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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2013-05-29 10:37:48

Q-I have enjoyed reading the many different article series you have written on the Civil War. Most of these are from a broad look at the country and how the country was affected. Would it be possible to list what happened in each of the states’ battles?

A-Sure. I found several sites from which to put this information together. One of the best is http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/bystate.htm. This series has proven to be more timely than ever, with the release of the new movie, “Lincoln.” I am thankful to be able to present it to you. Last issue, we talked about the battles in Arkansas, of Pine Bluff and Poison Spring. This month we will continue with the battles of Prairie D’Ane, Prairie Grove and Saint Charles. Prairie D'Ane Other Names: Gum Grove, Moscow Location: Nevada County Campaign: Camden Expedition (1864) Date(s): April 9-13, 1864 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Fred Steele [US]; Maj. Gen. Sterling Price [CS] Forces Engaged: Department of Arkansas [US]; District of Arkansas [CS] Estimated Casualties: Unknown Description: On April 10, Maj. Gen. Fred Steele’s Union forces, combined with Brig. Gen. John M. Thayer’s division, marched south from the Cornelius Farm. They soon encountered a Confederate line of battle at Prairie D’Ane and attacked, driving it back about a mile before being checked. Skirmishing continued throughout the afternoon of April 11, forcing Steele to divert line of march forces away from Shreveport toward Camden. Maj. Gen. Sterling Price’s Confederates returned to Prairie D’Ane on April 13, falling upon Steele’s rearguard under Thayer. After a four-hour battle, Price disengaged, and Steele’s column continued to Camden, occupying the city. Result(s): Union victory Prairie Grove Other Names: Fayetteville Location: Washington County Campaign: Prairie Grove Campaign (1862) Date(s): December 7, 1862 Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. Francis J. Herron and Brig. Gen. James G. Blunt [US]; Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman [CS] Forces Engaged: Army of the Frontier [US]; I Corps, Trans-Mississippi Army [CS] Estimated Casualties: 2,568 total (US 1,251; CS 1,317) Description: Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman sought to destroy Brig. Gen. Francis Herron’s and Brig. Gen. James Blunt’s divisions before they joined forces. Hindman placed his large force between the two Union divisions, turning on Herron first and routing his cavalry. As Hindman pursued the cavalry, he met Herron’s infantry which pushed him back. The Rebels then established their line of battle on a wooded high ridge northeast of Prairie Grove Church. Herron brought his artillery across the Illinois River and initiated an artillery duel. The Union troops assaulted twice and were repulsed. The Confederates counterattacked, were halted by Union canister, and then moved forward again. Just when it looked as if the Rebel attack would roll up Herron’s troops, Blunt’s men assailed the Confederate left flank. As night came, neither side had won, but Hindman retreated to Van Buren. Hindman’s retreat established Federal control of northwest Arkansas. Result(s): Union strategic victory Saint Charles Other Names: None Location: Arkansas County Campaign: Operations on White River (1862) Date(s): June 17, 1862 Principal Commanders: Col. Graham N. Fitch and Cdr. Augustus H. Kilty [US]; Capt. Joseph Fry, C.S.N. [CS] Forces Engaged: 46th Indiana and Union Gunboat [US]; fifty men and C.S. boats [CS] Estimated Casualties: 290 total (US 135; CS 155) Description: On the morning of June 17, USS Mound City, St. Louis, Lexington, Conestoga, and transports proceeded up White River towards Saint Charles attempting to resupply Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis’s army near Jacksonport. A few miles below Saint Charles, the 46th Indiana Infantry under the command of Col. Graham N. Fitch disembarked, formed a skirmish line, and proceeded upriver towards the Rebel batteries on Saint Charles bluffs, under the command of Capt. Joseph Fry, C.S.N. At the same time, the Union gunboats went upriver to engage the Rebel batteries; Mound City was hit and her steam drum exploded scalding most of the crew to death. More than 125 sailors from the Mound City were killed, but the other ship was towed to safety. Col. Fitch halted the gunboat activities to prevent further loss and then undertook an attack on the Confederate batteries with his infantry. He turned the Rebel flank which ended the firing from the batteries and left Saint Charles open to Federal occupation. Result(s): Union victory

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2013-04-29 13:51:10

Q-I have enjoyed reading the many different article series you have written on the Civil War. Most of these are from a broad look at the country and how the country was affected. Would it be possible to list what happened in each of the states’ battles?

A-Sure. I found several sites from which to put this information together. One of the best is http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/bystate.htm. This series has proven to be more timely than ever, with the release of the new movie, “Lincoln.” I am thankful to be able to present it to you. Last issue, we talked about the battles in Arkansas, Marks’ Mills, Old River Lake and Pea Ridge. This month we will continue with more of them, namely Pine Bluff and Poison Spring. Pine Bluff Other Names: None Location: Jefferson County Campaign: Advance on Little Rock (1863) Date(s): October 25, 1863 Principal Commanders: Col. Powell Clayton [US]; Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke [CS] Forces Engaged: Pine Bluff Garrison (two under-strength cavalry regiments and a company of state militia) [US]; division [CS] Estimated Casualties: Total unknown (US 56; CS unknown) Description: At 8:00 am, October 25, Col. Powell Clayton sent a company of cavalry toward Princeton which ran into Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke’s men advancing. After some fire, the Rebels, under a flag of truce, came forward demanding surrender. Lt. M.F. Clark answered that there would be no surrender. Clayton slowly retreated back into Pine Bluff. In the meantime, about 300 African-American soldiers rolled cotton bales out of the warehouses for barricades to protect court square. After failing to take the square by force, the Rebels attempted to burn out the Union forces but to no avail. The Confederate forces retired, leaving Pine Bluff to the Federals. Result(s): Union victory Poison Spring Other Names: None Location: Ouachita County Campaign: Camden Expedition (1864) Date(s): April 18, 1864 Principal Commanders: Col. James M. Williams [US]; Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke and Brig. Gen. Samuel Bell Maxey [CS] Forces Engaged: Brigade (1,100 men) [US]; Marmaduke’s and Maxey’s Divisions [CS] Estimated Casualties: 415 total (US 301; CS 114) Description: Dwindling supplies for his army at Camden forced Maj. Gen. Fred Steele to send out a foraging party to gather corn that the Confederates had stored about twenty miles up the Prairie D’Ane-Camden Road on White Oak Creek. The party loaded the corn into wagons, and on April 18, Col. James M. Williams started his return to Camden. Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke’s and Brig. Gen. Samuel B. Maxey’s Confederate forces arrived at Lee Plantation, about fifteen miles from Camden, where they engaged Williams. The Rebels eventually attacked Williams in the front and rear forcing him to retreat north into a marsh where his men regrouped and then fell back to Camden. The Union lost 198 wagons and all the corn. Result(s): Confederate victory

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2013-03-25 13:49:09

Q-I have enjoyed reading the many different article series you have written on the Civil War. Most of these are from a broad look at the country and how the country was affected. Would it be possible to list what happened in each of the states’ battles?

A-Sure. I found several sites from which to put this information together. One of the best is http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/bystate.htm. This series has proven to be more timely than ever, with the release of the new movie, “Lincoln.” I am thankful to be able to present it to you. Last issue, we talked about the battles in Arkansas, of Helena, Hill’s Plantation and Jenkins’ Ferry. This month we will continue with the battles of Marks’ Mills, Old River Lake and Pea Ridge. Marks’ Mills Other Names: None Location: Cleveland County Campaign: Camden Expedition (1864) Date(s): April 25, 1864 Principal Commanders: Lt. Col. Francis Drake [US]; Brig. Gen. James B. Fagan [CS] Forces Engaged: Infantry brigade [US]; two divisions [CS] Estimated Casualties: 1,793 total (US 1,500; CS 293) Description: A Union force escorted 240 wagons from Camden to Pine Bluff to pick up supplies and transport them back to Maj. Gen. Fred Steele’s army. At first the Union escort rebuffed Rebel attempts to halt them. Then the Confederates moved in on the Union rear and front, causing a rout. The Rebels captured most of the men and all of the supply wagons. Thus, Steele gave up all thoughts of uniting with Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Banks on the Red River and realized that he had to save his army. Result(s): Confederate victory Old River Lake Other Names: Ditch Bayou, Lake Chicot, Lake Village, Furlough, Fish Bayou, Grand Lake Location: Chicot County Campaign: Expedition to Lake Village (1864) Date(s): June 6, 1864 Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. Joseph A. Mower [US]; Col. Colton Greene [CS] Forces Engaged: Two brigades of XVI Army Corps [US]; Marmaduke's Division [CS] Estimated Casualties: 280 total (US 180; CS 100) Description: Maj. Gen. A.J. Smith ordered Brig. Gen. Joseph A. Mower to demonstrate against Lake Village. Mower camped near Sunnyside Landing on the evening of June 5 and took up his line of march again the next morning. The skirmishing Confederates fell back to Red Leaf where Col. Colton Greene and his men were encamped. As the Federals advanced, Greene’s men, assisted by artillery, fought a delaying action at Ditch Bayou and then withdrew to Parker's landing on Bayou Mason. The Union troops advanced to Lake Village, camped there overnight, and the next day rejoined the flotilla on the Mississippi River at Columbia. The Rebels delayed the Union advance but, eventually, allowed them to continue to their objective: Lake Village. Result(s): Union victory Pea Ridge Other Names: Elkhorn Tavern Location: Benton County Campaign: Pea Ridge Campaign (1862) Date(s): March 6-8, 1862 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis [US]; Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn [CS] Forces Engaged: Army of the Southwest [US]; Army of the West [CS] Estimated Casualties: US 1,349; CS 2000-2500 Description: On the night of March 6, Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn set out to outflank the Union position near Pea Ridge, dividing his army into two columns. Learning of Van Dorn’s approach, the Federals marched north to meet his advance on March 7. This movement—compounded by the killing of two generals, Brig. Gen. Ben McCulloch and Brig. Gen. James McQueen McIntosh, and the capture of their ranking colonel—halted the Rebel attack. Van Dorn led a second column to meet the Federals in the Elkhorn Tavern and Tanyard area. By nightfall, the Confederates controlled Elkhorn Tavern and Telegraph Road. The next day, Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, having regrouped and consolidated his army, counterattacked near the tavern and, by successfully employing his artillery, slowly forced the Rebels back. Running short of ammunition, Van Dorn abandoned the battlefield. The Union controlled Missouri for the next two years. Result(s): Union victory

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2013-03-01 11:00:16

Q-I have enjoyed reading the many different article series you have written on the Civil War. Most of these are from a broad look at the country and how the country was affected. Would it be possible to list what happened in each of the states’ battles?

A-Sure. I found several sites from which to put this information together. One of the best is http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/bystate.htm. This series has proven to be more timely than ever, with the release of the new movie, “Lincoln.” I am thankful to be able to present it to you. Last issue, we talked about the battles in Arkansas, of Chalk Bluff, Devil’s Backbone and Elkin’s Ferry. This month, we will continue with the battles of Helena, Hill’s Plantation and Jenkins’ Ferry. Helena Other Names: None Location: Phillips County Campaign: Grant’s Operations against Vicksburg (1863) Date(s): July 4, 1863 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Benjamin Prentiss [US]; Lt. Gen. Theophilus H. Holmes [CS] Forces Engaged: District of Eastern Arkansas [US]; District of Arkansas [CS] Estimated Casualties: 1,842 total (US 206; CS 1,636) Description: Lt. Gen. Theophilus Holmes’s troops attacked Helena in an attempt to relieve pressure on Vicksburg. Although the Rebels had more troops and did initially capture some of the fortifications, the Union forces repelled them. Thus, Helena continued as an important Union enclave in the Trans-Mississippi theater and served as a base for the expedition that captured Little Rock. Result(s): Union victory Hill's Plantation Other Names: Cache River, Cotton Plant, Round Hill Location: Woodruff County Campaign: Operations near Cache River, Arkansas (1862) Date(s): July 7, 1862 Principal Commanders: Col. Charles Hovey and Brig. Gen. William P. Benton [US]; Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman and Col. William Parsons [CS] Forces Engaged: 1st and 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Army of the Southwest [US]; unknown [CS] Estimated Casualties: 308 total (US 63; CS 245) Description: Union Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis moved on Helena, Arkansas, in search of supplies to replace those that had been promised but never delivered by the Navy. The Confederates under Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman attempted to prevent this change of supply base by continually skirmishing with the Union troops. The Confederates made a stand at the Cache River on July 7. As Union Col. C.L. Harris moved forward with elements of the 11th Wisconsin, 33rd Illinois, and the 1st Indiana Cavalry, moved forward, he blundered into an ambuscade. The fighting became more general, and the Confederates, with a frontal attack, forced the Union to retreat about a quarter of a mile. The next Confederate attack, however, was stopped. With reinforcements, the Federals pursued the retreating Confederates and turned the retreat into a rout as the day progressed. Curtis was able to change his supply base, but Hindman, despite suffering defeat at Hill’s Plantation, remained between Curtis and Little Rock, his objective. Result(s): Union victory Jenkins' Ferry Other Names: None Location: Grant County Campaign: Camden Expedition (1864) Date(s): April 30, 1864 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Fred Steele [US]; Gen. E. Kirby Smith [CS] Forces Engaged: Department of Arkansas [US]; Army of Arkansas [CS] Estimated Casualties: 964 total (US 521; CS 443) Description: Maj. Gen. Fred Steele’s forces retreated from Camden after being mauled at Marks’ Mills and Poison Spring. On the afternoon of April 29, the Union forces reached Jenkins’ Ferry and began crossing the Saline River, which was swollen by heavy rain. Rebel forces arrived on the 30th and attacked repeatedly. The Federals repulsed the attacks and finally crossed with all their men and supply wagons, many of which they were compelled to abandon in the swamp north of Saline. The Confederates bungled a good chance to destroy Steele’s army, which after crossing the river, regrouped at Little Rock. Result(s): Union victory in retreat

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2013-02-01 10:21:43

Q-I have enjoyed reading the many different article series you have written on the Civil War. Most of these are from a broad look at the country and how the country was affected. Would it be possible to list what happened in each of the states’ battles?

A-Sure. I found several sites from which to put this information together. One of the best is http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/bystate.htm. This series has proven to be more timely than ever, with the release of the new movie, “Lincoln.” I am thankful to be able to present it to you. Last issue, we talked about the battles in Arkansas, including Arkansas Post, Bayou Fourche and Cane Hill. This month we will continue with more of the battles in Arkansas, namely those of Chalk Bluff, Devil’s Backbone and Elkin’s Ferry. Chalk Bluff Other Names: None Location: Clay County Campaign: Marmaduke’s Second Expedition into Missouri (1863) Date(s): May 1-2, 1863 Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. William Vandever [US]; Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke [CS] Forces Engaged: 2nd Division, Army of the Frontier and force under command of Brig. Gen. John McNeil [US]; Marmaduke’s Cavalry Division [CS] Estimated Casualties: Unknown Description: Union Brig. Gen. William Vandever pursued Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke to Chalk Bluff, where the Confederates hoped to cross the St. Francis River. To ford the river, Marmaduke established a rearguard that received heavy punishment on May 1-2. Although most of Marmaduke’s raiders crossed the St. Francis River, they suffered heavy casualties and therefore ended the expedition. Result(s): Confederate tactical victory (The results, however, forced Marmaduke to end his expedition, making this a Union strategic victory.) Devil's Backbone Other Names: Backbone Mountain Location: Sebastian County Campaign: Operations to Control Indian Territory (1863) Date(s): September 1, 1863 Principal Commanders: Col. William F. Cloud [US]; Brig. Gen. W.L. Cabell [CS] Forces Engaged: 2nd Kansas Cavalry, 6th Missouri Cavalry, and two sections of Rabb’s 2nd Indiana Battery [US]; Cabell’s Brigade [CS] Estimated Casualties: 81 total (US 16; CS 65) Description: Union Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt ordered Col. William Cloud to continue in pursuit of the Confederate forces that had withdrawn from Fort Smith and were chased to Old Jenny Lind. The Rebels turned on Cloud and skirmished with him at the base of Devil’s Backbone. Cabell’s forces ambushed approaching Union troops and momentarily halted their advance. Regrouping, the Union forces, with the help of artillery, advanced again and forced the Confederates to retire in disorder to Waldron. Result(s): Union victory Elkin’s Ferry Other Names: Okolona Location: Clark County and Nevada County Campaign: Camden Expedition (1864) Date(s): April 3-4, 1864 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Fred Steele [US]; Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke [CS] Forces Engaged: 3rd Division, VII Corps and 2 cavalry brigades [US]; 3 cavalry brigades [CS] Estimated Casualties: 92 total (US 38; CS 54) Description: During the expedition, Union forces sought a ford to cross the Little Missouri River because other roads were impassable. They reached Elkin’s Ferry before the Confederates. As they crossed, the Confederates attempted to stop them but to no avail. Result(s): Union victory

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2013-01-02 14:26:17

Q-I have enjoyed reading the many different article series you have written on the Civil War. Most of these are from a broad look at the country and how the country was affected. Would it be possible to list what happened in each of the states’ battles?

A-Sure. I found several sites from which to put this information together. One of the best is http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/bystate.htm. Last issue, we finished the battles in Oklahoma of Middle Boggy Depot, Old Fort Wayne and Round Mountain. This month we will begin talking about the battles of Arkansas, including Arkansas Post, Bayou Fourche and Cane Hill. Arkansas Post Other Names: Fort Hindman Location: Arkansas County Campaign: Operations against Vicksburg (1862-1863) Date(s): January 9-11, 1863 Principal Commanders: Rear Adm. David D. Porter and Maj. Gen. John A. McClernand [US]; Brig. Gen. Thomas J. Churchill [CS] Forces Engaged: Army of the Mississippi [US]; Fort Hindman Garrison [CS] Estimated Casualties: 6,547 total (US 1,047; CS 5,500) Description: From Fort Hindman, at Arkansas Post, Confederates had been disrupting Union shipping on the Mississippi River. Maj. Gen. John McClernand, therefore, undertook a combined force movement on Arkansas Post to capture it. Union boats began landing troops near Arkansas Post in the evening of January 9, 1863. The troops started up river towards Fort Hindman. Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s corps overran Rebel trenches, and the enemy retreated to the protection of the fort and adjacent rifle-pits. Rear Adm. David Porter, on the 10th, moved his fleet towards Fort Hindman and bombarded it withdrawing at dusk. Union artillery fired on the fort from artillery positions across the river on the 11th, and the infantry moved into position for an attack. Union ironclads commenced shelling the fort and Porter’s fleet passed it to cutoff any retreat. As a result of this envelopment, and the attack by McClernand’s troops, the Confederate command surrendered in the afternoon. Although Union losses were high and the victory did not contribute to the capture of Vicksburg, it did eliminate one more impediment to Union shipping on the Mississippi. Result(s): Union victory Bayou Fourche Other Names: Little Rock Location: Pulaski County Campaign: Advance on Little Rock (1863) Date(s): September 10, 1863 Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. John W. Davidson [US]; Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke Forces Engaged: Cavalry Division, Army of Arkansas, Arkansas Expedition [US]; District of Arkansas [CS] Estimated Casualties: Total unknown (US 72; CS unknown) Description: On September 10, 1863, Maj. Gen. Fred Steele, Army of Arkansas commander, sent Brig. Gen. John W. Davidson’s cavalry division across the Arkansas River to move on Little Rock, while he took other troops to attack Confederates entrenched on the north side. In his thrust toward Little Rock, Davidson ran into Confederate troops at Bayou Fourche. Aided by Union artillery fire from the north side of the river, Davidson forced them out of their position and sent them fleeing back to Little Rock, which fell to Union troops that evening. Bayou Fourche sealed Little Rock’s fate. The fall of Little Rock further helped to contain the Confederate Trans-Mississippi theater, isolating it from the rest of the South. Result(s): Union victory Cane Hill Other Names: Canehill, Boston Mountains Location: Washington County, Arkansas Campaign: Prairie Grove Campaign (1862) Date(s): November 28, 1862 Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. James G. Blunt [US]; Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke [CS] Forces Engaged: Department of Missouri [US]; two cavalry brigades [CS] Estimated Casualties: 475 total (US 40; CS 435) Description: In late November, Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman detached Brig. Gen. John Marmaduke’s cavalry from Van Buren north to occupy the Cane Hill area. Hearing of this movement, Brig. Gen. James Blunt advanced to meet Marmaduke’s command and destroy it, if possible. The Union vanguard encountered Col. Joe Shelby’s brigade, which fought a delaying action to protect their supply trains. Shelby gradually gave ground until establishing a strong defensive perimeter on Cove Creek where he repulsed a determined attack. The Federals withdrew to Cane Hill, while the Confederates returned to Van Buren. Although fighting well, Marmaduke’s withdrawal was a setback for Hindman’s plans for recapturing northwest Arkansas. Victory at Prairie Grove a few weeks later, solidified Union control of the region. Result(s): Confederate tactical victory

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2012-11-19 10:27:50

Q- I have enjoyed reading the many different article series you have written on the Civil War. Most of these are from a broad look at the country and how the country was affected. Would it be possible to list what happened in each of the states’ battles?

A- Sure. I found several sites from which to put this information together. One of the best is http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/bystate.htm. Last issue, we covered battles in Oklahoma, including Chustenahlah, Chusto-Talasah and Honey Springs. This month we will finish covering the battles of Oklahoma of Middle Boggy Depot, Old Fort Wayne and Round Mountain. Middle Boggy Depot Other Names: Middle Boggy Location: Unknown Campaign: Operations in the Indian Territory (1864) Date(s): February 13, 1864 Principal Commanders: Maj. Charles Willette [US]; Lt. Col. John Jumper [CS] Forces Engaged: Three companies of the 14th Kansas Cavalry Regiment and a section of Howitzers [US]; Seminole Battalion, Company A, 1st Choctaw and Chickasaw Cavalry Regiment, and a detachment of 20th Texas Regiment [CS] Estimated Casualties: Unknown Description: While on an expedition in February 1864 to meet, defeat or destroy Confederate forces in Indian Territory, Union Maj. Charles Willette and his troops surprised a Confederate force at Middle Boggy Depot on February 13. Although poorly armed, the Rebels made a determined stand for a half hour before retiring. The Union forces killed 47 Confederates during this short fight. Fear of the arrival of fresh Confederate forces influenced the Federals to retire to Fort Gibson. During Col. John F. Phillips’s Indian Territory expedition, he and his men fought with and dispersed numerous Confederate forces. Middle Boggy Depot was, perhaps, the largest encounter during the expedition. Result(s): Union victory Old Fort Wayne Other Names: Beatties Prairie, Beaty’s Prairie Location: Delaware County Campaign: Operations North of Boston Mountains (1862) Date(s): October 22, 1862 Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. James G. Blunt [US]; Col. Douglas H. Cooper [CS] Forces Engaged: 1st Division, Army of the Frontier [US]; 1st Brigade [CS] Estimated Casualties: 164 total (US 14; CS 150) Description: Brig. Gen. James G. Blunt and his troops attacked Col. Douglas H. Cooper and his Confederate command on Beatties Prairie near Old Fort Wayne at 7:00 am on October 22, 1862. The Confederates put up stiff resistance for a half hour, but overwhelming numbers forced them to retire from the field in haste, leaving artillery and equipage behind. This was a setback in the 1862 Confederate offensive that extended from the tidewater in the east to the plains of the Indian Territory of the west. Result(s): Union victory Round Mountain Other Names: Round Mountains Location: Unknown Campaign: Operations in the Indian Territory (1861) Date(s): November 19, 1861 Principal Commanders: Chief Opothleyahola [I]; Col. Douglas H. Cooper [CS] Forces Engaged: Creek and Seminole [I]; Indian Department [CS] Estimated Casualties: Unknown Description: Col. Douglas H. Cooper, Confederate commander of the Indian Department, had not been able to reconcile differences with Chief Opothleyahola, who commanded a band of Unionist Creeks and Seminoles. Cooper set out on November 15, 1861, with about 1,400 men to either compel submission . . . or “drive him and his party from the country.” His force rode up the Deep Fork of the Canadian River towards Chief Opothleyahola’s camp which they found deserted. On the 19th, Cooper learned from captured prisoners that part of Chief Opothleyahola’s band was at the Red Fork of the Arkansas River, where they were erecting a fort. Cooper’s men arrived there around 4:00 pm and ordered a cavalry charge which discovered that Chief Opothleyahola’s band had recently abandoned the camp. The Confederates did find some stragglers beyond the camp and followed them, blundering into Chief Opothleyahola’s camp. The Federals fired into the Rebel cavalry and, in large force, came out to attack them. They chased the Confederates back to Cooper’s main force. Darkness prevented Cooper from attacking until the main enemy force was within 60 yards. A short fight ensued but Chief Opothleyahola’s men broke it off and retreated back to their camp. Cooper set out for Chief Opothleyahola’s camp the next morning but found it gone. The Confederates claimed victory because Chief Opothleyahola had left the area. This was the first of three encounters between Chief Opothleyahola’s Union bands and Confederate troops. The chief was forced to flee Oklahoma for Kansas at the end of the year. Result(s): Confederate victory Next month we will begin to talk about the battles of Arkansas.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2012-11-01 14:42:03

Q- I have enjoyed reading the many different article series you have written on the Civil War. Most of these are from a broad look at the country and how the country was affected. Would it be possible to list what happened in each of the states’ battles?

A- Sure. I found several sites from which to put this information together. One of the best is http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/bystate.htm. Last issue, we finished with the battles in Missouri, including the battles of Westport and Wilson’s Creek, and began with the battles in Oklahoma at Cabin Creek. This month, we will continue with more of the battles in Oklahoma, including Chustenahlah, Chusto-Talasah and Honey Springs. Chustenahlah Other Names: None Location: Osage County Campaign: Operations in the Indian Territory (1861) Date(s): December 26, 1861 Principal Commanders: Chief Opothleyahola [I]; Col. James McQueen McIntosh [CS] Forces Engaged: Creek and Seminole [I]; McIntosh’s and Douglas Cooper’s brigades [CS] Estimated Casualties: Unknown Description: Confederate troops had undertaken a campaign to subdue the Native American Union sympathizers in Indian Territory and consolidate control. They had attacked Chief Opothleyahola’s band of Creeks and Seminoles earlier at Round Mountain and Chusto-Talasah. Now, they wanted to finish them off by assaulting them in their camp at Chustenahlah in a well-protected cove on Battle Creek. Col. James McQueen McIntosh and Col. Douglas H. Cooper, commanding the Indian Department, planned a combined attack with each of their columns moving on the camp from different directions. McIntosh left Fort Gibson on December 22, with 1,380 men. On the 25th, he was informed that Cooper’s force could not join for a while, but he decided to attack the next day, despite being outnumbered. McIntosh attacked the camp at noon on the 26th. The Union defenders were secluded in the underbrush along the slope of a rugged hill, but as the Confederate attack came forward, the Native Americans began to fall back, taking cover for a while and then moving back. The retreat became a rout as the Federals reached their camp. They attempted to make a stand there but were forced away again. The survivors fled; many went all the way to Kansas where they found loyal Unionists. Chief Opothleyahola’s band of Creeks and Seminoles mounted no resistance again. Result(s): Confederate victory Chusto-Talasah Other Names: Caving Banks Location: Tulsa County Campaign: Operations in the Indian Territory (1861) Date(s): December 9, 1861 Principal Commanders: Chief Opothleyahola [I]; Col. Douglas H. Cooper [CS] Forces Engaged: Creek and Seminole [I]; Indian Department [CS] Estimated Casualties: Unknown Description: Following Chief Opothleyahola and his Union force’s defeat at Round Mountain, he retreated northeastward, in search of safety. On December 9, 1861, the force was at Chusto-Talasah, or Caving Banks, on the Horseshoe Bend of Bird Creek when Col. Douglas H. Cooper’s 1,300 Confederates attacked Chief Opothleyahola around 2:00 pm. Chief Opothleyahola knew Cooper was coming and had placed his troops in a strong position at Horseshoe Bend. For almost four hours, Cooper attacked and attempted to outflank the Federals, finally driving them east across Bird Creek just before dark. Cooper camped there overnight but did not pursue the Federals because he was short of ammunition. The Confederates claimed victory. Chief Opothleyahola and his band moved off in search of security elsewhere. Although the Confederates had gained a victory, they would win a resounding one later in the month at Chustenahlah. Result(s): Confederate victory Honey Springs Other Names: Elk Creek, Shaw’s Inn Location: Muskogee County and McIntosh County Campaign: Operations to Control Indian Territory (1863) Date(s): July 17, 1863 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt [US]; Brig. Gen. Douglas H. Cooper [CS] Forces Engaged: District of the Frontier [US]; 1st Brigade, Native American troops [CS] Estimated Casualties: 716 total (US 79; CS 637) Description: Union and Confederate troops had frequently skirmished in the vicinity of Honey Springs Depot. The Union commander in the area, Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt, correctly surmised that Confederate forces, mostly Native American troops under the command of Brig. Gen. Douglas H. Cooper, were about to concentrate and would then attack his force at Fort Gibson. He decided to defeat the Confederates at Honey Springs Depot before they were joined by Brig. Gen. William Cabell’s brigade, advancing from Fort Smith, Arkansas. Blunt began crossing the swollen Arkansas River on July 15, 1863, and, by midnight on July 16-17, he had a force of 3,000 men, composed of whites, Native Americans, and African Americans, marching toward Honey Springs. Blunt skirmished with Rebel troops early on the morning of the 17th, and by mid-afternoon, full-scale fighting ensued. The Confederates had wet powder, causing misfires, and the problem intensified when rain began. After repulsing one attack, Cooper pulled his forces back to obtain new ammunition. In the meantime, Cooper began to experience command problems, and he learned that Blunt was about to turn his left flank. The Confederate retreat began, and although Cooper fought a rearguard action, many of those troops counterattacked, failed, and fled. Any possibility of the Confederates taking Fort Gibson was gone. Following this battle, Union forces controlled Indian Territory, north of the Arkansas River. Result(s): Union victory

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2012-10-02 14:09:53

Q- I have enjoyed reading the many different article series you have written on the Civil War. Most of these are from a broad look at the country and how the country was affected. Would it be possible to list what happened in each of the states’ battles?

A- Sure. I found several sites from which to put this information together. One of the best is http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/bystate.htm. Last issue, we featured some more of the battles in Missouri, including the battles of the two in Newtonia, Roan’s Tan Yard and the two in Springfield. This month we will look at the battles of Westport and Wilson’s Creek in Missouri, and Cabin Creek in Oklahoma. Westport Other Names: None Location: Jackson County Campaign: Price’s Missouri Expedition (1864) Date(s): October 23, 1864 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis [US]; Maj. Gen. Sterling Price [CS] Forces Engaged: Army of the Border [US]; Army of Missouri [CS] Estimated Casualties: 3,000 total (US 1,500; CS 1,500) Description: Maj. Gen. Sterling Price’s Missouri Expedition had changed course from St. Louis and Jefferson City to Kansas City and Fort Leavenworth. As his army neared Kansas City, Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis’s Army of the Border blocked its way west, while Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton’s provisional cavalry division was closing on their rear. Price decided that he needed to deal with the two Union forces and decided to attack them one at a time. With Pleasonton still behind him, Price chose to strike Curtis at Westport first. Curtis had established strong defensive lines and during a four-hour battle, the Confederates hurled themselves at the Union forces but to no avail. The Rebels could not break the Union lines and retreated south. Westport was the decisive battle of Price’s Missouri Expedition, and from this point on, the Rebels were in retreat. Result(s): Union victory Wilson’s Creek Other Names: Oak Hills Location: Greene County and Christian County Campaign: Operations to Control Missouri (1861) Date(s): August 10, 1861 Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon and Maj. Gen. Samuel D. Sturgis [US]; Maj. Gen. Sterling Price, Missouri State Guard, and Brig. Gen. Ben McCulloch [CS] Forces Engaged: Army of the West [US]; Missouri State Guard and McCulloch’s Brigade [CS] Estimated Casualties: 2,330 total (US 1,235; CS 1,095) Description: Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon’s Army of the West was camped at Springfield, Missouri, with Confederate troops under the commands of Brig. Gen. Ben McCulloch approaching. On August 9, both sides formulated plans to attack the other. About 5:00 am on the 10th, Lyon, in two columns commanded by himself and Col. Franz Sigel, attacked the Confederates on Wilson’s Creek about 12 miles southwest of Springfield. Rebel cavalry received the first blow and fell back away from Bloody Hill. Confederate forces soon rushed up and stabilized their positions. The Confederates attacked the Union forces three times that day but failed to break through the Union line. Lyon was killed during the battle and Maj. Samuel D. Sturgis replaced him. Meanwhile, the Confederates had routed Sigel’s column, south of Skegg’s Branch. Following the third Confederate attack, which ended at 11:00 am, the Confederates withdrew. Sturgis realized, however, that his men were exhausted and his ammunition was low, so he ordered a retreat to Springfield. The Confederates were too disorganized and ill-equipped to pursue. This Confederate victory buoyed southern sympathizers in Missouri and served as a springboard for a bold thrust north that carried Price and his Missouri State Guard as far as Lexington. In late October, a rump convention, convened by Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson, met in Neosho and passed an ordinance of secession. Wilson’s Creek, the most significant 1861 battle in Missouri, gave the Confederates control of southwestern Missouri. Result(s): Confederate victory Cabin Creek Other Names: None Location: Mayes County Campaign: Operations to Control Indian Territory (1863) Date(s): July 1-2, 1863 Principal Commanders: Col. James M. Williams [US]; Col. Stand Watie [CS] Forces Engaged: Detachments from nine units [US]; two regiments and detachments from two other units (approx. 1,600-1,800) [CS] Estimated Casualties: 88 total (US 23; CS 65) Description: Col. James M. Williams of the First Kansas Colored Infantry led a Union supply train from Fort Scott, Kansas, to Fort Gibson, Oklahoma (then Indian Territory). As he approached the crossing of Cabin Creek, he learned that Confederate Col. Stand Watie, with about 1,600 to 1,800 men intended to assault him there. Watie was waiting for about 1,500 reinforcements under the command of Brig. Gen. William L. Cabell to join him before attacking the supply train. Cabell, however, was detained due to high water on Grand River. Cabin Creek also had high water, preventing a crossing at first, but when it had receded enough, Williams drove the Confederates off with artillery fire and two cavalry charges. The wagon train continued to Fort Gibson and delivered the supplies, making it possible for the Union forces to maintain their presence in Indian territory and take the offensive that resulted in a victory at Honey Springs and the fall of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Result(s): Union victory

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2012-08-29 13:18:25

Q- I have enjoyed reading the many different article series you have written on the Civil War. Most of these are from a broad look at the country and how the country was affected. Would it be possible to list what happened in each of the states’ battles?

A- Sure. I found several sites from which to put this information together. One of the best is http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/bystate.htm. Last issue, we featured some more of the battles in Missouri, including the battles of Lone Jack, Marmiton River, Mt. Zion Church and New Madrid/Island No. 10. This month we will look at some more of the battles of Missouri, namely two in Newtonia, Roan’s Tan Yard and two in Springfield. Newtonia - First Other Names: None Location: Newton County Campaign: Price’s Missouri Expedition (1864) Date(s): October 28, 1864 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt [US]; Maj. Gen. Sterling Price [CS] Forces Engaged: Five brigades [US]; remnants of Price’s Army of Missouri [CS] Estimated Casualties: 650 total (US 400; CS 250) Description: Price’s force was in full retreat following its expedition into Missouri. On October 28, 1864, it stopped to rest about two miles south of Newtonia, Missouri. Soon afterward, Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt’s Union troops surprised the Confederates and began to drive them. Brig. Gen. Joe Shelby’s division, including his Iron Brigade, rode to the front, dismounted, and engaged the Yankees while the other Rebel troops retreated towards Indian Territory. Brig. Gen. John B. Sanborn later appeared with Union reinforcements which convinced Shelby to retire. The Union troops forced the Confederates to retreat but failed to destroy or capture them. Result(s): Union victory Newtonia - Second Other Names: None Location: Newton County Campaign: Operations North of Boston Mountains (1862) Date(s): September 30, 1862 Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. Friedrich Salomon [US]; Col. Douglas H. Cooper [CS] Forces Engaged: Two brigades, Army of Kansas (1,500) [US]; Cooper's Division [CS] Estimated Casualties: 345 total (US 245; CS 100) Description: Following the Battle of Pea Ridge, in March 1862, most Confederate and Union troops left northwestern Arkansas and southwestern Missouri. By late summer, Confederates returned to the area, which caused much apprehension in nearby Federally-occupied Springfield, Missouri, and Fort Scott, Kansas. Confederate Col. Douglas Cooper reached the area on the 27th and assigned two of his units to Newtonia where there was a mill for making breadstuffs. In mid-September, two brigades of Brig. Gen. James G. Blunt’s Union Army of Kansas left Fort Scott for Southwest Missouri. On the 29th, Union scouts approached Newtonia but were chased away. Other Union troops appeared in nearby Granby where there were lead mines, and Cooper sent some reinforcements there. The next morning, Union troops appeared before Newtonia and fighting ensued by 7:00 am. The Federals began driving the enemy, but Confederate reinforcements arrived, swelling the numbers. The Federals gave way and retreated in haste. As they did so, some of their reinforcements appeared and helped to stem their retreat. The Union forces then renewed the attack, threatening the enemy right flank. But newly arrived Confederates stopped that attack and eventually forced the Federals to retire again. Pursuit of the Federals continued after dark. Union gunners posted artillery in the roadway to halt the pursuit. As Confederate gunners observed the Union artillery fire for location, they fired back, creating panic. The Union retreat turned into a rout as some ran all the way to Sarcoxie, more than ten miles away. Although the Confederates won the battle, they were unable to maintain themselves in the area given the great numbers of Union troops. Most Confederates retreated into northwest Arkansas. The 1862 Confederate victories in southwestern Missouri at Newtonia and Clark’s Mill were the South’s apogee in the area; afterwards, the only Confederates in the area belonged to raiding columns. Result(s): Confederate victory Roan's Tan Yard Other Names: Silver Creek Location: Randolf County Campaign: Operations in Northeast Missouri (1861-62) Date(s): January 8, 1862 Principal Commanders: Maj. W.M.G. Torrence [US]; Col. J.A. Poindexter [CS] Forces Engaged: Detachments from the 1st and 2nd Missouri Cavalry, 4th Ohio Cavalry, and 1st Iowa Cavalry (450) [US]; unknown [CS] Estimated Casualties: 91 total (US 11; CS 80) Description: Rumors and sightings of a Confederate force in the Howard County area had circulated for more than a week, but the Union troops could not locate them. On January 7, 1862, information came to hand that Col. J.A. Poindexter and his Confederate force were camped on Silver Creek. Detachments from various Union units came together and headed towards the Confederate camp which was about 14 miles northwest of Fayette. After finding the camp, the force attacked, routing the enemy and sending those that were not killed, wounded, or captured fleeing for safety. Afterwards, the Union force destroyed the camp to prevent its further use. The Confederates could no longer use their Randolph County base for recruiting and raiding. Result(s): Union victory Springfield - First Other Names: Zagonyi’s Charge Location: Greene County Campaign: Operations to Control Missouri (1861) Date(s): October 25, 1861 Principal Commanders: Maj. James Zagonyi [US]; Col. James Frazier [CS] Forces Engaged: Prairie Scouts and Frémont’s Body Guard [US]; Missouri State Guard troops [CS] Estimated Casualties: 218 total (US 85; CS 133) Description: Having accomplished little since taking command of the Western Department, with headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, Maj. Gen. John C. Frémont formulated a plan to clear Maj. Gen. Sterling Price’s Rebels from the state and then, if possible, carry the war into Arkansas and Louisiana. Leaving St. Louis on October 7, 1861, Frémont’s combined force eventually numbered more than 20,000. His accompanying cavalry force, numbering 5,000 men and other mounted troops, included Maj. Frank J. White’s Prairie Scouts and Frémont's Body Guards under Maj. Charles Zagonyi. Maj. White became ill and turned his command over to Zagonyi. These two units operated in front of Frémont’s army to gather intelligence. As Frémont neared Springfield, the local state guard commander, Col. Julian Frazier, sent out requests to nearby localities for additional troops. Frémont camped on the Pomme de Terre River, about 50 miles from Springfield. Zagonyi’s column, though, continued on to Springfield, and Frazier’s force of 1,000 to 1,500 prepared to meet it. Frazier set up an ambush along the road that Zagonyi travelled, but the Union force charged the Rebels, sending them fleeing. Zagonyi’s men continued into town, hailed Federal sympathizers and released Union prisoners. Leery of a Confederate counterattack, Zagonyi departed Springfield before night, but Frémont’s army returned, in force, a few days later and set up camp in the town. In mid-November, after Frémont was sacked and replaced by Maj. Gen. Hunter, the Federals evacuated Springfield and withdrew to Sedalia and Rolla. Federal troops reoccupied Springfield in early 1862 and it was a Union stronghold from then on. This engagement at Springfield was the only Union victory in southwestern Missouri in 1861. Result(s): Union victory Springfield - Second Other Names: None Location: Greene County Campaign: Marmaduke’s First Expedition into Missouri (1862-63) Date(s): January 8, 1863 Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. Egbert B. Brown [US]; Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke [CS] Forces Engaged: Southwestern District of Missouri Troops (2,000) [US]; 4th Division, I Corps, Trans-Mississippi Department [CS] Estimated Casualties: 403 total (US 163; CS 240) Description: Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke’s expedition into Missouri reached Ozark, where it destroyed the Union post, and then approached Springfield on the morning of January 8, 1863. Springfield was an important Federal communications center and supply depot so the Rebels wished to destroy it. The Union army had constructed fortifications to defend the town. Their ranks, however, were depleted because Francis J. Herron’s two divisions had not yet returned from their victory at Prairie Grove on December 7. After receiving a report on January 7 of the Rebels’ approach, Brig. Gen. Egbert B. Brown set about preparing for the attack and rounding up additional troops. Around 10:00 am, the Confederates advanced in battle line to the attack. The day included desperate fighting with attacks and counterattacks until after dark, but the Federal troops held and the Rebels withdrew during the night. Brown had been wounded during the day. The Confederates appeared in force the next morning but retired without attacking. The Federal depot was successfully defended, and Union strength in the area continued. Result(s): Union victory, although the raid ultimately failed.

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Veteran Affairs

Gerorge Grenyo

2012-08-02 09:27:41

Q- Recently I heard about a program called Kansas Honor Flight. What are they? Also, can you tell me a little about the World War Memorial?

A- Thank you for asking, and thank you to The Q & A Times for referring this question to me. The Kansas Honor Flight provides all expense paid trips to Washington, D.C. for World War II veterans so they can visit their World War II Memorial that was built in their honor by a grateful nation. Veterans from the Korean War, Vietnam War and so on will be sent on later Honor Flights, in their turn, to visit their war memorial in Washington, D.C.. The Kansas Honor Flight’s mission is to raise the necessary funds, identify World War II Veterans and fly them to Washington DC to visit their WWII Memorial before it’s too late for them. We are losing these heroes at over 1,800 a day nationwide. We are losing approximately 28 Kansas World War II veterans each day! There are less than 350,000 of the original 16 million who served in World War II still with us today. Many cannot travel. The terminally ill veterans go to the head of the list and given booking priority. In the past two years over $1,194,700.00 has been raised in donations, over 1,101 Kansas World War II veterans have been sent on HONOR FLIGHT and over 737 Guardians have gone on HONOR FLIGHT from south central Kansas! The Kansas World War II veterans go all expenses paid! Donated funds are given by generous fellow Kansans. The cost to send one Kansas World War II veteran is $650.00. The Guardians that go on the trip pay $650.00 per person. The Guardians look after the needs of the veteran that they are assigned to. Needless to say a strong bonding takes place during the trip. In 2011 several flights of over 100+ Kansas World War II veterans departed from Wichita, Kansas Mid-Continent Airport. Guardians also went on this trip putting the plane load over 200 Kansans. If someone out there would write a tax deductible donation of $65,000.00, we could send another flight of 100 Kansas World War II veterans on Kansas Honor Flight. Donation information can be found via the website, www.kansashonorflight.org. In 2010, the students from Pleasant Valley Middle School in Wichita, KS decided they wanted to go on an Honor Flight after studying about our American World War II veterans in history class. They raised over $12,000.00 one summer washing cars, mowing lawns, baby sitting and various other chores that paid a wage. They paid their own way, the veteran they were going with and the adult Guardian that was assigned to the veteran. The veterans fly to Washington, D.C. and after landing, board 56 passenger buses that provide transportation while visiting all the local memorials. Leaving the airport in buses, they are greeted by an enthusiastic formation of our military lined up on the sidewalk, rendering the hand salute. During their visit to Washington, D.C., they are given a banquet, see their WWII Memorial, meet Bob Dole when he is in town and physically able, and other Kansas political representatives. The veterans are taken to see the Korean War Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and Vietnam War Memorial Wall. They have a short souvenir break, then cross the Potomac to see the IWO JIMA Memorial, and the final changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery before bedding down. The bus rides are full of video of the WWII Memorials construction and the Dedication ceremony. Courageous testimonies and more networking truly bond these heroes and allow closure that few other events can. When returning to Wichita’s Mid-Continent Airport, they are given a hero’s welcome by the citizens of Wichita. Thousands turn out to clap, cheer and give hugs to these Kansas World War II veterans. It is a moving experience that one has to be in the crowd to truly appreciate.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2012-08-02 09:25:07

Q- I have enjoyed reading the many different article series you have written on the Civil War. Most of these are from a broad look at the country and how the country was affected. Would it be possible to list what happened in each of the states’ battles?

A- Sure. I found several sites from which to put this information together. One of the best is http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/bystate.htm. Last issue, we featured some more of the battles in Missouri, including the battles of Kirksville, Lexington, Liberty and Little Blue River. This month we will look at more of the battles of Missouri, namely the battles of Lone Jack, Marmiton River, Mt. Zion Church and New Madrid/Island No. 10. Lone Jack Other Names: None Location: Jackson County Campaign: Operations North of Boston Mountains (1862) Date(s): August 15-16, 1862 Principal Commanders: Maj. Emory S. Foster [US]; Col. Jeremiah Vard Cockrell, Col. G.W. Thompson, and Col. Upton Hays [CS] Forces Engaged: Detachments from fourteen companies of cavalry and a section of artillery (800 men) [US]; unknown [CS] Estimated Casualties: 270 total (US 160; CS 110) Description: Maj. Emory S. Foster, under orders, led an 800-man combined force from Lexington to Lone Jack. Upon reaching the Lone Jack area, he discovered 1,600 Rebels under Col. J.T. Coffee and prepared to attack them. About 9:00 pm on the 15th, he and his men attacked the Confederate camp and dispersed the force. Early the next morning, Union pickets informed Foster that a 3,000-man Confederate force was advancing on him. Soon afterwards, this force attacked and a battle ensued that involved charges, retreats, and counterattacks. After five hours of fighting and the loss of Foster, Coffee and his 1,500 men reappeared, causing Foster’s successor, Capt. M.H. Brawner to order a retreat. The men left the field in good order and returned to Lexington. This was a Confederate victory, but the Rebels had to evacuate the area soon afterward, when threatened by the approach of large Union forces. Except for a short period of time during Price’s Raid, in 1864, the Confederacy lost its clout in Jackson County. Result(s): Confederate victory Marmiton River Other Names: Shiloh Creek, Charlot’s Farm Location: Vernon County Campaign: Price’s Missouri Expedition (1864) Date(s): October 25, 1864 Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. John H. McNeil [US]; Maj. Gen. Sterling Price [CS] Forces Engaged: Two brigades, provisional cavalry division [US]; Army of Missouri [CS] Estimated Casualties: Unknown Description: Following the Battle of Mine Creek, Maj. Gen. Sterling Price continued his cartage towards Fort Scott. In late afternoon of October 25, Price’s supply train had difficulty crossing the Marmiton River ford and, like at Mine Creek, Price had to make a stand. Brig. Gen. John S. McNeil, commanding two brigades of Pleasonton’s cavalry division, attacked the Confederate troops that Price and his officers rallied, included a sizable number of unarmed men. McNeil observed the sizable Confederate force, not knowing that many of them were unarmed, and refrained from an all out assault. After about two hours of skirmishing, Price continued his retreat and McNeil could not mount an effective pursuit. Price’s army was broken by this time, and it was simply a question of how many men he could successfully evacuate to friendly territory. Result(s): Union victory Mount Zion Church Other Names: None Location: Boone County Campaign: Operations in Northeast Missouri (1861-62) Date(s): December 28, 1861 Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. Benjamin M. Prentiss [US]; Col. Caleb Dorsey [CS] Forces Engaged: Detachments of the 3rd Missouri Cavalry Regiment (approx. 240) and Birge’s Sharpshooters (approx. 200) [US]; unknown [CS] Estimated Casualties: 282 total (US 72; CS 210) Description: Brig. Gen. Benjamin M. Prentiss led a Union force of 5 mounted companies and 2 companies of Birge’s sharpshooters into Boone County to protect the North Missouri Railroad and overawe secessionist sentiment there. After arriving in Sturgeon on December 26, Prentiss learned of a band of Rebels near Hallsville. He sent a company to Hallsville the next day that fought a Confederate force under the command of Col. Caleb Dorsey and suffered numerous casualties, including many taken prisoner, before retreating to Sturgeon. On the 28th, Prentiss set out with his entire force to meet Dorsey’s Rebels. He routed one company of Confederates on the road from Hallsville to Mount Zion and learned that the rest of the force was at Mount Zion Church. Prentiss headed for the church. After a short battle, the Confederates retreated, leaving their killed and wounded on the battlefield and abandoning many animals, weapons, and supplies. This action and others curtailed Rebel recruiting activities in Central Missouri. Result(s): Union victory New Madrid/Island No. 10 Other Names: None Location: City of New Madrid, Missouri; Lake County, Tennessee Campaign: Joint Operations on the Middle Mississippi River (1862) Date(s): February 28-April 8, 1862 Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. John Pope and Flag-Officer Andrew H. Foote [US]; Brig. Gen. John P. McCown and Brig. Gen. William W. Mackall [CS] Forces Engaged: Army of the Mississippi [US]; Garrisons of New Madrid and Island No. 10 [CS] Estimated Casualties: Unknown Description: With the surrender of Forts Henry and Donelson, Tennessee, and the evacuation of Columbus, Kentucky, Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, commander of the Confederate Army of the Mississippi, chose Island No. 10, about 60 river miles below Columbus, to be the strongpoint for defending the Mississippi River. Nearby was New Madrid, one of the weak points. Brig. Gen. John Pope, commander of the Union Army of the Mississippi, set out from Commerce, Missouri, to attack New Madrid, on February 28. The force marched overland through swamps, lugging supplies and artillery, reached the New Madrid outskirts on March 3, and laid siege to the city. Brig. Gen. John P. McCown, the garrison commander, defended both New Madrid and Island No. 10 from the fortifications. He launched a sortie, under Brig. Gen. M. Jeff Thompson, Missouri State Guard, against the besiegers and brought up heavy artillery to bombard them. On the 13th, the Confederates bombarded the Yankees to no avail. Since it did not appear possible to defend New Madrid, the Confederate gunboats and troops evacuated to Island No. 10 and Tiptonville. On the 14th, Pope’s army discovered that New Madrid was deserted and moved in to occupy it. A U.S. Navy flotilla, under the command of Flag-Officer Andrew H. Foote, arrived March 15 upstream from Island No. 10. The ironclad Carondelet on the night of April 4 passed the Island No. 10 batteries and anchored off New Madrid. Pittsburgh followed on the night of April 6. The ironclads helped to overawe the Confederate batteries and guns, enabling Pope’s men to cross the river and block the Confederate escape route. Brig. Gen. William W. Mackall, who replaced McCown, surrendered Island No. 10 on April 8. The Mississippi was now open down to Fort Pillow, Tennessee. Result(s): Union victory Next month we will finish with the battles in Missouri of Newtonia, Roan’s Tan Yard, Springfield, Westport and Wilson’s Creek.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2012-08-01 13:26:30

Q- I have enjoyed reading the many different article series you have written on the Civil War. Most of these are from a broad look at the country and how the country was affected. Would it be possible to list what happened in each of the states’ battles?

A- Sure. I found several sites from which to put this information together. One of the best is http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/bystate.htm. Last issue, we featured some more of the battles in Missouri, including the battles of Fredericktown, Glasgow, Hartville and Independence. This month we will continue with more battles in Missouri, the battles of Kirksville, Lexington, Liberty and Little Blue River. Kirksville Other Names: None Location: Adair County Campaign: Operations North of Boston Mountains (1862) Date(s): August 6-9, 1862 Principal Commanders: Col. John McNeil [US]; Col. Joseph C. Porter [CS] Forces Engaged: Combined force (cavalry and artillery) [US]; Missouri Brigade [CS] Estimated Casualties: 456 total (US 88; CS 368) Description: Col. John McNeil and his troops, numbering about 1,000, had been pursuing Col. Joseph C. Porter and his Confederate Missouri Brigade of 2,500 men for more than a week. Before noon on August 6, McNeil attacked Porter in the town of Kirksville, where his men had hidden themselves in homes and stores and among the crops in the nearby fields. After almost three hours of fighting, the Yankees secured the town, captured numerous prisoners, and chased the others away. Three days later, another Union force met and finished the work begun at Kirksville, destroying Porter’s command. Kirksville helped consolidate Union dominance in northeastern Missouri. Result(s): Union victory Lexington Other Names: Battle of the Hemp Bales Location: Lafayette County Campaign: Operations to Control Missouri (1861) Date(s): September 13-20, 1861 Principal Commanders: Col. James A. Mulligan [US]; Maj. Gen. Sterling Price [CS] Forces Engaged: Garrison (approx. 3,500) [US]; Missouri State Guard (12,000) [CS] Estimated Casualties: 1,874 total (US 1,774; CS 100) Description: Following the victory at Wilson’s Creek, the Confederate Missouri State Guard, having consolidated forces in the northern and central part of the state, marched, under the command of Maj. Gen. Sterling Price, on Lexington. Col. James A. Mulligan commanded the entrenched Union garrison of about 3,500 men. Price’s men first encountered Union skirmishers on September 13 south of town and pushed them back into the fortifications. Price, having bottled the Union troops up in Lexington, decided to await his ammunition wagons, other supplies, and reinforcements before assaulting the fortifications. By the 18th, Price was ready and ordered an assault. The Missouri State Guard moved forward amidst heavy Union artillery fire and pushed the enemy back into their inner works. On the 19th, the Rebels consolidated their positions, kept the Yankees under heavy artillery fire and prepared for the final attack. Early on the morning of the 20th, Price’s men advanced behind mobile breastworks, made of hemp, close enough to take the Union works at the Anderson House in a final rush. Mulligan requested surrender terms after noon, and by 2:00 pm his men had vacated their works and stacked their arms. This Unionist stronghold had fallen, further bolstering southern sentiment and consolidating Confederate control in the Missouri Valley west of Arrow Rock. Result(s): Confederate victory Liberty Other Names: Blue Mills Landing, Blue Mills Location: Clay County Campaign: Operations to Control Missouri (1861) Date(s): September 17, 1861 Principal Commanders: Lt. Col. John Scott [US]; “General” D.R. Atchison (Atkinson) [CS] Forces Engaged: Detachments of 3rd Iowa Infantry, Home Guards, and artillery (approx. 600 men) [US]; 4th Division, Missouri State Guard [CS] Estimated Casualties: 126 total (US 56; CS 70) Description: “General” D.R. Atchison left Lexington on September 15, 1861, and proceeded to Liberty where he met the Missouri State Guard. On the night of September 16-17, his force crossed the Missouri River to the south side and prepared for a fight with Union troops reported to be in the area. At the same time, Union Lt. Col. John Scott led a force of about 600 men from Cameron, on the 15th, towards Liberty. He left his camp in Centreville, at 2:00 am on the 17th. He arrived in Liberty, sent scouts out to find the enemy, and, about 11:00 am, skirmishing began. At noon, Scott marched in the direction of the firing, approached Blue Mills Landing and, at 3:00 am, struck the Confederate pickets. The Union force began to fall back, though, and the Rebels pursued for some distance. The fight lasted for an hour. The Confederates were consolidating influence in northwestern Missouri. Result(s): Confederate victory Little Blue River Other Names: Westport Location: Jackson County Campaign: Price’s Missouri Expedition (1864) Date(s): October 21, 1864 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis [US]; Maj. Gen. Sterling Price [CS] Forces Engaged: 1st Division, Army of the Border [US]; Army of Missouri [CS] Estimated Casualties: Unknown Description: Price’s march along the Missouri River was slow, providing the Yankees a chance to concentrate. Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans, commanding the Department of the Missouri, proposed a pincer movement to trap Price and his army, but he was unable to communicate with Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, commander of the Department of Kansas, to formalize the plan. Curtis was having problems because many of his troops were Kansas militia and they refused to enter Missouri, but a force of about 2,000 men under the command of Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt did set out for Lexington. He met the Confederate troops at Lexington on the 19th, slowed their progress, but was defeated and retreated. On the 20th, Blunt’s troops arrived on the Little Blue River, eight miles east of Independence. The Union force prepared to engage the Confederates again in a strong defensive position on the west bank. Curtis, however, ordered Blunt into Independence while leaving a small force, under Col. Thomas Moonlight, on the Little Blue. The next day, Curtis ordered Blunt to take all of the volunteers and return to the Little Blue. As he neared the stream, he discovered that Moonlight’s small force had burned the bridge as ordered, engaged the enemy, and retreated away from the strong defensive position occupied the day before, crossing the river. Blunt entered the fray and attempted to drive the enemy back beyond the defensive position that he wished to reoccupy. The Yankees forced the Confederates to fall back, at first, but their numerical superiority took its toll in the five-hour battle. The Federals retreated to Independence and went into camp there after dark. Once again, the Confederates had been slowed and more Union reinforcements were arriving. Result(s): Confederate victory

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2012-06-08 15:09:26

Q: I have enjoyed reading the many different article series you have written on the Civil War. Most of these are from a broad look at the country and how the country was affected. Would it be possible to list what happened in each of the states’ battles?

A: Sure. I found several sites from which to put this information together. One of the best is www.nps.gov. Last issue, we featured some more of the battles in Missouri, including Carthage, Clark’s Mill, Dry Wood Creek and Fort Davidson. This month, we will continue with the Missouri battles of Fredericktown, Glasgow, Hartville and Independence. Fredericktown Other Names: None Location: Madison County Campaign: Operations to Control Missouri (1861) Date(s): October 21, 1861 Principal Commanders: Col. J.B. Plummer and Col. William P. Carlin [US]; Brig. Gen. M. Jeff Thompson [CS] Forces Engaged: Brigade size force (approx. 2,500-3,500) [US]; Missouri State Guard [CS] Estimated Casualties: Total unknown (US unknown; CS 62) Description: Two Union columns, one under Col. J.B. Plummer and another under Col. William P. Carlin, advanced on Fredericktown to overtake Brig. Gen. M. Jeff Thompson and his men. On the morning of October 21, Thompson’s force left Fredericktown headed south. About twelve miles out, Thompson left his supply train in a secure position and returned toward Fredericktown. He then learned that Union forces had occupied Fredericktown, so Thompson spent the morning attempting to discern the enemy numbers and disposition. Unable to do so, he attacked anyway, around noon. Plummer, with his force and a detachment of Col. William P. Carlin’s troops, met the Rebel forces outside town and a two-hour fight ensued. Overwhelming Union forces took their toll, and Thompson’s men retreated. Union cavalry pursued. Fredericktown cemented Union control of southeastern Missouri. Result(s): Union victory Glasgow Other Names: None Location: Howard County Campaign: Price’s Missouri Expedition (1864) Date(s): October 15, 1864 Principal Commanders: Col. Chester Harding [US]; Brig. Gen. John B. Clark and Brig. Gen. Joe Shelby [CS] Forces Engaged: Garrison (800) [US]; unknown [CS] Estimated Casualties: 450 total (US 400; CS 50) Description: While Maj. Gen. Sterling Price led his men westward across Missouri, he decided to send a detachment to Glasgow to liberate weapons and supplies in an arms storehouse, purported to be there. This combined mounted infantry, cavalry, and artillery force laid siege to the town and the fortifications on Hereford Hill. Before dawn on October 15, Confederate artillery opened on the town and Rebels advanced on Glasgow by various routes, forcing the Yankees to fall back. The Union forces retreated out of town and up the hill toward the fortifications on Hereford Hill. There they formed a defensive line in this area, but the Confederates continued to advance. Convinced that he could not defend against another Confederate attack, Col. Chester Harding surrendered around 1:30 pm. Although Harding destroyed some Federal stores, Price’s men found rifle-muskets, overcoats, and horses. The Confederates remained in town for three days before rejoining the main column with new supplies and weapons and marching on towards Kansas City. The victory and capture of supplies and weapons were a boost to Price’s army’s morale. Result(s): Confederate victory Hartville Other Names: None Location: Wright County Campaign: Marmaduke’s First Expedition into Missouri (1862-63) Date(s): January 9-11, 1863 Principal Commanders: Col. Samuel Merrill [US]; Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke [CS] Forces Engaged: Detachment of infantry, cavalry, and artillery (approx. 700) [US]; 4th Division, I Corps, Trans-Mississippi Department [CS] Estimated Casualties: 407 total (US 78; CS 329) Description: John S. Marmaduke led a Confederate raid into Missouri in early January 1863. This movement was two-pronged. Col. Joseph C. Porter led one column, comprising his Missouri Cavalry Brigade, out of Pocahontas, Arkansas, to assault Union posts around Hartville, Missouri. When he neared Hartville, on January 9, he sent a detachment forward to reconnoiter. It succeeded in capturing the small garrison and occupying the town. The same day, Porter moved on toward Marshfield. On the 10th, some of Porter’s men raided other Union installations in the area before catching up with Marmaduke’s column east of Marshfield. Marmaduke had received reports of Union troops approaching to surround him and prepared for a confrontation. Col. Samuel Merrill, commander of the approaching Union column, arrived in Hartville, discovered that the garrison had already surrendered and set out after the Confederates. A few minutes later, fighting began. Marmaduke feared being cut off from his retreat route back to Arkansas so he pushed Merrill’s force back to Hartville, where it established a defense line. Here, a four-hour battle ensued in which the Confederates suffered many casualties but compelled the Yankees to retreat. Although they won the battle, the Confederates were forced to abandon the raid and return to friendly territory. Result(s): Confederate victory Independence Other Names: None Location: Jackson County Campaign: Price’s Missouri Expedition (1864) Date(s): October 22, 1864 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton [US]; Brig. Gen. James Fagan and Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke [CS] Forces Engaged: Provisional cavalry division [US]; Fagan and Marmaduke’s Divisions, Army of Missouri [CS] Estimated Casualties: Total unknown (US unknown; CS 140) Description: Maj. Gen. Sterling Price’s army rode west in the direction of Kansas City. On the night of the 21st, he camped at Independence and resumed his westward march the next morning with Brig. Gen. Joe Shelby’s division in the lead followed by Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke’s division, with Brig. Gen. James Fagan’s division bringing up the rear. While Shelby’s men met success at Byram’s Ford, the other two columns did not fare as well. Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton’s Union force crossed the Little Blue, beat up a Rebel brigade in Fagan’s command, and occupied Independence. Marmaduke’s division then met Pleasonton about two miles west of Independence, hit the Federals hard, pressed them back, and held them at bay until the morning of the 23rd. Pleasonton’s actions, however, frightened Price and his army, and influenced them, after they had crossed the Big Blue, to send their wagon trains to Little Santa Fe on the Fort Scott Road. Result(s): Confederate victory Next month, we will continue with more battles in Missouri…those of Kirkville, Lexington, Liberty and Little Blue River.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2012-04-19 14:36:45

Q: I have enjoyed reading the many different article series you have written on the Civil War. Most of these are from a broad look at the country and how the country was affected. Would it be possible to list what happened in each of the states’ battles?

A: Sure. I found several sites from which to put this information together. One of the best is www.nps.gov. Last issue, we featured some of the battles in Missouri, including Belmont, Boonville, Byram’s Ford and Cape Girardeau. This month we will continue with battles in Missouri of Carthage, Clark’s Mill, Dry Wood Creek and Fort Davidson. Carthage Other Names: None Location: Jasper County Campaign: Operations to Control Missouri (1861) Date(s): July 5, 1861 Principal Commanders: Col. Franz Sigel [US]; Governor Claiborne Jackson [CS] Forces Engaged: Brigade [US]; Missouri State Guard divisions [CS] Estimated Casualties: 244 total (US 44; CS 200) Description: Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon had chased Governor Claiborne Jackson and approximately 4,000 State Militia from the State Capital at Jefferson City and from Boonville, and pursued them. Col. Franz Sigel led another force of about 1,000 into southwest Missouri in search of the governor and his loyal troops. Upon learning that Sigel had encamped at Carthage, on the night of July 4, Jackson took command of the troops with him and formulated a plan to attack the much smaller Union force. The next morning, Jackson closed up to Sigel, established a battle line on a ridge ten miles north of Carthage, and induced Sigel to attack him. Opening with artillery fire, Sigel closed to the attack. Seeing a large Confederate force—actually unarmed recruits—moving into the woods on his left, he feared that they would turn his flank. He withdrew. The Confederates pursued, but Sigel conducted a successful rearguard action. By evening, Sigel was inside Carthage and under cover of darkness; he retreated to Sarcoxie. The battle had little meaning, but the pro-Southern elements in Missouri, anxious for any good news, championed their first victory. Result(s): Confederate victory Clark’s Mill Other Names: Vera Cruz Location: Douglas County Campaign: Operations North of Boston Mountains (1862) Date(s): November 7, 1862 Principal Commanders: Capt. Hiram E. Barstow [US]; Col. John Q. Burbridge and Col. Colton Greene [CS] Forces Engaged: Detachments of 10th Illinois Cavalry and State Militia (approx. 100 men) [US]; cavalry brigade (approx. 1,000 men) [CS] Estimated Casualties: Total unknown (US 113; CS unknown) Description: Having received reports that Confederate troops were in the area, Capt. Hiram E. Barstow, Union commander at Clark’s Mill, sent a detachment toward Gainesville and he led another southeastward. Barstow’s men ran into a Confederate force, skirmished with them and drove them back. His column then fell back to Clark’s Mill where he learned that another Confederate force was coming from the northeast. Unlimbering artillery to command both approach roads, Barstow was soon engaged in a five-hour fight with the enemy. Under a white flag, the Confederates demanded a surrender, and the Union, given their numerical inferiority, accepted. The Confederates paroled the Union troops and departed after burning the blockhouse at Clark’s Mill. Clark’s Mill helped the Confederates to maintain a toehold in southwest Missouri. Result(s): Confederate victory Dry Wood Creek Other Names: Big Dry Wood Creek, Battle of the Mules Location: Vernon County Campaign: Operations to Control Missouri (1861) Date(s): September 2, 1861 Principal Commanders: Col. J.H. Lane [US]; Maj. Gen. Sterling Price and Brig. Gen. James S. Rains [CS] Forces Engaged: Kansas Cavalry Brigade (approx. 600) [US]; column of Missouri State Guard [CS] Estimated Casualties: Total unknown (US 14; CS unknown) Description: Col. J.H. Lane’s cavalry, comprising about 600 men, set out from Fort Scott to learn the whereabouts of a rumored Confederate force. They encountered a Confederate force, about 6,000-strong, near Big Dry Wood Creek. The Union cavalry surprised the Confederates, but their numerical superiority soon determined the encounter’s outcome. They forced the Union cavalry to retire and captured their mules, and the Confederates continued on towards Lexington. The Confederates were forcing the Federals to abandon southwestern Missouri and to concentrate on holding the Missouri Valley. Result(s): Confederate victory Fort Davidson Other Names: Pilot Knob Location: Iron County Campaign: Price’s Missouri Expedition (1864) Date(s): September 27, 1864 Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. Thomas Ewing, Jr. [US]; Maj. Gen. Sterling Price [CS] Forces Engaged: Garrison [US]; Army of Missouri [CS] Estimated Casualties: 1,684 total (US 184; CS 1,500) Description: In September 1864, a Confederate army under Maj. Gen. Sterling Price crossed into Missouri with the goal of capturing St. Louis. Union Brig. Gen. Thomas Ewing moved with reinforcements down the railroad to Ironton to retard Price’s advance. On the morning of September 27, the Confederates attacked, driving the Federals back into their defenses anchored by Fort Davidson. In the late afternoon, Price unsuccessfully assaulted the fort repeatedly, suffering heavy casualties. Price, considering the possible time involved, had dismissed the possibility of mounting guns on the high ground to compel the fort to surrender or to shell the garrison into submission. During the night, the Federals evacuated the fort. Price had paid a high price in lives and gave Union forces the necessary time to concentrate and oppose his raid. Result(s): Union victory

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2012-03-22 16:43:02

Q: I have enjoyed reading the many different article series you have written on the Civil War. Most of these are from a broad look at the country and how the country was affected. Would it be possible to list what happened in each of the states’ battles?

A: Sure. I found several sites from which to put this information together. One of the best is www.nps.gov. Last issue, we featured the battles in Oklahoma of Middle Boggy Depot, Old Fort Wayne and Round Mountain. This month we will feature battles in Missouri, of which there were many. Belmont Other Names: None Location: Mississippi County Campaign: Operations at the Ohio and Mississippi River Confluence (1861) Date(s): November 7, 1861 Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant [US]; Brig. Gen. Gideon J. Pillow [CS] Forces Engaged: Division [US]; division [CS] Estimated Casualties: 1,464 total (US 498; CS 966) Description: On November 6, 1861, Brig. Gen. U.S. Grant left Cairo, Illinois, by steamers, in conjunction with two gunboats, to make a demonstration against Columbus, Kentucky. The next morning, Grant learned that Confederate troops had crossed the Mississippi River from Columbus to Belmont, Missouri, to intercept two detachments sent in pursuit of Brig. Gen. M. Jeff Thompson and, possibly, to reinforce Maj. Gen. Sterling Price’s force. He landed on the Missouri shore, out of the range of Confederate artillery at Columbus, and started marching the mile to Belmont. At 9:00 in the morning, an engagement began. The Federals routed the Confederates out of their Belmont cantonment and destroyed the Rebel supplies and equipment they found because they did not have the means to carry them off. The scattered Confederate forces reorganized and received reinforcements from Columbus. Counterattacked by the Confederates, the Union force withdrew, re-embarked, and returned to Cairo. Grant did not accomplish much in this operation, but, at a time when little Union action occurred anywhere, many were heartened by any activity. Result(s): Union victory Boonville Other Names: First Battle of Boonville Location: Cooper County Campaign: Operations to Control Missouri (1861) Date(s): June 17, 1861 Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon [US]; Col. John S. Marmaduke [CS] Forces Engaged: Combined force of Missouri troops and Regular U.S. Army (approx. 1,700) [US]; State Guard Troops [CS] Estimated Casualties: 81 total (US 31; CS 50) Description: Claiborne Jackson, the pro-Southern Governor of Missouri, wanted the state to secede and join the Confederacy. Union Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon set out to put down Jackson’s Missouri State Guard, commanded by Sterling Price. Reaching Jefferson City, the state capital, Lyon discovered that Jackson and Price had retreated towards Boonville. Lyon re-embarked on steamboats, transported his men to below Boonville, marched to the town, and engaged the enemy. In a short fight, Lyon dispersed the Confederates, commanded on the field by Col. John S. Marmaduke, and occupied Boonville. This early victory established Union control of the Missouri River and helped douse attempts to place Missouri in the Confederacy. Result(s): Union victory Byram’s Ford Other Names: Big Blue River Location: Jackson County Campaign: Price’s Missouri Expedition (1864) Date(s): October 22-23, 1864 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt and Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton [US]; Brig. Gen. Joseph Shelby and Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke [CS] Forces Engaged: 1st Division, Army of the Border and provisional cavalry division [US]; Shelby and Marmaduke’s Divisions [CS] Estimated Casualties: Unknown Description: Maj. Gen. Sterling Price’s Army of Missouri was headed west towards Kansas City and Fort Leavenworth. Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis’s Army of the Border, in and around Westport, was blocking the Confederates’ way west and Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton’s provisional cavalry division was pressing Price’s army’s rear. Price had nearly 500 wagons with him and required a good ford over the Big Blue River to facilitate the passage of his supplies. Byram’s Ford was the best ford in the area and became a strategic point during the fighting around Westport. On October 22, Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt’s division held a defensive position on the Big Blue River’s west bank. Around 10:00 am on the 22nd, part of Brig. Gen. Joseph O. Shelby’s Confederate division conducted a frontal attack on Blunt’s men. This attack was a ruse because the rest of Shelby’s men flanked Blunt’s hasty defenses, forcing the Federals to retire to Westport. Price’s wagon train and about 5,000 head of cattle then crossed the Big Blue River at Byram’s Ford and headed southward toward Little Santa Fe and safety. Pleasonton’s cavalry was hot on the tail of Price’s army. Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke’s Rebel division held the west bank of the Big Blue at Byram’s Ford to prevent Pleasonton from attacking Price’s rear. Pleasonton assaulted Marmaduke at Byram’s Ford, around 8:00 am, on the 23rd. Three hours later, Marmaduke’s men had enough and fell back toward Westport. With Pleasonton across the river, he was now an additional threat to Price who was fighting Curtis’s Army of the Border at Westport. Price had to retreat south. Result(s): Union victory Cape Girardeau Other Names: None Location: Cape Girardeau City Campaign: Marmaduke’s Second Expedition into Missouri (1863) Date(s): April 26, 1863 Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. John McNeil [US]; Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke [CS] Forces Engaged: Garrison plus some reinforcements [US]; cavalry division [CS] Estimated Casualties: 337 total (US 12; CS 325) Description: Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke sought to strike Brig. Gen. John McNeil, with his combined force of about 2,000 men, at Bloomfield, Missouri. McNeil retreated and Marmaduke followed. Marmaduke received notification, on April 25, that McNeil was near Cape Girardeau. He sent troops to destroy or capture McNeil’s force, but then he learned that the Federals had placed themselves in the fortifications. Marmaduke ordered one of his brigades to make a demonstration to ascertain the Federals’ strength. Col. John S. Shelby’s brigade made the demonstration which escalated into an attack. Those Union forces not already in fortifications retreated into them. Realizing the Federals’ strength, Marmaduke withdrew his division to Jackson. After finding the force he had been chasing, Marmaduke was repulsed. Meant to relieve pressure on other Confederate troops and to disrupt Union operations, Marmaduke’s expedition did little to fulfill either objective. Result(s): Union victory

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2012-02-27 12:12:44

Q: I have enjoyed reading the many different article series you have written on the Civil War. Most of these are from a broad look at the country and how the country was affected. Would it be possible to list what happened in each of the states’ battles?

A: Sure. I found several sites from which to put this information together. One of the best is www.nps.gov. Last issue, we featured some of the battles in Oklahoma. This month we will finish with the battles in Oklahoma of Middle Boggy Depot, Old Fort Wayne and Round Mountain. Middle Boggy Depot Other Names: Middle Boggy Location: Unknown Campaign: Operations in the Indian Territory (1864) Date(s): February 13, 1864 Principal Commanders: Maj. Charles Willette [US]; Lt. Col. John Jumper [CS] Forces Engaged: Three companies of the 14th Kansas Cavalry Regiment and a section of Howitzers [US]; Seminole Battalion, Company A, 1st Choctaw and Chickasaw Cavalry Regiment, and a detachment of 20th Texas Regiment [CS] Estimated Casualties: Unknown Description: While on an expedition in February 1864 to meet, defeat or destroy Confederate forces in Indian Territory, Union Maj. Charles Willette and his troops surprised a Confederate force at Middle Boggy Depot on February 13. Although poorly armed, the Rebels made a determined stand for a half hour before retiring. The Union forces killed 47 Confederates during this short fight. Fear of the arrival of fresh Confederate forces influenced the Federals to retire to Fort Gibson. During Col. John F. Phillips’s Indian Territory expedition, he and his men fought with and dispersed numerous Confederate forces. Middle Boggy Depot was, perhaps, the largest encounter during the expedition. Result(s): Union victory Old Fort Wayne Other Names: Beatties Prairie, Beaty’s Prairie Location: Delaware County Campaign: Operations North of Boston Mountains (1862) Date(s): October 22, 1862 Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. James G. Blunt [US]; Col. Douglas H. Cooper [CS] Forces Engaged: 1st Division, Army of the Frontier [US]; 1st Brigade [CS] Estimated Casualties: 164 total (US 14; CS 150) Description: Brig. Gen. James G. Blunt and his troops attacked Col. Douglas H. Cooper and his Confederate command on Beatties Prairie near Old Fort Wayne at 7:00 am on October 22, 1862. The Confederates put up stiff resistance for a half hour, but overwhelming numbers forced them to retire from the field in haste, leaving artillery and equipage behind. This was a setback in the 1862 Confederate offensive that extended from the tidewater in the east to the plains of the Indian Territory of the west. Result(s): Union victory Round Mountain Other Names: Round Mountains Location: Unknown Campaign: Operations in the Indian Territory (1861) Date(s): November 19, 1861 Principal Commanders: Chief Opothleyahola [I]; Col. Douglas H. Cooper [CS] Forces Engaged: Creek and Seminole [I]; Indian Department [CS] Estimated Casualties: Unknown Description: Col. Douglas H. Cooper, Confederate commander of the Indian Department, had not been able to reconcile differences with Chief Opothleyahola, who commanded a band of Unionist Creeks and Seminoles. Cooper set out on November 15, 1861, with about 1,400 men to either compel submission . . . or “drive him and his party from the country.” His force rode up the Deep Fork of the Canadian River towards Chief Opothleyahola’s camp which they found deserted. On the 19th, Cooper learned from captured prisoners that part of Chief Opothleyahola’s band was at the Red Fork of the Arkansas River, where they were erecting a fort. Cooper’s men arrived there around 4:00 pm and ordered a cavalry charge which discovered that Chief Opothleyahola’s band had recently abandoned the camp. The Confederates did find some stragglers beyond the camp and followed them, blundering into Chief Opothleyahola’s camp. The Federals fired into the Rebel cavalry and, in large force, came out to attack them. They chased the Confederates back to Cooper’s main force. Darkness prevented Cooper from attacking until the main enemy force was within 60 yards. A short fight ensued but Chief Opothleyahola’s men broke it off and retreated back to their camp. Cooper set out for Chief Opothleyahola’s camp the next morning but found it gone. The Confederates claimed victory because Chief Opothleyahola had left the area. This was the first of three encounters between Chief Opothleyahola’s Union bands and Confederate troops. The chief was forced to flee Oklahoma for Kansas at the end of the year. Result(s): Confederate victory Next month we will begin talking about battles in Missouri.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2012-01-25 15:48:08

Q: I have enjoyed reading the many different article series you have written on the Civil War. Most of these are from a broad look at the country and how the country was affected. Would it be possible to list what happened in each of the states’ battles?

A: Sure. I found several sites to put this information together. One of the best is www.nps.gov. Last issue, we featured some of the battles in Kansas, namely Baxter Springs, Lawrence, Marias des Cygnes and Mine Creek. This issue we will feature some of the battles in Oklahoma. Cabin Creek Other Names: None Location: Mayes County Campaign: Operations to Control Indian Territory (1863) Date(s): July 1-2, 1863 Principal Commanders: Col. James M. Williams [US]; Col. Stand Watie [CS] Forces Engaged: Detachments from nine units [US]; two regiments and detachments from two other units (approx. 1,600-1,800) [CS] Estimated Casualties: 88 total (US 23; CS 65) Description: Col. James M. Williams of the First Kansas Colored Infantry led a Union supply train from Fort Scott, Kansas, to Fort Gibson, Oklahoma (then Indian Territory). As he approached the crossing of Cabin Creek, he learned that Confederate Col. Stand Watie, with about 1,600 to 1,800 men intended to assault him there. Watie was waiting for about 1,500 reinforcements under the command of Brig. Gen. William L. Cabell to join him before attacking the supply train. Cabell, however, was detained due to high water on Grand River. Cabin Creek also had high water, preventing a crossing at first, but when it had receded enough, Williams drove the Confederates off with artillery fire and two cavalry charges. The wagon train continued to Fort Gibson and delivered the supplies, making it possible for the Union forces to maintain their presence in Indian Territory and take the offensive that resulted in a victory at Honey Springs and the fall of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Result(s): Union victory Chustenahlah Other Names: None Location: Osage County Campaign: Operations in the Indian Territory (1861) Date(s): December 26, 1861 Principal Commanders: Chief Opothleyahola [I]; Col. James McQueen McIntosh [CS] Forces Engaged: Creek and Seminole [I]; McIntosh’s and Douglas Cooper’s brigades [CS] Estimated Casualties: Unknown Description: Confederate troops had undertaken a campaign to subdue the Native American Union sympathizers in Indian Territory and consolidate control. They had attacked Chief Opothleyahola’s band of Creeks and Seminoles earlier at Round Mountain and Chusto-Talasah. Now, they wanted to finish them off by assaulting them in their camp at Chustenahlah in a well-protected cove on Battle Creek. Col. James McQueen McIntosh and Col. Douglas H. Cooper, commanding the Indian Department, planned a combined attack with each of their columns moving on the camp from different directions. McIntosh left Fort Gibson on December 22, with 1,380 men. On the 25th, he was informed that Cooper’s force could not join for a while, but he decided to attack the next day, despite being outnumbered. McIntosh attacked the camp at noon on the 26th. The Union defenders were secluded in the underbrush along the slope of a rugged hill, but as the Confederate attack came forward, the Native Americans began to fall back, taking cover for a while and then moving back. The retreat became a rout as the Federals reached their camp. They attempted to make a stand there but were forced away again. The survivors fled; many went all the way to Kansas where they found loyal Unionists. Chief Opothleyahola’s band of Creeks and Seminoles mounted no resistance again. Result(s): Confederate victory Chusto-Talasah Other Names: Caving Banks Location: Tulsa County Campaign: Operations in the Indian Territory (1861) Date(s): December 9, 1861 Principal Commanders: Chief Opothleyahola [I]; Col. Douglas H. Cooper [CS] Forces Engaged: Creek and Seminole [I]; Indian Department [CS] Estimated Casualties: Unknown Description: Following Chief Opothleyahola and his Union force’s defeat at Round Mountain, he retreated northeastward, in search of safety. On December 9, 1861, the force was at Chusto-Talasah, or Caving Banks, on the Horseshoe Bend of Bird Creek when Col. Douglas H. Cooper’s 1,300 Confederates attacked Chief Opothleyahola around 2:00 pm. Chief Opothleyahola knew Cooper was coming and had placed his troops in a strong position at Horseshoe Bend. For almost four hours, Cooper attacked and attempted to outflank the Federals, finally driving them east across Bird Creek just before dark. Cooper camped there overnight but did not pursue the Federals because he was short of ammunition. The Confederates claimed victory. Chief Opothleyahola and his band moved off in search of security elsewhere. Although the Confederates had gained a victory, they would win a resounding one later in the month at Chustenahlah. Result(s): Confederate victory Honey Springs Other Names: Elk Creek, Shaw’s Inn Location: Muskogee County and McIntosh County Campaign: Operations to Control Indian Territory (1863) Date(s): July 17, 1863 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt [US]; Brig. Gen. Douglas H. Cooper [CS] Forces Engaged: District of the Frontier [US]; 1st Brigade, Native American troops [CS] Estimated Casualties: 716 total (US 79; CS 637) Description: Union and Confederate troops had frequently skirmished in the vicinity of Honey Springs Depot. The Union commander in the area, Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt, correctly surmised that Confederate forces, mostly Native American troops under the command of Brig. Gen. Douglas H. Cooper, were about to concentrate and would then attack his force at Fort Gibson. He decided to defeat the Confederates at Honey Springs Depot before they were joined by Brig. Gen. William Cabell’s brigade, advancing from Fort Smith, Arkansas. Blunt began crossing the swollen Arkansas River on July 15, 1863, and by midnight on July 16-17, he had a force of 3,000 men, composed of whites, Native Americans and African Americans, marching toward Honey Springs. Blunt skirmished with Rebel troops early on the morning of the 17th, and by midafternoon, full-scale fighting ensued. The Confederates had wet powder, causing misfires and the problem intensified when rain began. After repulsing one attack, Cooper pulled his forces back to obtain new ammunition. In the meantime, Cooper began to experience command problems, and he learned that Blunt was about to turn his left flank. The Confederate retreat began, and although Cooper fought a rearguard action, many of those troops counterattacked, failed and fled. Any possibility of the Confederates taking Fort Gibson was gone. Following this battle, Union forces controlled Indian Territory, north of the Arkansas River. Result(s): Union victory Next month, we will feature three more battles in Oklahoma…Middle Boggy Depot, Old Fort Wayne and Round Mountain.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2011-12-27 09:10:53

Q: I have enjoyed reading the many different article series you have written on the Civil War. Most of these are from a broad look at the country and how the country was affected. Would it be possible to list what happened in each of the states’ battles?

A: Sure. I found several sites to put this information together. One of the best is www.nps.gov. This issue, we will feature Baxter Springs, Lawrence, Marias des Cygnes and Mine Creek. Baxter Springs Other Names: Baxter Springs Massacre Location: Cherokee County Campaign: Occupation of Indian Territory North of the Arkansas River (1863) Date(s): October 6, 1863 Principal Commanders: Lt. James B. Pond and Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt [US]; Lt. Col. William C. Quantrill [CS] Forces Engaged: Detachments from three regiments and an escort [US]; Quantrill’s Raiders (approx. 400) [CS] Estimated Casualties: 106 total (US 103; CS 3) Description: After conducting many raids in Kansas, including the massacre at Lawrence, Quantrill decided to winter in Texas. Along with other partisans, he headed south on the Texas Road and captured and killed two Union teamsters who had come from a post called Baxter Springs. Quantrill decided to attack the post and divided his force into two columns, one under him and the other commanded by a subordinate, David Poole. Poole and his men proceeded down the Texas Road, where they encountered Union soldiers, most of whom were African Americans. They chased and attacked the Union troops, killing some of them before they reached the earth and log fort. After the Union survivors reached the fort, the Rebels attacked, but the garrison, with the help of a howitzer, fought them off. Quantrill’s column moved on the post from another direction and chanced on a Union detachment escorting Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt and wagons transporting his personal items from his former headquarters of the Department of the Frontier at Fort Scott to his new one at Fort Smith. Most of this detachment, including the band and Maj. Henry Z. Curtis (son of Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis), was murdered, but Blunt and a few mounted men returned to Fort Scott. Blunt was removed from command for failing to protect his column, but he was soon restored. Touted as a massacre by some, Baxter Springs was another of the events that characterized the vicious Kansas-Missouri border warfare. Result(s): Confederate victory Lawrence Other Names: Lawrence Massacre Location: Douglas County Campaign: Quantrill’s Raid into Kansas (1863) Date(s): August 21, 1863 Principal Commanders: No Union commander [US]; Lt. Col. William C. Quantrill [CS] Forces Engaged: No Union troops [US]; Quantrill’s Raiders and other guerrillas [CS] Estimated Casualties: 204 total (US 164; CS 40) Description: In a supposed retaliation for a Union raid on Osceola, Missouri, Lt. Col. William C. Quantrill led a force of about 300 to 400 partisans in an attack on the city of Lawrence, Kansas. His men killed civilians—men and boys—and destroyed many of the buildings. He held the town several hours and then withdrew. The “Lawrence Massacre” was, perhaps, the extreme example of the vicious Kansas-Missouri border warfare. Result(s): Confederate victory Marias des Cygnes Other Names: Battle of Osage, Battle of Trading Post Location: Linn County Campaign: Price’s Missouri Expedition (1864) Date(s): October 25, 1864 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton [US]; Maj. Gen. John S. Marmaduke and Maj. Gen. James F. Fagan [CS] Forces Engaged: Provisional cavalry division [US]; cavalry division [CS] Estimated Casualties: Unknown Description: Maj. Gen. Sterling Price led an expedition into Missouri which Union forces under Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis and Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton finally countered around Kansas City, Missouri. Price withdrew south, and Pleasonton, commanding in the field, pursued him into Kansas and fought him at Marais des Cygnes. After an artillery bombardment that began at 4:00 am, Pleasonton’s men attacked furiously. Although outnumbered, they hit the Rebel line, forcing them to withdraw. Result(s): Union victory Mine Creek Other Names: Battle of the Osage Location: Linn County Campaign: Price’s Missouri Expedition (1864) Date(s): October 25, 1864 Principal Commanders: Gen. Alfred Pleasonton [US]; Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke and Maj. Gen. James F. Fagan [CS] Forces Engaged: Provisional cavalry division [US]; cavalry division [CS] Estimated Casualties: 1,300 total (US 100; CS 1,200) Description: About six miles south of Trading Post, where the Marais de Cygnes engagement had occurred, the brigades of Col. Frederick W. Benteen and Col. John F. Phillips, of Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton’s Provisional Cavalry Division, overtook the Confederates as they were crossing Mine Creek. These Rebels, stalled by their wagons crossing the ford, had formed a line on the north side of Mine Creek. The Federals, although outnumbered, commenced the attack as additional troops from Pleasonton’s command arrived during the fight. They soon surrounded the Rebels, resulting in the capture of about 600 men and two generals, Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke and Brig. Gen. William L. Cabell. Having lost this many men, Price’s army was doomed. Retreat to friendly territory was the only recourse. Result(s): Union victory Did we miss any Kansas battles? If we did, let us know and I’ll do some more research. Next month, we will feature the battles in Oklahoma.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2011-11-17 13:00:57

Q: What was the cause of the Civil War? There were a lot of small causes that combined together to bring the civil war on. I’ve always thought one of the major causes was the potential threat that the industrial North would overcome the agrarian South.

A: The Fugitive Slave Act caused an upheaval in the North for the runaway slave. The novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe was responsible for a Southern feeling of resentment. By the same token, it converted more of the North to the antislavery side. Senator Stephen A. Douglas introduced the fateful Kansas-Nebraska Act, in 1854. One special provision of the act is as follows: Popular Sovereignty for voters of the state would decide to be either slave or free. The other special provision ended the Missouri Compromise for all time. The Kansas-Nebraska Act raised the arguments for and against slavery to a new high. The extremists, the fire-eaters, who invited violence by their words, were not only on the South but also the North. Many Northerners, who previously were friendly to the South, now feared “slave power”. John Brown, a Northern trouble-maker found his counterpoint in the South. Settlers from both the North and South came to Kansas. Kansas was thrown open for settlement under conditions that guaranteed bloodshed. When votes were taken neither would win. The loser would cry that the vote was rigged, boycott the election and proceed to construct a new election. Then there were two legislatures one slave and one free. The writing of state or territorial constitutions was another area of disagreement between the slaves and the free. “The crime against Kansas” as it became known was a rallying cry from the North. John Brown was remembered by both the North and South. Nothing could be said on either side of the Mason-Dixon line. Both political parties slit and reformed again. Abraham Lincoln was elected not by the people but by the Electoral College. For this was before the direct election by the people. With his election the states started to succeed. First was South Carolina, their legislature stayed in session until after the election. At that time on December 20, 1861, the state legislature called for a state convention. The vote was to secede from the union, the vote was unanimous. Leaders in congress worked to iron out the Crittenden Compromise but even though it was an attempt to keep the states together it failed when President Lincoln refused to accept it. The leaders, Lincoln for the North and Jefferson Davis for the South, were well thought of. Lincoln was too conservative and Davis cold and unenthusiastic. They faced each other across the gulf. It made no difference; some states had a governor for secession and a legislature and vice versa. Constitutional parties also made their own way. Some Southerners were for breaking apart the union, for they owed large sums to Northern industries. The Northern industries did not want to do anything that would jeopardize the money they owed. But it was too late for compromise. Soon there was war west of the Mississippi. For Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas the time had come. This area had a head start in the civil war of the 1850’s. Missouri might have been a Union state. The governor was for the South, the legislature was for the North and the constitutional convention at first vote for the union. But some went home others came in. Who was the legitimate legislature or Constitutional Convention was anybody’s guess. Missouri and Kansas furnished men for both sides. Missouri furnished irregular troops. Kansas did a little better in that their troops were in uniform, but their uniforms were also being worn by Missouri irregulars or border ruffians as they were called. Those who suffered the most were the small farmers as their farms and crops were destroyed. It was even worse when the young men of the family were pressed into military service by either side. The provision to pay a substitute to take their place in the military did little good for a farmer who lived from day to day or rather from crisis to crisis.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2011-10-25 09:52:46

Q: I have enjoyed your series. There are many facts of which I was not aware. As a summary, what advantages did each side have in the Civil War? What were their weaknesses?

A: Thank you. Basically, it was a battle between an industrial power and an agrarian power, fought almost exclusively on Southern soil. The North had a larger population base and a huge industrial base. It could produce more finished goods such as guns and armaments. There was more money in the North. The United States was better recognized by foreign governments as an established nation, so the Confederacy had a harder time obtaining foreign credit and aid. The states in the Union had an easier time recognizing a central government so organizing the army was easier, and Lincoln’s authority was better recognized. The North also had a better developed system of roads and railroads. Manufacturing Capabilities The primary advantage was the North’s manufacturing capabilities. Their factories could mass produce weapons, while the South had few facilities capable of providing the arms needed. The North had greater production of war materials and comestibles. The North had experienced an industrial revolution, which left them with many factories to produce supplies necessary for outfitting an army. Also, with immigrants coming mostly to the North to settle (they were looking for jobs in the factories), little if any production was lost because of men leaving to fight in the war. Women and immigrants had been the main workers in the factories that now would be producing goods to be used by the Union soldiers. The Southern dependence on agriculture was a major disadvantage and the dependence on slavery made it even harder for the South to industrialize. Being unable to industrialize was a real disadvantage because it meant that the South could not produce all the things they needed for war such as weapons. The Northern blockade also prevented trade with Europe making the situation even worse! The North was much better equipped with the foundries and factories needed for producing weapons of war. The South was much more geared toward producing raw materials, primarily agricultural products and sending them elsewhere for conversion into finished goods. The South was thus hard pressed to keep its troops adequately equipped. Population The North’s had nearly three times the population. (20 million vs. nine million in the South, four million of whom were black slaves). The larger population provided a steady source of military and civilian manpower. The North had a larger population which translated into the ability to field a larger army. However, while many men (and boys) eagerly went to enlist during the opening months of the Civil War, they lacked the experience needed to fight a war and time had to be taken to properly train the troops. The North, being more populous, was also able to field a larger army, and to replace combat casualties. Grant, for example, refused prisoner exchange offers from the South, for the strategic reason that the South needed their soldiers back much worse than did the North. Naval Power The Northern navy prevented many supplies from being imported by the South. They blockaded ports. Agricultural Capacity The North grew most of the country’s food, and a fighting army can get very hungry. The South had the plantations, but mostly cash crops were grown there. The North had more farm land to produce crops. Transportation Infrastructure The North had better railroads and highways, including naval and civil shipping resources used to resupply forces in the field. The North possessed a large amount of the country’s railroad and canal systems. These would be vital in the quick and easy transportation of troops and supplies. The North several times the amount of railroad mileage upon which to transport their armies and supplies to the battle fronts. More railroads meant better communication as well as better transportation. The North had about 22,000 miles of railroad and the South only had about 9,000 miles of railroad. This means that they could not reinforce troops as quickly as the North could. Note that “interior lines” is cited as an advantage of the South, meaning that their transportation infrastructure was where it was needed most. Not Fighting on Their Own Soil This helped protect the North’s industrial and transportation resources. Note that “Fighting on Their Own Soil” is considered a Southern advantage for other reasons. Political Stability and Recognition The North also possessed an existing, working government while the South was struggling to put their government together and fight a war at the same time. The South had to worry about their slave population revolting and causing trouble for the troops. The world recognized the Union as the legitimate government, allowing loans and trade concessions. Note that the South’s cotton was desired in England. There was concern that England would side with the South despite England’s stance against slavery. Military Infrastructure The North already had a well-trained and organized standing army and navy. The Confederacy had to build theirs at the start of the war. Military Leadership The North’s tactics, if not their leadership, was a clear advantage. The North’s Anaconda Plan was to blockade, divide, and conquer the South. They literally constricted the South into submission. The North also did not set a specific time limit for which they thought the war would end. The South, however, only planned for 18 months of fighting. This restricted their options on war tactics. Note that military leadership is often cited as an advantage of the South. Money The North had much more money with which to pay for it all. The weaknesses of the South in the Civil war: Logistics The South did hardly any of their own manufacturing. They even had to buy their shoes from Northern industry. They had little iron and steel production for weapons and materials. The North had the production, the South had to pay dearly for it, and try to import during the war. Importing meant bringing tons of supplies through the Northern blockade on the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. So the North had all of the things they needed to fight a war and remanufacture what was used up, while South had only stockpiles that eventually ran dry when European countries decided not to deal with them anymore. Manpower The northeastern portion of the USA in 1864 was more populous, although few were as well-trained in horsemanship. That may be the one area that the South believed they had covered, horsemanship. Being primarily a rural lifestyle, the South used horses all day long for long distance movement, while the North was more urban and used their feet. The strength of the South was its motivation! The South believed it was being invaded and that its farms and homes and women were at risk from the Yankee hordes. Northerners, on the other hand, were much less interested in a war to sustain the Union and had to pay their recruits a sign-up bonus, similar to what is being used to recruit reluctant soldiers today. In the South, every boy over the age of 14 wanted to join, and a great number of them did. The North had the advantage in almost every way. They could make iron faster and cheaper. Cannons, rifles, railroads, even tools, all played a part in the war. The North could produce all of those things much faster than the South. Railroads are a great example, in the South the rails would be destroyed; they would have to find rail that was not needed and recycle it. With no means to produce new when it was all gone that was it. The North, on the other hand, could mass produce rails. Mass production cut the time to replace damage rails and meant for quicker transportation. Just with that example the North had a huge advantage over the South.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2011-09-26 16:37:08

Q: I have read most of your answers that you have provided on the Civil War and the roles that Kansas and Kansans played in the same. I would have to believe that far too few know and remember the happenings. I was wondering if you could do some type of an ongoing series that might bring to mind some of the things that happened back then.

A: Thus far we have covered events through December of 1864. This month we will highlight events from then through the end of the war. January 31, 1865 - The U.S. Congress approves the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, to abolish slavery. The amendment is then submitted to the states for ratification. February 3, 1865 - A peace conference occurs as President Lincoln meets with Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens at Hampton Roads in Virginia, but the meeting ends in failure - the war will continue. Only Lee’s Army at Petersburg and Johnston’s forces in North Carolina remain to fight for the South against Northern forces now numbering 280,000 men. March 4, 1865 - Inauguration ceremonies for President Lincoln in Washington. “With malice toward none; with charity for all...let us strive on to finish the work we are in...to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations,” Lincoln says. March 25, 1865 - The last offensive for Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia begins with an attack on the center of Grant’s forces at Petersburg. Four hours later the attack is broken. April 2, 1865 - Grant’s forces begin a general advance and break through Lee’s lines at Petersburg. Confederate Gen. Ambrose P. Hill is killed. Lee evacuates Petersburg. The Confederate Capital, Richmond, is evacuated. Fires and looting break out. The next day, Union troops enter and raise the Stars and Stripes. April 4, 1865 - President Lincoln tours Richmond where he enters the Confederate White House. With “a serious, dreamy expression,” he sits at the desk of Jefferson Davis for a few moments. April 9, 1865 - Gen. Robert E. Lee surrenders his Confederate Army to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at the village of Appomattox Court House in Virginia. Grant allows Rebel officers to keep their sidearms and permits soldiers to keep horses and mules. “After four years of arduous service marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude the Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources,” Lee tells his troops. April 10, 1865 - Celebrations break out in Washington. April 14, 1865 - The Stars and Stripes is ceremoniously raised over Fort Sumter. That night, Lincoln and his wife Mary see the play “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater. At 10:13 p.m., during the third act of the play, John Wilkes Booth shoots the president in the head. Doctors attend to the president in the theater then move him to a house across the street. He never regains consciousness. April 15, 1865 - President Abraham Lincoln dies at 7:22 in the morning. Vice President Andrew Johnson assumes the presidency. April 18, 1865 - Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston surrenders to Sherman near Durham in North Carolina. April 26, 1865 - John Wilkes Booth is shot and killed in a tobacco barn in Virginia. May 4, 1865 - Abraham Lincoln is laid to rest in Oak Ridge Cemetery, at Springfield, Illinois. In May - Remaining Confederate forces surrender. The Nation is reunited as the Civil War ends. Over 620,000 Americans died in the war, with disease killing twice as many as those lost in battle. 50,000 survivors return home as amputees. May 23/24, 1865 - A victory parade is held in Washington along Pennsylvania Ave. to help boost the Nation’s morale –Negro units are not allowed to march in the parade. December 6, 1865 - The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, is finally ratified. Slavery is abolished.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2011-06-01 10:02:00

Question: I have read most of your answers that you have provided on the Civil War and the roles that Kansas and Kansans played in the same. I would have to believe that far too few know and remember the happenings. I was wondering if you could do some type of an ongoing series that might bring to mind some of the things that happened back then.

Answer: As you may have guessed, the Civil War happens to be a passion of mine. I know for many it’s just a war that occurred many years ago, but there was a whole lot of history…that in my opinion…Americans need reminded of every so often. Over the years, I have found some sites that list items that cause me to ponder a lot of things. One of them is www.legendsofamerica.com. I will share some of these items with you over the next few issues. When one looks at more recent and current military actions around the globe, they may do the same for you. • More than three million men fought in the Civil War, about 900,000 for the Confederacy and 2.1 million for the Union. • An estimated 300 women disguised themselves as men and fought in the ranks. Some even received pensions for their war time service and in their later life lived in old soldiers home. • More than 620,000 people, or two percent of the population, died in the Civil War. • Approximately 6,000 battles, skirmishes, and engagements were fought during the Civil War. • There were over 2,000 boys who were 14 years-old or younger in the Union ranks. • Three hundred were 13 years or less, while there were 200,000 no older than 16 years. • At the Battle of Shiloh, on the banks of the Tennessee River, more Americans fell than in all previous American wars combined. There were 23,700 casualties. • At Fredericksburg in 1862, the Confederate trenches stretched for a distance of seven miles. The troop density was 11,000 per mile, or six men to the yard. • 3,530 Native Americans fought for the Union, of which, 1,018 were killed. • The greatest cavalry battle ever fought in the Western hemisphere was at Brandy Station, Virginia, on June 9, 1863. Nearly 20,000 cavalrymen were engaged on a relatively confined terrain for more than 12 hours. • An Iowa regiment had a rule that any man who uttered an oath should read a chapter in the Bible. Several of them got nearly through the Old Testament. Another Iowa regiment was known as the gray beard regiment for obvious reasons. • There were more Northern-born Confederate generals than Southern-born Union generals. • The famous Confederate blockade-runner, the C.S.S. Alabama, never entered a Confederate port during the length of her service. • During the Battle of Antietam, Clara Barton tended the wounded so close to the fighting that a bullet went through her sleeve and killed a man she was treating. • In March 1862, “new” ironclad war ships, the Monitor and Merrimack battled off Hampton Roads, Virginia. From then on, every other wooden navy ship on earth was obsolete. • There were 100 men in a Company and 10 Companies in a Regiment. • Not fond of ceremonies or military music, Ulysses S. Grant said he could only recognize two tunes. “One was Yankee Doodle, the other one wasn’t.” • President Abraham Lincoln was the first president to be assassinated. • Missouri sent 39 regiments to fight in the siege of Vicksburg: 17 to the Confederacy and 22 to the Union. • At the start of the war, the value of all manufactured goods produced in all the Confederate states added up to less than one- fourth of those produced in New York State alone. • In 1862, the U.S. Congress authorized the first paper currency, called “greenbacks.” • Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., future chief Justice, was wounded three times during the Civil War: in the chest at Ball’s Bluff, in the back at Antietam and in the heel at Chancellorsville. • Surgeons never washed their hands after an operation, because all blood was assumed to be the same, nor did he wash his instruments. • Confederate Private Henry Stanley fought for the Sixth Arkansas, and was captured at Shiloh, but survived to go to Africa to find Dr. Livingston. • On July 4, 1863, after 48 days of siege, Confederate General John C. Pemberton surrendered the city of Vicksburg to the Union’s General, Ulysses S. Grant. For the next 81 years, the city Vicksburg did not celebrate the Fourth of July. • Disease killed twice as many men during the war than did battle wounds. • The 12th Connecticut Regiment entered the war with a compliment of 1,000 men. Before it entered its first engagement, sickness had reduced its strength to 600 able bodied soldiers. • On both sides of the conflict, potential recruits were offered monetary rewards, or “bounties,” for enlisting, as much as $677 in New York. “Bounty jumping” soon became so popular, that hundreds of men signed up, and then deserted, to enlist again elsewhere. • For those who were drafted, the law allowed them to pay a substitute to go in their place. Another type of “bounty jumper” was born when men would hire out to more than one draftee and then make a hasty exit once they were paid. The record for bounty jumping was held by John O’Connor, who admitted to hiring himself out 32 times before being caught. He received a 4 year prison term. • Though African Americans constituted less than one percent of the northern population, by the war’s end made up ten percent of the Union Army. A total of 180,000 black men, more than 85% of those eligible, enlisted. By the time of the Confederate surrender in 1865, there were more African Americans in the Union army than there were soldiers in the Confederate army. • In November 1863, President Lincoln was invited to offer a “few appropriate remarks” at the opening of a new Union cemetery at Gettysburg. Though Lincoln spoke just 269 words in his Gettysburg address, the main speaker, an orator from Massachusetts, spoke for nearly two hours. • Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest had 30 horses shot from under him and personally killed 31 men in hand-to-hand combat. “I was a horse ahead at the end,” he said. I will list more items for pondering next month, if you have a particular area you are interested in let me know.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2011-04-01 13:55:00

Question: What types of cannons were used during the Civil War?

Answer: Thank you for your question. I look forward to answering it, but having researched this for quite some time, it will take more than one issue. Last issue we finished with indentifying the “green ones,” sometimes called “brass” pieces. We will cover these in this issue. Model 1841 6-pdr Gun: The 6-pdr was a popgun. Used extensively during the Mexican War, it was made obsolete by the increased range of the available infantry weapons as much as by the coming of better artillery. Though fairly mobile at 900 pounds, softball-sized shot was entirely too small to do much damage and it could easily be outranged, especially once rifled guns came into play. Most sources give it a range of about 1500 yards, but this is being generous. No doubt the gun could throw a shot that far but, at that distance, small round projectile could hardly be accurate and would be easy for troops to avoid. These guns existed in large numbers at the outbreak of hostilities, however, and were pressed into service by both sides. Both sides also got rid of them as quickly as possible. Model 1841 12-pdr Gun: Packing a solid punch and having a respectable 1600-1700 yard effective range, the 12-pdr was a much better weapon than its little brother. But its weight (1800 lbs) was a liability, just about at the top limit for the requirements of mobility in the field. Model 1841 12-pdr Howitzer: This was by far the most effective field piece of the war for use at any range less than 400 yards. Its large shells gave it firepower, while its light weight (less than 800 lbs) made it highly mobile and easy to position, even by hand. Because of its mobility, the piece was readily adaptable for close infantry support. Nine of them were supposed to have followed the infantry in Pickett’s Charge so as to protect its flanks and render whatever service they could in front. However, some confusion of orders and effective Federal artillery fire during the pre-charge cannonade resulted in the nine pieces being unavailable. It is interesting to speculate what difference they might have made had they accompanied Pickett’s troops. The 12-pdr howitzer’s great weakness was its effective range, which is not much over 1,000 yards, well under that of even the 6-pdr gun. It made the piece an easy target for other artillery. Model 1841 24-pdr Howitzer: When positioned in field fortifications, these were extremely useful pieces of ordnance because of their powerful 5.82 inch shells. Their 1400 pound weight made them a bit unwieldy in the field, and their 1300-1400 yard effective range put them at a disadvantage to other pieces. Nevertheless, infantrymen could not have relished the idea of charging a battery of 24-pdr howitzers. E. Porter Alexander, General Longstreet’s de facto Chief of Artillery for much of the war, called them “my favorite guns.” (Alexander, p. 182) On occasion, he even had them mounted on skids and used as mortars. Model 1857 Light12-pdr Gun Howitzer: Undoubtedly, the best known field piece of the war, the “Napoleon” was a kind of hybrid in that it could do everything the other four smoothbores could do. It had more firepower than the 6-pdr gun, weighed 600 pounds less than the old 12-pdr gun, was every bit as sturdy as the bigger 24-pdr howitzer and could fire shot or shell, with effect, to 1700 yards. In another sense, however, it was not a hybrid at all as it possessed none of the technical features of a howitzer - notably, it lacked a chambered bore - and was called a howitzer only because it could fire shell. The basic Napoleon came from the French Emperor Louis Napoleon, who in the early 1850’s ordered his Ordnance Department to design something with which he could standardize his field artillery. Not only would such standardization save money, but it would greatly simplify the manufacture, supply and distribution of the guns themselves, not to mention their carriages, implements and ammunition. Unlike many hybrids, the Napoleon was a resounding success. It greatly impressed the three-man American military commission which toured Europe in 1855-56 (one of whose members was George McClellan). On their return, they brought back the specifications of the new French gun, and a recommendation that it be seriously considered for the American service. About a year later, with minor modifications, it was formally adopted. Strangely, (or perhaps not so strangely, given the Congress’s well-known lack of interest in the military during peacetime), only five Napoleons were purchased for the army between 1857 and the outbreak of the war. One of these was used for proofing. The other four were given to Battery M, 2nd U.S. Artillery at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, in late 1857. It was no coincidence that the new guns went to that particular unit. Battery M’s commander was Capt. Henry Hunt, acknowledged even then as one of America’s premier artillerists. Hunt later brought the guns to First Manassas where they were the only Napoleons on the field and where, without infantry support, they broke up a Confederate flank attack on the beaten Union army as it retreated toward Centerville late in the day. Hunt actually was credited by General Winfield Scott with saving the Union army that day. He went on to become the Army of the Potomac’s Chief of Artillery. The Federal government quickly began ordering more Napoleons. General McClellan, as part of his reorganization of the army, ordered that all four Model 1841’s be replaced with Model 1857’s, which is precisely what had been intended when the Napoleon was first adopted. This process was begun immediately, though logistics problems and the emphasis on the war in the East resulted in the western Federal armies using the old models much longer than did the Army of the Potomac. The Confederates, without the Union’s industrial capacity, were required to keep the older guns and howitzers in service throughout the war. In December of 1862, General Lee suggested that all 6-pdrs be melted down and recast into Napoleons. Though a few were recast right away, it was not until after Chancellorsville that the Army of Northern Virginia managed to replace even these smallest of the 1841’s with Confederate-made or captured pieces. Just under 1200 Napoleons were produced for the Union army during the war. The Confederates produced some 500-600 of their own, though these came in several styles. The early Southern pieces closely resembled the Model 1857, while later designs eliminated the distinctive muzzle swell and otherwise changed the appearance of the piece. Shortages of bronze ultimately required Richmond to manufacture Napoleons of cast iron. These were strengthened with breech reinforcing bands which made them look rather like fat Parrott rifles. For convenience, however, all of these Confederate-made models are simply called “Napoleons.” The reader should note that all Napoleons were 12-pdrs. Occasionally, someone will write or speak of “6-pdr Napoleons,” but this is a misnomer, as there was no such thing. Before moving on to a discussion of “the black ones,” it might be useful to note something of the use of particular metals for particular field pieces. The early United States used bronze (an alloy of approximately 90% copper and 10% tin) for most of its field artillery. This was the traditional material and was used by the big European powers. Around the turn of the 19th century, the factors of cost and supply combined to bring about a switch to iron. Bronze was 5-6 times more expensive than iron on a per-piece basis. Moreover, while there were large deposits of iron ore in the United States, there was little available copper or tin and foreign sources of supply would most likely be cut off during a war. Thus, the “Iron Age” of American artillery began in 1801. For a variety of reasons, mostly involving the domestic politics of the day, the Iron Age ended with a return to bronze around 1835. Bronze is a better material for smoothbore artillery anyway. It is not brittle like cast iron and though it will wear and even stretch, it is much less subject to bursting. With the return to bronze, came design experiments which resulted in the Models of 1841. These, as we have seen, remained the standards until the coming of the war demanded their replacement. The Napoleon was a significant step forward which took the smoothbore concept about as far as it could go. But the real advances in field artillery during the Civil War came with the development of iron rifles with their great ranges and astounding accuracy. Early in the war, it was thought that the need for rifled guns could be met quickly and easily by rifling existing smoothbores. As a rifle’s elongated solid shot (called a “bolt”) weighed about twice as much as a smoothbore’s round shot of the same diameter, doing this seemed to offer the promise of magically turning 6-pdr smoothbores into 12-pdr rifles. Charles T. James - inventor, militia general, and former U.S. Senator from Rhode Island - made one of the first attempts at rifling bronze guns and created the short-lived “James Rifles.” Some of these were merely re-bored 6-pdrs. Others were manufactured from scratch, with one style resembling the old guns and another looking very much like the sleek 3-inch Ordnance Rifles. Unfortunately, none of them worked very well as friction from the projectiles quickly wore down the soft bronze, in effect turning the guns back into smoothbores. The experiment of rifled bronze field pieces was abandoned early. Curiously though, the 2nd Connecticut Battery was still armed with four James Rifles and two old 12-pdr howitzers as late as Gettysburg. It was the only battery in the Army of the Potomac not then equipped with Napoleons or with one of the iron rifles. Two of the Ordnance-pattern James Rifles now mark the position of the 2nd Connecticut at Gettysburg (Hancock Avenue, just south of the large Pennsylvania monument).The two most important “black ones” were the Parrott Rifle and the Ordnance Rifle. Other types were tried, but none were produced in as large quantities or saw as extensive use as these two. Next month we will talk about what the Union and the Confederacy could do.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2011-03-01 11:31:00

Question: What types of cannons were used during the Civil War?

Answer: Thank you for your question. I look forward to answering it, but having researched this for quite some time, it will take more than one issue. At the beginning of 1861, the American field artillery consisted almost exclusively of pre-Mexican War smoothbores not significantly different from the pieces with which we fought the Revolutionary War. By 1865 however, advances in metallurgy combined with new manufacturing techniques, better powder and more dependable fuses to bring muzzle-loading artillery to its highest possible state of effectiveness. First however, definitions. Early field artillery was identified by the term “pounder” (usually abbreviated “pdr”), which referred to the weight of the solid shot fired by a particular size gun. Thus a 12-pdr gun was called that because it fired a solid round shot weighing 12 pounds. With the development of howitzers in the 17th century, the term became obsolete, though it continued to be used right up through the Civil War. “Howitzers,” technically speaking, are not “guns.” They are shorter, lighter pieces than guns of the same bore diameter, have chambered bores, use smaller charges, fire explosive shells instead of solid shot, and were meant, essentially, to lob their projectiles at low velocity into a target. Pitty the poor private who called his rifle a gun. Guns are longer and heavier. They use larger charges and have untapered (unchambered) bores of a consistent diameter all the way to the breech. They were originally intended for relatively long range pounding or battering (thus the word, “battery”) of targets with projectiles fired at high velocity. These distinctions had blurred considerably by the time of the Civil War, but the terms continued in use. Howitzers, in any case, had come to be manufactured in the same standard bore sizes as guns, so the “pounder” designation of a particular gun was automatically applied to the howitzer of the same bore size. A Model 1841 12-pdr gun, for example, had a 4.62 inch bore. The Model 1841 howitzers of the same bore size were therefore called “12pdrs” even though their hollow shells usually weighed less (though, depending on how they were packed, could weigh more) than 12 pounds. In short, by the time of the war, “pounder” actually referred to bore size rather than to projectile weight. There must have been only two types of cannon used during the war - “green ones and black ones.”The “green ones” obviously are the bronze (sometimes called “brass”) pieces, usually smoothbores, which have weathered to a pale greenish hue. Their designs generally pre-date the war by from five to 20-years. The “black ones,” for the most part, are the iron rifles which were being developed just as the war began. When the fighting actually started, the armament of the field artillery consisted only of “green ones.” There were six altogether, though one, the little 12-pdr “mountain howitzer,” saw such limited use during the conflict that it will not be considered here. The five main pieces were the Model 1841 6-pdr and 12-pdr guns, the Model 1841 12-pdr and 24-pdr howitzers, and the Model 1857 Light 12-pdr Gun-Howitzer, or “Napoleon.”Larger pieces such as the 24-pdr gun and 32-pdr howitzer could also be used in the field, but only with difficulty due to their size and weight. Technically, these are classed as “siege” pieces, rather than ‘’field’’ pieces. Note again that these smoothbores were all there was. There were no rifled field pieces in the U.S. service before 1861. Next issue, we will begin to take them one at a time.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2011-01-01 10:18:00

Question: What can you tell me about the American Civil War?

Answer: The American Civil War (1861-1865) was a war between the United States of America USA), and the Confederate States of America (CSA). The eleven Southern states that had declared their secession from the Union, the Border States may or may not have seceded from the Union, in some cases the legislative branches of the states voted to either stay or secede from the Union or to become a part of the CSA or not to be a part of the CSA. West Virginia is an example of this. The western part of the state decided to go with the USA. Other states had the same problem. Parts of Texas were showing Northern tendencies especially those with a large portion of German immigrants. Those individuals were resettled to other areas. We also saw examples of joining the local home guard units and then deserting with information and equipment to benefit the other side, be it USA or CSA... The war was never civil, and it was roughest on the poor usually on the agriculture poor. The Union won a victory, followed by a period of Reconstruction. When Reconstruction was over or so the Republican Party announced in order to get the votes. The Republican Party won, but the black former slaves were left and again swinging in the wind, literally, this time. The war produced more than 970,000 casualties (3 percent of population), including approximately 560,000 deaths Nashville, Tennessee, fell to the Union early in 1862. Most of the Mississippi was opened with the taking of Island No. 10 and New Madrid, Missouri, and then Memphis, Tennessee. New Orleans, Louisiana, was captured in May 1862, allowing the Union forces to begin moving up the Mississippi as well. Only the fortress city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, prevented unchallenged Union control of the entire river. Braxton Bragg’s second Confederate invasion of Kentucky was repulsed by Don Carlos Buell at the confused and bloody Battle of Perryville and he was narrowly defeated by William S. Rosecrans at the Battle of Stones River in Tennessee. The one clear Confederate victory in the West was the Battle of Chickamauga in Georgia, near the Tennessee border, where Bragg, reinforced by the corps of James Longstreet (from Lee’s army in the east), defeated Rosecrans, despite the heroic defensive stand of George Henry Thomas, and forced him to retreat to Chattanooga, which Bragg then besieged. The Union’s key strategist and tactician in the west was Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, who won victories at: Forts Henry and Donelson, by which the Union forces seized control of the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers; Shiloh; the Battle of Vicksburg, cementing Union control of the Mississippi River and considered one of the turning points of the war; and the Battle of Chattanooga, Tennessee, driving Confederate forces out of Tennessee and opening an invasion route to Atlanta and the heart of the Confederacy. Jefferson Davis, first and only President of the Confederate States of America At the beginning of 1864, Lincoln made Grant Commander of all Union armies. Grant made his headquarters with the Army of the Potomac, and put Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman in command of most of the western armies. Grant understood the concept of total war and believed, along with Lincoln and Sherman, that only the utter defeat of Confederate forces and their economic base would bring an end to the war. He devised a coordinated strategy that would strike at the heart of Confederacy from multiple directions: Generals Grant, Meade, and Benjamin Butler would move against Lee near Richmond; General Franz Sigel (and later Philip Sheridan) would invade the Shenandoah Valley; General Sherman would and capture Atlanta and march to the sea; Generals George Crook and William W. Averell would operate against railroad supply lines in West Virginia; and General Nathaniel Banks would capture Mobile, Alabama. Union forces in the East attempted to maneuver past Lee and fought several battles during that phase (“Grant’s Overland Campaign”) of the Eastern campaign. An attempt to outflank Lee from the south failed under Butler, who was trapped inside the Bermuda Hundred river bend. Grant was tenacious and, despite astonishing losses (over 66,000 casualties in six weeks), kept pressing Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia back to Richmond. He pinned down the Confederate army in the Siege of Petersburg, where the two armies engaged in trench warfare for over nine months. Grant finally found a commander, General Philip Sheridan, aggressive enough to prevail in the Valley Campaigns of 1864. Sheridan proved to be more than a match for Jubal Early, and defeated him in a series of battles, including a final decisive defeat at Cedar Creek; Sheridan then proceeded to destroy the agricultural base of the Valley, a strategy similar to the tactics Sherman would later employ in Georgia. Meanwhile, Sherman marched from Chattanooga to Atlanta, defeating Confederate Generals Joseph E. Johnston and John B. Hood. The fall of Atlanta, on September 2, 1864, was a significant factor in the re-election of Abraham Lincoln, as President of the Union. Leaving Atlanta, and his base of supplies, Sherman’s army marched with an unclear destination, laying waste to about 20% of the farms in Georgia in his celebrated “March to the Sea”, and reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Savannah, Georgia in December 1864. Burning plantations as they went, Sherman’s army was followed by thousands of freed slaves. When Sherman turned north through South Carolina and North Carolina to approach the Virginia lines from the south, it was the end for Lee and his men, and shortly thereafter, for the Confederacy. Lee attempted to escape from the besieged Petersburg and link up with Johnston in North Carolina, but he was overtaken by Grant’s better rested and equipped army. Consequently, Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia on April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Court House. In an untraditional gesture and as a sign of Lincoln’s respect and anticipation of folding the Confederacy back into the Union with dignity and peace, Lee was permitted to keep his officer’s sabre and his near-legendary horse, Traveler. Upon emerging from the surrender, Lee - clearly melancholy - was greeted with respectful salutations by the Union troops. Johnston surrendered his troops to Sherman shortly thereafter in Durham, North Carolina at a family farmhouse known as Bennett Place. The Battle of Palmito Ranch, fought on May 13, 1865, in the far south of Texas, was the last Civil War land battle and ended, ironically, with a Confederate victory. All Confederate land forces surrendered by June 1865. Early in 1865, both sides in south Texas honored an agreement that there was no point to further hostilities. After July 28, 1864, most of the 6,500 Union troops pulled out of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, including Brownsville, which they had occupied on November 2, 1863, for other campaigns. The Confederates sought to protect their remaining ports for cotton sales to Europe, as well as importation of supplies. Mexicans tended to side with the Confederates due to a lucrative smuggling trade. Maj. Gen. Lew Wallace proposed a negotiated end of hostilities in Texas between his forces and those of Confederate Brig-Gen. James E. Slaughter, and met with Slaughter’s subordinate Col. John Salmon Ford at Port Isabel in March 1865. Despite Slaughter’s and Ford’s concurrence that further combat would prove tragic, the negotiations were repudiated by their superior, Confederate Gen. John G. Walker, in a scathing exchange of letters with Wallace. Despite this, both sides appeared to honor a tacit agreement not to advance on the other without prior notice in writing. A brigade of 1,900 Union troops commanded by Col. Robert B. Jones of the 34th Indiana Veteran Volunteer Infantry garrisoned Brazos Santiago Island at the mouth of the Rio Grande River. The 34th Indiana, 400 strong, was an experienced infantry regiment that had seen combat in the Vicksburg campaign and had been reorganized in December 1863 as a “Veteran” regiment, re-enlisting veteran troops of several regiments whose original enlistments had expired. It deployed to Brazos Santiago on December 22, 1864, replacing the 91st Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which returned to New Orleans. The brigade also included the 87th and 62nd United States Colored Infantry Regiments (“United States Colored Troops”, or U.S.C.T.), with a combined strength of approximately 1,100. Shortly after Walker rejected the armistice proposal, Jones resigned his commission to return to Indiana, replaced in command of the 34th Indiana by its lieutenant colonel, Robert G. Morrison, and at Brazos Santiago by Colonel Theodore H. Barrett, commander of the 62nd U.S.C.T. Barrett, 30, had been an officer since 1862, but was without combat experience. Eager to advance in rank, he had volunteered to command one of the newly-raised “colored” regiments in 1863 and was appointed colonel of the 1st Missouri Colored Infantry, which in March 1864 was federalized in Louisiana as the 62nd U.S.C.T. Barrett contracted malaria in the summer of 1864, and while he was on convalescent leave, the 62nd was posted to Brazos Santiago, where Barrett rejoined it in February 1865. Why the battle happened remains something of a mystery. Barrett’s detractors among the brigade suggested soon after the battle that he had desired “a little battlefield glory before the war ended altogether.” Historian Louis J. Schuler, in a 1960 pamphlet entitled The last battle in the War Between the States, May 13, 1865: Confederate Force of 300 defeats 1,700 Federals near Brownsville, Texas, asserts that Brig-Gen. Egbert B. Brown of the U.S. Volunteers ordered the expedition with the object of seizing for sale as contraband 2,000 bales of cotton stored in Brownsville. However, Brown was not appointed to command at Brazos Santiago until later in May. On May 11, Barrett instructed his lieutenant colonel, David Branson, to attack the Confederate encampments commanded by Ford at White and Palmito Ranches near Fort Brown, outside Brownsville. Branson’s Union forces consisted of 250 men of the 62nd U.S.C.T. in eight companies and two companies of the (U.S.) 2nd Texas Cavalry Battalion,[6] 50 men without mounts. They crossed from Brazos Santiago to the mainland across the Boca Chica Pass during a storm on the evening of May 11 and made a night march upriver to attack the Confederate encampment. At first Branson’s expedition was successful, capturing three prisoners and some supplies, although it failed to achieve the desired surprise. During the afternoon, Confederate forces under Captain William N. Robinson counterattacked with less than 100 cavalry, driving Branson back to White’s Ranch, where the fighting stopped for the night. Both sides sent for reinforcements: Ford arrived with the remainder of his cavalry force and six guns (for a total of 300 men), while Barrett came with 200 troops of the 34th Indiana in nine under strength companies The next day, Barrett started advancing westward, passing a half mile to the west of Palmito Ranch, with skirmishers from the 34th Indiana deployed in front. Ford attacked Barrett’s force as it was skirmishing with an advance Confederate force along the Rio Grande about 4 p.m. Ford sent a couple of companies with artillery to attack the Union right flank, sending the remainder of his force into a frontal attack. After some confusion and fierce fighting, the Union forces retreated back towards Boca Chica. Barrett attempted to form a rearguard but Confederate artillery prevented him from rallying a significant force to do so. During the retreat, which lasted until the 14th, 50 members of the 34th Indiana’s rear guard company, 30 stragglers, and 20 of the dismounted cavalry were surrounded in a bend of the Rio Grande and captured. In Barrett’s official report of August 10, 1865, he reported 115 Union casualties: one killed, nine wounded, and 105 captured. Confederate casualties were reported as five or six wounded, with none killed. Historian and Ford biographer Stephen B. Oates, however, concludes that Union deaths were much higher, numbering approximately 30, many of whom drowned in the Rio Grande or were murdered by French troops on the Mexican side. He likewise estimated Confederate casualties at approximately the same number. However, using court-martial testimony and post returns from Brazos Santiago, Texas A&M International University historian Jerry D. Thompson determined that the 62nd U.S.C.T. incurred two killed and four wounded; the 34th Indiana one killed, one wounded, and 79 captured; and the 2nd Texas Cavalry Battalion one killed, seven wounded, and 22 captured, totaling four killed, 12 wounded, and 101 captured. Like the war’s first big battle at First Bull Run, which also yielded little gain for either side, the battle is recorded as a Confederate victory. Two weeks later, Texan forces surrendered formally on May 26, 1865; Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith surrendered his forces in the Trans-Mississippi Department on June 2. Most senior Confederate commanders in Texas (including Smith, Walker, Slaughter, and Ford) and many troops and equipment fled across the border to Mexico, possibly to ally with Imperial Mexican forces. The Military Division of the Southwest (after June 27 the Division of the Gulf) commanded by Maj-Gen. Phillip H. Sheridan, occupied Texas between June and August. Consisting of the IV Corps, XIII Corps, the African-American XXV Corps, and two 4,000-man cavalry divisions commanded by Brig-Gen. Wesley Merritt and Maj-Gen. George A. Custer, it aggregated a 50,000 man force on the Gulf Coast and along the Rio Grande River to pressure the French intervention in Mexico and garrison the Reconstruction Department of Texas. In July 1865, Barrett preferred charges of disobedience of orders, neglect of duty, abandoning his colors, and conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline against Morrison for actions in the battle, resulting in the latter’s court martial. Confederate Col. Ford, who had returned from Mexico at the request of Union Gen. Frederick Steele to act as parole commissioner for disbanding Confederate forces, appeared as a defense witness and assisted in absolving Morrison for responsibility for the defeat. Pvt John J. Williams of the 34th Indiana was the last fatality during the Battle at Palmito Ranch, making him likely the final combat death of the war. Fighting in the battle involved Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, and Native American troops. Reports of shots from the Mexican side, the sounding of a warning to the Confederates of the Union approach, the crossing of Imperial French cavalry into Texas, and the participation by several among Ford’s troops are unverified, despite many witnesses reporting shooting from the Mexican shore. Many shots were fired across the border into Union Troops. Who fired the shots is not known. They were always union bodies until the union forces learned to fight back. Distinctive uniforms always seemed to draw fire, with no respect for rank

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2011-01-01 10:18:00

Question: What was different about the Civil War and wars fought before this war?

Answer: The American Civil War was the first of the “modern” wars, from 1861-1865. The American Civil War was the result of decades of sectional tensions between the North and South. Focused on slavery and states’ rights, these issues came to a head following the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. Over the next several months eleven southern states seceded or tried to secede. They formed the Confederate States of America. During the first two years of the war, Southern troops won numerous victories but saw their fortunes turn after losses at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in 1863. From then on, Northern forces worked to conqueror the South, forcing them to surrender in April 1865. It was a gradual defeat lead by the union taking control of Southern strong points. The American Civil War the first “modern” war. It saw a wealth of new technology and weapons come onto the battlefield. Advances during the conflict included a transition from muzzle-loading rifles to repeating breech-loaders, as well as the rise of armored, iron-hulled ships. Here’s an overview of some of the weapons that made the Civil War America’s bloodiest conflict. A favorite of both North and South, the Model 1861 Colt Navy revolver was a six-shot, .36 caliber pistol. Produced from 1861 to 1873, the Model 1861 was lighter than its cousin, the Model 1860 Colt Army (.44 caliber), and had less recoil when fired. Unable to field a navy the size of the Union’s, the Confederacy opted instead to send out its few warships to attack Northern commerce. This approach, known as guerre de course, caused tremendous devastation among the Northern merchant marine, raising shipping and insurance costs, as well as pulling Union warships away from the blockade to chase down raiders. Although the commerce raiders were a bother to the North, the quantity of Northern commerce was such that it didn’t have a great effect on the North, when it is compared to the North’s blockade of southern commerce. The most famous of the Confederate raiders was CSS Alabama. Captained by Raphael Semmes, the Alabama captured and sank 65 Union merchant ships and the warship USS Hatteras during its 22-month career. After the civil war, several European countries had to pay damages to the Union due to the commerce raiders Typical of the many rifles imported from Europe during the war, the English Model 1853 .577 caliber Enfield was employed by both armies. A key advantage of the Enfield over other imports was its ability to fire the standard .58 caliber bullet preferred by both the Union and Confederacy. Developed by Richard J. Gatling in 1861, the Gatling gun saw limited use during the Civil War and is often considered the first machine gun. Though the US Government remained skeptical, individual officers such as Major General Benjamin Butler purchased them for use in the field. The USS Monitor and its Confederate adversary CSS Virginia ushered in a new era of naval warfare on March 9, 1862, when they engaged in the first duel between ironclad ships in Hampton Roads. Fighting to draw, the two ships signaled the end for the wooden warships of the navies worldwide. For the remainder of the war, both the Union and Confederate navies would build numerous ironclads, working to improve upon the lessons learned from these two pioneering vessels. Designed and named for the French Emperor Napoleon III, the Napoleon was the workhorse gun of the Civil War artillery. Cast of bronze, the smoothbore Napoleon was capable of firing a 12-pound solid ball, shell, case shot, or canister. Both sides deployed this versatile gun in large numbers. The Napoleon or Light Napoleon was the weapon of choice. There is a Light Napoleon on display at the Ft. Dodge Soldiers Home in South West, Kansas. The only real difference in the two cannons is that the regular Napoleon had a separate firing chamber located at the end of the rifled portion of the barrel. The Light Napoleon was rifled throughout the barrel. Pictured is horse drawn Napoleon canon, guarded by a guard with a 3 band Enfield rifle with a bayonet attached. The guard is probably a member of a black unit. Note that he is equipped with a proper uniform.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2010-12-01 10:56:00

Question: What can you tell me about the Medal of Honor?

Answer: I’ve been asked to make a speech; it seems like a lot of them since I retired from the United States Army. The army cured me of any fear of talking to large groups by assigning me as an ROTC instructor at WSU. I am a veteran and I think veterans are important. We need to honor veterans, but unfortunately at times we only honor them after the fact. No one ever wins any military medals; they are awarded for service to our country. In Wichita, we have many veterans laid to rest in local cemeteries. I am a member of the Medal of Honor Historical Society. I was not awarded the Medal of Honor, but I think it is important that we honor those individuals who were awarded the medal. One of the goals is to find and identify those burial sites for Medal of Honor Recipients. I was able to find one in the Maple Grove Cemetery on Hillside here in Wichita. This is the burial place of Captain Kirk, not the one on TV, but the real Captain Kirk. KIRK, JONATHAN C. Rank and organization: Captain, Company F, 20th Indiana Infantry. Place and date: At North Anna River, Va., 23 May 1864. He entered service at: Wilmington, Ohio. Birth: Clinton County, Ohio. Date of issue: 13 June 1894. Citation: Volunteered for dangerous service and single-handedly captured 13 armed Confederate soldiers and marched them to the rear. This doesn’t tell us much about the man; he answered his countries call to duty, was awarded at the time the only authorized medal by his country and didn’t get the medal until 1894. It probably came in the mail and was never presented to him formally. What usually happened was that it was recorded in military records and the veterans had to apply for the medal, before they could get it. Usually veteran’s organizations such as the Grand Army of the Republic would apply on their behalf for the medals. A number of the medals were awarded but never issued, because the veterans never new about them. At the end of his life he was living in one of the small hotels in downtown Wichita, being cared for by his son. He was missing a leg due to a war time injury. After I found his burial place and with the assistance of Eric Cale, at the time the manager of the Maple Grove Cemetery, I was able to get a government Medal of Honor Marker for him. While we were having a dedication ceremony, I looked and saw another resting place for honored veteran. WRIGHT, SAMUEL Rank and organization: Corporal, Company H, 2d Minnesota Infantry. Place and date: At Nolensville, Tenn., 15 February 1863. Entered service at: Swan Lake, Minn. Birth: Indiana. Date of issue: 11 September 1897. Citation: Was one of a detachment of 16 men who heroically defended a wagon train against the attack of 125 cavalry, repulsed the attack and saved the train. Samuel Wright was at one time postmaster of Wichita. I had not expected to find his grave in Wichita. At that time, government checks for disabled veterans were sent out quarterly. Samuel Wright’s checks were being sent to him at Tribune, KS. Samuel Wright was living with his children in Tribune at the time of his death. We were able to get a marker for him also. There are other Civil War Medal of Honor veterans buried in this area. One Joseph Wortick is buried at Leon, KS. His family didn’t know anything about his award. At one time the medal was thrown in the trash, since they thought they were old GAR medals. But one of his daughters pulled the medals out. The design of the medal had changed over the years and Joseph had received 3 different medals. Now they are treasured mementos for the family. There are two MOH recipients buried in separate cemeteries in Hutchinson, KS. We are working on getting them marked with Medal of Honor headstones, but they had to wait until the cannons and the Lincoln statue in the heart of town were redone. The appropriate Medal of Honor Marker has been placed on their graves. Wichita has one more Medal of Honor recipient buried in its cemeteries. Richard E. Cowan is a World War Two veteran. He was born in Nebraska, and moved to Wichita at an early age. He was drafted into the army during the war. COWAN, RICHARD ELLER Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company M, 23rd Infantry, and 2nd Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Krinkelter Wald, Belgium, December 17, 1944. Entered service at: Wichita, Kans. Birth: Lincoln, Nebr. G.O. No.: 48, 23 June 1945. Citation: He was a heavy machine gunner in a section attached to Company I in the vicinity of Krinkelter Wald, Belgium, December 17, 1944, when that company was attacked by a numerically superior force of German infantry and tanks. The first 6 waves of hostile infantrymen were repulsed with heavy casualties, but a seventh drive with tanks killed or wounded all but 3 of his section, leaving Pvt. Cowan to man his gun, supported by only 15 to 20 riflemen of Company I. He maintained his position, holding off the Germans until the rest of the shattered force had set up a new line along a firebreak. Then, unaided, he moved his machinegun and ammunition to the second position. At the approach of a Royal Tiger tank, he held his fire until about 80 enemy infantrymen supporting the tank appeared at a distance of about 150 yards. His first burst killed or wounded about half of these infantrymen. His position was rocked by an 88mm shell when the tank opened fire but he continued to man his gun, pouring deadly fire into the Germans when they again advanced. He was barely missed by another shell. Fire from three machineguns and innumerable small arms struck all about him; an enemy rocket shook him badly, but did not drive him from his gun. Infiltration by the enemy had by this time made the position untenable, and the order was given to withdraw. Pvt. Cowan was the last man to leave, voluntarily covering the withdrawal of his remaining comrades. His heroic actions were entirely responsible for allowing the remaining men to retire successfully from the scene of their last-ditch stand. He never knew of the award, the next day he was killed during battle. His family had his grave marked with a family stone indicating the award of the Medal of Honor in Wichita Park Cemetery off of North Hillside. As I had said, I was a member of the Medal of Honor Historical Society. I am looking for another grave. John A. Huntsman was born in Oskaloosa, Iowa moved to Kansas and joined the Kansas Volunteer Infantry during the Spanish American War, he was discharged and then joined the U.S. 36 Infantry Regiment. He served during the Philippine Insurrection and was later commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. HUNTSMAN, JOHN A. Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company E, 36th Infantry, U.S. Volunteers. Place and date: At Bamban, Luzon, Philippine Islands, November 9, 1899. Entered service at: Lawrence, Kans. Birth: Oskaloosa County, Iowa. Date of issue: Unknown. Citation: For distinguished bravery and conspicuous gallantry in action against insurgents. His grave location is unknown. He may have been killed or died in the Philippines, but there are no military records of his death. He had family in Lawrence at one time and has a grand niece who lived in Wichita. What is my connection with the Medal of Honor? I was on recruiting duty at Ft. Des Moines Iowa in the 1960’s and was at Ft. Leavenworth Kansas and spent some time at the post library with a book about the Medal of Honor. I found my mother’s maiden name and a distant cousin: SWAP, JACOB E. Rank and organization: Private, Company H, 83d Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Wilderness, Va., May 5, 1864. Entered service at: Springs, Pa. Birth: Calnehoose, N.Y. Date of issue: November 19, 1897. Citation: Although assigned to other duty, he voluntarily joined his regiment in a charge and fought with it until severely wounded. After a lot of searching, I was able to find his burial place, he is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery, Oakland, CA. Someday I’ll get there to see his grave. I have a great deal of respect for those who received the Medal of Honor, but a great deal of scorn for those who wear medals that they did not earn. I am happy to be here to help pay homage to these brave soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen and women who are being honored here.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2010-10-01 10:11:00

Question: What role did the Marines play in the Civil War?

Answer: There were not many members in the USMC during the Civil War. It was like the regular army units during the civil war. The volunteer units got all of the glory, the money and the promotions. The regular units like the USMC had to make do with what they had. They served until their enlistments were over. Even though the Civil War was over. One Civil War Marine who served from 1864 to 1868, is buried in Maple Grove Cemetery, located on the Northeast corner of 9th and Hillside in Wichita, KS. It is an old cemetery, but not the oldest in Wichita. That is the one across the street at the Hillside Cemetery. But Maple Grove has the Grand Army of the Republic Pavilion that was erected by the Woman’s Relief Corps. The WRC was a woman’s auxiliary to the GAR. The Pavilion is going to rebuild but more about that in a later column. One of the graves clustered around the pavilion is that of George W. Oliver. There is nothing remarkable about his grave. He has a standard issue civil war veteran’s gravestone. But as you read the headstone it says: “U.S.M.C.” According to records George W. Oliver enlisted at Portsmouth, NH on September 14, 1864 for four years. His recruiting officer was a: “Lieut. Col. James W. Jones of the U.S. Marines. He was on board a “Receiving Ship.” George W. Oliver was born in Glasgow, Scotland. George was at the time of his enlistment age 27 years, 5 ¼ inches high, hazel eyes, Brown Hair, fair complexion, by trade or occupation a laborer. He enlisted as a substitute. He took the place of another individual in the USMC, probably who was going to be drafted. The going rate to pay a substitute was $300.00 plus some other state bonuses. The record further states that he was vaccinated. He was discharged from military service at Mare Island, CA on September 18, 1868, a little over four years of military service. Very little is known about his military service. His records consist of a single sheet of paper indicating he enlisted aboard a “Receiving Ship” and another indicating he was discharged from the USMC also aboard a “Receiving Ship.” The last record in his file lists him as “DROPPED” March 4, 1899, with a notation “DEAD”. He had served as a “Private”. A John P. Oliver (Relationship unknown) applied for reimbursement of burial expenses, with a notation that the burial expenses were paid by the I.O.O.F. and the GAR burial fund. Private Oliver died in February of 1899, from heart disease. His actual date of death various from paper to paper either the 19th or the 23rd. He was last paid a pension of $12.00 on January 4, 1899. Pension was paid on a quarterly basis. He indicated that his wife had died earlier; I presume she is also buried in Maple Grove, but I don’t know for sure. His children were “over age,” so he was not drawing any thing for them on his pension. His last occupation was that of a “Boarding House Keeper,” but was at the time of his pension application was totally unable to work due to asthma. Although his grave is not impressive, the headstone indicates he served his adopted country honorably in time of war.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2010-09-01 13:38:00

Question: Who was Charles “Doc” Jennison?

Answer: Charles "Doc" Jennison was a famous or infamous Civil War Colonel depending on which side of the Mason-Dixon line your ancestors’ lived on. Charles R. Jennison, also known as "Doc" Jennison, was a notorious Jayhawker during the Bleeding Kansas period of Kansas History and became even more infamous for his Jayhawking as a Union colonel and as leader of Redlegs during the American Civil War. Jayhawking was the robbing of anyone they came in contact with. Although if you were on the Union side you had a chance of getting along with very little loss of property. If you were on the other side you were lucky to escape with your life. Your property was already lost to the Jayhawkers. Charles R. Jennison was born on June 6, 1834 in New York. His family moved to Wisconsin in 1846 where Jennison studied medicine. Marrying at the age of 20, Dr. Jennison moved to Osawatomie, Kansas in 1858 and to Mound City shortly thereafter. Jennison was considered the most brutal and unscrupulous of the Jayhawkers. Whereas some other prominent leaders of irregulars in the Bleeding Kansas border conflict shared these traits, Jennison was distinguished by his blatant plunder for personal gain. Jennison cooperated with James Montgomery in opposing pro-slavery settlers and irregulars believed to be in league with Border Ruffians. The Border Ruffians were like the Jayhawkers, but only on the side of the South and from Missouri. In command of nine men, Jennison "tried" and hanged Russell Hinds near the state line at Mine Creek for the offense of helping to return a fugitive slave to his master in Missouri. Returning a slave was not only legal, but required at the time under the Fugitive Slave Act. Hinds had rejected the standard $25 reward, but did accept $5 reimbursement for his expenses in transporting the slave. The slave agreed to return to his master while awaiting legal emancipation. The acceptance of the reimbursement was enough to convince Jennison to hand down a death sentence. Even before the start of hostilities Jennison became a captain of the Mound City Guards on February 19, 1861. Although not with Senator James H. Lane's Kansas brigade during the Sacking of Osceola, Missouri. Jennison was associated with it and would soon join the battle after receiving a commission as colonel from Kansas Governor Charles L. Robinson on September 4. On October 28, 1861, Jennison completed the organization and mustering of his 7th Kansas Cavalry. The regiment would become known as "Jennison's Jayhawkers." It immediately took to the field patrolling the Kansas-Missouri border to prevent, the secessionist, Missouri State Guard under Sterling Price from crossing. While the regiment was at Leavenworth, Kansas in April 1862, Jennison, angered over James G. Blunt being named brigadier general in his stead, resigned from the army and turned to banditry as a Redleg [6][7]. Following the Lawrence Massacre Jennison was once again commissioned a colonel and called into service by Kansas Governor Thomas Carney to raise a regiment that would become the 15th Kansas Cavalry on October 17, 1863. Colonel Jennison commanded a mixed brigade of Kansas militia and volunteers resisting Price's Raid into southeastern Kansas in October 1864. However, in December he found himself under arrest as the result of plundering while returning through Missouri after the pursuit of Price. Jennison was finally court-martialed for some of his many misdeeds and convicted on June 23, 1865, whereupon he was dishonorably dismissed from the service. A come down for the colonel, he had fought in the Battle of Lexington, Battle of Little Blue River, Battle of Westport and the Battle of Newtonia. As well as additional skirmishes and plunderings. But “Doc” Jennison was not done. He was elected to the Kansas Legislature from Leavenworth County in 1865, re-elected in 1867, and elected to the Kansas State Senate in 1872. He died at Leavenworth, Kansas June 21, 1884, at the age of 50. Famous or infamous? Just like others on the fringes of the Civil Russell Hinds War.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2010-08-01 13:01:00

Question: What is Quantrill’s Raid?

Answer: The Quantrill’s Raid, is also known as the Lawrence Massacre. Quantrill was a rebel leader during the U.S. Civil War. Quantrill’s Raiders, led by William Clarke Quantrill, lead the attack on the pro-Union town of Lawrence, Kansas. In the summer of 1856, the first sacking of Lawrence sparked a guerrilla war in Kansas that lasted for months. John Brown might be the best known participant, but numerous groups fought for each side in Bleeding Kansas. The attack on August 21, 1863 targeted Lawrence due to the town’s long support of abolition and its reputation as a center for Redlegs and Jayhawkers which were free-state militia and vigilante groups known for attacking and destroying farms and plantations in Missouri’s pro-slavery western counties. By 1863, Kansas had long been the center of strife and warfare over the admission of slave and Free states. By the beginning of the American Civil War, Lawrence, Kansas, was already a target for pro-slavery ire, having been seen as the anti-slavery stronghold in the state and more importantly, a staging area for Union and Jayhawker incursions into Missouri. Kansas Redlegs or Jayhawkers raided into Missouri and as a sideline freeing slaves, including those who were owned by pro-union Missourians. Missouri Ruffians and/or Bushwackers raided into Kansas taking blacks back into slavery even if they had always been free. This was a common occurrence mostly seen by the CSA raid into Pennsylvania. Long term black residences’ were sent to south into slavery not to be seen again until the end of the war. General Thomas Ewing, Jr. issued General Order No. 10, which ordered the arrest of anyone giving aid or comfort to Quantrill’s raiders. In a bid to put down the Missouri guerrilla raiders operating in Kansas, this General Order meant chiefly women and children. They were placed in the makeshift prison in Kansas City. On August 13, 1863, this building collapsed, killing five women, including 14-year-old Josephine Anderson, sister of William T. “Bloody Bill” Anderson. A third story had been added to the structure by George Bingham prior to conversion of the building into a jail. Some (later including Bingham who held a personal grudge against Ewing) claimed that the structure was undermined by the guards to cause its collapse while others maintained that it was structurally unsound before it was occupied. Other structures in Kansas City also collapsed; building codes were almost nonexistent at that time.[1] One possible reason, if they needed one for the attack on Lawrence may have also stemmed from reprisal for the Union’s attack on Osceola, Missouri in September 1861, led by Senator or General James H. Lane. Nine Osceola men were executed after this raid. The second Lawrence raid was in 1863 two years after the Osceola raid. The town was looted and burned and the men hanged. The attack was the product of planning. Quantrill had been able to gain the confidence of many of the leaders of independent Bushwhacker groups, and chose the day and time of the attack well in advance. The different groups of Missouri riders approached Lawrence from the east in several columns, and converged with well-timed precision in the final miles before Lawrence during the pre-dawn hours of the day. Many of the men had been riding for over 24 hours to make the rendezvous and had lashed themselves to their saddles to keep riding if they fell asleep. They were almost all armed with multiple, long-barreled, cap-and-ball revolvers, shoved crossways thru double-breasted shirt-fronts so they would not have to reload in the heat of a battle. [2]. Three or four hundred riders, descended with Quantrill into Lawrence, KS. In over a four hour period, Lawrence was pillaged and set fire to the town and murdered most of its male population. Quantrill’s men burned to the ground one in four buildings in Lawrence, including all but two businesses. They looted most of the banks and stores, as well. I had been researching my own family background. A distant cousin named Charles Swap//Swope was located in Lawrence at this time. He disappeared about the time of the raid, unfortunately the names Charles was a common name in my family line. A Charles Swap/Swope was also killed by Dr. Holliday some time after the war. Finally, they killed between 185 and 200 men and boys. According to an 1897 account, among the dead were 18 out of 23 “unmustered” army recruits. [3] There were numerous unidentified bodies. Less than an hour later, the raiders were on their way out of town, the few Union units that came in pursuit, were unable to catch up with Quantrill and his men. The real target of the raid may have been Jayhawking Senator James H. Lane, who had been responsible for the raid in Osceola, Missouri, two years earlier. He managed to escape death by racing through a cornfield in his nightshirt. The Lawrence Massacre was one of the bloodiest events in the whole history of Kansas. A day after the attack, the surviving citizens of Lawrence lynched a member of Quantrill’s Raiders caught in the town. On August 25, General Ewing authorized General Order No. 11 (not to be confused with Grant’s famous General Order of the same name) evicting thousands of Missourians in four counties from their homes near the Kansas border. Virtually everything in these counties was then systematically burned to the ground. The action was carried out by the infamous Jayhawker, Charles “Doc” Jennison. Jenison’s raids into Missouri were thorough and indiscriminate, and left five counties in western Missouri wasted, save for the standing brick chimneys of the two-storey period houses, which are still called “Jennison Monuments” in those parts. As with General Butler’s action in New Orleans to prevent harassing action against his officers and men, General Ewing’s action was effective against pro southern sympathizers. Unfortunately, it also drove pro union sympathizers into the Southern camp. After the war, lawyers were in short supply for those who wanted compensation for this action. The city seal of Lawrence, KS commemorates Quantrill’s attack with its depiction of a Phoenix rising from the ashes of the burnt city. For his part, Quantrill led his men south for the winter. By the next year, the raiders broken up, so were unable to achieve similar successes. Quantrill died of wounds received in 1865. In the city of Lawrence, there are various plaques or markers in memory of the massacre. I don’t know if the city of Osceola, Mo has similar plaques or markers for their massacre. Frank Bergquist graduated from Eddyville, IA, high school in 1958. After graduation, he entered the Army, serving 20 years in Missouri, Maryland, New Mexico, Germany, Iowa, Turkey, Kansas, S.E. Asia, and finally retiring in 1978 in Louisiana. Before retiring, Frank was assigned as an ROTC instructor at WSU and Kemper Military School until 1974. In 1978 he served as the Non-Commissioned officer in charge of operations at Fort Polk, LA. He has served as the Veterans Counselor (DVOP) with the Kansas Job Service Center National Service Office, with the Disabled American Veterans at the VA Regional Office in Wichita; Veterans Employment and Training Coordinator with the US Dept. of Labor at Ft. Riley, KS; Service Coordinator with Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation; Dept Adjutant-Treasurer and the Dept. Executive Director Dept. of Kansas Disabled American Veterans; and past President of the Wichita Civil War Round Table. Currently he is doing graduate work as an instructor in Genealogy and Military History at Wichita State and Kansas State Universities, and is the CEO for the Disabled American Veterans Thrift Stores in Wichita, KS. Bergquist has an AA from Kemper Military School and College from Boonville, MO. and a BGS from Wichita State University. He can be reached by phone at (316) 262-6501 or e-mail at davtswceo@sbcglobal.net and is located at 5455 E. Central, Wichita, KS. 67208.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2010-07-01 12:39:00

What can you tell me about the Kansas-Nebraska Territory?

Answer: A little more than 300 years ago, when the American revolution was still new. No settlers had crossed the Mississippi River into Missouri then the Missouri River into Kansas, and when railroads were very scarce... A simple patch of ground a few miles north of Omaha was the site of the largest military post in America. But Kansas was nothing.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition chose to cross Nebraska, not Kansas... The land that is now Nebraska was once a part of the territory of Spain and later of France, and was peacefully acquired by the United States in 1803 when the French Emperor Napoleon offered the vast Louisiana Territory to the U.S. for $15,000,000. For three cents an acre, the fledgling American Republic doubled its size and acquired what would eventually form all or part of 15 states. Kansas was also part of the Louisiana Purchase. President Thomas Jefferson proposed an expedition to be undertaken by the U.S. Army. In a confidential message to Congress he stated: "An intelligent officer, with ten or twelve chosen men, fit for the enterprise and willing to undertake it, might explore the whole line even to the Western Ocean, have conferences with the natives on the subject of commercial intercourse, get admission from them for our traders, and return with the information acquired in the course of two summers." This would literally be a journey into the unknown, and chosen to lead the romantically titled "Corps of Discovery" were Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. So why not Kansas? For the next two years, four months and 10 days the Corps of Discovery rowed, pulled, walked and paddled nearly 8,000 miles to the Pacific Ocean and back. They had found the way west and helped to start America on an adventure. Kansas was to the south. After the Lewis and Clarke expedition. Life for soldiers was probably very tedious. The soldiers not only raised their own food, but did all the carpentry, brick making, blacksmithing and stone quarrying. They ran the schools and gristmills, their wives and widows did the washing-much like the Roman legions, the American Army was very much involved in the spread of civilization and industry throughout the long frontier period. Yet, these were soldiers and their primary goal was to keep the peace with Indians. Following and between these ventures the fort returned to its regular frontier garrison duties of military drills, patrolling, work details and farming, and most importantly, protecting and advancing the American fur trade. The soldiers built a lot of Kansas. The soldiers built the Kansas Soldiers Home at Ft. Dodge, Kansas. Complaints were made with Congress and the Department of the Army. They were building all of Ft. Dodge with expensive stone not wood. It had to be pointed out to the complainers and U.S.Congress that Ft. Dodge was being built from stone because that building material was all over the land. Very few trees were seen in the landscape. General Henry Leavenworth founded the still active Ft. Leavenworth, north of Kansas City, home of the Command and General Staff School. Major Bennet Riley was a hero in the Mexican War, and Fort Riley in Kansas was named for him. Ft. Scott in southeastern Kansas was named for General Scott. Most of the military names are obvious, civilian names are a little bit harder. A lot of American Indian names were also used. Some of the names were duplicated from state to state. I was born in a little Illinois river town called New Boston, there was also a New Boston, MO, and another one in Kansas. Names from your childhood made people comfortable and familiar. New Boston’s Illinois only claim to fame, was: It was laid out by (or surveyed by) Abraham Lincoln in the 1800’s 1854-1861 were a turbulent times in Kansas territory. The Civil War actually began in "bleeding" Kansas ten years before Fort Sumter. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 established the territorial boundaries of Kansas and Nebraska and legal settlement. It allowed the residents of these territories to decide by popular vote whether their state would be free or slave. This concept of self-determination was called popular sovereignty. In Kansas, people on all sides of this controversial issue flooded the territory, trying to influence the vote in their favor. Three distinct political groups occupied Kansas: Pro-slavers, Free-staters and Abolitionists. Rival territorial governments, election fraud, and squabbles over land claims all made up part of the violence of this era. Locally, trouble began in the summer of 1856 when a group of about 30 pro-slavery settlers from South Carolina arrived in Bourbon County. It was suspected that they were sponsored by the Southern Emigrant Aid Society. Violence broke out immediately, giving Bleeding Kansas to the world. In 1861 Kansas entered the Union as a free state on January 29th. This era became forever known as "Bleeding Kansas. Kansas saw some action in South Eastern Kansas, other than that an occasional raid was all they had to endure. The main raid was by Quantrill on the city of Lawrence, KS. I’ll try to cover that episode next month. Frank Bergquist graduated from Eddyville, IA, high school in 1958. After graduation, he entered the Army, serving 20 years in Missouri, Maryland, New Mexico, Germany, Iowa, Turkey, Kansas, S.E. Asia, and finally retiring in 1978 in Louisiana. Before retiring, Frank was assigned as an ROTC instructor at WSU and Kemper Military School until 1974. In 1978 he served as the Non-Commissioned officer in charge of operations at Fort Polk, LA. He has served as the Veterans Counselor (DVOP) with the Kansas Job Service Center National Service Office, with the Disabled American Veterans at the VA Regional Office in Wichita; Veterans Employment and Training Coordinator with the US Dept. of Labor at Ft. Riley, KS; Service Coordinator with Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation; Dept Adjutant-Treasurer and the Dept. Executive Director Dept. of Kansas Disabled American Veterans; and past President of the Wichita Civil War Round Table. Currently he is doing graduate work as an instructor in Genealogy and Military History at Wichita State and Kansas State Universities, and is the CEO for the Disabled American Veterans Thrift Stores in Wichita, KS. Bergquist has an AA from Kemper Military School and College from Boonville, MO. and a BGS from Wichita State University. He can be reached by phone at (316) 262-6501 or e-mail at davtswceo@sbcglobal.net and is located at 5455 E. Central, Wichita, KS. 67208.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2010-05-01 14:25:00

Question: What does DAV stand for and how does it help?

Answer: Treaties are signed and the battles of nations end, but the personal battles of those disabled in war only begin when the guns fall silent. These men and women must struggle to regain health, reshape lives shattered by disability, learn new trades or professions and rejoin the civilian world. At each step, they need help, to help themselves. For three quarters of a century now, that aid has come from the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), a nonprofit organization of more than one million veterans disabled during a time of war or armed conflict. Formed in 1920 and chartered by Congress in 1932, the million-member DAV is the official voice of America’s service-connected disabled veterans, a strong, insistent voice that represents all of America’s 2.1 million disabled veterans, their families and survivors. It’s a nationwide network of services, free to all veterans and members of their families, and is totally supported by membership dues and contributions from the American public. Not a government agency, the DAV’S national organization receives no government funds. The DAV has a mission. Helping eligible veterans receive all the benefits and services they have earned through their sacrifices for their country. Well over half of all veterans eligible for DAV membership have already joined the ranks. If asked why they joined members would overwhelmingly cite DAV Service. Helping disabled veterans and their families is what the DAV does, that’s all they do, and the do it well because veterans deserve the best. Veterans like the fact that the DAV is not a government agency and receives no government funding. They know the DAV is on their side. That’s why more than 200,000 veterans and members of their families seek out professional DAV services every year. The DAV Thrift Stores sales support local veterans programs in the immediate Wichita area. Every year the DAV gives out food baskets to veterans and their families at any time of need, not just the holidays. We give clothing vouchers to veterans as needed. Our sales support the DAV-Transportation Network in the local area, veterans are driven to doctor and hospital appointments by DAV volunteer drivers at no charge. Our locally owned and operated stores employ approximately 70 people in our five stores and warehouse.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2010-05-01 14:25:00

What is the real purpose behind Memorial Day?

Answer: Thank you. I can’t think of a question I would like to answer more. Perhaps it’s best captured in the refrain of an old poem many of us read as school children at this time of year – "Recessional" by Rudyard Kipling. "Lest we forget – lest we forget!" warned Kipling. This poet knew the meaning of war all too well. And he sends those phrases back to us five times in this short eulogy to the dead of a war fought long ago. Yet those words hold the same haunting power for us today, as young Americans fight – and die – in Afghanistan and Iraq. We will gather that day "lest we forget"...lest our nation forget those who sacrificed the breath of life in all our wars right up to the present day.

Let’s begin with a couple stories about people who have not forgotten...who are determined to remember. The first takes place at a beautiful cemetery for our American war dead outside of Florence, Italy. A retired doctor stands beside the grave of his brother. With great sorrow, he looks into a camera and says..."My brother was only twenty when he was taken from us. He was a natural born skier. He was told he was going to be on the first Olympic ski team after World War II." But that would never be. Corporal Bud Winter was killed in Alpine combat one month before the end of the war in Europe. More than sixty years later, his brother shared the burden of grief he still carries in his heart, saying..."All of us were devastated. We’re so thankful for you, Bud." That’s one scene from a film that many across the United States are watching over Memorial Day weekend this year – a documentary made with major funding from the Disabled American Veterans. This scene – and many others – makes two serious points. First, when a young person makes the ultimate sacrifice for our country in war, it’s the most extraordinary gift a human being can offer – the gift of one’s own life. The measure of such a sacrifice can never be taken. It cannot be matched by anything else one human being can do for another. The sacrifice of one’s life is eternal; it lasts forever. Second is the cost paid by the families of the dead. For them, the wars of the past don’t just pass into the pages of history books. Losses from the World Wars, Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf War still weigh upon the hearts of families today. Even as new burdens of grief are taken up by the families of those killed in Afghanistan and Iraq, old sorrows are carried by those who lost loved ones in countless small conflicts like Beirut, Somalia, Panama, Kosovo, Bosnia, and on and on. Let’s go back to Kipling’s poem: "Lest we forget – lest we forget." Even though we’re in the midst of two wars, there truly is danger that we will forget. Except for our military families – especially the families that grieve the dead and care for members who came home disabled – few feel the actual cost of our nation’s defense. That’s the big reason the Disabled American Veterans supported the film, Hallowed Grounds. In most places across the country, it’s scheduled for broadcast on PBS stations on Memorial Day each year. Each year it will be good to remember those who pay the human cost of war. We’ve been at war in Afghanistan and Iraq for many years now. These are two of the longest wars in America’s history. But the personal impact of these wars has fallen on a smaller percentage of American families than in any war for more than a century. Americans say they love their men and women in uniform. I don’t doubt that for a minute, but some disturbing realities have surfaced. Remember all those yellow-ribbon magnets from the beginning of the wars? Most of them have fallen from America’s cars, never to be replaced. The wild enthusiasms of that period are gone, and that may be good. Whether individual Americans are for or against the wars, they’re more thoughtful now. But could we have more public display of support for the troops...and the veterans? Could people still feel comfortable, walking up to someone in uniform to say, "Thank you?" So I hope you’ll take a moment this Memorial Day observance to recommit yourself to doing those small things that make a big difference: •Fly your American Flag, not just on national holidays but often. •Put that magnet back on your car. •Greet men and women in uniform. •Volunteer at a VA hospital, nursing home, or clinic. •Take veterans to VA medical centers in a DAV van. •Help that older veteran who can’t do chores around the house. You get the picture. Do that concrete stuff that gives real meaning to the phrase, "Support Our Troops." Hey, you’ll feel great, no matter how you help. Another thing that alarms me – that needs to change – is the order of our national priorities. What concerns me turned up in a nationwide survey of public attitudes that was taken before the economic meltdown. Even though our nation was at war on two fronts at the time, this survey showed the American people were most deeply concerned about their own pocketbook issues. The mortgage issue, which was beginning to emerge at that time, was the top concern. Second came gasoline prices, which were then rising. Americans gave these and several other issues far more weight than the wars our young heroes were fighting or their well-being as veterans. Yes, as this survey was taken, we were beginning to move into a more difficult period. Though no one really knew how harsh times were going to get, most everyone was growing nervous about the future. However, I have to ask myself: • What happens if war and the impact of war can rate so low on the public agenda while the troops are still fighting and bleeding and dying in combat? •How quickly will those troops be forgotten when the roadside bombs stop exploding? Yes, these are distressing questions, and I think we’re already seeing the answers. True, the American people do love their troops and their veterans. They’re grateful. But the needs of the troops and the veterans are decidedly not at the front of most people’s minds. "Lest we forget – lest we forget!" The tendency to let the memory of war dim is the American way. It happened after the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. It happened after all the big wars of the 20th century. And the tragic fact is, it’s already happening now with Iraq and Afghanistan, while the troops are still on the field of battle. An American kid who is killed in Kandahar today is a statistic in the news tomorrow. And on the following day, the memory of the incredible sacrifice he or she made for you and me begins to fade. It’s hard. It’s wrong. It should never be that way. But this is the reality we face. But simply complaining will do nothing to change this reality in a society that honors its war dead by going to the mall for "Memorial Day Sales." What we must do is act. We’ll act again on Veterans Day in the autumn, and on Memorial Day a year from now. In the meantime, we’ll remember that we honor the dead by serving those who lived through our wars but need our help today. Each of the veterans’ organizations has terrific programs that help America’s heroes and their families, so take your pick. If you want to get involved in the DAV’s volunteer programs, let the DAV know. I’ll get you in touch with the right people, and you’ll be on your way. But let me close with this. The deep sentiments of Rudyard Kipling’s great poem ring true in your heart. You have not failed to remember the great sacrifice represented by the death of a soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, or a hand in the Coast Guard. You have honored that sacrifice. You have carried the message to others: "Lest we forget." Thank you. HALLOWED GROUNDS Around the world 125,000 American military men and women are buried on foreign soil. Thousands more are still missing. But none has been forgotten. The PBS documentary HALLOWED GROUNDS provides a rare look at 22 of America’s overseas military cemeteries. With stirring images and details, the 1-hour program tells the story of these remarkable commemorative shrines. The film is the first major documentary of any kind to be made about these remarkable fields of honor, and includes historical sequences about the wars and battles that created them, as well as moving vignettes and interviews about the men and women who rest in them. Created by the U.S. government after World War I and World War II, these cemeteries represent some of America’s great national treasures. Dignified and serene, they were created to honor America’s fallen, but they also evoke gratitude and teach important lessons of history to all who visit – foreign citizens and Americans. They are located in England, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, Tunisia and the Philippines. Sponsored by a grant from DAV’s National Service Foundation, HALLOWED GROUNDS will air on PBS stations nationwide on Memorial Day. Check your local listings for broadcast times in your area. Frank Bergquist graduated from Eddyville, IA, high school in 1958. After graduation, he entered the Army, serving 20 years in Missouri, Maryland, New Mexico, Germany, Iowa, Turkey, Kansas, SE. Asia, and finally retiring in 1978 in Louisiana. Before retiring, Frank was assigned as an ROTC instructor at WSU and Kemper Military School until 1974. In 1978 he served as the Non-Commissioned officer in charge of operations at Fort Polk, LA. He has served as the Veterans Counselor (DVOP) with the Kansas Job Service Center National Service Office, with the Disabled American Veterans at the VA Regional Office in Wichita; Veterans Employment and Training Coordinator with the US Dept. of Labor at Ft. Riley, KS; Service Coordinator with Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation; Dept Adjutant-Treasurer and the Dept. Executive Director Dept. of Kansas Disabled American Veterans; and past President of the Wichita Civil War Round Table. Currently he is doing graduate work as an instructor in Genealogy and Military History at Wichita State and Kansas State Universities, and is the CEO for the Disabled American Veterans Thrift Stores in Wichita, KS. Bergquist has an AA from Kemper Military School and College from Boonville, MO. and a BGS from Wichita State University. He can be reached by phone at (316) 262-6501 or e-mail at davtswceo@sbcglobal.net and is located at 5455 E. Central, Wichita, KS. 67208.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2010-03-01 08:47:00

Is there a day to honor the wounded?

Answer: I was born in 1940, about two years before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The old Soldiers I remember were those World War One Veterans who were still around and a few Civil War and Spanish American War Veterans. I remember the ceremonies for Decoration Day and Veterans Day. I and the other kids would scramble for the ejected rounds from the Springfield rifles and later from the M1 rifles when the honor guard fired the 21 gun salute. Occasionally there would be a funeral for a veteran, but I and the other kids weren’t too sure what that was about. Later the WW2 Vets and the Korean War Vets started coming back home. I stood and watched as the Parade went by. I don’t remember anything being done to honor wounded veterans. But I now hope that it is going to change. “Thanks to the efforts of Silver Star Families of America, Indiana and New Mexico have proclaimed May 1 as “Silver Star Day” to honor the nation’s wounded service members. Silver Star Families of America is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program highlighting the ways Americans are supporting the nation’s service members. “What we really want to do is have a nationwide event that day,” said Janie Orman, the group’s vice president. She added that the proclamation had been sent to every state. The group, which would like to establish May 1 as a national day of observance honoring America’s wounded service members, drafted a proclamation in November for Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels’ consideration. His office responded a few weeks later, informing Silver Star Families of America that the governor had signed the proclamation. New Mexico followed suit, and Wyoming recently contacted the group regarding the initiative, Orman said. “We need someone in (each) state to represent us,” she said, adding the American Legion has expressed interest in supporting the group in this effort. “A resolution we wrote has passed the local (American Legion chapter). It has to then pass the district, then the state, then national,” she said. “But they’re in big support of Silver Star Day also, so that’s a great help.” Orman also said that individuals wanting to help represent Silver Star Day in their state should contact her or Steve Newton, Silver Star Families of America’s president and co-founder. “Their main goals would be to get the word out about the Silver stars and what we do: ... honor and assist our wounded and their families in any way we can,” Orman said. “We do that by presenting the Silver Star banners and care packages.” The group also acts as an advocate for the wounded and works to educate the public about dilemmas wounded troops and veterans face, according to the group’s Web site. The Silver Star Banner, which the group is working to make a government-recognized service banner like those of the American Gold Star Mothers, will play a big part in observing Silver Star Day on May 1, Orman said. Silver Star Families of America members are hoping to present their banners to veterans and wounded service members in each state. They also hope to work with schools to help students understand why the day is important. “I guess what we try to instill in them is that their freedom (to) go to school ... depends on our troops standing up for freedom,” Orman said. The day of recognition is open to participation by other groups wishing to honor America’s wounded troops, as well. The Patriot Guard Riders, a motorcycle group that attends military funerals to shield families from protesters, has indicated it would like to hold a rally to commemorate the day, Orman said. “We’re just really getting a great response about Silver Star Day,” Orman said. Emporia, KS has a claim to being the instigator for recognizing Veterans Day, Maybe the rest of the state can get onboard and support May 1 as Silver Star Day. We already recognize the last Monday in May as Memorial Day.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2010-02-01 08:42:00

Question: Interested in the Department of Veterans Affairs?

Answer: From the beginning, the English colonies in North America provided pensions for disabled veterans. The first law in the colonies on pensions, enacted in 1636 by Plymouth, provided money to those disabled in the colony’s defense against Indians. Other colonies followed Plymouth’s example. In 1776 the Continental Congress sought to encourage enlistments and curtail desertions with the nation’s first pension law. It granted half pay for life in cases of loss of limb or other serious disability. But because the Continental Congress did not have the authority or the money to make pension payments, the actual payments were left to the individual states. This obligation was carried out in varying degrees by different states. At most, only 3,000 Revolutionary War veterans ever drew any pension. Later, grants of public land were made to those who served to the end of the war. In 1789, with the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, the first Congress assumed the burden of paying veterans benefits. The first federal pension legislation was passed in 1789. It continued the pension law passed by the Continental Congress. By 1808 all veterans programs were administered by the Bureau of Pensions under the Secretary of War. Subsequent laws included veterans and dependents of the War of 1812, and extended benefits to dependents and survivors. There were 2,200 pensioners by 1816. In that year the growing cost of living and a surplus in the Treasury led Congress to raise allowances for all disabled veterans and to grant half-pay pensions for five years to widows and orphans of soldiers of the War of 1812. This term later was lengthened. A new principle for veterans benefits, providing pensions on the basis of need, was introduced in the 1818 Service Pension Law. The law provided that every person who had served in the War for Independence and was in need of assistance would receive a fixed pension for life. The rate was $20 a month for officers and $8 a month for enlisted men. Prior to this legislation, pensions were granted only to disabled veterans. The result of the new law was an immediate increase in pensioners. From 1816 to 1820, the number of pensioners increased from 2,200 to 17,730, and the cost of pensions rose from $120,000 to $1.4 million. When Congress authorized the establishment of the Bureau of Pensions in 1833, it was the first administrative unit dedicated solely to the assistance of veterans. The new Bureau of Pensions was administered from 1833 to 1840 as part of the Department of War, and from 1840 to 1849 as the Office of Pensions under the Navy Secretary. The office then was assigned to the new Department of the Interior, and renamed the Bureau of Pensions. In 1858 Congress authorized half-pay pensions to veterans’ widows and to their orphan children until they reached the age of 16. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, the nation had about 80,000 war veterans. By the end of the war in 1865, another 1.9 million veterans had been added to the rolls. This included only veterans of Union forces. Confederate soldiers received no federal veterans benefits until 1958, when Congress pardoned Confederate service-members and extended benefits to the single remaining survivor. The General Pension Act of 1862 provided disability payments based on rank and degree of disability, and liberalized benefits for widows, children and dependent relatives. The law covered military service in time of peace as well as during the Civil War. The act included, for the first time, compensation for diseases such as tuberculosis incurred while in service. Union veterans also were assigned a special priority in the Homestead Act of 1862, which provided Western land at $1.25 an acre. The year 1862 also marked the establishment of the National Cemetery System, to provide burial for the many Union dead of the Civil War. The first national effort to provide medical care for disabled veterans in the United States was the Naval Home, established in Philadelphia in 1812. This was followed by two facilities in Washington, D.C. -- the Soldiers’ Home in 1853 and St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in 1855. In his second inaugural address in 1865, President Lincoln called upon Congress “to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.” This was later adopted as the VA’s motto. Immediately after the Civil War, the number of disabled veterans in need was so great that Congress in 1865 authorized the National Asylum for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. The name was changed to the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in 1873. The federal organization had individual residences, called branches. The first branch opened in Togus, Maine. Primarily providing room and board, these homes also gave incidental medical care to disabled and indigent veterans, regardless of whether their disabilities were service related. In the years that followed, national homes cared for veterans of the Mexican, Civil, Indian and Spanish-American Wars, and for noncombat veterans as well. By the late 1920s, medical care at the homes had risen to hospital level. After the Civil War, veterans organized to seek increased benefits. The Grand Army of the Republic, consisting of Union veterans of the Civil War, was the largest veterans organization emerging from the war. As part of the effort between 1865 and 1870 to rebury battlefield casualties, 70 national cemeteries were opened and 300,000 remains gathered and reburied. Of the total buried, 142,000 were unknown. In 1873 Congress authorized national cemetery burial for all honorably discharged Union veterans. The Consolidation Act in 1873 revised pension legislation, paying on the degree of disability rather than the service rank. The Act also began the aid and attendance program, in which a disabled veteran is paid to hire a nurse or housekeeper. The increase in the number of veterans following the Civil War led Congress in 1881 to authorize the construction of a new building for the Bureau of Pensions. In 1887 the Pension Building on G Street in Northwest Washington, D.C., was completed. The Bureau of Pensions remained there until 1926, when it was moved to 19th and F Streets. Until 1890, Civil War pensions were granted only to servicemen discharged because of illness or disability attributable to military service. The Dependent Pension Act of 1890 substantially broadened the scope of eligibility, providing pensions to veterans incapable of manual labor. Within the next three years the number of veterans on the pension roll increased from 489,000 to 996,000 and expenditures doubled. Legislation passed in the 19th century had established a general pension system that could be applied to future pension recipients. As a consequence, new pension laws did not follow the Spanish-American War in 1898 or the Philippine Insurrection, 1899 to 1901. The first important pension law in the 20th century was the Sherwood Act of 1912, which awarded pensions to all veterans. A similar law in the 19th century had limited recipients to Revolutionary War veterans. Under the Sherwood Act, veterans of the Mexican War and Union veterans of the Civil War could receive pensions automatically at age 62, regardless of whether they were sick or disabled. As a result, the record shows that of the 429,354 Civil War veterans on pension rolls in 1914, only 52,572 qualified on grounds of disability.VA operates hundreds of medical facilities, issues millions of checks for education, disability and pensions, and supervises more than 125 national cemeteries. With more than 275,000 employees (as of September 2008), VA is America’s second largest federal agency. When eligible dependents and survivors are included, approximately 63 million people -- about one-quarter of the nation’s population -- are eligible for VA benefits and services. Do you know of any building named“National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers?” Buildings at the Leavenworth VA Medical Center have also been in the market as a National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. The names may change and confuse non-veterans, but the service remains the same. The service and treatment is outstanding.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2009-12-01 09:50:00

What ever happened to America’s Atomic Test Veterans?

Answer: While it has been 60 years since the birth of the Atomic Bomb and the beginning of long-term effects of ionizing radiation on the health of America’s Atomic Veterans, only 50 of the more than 280,000 veteran claims for service connected ionizing radiation exposure compensation have been approved by the Veterans Administration to date. The overwhelming majority, left to fend for themselves and in many cases the genetic abnormalities passed on to their children, have born the full financial responsibility for their medical treatment and care. Adding to the indignity is the lack of any personal recognition for the critical contributions and sacrifices made during America’s atmospheric and underwater atomic test conducted between 1945 and the signing of the Nuclear Proliferation Act in 1963. It is the study of their human exposure during these test periods that provided the technical structure required to harness the atom and develop the systems that would be compatible with not only using and delivering the power of the atom but also provided the knowledge base required to develop a safe and reliable environment for human operators. The technical data, fuels to be used, construction concepts, systems development, training and ultimate deployment of our Nuclear Fleet and weapons systems would not have been realized without the devoted service and sacrifice of the Atomic Veteran. Perhaps, of even greater significance, are the contributions that extend beyond the military practicalities to include the foundations for advancements in nuclear medicine, power generation and many other areas of true significant benefit for all humanity. These proud veterans, that included nearly one million service members from every branch, served as guards, ships crew, air samplers, water samplers, pilots, photographers, safety monitors, recovery specialists, clean-up crews, assemblers, animal keepers, transportation and cargo handlers on land, air and at sea. In a statement recognizing July 16, 2002 as a “National Atomic Day of Remembrance”, President George W. Bush stated that the Atomic Veteran’s exposure to nuclear radiation was as grave as any War Veteran who was wounded in action, where in both instances the veteran stood in harms way, did their duty and protected the United States of America. Helen Malaskiewicz, Senior Environmental Health Coordinator (131) Department of Veterans Affairs stated, “I regret this group of veterans have been overlooked (hopefully this will only be the past and not the future) but we are trying our best to make certain they are remembered for their service “. However, these comments have yielded little in the way of personal recognition or assistance for our aging and ailing veterans. Many feel neglected, rejected and hurt that they have yet to be cited for their honorable service. The purpose of this drive is not to detract from the value or importance of any veteran’s service nor elevate Atomic Veterans on a pedestal but rather, a request to be included as a prominently visible part of our national and military history. Currently, it is estimated that as many as 75% of the original participants are deceased with only 44 known surviving Atomic Test veterans living in Kansas. Of these 44, the number can be counted on one hand that have not battled cancer, or multiple cancers their whole life. True of all men, especially those in the twilight of their life, we seek to justify in our own minds the value of our lives. Did we do the best we could? Did we make a difference? Did we contribute in any meaningful way to the development of our nation and the future of our family and neighbors lives? Would it then be too much for us to provide a testament to their contribution from which we have all benefited? Thank you for your time and consideration of the critical contributions these Atomic Veterans have made to our country and their continued daily struggles with the after effects. They are still serving, quietly, with grace and dignity and without the simplest form of individual recognition. It is time to bring them into the sun light. It is time for our President, to individually recognize the Atomic Veteran and extend on our behalf, as citizens and benefactors; our most heart felt gratitude for their contributions and a Job Well Done.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2009-11-01 15:55:00

Question (mine to you): Several months ago I asked the readers to come up with the last surviving Civil War veteran in the state of Kansas. We wanted to know the date that the last surviving veteran died, his place of burial and the Military unit he served in. We didn’t want to know whether the veteran was either Union or Confederate.

Answer (yours to mine): I received an email from Gail F. Keen, who stated she was a very young 60 year old. Her dad is Robert Warner and had just turned 92 and is one of the only living sons of civil war veterans. Now this is not deceased civil war veterans. But the name of our organization is the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and this is an actual Son of a Civil War Veteran. His father was William Carter Warner, 9th Indiana Cavalry, Co B. William Carter Warner died in 1932 when Robert Warner was father was 15 years old. William Carter Warner is buried in the Wellington Cemetery in Sumner Co. He was one of the Veterans who came to Kansas for “free land.” He was also one of the survivors of the Sultana Disaster. He was a POW in Cahaba (An Old Cotton Warehouse) Prison in Alabama at the end of the War and was among those marched to Vicksburg, MS to board steamships going to Cairo, Ill, where they were to receive their discharge. They never made it. The ship, The Sultana, exploded in the vicinity of Memphis, TN on April 27th, 1865 making the largest maritime disaster in the history of the US, even surpassing the death toll on the Titanic. William Carter Warner was one fortunate survivors. Over two thirds of the of the POW’s were killed. “Captain J.C. Mason of St. Louis was the Captain. The Sultana left New Orleans on April 21, 1865 75 to 100 cabin passengers, deck passengers, and numerous heads of livestock bound for market in St. Louis. At Vicksburg. MI the steamship stopped for a series of hasty repairs to the boilers and to take on more passengers. Rather than have a bad boiler replaced, a small patch repair was made to reinforce a leaking area. A section of bulged boiler plate was removed, and a patch of less thickness than the parent plate was riveted in its place.[2] This repair only took about a day, whereas to replace the boiler completely would have taken about three days. Captain Mason was itching to be on his way and had the patch job done because it was faster. During the Sultana’s time in port, men tried to muscle, bribe, and threaten their way on board, until the ship was bursting at the seams with soldiers. More than two thousand men crowded aboard. Most of the new passengers were Union soldiers, chiefly from Ohio and just released from POW prison camps in the South. The US government had contracted with the Sultana to transport these former POW’s back to their homes. With a legal capacity of only 376, the Sultana was severely overcrowded. Many of Sultana’s passengers had been weakened by their incarceration and associated illnesses. Passengers were packed into every available berth, and the overflow was so severe that the decks were completely packed. The cause of the explosion was a leaky and poorly repaired steam boiler. At Memphis at 2:00 A.M., there was a terrific explosion that sent some of the passengers on deck into the water while destroying a good portion of the ship. Hot coals scattered by the explosion soon turned the remaining superstructure into an inferno, the glare of which could be seen in Memphis. About 500 survivors, many with horrible burns, were transported to hospitals in Memphis. Up to 300 of them died later from burns or exposure. Newspaper accounts indicate that the people of Memphis had sympathy for the victims despite the fact that they had recently been enemies. The Chicago Opera Troupe staged a benefit, the crew of the Essex raised $1,000, and the mayor took in three survivors.” No exact death toll is known. Estimates range from 1,300 to 1,900. The official count was 1,547. Modern historians tend to concur on a figure of with “up to 1,800”. Final estimates of survivors were between 700-800. Many of the dead were interred at the National Cemetery in Memphis. The official cause of the Sultana disaster was determined to be mismanagement of water levels in the boiler, exacerbated by “careening.” The Sultana was severely overcrowded and top heavy. As the steamship made its way north following the twists and turns of the river, the Sultana listed severely to one side then the other. The Sultana’s four boilers were interconnected and mounted side-by-side, so that if the ship tipped sideways, water would tend to run out of the highest boiler. With the fires still going against the empty boiler, this created hot spots. When the ship tipped the other way, water rushing back into the empty boiler would hit the hot spots and flash instantly to steam, creating a sudden surge in pressure. This effect of careening could have been minimized by maintaining high water levels in the boilers. The official inquiry found that Sultana‘s boilers exploded due to the combined effects of careening, low water level, and a faulty repair to a leaky boiler made a few days earlier. To be continued next month...

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2009-10-01 15:50:00

For Kansas and Kansans the first actions and engagements in Kansas in the Civil War were on May 4, 1861 when there was a seizure of Ordinance stores. Followed on September 1, 1861 by a skirmish in Fort Scott, KS. A year later in September 8-32, 1862 there was an expedition from Fort Leavenworth, KS through Jackson, Cass, Johnson and Lafayette County, Missouri. There was also a skirmish near Cato, Kansas (Crawford County) on November 8, 1862 . Between November 6-11 there was an additional expedition from Fort Scott, Kansas. The following year in 1864 there were over twenty-three actions within Kansas or involving Kansas troops. In 1865, the year the Civil War ended there were seventeen actions or engagements in Kansas or involving Kansas troops. Kansas was first known as a free state, then later as Bloody Kansas then later as the Soldier State. Bloody Kansas was because of the bloody actions with in its borders immediately before the Civil War and then during the war. The state was crossed many hundreds of times by troops and the bands of irregulars such as Quantrill and his raiders. This was war west of the Missippi. There was constant danger, whole cities were burned both from the southern forces and also from the Indian bands on both sides. The quota for Kansas was over sixteen thousand men, but over twenty thousand served in the Union Forces. The Kansas units and its men served in all theaters. Kansas had many skirmishes but only one full blown battle on Kansas soil. That was the Battle of Mine Creek in Linn Co., KS. The First Kansas Regiment was formed on May 8,1861 at Camp Lincoln, near Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. It was mustered into service on June 3rd, 1861. The officers were from such exotic locations as Lawrence, Leavenworth, Quindaro, Burlington, Olathe, Kansas City, Atchison and Ohio City. Similar activity was followed by the other twelve regiments formed by Kansas troops. The last regiment, the Thirteenth was organized on September 10th, 1862 and mustered into service on September 20th, 1862 at Camp Stanton, Kansas. It was mustered out at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas on July 13, 1865. Many Kansas soldiers were killed in battle, but at least six of them died in Camp Sumpter or as it was more commonly known as Andersonville, (Georgia): Freeman, F.J. Sgt Company F, died June 4, 1864, diarrhea buried in grave 1614. Gensarde, Thos. Company A died June 14, 1864 diarrhea buried in grave 1935. Sweeney, M.I. Company H died November 22, 1864 seorbutus buried in grave 12127. Weldman, W. Company B died October 19, 1864 diarrhea buried in grave 11139. William, C.A. Company A died June 6, 1864 dysentery buried in grave 1663. These are the only soldiers with a Kansas connection known. There may be many more but, records from that period of time are sketchy. Even researching by the National Park Register of burials may not bring up any information. In the 1990’s I asked about placing a marker honoring the Kansas units who fought in the Civil War. My answer was that space was at a premium. A marker could not be placed there, but they would be happy to accept donations.. The Andersonville cemetery is now the final resting place for those who perished while being held as POWs at Camp Sumter. But it is also now a National Cemetery, serving as a honored burial place for present-day veterans. It is an active cemetery, continuing to bury veterans and their dependents. Kansas has two National Cemeteries. One at Leavenworth, KS, and one at Fort Scott. While not National cemeteries, both Fort Leavenworth and Fort Riley also have cemeteries on base. Kansas has a rich history, sources such as Andrea’s History of Kansas or The Official Records: War of the Rebellion are important sources to any reader.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2009-09-01 14:47:00

Is the only benefit that most veterans get when they’re buried is a government issued headstone?

Answer: Benefits for veterans is an area that needs much ‘addressing’. The veterans of the War of 1812 weren’t provided with a pension until the Civil War was being fought nearly 50 years later. Even President Roosevelt cut the veterans’ pensions when the depression hit. Veterans, everybody loves them, but I believe that our laws must reflect our gratitude to the men and women who so valiantly served our nation in battle. But to many veterans, it seems like they are remembered in Washington only on Veterans Day. Speeches are all well and good, but when health care is needed or the necessary funds for the veteran and their family to live on, that’s a different story. Today it’s clear to many veterans that the administration and Congress think of them on other days of the year besides Veterans Day. They’re thinking of veterans as they work to cut off VA health care. They’re thinking of veterans when they refuse to address lingering health problems from the first Gulf War. They’re thinking of veterans when they block full retirement and disability benefits for retired members of the armed services. Retired members who don’t complete twenty years of military service due to service connected disabilities are left even further behind. And they’re thinking of veterans when they decide not to attend a soldier’s funeral or pay a visit to those who are recovering from injuries at Walter Reed Army Medical Center just a few miles from the seats of power in Washington. We all like to see our senators and representatives attend a veteran’s funeral in Kansas, but is it just a public relations opportunity for them? Since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began, 6,239 troops had been wounded in action, according to a recent Pentagon count. Of those, 57% were so severely injured that they were unable to return to duty. Medically retired from active duty military service, they need immediate assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system. Despite Abraham Lincoln’s admonition for the country “to care for him who shall have borne the battle,” hundreds of thousands of vets nationwide potentially are missing out on benefits from the Veterans Administration - and the agency’s efforts to find them have fallen far short. For those whose VA claims have been denied it’s even worse. They become discouraged and give up on getting the needed VA medical benefits for them and for their family. Unfortunately, the only benefit that most veterans get is a government headstone when they are buried. And that’s not guaranteed when the bean counters take over after the end of a war. Here is some brief history about the Veterans Administration: 1930....The Veterans Administration created by Executive Order 5398, signed by President Herbert Hoover on July 21. At that time, there were 54 hospitals, 4.7 million living veterans and 31,600 employees. 1933…The Board of Veterans Appeals established. 1944....On June 22, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the “Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944” (Public Law 346, passed unanimously by the 78th Congress), more commonly known as “The GI Bill of Rights,” offering home loan and education benefits to veterans. 1946....The Department of Medicine & Surgery established, succeeded in 1989 by the Veterans Health Services and Research Administration, renamed the Veterans Health Administration in 1991. 1953....The Department of Veterans Benefits established, succeeded in 1989 by the Veterans Benefits Administration. 1973....The National Cemetery System – renamed the National Cemetery Administration in 1998 – created when Congress transferred 82 national cemeteries from the Army to VA. The Army kept Arlington National Cemetery and the U.S. Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. 1988....Legislation to elevate VA to Cabinet status signed by President Reagan. 1989....On March 15, VA became the 14th Department in the President’s Cabinet.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2009-08-01 13:52:00

“If I went west, I think I would go to Kansas…” Abraham Lincoln, March 17, 1860 The Department of Kansas, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War announces that they have been selected to host the 129th National Convention of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 124th National Encampment, Auxiliary to the SUVCW and the 124th National Encampment, Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic. This is the first time in the history of the SUVCW or GAR that a National Encampment has been held within the borders of Kansas. From the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, through the years of “Bleeding Kansas” and the Border wars from 1855 to 1861, though the Civil War, and in the post-war expansion when Kansas became known as the “Soldier State,” Kansas has been synonymous with the Civil War. Kansas was the home of one Grand Army of the Republic Commander in Chief and two Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War Commanders-in-Chief. So how did we become known as the “Soldier State”? Kansas is known as a Soldier state due to the very large number of Civil War Veterans who settled here. Free land for veterans of the Civil War was a great incentive to move to Kansas. Almost all communities supported a camp of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). It was typical for those camps to sponsor or erect monuments to honor the Civil War Soldier whether lost during the war or a returned Veteran. The Women’s Relief Corps (WRC), Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic (LGAR), and others also erected memorials and monuments. Many county court house squares, City Parks, and local cemeteries are so honored. Over 400 GAR Posts were located in Kansas and one Department GAR organization. Plus all of the GAR auxiliary organizations. Not all of them were recognized by the National GAR organizations. According to Wikipedia Kansas also has a town named “Soldier’ But the town named Soldier, was once “Soldiers Creek” and was first named in the early 1850s when government surveyors were moving through the territory plotting out the 39th parallel and they found two army soldiers camped along the local creek. This was informally named Soldier’s Creek but the possessive tense was eventually dropped in everyday conversation. Although Soldier Township was organized on July 4th 1872, the city was not incorporated until September 1878. Doubtless many Civil War veterans felt comfortable in a town named “Soldier”. But Kansas had another name “Bleeding Kansas”, now. In 1854, in the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the U.S. Congress established Kansas as an official territory, but in so doing, Congress violated a compromise between slave states and free states that was supposed to make both Kansas and Nebraska free states. Instead, Congress said that the people of Kansas and Nebraska would vote on whether to make the territories free or slave states when they applied for statehood. In 1855, Kansas tried to elect a legislature that would write a state constitution to present to Congress as part of its application for statehood. Most of the settlers in Kansas, such as Mennonites and Quakers, were antislavery (known as “free staters”), but proslavery men from outside Kansas were imported to vote in the election, and through intimidation of antislavery voters and ballot-box stuffing, they “won” the election. The new legislature quickly wrote a proslavery constitution, which Congress rejected because the state legislature was not recognized as legitimate. In 1855, the Topeka Movement favoring a free state was begun, and its followers wrote their own state constitution; this, too, was rejected by Congress because the authors had not been properly elected. By 1856, proslavery terrorists were killing free-state farmers. On August 21 1856, an out-of-state proslavery gang invaded Lawrence, an overwhelmingly free-state community, and murdered over 150 people and burned down most of the town. The antislavery fanatic John Brown gathered some of his followers and invaded farms along Pottawatomie Creek, south of Kansas City, murdering five proslavery men; this became known as the Pottawatomie Massacre. A proslavery militia later attacked John Brown and some of his followers, only to be captured by those they tried to kill. This made John Brown a hero among many antislavery people. These events inspired the nickname “Bleeding Kansas,” and the violence and murders continued even after the conclusion of the Civil War (1861–1865). Statehood: Beginning in 1860 and lasting until telegraph lines were established between America’s West and East, the Pony Express passed through Kansas. By 1861, Kansas had managed to have an election that Congress recognized as valid, and the resulting territorial legislature wrote a state constitution outlawing slavery that Congress also recognized as valid. On January 29 1861, Kansas was admitted as the thirty-fourth state in the Union, although a large part of its western territory was ceded to what eventually would become the state of Colorado. Topeka was declared the state capital. On April 12 1861, the Civil War began, pitting proslavery Southern states, the Confederacy, against the rest of the country, the Union. More than 20,000 Kansans enlisted in the Union army; at the war’s end, 8,500 (28.33 percent) of the Kansas soldiers had been killed, the highest mortality rate of any Union state. The first skirmishes against Confederate regulars occurred in 1861 along the Missouri River, with the first significant combat for Kansas troops occurring near Springfield, Missouri, in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, with the First Kansas Volunteer Infantry suffering heavy losses. Kansas historians claim that the first African Americans to see significant combat in the Civil War were the First Kansas Colored Infantry, who were formed into a regiment in August 1862, and who fought Confederate troops at Butler, Missouri, on October 29 1862 in the Battle of Toothman’s Mound. Under Colonel James M. Williams, white and black Union troops fought together as a unit for the first time in a battle at Cabin Creek on July 2 1863 in the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), against Confederate troops who had raided a train. The most significant battle in Kansas during the Civil War occurred when Union forces under the command of Major General James G. Blunt and Confederate forces under General Douglas Cooper met in a series of clashes involving more than 25,000 troops, concluding in the Battle of Mine Creek, in which 10,000 troops fought. The First Kansas Colored Infantry underwent a forced march northeastward through Kansas to the battle and was stationed in the Union line’s center. The regiment advanced to within 30 yards of the Confederate center, enduring heavy losses until the Confederate line broke and fled, ending the battle. So we started as the Bleeding Kansas, went to the Soldiers state and then probably became the “Old Soldier State” when all the veterans moved to Kansas for almost free land. But the old soldiers continued to get old, and started to pass away. We don’t know who was the last living Civil War veteran, but it would be nice to find out. If you would like to nominate an “Old Soldier” who was the last civil war veteran in the state of Kansas to pass away send the details to davtswceo@sbcglobal.net. Please note this is for civil war veteran only. I would like to further amend this to ask for the last living civil war veteran in each county.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2009-07-01 11:56:00

Question: Kansas of course wasn’t the center of the Civil War, but we had many soldiers die. Today, many of the grave markers are worn smooth. Is anything being done to remedy this?

Answer: Kansas had a lot going on during the Civil War and the period immediately before it. There were the usual blood feuds in the style of John Brown or William Quantrill; the actual list is plentiful. Check on any computer connected to the Internet and you will see what is available in Kansas. Every fairly old cemetery in Kansas will have its share of Civil War veterans. A friend of mine is cataloging the cemeteries. He runs the Kansas Virtual Civil War Veteran Cemetery. His count as of June 10, 2009 is: Photos and Videos :113,424 Photostreams: 36,794 Sets: 30,294 Collections: 106 It is a labor of love for him; he gets no funds for doing this. My idea of fun is to find unmarked or unreadable Civil War graves in cemeteries. If the stone is worn so much that it can’t be read, the VA will furnish a replacement marker. But the cost of installing it is not included. Local veterans groups may take care of this, but don’t depend on it, check first. The cemetery records may show what the marker should show. Check with the local genealogical society also, they may have transcribed the cemetery records. They can also help in locating cemeteries. Other civic organizations may also help. The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War have a National Graves Registration Project. The project was established in 1996. Since then, hundreds of dedicated people from within and without the SUVCW have devoted thousands of hours of their time and energy visiting cemeteries, recording, verifying, researching and entering the final resting places of Civil War veterans. There are two separate sections to this database. Anyone can view the listings, but to list you most be approved. The Web site SUVCW.org will give you further details. It is the SUVCW’s hope that this online database program will promote increased interest in the SUVCW National Graves Registration Project and have an entirely new level of achievement. Depending on the source referenced, there were between 4.2 and 4.8 million Union Civil War veterans. Due to mass burials, unreported battlefield losses, burials at sea and other circumstances, we can never expect to register all Union graves, but we can succeed in honoring the “boys in blue” to the best of our ability.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2009-05-01 11:45:00

Question: There is a purpose for Memorial Day, a solemn and sobering purpose. What is this purpose?

Answer: Perhaps it’s best captured in the refrain of an old poem many of us read as school children at this time of year – “Recessional” by Rudyard Kipling. “Lest we forget – lest we forget!” warned Kipling. This poet knew the meaning of war all too well. And he sends those phrases back to us five times in this short eulogy to the dead of a war fought long ago. Yet those words hold the same haunting power for us today, as young Americans fight – and die – in Afghanistan and Iraq. We will gather that day “lest we forget” ... lest our nation forget those who sacrificed the breath of life in all our wars right up to the present day. Let’s begin with a couple stories about people who have not forgotten ... who are determined to remember. The first takes place at a beautiful cemetery for our American war dead outside of Florence, Italy. A retired doctor stands beside the grave of his brother. With great sorrow, he looks into a camera and says ... “My brother was only twenty when he was taken from us. He was a natural born skier. He was told he was going to be on the first Olympic ski team after World War II.” But that would never be. Corporal Bud Winter was killed in Alpine combat one month before the end of the war in Europe. More than sixty years later, his brother shared the burden of grief he still carries in his heart, saying ... “All of us were devastated. We’re so thankful for you, Bud.” That’s one scene from a film that many across the United States are watching over Memorial Day weekend this year – a documentary made with major funding from the Disabled American Veterans. This scene – and many others – makes two serious points. First, when a young person makes the ultimate sacrifice for our country in war, it’s the most extraordinary gift a human being can offer – the gift of one’s own life. The measure of such a sacrifice can never be taken. It cannot be matched by anything else one human being can do for another. The sacrifice of one’s life is eternal; it lasts forever. Second is the cost paid by the families of the dead. For them, the wars of the past don’t just pass into the pages of history books. Losses from the World Wars, Korea, Vietnam and the Gulf War still weigh upon the hearts of families today. Even as new burdens of grief are taken up by the families of those killed in Afghanistan and Iraq, old sorrows are carried by those who lost loved ones in countless small conflicts like Beirut, Somalia, Panama, Kosovo, Bosnia, and on and on. Let’s go back to Kipling’s poem: “Lest we forget – lest we forget.” Even though we’re in the midst of two wars, there truly is danger that we will forget. Except for our military families – especially the families that grieve the dead and care for members who came home disabled – few feel the actual cost of our nation’s defense. That’s the big reason the Disabled American Veterans supported the film, Hallowed Grounds. In most places across the country, it’s scheduled for broadcast on PBS stations on the evening of Monday, May 25, the official observance of Memorial Day. Don’t worry if you miss it this year. Public Broadcasting Service plans to air this beautiful, deeply moving film each year for ten years. So you’ll have nine more opportunities to see it...and to remember those who pay the human cost of war. We’ve been at war in Afghanistan for eight and a half years now. We’ve been in Iraq for more than six. These are two of the longest wars in America’s history. But the personal impact of these wars has fallen on a smaller percentage of American families than in any war for more than a century. Americans say they love their men and women in uniform. I don’t doubt that for a minute, but some disturbing realities have surfaced. Remember all those yellow-ribbon magnets from the beginning of the wars? Most of them have fallen from America’s cars, never to be replaced. The wild enthusiasms of that period are gone, and that may be good. Whether individual Americans are for or against the wars, they’re more thoughtful now. But could we have more public display of support for the troops ... and the veterans? Could people still feel comfortable, walking up to someone in uniform to say, “Thank you?” So I hope you’ll take a moment this Memorial Day observance to recommit yourself to doing those small things that make a big difference: •Fly your American Flag, not just on national holidays but often. •Put that magnet back on your car. •Greet men and women in uniform. •Volunteer at a VA hospital, nursing home, or clinic. •Take veterans to VA medical centers in a DAV van. •Help that older veteran who can’t do chores around the house. You get the picture. Do that concrete stuff that gives real meaning to the phrase, “Support Our Troops.” Hey, you’ll feel great, no matter how you help. Another thing that alarms me – that needs to change – is the order of our national priorities. What concerns me turned up in a nationwide survey of public attitudes that was taken before the economic meltdown. Even though our nation was at war on two fronts at the time, this survey showed the American people were most deeply concerned about their own pocketbook issues. The mortgage issue, which was beginning to emerge at that time, was the top concern. Second came gasoline prices, which were then rising. Americans gave these and several other issues far more weight than the wars our young heroes were fighting or their well-being as veterans. Yes, as this survey was taken, we were beginning to move into a more difficult period. Though no one really knew how harsh times were going to get, most everyone was growing nervous about the future. However, I have to ask myself: • What happens if war and the impact of war can rate so low on the public agenda while the troops are still fighting and bleeding and dying in combat? •How quickly will those troops be forgotten when the roadside bombs stop exploding? Yes, these are distressing questions, and I think we’re already seeing the answers. True, the American people do love their troops and their veterans. They’re grateful. But the needs of the troops and the veterans are decidedly not at the front of most people’s minds. “Lest we forget – lest we forget!” The tendency to let the memory of war dim is the American way. It happened after the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. It happened after all the big wars of the 20th century. And the tragic fact is, it’s already happening now with Iraq and Afghanistan, while the troops are still on the field of battle. An American kid who is killed in Kandahar today is a statistic in the news tomorrow. And on the following day, the memory of the incredible sacrifice he or she made for you and me begins to fade. It’s hard. It’s wrong. It should never be that way. But this is the reality we face. But simply complaining will do nothing to change this reality in a society that honors its war dead by going to the mall for “Memorial Day Sales.” What we must do is act ... as you’ve done by coming to this observance today. We’ll act again on Veterans Day in the autumn, and on Memorial Day a year from now. In the meantime, we’ll remember that we honor the dead by serving those who lived through our wars but need our help today. Each of the veterans’ organizations has terrific programs that help America’s heroes and their families, so take your pick. If you want to get involved in the DAV’s volunteer programs, let the DAV know. I’ll get you in touch with the right people, and you’ll be on your way. But let me close with this. I’m grateful to you for coming here today, truly grateful. The deep sentiments of Rudyard Kipling’s great poem ring true in your heart. You have not failed to remember the great sacrifice represented by the death of a soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, or a hand in the Coast Guard. You have honored that sacrifice. You have carried the message to others: “Lest we forget.” Thank you. HALLOWED GROUNDS Around the world 125,000 American military men and women are buried on foreign soil. Thousands more are still missing. But none has been forgotten. The new PBS documentary HALLOWED GROUNDS provides a rare look at 22 of America’s overseas military cemeteries. With stirring images and details, the 1-hour program tells the story of these remarkable commemorative shrines. The film is the first major documentary of any kind to be made about these remarkable fields of honor, and includes historical sequences about the wars and battles that created them, as well as moving vignettes and interviews about the men and women who rest in them.Created by the U.S. government after World War I and World War II, these cemeteries represent some of America’s great national treasures. Dignified and serene, they were created to honor America’s fallen, but they also evoke gratitude and teach important lessons of history to all who visit – foreign citizens and Americans. They are located in England, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, Tunisia and the Philippines. Sponsored by a grant from DAV’s National Service Foundation, HALLOWED GROUNDS will air on PBS stations nationwide on Memorial Day, May 25 at 10:00 pm ET. Check your local listings for broadcast times in your area.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2009-05-01 11:45:00

How did the national celebration of Flag Day begin?

Answer: On June 14th, 1885, Bernard J. Cigrand, a 19 year old teacher at Stony Hill School, placed a 10-inch, 38-star flag in a bottle on his desk then assigned essays on the flag and its significance. This observance commemorated Congress’s adoption of the Stars and Stripes as the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777. This observance was also the beginning of Cigrand’s long years of fervent and devoted effort to bring about national recognition and observance of Flag Day. The crowning achievement of his life came at age fifty when President Wilson, on June 14, 1916, issued a proclamation calling for a nationwide observance of Flag Day. Our flag deserves respect because it reflects what we stand for, who we are and how we got here. Look at the design: DEEP BLUE STANDS FOR HONOR: In the upper left hand corner is a canton of deep blue. Deep blue stands for the honor of the countless men and women who died for the ideals that make America great, and gave all they had so that we could be free. WHITE STARS INDICATE DIVERSITY: Splattered over the canton of deep blue are 50 white stars, each representing a state in the United States. Each star stands for the diversity of the states, we are different peoples, but alike in that we are all Americans. SEVEN RED STRIPES REPRESENT THE PRICE OF FREEDOM: We know that nothing comes for free, everything has a price, including freedom. The seven red stripes represent the blood that Americans shed while they have kept our Nation free. SIX WHITE STRIPES REPRESENT THE PURITY OF SPIRIT: America was founded by people that felt they deserved something better, they were pioneers with undaunted spirit. TOGETHER THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE OF OUR AMERICAN FLAG SYMBOLIZE WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO US: Our ideals of right over might; our ceaseless belief in freedom, justice and equal opportunity under the law. All we hold sacred, religious principals, freedom of worship, and faith in God. We must respect our flag. How you may ask? Stand and hold your hand over your heart when she passes. Each time you hear the National Anthem or Taps hold yourself in silent tribute. Fly the flag on holidays and as directed by our President, and especially on June 14th as Flag Day is celebrated.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2009-04-01 14:39:00

I’ve heard the name Captain Kirk several times thoughtout my life, is there such a man, or is this just a fictional character?

Answer: “WITH FLAG ON HIS BREAST” with the following statement as an explanation: “Captain Kirk Laid to rest by His Comrades Yesterday”. So read the Wichita Beacon on Thursday, August 1 of 1907 for former Captain Jonathan C. Kirk. His funeral was held at his home, only in this case his home was the Baltimore Hotel. This was the home of Captain Kirk and also that of his son F.W. Kirk. His home was at 302 Pattie Avenue in Wichita. Both Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) members and their wives were present. The services at the home started with a singing of America. Rev. N.E. Harmon of the GAR, then delivered a touching sermon on the life of Captain Kirk. After the services, the old soldiers who did not drive boarded a special street car and were taken to Maple Grove Cemetery. There they marched as a group to the GAR burial ground. Following interment, there was a short GAR service. His Medal of Honor citation was somewhat short: “Volunteered for dangerous service and single-handedly captured 13 armed Confederate soldiers and marched them to the rear.” He was a Captain and a member of the Company F, 20th Indiana Infantry at the time. This action occurred at North Anna River, VA on May 23, 1864. He did not receive his Medal of Honor until June 13, 1894 over thirty years later. Most veterans did not know that they had received the MOH. They had to apply through the local GAR post and usually the medals were simply mailed to them. Captain Kirk entered the service in Wilmington, Ohio and was born in Clinton County, Ohio. The brief notation about Captain Kirk does not tell us much about the man. Even the history of the unit, in this case the 20th Indiana Infantry does not say much. At Gettysburg, you cannot generally tell from the ornateness of a monument, whether the regiment was nearly slaughtered here or whether it simply sat in reserve. Such a case is the 20th Indiana: a very simple monument. The monument is located on the edge of the Wheatfield along Cross Avenue. This monument was dedicated on October 28, 1885. It was part of the 3rd Corps,1st Division, and 2nd Brigade The regiment was raised from the counties of Cass, Lake, Laporte, Marion, Marshall, Miami, Porter, Tippecanoe, and White in the summer of 1861, the 20th was commanded at Gettysburg by Col. John Wheeler (1825-1863), an editor from Crown Point. The monument stands near where he was killed in 1863. Command then fell to Lt. Col. William C.L. Taylor (1836-1901), a lawyer from Lafayette. The 20th Regiment Infantry “Fighting Three Hundred” was his unit. It was 0rganized at Lafayette, Ind., and mustered in July 22, 1861. The unit left Indiana for Baltimore, Md., August 2. During their military service the regiment lost 15 Officers, and 186 Enlisted men were killed and mortally wounded, and 113 Enlisted men by disease. At the end of the war they were moved to Louisville, Ky., June 14-21 and duty there until July 12. Mustered out July 12, and discharged at Indianapolis, Ind. But what of Captain Kirk? His MOH was awarded for his actions on May 23, 1864. That was the Battle of the North Anna River. Other than the brief statement, we know nothing more about his service. His military records make no mention of the award or action. Captain Kirk is buried by the GAR Memorial Pavilion in Maple Grove Cemetery in Wichita. His stone was replaced with the right marker for Medal of Honor recipient. Each Memorial Day and Veterans Day it is appropriately marked.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2009-02-01 14:22:00

Question: What exactly is the D.A.V and how does it help.

Answer: Treaties are signed and the battles of nations end, but the personal battles of those disabled in war only begin when the guns fall silent. These men and women must struggle to regain health, reshape lives shattered by disability, learn new trades or professions and rejoin the civilian world. At each step, they need help, to help themselves. For three quarters of a century now, that aid has come from the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), a nonprofit organization of more than one million veterans disabled during a time of war or armed conflict. Formed in 1920 and chartered by Congress in 1932, the million-member DAV is the official voice of America’s service-connected disabled veterans; a strong, insistent voice that represents all of America’s 2.1 million disabled veterans, their families and survivors. It’s a nationwide network of services, free to all veterans and members of their families, and is totally supported by membership dues and contributions from the American public. Not a government agency, the DAVs national organization receives no government funds. The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) has a mission. Helping eligible veterans receive all the benefits and services they have earned through their sacrifices for their country. Well over half of all veterans eligible for DAV membership have already joined the ranks. If asked why they joined members would overwhelmingly cite DAV Services. Helping disabled veterans and their families is what the DAV does, that’s all they do, and they do it well because veterans deserve the best. Veterans like the fact that the DAV is not a government agency and receives no government funding. They know the DAV is on their side. That’s why more then 200,000 veterans and members of their families seek out professional DAV services every year. The DAV Thrift Stores sales support local veterans programs in the immediate Wichita area. Every year the DAV gives out food baskets to veterans and their families at any time of need, not just the holidays. We give clothing vouchers to veterans as needed. Our sales support the DAV-Transportation Network in the local area, veterans are driven to doctor and hospital appointments by DAV volunteer drivers at no charge. Our locally owned and operated stores employ approximately 70 people in our five stores and warehouse.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2009-02-01 11:16:00

Question: I heard someone talking about a National Hospitalized Veterans Week the other day, what is this?

Answer: The week of February 14 each year is your opportunity to say thank you to a special group of men and women, more than 98,000 veterans of the U.S. armed services who are cared for every day in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers, outpatient clinics, domiciliaries, and nursing homes. Mr. Vogel will lead VA’s annual patient recognition program inviting the public to visit and honor hospitalized veterans during National Salute Week, February 10 - 16, 2008. He will serve as national spokesperson for more than 90,000 volunteers serving veterans at VA facilities across the nation. The youngest celebrity to lead the National Salute, Vogel brings youthful energy to the program at a time when the number of young combat veterans under VA care is growing and VA is looking to younger generations of Americans to replenish an aging volunteer force. Vogel was born in Abington, Pennsylvania in 1979 and began modeling for Levi-Strauss & Company shortly after high school. He began his acting career in 2001 on the Fox Network television series “Grounded for Life.” He has appeared in a variety of movies since, including “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” “Rumor has It,” and “Poseidon,” the 2006 remake of the “Poseidon Adventure.” Currently, Vogel has a starring role in the new feature film “Cloverfield,” released in January 2008. Vogel became personally involved in supporting veterans after his cousin’s husband was killed during military duty in Iraq in 2007. Both of his grandfathers fought in World War II. One was a tank commander and veteran of the Battle of the Bulge; the other a Seabee in the Navy. During the National Salute, VA invites individuals, veterans groups, military personnel, civic organizations, businesses, schools, local media, celebrities and sports stars to participate in a variety of activities at the VA medical centers. The activities and events include special ward visits and valentine distributions; photo opportunities; school essay contests; special recreation activities and veteran recognition programs. The week also provides an opportunity for the community to become acquainted with the volunteer opportunities within the medical center. Contact your nearest VA Medical Center and ask for Voluntary Service, in Wichita contact the Robert J Dole VAMC and Regional Office at 685-2221 ask for Voluntary Service Coordinator.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2008-12-31 09:59:00

Question: With the Government bailing all the other agencies, how much are they really doing for the veterans?

Answer: Each year about this time Congress, meaning both the House and Senate, start telling us what they did for veterans in the last congressional session. Here’s some of what went on and how the President treated it: PRESIDENT BUSH SIGNED THE CRAIG’S VETERANS BILL INTO LAW $3.2 billion measure will improve health delivery, overturns historic ban on attorneys, and expands benefits. President George Bush also signed into law a $3.2 billion comprehensive benefits and health care bill for veterans sponsored by U.S. Senator Larry Craig, the outgoing chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “I hope veterans will rest a little easier on Christmas knowing that Congress did its job. We passed legislation that will enable this country to move forward with major construction projects for veterans and also will make some significant changes that will benefit veterans and their loved ones for generations to come,” said Sen. Craig from his home near Boise, Idaho. The bill the President signed is S. 3421, the Veterans Benefits, Healthcare, and Information Technology Act of 2006. Among its many provisions, the new law partially overturns a policy dating back to the Civil War era that has prohibited veterans from hiring attorneys to help them seek veterans’ benefits until they have spent months - sometimes years - exhausting the administrative process. The original policy came during a time when lawyers were often self trained and notoriously unscrupulous. As signed into law, this bill will now allow veterans or other VA claimants to hire attorneys during VA’s appeal process. “The old law may have made sense in 1866, but 140 years later it was time to reexamine that outdated policy. Veterans will still have the option of utilizing the representation services provided without charge by many veterans’ organizations, but in addition they will have the option of hiring an attorney if they so choose,” Craig said. The legislation will also require VA to establish an Office of Rural Health. “For rural states like Idaho, the addition of this office should ensure that VA continues to focus on the needs and challenges of veterans who live in outlying areas,” Craig said. The new law should also help rural states by allowing VA to create a pilot program which makes non-VA facilities - such as private nursing homes or community hospitals - eligible for state veterans’ home per diem payments. “This change will allow veterans to stay closer to home and loved ones. I think that’s important,” Craig said. Among its many provisions, the bill adds $65 million to increase the number of clinicians treating post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and $2 million for additional blind rehabilitation specialists and increases the number of facilities where the specialists will be located. It also authorizes VA to designate six: Parkinson’s disease Research, Education, and Clinical Centers of Excellence, and at least two Multiple Sclerosis Centers of Excellence. The bill contains provisions that will provide VA with additional tools to help it contract with veteran and disabled veteran-owned small businesses. “We want to make sure that veterans who do business with VA get high priority,” Craig said. The new veterans’ law authorizes the replacement of the VA facilities in New Orleans, which were wiped out during Hurricane Katrina, and move forward with new hospital projects in Denver, Las Vegas and Orlando. The bill also includes a provision sought by Sen. Craig which requires the removal of the remains of a double murderer - Russell Wayne Wagner - from Arlington National Cemetery. Wagner brutally murdered Daniel Davis, 84, and Wilda Davis, 80, in Maryland in 1994. Their son, Vernon Davis, is a veteran and he had sought help from Sen. Craig and Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski to have his parents’ killer removed from that hallowed ground. The new law will also enable the spouse or child of a service member who is hospitalized or receiving outpatient medical care to begin receiving financial help through VA for their education. Sen. Craig crafted that portion of the legislation earlier this year after meeting with Army Sgt. Jeff Mittman who was blinded during an attack in Iraq. The new law will also enable tribal organizations to obtain grants from VA to help them establish, expand, or improve veterans’ cemeteries on trust lands. “We accomplished a lot for veterans with this bill. It’s a great way to finish the year,” Craig said. The U.S. Constitution requires that a population tabulation be taken of our citizenry every decade. The search is on for WWI veterans. One WWI veteran in South Florida recently died; and the VA is rushing to find other WWI veterans that are still alive. Homer Anderson’s death on September 23, at 108 years old, was a few month’s shy of his 109th birthday. His passing left 12 men - soldiers and sailors, who 90 years ago lived through trench and early chemical warfare. Believe it or not, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs just began compiling the list a year ago. The authorities and historians believe there may be more WWI veterans whose ages are well past 100 years. SEC Delegate Joe Delgado, PC of Abe Wolkofsky - Bronx Chapter #23 comes from the same village as Emilio Mercado, of Puerto Rico, who at 115 is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s oldest human being. If he is able to travel, I hope that Joe Delgado can help us arrange to bring this surviving hero to New York, so that we may honor him. Records from WWI are on paper and not in a database, which makes it more difficult to find those WWI veterans still living. We should salute the men and women who were the last of their kind: American Revolution 1775-1783 Number Served - 217,000 Battle Deaths - 4,435 Last Veteran - Daniel Bakeman (Died in 1869 at the age of 109) War of 1812 1812-1815 Number Served - 286,730 Battle Deaths - 2,260 Last Veteran - Hiram Crank (Died in 1905 at the age of 105) Civil War 1861-1865 Total Number Served (Union and Confederate) - 3.2 million Total Battle Deaths - About 215,000 Last Veteran - John Sailing, Confederate (Died in 1958 at the age of 112) Spanish American War 1889-1902 Number Served - 306,760 Battle Deaths - 385 Last Veteran - Nathan E. Cook (Died in 1992 at the age of 106) I am never sure if a Government can do too much for its veterans. You can see bumper stickers that say just about anything. But my favorite is one that simply says: “Thanks Veterans”.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2008-12-01 14:19:00

Question: What did you do for Veterans day this year?

Answer: On November 11, l spent the day in a small town. To fully appreciate a holiday like Veterans Day or Memorial Day do it in a small town. I gave a Veterans Day speech in Haysville, KS and after the speech had a luncheon at the VFW Hall. People know what you are talking about in a small town. Oh sure the traffic doesn’t stop, it still drowns out some of your words. But on the whole it was a pleasant experience, in a small town. This is the speech I gave. There were about two hundred people present, local politicians, a high school band, and aging veterans like myself. There was a group of the Tornado Alley Young Marines present to do an important part of the ceremony. Today, our nation pays tribute to those veterans, over 25 million have worn the uniform of the United States of America. Each of these veterans took an oath to defend our country. On Veterans Day, we remember the troops who left America’s shores but did not live to be thanked as veterans. On this Veterans Day, we honor the courage of those who were lost in the current struggle. We think of the families who lost a loved one; we pray for their comfort, and we remember the men and women in uniform whose fate is still undetermined -- Our prisoners of war and those missing in action. America must never forget their courage, and we will not stop searching until we have accounted for every soldier and sailor and airman and marines missing in the line of duty. When it was first observed, Veterans Day was known as Armistice Day, in recognition of the end of World War I on November 11, 1918. That particular observance occurred on November 11, 1921, at Arlington National Cemetery and was marked by the burial of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. As the years went by and more Americans were called upon to serve in the military and defend the American way of life, Armistice Day finally became known as Veterans Day. Veterans Day very simply recognizes the service of all veterans, regardless of when or where they may have served. Unfortunately, this day is sometimes just another day, and is overlooked and ignored by many. Too many of our citizens who enjoy the liberty others have fought to preserve, take the defenders of freedom for granted. Veterans Day is an opportunity for all Americans to celebrate. Veterans Day is meant to be more than a day filled with somber ceremony. It should be equally observed with gratitude and joy for all the good things that we enjoy as citizens of the greatest nation on earth. It should be a day that we give appropriate thanks and recognition to those who have earned it. I have been asked to explain what Veterans Day means to veterans. As a veteran, you would think that I would have the ability to relate that to you very easily without much thought or deliberation. But to be honest with you, as I was preparing these remarks and thinking, I became lost in thought and memory. I thought of my own experiences in the military, thought of old friends and missing comrades. I thought long and hard about just what it is that links veterans together what it is we share not only on Veterans Day, but every day. I can tell you that those who have served in the military share common values. There is a special bond that has been forged by common experience while serving our nation. and although veterans differ in many ways race, creed, gender and political persuasion we equally possess love of God, home, family and country. I believe that each of us has a deeper appreciation for the gift of freedom that has been provided to us. Veterans know and understand that as Americans, we are fortunate when compared to the rest of the world. I look to my comrades on Veterans Day and take pride in knowing that none of us had a burning desire to go to war, but had a desire to protect the peace. we served with pride to provide you and me what others in the world only dream of: freedom. Throughout the history of our nation, veterans sacrificed, yet endured, because they believed in justice and fairness and the American way of life. The price of freedom is very high. our nation has survived and prospered only because of the selfless sacrifice of millions of Americans who were willing to give up the comfort and security of their homes and families to endure the hardships that come with military service. More than a million paid the ultimate price. Their sacrifice can never be ignored or forgotten. If their deeds and action become superfluous, so shall we as a nation. Veterans Day is a day of reflection. Upon reflection, it’s easier to realize that we are unique as a people and as a nation because of our freedom. Veterans have earned our freedoms for us. It exists because of the men and women who placed their lives on the line when our country needed them. Today, just as in the past, men and women of our armed forces continue to defend this republic from a different but equally dangerous enemy than those of the past. The men and women of our military will carry on the traditions of duty, honor, courage, service and patriotism the same way countless others before them have. In closing, I would say to you that your freedom is not free. Value it and cherish it for the extraordinary thing it is. And if you love your freedom, thank a veteran for it. Thank you for coming. May God bless our veterans, May God bless our troops in harm’s way, and May God continue to bless the United States of America. And yes I know that the first Veterans Day Parade was in Emporia, KS.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2008-11-01 11:24:00

Question: What ever happened to Pvt. Michael Switzer?

Answer: I had written before about Pvt Michael Switzer, but I thought you might be interested in the final outcome. Before I get into Michael Switzer’s military life, I would like to extend a thanks to the people who had so much to do with this dedication. John Jackson a member of the SUVCW who is responsible for finding Pvt Switzer’s grave site and for realizing that it was missing a headstone. Blair Tarr also a member of the Sons, but more important he is with the KS State Historical Society. He was able to point me in the right direction for research. Jane Jones, an archivist with the Harvey County Historical Museum.,who was able through a newspaper obituary to furnish me with a date of death. Michael was born on June 24, 1843 in Crawfordsville, Montgomery County, Indiana. There were 6 sisters and five brothers in the family; all of them were older than Michael. We can surmise that Michael as the youngest was not allowed to leave home until some of his older brothers returned home. This is what happened in my family in the 1860’s. He was 17 years old at the start of the civil war and a farmer by occupation. On February 10, 1865 when he was 21, he enlisted in Company E of the 150th Indiana Infantry for a one-year period of enlistment at La Fayette, Indiana. His military records do not show a great deal of information. He was paid $10.06, plus $33.03 as a bounty when he was discharged. A notation stated that he had a “stoppage of 8 cents for the loss of a wiper”. This was collected from his last pay. He was discharged at Jordan’s Springs, Stevenson Station, VA. He was discharged from military service on August 5, 1865. The 150th Indiana Infantry was disbanded on August 16, 1865. He returned home and as war veterans sometimes do he moved on. He married his first wife “Therressa” Strawn, she died in Grundy Co., Missouri in 1879. They had eight children prior to her death. He married his second wife Virginia (Jennie) Nichols in 1881. There were two children born from this marriage. Michael Switzer lived in Halstead at the time of his death, with his son Frank. “At 8:30 on the morning of his death, he was eating breakfast at the usual time, and while engaging in conversation with Mrs. Switzer his life passed out, so read the obituary notice.” “The funeral was held Monday afternoon from the chapel at the Cheatum & Nelligan Undertaking Parlors and was conducted by Rev. P.C. Herbert, of the Methodist Church. The pall bearers were chosen from among the members of the Odd Fellows Lodge, in which organization Frank had taken an active part.” We don’t know why Michael never had a marker? There was a pauper’s marker on his grave. Now Pvt Switzer has a proper grave marker.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2008-10-01 15:56:00

What role did Kansas play in the Civil War?

Answer: Kansas was a free state in 1861 when it entered the Union. During, before, and after it was a battleground between both slavery and anti-slavery groups. ”Bleeding Kansas” was a name known throughout the country and even through parts of the world. Anti-slavery groups shipped all manner of supplies as well as new immigrants to the plains of Kansas. The southern slavery element came across the slave state of Missouri line as “Border Ruffians or Bushwackers” to terrorize the settlers before heading back across the border. Later the Northern settlers or “Jayhawkers” organized armed bands to fight back. John Brown was one of the earlier settlers and one of the more blood thirsty of the crowd. He was a prominent abolitionist who came to later infamy in his failed attempt to start a slave revolution in Virginia. But while he was in Kansas, he and some members of his family raided Pottawatomie Creek in 1856. Unfortunately family fought family for supposed feelings for or against slavery. During the Civil War towns in Kansas suffered. Olathe, Humboldt, Iola, Lawrence and other towns were attacked. In 1862 Olathe was attacked by William Quantrill and his southern raiders. And that is how the labels “bushwhackers”(southern sympathizers) and “jayhawkers” (on the northern side) originated. Although as a general rule those from the south favored slavery and the north was against it. But many from the south moved to the west to get away from slavery and by the same token those in favor of slavery moved to the new western areas to claim them for a slave state. The feelings caused by the slavery issue and the civil war lasted for a long while. Confederate veterans living in predominately Union towns after the war lived with hard feelings as did Union veterans who lived in the south. I made a trip to Tennessee last year and visited the Stones River National Cemetery in Murfreesboro. The tour guide, a Federal employee was expounding on the contributions of Tennessee soldiers towards the Confederacy, when I asked about the Tennessee Union soldiers. The reply was that there were very few Union solders from Tennessee. Behind her were row upon row of headstones marking the graves of Union veterans from Tennessee. Some with unknown names. Their names known only to God, since the headstones simply read “Unknown US Soldier”.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2008-08-01 09:35:00

Question: After the Civil War where did most of the soldiers settle, and what happened to the equipment used?

Answer: Kansas was once known as the “Soldier State”, due to the very large number of Civil War Veterans who settled here. Almost all communities had a camp of the Grand Army of the Republic. Monuments were erected to honor the Civil War Soldier whether lost during the war or a returned Veteran. The Women’s Relief Corps, Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic, and others also erected memorials and monuments. Wichita has one main memorial. The Union Soldiers & Sailors Civil War Monument at the Sedgwick County Court House is a ten foot statue of Peace holding a flag, on a shaft atop a granite base, four life-sized figures of a soldier, cavalryman, artilleryman and sailor at corners of the base in sheet bronze. Other items throughout the state are Civil War cannons. The State of Kansas has 78 known civil war cannons still left. These are known cannons, not counting those in private possession, which are usually but not always hidden from public view. I won’t discuss those in private hands, they are hard to keep track of. The cannons range from a 1.5 Inch Ellsworth Rifle in the Watkins Museum in Lawrence, KS. to a M1845, 42 Pounder Seacoast Gun located in Hiawatha, KS. Of course my favorite is the 32 Pounder Navy gun of 57 that was produced in 1847. It’s at the Alger Foundry in the Highland Park Cemetery in Wichita’s Highland Park Cemetary.. During World War II and maybe even World War I, scrap metal drives did away with a lot of our cannons. It would have been nice if some were left in each community, but the need was there and off they went. VFW and American Legion posts have some in front of their posts, usually newer than the civil war. Junction City has two eight inch siege mortars on top of a twenty foot civil war Memorial Arch. The arch is surmounted by a Union soldier with a musket at Parade Rest. For a long time it was thought that these mortars were only models. A friend of mine researching the monuments was surprised when he got on top of the monument to find out they were real mortars. The Arch was unveiled September 9, 1898 and is located in a park in the downtown area of Junction City. The inscription on the Memorial reads, ”In God We Trust, In Memory Of The Soldiers And Sailors Of 1861-1865 Who Inspired By Patriotism Freely Offered Their Lives For The Maintenance Of An Undivided Country.” The excellent condition of the memorial is probably due to its location in the downtown area. As we see the men and women who are serving their country in Iraq and Afghanistan and other parts of the world, yes and even in this country we must be ever mindful of the service they are rendering their country. They too deserve memorials that acknowledge their service. But before we do this we should be prepared to take care of those veterans who are returning and for the families of those who can not return.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2008-06-01 13:45:00

Question: Was there ever slavery in Kansas?

Answer: Kansas was the thirty-fourth state to enter the Union. Kansas entered the Union as a free state in January of 1861. About three months later in April 1861 the Civil War began. Upon President Lincoln’s call for volunteers a Kansas Senator formed a provisional unit to protect the President. A number of Kansas Units both black, white and Indian served during the war. As for the actual state of Kansas some southern localities suffered some raids into Kansas. Bleeding Kansas conflicts over slavery continued. Later that year, on September 8, 1861, Humboldt was raided by pro-slavery white and Indian Confederates and pro-confederates seeking fugitive slaves from Missouri who were found hiding in Humboldt. According to newspaper accounts of that time, they were captured and returned to their owners in Missouri. This was somewhat similar to the later Confederate raid into Pennsylvania. There blacks who were free or escaped slaves were taken in to slavery. Bitter over losing their pro-slavery cause in Kansas, the raiders also came to punish, harass, rob, and intimidate the Unionists in Kansas. Since Humboldt, was a strong Union town it bore the wrath of the southern cause. The pro-confederate forces were the border ruffians who had originally swarmed into Kansas to vote for the “Slave” constitution at LeCompton. John Mathews, a Confederate Indian Agent among the Osage, from Little Town (now Oswego) was thought to be the instigator of that September raid. General James Lane, leader of Kansas Union forces, assigned Colonel Blunt and 200 troops to hunt down John Mathews. Mathews was found and killed near present-day Chetopa. SACKING OF HUMBOLDT.—While the Allen County soldiers were away with Lane, a raid was made on the unprotected settlement of Humboldt on September 8, 1861 by a band of Missouri guerrillas, Cherokee Indians, and Osage half-breed Indians, under command of Captains Matthews and Livingstone. Matthews had been a trader among the Indians, had married an Osage squaw, and lived where Oswego now is. He had great influence among the Osages and incited them to take sides with the Southern Confederacy. At Humboldt they sacked the stores and dwellings, carrying off all the money and valuables they could find without resistance, all the men being absent. BURNING OF HUMBOLDT.—At the time of the raid in September, Dr. George A. Miller was absent trying to obtain authority to organize a company of Home Guards. He succeeded in this, and on his return organized a company of infantrymen in the town, which was composed of old men, boys, and a few of the militiamen who had returned to Humboldt as soon as they learned of the raid, to help protect their defenseless families. A company of cavalry was also organized in the neighborhood, composed of farmers, and commanded by Capt. Henry Dudley. These companies accompanied by Col. J. G. Blunt, went in pursuit of the guerrillas, and succeeded in overtaking them, when a skirmish took place, during which the outlaw, Capt. Matthews was killed. The Home Guards returned, and for several days the cavalry was sent out regularly as a scouting party, it being feared that another attack would be made on the town. The infantry remained at home and were always upon guard. Soon, however, there appearing to be no danger, the cavalry were allowed to return to their homes. Late in the afternoon of the Fourteenth of October, 1861, a body of Rebel Cavalry under command of Col. Talbott, dashed into Humboldt. The Home Guards, comprising less than 100 men, were taken completely by surprise, and it was impossible for Capt. Miller to get them together. The town was soon filled with armed men, who kept up a continual firing of guns and pistols. A few of the men by running succeeded in making their escape, but the others were soon captured and placed under guard. It was supposed they would all be shot by the outlaws and the Indians who accompanied them. The only resistance offered was by Capt. Miller and Charles Baland. The Captain finally gave up his arms, pleading that the women and children might be saved, even though he expected to be murdered. The town was then set on fire, but before this was done, the Rebel officer ordered his men to allow the women and children to remove their valuables and household goods from their dwellings, and even ordered them to assist. The rebel officers claimed that Humboldt was burned in retaliation for the burning of Osceola, by Gen. Lane, and the killing of Matthews. Nearly all the buildings were then set on fire. The churches were saved, also the Masonic Hall. The land office and court house building was set on fire, but after the departure of the Rebels the fire was extinguished, but not until many valuable papers among the records were destroyed. Coffey’s general store was set on fire, but the Rebels had in their excitement poured out a barrel of black molasses, thinking it to be tar, and this did not burn very well, besides which Mrs. Coffey had just been washing, and the wet clothes were thrown over the burning portion, extinguishing the fire. The raiders did not stay long, departing early in the evening. The men they had captured were taken a short distance and then released. They returned in time to help save some of the burning buildings. During the entire time the women behaved nobly. By their coolness they succeeded in making the invaders believe an armed force was on the way from Iola, therefore they hastened their departure. The land office had just been opened, with J. C. Burnett, Register. He managed to speak to his sister Miss Kate Burnett, telling her to save $25,000.00 in land warrants that were in the office. Obtaining permission to go to the office for a candle, she secured the warrants and dropped them on the prairie in the high grass. Numerous other heroic acts were performed by the women. The better portion of the town was entirely destroyed. There were only a few buildings left, and some of these were badly damaged by the fire. The only man killed was a farmer, who was running away trying to save his mules. He was ordered to stop, but not doing so, he was shot and fatally wounded. All the horses that could be found were taken by the Rebels. Besides this little property was stolen, and outside the town no damage whatever was done. The Rebel force numbered 331 men who were all well mounted and thoroughly armed. After the burning of Humboldt a military post was established there. There were no events of note until the CSA General Price raid in 1864. The militia of the county was organized into a battalion, known as the Allen County Battalion, and was composed of six companies, three from Iola and the northern part of the county, two from Humboldt, and one from the extreme southern part of the county. You may not think that very much happened in Kansas during the Civil War, but you are wrong. There was even a raid on Salina, Kansas although that may have just been a gang of horse thieves.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2008-04-01 12:10:00

Question: Is serving your country as popular or noble as it used to be?

Answer: Talk about feeling old. I received a notice about my fifty year High School reunion. It doesn’t feel like it was fifty years ago that I graduated from High School in 1958. In looking over some of the literature from the reunion, I was not the only one who enlisted in the service. At least two enlisted in the Navy and then I enlisted in the army. All three of us made careers of the service. This is what we did back in the fifties. I can remember turning 18 and getting a day off of school in order to register for the draft. The local draft board was in Ottumwa, Iowa. I had to hitch hike over and back. This was when it was still safe to travel that way. I don’t know how my classmates did it. But we all registered for the draft. Even more shocking was the number of my classmates who have died. I had to search for my High School annual, to check the photos and refresh my memory. I was exchanging emails with one of them, when I stopped getting responses. I didn’t think much about it, until now, when I found out she had passed away. My graduating class was a grand total of twenty-seven members. Some of them cannot be found. There are about twenty of us left The idea of serving your country does not seem to be as popular as it used to be. When I enlisted in 1958 you served your country; for some they would wait to see if the draft would get them. The Army was a welcome choice for me, I had no job skills, but the Army trained me. I was at a lot of different places and did a lot of different jobs for the Army. Some I enjoyed some I didn’t. But all in all, my military service did me a world of good. I was a young man of 18, but the Army gave me a purpose in life.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2008-04-01 12:10:00

Question: What would happen if our lost soldiers could speak up about the extent of the sacrifices they made for our country – for you and for me?

Answer: As our American troops wage war on two fronts, we live in strange times here in the United States. In the middle of an extremely important election year, the candidates say little about the wars. And they say even less about the welfare of the men and women who are risking their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. The pollsters declare that other issues, like gasoline prices and home mortgages, rank higher in the minds of the American people. We’re told the voters want to know where the candidates stand on tax cuts and immigration. Meanwhile the troops fight on in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan – fight and bleed and die for you and me. As we observe Memorial Day this year, we do indeed attempt to honor the dead of our wars in strange times. I think of other epochs, when Americans could express their feelings more naturally. I think of the period after the Civil War when a strong man could look over the fields of one of the great battles and openly shed a tear over the terrible loss of life on both sides. In those days, the poet James Russell Lowell wrote: “Many loved Truth …But these, our brothers, fought for her, At life’s dear peril wrought for her, So loved her that they died for her …We sit here in the Promised Land That flows with Freedom’s honey and milk; But ’twas they that won it, sword in hand.” In today’s up-tight, materialistic world, we could stand some of this idealism. It would be healthy for the people of our nation to look the Truth in the eye – Truth with a capital T, as James Russell Lowell would have it. It would do the American people some good to honestly come to terms with the idea each person’s individual freedom was purchased with the blood of heroes. American heroes suffered for freedom, suffered horribly. Many of them live with disabilities that will haunt the rest of their lives. Many died in the cause and defense of freedom. It would be a wholesome thing for our nation to live up to the spirit of Memorial Day – to publicly grieve the dead of today’s wars, rather than hide their caskets from public view as if they were a source of public shame. These precious young men and women, who gave the last breath of life for our country, are the best our nation has to offer. We must give them the tribute that James Russell Lowell gave to the war dead of his era – honor and dignity and praise. And we must do so publicly, as we do today. At the same time, ours is a realistic age … and we must be straightforward about the sacrifice we ask of the brave men and women we send to war. Once again, among those most able to tell the truths we need to hear are those who experienced war and lived to write about it. Between the Civil War and World War I, the poetry of war changed greatly. Poets who knew the scourge of war first hand took us down from bombs bursting in air to the stench of the trenches. They took us down into the reality where bombs blew the bodies of the doughboys to shreds. In his recent book, “Here, Bullet”, poet Brian Turner carries this later tradition into the war in Iraq. “There’s nothing romantic about this, unless pain and sweat and heat and blood … are romantic,” the Army veteran writes. “All of this and more is where we are, the clock stopped here, the day as yet unfinished, blood smeared on my forehead …“Look around. No one knows who the enemy is. All of it looks like Thursday evening on a freeway cutting through town.” That’s reality in Iraq and Afghanistan – war without a front. Or is it a front that surrounds you on every side 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for a year that lasts 15 months in the Army and you’re lucky enough not to get killed or wounded! And maybe lucky isn’t the right word. The Defense Department says the chance of psychological problems climbs 60 percent each time one of our troops goes back into the war zones. And many of our troops are on their second, third and fourth tours of combat. The sacrifices are harsh – incredibly difficult! Yet our fighting men and women speak only of honor and duty. They do what’s asked of them with valor in their hearts. They don’t grumble about how hard this is. The troops are brave. But sometimes I wonder. What would happen if they did speak up about the extent of the sacrifices they make for our country – for you and for me? Would Americans be more worried about gas prices and tax breaks than about the welfare of their soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guard? It the troops forced our awareness a little more, would there be more people at patriotic ceremonies on Memorial Day this year … and fewer flocking to the shopping malls for the bargain sales? Let’s face it, though, the troops aren’t going to complain. They’re better people than that – better Americans. They’ll just do their duty … with courage and with dignity. If they’re injured, if they become sick, they’ll suffer … but again, with courage and dignity. And if they die in our country’s service, they’ll do so with honor. And their families will bury them in privacy. And most often, they’ll also grieve without the support of the communities in which they live – a great change and a great loss in the culture of our country. This is why our observance of Memorial Day is so crucial. This is about patriotism, certainly … but it goes beyond patriotism. Observing Memorial Day is the way in which our nation pays homage to the dead of its wars. What we do on this day speaks to who we are as a people, and what we are as a civilization. I’m saddened by what I see today. Things have changed much since the day of James Russell Lowell, when people would sit and listen to a lengthy poem in praise of those who gave their lives in a recent clash of arms. And there are problems in this era when, in debates of public policy, gas prices and the mortgage meltdown trump the welfare of our troops in the field. Our veterans’ hospitals are filled and overflowing as sick and injured troops return from Iraq and Afghanistan in mass. People blame our elected leaders. Yet the priorities of politicians reflect the feelings of those who elect them. America’s heroes – including those most recently arrived from combat – are forced to wait weeks and months to see doctors and therapists. Many express anger when they hear stories of this mistreatment of our veterans. But how much of that outrage finds its way into letters and e-mails to Congressional Representatives and Senators? Our nation’s veterans – young and elderly – wait years for disability claims to wind through the Department of Veterans Affairs. In DAV Magazine, I read how our organization fought the VA for 18 years to get benefits for the widow of a World War II hero. People wonder why disabled veterans and their families must face such a nasty struggle in the VA benefits system. They ask why the government doesn’t just give the VA the money it needs for medical programs, so it can take care of all our disabled veterans. But here’s the problem. Our elected leaders have to balance all of the demands made by the people who elect them to office. So it’s no surprise that many politicians pay the closest attention to the loudest voices. Right now, the hue and cry is elsewhere, not focused on America’s veterans. Here’s some Truth with a capital T. The VA expects to treat 330,000 veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan next year. That massive number comes in addition to other eligible veterans who need the system and served during World War II, the Cold War, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, and a number of smaller military conflicts. There’s an enormous dollar sign associated with providing that care … as well as disability benefits paid to more than one in five veterans who served one or more tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sure, caring for our nation’s veterans is part of the cost of war. I hope everyone’s aware of that, especially while our troops are fighting their hearts out on two fronts for you and me right now, today. But is it any wonder – in this era of demand for lower taxes – that politicians pay more attention to issues that have a lower price tag? It’s just a whole lot easier. Listen, I’m not here to tell you which issues are most important as we elect the next President of the United States. And I’m certainly not here to tell you which candidates deserve your vote. We don’t do that in the Disabled American Veterans. We’re a strictly nonpartisan organization. But I am here to tell you – on Memorial Day – that the best way to honor the war dead is to honor and serve those who lived and need the support of our nation’s people today. And that means placing America’s veterans high on the public policy agenda! Gas prices, mortgages, and taxes may be important issues … but they are not more important than those who purchased the freedom of our nation’s people with their blood and their health! If America is going to send her best, most loyal young people off to war, our nation’s leaders better be prepared to deal with the consequences. In war, men and women in uniform – many of them very young – die. That is the plain and simple truth. Those we remember on Memorial Day, were killed in the cause of our country. In war, our troops suffer terrible wounds and injuries. Sometimes their minds are shattered. Often, they come home with lifelong illnesses, some with no names. War is not a trivial thing. A civilized nation respects those who bear its terrible burden. I hope our nation’s leaders will show their respect to those who have carried freedom’s torch. When they send the men and women of our armed forces to war, they shoulder an enormous responsibility, one that must not be taken lightly. And I hope America’s people will urge their elected leaders on to fulfill this essential duty … because, without that public pressure, nothing will change. You show the deepest respect by coming to Memorial Day service to honor the dead of our wars. You render due tribute to those who gave up the breath of life long ago, as well as those who made the ultimate sacrifice only recently in Iraq or Afghanistan. You have remembered what James Russell Lowell called: The single deed, the private sacrifice, So radiant now through proudly hidden tears. Thank you once again for coming to observe Memorial Day, honoring those who preserved our nation “at life’s dear peril.” The quotes from James Russell Lowell are from his “Ode Recited at the Harvard Commemoration,” one of his most famous poems. The sincere grief expressed throughout this long ode is without doubt influenced by the death of an uncle during the Civil War. The quotes from Army veteran Brian Turner are from his prose poem “9-Line Medevac” from “Here, Bullet,” a book of poems about this combat veteran’s experience of Iraq. Published by Alice James Books (www.alicejamesbooks.org), “Here, Bullet” won the 2005 Beatrice Hawley Award.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2008-03-01 09:38:00

Question: What can we learn from our older veterans?

Answer: I attended a funeral the other day for a friend of mine. He was a World War II veteran. It was a sad occasion; he had died of cancer, so his suffering was finally over. His military career was interesting to me. He enlisted after high school. Actually “enlisted” was not the right word to use. It means voluntary, but he had received a draft notice after high school. He was full of stories as all old veterans are. Sometimes the stories are only told to other veteran’s. We tolerate each other stories, no matter how often we hear them. He took part in maneuvers in Louisiana as part of his military training. This was a major experience for him and the first time he had really been out of Kansas for a prolonged period of time. If I had a chance to change things about how his funeral was, I failed to wear my uniform. I got it out the night before. When I got dressed the next morning, I skipped the uniform and put my suit on instead. I have been retired from the US Army since 1978; that makes it thirty years I have been retired. I keep my uniform ready for occasions just like this veteran’s funeral. Usually I wear it for funerals, Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day. I truly regret not putting my uniform on that morning. This person was not just a veteran but a friend of mine. He had served his country. I don’t know all of his history. He spent time overseas in strange and interesting places. I can assume he met interesting people and did interesting things in both his military and civilian life. His service was in the artillery. One of the more interesting things he had done was to receive glider training prior to D Day in Europe. His unit was trained to be flown by glider from England to the mainland of Europe on D Day. For whatever reason this did not happen, which is fine for the death rate on these types of units was high. This veteran served from England through Germany. He had a leg injury during his service and also received an injury from a land mine. He did not receive a Purple Heart for his wound. It always bothered me that he didn’t, but we could never get the right paperwork to the right people. No one spoke about the veteran except the minister conducting the service and the VFW Honor Guard. The immediate family was grieving and in pain, at the loss of their loved one. I know that people came to the funeral because they genuinely wanted to be there. He lived an interesting life. He was a friend of mine. But that’s from another veteran’s standpoint. I don’t expect to go to a funeral and be entertained with a major production based on a person’s life. As I have reached 68 years of age, I have been to a lot of funerals. None of us like to talk about death, but if you are an old veteran it is inevitable and getting close. So, share your experiences with those that will listen. And if you have an older veteran in your family, seek them out and learn from them. Their history shouldn’t die with them. Their history should be passed down from generation to generation with pride and gratitude.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2008-02-01 10:12:00

When visiting my father’s grave in a small country cemetery I noticed some Civil War veterans do not have a proper headstone, why is this?

Last November I wrote about trying to find the date of death for Michael Switzer of Halstead, Kansas. Michael was a Civil War veteran, living in Halstead, KS. His service was not long, from February 13, 1865 to August 5, 1865. He was discharged at Jordan’s Springs, VA. Private Switzer’s grave has a pauper’s marker. I could not find any record of his death through the mortuary, local veterans organizations and local government. Jane Jones, Archivist, Harvey County Historical Museum was able to find the obituary notice for Michael. Also I would like to thank John Jackson who found the unmarked grave while doing a database of Civil War veterans buried in Kansas. Private Michael Switzer late of Company E, 150th Regiment of the Indiana Infantry died on November 18, 1922. The newspaper notice stated the following: SUDDEN DEATH OF A VETERAN—Michael Switzer Expires Morning at the Home of His Son Frank. -- Michael Switzer died at the home of his son Frank, while seated in his chair, about 8:30 Saturday morning. He had a slight indisposition the day before and a physician was called but he was able to be up and about the house as usual when the end came without notice. He partook of his breakfast at the regular time and while engaged in conversation with Mrs. Switzer his life passed out. His son Frank, who is a Night Watchman, was sleeping in an adjoining room and he was hurriedly called but nothing could be done. Michael Switzer was born at Crawfordsville, Ind. June 24, 1843 and therefore in his eightieth year at the time of his death. He was a veteran of the Civil War, having served in the 150th Indiana Volunteers. In 1867 he was married to Miss Theresa Strawn who passed this life in 1880. From this union eight children were born, all of whom except Frank, had preceded the father to the great beyond. He was again married in 1881 to Miss Jennie Nichols at Trenton, Mo., who died in 1916, having two children, Claude Switzer of Kansas City, Mo., and Mrs. Ray Wilbur of Kansas City, Kans., both of whom were here for the funeral. He also left one brother, William Switzer of Topeka, Kans., who also attended the funeral. The deceased suffered the loss of his eyesight about ten years ago and since that time had been making his home with the children, for the past three years he had been with his son Frank. The funeral was held Monday afternoon from the Chapel at the Cheatum & Nelligan Undertaking Parlors and was conducted by Rev. P.C. Herbert, of the Methodist Church. The pall bearers were chosen from among the member of the Odd Fellows Lodge, in which organization Frank has taken an active part. Interment was made in the City Cemetery. Now that we have a date of death, we can request a government headstone so that Michael’s grave can be properly marked. Of course there still is some paperwork to do. The cemetery must approve of the marker, and since it is an older part of the cemetery it will be an upright stone and then the monument company must sign that they will accept delivery of the marker. Then the request will be submitted to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Delivery we hope will be prior to next Memorial Day and in time to get the marker set. The fee to set the marker will be about $200.00, but that is the easy part. Getting the correct information and waiting was the hard part. Private Michael Switzer served his country, he deserved more than a pauper’s stone. Franklin C. Bergquist, SFC U.S. Army Retired

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2008-01-01 14:23:00

What kind of service men and women represent the United States of America?

As always in our country we have the worst of people and we also have the best. We have two fine individuals who sold veteran grave markers for money to buy drugs. PA State police say a Lawrence County couple might have stolen as many as 800 metal markers from veterans’ graves. Police say the couple sold the brass stakes on the markers for scrap so they could buy drugs with the money. These fine individuals are guests of the state and charged with theft, institutional vandalism and other charges. The authorities say the couple stole the markers and broke the military emblems off them but kept the brass stakes. Over 238 damaged emblems have been recovered, but authorities say they expect to find more once snow melts at the three cemeteries police say the couple targeted. Think about this when you see one of these markers at garage sales, flea markets or wherever. I have been to cemeteries and have seen these markers tossed in a pile. These markers serve a purpose they identify the final resting place of a serviceman or woman who placed their life on the line for their country. The markers also hold a flag of the USA. The same flag that covered the remains during the final services. That was the worst but now how about the best. A soldier loses leg and his wife enlists to take his place. A year after Spc. Albarran lost his right leg in an explosion in Iraq, his wife graduated from basic training, enlisting to take his place in uniform. His wife stated “I made him a promise that I would finish what he started.” She graduated from basic training and promotion to the rank of private. About 24,000 of the Army’s soldiers, 9 percent of the force, are married to other soldiers. The Army does not have any statistics on how many join after a spouse or family member is badly wounded in combat, but a spokesman, said she has heard of people joining after the injury or death of a sibling and at least one woman who joined after her husband was killed in combat. “The courage of our soldiers and their families is remarkable,” she said. Now you have seen the worst of some people and now the best. This couple represent the best of our country. I was on active duty with the United States Army when President Kennedy was shot. I could not believe when I heard that he had been shot. I was on recruiting duty that day. I was at Ft. Des Moines, IA. A friend of mine told me about the shooting and I could not believe him. My friend later died serving his country in Vietnam. I will always remember the famous quote by President Kennedy, this may not be exact, but this is how I remember it: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but rather what you can do for your country.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2007-12-01 10:04:00

Remember Veterans Day, but a recent cartoon asked why not remember them on all of the other days?

Answer: At the end of the Civil War, which pitted brother against brother for nearly four devastating years, the U.S. was facing a recovery never before seen or anticipated in prior American history. The care of countless veterans, widows and orphans including former slaves and their families could not be done by the local community. President Lincoln, as well as other federal and state leaders, had declared that “those who had borne the burden” would be cared for. However, President Lincoln died from an assassin’s bullet on April 15th, 1865. It is still a struggle to honor veterans. I am going to be applying for a government headstone for a veteran of the Civil War. The veterans name is Michael Switzer, he served in Company E, of the 150th Regiment of the Indiana Infantry. His service was not long, from February 13, 1865 to August 5, 1865. He was discharged at Jordan’s Springs, VA. Private Switzer’s grave is marked with a paupers marker placed, I assume, by Cochran Mortuary since their name is on the paupers marker. The paupers marker shows the dates of his life as 18__ to 19__. The mortuary has no record on Michael. He married Theresa Strawn on October 21, 1867 in Montgomery County Indiana. A veteran should not be classed as a pauper. They served their country and deserve more. Six other members of the Switzer family are buried in the Halstead cemetery, I assume these are children of Michael’s. The VA form asks for the date of birth and death and I think that is important to have on the headstone. Without a tentative date of death we can’t even look up a death notice in the local newspaper. The following is not my writing but it is appropriate: Caring for a dead veteran is easy: 1) Bring a wreath 2) Say a few words 3) Walk away Caring for a living veteran requires: 1) Time 2) Money 3) A life-long commitment Every Veterans Day our Politicians show they don’t know the difference as they visit a Cemetery instead of a VA Hospital.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2007-09-01 09:59:00

Is the only benefit that most veterans get when they’re buried is a government issued headstone?

Answer: Benefits for veterans is an area that needs much ‘addressing’. The veterans of the War of 1812 weren’t provided with a pension until the Civil War was being fought nearly 50 years later. Even President Roosevelt cut the veteran’s pensions when the depression hit. Veterans, everybody loves them, but I believe that our laws must reflect our gratitude to the men and women who so valiantly served our nation in battle. But to many veterans, it seems like they are remembered in Washington only on Veterans Day. Speeches are all well and good, but when health care is needed or the necessary funds for the veteran and their family to live on, that’s a different story. Today it’s clear to many veterans that the administration and Congress think of them on other days of the year besides Veterans Day. They’re thinking of veterans as they work to cut off VA healthcare. They’re thinking of veterans when they refuse to address lingering health problems from the first Gulf War. They’re thinking of veterans when they block full retirement and disability benefits for retired members of the armed services. Retired members who don’t complete twenty years of military service due to service connected disabilities are left even further behind. And they’re thinking of veterans when they decide not to attend a soldier’s funeral or pay a visit to those who are recovering from injuries at Walter Reed Army Medical Center just a few miles from the seats of power in Washington. We all like to see our senators and representatives attend a veteran’s funeral in Kansas, but is it just a public relations opportunity for them? Since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began, 6,239 troops had been wounded in action, according to a recent Pentagon count. Of those, 57% were so severely injured that they were unable to return to duty. Medically retired from active duty military service, they need immediate assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system. Despite Abraham Lincoln’s admonition for the country “to care for him who shall have borne the battle,” hundreds of thousands of vets nationwide potentially are missing out on benefits from the Veterans Administration - and the agency’s efforts to find them have fallen far short. For those whose VA claims have been denied it’s even worse. They become discouraged and give up on getting the needed VA medical benefits for them and for their family. Unfortunately, the only benefit that most veterans get is a government headstone when they are buried. And that’s not guaranteed when the bean counters take over after the end of a war. Here is some brief history about the Veterans Administration: 1930....The Veterans Administration created by Executive Order 5398, signed by President Herbert Hoover on July 21. At that time, there were 54 hospitals, 4.7 million living veterans and 31,600 employees. 1933…The Board of Veterans Appeals established. 1944....On June 22, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the “Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944” (Public Law 346, passed unanimously by the 78th Congress), more commonly known as “The GI Bill of Rights,” offering home loan and education benefits to veterans. 1946....The Department of Medicine & Surgery established, succeeded in 1989 by the Veterans Health Services and Research Administration, renamed the Veterans Health Administration in 1991. 1953....The Department of Veterans Benefits established, succeeded in 1989 by the Veterans Benefits Administration. 1973....The National Cemetery System – renamed the National Cemetery Administration in 1998 – created when Congress transferred 82 national cemeteries from the Army to VA. The Army kept Arlington National Cemetery and the U.S. Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. 1988....Legislation to elevate VA to Cabinet status signed by President Reagan. 1989....On March 15, VA became the 14th Department in the President’s Cabinet.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2007-07-01 16:13:00

Why are we involved with war?

The last column may have been a little heavy on military history but that is my background since graduating from high school in May of 1958. I looked for a job until August, realized that probably was not going to happen and decided that I had better join a branch of the Armed Services or I would have to sponge off of my relatives for the rest of my life. I was sent to basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. I was probably the only Recruit who knew the history of General Leonard Wood. After graduating from basic, I was sent to Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland for advanced military training. I was originally sent to be trained as a black smith mechanic. But at that time you had to have perfect vision for this training, due to the bright lights of welding. This wasn’t to bad, I had enlisted for the Army Security Agency. But since they found out I had relatives in Sweden (My father came from Sweden at age 19.) I might possibly be a security risk. So the Army made me a Guided Missile Propellant and Explosives Specialist. I became proficient in various things that I’m not certain I’m allowed to talk about. But that was yesterday, this is now. A lot of our fellow Americans have talked about the war in Iran and Afghanistan. They are either for or against it. That is nothing new. During the Revolutionary War, some States wanted to and fought to stay with the “Old Country” or England. In the late 1700’s we had a Whiskey Rebellion in the middle Eastern States. They didn’t like the Federal Government taxing whiskey. Whiskey was easier to transport than bulk corn, and whiskey sold better than corn. During the various other wars, to include the Indian Wars, there were always some for or some against. The Civil War was known by various names depending on where you lived, If you lived in Virginia, it was the war either to defend the South, or the war to defend Virginia. There is some proof to both allegations. If we back up to the first preceding war, we find the Mexican War. Most of the Officers in the Civil War got their experience in the Mexican War. These were officers on both sides. A lot of their comments bordered on something like this: Why are we here?. The Indian Wars, were a little different. We had a clash of cultures. One culture won, and is still trying to make amend. But it is not all one sided. If you look into the truth of our Indian wars in Kansas, you will find massacres on both sides. The further you were from civilization the worse the massacres. The truth goes on from side to side. This is not to say that there weren’t bad acts on either side. Don’t blame the individual soldier, sailor, marine, airman or whoever for what their country makes them do. Praise them for what they do. They are defending their country, so you don’t have too.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2007-06-01 09:43:00

What is a hero?

Answer: In mythology and legend, a man, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and favored by the gods. Or a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life: soldiers and nurses who were heroes in an unpopular war. The term “Hero” is often used for someone who served his or her country. Not in any particular fashion but just because they were there. Col. Murtha, a retired Marine has been treated as if he had never been in uniform. Is he a Hero, I don’t know. He was in uniform for a long period of time. People in uniform are sent where our leaders want them to go. We never have a choice. One of the many sayings you hear in service is: “Don’t volunteer.” But when you raise your hand to enlist or to be commissioned you volunteer. Our military service now, is an all volunteer force. Back to the Hero part, are they all hero’s? I tend to think they are patriots. If they receive a Bronze Star with a “V” device for Valor, or above they are “Hero’s”. To me a Hero is someone goes beyond just being there. I’m in Wichita, KS about three miles from the grave of Richard E. Cowan. Cowan, Richard Eller Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company M, 23rd Infantry, 2nd Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Krinkelter Wald, Belgium, 17 December 1944. Entered service at: Wichita, Kans. Birth: Lincoln, Nebr. G.O. No.: 48, 23 June 1945. Citation: He was a heavy machine gunner in a section attached to Company I in the vicinity of Krinkelter Wald, Belgium, 17 December 1944, when that company was attacked by a numerically superior force of German infantry and tanks. The first 6 waves of hostile infantrymen were repulsed with heavy casualties, but a seventh drive with tanks killed or wounded all but 3 of his section, leaving Pvt. Cowan to man his gun, supported by only 15 to 20 riflemen of Company I. He maintained his position, holding off the Germans until the rest of the shattered force had set up a new line along a firebreak. Then, unaided, he moved his machine gun and ammunition to the second position. At the approach of a Royal Tiger tank, he held his fire until about 80 enemy infantrymen supporting the tank appeared at a distance of about 150 yards. His first burst killed or wounded about half of these infantrymen. His position was rocked by an 88mm. Shell when the tank opened fire, but he continued to man his gun, pouring deadly fire into the Germans when they again advanced. He was barely missed by another shell. Fire from three machine guns and innumerable small arms struck all about him; an enemy rocket shook him badly, but did not drive him from his gun. Infiltration by the enemy had by this time made the position untenable, and the order was given to withdraw. Pvt. Cowan was the last man to leave, voluntarily covering the withdrawal of his remaining comrades. His heroic actions were entirely responsible for allowing the remaining men to retire successfully from the scene of their last-ditch stand. Any argument about whether this man was a Hero? The above listing is from his award of the Medal of Honor. PFC Cowan never knew of this award. He was killed in combat the next day. He is buried in the Wichita Park Cemetery. He is a legitimate Hero. He did not just serve in the US Army, his service was such that he was awarded the Medal of Honor. He probably didn’t volunteer for the US Army. Most likely he was drafted for the “duration plus six months.” I don’t really mind that all these soldiers, sailors, marines and airman are called “Hero’s”. They are serving in a dirty, nasty war. A war in which it is hard to tell who is the enemy. I hope it ends soon.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2007-05-01 11:08:00

QUESTION: How does the military supplemental bill funding the war in Iraq and Afghanistan affect the D.A.V.

ANSWER: he Disabled American Veterans (DAV) has applauded efforts to add $1.7 billion for veterans health care and services as part of the $100 billion military supplemental spending bill funding the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. “Including this much-needed additional money for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in the emergency funding measure is an acknowledgement that caring for our nation’s veterans is part of the continuing cost of war,” said DAV National Commander Bradley S. Barton. Barton noted that the supplemental bill is still in the draft stage, but he urged lawmakers to ensure that the additional money for the VA remains in the final version that goes to the President for signature. “We as a nation owe these brave men and women all we can give them to make sure that their life and sacrifice are not ignored or undervalued,” Barton said. “But given the strains already placed on the VA, I am concerned about our veterans’ ability to get quality health care and benefits in a timely manner. If our government continues to under fund VA programs, it will fail to honor America’s commitment to our sick and disabled veterans.” The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is also urging lawmakers to support a recommended $6.6 billion increase in funding for veterans health care and other programs as called for in 2008 budget blueprints being debated in the House and Senate. “The budget recommendations that came out of the House and Senate Budget Committees will make a real difference in the lives of America’s sick and disabled veterans,” said DAV National Commander Bradley S. Barton. “This is especially important as our nation is at war.” Both budget resolutions reported out of committee call for $43.1 billion in discretionary spending for the Department of Veterans Affairs, the bulk of which is for veterans health care. That is $6.6 billion above the fiscal 2007 enacted level and $3.5 billion above the President’s request. The congressional budget blueprints do not include user fees and higher prescription co-payments contained in the President’s plan. Commander Barton praised Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt (D-N.C.) for their support of discretionary funding levels in line with recommendations in The Independent Budget authored by the DAV and other veterans service organizations. “This much-needed funding increase will allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to better meet the needs of the men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as all veterans who have served in the past,” he said. While the draft budget resolutions call for significant increases in spending for veterans programs in fiscal year 2008, the DAV is concerned about future projected funding levels. “Funding must keep pace with rising health care costs and an expected increase in veterans seeking services from the VA,” Barton said. “The DAV will continue working with Congress to ensure that future budgets meet the needs of our nation’s sick and disabled veterans.”

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2007-03-01 12:02:00

I know we honor service members that were kill in action on Memorial Day, but is there a day that honors men & women that were wounded in service?

I was born in 1940, about two years before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The old Soldiers I remember were those World War One Veterans who were still around and a few Civil War and Spanish American War Veterans. I remember the ceremonies for Decoration Day and Veterans Day. I and the other kids would scramble for the ejected rounds from the Springfield rifles and later from the M1 rifles when the honor guard fired the 21 gun salute. Occasionally there would be a funeral for a veteran, but I and the other kids weren’t too sure what that was about. Later the WW2 Vets and the Korean War Vets started coming back home. I stood and watched as the Parade went by. I don’t remember anything being done to honor wounded veterans. But I now hope that it is going to change. “Thanks to the efforts of Silver Star Families of America, Indiana and New Mexico have proclaimed May 1 as "Silver Star Day" to honor the nation's wounded service members. Silver Star Families of America is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program highlighting the ways Americans are supporting the nation's service members. "What we really want to do is have a nationwide event that day," said Janie Orman, the group's vice president. She added that the proclamation had been sent to every state. The group, which would like to establish May 1 as a national day of observance honoring America's wounded service members, drafted a proclamation in November for Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels' consideration. His office responded a few weeks later, informing Silver Star Families of America that the governor had signed the proclamation. New Mexico followed suit, and Wyoming recently contacted the group regarding the initiative, Orman said. "We need someone in (each) state to represent us," she said, adding the American Legion has expressed interest in supporting the group in this effort. "A resolution we wrote has passed the local (American Legion chapter). It has to then pass the district, then the state, then national," she said. "But they're in big support of Silver Star Day also, so that's a great help." Orman also said that individuals wanting to help represent Silver Star Day in their state should contact her or Steve Newton, Silver Star Families of America's president and co-founder. "Their main goals would be to get the word out about the Silver stars and what we do: ... honor and assist our wounded and their families in any way we can," Orman said. "We do that by presenting the Silver Star banners and care packages." The group also acts as an advocate for the wounded and works to educate the public about dilemmas wounded troops and veterans face, according to the group's Web site. The Silver Star Banner, which the group is working to make a government-recognized service banner like those of the American Gold Star Mothers, will play a big part in observing Silver Star Day on May 1, Orman said. Silver Star Families of America members are hoping to present their banners to veterans and wounded service members in each state. They also hope to work with schools to help students understand why the day is important. "I guess what we try to instill in them is that their freedom (to) go to school ... depends on our troops standing up for freedom," Orman said. The day of recognition is open to participation by other groups wishing to honor America's wounded troops, as well. The Patriot Guard Riders, a motorcycle group that attends military funerals to shield families from protesters, has indicated it would like to hold a rally to commemorate the day, Orman said. "We're just really getting a great response about Silver Star Day," Orman said. Emporia, KS has a claim to being the instigator for recognizing Veterans Day, Maybe the rest of the state can get onboard and support May 1 as Silver Star Day. We already recognize the last Monday in May as Memorial Day.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2007-02-01 16:23:00

How much is our government really helping veterans?

ANSWER: Each year about this time Congress, meaning both the House and Senate, start telling us what they did for veterans in the last congressional session. Here’s some of what went on and how the President treated it: PRESIDENT BUSH SIGNS CRAIG'S VETERANS BILL INTO LAW $3.2 billion measure will improve health delivery, overturns historic ban on Attorneys, and expands benefits. On Friday President George Bush signed into law a $3.2 billion Comprehensive benefits and health care bill for veterans sponsored by U.S. Senator Larry Craig, the outgoing chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs. "I hope veterans will rest a little easier this Christmas knowing that Congress did its job. We passed legislation that will enable this country to move forward with major construction projects for veterans and also will make some significant changes that will benefit veterans and their loved ones for generations to come," said Sen. Craig from his home near Boise, Idaho. The bill the President signed is S. 3421, the Veterans Benefits, Healthcare, and Information Technology Act of 2006. Among its many provisions, the new law partially overturns a policy dating back to the Civil War era that has prohibited veterans from hiring attorneys to help them seek veterans' benefits until they have spent months - sometimes years - exhausting the administrative process. The original policy came during a time when lawyers were often self trained and notoriously unscrupulous. As signed into law, this bill will now allow veterans or other VA claimants to hire Attorneys during VA's appeal process. "The old law may have made sense in 1866, but 140 years later it was time to reexamine that outdated policy. Veterans will still have the option of utilizing the representation services provided without charge by many veterans’ organizations, but in addition they will have the option of hiring an attorney if they so choose," Craig said. The legislation will also require VA to establish an Office of Rural Health. "For rural states like Idaho, the addition of this office should ensure that VA continues to focus on the needs and challenges of veterans who live in outlying areas," Craig said. The new law should also help rural states by allowing VA to create a pilot program which makes non-VA facilities - such as private nursing homes or community hospitals - eligible for state veterans' home per diem payments. "This change will allow veterans to stay closer to home and loved ones. I think that's important," Craig said. Among its many provisions, the bill adds $65 million to increase the number of clinicians treating post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and $2 million for additional blind rehabilitation specialists and increases the number of facilities where the specialists will be located. It also authorizes VA to designate six Parkinson's disease Research, Education, and Clinical Centers of Excellence, and at least two Multiple Sclerosis Centers of Excellence. The bill contains provisions that will provide VA with additional tools to help it contract with veteran and disabled veteran-owned small businesses. "We want to make sure that veterans who do business with VA get high priority," Craig said. The new veterans' law authorizes the replacement of the VA facilities in New Orleans, which were wiped out during Hurricane Katrina, and move forward with new hospital projects in Denver, Las Vegas, and Orlando. The bill also includes a provision sought by Sen. Craig which requires the removal of the remains of a double murderer - Russell Wayne Wagner - from Arlington National Cemetery. Wagner brutally murdered Daniel Davis, 84, and Wilda Davis, 80, in Maryland in 1994. Their son, Vernon Davis, is a veteran and he had sought help from Sen. Craig and Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski to have his parents' killer removed from that hallowed ground. The new law will also enable the spouse or child of a service member who is hospitalized or receiving outpatient medical care to begin receiving financial help through VA for their education. Sen. Craig crafted that portion of the legislation earlier this year after meeting with Army Sgt. Jeff Mittman who was blinded during an attack in Iraq. The new law will also enable tribal organizations to obtain grants from VA to help them establish, expand, or improve veterans' cemeteries on trust lands. "We accomplished a lot for veterans with this bill. It's a great way to finish the year," Craig said. The U.S. Constitution requires that a population tabulation be taken of our citizenry every decade. The search is on for WWI veterans. One WWI veteran in South Florida recently died; and the VA is rushing to find other WWI veterans that are still alive. Homer Anderson's death on September 23, at 108 years old, was a few month's shy of his 109th birthday. His passing left 12 men - soldiers and sailors, who 90 years ago lived through trench and early chemical warfare. Believe it or not, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs just began compiling the list a year ago. The authorities and historians believe there may be more WWI veterans whose ages are well past 100 years. SEC Delegate Joe Delgado, PC of Abe Wolkofsky - Bronx Chapter #23 comes from the same village as Emilio Mercado, of Puerto Rico, who at 115 is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's oldest human being. If he is able to travel, I hope that Joe Delgado can help us arrange to bring this surviving hero to New York, so that we may honor him. Records from WWI, are on paper and not in a database, which makes it more difficult to find those WWI veterans still living. We should salute the men and women who were the last of their kind: American Revolution 1775-1783 Number Served - 217,000 Battle Deaths - 4,435 Last Veteran - Daniel Bakeman (Died in 1869 at the age of 109) War of 1812 1812-1815 Number Served - 286,730 Battle Deaths - 2,260 Last Veteran - Hiram Crank (Died in 1905 at the age of 105) Civil War 1861-1865 Total Number Served (Union and Confederate) - 3.2 million Total Battle Deaths - About 215,000 Last Veteran - John Sailing, Confederate (Died in 1958 at the age of 112) Spanish American War 1889-1902 Number Served - 306,760 Battle Deaths - 385 Last Veteran - Nathan E. Cook (Died in 1992 at the age of 106) I am never sure if a Government can do too much for its veterans. You can see bumper stickers that say just about anything. But my favorite is one that simply says: “Thanks Veterans”.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2007-01-01 10:14:00

QUESTION: Are you missing deceased Veterans Relatives or Friends?

ANSWER: If they are WWII veterans, you might think about checking online at the following websites: www.iimemorial.com, this will check to see if they are listed on the National World War II Memorial in Washington, DC. Click on the World War II Registry, this allows you to search for honorees, or even add a favorite friend or relative who served during WWII. This registry has four separate databases. You can search for veterans who are buried in American Battle Monuments Commission Cemeteries overseas. You will be surprised at some of the locations. It even lists those who are memorialized on the ABMC Tablets of the missing. There is also a listing of those on official War and Navy Department Killed in Service Rosters now held by the National Archives and Records Administration. Another listing honors those who have been listed by public enrollment in the Registry of Remembrances. This listing is also open for any U.S. citizen who helped win the war, either as a member of the military or on the home front. All are eligible to be listed. You can also check with your local representative of the Veterans Administration. While the Privacy Act limits the information that can be given out, you can ask. If you can positively identify the veteran and if they are still alive the VA will forward a letter to them from you. You need to ask the veteran to contact you. The VA will not give out their address to you. Please note that the requirements for VA assistance changes from time to time. Be patient. Another good source is www.ancestry.com. This is a paid service, but every so often they give out free service to get you to try. The National Park Service also maintains a listing of those individuals buried in National Cemeteries.Don't give up keep searching. You might also contact your local Genealogy Society for their assistance.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2006-12-01 09:28:00

What ever happened to America's Atomic Test Veterans?

ANSWER: While it has been 60 years since the birth of the Atomic Bomb and the beginning of long-term effects of ionizing radiation on the health of America's Atomic Veterans, only 50 of the more than 280,000 veteran claims for service connected ionizing radiation exposure compensation have been approved by the Veterans Administration to date. The overwhelming majority, left to fend for themselves and in many cases the genetic abnormalities passed on to their children, have born the full financial responsibility for their medical treatment and care. Adding to the indignity is the lack of any personal recognition for the critical contributions and sacrifices made during America's atmospheric and underwater atomic test conducted between 1945 and the signing of the Nuclear Proliferation Act in 1963. It is the study of their human exposure during these test periods that provided the technical structure required to harness the atom and develop the systems that would be compatible with not only using and delivering the power of the atom but also provided the knowledge base required to develop a safe and reliable environment for human operators. The technical data, fuels to be used, construction concepts, systems development, training and ultimate deployment of our Nuclear Fleet and weapons systems would not have been realized without the devoted service and sacrifice of the Atomic Veteran. Perhaps, of even greater significance, are the contributions that extend beyond the military practicalities to include the foundations for advancements in nuclear medicine, power generation and many other areas of true significant benefit for all humanity. These proud veterans, that included nearly one million service members from every branch, served as guards, ships crew, air samplers, water samplers, pilots, photographers, safety monitors, recovery specialists, clean-up crews, assemblers, animal keepers, transportation and cargo handlers on land, air and at sea. In a statement recognizing July 16, 2002 as a “National Atomic Day of Remembrance”, President George W. Bush stated that the Atomic Veteran’s exposure to nuclear radiation was as grave as any War Veteran who was wounded in action, where in both instances the veteran stood in harms way, did their duty and protected the United States of America. Helen Malaskiewicz, Senior Environmental Health Coordinator (131) Department of Veterans Affairs stated, “I regret this group of veterans have been overlooked (hopefully this will only be the past and not the future) but we are trying our best to make certain they are remembered for their service “. However, these comments have yielded little in the way of personal recognition or assistance for our aging and ailing veterans. Many feel neglected, rejected and hurt that they have yet to be cited for their honorable service. The purpose of this drive is not to detract from the value or importance of any veteran's service nor elevate Atomic Veterans on a pedestal but rather, a request to be included as a prominently visible part of our national and military history. Currently, it is estimated that as many as 75% of the original participants are deceased with only 44 known surviving Atomic Test veterans living in Kansas. Of these 44, the number can be counted on one hand that have not battled cancer, or multiple cancers their whole life. True of all man, especially those in the twilight of their life, we seek to justify in our own minds the value of our lives. Did we do the best we could? Did we make a difference? Did we contribute in any meaningful way to the development of our nation and the future of our family and neighbors lives? Would it then be too much for us to provide a testament to their contribution from which we have all benefited? Thank you for your time and consideration of the critical contributions these Atomic Veterans have made to our country and their continued daily struggles with the after effects. They are still serving, quietly, with grace and dignity and without the simplest form of individual recognition. It is time to bring them into the sun light. It is time for our President, to individually recognize the Atomic Veteran and extend on our behalf, as citizens and benefactors; our most heart felt gratitude for their contributions and a Job Well Done. If you are interested in supporting this drive contact either of these individuals: Gary M. Thornton, Sr. Chief, USNR Ret, KS State Commander National Association of Atomic Veterans 527 W. North St. Leon, KS 67074 Lawrence M. Halloran Senior Chief, USNR Ret 414 Rucker Ave. Mulvane, KS 67110 316-777-9352

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2006-11-01 08:56:00

What role did the US Marines have in the Civil War?

ANSWER: There were very few members in the U.S.M.C. during the Civil War. One Marine however, is buried in Maple Grove Cemetery, located on the Northeast corner of 9th and Hillside in Wichita, KS. It is an old cemetery, but not the oldest in Wichita. That is the one across the street at the Hillside Cemetery. But Maple Grove has the Grand Army of the Republic Pavilion that was erected by the Woman’s Relief Corps. The WRC was a woman’s auxiliary to the GAR. The Pavilion is going to rebuild but more about that in a later column. One of the graves clustered around the pavilion is that of George W. Oliver. There is nothing remarkable about his grave. He has a standard issue civil war veteran’s gravestone. But as you read the headstone it says: “U.S.M.C.” Accord to records George W. Oliver enlisted at Portsmouth, NH on September 14, 1864 for four years, his recruiting officer was a: “Lieut. Col. James W. Jones of the U.S. Marines. He was on board a “Receiving Ship”. George W. Oliver was born in Glasgow, Scotland. George was at the time of his enlistment age 27 years, 5 ¼ inches high, hazel eyes, Brown Hair, fair complexion, by trade or occupation a laborer. He enlisted as a substitute. He took the place of another individual in the USMC, probably who was going to be drafted. The going rate to pay a substitute was $300.00 plus some other state bonuses. The record further states that he was vaccinated. He was discharged from military service at Mare Island, CA on September 18, 1868, a little over four years of military service. Very little is known about his military service. His records consist of a single sheet of paper indicating he enlisted aboard a “Receiving Ship” and another indicating he was discharged from the USMC also aboard a “Receiving Ship.” The last record in his file lists him as “DROPPED” March 4, 1899, with a notation “DEAD”. He had served as a “Private”. A John P. Oliver (Relationship unknown) applied for reimbursement of burial expenses, with a notation that the burial expenses were paid by the I.O.O.F. and the GAR burial fund. Private Oliver died in February of 1899, from heart disease. His actual date of death various from paper to paper either the 19th or the 23rd. He was last paid a pension of $12.00 on January 4, 1899. Pension was paid on a quarterly basis. He indicated that his wife had died earlier; I presume she is also buried in Maple Grove, but I don’t know for sure. His children were “over age”, so he was not drawing any thing for them on his pension. His last occupation was that of a “Boarding House Keeper”, but was at the time of his pension application was totally unable to work due to asthma. Although his grave is not impressive, the headstone indicates he served his adopted country honorably in time of war.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2006-10-01 14:35:00

QUESTION: Do you have a listing of Kansas’ Medal Of Honor burial locations from The Civil War?

ANSWER: We have some known Kansas Medal of Honor burial locations: James F. Ayers Pvt. Company H, 6th US Cavalry “Rapid Pursuit, Gallantry, Energy, and Enterprise in an Engagement with Indians.” At Sappa Creek (Sheridan County) KS April 23, 1875. Michael Dawson Trumpeter Company H, 6th US Cavalry “Gallantry in Action.” At Sappa Creek (Sheridan County), KS April 23, 1875 James Dunlavy Pvt., Company D, 3rd Iowa Cavalry “ Gallantry in capturing General Marmaduke” ( MG John S. Marmaduke, CAS) at Osage, KS October 25, 1864 (Battle of Mine Creek) George R. Pond Pvt. Company C, 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry “With two companions, attacked a greatly superior force of guerrillas, routed them, and rescued several prisoners. “At Drywood, KS May 15, 1864. James B. Pond 1st Lt. Company C, 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry, “While in command of two companies of cavalry, was surprised and attacked by several times his own number of guerrillas, but gallantly rallied his men, and after a severe struggle drove the enemy outside the fortifications. 1st Lt. Pond then went outside the works, and alone and unaided, fired a howitzer 3 times, throwing the enemy into confusion and causing him to retire,” At Baxter Springs, KS October 6, 1863. Calvary M. Young Sgt., Company L, 3rd Iowa Cavalry “Gallantry in Capturing General Cabell “ (BG William L Cabell, CSA) at Osage, KS October 25,1864 ( Battle of Mine Creek) These soldiers may not be buried in Kansas, but the action for which they received the Medal of Honor took place in Kansas.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2006-08-01 09:43:00

I know we honor service members that were kill in action on Memorial Day, but is there a day that honors men & women that were wounded in service?

I was born in 1940, about two years before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The old Soldiers I remember were those World War One Veterans who were still around and a few Civil War and Spanish American War Veterans. I remember the ceremonies for Decoration Day and Veterans Day. I and the other kids would scramble for the ejected rounds from the Springfield rifles and later from the M1 rifles when the honor guard fired the 21 gun salute. Occasionally there would be a funeral for a veteran, but I and the other kids weren’t too sure what that was about. Later the WW2 Vets and the Korean War Vets started coming back home. I stood and watched as the Parade went by. I don’t remember anything being done to honor wounded veterans. But I now hope that it is going to change. “Thanks to the efforts of Silver Star Families of America, Indiana and New Mexico have proclaimed May 1 as "Silver Star Day" to honor the nation's wounded service members. Silver Star Families of America is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program highlighting the ways Americans are supporting the nation's service members. "What we really want to do is have a nationwide event that day," said Janie Orman, the group's vice president. She added that the proclamation had been sent to every state. The group, which would like to establish May 1 as a national day of observance honoring America's wounded service members, drafted a proclamation in November for Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels' consideration. His office responded a few weeks later, informing Silver Star Families of America that the governor had signed the proclamation. New Mexico followed suit, and Wyoming recently contacted the group regarding the initiative, Orman said. "We need someone in (each) state to represent us," she said, adding the American Legion has expressed interest in supporting the group in this effort. "A resolution we wrote has passed the local (American Legion chapter). It has to then pass the district, then the state, then national," she said. "But they're in big support of Silver Star Day also, so that's a great help." Orman also said that individuals wanting to help represent Silver Star Day in their state should contact her or Steve Newton, Silver Star Families of America's president and co-founder. "Their main goals would be to get the word out about the Silver stars and what we do: ... honor and assist our wounded and their families in any way we can," Orman said. "We do that by presenting the Silver Star banners and care packages." The group also acts as an advocate for the wounded and works to educate the public about dilemmas wounded troops and veterans face, according to the group's Web site. The Silver Star Banner, which the group is working to make a government-recognized service banner like those of the American Gold Star Mothers, will play a big part in observing Silver Star Day on May 1, Orman said. Silver Star Families of America members are hoping to present their banners to veterans and wounded service members in each state. They also hope to work with schools to help students understand why the day is important. "I guess what we try to instill in them is that their freedom (to) go to school ... depends on our troops standing up for freedom," Orman said. The day of recognition is open to participation by other groups wishing to honor America's wounded troops, as well. The Patriot Guard Riders, a motorcycle group that attends military funerals to shield families from protesters, has indicated it would like to hold a rally to commemorate the day, Orman said. "We're just really getting a great response about Silver Star Day," Orman said. Emporia, KS has a claim to being the instigator for recognizing Veterans Day, Maybe the rest of the state can get onboard and support May 1 as Silver Star Day. We already recognize the last Monday in May as Memorial Day.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2006-07-01 09:38:00

Question: I have noticed at some cemeteries that veteran headstones look different. Why?

ANSWER: Ever walked in your local cemetery and seen the different headstones for veterans?  Headstones always interest me especially those of Civil War Veterans. The main difference between Union and Confederate headstones is the size.  The story goes that the confederate stones were made pointed so that Union Soldiers could not set on top of them.  True or not, it makes fora good story.  The real reason was to distinguish between the two armies. When the Spanish American War occurred later and unfortunately the fallen came back, only one style of headstone was used that was the rounded top of the Union Soldiers.  The only problem was left up to the individual families as to whether to use either the Union or Confederate style when the deceased had Union Service prior to, during or after CSA service. But even then there was a difference in style due to the manufacturer.  It varied in height, thickness, length and unfortunately quality of stone and engraving.  Remember the lowest bidder got the contract.One other thing to remember about, are those headstones that have the line reading "MEDAL OF HONOR".  This column is too short to list all the names of the Civil War era awards of this medal.General George Custer's unit during the closing days of the war received thirty six awards of the Medal of Honor.  All of these were for the capture of rebel flags. If you find one of these markers please let me know, by emailing freehold@swbell.net.  I have records on many of the MOH recipients for Kansas, but there are always some missing.  The DAV placed a Medal of Honor OH marker for Captain James Kirk in Maple Grove Cemetery in Wichita, KS while standing by his graveside at the ceremonies; I spotted the resting place of Samuel Wright also a CW veteran who had been awarded the Medal of Honor.  Later we were able to also place a marker for him also.  The grave of Joseph Wartick was also marked with a Medal of Honor headstone in the cemetery outside of Leon, KS.  The family descendants’ had all three versions of the MOH but did not know what they were for.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2006-06-01 08:40:00

Question: Memorial Day - a time to celebrate or a time to mourn?

ANSWER: It’s a difficult duty we face today, paying tribute to those killed in the cause of freedom.  They died – and we live.   They are forever lost to us – yet we enjoy a great gift from them.  Noting the enormous costs of the gift of freedom, should we walk an easy road as we offer our tributes today?  And there are easy roads. We could focus on the heroism of our war dead; and they are heroes, every one of them. We could also talk about the lives they might have lived, if not for war.  Both of those choices allow us to idealize the dead … and avoid talking about the grim realities of death in times of war.  But easy roads were never the way for the great American author, Ernest Hemingway. He looked life and war directly in the eye. Ernest Hemingway gives us no way out. His brief, eloquent phrases present what is real.   His young soldier is no hero of myth.   A real human being has been lost. A life that was strong and vibrant is “gone” – melted “into the sullen dark.” We’re forced to see that war is bloody, brutal and painful. Hemingway will not let us forget that. This is the cost – the true cost – of the freedom we celebrate today.  As one of millions who stood up to accept the risks of military service, let me state that freedom is worth the price. We must defend freedom, or we lose it.And so we must understand that Memorial Day is not just a time of celebration. It’s also a solemn moment of mourning.  To all of those who take the time to attend a Memorial Day celebrations, I thank you. Unlike most, you will have given thought to the meaning of this national holiday. You chose to mark its very serious intent.One look at today’s newspaper shows that you’re running against the grain of popular culture.  Think of all of the people who drove to the malls for the Memorial Day sales.  They were not thinking about the costs of the freedom they enjoy. They’re taking freedom for granted.But you are different. Like Hemingway, you’re ready to look at the reality of war.   And you have come to pay tribute to those who paid for your freedom with the breath of life itself. There’s weight and value in the patriotism you express.  And there is more. In some way and in some measure, you do your part to make life better for our veterans.  Among our veterans’ groups, there’s a saying that goes around at this time of year:“The best way to honor the dead is to serve those who lived, but came home sick and wounded”.This is a significant idea. Those who gave their lives for America are beyond our help, really. Other than honoring their memory, there’s nothing we can give them.  But what would they want us to do? You and I know the answer. They would have us reach out to their brothers and sisters in arms, especially those who feel the greatest need.  This is our fervent purpose in the Disabled American Veterans, which I represent. It’s the same for every veterans’ group here today … the same for every Auxiliary. It’s a top priority for all of us.Listening to our politicians, you’d think they share this concern, and many do. But some do not.  We must ask: Why is this so?Today, I propose that the answer is simple. Some of our leaders do not want America to face the actual cost of war in terms of its long-term impact on human beings.  Once that cost is paid by real human beings, it becomes a financial cost borne principally by the federal government – and it’s a permanent cost.Every day, throughout a lifetime, a disabled veteran continues to pay the price of freedom. And America’s financial obligation for benefits and medical care only dies when the veteran dies.  Some of our politicians resent the idea of paying that cost.  Oh, they’ll send our young men and women off to war with a rally and a cheer. But, when they come home sick and bleeding, it’s another story.  This is wrong. This is dreadfully, horribly wrong. You can wave the American Flag over it, covering it with all kinds of patriotic phrases, but it’s still wrong.  The cost of dealing with the life-long impact of military service is part of the price of war.  It’s particularly important to keep this fact in mind today, as Iraq and Afghanistan subject our troops to some of the most devastating injuries our veterans have ever survived:Traumatic brain injuries, terrible burns, amputations, severe nerve damage and paralysis, scars that can never be repaired, blindness,  deafness, shrapnel wounds caused by suicide bombers and home-made landmines.The list goes on and on. And so does the price our youngest veterans will pay throughout most of the 21st century.  Long after Iraq and Afghanistan are written into the history books, the wheelchairs will still be rolling. In the lives of these men and women, the wars will never end. Nor can our nation’s commitment to their well being. Many of you give your hearts and souls to this work through the chapters, posts, and auxiliaries of your veterans’ organizations. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Your volunteer efforts – in our hospitals and on many other fronts – make such a difference. Our veterans and their families owe you a tremendous debt of gratitude. Truly, you have served.  And truly, you continue to serve.  Many of our fellow citizens join you in this work – even though they may not be veterans or members of veterans’ families. They give their time. They make contributions. They show their support of our nation’s veterans in so many ways, large and small. The American people love their veterans.  But that support doesn’t automatically translate into pro-veteran policy from our government.Some in our government will tell you about dramatic increases in spending on veterans. And that’s fine until you look closely at the numbers.  That’s when you learn that larger and larger numbers of veterans are waiting longer and longer for needed medical care … even surgery.That’s when you find out that some never get the treatment they need.  Some politicians will tell you the VA is only cutting “wealthy veterans” out of the system. Well, the last group cut from the system had annual incomes between $25,000 and $35,000.  That is not wealth! That’s the definition of a veteran trying to raise a family … working two jobs just to keep things together … and going to the VA because there’s no health insurance.  And, when you look at the numbers closely, you find veterans waiting ages for decisions on claims for the benefits they earned – year after year in some cases.People in government have made decisions that created the problems veterans face today. They have chosen to spend money on “other priorities.”  But why not make a choice that favors veterans – meeting a sacred obligation to the men and women who defended our freedom? It is, after all, only a choice. And diverting at least some of that money into necessary health care for veterans would have been the effectively moral choice.  It would have served veterans. It would have honored our war dead by serving those who lived but came home sick and injured. It would have restored the spirit of Memorial Day.My friends, it is not too late.  Thank you once again for reading this today and showing your devotion for our nation’s war dead by observing Memorial Day.   And thank you for your patriotism and your commitment to the men and women of our armed forces.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2006-05-01 16:01:00

:   What is the History of the Disabled American Veterans?

ANSWER:  The beginnings of Disabled American Veterans followed the wake of World War I, when thousands of American doughboys came home to an America that was not prepared to care for the carnage of war. More than 4.7 million Americans served, 53,500 were lost in combat. Accidents and illnesses (mostly from the deadly Spanish flu pandemic) took the lives of 63,000. More than 200,000 soldiers were wounded during the war.America was not prepared to go to war or face its aftermath, especially caring for the sick and wounded. Months after returning home, half of the 4 million soldiers were released from military service. With the country drained of its economic resources due to the war, there was little funding available to help war veterans in search of employment and medical care. Within a year, 4 million Americans were jobless, broke and past hope. Recession and unemployment crippled the American economy. As a result, veterans were left to fend for themselves, especially those who were disabled. Jobs were almost nonexistent for these men. The few government agencies charged with responsibility for veterans were under funded, often working at cross-purposes and required veterans seeking help to complete an abundance of bureaucratic paperwork, much to the dismay of veterans. Many gave up, finding themselves having to look to each other for help. It was in this environment that groups of disabled veterans gathered together across the country, some for social purposes, others working to raise money and create jobs for their comrades.His tireless efforts in this endeavor earned him the title of the “Father of the DAV.” The history of the DAV is the story of victory and defeat, success and near disaster, but always the commitment to build better lives for disabled veterans and their families. By holding to this single purpose the DAV is today the finest veterans service organization in the world—offering free services to millions of veterans each year. It’s often been said that “what is past, is prologue.” For the Disabled American Veterans, the outstanding achievement of its past 85 years is a remarkable testimonial for its future.The 1.3 million-member Disabled American Veterans, a non-profit organization founded in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932, represents this nation’s disabled veterans. It is dedicated to a single purpose: building better lives for our nation’s disabled veterans and their families. For more information, visit the organization’s Web site at www.dav.org.

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

2006-04-01 12:56:00

Question: What exactly is the DAV and how does it help?

ANSWER: Treaties are signed and the battles of nations end, but the personal battles of those disabled in war only begin when the guns fall silent.  These men and women must struggle to regain health, reshape lives shattered by disability, learn new trades or professions and rejoin the civilian world.  At each step, they need help, to help themselves.  For three quarters of a century now, that aid has come from the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), a nonprofit organization of more than one million veterans disabled during a time of war or armed conflict.Formed in 1920 and chartered by Congress in 1932, the million-member DAV is the official voice of America’s service-connected disabled veterans; a strong, insistent voice that represents all of America’s 2.1 million disabled veterans, their families and survivors.  It’s a nationwide network of services, free to all veterans and members of their families, and is totally supported by membership dues and contributions from the American public.  Not a government agency, the DAVs national organization receives no government funds.The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) has a mission.  Helping eligible veterans receive all the benefits and services they have earned through their sacrifices for their country.  Well over half of all veterans eligible for DAV membership have already joined the ranks.  If asked why they joined members would overwhelmingly cite DAV Services.  Helping disable veterans and their families is what the DAV does, that’s all they do, and they do it well because veteran’s deserve the best.  Veterans like the fact that the DAV is not a government agency and receives no government funding.  They know the DAV is on their side.  That’s why more then 200,000 veterans and members of their families seek out professional DAV services every year.The DAV Thrift Stores sales support local veterans programs in the immediate Wichita area.  Every year the DAV gives out food baskets to veterans and their families at any time of need, not just the holidays.  We give clothing vouchers to veterans as needed.   Our sales support the DAV-Transportation Network in the local area, veterans are driven to doctor and hospital appointments by DAV volunteer drivers at no charge.  Our locally owned and operated stores employ approximately 70 people in our five stores and warehouse.

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Veteran Affairs

Randy Bane

2006-04-01 10:49:00

Are ‘Armed Forces Personnel’ liable for Kansas Income Tax?

ANSWER: Kansas law imposes a tax upon the Kansas taxable income of every Kansas resident, regardless of where earned, and upon the Kansas taxable income of every nonresident where such income is derived from sources with the state. The service pay of members of the armed forces is taxable only by the state of their legal residence, regardless of where they may be stationed in the line of duty. The place of residency at the time of induction into the service is normally presumed to be the legal state of residence of service members. It remains so until they actually establish residence in another state and change their service records in recognition thereof.If you are an enlisted member, warrant office, or commissioned warrant officer and you serve in a combat zone during any part of a month, all of your military for that month is excluded from your income. You can also exclude military pay for that month included in your income. You can also exclude military pay earned while you are hospitalized as a result of a wound, disease or injury incurred in the combat zone. The exclusion of your military pay while you are hospitalized does not apply to any month that begins more than two years after the end of combat activities in that combat zone. Your hospitalization does not have to be in the combat zone.If you are a commissioned officer (other than a commissioned warrant office), you may exclude your pay according to the rules just discussed. However, the amount of your exclusions is limited to the highest rate of enlisted pay (plus imminent danger/hostile fire pay you received) for each month during any part of which you served in a combat zone or were hospitalized as a result of your service there. Individuals shall have 180 days after their return from the combat zone to file their Kansas income tax return without incurring any penalties or interest.Residents, is a resident that received income from another state and was required to pay income tax to that other state, they may be entitled to claim a tax credit against their Kansas income tax liability to avoid double taxation of that income.Non-residents stationed in Kansas due to military orders are not subject to Kansas income tax on their military pay. However, nonresident military personnel or their spouses (when filing a married filing joint return) must file a Kansas income tax return when they have income from Kansas sources. If the individual or spouse is a resident and the other is not, they have filed a joint federal return, their Kansas taxable income shall be reported and taxed on the basis of a joint non-resident Kansas return.(Material conveyed by the Kansas Income Tax Instructions For Armed Forces Personnel as found on the Kansas Department of Revenue Web site. Compliments of John M. Pullin, tax consultant of Bernard J. Gartland, P.C., a profession Law Corporation.)

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Veteran Affairs

Randy Bane

2006-03-01 13:04:00

Owing the IRS isn’t a fun way to live life. Every job I seek, or get, I have to fear them coming to get whatever I make. I can’t pay what I owe. There has to be a better way than hiding. What is it?

ANSWER: It does not have to be this way. What if there was a way to have a decent home and a decent job without the IRS attaching wages? The icing on the cake is that the past taxes owed would not have to be paid. Why? Review the Section 6343 (E) of the Internal Revenue Code. And, a special mandate from the Inspector General: If a taxpayer’s income does not exceed necessary living expenses and the taxpayer does not have the ability to pay the tax owed, the IRS can close a case as “currently not collectible (CNC), due to economic hardship.” The congress believed that taxpayers should not have collection activity taken against them once the IRS has determined that the tax owed is uncollectible.What does all this mean? Simply put. If expenses exceed income, the IRS must put you into what is commonly referred to as an uncollectible status, or Code 53. However, there is one stipulation. In order to qualify for a Code 53, the taxpayer must be in compliance. That is, all tax returns must be filed. Most of the people in the “underground economy” do not even know when they filed their last tax return. Not to worry! There is a solution; it is called the Answer Program. This program allows the taxpayer to obtain special records to find out which years need to be filled. Once the compliance issue is finalized and the tax returns are prepared, the next step is to outline a plan. The plan will identify the options that are available to the taxpayer to pay the tax, such as, installment plan, waiting out the statue of limitations on collections, tax bankruptcy, offer in compromise, or Code 53.

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Veteran Affairs

Randy Bane

2005-12-29 08:44:00

: The Patriot Guard, who are they, and from where do they originate?

ANSWER: The Patriot Guard is a diverse group of men and women from across the nation, and their passion is to show respect to those fallen heroes who risk their lives for America's freedom and security.  The only requirement for membership is that you share this ideal.  This group of men and women are not concerned with your mode of transportation  whether it be motorcycles, cars or trucks.  They are not concerned about your political views or where you’re from, the only prerequisite to join is RESPECT.  Their main mission is to attend the funeral services of Fallen American Heroes, with two basic objectives.  One, show sincere respect for fallen heroes, their families and their communities.  Second, protect the mourning family and friends from interruptions created by any protesting group.  QUESTION: How and why is the Patriot Guard needed?  ANSWER: Summer 2005, a news story was told that Fred Phelps Group out of Topeka, Kansas  was going to picket a veterans funeral, an "American soldier killed-defending our nation."   The American Legion out of Mulvane, Kansas organized a group of men and women with the mission of protecting the veterans, and their families from being dishonored. There were five main leaders: Terry-Darkhorse-Houck, Cregg-Bronco6-Hansen, Steve-McDaddy-Mc-Donald, Bill-Wild Bill-Logan and Chuck-Pappy-Barshney members of the American Legion 136.  They formed a committee with Patriot Guard Mission Statement: The mission is to shield and guard the families of fallen soldiers at military funerals.  They provide support to the families in whatever ways they are asked. ie; color guard, funeral escort.  All Patriot Guard Riders are expected to maintain a respectful image at all times. The No. 1 purpose of the Patriot Guard is Honor of the fallen soldier and show their support to the family and his/her community.  Why the name Patriot Guard? It was a way of honoring all veteran and non-veteran groups that want to support their mission.  Last summer a group of 200 were there to help, by December there were some 2,400 members.  Across the United States people are responding’ supporting the Patriot Guard. Why do people join to support such a mission?  Here are just a few statements:  I ride with the PGR, because I am an American. All of the freedoms I enjoy, were paid for by other's blood.  They did not know me, but they wanted these freedoms for those,  that they would never be able to enjoy. When I think it is too cold to ride,  I think of the soldiers at Valley Forge.  I think of the 101st at Bastogne.  I think of the Frozen Chosen in Korea.  When I think it is too hot, I think of those who fought in N. Africa.  I think of those who fight in Iraq.  When I think I am too tired I think of those at la Drang.  When I am too stressed, I think of those at Khe Sahn.  I ride because I owe the respect of those who have fallen.  I owe all I have to those and others like them.On behalf of many families and communities, the Patriot Guard has successfully fulfilled their mission.  If you need more information or would like to know more about becoming a supporter, their web-site is:  http://www.patriotguard.org/

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Veteran Affairs

Frank Bergquist

1969-12-31 18:00:00

I recently read a short article about the “Sultana” in the Civil War. I had never heard of it before. What can you tell me?

Answer: In 1865 the steamer Sultana exploded on the Mississippi River near Memphis, TN. Over 1,400 Union soldiers coming home from the Civil War were killed. But was there more than 1,400 killed? The steamboat’s maximum capacity was 400, but over 2,400 men were on the Sultana. How many met their death is not known. We could estimate that 500 Union soldiers were saved, but it is only a guess. One of the Union soldiers on board the Sultana was Pvt. William B. Warner of Company B of the 9th Regiment of the Indiana Cavalry. Pvt. Warner was born on May 6, 1848, and enlisted in the Union Army on October 24, 1863. He was only 15 years of age at the time. His pay was $13.00 per month, plus bonus of $500.00 for enlisting. Less than a year after he enlisted, his unit was in an engagement with the rebel forces. Half of the unit was killed including the commanding officer. The acting commander surrendered what was left of the unit on September 25, 1864. Pvt Warner and the rest of his unit were marched off to Cahaba Prison outside of Selma, Alabama. The prison was an old cotton warehouse. At the time the Union Army was no longer exchanging prisoners. Pvt. Warner was moved to Camp Fisk near Knoxville, TN along with other men from his unit. After Lee’s surrender, the rebel soldiers who were their guards, left. The Union Army made arrangements for the now ex-pow to be taken north by steam boat. The boat captain would receive $5.00 for every private soldier and $10.00 for each officer. The record keeping was done as they boarded the steamboat. The Sultana docked at Knoxville on April 25, 1865. There were things going against the Sultana: the Mississippi river was at flood stage, the Sultana was having boiler problems and was already behind the schedule because so much time was spent on repairs. And third, the Sultana’s captain had decided he would make a lot more money if he is hauled all of the men he could, whether it was safe or not. And last a rumor spread that this was the last boat. The soldiers rushed to find a place on the Sultana. Most could not even find a place to lie down. At 2:00 am on April 27, 1865 the boat left Memphis. Ten miles up the river the Sultana exploded and burnt. Pvt. Warner found himself a quarter mile from the Sultana. Other survivors were also swimming in the river. He was able to catch hold of a couple of the boat’s planks. He was wearing two piece long underwear. He removed the bottom piece of the long underwear in order to tie the board together. While he was doing this he also grabbed hold of a hat that was floating by. When he was rescued he was wearing the hat and the top of the long underwear. It was a disaster, that would remain in the eye of the public, except for one thing. President Lincoln was assassinated, that drove all other news from the pages of newspapers. He was discharged from “service of the United States this 12th day of July,1865”. He was unsure of what he wanted to do, so he worked on the steamers and then the trains. He had to prove to the army that he was in the service of his country. Near the turn of the century, Mr. Warner bought farmland near Wellington, KS. The farm was next to land owned by the Barnes family. In 1910 Mr. Warner married the daughter Miss Jessie Barnes. He was 62 years of age and she was 34. From this union two children were born: William Warner was born November 9, 1913 and Robert Warner was born August 15, 1917. Mr. Warner died when he was 85 years of age. At the time of his death he, was the acting Commander of the James Shield Post No. 208 of the Grand Army of the Republic. He had had his 85th birthday on May 6, 1933, there was a surprise birthday party scheduled for him.

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Veteran Affairs

Randy Bane

1969-12-31 18:00:00

: Isn’t DV a woman’s issues problem? ANSWER: The vast majority of the over 7,000 DV arrests each year in Wichita involve men hurting women. However, the use of violence in not gender specific, women also hurt men. ‘Men Choosing Respect’ works to end all violence in our homes. Local programs have made great progress in addressing DV; there just are not enough men in every walk of life involved.QUESTION: What does this have to do with veterans?  ANSWER: Recent research indicates that of men who have had “combat exposure, 21 percent become involved in current spouse or partner abuse.” That is a very large percentage and shows me that we need to help men returning from service. Men, especially veterans, must be involved in this helping.   QUESTION: How can men get involved? ANSWER: On the second Tuesday of each month ‘Men Choosing Respect’ hosts an open meeting from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at 1407 N. Topeka, Wichita, KS. This is an ongoing meeting for men wishing to be involved in reducing domestic violence in Wichita. For some men this will be a meeting they return to again and again to work as a group making public awareness changes, for other men it may be a one time meeting to develop an understanding of how to help reduce domestic violence. All men are invited to join us

ANSWER: ‘Men Choosing Respect’ is an ongoing program that develops public awareness and preventative programs involving men working together to preventing domestic violence (DV) in Wichita.QUESTION: Isn’t DV a woman’s issues problem? ANSWER: The vast majority of the over 7,000 DV arrests each year in Wichita involve men hurting women. However, the use of violence in not gender specific, women also hurt men. ‘Men Choosing Respect’ works to end all violence in our homes. Local programs have made great progress in addressing DV; there just are not enough men in every walk of life involved.QUESTION: What does this have to do with veterans?  ANSWER: Recent research indicates that of men who have had “combat exposure, 21 percent become involved in current spouse or partner abuse.” That is a very large percentage and shows me that we need to help men returning from service. Men, especially veterans, must be involved in this helping.   QUESTION: How can men get involved? ANSWER: On the second Tuesday of each month ‘Men Choosing Respect’ hosts an open meeting from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at 1407 N. Topeka, Wichita, KS. This is an ongoing meeting for men wishing to be involved in reducing domestic violence in Wichita. For some men this will be a meeting they return to again and again to work as a group making public awareness changes, for other men it may be a one time meeting to develop an understanding of how to help reduce domestic violence. All men are invited to join us as we reduce violence here in our own community. Call Horace Santry at 316-263-5886 if you have any questions.