November Meeting - Summary and Photos

CWRT of Eastern PA met November 1, 2022 at the Delta by Marriott in Fogelsville.

After another good dinner, we began the meeting with the introduction of Rich Jankowski, the President of the “Old Baldy” Civil War Round Table in central NJ. (FYI - Old Baldy was the name of Meade’s horse.) Rich, also the Director of the CWRT Congress, was present to encourage inter roundtable communication and cooperation; and to hear Rich Rosenthal’s presentation.

Rich Rosenthal, President of the North Jersey Civil War Round Table, gave a two part presentation.

Part One centered on General Order #11 of December 17, 1862, issued by General Grant as he tried to enforce the Lincoln administration’s attempt to cut off the Confederacy from all trade with the North. The trade was especially profitable for those dealing in cotton and cotton goods going north.

Since Jews were among the most prominent business people, Grant’s order stated rather harshly, “The Jews, as a class, violating every regulation of trade established by the Treasury Department, and also Department orders, are hereby expelled from the Department.”

The result was almost 1000 jews expelled, many arrested and sent off by train or boat without possessions.

Eventually the order is brought to the attention of Lincoln who tells Halleck to rescind it. Eventually Halleck writes to Grant telling him, the president’s desire. Eventually Grant acts.

Part Two dealt with Judah Benjamin - the so called brains of the confederacy. As Jefferson Davis’s right-hand man, Judah P. Benjamin was the most important Jew of the 19th century – he was also the most widely hated one in the North and portions of the South.

Yet, during his career he was a United States Senator and served the Confederacy as Attorney General, Secretary of War, and Secretary of State.

He was a proponent of slavery, but eventually proposed arming the slaves and sending them to war to fight for the CSA.

At war’s end, he escaped to Great Britain, where he resumed his law practice.

Rich presented Barry with two new books and a journal.

We thank Rich for his presentation.

We also held our monthly book raffle for preservation. A photo of the winners is below.

History's Headlines: Jonathan Taylor of Bethlehem

Jonathan Taylor of Bethlehem

• WFMZ.com by Frank Whelan (CWRT Board Member)

• To read the complete article CLICK HERE

“It is well that war is terrible, or we should grow too fond of it.” - Confederate commander Robert E. Lee, on seeing federal charges repulsed at the battle of Fredericksburg, Va. December 13, 1862

These oft-quoted words of Lee, usually the only ones selected from him in most books of reference almost brings to life a picture, one of those Don Troiani paintings or prints much admired and collected by Civil War buffs. There Lee sits on Traveler, ramrod straight, half lowered field glass in hand, aides and fellow officers around him. He turns to his trusted aide James Longstreet (later to be defamed by true believers in the Lost Cause after the war by becoming a Republican and supporter of civil rights for Blacks) and utters the quote for which he is most remembered. Was someone taking notes?

Somewhere off of this picture is 20-year-old Jonathan Taylor of Bethlehem and at that moment no one had to tell him how terrible war was. As a Captain of Company C of the 129th Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers he found himself in one of the bigger failures of Union military leadership in the Civil War, the battle of Fredericksburg, one that would eventually lead to his wounding and later death. The Civil War monument in Bethlehem’s Rose Garden, recently restored, honors Taylor and his fellow soldiers from the Bethlehem and Northampton County area.

Born in Kidder Township, Carbon County on the 21st of April 1842, Taylor moved with his family to Bethlehem in 1858. At the outbreak of the war in 1861 he was a student at the Weaversville Academy, a private school of 100 students, some of whom boarded at the school and included male and female scholars. The academy favored a classical education, which meant an emphasis on Greek and Latin classics in the original languages. If it was like other schools of this type, it included writings of Homer and Caesar and other tales of soldiers from antiquity. The fact that Taylor attended a private school where his parents had to pay tuition rather than a public school suggests that they were of some means if not exactly wealthy.

Shortly following the bombardment of Fort Sumter the 19-year-old Taylor enlisted in Company A, First Pennsylvania Volunteers. The regiment was mustered in at Harrisburg on April 20th 1861. If he was like many young soldiers at the time Taylor might have assumed that the war would be over before he had a chance to fight. His regiment was at Harpers Ferry on July 21, 1861, when the battle of Bull Run took place. Washington socialites in their carriages with picnic baskets quickly fled following a Union Army battered against Jackson’s “stone wall.” It signaled the war would be a long one.

Taylor’s unit had only been mustered in for three months of service. For some that brief stint with war was…

To read the complete article CLICK HERE

From the Brigade Commander ~ November

It’s time to mark your calendars and plan to join us on Tuesday, November 1st for our next Civil War Round Table dinner, meeting and lecture.

Our November lecturer, Rich Rosenthal, has organized his talk into two sections, each part covering different Civil War era topics unified by a common thread— most of the principals involved were men of the Jewish faith. As always, if you can’t fit the dinner into your schedule, consider joining us later for the lecture.

Inside the November Newsletter, you’ll find a great example of satire—an age-old form of humor that intends to make fun of people or the ills and errors of the time. Round Table member Ed Root recently found a Civil War era gem that’s too good not to share.

Also in that issue, you’ll also read about a man who purportedly served as inspiration for the character of Captain Ahab in Herman Melville’s novel, “Moby Dick.”

In fact, take a look at the second, special print raffle we’ve launched to coincide with our planned January, 2023 lecture.

Hope to see you on the 1st .

BARRY

November Program and Speaker Information

RICH ROSENTHAL – NOVEMBER 1, 2022 SPEAKER; A TWO PART PROGRAM

PART ONE – GENERAL GRANT’S INFAMOUS ORDER #11, THE EXPULSION OF THE JEWS

Intending to enforce the Lincoln administration’s blockade against the Confederacy to cut off the Confederacy from all trade with the North, on December 17,1862, General Grant issued General Order #11, which stated: “The Jews, as a class, violating every regulation of trade established by the Treasury Department, and also Department orders, are hereby expelled from the Department.”

PART 2 – JUDAH P. BENJAMIN: THE BRAINS OF THE CONFEDERACY, AND A JEW

As Jefferson Davis’s right-hand man, Judah P. Benjamin was the most important Jew of the 19th century – he was also the most widely hated one in the North and portions of the South. Yet, he was a United States Senator and served the Confederacy as Attorney General, Secretary of War, and Secretary of State.

BIOGRAPHY

Rich Rosenthal is the President of the North Jersey Civil War Round Table and worked closely with the pre-eminent historian and author, John T. Cunningham, one of the founders of the North Jersey American Revolution Round Table. Rich has presented numerous lectures on a wide variety of historical subjects and is making a return to the Civil War Round Table of Eastern PA. He resides in Parsippany, New Jersey with his wife, Harriet.

October Meeting - Summary and Photos

John Zinn presented “Baseball During the Civil War Era”

John spoke about early Pennsylvania baseball history, with a special focus on the 1866 season, where a Philadelphia team was one of two championship contenders.  Many in the room hope for a repeat this baseball season with the Phillies!

John is a historian with a special interest in the history of baseball. Chairman of the Board of the New Jersey Historical Society, John was the Chair of New Jersey’s Committee on the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, and is the author of five books.

We also held our usual book raffle, which benefits our preservation efforts.

Winners are pictured here.

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Field Trip October 29

Andy Waskie will guide us on our trip to Laurel Hill Cemetery. Laurel Hill Cemetery is the cemetery with many Civil War heroes including Major General George G. Meade. After touring the cemetery from 10:00 - 12:30, we will go to McGillin’s Old Ale Pub for lunch. The restaurant has provided food and drinks for many US soldiers and the infamous, John Wilkes Booth. After our lunch, we will go to the Union League. A private tour will be provided by Andy. We will leave the Union League and return home that same day.

Andy Waskie is a retired History professor at Temple University. He is an author of the book, “Philadelphia and the Civil War: Arsenal of the Union”. He is a 40-year member of the Board of the Friends of Laurel Hill Cemetery. He has written a history of Laurel Hill and conducted tours at this cemetery for 40 years. While Andy will not take a payment, he requests a donation to the Laurel Hill Cemetery for $20.00. So the more folks who go, the less the price will be. The price for the Union League will be a donation of $100.00 to the friends of the Union League. Again, the more that go, the lower the price. Naturally, our lunch will be on us and the parking when we are downtown. Andy estimates the buffet to be approximately $16.00. The only add-on is I would like to collect just a little more than the cost of admission in order to treat our guide to lunch.

I will pass around a sign-up sheet tonight and request a $10.00 non-refundable deposit. We will also place the flyer on the website and in the newsletter.  However, you must sign up with me (Claire).  If you have any questions, concerns, please contact me at clkuk@ptd.net

September Meeting and Summary

Tom Fontana provided period music while were were gathering, and again while we worked out some minor technical difficulties in the presentation.

Nancy Hale presented a program about the variety of artillery used during Gettysburg, and where origianl pieces still are displayed on the battlefield.

She also spoke about some of the the artillerists themselves and there service above and beyond the call of duty.

As usual we held our book raffle with proceeds going to preservation. Preservation grants from the past program year were announced.

From the Brigade Commander ~ September 2022

It is my great honor to welcome you to the 45th campaign year of the Civil War Round Table of Eastern Pa., Inc. You need only to read our newsletter to appreciate the magnitude of the contributions that this organization, thanks to people like you, has made to America and Americans.

This month, we take time out to honor the late Karl Lehr. His legacy gift to our Round Table, made more than 10 years ago, placed our Round Table squarely among the organizations and individuals that are leading the fight to preserve the places where crucial chapters of history were written and that serve as the final resting places for countless soldiers.

We’ll be getting off to a strong start with a return visit by Nancy Hale, who will share her research results in the area of the artillerists and artillery used during the Battle of Gettysburg. You’ll find more lecture details in the newsletter. This newsletter also shares news about two upcoming Civil War-related events.

Hope to see you all very soon.

Barry

Grant wins the heart of South Bethlehem

History's Headlines: Grant wins the heart of South Bethlehem

from WFMZ - by Frank Whelan CWRT Board Member Aug 13, 2022

It’s the summer of 1869 in South Bethlehem. Gentlemen’s hats are high, cigars and whiskey plentiful and antimacassars, those little doilies designed to protect the backs of chairs from greasy male hair oil, are much in evidence. And on August 19 of that year, citizens were looking forward to something special: a visit from the President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant.

It is the high noon of America’s post-Civil War boom, and the Bethlehem Iron Company was shipping its rails around the country at a breakneck pace. A shipment had been sent around Cape Horn to San Francisco a year before for the Central Pacific Railroad that on May 10, 1869 joined the Union Pacific at Promontory Point, Utah, completing the nation’s first trans-continental railroad. That year Grant would oversee the completion of another railroad from Sacramento, California to Omaha, Nebraska. Not resting on its laurels, Bethlehem Iron that year sent executives Robert Sayre and John Fritz to Europe to investigate the new steel rail-making technology being developed there. Closer to home in Allentown the Board of Trade boasted it was possible to read a newspaper at three o’ clock in the morning by the light of that city’s iron rail mills working through the night.

It was also a time when political change brought on by the Civil War was recognized when Grant signed enforcement acts to suppress the Ku Klux Klan violence in the South and witnessed in 1870 the election of Joseph Rainey of South Carolina as the first Black person elected to the House of Representatives. Grant was also a vigorous supporter to the ratification of the 15th amendment to the Constitution, giving rights to recently enslaved Black people as citizens.

Local Trending News

At this distance of time, it may be difficult to appreciate Grant the way the people of his time did. Into the end of the last century, because of many scandals in his administration that were uncovered, none of which Grant personally profited, he was regarded by historians as a do-nothing president almost certainly at the bottom of the barrel and probably a drunk. Prior to 1999 the vast majority of Grant biographers either ignored Grant’s presidency or portrayed it as a failure. In 1935 the influential and flamboyant University of Wisconsin historian William B. Hesseltine (according to one account by Ralph Havener, later archivist for the University of Missouri, and one of his graduate seminar students, Hesseltine used to stab unsatisfactory student papers in a pile with a large knife) wrote “Ulysses Grant: Politician,” the standard biography of Grant whose negative view of the man prevailed among biographers for the rest of the century. In a ranking of presidents done by historians in the 1950s, Grant was rated as a failure in the White House. “Grant was a loser,” Hesseltine wrote. ”Even the dogs didn’t like the man.”

It was not until 1999 with Frank Scaturro’s “President Grant Reconsidered” that the historical tide began to turn. Many current biographers have taken another look and discovered that this view of Grant came from detractors in the 19th century, mostly political opponents, or condescending New Englanders like Henry Adams, who felt Grant lacked the sophistication or intelligence to be president and was “pre-intellectual, archaic and would have seemed so even to cave-dwellers.” As New England historians wrote the textbooks for the nation in that era, the pattern was set.

But for folks in his time, at least in the North, Grant was a hero. Not that it was always so. Born in Ohio as the first of six children he was said to have been a small, sensitive, quiet boy who early showed his talent training horses. Grant entered West Point in 1839 where he excelled in mathematics, writing, and…
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE

From the Brigade Commander ~ Summer 2022

Campaign 45 will be here before you know it, and this newsletter will (hopefully) begin to whet your appetite for what’s to come.

We’ll get off to a strong start on September 6th with a return visit from Rev. Dr. Nancy Hale, a Civil War re-enactor and author. Last year, her talk, “Faith and Duty,” was accompanied by a terrific slide show that introduced the audience to Civil War chaplains while she shared stories of their personal bravery and contributions made to their respective regiments. This year, Nancy will present, “Artillery at Gettysburg: The Guns, the Artillerists, and the Medal of Honor.” Watch for more lecture details in our September newsletter issue.

In other news, we’re making final decisions about items to include in our annual print raffle fundraiser for Campaign 45. And we have plenty of donated Civil War books in inventory to hold our traditional book raffle which, as always, will precede each lecture.

The Board of Directors will be meeting in August to make a final decision about where Campaign 44 preservation funds will be donated. More to come on this subject. Inside, you’ll also find a quick look back on Campaign 44, especially our June meeting.

A special shoutout to Kay Bagenstose, who made several donations to our CWRT during the campaign year, including one in June. I hope that what’s left of your summer is enjoyable. For myself, I’m already looking forward to seeing the many familiar faces that I’ve been missing.

BARRY