Iowa Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War: A Trivial Pursuit
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A Trivial Pursuit
A Trivial Pursuit
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Company "A" 49th Iowa - Dept. Honor Guard
Iowa Civil War Monuments
In 1856, Secretary of war Jefferson Davis (later to
become President of the Confederate States of
America) ordered seventy Camels to be imported
into the United States from the Middle East. Davis
reckoned that the legendary desert beasts that were
the standard mounts for Bedouin cavalry would be of
significant advantage to U.S. Cavalry forces that
were facing increasing hostilities from Native
American tribes of the newly acquired territories of
the Louisiana Purchase. They seemed perfect for the
task in that they could carry larger loads than either
mules or horses, and required little in the way of
feed and water and yet could travel great distances
in the searing heat.
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Welcome drittel
Upon their arrival, the animals were shipped to Camp
Verde, Texas where the First United States Camel
Corps was formed. The camels didn’t work out well
at all.
They were more stubborn than a Missouri mule,
required special handlers, was difficult to ride for our
cavalrymen, and, the horses of the other troops were
scared to death of the smelly beasts. Within two
years, the Corps was disbanded and the camels were
released into the deserts of the American Southwest
to fend for themselves.
In the mid-1870’s, one of the abandoned camels
wandered into Fort Selden, New Mexico territory, and
frightened the daylights out of the post commander’s
young son, who took shelter behind his mother’s
skirts. Captain Arthur Mac Arthur’s frightened boy,
would grow up to become General of the Army
Douglas Mac Arthur.
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Can you name the only Confederate officer to be
tried by Courts Martial for “war crimes” and hanged
on November 10, 1865?
Captain Heinrich Hartmann “Henry” Wirz,
Commandant of Camp Sumter, Georgia…also known
as Andersonville Prison. BTW, Wirz was hanged at
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Iowa Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War: A Trivial Pursuit
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#1 First Street, Northeast. The site upon which the
United States Supreme Court building now stands.
The first motto to appear on U.S. Coins? “In God We
Trust”, right?
Wrong. The first coins to be minted in the new nation
that bore a motto were copper pence authorized by
an act of Congress on April 21, 1787 and bore the
motto, “Mind your Business”.
The famous “Bixby Letter” (published by the Boston
Evening Telegraph on November 21st, 1864) that
was allegedly written by President Lincoln to Mrs.
Lydia Bixby, a widow woman who was , “mother of
five sons who have died gloriously on the field of
battle.” Remember that from Ken Burns’ series on
the Civil War? It was undeniably beautifully written
and heartfelt, but Lincoln probably did not write it.
John Hay, one of Lincoln’s private secretaries claimed
to have written it in a letter that he wrote several
years later.
Mrs. Bixby, who was a staunch Southern
sympathizer, and no fan of Abraham Lincoln,
destroyed it shortly after reading it.
Oh yeah…it wasn’t terribly accurate either. Only two
of the Bixby sons (Oliver and Charles) died during
the war; another deserted, one was Honorably
Discharged, and one was captured and is believed to
have disavowed the Federal government and
converted to “Confederatism” by donning a gray
uniform to complete his military career.
Speaking of Lincoln. Did you know that John Wilkes
Booth wasn’t the only one to take a shot at Lincoln?
Carl Sandburg, probably the most famous Lincoln
biographer, tells of an attempt being made in 1861
when Lincoln was shot at by a man standing some
fifty feet away; and, in August of 1864, a shot
actually went through the famous “stove pipe” hat
that the President was wearing at the time. Both
attempts took place while Lincoln was walking to his
cottage at the Soldier’s Home on the outskirts of
Washington.
In a manner of speaking Confederate General
Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, ordered his own death.
During the battle of Chancellorsville (April 30 to May
6, 1863) he issued strict orders that any “unknown
or unidentified persons” approaching the Army of
Northern Virginia’s lines was to be “shot on sight”.
You guessed it. When Jackson and a small party of
his aides were approaching a different section of the
line than the one they had exited to make a small
reconnaissance of Federal emplacements he was
fired upon by his own troops. Wounded in the left
arm so badly that emergency amputation was
thought the only course that might save his life;
Jackson first lost the arm and then his life when he
would succumb to pneumonia some eight days later.
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Iowa Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War: A Trivial Pursuit
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Jackson was often considered to be the best military
strategist of his day (in either army), but the origin
of his nickname of “Stonewall” may have been not so
complimentary after all.
The name was given him after Confederate Brigadier
General Bernard Elliot Bee (Commanding the Third
Brigade, Army of the Shenandoah), made the
comment , “there stands Jackson and his Virginians
like a stone wall”, during the most heated of the
fighting at the Battle of First Manassas on July 21st,
1861. Bee’s position was about to be overrun by the
advancing Federal forces at the time, and aides of
the General who were nearby later claimed that the
comment was made not in praise but as a frustration
over the fact that Jackson did not seem to be
advancing to his (Bee’s) aid. No one will ever know
for certain though, as Bee was mortally wounded
within minutes after making the comment, and died
the next day.
Do you know why there has been no “Company ‘J’”
in the United States Army since 1816? That was the
unit designator of the first militia company that was
under the command of Benedict Arnold during the
American Revolution.
The only known death to occur from the Battle of
Fort Sumter?
Private Daniel Hough was killed when the cannon
that he was loading to fire a salute from during the
formal surrender ceremonies on April 14th, 1861,
accidentally discharged.
General/President Ulysses Simpson Grant never
actually existed.
The Civil War General and later President of the
United States, began life in 1822 as Hiram Ulysses
Grant. His folks (Jesse and Hanna Grant) named him
Hiram after his grandfather and Ulysses after the
Greek hero of mythology. When he was appointed to
the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York,
his Congressman erroneously listed him as Ulysses
Simpson Grant on the acceptance papers. Grant,
who was never fond of the name “Hiram”, liked it
and used it for the rest of his life, but he never got it
legally changed.
Thus Ulysses Simpson Grant became what is
arguably the best known alias in history…and we
were worried about where Obama was born? Our
18th President never signed a document while in the
White House using his own name. Oooops!
Speaking of what’s in a name?
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Iowa Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War: A Trivial Pursuit
Page 4 of 4
Appollos Rivoire and his wife, Deborah Hitchbourn
Rivoire were French Huguenots who fled religious
persecution in Catholic France and settled in the city
of Boston, Massachusetts Colony of “New” England in
about 1715 (still very much a part of that country in
those days). To continue his trade of silver-smithing.
By 1720 he had changed his name to “Paul” Rivoire,
and would ultimately “Anglicize” his last name into
Revere. Both names and his trade to be passed on to
his son….Paul Revere.
How about it? Got any more? If so, send them in to
Court and let’s get them up on the website. We are
all learning, all of the time…if we are still metabolic
that is.
I am hoping to inspire others to submit little “gems”
for the consumption of our constituency. Let us
engage in some gentlemanly discourse over topics of
mutual interest, and see if we cannot all benefit in
some manner therefrom.
Respectfully submitted
In Frivolity, “Chucklemongery”, and Loquacity,
1/Sgt David M. Lamb
The Governor’s Own Iowa Rifles
2011 Dept. of Iowa Patriotic Instructor
Posted by Commander on Monday 21 June 2010 - 12:37:07 | LAN_THEME_20
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