Pointless Prize: Civil War History

[BicycleBeth]

Civil War History Pointless Prize

I am sponsoring a Civil War History pointless prize. We have so much Civil War history in the DC Metro area, and I’d love for us to explore more of our nation’s heritage. I’ve had a great time cycling to Civil War sites this year including circle forts, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the Maryland Campaign of 1862. I’ve even designed and rode bicycle routes to follow troop movements leading up to the Battles of South Mountain, Antietam, and Gettysburg.

The Rules

For this contest, there are two ways to earn points, each of which will have a hashtag on Strava. You can earn a maximum of 7 points per day. That is, your ride can have both hashtags: #CivilWarMarker #CivilWarStreet. If you have multiple rides in one day and both rides are hashtagged for this prize, only the first ride of the day counts.

1. #CivilWarMarker +5 points
-Find Civil War Markers like monuments, historic signs with descriptions, circle forts, battle sites, and similar. Take a photo of the historic marker with your bicycle. Write a short description of the marker on Strava. This could be as simple as retyping the text of the marker or talking about where you found the marker or why it caught your eye.
-Hashtag the ride on Strava as #CivilWarMarker.
-One Civil War Marker counts PER DAY.
-Don’t repeat the same exact historic marker for the duration of Freezing Saddles. You’re on the honor system here.

2. #CivilWarStreet +2 points
-Find streets named after Civil War generals, key figures, and streets that were critical to the Civil War. Take a picture of your bike with the street sign. Write a short description of who this general/key figure was or why this street/street name was critical in the Civil War in the comment section on Strava.
-Examples for streets critical to the Civil War:
*”Military Road” in Arlington and in DC was designed to connect the circle forts defending the perimeter of Washington.
*Roads that were critical in battle movements also count as long as you annotate why they were important. For example, “Bolivar Road” is the approach that Union troops used to to engaged with Confederate troops at Fox’s Gap (on Reno Monument Road) at the Battle of South Mountain in September of 1862.
-Hashtag the ride on Strava as #CivilWarStreet.
-One Civil War Street counts PER DAY.
-Do not repeat the same street in the same city/town but you could find the same street name in a different city. For example, “Lee” Street appears in multiple cities in the region. You could ride “Lee” Street in 5 different cities on 5 different days and have them all count. But don’t just ride another block down the same street and count that as a new sign (unless it’s in a different city). You’re on the honor system here.

RULES EDITED on 1/3/2021 TO ADD:
1. Hashtags, photos, and Strava captions/ride comments must be completed no later than 3 days after the date of the ride. No saving up those points for the last minute!

2. You must be willing to accept my Strava friend request or have a public profile that I can follow so that I can read your civil war posts and audit them for accuracy and completeness.

3. If your Civil War Marker is not clearly connected to the Civil War on the marker itself, then you must explain the connection in your comments. For example, you see a courthouse or fort sign that you know was relevant to the civil war but is otherwise not explained on the sign. You take a picture with the marker and your bike. You should also explain what the connection is to the Civil War.

4. (2/7/2021 clarification) The Civil War streets, other than those used for troop and supply movements, should be named after historical FIGURES from the Civil War to include topics related to secession, slavery, abolition, the Underground Railroad, and Reconstruction and the politics of these events. Just to be clear, a key figure or historical figure is a PERSON not a city, battlefield, park, ship name, etc. The key figure should be historically remembered in some way that was relevant to one of these topics. Streets do not need to literally be named after the person. They can just be the same name as the surname of the historical figure.

5. (2/8/2021 edit, clarification, and grandfather clause). From the original rules under #civilwarstreet, I wrote “Write a short description of who this general/key figure was or why this street/street name was critical in the Civil War in the comment section on Strava.” This grammatical construction (in particular, “street name”) may have legitimately led people to believe that additional categories other than the two intended categories were allowed. Thus, I will grandfather in all entries referring to places, ships, ship movements, etc until 2/8/2021 as long as all other rules were followed.

To be very clear, I will rewrite this sentence into two sentences.
For Historical Figures: Write a short description of who this Civil War figure was and what role they played in the Civil War in the comment/caption section on Strava. Historical Figures includes both prominent and historically-recorded figures as described earlier.
For Troop Movements and Critical Civil War Routes: Write a short description of why this street was critical to troop and/or supply movements in the Civil War in the comment/caption section on Strava. The idea is that you will ride your bike in the same place that troops or supply wagons used during the Civil War so that you can experience the terrain they encountered. You can use the same street for troop movements multiple times as long as each time you use it it is in a different jurisdiction. The reason for this is that terrain varies between jurisdictions, and I want you to relive the troop movements.
-For example, Georgia Avenue (the Seventh Street Turnpike) was used both for the Battle of Fort Stevens (Confederates attacking and retreating and Federals in pursuit) and for Burnside moving troops and material up to Gettysburg. Based on my research, I can get Georgia Ave in DC, Silver Spring, Wheaton, and Olney since these are four generally viewed as distinct jurisdictions.

–What is not allowed, example: Appomotax Court in Springfield, Virginia would NOT count. Why you might think it would count: Troops fought in Appomattox and Gen. Lee surrendered at the Appomattox Court House. But does it meet either of these two tests:
*Does it share the name of a historical FIGURE (a person) from the Civil War? (No. Appomattox is not a person but rather a place.)
*Did Civil War troops or supplies move on this street and in this jurisdiction? Are you riding your bike in the same place that troops/supplies were documented to be during the Civil War? (No. Gen. Lee did not surrender in Springfield, VA on Appomattox Ct. And Appomattox Court did not exist during the Civil War so documented troop movements for this street are highly unlikely.)

Prizes for the Top 3 Winners!!!
The top 3 winners will be honored on the Freezing Saddles forum and receive their choice of the following Audible audio books delivered electronically. If there is a tie for more than 3 top place finishers, then I will go through a subset of the hashtagged Strava posts, view the photos, and read the descriptions posted to Strava and subjectively decide who was more thorough in documenting civil war history.

1. The Great Courses: The American Civil War
2. The Great Courses: The History of the United States, 2nd Edition
3. Another Great Course on American history of your choice by one of these professors: Allen C. Guelzo, Gary W. Gallagher, or Patrick N. Allitt

For this forum, we can post and discuss our Civil War history finds. However, this is just for fun and not for points. The points are counted on Strava.

Track how you are doing in each category here:
Civil War Marker: https://freezingsaddles.org/pointless/hashtag/civilwarmarker
Civil War Street: https://freezingsaddles.org/pointless/hashtag/civilwarstreet
https://freezingsaddles.org/pointless/civilwarhistory

Topic

[Boomer Cycles]

Battery H #civilwarmaker – Gettysburg PA

Battery H, 3rd PA Heavy Artillery, 1st Brigade, 2nd Division – or as best as I can ascertain, the “Incidentals at Gettysburg”

The two gun section of Battery H had one of the more unusual roads to reach the Battle of Gettysburg. After their narrow escape, and with large numbers of Rebel cavalry at large between them and Baltimore, they gladly attached themselves to McIntosh’s Cavalry Brigade when it passed by the next day. Four days later they were at Gettysburg. The rest is history!

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[Boomer Cycles]

The 10th NY Cavalry #civilwarmarker – Gettysburg PA

In his article “Gettysburg in Calm and Combat,” Noble Preston summarized the Tenth’s actions on July 2 and 3:

“Immediately on our arrival [on July 2] the Tenth New York was placed on the skirmish line, encountering the Confederate infantry in considerable numbers. General Gregg had taken the precaution to have the rail fences on both sides of the Bonaughtown road taken down, so as to be in readiness for any emergency. On our right was a field of tall, ripe wheat and beyond this the woods, which intervened between us and the ground on which our barracks once stood. In our front Johnson’s Confederate troops advanced to meet us over the same field formerly used by us as a drill ground. Skirmishing was continued until late in the evening, other portions of the division becoming gradually engaged in the meantime. Afterward we moved to the right rear of the Twelfth Corps, where we joined the infantry fighting in the timber, our dismounted men doing excellent service with their carbines. In our falling back before superior numbers of the enemy Lieutenant B. F. Loundsbury together with several enlisted, were taken prisoners.”

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[Boomer Cycles]

88th Pennsylvania Infantry #civilwarmarker – Gettysburg PA

“July 1, when we were ordered, about 7 a. m., to rejoin the brigade, which was then on the march to Gettysburg. About 11 a. m., while marching along, we heard cannonading, and after marching in quick and double-quick time some 2 miles, we were drawn up in line of battle along a stone fence. We then changed our position by left flank file left, which brought us on a slight hill, and we immediately engaged the enemy, who were advancing on us. Having expended nearly all our ammunition, we charged upon the enemy, capturing a number of prisoners and the colors of the Twenty third North Carolina and Sixteenth Alabama Regiments. Returning to the line of battle, we continued to fire the few remaining cartridges on hand until we found that the enemy were flanking us, when we fell back through the town, the enemy rapidly following and firing upon us. A new line of battle was formed and cartridges distributed. We then took a position on the left of the hill, which was afterward the center of the line of battle, and threw up breastworks made of rails and earth.”

Report of Captain Edmund Y. Patterson, 88th Pennsylvania Infantry.

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[Boomer Cycles]

#civilwarmarker to Brevet Major General James Samuel Wadsworth, United States Volunteers 1807 – 1864, in command of First Division First Army Corps at the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1, 2, 3 1863.

Wadsworth’s division bore much of the brunt of the overwhelming Confederate attack that morning and afternoon. They were able to hold out against attacks from both the west and north, providing the time to bring up sufficient forces to hold the high ground south of town and eventually win the battle. He now stands guard and points at full moons.

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[Boomer Cycles]

Stony Lonesome Farm (Belleville) #civilwarmarker – Nokesville VA

— Childhood Home of General Richard S. Ewell —

Nearby is the site of Stony Lonesome, childhood home of one of the Confederacy’s most distinguished generals. Richard S. Ewell left this farm in 1836 to enter West Point. Graduating in 1840, Lieutenant Ewell served with the 1st U.S. Dragoons on the western frontier and fought with distinction in the Mexican War. When the Civil War began, Ewell joined the Confederacy and was commissioned a Colonel. Slightly wounded in action at Fairfax Courthouse on June 1, 1861, Ewell won a promotion to Brigadier General before First Manassas. “Old Baldy,” as he became known, commanded a division under Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley, Seven Days, and Second Manassas campaigns until severely wounded on August 28, 1862, necessitating amputation of his left leg. Prompoted to Lieutenant General after Jackson’s death in May 1863, Ewell commanded the Army of Northern Virginia’s II Corps at Gettysburg, Bristoe Station, the Wilderness and Spotsylvania. His capture at Sailor’s Creek in April 1865 ended his military service. After the war, Ewell retired to his wife’s Tennessee farm, dying there in 1872.

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[Boomer Cycles]

Grapewood Farm Engagement #civilwarmarker – Nokesville VA

“Pursued by Union detachments after raiding a train north of Catlett Station on 30 May 1863, Confederate Col. John S. Mosby and 50 of his Rangers (43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry) made a stand on a hill just to the north. The Rangers used a howitzer to break a charge by the 5th New York Cavalry. The New Yorkers regrouped, however, and with troopers of the 1st Vermont and the 7th Michigan overran Mosby’s position. After a hand-to-hand struggle, Mosby and the Rangers fled, abandoning the cannon and losing some 20 men wounded and killed. Among the dead was Capt. Bradford Smith Hoskins, an English professional soldier, who was buried at nearby Greenwich Presbyterian Church. Union losses were 15 killed and 4 wounded.”

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[BicycleBeth]

@bikedavid 208793 wrote:

Do national park signs or traffic circles count? Here is the impressive statue of John Logan in Logan Circle who was a Union General and later served in the senate. Much of the sign was obscured today but I think I caught that he was an advocate for veterans and instrumental in creating Memorial Day.

Yes, this statue of Gen. Logan counts as a Civil War Marker. If you had photographed the street sign “Logan Circle,” that would count as a Civil War Street.

[bikesnick]

Rev. Chauncey Leonard, pastor of First Baptist Church, DC, was one of about 12 African American ministers commissioned by the US military as a chaplain to Alexandria’s L’Overture General Hospital during the Civil War. He also established a school for soldiers.

Leonard Drive (Falls Church, VA)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24679[/ATTACH]

[bikesnick]

Fannie Battle became a Confederate spy when the Union Army occupied Nashville, TN. Her father and brothers enlisted in the Confederate Army. Fannie, with her sister-in-law, used forged passes to enter Nashville to gather and take information, medicine and supplies out of the city. About a year later, they were arrested and imprisoned. After the war she helped organize relief for flood victims, established one of the first daycare programs in the US, and worked for other social causes.

Battle Court (Vienna, VA)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24718[/ATTACH]

[bikesnick]

“Harriet and George Brice
Seizing Freedom and Facing Challenges
You are standing across the street from land that Harriet Brice, a “free woman of color,” purchased in 1864. Together with her husband, George Brice, she struggled to farm the property during the Civil War. Although we had gained her freedom sometime before 1860, George Brice did not escape slavery until 1861 when he fled to Union lines. In 1863, he joined the 6th Infantry, United States Colored Troops. …”

[ATTACH=CONFIG]24729[/ATTACH]
Falls Church, VA

[bikesnick]

Hattie Lawton worked for the Pinkerton Detective Agency, and with other agents, she helped detect an alleged plot to assassinate President Lincoln in Baltimore. During the Civil War, she posed as the wife of Timothy Webster, another agent, to collect military intelligence in Richmond. They were arrested and found guilty. He was executed and she remained in prison for months before being released in a prisoner exchange.

Lawton Street (Falls Church, VA)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24730[/ATTACH]

[bikedavid]

@BicycleBeth 208953 wrote:

Yes, this statue of Gen. Logan counts as a Civil War Marker. If you had photographed the street sign “Logan Circle,” that would count as a Civil War Street.

Thanks, will proceed with more circles and squares!

I went back to photo the Logan Circle street sign, named after Gen John Logan who was commander of the Army of Tennessee during the Civil War. Some fun facts from Wikipedia was that this was originally Iowa Circle before it was renamed and after the Civil War when he was a Rep and Senator for Illinois he lived at this circle!

[bikedavid]

Thomas Circle named after Gen George Henry Thomas. He fought for the Union despite being his Virginia heritage. He is known for “defense at the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863 saved the Union Army from being completely routed” and “one of the most decisive victories of the war, destroying the army of Confederate General John Bell Hood, his former student at West Point, at the Battle of Nashville.” (Wikipedia)

[bikesnick]

Delia A.B. Fay served as a Union nurse and scout during the Civil War. She marched with her regiment into every battle including carrying her own supplies and those of injured members. After the war she nursed her husband, a blind veteran, until his death.

Fay Place (Falls Church, VA)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24760[/ATTACH]

[consularrider]

Marker commemorating Mosby as a murdering domestic terrorist on the W&OD (although the wording is a little more mealy mouthed).

[ATTACH=CONFIG]24768[/ATTACH]

[Author]

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