News Briefs

News Briefs — October 2018

Originally published October 2018 · p. 16

Maine Monument Effort Continues at 3rd Winchester The ongoing effort to establish a permanent monument to Maine’s Civil War soldiers who fought in 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign continues. Fund raising is going well and we now have an artist’s conception of what the memorial will look like. The stone will be a little over six feet tall. Two sides of the monument will feature the Maine regiments that fought there based on the corps they fought under. The other two sides will be a tribute to Maine itself and all its fighting men. As was noted before, between Sept. 1 and Oct. 19, 1864, some forty thousand Union soldiers under General Phillip Sheridan and twenty thousand troops under Confederate General Jubal Early fought it out in several major battles. During this campaign some two thousand Maine men would struggle there. Of this number nearly 500 men, or some twenty-five per cent, ended up either killed, wounded, or missing. Many of the fatalities were buried at the national cemetery in Winchester. The casualties originated from four Maine infantry regiments and two artillery units. These included the 1st Maine Veteran Infantry, the 12th Maine, the 14th Maine, and the 29th Maine Infantry Regiments, as well as the 1st and 5th Maine Artillery Batteries. There are no permanent monuments to the sacrifice of these brave Maine heroes on the battlegrounds. Currently there is an opportunity to place a lasting memorial to these Maine soldiers on the largest battlefield, the Third Battle of Winchester, fought on Sept. 19, 1864. In this fight more than 230 Maine men became casualties and nowhere is there a permanent marker to their bravery and sacrifice. The effort, in conjunction with the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, to raise the remaining money to purchase and install a stone memorial to Maine’s contribution at the Third Battle of Winchester is ongoing. A substantial amount of money has already been raised but we still need to raise a little less than five thousand dollars. The effort continues to keep the memory of these Maine men alive. Please consider contributing by mailing a tax-deductible check to Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, PO Box 897, 9386 S. Congress St., New Market, Va., 22844. Please put “Maine Monument” on your check.

Kemper’s Brigade Dead Honored at Gettysburg By Carl Sell The Color Guard of the John Wesley Culp Camp, CSA from Gettysburg, Penn., joined in a ceremony July 3, 2018, honoring members of Brigadier General James Kemper’s Brigade, CSA, who perished during or as the result of Pickett’s Charge. The Whiteheads, Sell, and Trittipoe, read the names of members of Kemper’s Brigade who perished at the High Water Mark on July 3, 1863. The Whitehead’s ancestor was among the Confederates who breached the Union line and captured artillery before being killed or driven back. James Whitehead, a lieutenant in the Fifty-Third Virginia Infantry, was wounded, captured on July 3, and later released. James Whitehead IV is the Commander of R.E. Lee Camp 726, Sons of Confederate Veterans, Alexandria, Va. Sell’s great grandfather, Private James Farthing of the Thirty-Eighth Virginia Infantry, was wounded in Pickett’s Charge, escaped capture, and survived the war. Trittipoe is the Adjutant of Clinton Hatcher Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Leesburg, Va. Commander Casteel of the Culp Camp is a sculptor whose work includes the General James Longstreet statue on Confederate Avenue in Gettysburg, the Drummer Boy Statue in Unity Park in downtown Gettysburg, and the Culp Brothers Memorial on Steinwehr Avenue at the Gettysburg Heritage Center. Private John Wesley Culp was killed earlier in the day of July 3, 1863, at nearby Culp’s Hill on property owned by a cousin. His brother, William, fought for the Union and survived the war. Those killed from Brigadier General Lewis Addison Armistead’s Brigade and Brigadier Richard Garnett’s Brigade were previously honored.

and Ben Trittipoe.

Eulogy at Hickory Hill Don Hakenson presented a stirring eulogy for Confederate Brigadier General Williams Carter Wickham at his gravesite on the Hickory Hill plantation near Ashland, Va. Don spoke to members of the Both Sides Tour who gathered at the plantation earlier this year. Jeb Stuart and Rooney Lee visited Wickham at Hickory Hill in June 1862. Wickham was recovering from a wound suffered weeks earlier at Williamsburg while Stuart was just beginning his famous “Ride Around McClellan” to gather information on the whereabouts of the Union Army for Gen. Robert E. Lee, the newly appointed Confederate commander. The house and cemetery are now privately owned and are magnificently maintained.

Winners of the Georgia Civil War Commission’s Art Contest

Civil War News columnist Michael K. Shaffer with the 2017-18 winners of the Georgia Civil War Commission’s Art Contest. Pictured, left to right: A. Meeler, S. Patel, Shaffer, K. Dickinson, and M. Kischuk. These young ladies produced some outstanding Civil War-themed art, and received their prizes during the 4th Annual Collector’s Showcase, hosted by Kennesaw State University’s Civil War Center. Next year’s showcase event will take place on July 20. Visit cwc.hss.kennesaw.edu for more information on this, and other programs.