The Honored Dead

I would like to pause a moment and address an issue some people may have with this blog or with reenacting in general. We are not intending to "glorify" war and destruction. What we are trying to do in part is to bring attention to those who came before us.

Is it fun to reenact the American Civil War? Jade and myself as well as all reenactors of all eras would have to admit that it is. If it weren't fun, we wouldn't be doing it in the first place.  That being said, we try to never lose sight of what we are actually portraying. 



Confederate Dead, Rose Woods, Gettysburg

The soldiers who fought and died are the ones we try to honor.  In reenacting, we are able to bring a small piece of their existence back to life and explain to the present day spectator (or reader) the sacrifices that were made by these soldiers. Our weapons may only fire blanks and the "dead" rise after the battle is over, but seeing the "casualties" on the field can give pause.

Confederate and Union "Dead", Cascades Civil War Muster, Jackson MI, 2015

We like to post about museums and monuments that we find along the way. Entire books exist detailing monuments or grave locations.  In a small way, this blog can be taken as a monument to those who came before us. It is all about remembering. I would like to add in here a monument only recently installed in White Pigeon, Michigan. Part of a memorial park that will be detailed here sometime in the future, it lists the names of those who lost their lives in the Civil War from Saint Joseph County, Michigan.

The Gettysburg Address, in stone

Right hand side, as referenced from the front

Left Side, as referenced from the front

Rear

These names, listed in stone, are just a tiny fraction of the between six hundred thousand (600,000) and seven hundred fifty thousand (750,000) soldiers who lost their lives during the American Civil War from both sides combined.


On a personal note, I have been reenacting for a little over a decade as of this writing.  In that time, I have participated in several grave dedications, honoring of veteran ceremonies, and Memorial Day observances including parades.  I can not speak for others, but I consider it my duty to participate when it is at all possible.  Personally I consider it important to honor and salute those who served.


Until next time,

DETAIL!

ATTENTION! 

PRESENT ARMS!

 

To those who came before us and to those who come after us... we salute you.

 

-Corporal

O'Sullivan, Timothy H, photographer. [Gettysburg, Pa. Confederate dead gathered for burial at the southwestern edge of the Rose woods, July 5, 1863]. Gettysburg Pennsylvania United States, 1863. [July 5] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/cwp2003000200/PP/. (Accessed February 04, 2018.)

Monumental cousin

As mentioned in our post on the soldier's monument in Coldwater, statues were available as a product of mass production.  As example of this can be seen in the cemetery on the outskirts of Middlebury, Indiana.

Standing watch over Civil War soldiers buried with government markers

As our readers will note, the plinth our soldier is standing on is much simpler and shorter than the one in Coldwater. Perhaps this is befitting a small and relatively rural community as opposed to a small city.

The flag, forever flying in stone

Right Face

Left Face

As one can see, the inscriptions on the plinth are much simpler than that of the monument in Coldwater. It should be noted that the statue itself appears to be a cousin to the Coldwater statue, not the twin. There are a few details that are different. The pose is the same, as is the musket he is holding. The bayonet scabbard does not look quite as lifelike to the one I carry when fighting as infantry. This could simply be a variation in the casting of the concrete statues.

Detail of front

Detail of rear

The largest difference between the two statues actually appears on the rear. If one studies the Coldwater statue, the waist belt can be seen under the cape of the greatcoat.  What isn't seen there, but is quite visible in the statue here in Middlebury, is the cartridge box for his ammunition.  Apparently the townsfolk of Middlebury felt that the honored dead should be defended with hot lead in addition to the cold steel.

As noted, these statues were once mass produced. It is the individual variations that make the statues themselves interesting, as well as the plinth they are mounted on.  The plinths were of a greater degree custom work to the installation itself.

I believe I know of at least one more of these statues local to myself.  I will endeavor to get photographs of that one and it's plinth for comparison sake.

-Corporal

Our post on the soldier's monument in Coldwater, MI can be found here: https://bplreenacter.blogspot.com/2018/01/coldwater-soldiers-monument.html

What is Blackpowder?

A question we recently received was "What is Blackpowder?"  Since it is part of the namesake for this blog, I feel it is a good time to do another technical post, this one on Blackpowder itself.

Blackpowder, first and foremost, is an explosive.  Reenactors such as Jade and myself, along with the people we reenact with, have experience with it and know how to use it safely.  It should always be treated with respect.

But what is blackpowder itself?  Blackpowder is a mixture consisting of primarily three components.  Saltpetre, Sulfur, and Charcoal.  The exact ratios and production techniques have changed over the centuries but these are the key components. How is blackpowder made?  I'll leave the particulars to other websites and books with one key exception for explanation purposes.  After the ingredients have been properly combined, they are wet during the production process.  Once this cake has dried, it is broken up and sifted.

The reason it is sifted is to permit a sorting into different sizes of grains. Different sizes are useful for different purposes.  Commonly the grains are sorted on the "F" scale, the more "F" the finer the grain. 1F powder is primarily used, in reenacting, by cannon for blanks or live fire. 2F is intended for muskets (shoulder weapons) for live fire and blanks.  3F is used for live fire in pistols and can be used for blanks in muskets and pistols. 4F is used as the priming powder in a flintlock.

Example of the size of 1F powder

Example of the size of 3F powder

The key thing about the fineness of the powder is the finer the powder, the faster the burn.  I have seen 4F used in a cannon once due to accidental purchase, but the noise factor and the pressures involved makes this highly dangerous.

The key visible component of blackpowder is the smoke that is generated when fired.  It is this smoke that caused the powders created beginning in the latter half of the 19th century to be generically called "smokeless." This was due to the lack of telltale smoke left behind.  All one has to do is compare these photos with almost any modern action film to tell the difference right away.

Squad of Federal Infantry, musket smoke

20lb Parrott Rifle, prior to firing. Robinson's Battery

Same weapon, recoiling from live round. Grayling, MI artillery shoot

The term "Blackpowder" is a term that may have been coined in the late 19th century as well. As it was, literally, the only explosive and firearm propellant around, for centuries it was primarily called "gunpowder." With the advent and general use of the new smokeless powders, a new generic term was needed.  Thus we get the term "Blackpowder" applying to the older while "gunpowder" began to be applied to the new smokeless forms.

A slight sidebar directly pertaining to the Civil War era.  At the beginning of the conflict, the largest powder mill was in the North.  The company still exists but doesn't manufacture Blackpowder any longer.  The family that started the company still has the name attached to the company.  Who is it?  The DuPont corporation.  During the course of the war, however, a much larger powder mill was established in the Confederacy in Augusta, Georgia.

A word of caution IF you happen to be looking to purchase "Blackpowder." As it is an explosive, many firearms stores do not stock it.  This is due to it be classified differently from modern smokeless powders. Also, smokeless powders come in many colors. I relate this because I do know of one reenactor who accidentally purchased smokeless powder because it was black.  In any historic or reproduction blackpowder firearm, NEVER use smokeless powder.  They are not interchangeable. It will blowup a blackpowder firearm of any scale.

-Corporal

Loomis Battery

In the third and final installment relating to the monuments in downtown Coldwater, we bring your attention to the artillery piece that is a major feature of the monument square. Indeed, it is a large part of why the square is named Loomis park, after General Loomis who hailed from Coldwater and started out with this piece.

Taken from Soldier's monument across the street.

Closer view

Limber from the front
 

Limber from the side

Plaques posted give a short history of the unit, along with the names of the men in the battery.

Unit history Plaque

Names Plaque 1 of 3

Names Plaque 2 of 3

Names Plaque 3 of 3

For a slightly more detailed unit history, I went to the Soldiers and Sailors database maintained by the National Park Service. That history can be found at the end of the post.  The Soldiers and Sailors database can be found at:  https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-database.htm


Finally, a there is a monument to the town of Coldwater itself.

Coldwater Monument sign

 Other monuments have been placed in the park, but they pertain to later eras and thus are beyond the scope of this blog.

-Corporal

1st Regiment, Michigan Light Artillery

Overview:

BATTERY "A" 1st REGIMENT LIGHT ARTILLERY. ("LOOMIS' BATTERY," "COLDWATER ARTILLERY.")

Attached to State Militia. Tendered its services to the government as an organization and accepted by the government April 23, 1861. On duty at Fort Wayne; Detroit, Mich. Battery reorganized for three years service and mustered in May 28, 1861. Left State for Cincinnati, Ohio, May 31. Duty at Camp Dennison, Ohio, till June 12. Ordered to West Virginia June 12. Attached to McCook's Brigade, Army of Occupation, West Virginia, to August, 1861. Reynolds' Cheat Mountain District, West Virginia. to December, 1861. Artillery, 3rd Division, Army of the Ohio, to September, 1862. 17th Brigade, 3rd Division, 1st Corps, Army of the Ohio, to November, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Center 14th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to January, 1863. Artillery, 1st Division, 14th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to December, 1863. Garrison Artillery, Chattanooga, Tenn., Dept. of the Cumberland, to July, 1865.

Service:

At Clarksburg, W. Va., June 28, 1861. March to Buckhannon June 28-July 1. Middle Fork Bridge July 6. Camp Garnett, Rich Mountain, July 10. Battle of Camp Garnett, Rich Mountain, July 10-11. Battery remounted with six 10-lb. Parrotts by order of the General commanding. At Beverly July 12. Moved to Cheat Mountain Pass July 13, thence to Elkwater August 14 and duty there till October 30. Operations on Cheat Mountain September 11-17. Point Mountain Turnpike and Cheat Mountain Pass September 13. Elkwater September 14. Greenbrier River October 3-4. Moved to Huttonsville October 30, thence to Phillippi December 6. Ordered to Louisville, Ky., December 16; thence to Bacon Creek December 31 and duty there till February, 1862. Advance on Bowling Green, Ky., February 14-15. Occupation of Bowling Green February 15. Advance on Nashville, Tenn., February 22-25. Occupation of Nashville February 25. Engaged in scout and patrol duty in Northern Alabama by detachments and at Edgefield, Tenn., till August. Action at Bridgeport, Ala., April 29. Gunter's Landing May 15 (Detachment). Athens May 29 (Detachment). Whitesboro June 13 (Detachment). Expedition from Woodville to Guntersville July 27-30 (Section) - March to Nashville, Tenn., thence to Louisville, Ky., in pursuit of Bragg August 21-September 26. Pursuit of Bragg to Crab Orchard, Ky., October 1-15. Battle of Perryville, Ky., October 8. March to Nashville, Tenn., October 16-November 7, and duty there till December 26. Advance on Murfreesboro, Tenn., December 26-30. Battle of Stone River December 30-31, 1862, and January 1-3, 1863. Duty at Murfreesboro till June. Expedition to McMinnville April 20-30. Middle Tennessee (or Tullahoma) Campaign June 23-July 7. Hoover's Gap June 24-26. Occupation of Tullahoma July 1. Occupation of Middle Tennessee till August 16. Passage of the Cumberland Mountains and Tennessee River and Chickamauga (Ga.) Campaign August 16-September 22. Davis Cross Roads, near Dug Gap, September 11. Battle of Chickamauga September 19-21; 5 pieces captured after 27 Officers and men and 50 horses had been killed and disabled; one with 3 caissons was recaptured on September 19, and two more on the 20th, but all were unfit for duty and the Battery was ordered to Chattanooga; one gun was recaptured at Mission Ridge and the last at Atlanta. Siege of Chattanooga, Tenn., September 24-November 23. Battles of Chattanooga November 23-25. Battery stationed at Chattanooga as garrison till July, 1865. Demonstration on Dalton February 22-27, 1864 (Section). Tunnel Hill, Buzzard's Roost Gap and Rocky Faced Ridge February 23-25, 1864. Mustered out July 12, 1865, and discharged at Jackson, Mich., July 28, 1865.

Battery lost during service 1 Officer and 11 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 28 Enlisted men by disease. Total 40.

Old Sam the Artillery Horse monument

A monument that may be unique is the monument to Old Sam, the artillery horse. 

Monument Stone

Another of the monuments in monument square of Coldwater, Michigan, it is dedicated to a beloved artillery horse from the local battery, Loomis. The battery monument itself will be detailed in another post.



Detail of plaque

Given the rate of horse casualties during the Civil War, Old Sam's survival was a rarity. The monument itself describes the terrible losses among the animals in the battery.  It is estimated that over three million horses and mules, the prime movers of most armies in the black powder era, died during the four years of conflict. Much like the humans they served with, most died of disease or overwork.  In combat, the artillery horses were considered valid targets for concentrated fire. If the team was dead, the guns couldn't be moved and were easier to capture.

Gibson's Battery of horse artillery, near Fair Oaks, Va. 
Old Sam could have been in a photograph like this

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Unfit for service. Artillery caisson and dead mule.

While the second picture shows a dead mule by the artillery limber, it serves as an example of the dangers involved for the teams in combat.


In the Coldwater Cemetery there is indeed a headstone for Old Sam.

-Corporal

Library of Congress photographs citations:


Barnard & Gibson, Copyright Claimant, Gibson, James F, photographer. Gibson's Battery of horse artillery, near Fair Oaks, Va. Fair Oaks Henrico County United States Virginia, 1862. [June] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2014646906/. (Accessed January 28, 2018.)



Gardner, Alexander, photographer. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Unfit for service. Artillery caisson and dead mule. United States, 1863. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/cwp2003004687/PP/. (Accessed January 28, 2018.)

Coldwater Soldier's Monument

Soldiers Monument overview

As mentioned in the Christmas post, we like seeing monuments at different times of the year when possible. Most monuments are seen by us only during the warmer weather due to distance or the fact that we are seeing them in conjunction with a reenactment.

In the spirit of this, I wish to draw some attention to the monument square in downtown Coldwater.  Not everything that will be pictured in the background of this and subsequent posts are related to the black powder era and so will not be detailed. Many of these pictures were taken a couple years ago after the annual reenactment held every Memorial Day weekend. For more information of the reenactment itself, search for "Branch County Civil War Days" online. 





Detail of soldier Front

In close up we see an infantryman at the position of "In place rest." He is dressed for cold weather as he is wearing his greatcoat, as mentioned in the Christmas post. In the rear facing photo you can see the short cape that is used as a hood and his bayonet in the scabbard. 

Detail of Soldier, rear.

The plinth he stands on has four inscriptions on it. I will write out the inscriptions for clarity.




Front Face

"To the Memory of the Soldier Dead. Erected by Butterworth Woman's Relief Corps No. 31 and the Citizens of Coldwater. Dec[ember] 11, 1906"

Left Face
"To the memory of the soldiers of the Spanish American and Philippine wars who gave their lives in defence of the flag in foreign lands."



Right Face

"To the memory of the boys whose lives went out when alone on picket, on southern battlefield, in prison pen, or 'neath the ocean wave. 1861-1865"



Rear
"Butterworth Post No. 109. Grand Army Republic. Organized in the city of Coldwater. March 9, 1883.  Butterworth Woman's Relief Corps No. 31. Organized in the city of Coldwater Jan 30, 1885"

A few side notes regarding the monument. The statue itself, I believe, is one of the mass produced ones you could order from Sears (yes, THAT Sears) through their catalogue in the late 19th and early 20th century.  I have seen similar or identical soldiers at other places.

 Regarding the inscription, I wish to relate two things.  The Spanish American War of 1898 does technically fall within the scope of this blog.  The volunteer troops that were raised were issued breech loading conversions of the muskets issued in the Civil War.  These used black powder metallic cartridges.  As it is mentioned on the inscription, the Philippine war was a three year uprising that occurred immediately after the United States taking the Philippines from Spain in the 1898 war. It is almost completely forgotten today.

Next time I shall detail the cannon on the other side of the street.

-Corporal









New year, new changes

Black Powder and Lace has went threw alot of changes during this last year and we thank everyone that has shown us love.

As we go near our one year anniversary we are excited to say we will be back on the road with even more exciting places to tell you all about this year.