In surfing around today, I found this website Surname Suggestion List
It’s a simple windows based program that gives suggestions for different surname spellings you might use to search for records. I have downloaded this and played around with it and thought you might find it interesting too
I have been doing a lot of reading the last few weeks regarding the War of Northern Aggression, and in one of the books I’m reading, Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz, I came across something I had never ever heard before…while I am sure a lot of people HAVE heard this, I am equally sure I’m not the only one to whom this story was “new”. I thought I would pass it along to those that may have interest in it. It is in no way meant to be an “opinion” piece; I am just passing along a story.
Were the shots fired on Fort Sumter in April 1861 indeed the first shots fired in the war? Some would say yes, some would say no. A lot of people in Charleston SC would definitely say no considering the events of January 1861 when cadets from the Citadel fired shots upon a Yankee supply ship called The Star of the West, to others the events starting at 4:30 A. M. on April 12, 1861, when Confederate batteries opened fire on Fort Sumter, Charleston Harbor, South Carolina was when War of Northern Aggression had begun.
Three months prior to that fateful day in April, Charleston was notified by a southern sympathizer by telegraph that a ship mean to resupply the troops at Fort Sumter had left New York carrying about 200 men with Charles R Woods of the 9th Infantry in command.
The story goes that cadets along with some militia were camped in a converted small pox hospital on Morris Island to work on fortification and in about 4 days installed 4 twenty-four pound siege guns at the northern end of the island. After the guns had been installed the cadets participated in drill exercises and a schedule was established for guard posts.
On January 9, 1861 Cadet William Simkins spotted the steamer “Star of the West” from his sentry post sailing towards Morris Island in the early morning light. Major P. F. Stevens was alerted and Cadet Simkins was ordered to take his position on Gun No. 1 to help prepare it for firing at the on coming steamer. The unarmed ship, The Star of the West arrived in the harbor and was fired upon by the cadets, the first shot a warning shot across the bow of the ship, at this point the ship raised a full sized garrison flag and continued towards Fort Sumter, who was unaware of the mêlée taking place and all told was fired upon at least 17 times, taking two or three actual hits. As the ship had no cannon and no support from the unalerted Fort Sumter, she aborted her mission, lowered her flag and turned around and headed back to New York taking all her supplies and men with her.
The next day, the peppery Charleston Mercury carried the headline: “THE CITADEL CADETS FIRE THE FIRST SHOTTED GUN. The Mercury characterized the firing on the Star of the West as the “opening ball of the Revolution” and expressed pride that “our harbor has been so honored.
It would be another 3 months before the “official” start of a 4 year bloody war that would change this country forever, but in the hearts and minds of many, this WAS the beginning.
I definitely think it makes for an interesting trivia question!!
If you would like to discuss this story, you may do so HERE
I have had a project in the works for a few years now….it was my goal to find out where my husbands 3rd great grandfather was buried so that I could see if he had a grave marker that notated his service during the War between the States, it took me almost 2 years to find where he was buried and he had no stone at all. I gathered all the necessary paperwork and ordered the free stone from the VA and it is back now and awaiting the monument company to install it for me.
This means I can start planning the memorial service and I’d really like to hear from people that have done this kind of thing before. I have a few ideas in my head and I have 5 months to get it planned (the service is set for September) but I REALLY want this to be something special….so if any of you out there have ever done this, or know someone that has planned one, I would really like to hear from you on what you did and how you went about it.
He didnt die in the war…he served almost the entire war and was at the surrender in 1865. He died in 1923.