Memorial Day Proclaimed

Headquarters, Grand Army of the Republic
Washington, D.C., May 5, 1868

I. The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the
purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise
decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense
of their country during the late rebellion, and whose
bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and
hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no
form or ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades
will in their own way arrange such fitting services
and testimonials of respect as circumstances may
permit.

We are organized, comrades, as our regulations tell
us, for the purpose, among other things, "of
preserving and strengthening those kind and fraternal
feelings which have bound together the soldiers,
sailors, and marines who united to suppress the late
rebellion." What can aid more to assure this result
than by cherishing tenderly the memory of our heroic
dead, who made their breasts a barricade between our
country and its foe? Their soldier lives were the
reveille of freedom to a race in chains, and their
death a tattoo of rebellious tyranny in arms. We
should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. All
that the consecrated wealth and taste of the Nation
can add to their adornment and security is but a
fitting tribute to the memory of her slain defenders.
Let no wanton foot tread rudely on such hallowed
grounds. Let pleasant paths invite the coming and
going of reverent visitors and found mourners. Let no
vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time,
testify to the present or to the coming generations
that we have forgotten, as a people, the cost of free
and undivided republic.

If other eyes grow dull and other hands slack, and
other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep
it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain
in us.

Let us, then, at the time appointed, gather around
their sacred remains and garland the passionless
mounds above them with choicest flowers of springtime;
let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved
from dishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew
our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have
left among us as sacred charges upon the Nation's
gratitude,--the soldier's and sailor's widow and
orphan.

II. It is the purpose of the Commander-in-Chief to
inaugurate this observance with the hope it will be
kept up from year to year, while a survivor of the war
remains to honor the memory of his departed comrades.
He earnestly desires the public press to call
attention to this Order, and lend its friendly aid in
bringing it to the notice of comrades in all parts of
the country in time for simultaneous compliance
therewith.

III. Department commanders will use every effort to
make this order effective.

By command of:
JOHN A. LOGAN,
Commander-in-Chief.

N. P. CHIPMAN,
Adjutant-General.

More Videos on YouTube aka Civil War Music Videos

I have found a few more videos on YouTube that I would like to share with you.

The first two were done by Tapsbugler (those familiar with the hobby will know who this is) and the first video is Field Musicians of the Civil War and the second video is Brass Bands of the Civil War.


The next one is from Antietam and according to the title was recorded at the Pry Farm in October 2006. While not the best quality, it is an excellent rendition of Old Dan Tucker and if I'm not mistaken there are members of the 2nd S. Carolina String Band in the group. Here is a link to a video of the Excelsior Brigade Fifes & Drums playing Old Dan Tucker as well.

Here is one of Camp Chases Fifes and Drums playing The Minstrel Boy. Again, not the best quality but you get the idea.

Finally, the following is not Civil War music but it is one of the coolest fife and drum videos I've seen. The video is the Fifes and Drums of Yorktown playing at Ft. Ticonderoga. If you look closely at about 3:30 into the video, the fifers are lined up and they are using their right hand to play the fife of the person in front of them.

Until next time...

Using Art to teach about the Civil War pt 2

Last time I talked about the paintings of Peter Rothermel currently on display at the State Museum of Pennsylvania. Today, I'd like to talk about two more artists and how you can have students create their own artwork.

What can we learn from these paintings and other modern paintings of the Civil War? One of my favorite artists is Dale Gallon from Gettysburg. In creating his art, Mr. Gallon does extensive research into the uniforms and equipment of the soldiers and terrain he is depicting. Students can benefit from this research. Take a look at the following image for example:



This painting is called Hold At All Costs and shows Col. Joshua L. Chamberlain and the 20th Maine defending the extreme left side of the Union line on Little Round Top on July 2, 1863. Look closely at the uniforms of the solders and you can see tears in their pants and soldier just under the flag has his hat turned around. Details such as the style of canteen, the type of musket and even the gloves worn by Col. Chamberlain have been accurately represented here.

Another famous modern artist is Don Troiani. Mr. Troiani has some excellent works in his collection and he, like Dale Gallon, does extensive research prior to putting brush to canvas. Mr. Troiani's "Regimental Series" is a great collection of studies into specific units. Look at the following image:



This painting is called 114th Pennsylvania Volunteers and is a great representation of what a Zouave uniform would look like. Notice the red baggy pants, and the fez caps they are wearing.

As part of an interdisciplinary unit, a teacher could work with their art teachers to have the students create battlefield images or dioramas such as these or recreate pencil sketches by famous artists such as Alfred Waud. In order to complete something like this, students would need to research what the battlefield looked like, what the soldiers would have worn or what their flag looked like.

Just some more simple ideas for getting your students to become more interested in the Civil War and engage them in "doing history".

In Part 3 of this series of posts, we will look at the Gettysburg Cyclorama.

Unit then...

Clara Barton

Clara Barton is one of the most famous women in American history. So when it came time for my daughter, a 4th grader, to do a report on a famous person from history, she chose Clara. What was even more fun was that she wanted to do a slide show of pictures about Clara as she gave her oral report. So, she searched the web for pictures and information about Clara and then I showed her how to load them into iPhoto and how to make a slide show. It was a lot of fun working on this with her and we both learned a good bit about Clara and iPhoto, Garageband and iTunes.

So, I thought I would take her oral report and share some of it in a blog post, along with some of the photos, information and links about Clara that Sarah found.

Clara was born in 1821 in New Oxford, Massachusetts. My parents are Sarah Stone Barton and Capt. Stephen Barton. I have two brothers named David and Stephen and two sisters named Sarah and Dorothy (or Dolly).

This is a picture of the home where Clara was born.

Growing up Clara was a shy girl and enjoyed riding her horse. One day when David was out working on the barn roof he fell and broke his arm. The doctor told Clara that he may die, but she made a wish that he would not and cared for him for several weeks and her wish came true.

Clara's brother and sister grew up to become teachers. In 1850, Clara became a teacher in this one-room schoolhouse. She earned praise when she refused to physically punish students. Clara liked to think that she left a mark on each school in which she taught, organizing the classroom and drafting lesson plans.

In 1861 when the civil war began I followed the troops taking care of the wounded soldiers. Clara and other women would care for the wounded soldiers by giving them food, bandaging their injuries and writing letters for them to their families.



During the Battle of Antietam in September 1862, Clara saw many wounded and dying soldiers everywhere she walked. They were in barns, in cornfields and even in the Dunker Church. These pictures show some of the wounded soldiers from the Battle of Antietam that she nursed back to health.


Although it is widely believed that Clara was set up on the Joseph Poffenberger farm on the north end of the battlefield, according to Ranger Mannie Clara was actually at the Samuel Poffenberger farm, a little more to the east. This is a modern photograph of the Samuel Poffenberger farmhouse, which is where she stayed for a week or so.


There is a monument at the Antietam National Battlefield to Clara that says:

DURING THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM SEPTEMBER 17, 1862 CLARA BARTON BROUGHT SUPPLIES AND NURSING AID TO THE WOUNDED ON THIS BATTLEFIELD THIS ACT OF LOVE AND MERCY LED TO THE BIRTH OF THE PRESENT AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS THIS SYMBOLIC RED CROSS HAS BEEN MADE FROM A BRICK FROM THE CHIMNEY OF THE HOME WHERE CLARA BARTON WAS BORN AT NORTH OXFORD, MASSACHUSETTS ON CHRISTMAS DAY, 1821

Beginning in 1870, Clara spent 10 years organizing the American National Red Cross, which was officially incorporated in 1882. Under my leadership the Red Cross assisted with relief efforts following disasters like floods, forest fires, and earthquakes.


Thanks to Ranger Mannie from Antietam National Battlefield, Ranger Smith from Gettysburg Battlefield and Mr. Joe Korber of the 119th New York Field Music and The Sykes Regulars for information on Clara, photos and music for this presentation.

So, that was the bulk of her report. A few points to consider: 1) Sarah's school has very little in terms of technology so it was great for her to show the other kids, 2) This provided me a change to help Sarah learn how to research a topic on the Internet, 3) I made sure that she asked permission to use photos and music for her presentation that were not in the public domain and 4) her class got to see a great presentation using technology.

A few more quick photos.
This is Sarah at the Clara Barton monument


and

Here is Sarah, holding her Junior Ranger certificate and badge, with Ranger Mannie.


Additional photos and information about Clara are available on the web at these sites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Barton
http://www.civilwarhome.com/bartonbio.htm
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm072.html
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/27barton/27barton.htm
http://www.clarabarton.org/