- Joined
- Feb 20, 2005
- Location
- Winslow, Buckinghamshire
Most of us know about Jefferson Davis. How his devotion to the Union saw him rise to the rank of Brigadier General, commanding a division at Pea Ridge and Corinth. And how he shot his former commanding officer, General William Nelson, in apparently cold blood in a hotel lobby.
If he had a short temper, is it anything to be wondered at? With a name like his, imagine how many people must have thought it screamingly funny to draw his attention to it. As if they were the first ones ever to have noticed that, ha ha ha, he was Jeff Davis but he wasn’t the Jeff Davis.
I know a little about this. I have a very close friend who shares exactly the same name as a British actor who was a household name in the 70s and early 80s. Oh, the merry quips he had to endure.
But at least Jefferson C. Davis was, to some extent, protected by his rank. So spare a thought for the (at least) 41 other men named Jefferson Davis who served in the ranks or as junior officers in the Union forces. Think what life must have been like for them.
And what about the 15 boys in blue named Thomas J. Jackson? The couple named P. Beauregard? And poor old Braxton Bragg, of Co.B, 54th Connecticut Infantry? Joseph E. Johnston struggled on in the 170th Ohio. A.P. Hill tried to make a go of things in the 8th Illinois Cavalry. 64 men coped with the vicissitudes of life as Yankees named Joe Wheeler.
It wasn’t much easier in the opposing armies. William L. Garrison’s happy times around the camp fires of the 47th Virginia may be imagined in the light of his desertion in 1862. There was at least one George B. McClellan and a William T. Sherman. Four devoted sons of the South coped with being named Joe Hooker, and another four somehow found the will to get up every morning knowing they were called George Custer.
Spare a particular thought for the four Johnnies whose parents had thought it wise to name them Benjamin F. Butler. How perfectly beastly!
But, more than anything, give solemn thought to the lot of a private in Co.F, 1st Va. Cavalry. I’m talking about Old Abe. Abe Lincoln. Abraham B. Lincoln, of Rockingham County, if you want to be formal. How he must have looked forward to being asked his name. What japery must have ensued.
He deserted in 1864.
[This data was extracted from the Civil War Personnel Database at http://www.civilwardata.com/active/pers_dir.html Subscription required for access.]
Note to Unionblue: You might want to ponder on this before you ever take a vacation in Britain. You share exactly the same name as a disgraced former Member of Parliament, who is the living embodiment of sleaze and who now eaks out a living on TV game shows.
If he had a short temper, is it anything to be wondered at? With a name like his, imagine how many people must have thought it screamingly funny to draw his attention to it. As if they were the first ones ever to have noticed that, ha ha ha, he was Jeff Davis but he wasn’t the Jeff Davis.
I know a little about this. I have a very close friend who shares exactly the same name as a British actor who was a household name in the 70s and early 80s. Oh, the merry quips he had to endure.
But at least Jefferson C. Davis was, to some extent, protected by his rank. So spare a thought for the (at least) 41 other men named Jefferson Davis who served in the ranks or as junior officers in the Union forces. Think what life must have been like for them.
And what about the 15 boys in blue named Thomas J. Jackson? The couple named P. Beauregard? And poor old Braxton Bragg, of Co.B, 54th Connecticut Infantry? Joseph E. Johnston struggled on in the 170th Ohio. A.P. Hill tried to make a go of things in the 8th Illinois Cavalry. 64 men coped with the vicissitudes of life as Yankees named Joe Wheeler.
It wasn’t much easier in the opposing armies. William L. Garrison’s happy times around the camp fires of the 47th Virginia may be imagined in the light of his desertion in 1862. There was at least one George B. McClellan and a William T. Sherman. Four devoted sons of the South coped with being named Joe Hooker, and another four somehow found the will to get up every morning knowing they were called George Custer.
Spare a particular thought for the four Johnnies whose parents had thought it wise to name them Benjamin F. Butler. How perfectly beastly!
But, more than anything, give solemn thought to the lot of a private in Co.F, 1st Va. Cavalry. I’m talking about Old Abe. Abe Lincoln. Abraham B. Lincoln, of Rockingham County, if you want to be formal. How he must have looked forward to being asked his name. What japery must have ensued.
He deserted in 1864.
[This data was extracted from the Civil War Personnel Database at http://www.civilwardata.com/active/pers_dir.html Subscription required for access.]
Note to Unionblue: You might want to ponder on this before you ever take a vacation in Britain. You share exactly the same name as a disgraced former Member of Parliament, who is the living embodiment of sleaze and who now eaks out a living on TV game shows.