#78 What's in a Name?

Signatures from "Capture of a Rebel Brigade at Gettysburg July 1st 1863 by the 6th Wis, 95th N.Y. and 14th N.Y.S.M." Courtesy Library of Congress

According to the U.S. Census of 1880, these were the top 20 most popular male names during and after the Civil war (from 1861-1870.)

John
William
Charles
James
George
Frank
Henry
Thomas
Joseph
Edward
Robert
Frederic
Samuel
Albert
Lewis
David
Harry
Daniel
Andrew
Walter

The top 20 most popular female names were:

Mary
Elizabeth
Sarah
Ann
Emily
Ellen
Catherine
Margaret
Jane
Martha
Ada
Frances
Susan
Alice
Nancy
Lou
Harriet
Julia
Lucy
Helen

Some of the least favorite male names included:

Emmett
Leander
Mitchell
Zacharias
Bruce
Berry
General
Luke
Lyman
Clyde
Ross
Max
Freeman
Millard
Ransom
Erwin
Uriah
Price
Orlando
Lemuel

And the least favorite female names:

Inez
Lida
Almeda
Casandra
Olga
Theodoci
Clementi
Alberta
Ora
Mabel
Sabina
Lulu
Tilda
Myra
Tennessee
Lidia
Vina
Celina
Marci
Easter

Source: "Given Name Frequency Project," http://www.galbithink.org/names/agnames.htm. Accessed May 26, 2011.

#77 Crazy Betsy

Elizabeth Van Lew, or "Crazy Betsy"

Elizabeth Van Lew hated slavery, which, for a woman living in Richmond when the Civil War broke out, was odd in and of itself. But she was also outspoken, and dressed strangely, which earned her the name of "Crazy Betsy," or "Crazy Bet." Nevertheless, her neighbors had no idea how strange she actually was: she was a Union spy.

Born, raised, and schooled in Philadelphia, Lizzie, as her family knew her, lived with her mother in Richmond following her father's death. When the war broke out, she was in her 40s, and was a staunch Unionist.

The most remarkable thing about Van Lew is that she was pro-Union out in the open. On days of fasting and prayer proclaimed by the Confederate government, Van Lew held elaborate meals and openly voiced her opinions against slavery.

In retrospect, it seems that her eccentricities helped advance her plight to help the Union and its soldiers. Everyone saw her as harmless, and therefore let her do as she wished. As the war progressed, she refitted her home with secret passages, hidden rooms, and supposed tunnels that led to the James River. Many escapees are believed to have taken shelter there on their way northward.

She also gained access to the prisons to carry books and food to the imprisoned Union officers, who passed her information that had been overheard. Moreover, Van Lew organized a Union sympathizer group in Richmond, which included Elizabeth Bowser, an African-American woman who was on the whitehouse staff and overheard important conversations as she served meals and attended to Jefferson Davis.

In retrospect, it is truly remarkable how she was able to hide in plain sight, being dismissed as slightly crazy person, yet be among the most effective spies for the entire Civil War. General U.S. Grant stated that Van Lew had provided the most valuable information from Richmond during the war. He later appointed her postmistress of the city.

Sources:

"Civil War Podcast by Dr. James Robertson," produced by WVTF Public Radio. Accessed at  http://www.wvtf.org/news_and_notes/feeds/wvtf_cw_rss.php on May 20, 2011.

"Elizabeth Van Lew." Accessed at http://www.civilwarhome.com/vanlewbio.htm on May 20, 2011.

#76 Carrying the Log and Other Punishments



"Too Fond of Whiskey." Source: Library of Congress

 The Civil War, like all wars, consisted of long stretches with nothing to do broken up by short periods of marching and fighting. During the slow times, Union soldiers in Virginia passed the time by stealing food from nearby southern farmers, getting drunk, gambling, fighting among themselves, or all of the above. The creativity of the offenses were often met with equally creative punishments.

1) Carrying the Log: For minor offenses, soldiers had to substitute his rifle for a thick log, that he had to carry with him wherever he went. Often, he would be called to guard the tent of the officer responsible for making him carry it.

2) Fit to be Tied: For moderate offenses, a soldier might have to sit with a stick placed behind his knees with his hands tied together in front of his ankles, and a bayonet in his teeth.

3) Barrel Balance: Also for moderate offenses, this punishment consists of removing the lid from a barrel and forcing the soldier to stand, and balance, on the rim. Soldiers were also made to wear the barrel, and only the barrel.

4) Branding and Flogging: For major offenses, such as attempted disertion, soldiers might have been branded, flogged, or hung up by their thumbs.

5) Death: The worst offenders were shot, sometimes sitting on their own coffins, or hanged.

Sources:

Gone for a Soldier: The Civil War Memoirs of Private Alfred Bellard

#75 Toppling the Stonewall

A portrait of Stonewall Jackson (1864, J. W. King)
located in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Before the death of the nefarious terrorist leader, Osama Bin Laden, May 2nd commemorated the mortal wounding of another rebel who fought against the United States: Johnathan "Stonewall" Jackson. While General Johnathan Jackson was certainly no terrorist, and is still considered many to be one of the greatest generals in amercian history, there is no doubt that his death played a pivotal part in the eventual victory of the Union over the Confederacy.

Jackson both distinguished himself and earned the nickname "Stonewall" at the First Battle of Bull Run. General Barnard Bee exclaimed that Jackson's brigade was standing like a stone wall, which, depending on the source, meant that it was either staying strong and not giving up any ground or was just standing there and not coming to help reinforce Bee. In any case, the name stuck, and the brigade, following Jacksons promotion to general, retained the name "Stonewall Brigade."

On May 2nd, 1863, following a successful campaign that routed the Union forces at Chancellorsville, Jackson was returning to his own lines when he was shot by his own men. A week later, on May 10th, he died of pneumonia that was considered a complication caused by the wound.

Source: http://www.civilwarhome.com/jackbio.htm

#74 Titanic of the Mississippi

At 2:00 a.m. on April 27, 1865, three boilers suddenly exploded on the paddleboat Sultana, which was carrying 2,400 passengers consising mostly of newly freed Union prisoners who had managed to survive the horrors of Andersonville. Approximately 1,800 people died in the accident, which is considered the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history.

It was believed that the cause was low water in the boilers combined with the fact that the ship was top heavy, causing hot spots to form as the boiler water swished back and forth causing steam pressure to build. However, in 1888, a man named William Streetor claimed that his business partner, Robert Louden, confessed on his deathbed that he had sabotaged the Sultana using a coal torpedo. Nevertheless, what actually occurred remains a mystery.

The Sultana