Officers' Wives, A War In Common

JPK Huson 1863

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
Feb 14, 2012
Location
Central Pennsylvania
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Probably City Point, judging by the quarters, three couples enjoy time together- rare enough during the war to warrant the smiles.

So how many of us could look like this, considering there was no electricity, no ' modern ' transportation, no running hot/cold/ water- nothing? I've gotten on a plane for 2 hours, at destination unrecognizable. Then you run a gauntlet of folks waiting for passengers ? Our wives of the war North and South were under Victorian scrutiny heel to toe. Under conditions recognizable to any self respecting Pilgrim they left no hair untrimmed nor muff behind.

These women, yes, officers wives and certainly so much more privileged then most, still- had to be awful for them. Some traveled to be with their husbands sporadically, some managed to stay near them for months. All of it was exhausting, tense and frequently frightening.

From LoC and National Archives, mostly nameless women share camp life, preferring it to waiting for sporadic word alone and in dread in some far away home once shared by the couple, like so many, many throughout those awful years.

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My personal favorite is Alice Kirk Grierson, wife of Cavalry officer Benjamin Grierson. She's even more interesting than the General, and that's quite an achievement!. This is from a site on Army Officers' Wives on the frontier.

b. 1828, Youngstown, Ohio. Alice's father, a well-to-do merchant and real estate developer, was an abolitionist who participated in the Underground Railroad. She was the oldest of thirteen children. She had the advantage of a good education at a female academy and taught school before her marriage. She married Benjamin Grierson in 1854, and spent the first several years of their marriage trying unsuccessfully to convert him to Christian faith. He joined the Union Army in 1861 and rose quickly to the rank of colonel. By war's end, they had four children and she asked him to continue his Army career. He was made commanding officer of the 10th Cavalry — a division of African American troops who distinguished themselves in Western combat as the Buffalo Soldiers. Three more children were born to them, though one died in infancy. The difficulty of educating their children and other family responsibilities kept them apart for many months at a time. Alice died after a long illness in 1888, a few months before Benjamin was promoted to general. Her letters have been published by Shirley Anne Leckie, ed., The Colonel's Lady on the Western Frontier: The Correspondence of Alice Kirk Grierson (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1989).

From: http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/army_officers_wives/family_life/p0002

This is Alice with two of her seven children. BTW, one daughter died while they were at Ft. Concho, and supposedly haunts the officers' quarters. :smile:

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Here's one of (yecch) Judson Kilpatrick and....some women. I'm afraid to try to identify them, given Kilpatrick's inclinations.

Maybe someone knows....

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:mstickle::nah disagree::nah disagree::inlove::nah disagree::nah disagree::mstickle:

And then there's the love story of JEB Stuart and Flora Cooke....here's a bit on her wartime experiences, including the futile race to get to Stuart after he was wounded. This is from http://www.philipstgeorgecooke.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24&Itemid=28

1861 Sept 24 Jeb Stuart, whose star rose as Philip St. George Cooke's descended, was promoted to brigadier general in the Confederate Army at the age of 28 which made him one of the youngest generals in the Civil War. During this month Flora was at Fairfax Court House and saw her husband on a daily basis. Although she was never heard to complain, Captain Charles M. Blackford wrote: "She was always in tears when she heard firing knowing that her husband [as well as her brother, father, cousin] was in the midst of it. Her distressed look showed the constant anxiety she must suffer". She did not remain long at the front for Stuart's duties rapidly increased and in October he was in command of the advanced forces.

____

Jeb Stuart The Last Cavalier by Burke Davis p. 74


___________________________

1864 May 12 Death of Jeb Stuart - age 32 "During the afternoon, on one of Dr. Brewer's visits, Stuart asked, 'How long can I live, Charles? Can I last through the night?' 'I'm afraid the end is near,' Brewer said. ...Jeb asked for Flora several times during the afternoon."... Soon Stuart said to Dr. Brewer: 'I am going fast now. God's will be done...' He was gone. The pulse was still. It was twenty-two minutes before eight in the evening of May twelfth." Burke Davis Jeb Stuart The Last Cavalier pps 415, 417)

Flora's arrival in Richmond 11:30 PM "More than three hours later Flora arrived in the wagon. One who rode with her wrote: 'A certain quiet resting on all about the house instantly impressed them, and words were not necessary to convey to the...wife the sad intelligence.' Flora's children were taken by quick hands, and she was soon alone with him in candlelight, the pale image she had so long held in her mind's eye. Despite stunning grief, perhaps it did not seem so strange to her. She had feared it from the start, and had read it in almost every line of his letters, in the war and in the long-gone days of Indian raids on the frontier. Others tried to help. Her sister Maria snipped off a lock of the red-golden hair from Jeb's head, tied it with a ribbon and thrust it into an envelope." Burke Davis Jeb Stuart The Last Cavalier p 412 - 419

So after only nine years of marriage to Jeb, Flora at age 28 became a widow. And although this was a painful moment for her, she was lucky to have the support of her sister, brother-in-law, and close friends at this crucial moment. Better a situation like this than to have him die miles away alone on a battlefield. So, despite Jeb's wishes, she was to wear black for the rest of her life.

http://www.philipstgeorgecooke.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29&Itemid=33

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And what about the guy facing totally sideways in the middle of the first photo. :sneaky: His relatives invented the habit of facing sideways in an elevator instead of facing out. One of my pet peeves!
Too funny, my husband noticed the same guy. Isn't there a pic somewhere of Little Mac striking much the same pose? I think it was meant to make you look slimmer, like the modern poses on the red carpet.
 
So how many of us could look like this, considering there was no electricity, no ' modern ' transportation, no running hot/cold/ water- nothing? I've gotten on a plane for 2 hours, gotten off at the other end seriously unrecognizable. Then you have to run that gauntlet of folks waiting for passengers at the other end? Love that.

These women, yes, officers wives so much more privileged then most, still- had to be tense for them. Some traveled to be with their husbands sporadically, some managed to stay near them for months. All of it had to be a tiring, tense and frequently frightening experience. We see some throwing up their hands and turning to nursing, some, wives of surgeons, able to do both.

One thing they have in common- almost all the time? Namelessness in these old photos. If anyone does know, I'll of course eat my words. In the National Archives at least they're nameless, and LoC although a lot of photos are duplicated in both. May have missed one which does leave the names.

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Baby on lap!

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Second photo, woman at far right, interesting dress mimicking officers' uniforms.
 
So how many of us could look like this, considering there was no electricity, no ' modern ' transportation, no running hot/cold/ water- nothing? I've gotten on a plane for 2 hours, gotten off at the other end seriously unrecognizable. Then you have to run that gauntlet of folks waiting for passengers at the other end? Love that.

These women, yes, officers wives so much more privileged then most, still- had to be tense for them. Some traveled to be with their husbands sporadically, some managed to stay near them for months. All of it had to be a tiring, tense and frequently frightening experience. We see some throwing up their hands and turning to nursing, some, wives of surgeons, able to do both.

One thing they have in common- almost all the time? Namelessness in these old photos. If anyone does know, I'll of course eat my words. In the National Archives at least they're nameless, and LoC although a lot of photos are duplicated in both. May have missed one which does leave the names.

View attachment 57356

View attachment 57352





View attachment 57354

Baby on lap!

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The girls look like they've been into the medicinal brandy!
 
Here's one of (yecch) Judson Kilpatrick and....some women. I'm afraid to try to identify them, given Kilpatrick's inclinations.

Maybe someone knows....

Expired Image Removed

:mstickle::nah disagree::nah disagree::inlove::nah disagree::nah disagree::mstickle:

And then there's the love story of JEB Stuart and Flora Cooke....here's a bit on her wartime experiences, including the futile race to get to Stuart after he was wounded. This is from http://www.philipstgeorgecooke.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24&Itemid=28

1861 Sept 24 Jeb Stuart, whose star rose as Philip St. George Cooke's descended, was promoted to brigadier general in the Confederate Army at the age of 28 which made him one of the youngest generals in the Civil War. During this month Flora was at Fairfax Court House and saw her husband on a daily basis. Although she was never heard to complain, Captain Charles M. Blackford wrote: "She was always in tears when she heard firing knowing that her husband [as well as her brother, father, cousin] was in the midst of it. Her distressed look showed the constant anxiety she must suffer". She did not remain long at the front for Stuart's duties rapidly increased and in October he was in command of the advanced forces.

____

Jeb Stuart The Last Cavalier by Burke Davis p. 74


___________________________



http://www.philipstgeorgecooke.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29&Itemid=33

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Hey Nathan, we missed Juddie's burfday on Jan. 14. He would have been 179 years old, if he wasn't so busy roasting his tootsies in .......a warm place.
 
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