Surratt Courier

[BettyO]

Just got my Courier yesterday - great articles!

Really enjoyed the article on Squibb and Lincoln's Labels. It's a great book. I bought and used it for a project I did in college. It's truly a "must have for a Lincoln library.
And yes, I also enjoyed Richard Sloan's article as well. His Lincoln Logs are truly priceless. If you can find them, swoop them up! We talked several years ago about digitizing them. I have the years from 1978-1979 digitized for my own files and would love to digitize them all. I told Richard that it would be a great project.

[emma1231]

Thanx all for the kind words about my old LINCOLN LOG. I sure wish I did have time to write a column, but I don't. I always give as much credit s possible to the late John Brennan for making the LOG worthwhile for people. Yes, I did all the editing, tied things together, put other news stories in, and added some of my own. But it's sort of like "If a tree falls and nobody hears it, does it make a sound?" Brennan already had a little circle of friends and was quick to spread the "sound." Once he started doing that, everyone else saw a place where they could share their own news, find news, and connect. Word of mouth was great. It all just clicked. Fascinating to think that it all happened before we ever had the internet! As for digitizing the LOG, maybe I will, some day.
DON'T FORGET, THE SURRATT SOCIETY LIBRARY HAS A COMPLETE SET. The only thing wrong with it is that when the index was compiled by Arthur Kincaid, I discovered that I had screwed up pagination in a few issues, as well as a couple of issue numbers!

[wpbinzel]

On a completely different topic, the May issue of The Courier reports that as a result of the rather insipid NatGeo Diggers program that the command of Fort A.P. Hill have "blocked access" to the site of the Garrett farm. What exactly have they done? Is site now fenced-off? Is the pull-off blocked? And what are the plans of the "government archaeologists"?

Any additional information on what is going on Caroline County would be appreciated.

[L Verge]

My tour coordinator since 1977, Joan Chaconas, has been in frequent contact with the authorities at A.P. Hill ever since we were informed of this a month ago. The answer to your first two questions is Yes, the area is blocked off as is the pull-off. The government archaeologists are sincere in their plans to conduct legitimate digs within the median strip and currently plan to turn over any artifacts and relics to the new, little museum in Port Royal. There are numerous signs warning the public also, and we believe that the site is being monitored.

The police gave our tour bus an escort to the site on April 26, but without the care that Rick Smith of this forum has always given the path and site of the house, it is a treacherous trek right now. We will be taking our buses past the site, but will make no attempt to stop for the present time. We have also shared some of the information that we have collected over the years from researchers - including infra-red photography that was done by an assassination enthusiast back in the 1970s.

In the end, I think something good could come out of this - if nothing more than having our curiosity answered as to whether or not there is something of interest still left there. I just hope that the general public doesn't do anything to upset the apple cart.

[brtmchl]

I am very excited to find my issue of the courier in my mail box today. We have been out of town. Sadly, my wife's grandmother passed and we traveled to Iowa for the services. After a long trip, this is a pleasure I will gladly put my thoughts into.

[RJNorton]

Here are some photos of the April 26 BERT with military escort at the Garrett farm site.

Photos courtesy of U.S. Army Garrison Fort A.P. Hill

John Howard, the tour narrator, is wearing a hat which has Union on one side and the Great Seal of the Confederacy on the other

[L Verge]

Surratt members should expect their June issue of the Surratt Courier in the mail any day now. The main article is a very interesting one on a British citizen's attempt to get into the Confederacy to join a Southern cavalry unit. It is a very well-written synopsis of an 1863 book entitled Border and Bastille -- and the article is written by a member of this forum, Jill Mitchell. The gist of it is that the gentleman didn't see much of America except for treks through Maryland looking for a route across the Potomac and inside the walls of the Old Capitol Prison.

[BettyO]

Sounds like a wonderful article, Laurie! Can't wait to read this -

Thanks!

[BettyO]

Jill Mitchell's article on George Alfred Lawrence in the June Surratt Courier is not to be missed. It's an excellent and very well written story of one British citizen's adventures in the US during the war - please don't miss it!

You can download Lawrence's book, Border and Bastille in eBook format at:

https://archive.org/details/borderbastil00lawr

As an aside, William Wilkins Glenn's book, Between North and South is informative and interesting as well. I have Glenn's book in my library and discovered years ago that Glenn personally knew Reverend Dr. Augustus Stryker and after the war, interviewed him in relation to Powell. Stryker told Glenn that Powell was a steady church-goer; attending both morning and evening services, and described Powell as intelligent, loyal, devoted to the Confederate Cause and a gentleman. While boarding with the Branson family in Baltimore, it was said that Powell would frequently visit Stryker at his rectory home and dine with him.

I, too would like to know more about Mr. Glenn. His papers are in the Maryland Historical Society

[RJNorton]

(06-01-2014 09:01 AM)BettyO Wrote:  Jill Mitchell's article on George Alfred Lawrence in the June Surratt Courier is not to be missed. It's an excellent and very well written story of one British citizen's adventures in the US during the war - please don't miss it!

I second you, Betty. Kudos, Jill, on a fascinating article about Lawrence's experiences. And he even visited Niagara Falls!

[Dave Taylor]

(06-02-2014 03:33 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  And he even visited Niagara Falls!

NIAGARA FALLS!

---

Though, admittedly, my favorite version of that classic vaudeville routine is the one from I Love Lucy where "Martha" is the trigger word. Here is just a part of it: http://youtube.com/watch?v=sCbXl-BR-9U

[Jill Mitchell]

[quote='BettyO' pid='33826' dateline='1401631301']
Jill Mitchell's article on George Alfred Lawrence in the June Surratt Courier is not to be missed. It's an excellent and very well written story of one British citizen's adventures in the US during the war - please don't miss it!

You're making me blush--thanks for the kudos! The article was an outgrowth of a project I decided to take on after attempting to read a downloaded copy of Border and Bastille. I found myself often muttering "Lawrence, what the h*ll are you talking about!?!" I decided to try to compile an annotated version of Border and Bastille. The final product, with over 300 footnotes, was made available in both hard copy and electronic version (Microsoft Word), to Laurie, to as I put it, "anyone, who, after reading the article, is foolish enough to want to read it." I'd be happy to make my annotated Word version of Border and Bastille available to anyone who inquires after it.

[L Verge]

Here's another kudo for you, Jill, from David Keehn, author of the book on the Knights of the Golden Circle. I am putting the two of you in touch with each other to see what other goodies you might come up with.

Hi Laurie,

Congratulations to Jill Mitchell for her excellent article "George Alfred Lawrence's Ill-Omened Adventure" that appeared in the June 2014 Surratt Courier. In response to the editor's comment about needing more investigation regarding William Wilkins Glenn, I heartily agree.

I want to reference pp. 27-29 of Between North and South which indicates that Glenn attended a secret meeting of Baltimore secessionists on April 17, 1861 (just before the Pratt Street riots) at which a group of thirteen considered a plan for "armed resistance to the passage of troops through Maryland." At the meeting, Mr. Norris references J. V. L. McMahon (the political leader of the Knights of the Golden Circle in Baltimore) as well as other leading Baltimore secessionists. Glenn then followed-up by publishing a protest to the passage of troops from the North through Baltimore in his Daily Exchange. Since the Knights' local political leadership was often spearheaded by a Committee of Thirteen, I've wondered whether this April 17 meeting might have been such a KGC conclave.

This is also covered at pp. 142-143 of my book Knights of the Golden Circle: Secret Empire, Southern Secession, Civil War (for which a second printing has recently been finalized).

Best wishes, Dave Keehn

And congratulations to David with the second printing of his excellent book.

[RJNorton]

Kudos to forum member Cal Schoonover for a most fascinating article on Governor Leonard Farwell in the current Courier. Farwell is the gentleman who alerted Andrew Johnson of the shooting at Ford's. However, some of Farwell's story regarding that night is open to question, and Cal does a great job of analyzing it.

[L Verge]

I was pleased to have Tom Fink of the Junius Booth Society provide a nice article on the speculation that Junius the Elder and his father may have assisted escaping slaves via their farm in Harford County, Maryland.

Also, one of my staff members, Joan Chaconas, related the story of Mary Harris, who literally got away with murder in 1865 D.C.