The FReeper Foxhole Revisits The Lost Orders of Antietam (9/13/1862) - September 24th, 2004

http://bhere.com/plugugly/lost/story.html ^

[snippy_about_it]

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 FReeper Foxhole Revisits

THE LOST ORDER MYSTERY
On September 13, 1862, Robert E. Lee's Special Orders 191 was in Union hands. It detailed the detachments and orders of march of his Army of Northern Virginia which had disappeared behind the Blue Ridge Mountains during its invasion of the North. With this intelligence, the hesitant George McClellan was able to make an immediate and concentrated strike at Lee's scattered army that culminated in the the Battle of Antietam four days later. This battle ended Lee's first invasion of the North and, probably, sealed the fate of the Southern cause.


General Robert E. Lee

The circumstances how this order, possibly the most pivotal document in United States history, came into Union hands was, and still is, cloaked in mystery.

When and where did the Union obtain Special Orders 191?

Around noon on the 13th of September 1862 the XII Corps, 1st division of General Alpheus Williams bivouacked about a mile southeast of Frederick, Maryland. Williams' command had recently marched out of Washington in search of the invading rebel army which had passed through Frederick and then disappeared behind a cavalry screen and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The official story states that while the division was encamping on a former Confederate campground, a Private Barton Mitchell of the 27th Indiana, while chatting with a Sgt. John Bloss, was said to have found an envelope containing three cigars wrapped in a piece of paper.



Upon observing the paper, he noticed that it appeared to be an enemy order and took it his Captain Peter Kop, who in turn conveyed to the Regiment's Col. Silas Colgrove. Colgrove took the order to General Williams.

There it was determined to be a bona fide document by Capt. Samuel Pittman, Williams' adjutant, on the basis of his ability to verify the signature of the order's signer, Col. Robert Hall Chilton, AAG to Lee. Chilton, it turned out, had been stationed in the prewar Army at Detroit, home of both Pittman and Williams, and had known Pittman, and probably Williams. The circumstances of this relationship is cited variously as that of a friend, military colleague, and simply as knowing each other. The most interesting assertion is that Pittman has been a teller at a bank where Chilton had kept an account and therefore knew the signature.

The order ascertained, Williams hastily sent it to McClellan, with a cover letter, the only contemporary document referring to the discovery of the "Lost Dispatch", also called the "Lost Order". McClellan was to wire the President on the same day declaring, "I have all the plans of the rebels..."

When did the Confederates realize that the order was in the Union's possession?

Versions of the answer to this question range from as soon as the evening of the 13th to months later when stories of its discovery were published in the Northern press. Good arguments are made for both early and late realizations.

How could such an important order get lost?

As the order was addressed to General D.H. Hill, he became the goat since it was concluded that the order must have been carelessly used by one of his staff officers to wrap his cigars which then fell from his pocket and became lost. The order, issued on the 9th of September following a conference among Lee, Jackson and Longstreet, seemingly would have to have lain on the ground for 48 to 72 hours as Hill's forces, which formed the rear guard screen of Lee's movement behind the Blue Ridge, left the vicinity of Frederick on September 10th.


General George McClellan

In post-war statements, General D.H. Hill vehemently denied that the order reached anyone in his command with authority to sign for it, that is, him or his AAG Col. Ratchford. He pointed out that he had received the same orders in the handwriting of his immediate superior, Gen. Jackson, and even retained that order which now resides in the North Carolina Historical Museum. He also supplied an affidavit from his AAG, Col. Ratchford affirming that no other order came to them and then suggested that the order may have been passed on by treachery.

The writer of the order, Lee's AG. Col. Robert Hall Chilton, stated that he "kept no operational log or journal that would prove that his courier returned with the required evidence of delivery." In letter to Jefferson Davis in 1874, he blandly said that, "That omission to deliver in his [the courier's] case so important an order [would] have been recollected as entailing the duty to advise its loss, to guard against consequences, and to act as required... But I could not of course say positively that I had sent any particular courier to him [D.H. Hill] after such a lapse of time."

Suspicions: The Real Story of Special Orders 191?

In all the accounts that I have read about this extraordinary event, I have yet to read of any attempt to analyze this occurrence from the viewpoint that treachery was involved. In particular, I wondered why the signatory of the order, Chilton, has never been scrutinized in the manner. Perhaps, lack of hard evidence and the obscurity of time and the chaos that immediately followed the order's discovery made the task too daunting.

From what is known, the order was only seen by Pvt. Barton, Sgt. Bloss, Captain Kop, Col. Colgrove, Capt. Pittman, Gen. Williams, Gen. McClellan on the Union side and only by Col. Chilton on the Confederate side. If treachery was involved, then attention needs to be turned to Col. Chilton.



I found it a remarkable coincidence that of all the hands into which the order could fall, if it was lost, was into the hands of prewar acquaintances from Detroit capable of verifying his signature. I also found Chilton's memory loss, stated above, dissembling at the least. Certainly there must have been much speculation and inquiry among the Confederate officer corps when the fact of the order's discovery became verified in the Northern Press. Also curious is his lack of a log or journal of receipts, especially for an order of such gravity.

In those days where command structure relied on staff officers and couriers, the written or spoken words, of an AG necessarily carried with it the voice of the commander who could not be every at once. Had Chilton decided to be treacherous, he would have been in an ideal position to duplicate just such a order and then manage to obscure the fact that there had been no receipt for it.

The Confederates, who occupied Frederick and environs from the 4th to the 10th of September, mingled freely with the public in that generally pro Union region, most famously at the cavalry ball put on by Jeb Stuart at nearby Urbana on the night between the 8th and 9th. If Chilton was bent on passing this order to his Detroit acquaintances, who could vouch for his signature, one could speculate that he passed the order through a civilian in Frederick. That agent could have passed it directly to Williams or Pittman who then could have surreptitiously dropped in the camp thus providing cover for Chilton and directing the blame on D.H. Hill, who Chilton could have known would be receiving the same order through Jackson.

Chilton's Blemished Record: Beyond the Lost Order



If Chilton did pass the order to the Union, was it an act that could be negated by his service record? Was it an isolated incident or part of a larger pattern of Union collaboration?

To answer this question, I began by seeking out all references to Chilton, in William Southall Freeman's monumental study of the Southern command, Lee's Lieutenants. What I found was unflattering to say the least. In every major instance where he is mentioned his actions are counterproductive to the Southern cause. In no instance is he cited for a productive act or brilliant action. His role reads like a comedy of errors, grave errors, such that one wonders why Lee kept him around as long as he did and whether Special Order 191 was really "lost".

Thanks to FReeper Reo for the research and suggesting this thread

---

---

FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links

[snippy_about_it]

.......



Special Orders, No. 191
HEADQUARTERS, ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA
September 9th, 1862

The Army will resume its march to-morrow, taking the Hagerstown road. General Jackson's command will form the advance, and after passing Middletown, with such portions as he may select, take the route toward Sharpsburg, cross the Potomac at the most convenient point, and by Friday night take possession of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, capture such of the enemy as may be at Martinsburg, and intercept such as may attempt to escape from Harper's Ferry.

General Longstreeet's command will pursue the same road as far as Boonsboro', where it will halt with the reserve, supply, and baggage trains of the army.

General McLaws with his own division and that of General R.H. Anderson, will follow General Longstreet; on reaching Middletown he will take the route to Harper's Ferry, and by Friday morning possess himself of the Maryland Heights and endeavor to capture the enemy at Harper's Ferry and vicinity.

General Walker, with his division after accomplishing the object in which he is now engaged, will cross the Potomac at Check's ford, ascend its right bank to Lovettsville, take possession of Loudoun Heights, if practicable, by Friday morning, Keyes's ford on his left, and the road between the end of the mountain and the Potomac on his right. He will, as far as practicable, cooperate with General McLaws and General Jackson in intercepting the retreat of the enemy.

General D.H. Hill's division will form the rearguard of the army, pursuing the road taken by the main body. The reserve artillery, ordnance, and supply trains, etc., will precede General Hill.

General Stuart will detach a squadron of cavalry to accompany the commands of Generals Longstreet, Jackson , and McLaws, and, with the main body of the cavalry, will cover the route of the army and bring up all stragglers that may have been left behind.

The commands of Generals Jackson, McLaws, and Walker, after accomplishing the objects for which they have been detached, will join the main body of the army at Boonsboro' or Hagerstown.

Each regiment of the march will habitually carry its axes in the regimental ordinance-wagons, for use of the men at their encampments, to procure wood, etc.

By command of General R.E. Lee.

R. H. Chilton, Assistant Adjutant-General.
Major-General D.H. Hill, Command Division

---

Today's Educational Sources and suggestions for further reading:

The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Lost Orders of Antietam (9/13/1862)- Sep. 14th, 2003

[snippy_about_it]

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

Robert Hall Chilton was a rather faceless actor amidst the luminaries that surrounded him. Yet it was he who signed Robert E. Lee's Special Orders 191 that became known as the "Lost Dispatch".

A Virginian and West Point graduate, Chilton served as Robert E. Lee's Adjutant General during the Maryland campaign. To the uninitiated, an adjutant general is the secretary to the commander he serves. Among his many tasks are receiving the orders of the commander, seeing that they are written out correctly (duplicated, if necessary), conveyed to their destination and receipted.


Robert Hall Chilton

By necessity, the word and signature of the Adjutant General was also understood to be the word and signature of the commander. His voice became the de facto the voice of the commander. Beneath him served a staff of secretaries and messengers. Together they formed the "Internet" of their commander. Obviously, his role was crucial and his loyalty essential to the success of the army.

The lack of examination by Civil War historians of Chilton as possible suspect in this mystery became, well, a mystery to me. Out of curiosity, I undertook an examination of Chilton's record and background. The results were startling.

Upon examining every reference to him in Freeman's Lee's Lieutenants, I a record of incredible, to say the least, incompetence. In every extended reference to Chilton, a result counter productive to the Confederate cause occurred. In no case was there a positive result. Most prominent was, of course, his signature on Lee's Special Orders 191.

Just as crucial in the finding of the Lost Order was the necessity of identifying it as a bone fide order.

The remarkable coincidence that the "Lost Dispatch" happened to end up in the hands of people, Williams and Pittman, who could positively verify Chilton's signature thickened my suspicions. [Chilton served in the regular Army as a paymaster including a few years stint in Detroit in the 1850's, home to Gen. Alpheus Williams and his adjutant Lt. Samuel Pittman, who verified the signature.] How interesting it was that Pittman could recognize Chilton's signature after such a time, but Chilton, only a few years after the war, could not remember if the "Lost Order" was receipted.

[snippy_about_it]

'I have all the plans of the rebels...'

-- General George McClellan
in a telegram to Lincoln, September 13, 1862

'That omission to deliver in his [the courier's] case so important an order [would] have been recollected as entailing the duty to advise its loss, to guard against consequences, and to act as required... But I could not of course say positively that I had sent any particular courier to him [D.H. Hill] after such a lapse of time.'

-- Robert Hall Chilton
December 8, 1874
(Lee's Adjutant General who signed the lost copy of Special Orders 191)

[snippy_about_it]

"FALL IN" to the FReeper Foxhole!



It's Friday. Good Morning Everyone.

Sam's Cold War series will continue next Monday.

If you want to be added to our ping list, send me a freepmail.

If you'd like to drop us a note you can write to:


The Foxhole
19093 S. Beavercreek Rd. #188
Oregon City, OR 97045

[GailA]

Good morning

[E.G.C.]

Good morning Snippy and everyone at the Foxhole.

[SAMWolf]

Morning E.G.C. Another nice morning here in Virginia.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Snippy.

last week we had a Kennedy trying to burn down NYC and today we get a Clinton accused of incompetence. Coincidence that some names keep popping up?

[The Mayor]

September 24, 2004

God's Appointments

Read: Proverbs 16:1-9

A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. —Proverbs 16:9

Bible In One Year: Song of Solomon 4-5; Galatians 3

---

Life-changing events do not happen by accident. They are not determined by the stars. They are not by chance. There is no such thing as chance. The Lord uses every situation in life to accomplish His purposes.

Frank W. Boreham (1871-1959), British pastor and essayist, said, "It was not by chance that Elijah and Ahab met on the grassy slopes of Carmel. It was not by chance that Herod and John met on the highways in Galilee. It was not by chance that Pilate and Jesus met in the judgment hall at Jerusalem. It was not by chance that Peter and Cornelius met on the Syrian seaboard. It was not by chance that Philip and the Ethiopian met on the sandy road to Gaza. It was not by chance that Nero and Paul met amid the antique splendors of ancient Rome. . . . No, our meetings are no more by chance than the meeting of Stanley and Livingstone in Central Africa."

We should begin each day with a sincere desire to please the Lord, gladly anticipating His appointments for us. They may be circumstances that are unplanned, or the people we meet unexpectedly. But we should welcome them as opportunities to witness, to serve others, and to grow spiritually.

Recognizing God's sovereign leading, let us rejoice in His appointments. —Richard De Haan

All things work out for good, we know—
Such is God's great design;
He orders all our steps below
For purposes divine. —Peterson
© 1961 Singspiration, Inc.

The stops of a good man are ordered by the Lord as well as his steps. —Müller

[manna]

Present!

[Grzegorz 246]

Present! :-)

[Professional Engineer]

Good morning ladies. It's Friday!

Friday Foxhole FReeper Flag-o-gram.

Today's Foxhole flag is from Bentfeather.
With some help from Msdrby and Professional Engineer.

See your flag here! FReepmail me today.

[Mudboy Slim]

"Kerry's Party!!"
(To be sung to Bruce Springsteen's "Sherry Darlin'")

Dem Lib'rals yappin'...they're all deadbeats!!
Tell 'em it's all over...gonna be so sweet...
Next November's mournin', yer gonna be goin' down to the unemployment agency!!
'Cuz each morning Right be fightin'...no, we won't give up...
'Til Dubyuh wins...traitors, just shut up!!
Gonna be the last time DemRATS gonna be threatnin' the FRee!!

(Chorus)
Lemme tell ya there's a Lib'ral runnin' to be Prez'dent...
The dude's gawky and he's houndin' Dem young chicks!!
Y'all can take yer guilt trip back to yer ghetto tonight!!
'Cuz the gang's all here and the FReepin's "FRee"...
Kerry's a fool, stop his blasphemy!!
Hey, Willie, why're you slayin' Kerry's Party?!!

FReeper gals flirtin' while they FReep...
They got great minds...and they know how to teach!!
There'll be no backtrackin' out here in Flyover Country!!
John Kerry, Left's love for you ain't real...
Boy, yer just fillin' in fer Hillary!!
Jean Kerry, RAT Party has its hero, Slick Willie!!

(Chorus)
Lemme tell ya there's a Lib'ral runnin' to be Prez'dent...
Dude looks gawky while he's bird-doggin' Dem phat chicks!!
You can take yer morals back to the ghetto tonight!!
'Cuz the gang's all here and the FReepin' "FRee"...
Kerry's a FOOL, Hanoi John's tyranny!!
Hey, Hill'ry, why you playin' Kerry's Party?!!

[Bigman on sax, CM on guitar]

Folks, keep fighting fer what's Right...ignore the pain!!
Let the bleedin'-hearted spew their spin!!
Kerry, you can run, but be warned, "Be Wary of the Right!!"
Tell Dem Lib'rals down in Central Park...
And all you politicos who're missin' the mark...
Say, Slick Willie, won't you pray fer yer Party?!
Hey, Willie, why'd you slay Kerry's Party?!

FReegards...MUD (02/23/2004)

[Soaring Feather]

TGIF!
Good morning everyone!

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning, PE!

Our baby is looking good!

[alfa6]

You and Msdrby do good work there lad.

Have a great Day

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on September 24:
1501 Gerolamo Cardano, mathematician, author of Games of Chance, the first systematic computation of probabilities.
1717 Horace Walpole England, writer (The Castle of Otranto)
1755 John Marshall Va, 4th Supreme Court Chief Justice (1801-35)
1825 Frances E.W. Harper famous African
1870 Georges Claude inventor (neon light)
1890 Sir Alan Herbert England, journalist/writer (Punch, Helen)
1896 F Scott Fitzgerald St Paul Minn, author (Great Gatsby)
1898 Baron Florey Aust, pathologist; purified penicillin (Nobel '45)
1914 Herb Jeffries Detroit Mich, actor (Where's Huddles)
1919 Vaclav Nelhybel Polanka Czechoslovakia, composer (Everyman)
1921 Jim McKay Phila Pa, sportscaster (ABC's Wide World of Sports)
1922 Theresa Merritt Newport News Va, actress (Mama-That's My Mama)
1924 Sheila MacRae London England, actress (Jackie Gleason Show)
1924 Walter Fufido Bronx NY, Iwo Jima casualty (WW II)
1930 John W Young SF Calif, astronaut (Gem 3 10, Apol 10 16, STS 1 9)
1931 Anthony Newley actor/song writer/singer (Dr Doolittle)
1934 John Brunner Britain, sci-fi author (Sheep Look Up)
1936 Jim Henson Greenville Miss, muppeteer (Sesame Street, Muppet Show)
1943 Lee Aaker LA Calif, actor (Rusty-Rin Tin Tin)
1946 "Mean" Joe Greene NFL tackle (Pitts Steelers), Coke spokesman
1948 Phil Hartman (comedian, actor
1962 Joseph Kennedy II (Rep-D-Mass)
1971 Shane Conrad actress (Cody-High Mountain Rangers)

---

Deaths which occurred on September 24:
0768 Pippin III, the short, King of France, dies at 53
0786 Al-Hadi, Arabic kalief of Islam (185-86), dies
0996 Hugo Capet, king of France (987-96), dies
1180 Manuel I Comnenus Byzantine emperor (1143-80), dies
1601 Tycho Brahe, astronomer, dies in Prague at 54
1815 John Sevier indian fighter, dies at 70
1975 Ian Hunter actor (Sir Richard-Robin Hood), dies at 75
1984 Neil Hamilton actor (Com Gordon-Batman), dies of asthma at 85
1991 Theodore Geisel (Dr Seuss), dies at 87

---

Reported: MISSING in ACTION
1965 FLYNN GEORGE EDWARD III NEW ORLEANS LA.
[06/09/74 REMAINS RECOVERED]
1965 OSBORN GEOFFREY H. WINTER PARK FL.
1966 WHITTLE JUNIOR L. INDIANAPOLIS IN.
[SWIMMING SOUTH CHINA SEA DROWN]
1968 BREINER STEPHEN E. DECATUR IN.
1968 DRABIC PETER E. UNION BRIDGE MD.
[03/73 RELEASED BY PRG, ALIVE IN 98]
1968 MC CONNELL JERRY JAMICA NY.
1972 BORAH DANIEL V. JR. OLNEY IL.
["ALIVE IN CHUTE, NO MORE CONTACT", REMAINS IDENTIFIED 18 APRIL 1997 - DISPUTED]

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

---

On this day...
0312 Start of Imperial Indication
0366 Liberius ends his reign as Catholic Pope
0622 Mohammed's Hegira("flight" from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution.)
0673 Synod of Hertford opens; canons made for English Church
0787 2nd Council of Nicaea (7th ecumenical council) opens in Asia Minor
1493 Columbus' 2nd expedition to the New World
1625 Dutch attack San Juan, Puerto Rico
1683 Jews are expelled from all French possessions in America
1789 Congress creates the Post Office
1789 Congress' 1st Judiciary Act, Attorney General & Supreme Court
1829 Russia & Ottoman Empire sign Peace Treaty of Adrianople
1838 Anti-Corn-Law League forms to repeal English Corn Law
1841 Sarawak obtained by Britain from Sultan of Brunei
1845 1st baseball team is organized
1852 A new invention, the dirigible, is demonstrated
1853 1st round-the-world trip by yacht (Cornelius Vanderbilt)
1862 President Abraham Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus against anyone suspected of being a Southern sympathizer
1862 Confederate Congress adopts confederacy seal
1864 Battle of Pilot Knob (Fort Davidson), Missouri
1865 James Cooke walks tightrope from Cliff House to Seal Rocks, SF
1869 Black Friday; Wall St panic after Gould & Fisk attempt to corner gold
1883 National black convention meets in Louisville, Kentucky
1890 Wilford Woodruff, Pres of Mormon Church in Salt Lake City issues a manifesto advising members that teaching & practice of polygamy should be abandoned.
1895 1st round-the-world trip by a woman on a bicycle (took 15 months)
1919 Babe Ruth sets season homer mark at 28 off of Yankee Bob Shawkey
1922 Roger Hornsby sets the NL HR mark at 42
1927 NHL's Toronto St Patricks become the Maple Leafs
1927 Yanks set record of 106 victories
1929 Lt James H Doolittle guides a Consolidated N-Y-2 Biplane over Mitchell Field in NY in the 1st all-instrument flight
1938 Don Budge becomes 1st tennis player to grand slam
1940 Jimmy Foxx hits his 500th career HR
1941 9 Allied govts pledged adherence to Atlantic Charter
1948 Mildred Gillars (Axis Sally) pleads innocent in Wash DC
1950 "Operation Magic Carpet"-All Jews from Yemen move to Israel
1952 Underwater volcano explodes under research vessel Kaiyo-maru-5
1954 Tonight Show premiers on NBC (Johnny takes over 8 years later)
1954 Yanks tie a record, 3 of their pinch hitters strike out in 1 inning
1955 Pres Eisenhower suffers a heart attack on vacation in Denver
1957 Bkln Dodgers play last game at Ebbets Field, defeat Pirates 2-0
1957 Eisenhower orders US troops to desegregate Little Rock schools
1958 1st welded aluminum girder highway bridge completed, Urbandale, Ia
1960 1st nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, launches (USS Enterprise)
1960 Internationl Development Assn (UN agency) comes into existence
1962 The University of Mississippi agrees to admit James Meredith as the first black university student, sparking more rioting.
1963 Senate ratifies treaty with Britain & USSR limit nuclear testing
1964 "The Munsters" premiers
1968 "60 Minutes" premiers
1969 Trial of "Chicago 8" (protesters at Dem Natl Conv) begins
1970 1st Automated return of lunar sample by Luna 16
1971 Houston Astros beat SD Padres, 2-1, in 21 innings
1972 Antique F86 Sabrejet fails to takeoff at air show, kills 22
1972 Jack Tatum, Oakland, returns a fumble 104 yds vs Green Bay (rec)
1972 NY Jet Joe Namath passes for 6 touchdowns vs Balt Colt (44-34)
1973 Portuguese Guinea (Guinea-Bissau) declares independence
1974 Al Kaline gets his 3,000th career hit
1976 Newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst sentenced to 7 years for her part in a 1974 bank robbery. Released after 22 months by Pres Carter
1977 Ken Hinton of CFL British Columbia Lions returns a punt 130 yards
1978 Ron Guidry beats Cleveland 4-0, raising his record to 23-3 ERA 1.74
1979 CompuServe system started
1981 Four Armenian gunmen seized the Turkish consulate in Paris, holding 60 hostages for 15 hours before surrendering.
1982 US, Italian & French peacekeeping troops begin arriving in Lebanon
1985 Apollo Computer Inc. lays off 300 employees
1985 Fastest English Channel crossing by a relay team set (15h 30m)
1985 Montreal Expo Andre Dawson is 9th to get 6 RBIs in an inning (5th)
1988 Barbara C Harris of Mass, elected 1st woman Episcopal bishop
1988 Jackie Joyner-Kersee of USA sets the heptathlon woman's record(7,291)
1990 Supreme Soviet gives approval to switch to free market
1991 Robin Yount is 37th to hit 2,000 singles
1996 The United States, represented by President Clinton, and the world's other major nuclear powers signed a treaty to end all testing and development of nuclear weapons.
1996 Israel opened a second entrance to a tunnel used by archeologists at the Temple Mount, sacred to Muslims as well as Jews. The action sparked deadly rioting.
1996 Stephen King releases two books at once
1998 Iran's foreign minister announced that Iran had dropped its 1989 call for the death of Salman Rushdie, author of "The Satanic Verses" which many Muslims found blasphemous.

---

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

Pennsylvania Dutch : Schwenkenfelder Thanksgiving Day (1734)
US : American Indian Day (1916)
Safety Awareness Week (Day 4)
National Ballroom Dance Week (Day 6)
National Mind Mapping for Problem Solving Week (Day 4)
Thanksgiving Day for the Pennsylvania Dutch
Potato Bread Month

---

Religious Observances
Succoth.
RC-Dominican Republic : Commemoration of Our Lady of Ransom

---

Religious History
787 The Second Nicene Council opened under Pope Hadrian I. Numbered by some as the 7th of the church's 21 ecumenical councils, Nicea II condemned iconoclasm (belief that the veneration of Christian images and relics is idolatry).
1889 In Holland, the Declaration of Utrecht was signed and became the doctrinal basis of the Old Catholic Church. ("Old Catholics" reject clerical celibacy, papal authority and the Council of Trent decisions.) Today in Europe, Old Catholics are active in Holland, Germany and Switzerland.
1956 In Minneapolis-St. Paul, a congregation of worshipers was organized into the first Southern Baptist church to be established in Minnesota.
1977 Rev. John T. Walker was installed as the sixth -- and first African American -- bishop of the Episcopal diocese in Washington, D.C.
1988 The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts elected Barbara C. Harris, 58, as a suffragen (assistant) bishop, making her the first woman to be so ordained in the Anglican communion.

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

---

Thought for the day :
"To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour."
~William Blake

---

Things You Wouldn't Hear a Southerner Say...
I'll have the arugula and radicchio salad

---

Lesser Known Breeds of Dogs - Cross Breeds
Pointer + Setter = Poinsetter, a traditional Christmas pet

---

The Ultimate Scientific Dictionary...
Exhaustive Methylation:
A marathon event in which the participants methylate until they drop from exhaustion.

---

Things you would like to say at work, but won't...
I see you've set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public.

[alfa6]

Civil War Bump for the Foxhole



Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Colonel_Flagg]

Good morning, Foxhole! Falling in :)

How's the trip going, friends?

[Samwise]

Awwwww! What a cutie!