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The situation at the surrender of Ft. Donelson on 16 February 1862 was so confused that Confederate Brig. Gen. Bushrod was able to escape merely by walking calmly through the Yankee lines.
During one of the many campaigns in '62, a weary Robert E. Lee took a nap by the side of a road, down which shortly came a division of his doughtiest warriors, who, seeing their beloved commander at rest, hushed their voices and lightened their tread lest they disturb him.
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When questioned by some Indiana troops as to whether she was "Secesh" or "Union," an old mountain woman replied, "A Baptist, an' always have been."
When an officer commented that a certain major known in the army as a shirker had been wounded and would be unable to perform a particular assignment, Stonewall Jackson is said to have commented "Wounded! If it really is so, I think it must have been by an accidental discharge of his duty."
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When, during the battle of Murfreesboro, Confederate Maj. Gen. Benjamin Cheatham shouted "Forward, boys, and give 'em hell, boys," his superior, Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polk, agreeing in principal, but, as an Episcopal bishop, unwilling to utter profanity, shouted "Give 'em what General Cheatham says, boys! Give 'em what General Cheatham says!"
Throughout all of his campaigns Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was wont to suck on lemons, though no one could ever figure out how he obtained them.
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When Robert E. Lee road by as the Confederate Army marched by on the road to Gettysburg Army, a patriotic Chambersburg matron ceased waving the "Stars and Stripes" long enough to cry, "O, I wish he was ours!"
As the Confederate troops were falling back from Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg, British military observer Lt. Col. James Fremantle said, "I wouldn't have missed this for anything," to which Lt. Gen James Longstreet replied, "The devil you wouldn't! I would like to have missed it very much....!"
And with this entry, my dear friends, I give you my post # 1400!
YMOS,
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It appears that Grant did not have a “best man” at his wedding, nor did Julia have a “Maid of Honor”. The wedding ceremony was somewhat informal and although Grant did not discuss the ceremony in his memoirs, Julia did in hers – and wrote:
“My Bridesmaids were my sister Nellie Dent, Sarah Walker, and my cousin Julia Boggs. Lieutenant Grant’s groomsmen were Lieutenant Cadmus Wilcox, Bernard Pratte of St. Louis, and Sid Smith. The first two surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox; the latter (Sidney Smith) was an Adonis and was almost idolized by the young society ladies at the time”.
This is interesting for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is that Sid Smith was killed in the Mexican War, so the “young society ladies” must have been pretty hard-up in St. Louis in 1848.
We do know that Longstreet attended the wedding – and he may have been the third groomsman, but I have my doubts. It seems to me that Julia would have certainly recalled had it been her cousin that stood-up with Grant. (Julia Dent and James Longstreet were first cousins.) The coincidence alone would seem to have made it more memorable, but who knows.
I think the story of Longstreet being “best man” was first put forth by his second wife, Helen, and subsequently taken as fact by later authors. I’ve also read accounts that Wilcox was Grant’s “best man”. Perhaps the term “best man” and “Groomsman” were used interchangeably back then. I think this is why you will find that Wert, Sanger, and most other Longstreet biographers state only that Longstreet and his first wife attended the ceremony.
General George Meade's favorite mount, Baldy, survived wounds at First Manassas,Antietam, and Gettysburg; carried Meade in action at Fredericksburg and Gettysburg; and trailed Meade's hearse at his funeral in 1872.
Union Colonel Wladimir Krzyzanowski, a Polish immigrant who commanded New York troops, failed to get confirmation as general from the U.S. Senate, reportedly because the lawmakers could not pronounce his name.
Union Rear Adm. David Dixon Porter was so fond of horses that he kept several aboard his Mississippi River Squadron flagship, U.S.S. Black Hawk, and was wont to gallop ashore over the gangplank for a ride now and again.
As their gunboat was preparing to go into action, a Union naval officer asked a sailor why he was on his knees, to which the youthful tar replied, "Praying, sir, that the enemy's bullets may be distributed the same way as the prize money, principally among the officers."
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