The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Battle of Olustee (2/20/1864) - Oct. 30th, 2003

http://extlab1.entnem.ufl.edu/olustee/index.html ^

[SAMWolf]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.

...................................................................................... ...........................................

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

Where Duty, Honor and Country
are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.

Our Mission:

The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans.

In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support.

The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer.

If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions.

We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.

To read previous Foxhole threads or
to add the Foxhole to your sidebar,
click on the books below.

The Battle of Olustee

Events Leading up to the Battle of Olustee

On February 20,1864, two armies clashed in the virgin pine flatwoods of north-central Florida, near a railroad station named Olustee about fifteen miles east of Lake City. The battle raged for four hours. When it ended, the Union Army had suffered a stinging defeat. Of the more than 5000 Federals that had entered the battle, nearly 2000 were killed, wounded, or captured. The Confederate forces, which also numbered just over 5000, suffered less than 1000 casualties. The Battle of Olustee, known also as Ocean Pond, was the largest battle fought in Florida during the Civil War.


Colonel George P. Harrison

The historical background to the Battle of Olustee began with Florida's secession from the Union in January, 1861. Despite its small population and lack of resources, Florida was an enthusiastic member of the Confederacy, at least in the early stages of the war. The state provided some 15,000 men to the Confederate armies, with perhaps 5,000 failing to return. Most Florida regiments served outside of the state, with the Florida Brigades in both the Army of Tennessee and the Army of Northern Virginia earning accolades for their valor.

Florida itself was not considered of strategic importance by either side during the war. The state was underpopulated, had no industry worthy of note, and was isolated from the other states of the Confederacy. As the war progressed, however, Florida did become valuable to the Confederacy as a source of much-needed beef, leather and salt. Extensive salt works were established along Florida's coast, with seawater being boiled down for its valuable content. The Union navy mounted numerous expeditions to destroy these works, but the industry continued until the end of the war. The ranges of central and south Florida, meanwhile, provided tens of thousands of cattle, desperately needed by the main Confederate armies. The demand for Florida beef became even more critical in 1863, following the Confederate defeat at Vicksburg which cut off supplies from Texas and Arkansas.


Brigadier General Joseph Finegan

While no major battles on the scale of those fought in Virginia and elsewhere occurred in the state, Florida was the scene of a surprising amount of military activity. Fort Pickens at Pensacola, Fort Taylor at Key West, and Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas remained in Union hands throughout the war, and northern forces permanently occupied Fernandina and St. Augustine early in 1862. Jacksonville was destined to be occupied four separate times by Federal forces. Key West was an important supply station for the ships on the blockade, and the coastal areas held by union troops served as bases for raids into the interior. As the war progressed and hopes for a southern victory faded many Floridians displayed a growing anti-war or pro-union sentiment. By 1864 large sections of the state. were essentially a no man's land, under the control of neither Confederate nor Union forces. Florida became a haven for Confederate deserters and those avoiding conscription. Ultimately, two regiments of Union cavalry were organized in Florida from these disaffected elements of the population.

In early 1864, Union forces mounted their largest military operation in Florida, an expedition that culminated in the Battle of Olustee. Both political and military considerations played a role in the campaign. 1864 was a presidential year, and various factions within the Republican Party hoped to organize a loyal Florida government in time to send delegates to the Republican nominating convention. Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase was particularly intrigued with this possibility. Chase's protege Lyman D. Stickney, the Union Tax Commissioner for Florida, lobbied hard for an increased Federal military presence in the state. President Lincoln became aware of Chase and Stickney's machinations, and Lincoln himself hoped to see a loyal Florida government returned to the Union under the terms of his December, 1863 Reconstruction Proclamation.


Brigadier General Truman Seymour

In addition to the political objectives, legitimate military concerns also played a role in the decision to occupy East Florida. Major General Quincy Gillmore, commander of the Union Army's Department of the South, wrote in a January 31, 1864 letter that the expedition was designed, in addition to the political objectives:

"First: To procure an outlet for cotton, lumber, Timber, Turpentine, and the other products of the State. Second: To cut off one of the enemy's sources of commissary supplies. He now draws largely upon the herds of Florida for his beef... Third: To obtain recruits for my colored regiments...."

By early February, 1864 General Gillmore had received approval from Washington regarding his plans to occupy Jacksonville with a large force and to extend Federal operations over much of northeast Florida. About 6,000 troops from Gillmore's Department of the South were selected for the operation. Most of these men were presently stationed along the South Carolina coast as part of the Union operations against Charleston. Gillmore placed Brigadier General Truman Seymour in actual command of the expedition.


Major A.J. Stevens, Jr.

The Union troops landed at Jacksonville on February 7, and quickly gained control of the town. On the evening of February 8, the Federals attacked and captured the Confederate positions at Camp Finegan and Ten Mile Run, located west of Jacksonville. Over the next several days, Union mounted forces advanced as far west as the outskirts of Lake City, some fifty miles from Jacksonville. Another smaller raid was made southward to Gainesville. Meanwhile John Hay, President Lincoln's private secretary, arrived in Florida to begin taking oaths of allegiance from Florida unionists as a preliminary step in organizing a loyal state government. To this point, the Union occupation of East Florida seemed to be progressing according to plan.



The Confederate troops in Florida had few resources with which to stop the Union invasion. Following Union successes in Tennessee in early 1862, the majority of the southern forces in Florida had been withdrawn from the state and sent to more vital theaters of the war. Only a few units, mostly poorly equipped and with little combat experience, remained in Florida by early 1864. The Confederate commander of the District of East Florida was Brigadier General Joseph Finegan, a native of Ireland who had served in the pre-war U.S. Army as an enlisted man, and who had been prominent in Florida politics and the railroad industry before secession. At the time of the Federal landings, Finegan only had about 1,500 troops to defend his District, which included the portion of Florida east of the Suwannee River. He immediately called for reinforcements from General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, the flamboyant but competent commander of the Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. From his headquarters at Charleston, Beauregard directed the transfer of troops to Florida from both South Carolina and Georgia. The Confederate movements were hampered by the fact that no direct rail link existed between Florida and the other states of the Confederacy. Southern soldiers had to disembark from trains in South Georgia, and then march overland until the reached Lake City, Madison, or other collection points along the railroads of Florida.



While Beauregard sent reinforcements to his aid, Finegan did what he could to hinder the Federal advance. A Confederate rearguard fought several skirmishes in an attempt to delay the invaders and Finegan concentrated the few troops he had at Lake City. By February 11, Finegan had assembled about 600 troops at that location, enough to repel a minor Union cavalry raid that was made against the town. Over the next week larger numbers of Confederate reinforcements arrived. Among them were Brigadier General Alfred H. Colquitt and his brigade of battle-hardened Georgians, which had been serving in South Carolina. Colonel George Harrision also arrived with additional troops. By the time of the main Union advance on February 20, the Confederate force facing them numbered more than 5,000.



While the Confederates were being reinforced, the Federal commanders were bickering over their next movement. Apparently, no firm decision had been made as to how far westward the Union advance should be undertaken. Some argued that it would be necessary to occupy Lake City, and perhaps to advance all the way to the Suwannee River to destroy the railroad bridge at that location. Even Tallahassee itself was mentioned as a possible target for a Union raid. Truman Seymour wrote a pessimistic letter to Gillmore on February 11, stating that he was "convinced that a movement upon Lake City is not in the present condition of transportation, admissible." He further argued that Unionist sentiment in Florida was less than the Federals had been led to believe, and that "...the desire of Florida to come back [into the Union] now is a delusion." Seymour recommended withdrawing all troops from the interior of the state and maintaining garrisons only at Jacksonville and perhaps, Palatka. Upon receipt of Seymour's correspondence, Gillmore ordered that Seymour concentrate his forces at Baldwin "without delay."



The two Union generals met in Jacksonville on February 14, to discuss future operations. Gillmore ordered that defensive works be constructed at Jacksonville, Baldwin, and Barber's Plantation, and that no advance be made without his consent. Gillmore left Florida the next day, returning to his headquarters at Hilton Head, South Carolina. He appointed Seymour commander of the newly-created District of Florida.

Within several days after Gillmore's departure, Seymour's confidence about the expedition seems to have returned. Seymour informed his superior that he now intended to advance to the Suwannee River to destroy the railroad bridge there. "By the time you receive this I shall be in motion," he declared to his shocked superior. Gillmore dispatched an officer to stop Seymour, but the Battle of Olustee occurred before he reached Florida. It is not known exactly why Seymour suddenly reached the decision to advance, but by February 19 he had assembled his troops at Barbers in preparation for a movement westward the next day.

Thanks to my partner FReeper Snippy_about_it for suggesting this Thread

[SAMWolf]

The Battle of Olustee

Early in the morning of February 20, 1864, General Seymour's army left Barbers' Station and moved westward towards Lake City. Because of the necessity of posting garrisons at Jacksonville and elsewhere, the Union force consisted of between 5,000 and 5,500 men. The small army was divided into three brigades of infantry, one brigade of mounted troops, and supporting artillery.

From Confederate Florida: The Road to Olustee by William H. Nulty, and published by the University of Alabama Press. The map originally appeared in "The Federal Campaign of 1864 in East Florida", by Mark E. Boyd in the Florida Historical Quarterly, a publication of the Florida Historical Society.

The Federals advanced in three columns along the Lake City and Jacksonville Road, which ran roughly parallel to the Florida Atlantic and Gulf-Central Railroad. The Federal cavalry was in the vanguard, followed by the slower-moving infantry. By mid-day the Federals had reached Sanderson, where they briefly stopped for lunch. While it Sanderson, Seymour and his staff were warned by a defiant southern woman: "'You will come back faster than you go."' The Union officers were amused at her boldness.


Colonel Joseph Roswell Hawley In the early afternoon of February 20, a few miles west of Sanderson, the advance elements of the Union cavalry began skirmishing with a few southern horsemen that appeared to their front. This skirmishing was maintained for several miles, with the Federals driving the Confederates westward towards the railroad station at Olustee, about ten miles east of Lake City. Southern resistance intensified as the Federals neared Olustee.


From Confederate Florida: The Road to Olustee by William H. Nulty, and published by the University of Alabama Press. The map originally appeared in "The Federal Campaign of 1864 in East Florida", by Mark E. Boyd in the Florida Historical Quarterly, a publication of the Florida Historical Society.

In the days since the February 11 skirmish at Lake City, General Finegan had moved his force to Olustee Station, located about ten miles east of Lake City There the Confederates found one of the few defensible locations in the area where the railroad passed through a narrow corridor for dry ground that was bordered by impassable swamps and bays to the south and a large body of water known as Ocean Pond to the north. The Southerners built strong earthworks and awaited the Federal advance. When Finegan learned of the enemy's approach on February 20, he ordered his cavalry forward to skirmish with the Federals and to drive them towards his main line. Unfortunately for Finegan, the fighting east of his main line intensified, forcing him to send out additional troops to help those already deployed. A major engagement soon developed about two miles in front of the Confederate line.


Brigadier General Alfred Holt Colquitt

As the skirmishing intensified, both Finegan and Seymour fed additional troops into the battle. Finegan advanced first the 64th Georgia and part of the 32nd Georgia, followed by the 6th, 19th and 28th Georgia Regiments, and Gamble's Florida Artillery. General Colquitt commanded the detached units, while Finegan remained behind with the main body. General Seymour brought forward the 7th Connecticut, followed by the remainder of Hawley's Brigade, the 7th New Hampshire and the 8th United States. By midafternoon the skirmishing has escalated into a major battle.


From Confederate Florida: The Road to Olustee by William H. Nulty, and published by the University of Alabama Press. The map originally appeared in "The Federal Campaign of 1864 in East Florida", by Mark E. Boyd in the Florida Historical Quarterly, a publication of the Florida Historical Society.

The battle threatened to turn rapidly into a rout for the Federals. While Colonel Hawley was positioning the 7th New Hampshire, a wrong command was given and the unit fell into confusion. The 7th soon collapsed, with some men running to the rear and others milling about in a disorganized mob.



The collapse of the 7th New Hampshire directed southern attention towards the 8th United States Colored Infantry, which occupied the left of the Union line. The 8th was an untried unit, having been organized only several months before. Prior to Olustee the regiment had seen no combat, and in fact the men were not even completely trained. Colonel Charles Fribley tried to steady his men, but he soon fell mortally wounded. The raw troops of the 8th held their ground for a time, suffering more than 300 casualties. Finally, however, they retreated in some confusion, leaving the Confederates in virtual command of the battlefield.


From Confederate Florida: The Road to Olustee by William H. Nulty, and published by the University of Alabama Press. The map originally appeared in "The Federal Campaign of 1864 in East Florida", by Mark E. Boyd in the Florida Historical Quarterly, a publication of the Florida Historical Society.

With the dissolution of Hawley's Brigade, General Colquitt ordered the Confederate forces to advance. Since the beginning of the engagement Finegan had sent additional units (the 6th Florida Battalion; the 1st, 23rd, 27th, and the remainder of the 32nd Georgia Regiments, and the Chatham Artillery) to Colquitt's support, so by now the Confederate lines stretched for about one mile, north to south. Colonel Harrison commanded the Confederate left, and Colquitt the right, although the units of their brigades were somewhat intermingled.



To stop the southern advance, General Seymour hastily ordered forward Colonel William Barton's Brigade of the 47th, 48th and 115th New York. The New Yorkers stopped the Confederate advance, and the battle lines stabilized for a time . The Union commander would later be criticized for reacting slowly to an increasingly dangerous situation, and for deploying his forces piecemeal into the battle. In fairness to Seymour, the battlefield's terrain somewhat limited his options. The Federals lines were bordered by swamps on both flanks so there was little room to maneuver, and the field itself was an open pine barren with little cover.



The fighting during this middle period of the battle was particularly severe, with each side suffering heavy casualties. During this seesaw combat, the Confederates captured several Union artillery pieces and threatened to overwhelm the Federal infantry. Although the Yankees were under intense pressure, at a critical moment the surging Confederates began running low on ammunition. Men searched the pockets and cartridge boxes of their wounded and dead comrades to obtain additional rounds, but still the southern fire slackened. Several regiments held their place in line despite being completely out of ammunition. After what seemed to be an interminable delay, ammunition was brought forward from Olustee, along with the remaining reserves: the 1st Florida Battalion and Bonaud's Battalion. General Finegan also reached the battlefield at about this time.



With the arrival of these reinforcements, the Confederates again began advancing . By late afternoon, General Seymour had realized the battle was lost. To prevent a rout and to cover his retreat, he sent forward his last reserves, Colonel James Montgomery's Brigade, which consisted of the 35th United States Colored Troops and the famous 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry. Montgomery's Brigade stopped the Confederates for a brief time, enabling Seymour to begin withdrawing his other forces. One white veteran of the battle states: " The colored troops went in grandly, and they fought like devils"



By dusk, the Union forces had begun their long retreat back to Jacksonville. The 54th Massachusetts, the Federal cavalry, and part of the 7th Connecticut covered the withdrawal. Many wounded and a large amount of equipment had to be abandoned in the hasty retreat. Fortunately for the Federals, the Confederate pursuit was poorly conducted, enabling most of the Yankees to escape. The southern cavalry, led by Colonel Caraway Smith, was particularly criticized for its lackluster performance. That Night the Federals retreated all the way back to Barbers, where they had begun the day. By February 22, Seymour's battered army was back in Jacksonville.

[SAMWolf]

The casualties at Olustee were staggering compared to the numbers that fought there. Each side had about 5,000 men present. Union casualties were 203 killed, 1,152 wounded, and 506 missing, a total of 1,861. Confederate losses were 93 killed, 847 wounded, and 6 missing, a total of 946. This works out to about 40% for the Federals and 20% for the Confederates. The 47th New York had 313 casualties and the 8th U.S.C.T. 310. Among the Confederate units, the 32nd Georgia lost 164 men and Bonaud's Battalion 107. For the North, the casualty percentage was among the highest of the war, and Olustee ranks as the third bloodiest for the Union when comparing the casualties to the number engaged. Letters and diaries from the men involved indicate that the battle was the equal of, if not worse than, the savage fighting a number of the veteran regiments had experienced in the campaigns in Virginia or the Western theater.



A regrettable episode in the aftermath of the battle was the apparent mistreatment of Union black soldiers by the Confederates. Contemporary sources, many from the Confederate side, indicate that a number of black soldiers were killed on the battlefield by roaming bands of southern troops following the close of the fighting.



The Olustee defeat ended Union efforts to organize a loyal Florida government in time for the 1864 election. The Federals were somewhat more successful in meeting the expedition's military objectives. Jacksonville remained in Union hands until the end of the war, open for trade with the north; the operation had undoubtedly disrupted the supply of Florida cattle and other foodstuffs to the rest of the Confederacy; and the increased area of Federal control made it easier for Florida blacks to reach Union lines and for recruits to fill the ranks of northern military units. Of course, all of these objectives could have been met simply by the occupation of Jacksonville and without the nearly 2,000 casualties suffered at Olustee.



Military operations continued in Northeast Florida throughout the remainder of the war. Union troops frequently raided out from Jacksonville to harass Confederate supply operations. J.J. Dickison of the 2nd Florida Cavalry earned fame during the period as the "Swamp Fox" of Florida. In a series of minor yet spectacular victories, and with only a small force under his command, Dickison was able to thwart most of the Union drives into the interior of the state, although the Federals handed him a stinging defeat at the first "battle" of Gainesville. Despite Dickison's successes, by early 1865 it was obvious that the defeat of the Confederacy was near. In early March, 1865, the last military operation of any significance in Florida took place. At the Battle of Natural Bridge, a scratch force of Confederate militia and home guard units, along with a few regular troops, stopped a Union raid against St. Marks, on the coast south of Tallahassee. When Tallahassee was finally occupied by Northern troops in early May, it was the last Confederate capital east of the Mississippi to fall into Union hands. The Civil War was over. Thank God.

Additional Sources:

www.floridamemory.com

[SAMWolf]

Following the end of the Civil War, the Olustee battlefield site was virtually forgotten. In 1866 a U.S. Army detachment under the command of Lieutenant Frederick E. Grossman visited the battlefield to collect the remains of the Union soldiers that had been hastily buried on the field in 1864. Grossman reported finding the remains of some 125 soldiers and placing them together in a mass grave. A twelve-foot high wooden monument was placed over the ossuary, and the area surrounded by a fence. Among the inscriptions added to the monument were the words: "To the memory of the officers and soldiers of the United States Army who fell in the Battle of Olustee, February 20, 1864." Apparently the marker survived only a few years, as in 1873 an Olustee veteran visiting the area noted that a portion of the fencing was all that remained. In 1991, a replica of this monument was erected on the spot where the original monument is believed to have been placed. As no record exists to indicate their removal, it is thought by most students of the battle that the remains of the Union dead are still located in the mass grave in which they were buried in 1866.



In 1897 the Florida Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy began raising funds to place a monument at Olustee. Two years later the Florida Legislature appropriated $2500.00 and established a commission to oversee construction of the monument. After numerous delays, the project was completed in 1912, and on October 23 of that year the monument was officially dedicated. More than 4,000 people, including many veterans, attended the dedication. Former Confederate Major General Evander M. Law presided over the ceremonies, while Florida Governor Albert W. Gilchrist and various dignitaries also attended. U.S. Senator Duncan U. Fletcher made the keynote address, proclaiming that "... this granite tower... stands sentinel over the field where the Confederate soldier won admission to the temple of fame."

[SAMWolf]

[SAMWolf]

Veterans Day 2003
PDN News Desk ^ comwatch

Veterans Day is right around the corner.

It only takes a few minutes to write a letter to the kids and share a story of why you served.

If you aren't a Veteran then share your thoughts on why it is important to remember our Veterans on Veterans Day. 

It's an opportunity for us to support our troops, our country and show appreciations for our local veterans. It's another way to counter the Anti-Iraq campaign propaganda.  Would you like to help?  Are there any VetsCoR folks on the Left Coast?  We have a school project that everyone can help with too, no matter where you live.  See the end of this post for details.

Three Northern California events have been scheduled and we need help with each:

 

Friday evening - November 7th Veterans in School (An Evening of Living History, A Veterans Day Ice Cream Social)

http://www.patriotwatch.com/V-Day2003c.htm

 

Saturday - 11 a.m. November 8th: Veterans Day Parade (PDN & Friends parade entry)

http://www.patriotwatch.com/V-Day2003b.htm

 

Sunday November 9, 2003 Noon to 3:00 PM Support our Troops & Veterans Rally prior to Youth Symphony Concert

http://www.patriotwatch.com/V-Day2003d.htm

 

Each of the WebPages above have a link to e-mail a confirmation of your interest and desire to volunteer.  These are family events and everyone is welcome to pitch in.  We'd really appreciate hearing from you directly via each these specific links.  This way, we can keep you posted on only those projects you want to participate in.

---

Veterans in School - How you can help if you're not close enough to participate directly. If you are a veteran, share a story of your own with the children.  If you have family serving in the military, tell them why it's important that we all support them. Everyone can thank them for having this special event.  Keep in mind that there are elementary school kids. 

Help us by passing this message around to other Veteran's groups.  I have introduced VetsCoR and FreeperFoxhole to a number of school teachers.  These living history lessons go a long way to inspire patriotism in our youth.  Lets see if we can rally America and give these youngsters enough to read for may weeks and months ahead.  If we can, we'll help spread it to other schools as well.

  Click this link to send an email to the students.

[Neil E. Wright]

Dear Lord, watch over our Brothers and Sisters who remain in harms way, where ever they are around the globe. Grant them Thy blessing, that they be protected from harm, and may they be safely, and swiftly, returned to their loved ones. AMEN

G'morning people .... :)
±

"The Era of Osama lasted about an hour, from the time the first plane hit the tower to the moment the General Militia of Flight 93 reported for duty."
Toward FREEDOM

[snippy_about_it]

.......FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!

.......Good Thursday Morning Everyone!


If you would like added to our ping list let us know.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole. It's nice and warm here in Southwest Oklahoma. How's things where you are.

[radu]

GOOD MORNING Y'ALL AT THE FOXHOLE!

I'm about to fall outta my chair in a dead sleep but can't go without first saying
THANK YOU service men and women past and present for your service to the USA!!

Good "night"...hehe...and have a good day. I'll catch ya later.

[snippy_about_it]

Good night radu.

I've finished answering pings, have my coffee right here and now it's time to read SAMs thread before heading off to work. Good to see you.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning SAM. Good thread and thanks for taking my suggestion. :)

I note that the author of this story states:

A regrettable episode in the aftermath of the battle was the apparent mistreatment of Union black soldiers by the Confederates. Contemporary sources, many from the Confederate side, indicate that a number of black soldiers were killed on the battlefield by roaming bands of southern troops following the close of the fighting.

However, if you also see the author's previous comment it explains and levels out the accusation, imo. Just as the press today slants against conservitives, the stories of the Confederates was generally slanted also.

To prevent a rout and to cover his retreat, he sent forward his last reserves, Colonel James Montgomery's Brigade, which consisted of the 35th United States Colored Troops and the famous 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry. Montgomery's Brigade stopped the Confederates for a brief time, enabling Seymour to begin withdrawing his other forces. One white veteran of the battle states: " The colored troops went in grandly, and they fought like devils"

My point being, if you send your black soldiers to attack while you escape, guess who is going to get killed...

[The Mayor]

If you know Jesus, you always have reasons to rejoice.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning EGC. I hear it's supposed to be in the 70's today through the weekend. Yippee. Probably our last hurrah though.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Mayor.

[The Mayor]

Mornin, partly sunny and 60 today here in Buffalo.

Snow tomorrow..: )....kidding

[manna]

Present!

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning everyone!

[SCDogPapa]

Mornin' Snippy! Mornin' Sam! Mornin' Everyone!

Great article. Thanks for posting it. :)

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on October 30:
1735 John Adams Braintree, Mass (F) 2nd pres (1797-1801)
1751 Richard Brinsley Sheridan playwright (School for Scandal)
1821 Feodor Mikhailovich Dostoevski Russian novelist & short-story writer
1830 John S Bowen Major-General (Confederate)
1873 Francisco Madero Mexico, revolutionary, president (1911-13)
1882 William "Bull" F Halsey, US vice-admiral (WW II Pacific)
1885 Ezra Pound Hailey, Idaho, poet (Cantos)
1887 Eduardo Ciannelli Italy, actor (Waldo-Johnny Staccato)
1893 Charles Atlas body builder
1896 Ruth Gordon Mass, actress (Rosemary's Baby, Harold & Maude)
1907 Renzo Cesana Rome Italy, TV host (First Date, Continental)
1914 Marion Ladewig Mich, bowler (9 time woman bowler of year 1950-63)
1917 Ruth Hussey Providence RI, actress (Another Thin Man, Phila Story)
1918 Ted Williams Red Sox hitter (AL MVP '46, '49; Trip Crown '42, '47)
1919 Jane Randolph singer, backup for Tony Orlando (Dawn)
1924 Hannelore Weygrand German FR, equestrian dressage (Oly-silver-1956)
1928 William Campbell Newark NJ, actor (Jerry-Cannonball, Luke-Dynasty)
1931 Dick Gautier LA Calif, actor (Hymie-Get Smart, Mr Terrific)
1932 Louis Malle France, director (Atlantic City, Black Moon, Viva Maria)
1934 Hamilton Camp London, actor (Andrew-He & She)
1936 Jim Perry pitcher (Cy Young Award 1970)
1937 Claude Lelouch movie director (A Man & A Woman, Cat & Mouse, Bolero)
1939 Grace Slick Chicago, rock vocalist (Jefferson Airplane-White Rabbit)
1940 Ed Lauter Long Beach NY, actor (Sheriff Cain-BJ & the Bear)
1943 Joanna Shimkus Halifax NS, actress (Marriage of a Young Stockbroker)
1945 Henry Winkler NYC, actor (Fonz-Happy Days, Night Shift)
1946 Andrea Mitchell NYC, newscaster (NBC-TV, Summer Sunday USA)
1946 Lynne Marta Phila Pa, actress (Love American Style)
1946 Robert L "Hoot" Gibson Cooperstown NY, USN/ast (STS 41B, 61C, 27)
1950 Phil Chenier NBA guard (Wash Bullets)
1951 Harry Hamlin Pasadena Calif, actor (Michael Kuzak-LA Law)
1953 Kathleen Cody Bronx NY, actress (Charley & the Angel)
1954 JoAnne Russell Miami Fla, tennis player (Wibeldon Double 1977)
1965 Charnele Brown East Hampton NY, actress (Kim-A Different World)
1969 Brittany Gae Thompson Portland Oregon, Miss Oregon-America (1991)

---

Deaths which occurred on October 30:
1583 Pirro Ligorio, Italian architect/painter/archaeologist, dies at 83
1626 Willebord van Roijen dutch mathematician, dies at 35
1632 Henri de Montmorency, French duke/plotter, beheaded
1893 Sir John Abbott PM of Canada (C) (1891-92), dies at 72
1968 Pert Kelton actress (Cavalcade of Stars), dies at 61
1972 Alan Roth orch leader (Milton Berle Show), dies at 68
1984 June Duprez actress, dies at 66
1984 Mario Gallo actor (Delvecchio), dies at 61
1985 Kirby Grant Hoon Jr., Butte Mont, actor (Sky King), dies in an auto accident at 74
1988 John Houseman, actor (Paper Chase), dies at 86
1991 William Shea (Shea Stadium namesake), dies at 84
1993 Hernan Heleno Castro, El Salvadorian guerilla leader, murdered
1995 Terry Southern, writer (Candy, The Magic Christian), dies at 71
1997 Sam Fuller, director/writer (Big Red One), dies at 86
2000 Comedian, television host, author and composer Steve Allen dies of a heart attack in Encino, Calif., at age 78.

---

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1965 PAGE JASPER N.---HATTIESBURG MS.
[11/04/65 ESCAPED 1ST OUT OF SVN/ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1973 SAKAMOTO HIDEAKO---JAPAN
[RELEASED 01/30/74]

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

---

On this day...
701 John VI begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1270 8th & last crusade is launched
1485 King Henry VII Tudor crowned, after defeating the forces of King Richard III at Bosworth Field
1534 English Parliament passes Act of Supremacy, making King Henry VIII head of the English church
1864 Helena, Montana's capital, founded
1866 Jesse James gang robs bank in Lexington Missouri ($2000)
1871 Phila Athletics beat Chicago for 1st Natl Assn baseball pennant
1888 1st ballpoint pen patented
1905 "October Manifesto" Russian Tsar Nicholas II grants civil liberties
1918 Slovakia asks for creation of Czechoslovakian state
1918 Turkey signs an armistice with the Allies, agreeing to end hostilities at noon, October 31
1919 Baseball league presidents call for abolishment of the spitball
1922 Mussolini forms cabinet in Italy
1925 KUT-AM in Austin TX begins radio transmissions
1930 Turkey & Greece sign a treaty of friendship
1938 Orson Welles panics a nation with broadcast of "War of the Worlds"
1939 USSR & Germany agree on partitioning Poland
1941 The U.S. destroyer Reuben James, on convoy duty off Iceland, is sunk by a German U-boat with the loss of 96 Americans.
1944 Anne Frank (of Diary fame) is deported from Auschwitz to Belsen
1945 US government announces end of shoe rationing
1948 20 die & 6,000 made ill by smog in Donora Pennsylvania
1953 Dr Albert Schweitzer & Gen George C Marshall win Nobel Peace Prize
1954 Defense Department announces elimination of all segregated regiments
1956 Israel captures Egyptian militay post at El-Thamad
1961 Soviet Party Congress unanimously approves a resolution removing Josef Stalin's body from Lenin's tomb in Red Square
1961 Soviet Union tests a 58 megaton hydrogen bomb
1965 Fireworks explosions kill 50 in Cartagena, Colombia
1967 USSR Kosmos 186 & 188 make 1st automatic docking & Venmera 13 launch
1972 Worst US rail accident in 14 years; 45 die in Chicago
1973 Tom Seaver becomes 1st non-20-game winner to win Cy Young award
1974 Muhammad Ali KOs George Foreman in 8th round in Kinshasa, Zaire
1975 John Bucyk, Boston, became 7th NHLer to score 500 goals
1975 Juan Carlos assumes power in Spain
1975 NY Daily News runs headline "Ford to City: Drop Dead"
1976 Jane Pauley becomes news co-anchor of the Today Show
1976 Rev Joseph Evans elected president of the United Church of Christ
1978 Laura Nickel & Curt Noll find 25th Mersenne prime, 2 ^ 21701-1
1979 NASA launches space vehicle S-203
1979 Richard Arrington elected mayor of Birmingham
1980 Honduras & El Salvador settle their boundary dispute
1980 NASA launches Flt Satcom-4
1985 22nd Space Shuttle Mission (61-A)-Challenger 9-launched
1986 Discovery moves to OPF where more than 200 modification are made
1988 2 gambling clubs & 1 player share 61.38 M California lotto jackpot
1988 Jim Elliott (US) completes 24-hr paced outdoor race for 548.9 mi
1988 NY Jets finally beat Pittsburgh Steelers for 1st time
1991 Mid East peace conference begins in Madrid Spain
1996 Michael Kahoe, who ran the FBI's violent crime division, pleaded guilty to obstructing justice, admitting he destroyed a report which detailed FBI misconduct in the 1992 Idaho standoff that killed Randy Weaver's wife and teenage son at Ruby Ridge..
1996 After a four-hour trial, a Chinese court sentenced pro-democracy activist Wang Dan to 11 years in prison for "conspiring to subvert the Chinese government." (Wang was freed in April 1998 and sent into exile in the United States.)

---

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

New Zealand : Labour Day-last Monday in October (Monday)
Bhutan : Descending Day of Lord Buddha from Heaven.
Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month
National Foster Grandparent Month

---

Religious Observances
Unification Church : Children's Day
Christ : Feast of St Alphonsus, after being refused as a Jesuit novice
Feast of St. Serapion, Bishop and confessor.

---

Religious History
1536 Thirteen years after Lutheran ministers came to bring spiritual renewal to its people, Denmark adopted Lutheranism as its official state religion.
1738 English founder of Methodism John Wesley explained in a letter: 'By a "Christian," I mean one who so believes in Christ as that sin hath no more dominion over him.'
1768 The Wesley Chapel on John Street in New York City was dedicated. It was the first Methodist church building to be erected in the American colonies, and was restored in 1817, and again in 1840.
1902 Pope Leo XIII published the apostolic letter "Vigilantiae," which officially established the Pontifical Commission of Biblical Studies. Created to safeguard the authority of Scripture from outside secular criticism, in 1904 the Commission was empowered to confer academic degrees.
1976 Dr. Joseph H. Evans was elected president of the United Church of Christ. It made him the first African-American leader of this predominantly white denomination.

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

---

Thought for the day :
"I like the word "indolence." It makes laziness seem classy."

---

You Might Be A Racer If...
You measure all family acquisitions in terms of the number of race tires that could have been purchased.

---

Murphys Law of the day...(Law of Lawmaking)
Those who express random thoughts to legislative committees are often surprised and appalled to find themselves the instigators of law.

---

Astounding fact # 65,981...
Charlie Brown's father was a barber.

[snippy_about_it]

Snow tomorrow..: )....kidding

Snow is nothing to kid about! LOL!