TEXAS & THE CIVIL WAR

Hey there Campers:                                 8-4-15

Before we get started on today's blog I forgot to put in some critical information that I got about the Kennedy assassination. Did you know that Dallas was called the " City of Hate" due to the assassination of JFK being in that city? It took the city years to overcome this tag. They were hurt financially due to this issue and worked hard to overcome this. The people in Dallas are very nice and accommodating. They really love their city.

Today we went to Texas Civil War Museum in Forth Worth. The brochure said it was one of the largest Civil War Museums in the world. I really had some doubts on this issue. Boy was I surprised. It looked small on the outside but it was a wealth of knowledge and artifacts.

We started off with a movie about the war and the part Texas played in it. TX was the 7 state to secede from the Union. The Governor of TX at the time was Sam Houston. He was not a happy camper about TX wanting to get into the war and wanting to secede. When the vote was taken he resign as governor. He felt he had work too hard for TX to become part of the union to see it now secede. 

The Southern cause made little headway in Pro-Union Kentucky. Nonetheless, the Confederate Congress in Richmond, VA admitted Missouri and Kentucky. 13 states made up the Confederate States of America with each state represented by a star on the Confederate Battle Flag. Although Missouri and Kentucky were slave states they provided significantly more soldiers to the North than the South. There is a current battle over where this flag should fly. Some need to know that it has been more than 150 years since this war has been over.

Robert E. Lee said "It is well that war is so terrible else men would learn to love it too much". Well stated.






Here are crucial facts that one must look at when going to war. The north was better prepared for war than the south.

U.S. Grant said: "The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can keep moving on." That is one of the reasons the north won the war. Before Grant came the north was struggling. 





The one thing going for the south was the Texas fighters. They were considered the best fighters. Lee said if he could get more fighters like the Texans he could win the war. This may sound unusual but remember the Texans had just fought the Mexicans for their independents. There were not the gentleman farmers who had plantations. Most of the Texans were rough and tough and lived on the frontier fighting to make a life for themselves. They knew how to shoot, how to track and how to survive. Most men returned to intact homes.

There wasn't much fighting in TX compared to other states. Many Texans fought in other states. This is a list of all Texans who died in the war. The museum had all their names in the stone.





There was 7% of the population was immigrants. (Good thing Donald Trump wasn't there he would have sent them packing back to their country.) The TX officers had to give orders in 3 languages. Germany, Spanish and English.

This museum is full of uniforms swords, guns, cannons and other artifacts from both sides of the war. Some of the uniforms had bullet holes where the person was shot. The museum is really one persons amazing collection. 

 

 

 

The museum just acquired the piano that was in Jefferson Davis home.

April 9, 1865 the Civil War was officially over. However there wasn't Facebook, Twitter, Face Time, Skype or email. So the sides were still fighting. The last fight was on May 13, 1865. It was the Battle of Plamito Ranch in TX. The museum has built a reenactment of the battle. The African Americans of the 62nd Infantry were mostly former slaves from Missouri. Assembled in December 1863, they first served in Louisiana building fortifications. One third of their number succumbed to disease while working in the swamps. They were a well disciplined unit under fire and are credited with saving their comrades at Palmito Ranch.

 

The museum also had a section on women's clothing of the era.

 

 

 

 

Tanita. I took this picture of the hat just for you. I know you will have a great comment. Yep that is a dead bird. It is a Red Velvet Hat with a Black Parrot.

 

The museum just acquired the Hat from Gone with the Wind.

 


This is the best Civil War Museum I have seen outside of Gettysburg. Well worth the money.

Now all ya'll know that I give people I love nicknames. So this intrigued me. My confederate nickname would be Gray Haversack. Look on your list to see what your name would be. 
 








Ya'll know I inquisitive I get when it comes to history. Ok I get nosey. Well, I struck a conversation with a lady in the museum, Kristy. She start telling me about the piano shown above. Well, she is one of the new acquisition people of the museum. We started talking about the dresses of the era and how they were made. She told me to speak with Cindy up front. So, I found Cindy and spoke about dresses. She is a former reenactment person and is a wealth of knowledge on dresses. She took me to the back storage room. What an experience. She gave me 2 rag dolls to make and several patterns to make my own 1800 era dress. She even gave me the patterns for pantaloons. What a wonderful gift. I thank her profusely.  Found out that she is one of the owners of the museum. My mom was right. You learn stuff by asking questions.

Question of the Day:

Name the only 2 state capitals that did not fall in the Civil War?  

Bonus Question:

Who was the person who wrote a book that brought to the northern people the plight of what slave life was really like in the south ?

Bonus, Bonus Question:

Name the book.

Well, until next time Campers

Lo & Bren