October | 2014 | That Woman's Weblog

Archive for October, 2014

Samhain – All Hallows Eve – a reprise

Celebrate Samhain 🙂 thanks to CelestialElff

Last week found me pondering the narcissism of one’s beliefs being the paramount “belief” to be foisted upon others. Quite frankly I try to be very respectful of another person’s belief especially if they aren’t mirroring my own. I know what it is like to have one’s beliefs trampled upon , I have been devastated by the control of one group in negating my beliefs when it concerned the death of my son. ( Might does not make Right!) . I would not knowingly inflict that pain on anyone .
https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2010/06/25/ignore-stance-and-the-roman-catholic-church-part-three/

It is a long story( as to the email received) and the person who had the idea the majority in the community would certainly agree because hey! aren’t we all Christian and Roman Catholic in Lorain They meant well and they have a good good heart. But once again there is a narcissistic naivety in assuming ALL in this community have the same beliefs just because you are a part of the “majority!. I am sure my email to them stating I had to disagree and that I don’t believe as they do and would have to come out against their proposal came as a bit of a shock.

Photo Lisa Miller Lorain 365 Blog

As I watched Zombies walk in Lorain

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.531496826936192.1073741848.476252369127305&type=3 “bloody and yukky” and the enjoyment of the undead as they danced along celebrating “death” gearing up for Hallowe’en and the retail pushing of ghosts , goblins and witches. As I was taking that on board and Christianity and the “holi DAYS” and their meanings I decided to go on a journey of my own. There is a sanctimonious piety that happens here as to ones beliefs being the “ONLY” true belief. Let us go back in time to other rituals of other beliefs …….

Everything has a beginning somewhere even religious beliefs and some are a great deal older than the “recognized religions” in this part of the world!.

300th to 51st millennium BCE
223,000 – 100,000 BCE The earliest evidence of Hominids, such as Neanderthals[2][3] and even Homo heidelbergensis,[3][4] deliberately disposing of deceased individuals usually in funerary caches. The graves, located throughout Eurasia (e.g. the Pontnewydd Cave, Atapuerca Mountains, Qafzeh, Es Skhul, Krapina),[3] are believed to represent the beginnings of ceremonial rites, although there is some debate about this.[5] Neanderthals placed their deceased in simple graves with little or no concern for grave goods or markers; however, their graves occasionally appeared with limestone blocks in or on them, possibly an archaic form of grave marking.[3] These practices were possibly the result of empathetic feelings towards fellow tribespeople, for example: an infant buried in the Dederiyeh Cave after its joints had disarticulated was placed with concern for the correct anatomical arrangement of its body parts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_religion

We have to fast forward through thousands and thousands of years and about 87 thousand years later than that first evidence and over three thousand years before Christianity there were a groups of people – pagans – some call them :)but only since the 14th century wonder what they were called before that?

Green Man earth element

Pagans
Middle English, from Late Latin paganus, from Latin, civilian, country dweller, from pagus country district; akin to Latin pangere to fix — more at pact
First Known Use: 14th century heathen 1; especially : a follower of a polytheistic religion (as in ancient Rome) one who has little or no religion and who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods : an irreligious or hedonistic person

Druids – who celebrated October 31st as summers end.

http://www.albany.edu/~dp1252/isp523/halloween.html

Samhain (pronounced sah-win or sow-in) means “summer’s end” by the Celts. In old Germanic and Celtic societies, what we call equinoxes and solstices marked the middles of the season, not the beginnings.” Therefore if there exist an autumnal equinox, winter solstice, spring equinox and a summer solstice, there are also the beginning of autumn, winter, spring and summer. All of these eight dates were important. Summer’s end which meant the beginning of winter was an important time for people who survived on plants grown in the field and animals that were kept in pastures. “This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death” It is most likely this reason that the Druids (Celtic pagans) believed that the spirits of those who died the preceding year roamed the earth the night of Samhain

The Druids celebrated this holiday “with a great fire festival to encourage the dimming Sun not to vanish” and people “danced round bonfires to keep evil spirits away, but left their doors open in hopes that the kind spirits of loved ones might join them around their hearths”.
On this night, “divination was thought to be more effective than any other time, so methods were derived to ascertain who might marry, what great person might be born, who might rise to prominence, or who might die”.

Also during the celebration, the Celts “wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other’s fortunes”. Crops were burned and animals were sacrificed The spirits were believed to be either “entertained by the living”, or to “find a body to possess for the incoming year”. This all gives reasons as to why “dressing up like witches, ghosts and goblins, villagers could avoid being possessed.” (Navarro )
Roman Influence
By 43 AD, “Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory.” For the 400 years they occupied Celtic lands, two Roman festivals: Feralia (the commemoration of the passing of the dead) and a day to honor Pomona (the Roman goddess of fruits and trees). The apple served as a symbol for Pomona and which might have been incorporated into Samhain by the practice of “bobbing for apples”

Christian Influence
When “local people converted to Christianity during the early Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church often incorporated modified versions of older religious traditions in order to win converts.

” Pope Gregory IV wanted to substitute Samhain with All Saints’ Day in 835, but All Souls’ Day (Nov. 2nd) which is closer in resemblance to Samhain and Halloween today, was “first instituted at a French monastery in 998 and quickly spread throughout Europe” (MSN Learning & Research- Halloween).

In the 16th century, “Christian village children celebrated the vigil of All Saints’ by doing the Danse Macabre. The Seven Brethren whose grizzly death is described in the seventh chapter of the deuterocanonical book of Second Macabees” is also said to have resulted in children dressing up in grizzly costumes to signify these deaths.

So “which came first the “witch” or the priest, the goblins or gods, and what pagan holiday are you celebrating- the trick or the treat………….

October 30, 2014 at 12:59 pm 1 comment

Robert Gilchrist- EX Service Director- Diversionary Tactics

when diversions go bad the UPDATE January 16th 2015
Chronicle Telegram
http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2015/01/15/former-lorain-service-director-indicted-drug-charges/
Morning Journal
http://www.morningjournal.com/general-news/20150115/former-lorain-official-indicted-on-drug-charges

DIVERSIONARY TACTICS!!!!
https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2012/06/27/license-to-fraud-it-is-a-big-deal-usa-election-process/
https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2011/07/29/the-biber-gilchrist-chronicle-stirring-the-pot/

How did that “Diversion ” sentence work out? (May 14th 2013)
http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2013/05/14/ex-lccaa-head-pleads-guilty-to-illegal-voting/

ELYRIA — Former Lorain County Community Action Agency Director Robert Gilchrist pleaded guilty Monday to four felony counts of illegal voting, but those charges will be dropped if he completes a year-long diversion program.

The program gives Gilchrist the chance to emerge from the long-running controversy over where he voted in four separate elections without a criminal conviction on his record.

“As long as he’s successful, this goes away,” Anthony Baker, Gilchrist’s attorney, said……………………..

………………..Baker had been preparing to argue that Gilchrist was singled out for prosecution because he is black or because of his association with former Mayor Tony Krasienko, who was defeated in the 2011 Democratic primary. He contended that people who had made similar voting missteps in previous elections weren’t prosecuted.

Will and his office had repeatedly rejected that argument, saying they were pursuing a violation of the law that had nothing to do with race or politics. They also pointed out that not every issue brought up by Baker was referred to prosecutors by the county Board of Elections.

Wonder what this latest Gilchrist “Diversion” this will take?

October27th 2014
http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2014/10/27/former-lccaa-head-faces-marijuana-charges/

Robert Gilchrist, a former Lorain service director and ex-Lorain County Community Action Agency CEO and president, faces drug charges after a traffic stop.

Police said they found four packages of suspected marijuana in a vehicle driven by Gilchrist about 8:35 p.m. Friday. The 44-year-old Gilchrist is due in Oberlin Municipal Court today facing charges of trafficking in drugs, aiding the sale of schedule III, IV or V drugs, possession of marijuana and impeding traffic. He was being held without bond at the Lorain County Jail on Sunday night.

Quite the Monday morning “diversion”-

October 27, 2014 at 1:48 pm 5 comments

General(ly) Gillmore- The Last Post – Lorain Part 12

Peggy Gillmore-
(Josephine Jean) Gillmore
4th Street, Lorain Ohio

I have wandered , these past weeks, through the lives of a family totally disconnected from my own- The Gillmores.

I have found them to be fascinating, courageous, strong of character, with a work ethic that would put most of us to shame. They are a family who were founders of at least two communities in this young country. They participated from the beginning of this country- through the Revolutionary War-, prospered, hauled a settlement out of a wilderness, fought for freedom, faced adversity with confidence, sailed the inland seas, built the ships and helped take America to the skies .

On my desk are faded newspaper clippings, tantalizing mentions of yet another Brigadier General WILLIAM EUGENE Gillmore– ( born in Lorain.) He was the son of Quartus J Gilmore ( brother to our General Quincy Gillmore) and the grandson of the original Quartus Gillmore . Another Brigadier General being honoured, mentioned in a fading letter. A letter asking Peggy to attend the ceremony at Wright Patterson Air Force Base-

October 27th 1976 the ceremony to memorialize William E Gillmore by naming the building which houses the Air Force Logistics Command Headquarters “Gillmore Hall”

It seems this son of Lorain was heavily involved in the new “airservice” – the people he rubbed shoulders with are still remembered today.

The members of the Main Committee of NACA which met in Washington, D.C. on April 18, 1929. Shown from left to right: John F. Victory, Secretary; Dr. William F.Durand; Dr. Orville Wright; Dr. George K. Burgess; Brig. Gen. William E. Gillmore; Maj. Gen. James E. Fechet; Dr. Joesph S. Ames, Chairman; Rear Adm. David W. Taylor, USN (Ret.), Vice Chairman; Capt. Emory S. Land; Rear Adm. William A. Moffet; Dr. Samual W. Stratton; Dr. George W. Lewis, Director of Aeronautical Research; Dr. Charles F. Marvin. Dr. Charles G. Abbot was absent.
Source: http://launiusr.wordpress.com/2014/06/23/the-legacy-of-william-f-durand/

Brig. General William Eugene Gillmore 1875-1948

at the forefront of aviation in this country – Aviation in the US Army- 1919-1939

( Gillmore far right )

I am afraid to open one more file folder of news clippings because I just keep finding more and more. The only place in Lorain you will find a plaque mentioning “The GILLMORES” -is a little plaque at Lake View Park for General Quincy A Gillmore – the chap who started it these posts when he arrived in my dining room. And even that plaque is incorrect – the birthdate of 1820 is incorrect- it is 1825

.
Nowhere else in this community is there mention of the Gillmores- not on any house/home or even in what is now known as Veterans Park https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2013/08/02/veterans-memorial-park-fini/ – given to the city by General Gillmore’s sister Sophia Gillmore Leslie. And yet, there were veterans aplenty in this family.

The importance of the Gillmores to a fledging nation, the pioneers of Lorain, the fact that the house on 4th street, the last of the Lorain Gillmore’s is all that is left of those 1,000 acres!

This charming home the last “testament” to a founding family who did more than pull a city from the wilderness, their drive and expertise have touched and guided a nation. Their worthiness embraced and memorialized in other communities, as with Thomas Wilford, https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2008/02/12/capt-wilford-a-hero-of-the-inland-seas/ The State of Michigan commemorates his life and story whilst Lorain?????- well just another rental up for sale.
I cannot believe what little regard this community has for their very unique history. But what do you expect from the local Lorain community who remain ignorant of their “story”. Even the local historical society ( of whom Peggy was one of the original members) turns down a portrait “sight unseen” of a native son who gave so much to the birth of a nation including his part with freeing the slaves. Do THEY know “their history” one has to wonder?

I am tired of preaching to the choir on Lorain’s unique maritime and pioneer history. It seems most think the history started with the advent of steel , it didn’t.

Unless history has dollars and or “grants” attached it really doesn’t seem it is worthwhile in this city. The streets and homes where those that formed this nation walked and lived unmarked and unremarkable.

Could Lorain make money out of its heritage? Yes ! but first they have to know what it is and where to find it! For the most part Lorain’s tangible and tactile history is going down like the Titanic. Oh! you will find some archives, and memorabilia in the “museums” but along her streets where you can see the remnants of her early days- the homes of the “Captains Courageous”, of those nation builders, early pioneers, the movers and shakers are fading very fast.

Lorain historical home

Elyria Historical Home
http://www.lchs.org/

Peggy Gillmore 2007

Peggy , if you are somewhere close, I have tried my best to document and archive the Gillmore story. The links are there in the posts for those interested in finding more. I know I have just touched the surface and there is so much more .

General Quincy Adams Gillmore’s portrait has looked at me these many weeks reminding me of my guilt that I didn’t do more when you were just a few houses away. I know you would be thrilled the home you so loved built in 1895 has, thanks to your out of state family, been reroofed, painted and landscaped. The house once more something of which a “Gillmore” and especially you would have been so proud, as is the neighborhood. I wish I could do more. Unfortunately , unless there is “money in it” Lorain doesn’t see the worthiness of her history. How much more do they need ? This city has a history of which “movies are made” . https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/category/the-leo/

I am sorry Peggy. I have tried my best but sometimes my best is not good enough. I have not the expertise to make a town “feel the passion” of its history but I promise I will make sure your files and photos , portrait and print finds a home worthy of your family, and a home where they will be cherished – not dismissed.

Gillmore House Today!

General(ly) Gilmore

October 23, 2014 at 1:53 pm 16 comments

General(ly) Gillmore- Lincoln- Lorain Ship- Part 11

I am coming to the end of this series on the Gillmores and in particular General Quincy A Gillmore. Not because there isn’t anything more to write about but because there is so much more. A book or a blog devoted to the Gillmores of Lorain and their contributions both locally , nationally and internationally – I believe is required. I have just skimmed the surface but hopefully managed to tweak at least some curiousity as to this man.

Of course General Gillmore during the Civil War had directives from higher up and the President at the time Abraham Lincoln was “his” Commander in Chief. There was bound to be correspondence:

TO GENERAL Q. A. GILLMORE.
EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, January 13, 1864.
MAJOR-GENERAL GILLMORE:

I understand an effort is being made by some worthy gentlemen to reconstruct a legal State government in Florida. Florida is in your Department, and it is not unlikely you may be there in person. I have given Mr. Hay a commission of major, and sent him to you, with some blank-books and other blanks, to aid in the reconstruction. He will explain as to the manner of using the blanks, and also my general views on the subject. It is desirable for all to co-operate, but if irreconcilable differences of opinion shall arise, you are master. I wish the thing done in the most speedy way, so that when done it be within the range of the late proclamation on the subject. The detail labor will, of course, have to be done by others; but I will be greatly obliged if you will give it such general supervision as you can find consistent with your more strictly military duties.
A. LINCOLN.

Letter courtesy of Matt Weisman

http://archive.org/stream/lifeworks08lincuoft/lifeworks08lincuoft_djvu.txt
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2659?msg=welcome_stranger#link2H_4_0064
and other links to letters
http://www.nytimes.com/1863/09/03/news/shelling-charleston-gen-gillmore-s-reply-beauregard-s-protest-letter-spanish.html
http://www.battleofolustee.org/reports/gillmore3.htm

Gen Q. A Gillmore was held in high esteem apparently by the African – American Community due to the following reason I would imagine
http://www.civil-war-tribute.com/generate-bio-page.asp?bionum=oh-02281825-04071888-qg-1

Courtesy of Quincy Gillmore Leslie the great great grandson of Daniel Seth Leslie and Sophia Gillmore (Leslie)

General Gillmore’s sister, Sophia, married a Civil War officer named Daniel Seth Leslie http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/OHLORAIN/1999-04/0924388051 ; Leslie was from the same area near Lorain, OH, as Gillmore. Three descendants of Daniel Seth Leslie were named in General Gillmore’s honor, i.e. “Quincy Gillmore Leslie”, his son “Quincy Charles Leslie” and his son, “Quincy Gilmore Leslie”. In light of General Gillmore’s association with African-American troops under his command, Daniel Leslie was assigned some responsibilities for African-American veterans after the Civil War. His name (Daniel Seth Leslie) is reported to appear on a monument to African-American troops in the Washington, DC area.

And speaking of monuments, although locally this home town General has a small plaque at Lakeview Park http://www.metroparks.cc/lakeview_park.php ( the old farm where he was born)
there isn’t anything else .

I am pleased to say our General has more than that at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Cleveland – he has, according to Warren Doyle , to whom I spoke to this morning, a life-size bronze – Photos courtesy of Mr. Doyle and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument Cleveland
http://www.soldiersandsailors.com/

Although, recently deemed unworthy for inclusion in Lorain, the General’s portrait that resides in my dining room , this community did back in the day honor their General 1867- The schooner Gen. Q A Gillmore a wooden schooner was built on the Black River. – She had a varied history sinking the dock
http://www.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/

Preparations are being made to raise the schr. GEN. GILMORE, which sunk at Engle’s lime-kilns, at Cleveland, Tuesday evening, and the prospects are that she will be got up all right.Buffalo Commercial Advertiser July 9, 1875 3-5
Workmen were busily engaged raising the sunken schr. GILMORE at Cleveland, Monday, and it was thought she would be sufficiently raised yesterday to get off the stone with which she is loaded. Buffalo Commercial Advertiser July 14, 1875 3-5

to be refloated and finally to become on of the Great Lakes Shipwrecks and sunk 1881, Jun (ca. 12th)Place of loss : Gull Isl. Reef, near Kelley’s Island

http://www.alcheminc.com/west.html

– No 49

If you click on the maritime history link above you will see their front page has the story of the great storm of 1913
http://www.1913storm.ca/
and yes! there is a connection to General Gillmore even there. You see there was another vessel named for the General the tugboat Q. A. Gillmore
Source
http://tugboatsonline.com
According to the website http://tugboatsonline.com/archives/Historic/historic_tugs_html/Gillmore.htm

During the “Great Storm” of 1913, the seven-month-old Gillmore was called out along with sister tug John M. Truby (still in service today as Great Lakes Towing’s North Dakota) to retrieve the barges Alexander Holley, W. LeBaron Jenney, and Sidney G. Thomas, which had broken loose from their moorings and run aground on the Cleveland lakefront. In 1921 the Gillmore was involved in the search for the wrecked wooden tug Cornell, which sank on Lake Erie enroute to Buffalo. No survivors were found, but the Gillmore’s crew did manage to recover an ice-encrusted lifeboat with the body of one fireman floating in the Lake.

Eight years later the Gillmore and Virginia were called out to assist the sidewheel passenger steamer City of Buffalo, which had lost power in a storm on Lake Erie. Difficult sea conditions prevented the tugs from getting a line onto the helpless steamer, and after an unsuccessful attempt to bring her into the shelter of Ashtabula harbor, the City of Buffalo rode out the storm at anchor in the lake, with the tugs standing by to render what assistance they could. The following day, the passengers and some crew were transferred to the steamer City of Erie, and the tugs escorted the City of Buffalo back to Cleveland. The crews of the Gillmore and Virginia received a commendation for their efforts and their devotion to duty.

Unfortunately during the depression she was sold and renamed the Reiss- however after a varied career ended up with a historical foundation in 2004 who was bringing her back and taking back the original name of Gillmore but the foundation went bust and the tugboat ?????. Well at one point ended up on E bay as well and here is a link to much conversation as to the “Gillmore/Reiss – the LAST Great Lakes Towing State-Class “G-Tug” left in the world
http://www.thesteamboatingforum.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=426
and a you tube

Did the Gillmore end up in Holland Michigan to be refurbished ? I will check further .

General Quincy Adams Gillmore – so much to this man’s story and the ‘family name .
After the war General Gillmore did return home from time to time. He bought the property ( the family farm) ( from the estate possibly , as his father died in 1869) the 1851 map shoes Q Gillmore owning the property but by 1874 it was in the hands of Q.A. Gillmore. and according to The Lorain County History the General planted “grape vines”

(courtesy of Dan Brady)
Thanks to Paula Shorf and Matt Weisman ( from
Elyria Independent Democrat – August 7, 1867)

Elyria Independent Democrat 1873

Thanks to Dan Brady, Matt Weisman, Renee Dore, Quincy Leslie and Warren Doyle for their help , research and information

To be continued – Part Twelve – the last post”

October 17, 2014 at 12:01 pm 1 comment

General (ly) Gillmore- Star Spangled – Part 10

And still the portrait of the aging General sits in my dining room. He has become more than the portrait, as I have learned of his career. No wonder Peggy was so proud of his achievements and those of the men he chose to honor.

Source:http://westcoastcwc.com/cgi-bin/display_Items_Ref.asp?Cat=18&Sub=63

On 28 October 1863, Major General Quincy A. Gillmore awarded these rare medals to men of his command for meritorious conduct during recent operations in South Carolina. Four hundred examples were struck by Ball, Black & Co. of New York, and have since become known as Gillmore Medals.

John Meins- Company C 144th NY - source www.horsesoldier.com sold for $275.00

John Meins- Company C 144th NY – source
http://www.horsesoldier.com sold for $275.00

Soldier wearing the Gillmore Medal

Gillmore’s General Order No. 94 stated in part, that “Medals of honor for gallant and meritorious conduct during the operations before Charleston will be awarded by the commanding general to a number of the enlisted men of this command, not exceeding 3 per cent of the present aggregate strength of those regiments, companies, and detachments that have been in action or on duty in the batteries or trenches. http://westcoastcwc.com/cgi-bin/display_Items_Ref.asp?Cat=18&Sub=63

You can read more about the Gillmore Medals by googling them – they are apparently scarce and since “money” seems to drive the worthiness of history in this community – this son of Lorain’s medals go ( depending upon their condition from $500 dollars to $5,000)http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v16n28a24.html

But Lorain’s native son continued after the Civil War writing books

and more. When next you visit Washington and the Washington Monument you might give a thought to Quincy and his contributions
and as you walk along Pennsylvania Avenue

or perhaps in Brooklyn- his railroad experiences coming to the fore-

American Architect and Architecture Volume 23

and his obituary found here – General Gillmore obit touches upon one or two of his accomplishments –

Quincy O’Maher Gillmore

I know there is much more to explore about the man in my dining room.
http://battleofolustee.org/reports/gillmore1.htm

As I read of his exploits, I found another coincidence that of one of his sons mentioned in the beginning of the series, when trying to track down the original donor of this portrait Quincy O’Maher Gillmore. I have surmised it was NOT he BUT he was also under the command of Colonel Caleb H Carlton at Fort Meade was there when this nations anthem was first recognized the honoring of the Star Spanlged Banner

Fort Meade also has the distinction of being the birthplace of our national anthem. “The Star Spangled Banner” was first played on July 4, 1892, at the end of a concert presented by the regimental band. Colonel Caleb H. Carlton was the commanding officer who first enforced the playing of this song at retreat.

http://www.blm.gov/mt/st/en/fo/south_dakota_field/ft_meade/cavalry.html

Quincy O’Maher Gillmore also ended up with military honors

And in turn his son another Quincy Adams Gillmore also a General-

Quincy A Gillmore grandson of General Quincy A Gillmore ( Civil War)

https://apps.westpointaog.org/Memorials/Article/4251/ He graduated in 1904; was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Artillery Corps; joined the 11th Battery, Field Artillery, at Fort Hamilton, New York; and, the following November, married Frances West Hemsley of Philadelphia. Then followed service at Fort Adams, Rhode Island, Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. In 1907, upon the division of the Artillery Corps into the Coast Artillery and Field Artillery, he was assigned to the Coast Artillery. He resigned from the Army on September 10, 1907, and entered the wool broker’s firm of Coffin and Sons of Philadelphia. After he became a partner, the firm was known as Coffin and Gillmore.

At the outbreak of the first World War, he re-entered the Army and, as a Colonel, commanded the 112th Field Artillery, 29th Division A.E.F. from 1917-1919 After the War, he became a Brigadier General in the New Jersey National Guard. In 1924 he was commissioned Major General and placed in command of the New Jersey National Guard and the 44th Division, the latter composed of New York, New Jersey and Delaware troops. Under his command, the Division reached a high state of efficiency: and it was said that this was partly due to his having appointed many West Point graduates to his staff. “

TO BE CONTINUED……………

October 13, 2014 at 6:16 pm 1 comment

General(ly) Gillmore – The Civil War- Part 9

Part One https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2014/09/05/general-quincy-a-gillmore-the-dining-room-dilemna/
Part Two https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2014/09/08/general-ly-gillmore-lorain-the-early-years/
Part Three https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2014/09/13/generally-gillmore-lorain-the-early-years-pt-3/
Part Four https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2014/09/17/generally-gillmore-lorain-part-4/
Part Five https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2014/09/23/general-ly-gillmore-lorain-civil-war-part-5/
Part Six https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2014/09/26/general-lygillmore-recogniton-lorain-pt-6/
Part Sevenhttps://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2014/09/30/general-ly-gillmore-the-portraits-of-men-part-7/
Part Eighthttps://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/generally-gillmore-the-civil-war-part-8/
Quincy A Gillmore was in the thick of things with the Battle of Fort Pulaski April 10th 1862

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Pulaski

Source :Leslie’s Weekly Magazine, “Fort Pulaski Under Fire”, April 1862 – http://www.nps.gov/fopu/parknews
1. Battle of Fort Pulaski April 10–11, 1862 Georgia
Union victory: Union blockade closes Savannah, Georgia. Parrott rifle makes masonry forts obsolete.
2. Second Battle of Fort Wagner
(Battle of Fort Wagner, Morris Island) July 18, 1863 South Carolina
Confederate victory: second of two Union attempts to take Ft. Wagner fails, heroism of the 54th Massachusetts a regiment of African-Americans led (as required by regulation) by white commissioned officers. Gillmore had ordered that his forces be integrated and that African-Americans were not to be assigned menial tasks only, such as KP or latrine duty, but instead they were to carry arms into battle. They and their assault on Ft. Wagner were the subject of the 1989 Civil War movie Glory, which starred Morgan Freeman and Matthew Broderick.

Fort Wagner, which protected Morris Island, south of Charleston Harbor. The battle came one week after the First Battle of Fort Wagner.

On July 18, 1863, after the heavy land and sea bombardment subsided, Gillmore sent forward his Federal regiments. The assault was led by the 54th Massachusetts regiment; a Boston regiment filled with free African-Americans, and led by the Harvard educated Col. Robert Gould Shaw. The decision to have the 54th Massachusetts lead this dangerous attack was fraught with all sorts of political and military risk, but in the end it was Shaw’s men that led the attack up the narrow beach.

http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/batterywagner/battery-wagner-history-articles/fortwagnerpohanka.html

The moment of trial for the 54th Massachusetts had come about through the appointment of a new Union commander, the then Brig. Gen. Quincy A. Gillmore, who had taken charge of the Department of the South on June 11, 1863, replacing the querulous and unpopular Maj. Gen. David Hunter. Stocky and balding, the 38-year- old Gillmore had stood first in the West Point class of 1849, and had gone on to make a name for himself as a talented and intellectually inclined officer of engineers. His successful siege of Confederate Fort Pulaski early in the war had secured the water approaches to Savannah, Ga., and had won Gillmore wide acclaim. The victory had also fueled his considerable ambition.

http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/batterywagner/battery-wagner-history-articles/fortwagnerpohanka.html

General Gillmore also famous for the “Swamp Angel” and the bombardment of Charleston- the politics of the day come into play:

Why (Gen.) Gillmore erected and used this battery has never been fully explained. In his official report, Gillmore states that the battery was built to drive shipping away from the city’s wharves, and at other times, the whole episode seems to take on the atmosphere of a giant experiment in engineering and artillery firing.

By existing rules of warfare, Charleston was a legitimate target. It was an armed camp. There were fortifications in the city. It was home to a number of munition plants, and its wharves served blockade runners who carried war supplies.

Southern Banner, Jul. 27, 1864 http://athnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/athnewspapers-j2k/view?docId=bookreader/sbn/sbn1864/sbn1864-0117.mets.xml#page/1/mode/1up

But the reasons ran even deeper. To Northerners, Charleston was the symbol of rebellion. It was there that South Carolina officials voted for secession and started the inevitable march toward war. The firing on Fort Sumter, which started the conflict, only increased the North’s belief that Charleston was a city of fire-eaters who deserved punishment. For most Northerners, Charleston’s destruction seemed just retribution.

General Gillmore 1863 Charleston Harbor

The Northern military also wanted redemption. Their impotence during the 1861 Fort Sumter crisis had deeply wounded the pride of many officers. If they could reduce Charleston like the Romans had reduced Carthage, so much the better.

NOTE:There are fascinating accounts as to the thinking of the time and everyday running of the war – the exchanges between the opposing Generals at Charleston Gillmore (Union) and General Beaureguard ( Confederacy) – they not only exchanged gunfire but letters,

General Beaureguard

It gives on pause to think this was happening in the midst of carnage . The bombardment of Chalreston caused international furor
http://ebooks.library.cornell.edu/m/moawar/text/waro0047.txt

Gillmore was well aware of these attitudes and shared them. He also had a personal motive for firing on the city. His well-laid-out plan had gone awry. He had seen his army shattered on the sands of Morris Island and his own physical condition reduced as the campaign sapped his confidence and energy. Revenge, for the blood of his soldiers, his countrymen, and himself, was also an important factor in his construction and use of the Swamp Angel

http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/batterywagner/battery-wagner-history-articles/the-swamp-angel.html

Back home in Ohio , in what was “Charleston Village/ Black River Fanny Gillmore ( daughter of Alanson Gillmore ) later to marry Captain Thomas Wilford was receiving letters from those who were fighting and her brother Byron Gillmore makes mention of General Gillmore in his letters home
https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2008/02/12/capt-wilford-a-hero-of-the-inland-seas/ was receiving letters from those young men locally who were fighting https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/civil-war-letters-fannie-gilmore-lorain/ and her brother Byron Gillmore makes mention of General Gillmore in his letters home. You can find the PDF file of some of the letters written from the Plain Dealer article of 1961 commemorating the 100th anniversary of the start of the Civil War Civil War Letters to a Young Lady, Fanny McQueen Gillmore, by F

Byron Gillmore Dec 12th 1862 Lexington Kentucky
… The report was that there was 20 thousand rebels up at Big Hill about 50 miles from here…. I hope it is so and they will come and attact for there has got to be some fighting done and we might as well do it now as any other time and then we could see whether General Gillmore would fight or not. It is my opinion that he would fight as long as there was a man left. He is not only brave but he understands his business about as well as the next one

October 9, 2014 at 5:12 pm 2 comments

General(ly) Gillmore- The Civil War- Part 8

ED NOTE: Most of this posts research and photos ( where not indicated otherwise) are due the diligent work of historian Matt Weisman.

Matt Weisman

Matthew Weisman has been doing research and collecting Lorain County History for more than 30 years. Over the years, he has created many local presentations around the early history of this area. He has specialized in early ship building on the Black River and other topics of local interest. The programs listed above are ones that he presents to local and interested groups. Matthew is a long time member of the Lorain Historical Society, Association of Great Lakes Historians and many other local and national organizations. He is a co-author of Lorain – The Real Photo Post Cards of Willis Leiter

Matt has graciously shared his work for these posts and Lorain and Loraine are very grateful. You can contact Matt for programs found here Local History Presentations by Matthew Weisman or by calling 440-365-4523

Quincy Adams Gillmore left Black River/ Charleston Village/ Black River to attend West Point. His application for West Point was recommended by Representative Root.
**** NOTE: Representative Hamlin mentioned in newspaper account died and Representative Root succeeded him)
Seemingly his appointment was a surprise to his parents who believed him to be studying medicine

It was at West Point , in 1846, the young Quincy Gillmore supposedly wrote the poem Erie as seen in Part 5” but according to the newspaper article it was the publication of this poem from high school which drew him to the attention of certain powers that be.*** apparently according to the Elyria Democrat was published in the Ohio Atlas**** ( Did he reprise the poem at West Point???? in 1846)

He spent his youth working on his father’s farm and attended school only during the winter months. By the age of seventeen, Gillmore was teaching school. He began to study medicine in his free time until he received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1845. He ranked first in his class when he graduated in 1849″

In 1849, Gillmore joined the Corps of Engineers and helped plan the fortifications of Hampton Roads, Virginia. In 1852, he returned to West Point as an instructor of practical military engineering. At West Point, Gillmore conducted research on the effects of cannon projectiles on masonry forts. His research assisted him during the American Civil War. In 1856, he was transferred to New York City, where he was the army’s chief engineer in the region. He held this position until the beginning of the Civil War.

http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Quincy_Gillmore

Here was our Quincy Adams Gillmore – at the age of 36 at the start of the Civil War 1861 –

In August 1861, Gillmore sought a battlefield position. Salmon Chase recommended that Ohio Governor William Dennison offer Gillmore command of one of Ohio’s volunteer infantry regiments. Dennison agreed, but Gillmore refused the offer. Later that year, Gillmore was assigned to accompany General Thomas W. Sherman’s expedition against the coastal regions of South Carolina. Gillmore was responsible for constructing defenses for the territory that Union forces seized.

Sherman then sailed for Savannah, which was guarded by Fort Pulaski

In amongst the artifacts from Peggy was a National Park Service handbook dated 1954 Fort Pulaski – National Monument by Ralton B Lattimore .Page 28 finds the article Gillmore Sets the Stage – It is well-worn and had to have been read many times over , they are the only pages loosened in the handbook – I wonder how many times Peggy and the family read the description of her famous cousin. I wonder what those first Gillmore pioneers in 1718 would have thought if they had known how the their family had been involved in the birth of a nation?

probable photo of Quartus and Elizabeth Reid Gillmore

I can only imagine the pride of Elizabeth and Quartus in their son from “farmer to Brigadier General” what they would have thought as they read of his exploits in the newspapers of the day.

“A brilliant member of the Corps of Engineers , described by newspaper correspondent Whitelaw Reid ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitelaw_Reid ) ” a quick-speaking. quick-moving, soldierly man… a fine, wholesome looking, solid si-footer, with big head, broad , good humored face, and a high forehead faintly elongated by a suspicion of baldness, curly brown hair and beard and a frank open face. His greatest attribute as a soldier was a fearless disregard for tradition…..”

Click on to enlarge

Gillmore’s plan for the bombardment

All pages from the 1954 handbook courtesy of the National Park Service
http://www.nationalparkservice.org/

To Be Continued………….

October 6, 2014 at 4:35 pm 2 comments

October 3rd- family fingerprints- Chris Ritchey

October 3rd , the day you last spent with us here at home in Lorain. You never came home again. There are still days when I wait to see you walk through the door or come into Nikki’s kitchen after being out on your four-wheeler.

There are days where I can’t believe any of this happened , there are days that even you seem unreal. And then , even though I have seen your work hundreds of times, used your art work and graphics to tell the story of you I am brought to my knees.

by Chris Ritchey

How can I have missed the subtle inclusion, where was my focus – I thought I knew every fold , every nuance of that piece of work- you won a Cleveland Addy award for that poster. I have looked at it so many times. I marveled at the story told with your graphics. Then just a few days ago, whilst scrolling down through the posts, on this blog my eye caught something I hadn’t seen before . I went back to the artwork and looked closely
there in the bottom right hand corner was your thumb print
and in the opposite corner on the pages that you used in the work to remind of the blowing papers from that September 11th day of destruction the cover of your US passport
I know how strongly you felt about the attack on September 11th and your pride in being an American. I wanted so much to ask you why the “thumb print” and yet somehow I believe it was a reminder that you were here you existed and left your mark . Even though others have forgotten you or have dismissed you from their lives – you are still speaking through your work even if the voice is soft and almost silent.

Once again I am amazed by who you were and are – I love you with all of what is left of my heart ………

October 2, 2014 at 6:31 pm Leave a comment

That Woman’s Weblog

Archive for October, 2014

Samhain – All Hallows Eve – a reprise

Robert Gilchrist- EX Service Director- Diversionary Tactics

General(ly) Gillmore- The Last Post – Lorain Part 12

General(ly) Gillmore- Lincoln- Lorain Ship- Part 11

General (ly) Gillmore- Star Spangled – Part 10

General(ly) Gillmore – The Civil War- Part 9

General(ly) Gillmore- The Civil War- Part 8

October 3rd- family fingerprints- Chris Ritchey

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