Lew Powell's Frostbitten Feet
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08-24-2012, 01:50 PM
Post: #46
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RE: Lew Powell's Frostbitten Feet
According to Hartranft's letterbook, Lewis Powell had a female African American visitor at 10:00 A.M. on June 1, 1865. Do we know who that lady was and why she was visiting Powell?
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08-24-2012, 01:56 PM
Post: #47
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RE: Lew Powell's Frostbitten Feet
(08-24-2012 01:13 PM)Natty Wrote:(08-24-2012 12:30 PM)BettyO Wrote: I wondered about that myself, Natty! Powell had the reputation of being the "Terrible Lewis Powell". I don't know what they meant here other than this - from what I heard. Lewis could have been ill at Dranesville and did not fight -- I don't know....I do know that he was ill quite a bit with bouts of unspecified sickness. On June 30,at the battle of Gaines Mill he fought for one day and then was carted the 12 miles to Richmond where he spent over 3 months in the Florida Hospital (still standing) with illness. He was there until mid November 1862. The anthropologist who discovered Lew's noggin stated that he suffered apparently from chronic sinusitis. We do know that he had an attack of measles when he enlisted and was sent to the Camp of Instruction (boot camp) at Jacksonville, FL at the beginning of the war. This childhood illness turned ultimately into pneumonia from which he almost died. This could have also weakened his constitution. We don't know....He apparently began recruitment for the SS in November 1864 and then left for Baltimore on January 1, 1865. For all his hearty appearance, he appears to have been a somewhat frail lad constitutionally. As for those girls -- we have yet to see. I know a bit more but can't divulge it yet. He also had a girlfriend in VA - so he DID get around a bit! Boys will be boys! "The Past is a foreign country...they do things differently there" - L. P. Hartley |
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08-24-2012, 01:56 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-24-2012 02:05 PM by Natty.)
Post: #48
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RE: Lew Powell's Frostbitten Feet
(08-24-2012 01:50 PM)RJNorton Wrote: According to Hartranft's letterbook, Lewis Powell had a female African American visitor at 10:00 A.M. on June 1, 1865. Do we know who that lady was and why she was visiting Powell? Betty would probably know best here - all I know is the mention of the African American women in Alias Paine, who mistook Lewis for Dan Murray Lee, whose Mammy she had been. But her visit was listed in the book as on June 16th. (08-24-2012 12:30 PM)BettyO Wrote: Lewis could have been ill at Dranesville and did not fight -- I don't know....I do know that he was ill quite a bit with bouts of unspecified sickness. On June 30,at the battle of Gaines Mill he fought for one day and then was carted the 12 miles to Richmond where he spent over 3 months in the Florida Hospital (still standing) with illness. He was there until mid November 1862. The anthropologist who discovered Lew's noggin stated that he suffered apparently from chronic sinusitis. We do know that he had an attack of measles when he enlisted and was sent to the Camp of Instruction (boot camp) at Jacksonville, FL at the beginning of the war. This childhood illness turned ultimately into pneumonia from which he almost died. This could have also weakened his constitution. We don't know....He apparently began recruitment for the SS in November 1864 and then left for Baltimore on January 1, 1865. For all his hearty appearance, he appears to have been a somewhat frail lad constitutionally. The sinusitis would have been as a result of his teeth, right? Dental infections can lead to all kinds of complications, even death, so this would not surprise me. Yes, if Lewis was floundering in the health department and the others in the Rangers noticed it, they might have judged him as unfit for fighting duty. Lewis might have seemed under the weather, or generally weak due to chronic bouts of illness. The other girlfriend was Betty Meredith, right? No, it does not surprise me that he quickly recovered from lovesickness due to the Bransons. A new pretty face would have provided ample amounts of distraction! |
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08-24-2012, 01:58 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-24-2012 01:59 PM by MaddieM.)
Post: #49
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RE: Lew Powell's Frostbitten Feet
I think you're probably on target there. But as with most things such as this the real instigators are rarely caught, they're too smart to put themselves in the firing line. The driving force is an entity that never reveals itself. And if you get caught, they don't support you either. You're on your own.
(08-24-2012 01:56 PM)Natty Wrote:(08-24-2012 01:50 PM)RJNorton Wrote: According to Hartranft's letterbook, Lewis Powell had a female African American visitor at 10:00 A.M. on June 1, 1865. Do we know who that lady was and why she was visiting Powell? I think he denied knowing her, didn't he? ‘I’ve danced at Abraham Lincoln’s birthday bash... I’ve peaked.’ Leigh Boswell - The Open Doorway. http://earthkandi.blogspot.co.uk/ |
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08-24-2012, 02:00 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-24-2012 02:01 PM by BettyO.)
Post: #50
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RE: Lew Powell's Frostbitten Feet
(08-24-2012 01:27 PM)MaddieM Wrote:(08-24-2012 06:51 AM)BettyO Wrote: According to Dr. Gillette, Lew didn't eat or drink a thing on the morning of the hanging - for obvious reasons. Lew had been a soldier, he had seen men die on the battle and he knew what happened. He didn't want to disgrace himself further by losing his bowels, etc. Enough said. I definitely agree! I think he was thinking about a lot of things. He was extremely young. He had his whole life ahead of him -- his home, his girlfriends and now the impact of doing a real man's job! If he succeeded - he thought he'd be lauded by the South -- and if he failed; he knew he was going to die. Heavy stuff for a 20 year old kid.... (08-24-2012 01:58 PM)MaddieM Wrote: I think you're probably on target there. But as with most things such as this the real instigators are rarely caught, they're too smart to put themselves in the firing line. The driving force is an entity that never reveals itself. And if you get caught, they don't support you either. You're on your own. This lady was brought in to butress the contention that he was Dan Murry Lee...of course, Lew was most certainly NOT! He denied knowing the woman as well he did not know her! "The Past is a foreign country...they do things differently there" - L. P. Hartley |
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08-24-2012, 02:01 PM
Post: #51
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RE: Lew Powell's Frostbitten Feet
(08-24-2012 01:56 PM)BettyO Wrote: Lewis could have been ill at Dranesville and did not fight -- I don't know....I do know that he was ill quite a bit with bouts of unspecified sickness. On June 30,at the battle of Gaines Mill he fought for one day and then was carted the 12 miles to Richmond where he spent over 3 months in the Florida Hospital (still standing) with illness. He was there until mid November 1862. The anthropologist who discovered Lew's noggin stated that he suffered apparently from chronic sinusitis. We do know that he had an attack of measles when he enlisted and was sent to the Camp of Instruction (boot camp) at Jacksonville, FL at the beginning of the war. This childhood illness turned ultimately into pneumonia from which he almost died. This could have also weakened his constitution. We don't know....He apparently began recruitment for the SS in November 1864 and then left for Baltimore on January 1, 1865. For all his hearty appearance, he appears to have been a somewhat frail lad constitutionally. I've been reading up about chewing tobacco, and it said that it can make you ill if you swallow it, give you sickness and upset stomach. Could that have been his problem? ‘I’ve danced at Abraham Lincoln’s birthday bash... I’ve peaked.’ Leigh Boswell - The Open Doorway. http://earthkandi.blogspot.co.uk/ |
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08-24-2012, 02:10 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-24-2012 02:12 PM by BettyO.)
Post: #52
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RE: Lew Powell's Frostbitten Feet
(08-24-2012 02:01 PM)MaddieM Wrote:(08-24-2012 01:56 PM)BettyO Wrote: Lewis could have been ill at Dranesville and did not fight -- I don't know....I do know that he was ill quite a bit with bouts of unspecified sickness. On June 30,at the battle of Gaines Mill he fought for one day and then was carted the 12 miles to Richmond where he spent over 3 months in the Florida Hospital (still standing) with illness. He was there until mid November 1862. The anthropologist who discovered Lew's noggin stated that he suffered apparently from chronic sinusitis. We do know that he had an attack of measles when he enlisted and was sent to the Camp of Instruction (boot camp) at Jacksonville, FL at the beginning of the war. This childhood illness turned ultimately into pneumonia from which he almost died. This could have also weakened his constitution. We don't know....He apparently began recruitment for the SS in November 1864 and then left for Baltimore on January 1, 1865. For all his hearty appearance, he appears to have been a somewhat frail lad constitutionally. Oh, no....I'm sure that kid new all about chewing tobacco -- he could spit, I'm sure! Now - long story, but I did that once years ago as a teenager. We had horses and we kept a "quid" of tobacco in the barn to worm the horses as well as a bottle of whiskey to drench them if they had colic. I was 16. My sister 14, and another schoolmate also 16 got into the tobacco and whiskey out of curiosity. I took a bite of that plug, swallowed it and I thought I'd die! Never again. I didn't know you were supposed to spit it! By the way - didn't like the Whiskey either! HA! "The Past is a foreign country...they do things differently there" - L. P. Hartley |
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08-24-2012, 02:24 PM
Post: #53
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RE: Lew Powell's Frostbitten Feet
(08-24-2012 02:01 PM)MaddieM Wrote: The anthropologist who discovered Lew's noggin stated that he suffered apparently from chronic sinusitis. We do know that he had an attack of measles when he enlisted and was sent to the Camp of Instruction (boot camp) at Jacksonville, FL at the beginning of the war. This childhood illness turned ultimately into pneumonia from which he almost died. This could have also weakened his constitution. We don't know....He apparently began recruitment for the SS in November 1864 and then left for Baltimore on January 1, 1865. For all his hearty appearance, he appears to have been a somewhat frail lad constitutionally. I know someone who suffers from chronic sinusitis, and it's awful. Really painful. It also flares up when you're run down. I had measles when I was 16, and boy, was I ill! My weight dropped from 8 stone to 6 stone. I was ill for months. ‘I’ve danced at Abraham Lincoln’s birthday bash... I’ve peaked.’ Leigh Boswell - The Open Doorway. http://earthkandi.blogspot.co.uk/ |
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08-24-2012, 02:50 PM
Post: #54
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RE: Lew Powell's Frostbitten Feet
(08-24-2012 02:24 PM)MaddieM Wrote:(08-24-2012 02:01 PM)MaddieM Wrote: The anthropologist who discovered Lew's noggin stated that he suffered apparently from chronic sinusitis. We do know that he had an attack of measles when he enlisted and was sent to the Camp of Instruction (boot camp) at Jacksonville, FL at the beginning of the war. This childhood illness turned ultimately into pneumonia from which he almost died. This could have also weakened his constitution. We don't know....He apparently began recruitment for the SS in November 1864 and then left for Baltimore on January 1, 1865. For all his hearty appearance, he appears to have been a somewhat frail lad constitutionally. I have sinusitis also occasionally - it depends on the temperature outside. My sinuses flair up in cold weather. I think of Lewis sleeping on the ground outside in the army and that didn't help any probably - plus there were those teeth and the abscesses he must have had and the tooth aches! Ugh! I don't even want to go there! I had measles at age 5 and really don't remember it much - I had chicken pox at age 6 and do remember that! My younger sister had that really bad. I had the mumps at age 11 and remember that, too! "The Past is a foreign country...they do things differently there" - L. P. Hartley |
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08-24-2012, 02:56 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-24-2012 02:58 PM by Gene C.)
Post: #55
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RE: Lew Powell's Frostbitten Feet
Betty wrote:
"He apparently began recruitment for the SS in November 1864 and then left for Baltimore on January 1, 1865. For all his hearty appearance, he appears to have been a somewhat frail lad constitutionally." IF his health was so poor or he got sick a lot, why would the Confederate SS pick him for such an important job? Seems to me they would want someone more reliable and rugged? So when is this "Old Enough To Know Better" supposed to kick in? |
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08-24-2012, 03:03 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-24-2012 03:05 PM by BettyO.)
Post: #56
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RE: Lew Powell's Frostbitten Feet
Good question, Gene! I really don't know, but this kid was seemingly one sick puppy. He was in the hospital a lot unless he was "playing Old Soldier." And with those teeth, I doubt it!
I assume that the Confederate higher ups had some sickly folk as well - look at Alexander Stephens -- he was about as sick as they come and he was the Vice President -- so apparently health didn't matter a bit -- not when your government is going down the tube at as fast a rate as the Confederacy was. Their ranks in late 1864-1865 were getting down to old men and little boys (and I mean 14-16 year olds!) so.....who knows! "The Past is a foreign country...they do things differently there" - L. P. Hartley |
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08-24-2012, 03:13 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-24-2012 03:20 PM by Natty.)
Post: #57
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RE: Lew Powell's Frostbitten Feet
(08-24-2012 03:03 PM)BettyO Wrote: Good question, Gene! I really don't know, but this kid was seemingly one sick puppy. He was in the hospital a lot unless he was "playing Old Soldier." And with those teeth, I doubt it! I just read a book about sexually transmitted diseases during the Civil War - if these statistics told me anything, it was that "sick bay" was a common place for many Union and Confederate soldiers. Lewis probably functioned very highly in between flare ups (of sinusitis, not the above!) and was considered quite healthy. He might have suffered a particularly bad bout during his initial period with the Rangers, due to the added stress and more difficult living circumstances, leading others to believe he was a bit sickly. He did, however, make sure that this impression was thoroughly destroyed during the raids that came thereafter, probably wanting impress everyone and prove them wrong. |
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08-24-2012, 03:20 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-24-2012 03:25 PM by Gene C.)
Post: #58
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RE: Lew Powell's Frostbitten Feet
(08-24-2012 03:13 PM)Natty Wrote: I just read a book about sexually transmitted diseases during the Civil War - A whole book? Yuk! I have to agree with you Betty. Considering this whole kidnap - assassination plot....the Confederates must have been desperate to try a ham actor without any military experience for such an important task. So when is this "Old Enough To Know Better" supposed to kick in? |
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08-24-2012, 03:25 PM
Post: #59
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RE: Lew Powell's Frostbitten Feet
(08-24-2012 03:20 PM)Gene C Wrote:(08-24-2012 03:13 PM)Natty Wrote: I just read a book about sexually transmitted diseases during the Civil War - Well, it was actually about sex during the Civil War, but to sum it up, yes - it was mostly about STDs and prostitutes with STDs. A whole book. I agree with Betty too. They could have done a lot worse than Lewis, particularly considering the nature of the work. |
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08-24-2012, 03:36 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-24-2012 03:36 PM by Gene C.)
Post: #60
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RE: Lew Powell's Frostbitten Feet
(08-24-2012 03:25 PM)Natty Wrote:(08-24-2012 03:20 PM)Gene C Wrote:(08-24-2012 03:13 PM)Natty Wrote: I just read a book about sexually transmitted diseases during the Civil War - I hope you washed your hands So when is this "Old Enough To Know Better" supposed to kick in? |
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