Military Museums and Battlefields

Experimental Helmet Looks More Like Star Wars than WWI

2011-12-02T10:31:00.001-08:00

WWI Model 8 steel helmet with visor

in the collection of Peter Suciu.

When I saw a picture of this helmet, I immediately thought of Star Wars rather than World War I but when I read the article I discovered this helmet was one of dozens of steel helmets that were tested for the U. S. military in World War I.

"The Ford Motor Company began production of the Model 8 in November 1918, completing about 1,300 helmets. It featured a three-pad liner system similar to the one found in the Model 2. The benefits of this helmet were that with the visor down it does protect the face almost entirely, while the slits would provide reasonable field of view. Arriving just as the Armistice was signed, the Model 8 never saw combat service in France." - American military helmets of WWI, Military Trader, November 30, 2011

Major Bashford Dean, the father of the

American steel helmet. Photo by Chris

Arnold.

One of the key designers behind these experimental helmets was actually a zoologist, Dr. Bashford Dean who also had an interest in arms and armor. His expertise in medieval arms and armor led to his appointment as curator of the arms and armor collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. I have had the privilege of photographing the arms and armor collection at the Met and it is one of the most spectacular collections of armor I have ever seen although the collections at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Tower of London are impressive as well. One day I hope to return to England and photograph the arms and armor collection at Leeds (I'm especially interested in the Mughal elephant armor!) and the Imperial War Museum in London too.

I highly recommend the article referenced and linked above. It is not only comprehensive but includes more illustrations of other experimental helmets developed during the early 20th century.

Heritage Center's Civil War Collections to open in Philadelphia October 15

2011-10-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

THE UNION LEAGUE BUILDING ON S. BROAD ST
. IN CENTER CITY PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

The Sir John Templeton Heritage Center, an 8,500-square-foot facility off of Broad Street in Philadelphia, will open its prestigious collections of Civil War books and period manuscripts to the public on October 15.

"The Heritage Center will be presenting a series of five rotating exhibits which will focus on the Philadelphia home front in the Civil War. The first, on display now, is Philadelphia 1861: The Coming Storm. Its focus is the city on the brink of war and during the months immediately following the attack on Fort Sumter. The exhibit’s main storylines are: the election of 1860; the divisions among Philadelphians, supporters of the Union, and Southern sympathizers; Lincoln’s visit to Philadelphia on February 22, 1861; and the city’s response to the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. The exhibit will continue through December 2011." - The Heritage Center

The Heritage Center is also home to the Union League of Philadelphia’s three charitable foundations: Youth Work, Scholarship, and Abraham Lincoln. These organizations, supported by League members, serve the community by educating the public about our nation’s history, recognizing student role models in the region’s high schools, and providing scholarships to deserving students.

The Heritage Center will be open to the public, free of charge, on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 3:00- 6:00PM and the second Saturday of each month from 1:00-4:00PM.

Last WWII Battleship USS Iowa to become museum in Los Angeles

2011-09-24T15:08:00.000-07:00

When the USS Missouri stopped in Astoria, Oregon before leaving for its permanent home in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, I was able to walk around her decks and peer amazed at her behemoth guns. Now I see that the last WWII battleship, the USS Iowa, will make its way to Los Angeles where it, too, will become a museum and memorial.

The USS Iowa — the last surviving World War II battleship without a home — will head to the Port of Los Angeles to stand as a permanent museum and memorial to battleships, the Navy said Sept. 6.

The 45,000-ton ship, which towers 15 stories above the water line, engaged in battles in the Pacific theater during World War II and entered Tokyo Bay with the occupation forces in 1945 where it served as Admiral William F. Halsey’s flagship for the surrender ceremony. The battleship later served off Korea’s eastern shores during that conflict.

In 1989, the USS Iowa suffered one of the nation’s deadliest military accidents after 47 sailors were killed in an explosion during a training exercise. Before being decommissioned in 1990, it served as an escort for oil tankers in the Persian Gulf.

The Iowa was towed to San Francisco from Rhode Island in 2001, after Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California helped secure $3 million to bring it to San Francisco in hopes of making it a tourist attraction at Fisherman’s Wharf. - More: MilitaryTrader.com

Shelby Foote's research collections to be digitized by Rhodes College

2011-03-06T16:08:00.000-08:00

Image by mharrsch via Flickr

The North Carolina Monument at
Gettysburg National Battlefield

I recently received information that Rhodes College has acquired the 2,350-volume book collection,
personal papers and diaries, handwritten book drafts and maps, and memorabilia of famed novelist and Civil War historian Shelby Dade Foote Jr. (1916-2005).

Shelby Foote was born in Greenville, Miss., in 1916 and was raised by his mother after his father died. An only child, Foote took an interest in reading. When he was a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he contributed fiction pieces to the school’s literary journal. After serving in the Army in World War II, he held various jobs, including a stint as a reporter. Foote's first novel, Tournament, was published in 1949, and works that followed include Follow Me Down, Love in a Dry Season, Shiloh, Jordan County: A Landscape in Narrative and September, September, which is set during the 1957 integration of Little Rock's Central High School. In 1951, what began as a Random House proposal for a short account of the Civil War turned into the more than a million and a half words of The Civil War: A Narrative that took Foote 20 years to write and carries readers from Fort Sumter to Appomatox.

In the late 1980s, writer Robert Penn Warren recommended Foote to filmmaker Ken Burns who was planning his television documentary on the war. Burns and crew interviewed Foote, and after the 11-hour series aired on PBS in 1990, Foote gained national celebrity.

As one YouTube viewer noted, it's just a pleasure to listen to this wonderful historian.

Some of the materials included in this priceless legacy include:

Shelby Foote’s Personal Library
The book collection, which includes approximately 2,350 volumes, is made up mostly of works of classic literature—everything from Greek tragedies to contemporary Southern writers—as well as works of literary interpretation, American history (particularly the history of the South and Civil War) and European history. Of particular note are the rare, signed and/or inscribed first-edition novels by Shelby Foote, William Faulkner, Walker Percy and Eudora Welty.

Shelby Foote’s Personal Papers
The papers include handwritten and typed drafts and notes for Foote’s novels, essays, short stories, screenplays, speeches, lectures and his most famous work, The Civil War: A Narrative. Correspondents include friends, associates and family members. Letters from presidents, U.S. senators, governors and other leading figures (Walker Percy, Cormac McCarthy, Allen Tate, Willie Morris, David McCullough and Ken Burns, among others) are also included. There are decades of personal diaries, memo books and calendars, along with a large collection of hand-drawn maps, photographs, magazines and other memorabilia.

Shelby Foote’s Personal Artifacts
Among the personal artifacts is a large collection of classical music (scores, LP records, cassettes and compact discs), as well as various military artifacts, sculptures, figurines, drawings, prints and posters. Also included are numerous awards and plaques that Shelby Foote received throughout his lifetime.

The Shelby Foote Collection will be housed in the 136,000-square-foot Paul Barret, Jr. Library on the Rhodes College campus. I understand a number of items will be digitized and made available online as well!

Civil War items slated for auction Feb 19 (2011)

2011-02-15T10:47:00.000-08:00

I received a notice of an upcoming auction that will include a number of American Civil War items in excellent condition. The auction will be held at Fontaine's gallery facility, located at 1485 West Housatonic Street in Pittsfield, MA.

The Civil War session will be chock full of offerings, beginning with some
very sharp frocks and jackets. These will include a circa-1860 U.S. New
York Regiment militia frock coat, enlisted man's gray with seven large
New York state buttons down the front; a New York State 71st Regiment
swallow-tailed full-dress dark blue jacket with a row of nine eagle
buttons down the front; and a U.S. Louisville Legion-style wool frock
coat, dark blue, with five Ohio buttons.

Revolvers and pistols will feature a wonderful cased pair of Durs Egg percussion
dueling pistols, .62 caliber, with 5 ½ inch octagonal barrels; a
magnificent engraved and gold-filled Colt Model 1860 Army revolver in
excellent condition and with all matching numbers; and a matched pair of
circa-1812 flintlock sea service pistols, .69 caliber, with 9.25-inch
barrels, needing repair.

Sword enthusiasts will not be disappointed. Two examples in particular will
pique the interest of the crowd. One is a Model 1862 Infantry
presentation sword with a 30-inch blade in near-mint condition and a
tight leather handle; the other is an Ames Model 1832 artillery short
sword with scabbard, signed and dated (1835) on the blade. Both could
command up to $2,500.

Also to be offered in Session Two: a Model 1861 U.S. percussion rifle-musket
made in 1864 and with papers from the New York Militia; a metal-bodied
Queen's Lancer drum, 10 ½ inches high by 15 ½ inches wide, colorful and
complete with two drumsticks; and a hand-made Confederate leather belt
with buckle (the "E Pluribus Unum" is upside-down) and cartridge box.

Art of the American Soldier Exhibit Extended Thru March

2010-12-20T14:52:00.000-08:00

I received notice this morning that the "Art of the American Soldier" exhibit at Constitution Center in Philadelphia has been extended through March 31. This exhibit presents paintings and drawings created by American soldiers while serving in theaters of war from the fields of World War I to the present day conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The website of the exhibit presents the art on an interactive timeline where you can scroll through the decades, viewing the images and listening to a montage of newscasts and music from the era.

This image of a WWI machine gunner was produced in 1918 by Captain Harvey Dunn, a combat artist assigned to the American Expeditionary Forces in France.

In 1917, the American military designated "official war artists" who were sent to Europe to record the activities of American Forces there and like many of them, Captain Harvey Dunn was formally trained. Dunn had studied at the Chicago Art Institute then later under the famed adventure novel illustrator Howard Pyle.

"Unlike the objective camera lens that records the single instant and no more, the artist not only captures instantaneous action, but can fuse earlier moments of the same scene into a compelling image. Observation, insight, elimination of confusing detail, and focusing on the essential can all be compassed by the artist's eye." - U.S. Navy Combat Art Program

The Navy's Combat Art Program was officially founded in 1941 after muralist Griffith Baily Coale, convinced the Navy's top brass of the importance of having competent artists on the battlefields to record the history that was taking place. Not to be outdone, the Army established a War Art Unit in late 1942. The War Art Advisory Committee selected 23 active duty military and 19 civilian artists to work in the program.

But in May 1943 Congress withdrew funding from the program and the War Art Unit was inactivated.

The effort to create a visual record of the American military experience in World War II was then taken up by the private sector in two different programs, one by Life magazine and one by Abbott Laboratories, a large medical supply company. When Life offered to employ civilian artists as was correspondents, the War Department agreed to provide them the same support already being given to print and film correspondents. Seventeen of nineteen civilians artists who had been selected by the War Art Committee joined Life as war correspondents. A deal was struck between, then editor of Life, Daniel Longwell and the Secretary of War for the artists to receive the same treatment as news correspondents.^[1] Abbott, in coordination with the Army's Office of the Surgeon General, commissioned twelve artists to record the work of the Army Medical Corps. These two programs resulted in a wide range of work by distinguished artists who had the opportunity to observe the war firsthand." - The United States Army Art Program, Wikipedia

The Navy Combat Art Program was revived with two military artists in the Korean War and in the Vietnam era the program operated with civilian artists in cooperation with the Salmagundi Club. The Navy also began sending artists to cover a broader array of naval activities in addition to combat. Following the merger of the Navy Combat Art Program with the Naval Historical Center, artists have been sent to the Persian Gulf and Desert Shield/Storm. - Naval History and Heritage Command

Since my husband served as a combat engineer during the Vietnam War and has often told me how getting enough sleep was a daily challenge between sweeping roads for mines all day then standing guard half the night, I was particularly drawn to this image entitled "The Waiting Game" by Sp6 Kenneth J. Scowcroft depicting two exhausted members of the 4th Infantry Division near the flight line at the heliport on Dragon Mountain in Plieku, Vietnam . I think my husband would have titled it "Catching ZZZZsss!" though.

If you're going to be in the Philadelphia area before the end of March, I would urge you to stop by Constitution Center and view these images that capture the sacrifice our young men and women have made over the last 100 years. If you can't make it in person, I recommend visiting the website and viewing the online gallery. The art truly depicts the human dimension of war "in a way no photograph or newsreel ever could!"

War Diary of a Combat Artist

Custer Portrait Vases sell for more than $50,000

2010-12-13T16:16:00.000-08:00

Today I received a notice from Heritage Auction Galleries about their recent auction of a pair of hand painted porcelain vases with portraits of George Armstrong Custer and his wife Libby.

In July of 1865 Custer and his young bride traveled to New Orleans, where they visited the studio of the highly regarded photographer and portrait artist R. T. Lux. There they were photographed by Lux, and the tintype images he retained were used to paint these remarkably life-like portraits. The vases are of baluster form, measuring 11" in height, and adorned with bouquets of pink roses bound in blue ribbons. Each is dated "July 1865," and signed "R.T. Lux, N.O." Lux's work is highly collectable today, and this magnificent pair must surely be considered among the most desirable examples. Pictured on page 72 of Lawrence Frost's important book, The Custer Album, they are among the most recognizable of Custer artifacts. When Butterfield & Butterfield auctioned a number of important Custer relics on behalf of the family, the vase depicting Custer was featured on the catalog's cover. The pair was sold at Butterfield's in 1995, where they fetched $46,750. The original Lux tintype of Custer, featuring the exact same portrait seen on the painted vase, was auctioned by the Custer family at the same time, but unfortunately not together with the vases. - Heritage Auction Galleries

Image via Wikipedia

George Armstrong Custer and Elizabeth Bacon Custer
between 1860 and 1865. Courtesy of the Library of
Congress.

I found a copy of a portrait of the couple from the Library of Congress for comparison. Although Libby is wearing a similar dress, George's hair is much shorter than in the vase portrait. However, the vase portraits' resemblance to the couple's facial details in the photograph is striking.

If you visit the Heritage Auction Gallery website and set up a free account, you can view wonderful enlarged images of these portraits as well as other historical collectibles that are either being offered for sale or have been sold in the past including firearms, military paper ephemera (military manuals, discharge papers, orders, letters, etc), uniforms, flags, cannon, bladed weapons, tintypes, etc. What a treasure trove of information all freely available if you just set up a free account! You can browse online catalogs of both past and upcoming auctions and they publish a beautifully illustrated magazine that may be read online or requested in print at no charge.

Earlier this month, the only U.S. flag not captured or lost during Custer's Last Stand at the Battle of Little Bighorn sold at auction for $2.2 million.

The Culbertson Guidon from the 1876
Battle of the Little Bighorn. Image
courtesy of Sotheby's

Of the five guidons [flags with a distinctive swallow-tailed shape] carried by Custer's battalion only one was immediately recovered, from beneath the body of a fallen trooper.

According to testimonials from Indians involved in the fight, the trooper, Cpl. John Foley, was attempting to escape on horseback — and had almost succeeded — when he shot himself in the head. All the other flags under Custer's command were believed captured by the victorious Indians.

The recovered flag later became known as the Culbertson Guidon, after the member of the burial party who recovered it, Sgt. Ferdinand Culbertson. Made of silk, it measures 33 inches by 27 inches, and features 34 gold stars. - Matthew Brown, Associated Press

Uncle Sam's Khaki Soldiers interesting article by D. L. Adams

2010-10-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

My husband collects military vehicles and subscribes to Military Vehicles Magazine. The last time I renewed his subscription, I did it online and signed up for their newsletter. I've discovered that it often contains some really fascinating articles about different aspects of military history.

Today's issue had an in-depth article about the development of the khaki uniform, Uncle Sam’s khaki soldiers by D. L. Adams.

Harry Scofield, Battery E, 5th Artillery, is
wearing a woolen blouse with stand-and-fall
collar as specified in 1907 with “U.S.”
collar as specified for wearing during
1904-1910. John Adams-Graf Collection
During the Spanish-American War, several volunteer units were sent for tropical duty wearing lightweight cotton rather than the Army’s standard blue wool uniforms. Following experiences in the Spanish-American War, the U.S. Army formally adopted khaki-colored uniforms. It would only be a few years until it had all but abandoned the blue wool it had worn for more than a century.

As early as 1898, regulations specified a field service blouse for all commissioned officers and enlisted men to be made of “cotton drilling or khaki, light-brown in color…” This departure from the blue uniform, however, was only for the service uniform. While “on marches, fatigue duty, and ordinary wear,” troops were instructed to wear the blue wool surge, 5-button field blouse with rolled collar.- Uncle Sam’s khaki soldiers by D. L. Adams.

Over the next nine years, the new khaki uniform underwent 10 specification changes including changes in the buttons.

The Army had worn bright brass or silver-colored buttons on its service uniforms from the beginning. This changed in 1902, however, with the adoption of a subdued, dull bronze button. The 1902 pattern General Service button featured the nation’s Great Seal with no rim around the circumference. It was produced in three sizes: Cuff, blouse and overcoat. The two smaller sizes were also produced in gilt for use on the dress uniform. The 1902 button would remain the standard pattern used on all of the Army’s dress and service uniforms until the adoption of a rimmed variant in 1912. Uncle Sam’s khaki soldiers by D. L. Adams.

The article is lavishly illustrated with images of different iterations of these uniforms. I encourage you to check it out!

Civil War Maps and Charts featured in Charting A More Perfect Union archive

2010-10-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

For all of you map and chart fans, a dream come true has been provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, the NOAA has launched an online archive of maps and charts entitled "Charting a More Perfect Union: 1861 - 1865".

Image via Wikipedia
Alexander Dallas Bache (1806 - 1867), American scientist,
U.S. Coast Guard official.
"In 1807, President Thomas Jefferson established the Survey of the Coast to produce the nautical charts necessary for maritime safety, defense, and the establishment of national boundaries. Within years, the United States Coast Survey was the government’s leading scientific agency, charting coastlines and determining land elevations for the nation. In 1861, the agency adjusted quickly to meet the needs of a country at war…" - NOAA

In 1861, U.S. Coast Survey supervisor Alexander Dallas Bache published Notes on the Coast of the United States. Thereafter, reports were published each year from 1861 to 1865. Initially used by the Union army, the maps, charts, and geographic information were the target of Southern sympathizers as well who sought to give their own army an edge in the military campaigns that raged during this period.

Image by mharrsch via Flickr

Stained Glass of a Confederate
Soldier of the American Civil War
at Bardstown Kentucky

This rich collection contains over 20,000 images from the late 1700s to present day. I found a fascinating sketch of the Country Occupied by the Federal and Confederate Armies on the 18th and 21st July 1861 marked with little crosses noting "Colonel Thomas Fell", "Mrs. Henry Fell" and "General Bee Fell." I just put in the search criteria State: Virginia and Year: 1861.

Like the maps of the Lewis and Clark expedition, these priceless documents are another great legacy left to us by our third president, Thomas Jefferson. If you want to explore some of the Lewis and Clark maps, check out Lewis and Clark: The Maps of Exploration 1507 - 1814, and excellent website compiled by the University of Virgina Library.

American Maps and Map Makers of the Revolution (Revolutionary War Bicentennial)

New Museum to Showcase Jin War Chariots

2009-02-08T08:30:00.000-08:00

With all of the spectacular archaeological finds made in China since the 1980s it is difficult to choose the most important - and the finds just keep multiplying each year. I have been fortunate to have seen a traveling exhibit of the terracotta warriors and hope to see them in situ one day. Now it looks like I need to plan to include this new museum showcasing the fabulous Jin war chariots of the Western Zhou Dynasty (1120-781 BC), like the one shown here, in my itinerary!

[Image - life-size model of a Zhou Dynasty "4 Horses 3 men" War Chariot in the China's People's Revolutionary Military Musuem in Beijing]

In the remote village of Yangshe on the banks of the Yellow River, Chinese archaeologists are little by little bringing an ancient culture back to life after nearly 3,000 years. The vast cemetery they are excavating belonged to the rulers of the Jin state, which is finally emerging in all its remarkable diversity in what is now northern China's Shanxi Province. It is a discovery that in most countries would excite the entire scholarly community, but in China it is just one in a string of startling finds.

At the Yangshe dig, the outstanding feature is a large pit containing 48 chariots and 105 horses that were buried with a Jin ruler particularly noted for his military campaigns during the Western Zhou Dynasty (1120-781 BC).

The find is the largest horse and chariot pit dating from the Shang and Zhou dynasties (1600-256 BC) so far found in China and predates the terracotta warrior tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shihuang, by more than 600 years, Ji said.
Among the finds are ceremonial carriages exquisitely painted with red lacquer and which include finely crafted doors with bronze hinges. Armoured war carriages protected by bronze plates are also among the finds.
"We believe the chariots and horses were the actual cavalry used in the military campaigns of the Jin leader," Ji said. "So far we have counted at least 105 horses, which we believe were drugged and buried alive as some of their heads were erect and others had their legs bound," he added.
The state of Jin existed as part of the Zhou Dynasty, which was divided into western and eastern periods.
The Jin cemetery was first discovered in 1992, but funding for major excavations only began in 1996.
Since then all 19 tombs have been excavated with the dig of the largest horse and chariot pit alone taking four years, Ji said.
Coinciding with the discoveries, archaeologists in China are seeing funding on a scale they could only have dreamt of a few years ago. "The Museum of the State of Jin, which begins construction in March, will sit on top of the horse and chariot pit and is expected to be opened by 2010," he said.
The 100-million-yuan (13-million-dollar) museum will house a treasure trove of bronze and jade artifacts from all 19 tombs of the early Jin rulers and their wives.

You can learn more about he Qing (Jin) dynasty in this YouTube video:

Laurence Hutton's "Undying Faces" mesmerizing

2009-02-08T08:18:00.000-08:00

I want to thank Laurence Hutton for commenting on my post about the recreation of Abraham Lincoln in the upcoming program "Stealing Lincoln's Body". He pointed me to his blog highlighting famous life and death masks, entitled "Undying Faces". I was mesmerized as I looked at faces of people I had read about but only seen in painted portraits, as they lived, for the most part, before the age of photography.

[Image left - Vice-admiral Horatio Nelson life mask, 1800, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London]

I was particularly interested in the life mask of Vice Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson, commander in Britain's most famous naval victory at Trafalgar. I have always found Lord Nelson to be a very handsome man. I certainly understand why Emma Hamilton found him so attractive and have even collected historical figures of him (my favorite is a portrait doll by English artist Ann Parker. I was gratified to see that he was as handsome in reality as he has been portrayed in art.

[Image right - Vice Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson, by Lemuel Francis Abbott]

It is not surprising that Lord Nelson had a life mask made of himself. He was, apparently, quite vain, according to an assessment of his personality in Wikipedia:

Nelson was regarded as a highly effective leader, and someone who was able to sympathise with the needs of his men. He based his command on love rather than authority, inspiring both his superiors and his subordinates with his considerable courage, commitment and charisma, dubbed 'the Nelson touch'.^[206]^[207] Nelson combined this talent with an adept grasp of strategy and politics, making him a highly successful naval commander. However, Nelson's personality was complex, often characterised by a desire to be noticed, both by his superiors, and the general public. He was easily flattered by praise, and dismayed when he felt he was not given sufficient credit for his actions.^[208] This led him to take risks, and to enthusiastically publicise his resultant successes.^[209] Nelson was also highly confident in his abilities, determined and able to make important decisions.^[210] His active career meant that he was considerably experienced in combat, and was a shrewd judge of his opponents, able to identify and exploit his enemies' weaknesses.^[206] He was often prone to insecurities however, as well as violent mood swings,^[211] and was extremely vain: he loved to receive decorations, tributes and praise.^[212] Despite his personality, he remained a highly professional leader and was driven all his life by a strong sense of duty. - Wikipedia

Of the Civil War-era death masks in Mr. Hutton's collection, I found the cast of Ulysses S. Grant to look the closest to his portraits in paintings and on our currency. Of course, in his case we have a photograph to compare with it.

[Image left - death mask of President Ulysses S. Grant]

I thought the death mask of Robert E. Lee reflected a sad end to a once great warrior.

His face seemed more elongated and emaciated than portraits I have seen of him.

[Image right - Death mask of Confederate General Robert E. Lee]

Of course, that is the problem when looking at a death mask. It is created at the end of life after, in many cases, wasting illnesses. In Lee's case:

"On September 28, 1870, Lee suffered a stroke that left him without the ability to speak. Lee died from the effects of pneumonia, a little after 9 a.m., October 12, 1870, two weeks after the stroke, in Lexington, Virginia. He was buried underneath Lee Chapel at Washington and Lee University, where his body remains today. According to J. William Jones' Personal Reminiscences, Anecdotes, and Letters of Gen. Robert E. Lee, his last words, on the day of his death, were "Tell Hill he must come up. Strike the tent," but this is debatable because of conflicting accounts. Since Lee's stroke resulted in aphasia, last words may have been impossible. Lee was treated homeopathically for this illness.^{[42]" - Wikipedia}

^{It's as if you can see the profound sadness on his face, even in death, for the effects of his surrender at Appamatox and the brutal "reconstruction" that followed.}"Lee attended a meeting of ex-Confederates in 1870, during which he expressed regrets about his surrender at Appomattox Courthouse, given the effects of Republican Reconstruction policy on the South. Speaking to former Confederate Governor of Texas Fletcher Stockdale, he said:

Governor, if I had foreseen the use those people [Yankees] designed to make of their victory, there would have been no surrender at Appomattox Courthouse; no sir, not by me. Had I foreseen these results of subjugation, I would have preferred to die at Appomattox with my brave men, my sword in my right hand.^[39]- Wikipedia

U. S. Cavalry Museum

2008-10-08T08:57:00.001-07:00

Fort Riley, Kansas (USA)

Originally called Camp Center, Ft. Riley was established in the 1850s to provide protection to immigrants migrating westward on the Oregon and Sante Fe Trails.

[Right: A cavalryman of the U.S.-Mexican War (1846 - 1848)]

Its cavalry units policed the Kansas Territory during the pro and anti-slavery bloodshed that preceded the Civil War and it was the last home of General George Armstrong Custer before he met his fate at the battle of the Little Big Horn.

The museum includes exhibits of cavalry activities from their early beginnings in the Revolutionary War up to their modern deployment in the Persian Gulf. It also features the work of outstanding military artists in both oil and bronze.

IMPORTANT: Ft. Riley is a secured military compound. To gain admittance to the base you must first stop and obtain a visitor's pass. You will be required to provide photo ID. Admission to the museum is free but donations are gladly accepted.

This statue (left) reminds me of "Comanche", the only representative of the U.S. Army left wounded but alive at the site of Custer's defeat near the Little Big Horn River in present day Montana.

I read a book about Comanche when I was a young girl and, being an avid animal lover, found the book very heart wrenching.

"You felt like you were somebody when you were on a good horse, with a carbine dangling from its small leather ring socket on your McClelland saddle, and a Colt army revolver strapped on your hip; and a hundred rounds of ammunition in your web belt and in your saddle pockets. You were a cavalryman of the Seventh Regiment. You were a part of a proud outfit that had a fighting reputation, and you were ready for a fight or a frolic." - Sgt. Charles Windolph in I Fought with Custer.

The famous Gatling Gun, designed by the American inventor Dr. Richard J. Gatling in 1861 and patented in 1862, was cranked by hand and could feed up to 1500 rounds per minute.

"Each barrel fires a single shot as it reaches a certain point in the cycle after which it ejects the spent cartridge, loads a new round, and in the process, somewhat cools down. This configuration allowed higher rates of fire without the problem of an overheating single barrel. The Maxim gun, invented in 1884, was the first self-powered machine gun. The first Gatling gun relied on a hand crank for external power. Some time later, Gatling-type weapons were invented that diverted a fraction of gas from the chamber to turn the barrels. Later still, electric motors supplied external power." - Wikipedia

In addition to weapons and firearms, the museum has an outstanding collection of period uniforms such as this panoply of a dragoon of 1833, who wielded the first "recognized"major cavalry sword produced in the early United States. It was patterned after an 1820 British saber.

Light Horse Harry" Lee, father of the famous Civil War General Robert E. Lee, led his cavalrymen, dressed like the soldier at right, in lightning swift raids during the American Revolutionary War. His unit captured over 400 British Soldiers in an attack on Paulus Hook, New Jersey.

I was surprised by the formal military attire of Apache scouts that included a horsehair topped helmet. Hollywood movies typically show them with castoff military jackets and bandana headwear resembling the portraits of Geronimo.

"Apache scouts (U.S. Army Indian Scouts) came from different Apache tribes or bands. Most of their service was in the Apache wars of the 1870s to 1890s, where they were the eyes and ears of the US military and sometimes the cultural translators for the various Apache bands and the US military. As was the custom in the US Military, scouts were enlisted with Anglo nicknames or single names.

"Chiricahuas were the most subordinate, energetic, untiring and, by odds, the most efficient of their command" (Crook Resume of Operations quoted in Conquest of Apacheria p 364). These scouts were sent to Florida by General Miles, along with those who they tracked for 16 months (1885-86), as if these Apache Scouts were hostiles to be punished. They were kept captive under nominal arrest as prisoners of war, along with the the rest of Geronimos band whom they'd helped the Army track down, for 26 years before finally being released." - Wikipedia

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