Tag Archives: The Civil War

Homeward Bound

National Parks service photo of a factory in Lowell,MA.

Unlike the lucky Ulmer brothers, so many other brothers did not return home. The list is extensive however I felt the need to include a few examples of those courageous men who died together on the battlefields:

Confederate soldiers and brothers Moses J. Hoge and A. Whitlock Hoge ages 21 and 29 were killed on the same night at the bloody Battle of Cloyd’s Farm  on May 9,1864.

A private cemetery in Taylor Co, Ga. shows 3 of 4 Carson brothers, all Confederate soldiers who were killed in battle or died of their wounds leaving the 4th brother to return home alone.

Brothers Edwin and Henry Lee from the 11th Connecticut Infantry were both killed in the War, Henry leaving behind a wife and four children.

Also from Connecticut, the three Wadman brothers died in battle in Virginia in the summer of 1864. Brothers Alvin and George Flint and their father Alvin Sr. also perished at this time.

The Civil War ended on April 9, 1865. Civil War experts estimate the loss of lives at between 620,000-700,000. The Eighth Maine Volunteer infantry Regiment lost 381 men, 247 of which died from disease. With a population of 31,443,000 people in 1860, this means that close to 2% of the population was killed in the Civil War. Compare that number with today’s War on Terror where around 5,500 have been killed, with our current population of 294,043,000: this translates to  less than .oo2%. The Civil War was responsible for more deaths per population than ANY OTHER WAR in U.S. history. The sheer number of families who lost their beloved sons, husbands and fathers is mind boggling.

The anguish back home resonated for years as widows struggled to somehow manage life without their men. Poverty became a reality and many women left the farms desperate to provide for their families by working in factories in big cities. It was the rise of the Industrial Revolution. In 1870, only two American cities held populations of more than 500,000 but only 30 years later by 1900, there were six, and  New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia each had over one million inhabitants. Soon, approximately 40% of Americans lived in cities and the number was climbing.

The entire country was shifting and changing. There was excitement and hope. Railroads were expanding travel all the way to California and our unscathed Ulmer boys were ready to take on the world. Please continue to follow this lively family as they traverse the U.S., triumph on the stage, become playwrights and newspaper magnates and live life to it’s fullest.

Next Up: Charley’s Bride

A Familiar Face

We last saw George playing hooky and puffing away on a cigar down at the steamboat landing at Fortress Monroe.  He had been spotted by a young officer arriving on a small cutter that was bringing a group of sailors from a large ocean steamer to the wharf. It was clear that the officer was not pleased to see George lazily sitting there blatantly breaking the rules.

The cutter hit the edge of the stair sending the standing officer flying backwards off the cutter. George roared with laughter clapping his hands and drawing more attention to himself. The now red-faced Officer tried to regain his balance but when he put his foot on the stair, slimey and wet from the tide, he went head over heels into the water.

When he came back to the surface covered in mud and seaweed, it was too much for George who by now was holding his sides. The other sailors had joined in on the laughter only to be screamed at by the incensed officer. He then turned his anger to George but still George could not stop himself from laughing, by now the tears streaming down his face.

In George’s memoirs he writes:

Hurriedly but cautiously climbing the slippery stairs, he made his way straight for me. I was still laughing, so hearty that my eyes were dimmed with tears! but I still puffed away at the big cigar.

He looked at me for a moment, then hitting the cigar knocked it overboard, at the same time exclaiming, “You’re too young to smoke. What you laughing at? Why don’t you salute me? Discipline! I’ll teach you discipline, confound you,” at the same time boxing my ears.

“You ‘gorramed’ little cuss, why don’t you salute me?” At the word “Gorrame” I recovered myself, looked up and recognized my brother; he had been promoted since I saw him, had raised a full beard and was in command of a regiment on his way to New Orleans and had run into Fortress Monroe for orders. I was more than pleased to see him, but wouldn’t salute him until he had soundly cuffed my ears and threatened to throw me into the water.

It was Spring of 1865 and the Ulmer brothers were re-united.

Next Up: War is Over

A Good Day Ruined

NOTE: Fort Monroe, VA was officially closed by the U.S. Army yesterday , September 15,2011 after 188 years of Army service. The Fort was handed over to the state of Virginia. The Fort, has more than 170 historic buildings, 565 acres and a significant Civil War history. There is hope that there will be a creation of a new National Park which is being evaluated by a bipartisan group in Congress and the National Park Service.

This is the 20th post in the Me and Lizzie May series. What started as just an inquisitive look into the maker of an antique steamer trunk has since morphed into a fascinating portal to the past. Lizzie, George and Charley Ulmer had all but been forgotten and yet they were stalwart, adventurous people who lived very interesting lives and in their own ways were a part of the history of this country. Cheer on George and Charley as we near the end of the War of the States and fervently hope for their survival.

After an emotional week with Confederate President Jefferson Davis, George spent his days running errands for Lieutenant Russell at and around Fortress Monroe. He was soon well known around the Fort as he was generous with his cigars bought with the additional eight dollars per month he had been detailed for the printing job. He made a mess of that job but happily still kept the salary.

One beautiful day he sat pensively smoking a new cigar without a care in the world ignoring all the commotion down at the wharf. Soon he saw for himself what all the noise was about as a huge ocean steamer came into sight and dropped anchor. The Union Captain signaled  and soon a small boat full of sailors was lowered and rowed to shore. The Officer at the stern barked one order after the other ruining George’s peaceful moment with his cigar. When they reached the wharf , the pompous Officer shielding his eyes from the strong afternoon sun pointed at George with a frown on his face.

Uh-Oh. It was strictly prohibited to smoke on the wooden wharf for obvious reasons. Up until now George had not bothered to follow any rules and had got along just fine. He puffed away in defiance pushing away the nagging feeling that the Officer looked vaguely familiar…

Next Up: A Familiar Face