Civil War History - The Eastern TheaterDiscuss any and all battles, movements, and events occuring in the Eastern Theater here! This includes any actions in tha area east of the Appalachian Mountains in the vicinity of the river capitals of Richmond and Washington D.C.
Excellent link JohnW. Shelby Foote Vol 3 of his Trilogy gives a good account of this battle. Foote's broad view does not neglect these little known and out of the way encounters.
__________________ 'It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag'
Foote's trilogy is among my most prized possessions. I plan on reading it again soon. No wonder it is considered by many to be one of the greatest literary works of the 20th century.
Regards,
John W.
__________________ Ancestors in CSA Army: 51st VA, 54th VA, 45th VA, 50th VA, 24th VA
John,
South west Va. is where my ancestors are from. I live in Indiana near the home town of Lew Wallace. Hence my signature. Here is a Shot Tower Not far from there.
Virginia Shot Tower
Wytheville, VA
The Jackson Ferry Shot Tower was typical of others in the country that made small spherical lead shot for the fowling pieces of frontier settlers. Smelted lead from the nearby Austinville mines was melted at the top of the tower and poured through a sizing sieve to produce small droplets. Surface tension caused the molted lead to assume a spherical shape that solidified during its 150-foot fall. The shot was then collected in a water-filled kettle at the bottom of the shaft.
The "drop process" was patented in England in 1769 by William Watts, a craftsman of Bristol, England. He profited handsomely from its prevalent use. The tower was built by Thomas Jackson, an English immigrant, in 1807. The tower and grounds were restored through the efforts of local organizations, individuals, and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
__________________ "I want to bury myself in a den of books. I want to saturate myself with the elements of which they are made and breathe their atmosphere until I am of it."
--Lew Wallace, 1885
I'm very familiar with the historic Shot Tower. My mom was born & raised in Austinville, and my folks now live in Wytheville. I live in upper East Tennessee, about a 90 minute drive from there.
Wasn't Lew Wallace one of the generals at Cedar Creek? I remember he was the governor of the New Mexico Territory and sought to bring Billy the Kid to justice. I guess his greatest accomplishment was his writing of the classic story, "Ben-Hur."
Regards,
John W.
__________________ Ancestors in CSA Army: 51st VA, 54th VA, 45th VA, 50th VA, 24th VA
Ancestors in CSA Cav: 21st VA, 25th VA
Last edited by JohnW in E.TN; 09-12-2005 at 10:36 PM.
__________________ "I want to bury myself in a den of books. I want to saturate myself with the elements of which they are made and breathe their atmosphere until I am of it."
--Lew Wallace, 1885
Actually I had the right battle, but the wrong guy.
For some weird reason, I always confuse Lew Wallace and Rutherford B. Hays. Not sure why, but it's a brain burp I can't seem to overcome. Maybe it's their similar beards? Who knows. Sorry about that.
Regards,
John W.
__________________ Ancestors in CSA Army: 51st VA, 54th VA, 45th VA, 50th VA, 24th VA
I live about 3 miles away from where the battle took place. Believe it or not this area was a very important place for the Confederate States. One because it was the only railroad link to East Tenn. and secondly for the very important link to the salt works at Saltville Va. I can't recall the persons name that owns the farm now but it does have a place where you can pull off and see the battle field. Although I have several ancestors that fought for the CSA they were all in northern VA or in NC at the time. I will try to find out who owns the property now and let you know just in case you ever want to visit.
Clay
I live about 3 miles away from where the battle took place. Believe it or not this area was a very important place for the Confederate States. One because it was the only railroad link to East Tenn. and secondly for the very important link to the salt works at Saltville Va. I can't recall the persons name that owns the farm now but it does have a place where you can pull off and see the battle field. Although I have several ancestors that fought for the CSA they were all in northern VA or in NC at the time. I will try to find out who owns the property now and let you know just in case you ever want to visit.
Clay
Clay,
It's really good to hear from you. All of my family is from Wythe and Pulaski Counties, mostly Wythe. My folks live near Wytheville.
You are correct about SW Virginia's strategic importance to the war. So important, that the great John Hunt Morgan came to the rescue of the town. Saltville is a very unique place as well.
I'd really like to visit the Cloyd's Mountain site in the future. It's Va's best kept secret.
Thanks, and I hope you keep posting.
Regards,
John W.
__________________ Ancestors in CSA Army: 51st VA, 54th VA, 45th VA, 50th VA, 24th VA
John W and Clay,
Do you know of any diarys of men in the 8th Va. Cav.? A lot of the men came from Bland and Tazewell County. I read part of the guys over in WV that was in the 8th.
Martin
__________________ "I want to bury myself in a den of books. I want to saturate myself with the elements of which they are made and breathe their atmosphere until I am of it."
--Lew Wallace, 1885
John W and Clay,
Do you know of any diarys of men in the 8th Va. Cav.? A lot of the men came from Bland and Tazewell County. I read part of the guys over in WV that was in the 8th.
Martin
Martin,
Do you have this book? : Soldier of Southwestern Virginia The Civil War Letters of Captain John Preston Sheffey
Edited by James I. Robertson, Jr.
I've heard it's a good one, and it has been on my "to buy" list for a while. I'll stay on the lookout for any other diaries and letters from men in the 8th Va Cav.
I'd appreciate you keeping a lookout for any diaries or letters dealing with the 51st or 54th Va Infantries. I may have most of them, but you never know.
Regards,
John W.
__________________ Ancestors in CSA Army: 51st VA, 54th VA, 45th VA, 50th VA, 24th VA
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