The FReeper Foxhole Profiles General Albert Sydney Johnston (CSA) - Nov. 29th, 2003

www.swcivilwar.com ^

[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.

.

.

.

General Albert Sydney Johnston
(1803-1862)

.

At the start of the Civil War Albert Sidney Johnston was almost universally considered to be the finest soldier, North or South, in the country. Jefferson Davis said of him, “I hoped and expected that I had others who would prove generals, but I knew I had one, and that was Sidney Johnson.” But his Civil War career was a definite disappointment to the Confederacy.

Born in Washington, Kentucky in 1803, Albert Sidney Johnston attended Transylvania University before graduating from the U. S. Military Academy in 1826.

Appointed to West Point from Louisiana, he graduated eighth in his class in 1826. After eight years of army service he resigned his commission to take care of his terminally ill wife.

He joined the revolutionary army in Texas as private, but rose within a year to be its commander as senior brigadier. By early 1837 he was named senior brigadier general of the Texas army. This appointment resulted in a duel with Felix Huston, the man he replaced. Due to an injury suffered in the duel, however, Johnston was unable to take his new post. The Second President of the Republic of Texas, Mirabeau B. Lamar, appointed him Secretary of War in December of 1838. In 1840, he returned to Kentucky and married Eliza Griffin in 1843. They settled in China Grove, TX on his large plantation and lived there until 1849.



During the Mexican-American War, he commanded a company of Texas Volunteers. Johnston rejoined the U.S. Army in 1849 as a major, and was made colonel of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in 1855. He was brevetted brigadier general for his 1857 services against the Mormons in Utah.

At the outbreak of the American Civil War, he resigned from the US Army and was appointed a General by President of the Confederate States of America Jefferson Davis.

Posted to California, he resigned again from the army in 1861, but waited for successor to arrived before making his way to Richmond overland.



He entered Confederate service in August of 1861. As the second ranking general in the Confederate army he took command of the western theater of operations. He established a thin defensive line in Kentucky which stretched from the Mississippi River to the Appalachian Mountains. He succeeded in holding this line until it was broken by the Federals by George Thomas at Mill Springs and U.S. Grant at Forts Henry and Donelson.

Forced to abandon Kentucky and most of Tennessee, Johnston withdrew into northern Mississippi. Joined there by P.G.T. Beauregard, he concentrated his scattered forces for a counterattack.



In early April of 1862 he struck at Grant’s army in its camp at Shiloh. Attacking out of the woods early in the morning his force caught the Federals completely by surprise. Some momentum was lost when his raw recruits paused to loot the overrun Union encampments, but by late morning Johnston believed victory was his. “We are sweeping the field,” he told Beauregard, “and I think we shall press them to the river.”

After Confederates drove Prentiss’s division from its camps, some remnants of the division rallied along an old farm lane about 400 yards northwest of here. Hurlbut’s Fourth Division moved up on Prentiss’s left, W. H. L. Wallace’s Second Division on his right. The two fresh divisions and the remnant of Prentiss’s formed a solid, continuous front some 1,000 yards long, from the Peach Orchard through a tangled stretch of woodland, and along the northeast edge of Joseph Duncan’s cotton field. There from mid-morning to mid-afternoon, the Union troops stubbornly held back the Confederate advance.


Confederate Charge upon Prentiss's Camp on Sunday morning

Throughout the day Johnston had been near the front lines, directing the assault. He moved into this area and began to marshal forces, including Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge’s Reserve Corps, for a major push against the stubborn Federals near the Peach Orchard. As one of the new brigades moved up to the firing line Johnston, still carrying the tin cup he had picked up in one of Prentiss’s camps, exhorted them: “Men of Missouri and Arkansas, the enemy is stubborn. I want you to show General Beauregard and General Bragg what you can do with your bayonets and tooth picks.” The latter was a reference to the famous Bowie Knife or “Arkansas Toothpick.”

One of Breckinridge’s regiments, the 45th Tennessee, became disorganized under heavy fire, fell back into a ravine about 400 yards south of here, and could not be induced to move forward again as a unit. Both Breckinridge, a former U.S. vice president, and Tennessee governor Isham G. Harris, who was serving as a volunteer aide to Johnston, tried unsuccessfully to move the regiment forward. Around 2:00 p.m., as other units began to advance as part of the big push Johnston had been orchestrating, Breckinridge rode up to Johnston in considerable excitement. “General Johnston,” he exclaimed, “I cannot get my men to make the charge.” “Then I will help you,” Johnston replied.


The Hornets Nest

Riding over to the ravine where the 45th Tennessee was sheltering, Johnston rode along the front of the regiment’s line. Leaning over as he rode he reached out and tapped the men’s fixed bayonets with his tin cup. “These will do the work,” he said. “Men, they are stubborn; we must use the bayonet.” He reached the center of the regiment’s line, wheeled Fire-eater toward the enemy, and shouted, “I will lead you!” He urged the big thoroughbred up the slope of the ravine, over its lip, and out into Sarah Bell’s cotton field, just west of here.

The coordinated Confederate attack finally broke the Union left. It was about this time that what was left of Stuart’s brigade had to retreat from its position just east of here (out of site beyond the woods). With Stuart gone, the pressure on Hurlbut’s left flank became unbearable. Slowly, grudgingly, the Union line bent and bent until it curved back sharply to the rear just west of the Peach Orchard, leaving that landmark in Rebel hands. In theory the way to Pittsburg Landing was open to the Confederates, and they had leverage to pry loose the remaining troops in the Hornets’ Nest/Sunken Road position.



Johnston, who had led the charge most of the way to the Peach Orchard, was exuberant. Fire-eater was slightly wounded in two places. A bullet had grazed along the bottom of Johnston’s foot, cutting the sole of his boot. Laughing, he flapped the loose sole and joked to Gov. Harris, “They almost tripped me up that time.” He then dispatched Harris to carry orders to another part of the field, and for the next few minutes none of his staff was with him. When the governor rejoined Johnston near this place, he noticed that the general was “deadly pale” and reeling in the saddle as if about to lose consciousness. “General,” he asked anxiously, “are you wounded?”

“Yes,” Johnston replied, “and I fear seriously.” Harris and another staff officer steadied the general in the saddle and guided his horse back behind the crest of the knoll in the middle of the field to this somewhat more sheltered position. They helped him to dismount, laid him down, and sent for a surgeon. Even then, however, Johnston was losing consciousness, and before medical help could arrive, he was dead. During the grand charge on the Peach Orchard a stray bullet had struck Johnston behind the knee, lacerating the popliteal artery. Johnston may not have realized that he was wounded, and at least some of the blood—he probably lost about two quarts—may have flowed into his high boot. When Harris returned from his errand and found Johnston on the point of losing consciousness, there was still a chance to save the general’s life by prompt application of a tourniquet above the wound, but neither Harris nor the others nearby realized the nature of Johnston’s wounds or the remedy. The general died with a tourniquet in his pocket.

Command of the army devolved upon General Beauregard. He was defeated the following day by Grant, who had been heavily reinforced during the night by the arrival of Don Carlos Buell’s Army of the Ohio.

[SAMWolf]

Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston hoped to strike a surprise blow at Grant's Army of the Tennessee in its camp at Pittsburg Landing. Grant was awaiting the arrival of Don Carlos Buell's Army of the Ohio. Once combined, the Federals planned to attack and capture the major rail center at Corinth, Mississippi. Johnston hoped that he could defeat Grant's force before Buell's could arrive to reinforce him. The result was the Battle of Shiloh.



The fighting was fierce throughout the day, but the Confederates were achieving some success. Johnston led several charges himself, and was hit by Federal fire in the afternoon. This is his Aide-de-Camp, Colonel Preston's account of the battle and his death.

Report of Col. William Preston,
Aide-de. Camp to General Johnston.

CORINTH, MISS.,
April 20, 1862.

GENERAL: This morning you requested me to give you such information as I possess in relation to the events which occurred at the battle of Shiloh before the death of the commander, General Johnston.

The general having determined to attack the enemy, near Pittsburg, on the Tennessee River, moved the forces under his command through Monterey and by a farm-house called Mickey's, in the direction of a little country chapel called Shiloh, in the vicinity of which they were encamped. On the morning of the 5th of April the rains were excessive, so that the movement was greatly retarded, but on the afternoon of the same day our advance was within 3 miles of the enemy, who evidently did not suspect that we were in force in the neighborhood.

Strong reasons demanded an immediate attack, as delay increased the danger of discovery, but the exhaustion of the men and the hour of arrival required it to be deferred till the following morning. Men and officers bivouacked for the night.

The morning of the 6th of April was remarkably bright and beautiful. The country towards Shiloh was wooded, with small fields interspersed, and with bold undulation, from the hills bounding the river. The troops moved in two parallel lines, with the brigades under General Breckinridge arranged on either side of the wood as a reserve.

Between dawn and sunrise sharp skirmishing was heard rather more than half a mile in advance in the forest. General Johnston rode forward when we found the action commenced by General Hindman's brigade, which was suffering under a heavy fire. There were many dead and wounded, and some stragglers breaking ranks, whom General Johnston rallied in person. I rode forward, and found General Hindman rallying and animating his men who were advancing towards the camp. General Johnston then, through me, ordered General Bragg, who was half a mile in the rear, to advance, but it had been anticipated, and the order, having been given by Captain Wickliffe ten minutes before, was being executed. Our forces then entered the enemy's camp under a heavy fire of musketry and artillery.

Johnston Memorial
South Mall
University of Texas at Austin

Passing to the left, General Johnston reconnoitered, from two cabins at the edge of a large field of about 150 acres, the position of the enemy in front. This field extended toward the river and beyond was fringed with a woodland, and 200 or 300 yards beyond was the enemy's camp. Through this field General Cleburne's brigade moved in fine order, with loud and inspiring cheers, to attack the camp. The surprise was complete. It was carried between 7 and 8 o'clock, and its colors, arms, stores, and ammunition were abandoned. The breakfasts of the men were on the table, the officers' baggage and apparel left in the tents, and every evidence remained of unexpected conflict and sudden rout. It was occupied, as I learned from the wounded and dying and from the colors taken, by some troops from Wisconsin.


Albert Sidney Johnston Monument - State of Texas Cemetery

During this time heavy continued musketry and artillery fire, with receding sounds, attested the steady advance of Generals Bragg and Hardee on the center and left. General Hardee reported in person to General Johnston about 9 o'clock at the Wisconsin camp, and they reconnoitered a second line of camps 600 or 800 yards farther on, in the direction of the river. The enemy then, apparently attracted by the staff, commenced shelling the camp where we stood, and some heavy gunboat shells burst over us. At the same time the enemy deployed their forces in the wood near the advanced camp. Captain Lockett, about haft past 9 or 10, sent a report that the enemy were strongly posted on the left. General Johnston then determined to order forward the reserve, under General Breckinridge, to the right, so as to force and turn the enemy's left. Captain Wickliffe and I were ordered to indicate the positions to General Breckinridge. General Johnston joined Bowen's brigade. The movement was masked by the forest, and the troops moved so as to occupy a position oblique to the general line, and extending eastward to the river, in en échelon of brigades, with Chalmers' on the right near the river, Bowen's 800 yards in rear of Chalmers', and Statham's 800 yards in rear of Bowen's. Statham's brigade was then moved forward, and at about 12 o'clock or 12.30 it occupied the point of the hill so as to attack the advanced camp. Meeting you, we found it halted, and, after consulting a moment with me as to the importance of immediate advance, you put it in motion against the camp, and Rutledge's battery was put in position at the same time on an adjacent hill.



Riding back toward the advanced camp, I found Breckinridge's men entering it and engaged with the enemy. Turning down the ravine, I reported the condition of affairs to General Johnston. This was between I and 2 o'clock. He was with Bowen's brigade, and ordered me to direct General Bowen to ground on which he could deploy and support Breckinridge, who I understood was with Statham's brigade in the enemy's camp. This was done, and General Johnston advanced with Bowen's brigade in person. He directed me then to bring over Rutledge's battery, which I did, to the opposite field.

In the mean time Breckinridge was hotly engaged and Bowen's brigade vigorously supporting him. Riding forward in the direction of the enemy's fire, I halted at the flank of the Washington Battery. I believe, of New Orleans, then actively served and engaged with the enemy. Two small cabins were near, and from a ravine about 100 yards to the north of the cabins, where I was, Colonel O'Hara rode, informing me that General Johnston was wounded and lying in the ravine. He conducted me to the spot, and went for a surgeon, whom he could not obtain until too late.

Descending the ravine I found the general lying on the ground and near his head Governor Harris, of Tennessee, and only one or two other persons. He had neither escort nor surgeon near him. His horse was wounded and bleeding. He breathed for a few minutes after my arrival, but did not recognize me. I searched but found no wound upon his body. I attempted to revive him, but he expired without pain a few moments after, and about fifteen minutes after he received his death-wound.

Immediate information of the fact was transmitted by me through his volunteer aide-de-camp, Governor Harris, to General Beauregard His remains were taken to his camp and left in charge of a friend, Mr. Throckmorton, and Captain Wickham. The other gentlemen of the staff reported to General Beauregard for service, and remained until the close of the day, when his body was taken by them to New Orleans.

Rose Cottage. The cottage which stood here during the war years was painted pink; hence, its name. It was used as headquarters by CSA General Albert Sidney Johnston and later by USA General G.Q. Thomas. Johnston's body lay in state at Rose Cottage after his death at Shiloh

General Johnston died at half past 2 o'clock, the artery of his right leg having been severed by a ball. He was also struck by two other balls, and his horse was wounded twice.

During the day General Johnston was actively and efficiently assisted by Colonel Gilmer, his chief engineer; Captain Brewster, assistant adjutant-general; Capt. N. Wickliffe, assistant adjutant-general; Lieutenants Jack and Baylor, aides-de-camp; Captain O'Hara, assistant inspector-general; Maj. Albert J. Smith, quartermaster; Captain Wickham, assistant quartermaster, and by Surg. D. W. Yandell, who was with him in the morning.

Governor Harris, of Tennessee, and Messrs. E. W. Munford, D. M. Hayden, Calhoun Benham, and myself served as volunteer aides-de-camp during the day.

I have the honor to remain, your obedient servant,

W. PRESTON.

[SAMWolf]

ALBERT SIDNEY JOHNSTON
by Kate Brownlee Sherwood (1841-1914)



I hear again the tread of war go thundering through the land,
And Puritan and Cavalier are clinching neck and hand,
Round Shiloh church the furious foes have met to thrust and slay,
Where erst the peaceful sons of Christ were wont to kneel and pray.

The wrestling of the ages shakes the hills of Tennessee,
With all their echoing mounts a-throb with war's wild minstrelsy;
A galaxy of stars new-born round the shield of Mars,
And set against the Stars and Stripes the flashing Stars and Bars.

'Twas Albert Sidney Johnston led the columns of the Gray,
Like Hector on the plains of Troy his presence fired the fray;
And dashing horse and gleaming sword spake out his royal will
As on the slopes of Shiloh field the blasts of war blew shrill.

"Down with the base invaders," the Gray shout forth the cry,
"Death to presumptuous rebels," the Blue ring out reply;
All day the conflict rages and yet again all day,
Though Grant is on the Union side he cannot stem nor stay.

They are a royal race of men, these brothers face to face,
Their fury speaking through their guns, their frenzy in their pace;
The sweeping onset of the Gray bears down the sturdy Blue,
Though Sherman and his legions are heroes through and through.

Though Prentiss and his gallant men are forcing scaur and crag,
They fall like sheaves before the scythes of Hardee and of Bragg;
Ah, who shall tell the victor's tale when all the strife is past,
When, man and man, in one great mould the men who strive are cast.

As when the Trojan hero came from that fair city's gates,
With tossing mane and flaming crest to scorn the scowling fates,
His legions gather round him and madly charge and cheer,
And fill the besieging armies with wild disheveled fear;

Then bares his breast unto the dart the daring spearsman sends,
And dying hears his cheering foes, the wailing of his friends,
So Albert Sidney Johnston, the chief of belt and scar,
Lay down to die at Shiloh and turned the scales of war.

Now five and twenty years are gone, and lo, to-day they come,
The Blue and Gray in proud array with throbbing fife and drum;
But not as rivals, not as foes, as brothers reconciled,
To twine love's fragrant roses where the thorns of hate grew wild.

They tell the hero of three wars, the lion-hearted man,
Who wore his valor like a star--uncrowned American;
Above his heart serene and still the folded Stars and Bars,
Above his head, like mother-wings, the sheltering Stripes and Stars.

Aye, five and twenty years, and lo, the manhood of the South
Has held its valor stanch and strong, as at the cannon's mouth,
With patient heart and silent tongue has kept its true parole,
And in the conquests born of peace has crowned its battle roll.

But ever while we sing of war, of courage tried and true,
Of heroes wed to gallant deeds, or be it Gray or Blue,
Then Albert Sidney Johnston's name shall flash before our sight
Like some resplendent meteor across the sombre night.

America, thy sons are knit with sinews wrought of steel,
They will not bend, they will not break, beneath the tyrant's heel;
But in the white-hot flame of love, to silken cobwebs spun,
They whirl the engines of the world, all keeping time as one.

To-day they stand abreast and strong, who stood as foes of yore,
The world leaps up to bless their feet, heaven scatters blessings o'er;
Their robes are wrought of gleaming gold, their wings are freedom's own,
The trampling of their conquering hosts shakes pinnacle and throne.

Oh, veterans of the Blue and Gray, who fought on Shiloh field,
The purposes of God are true, His judgment stands revealed;
The pangs of war have rent the veil, and lo, His high decree:
One heart, one hope, one destiny, one flag from sea to sea.

Additional Sources:

www.civilwargazette.com
users.erols.com
www.njpublib.org
www.shelbycountyhistory.org
www.cemetery.state.tx.us
www.rugreview.com
www.washingtonky.com
www.utexas.edu
www.pbs.org
www.usereep.com
www.rootsweb.com
www.civilwaralbum.com
www.famousamericans.net

[SAMWolf]

Fascinating Fact: Though he had resigned his command in California, Johnston loyally stayed at his post until his replacement arrived from the east.

'Tonight we will water our horses in the Tennessee River.'

-- Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston made this unfulfilled prophecy shortly before the Confederate defeat at Shiloh, which cost Johnston his life

'Soldiers of the Army of the Mississippi: I have put you in motion to offer battle to the invaders of your country... You can but march to a decisive victory over... mercenaries sent to subjugate and despoil you of your liberties, property, and honor.'

-- Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston to his troops before attacking General Grant's Army at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee.

'I would fight him if he were a million.'

-- Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston, who moved toward Grant over the objections of his staff, who were concerned Grant would soon get reinforcements.

'Men, they are stubborn; we must use the bayonet. I will lead you!'

-- Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston

[SAMWolf]

Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization. The primary area of concern to all VetsCoR members is that our national and local educational systems fall short in teaching students and all American citizens the history and underlying principles on which our Constitutional republic-based system of self-government was founded. VetsCoR members are also very concerned that the Federal government long ago over-stepped its limited authority as clearly specified in the United States Constitution, as well as the Founding Fathers' supporting letters, essays, and other public documents.

---

Tribute to a Generation - The memorial will be dedicated on Saturday, May 29, 2004.

---

Actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.

---

[snippy_about_it]

FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!



Good Saturday 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. Hopefully everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and didn't stuff themselves with too much turkey. The weather's nice today. Up into the upper 60's.

[Iris7]

Here on time today.

I've done time and distance calculations on Shiloh, map studies, and have come to agreement with Bedford Forrest, who was there all day and who scouted the Federal rear the first night. The whole affair was botched by the Confederates. The troops were untrained. There were no functioning non-commissioned officers. The field officers were untrained. Unit cohesion was a farce. March discipline non-existant. Reconaissance not even undertaken. Artillery support was not even attempted. Control of the water to the Federal rear was not considered. The whole thing was FUBAR. A Cluster F***.

The Confederates could have won easily in retrospect. Annihilation of Grant's Corps was in reach, and Buell's destruction possible on his arrival. Would have changed the course of the war.

I am not saying Johnston was always wrong. Shiloh was the time and place for the Confederate counter attack. His execution was a farce, though.

That Jeff Davis was a terrible judge of character and of men. He and his buddies Bragg and A.S.Johnston (Joe Johnston was another story! Of course, just when the s*** had really hit the fan Davis replaced him with J.B.Hood with orders stupid beyond belief.) Davis made loss inevitable. He even kept the innocuous Robert Edward Lee rusticated for no reason I can see, bringing him out only when it looked like McClellan would take Richmond.

[snippy_about_it]

The general died with a tourniquet in his pocket.

That's a shame.

It seems the troops were tired and a bit unorganized with many not having the will to continue. As we've discussed on other threads about this war so many things could have turned the tide but it just didn't happen.

Perhaps the poet was right and it was Providence that ruled.

One heart, one hope, one destiny, one flag from sea to sea.

Good read, thanks!

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning EGC. We are right at the freezing mark with a light dusting of snow and some ice since it had rained prior to going below freezing last night.

Enjoy you 60's. :)

[snippy_about_it]

Here on time today.

LOL. You're always on time whenever you show up.

The "what if's" are so numerous when discussing the Civil War. I don't see any way the South could have won. Mind you, I'm not studied in this except at the Foxhole and a few books but it seems to me the North had the money and man power and even up against the emotional will of the South which I believe was forthright, the North was going to win because the North had the goods to supply it's army more continually than the South.

There's my 2 cents.

Now it's time to run some Saturday errands.

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on November 29:
1781 Andres Bello Venezuela poet/diplomat/scholar (Silvas Americanas)
1803 Christian Doppler discovered Doppler Effect (color shift)
1811 Wendell Phillips women's suffrage/antislavery/prison reformer
1818 George Brown Canada, publisher (Toronto Globe), PM (L) (1858)
1832 Louisa May Alcott Germantown PA, author (Little Women)
1849 Sir Ambrose Fleming inventor (diode)
1874 Antonio Egas Moniz Portugal, lobotomist (Nobel 1949)
1895 William V.S. Tubman (Whig), 17th Liberian President (1943-70)
1896 Philip L Carret Lynn MA, CEO (Pioneer Fund)
1898 CS Lewis English writer/scholar/Christian apologist
1902 Carlo Levi Italy, painter/novelist (Of Fear & Freedom)
1906 Luis Van Rooten Mexico City Mexico, actor (One Man's Family)
1907 Merle Travis country singer (16 Tons)
1918 Herb Shriner Toledo Ohio, host/humorist (Herb Shriner Show)
1923 Frank Reynolds E Chicago IN, news anchor (ABC Evening News)
1926 Dagmar Huntington WV, actress (Broadway's Open House)
1927 Rupert Crosse NYC, actor (Det Robinson-The Partners)
1927 Vin Scully sportscaster (NBC Baseball Game of the Week)
1928 Paul Simon (Sen-D-Ill), presidential candidate
1929 Don January pro golfer (1976 Vardon Trophy)
1932 Diane Ladd Meridian Miss, actress (Wild Angels, Wild at Heart)
1933 Dr David Reuben writer (Everything You Wanted to Know about Sex)
1933 John Mayall blues singer (Bluesbreakers)
1939 Gennadiy Volnov USSR, basketball player (Olympic-gold-1972)
1940 Chuck Mangione jazz composer/horn blower (Chasing the Clouds Away)
1944 Felix Cavaliere Pelham NY, rocker (Rascals-Lonely too Long)
1946 Suzy Chaffee US, skier/chapstick user (Olympics-1968)
1949 Garry Shandling comedian (It's Garry Shandling Show)
1949 Kenneth D Cameron Cleveland OH, Lt Col USMC/astronaut
1955 Howie Mandel Toronto Canada, comedian
1960 Cathy Moriarty actress (Neighbors, Raging Bull)
1961 Kim Delaney Philadelphia PA, actress (All My Children, Tour of Duty)
1963 Andrew McCarthy actor (St Elmo's Fire)
1964 Kris Kamm Evanston IL, actor (Stuart Rosebrock-Coach)
1965 Neill Barry NYC, actor (Old Enough, Heat)
1968 Jonathan Raleigh Knight Massachusetts, rocker (New Kids-Hangin' Tough)

---

Deaths which occurred on November 29:
1314 Philippe IV, the Handsome, King of France (1285-1314), dies
1530 Cardinal Thomas Wolsey adviser to England's King Henry VIII, dies
1780 Maria Theresa leader of Austria, dies at 63
1872 Cornelius Krieghoff Canadian, dies
1924 Giacomo Puccini Italian composer, dies in Brussels
1962 Rav Aaron Kotler Orthodox Talmudic scholar, dies in Lakewood NJ
1974 H L Hunt, US multi-millionaire, dies at 85
1977 George Hamilton Combs TV host (Through the Curtain), dies at 78
1980 Dorothy Day American social activist and journalist, dies at 83
1981 Natalie Wood actress, drowns off Santa Catalina CA, at 43
1986 Cary Grant dies in Davenport, Iowa, at 82
1987 Howard Pyle (Gov-R-AZ, 1951-55), dies at 81
1991 Ralph Bellamy actor, dies
2001, George Harrison, lead guitarist of the Beatles, died of cancer. He was 58.

---

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1952 DOWNEY JOHN T.
[RELEASED BY CHINA, ALIVE IN 99]
1952 FECTEAU RICHARD
[RELEASED BY CHINA]
1967 JONES LOUIS F.---SAN ANGELO TX.
1967 MILLNER MICHAEL---MARYSVILLE CA.

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

---

On this day...
0799 Pope Leo III, aided by Charlemagne, returns to Rome
1349 Jews of Augsburg Germany massacred
1745 Bonnie Prince Charlie's army moves into Manchester & occupies Carlisle
1760 French commandant Belotre surrenders Detroit to Maj Robert Rogers and his Rangers
1775 Sir James Jay invents invisible ink
1787 Louis XVI promulgates an edict of tolerance, granting civil status to Protestants
1812 Napoleon's Grand Army crosses Berezina River in retreat from Russia
1825 1st Italian opera, Barber of Seville, produced in US (NYC)
1863 Battle of Ft Sanders, TN (Ft Loudon), 8-900 casualities
1864 4th & last day of skirmishes at Waynesboro, Georgia
1864 Colonel John Chivington and his Colorado volunteers massacre Cheyenne indians on Sand Creek
1877 Thomas Edison demonstrates the hand-cranked phonograph
1887 US receives rights to Pearl Harbor, on Oahu, Hawaii
1890 1st Army-Navy football game, Score: Navy 24, Army 0 at West Point
1901 East 182nd Street in the Bronx is paved & opened
1916 US declares martial law in Dominican Republic
1924 NHL's Montreal Forum opens
1929 Lt Cmdr Richard E Byrd sends "My calculations indicate that we have reached the vicinity of the South Pole" (He was wrong)
1933 1st state liquor stores authorized (Pennsylvania)
1934 Chicago Bears beat Detroit in 1st NFL game broadcast nationally
1944 Albania liberated from Nazi control (National Day)
1944 John Hopkins hospital performs 1st open heart surgery
1945 Monarchy abolished as Yugoslavia proclaims it's republic
1947 UN Gen Assembly partitions Palestine between Arabs & Jews
1950 National Council of the Church of Christ in US established
1951 1st underground atomic explosion, Frenchman Flat, Nevada
1952 President-elect Eisenhower visits Korea to assess the war
1961 Freedom Riders attacked by white mob at bus station in Miss
1961 Mercury-Atlas 5 carries a chimp (Enos) to orbit
1962 Baseball decides to revert back to 1 all star game per year
1963 Beatles release "I Want to Hold Your Hand"
1963 LBJ sets up Warren Comm to investigate assassination of JFK
1964 Roman Catholic Church in US replaces Latin with English
1965 Dale Cummings does 14,118 consecutive sit-ups
1967 British troops withdraw from Aden
1967 US Secretary of Defense McNamara becomes President of the World Bank
1968 John & Yoko release their 1st album "Two Virgins" in UK
1969 Beatles' "Come Together," single goes #1
1971 1st pro golf championship at Walt Disney World
1975 Kilauea Volcano erupts in Hawaii
1976 Free agent Reggie Jackson signs 5 year pact with Yankees
1978 UN observes "international day of solidarity with the Palestinian people," boycotted by US & about 20 other countries
1987 Korean Air Boeing 707 disappears off Burma, on route to Seoul. All 115 lost
1987 Ranger's Bob Frosse becomes 2nd goalie to score a goal (vs Isles). It was later ruled that he should not be credited with the goal
1990 UN Security Council sets Jan 15th military deadline against Iraq
1994 Russian aircraft bomb Chechen capital of Grozney

---

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

Albania : Liberation Day (1944)
Liberia : President Tubman's Birthday
UN : International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People
Yugoslavia : Proclamation Day of Socialist Federal Republic
UN : Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People(Isn't THAT special!)
US : Eating Disorders Week Ends
US : Family Caregivers Week Ends
National Stamp Collecting Month

---

Religious Observances
RC : Commemoration of St Saturninus, bishop/martyr
Christian : Commemoration of St Francis Fasani, Italian priest

---

Religious History
1223 Through publication of "Regula Bullata," Pope Honorius III formally authorized the "Regula Prima," a settled rule of organization and administration for the Franciscan order.
1644 The Massachusetts General Court issued a call for local pastors to learn the dialects of neighboring Indian tribes, as an aid toward converting them to the Christian faith.
1776 Anglican hymnwriter John Newton wrote in a letter: 'He knows our sorrows, not merely as He knows all things, but as one who has been in our situation, and who, though without sin himself, endured when upon earth inexpressibly more for us than He will ever lay upon us.'
1780 In Connecticut, Lemuel Haynes, 27, was licensed to preach in the Congregational Church, becoming the first black minister to be certified by a predominantly white denomination. Five years later, in 1785, Haynes was ordained pastor of a church in Torrington, CT, also making him the first black minister to pastor a white church.
1970 In Nagpur, India, six church bodies __ the Anglicans, the United Church of Northern India, the Baptists, the Methodists, the Church of the Brethren and the Disciples of Christ __ merged to form the Church of India.

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

---

Thought for the day :
"Losing weight: the triumph of mind over platter."

---

Question of the day...
If you mixed vodka with orange juice and milk of magnesia, would you get a Phillip's Screwdriver?

---

Murphys Law of the day...(household laws)
Leftovers always expand to fill all available containers plus one.

---

OMG!!! I never knew....
Goat's eyes have rectangular pupils.

[Darksheare]

I'm back.
Have some minor things to attend to here and there.
But I'll be around.

Died due to severed femoral artery.
Ouch, that'll put a damper on one's day right soon enough.

[aomagrat]

Today's classic warship, USS Texas (BB-35)

New York class battleship (New York! Get a rope.)
displacement. 27,000 t.
length. 573'0"
beam. 95'2 1/2"
draft. 29'7"
speed. 21. k.
complement. 954
armament. 10 14", 21 5", 4 3-pdrs., 4 21" tt.

The USS Texas (Battleship No. 35) was laid down on 17 April 1911 at Newport News, Va., by the Newport News Shipbuilding Co.; launched on 18 May 1912; sponsored by Miss Claudia Lyon; and commissioned on 12 March 1914, Capt. Albert W. Grant in command.

In May, she steamed to Vera Cruz to support the occupation of that Mexican city. Regular operations with the Atlantic Fleet began in mid-year and continued to January 1918. The battleship then crossed the ocean to join the Grand Fleet in the North Sea, where she remained to the end the First World War. Texas returned to the United States in late December 1918 and again took up her duties with the Atlantic Fleet.

Reassigned to the Pacific Fleet in mid-1919, and designated BB-35 in 1920, Texas came back to the Atlantic in 1924, when she again visited Europe on a training cruise. The ship received new oil-fired boilers and many improvements to her combat systems in a major modernization that began in 1925. With her appearance transformed, Texas' operations alternated between the Atlantic and the Pacific until 1931, when her base was shifted to California. For the next six years, she served as a fleet and division flagship during regular U.S. Fleet exercises. Texas briefly revisited the Atlantic in 1936 and was sent back to that ocean in 1937 for service that would last until late in 1944.

During 1937-39, Texas kept busy training the Navy's officers and men. When the Second World War began in September 1939, she joined other Atlantic Squadron ships in maintaining a Neutrality Patrol, an activity that became increasingly warlike when the U.S. Navy began convoying western Atlantic shiping in 1941. The next year, with the Nation now formally at war, Texas escorted troops and supplies to Panama, West Africa and the British Isles. A change in mission took place in October and November 1942, when she provided heavy gunfire support during the invasion of North Africa. Texas continued her Atlantic convoy escort duties through 1943 and beyond.

In April 1944 she began preparations for the Normandy landings, which began on 6 June 1944, with Texas' 14-inch and 5-inch guns firing on German positions ashore for several days. On 25 June, she participated in a bombardment of Cherbourg, France, during which she was hit twice by enemy coastal artillery fire. Her heavy guns were again active in August, this time in the Mediterranean Sea in support of landings in Southern France.

After an overhaul, Texas went to the Pacific, arriving in the war zone in time to take part in the February 1945 Iwo Jima invasion. From late March to late May, she operated off Okinawa, firing her guns against Japanese positions and helping to fight off suicide plane attacks. Texas was preparing for the invasion of Japan when the war ended in August 1945. She left the Western Pacific in late September and spent the next three months transporting veterans home.

Returning to the Atlantic coast in February 1946, Texas was inactive until April 1948, when she was placed out of commission and turned over to the State of Texas. She has been maintained as a memorial at San Jacinto ever since.

Texas (BB-35) earned five battle stars during World War II.

[Soaring Feather]

Good Saturday morning everyone!

[manna]

Present!

[The Mayor]

No chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. —Hebrews 12:11

Christ can transform painful trials into glorious triumphs.

[ConservativeMan55]

Does anybody know the answer to this question? I thought you guys might seeing as how you are VETS.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1030681/posts?page=12#12

[ConservativeMan55]

Post number 6 is the question.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Snippy.

[SAMWolf]

Morning E.G.C. Is there such a thing as too much turkey?

We have rain (Surprise!) and mild today.