Michigan Civil War Blog

Inexplicable

As reported here last time, been having trouble getting into Typepad due to a dislocation between browsers. Just by chance, happened to check tonite and...voila, we're in!

So, the opportunity -- albeit late -- presents itself to hilite this truly amazing event that was to happen today:

TO: NEWS MEDIA

 

FROM:    TOM JENKINS, GRAVES REGISTRATION OFFICER

    ROBERT FINCH CAMP NO. 14

    SONS OF UNION VETERANS OF THE CIVIL WAR

231-932-921    tomnjudyjenkins@aol.com 

 

DATE:    OCTOBER 6, 2009:  IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

    The Robert Finch Camp NO. 14, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War of Traverse City will be conducting grave rededication service at the Oakwood Cemetery on Saturday, October 17 at 2:00 P.M.  This service is an almost exact duplicate of the service used by the G.A.R.(Grand Army of the Republic) when they buried their members between 1890 and 1915.  The SUVCW will be dressed in Civil War uniforms when they do the service.

 

    The veteran’s grave to be rededicated is that of one Sgt. John P. Sinclair, a veteran of Battery C., 1^st Michigan Light Artillery.  In March of 1862, Sinclair fought with the army of General John Pope, attacking the Confederate fortifications at New Madrid and Island No. 10 in Missouri. While here, he contracted chronic dysentery but continued to fight with the Battery at Farmington Plains and Corinth, Mississippi in May, 1862. He was discharged in June of that year for medical reasons due to his chronic dysentery.

 

He spent his later years living alone in a cabin on the shores of Long Lake. In October, 1913, he walked to Interlochen for some groceries and disappeared on the way home.  The sheriff found the sack of groceries on the path near the cabin, but the remains of the veteran was not found until the following November of 1914 by two hunters. He had been lying in the woods for over a year and a forest fire had almost destroyed his remains.  The G.A.R. Post in Traverse City had the remains interred in an unmarked grave in the G.A.R. plot in Oakwood there he has lain for 96 years.

 

    This Spring, a group of re enactors in Southern Michigan known as the Robinson’s Battery (the nick name for the original Company C) set out to locate the graves of all the original members of the Battery. http://www.robinsonsbattery.org/index2.html

 When they discovered John Sinclair’s grave, they contacted the Veterans Administration and obtained a military grave marker for the grave.  The Traverse City SUVCW Camp 14 agreed to provide a service for Sergeant Sinclair in the traditional way.  However, this one will be different in that the Robinson Battery will also participate, using artillery symbols for the gravestone, and providing the three gun salute with their cannon as would benefit a veteran cannoneer.

 

    In addition to Grave Registration Officer Tom Jenkins, more information about

This event can be obtained from Neal Breaugh, Camp Secretary/Treasurer and Past

Camp Commander at 231-947-5873 or nbreaugh@charter.net  

Great story, and great event!

Memories in Milford

Y'day's Freep had three -- count 'em! -- items about the same event in Milford MI this weekend, the "Milford Memories Summer Festival," each of which featured a mention about "a Civil War encampment." One item entitled "Best of the Rest" has a format asking someone five questions about an event or activity. The full-page story illuminated the role of a Civil War Re-Enactor at the event: No soft bed

Biggest Civil War reenactment ever

Every August in Jackson MI is held the "Cascades Muster", in which the largest number of reenactors gather before the largest crowd in the Midwest. This year is the 25th anniversary, and to celebrate the success over this past quarter-century the event has been expanded to three days. Yes, that's right, three! It's well worth going.

Here's a link: Muster

Here's a pic from last year's: 

Civil War remembrance a front-page story today

Pretty amazing to pick up today's Freep and find, as the lead story this Memorial Day, an article on the true origin of the commemoration and a discussion of what Michigan did to help save the Union: Christina Hall story. The piece mentions the photographic record available on-line via the Archives of Michigan and also has 11 pics from a wonderful recent donation: Envelopes and letters. 

It is altogether fitting and proper this May 25, 2009. 

Civil War Weekend

If the remaining two days of The Henry Ford's CW Remembrance Weekend are like yesterday, they'll be great. The park is full of reenactors; the programs are excellent; and last nite's concert featuring the world premiere of "The Last Camp", composed by George Osius based on the poem by J. Wesley Benedict and narration by George Shirley, was outstanding:

Civil War Remembrance

Great blog today by the senior creative guy at The Henry Ford: Freep

It's pretty cool when...

...one of your local dailies begins an article on Wednesday about the coming Memorial Day weekend activities with this:

"Civil War, nature, musical tales among Memorial Day weekend family activities"

Memorial Day was started in 1868 to commemorate Union soldiers who died in the Civil War. In time, it became a three-day weekend to have picnics and place wreathes on graves of those who died in American wars. There's no better way to commemorate Memorial Day weekend than by going to Greenfield Village's annual Civil War Remembrance. You can also enjoy the three-day weekend by hearing LaRon Williams at Performance Network Theatre in Ann Arbor or tuning your tot into nature at Independence Oaks County Park.

Civil War Remembrance: Immerse yourself in the Civil War with living history re-enactors portraying Civil War-era soldiers, civilians and sutlers (merchants who followed the army) at Greenfield Village in Dearborn. On all three days, there will be marching and drill practices, cavalry demonstrations, artillery firing and tactical demonstrations. Bayonet drills are Sunday only. The whole village gets into the action with exhibits such as the original Civil War Army and Navy artifacts, preservation of Michigan Civil War battle flags and Civil War fashions and clothing. There are hands-on activities for children such as making souvenir ribbon rosettes, enlisting in the Army and receiving a reproduction Volunteer Enlistment paper, mustering in and drilling. There are dramatic presentations at the Susquehanna Plantation and the Hermitage Slave Quarters. And you can listen to the Dodworth Saxhorn Band and fife and drum corps and walk through Union and Confederate military camps. Saturday night, the village stays open until 9 p.m. with a concert and world premier of original music. ..."

-- courtesy of The Detroit News, May 20, 2009, byline: Ellyce Fields

Michigander in the House(s)

Story here about how today is a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol visitor center for a new monument/statue to Battle Creek's own Sojourner Truth: Unveiling She is the first black woman to be honored with a bust at the Capitol. The sculpture is to remain on permanent display in Emancipation Hall, the underground center's main space. The First Lady will make remarks.

Apparently the site was specially authorized by Senate Concurrent Resolution 17, which passed both Houses of Congress on April 22 and 23.

Great story here (Choir) about how the event touches all of us as Americans, born here or an immigrant.

The power of community

It was quite a pleasure to attend this evening a celebration in downtown Monroe MI of the President's signing of the omnibus wilderness bill that includes creation of the River Raisin National Battlefield Park. Many accolades were passed around to the three mayors who had labored hard for this day, as well as sundry other local officials from the County, Port Authority, Brownfield Authority, Historical Society, etc. All deserve credit for pulling together to make tonite's gathering such a celebratory event.

There's a big lesson here. Monroe is a community that came together with a single-mindedness, holding fast to a vision to preserve a unique piece of Michigan history and create the possibility of attracting people to the site of that heritage. A dozen years in the making, the Park is only now getting off the ground with many years of work still to go. Still, the excitement in the top floor room of the Monroe Bank & Trust Building could not be quenched.

We need more of these kinds of successes in the Great Lake State. The Michigan community needs to work together more to lengthen the list of such achievements.

Remember the River Raisin

Statement, in part, by the Honorable John D. Dingell during final passage this week of HR 146, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act, of which Section 7003 establishes the first national battlefield site in Michigan (we have no such Civil War sites):

    The creation of the River Raisin National Battlefield Park could not come at a better time for the embattled hard working people of Michigan. Significant economic and cultural value is added to a historic landmark when it is managed within the National Park System, and this impact is expected to intensify during the upcoming Bicentennial of the War of 1812. Starved recently of any good news, this designation would be a transformational moment for the people of Michigan, and the National Park will provide new opportunities for a community in dire need. However, the people of Monroe and the State of Michigan wish not to be consumers of government, but rather full fledged partners. In fact, national park designation is so important to the local community that they are willing to give this land to the American people freely and without compensation. Furthermore, the River Raisin represents a time in our history that is underappreciated and underrepresented in our National Park System. The federal government has an obligation to all past, current and future Americans to protect this battlefield so we may learn what happened there and better understand how it shaped the country we know today.

    If adopted, H.R. 146 will finally protect this nationally significant battlefield. It is time at last to honor the sacrifice of the brave young patriots who died in service to our fledgling country. It is time to enshrine the River Raisin Battlefield into the pantheon of our Nation’s most revered sites. It is time to, as the great rallying cry from the War goes, “Remember the Raisin.”

 

It was adopted, and now the bill is on its way to the President for signing. This federal investment will enhance our heritage, restore some equilibrium between the net outflow of federal tax dollars that go to Washington every year from here, and aid the local economy. Three cheers!