Civil War

Alabama Rising

Alabama Rising

Alabama Rising

At the start of the Civil War, the Confederacy faced many challenges reminiscent of what the American Colonies did at the start of the American Revolution. Foremost among those challenges was the lack of a navy. From the start of the war, the Federal navy put a blockade on the South that was meant to keep supplies coming in. Also to stop cotton going out. Without that income, it was felt the South would be in for a short fight. While never able to match the Federal navy ship for ship, the Confederacy was able to do quite well in the use of blockade runners, ironclads, and riverboats. There was one particular sector that the CSA navy shined, merchant raiding.

The ship in the picture above is the CSS Alabama, the Queen of the Raiders. Built in England in 1862, this modified sloop became the most daring and successful commerce raider under the CSA flag. Sure, you could call them pirates, but they were also something else. Effective. Built by the British, powered by twin steam engines and sails, max speed of 13 knots, and a total of 8 cannon, few merchantmen could stand up to her.

How effective?

In her brief two-year career under Captain Raphael Semmes, she stayed at sea over 534 days never once visiting a Confederate port. During that time she captured or burned 65 Federal merchantmen while taking almost 2,000 and boarding over 400 vessels. Most amazing during that span? The Alabama did not lose a single man. In June 1864 she finally met her end at the hands of the USS Kearsarge in a battle off the coast of Cherbourg France.

Here is a little bit of trivia and one last piece of history on the Alabama. After the war, the US went after Great Britain for the damages caused by the CSS Alabama to its merchant fleet in the International court. They won back much of the damages. The wreck of the Alabama was found in 1984. With the cooperation of the French government is considered an archaeological site that is under study by several organizations. Most privately funded.

“Roll Alabama, roll!”

Her story is captured forever in an enduring sea chantey, that may resemble something else about Alabama, we’ll have to think about that:

“Roll Alabama, roll!”
When the Alabama’s Keel was Laid, (Roll Alabama, roll!),

‘Twas laid in the yard of Jonathan Laird (Roll, roll Alabama, roll!)

‘Twas Laid in the yard of Jonathan Laird, ’twas laid in the town of Birkenhead.

Down the Mersey way she rolled then, and Liverpool fitted her with guns and men.

From the western isle, she sailed forth, to destroy the commerce of the north.

To Cherbourg port, she sailed one day, for to take her count of prize money.

Many a sailor laddie saw his doom, when the Kearsarge it hove in view.

When a ball from the forward pivot that day, shot the Alabama’s stern away.

Off the three-mile limit in ’64, the Alabama was seen no more.

 

Word and Phrases

Wednesday Words & Phrases: Parting Shot

Parting Shot
Parthian Shot (courteously of Osprey Publishing)

Parting Shot

Most commonly now the term Parting Shot is used when someone issues one last verbal assault as they leave the area. The origin of the phrase is fairly similar.

The Parthian dynasty of Persia (which would become modern-day Iran) used a number of light horse archers in their army. One of their favorite tactics was to pretend to be routed and flee the battlefield. When their pursuers closed in for the kill the archers would turn in their saddle and deliver a surprise volley of arrows. This was usually very effective in turning the tide of a battle.

The tactic itself became known as the “Parthian Shot”, through the vagaries of translations and langue it eventually morphed into “parting shot”.  When it went from launching arrows to tossing out a few last words is a little more difficult to tell, but the idea is the same.

 

Cold War

VF-103 and the Jolly Rogers

VF-103 and the Jolly Rogers

VF-103 and the Jolly Rogers

 

The Jolly Roger (Skull and Crossbones) that you see above is emblazoned on the tail of an F-14 Tomcat. It has graced the aircraft of several different US Naval squadrons.  In this case, it is part of VF-103 and has quite a history. It didn’t start as the Jolly Rogers, but it flies the name proudly today.

The squadron designated VF-103 (known as the Sluggers) was put together on May 1, 1952. At the time they flew the FG-1D Corsair and was part of Carrier group CVG-10. The squadron was stationed in the Mediterranean. In 1957 the squadron switched to the F8U-1 Crusader, a supersonic jet, a first for the squadron.

In 1958 during the Lebanon crisis (yeah, that’s been going on for a while) the USS Forrestal and VF-103 were dispatched to the region. They arrived after the crisis abated.  After switching plane models several times in the early 1960’s they finally settled on the F-4B Phantom II. The plane that would make up the squadron until 1980.

During the height of the Vietnam War, VF-103 took part in Operation Linebacker. In 1972 one of the pilots of the squadron shot down a Russian MiG 21 with an air to air missile during a night flight. The first only (so far) MiG kill for the US Navy.

VF-103 would be one of the last air squadrons to transition to the legendary F-14 Tomcat in 1983. During that decade the squadron would be involved in several operations. It would be on the front line of Cold War. With the coming of the Gulf War in 1991, VF-103 flew escort for the bomber groups, did reconnaissance and bomb assessment missions.

The Jolly Rogers

All that brought us to this. In 1995 VF-84, a sister squadron that was known as the Jolly Rogers and used the Skull and Crossbones insignia was disbanded. Rather than see the name and insignia leave the Navy, VF-103 did away with their Slugger moniker and adopted the name Jolly Rogers and the infamous insignia. They would go on to take part in the Kosovo conflict and on into Operation Iraqi Freedom. Finally, they gave up the F-14 and transitioned to the F/A-18. In 2016 the Jolly Rogers were actively engaging with the ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria.

To this day the Skull and Bones fly with the Jolly Rogers where ever they are needed.

Civil War

The Titans of Appomattox

The Titans of Appomattox

The Titans of Appomattox

They had met before, back in the Mexican War where both men distinguished themselves. Robert E. Lee had been the engineer that seemed to be everywhere at once. Ulysses S. Grant led men into the fray numerous times during the conflict. At the meeting above Grant actually mentioned the shared service. Lee remembered and for a moment they were just two old soldiers. Not commanders of opposing armies. With the events of the Civil War, these two men would be exorbitantly linked through history. Their meeting at Appomattox would start the process of healing the country.

Lee wore his last dress uniform a son of the Southern aristocracy he believed in always looking his best, especially for important occasions and on April 9th, 1861 the occasion was the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia. he had led them through victory after victory, but in the end, the army had been ground into the dust. He had no choice.

Gran arrived at Appomattox Courthouse in a mud-splattered field uniform. He was not one for pomp and in their field preferred to be comfortable rather than pretty. Grant was a man with a past but he had the ability to lead which was something that President Lincoln desperately needed out of him. In the final campaigns of the war, Grant used the Unions advantage in manpower and resources to pound Lee and his army at every chance, eventually overwhelming them. the cost was great and each life weighed on Grant. As he prepared to accept Lee’s surrender though he had to have felt vindicated.

Peace

There was no outward hostility between the two warriors. Grant set the terms for the surrender, which were generous. Lee agreed to ask only for one change, that his men be allowed to keep their horses. Grant did not amend the terms but insured Lee that his men would not stop any of the Confederates from keeping what was theirs. He also provided the defeated army with 25,000 rations once Lee mentioned that his men had not eaten for days.

It was a quiet day when contrasted to how the war had started. Had either of these armies been commanded by other men, by lesser men, who knows what the cost would have been? Then and there between these two titans, the path to peace and reconciliation had begun

 

Word and Phrases, WWI

Wednesday Words & Phrases: Cooties

 

Image result for cooties

Cooties

Before it was something you accused your second-grade classmates of having “cooties” reached popular use in the British Army during WWI. Yes, even cooties have military implications.

There are two versions of the origin of the word. The first one comes from the Malaysian word kutu which refers to a parasitic biting insect. Sure that sounds good and kind of fits but…

The second origin comes from the first recorded use of the word in English. In some regions of England, waterfowl that were known to be infested with lice and other parasites were called coots. Which itself comes from Middle English cote. In the British trenches of WWI, as lice took the top enemy spot from the German, the term came in wide-spread usage. Soldiers returning after the war helped spread it even more.

Oddly enough what put the term into widespread usage was the number of “cootie” based games that were put out. All were variations of moving small grains into a basket or cootie trap. These popular games spread cooties all over the civilized world.

Book Reviews, Civil War

Book Review: 1861: The Civil War Awakening

1861: The Civil War Awakening 

1861: The Civil War Awakening

by Adam Goodheart  (Author)
There are a lot of books about the Civil War out there. Most focus on the military side. Strategy and tactics, battles and losses. Or they go the other way and deal with the politics of era in such detail that even the most hardcore policy wonks get tears in their eyes. This book is different. I would consider it almost a social history of this one particular year before and after the war broke out. It tries and tells the story of the start of the Civil War from how the people saw it.
We live in a time when our country is divided. (When has it not been?) We see events happen in our country through the prism of the news and entertainment that we consume. We talk with others to figure out what we think. People are either right or wrong, with us or against us. It was the same then and that is why this book was so fascinating. Our last presidential election was controversial and left half the country unhappy. In 1860 the election was so controversial that the States actually rebelled and left the Union. Imagine that happening today.
The author, Goodheart, does a fantastic job of capturing the uncertainty of the time. Would war actually come? Should we just let the South go? Are we willing to fight and die over slavery? Would Lincoln be able to step up? Many questions that left the country reeling are looked at through the eyes of the people.

Secession and Contraband

On top of that, the author looks at other, less covered aspects of the time. California could have seceded if not for literally a handful of people. Missouri was kept in the Union when it could have easily changed hands. Maryland also was kept in when it could have easily slipped away. Then the issue of what to do with slaves that made their way to Union lines.  The “contraband” issue was one of the thorniest issues in 1861 and drives a large portion of this narrative.
It is all covered well and naturally by the author. I recommend it for people that want to step away from the blood and battlefields fo the war and dig into other issues.
As always you can find the book on Amazon by clicking on the cover above.

 

Korean War

Women in Uniform

Women in Uniform

Women in Uniform

 

The uniform above is the female version of the standard Navy dress uniform from the time of the Korean Conflict. Women have always had roles in the military. Over time those roles have shifted and changed as the traditional roles of women in society have changed. Women served in World War II but after the war, they were mostly shut out from serving and returned back to civilian life. To President Truman, that was not acceptable.

On June 12, 1948, the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act was enacted that allowed women to serve as permanent and regular members of the US military. Previous to this they could only serve during wartime. Even then under very limited circumstances. It was not completely a brand new day however as they were excluded from aircraft and ships which may engage in combat.

In 1949, the Army established a regulation that mothers with dependent children could not serve. Immediately any female with a child under 18 years old was discharged. This was rolled back in the 70’s with federal regulation.

On the cusp of the Korean War, women were able to serve in the conflict and many did. Over 120,000, in fact, served in various roles. Mainly in so-called “pink collar” positions, administrators and such. They also served as nurses in various units including the Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals, that’s right. If not for the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act who would Hawkeye have had to harass on M*A*S*H?

Most importantly this act symbolizes the road that women have had to travel to be treated as equals during wartime. The process continues today and there are always bumps in these long and winding roads. When it comes to war through the old adage of “any warm body will do” may soon become the watchword.

 

 

Vietnam

A Soldier At Rest

A Soldier At Rest

A Soldier At Rest

America has always had a complicated relationship with its military. When there is a need for a strong army, to defend and protect our way of life we celebrate and honor them.

Once the wars are over we tend to shove them out of sight and out of mind. It’s a pattern that has followed the soldiers of our country from the middle of the Revolution to this very day. Yet still, they serve. Without question. Without thought. They sacrifice their lives and families so that we can all go about our lives without fear.

Men like the one in the photo above.

His name is lost to history. The man who took the picture is gone and so is his memory of his fellow soldier. This was taken somewhere in Vietnam during that conflict.

The picture shows a man who is battle-worn and tired, exhausted from having not slept for who knows how long. Cans on the ground around him indicate a hastily eaten meal of c-rations, his head resting on the pack that carried everything that he currently owns.

The rest is well-earned, the enemy in this case never far away and constantly on his mind. Dreams of home the only defense against the horrors of war he faces on a daily basis.

Odds are if you ask him why they fight they won’t say for God and country. They won’t spout some great political treatise on Capitalism versus Communism. They will tell you they fight for the people at home. For the others who are just as tired and exhausted as they are.

We still field a mostly volunteer military. True, some don’t have a choice, but all make the decision to serve. Rember them tonight when you are safe and warm.

Word and Phrases

Wednesday Words & Phrases: Baffled

Image result for baffled gif
David Tennant (As The Doctor) is baffled by your illogic

Baffled

We use baffle today to mean “confuse or disorient”.

The shocking event baffled the crowd.

The term has its roots in a number of languages but they all pretty much mean the same thing, “mockery”. Appearing first in the 16th Century it described the public humiliation of a disgraced knight whose punishment usually was to be hung upside down from a tree and left for the peasants to treat poorly. (I expect that would mean things like throwing rotten vegetables and fruit or just making fun of.) When the knight had enough he would be let down from the tree and as you may imagine having been hung upside down for a time was dizzy and discombobulated causing him to stumble and fall. By the 17th century, the term baffle came to be used much as we do today.

I think that should be a scene the re-enact at the Ren Faire. Whose with me?

Pre-Revolution

The Symbol of Domination

The Symbol of Domination

The Symbol of Domination

The New World brought untold riches to the powers of the Old World. Gold, silver, furs, tobacco, and many, many other resources became the currency of conquest. There was however one other resource that can not be left off that list, souls. Religion, as is almost always the case, became a weapon and resource in the New World.

The natives that lived in North America had beliefs and religion of their own. That didn’t really matter. The Catholic Church, under the auspices of both Spain and France, saw the natives as savages and pagans. They sought to “rescue” their souls for God.

To do so they established missions all through the New World. These missions often became the center of life for many of the Europeans living in the frontier.  They became crucial to not only gaining the support of the natives but converting them to Christianity.

In particularity unsafe or contested areas, sometimes these missions would become forts. From there they would be able to attack enemies and aggressively spread the word of God.

Not all native tribes took to the missionaries very well. They saw no reason to change their traditions and beliefs. There was an effort to make them more like the white man by encouraging them to move from the hunter/gatherer society they had always known to an agrarian based society. All too often the attempts to “civilize” the natives lead to bloody conflict that never ended well for them.

The crosses that are shown in the picture above came were found in the area of one of the old mission/forts. Where the meaning of cross to some is death and rebirth, to others it could just as easily be about the end of a way of life.

People, Places and Things from US Military History

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