Michigan Civil War Blog

The Ante-Bellum Democratic Governors of Michigan: 3

Continuing our time travel into the Civil War record of these statesmen, today we look at John Steward Barry:

"Governor of Michigan from 1842-1844 and 1849-1850. A Jeffersonian Democrat from New England, Barry moved to Michigan in 1834 and built his home in Constantine shortly afterward. While maintaining his mercantile and gubernatorial interests, Barry won election as a state senator in 1837 and served until his candidacy." (Source: Michigan Historic Sites Online).

According to the 1892 Portrait and Biographical Album of Ingham & Livingston Counties, “He was twice Presidential Elector, and his last public service was that of a delegate to the National Democratic Convention held in Chicago in 1864.  …  His political connections were always with the Democratic party, and his opinions were usually extreme.  Mr. Barry retired to private life after the beginning of the ascendancy of the Republican party, and carried on his mercantile business at Constantine.”

This is a bit of a contrast to Hershock's The Paradox of Progress, which says that his 1854 candidacy for governor was on a platform that included the principle of Congressional non-interference in the domestic legislation of the States and Territories (p. 134). He was a victim of a "political revolution in Michigan" (p. 135) when the Republican candidate, Kinsley Bingham, took 53% to Barry's 47%. Yet he himself was opposed to the extension of slavery (p. 9). When he ran in 1860, he lost to Austin Blair 57-43 (p. 269).

But what did he do during the war, especially in that first year, like Douglas?

The Bentley is apparently not of much help; his papers consist of "Land patents, 1850-1851. 2 oversize items and one photograph."

Wikipedia says this, but without sources: "Throughout his career, he was a supporter of the Wilmot Proviso, intended to stop the spread of slavery, but he remained a member of the Democratic Party, becoming sympathetic with the 'ultra' wing during the Civil War."

Concluding this little series, one is left with the idea that the Democratic ex-governors did not take the Douglas tack. Rather than support the war effort as the Little Giant did, it appears they stayed on the sidelines.

The Ante-Bellum Democratic Governors of Michigan: 2

Continuing our journey back in time to see what the ante-bellum Democratic Governors of Michigan did during the Civil War, today we find:

“Robert McClelland served in the Michigan Constitution Convention of 1835 and was elected to the state legislature in 1837. He became mayor of Monroe in 1841, was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1845, and in 1851 was elected governor of Michigan. He was appointed Secretary of the Interior by President Pierce in 1853. He served for four years.” (Source: Michigan Historic Sites Online)

This doesn’t tell us what he did during the Civil War. The Biographical Dictionary of the United States Congress says after his Interior post he “resumed the practice of law in Detroit, Mich.” and was a “delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1848, 1852, and 1868.” So he apparently did not participate in 1860 or 1864. According to the Dictionary of American Biography, Volume XI, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1933, “In 1857 McClelland returned to Michigan, settling down in Detroit to twenty-three years of legal practice. He returned to public service briefly in 1867 as a member of the Michigan constitutional convention. In personality he was always plain and unprepossessing; his manners were somewhat brusque and forbidding; and he was regular and painstaking in his mode of life to an extent which in his later years became proverbial among his neighbors.”

The Elmwood Cemetery website, where he was interred, adds this: “On the eve of the Civil War he advocated moderation and compromise.”

According to the website for distinguished alums of Dickinson College, “McClelland became, among other things, a strong advocate for states' rights, including the right of a state to permit slavery. His star rose in the party and he represented Michigan in several national conventions. He also was an active member of the constitutional convention in Michigan in 1850 and the chair of the state Democratic Convention that year. In 1851, he was elected governor of Michigan and re-elected by an even greater majority in 1852 [defeating Zachariah Chandler]. Soon after, having noted his active part in his presidential election, President Franklin Pierce named him to the cabinet as Secretary of the Interior. In that position, McClelland advised the president to follow his neutral policy concerning Kansas, but most of his recommendations for reform made little progress. Nonetheless, he built a reputation for organization and honesty in a previously chaotic and corrupt department. After James Buchanan's inauguration in 1857, McClelland retired to a long and successful private practice in Detroit. He sat again in a Michigan state constitutional convention in 1867.”

An excellent work by Martin J. Hershock, distinguished history professor at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, entitled The Paradox of Progress about the 1837-1878 period in Michigan, says McClleland blamed Republicans for creating the secession crisis in late 1860 (p. 162) and in turn was accused of disloyalty (p. 169). McClelland battled abolitionism (p. 170), criticized the conduct of the war (p. 171), and lamented the Emancipation Proclamation.

Without more research, the conclusion seems to be that he then laid rather low during the rest of the conflict. But the online summary of his papers at the Bentley Historical Library holds a hint: "The collection includes Latin salutatory for the opening of Dickinson College, 1829, biographical sketch, letter, 1861, to Augusta McClelland affirming his strong loyalty to the Union, two notebooks containing campaign speeches and notes on the Civil War”. Those documents might shed light on the matter and help make a more complete assessment.

The Ante-Bellum Democratic Governors of Michigan: 1

The topic of the pre-Civil War Michigan Democratic Governors' activities during the conflict occurred to me recently when reading about the role that Stephen A. Douglas played in the 1860 election. Once it was apparent to him that he would not win, and then in the months after Lincoln's election and through the Fort Sumter crisis, Douglas played a pro-Union and anti-secession role until his untimely death. So the question occurred: what did Michigan's ex-Governors who were of the Democratic party do once the Civil War broke out? We will head backwards in time as we take up each one in turn ...

Today we look at the last Dem to hold the highest office before the Republican ascendancy:

"Andrew Parsons was born in Hoosick, New York, in 1817. In 1836 he settled in Shiawassee County and at the age of nineteen was elected the first county clerk. After holding a number of county and state offices, Parsons in 1852 became a regent of the University of Michigan. The same year he was elected lieutenant-governor, and he became acting governor in March 1853 upon the resignation of Governor Robert McClelland. The formation of the Republican party in 1854 badly split the Democratic forces and perhaps accounted for Parsons's failure to receive the gubernatorial nomination. Instead, Parsons was elected to the state legislature from Shiawassee County. He fell ill during the legislative session of 1855 and returned to Corunna, where he died on June 6, 1855." (Source: Michigan Historical Marker text, registered Site S0295; erected 1969; location: 318 McNeil Street, Corunna)

That answers that, sadly. Governor Parsons, the "boy Clerk", was gone long before the War.

 

In memoriam

On April 29, 2011, a great citizen of Michigan passed away after a rich and generous life. Lincoln scholar Weldon Petz died at age 88, having collected and then donated a huge collection of Lincoln and Civil War memorabilia to the public by making it available at the Plymouth, Michigan Historical Museum. May his family be comforted and his example remembered and emulated.

Story here: Ply Observor

In memoriam

He would have been 85 today ...

Michigan CW roundtables

Since we're doing lists here recently, why not try to see how many Civil War roundtable organizations exist here in the Great Lake State.

I can count six: Ann Arbor (AACWRT), Kalamazoo (KCWRT), Farmington (MRCWRT), Rochester (IBRCWRT), Plymouth (ALCWRT), Bay City (7thMCWRT).

Are there others?

In memoriam

This blog isn't to be about me, but I have to confess to one of my interests for this post. I've been a fan of Thomas Wolfe since reading Look Homeward, Angel in 1971 when my father gifted me with this book that had touched him many years before. I'm a charter member of The Thomas Wolfe Society, organized in 1977. So it was with sadness, and surprise at the Michigan connection, to learn of the passing of a Wolfe scholar today:

"Theodore Robert Mitchell (Ted) of Arden, NC, died Saturday, December 6, 2008 at JFK Solace Center in Asheville after a short illness. He was 59 years old.

A native of Oak Park, Michigan, Ted moved to Asheville in 1988. He was employed by Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community and was a volunteer at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial State Historic Site where he had formerly worked as an historic site interpreter for over 13 years. A researcher, scholar and writer, Ted contributed nearly 30 books, essays and articles on American novelist, Thomas Wolfe. His most recent publications included Thomas Wolfe: A Writers Life (1997) and Windows of the Heart: The Correspondence of Thomas Wolfe and Margaret Roberts (2007). Ted was an active member of the Thomas Wolfe Society and was the former director of the long running Thomas Wolfe Festival held annually in Asheville.

Ted’s devotion to and reverence for Thomas Wolfe and his contributions to American letters was second only to his devotion and love for those who were fortunate enough to be counted among his friends and colleagues. Ted’s kind words and thoughtful insights into life’s many challenges were a constant source of inspiration and comfort for those around him. His unique and humorous perspectives on life could bring a smile to even the most hardened of souls. Ted loved the natural world around him and, until his recent illness prevented it, he enjoyed daily walks along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The beauty and grandeur of the mountains of North Carolina never seemed to lose their hold on Ted. A pair of binoculars was always by his living room window so that he could occasionally gaze upon the majesty of Mt. Pisgah in the distance.

Ted was the son of the late Ilias and Edna Mitchell. A brother, David, predeceased him. Ted leaves behind a brother, Rick Mitchell, and sister-in-law, April, of Royal Oak, Michigan, as well as an extended family of loving friends, colleagues, residents of Deerfield Retirement Community and members of the Thomas Wolfe Society.

Arrangements are in the care of Harwood Home for Funerals, 208 W. State St., Black Mountain, NC. A memorial service celebrating the life of Ted will be held Thursday, December 11, at 4:00 pm at St. Giles Chapel on the campus of Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Center, 1617 Hendersonville Road."

My heartfelt condolences to family and friends.

The man who would be Custer

Here's an article in today's daily blat about Steve Alexander, a G.A. Custer living historian: Freep. Mr. A thinks Michigan's most famous Civil War general deserves much more than opprobrium, and he attempts to teach -- via performance -- characteristics of the man that Hollywood is still clueless about. I enjoyed Little Big Man back in the day, but I had nothing but disgust over the Custer portrayal. Won't watch it since. The world is still waiting for an historically accurate account.

The interviewer seems to betray a less than accepting attitude. He seems, well, skeptical, and that's a charitable assessment. But at least the intelligent reader can see between the lines. And in that, comes learning.

Cascades muster pt. V

Reenacting requires, I imagine, a complete appreciation of what history is being 'lived'. It isn't just playing at soldier; the full consequences of the experience being replicated have to be comprehended. Certain of that, I offer two photos from last weekend to cement the idea that the experience is incomplete without reminders about the object of the exercise: killing the enemy.

These vignettes made me wonder about the fire-eaters of the 1850's. Didn't they know? Couldn't they see the horrible human cost that their decisions prompted. Perhaps they should have been made to study such images for lengthy periods of time, imagining the friends and family who would be their subject matter.

It is good that war is so terrible, a general said. Wishful thinking, that.

Cascades muster pt.IV

After the affair, circling around the area revealed a number of interesting sites:

Tomorrow nite, the last pics, perhaps the most poignant.