November 23, 2006, 12:46 AM | #176 | |
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Armed robbery story
From the dustbin of history, we have a Western tale of an almost train robbery and then a consolation stick-up.
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November 25, 2006, 12:45 PM | #177 |
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A great story, Gary.
The Dovey Mine at Mercer? In what state or territory was that?
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November 26, 2006, 01:10 AM | #178 |
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Kentucky.
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November 26, 2006, 10:39 PM | #179 | |
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Fraternal love among officers and men...
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Letter of George E. Dolton to his wife. Published in The Path of Patriotism, page 105. Can't find it now, but there's an account of Union Gen. John Geary berating the men and a couple of them responding by beating him up, dashing into the crowd before he could retaliate. Of course, no one saw what happened.
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November 27, 2006, 12:05 AM | #180 | |
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Feed that cat!
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December 1, 2006, 09:34 AM | #181 |
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4V50 Gary
Your story about the officer being 'kicked out' of the 28th Alabama was especially interesting to me because my G-Grandfather was a First Lieutenant in that regiment. Fortunately, his name wasn't Tucker! |
December 1, 2006, 01:13 PM | #182 |
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Many thanks.
Gary,
I really love the history of 19th century America. Being deployed, I don't have many books with me, and internet access is pretty unreliable for any great length of time. I just wanted to let you know how very much I enjoy your anecdotes, and all the work that must go into researching and compiling them. Thanks for making things here just a bit more bearable. John. |
December 6, 2006, 11:42 PM | #183 | |
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Lice, not fleas
WPA -if you have any family stories from the Late Unpleasantness between states, please share them.
38splfan - you're welcome and thank you and your buddies for serving our nation. Remember that old poem that ended with "go to your God like a soldier?" Methinks Rudyard Kipling wrote that. So, what distinguishes a soldier of the 19th Century from a civilian? Read the following thread and judge for yourself. Quote:
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December 9, 2006, 05:37 PM | #184 | |
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We've come a long way
A German Jager officer's view of the Continental American Army of the Revolution.
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December 12, 2006, 11:08 PM | #185 | |
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Same German officer's view on Benedict Arnold
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December 17, 2006, 01:53 PM | #186 | |
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Showing respect on the firing line
As shooters, we should be respectful of one another. Here's a case of correcting a disrespectful soldier who discharged his firearm in the proximity of the ear of another soldier.
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December 22, 2006, 11:51 PM | #187 | |
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General, hold my horse.
The following account is given by a Civil War chaplain.
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Have a safe & Merry Christmas everyone.
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December 30, 2006, 12:57 PM | #188 | |
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Fighting Fish
You might have been misled to think that we're talking about some occupant of an exotic aquarium where colorful fish fight over territory and breeding rights. Rest assured, dear Reader, that nothing of the sort has been proffered upon you. This is, after all, a respectable black-powder forum and most of us are not fish mongers or spectators in aquatic combat. Instead, we have a tale of fish fighting as opposed to fist fighting. Read on to learn of this ludicrous tale from the days gone by.
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January 9, 2007, 06:41 PM | #189 | |
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The wartime adventures of one anonymous sergeant
From The History of Walker's Texas Division, we have the amusing anecdotes of one sergeant or the advantages of a medical education.
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January 12, 2007, 11:36 AM | #190 | |
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Adventures of an anonymous sergeant... Conclusion.
In this installment, we'll see more misadventures of the anonymous sergeant.
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January 22, 2007, 08:33 PM | #191 |
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The Only Republican Victory...
in Tennessee.
Reuben F. Bernard was working on the corn. Every time his hoe struck a corn tassel, a cloud of yellow pollen was released and he'd sneeze. Tired of it and unwilling to live a life of a farmer, he ran away from home and took to blacksmithing. Learning quickly, he left the trade and joined the U.S. Cavalry. Well,while on leave, it turns out that the Democrats and Republicans were vying for the Presidency and Bernard was a Republican. Many supporters of Lincoln took to wearing tall stove pipe hats in support of their man. The message was not lost on the democrats. Well, ole Reuben (actually a young man then) was dared to wear such a hat and Reuben never backed down from a dare (he was young, remember?). Tall and well built, he probably figured he'd have no trouble, or so he thought. "I suppose you with your stove-pipe hat would like to settle matters with me!" shouted one big fellow who had imbibed freely before marching up and down the street and politicking loudly for the Democrats. The big fellow challenged anyone who thought differently to settle it with fisticuffs. Not exactly democratic, but certainly calculated to make an impression. Well, the big fellow spied Reuben and smashed the hat down over Reuben's eyes and ears. The crowd broke out in laughter and the hat was so well jammed over Reuben's head that it took a while for him to pry it off. He clawed at the hat, tearing it piece by piece off until his vision was restored. Angered, he came out swinging and the big fellow swung back. Like two mighty warriors, they traded blow for blow in the manner of Achilles and Hector. The two champions pummelled each other to the delight of the crowd. Finally, Mars favored Reuben and he knocked the big fellow out. It was the only Republican victory in Tennessee as the state casted its vote along Democratic Party lines. Reuben Bernard was later commissioned an officer and brevetted as a colonel during the Civil War. His conduct during the fights against the various Indian tribes won him his brevet-Brigadier General rank. He retired as a Lt-Col in the regulars.
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February 12, 2007, 07:19 PM | #192 |
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Silent Killer.
We're not talking about disease or some sort of virus. Imagine a marksman hiding behind a bush, sighting his weapon on an unwary foe. He squeezes the trigger. The foeman is talking with his comrades when he suddenly jumps and falls down dead. Puzzled, his comrades roll him over and much to their surprise, see blood pouring from him. Looking around, no smoke is seen and as no shot was heard, they grow uneasy and run as another of their number soon falls dead to the silent killer. Fiction? No, it's silent killing with an airgun in the flintlock era before the 19th Century. It would take another fifty years before a reliable repeater would be produced and about a century before silenced firearms were feasible.Click here and go to the Girandoni Airgun video.
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February 18, 2007, 04:44 PM | #193 | |
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Zouave Doughnuts
Amateur bakers do a brisk business, until overcome by their own success! Read it here at Rambling Anecdotes.
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March 4, 2007, 11:10 PM | #194 |
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A break from tradition
This rambling anecdote is a break from tradition. Rather than focus on one incident, here's some stories to tickle your funny bone. Enjoy!
“I have spiked their gun for them.” - Capt. Hubert Dilger, Gettysburg, July 1, 1863, after personally sighting his Napoleon and knocking out a Confederate gun on Oak Hill by striking it on the muzzle with a single shot. ********************* Rev. Henry Ward Beecher to a London audience, one of whom asked “If your cause is so righteous with your great Northern strength, why don’t you put the rebellion down?” “Because we are fighting Americans and not Englishmen.” ********************* Sen. Benjamin F. Wade, on Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase: “Chase is a good man, but his theology is unsound. He thinks there is a fourth person in the Trinity.” ******************** “I have stood your meanness as long as I intend to. You have played the part of a **** scoundrel, and if you were any part of a man I would slap your jaws and force you to resent it…” Nathan B. Forrest to Braxton Bragg ******************** “Too late, sir, the battle is won.” Richard Taylor after the Battle of Mansfield to a messenger from Kirby Smith ordering him to retreat
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March 10, 2007, 06:46 PM | #195 | ||
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Washington's Army in July, 1781
In his review of Washington's Army in July, 1781, Baron Ludwing von Closen, a member of Rochambeau's staff, made the following observations:
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March 12, 2007, 11:50 PM | #196 | |
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Camouflaged for what!?
OK, I'm sure many of you who have read about gray as a uniform color. It certainly blended in better with the woods than the blue worn by the Federal soldiers. It didn't take much for a Confederate to lie down, throw some leaves atop of himself and virtually disappear from sight. One 15 year old girl in Gettysburg commented how bad the Confederates looked, until her father pointed to some a nearby fellow who was sitting down tying his shoelaces. She was shocked he was so close and yet escaped her sight. In the blackpowder era, the white sulphourous clouds of smoke also made it difficult to see an opponent dressed in gray. It blended and other colors stood out more and therefore were shot more. The British Army proved it in experiments (but still didn't discard the red for gray). Well, there's another advantage to gray and you can learn it from one Confederate:
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March 16, 2007, 02:11 AM | #197 |
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Chewing tobacco...
Earlier I posted what some 19th Century Americans felt towards tobacco and it was not seen in a positive light. Today, I present another aspect and this time, the utility of tobacco is clearly proven as a life saving device.
Imagine two Army scouts in Indian Country. As volunteers, they've left their surrounded command which has been shot up and besieged on a tiny island in the middle of a shallow river. They're attempting to cross 100 miles of hostile terrority to reach an army post to summon help to rescue their comrades. Surrounded by nothing but prairie grass, they lay motionless in a buffalo wallow. About 100 feet away is a large party of Indians. But there is a closer threat: a rattlesnake that is wriggling towards the scouts. To shoot it would alert the Indians to their presence. To remain still would invite death by snakebite. Either prospect was not promising for our gallant heroes. Here's where the tobbaco chewing habits of Jack Stillman came in handy. As the snake slithered closer, its tongue flickering menacingly, the men tensed. Either luck or years of practice came into play as Jack shot a wad of tobacco juice right into the snake's face. Immediately the rattler veered away from Jack and his comrade and disappeared into the wallow. Our scouts remained undetected by the Indians. Jack and his comrade made it through and their command was saved by a rescue party of the 10th Cavalry (Buffalo Soldiers).
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March 18, 2007, 09:11 PM | #198 |
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Only in the movies...
This really happened... no [color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color][color=#FF0000]█[/color].
After the Battle of Beecher Island, many surviving U.S. Army scouts forever had a hatred of the red man. Scout Pierre Trudeau and Jack Donovan, riding in advance of their command, had paused to allow their mules water themselves in the South Fork of the Republican River. They saw three stray horses and thought it peculiar. Suddenly, four Indians jumped up and three mounted the horses and fled. The fourth attempted to flee on foot. Having only mules, Trudeau and Donovan were too slow to catch the Indians on horses but they knew they could run down the one on foot. So, off they rode in pursuit. The indian zig zag as he ran, preventing the scouts from getting a good shot at him and their bullets struck on either side of him. Firing a rifle, Trudeau hit the Indian in the leg, crippling him. After hopping a short distance, the Indian stops and gallantly makes a stand and tries to make the scouts pay dearly for their pursuit. He turns about and fires his Colt revolver at them. They fire back and he is seen to throw away his Colt. Since Indians never showed mercy to prisoners caught on the plains, the scouts decided that no mercy would be shown to the Indian despite his being wounded and unarmed. After dispatching him, they recover the discarded Colt and discovered why he threw it aside. A bullet lodged between the barrel and the cylinder, thereby preventing the cylinder from rotating. Use only good ammo folks. Now that's bad ammo!
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April 3, 2007, 08:18 PM | #199 | |
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Dictionary definitions
From Charles James's "A New and Enlarged Military Dictionary," of 1805 vintage, we find the following defintions:
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April 4, 2007, 06:07 AM | #200 |
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