The Boer War

The Boer War was a conflict between the British and the settlers who had gone to Africa to start colonies. There were two republics that made up the Boer nation. They were the Orange Free State and the Transvaal Republic. The Boer War was fought in two parts. The first part dealt with sovereignty. The African settlers wanted to protect themselves from British Invasion. The British were defeated in this first conflict. The second part of the war was very long. The use of guerrilla warfare and concentration camps was common during this conflict. The most famous raid was the Jameson Raid. It occurred before the conflict ever began. The goal was to start an uprising among British workers. This raid however was unsuccessful. Many historians believe this is what provoked the British to fight. The war probably could have ended after the sovereignty dispute, but this was not the case however. The Boers that fought were Christian. They had come to Africa to spread Christianity. Many of these people did not like the idea of fighting against fellow Christians. The British had the upper hand in this skirmish. They were led by Robert Baden-Powell. The goal of the British was simply to stop the Boer offensive, led by Paul Kruger. They were successful, and so began their offensive assault. After a few years of fighting both sides realized that they were getting no where. They decided to practice guerrilla warfare, with an emphasis on a scorched earth policy. The idea was to destroy everything in their path. Unlike in the Civil War, the British and the Boers were not targeting individual people, they were targeting everything. The scorched earth policy also led to the rise of concentration camps. Individuals who were captured were taken to these camps and tortured until they died, or were close to death. These camps were nothing compared to the ones the Nazi's built during World War II. The Boer war ended in 1902, the result was the creation of South Africa. This war is forever known as the Great War in Britain. The Boer War has also been referenced in pop culture. The most notable reference has been in the PBS drama series Downton Abbey. Lord Robert Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) and his footman John Bates (Brendan Coyle) fought alongside each other during the Boer War. Bates was even wounded. The Boer War is vital to our understanding of world history.

Above is a picture of Paul Kruger leader of the Boers.

Above is a picture of Robert Baden-Powell leader of the British.

Above is a picture of Downton Abbey's Lord Robert Grantham. Notice he is wearing his uniform from the Boer War. Look at the similarities between his uniform, the one in the painting above, and the one Robert Baden-Powell has on.

Above is a picture of Downton Abbey's John Bates.

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Daniel Boone

Daniel Boone was a frontiersmen, soldier, and later a prominent businessman. He and his family were some of Tennessee's first settlers. Throughout his life, Boone led many settlers into the land now known as Tennessee. Boone was born in Pennsylvania to Squire and Sarah Boone. His father worked as a blacksmith in the village, and his mother worked as a seamstress. They were both very devout Quakers. Somewhere down the line the Boone family had a falling out with the Quakers in the village. They decided that it would be best if they moved west to start a new life. The family first moved to North Carolina, but eventually decided to cross the Appalachian Mountains and settle in the Cumberland Gap. Young Daniel's role in all of this was to go out and hunt, in order to provide food for the family. Daniel also served with the British in the French and Indian War. He did not see any action, because he was a wagon driver. Upon returning from the war, Boone met, fell in love with, and eventually married Rebecca Bryan. The Boone's became parents to ten children. Daniel's military career did not stop with the French and Indian war however. He served in the Cherokee Uprising, and later in the American Revolution. Boone became most famous for his work as a guide. He helped to guide many settlers into the Cumberland Gap (what is now Tennessee and Kentucky). Boone also worked as a "long hunter," and as a fur trader. Later in his life, he even worked as a tavern keeper. On September 26, 1820 Daniel Boone passed away from natural causes at his son's house in Missouri. Daniel Boone's legacy continues to live on through books, movies, and by word of mouth. As historians it is important to distinguish the fact from the fiction. The fact is Daniel Boone, like Davy Crockett was not a super hero, he was an average guy trying to do what was right to help his family, friends, and country. Daniel Boone is an American hero.

Above is a painting of Daniel Boone leading a group of settlers into the Cumberland Gap.

Above is a picture of Daniel and Rebecca Boone's grave in Missouri.

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Jeb Stuart

Jeb Stuart, also known as J.E.B. Stuart was a army officer who served in the Civil War. He started out serving with the United States, but switched his allegiance to the Confederacy during the Civil War. Stuart was born on a plantation in Virginia. His ancestors had served in the Revolutionary War. He decided to attended school at Emory and Henry College. He was only fifteen years old when he started college. After graduating from Emory and Henry, Stuart decided to enlist in the U.S. Army. They turned him down, because he was not old enough. He then enrolled at West Point, to further hone his military skills. It was at West Point that he met and befriended Robert E. Lee. His first army action came in the Texas territory. The regiment that he served in was tasked with fighting Indians. Before the Civil War broke out, Stuart was promoted to captain. He resigned from the army when Virginia seceded from the Union. Stuart joined Lee in the Confederate Army. He was given control of a cavalry regiment. This regiment served in the Shenandoah Valley, and also at the First Battle of Bull Run. His early success led to him being promoted to brigadier general. Stuart and his men also fought at the Battle of Williamsburg, and at the Second Battle of Bull Run. In these battles he fought alongside Joseph Johnston. After these early battles, Stuart had become as famous as Stonewall Jackson. Stuart later fought in the Maryland Campaign. He and his men fought at the battles of South Mountain and Antietam. Stuart and his men, including John Singleton Mosby, carried out the Chambersburg Raid. They stole horses from the Union army and their supporters. Stuart, unlike his apprentice John Singleton Mosby, preferred to fight "legitimate battles," instead of going on raids. Throughout the rest of his career, Stuart fought at the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Brandy Station, and Gettysburg. The loss of his good friend Stonewall Jackson at Chancellorsville greatly affected Stuart. Stuart however kept on fighting. After the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg, Stuart embarked on his Overland Campaign. The most notable battle was at Yellow Tavern. It was here that Jeb Stuart met his maker. Stuart was shot in the stomach by Union soldier John Huff, while yelling encouraging words to his troops. Stuart passed away in a local hospital just a few hours later. Many tributes have been made to Stuart. Songs have been written in his honor, and the British Army, in World War II named a tank after him. His close friend, and apprentice John Singleton Mosby spent the rest of his life writing pamphlets, and articles to disprove the many myths, and rumors about Jeb Stuart. Mosby wanted to keep Stuart's legacy alive. Jeb Stuart is an American hero.

Above is a picture of Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Above is a picture of Col. John Singleton Mosby.

Above is a picture of Gen. Stonewall Jackson.

Above is a picture of the grave of Gen. Jeb Stuart.

Above is a picture of the British M3 Stuart Tank used during WWII.

Above is a picture of the monument erected in Stuart's honor in Richmond, Virginia.

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John Singleton Mosby Book

I would like to take the opportunity to tell my readers about a book that I came across a few weeks ago. The book is entitled Gray Ghost: The Life of Colonel John Singleton Mosby by James Ramage. I only started reading the book a few days ago, but it is really good. Ramage goes into great detail about the life of Mosby. He tells of his early run ins with the law, and also about his love of literature. This book is also where I discovered the fact that Mosby looked up to Francis Marion. The book also tells of Mosby's early days in the army, being mentored by Jeb Stuart (the next blog post will deal with Stuart). Ramage, later in the book will go into detail about some of the movies that have been produced based on the life of John Singleton Mosby. The book also contains very rare pictures of Mosby and his family. I highly recommend this book. It should be available at most bookstores, and most likely on Amazon.

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Francis Marion

Francis Marion is widely regarded as the father of guerrilla warfare. He served in the American Revolution, and fought with the Continental Army and the South Carolina Militia. Marion was known as the "Swamp Fox." He was born in 1732, and spent most of his childhood working on his family's plantation in South Carolina. When he was fifteen he set sail in a boat for the West Indies. The boat sank, but Marion got off on a lifeboat. He ended up spending a week at sea before reaching land, and eventually being rescued. Upon returning to America he became the manager of his family's plantation. His first military experience came during the French and Indian War. His first service in the American Revolution came during the Siege of Savannah in 1779. He failed however to capture Savannah. Marion later participated in the Fall of Charleston in 1780. This endeavor was also a failure. Marion was able to escape British capture. He later took part in the Waxhow Massacre. It was after this skirmish that Marion decided he wanted to form his own band of fighters. His goal was to terrorize as many loyalists as he could. His men became known as "Marion's Men." These men served without pay, and also supplied their own horses and food. Marion's Men were able to drive the British out of Williamsburg at the Battle of Black Mingo. The British knew that they had to get rid of Francis Marion. They tasked Colonel Banastre Tarleton with capturing or killing Marion. Marion was able to evade Tarleton by traveling through swamps (hence the name "Swamp Fox"). Marion also had the task of rounding up freed slaves who were fighting with the British government and returning them to their owner. On August 31, 1781, Marion was able to rescue five hundred American soldiers who had been captured by the British. This earned Francis Marion much praise from the Continental Congress. Marion was later elected to the State Assembly at Jacksonborough. He left his men to claim his seat. Rumor has it that his men became mad at him and wanted to turn him over to the British. This has not been confirmed however. Marion did put down a loyalist uprising on the banks of the Pee Dee River. In August 1782, Marion left his band of men and returned to his plantation, only to find it burned to the ground. Marion had to borrow money in order to restock his plantation with slaves. By this time the war had ended. Marion served many terms in the South Carolina State Senate. In 1784, he was made commander of Fort Johnson, South Carolina, in appreciation for his service to the state. In 1795 Francis Marion passed away peacefully at his plantation. An American hero had died. Marion's legacy lived own however. Confederate Partisan Ranger John Singleton Mosby thought of Marion as a role model. Mosby studied Marion and patterned his life and guerrilla tactics after him. This further solidified Marion as the father of guerrilla warfare.

Above is a picture of Colonel Banastre Tarleton of Britain.

After his death Francis Marion was honored in a variety of ways. Above is a picture of the Francis Marion Park in Washington D.C.

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Casey Jones

Casey Jones was a railroad engineer from Jackson, Tennessee. He worked on the Illinois Central Railroad. Jones was born in Jackson, Tennessee on March 14, 1863. Not much is known about his early life. I have a hunch though that like most young boys (myself included) he was fascinated by trains. The name "Casey"was given to Jones as a nickname. He had lived in Cayce, Kentucky during his childhood, and was given the name "Cayce" as his nickname, but he decided to spell it "Casey." Jones' first job as a railroader came with the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. He did so good he rose through the ranks quickly. He was promoted to brakeman, and then to fireman. Jones' biggest goal however was to become an engineer. He decided to leave the Mobile and Ohio Railroad and go work for the Illinois Central Railroad. Jones mostly hauled freight during his railroad career, but was also known to have hauled passengers a few times. Casey Jones was most famously known for his train whistle. The whistle was made of six tubes that were all connected to each other. Legend has it that everyone knew that Casey Jones was coming long before they even saw him. Jones hauled freight for the Chicago World's Fair, it was here that he became fascinated with the 638 freight engines. He drove these engines for the rest of his career. Jones was also an avid baseball fan. He tried to go to as many games as he could. He also played on some occasions. He transported baseball teams to their games many times. Throughout his career Casey Jones was given nine citations for rules infractions on his trains. His fellow engineers called him a "risk-taker." Casey proved that he was a hero by rescuing a child from the railroad tracks. It happened near Michigan City, Mississippi. Jones and his crew were approaching the city, when they saw a little girl on the tracks. Jones jumped into action. He told his crew to reduce the speed of the train. Jones then climbed out onto the cowcatcher of the train. He was able to reach out and grab the girl, pulling her safely out of the way of the iron horse. In February 1900 Casey Jones was transferred from freight trains to passenger trains. His job was to run trains between Memphis, Tennessee and Canton, Mississippi. This new type of run was known as the "cannonball." The goal was to get passengers between the two towns as fast as possible. Many veteran engineers were against this idea, but not Casey. It was on one of these runs that Casey Jones met his maker. On the morning of April 30, 1900, Casey Jones and his crew departed Memphis carrying passengers to Canton. The train was delayed, causing Casey to have to go faster in order to make up for lost time. The night was rainy, and a heavy fog had settled in. The rails were old and rough. A freight train had broken down sometime in the night, some of the cars were left on the main line. Casey was heading right towards those cars. Once Casey saw the cars it was to late to stop. He had to apply his brakes, and not let the passenger coaches come off the rails. The impact sent Casey's engine into the back of the freight cars. Casey Jones was killed instantly. If he had jumped his passengers would have died. As a result of his actions, most of his passengers escaped unscathed. Most historians believe that if Casey would have seen warning flares, or even a flagman, then he would have stopped. The result of his death has lead to an increase in safety on railroads worldwide. Casey Jones is most defiantly an American hero.

Above is a picture of a 638 engine that Casey Jones drove throughout his railroading career.

Above is a picture of the historical marker that was put up in Memphis in honor of Casey Jones.

Above is a picture of the Casey Jones Museum and home-place in Jackson, Tennessee.

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Davy Crockett

David Crockett, or better known as Davy Crockett was a frontiersmen, and later a politician, and soldier from Tennessee. Crockett was born to a farming family in Greene County, Tennessee. He and his family were some of Tennessee's earliest settlers. His grandparents were actually killed by Cherokee and Creek Indians led by Dragging Canoe. As a boy Davy worked as a cattle farmer, and later worked in his dad's tavern. Davy's dad often hired Davy out as an indentured servant, to help pay off the families' debts. Davy's dad John had much experience in war. He had been part of the Overmountain Men. He had fought with them at King's Mountain. Davy would follow in his father's footsteps, and join Andrew Jackson in the Tennessee Militia. Davy was appointed as a scout, and served under John Coffee. Crockett served in the militia until the Treaty of Fort Jackson was signed in August 1814. Davy then turned to politics. By now, he and his family had moved to Lawrence County, Tennessee. In 1821 Davy was elected to the Tennessee General Assembly. He was very conservative. He believed in lower taxes, and fought for increased rights for poor settlers. He refused to endorse Andrew Jackson's candidate for governor, Edward Ward. He instead chose to endorse William Blount for governor. In 1824 Davy decided to run for U.S. Congress. On his first attempt he was defeated. In 1826 Davy was finally elected to congress. His goal was the same as it had been: help the poor settlers gain rights. Crockett and Andrew Jackson did not get along at all. They disagreed on all sorts of legislation. The most notable issue that they disagreed about was Indian Removal. Jackson was for it, but Crockett was against it. In the end Jackson won. Davy decided that he had had enough. He wanted to take his family and move to Texas. Davy and his friend Benjamin McCulloch decided to get a militia together and go scout out Texas. In January 1836, Crockett and his militia arrived in Texas. They agreed to go to San Antonio and fight at the Alamo. In February they reached San Antonio. It was here that they met up with James Bowie. The Americans were trying to seize Texas from the Mexicans. Sometime during the fighting Davy Crockett was killed. We as historians know this because the Americans surrendered. Also any remaining survivors would have been killed by the Mexicans. David Crockett was truly an American hero.

There have been many myths about what happened to Davy Crockett. Many believe that he was one of the men who surrendered and was executed. People have also tried to turn Davy's life into a superhero story (ie. Walt Disney). The fact is, Davy was just a normal guy who always tried to do what was right. For the most detailed account of Davy Crockett's life I recommend the book (pictured below) titled David Crockett: The Lion of the West by Michael Wallis.

Above is a painting of Davy Crockett fighting at the Alamo.

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Alvin C. York

Alvin C. York was born in Pall Mall, Tennessee on December 13, 1887. His father died at a very young age. Alvin was forced to step up and be the man of the house. The York family did not have very much growing up. York worked various jobs in Harriman, Tennessee. He worked as a logger, and also in the railroad industry. York was an alcoholic, and he got into numerous fights and was also arrested on several occasions. Alvin was able to maintain his strong faith however. He and his family were very religious. Alvin served as the song leader at the church he and his family attended. York was able to "clean up his act," when World War I broke out. He was quickly drafted into military service. He was quickly sent to France, it was in France that he became famous. Alvin and his men were able to raid a German machine gun nest. They seized thirty-two machine guns, and killed twenty-eight German soldiers. The remaining one hundred and thirty-two were rounded up and taken back to the American line. York along with his men led all of these German soldiers back to the American line. What is so impressive about this feat is that there were only eight American soldiers, including York. This led to York being promoted to sergeant. York was also awarded the Medal of Honor. The actions of York and his men ended the German machine gun threat. When Alvin returned to the U.S. he was treated like a celebrity. He had many offers from people who wanted to use his life story for profit. Alvin, however,  turned them all down. The state of Tennessee, however, named a highway after him, and the governor of Tennessee married him and his wife. York later established the York Institute and the Alvin C. York Foundation. Alvin defiantly gave back to his community. When World War II broke out York wanted to enlist in the army, but was denied due to his age and health. He later agreed to sell his story to Hollywood, who made a film about his life. York died on September 2, 1964. He is truly an American hero.

In 1941 the movie Sergeant York was released, starring Gary Cooper. The movie was based on the diary of Alvin C. York.

The Alvin C. York Institute was established in 1926. It was an agricultural school, that was designed to provide the citizens of Fentress County with good education.

The Alvin C. York hospital in Murfreesboro, Tennessee was established to provide veterans with access to medical care.

The Alvin C. York farm was purchased by the State of Tennessee and turned into a state park.

Above is the grave of Alvin C. York, located in Pall Mall, Tennessee.

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Happy Birthday America- A Brief History

On July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed. This officially created what is now known as the United States of America. Men from each of the thirteen colonies gathered at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. These men were risking their lives, and the lives of their families. If they had been caught they would have been tried and executed by the British government for treason. These men were not afraid of this however. They had a vision and they were going to do whatever it took to free themselves and their families and friends from British rule. Today as we enjoy time with our families, and watching baseball and fireworks, we should never forget the sacrifices that these men made to create the country we live in today.

Above is a picture of the signatures of each of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Above is one of the earliest American flags. It has thirteen stars, which represents each of the thirteen colonies.

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Ginny Moon- A Confederate Spy

Ginny Moon was born to a wealthy class family from Virginia. She was only sixteen years old when the Civil War began. At the time of the Civil War Moon was attending a boarding school in Ohio. She dropped out because she did not want to go to a school that was in a "yankee" state. Her parents wanted her to settle down and get married. Ginny had other plans, however. She decided to become a nurse in the army, caring for, and sometimes flirting with wounded soldiers. She caught the attention of General Ambrose Burnside. Burnside asked her if she wanted to become a spy. Moon was quick to accept Burnside's offer. Her job was to smuggle medicine from the Union army, and bring it back to the Confederates. Moon not only smuggled medicine to the Confederates, but classified Union information as well. She gave the classified information to General Nathan Bedford Forrest. She worked primarily out of Memphis, Tennessee. She served as a spy until the war ended. After the Civil War ended in 1865, Moon stayed in Memphis with her mother. Throughout the remainder of her life, Ginny Moon was always looking for good causes to become involved in. She truly is the definition of a heroine.

 Above is a picture of Gen. Ambrose Burnside

Above is a picture of Gen. Nathan Bedford Forest

For more information about Ginny Moon I recommend that you check out the book Soldier, Spies, and Spartans.

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