soldiers had to overcome the challenges of the land with daring and bravery. As I walk the land, I feel a greater connection to those men and what they did here. I think about the lessons that I learned during my days in the National Guard and have great admiration for what those soldiers, Blue and Gray, did so many years ago.
Appreciation seems like too small a word. Admiration begins to sound like hero-worship. I’m a guy with a military background, library of books, and a lot of nonprofit executive experience, how do I find the right words? But maybe it’s not the words that matter so much. Maybe it’s the actions that count instead. Afterall, it wasn’t the words Lee and Jackson spoke at the bivouac site that are remembered; it was the bold actions that came from their meeting. Jackson’s march on May 2 and the crushing attack against the Union army right flank. The actions which came from that meeting cannot be underestimated.
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By helping to preserving the hallowed ground of Central Virginia’s battlefields, we ensure the opportunity for each generation to come walk the topography, gain a greater understanding of the history, ponder leadership, courage, and resolve. I’m very happy to read history in a book, but to taking that knowledge and walking the land brings a whole new level of commitment to seeing the story of our pasts as a nation and as humanity.
Perhaps Winston Churchill said it best after he explored Central Virginia’s battlefields in 1929: “Destiny pivoting here has stamped the ground with a ruthless heel; the path of the world takes a different turn henceforward.” When I walk the battlefields, it strengthens my resolve to save the hallowed ground where history changed.
Central Virginia Battlefields Trust saves Civil War battleground to preserve the memory and meaning, sacrifices and stories of the men who fought at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, the Wilderness, and Spotsylvania. Learn more: www.cvbt.org
Made In The USA
There are no maker marked Confederate made belt buckles, but there are a rare few buckles whose makers are known. So how are the few whose maker is known, identified? It comes back to the sword. Whenever a sword was purchased, whether by government contract for cavalry swords, or an officer’s private purchase, the sword came with a belt. The belt was absolutely necessary, so collectors have identified various Leech and Rigdon buckles by their association with Leech and Rigdon swords. The College Hill two piece sword belt buckle, the Thomas, Griswold & Company patterns, the Boyle and Gamble oval two piece sword belt buckle, the Firman & Sons navy buckle, and the Haiman two piece buckle were all identified by the swords associated with them. Considering that the many various patterns of Confederate buckles exist, these few that are identified are a painfully small group. Due to a recent discovery one more can be added to this small list of maker identified buckles and plates.
Virtually nothing was known of the rarity 10 plate identified as 118 in Steve Mullinax’s Confederate Belt Buckles and Plates, Expanded Edition. It was described simply as “CSA” mounted on a raised oval and all solid cast. It was noted that the illustrated example was dug in Chesterfield, Va.
In 2015, the sword and belt of Lieutenant Edward R. Cryer was purchased from a family in Texas. The sword was a Boyle, Gamble & Macfee foot officer’s pattern with the earliest style Boyle & Gamble mounts on the leather scabbard. This dates it to 1861 which fits right in with Cryer’s history. Edward R. Cryer entered service in what would become Company D, 2nd Tennessee Infantry, at Hartsville, Tenn., April 25, 1861, as a 2nd lieutenant. The Second was heading to Virginia, and May 14 found Lieutenant Cryer in Lynchburg, Va.
A newly minted lieutenant, Cryer was no doubt anxious to get a sword. Whether he acquired the Richmond-made sword in Lynchburg or in Richmond is unknown, but I would guess the latter. The regiment received its baptism of fire at Aquia Creek, Va., on June 1, 1861, and was present at the Battle of Manassas on July 21, 1861. On Feb. 9, 1862, Cryer’s regiment was transferred to the Western Theatre’s Army of Tennessee. Lieutenant Cryer was killed during the first day’s fighting at Shiloh.
There are precious few of these rare Boyle, Gamble & Macfee CSA plates known; this is the only one still retaining its numbered, matched, original keeper; both plate and keeper are numbered 27. It is the only known example still on its original patent leather over cotton webbing belt.
Shannon Pritchard has authored numerous articles relating to the authentication, care and conservation of Confederate antiques, including several cover articles and is the author of the definitive work on Confederate collectibles, the widely acclaimed Collecting the Confederacy, Artifacts and Antiques from the War Between the States, and is co-author of Confederate Faces in Color.
We hope that you will accept our invitation to advertise in the 26th annual July Gettysburg section of the Civil War News. This year we are printing 12,000 copies of the Gettysburg Edition, in full color, which will be mailed to Civil War News subscribers but also delivered to shops, lodging, restaurants, historic homes, Civil War dealers, auction houses, libraries, battlefield parks, and museums for free distribution in downtown Gettysburg. It will also be handed out at the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association’s 47th Annual Civil War Show June 27-28 and at the 157th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg with Battle Reenactments, Artillery and Cavalry Demonstrations, Living History Programs, Tours of the Restored House & Barn, and more! We are working on getting it distributed to other big venues in Gettysburg as well. The reenactment will be staged on the hallowed ground of the GBPA’s 146 – acre Daniel Lady Farm located on Hanover Road with a large reenactment field bordering the Gettysburg National Military Park at Benner Hill.
In addition to the Gettysburg Edition being free to the public in shops, restaurants, and other businesses in downtown Gettysburg. It will be available for free viewing online at CivilWarNews.com which has over 300,000 visitors per year. The online version will have clickable hyperlinks which will automatically redirect the reader to the advertiser’s website. The July issue will also be posted on the Civil War News Facebook page which has almost 75,000 likes.
Please contact us at 800- 777-1862 or email ads@civilwarnews.com for questions, a copy of our rate sheet which includes the pricing and ad size specs for this special issue, or to reserve your ad space. Deadline is May 20th for ad reservation and May 31st for materials deadline.
If you choose not to participate, but are located in Gettysburg, and would like copies of the Gettysburg section to distribute, please contact me and I will make certain that you receive a box.
We look forward to hearing from you!
