News Tidbits

Last week, I participated in a fantastic Staff Ride at the Wilson's Creek National Battlefield with a faculty colleague plus warrant officers from Fort Leonard Wood. It was a privilege to hear the insights of men who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. While at the visitor center, I was shown the plans for the renovated exhibit space. In 2011, the National Park Service acquired Dr. Tom and Karen Sweeney’s collection of archival materials and artifacts; this collection was formerly housed in General Sweeny’s Museum that was adjacent to the park entrance. The renovated exhibit area will allow for the display once again of a part of the Sweeney collection. Many of the artifacts relate to the trans-Mississippi and the war in the western theater so this is exciting news.

In other good news, the Civil War Trust is raising funds for the acquisition of 282 acres of land near the Mansfield State Historic Site. An article in the June issue of Civil War News also reported that the Civil War Trust donated to the State of Louisiana a one- acre tract near Honeycutt Hill as well as the Allen House that was used as a field hospital after the battles of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill. 

Wilson's Creek: Franz Sigel's Attack

Earlier this week, I made a quick visit to the Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield where I particularly focused on Colonel Franz Sigel’s surprise attack on the southern end of the Confederate encampment. At first his attack went well, and his men advanced steadily along Wilson Creek and through Sharp’s cornfield. However, things went awry as Backof’s Missouri Battery was placed near the Wire Road right before it dropped down into the Wilson Creek valley. The artillerists could not cover the zone before them, and Sigel did not send out an adequate picket force to guard from surprise. Additionally, his infantry, the 3^rd Missouri and the 5^th Missouri, were poorly situated well behind the artillery.

This photo shows Backof’s artillery position along the Wire Road:

A photo from the perspective of the 3^rd Louisiana Infantry that advanced along the Wire Road toward Backof’s Battery. When the men of the 3^rd Louisiana reached the top of the slope they were only 25 yards from Backof’s Battery.

Again, this photograph is a view from the Confederate perspective. Imagine Union soldiers in flight along the Wire Road and through the fields after being routed by Confederate troops.

Trans-Mississippi Treasures

This past Thursday and Friday were Fall Break at my school. Fall Break is a marvelous holiday for both professors, staff, and students—the weather is usually nice and it comes midway through the semester. Road trips, particularly those to Civil War sites, are often what I do on holidays, and I went on a special adventure on Thursday.

Quite some time ago I embarked on a new trans-Mississippi research project. Currently, I am preparing the diary and other papers of Albert C. Ellithorpe for publication. Ellithorpe served in the 1^st Indian Home Guards regiment and documented a number of interesting events in his diary and other papers. The diary was actually first kept by a Confederate soldier, but Ellithorpe acquired it after the Union victory at Locust Grove in the Indian Territory. One of the attractions of this project is that Locust Grove is just a twenty-minute drive from my house; in fact, all of the places that he mentions in his diary are a relatively short road trip away. A number of years ago, Dr. Thomas P. Sweeney purchased the diary for his collection. Some of you probably remember seeing parts of his collection on display at General Sweeney’s Museum that was adjacent to the Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield. Wilson’s Creek now owns Sweeney’s collection, including the Ellithorpe diary. It is an incredible treasure trove. Some of the documents, including Ellithorpe’s diary, have been scanned and are available for viewing on the Community & Conflict website; a selection of artifacts may be viewed on the Trans-Mississippi Theater Virtual Museum.

As an aside, Wilson’s Creek is also the home of the John K. and Ruth Hulston Civil War Research Library that holds several thousand volumes with the primary concentration being the trans-Mississippi.

On Thursday, I traveled to Wilson’s Creek and actually saw, held, and read Ellithorpe’s diary. Having digital images to look at are quite convenient, but there is nothing quite like the thrill of working with the original source. In the process I was able to clear up some mysteries in the transcription—deciphering illegible words primarily.

Besides the excitement of working with Ellithorpe’s diary, the staff at Wilson’s Creek welcomed me warmly. I have worked at several archives over the years, and all of them have helpful and friendly staff. However, the good people at Wilson’s Creek have now taken first place for helpfulness and hospitality. They even took me to a storage area to show me the “Cherokee Braves” flag captured at Locust Grove. Very neat!