The 44th Regiment at Shiloh :: The Burying Ground

A signpost at the entrance to the cemetery explains “After the Battle of Shiloh, Federal details buried the dead of both sides near where they fell. The warm weather and great number of bodies made it necessary to bury the dead quickly. In 1866 the United States Government established this cemetery for the permanent burial of Union soldiers killed at Shiloh and related engagements. Bodies were recovered from the battlefield and reburied here, often in regimental groupings. The Confederate dead remain in five mass graves on the battlefield. Two-thirds of the 3,500 Civil War soldiers resting here are unknown. Many tombstones bear a number only. Others read simply: “U. S. SOLDIER.”

What the sign doesn't say is that some Union dead were also originally interred in mass graves. And that the Battle of Shiloh was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War – in two days the tally of those dead, wounded or missing was 13,000 on the Union side and 10,500 on the Confederate side!

The site of the burying ground for the 44th Regiment is marked “Ind 3” at the bottom center of the diagram.

The tall post to the right marks the center of the burying ground for the 44th Indiana Infantry. The stones in the foreground belong to men from Iowa regiments.

Only eight of the stones in the half-circle for the 44th have names inscribed upon them. The remaining 16 stones simply have a number. Most likely they had originally been interred where they died during battle, in graves marked by the regiment in some manner. Those who have their names inscribed probably, like Ralph Goodrick [Goodrich], died of wounds within days of the battle.


Jno. Murray (431) Company B - Captain - died April 6, 1862Frank Launners (432) Company I - Sergeant– died April 6, 1862Ralph Goodrick (433) Company B – Private – died April 6, 1862
Note: Pension records show that Ralph was wounded on the 6th and died of those wounds on April 8th. See my previous post on this.


H. C. Rill (434) PrivateW. H. Casebeer (435) Company D – Private – died April 6, 1832Unknown Number 436

Geo. Weamer (441) Company E - Private – died April 17, 1862Jno. Diclute (445) Company I – Private – died April 6, 1862Leander Hall (446) Company A – Private – died April 6, 1862
Someday, I'd like to spend some time researching these men... a quick search of the Internets garnered this bit of information on marker 441, shown above: George Weamer enlisted while a Columbia City, Indiana resident as a Private in Company G, 44th Indiana Volunteer Infantry on November 22, 1861, mustering into service the same day. He was transferred to Company E on January 2, 1862 and was wounded April 6, 1862 at the Battle of Shiloh. He died of his wounds April 17, 1862.

The 44th Regiment was formed in Fort Wayne with many of the men coming from the northeast Indiana counties of Allen, Dekalb, Noble, LaGrange, and Whitley.

A Walk Along the River :: San Antonio

After leaving Davis Mountains State Park (on December 10th), I spent the day driving to San Antonio. The fog wasn't too bad once I left the mountains and got onto the Interstate Highway and I didn't get into any significant rain until about an hour from the city.



I spent three nights in San Antonio with my friend Diana. She is also a Joslin cousin (3rd cousin once removed). Her great grandfather, Luther Joslin, was a brother to my great-great grandmother, Malissa Mariah Joslin Brubaker Bower. Our families made contact for the first time in 1968, lost contact a few years later, then were reunited in 1999 through the wonders of the internet! The folks I'll be staying with in Louisiana for the holidays are also descendants of Luther. Don't you love it when distant family members become friends too?



One evening we ventured down to the Riverwalk for a stroll and supper. All types of Cafes and Restaurants line both sides of the river for a considerable distance. And, of course, the area was all decked out with lights for the holidays.





Trees were wrapped with lights on every branch and all the way to the top!





It was a rather cool evening but not uncomfortable – if you could stay out of the wind!





I hesitated to include this photo since it is out of focus, but I think it provides more of the ambiance of the evening. I actually kind of like it! Just consider it an “impressionistic” rendition of the Riverwalk...

Wish You Were Here!

I just saw Sallie's comment on my last post, while working on pictures for this post. She asked where we were staying. Sallie, we are staying at Sunshine Key RV Resort and Marina and it is a great park!



I do understand her comment on the jealousy because we are rarely jealous of where people are at. We know we are at a great place or we wouldn't be there, or we'll be in their great place sometime. If I were going to be jealous though....it would be over this place. Out of all the places we've been to, this is our favorite by far.



We started out the day with this view:



Then we headed out to see what is here.





This is Austin's "wish you were here" pose.





This is the marina here:





This is Coco wondering what on earth was in this water:



And this is just some of the fish we saw today:



The rest of the day was just as wonderful. We swam in the pool, we hung out at our site, we grilled lunch and dinner. After all of that, we came back to the fishing and swimming pier. Nathan did some snorkeling. He found a conch shell:



And we sat and watched the sunset with Coco:





I could get used to this!

Living the life in the Florida Keys!

Rando Bikes in Use: Boston Edition

When I post pictures of bicycles belonging to cyclists I know, I often receive surprised comments from readers in other parts of the country: How representative are these bikes of what the locals are really riding? The lugs, the refurbished vintage frames, the custom builders, the handlebar bags, the leather saddles... My posts imply that these are typical, yet they are far from the norm today. One sentiment in particular has been repeated and it stuck on my mind: "At real randonneuring events, everyone is riding carbon fiber." That may very well be true, I thought - having never been to a sanctioned randonneuring event.






However that has now changed, as I've just returned from working support at aNew England Randonneurs 600K brevet. More on that after I get some sleep, but for now I present to you a tally of the bikes that were ridden in the event. Among the 11 machines at the start, there were: two Rivendells, a Rawland, a refurbished vintage Mercier, a Bianchi Volpe, a titanium Seven, a titanium Lynskey, a luggged carbon fiber Colonago, a carbon fiber Trek, and 2 carbon fiber Specialized.






All of the bicycles present sported dynamo lighting, usually supplemented with additional battery lights.






About half of the bicycles were equipped with some sort of handlebar bag, including several of the classic randonneuring varitety, supported by front racks.






Full coverage fenders, classic saddlebags and leather saddles were also well represented.






The aesthetic highlight for me was the elegant black bike with a "Jean-Pierre Danguillaume" decal - made in the 1970s by Mercier (a French manufacturer not to be confused with the English Mercian).






As I understand it, the bike belonged to the rider's father and sat dormant for decades until he - the son - refurbished it to use as a brevet bike.





It is now fitted with modern components, lightweight racks, dynamo lighting and a handlebar bag. The owner also managed to wrangle in wide fenders and tires - an admirable accomplishment, if you have a look at the clearances.






The double top tube Rivendell Homer Hilsen was probably the most unexpected bike there for me. While Rivendell did not invent the "2TT" concept (heavy-duty Dutch bikes and Roadsters are often built with double top tubes), it is surprising to see this construction on a roadbike.






The second Rivendell present was an older Rambouillet model that happened to be exactly my size.






The more I examined this bike, the more I liked it: Great proportions, roadish geometry, 26" wheels. No toe overlap, even with wide tires and fenders, and fairly lightweight. I wish they hadn't discontinued this model.





I had not seen a Lynskey bicycle in person before, so that was interesting.






Though titanium, it looks distinctly different from the Sevens I am used to seeing around here. This bike sported a minimalist randonneur setup: small handlebar bag, saddle wedge, dynamo lights, no fenders.





The carbon fiber bikes employed a similar strategy.







Other bicycles were decidedly less minimalist. The Rawland was the only one of the bunch I had seen before, and the owner typically has it equipped ready for anything.




Overall, what I saw on the 600K brevet reflected the types of bicycles I generally encounter when out riding around Greater Boston. While minimalist carbon fiber is common, equally common around these parts are classic steel bicycles set up with traditional racks and bags. If I had to say what the randonneuring bikes had in common, it's that - regardless of their weight, accessories, and style of construction - they were all modified in some unusual way by their owners; they were all just a tad more eccentric than your typical roadbike. When I mentioned this to one of the randonneurs over the weekend, he nodded approvingly - expertly stuffing a turkey and Nutella sandwich into the pocket of his handlebar bag: "Riding with these crazies will do that to you!"



So, what is it like where you live? I am sure there are regional differences in what kind of bicycles dominate these types of events. You might also be interested in this 2007 survey of the bicycles ridden in Paris-Brest-Paris.

Fort Mackinac

Fort Mackinac was a military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century on Mackinac Island in the U.S. state of Michigan. Built by the British during the American Revolutionary War to control the strategic Straits of Mackinac between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron (and by extension the fur trade on the Great Lakes), it was not relinquished by the British until fifteen years after American independence. It later became the scene of two strategic battles for control of the Great Lakes during the War of 1812. During most of the 19th century, it served as an outpost of the United States Army. Closed in 1895, the fort is now a museum on the grounds of Mackinac Island State Park and has been designated a National Historic Landmark.

A Day in Primary Colours

Red curtains. They are there for practical purposes - welding screens to protect the eyes from the intense glare of the arc. Brazing happens on one side of the shop, welding on the other. In the middle is this vinyl semi-transparent barrier. But the red backdrop spreads an aura around the room, bathing it in a mysterious, yet energising light. I see the light flicker dimly behind it, and somehow the universe seems to make sense.





Against the vast expanse of red, five adults open long cardboard boxes with the hushed anticipation of polite children on Christmas morning. Inside the boxes are steel tubes wrapped in newspaper. The unraveling is almost formally festive.






The blue work shirt. My grandfather worked in a machine shop and wore one well into his old age. In the '90s, the boys I went to high school with wore the same shirts because it was fashionable. They played in garage bands and dressed like mechanics, never having been near a wrench,which used to annoy me. Now some of them wear blue work shirts unironically, having indeed become mechanics or machinists. So it goes.






Blue buckets full of gloves, cotton and leather. I burned myself three times building my first frame. Once by picking up a piece of scrap metal after it had just been hole-sawed off. Another time by grabbing the frame too soon after it had been torch-dried post washing. And the third time by accidentally brushing the hop tip of a filler rod against my cheek. Who knows, sometimes the gloves help. Other times they are a hazard and can get stuck in a machine.








Yellow packaging, labels, warning signs, equipment decals. It is noticeable, even in a sea of other colours. See me, read me, peel me.





Yellow booklets, dusty yellow machines. I am too easily enticed to visit the other side of the curtain.




More pictures.

Travey

Bonham Lake Sunset

Friday, April 1st - - It was a short travel day today, only 160 miles, meandering westward along the Texas State Highways north of I-20 and ending up at Bonham Lake State Park. A restful afternoon was spent walking along the shores of the lake enjoying the sunshine and 85 degree temperature! Clouds moved in during the early evening hours. I thought they would block out the sun but, as often happens, the sun broke through and the clouds enhanced the beauty of the sunset.