Pickens, Walker, and the Defense of the South Carolina Coast in September 1861

Leroy Walker was a hard working yet inefficient first Secretary of War for the Confederacy. Francis Pickens was obsessed with defending his state against the coming Yankee threat. What could possibly go wrong? Before Walker resigned on September 16th due to the strain of the position, Pickens showed off his amateur military knowledge to push for specific coastal defense needs. In a letter from September 1st, he strongly urged for Colonel Maxcy Gregg's assistance on the coast since he believed an invasion was imminent and Gregg would give 'confidence to the country.' Also, in a jab at Walker's effectiveness, Pickens wished to avoid 'disasters' similar to what happened 'on the defenseless coast of North Carolina.' Also, Pickens speaks about remodeling old guns from the country since fresh arms weren't available, practically begging Walker for more weapons & powder as well as more troops. Finally, Pickens outlined his ideal military setup so that he 'could feel safe for the present,' bringing to mind his contempt of Roswell Ripley, commander of the SC coastal defenses. 

Francis Pickens looking properly stern.

Brigadier General Roswell Ripley

CSA's 1st Secretary of War, Leroy Walker

The dashing Maxcy Gregg

Jesse D Bright

One of the more interesting congressional stories during the Civil War was the expulsion of Jessie D. Bright from the US Senate. Bright, a senator from Indiana, was an active supporter of the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska bill. After 'secessionitis' became rampant throughout the south, Bright was a key part of the Democratic opposition to the Lincoln administration, being the Senate's senior Democrat. His sympathies for the South were obvious, and this came to a head in March of 1861. 

Bright wrote a letter of introduction to Jefferson Davis for a friend travelling to Montgomery, Alabama. This letter referenced Davis as 'President of the Confederation of States.' Since the predominant view of Congress was a South in rebellion against the Union, this form of address seemed to recognize Jefferson Davis as the leader of a nation. This empowered Bright's enemies (including abolitionist senators Charles Sumner and Morton Wilkinson) to strike, leading a campaign to convince other senators of his conflicting loyalties. On February 5, 1862, the Senate successfully expelled Bright and effectively ended his political career. It was a shocking reversal for a powerful senator with 16 years of experience in Congress. 

Battle of Smyrna

For someone who takes pride in his writing, I don't write very much. As you can see from this blog, my last post was in 2017. Since then, Ripken has passed on and I don't travel to Civil War sites as much as I used to. Don't get me wrong: The CW bug is as strong as ever, but I spend more time reading and taking classes about the war then getting out and seeing the battlefields. 

In fact, I'm reading a great book by Daniel Sutherland titled 'A Savage Conflict: The Decisive Role of Guerillas in the American Civil War.' It details various guerilla actions during the war, including an Atlanta native who formed a company of 'mounted riflemen' early in the war to protect the Georgia 'frontier.' Also, there were the Cherokee Rangers, who could be anywhere in Georgia or bordering counties in North Carolina or Tennessee with five hours' notice. However, the emphasis of all guerilla units was local defense. Georgia's various groups of partisan rangers needed to take care of farms and local affairs just as urgently as protect against Union influences from outside or within. Of the various Georgia groups I've read about so far, my favorite name is the Camden Chasseurs, who roamed the coast north of Florida for enemy small boats. 

As you can guess, I live in the Atlanta area, in a little city named Smyrna, just down the road from Marietta and Kennesaw Mountain. During the Atlanta Campaign, this city saw some action on the 4th of July, both near the Smyrna campground that gave the city its name and Ruff's Mill, a small area on Nickajack Creek. 

The Battle of Olustee

Rip and I visited the Olustee Battlefield as we were driving back from Jacksonville. It was a beautiful day to check out the largest Civil War battle in the state of Florida. The battle occurred on February 20, 1864, and was significant for the large number of U.S. African-American troops, many of whom became casualties in this battle. General Truman A. Seymour described the carnage at Olustee as a 'devilish hard rub,' losing 1,861 men, including troops of the famed 54th Massachusetts, who stabilized the line while Seymour retreated back to Jacksonville. The battlefield includes a one mile trail that gives the history of the battle, and a small unmanned visitor's center with a film.

Walker's Greyhounds

I just bought Walker's Texas Division, C.S.A: Greyhounds of the Trans-Mississippi by Richard Lowe. I couldn't resist. I'll keep you posted!

And check out this great pic of Rip at a full run! He could have outraced Walker's speedy troops!

Smyrna Cemetery

Our home town is Smyrna, GA, so I'm always walking Rip around the historic areas of this small city. One of his favorite places is Smyrna Memorial Cemetery, due to the many squirrels he can chase! It's a nice quiet area in the middle of a congested area.

You'll see that Rip is in front of a CSA soldier's grave with the last name of Hamby. I made a point of seeing this grave today. The news of the last few days, from Charlottesville to Durham, even here in Atlanta, has made me think more and more of Confederate imagery in our public places. This gravestone has been in this cemetery since 1896. The Durham statue of a Confederate soldier was installed in 1924. A statue defaced in Piedmont Park was dedicated in 1911 as a symbol of peace between North and South. I think two things are being forgotten in this current haste to eliminate all symbols of racism and bigotry. First, these are symbols that represent the history of this country, both good and bad. We cannot simply forget what happened in the southern U.S. between 1861 and 1865, as it is clearly still relevant in our current nation. Removing the images of Robert E Lee, Jefferson Davis, or the common Confederate soldier will not stop police profiling, African-American incarceration, or the mainstream media's depiction of minorities in this country. As Barbara Fields indicated in Ken Burns' Civil War, "the Civil War is still being fought and, regrettably, it can still be lost." All this current stream of emotion serves is to mask the real problems in this country.

This is my second point. Symbols are important, but they are not as important as giving a fellow human being a helping hand, a shoulder to lean on, or a friendly ear. Modern America has forgotten the axioms of Martin Luther King Jr., Henry Wallace, and Mahatma Gandhi. There are so many social issues in this country that need to be addressed. Why can't we focus our energies on homelessness, addiction, education, pollution, crime? These are problems that need to be addressed now, and are much larger issues than a statue in a city square that most people don't pay attention to on a daily basis. The actions of the white supremacists in Charlottesville were despicable, and that kind of hate has no place in this country. Anger is not a bad thing, but hate is. The groups that are angry about Confederate imagery should think about the real source of that anger, and focus it accordingly. I believe modern America has a problem with focus because of all of the external stimuli we are bombarded with every day. But, if we can focus our passion for change and keep our eyes on the true prizes, we'll have a great nation to live in. Thanks for letting me ramble!

Old Fort Jackson

Right after Fort McAllister, Rip and I visited Old Fort Jackson, a traditional brick fort. Here are the pics! Also, you'll see we ended the day on the beautiful Savannah waterfront.