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Gene C · 10-03-2018, 10:40 AM

I know it's wrong but.... George Armstrong Custer ?

RJNorton · 10-03-2018, 02:14 PM

I am still trying to figure out the Sesame Street clue. Was your reference to one of the Muppets or to a human character?

AussieMick · (This post was last modified: 10-03-2018 08:00 PM by AussieMick.)

I'd say he was every bit as controversial as Custer and made enemies like him (Its worth guessing even if you know its wrong , so we can identify similarities).

The Sesame St 'hint' ? Its just that the name is so unusual (to me anyway). There is no character or human in Sesame St that has the name. It has a 'z' in it.

This man was an editor (of a small but "progressive" journal) and also involved in the bootmaking industry before the Civil War
.
He died from gunshot wounds aged 29. He was married with 6 children.

His rank was Colonel. But had the honorary award of brevet brigadier general .

He served under Brig. Gen. Edward A. Wild

That connection with bootmaking industry? Google search Lynn Mechanics Association

AussieMick · 10-03-2018, 08:12 PM

(10-03-2018 04:45 PM)AussieMick Wrote: I'd say he was every bit as controversial as Custer and made enemies like him (Its worth guessing even if you know its wrong , so we can identify similarities).

The Sesame St 'hint' ? Its just that the name is so unusual (to me anyway). There is no character or human in Sesame St that has the name. It has a 'z' in it.

This man was an editor (of a small but "progressive" journal) and also involved in the bootmaking industry before the Civil War
.
He died from gunshot wounds aged 29. He was married with 6 children.

His rank was Colonel. But had the honorary award of brevet brigadier general .

He served under Brig. Gen. Edward A. Wild. Wild gave orders to execute guerrillas and arrest civilians lending aid to guerrillas. It seems that our mystery Colonel followed those orders.

That connection with bootmaking industry? Google search Lynn Mechanics Association

AussieMick · 10-03-2018, 10:56 PM

When some of his soldiers were captured he responded by arranging for a woman to be taken as hostage.
This caused quite a nasty exchange of opinions in the Union ranks.

RJNorton · 10-04-2018, 04:52 AM

Alonzo G. Draper?

AussieMick · (This post was last modified: 10-04-2018 07:00 AM by AussieMick.)

Wow! Well done, Roger.

For the benefit of others that dont know of Alonzo (although I suspect some of you knew of him before I did, even if you didnt guess him from my weird 'hints' ... I only came across him last week) :-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alonzo_G._...f-Reid_1-1

and

http://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.c...-activist/
(hence why I thought David might have a better chance of arriving at the answer)

Apparently he was a 'disciplinarian' towards his troops. He died when training troops in Texas. Now I have no evidence for this and I am open to being accused of being disrespectful ... but its well known that on manoeuvres or during target practice unpopular officers tend to get themselves accidentally shot.

RJNorton · 10-04-2018, 07:00 AM

I really enjoy your questions, Michael. I love trying to follow/figure out the clues. A wonderful challenge to try to give the aging brain some activity!

L Verge · 10-04-2018, 08:52 AM

(10-04-2018 07:00 AM)RJNorton Wrote: I really enjoy your questions, Michael. I love trying to follow/figure out the clues. A wonderful challenge to try to give the aging brain some activity!

Agreed, Roger. Thank you, Michael. I actually went to wiki before reading your last comment about his death. When I saw the "accidental shooting," I immediately thought the same as you -- probably not an accident...

David Lockmiller · 11-05-2018, 02:00 PM

Who made the following personal statement?

"I am not aware of ever having used a profane expletive in my life; but I would have the charity to excuse those who may had done so, if they were in charge of a train of Mexican pack mules at the time."

L Verge · 11-05-2018, 02:42 PM

I don't know much about U.S. Grant, but I'm pretty sure that he is the one who said this during the Mexican war. The story that I heard was that the army was so slow in advancing on Monterey that even the pack animals got lazy, and Grant had to get them moving -- and did so routinely and with no angry outbursts. Same method works on most children...

I remember thinking at the time that it was hard to believe that a military man never used profanity.

David Lockmiller · 11-05-2018, 03:37 PM

(11-05-2018 02:42 PM)L Verge Wrote: I don't know much about U.S. Grant, but I'm pretty sure that he is the one who said this during the Mexican war. The story that I heard was that the army was so slow in advancing on Monterey that even the pack animals got lazy, and Grant had to get them moving -- and did so routinely and with no angry outbursts. Same method works on most children...

I remember thinking at the time that it was hard to believe that a military man never used profanity.

Laurie, this is the way that 2nd Lieutenant U. S. Grant described his experience in this regard in volume 1 of his personal memoirs at pages 104-106:

When Carmargo was reached, we found a city of tents outside the Mexican hamlet. I was detailed to act as quartermaster and commissary to the regiment. The teams that had proven abundantly sufficient to transport all supplies from Corpus Christi to the Rio Grande over the level prairies of Texas, were entirely inadequate to the needs of the reinforced army in a mountainous country. To obviate the deficiency, pack mules were hired, with Mexicans to pack and drive them. I had charge of the few wagons allotted to the 4th infantry and of the pack train to supplement them. There were not men enough in the army to manage that train without the help of Mexicans who had learned how. (emphasis added in order to point out another example of Grant's humor) As it was the difficulty was great enough. The troops would take up their march at an early hour each day. After they had started, the tents and cooking utensils had to be made into packages, so that they could be lashed to the backs of the mules. Sheet-iron kettles, tent-poles and mess kits were inconvenient articles to transport in that way. It took several hours to get ready to start each morning., and by the time we were ready some of the mules first loaded would be tired of standing so long with their loads on their backs. Sometimes one would start to run, bowing his back and kicking up until he scattered his load; others would lie down and try to disarrange their loads by attempting to get on the top of them by rolling on them; others with tent-poles for part of their loads would manage to run a tent-pole on one side of a sapling while they would take the other. I am not aware of ever having used a profane expletive in my life; but I would have the charity to excuse those who may had done so, if they were in charge of a train of Mexican pack mules at the time.

L Verge · 11-05-2018, 05:19 PM

(11-05-2018 03:37 PM)David Lockmiller Wrote:
(11-05-2018 02:42 PM)L Verge Wrote: I don't know much about U.S. Grant, but I'm pretty sure that he is the one who said this during the Mexican war. The story that I heard was that the army was so slow in advancing on Monterey that even the pack animals got lazy, and Grant had to get them moving -- and did so routinely and with no angry outbursts. Same method works on most children...

I remember thinking at the time that it was hard to believe that a military man never used profanity.

Laurie, this is the way that 2nd Lieutenant U. S. Grant described his experience in this regard in volume 1 of his personal memoirs at pages 104-106:

When Carmargo was reached, we found a city of tents outside the Mexican hamlet. I was detailed to act as quartermaster and commissary to the regiment. The teams that had proven abundantly sufficient to transport all supplies from Corpus Christi to the Rio Grande over the level prairies of Texas, were entirely inadequate to the needs of the reinforced army in a mountainous country. To obviate the deficiency, pack mules were hired, with Mexicans to pack and drive them. I had charge of the few wagons allotted to the 4th infantry and of the pack train to supplement them. There were not men enough in the army to manage that train without the help of Mexicans who had learned how. (emphasis added in order to point out another example of Grant's humor) As it was the difficulty was great enough. The troops would take up their march at an early hour each day. After they had started, the tents and cooking utensils had to be made into packages, so that they could be lashed to the backs of the mules. Sheet-iron kettles, tent-poles and mess kits were inconvenient articles to transport in that way. It took several hours to get ready to start each morning., and by the time we were ready some of the mules first loaded would be tired of standing so long with their loads on their backs. Sometimes one would start to run, bowing his back and kicking up until he scattered his load; others would lie down and try to disarrange their loads by attempting to get on the top of them by rolling on them; others with tent-poles for part of their loads would manage to run a tent-pole on one side of a sapling while they would take the other. I am not aware of ever having used a profane expletive in my life; but I would have the charity to excuse those who may had done so, if they were in charge of a train of Mexican pack mules at the time.

Thanks, David, for filling in the blanks. Now, I have to figure out a way to include this tidbit in a future Surratt Courier. I bet Grant would hug and kiss Humvees today!

Steve · (This post was last modified: 11-05-2018 08:40 PM by Steve.)

(10-04-2018 06:50 AM)AussieMick Wrote: Wow! Well done, Roger.

For the benefit of others that dont know of Alonzo (although I suspect some of you knew of him before I did, even if you didnt guess him from my weird 'hints' ... I only came across him last week) :-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alonzo_G._...f-Reid_1-1

and

http://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.c...-activist/
(hence why I thought David might have a better chance of arriving at the answer)

Apparently he was a 'disciplinarian' towards his troops. He died when training troops in Texas. Now I have no evidence for this and I am open to being accused of being disrespectful ... but its well known that on manoeuvres or during target practice unpopular officers tend to get themselves accidentally shot.

Bvt. Brig. Gen. Alonzo G. Draper was shot a few days after he received word that he was being relieved of command of the 36th USCT and reassigned as commander of the military post at Indianola.

On August 30, 1865 Draper was riding outside of camp with his orderly and fell off of his horse. His orderly dismounted and after turning Draper over realized that he had been shot in the back, rushing him to the post surgeon. No firearms discharge was heard before Draper fell, indicating the shot had been fired at some distance away. No one else was seen in the area. An investigation was conducted to try and determine if the shooting had been intentional but it was inconclusive. But it was assumed that the shot had been fired accidentally.

Here's a couple of links:

https://books.google.com/books?id=Dyljlm...ot&f=false

and

https://books.google.com/books?id=JtiKkX...go&f=false

Here's a copy of Draper's obituary from the 26 Sept. 1865 Boston Evening Traveller:

**** ALONZO G. DRAPER LINCOLN-RELATED BONUS FACT! ****

Before he was the commander of the 36th USCT, Draper had been the captain of Company C, 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery. In 1862 that company had been assigned to Fort Richardson, one of the protective forts encircling Washington, DC. On May 28, 1862 one of the soldiers of Draper's company deserted after being granted a day pass. That soldier was Pvt. Arthur Edward Bixby and two years later President Lincoln would send Bixby's mother a famous letter of condolence, erroneously counting Edward as one of hers sons who had been killed during the war.

David Lockmiller · (This post was last modified: 11-06-2018 07:46 AM by David Lockmiller.)

Shortly after his graduation from West Point in 1843, Ulysses Grant shared an important national political opinion (that lasted a lifetime) with Congressman Abraham Lincoln. What was the nature of this opinion?

While at West Point, cadet Ulysses Grant set a record among his fellow cadets that stood for 25 years. What was this record of achievement?

Early on in his life following his graduation from West Point, Grant had decided upon his career path. The first step involved a return to West Point. What was to be his planned future and what was the successful step he took in this direction?

But for the early military preparations relating to the annexation of Texas, the lifelong marriage of Ulysses Grant might never have occurred. How did Grant explain this in his own words?