FIRST CALL
Joshua L. Chamberlain
Civil war round table
P.O. Box 1046, Brunswick, ME 04011
November 2015
Volume XXXI, No 3
November 12, 2015 Speaker: Jared Peatman
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“So Clumsily Done: The 2 Maine Mutineers”
In previous writings the voices of
the mutineers have never been heard.
Michael Shaara made an attempt in The
Killer Angels, but his “Private Joseph
Bucklin” is one of the few made-up characters in the entire story. Others have
noted the general paucity of diaries or
letter collections from men in the 2nd
Maine, and quote the same few accounts
from Chamberlain. However, court martial transcripts, pension files, and regimental order books at the National Archives – none of which have been cited
previously, and all of which are incredibly
revealing – as well as regimental correspondence files at the Maine State Archives, and various other scattered
letters, and contemporary newspaper articles, provide us with significant insight
into the affair from the perspective of
the mutineers.
In this issue:
Speaker:
Jared Peatman
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Texas A&M. Jared’s first book is The
Long Shadow of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, a project for which he was named
the 2009 Organization of American Historians/Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Doctoral Fellow and in 2012 received the Hay-Nicolay Dissertation Prize
for the best work on Abraham Lincoln. In
2004, while teaching seventh grade U.S.
History in Danville, Virginia, he was his
district’s nominee for the Virginia State
Social Studies Teacher of the Year Award.
The Man Who
Would Not Be
Washington
Book Review by
Arthur Banner
Time Bomb
By Jay Stencil
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He is currently at work on a new
book on the 20th Maine and Joshua
Chamberlain.
Since 2009 Jared has
worked in the leadership development
field, and has created dozens of presentations and delivered hundreds of sessions that draw leadership lessons from
historic sites including Gettysburg, the Alamo, Jamestown, and Waterloo.
Announcements
/FYI
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Membership Info
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By telling the story of the men of
the 2nd Maine who were transferred to
the 20th Maine this talk clears away a
three part myth while making substantial
observations on Civil War soldiers’ concepts of their rights and responsibilities
as volunteers, the importance of civic
and familial ties within each regiment,
and the dynamics of small-unit command
and obedience.
2,3
Next meeting info:
Thursday, 7:00 pm
November 12,
2015
Morrell Room
Curtis Memorial
Library, Brunswick
Speaker:
Jared Peatman
Jared Peatman is a 2002 graduate of Gettysburg College with a master’s
degree from Virginia Tech and Ph.D. from
Jared Peatman
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Weather Cancellation:
If driving conditions
are dangerous, the
meeting will be
cancelled.
Watch Channels 6, 8,
and 13 for a meeting
cancellation.
FIRST CALL
November 2015
Volume XXXI, No 3
The Man Who Would Not Be Washington. Robert E. Lee’s Civil War and
His Decision That Changed American History, By Jonathan Horn
Book Review by Arthur Banner
The title of this book is cryptic and consists of a
series of non-sequiturs, requiring the diligence of the reader to establish its meaning. The title of the book is the first
of many links, which the author intends to establish between Lee and Washington. “The Man Who Would Not be
Washington” is directly tied to the idea that Washington
was a man who would not be king. For this reader, the
meaning is centered on decisions. In the background was
the decision by Washington to lead a rebellion against
Great Britain. More central to the subject of the book is
the decision of Lee to join the Confederacy in its goal to
secede from the Union. It is no small irony that a decision
centered on rebellion against perceived injustice would
result in glory for one, and condemnation for the other.
Their legacies diverged because of the meaning of the
wars they fought. As a result of the American Revolution, a
new nation dedicated to freedom and liberty would be
born with Washington as the father. As a result of the Civil
War, a nation based on white supremacy was fated to be
stillborn, with no one claiming parenthood. Thus Lee
would not be Washington. This is, in fact, the meaning of
the title and the subject of the book.
could not wear their uniforms or carry their weapons into
the house. The Arlington House was also affected by the
Civil War. The Union government claimed ownership of
the Arlington House. Although Lee made multiple
attempts to reclaim the house, the country did not see fit
to bow to his request. Instead, the property would serve
as National Cemetery for all American heroes who gave
their lives so that the nation created by Washington might
survive.
Both Washington and the Lees were involved in
the founding of the nation. Lee’s father, Henry “Light
Horse Harry” Lee served as one of Washington’s trusted
lieutenants. On July 2, 1776, Henry Lee proposed that the
colonies declare independence from Great Britain, a proposal that was formalized by the Declaration of Independence. Two Lees signed the Declaration of Independence,
and although Washington never signed the document, he
did read it aloud in New York on July 9, 1776. The eulogy
for Washington, given by Henry Lee, described Washington as “first in peace, first in war and first in the hearts of
his countrymen,” a bit of rhetoric familiar to every school
child. With the death of Robert E. Lee, the same words
were said of him, unmistakably linking him forever with
the memory of Washington.
The first five chapters explore how the lives of
Washington and Lee intertwined both in their ancestry
and in their personal and military careers. It is a masterpiece of factual analysis, but the familial links are complicated and the author fails to describe them in a clear fashion. For the casual reader, all family members appear to
be named Custis, whether it is the name of Lee’s wife, the
name of Washington’s grandchildren or the first name of
Lee’s son. The reader is never quite sure to whom the
author is referring. There is a family tree tucked away in
the appendix, but the author fails to signal its existence
other than as the last entry in the Table of Contents following the Acknowledgements.
The chapter entitled “The Decision” is the key
chapter in the book. The decision referred to was actually
twofold: the decision of the South to secede and the decision of Lee to abandon the North in favor of the Confederacy. With the coming of the Civil War, it was anticipated
that Robert E. Lee would serve a central role similar to
that of Washington, but it was not to be. Both North and
South considered him for military leadership of their respective armies. Lee chose the Confederacy over the
North. The definition of country was crucial to the decision. Washington had once declared that one should not
raise his sword except to defend his country. For Lee, the
State of Virginia was his country since he believed that
sovereignty rested in the states. The controversy was as
old as the republic. The decision to side with the South
was a difficult one for Lee and was filled with painful ambivalence. His loyalty was to his home, not to the government to which he had sworn allegiance. For Lee, honor
and loyalty were prime virtues, not to be surrendered eas-
Both Washington and Lee came from similar
backgrounds. Both were Virginians. Both were slaveholders and both families shared memories of each other’s
homes, which became iconic symbols of the country.
George Washington Park Custis, the adopted son of
George Washington, built the Lee home, Arlington House.
Mount Vernon, the Washington home, was once owned
by the Lee family. In the midst of the Civil War, Mount
Vernon became a haven for both Union soldiers and Confederates, with the only requirement being that the men
Continued on Page 3
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FIRST CALL
November 2015
Volume XXXI, No 3
The Man Who Would Not Be Washington (Continued from Page 2)
ily. The pain was lessened somewhat when he concluded
that the decision was not under his control and that he
could do no other, reminiscent of Martin Luther who declared “Here I stand, I could do no other.” Lee’s decision
doomed the South to defeat, and doomed him to be marginalized in our national memory.
on the mall, facing each other with respect and honored
glory. The man, who made the wrong decision, now sits
on the sidelines of American history.
Both Washington and Lee were forced to make a
decision concerning their roles in a rebellion against their
governments. Washington was somehow able to judge
the future and his decision came out on the right side of
history. Lee, on the other hand, could not see the future
but only the past.
His loyalty was to his
home, his sense of
place, and hence to
his identity as a son
of the South. The
main difference between Washington
and Lee is that
Washington
had
vision for what the
country might be,
whereas Lee could
only see the country that was. This
was in fact the reason that Lee would
not be Washington.
If Lee abandoned his country, he never abandoned the memory of George Washington. The final
chapters describe the role Lee chose for himself, as the
guardian of the Washington memory. Prior to the war, he
lived in Arlington House, a museum of Washington memories which housed the sacred relics of the sainted George
Washington. When Lee defeated John Brown at Harper’s
Ferry, it was Lee who rescued Washington’s sword from
the rebellious abolitionists. When Lee chose to side with
the South, his main concern was that the relics contained
in the Arlington House might be subject to loss and sacrilege. Following the war, he was offered the opportunity
to be governor of his native state. He declined the nomination and hence refused the opportunity to become the
father of the lost cause. Instead, he became president of
the small Washington College, eventually named the College of Washington and Lee, making Lee a partner of
Washington forever.
With the passage of time, the legacy of Robert E.
Lee varied, depending on whether it was decided by
Southerners or Northerners. Though many in the South
continued to venerate him, the North consigned Lee to a
peripheral role. The author puts the memory of Lee into
perspective in the final pages of the book. He finds that
Lee’s fateful decision to go with the South relegated him
to a marginal position in our American memory, much in
the same way that his former home sits on the sidelines,
separated from the national mall by the Potomac River.
The fathers of the country, Washington and Lincoln, reside
While many in the South responded to its defeat
by seeking excuses in the Myth of the Lost Cause, Lee was
contrite, preaching reconciliation and loyalty to the nation
of his birth. He thus rejected the legacy of rebel and instead sought a different legacy, the healer of the nation.
By Arthur Banner
In memory of our good friend and past president, Al Prest.
We at the JCCWRT are sad to announce the passing of our good friend and
colleague Al Prest. We enjoyed his knowledge and contribution to the Round
Table and most of all his sunny disposition and humor. Al added so much to
our organization and he will be greatly missed.
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FIRST CALL
November 2015
Volume XXXI, No 3
Time Bomb, By Jay Stencil
Source: The Washington Post Sunday Supplement “Civil War 150” April 27, 2014. Article by
Mike Musick: “A Stealthy Slaughter.”
cret agent named John Maxwell.
What had taken place was the result of
careless loading and improper supervision of a
Union ammunition barge in the James River at
City Point. Maxwell had managed to slip through
Union lines and handed off a time bomb disguised
as a package to an unsuspecting cargo handler. It
was later determined that the bomb was identified as a “horological torpedo.” Its blast managed
to destroy two supply ships, leveled several warehouses, and sank the ammunition ship.
Civil War buffs might think of the “Battle
of the Crater” on July 30, 1864 during the Petersburg Campaign as a defining moment of disaster
and chaos in that terrible siege. The battleground
south of Richmond had produced enough horror
and destruction to last a lifetime – for both Confederate and Union troops.
If this incident had any significance, it was
that the war had reached a point of almost insanity on both sides. Hatred had transcended
(manifested) into wholesale killing and retribution, which by then was accepted as the norm.
Although as terrible as it was, the explosion did
little to affect the war’s outcome, which would
end soon enough anyway.
However, on August 9, 1864 there was
another terrible explosion that killed and maimed
around 250, mostly civilians, including some
women. Even Union General U.S. Grant got
showered with debris.
Apparently to Maxwell himself in his after
action reports, he believed his deed was done in
the “providence of God, to just retaliation.”
Whatever that retaliation was in his mind remains
a mystery.
In the 150 years since then, US soldiers
are still bogged down in wars being waged with
similar acts of terror. In order to justify their action, the enemy always seems to believe that God
is on their side.
Note: As to who exactly was John Maxwell is unclear. It is possible that he was a Scotsman who
served the Confederacy with Bennet Graham Burley. Refer to the May 2015 First Call article called
“Burley’s Limpet Mine” for more information.
Wharves after explosion
Because there was so much mayhem anyway, public and press reaction about the incident
was minimal. Nevertheless, this disaster was not
an accident. Post war records were discovered in
June 1865 that told the story: It was a
“premeditated act of the Confederate Secret Service” (sabotage) carried out by a Confederate se-
By Jay Stencil
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FIRST CALL
November 2015
Volume XXXI, No 3
Adopt-a-Speaker
This Month in History
The Board would like to keep annual dues for
membership in the JCCWRT at the current level, while
maintaining our high level of speakers’ presentations.
Please consider becoming a member of the "Adopt-ASpeaker Program”. You will be recognized in our
newsletter, or if you prefer to remain anonymous, let
us know.
Send your contribution to:
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PO Box 1046
Brunswick, Maine 04011
Or, give a check to the Treasurer, Ken McAfee, at a
meeting.
Below are the categories for your consideration:
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$50.00
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November 6, 1860
Abraham Lincoln Elected
16th President of the U.S.
FYI
2014-2015 CWRT OFFICERS
October 7, 2015
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Treasurer’s Report: Cash on Hand as of
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Attention Members !
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come a few minutes early or stay a few minutes
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Program Director:
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Newsletter & Website:
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Nancy Stencil
Website:
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Email:
[email protected]
FIRST CALL
November 2015
Volume XXXI, No 3
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“The Civil War is the crux of our history. You cannot understand any part of our past, from the convening of
the Constitutional Convention, down to this morning, without eventually arriving at the Civil War.”
Bernard de Voto
Joshua L. Chamberlain
Civil War Round Table
P.O. Box 1046
Brunswick, ME 04011-1046
Email:
[email protected]
Website:
joshuachamberlaincwrt.com
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