White Unionist in Civil War

In the Autumn 2022 edition of Civil War Times, a book review, tells us of the mostly forgotten or neglected history of white southerners fighting for the Union in the Civil War.  Obviously opposed to secession, they were not necessarily in favor of ending slavery or black civil rights.  But believed the Union should be saved.  We have always known of he opposition to secession in Virginia that created the state of West Virginia (not easy to ignore the birth of another state), but the degree to which opposition to secession in the southern states has not been explored.  This book reports on three cavalry regiments  that took part in the war fighting for the Union.  The 1st Louisiana Cavalry, the 1st Alabama Cavalry and the 13th Tennessee Cavalry.  The first two of these regiment served along the Mississippi River and the 13th was with General Sherman on his march to the sea.

"...about one in ten White Southerner males remained loyal.  However, when the war ended they choose to remain hidden from public view.  Some even joined Nathan Bedford Forrest's KKK and terrorized black southerners.

The book is True Blue: White Unionists in the Deep South During the Civil War and Reconstruction by Clayton J. Butler.  LSU Press 2022. Book Review in Civil War Times Autumn of 2022. "Dixie Blues" by William John Shepperd.

October 8, 2022.

Political Terms.

 It is good to know some political terms.

Yellow Dog Democrat was mainly used to describe voters in south eastern US and how they would vote.  In the days prior to the civil rights movement, most people in the south would vote democratic, so much so that it was said they would vote for a "yellow dog" rather than a republican or independent. It is said that in South Carolina and Mississippi the democratic party has "yellow dog club".

In 1848 Abraham Lincoln used the term to ridicule democratic presidential candidates who modeled themselves on Andrew Jackson.

"Carolina Dog" allegedly a bred of dog in America only.  Used in 1928 to describe democrats who voted for Herbert Hoover because Al Smith (Dem candidate for President) was a Roman Catholic.

"Boll Weevil".  In the mid to late 20th Century term for conservative southern democrats who while supporting New Deal and Fair Deal were "opposed to de-segregation and civil rights movement.   This group ran a third party candidate in 1948-Strum Thurmond, in 1960 Harry Byrd and in 1968 George Wallace.  Representative Howard W. Smith first used the term in Virginia in 1950's; term became more popular in the 1980's.  A boll weevil is a "pest that was destructive of cotton crops".

In the north the term "Gypsy Moth Republicans" was used to describe moderate republicans in north east and midwest who oppose Ronald Reagan's economic policies.

"Blue Dog Democrats". Democrats who were "centrists or conservatives" on national defense. (Don't know how they fell about civil rights or de-segregation.

Of course there are "RINO" and "DINO"; but they will have to wait for another day.

October 5, 2022.  Politics and 2000 Modern US.

Posse Comitas Act

 The above Act states "federal military forces are generally barred from participation in civilian law enforcement activities".  So defined by the Brennan Center for Justice on April 21, 2022.

This writer believes this act was passed in the aftermath of the Civil War in regard to the use of federal troops to oppose state military actions.

The Insurrection Act of 1792 and 1807 also states, "...grants the President the authority to deploy US military domestically and use it against Americans under certain conditions".  This act was used to suspend the posse comitas act.  

It was used by Eisenhower and Kennedy in regard to school de-segregation.

Used by George Washington and John Adams re "early rebellions against federal authority" (Whiskey Rebellion)

Used by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War (draft riots?) and by Ulysses Grant in the 1870' against the KKK.  Rutherford Hayes and Grover Cleveland used it against labor disputes.

George H. W. Bush used it in response to the civil unrest in Los Angles after white police officers were acquitted of beating Rodney King.

(Source: Wikipedia or Google search)

October 4, 2022

Trucker's strike in Chile in 1972.

 Heather Cox Richardson (in her on-line newsletter on Feb. 11, 2022 ) Reports on the efforts of the CIA that disrupted the government of democratically elected Salvador Allende of Chile in 1972.  The strike in Chile went on for 26 days and "disrupted supply chain" that "weakened the government" of Chile; soon after the government was overthrown by a right-wing military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet.  Allenda died by either his own hand or the military.

Richardson made this comment at the time of a trucker's strike in Canada (seeming to suggest the CIA was involved in the Canada incident.  

October 4, 2022. 1950-1980 Cold War.

Mid Term Election info for November 2018.

Mid term election results since 1934;

Only three (3) mid term elections since 1934 have resulted in a gain (in Congress) for the president's party.  In 1934 F.D. Roosevelt 's Democratic Party gained nine (9) seats in the House and nine (9) in the Senate.  In 1998 Bill Clinton's Democratic Party gained five (5) seats in the House and no gain or loss in the Senate.  In 2002 G.W. Bush's Republican Party gained eight (8) seats in the House and two (2) in the Senate.

On average the incumbent's party loses 30 seats in the House and four (4) in the Senate.  The largest loses were in 1938 (FDR) the Democratic Party out a total of 77 seats and in 2010 (Obama) the Democratic Party lost 69 seats.

On Nov 1st of 2010 President Obama's approval rating was 45 %.
Today President Trump's approval rating is between 41 to 47 % (four different polls)

Point: It will be interesting to see what this mid term election will be.

Voter Disenfranchisement.

In 2016 5.85 million Americans could not vote due to a felony conviction.  In 1960 that number was 1.7 million people, had declined to 1.1 million in the late 70's and has risen steadily since.  The states with the highest % of felony disenfranchisement are Florida with 10.4 %, Mississippi 8.3 %, Kentucky 7.4 %, Virginia, Tennessee, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona and Georgia (all from 7.3 too 3.8 %)  Ten (10) states impose life time ban on voting for a felony conviction, while two (2) states allow prison inmates to vote.  Only 3 other countries ban life time voting by former felons (Armenia, Belgium and Chile).

In one case, Florida, a felony is "Grand Theft" or the unlawful taking of property worth $ 300 (this area needs more research; what are felonies in each of the states listed above).

Prior to 2013 the Federal Government under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 required some states with a history of denial of voting rights, to get pre-approval from the Federal government to make any changes in their election laws.  In 2013 the Supreme Court (in the case of Shelby v. Holder) struck that provision out of the VRA.  Since that time 14 states have enacted restrictions on voting.  Most of these required photo ID's, purging names from voting lists, reducing the time period for early voting. Those 9 states covered by the Shelby ruling are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

Point: Even if a few cases can be found of non-citizens voting, how many millions of American Citizens will be denied their basic constitutional right necessary for any country to call itself a democracy?

(Source: Brennen Center for Justice at NYU 2/9/17 and ProCon.org 11/7/12)

Early American Migration.

"A new study of fluted projectile points indicates early Americans were moving north to Alaska, rather than south from it, as they spread throughout North America".  A research team from New Mexico University and Texas A & M University has written about their findings in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences for April 2018.  These fluted projectile points get younger as you go north from the Clovis site.  This study seems to refute the belief that peoples moved into North America by way of the Ice-Free Corridor.

This information was presented in a short article in the magazine American Archaeology for Summer of 2018.  The article was entitled "Fluted Spear Point Study indicates Northward Migration of Early Americans" by Paula Neely.

(If they were moving north rather than south, it seems the question becomes, where were they moving from, or how did the early Americans get to the Americas if not by migration over the land bridge.  This is my observation; the article does not deal with that question).

President Eisenhower's "Cross of Iron" speech.

In 1953 President Dwight Eisenhower warned of the mistake and error of committing so much
of our wealth to the building of military weapons.  He referred to this
as the Military Industrial Complex.

History Magazine Dec/Jan 2018

During World War II in the Pacific the US Navy was faced with the threat of Kamikaze airplane attacks (as we all know).  This article says those planes were old training planes of wood and fabric that were slower than the more modern Japanese fighter planes.  This is important due to the fact that these planes were slower and for some reason more difficult for Navy gunners to shoot down.  These planes were also more difficult to pick up on radar thus able to get closer to their targets before crews could react.  Towards the end of the Pacific war the Kamikaze attacks were more of a problem than submarines.  One of the last US combat ships to be sunk by Kamikaze attack was the USS Callaghan on 28 July 1945.  

Source: "The sinking of the USS Callaghan" by Andreas Forrer, History Magazine Dec/Jan 2018.

In a book review in the same source (above) James Hamilton-Paterson reports on the US spy plane the SK 71 which could fly at 85,000 feet and at speeds three times the speed of sound.  It appears the planes flew from 1964 to 1999 when they were made obsolete by satellites and the growing use of un-manned flight.  The book title is "A History of Untouchable Spy Plane".

Elections: Presidential

With the 2016 Presidential election only a few weeks away I thought a look on the idea of early voting.  As of Sept 30 Iowa was already voting for President; I assume by mailing in a ballot or going to an election board in the county one lives in.  All states allow some degree of early voting except the following.  Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Missouri and Michigan.  Three states allow voting only by mail; Washington, Oregon, Colorado.  On the effect of early voting on turnout, The Economist magazine on 9/23/16 reported that "early voting may decrease turnout".  A study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison stated that "for every 10 days that a state allowed early voting, turnout decreased by 1 % point".  (Not what I expected to find and I still wonder if the claim is accurate).

(Source: information taken from a google search)

Political Advertising.

In the 1950's Dwight Eisenhower realized the appeal and power of ads on television; Adlai Stevenson did not (or did not approve of their impact on the process).  Ike also knew the power of "star power"; "the broad-based systematic use of celebrities started in 1952 with Eisenhower".  Even before that date there was recognition of the value of star endorsements; Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge got help from Al Jolson and a song he performed at the time.  Some of Ike's GOP rivals (Robert Taft for one) charged that Ike was trying to use "sex appeal" to win an election.  Taft called Ike a "good-liking mortician".  Adlai Stevenson-Ike's opponent in both of his races in the 50's-noted that Eisenhower was "running a Corn Flakes" campaign" by trying to sell himself like a breakfast cereal. From this developed the GE approach of presenting to the public the benefits of business in America; of this they created the General Electric Theater and used Ronald Reagan to be their pitch man (we all know where that led).  The source notes that JFK used Marylyn Monroe (take that as you wish) to give him star power.  (Singing "Happy Birthday" will never be the same again).

(Source: "Don't Want to turn the party over to a good-looking mortician" by Renee Olson.  A review of Liking Ike: Eisenhower, Advertising and the rise of Celebrity Politics by David Blake.  Reviewed in TCNJ Magazine of the College of New Jersey, Fall 2016 edition.)

FDR and "Missy" LeHand.

A book review in the Wall Street Journal on Sept 29, 2016 provides some interesting info on the relationship between FDR and Miss LeHand.   She worked for him thru most of his political life starting in the 1920's till her death just prior to FDR's.  She was his private secretary and spent more time with him than his wife Eleanor.  FDR and Eleanor became "estranged" after his affair with Lucy Mercer became known.  There was no evidence that Missy and Franklin were sexually involved but they were so close that while he was governor of New York, Missy slept  in an adjoining bedroom.  In his will FDR left Missy half of value of his estate, money that otherwise would have gone to his children.   She died before Franklin so the estate was not an issue, but he arranged to have a navy cargo ship named after her-the SS Marguerite LeHand which was launched on March 28, 1945.

(Source:  "FDR's Right Hand" by Alonzo L. Hammy in the WSJ.  Review of book entitled "The Gatekeeper" by Kathryn Smith.  Printed in the Wall Street Journal on 9/29/16.)

Holocaust "Avenger" plot.

In 1946 a small group of former resistance fighters, led by Josep Harmatz, developed a plan to kill thousands of SS men being held by the Americans in a prison camp-Stalag 13-near Nuremberg. The date was April 13, 1946 and members of a group called Nakam (Hebrew for vengeance) used their work in a bakery to prepare 3000 loafs of bread laced with arsenic.  The operation went into effect with enough arsenic to kill the 12,000 SS men in the camp, but it did not.  This all came to light with a recently declassified US military report with the issue of why no one died a mystery.  Mr. Harmatz recently died in Tel Aviv.  

(Source: "Holocaust Avenger dies at 91" by Aron Heller of the AP.  Reported in The Record on Sep 27, 2016.)
Update:  Google Joseph Harmatz and then "Nakam" will come up.  Its worth reading.

WW II Times Square picture.

The woman-a nurse-in the classic photo of a sailor unexpectingly kissing her in Times Square NYC at the end of the war in the Pacific has died.  She was identified at Grete Zimmer Friedman and she was 92.  The sailor had been identified as George Mendoza who was in Times Square with his wife to be, Rita Petry.  The photo was taken by Alfred Eisensteadt and is called "V-J Day in Times Square".  Several people over the years claimed they were the couple but some years after the photo became famous, it was determined that Friedman and Mendoza were the couple.

(Source: "Woman in WWII Times Square kiss photo dies" by the AP.  In The Virginian Pilot on 9/11/16). 

Civil War Results

I read recently in Vol 5 of Page Smith's multi-volume set on "People's History of the United States" that after the Civil War many southerns, who had lost most of the their wealth due to emancipation, did not regret the ending of slavery.  They were still able to get cheap labor and not have to expend any concern about health of their labor force or housing and care of them (as much as there was).  They realized that the free black labor was cheaper.  Then after Reconstruction ended they had created a system where the former enslaved population was still under the control of the rich white planter class.  I may have embellished on this (by unintended error) and more research into the points made by Dr Smith will be necessary.  But if correct then it would really add to the absurdity of the war in the first place. 

Jamestown Colony

In a Virginia Beach, VA newspaper on 7/29/15 it was reported that archaeologists excavating a burial site in the first church of the Jamestown settlement found the graves of four men,  one containing an artifact that was clearly of Roman Catholic origin.  This is of interest because the settlers there were Protestants and Europe at the time was mired in Catholic vs Protestant conflict, to the point that the settlers were thought to think of Catholics as spies from a Spanish colony to the south; at least one Catholic was executed according to this report.  The artifact was a two and half inch silver box with an "M" etched into the cover.  The item was  referred to as a "reliquary" and small human bones and a "ampulla", a container used to collect holy water, were determine to be inside.  The artifact was found on the grave of Capt. Gabriel Archer who was the secretary of the colony and "kept records of explorations aimed at finding gold or silver...".  Was Capt Archer a Roman Catholic?  The article does not clearly say for sure. 

(Source:  "Why was a Catholic artifact buried in a Protestant Colony" by Joanne Kimberlin of The Virginian Pilot.  The Virginian Pilot on 7/29/15)

The Lost Colony

The Roanoke Island settlement established by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1587 in north eastern North Carolina disappeared some time after Raleigh sailed back to England not to return for three years.  The colony was not to be found; thus the "lost colony".  Historians have debated for years over the fate of those settlers for years with no accepted explanation.  The director of the Lost Colony Center for Science and Research-Fred Willard-suggests a new theory (at least new to me).  He has suggested that the colony found a valuable crop to export back to England-Sassafras-that was used in the making of tea and medicine for any number of illnesses.  He further claims that Raleigh and others in charge of the company that funded the settlement kept the secret of the colonist to themselves to protect the market  in sassafras cultivation.  The colonist, in order to better grow the crop, moved inland about 50 miles to an area known as "Beachland" which is now in the area of the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.  The colony existed for another 20 years producing unknown number of shiploads of the crop for export back to England.  At some point the colonists intermingled with the native population and in essence disappeared.  Willard believes the sassafras was transported to Croatan (now called Hatteras Island) for shipment to England.  100 years after the "disappearance" of the colony natives in the area were found "with gray eyes who spoke of white ancestors who could read from a book".

(Source:  "Lost Colony's roots are found" by Jeff Hampton of The Virginian Pilot of Virginia Beach, VA.  

The Virginian Pilot on 7/25/15).

Discrimination American Style

During World War I (that is One) two American service men performed deeds of courage and danger to themselves-one dying of his injuries in his early 30's.  It is news now because they were never given the recognition they deserved, not because of some bureaucratic snafu, but because of bigotry.  Sgt William Shemin risked his life to save fellow soldiers on the front lines in France but was ignored for the Medal of Honor because he was Jewish.  Pvt Henry Johnson, a member of the "Harlem Hellfighters", was ignored because he was black; he died destitute in his early 30's from his injuries.  Efforts by their families and friends finally brought them the recognition they deserved 100 years ago.  President Obama gave the Medal of Honor award to Shemin's daughters and Johnson's fellow NY National Guard veterans this past week in the White House.  The extent and degree of our bigotry never ceases to sicken me regardless of how much of it I come across in reading American history.

(Source:  "Two World War I vets receive Medal of Honor" by the AP.  The Record on 6/3/15)

Vietnam War death toll.

The Virginian Pilot-newspaper from Virginia Beach, VA.-published on Memorial Day this year a listing of the number of US service personnel killed in the Vietnam War.  They list a total of 58,230 and the deaths by year as follows: 1956 to 64 = 416, 1965 = 1928, 1966 = 6350, 1967 = 11,362, 1968 = 16899, 1969 = 11,780, 1970 = 6173, 1971 = 2414, 1972 to 2006 = 897.  The article also lists those who died from the Virginia Beach area, and the first death is listed as 1961; the last death listed as 1979.  We left in 1973 and the war ended in 1975 with the North Vietnamese taking over the entire country.  Why then are there seven listed killed from the Virginia Beach area at a time when the war was supposedly over?  I wonder how many died there after 1975 from the US in all.  On further reading of the article those death were listed when they were declared dead, not when they might actually had been killed. (The Virginian Pilot on 5/25/15 "Vietnam War: Remember" (One should not jump to conclusions without all the facts considered first; a valuable lesson).

World War II prisoner exchange

The book-The Train to Crystal City-details a secret prisoner exchange program with Germany during the war.  The author is Jan Jarboe Russell.  Some German's and their families living in this country were taking in custody and held in a secret internment camp in Texas called Crystal City.  At some point during the war they were exchanged for Americans trapped in Germany when the war broke out; diplomats, businessmen and POW's.  The review states "Axis nationals living abroad in 13 Latin American countries were also deported to the United States, arrested for illegal entry and delivered to Crystal City..." based on same unproven idea that they might be engaged in pro Axis propaganda  and espionage.  The camp at 290 acres, held 6000 people from Dec 1942 till Feb 1948; some being American citizens by virtue of birth in the US.  The exchanges were known as "quiet passages" with many going to countries destroyed by war.  President Reagan issued a formal apology in 1988 for the internment of Japanese Americans and Congress offered restitution amounting to $ 37 million (I knew a man-a child at the time of internment-who got $ 20,000).  German and German Americans-some 10,000-were never issued an apology or restitution (as of the date of this review).  I believe we-history teachers-have all heard of the internment of Japanese Americans, but I have never heard of the this treatment of German Americans during the war.  Info from a book review in The Virginian Pilot "Shameful chapter for a Nation of Immigrants" by Megan McDonough of the Washington Post on May 24, 2015.