Posted on 04/17/2005 8:15:33 PM PDT by CHARLITE
I recently learned a valuable lesson about the ways in which we support our service people for fighting the battles that change the tides of war and, inevitably, history.
Before departing for an extended business trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, my Dad -- a genealogist since his retirement -- suggested that I visit the gravesite of my maternal Great-Great-Great Grandfather, 1st Lieutenant Joseph R.D. Clendenning. I crammed into my briefcase a file containing documents about my ancestor. He was 115 years forgotten since the United States Army buried him in Pittsburgh on March 10, 1890.
Distracted by the business at hand, I did not anticipate having any time to read the file's contents much less visit Joseph Clendenning's grave. Instead, weeks later, I found myself preoccupied with Joseph's life and determined to find him in the Allegheny Cemetery, a Pittsburgh landmark. After wandering for hours among weathered graves of soldiers dating from the Revolutionary War, I located Lt. Clendenning's stone among about 300 claimed by the Grand Army of the Republic -- soldiers serving from Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.
Joseph Clendenning was a farmer until the Civil War volunteered him into military service with Ohio's 2nd and 98th Infantry Regiments. He fought most significantly in the hot summer of 1862 at the Battle of Perryville, Kentucky. Unbeknownst to Joseph, he fought alongside my paternal Great-Great Grand Uncle, James Sell, another farmer-infantryman who fought at Perryville but with the 21st Infantry Regiment from Illinois.
The Battle of Perryville was significant because it determined whether North or South would claim Kentucky. The Union viewed Kentucky as strategically insignificant. Pulitzer Prize winning historian James McPherson, Ph.D., recalled Kentucky and the Battle of Perryville otherwise:
It is scarcely an exaggeration to say that the Confederacy would have won the war if it could have gained Kentucky, and conversely, that the Union's success in retaining Kentucky as a base for invasions of the Confederate heartland brought eventual Union victory.
The advance of Confederate General Braxton Bragg forced the Union to recognize Kentucky's strategic significance, but almost too late. Union troops under Major General Don Carlos Buell rushed to defend Bowling Green and Louisville. What ensued was a hasty Union reinforcement of Kentucky and a fierce battle that made Perryville the sixteenth deadliest engagement in United States history.
Rezin Clendenning, believed to be Joseph's brother, was among the dead at Perryville. Joseph survived. He outlasted ten other engagements and the Civil War. No doubt, as an Ohioan, he misunderstood the importance of saving Kentucky from Southern control in 1862. He simply followed General Buell's orders and helped to secure Kentucky for eventual Union victory.
Leaving Allegheny Cemetery that day, I drew parallels between Lt. Clendenning's experience in war and that of our service people today. I imagined the criticism of our Army in Perryville, Kentucky as the Confederate Army mounted for its assault on our Capitol in Washington, D.C. American forces faced similar skepticism in Iraq when many feared that we would lose ground against terrorists at home.
By next year, our military is looking forward to drawing down by 100,000 in Iraq. Democracy has taken hold there, the insurgency is subdued and General David Petraeus confirmed yesterday that Iraqi security forces are taking the lead to protect their elected leaders. At the same time, at least since September 11, 2001, things have been quiet at home.
Dr. James McPherson may appreciate the significance of gaining a foothold against terrorism in Iraq in the same way that he described the import of our ancestors' cause 143 years ago in Perryville, Kentucky. Our efforts in Iraq, indeed, are proving to have a whole lot to do with our triumph over terrorism. Although I never met him, I know that Joseph Clendenning would attest to the same uncertainties but ultimate triumphs in war.
Cool post.
They are all interwoven, in my opinion. They all threaten everything that is fine and nobel about America.
If we are not watchful, vocal and eternally vigilant, the America that we cherish will be in deep peril, and all of the sacrifices that our ancestors have made will be nullified.
Char
I live in the Pittsburgh area. My father fought in the Phillipines and his Irish immigrant father fought in France in WWI. 4 great uncles fought in WWII (Their father immigrated from Italy). My greatgrandfather(immigrated from Scotland) fought for the Union. Supposedley his grandfather fought in thr Colonial Army.
I myself haven't had to do poop.
Great history for an area I am familiar with.
My great great grandfather fought in the Civil War. Another didtant relative did too. He served a year and a half in the Union Army before deciding to just go home.
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