Twenty Five years. A quarter of a century. Many Civil War soldiers never saw their twenty-fifth year of life giving their last full measure in the "late unpleasantness". With this issue of the Military Dispatch we welcome in the twenty-fifth year for the 7th Kentucky, Inc. Through all the trials and tribulations, we have managed to maintain our identity, continue our Mission, and remain the premier living history organization in the Commonwealth.
Our Annual Meeting was held in Bardstown Kentucky on the 28th of January with excellent attendance among all sections. Thank You for your support! The meeting was quite successful with Corporate officers being elected, a lively discussion involving our Parrott Rifle, and a thrilling performance by the "Amazin' Pontificatin' EW Bowman". The individual reports will follow but there were several changes made at the corporate meeting that you should know about. First, we have a new President, Harold Oney, and a new board member, Liz Warnick. Second, we have a new Newsletter Editor, Wayne Fielder.
Speaking of a new Newsletter Editor, I'm cutting my teeth with this edition and I hope the gentle reader will be...well...gentle. There will be a couple new features in the Newsletter.
As you will read in the Infantry section's report, they have instituted a Research group. Each newsletter will feature one of the many stories that come straight off the muster records of the 7th Kentucky Veteran Volunteer Infantry. I have chosen a particularly interesting story for this first run.
Another new feature will be a reprise of the "Bill Tincher sez..." column from years past. Jesse Thomas will put pen to paper and wonder what that mark is as Jesse Thomas couldn't write. Be sure to check out "Jesse sez..." in the next edition.
Chuck Warnick served as Newsletter Editor for several years and has done an amazing job. I'm proud to follow in his steps although I'll never fill them entirely. Thanks for your service Chuck.
--Wayne Fielder
We are looking forward to an exciting year. This year, at the annual meeting, we decided to try something new and actually had an agenda BEFORE we arrived at the meeting. This proved very useful indeed especially after buck and gagging Charlie and Wayne. We agreed to the following items:
The dues increase is to help fund the purchase of the uniforms as well as to help offset the cost of insurance for the Corporation. The uniforms will be used for new recruits who would not be able to take the field immediately upon showing interest. The Orderly will be responsible for the uniforms upon checking them out from the Quartermaster. We believe the availability of these uniforms will help new recruits experience reenacting without having to spend their life savings on all the gear. The gear will *NOT BE LOANED* to recruits. The Orderly will see to it that every piece is returned to the Quartermaster in the same condition in which he received it.
All members are welcome to join in the fun and our research doesn't have to be focused on the Infantry lads. As the research continues there will be ample opportunity for work to be done on the families and communities of the soldiers. If anyone in the 5th Indiana would like to take on the task of researching the battery we would be thrilled to help get them started in the right direction. We hope to build on the work of some of the early members of the 7th Kentucky, Inc with an eye toward publishing a history of Company A at some point. Initially the work will consist of completing the transcription of the muster records from microfilm. At present we have completed the records of 600 of the original 7th Kentucky Veteran Volunteer Infantry. Those records can be examined here:
http://www.kentuckyregiments.org/regts.php?regts=7TH_KY
Just select a company and off you go. The National Archives "Soldiers and Sailors" system simply lists the name, rank, and organization of the soldier or sailor. We believe our work, as found on the Kentucky Regiments site, is unique in that we have the entire muster record available complete with any letters, certificates, and notations found at the end of the record.
We will be portraying Confederate soldiers at this event. Eric will assume command of the CS artillery. The piece will be transported from Wadesville, where it will be stored after Memorial Day at Ed Essex's artillery depot until this event. We selected this event as an individual mess and campaign-style camp. Chuck will bring the company coffee pot and two small fire grates, as well as the fire irons. The company flys will be transported. Bring your shelter halves if you have them. Chuck is planning to arrive Friday evening with the 3" Rifle. It will be transported back to Somerset after the event. Thanks to those who sent an immediate response to the e-mails. It really helps in making a commitment.
After Spring Training Camp, the piece will be transported to Owensboro to have the vent bushing replaced. A new bushing was ordered and shipped directly to Steve Hoffmann. The work will take approximately 2 hours.
Need a head-count for attendance by March 31st. This will be a garrison camp, with battery mess. Meals will start on Saturday morning and go through Sunday morning breakfast. Mess fee will be $20 per person. A menu will be sent out prior to the event. Chuck will serve as mess sergeant as a temporary replacement for EW (Chuck will work on his grumbling and hopes to be up to speed with an appropriate level of sarcasm and humor - but don't expect the EW premium level).
Our calendar is posted on the 7th Kentucky website. If you don't have a login and password, let Wayne Fielder, our webmaster, know. He will set you up. Contact Wayne at wayne@kentuckyregiments.org.
Eric and Chuck will be attending the Western Brigade meeting in Springfield, Illinois in April, as the two representatives from Stone's Battery. Let either one of them know if you have any questions or concerns about the activities of the Western Brigade.
Statements have been sent. If you have any questions about your "tab", let Chuck know. If you need to break it up into bite-sized chunks, let Chuck know. The majority of members are current for their 2006 accounts.
Keep these in mind:
A civil war museum, what a place to have a civil war reenactment meeting!
The SGW came to order and immediately dispensed with the 2005 minutes reading. This was followed by a brief summary of events attended in 2005, which ranged from Selma, Alabama and Corinth, Mississippi to Sharon Woods and our local Perryville and Camp Nelson.
We took inventory of our belongings as a group and increased our membership to $25/annually. We discussed T-shirts that can/will be made custom with the SGW logo and the possibility of arranging a living history event at the Bardstown Village. We also discussed with Drew at length about potentially organizing an event at the Ludwig House.
Events we may plan to attend:
August 19, 1861 was an exciting day on the farm of William H Crook of Clay County Kentucky. Hundreds of people had gathered to hear the pontificatin' and chest thumpin'. At that point everyone knew that Theophilus Garrard was raising a regiment to help preserve the Union and this rally would result in the enrollment of about 3 companies of recruits. James H Hensley was there most probably with his family. He was married two years prior and now had a young daughter. The reason Mr. Hensley enlisted will probably never be known for certain but he did enroll in what would eventually come to be known as the 7th Kentucky Volunteers, Company B.
According to Private Hensley, his wife accompanied him and the Regiment from December of 61 until the Regiment boarded the Steamer Dic Vernon at Memphis on December 21, 1862. It was at this point that Private Hensley's story became most interesting.
It seems that women, laundresses, and all "other attached others" would not be allowed on board the Dic Vernon and Mrs. Hensley was escorted off the boat. She was "an utter stranger" in Memphis and Lt. Colonel Ridgell told Private Hensley to go into town and "procure a place for his wife to stay for a while". The good Private, and loving husband, did just that. What was Lt. Col. Ridgell thinking? The following is from an affidavit filed in Private Hensley's record:
...And affiant did as directed by Lieut Col JH Ridgell. It was quite late before he found a place and had made the necessary arrangements for her. This affiant made an attempt to return to the boat and regiment but the streets were filled with guards and they would not let him pass during the night and the boat with the Regt left the wharf and was gone before he could reach the place where he had left. After day light next morning and before another boat left and he could procure transportation to his regt and within a week after being left affiant was taken down in the back and remained in charge of different Army surgeons. there duty at Memphis until about the last of Feby 1863 when he was sent to his regt and he joined his regt as soon as he could at this place about the 12th day of March 1863.
Given under my hand the place and date above mentioned.
James H Hensley
Now, let's take a look at this and attempt to place ourselves in the mind of a 24 year old man. He has permission from the Lieutenant Colonel of his Regiment to escort his wife through the city. Private Hensley had to know that it could be years before he saw his wife again, if ever. The fact that it was "quite late" before he had made the "necessary arrangements for her" should come as no surprise to anyone. The late hour obviously didn't prevent this dedicated soldier from attempting to get back to his regiment but those darn pesky Guards blocked his way. For a soldier, veteran of Wildcat Mt. and Richmond, he simply had to understand Guard Mount and what would be necessary to get past them. Having just completed the "necessary arrangements" for his wife, again, it comes as no surprise that he didn't press the matter with the Guards. He couldn't be expected to sleep on the street like a vagabond, so he returns to his wife. The next morning he tried again but the boat had left before he could get there. Within a week, he "was taken down in the back" and fell under the care of "different Army Surgeons". All those "necessary arrangements" caught up with him. No names are given for the "different Army Surgeons" and there are no hospital records of any nature in the record.
Private Hensley saw no promotion until the last two months of his service when he found himself in Corporal stripes. Here we have a young, literate, and reasonably articulate man yet he wasn't promoted from the ranks until such time that a promotion would do little benefit or harm to the service. It is the opinion of the author that the exploits of December 1862 through February 1863, while perfectly plausible, were also perfectly transparent and those in his Company and Regimental command could see through it thus doing great harm to his upward mobility.
Transcribed Muster Record of James H. Hensley, Private, Co B:
http://www.kentuckyregiments.org/milrec.php?id=2098