Yes, I will admit there has been a definite surge in the number of Fiddler’s Green posts of late. There are several reasons for this. The biggest one is that the majority of my research on the officers of the 6th US Cavalry is complete, and they thus make relatively easy entries. Second is a scarcity of posting time due to work and study time requirements. The third is that it’s simply what I’ve been in the mood to write about lately. Biographical posts will continue over the remainder of the month, though hopefully not quite so prevalently. There are some posts on the opening scenes from Chickamauga in preparation for later this month as well. And I’m always interested in “what about ____?” feedback.

Thomas White Simson was born in New York. On October 19, 1858, he enlisted into Company I, 1st Cavalry Regiment, which became the 4th Cavalry Regiment in August 1861. He served as a private and a corporal in the same company until March 27, 1863.

He was appointed a second lieutenant in the 6th U.S. Cavalry Regiment on February 27, 1863, but did not immediately move to the eastern theater to join his regiment. He was badly wounded in action with the 4th Cavalry at Franklin, Tennessee on April 10, 1863, and never fully recovered. Lieutenant Simson didn’t join the 6th Cavalry until August 1863. He was detached from the regiment on recruiting duty from April 1864 to February 1865. Simson was promoted to first lieutenant on February 3, 1865. He was retired on February 22, 1865 for incapacity resulting from wounds received in battle. Simson died October 26, 1865 in Elmira, New York of complications resulting from his wounds.

Given that election day was Tuesday here locally, I thought this passage appropriate this week. I hadn’t known that soldiers weren’t permitted to vote before this time. I suppose it make sense from the standpoint of keeping the military out of the political process, which was probably initially the intention behind the law.

“So time passed and the month of November came, and with it , the election for President of the United States, and I cast my vote for Abraham Lincoln. This was a new feature in army life, as soldiers are otherwise not allowed to vote, but because the voters were nearly all in the army, an act of Congress was passed for that purpose.” (Sergeant Larson, 4th Cav., pg 275)

As I continue my research of Regular army cavalry officers and enlisted men during the Civil War, one bit of information is contained in almost every entry. Apparently every single officer in the Union Army received one or more brevet promotions on March 13, 1865.

Such a statement, of course, makes one suspicious of hyperbole. However, if you go back and check the Fiddler’s Green entries in this blog, JD Petruzzi’s Faded Hoofbeats entries at Hoofbeats and Cold Steel, and Eric Wittenberg’s biographical posts at Rantings of a Civil War Historian, you will quickly note this common thread.

I’m not sure why this happened. The ‘when’ I understand, as the Confederacy was clearly on its last legs by the middle of March 1865. But why every officer? An honorary appointment isn’t much of an honor if everyone gets one. I do know it was a source of consternation and mockery in the Regular army for decades after the war, creating all sorts of problems of precedent. It became known among officers as “Black Friday.” August Kautz had a sarcastic but rather humorous article in one of the MOLLUS books after the war about brevet promotions, if I recall correctly.

Do any of my learned readers out there have any insight into this?

William Stretch Abert was born in Washington, D.C. on February 1, 1836. He was the son of Colonel John J. Abert, the Army’s Chief of Topographical Engineers for many years prior to the Civil War. William was commissioned directly into the army from civilian life as a second lieutenant in the 4th Artillery on June 18, 1855.

William Abert was a well-traveled individual as he accompanied his unit during its assignments in the years preceding the Civil War. He served at Fort Ontario, New York until October, 1856, when he accompanied his company to Florida. He was promoted to first lieutenant on March 31, 1857, and continued to serve in Florida until September. He participated in the Utah expedition with his company March 1858 to April 1859. Abert served training recruits at Governor’s Island, New York harbor until June 1859. His company was stationed at Fort Randall, Nebraska until April 1860, when they moved to Fort Monroe, Virginia. Abert remained there until April, 1861, when he was placed on detached service under orders of General Scott.

He was promoted to captain in the newly-organized 3rd US Cavalry on May 14, 1861, re-designated as the 6th US Cavalry on August 3, 1861. He joined regiment at Poolesvile, Maryland later that month, and assumed command of Company D on September 9, 1861. He served with the regiment through its initial training and the opening battles of the Peninsula Campaign. He commanded a squadron at the battles of Williamsburg and Hanover Court House, and received a brevet promotion to major on May 27, 1862 for gallant and meritorious service during the latter battle.

Captain Abert was detailed to serve as an aide-de-camp to Major General George McClellan in July, 1862. He continued to serve in this position until McClellan was relieved from command of the Army of the Potomac on November 7, 1862. He received a brevet of lieutenant colonel for gallant and meritorious service as an aide during the battle of Antietam, and was commended by McClellan after he was relieved for the quality of his service.

After McClellan was relieved, Abert was assigned to the staff of Major General Nathaniel Banks as his Assistant Inspector General, with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He held this position from November 17, 1862 to October 6, 1864, serving primarily in New Orleans, Louisiana with the Department of the Gulf.

On December 3, 1864, he was promoted to colonel of volunteers and assigned command of the 3rd Massachusetts Volunteer Heavy Artillery regiment. He commanded his regiment in the defenses of Washington for the remainder of the war, and was mustered out of volunteer service with his regiment on September 18, 1865.

Although he received a brevet promotion to brigadier general of volunteers for gallant and meritorious service during the war on March 13, 1865, Abert reverted to his rank in the regular army at the war’s end. He rejoined the 6th US Cavalry in Texas when the 3rd Massachusetts Artillery was mustered out. He served with the regiment in Texas until February, 1867, when he was assigned as the Assistant Inspector General, Department of Texas. He held that position until August.

Abert was promoted to major in the 7th US Cavalry in June 1867 following that regiment’s disaster at Little Big Horn, but held the position only two months. William S. Abert died of yellow fever in Galveston, Texas on August 25, 1867 at the age of 31. He is buried in Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, D.C.

Camp Lincoln, Va
June 27th 1862

Dear Parents,

What a mysterious world this is, and what an amount of the world’s share attends this army. Yesterday at this time not a sound of any kind to show that a battle was on the stocks was to be heard. To-day it is very still also, yet within the last twenty four hours one of the hardest fights of the war has been done, and two thousand graves added to the valley of the Chickahominy.

Not half an hour after I finished my letter yesterday the cannonading commenced and kept up a steady roar until 9 Oclock. Then this morning it commenced again and for three hours it was tremendous. Now it has stopped again, but the troops are moving to the front and it will be “seven times hotter” before night. I haven’t time to write much as we get in the saddle ourselves at 12, but I think we will be able to spend fourth of July in Richmond.

I got two letters this morning, one from Johnson, one from Hi Mattoun. Tell Johnson to give my respects to Hi. I shall write as I can to him. That Phoenix bank bill I sent to you was sold given to me by “an intelligent contraband” for southern scrip. I didn’t know it was good but sent it anyway.
I must close for present.
I remain
Charles E. Bates

I try not to venture off-topic too much, but I received this via the association newsletter today and posting it seemed appropriate. This is the same regiment whose alumni include John Buford, Wesley Merritt and many others, still on continuous active service since its formation in 1836. Regardless of one’s feelings about the war, those families who lose loved ones will still need assistance.

The following was posted yesterday by Reunion Coordinator and Association Webmaster Chris Skylion:

News From Baghdad: 2d Cavalry is the”Hammer”

I am going to step out of my role as ReUnion Coordinator and speak to you as a former 2d Cavalry Officer and a veteran of the Vietnam conflict. Something I rarely if ever do.I recently wrote to you to provide access to the latest news from Baghdad. NEWS

Much of that news is about the courageous and audacious soldiers that are the quick reaction force in the middle of Baghdad, our 2d Cavalry. If you read that news you know that the price to the 2d Cavalry is the sad reality of numerous casualties amid the grizzly business of bushing the extremists out of the capital. I am writing to you this evening knowing that at this very moment our fellow Dragoons are on the bloody point of the spear. They are engaged in a battle that is the fiercest and deadliest form of warfare – urban, door to door combat. Your association is working hard to support, comfort and sadly memorialize the men and women of the 2d Cavalry. We need you to step up and help us do that. Please go to our registration website and donate to our general fund so that we will have the resources to support our brothers. I want you to give to our troops at least the cost of a dinner in your local restaurant – $25. With your support we can make a difference – please help us help them! Go to the ReUnion Registration Website now and scroll down to Donations. Give what you can and we will do the rest. Click on the following: Donate to Support Our Brothers!
Thank you in advance for your support.

I found this account of mid-war Regular Army reenlistments in the western theater and thought it worth sharing. I found it interesting that the time of the account that follows was late summer of 1864. In other words, in the middle of campaign season instead of during the winter break in major campaigns.

“Congress had, by this time, passed an act by which all soldiers who were enlisted in the regular army for a term of 5 years and had less than one year of that enlistment still to serve, could re-enlist for another term of three years, the remainder of the 5 year term to be cancelled and a furlough for 30 days would be granted at once. Besides this they could credit themselves to any of the loyal states and receive the state bounty.

“About 80 of us, all from the 4th Cavalry, took advantage of the offer and re-enlisted. There were some ten or fifteen more that could have done the same but they preferred to stay the 5 years out and then quit Uncle Sam. My object was not the bounty, but I needed some rest.” (James Larson, Sergeant Larson, 4th Cav., pg 269)

An officer set up a tent the following morning and wrote out the enlistment papers for those re-enlisting. After signing their new enlistments, the men turned in all of their government equipment before boarding a hospital train headed north.

I went to my first Civil War Round Table meeting on Thursday night, and found it to be both very informative and very enjoyable. I joined the Rocky Mountain CWRT a couple of months ago when I moved back to Colorado from Virginia (where I very foolishly never experimented with CWRTs), but hadn’t been able to make it up to Denver to meeting until last week.

There was nearly a full house for the meeting, I was pleased to see, some 35-40 people. I don’t know if this is usual, but that seemed to be the case. I was welcomed by several people, and was pleased to see the meeting start on time.

After the preliminaries, the RMCWRT President, Mike Lang, gave a presentation on the battle of Antietam, followed by a documentary film that he made following the RMCWRT study group’s trip to Antietam this year (for many great photos from this trip, check Nick’s excellent Battlefield Wanderings at the top of the blog list to the left). Mike did a great job with the presentation, and the film appeared to my admittedly uneducated eye to be professional grade.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable evening, and I look forward with anticipation to next month’s meeting.

My apologies for the dearth of posts over the last week. I’ve just started a new job that is quite a distance from my home, and things have been a bit hectic. I expect to return to normal posting frequency by the end of the week.