Angel of the Battlefield - The Life and Times of Clara Barton by Jo-Ann Roberts

 

In celebration of the 2022 Women History Month theme “Providing Healing, Promoting Hope,” Clara Barton's gift of healing gave hope to the lives of others and reflects a belief in the unlimited possibilities of this and future generations.

Born into an abolitionist family in Oxford, Massachusetts in 1821, Clarissa Barton's love of nursing started when her oldest brother experienced a serious head injury and she nursed him for two years.

Here are some extraordinary facts about this remarkable woman...

As a child, Clara was painfully shy. Determined to overcome her shyness, she became a teacher at the age of 17, and sought to encourage her students without harsh discipline and was praised for it.

"Her compassion for other and her willingness to help them always won out over her shyness."                                                                   David Pierce 

While visiting a friend in New Jersey, Clara came across many poor, school-age boys on the streets. Determined to help them, she received permission to start a free public school. By the end of the year, the school had grown from six students to several hundreds. But when the school board voted to replace her with a man at twice her salary, she left in protest.

"I may sometimes be willing to teach for nothing, but if paid at all, I shall never do a man's work for less than a man's pay."        Clara Barton

     

In 1854, Clara took a job as a copyist for the U.S. Patent Office in Washington, D.C. Within a year, she was promoted to clerk, making her the first woman to receive a government appointment. She lobbied to receive $1,400, the same salary as her male counterparts, many of whom resented women in the workplace. Her promotion didn't last long. A new boss demoted her back to copyist, earning her ten cents for every one hundred words.

It was while she was working at the Patent Office that the Civil War broke out. A week later, soldiers of the 6th Massachusetts Infantry were attacked by southern sympathizers.  A makeshift hospital was created in the uncompleted Capitol Building. Though shy, Clara rushed to help the wounded, and was shocked to discover that some of the men were her former students.

"They were faithful to me in their boyhood, and in their manhood faithful to their country."                                                                           Clara Barton

 

 

                                                                                                                                            

As the need for care and medical provisions grew, she gathered provisions from her home, and organized a campaign to solicit relief items from her friends, neighbors and the public, earning her the name "Angel of the Battlefield".

More importantly, she spent hours with the wounded, homesick soldiers, nursing them back to health, writing letters, offering up prayers and words of care and comfort. Though she lacked formal training, she called upon common sense, courage, and compassion.

In 1862, she received permission to take bandages and other supplies to a battlefield hospital after the Battle of Cedar Mountain. From then on, she traveled with the Union Army.

While cradling the head of a wounded soldier at the Battle of Antietam, a bullet passed through the sleeve of her dress and into her patient.

"A ball has passed between my body and the right arm which supported him, cutting through his chest from shoulder to shoulder. There was no more to be done for him and I left him to his rest. I have never mended that hole in my sleeve. I wonder if a soldier ever does mend a bullet hole in his coat?"                                                                                                   Clara Barton                                                                                                                       

 

At the end of the war, tens of thousands of men were missing. With Lincoln's approval. she founded the Missing Soldiers Office to help families locate their loved ones. Of the 63,000 requests, Clara and her staff located 22,000 men, some of whom were still alive.

"You must never think of anything except the need and how to meet it."                                                                                                                        Clara Barton  

 In 1869, Clara traveled to Europe for a well-earned rest. After witnessing and joining the efforts of the International Red Cross to help wounded victims of war, she founded the American Red Cross in 1881. She led several relief efforts, including those of the Mississippi River and Ohio River floods, the Johnstown Flood in Pennsylvania, and the devastating hurricane in Galveston, Texas. Her work helped convince the International Red Cross to expand its mission to include helping those affected by natural disasters.

"The only reason we have a Red Cross today that responds to natural disasters and emergencies is because of Clara Barton and her determination to help her fellow man."                                                               David Price

Clara Barton served on sixteen battlefields during the Civil War. Whether working behind the scenes to procure supplies, prepare meals, arrange makeshift hospitals or tend the wounded during some of the bloodiest battles in American history, she earned the respect of countless soldiers, officers, surgeons and politicians. She almost singlehandedly changed the widely held viewpoint that women were too weak to help on the battlefield.

The American Red Cross wouldn't exist as it is today without her influence. She believed in equal rights and helped everyone regardless of race, gender or economic status. When she died in 1912, the New York Times wrote,

"She was a woman of remarkable executive skill, of unbounded enthusiasm, inspired by humane ideas...Her name became a household word, associated in the public mind with goodness and mercy."

A fearless humanitarian who helped revolutionize battlefield medicine, she is celebrated for her lifelong dedication to helping others. She was a teacher, nurse, an abolitionist, and a campaigner for women's rights, and remains one of the most honored women in American history.

Sources:

American Red Cross Founder Clara Barton. American Red Cross.
Biography: Clara Barton. Civil War Trust.
Clara Barton. Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum.
Clara Barton and the American Red Cross. Clara Barton Birthplace Museum.
Clara Barton at Antietam. National Park Service.

A Widow's Cause: Bringing Thanksgiving to Victorian America by Jo-Ann Roberts

 

During most of the 19th century, Thanksgiving was not an official holiday. Admittedly, it had its roots in the New England states, and was widely celebrated there and into the mid-West. The actual date of the holiday was left to individual states and territories. It could vary widely from September through December, but mostly celebrated in November after the harvest.

While the idea of celebrating a good harvest was an old one, it took a Victorian lady to give it its voice. Specifically, the editor of a highly popular magazine of the times, Godey's Lady's Book, Sarah Josepha Hale. 

Suddenly finding herself a widow and single mother with children to support--including a brand-new baby--Sarah wrote a book, Northwood. Its success led to a job offer for the "editorship" of a new "ladies" magazine, turning Godey's into one of the most important periodicals in 19th century America. Though it is now remembered primarily for its fashion plates, crafts, and household tidbits, it covered social issues as well.

 

Year after year, Godey's Lady's Book published the same plea. Each year the campaign brought new success. By 1851, 29 out of 31 states celebrated a day of Thanksgiving. However, not on the same day so she continued to insist the holiday be celebrated on the exact same day. 

Having thoroughly thought it out, she suggested the last Thursday in November so that "the telegraph of human happiness would move every heart to gladness simultaneously." To further her cause for a unified day of giving thanks, she pointed out that farm labor was done for the season and the election cycle was over.

 

Below is the cover of Godey's Lady's Book and the original plea from 1847.

 

“OUR HOLIDAYS.—We have but two that we can call entirely national. The New Year is a holiday to all the world, and Christmas to all Christians—but the “Fourth of July” and “Thanksgiving Day” can only be enjoyed by Americans. The annual observance of Thanksgiving Day was, to be sure, mostly confined to the New England States, till within a few years. We are glad to see that this good old puritan custom is becoming popular through the Union…Would that the next Thanksgiving might be observed in all the states on the same day. Then, though the members of the same family might be too far separated to meet around one festival board, they would have the gratification of knowing that all were enjoying the blessing of the day…

Despite her claims, she had not achieved the ultimate endorsement; a proclamation from the President. In 1861, with civil war looming, she focused on national unity as her strongest selling point. 

Finally, under these conditions and the stress of considerable loss of life, a devastated Southern economy, and public support for the holiday, President Abraham Lincoln endorsed and proclaimed "a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelt in the heavens." Furthermore, he stated, Americans should "fervently implore" blessings from the Almighty to "heal the wounds of the nations, and to restore it...to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and union."

Thanksgiving in a Civil War camp

Successive presidents continued the tradition and proclaimed a yearly Thanksgiving at the end of every November.  Still not satisfied, Hale's magazine urged Congress to recognize the holiday. Unfortunately, she didn't live to see the Congressional proclamation of the Thanksgiving story (which finally took place in 1941), but by the 1870's Thanksgiving was already a part of America's culture.

The national holiday has become just what Sarah Josepha Hale envisioned: a celebration of home and hearth and the blessings for which we are grateful.

 Happy Thanksgiving!

Sources:

Read the Original Pitch for Thanksgiving, From the Editress Who Created the Holiday - Atlas Obscura

http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/thanksgiving

Native American Suffering and the Confederacy by Cora Leland Author

 

I first learned of Native American allegiance to the Confederacy from my father.  Years later, I plowed through civil war days in Oklahoma for the exact setting book three in my current series required, but came upon this history of Indian suffering that surpasses anything I’d learned from my family.

 My research began innocently enough with the capitol city the Choctaw Nation established, Doakstown.   I apologize for this cruel history of profiteering and still more genocide.   On the other hand, I’m glad to pass this along to fellow authors. 

 I removed all the details; it is now perfectly clean and wholesome.  But researching any leader or town will lash against our comfortably held opinions about this backward part of the United States. A person could begin by diving into the Oklahoma Historical Society’s online site. 

 A final note about my innocent search for details about the cotton plantations of Doakstown:  I phoned experts in Oklahoma and could find nothing. I’ve been there with my parents many times in my tween years, but to see the Doakstown cemetery and UNESCO marker, I’d have to go there myself.

Doakstown, late 1890's

 My heroine demanded study of 19^th century Indian Territory,  but as I researched  I was surprised to learn that much of the Native American population during the Civil War Era was energetically allied with the Confederacy.  This meant that whole tribes, such as the great Choctaw Nation, and still more of the original Five Tribes aligned with the Confederacy.  (The term ‘Native American’ did not exist in Civil War times, so I do not use it often in this article.)

Although the drought of 1860 was widespread in Kansas (which had sided with the anti-slave States) and farmers and ranchers were greatly weakened, secessionist influence raged. Many of the events that took place in Indian Territory leaked across the Kansas line, but thousands of Native Americans -- entire towns -- of American Indian farmers fled to Kansas, abandoning their homes, crops and livestock as refugees.

When recruiters, southern governmental and private, came to In Indian Territory, the slave holding Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations were especially enthusiastic about the Confederacy.  Their adult men were recruited into mounted rifle units, which later fought in Arkansas and Missouri.  Civilian recruiters toured Indian Territory and Kansas, getting promises of Native American soldiers as early as April 1861 “with astonishing ease.”  

The recruiters’ first promise came from the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations, promising 5,000 men, fully outfitted, for the Civil War. Later letters to Jefferson Davis described the methods these soldiers could use for scouring everything of value from the Missouri line to the Pacific Coast.  From Kansas, a separate battalion of Indians was recruited.  Unlike the Choctaw and Chickasaw soldiers, these Union men weren’t slave owners.

The list seems endless, and much of the heartbreaking poverty in Oklahoma resulted from these decisions.  The five tribes that had been forcibly settled in Indian Territory had recovered before the Civil War. Unfortunately, the Union was silent during the waves of recruitment for garnering Indian support.  Using their own judgment, the Cherokee Nation’s leaders counseled moderation and neutrality, but they were silenced by factions within the tribe.

 Other tribes, such as the slave-owning Creek Indians, finally rebelled against the Confederacy.  The leader Opothleyahola guided seven thousand Creek Indians with their wealth, cattle, and everything they could bring away from their reservation lands and outside the territory; war soon resulted.  Finally, the remains of the Creek Nation went as refugees into Kansas. 

Indian Territory was seen by both sides, Union and Confederacy, as a buffer territory.  Unfortunately, violence was used to express individual opinions, or possibly incite still more outrageous violence, in Indian Territory without regard to whether people or properties were military or civilian; the rule of law was extinguished. 

 The constant violence and danger produced thousands of Indian refugees who poured into Kansas, abandoning their homes and land.  By 1864, roaming bands of guerillas were freely ransacking Indian Territory, with successful counter-raids against the guerillas and another tremendous refugee problem.  Quantrill’s Raiders is one example of such a group.  The great Stand Watie is named for much more lucrative activities.

 One example of refugees follows.  Two thousand Cherokee people lodged and suffered at Fort Scott, Kansas; many more thousand were commanded to return to Indian Territory when Union troops began their occupation.  Cherokee estimates are that during this time one third of the Cherokee women were widows and one fourth of the children were orphans.    Forts were encircled by the thousands of starving refugees.  The starving refugees were finally fed through a convoluted system involving the removal of the tribes’ herds to government supply camps.

At the end of the War, the tribes were ripped apart, many leaders moving to Washington, others throughout the Union.  One by one, the Nations were divided, with similar histories. Although recruiters had promised resounding victories to the newly-formed Indian divisions of the Confederate military, defeats came during the War.   During the Civil War, high Confederate officials’ promises of victorious battles in Arkansas and Missouri were finally defeats and thousands of Indian soldiers died.

 Ultimately, we know, President Lincoln’s insistence on charity to all didn’t quite reach the American Indians.  In 1866 the Five Tribes lost the western half of Indian Territory (as punishment for their association with the Confederacy, though many of them had officially left the Confederacy); the land was given to Indian tribes in Kansas. The tribes of Indian Territory also had to agree to railroad construction through their land and the waves of land-hungry settlers that followed. Good did come to former slaves, who gained citizenship and property rights during the era following the Civil War and before the times of backlash. 

Choctaw Nation Senate, 1893

My personal search for my heroine's area settled on the capitol of the Choctaw Nation before the Civil War. Doakstown was also where the Cherokee Confederate general Stand Watie, who owned one hundred slaves -- which back then, indicated an extremely wealthy person -- surrendered in 1865. (Cherokee Stand Watie, born Degataga -- Stand Firm -- was the only Native American fully promoted to the rank of General on either side in the Civil War. After the war, he returned to his life as a tribal leader, planter and businessman.)

Stand Watie

 I was most interested in Doakstown, Indian Territory, with its dramatic, sharp decline after the Civil War.   Doakstown’s history was very different from that of the rocky foothills of southeastern Oklahoma and our ranch, though the Kiamichi River influenced both areas.  In fact, cotton plantations were plentiful near prosperous Doakstown. 

The Choctaw and Chickasaw peoples practiced cotton plantation agriculture here, with market connections to New Orleans.  Doakstown was originally a trading post at the mouth of the Kiamichi River, near Arkansas; today it’s a ghost town and National Heritage Site.

The effects of the Civil War on what came to be called Oklahoma were vital to my novels, especially the lawlessness the War created and nourished.  Many of my characters moved from Confederate-dominated areas to homestead on the peacefulness of the northern plains.

*

References include Oklahoma Historical Society and The American Indian as Slaveholder and Secessionist by Annie Heloise Abel

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08C9T8YXQ  (for my book about Doakstown)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FMM7HYP  (the series link)

https://tinyletter.com/demodemo3 for ongoing details

MAIL-ORDER BRIDES IN THE AMERICAN WEST

By Caroline Clemmons

I have heard authors of other genres make jokes about mail-order bride books. They may seem fanciful, but throughout history there really were a large number of women who risked everything to achieve a husband and family. The alternative for a woman sounds lonely.

Unlike the single woman of today, there were not many choices. A woman was judged by the success of her husband and children. If she had neither, she simply did not fit into society of the time. The jobs available to a woman who was above servant class were that of a governess or a companion (read fancy term for maid) to a woman who was likely wealthy but infirm in some way.

If she was willing to risk becoming a mail-order bride, she might still be no more than a servant, but it would be in her own home and she would have her own children. Worth the risk? I would think so.

Chris Enss’ book Hearts West discusses actual mail-order brides. Some are happy stories, some are frightening. Each is interesting. There are other books about western women, some of whom were mail-order brides. Another is Buying A Bride, by Macia A. Zug, who details brides through history. Of course, I'm more interested in those of the American West.

A terrible result of the Civil War was that fighting took the lives of so many young men. Numbers given are that between 620,000 and 750,000 men died in the Civil War, by far the greatest toll of any war in American history. When most of the surviving single men moved west, this left no one for Eastern women to marry. If a woman wanted a husband and children, what was she to do? If a man wanted a wife and family, what was he to do?

This is why there are so many mail-order bride and proxy bride romances. Although mail-order and proxy brides existed before and after this era, they flourished in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. In fact, proxy marriages are still valid today. Now they are mainly used for those in military service.

In my ancestry and that of my husband, several women became little more than a live-in, unpaid maid. Would you have wanted to spend the rest of your life as “Aunt” whoever to someone else’s family? Or, would you have dared become a mail-order bride?

In the west the ratio was sometimes 1 woman (who might be married) to 14 men. In mining areas, the ratio of men per woman would be far more. If you wanted a wife and children, what would you do? Imagine being a single man who longs for a wife and family and sends for a bride. What if she’s a shrew or slovenly and can’t cook or keep house? What if she’s a con artist who plans to remain only long enough to gain access to your savings? Would you send for a bride sight-unseen?

Matrimonial agencies supposedly verified the character and intentions of the man and woman before the marriage was arranged. Also available were newspaper-like periodicals filled with ads placed by men who wanted a wife (no verification). If you’ve read some of these, you know they varied from so egotistical they’re comical to so brief no information is supplied.

Imagine yourself a woman traveling by train or—more likely—by stagecoach to meet a prospective groom. You could be single or widowed. More than likely you’d be nearly destitute. If the man you’re going to meet doesn’t suit, you have no funds to repay him for your travel fare and return home. Perhaps you have no home to which you can return. What if he’s a drunk or beats women or is a crook?

Would you have dared enter a mail-order marriage?

In my recent release, MAIL-ORDER VICTORIA, Widows, Brides, and Secret Babies Series book 7, the heroine becomes a mail-order bride to protect her daughter. The groom desperately needs a wife to care for his children. Neither has been forthcoming about their children, which accounts for the “secret” baby in the series. I hope readers will read and enjoy this book. I enjoyed writing it. I threw in rustlers and a tornado to create more obstacles. Here’s the summary:

She has to protect her baby . . .

He is desperate for help . . .

Trouble preys on their livelihood . . .

Widow Victoria Bailey is desperate to prevent her in-laws from gaining custody of her eighteen-month-old daughter. If becoming a mail-order bride is her only option, she’ll take the risk. At least on a Texas ranch she’ll have quiet and peace. She doesn’t have time to let the groom know she’s bringing her daughter. Surely no man can object to one perfect little girl.

Widower Greg Hardy is desperate to get help with his home and his children. He needs to be pursuing whoever is rustling his cattle. A mail-order bride seems to be exactly what he needs but should he keep his children a secret? To insure he doesn’t scare off a prospective wife, he omits the fact that he has five children aged from eight months to twelve years old. 

Their marriage starts with misunderstanding. They decide to work together to fight against a common foe. Will the fight take a toll on their fragile happiness?

The Universal Amazon Link is https://mybook.to/Victoria for ebook, print, and KU.

FROM FT. SUMTER TO SODDIES by Marisa Masterson

Sometimes I can't help but look back on terrible events in history and marvel at the events or advancement they trigger.

The Confederate attack on Fort Sumter was just such an event. Without it, would adventurous men have been able or willing to claim 160 acres just by living on it for five years? I'm really not sure.

To explain, I need to start by mentioning that the majority of the United States Army was stationed west of the Mississippi in 1861. Numerous forts existed to protect both settlers and mail delivery. When Fort Sumter is fired on, troops are moved back east. After all, 97% of the population still lived in the eastern part of the U. S. and needed to be kept safe.

So, with states leaving the Union, how to guarantee that Confederate states didn't grab for land in the West? A painting and The Homestead Act were the answers to that.

This act was aimed at freeing loyal citizens, and those seeking citizenship, from poverty. Also, officials hoped to relieve overcrowding in the cities. So many immigrants had arrived. Since many had backgrounds in farming, it made sense to imclude them in the offer.

At the same time as the Homestead Act, a German artist living in New York was hired by the government to romantize western expansion even as soldiers left homesteaders in the west unprotected. His name was Emmanuel Leutze, and he titled his mural Westward the Cournse of Empire Takes Its Way.

Free land for loyalty--what a bargain. Encouraged by Leutze's mural, families went west and settled land. They kept it protected for the Union. Volunteers would man forts in the west, especially those who were settling land because of this Homestead Act. These were volunteers toughened by hardships and interested in dominating or eliminating the native peoples in the western part of the United States. They truly acted out the title of Leutze's painting with empire forcing its will through these pioneer militia volunteers.

All because Fort Sumter was attacked...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083V63YVG

“A great cast of characters, including the secondary characters and a fast-paced plot kept this story interesting to the end. This one is a must-read.”—Amazon Review

True love picked a terrible time to grab Ginger Snap’s heart. She saw the man she would love forever. He saw a scruffy boy.

From the moment her cruel stepfather cuts Ginger’s braid and forces her into boy’s clothes, she has lived a lie. That lie allows her to inherit a farm, giving her family a comfortable life.

Even so, she longs to escape and be herself again—especially after she meets him.

Theodore Edwards never expected to battle thieves or to be the one who has to stop a land grab that is cheating widows in southern Nebraska. He thought he’d pass a dull year working in a law office. After he caught sight of that lovely redhead skinny dipping, life has been a roller coaster. If only he could find her again instead of always running into her younger brother.

Is love worth dangers he faces to save her from the corrupt sheriff and the gold thieves who are trailing Ginger? 

Historical music trivia and a Valentine's Day story by Kaye Spencer #westernromance #anthology #SweetheartsoftheWest

One of the many reasons I enjoy writing historical western romance novels and short stories is the research required to make sure all the historical details I include in a story are reasonable accurate.

In my novellete Mail-Order Mix Up (set in Colorado in 1891), which is included in the Valentine's Day-themed western romance anthology Lariats, Letters, and Lace, I have a scene in which the heroine, Irene Maxon, has a mental image of someone stomping about in heavy boots while singing a marching-type song. A religious song wasn’t appropriate for the situation, yet the lyrics needed to reflect the reason she was thinking of the song.

Two songs came immediately to mind: Battle Hymn of the Republic (aka John Brown’s Body) and When Johnny Comes Marching Home. But they weren’t quite right. Then I couldn’t think of any other songs, because they had achieved earworm status in my head.

I realized, though, these songs shared a common thread: the American Civil War. Since Irene was in her twenties during the war, she would have known the songs of the time period. So I did a Google search and hit pay dirt right off with a song I should have thought of on my own: Battle Cry of Freedom. Great. I had my song, and I finished writing that scene.

My research could have ended there, but I have a tendency to tumble down research rabbit holes, especially if there’s trivia involved.

Battle Cry of Freedom

• George Frederick Root, an American composer, wrote Battle Cry of Freedom (aka 'Rally ‘Round the Flag') in 1862 to support the Union cause.
• H. L. Schreiner (composer) and W. H. Barnes (lyricist) adapted the song for the Confederacy.
• The Union version was modified as the campaign song for Lincoln/Garfield for the 1864 presidential election.
• Garfield used the song during his campaign in 1880.
• Composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk suggested it should be America’s national anthem.
• Composer Charles Ives referenced the song in his song, “They are There”.
• Ken Burns (known for documentaries) referenced the song in “The Civil War” documentary.
• Film composer John Williams incorporated the song into the soundtrack of the movie “Lincoln”.
• The 1939 film “Young Mister Lincoln” starring Henry Fonda and directed by John Ford has the song sung during the opening credits.

Here are YouTube renditions of Battle Cry of Freedom for the Union and the Confederacy. You'll notice the words a different.

Union

Confederate

Mail-Order Mix Up is set in the fictional town of Platte River City, Colorado, which is located on the South Platte River about 100 miles east of Denver.

BLURB

Remarrying isn’t on widower Dale Forbes’ mind, but his three young granddaughters want a grandma. Widow Irene Maxon yearns for something more than the disappointments life has handed her. A mail-order bride catalog, a secret letter, and a blizzard combine to set the scene for match-making between Dale and Irene. However, another man expects Irene to fulfill their marriage agreement, and he isn’t going to take no as her answer.

EXCERPT

“Forgive me for intruding unannounced, especially during your festivities. I’m here to return—”

“Oh, there you are, Dale, Violet,” Eloy broke in. “This is Irene Maxon from St. Louis.”

Irene followed Eloy’s wave and recognized the man and the girl coming along the hallway from the photograph she’d received with the letter. She also noted with more than passing interest that the photograph had not adequately captured Dale’s handsome maturity, strong chin, and fine, broad-shouldered physique. Before she could greet them, movement at the top of the stairs drew her attention, and she looked up to see a girl descending one slow stair at a time, her hand trailing lightly along the banister. The girl stopped midway down and looked right at Irene, the little satisfied smirk on her lips as pleasant as the sparkle in her eyes. So this was Meredith—the instigator of the marriage invitation.

Then a wisp of a child with braids flying burst through the midst of the group with a shriek of squealing delight. When she leaped, Irene instinctively caught her, staggering backwards a few steps under the child’s momentum. The girl clamped her arms around Irene’s neck with a grip so tight Irene couldn’t turn her head.

“Grandma! You’re here. You’re really here. I knew you’d come. I just knew it!”

Lydia’s face broke into a bright smile. Clara Jean clapped her hands and blurted, “It worked! She really got Meredith’s letter!”

All attention swung to Clara Jean who realized too late what she’d said as she ducked for cover behind the coat tree.

The few seconds of solemn, stunned silence shattered into echoes when Dale’s booming voice rebounded off the walls. “Meredith Margaret Forbes! What have you been up to now?”

But Meredith was nowhere in sight.

Lariats, Letters, and Lace is available on Amazon.com
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 Until next time,

Kaye Spencer
Writing the West one romance upon a time

References and further reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Cry_of_Freedom

McWhirter, Christian L. (July 27, 2012). "Birth of the 'Battle Cry'". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved January 15, 2019. (http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/27/birth-of-the-battle-hymn/?_r=2)

Music During the Civil War

By Paisley Kirkpatrick

Music can be a peacemaker of sorts. At least during the Civil War it had a way of bonding the conflicting troops.

Before the fall of Atlanta, the brass band of Major Arthur Shoaff's battalion of the Georgia Sharpshooters gave their expert cornetist to the cause. Each evening after supper, the musician went to the front lines and played for the Confederates along the entrenchments. When firing was heavy, he would disappear.

"Hey, Johnny!" Across the lines, Federal pickets would shout. "We want that corner player."

"He would play, but he's afraid you'll spoil his horn," the major would reply.

"We'll hold our fire."

"All right, Yanks."

The cornetist would then mount the works and play solos from operas and sing tunes like Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming and I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls in a fine tenor voice.

Colonel James Cooper Nisbet, who was on hand, never forgot the scene. "How the Yanks would applaud! They also had a good cornet player who would alternate with our man."

Once the concert was over, the battle would resume.

According to Webster's Dictionary 1911, the short model traditional cornet was also known as a Shepherd's Crook shaped model.

The cornet is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet, but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B♭, though there is also a soprano cornet in E♭. Both are unrelated to the renaissance and early baroque cornet.

The Civil War, Strange & Fascinating Facts, by Burke Davis author of Gray Fox.

REVIEW OF THE PINKS

Today, I’m filling in for Celia Yeary, who is recuperating from back surgery.

Alan Pinkerton (left) with
President Lincoln

Those of us who love history are familiar with the story of Alan Pinkerton and the Pinkerton National Detective Agency—which led the way to the United States Secret Service. Pinkerton agents were respected by citizens and feared by criminals. In THE PINKS, Chris Enss adds to the knowledge of Pinkerton agents by writing about the women agents and spies.

Kate Warne

Kate Warne was the first woman detective in the United States. I had heard of her and that she also acted as a spy during the Civil War. Kate also dressed as a Union soldier and saved President Lincoln's life.

Angus Macfadyen as Allan Pinkerton,
Martha MacIsaac as Kate Warne, and
Jacob Blair as William Pinkerton

There was even a television series in which she and Alan Pinkerton’s son William were the main characters. Kate had sister agents, and I was not familiar with their names.

Chris Enss is the author of many books about women in the United States, especially in the West. I have several of her books. Her HEARTS WEST tells the story of true mail-order brides, successes and failures.

THE PINKS is a book both readers and authors will find useful and interesting. I recommend it highly.

Music Bonded During the Civil War

By Paisley Kirkpatrick

Music can be a peacemaker of sorts. At least during the Civil War it had a way of bonding the conflicting troops.

Before the fall of Atlanta, the brass band of Major Arthur Shoaff's battalion of the Georgia Sharpshooters gave their expert cornetist to the cause. Each evening after supper, the musician went to the front lines and played for the Confederates along the entrenchments. When firing was heavy, he wouldn't appear.

Across the lines, Federal pickets would shout, "Hey, Johnny! We want that cornet player.

"He would play, but he's afraid you'll spoil his horn."

"We'll hold fire."

"All right, Yanks."

The cornetist would then mount the works and play solos from operas, and sing tunes like Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming, and I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls in a fine tenor voice.

Colonel James Cooper Nisbet, who was on hand, never forgot the scene. "How the Yanks would applaud! They had a good cornet player who would alternate with our man."

Once the concert was over, firing would resume again.

The Civil War, Strange & Fascinating Facts, by Burke Davis author of Gray Fox.

From the Battlefield, with Love: Civil War Soldiers' Songs

Americans didn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day as we know it until the mid-1800s. By 1856, the practice of sending somewhat sappy cards had become so widespread that newspapers began to call the blossoming tradition a “social disease.” Conservative elements in society tried to stamp out the celebration because they considered such unvarnished expression of fondness evidence of “moral deterioration.” The February 1856 edition of Harper’s New Monthly Magazine included a cartoon depicting card-giving as crass and self-indulgent.

A "window" valentine, ca. 1864. Such cards were called
"window valentines" because front flaps opened to reveal
a hidden message or image.

A scant five years later, as the Civil War began, Valentine’s Day took on new significance. Cards often depicted sweethearts parting. Many incorporated flaps that opened to reveal soldiers standing in tents or couples at the altar. Some included a lock of the giver’s hair.

In addition to cards, songs of love and loss became popular with Civil War soldiers on the battlefields. At night, encamped on opposite sides of imaginary lines only hundreds of yards apart, men wearing blue and men wearing gray sang as one. Some of the songs were meant to keep sweet memories alive; many mourned happiness never to be.

The following are a few of the most popular love songs of the Civil War. All except “Just Before the Battle, Mother” and “The Yellow Rose of Texas” were performed by Tom Roush. (“Just Before the Battle” was performed by the 97th Regimental String Band, and “The Yellow Rose of Texas” was performed by Bobby Horton.)

The Yellow Rose of Texas

A popular marching tune all over the Confederacy, “The Yellow Rose of Texas” dates to the state's early colonial period. The first known transcribed version—handwritten on a piece of plain paper—appeared around the time of the Texian victory at San Jacinto in April 1836. In its original form, the song tells the story of a black man who has been separated from his sweetheart and longs to reunite with her. This YouTube video contains the modified version Texas troops actually sang during the Civil War, complete with references to “Bobby Lee” and Hood's Texas Brigade...with one exception. By the time of the war, the phrase “sweetest rose of color” had been replaced with “little flower” in order not to imply white soldiers were pining for a mulatto woman.

Aura Lea (also spelled “Aura Lee”)

Most people today recognize the melody to “Aura Lea” as “Love Me Tender,” which became an instant hit when Elvis Presley sang the song during his first appearance on the big screen in the 1956 movie of the same name. The original, composed in 1861 by W. W. Fosdick (words) and George R. Poulton (music), is one of the happier songs of the era.

Lorena

The Rev. Henry D. L. Webster wrote the words to one of the most popular love songs of the Civil War in 1856 after his intended broke off their engagement. His friend Joseph Philbrick Webster composed the music. Western Writers of America listed "Lorena" as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time; an instrumental version appears in the iconic film Gone with the Wind.

When I Saw Sweet Nellie Home

Also known as “Seeing Nellie Home” and “Aunt Dinah’s Quilting Party,” the original was composed by John Fletcher (music) and Frances Kyle (words) in 1859. In 1861, Otto W. Ludwig changed the words to create the strident Union ballad “Courage, Mother, I Am Going,” about a young man who believes he won’t return from a war he is morally obligated to fight. Needless to say, Confederates sang the original. The Union version faded into obscurity after the war.

Oh! Susanna

Published by Stephen Foster in 1848, "Oh! Susanna" was popular with both bluebellies and graybacks, who viewed the words through entirely different cultural lenses. This version contains the original second verse, which is controversial (and potentially offensive) because of the language.

My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night

Published by Stephen Foster in 1853, “My Old Kentucky Home” speaks of love for home and family. The song became enormously popular with both armies during the Civil War—which was odd in the case of the Confederacy, because Foster’s notes on the original handwritten sheet music clearly indicate he intended the song to be an abolitionist anthem inspired by Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 1852 novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. (Foster was a staunch abolitionist.)

Just Before the Battle, Mother

One of the saddest Civil War favorites speaks of love not for a sweetheart, but for a young’s man’s mother. With words and music (1862) by George F. Root, "Just Before the Battle, Mother" was strictly a Union song. (The lead-in on this one is long. The words start just before the one-minute mark.)

The Picture on the Wall

A sad song more popular among the folks at home than soldiers on the battlefield (for obvious reasons), Henry Clay Work’s “The Picture on the Wall” (1864) is almost unknown today. During the Civil War, it expressed tremendous grief about the loss of both sweethearts and sons.

Annie Laurie (also spelled “Annie Lawry”)

Brought to America from Scotland around 1832, authorship of the song is unknown. By the time of the Civil War, the words had changed from the original Scottish. Because the song was so well known, it was one of the most often sung across the lines, despite—or perhaps because of—the haunting chorus: “For bonnie Annie Laurie, I'd lay me down and die.”

Sweet Evelina

Composed in 1863 by Mrs. Parkhurst, the tune to “Sweet Evelina” is spritely even though the words come from the point of view of a young man fated never to marry the beautiful girl he loves. The song was incredibly popular among soldiers on both sides during the war but had all but disappeared by 1900.

Listen to the Mockingbird

Septimus Winner, using the name Alice Hawthorne, wrote the words to “Listen to the Mockingbird” in 1855 and set them to music composed by a guitarist friend. Despite the upbeat melody, the song tells the story of a man’s love for a young woman who has died. The tune was popular with both Billy Yanks and Johnny Rebs. As an aside: In 1862, Winner was arrested and charged with treason after he published “Give Us Back Our Old Commander: Little Mac, the People’s Pride.” The song protested Lincoln’s firing of Gen. George B. McClellan as commander of the Army of the Potomac. Federal authorities released Winner only after he promised to destroy all remaining copies of the sheet music...but calling back the 80,000 copies that sold in the first two days after the song's publication proved impossible. (McClellan was an exceptionally popular man.)



An excellent album called Songs of the Civil War contains renditions of some of these songs by artists including The United States Military Academy Band, Waylon Jennings, Richie Havens, Hoyt Axton, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Kathy Mattea, and Jay Ungar and Molly Mason (of “Ashokan Farewell” fame). It’s available from Amazon on CD and audio cassette, as well as in MP3 format and via Amazon’s PrimeMusic.

Right now, I'm finishing an "extra" story in the Dumont series, a trilogy about a Southeast Texas ranching dynasty. The first volume, The Dumont Brand, released last July. The two short novellas within tell the big-as-Texas stories of brothers Bennett and Amon Collier and the women who kept them going during and immediately after the Civil War, when the ranch nearly fell apart. Undoubtedly, the men who served under Bennett, a Confederate cavalry officer, sang some of the songs in this post. Watch for the "extra" story, The Trouble with Honey, from Prairie Rose Publications later this spring.

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A Texan to the bone, Kathleen Rice Adams spends her days chasing news stories and her nights and weekends shooting it out with Wild West desperadoes. Leave the upstanding, law-abiding heroes to other folks. In Kathleen’s stories, even the good guys wear black hats.

Her short story “The Second-Best Ranger in Texas” won the coveted 2015 Peacemaker Award for Best Western Short Fiction. Her novel Prodigal Gun is the only western historical romance ever to receive a Peacemaker nomination in a book-length category.

Visit her hideout on the web at KathleenRiceAdams.com.