Lincoln At The Huntington: Letter To General Grant

The Jess and I made a day-long sojourn to Pasadena a few days ago to take in the Huntington Library's magnificent Abraham Lincoln collection, and I'm pleased to say that our expectations were actually exceeded by the beauty, gravitas, and size of the exhibit. There's a unique energy in this hall that gives a sense of being in the presence of history; this is primary sourcing at the highest level. Seeing letters written in Lincoln's hand, broadsides from the day of his assassination, rough drafts of the First Inaugural, is frankly quite staggering. When you see these items, it feels like you've been transported to another time, and that is a special feeling.
We got some outstanding, flash-free photos that capture some of the thrill of seeing these items, and I'd like to start with this letter from President Lincoln to Lt. Gen Ulysses S. Grant written on April 30th, 1864.
Here is the transcript:

Executive Mansion
Washington, April 30. 1864

Lieutenant General Grant

Not expecting to see you again before the Spring campaign opens, I wish to express in this way, my entire satisfaction with what you have done up to this time, so far as I understand it. The particulars of your plans I neither know or seek to know. You are vigilant and self-reliant; and, pleased with this, I wish not to obtrude any constraints or restraints upon you. While I am very anxious that any great disaster, or the capture of our men in great numbers, shall be avoided, I know these points are less likely to escape your attention than they would be mine -- If there is anything wanting which is within my power to give, do not fail to let me know it.
And now with a brave army, and a just cause, may God sustain you.

Yours very truly
A. Lincoln

First, let's take a look at Lincoln's handwriting her, because it really captures the story here. You'll note the deliberate, clear hand applied, the even lines, and the sharp margins. This is not the standard in Lincoln's writing; indeed, most items I've seen (and will show you over the next few days) have a much more variegated and rushed appearance. I'm no handwriting expert, but we all know how our writing can vary depending on the context, which begs the question...
On April 3oth, 1864, Lincoln, his administration, and the entire Northern war effort were at a momentous point. The long-planned thrusts into the South in both the Eastern and Western theaters, with newly appointed Lt. Gen Grant in overall command but following the Army of the Potomac into Virginia, were about to be launched. It was an election year, and with three years of bloody war gone by with no end in sight, there was real concern that the Lincoln administration and the war effort were nearly spent.
Lincoln knew what he had in Grant; indeed had known since 1862 when Grant surged onto the national scene. The two men had met in Washington DC in mid-March 1864, a few weeks before this letter was written, when Grant had been given overall command of the Union Army. Grant had earned Lincoln's respect as well as the clear autonomy spelled out in the letter, but with that came the tremendous expectations that underscore every single word Lincoln wrote.
The timing and expectations that traveled with this letter to Grant's camp were of course not lost on Lincoln. He possessed a keen sense of history and his place in it, indeed he facilitated this by the use of his personal secretaries, and he knew that this type of letter would become a touchstone for the moment it was written.
Bringing these considerations into the fold, we can see a meticulously written note, likely the final of several drafts, with each word selected for the moment and crafted with the very best penmanship. General Grant was about to carry the spearpoint of the Union army into the heart of the Confederacy, and with this letter, Lincoln not only sent him on his way, but captured the profound anxiety, courage, and diligence that history requires of its touchstone moments.

Civil War Battlefield Preservation Versus Wal-Mart

Despite the size of the Wal-Mart juggernaut, the fight to preserve the Wilderness battlefield continues. Click here for the pertinent article and an odd movie pairing. It's pretty wonderful that there are people that remain so dedicated to this effort. I can imagine how daunting it must be taking on an unscrupulous behemoth like Wal-Mart, and yet this voice continues to be heard. I was unable to find specifics on how these efforts are going, so if anyone has more data, please share.

A Photo Of The 57th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry

A few days ago I wrote a post about the efforts of the Civil War Preservation Trust to thwart Wal-Mart's efforts to build a superstore on the battlefield of the Wilderness and Chancellorsville. In that post, I used a few lines to discuss why this battlefield is so important to me, but even when I posted the entry, something felt incomplete; I had left something out of the discussion.
Last night it came to me. I remembered a picture that is the single most moving image I have come across in my years of study, and my collection of Civil War books and photographic compendia numbers in the hundreds.
I do not suppose to know what war is like, but this picture captures the humanity, the loss, and the destructiveness of not only the Civil War, but war in general, in a way that no other picture has ever been able to replicate for me. One the one hand, there are the sterile, bloodless works of artists like Don Troiani, on the other hand is this:
Before we go on, a huge note of thanks and recognition to http://www.picturehistory.com/. I found this picture through their search criteria in about 5 seconds, and was able to download this image for free. Please avail yourselves of this incredible resource! Now, if you'll indulge me, please place your mouse over the picture and click it to bring up a larger image, then study the faces and clothing of the men, as well as the surroundings upon which they stand.
Having done so, let's begin our discussion, and by the end, your investment in this photograph is sure to increase. This image is of the men of Company I of the 57th Massachusetts Infantry, taken in late June or early July of 1864 (no confirmatory date has been found). There are nine men in this image, and they are all that is left of the 86 soldiers of the company who went into battle for the first time several weeks before on May 6th, 1864, the second day of the Battle of the Wilderness.
Over the course of the next weeks, Co. I and the entire 57th Mass took part in nearly every major action of the famed Overland Campaign: the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, the North Anna River, Cold Harbor, and into the siege of Petersburg. This campaign ushered a new level of fighting into the Civil War (and warfare in general) with constant marching and virtually continuous contact with the enemy; these men were pushing forward every step of the way. 77 men of Company I had been killed, wounded, or taken prisoner during the campaigning and unrelenting combat of the early summer, 1864 in Virginia, and from the beginning of its service in May, 1864 until it was mustered out, only 10 men of the original 900+ of the regiment survived the war unscathed. A regimental history was written several years ago by Warren Wilkinson, with the fitting title of "Mother, May You Never See the Sights I Have Seen". This image graces the cover.
These nine men, commanded by Sgt R.K. Williams (the far right figure) were all that were standing when they found time for a brief respite and this photograph. They look worn-out, dirty, exhausted. They stand resolute, brave, and unflinching. They are on a wasted, muddy land where the only visible life, save for these nine souls, is the distant trees in the top-right corner. These troops have seen and done things that no one should be asked to do or have to live with having done, and they still had the courage to go forward and continue the fight.
There is all that, and there is the fact that they look just like us! There are no long-whiskered gentlemen or gray-haired officers; they look like men I went to high school, college, grad school with, played sports with, hung out with and befriended. These men capture the essence of American troops at war for me, because this picture could have been taken on the fields of Saratoga or the dusty streets of Fallujah, and I'd still feel like I know them, and I would still ache for what they had to go through. There had been 86, now there were nine. I've never had to go through losing one friend, let alone 77.
This picture came back to my mind because the first field where these men went to war and began to lose comrades was the Wilderness, and this ground may be lost if Wal-Mart has its way. These men took a stand behind a cause 144 years ago, now we can take a stand for them and their memory through the Civil War Preservation Trust.
Oh yeah, Wal-Mart and its ghoulish disrespect are disgraceful and despicable!
(Note: the above link to the book is to Amazon, but all available copies are from independent booksellers. Remember to support your local used and independent bookstores!)

The Round Table And Battlefield Preservation

Wow, sorry for the delay between posts! Busy, busy, busy!
Last night I attended the monthly meeting of the San Diego Civil War Roundtable, and what a treat it was; not least because The Jess was at my side. The lecture had a nautical theme, so my wife was totally into it. We heard a fantastic lecture by one of the members on the battle between the USS Kearsarge and the CSS Alabama off the coast of Cherbourg, France on July 19, 1864.
Our lecturer didn't just dryly recite the facts of the battle and persons involved; he had a fascinating take on this sea battle as a classic duel. There was the challenge issued by Alabama to the Kearsarge as the Kearsarge lurked offshore. There were the seconds (French ships) standing by to ensure the fight took place in international waters, and there was the British ship standing by to aid the injured and rescue survivors. An excellent and unique spin on this well-studied battle.
Before we got to the discussion, there was a discussion about issues pertinent to the group: lectures, upcoming talks (including mine in October, which will be blogged about in detail in the near future), and battlefield preservation. This is a large component of what the SDCWRT is about, as all funds raised through raffles, membership, and book sales go to the Civil War Preservation Trust. Last year alone, we donated over $2000 to help with this worthy endeavor.
I learned earlier today about a threat that will certainly be discussed at the next Round Table, and that is the news of a proposed Wal-Mart Superstore on the Wilderness and Chancellorsville battlefields in Virginia. Thanks to Eric Wittenberg at civilwarcavalry.com for the info!
I will hold my tongue on my opinions of Wal-Mart here, but I am most resolutely in favor of protecting these battlefields! For one, I have not yet been able to visit them (they share large portions of the same ground, Chancellorsville taking place in May 1863, the Wilderness occurring one year later, almost to the day) and they are a priority for when The Jess and I sojourn east. Second, Gordon Rhea's incredible series of books on The Battle of the Wilderness and the Overland Campaign helped re-launch my interest in the Civil War several years ago. Lastly and most importantly, this is land made sacred by the tens of thousands of men who died on that ground, many of whom are still buried there.
In California, we don't have any Civil War battlefields, so it's easy to feel a bit detached; however, it is vital to remember that once these lands are paved over and defiled by golden arches or megamalls, they're gone. Please take some time and decide if this is an issue that might strike your interest, and keep in mind that these parks are always free to anyone who wishes to visit. I'll close by providing a National Park Service link to the Wilderness.