December 26 = The Battle of Trenton.

On December 23, 1776 Thomas Paine wrote "these are the times that try men's souls." in his incendiary pamphlet "Common Sense". Surely it was so for George Washington's Continental army. They had been kicked out of New York and all of the Forts which they had erected on the Brooklyn Hieghts. And his army was literally disintegrating arround him his soldier's enlistment papers were due to expire at the end of the year. The men he had were in very poor shape, many of whom were "entirely naked and most so thinly clad as to be unfit for service" in Washington's own description, The only element in their favor was winter, which kept the Delaware River frozen, and safely between the Brits and the Americans. The British had settled into their winter quarters, hoping that either the freezing winter, or renewed hostilities in the spring, would end the rebellion. Indeed the Hessians (German mercenaries in the employ of the Brits) had settled down with a mere 1500 men at Trenton, just 9 miles down the road across the Delaware River. Washington Conceived a Bold Plan to keep his army together and in the field. Washinton refused to see himself as beaten no matter what William Howe (the General in charge of the British forces) thought. He now had the permission of the Congress to use the army in any way he thought productive, and this seemed to stimulate his thoughts."His Excellency George Washington" General Greene (below) would record later "never appeared to so much advantage as the hour of stress."

Washinington devised a daring plan to sting the British, and the Hessiaan mercenaries. capture a ton of much-needed supplies as well as give a huge boost to his Armies morale. ....... His plan was the reverse of what anyone expected. Instead of huddling in winter quarters like the Brits and their Hessian pals did, he proposed to ATTACK!................He would move his 2,400 man force, including horse and eighteen cannons, across the ice-choked Delaware River, divide his forces into two, one under Greene and one under Sullivan, to launch a pre-dawn attack. Sullivan would attack the town from the south, and Greene from the north at dawn on December 26. The task of ferrying everything across the Delaware River fell on Colonel John Glover and his tough, rugged band of Massachusetts fishermen. After revealing his plan at a council of war, Washington ordered as many boats as his men could lay ther hands on to be located and ferried to his position ten miles above Trenton. And the strictest silence had to be maintained. The freezing troops of the Continental Army were given meager provisions for three days and were not told the objective, only that the password was, “Victory or Death!"

Henry Knox, Washington’s Chief of Artillery recalled in a letter to his wife, "The moon was full on Christmas night. As men and material loaded into the transports.."Floating ice in the river made the labor almost incredible.” The river’s strong and swift current complicated matters, as did a nasty nor’easter which began pelting everyone with snow, freezing rain and sleet, accompanied by a steady and stiff wind. By 3:00 am, Washington’s troops were across. “Perseverance,” wrote Knox, “accomplished what first seemed impossible." Behind schedule because of the storm, the Americans arrived on the outskirts of Trenton around daybreak on the 26th. Washington split his force into two columns. One, commanded by Nathaniel Greene attacked from the north, while a second under John Sullivan attacked from the west to cut the line of retreat to the south. Recalling the assault, one American officer said, “I never could conceive that one spirit should so universally animate both officers and men to rush forward into action.”

As they marched, Washington rode up and down the line, urging his men to forward. General Sullivan sent a message to Washington that the weather was wetting his men's gunpowder. Washington ordered, "Tell General Sullivan to use the bayonet. I am resolved to take Trenton." The Hessian garrison, under the command of Colonel Johann Rall had been harassed by American militia for several weeks and were exhausted. Despite Washington engaging the pickets on the outskirts of town, Rall was taken completely by surprise. The Hessians attempted to form up at several spots but were unable to do so effectively. It became a running battle and the Americans quickly had the upper hand. Some of the Hessians did manage to escape, but most of them were captured.

The battle raged with the Americans pouring down their assault upon the suddenly awakened Teuonic enemies. The Hessians were never sufficiently able to mount an organized defense. At on point they pulled back in as orderly a fashion as they could through the streets of Trenton only to be surrounded by the Americans in a peach orchard on the outskirts. Hessian commander Col. Johann Rall attempted to rally his men, but it couldn't be done, as his men felt frightened by this surprise attack. Col. Rall wound up beeing mortally wounded. This left his troops demoralized and those who saw this through their weapons to the ground and surrendered. The Hessians lost 22 men killed in the fight with another 86 receiving wounds and close to 900 were taken prisoner. The Americans also seized much-needed supplies, including additional cannons and 1,200 muskets. The Americans suffered only five casualties, all only wounded. It was a major victory that proved a vital boost to the American cause when it desperately needed it. Washington had won a stunning victory. The army that the British thought was all but defeated had destroyed a major garrison with very light casualties, capturing critical supplies in the process. Striking on Washington took to cross and recross Delaware again over the next ten days, fighting a delaying action at the Battle of the Assunpink and winning another stunning victory at the Battle of Princeton. The Revolution had survived. Sources = https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/trenton..... https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/trenton..... https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/washington-wins-first-major-u-s-victory-at-trenton........ "1776" by David McCullough, Simon & Schuster, New York, 2005. "The American Heritage History of the American Revolution" by Bruce Lancaster, American Heritage Publising Co. New York, 1971...... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Trenton x x

December 14, 1911 = Amundsen Wins Race to the South Pole

On today's date, December 14 in 1911, Norwegian Roald Amundsen (below) became the first explorer to reach the South Pole, beating his British rival, Robert Falcon Scott by more than a month.

Amundsen, born in Borge, near Oslo, in 1872, was one of the greatest figures in the history of polar exploration. In 1897, he was first mate on a Belgian expedition that was the first ever to spend the entire winter in Antarctica. In 1903, he steered the 47-ton sloop Gjöa around the coast of Canada using the Northwest Passage and becoming the first navigator to accomplish that treacherous route. He was having some difficulty raising funds for a dash to the North Pole when he heard in 1909 that the Americans Frederick Cook and Robert Peary had already gotten there. Amundsen completed his preparations and in June 1910 sailed instead for Antarctica, secretly changing his plans. Without telling his financial backers or even his own crewmen at first, the Norwegian steered his ship Fram toward Antarctica and set his sights on reaching the South Pole. Before arriving, he sent a letter to Captain Robert Falcon Scott of the British Royal Navy(below)

who was preparing his own expedition in Australia. It read simply: “Beg leave to inform you Fram proceeding Antarctic. Amundsen.” Amundsen sailed his ship into Antarctica’s Bay of Whales and set up base camp 60 miles closer to the pole than Scott. Both explorers set up their means of trasportation Amundsen using sleigh dogs, and Scott employing Siberian motor sledges, Siberian ponies, and dogs. There was considerable press coverage to the two teams in what they called “race for the South Pole.” After spending the early part of 1911 laying down advance caches of food and supplies for their polar journeys, Amundsen and Scott’s expeditions took shelter and spent several months waiting out the dark and frigid Antarctic winter. Amundsen later tried to get a head start by beginning his journey early in September 1911, but was forced to turn back after temperatures fell as far as 68 degrees below zero. Finally, on October 20, 1911, conditions improved enough for his five-man team to begin their dash to the Pole. Scott got underway just a few days later on November 1. Amundsen and Scott relied on vastly different forms of transport during their journeys. Scott employed a combination of sled dogs, Manchurian ponies and even several motorized tractors. The machines fell victim to the arctic temperatures which quickly caused them to break down. Similarly, the cold caused his ponies to grow weak and they had had to be shot. After sending the dogs back to camp, he and his team were forced to spend much of their strength for their journey hauling their heavy supply sledges on foot. Amundsen, meanwhile, relied solely on skis and sled dogs to cross the tundra. The dogs helped his men save their strength, and the explorers later killed the weakest of the animals to supplement their food supply. Thanks to the speed of his dog teams, Amundsen’s party managed to race toward the Pole at a pace of over 20 miles per day. The Norwegians took a previouly untried route that forced them to navigate a dizzying icy trail of crevasses, mountains and glaciers, but by early December, they had penetrated farther into the interior of Antarctica than anyone in history. Amundsen would later summed up his feelings at this moment of triumph: “had the same feeling that I can remember as a little boy on the night before Christmas Eve—an intense

expectation of what was going to happen.” Finally, on December 14, 1911, he and his companions arrived at the South Pole. The men planted the Norwegian flag, (Pictured,above)smoked celebratory cigars and posed for snapshots, but they only remained for a few days before beginning the arduous trek back to their base camp. “The goal was reached,” Amundsen wrote, “our journey ended.” Scott's Team Arrives...Late Over a month later on January 17, 1912, Scott and his weary British team finally reached the Pole. And there they found that Scott had left him notes informing him that he had beaten them to their prize location by just over a month. Now Scott had to find their way back to their base camp. Having reached the South Pole late in the summer of the Antarctic. The Temperatures were dropping rapidly as Scott's weary company began its slow and laborious track to the north. But exhaustion from frostbite and not enough food began to spread throughout the weary group. Nevertheless Scott kept a diary of his travels almost the end. "Wednesday, 17 January Great God! this is an awful place and terrible enough for us to have labor to it without the reward of priority "Thursday 29 March Since the 21'st we have had a continuous gale from West Southwest and Southwest. We had fuel to make 2 cups of tea a piece and bare food for two days on the 20th. Every day have been ready to start for depot 11 miles away, but outside the door of the tent it remains a scene of whirling drift. I do not think can hope for better things now. We shall stick it out to the end, but we are getting weaker of course and the end cannot be far. It seems a pity, but I do not think I can write more." "For God sake look for our people." The members of Scott's Scott’s group had a much tougher time on their return trek. Scott's dog teams were sent back while Scott and his four explorers continued on foot. On January 18, 1912, they reached the pole only to find that Amundsen had preceded them by over a month. Weather on the return journey was exceptionally bad–two members perished–and a storm later trapped Scott and the other two survivors in their tent only 11 miles from their base camp. Scott’s frozen body was found later that year. Sources = "The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness History" Edited by John B Lewis Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc. 1998. "The Treacherous Race to the South Pole" By Evan Andrews.... https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/amundsen-reaches-south-pole.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roald_Amundsen.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amundsen%27s_South_Pole_expedition.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Falcon_Scott

November 2, 1948 – Dewey defeats Truman!

Note= This posting is intended strictly as report on the remarkable events that happened in 1948 on this date. NO support or lack of support for either of the candidates on the ballot tomorrow is intended.

"Dewey Defeats Truman" was an incorrect banner headline on the front page of the Chicago Daily Tribune on November 3, 1948, the day after incumbent United States President, Harry S. Truman, won an upset victory over Republican challenger and Governor of New York, Thomas E. Dewey, in the 1948 presidential election. The President bought the paper's early edition. The... mistake was famously held up by Truman at a public appearance following his successful election, smiling triumphantly at the error.

What had gone wrong at the polls? Harry Truman had been thrust into the presidency by the death of Franklin Roosevelt in April 1945. Most Americans seemed to appreciate his steady grip on the government during difficult times. But the Republicans nominated Thomas E Dewey governor of New York (above). During his time as governor of New York and during his time as New York City Dist. Attorney, Dewey had made it his business to go after mafia related crime syndicates such as the one led by Lucky Lucciano and others. Both men seemed qualified. Dewey seemed like a more steady reliable hand at the helm of government. Some papers while expressing fondness for the president could not support him. "However much affection you may feel for Mr. Truman and whatever sympathy we may feel for him in his strugges with his difficulties," said a front-page editorial in the Baltimore Sun, "to vote him into the presidency on November 2 would be a tragedy for the country and for the world." For some time polls had been predicting Dewey as being ahead of Tuman by 5 to 15 points. “We stopped polling a few weeks too soon,” said George Gallup Jr., co-chairman of the Gallup organization and son and namesake of another polling titan. “We had been lulled into thinking that nothing much changes in the last few weeks of the campaign.”

Truman's 1948 Campaign: within the Democratic Party, there was some opposition Truman. After he forced a strong civil rights plank into the party platform that year Truman faced a walkout of many Southern Democrats under the leadership of Strom Thurmond,who formed a "Dixiecrat" party separate from the Democratic ticket.Similarly former vice president Henry Wallace,who favored more progressive policies than Truman formed his own "Progressive Party", and these exspected to take some points away from Truman's Democratic Party. Given what seemed a deadly three-way split the Democratic Party, Dewey decided to take the high road in his campaign speaking in generalities and vague platitudes about what a great picture that they had in front of her. The Louisville Courier Journal summed up what it saw as Dewey's bland and vague campaign by saying it could be reduced to four sentences: "agriculture is important, our rivers are full of fish, you cannot have freedom without liberty, our future lies ahead."

But Truman's feisty fighting personality let him out on whistle stop campaign all across America. As can be seen in the map above Truman's campaign touched countless towns with countless speeches about his campaign. It was an Odyssey of 31,000 miles across the country and 352 speeches during his whistle stop tour and put him in personal contact countless civilians who understoodhis plain speaking style and appreciated it. Dewey was determined to avoid anything too controversial by criticizing Truman directly. In contrast to Dewey's restrained style, Truman unleashed a continuous attack upon Dewey by name, his refusal to cite issues specifically, and the "Do nothing" republican held 80'th Congress. The candidate for the most part seemed unbeatable, his outlook entirely positive. Between speeches he could lie down and go immediately to sleep however rough the road had been. "Give me 20 minutes." he would say. The strain of the campaign seemed to make him more firm even, in his purpose. At no point in the entire campaign to the staff, or the press, or even any of his family did he show less willingness to go on. The odds were all against him yet this only seemed to make him stronger. His natural optimism seemed to take over and keep them going. Several well-known and influential newspaper columnists, such as Drew Pearson and Joseph Alsop didn't believe Truman had a chance. Influential politcians said that Truman didn't have a chance and in their talks suggested which of Dewey's circle would take over which cabinet positions.

But still,the unthinkable began happening! On the night of the election Dewey and his family and his staff confidentally assembled at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City. There they fully expected returns coming in from all of the country electing Dewey to the presidency. Truman, used his Secret Service men assigned to him to steal away the historic Elms Hotel in nearby Excelsior Springs Missouri.There, he had dinner took a bath and went to sleep. " In the returns that started coming in Truman took an early which he never relinquished. Leading radio constantly reported that the returns were coming in from other parts of the country that would overcome Truman's lead and win the election for Dewey. Meanwhile over the radio the authoritative voices of radio commentators were reporting that the president was ahead by 1.2 million notes, but that Truman was undoubtedly beaten. Truman's staffers kept vigil over the radio for the next several hours. The tide was turning, with reports coming in that said Truman was leading by 2 million votes! They got Truman to wake up and turn on his radio radio to hear the commentator saying he didn't seem how Truman could possibly be elected since states like Ohio and Illinois which is where Dewey's base of "rural votes" was, had not been tallied yet. "We got 'em beat!" Truman said. The Secret Service got the car ready and they took a ride to Kansas City. Dewey had carried New York New Jersey and Michigan, but Truman and taken Massachusetts all the South except four states, was winning in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Colorado, He held by slim margins in Illinois and Ohio so far, and was ahead in all-important California. Dewey for his part began to realize the trouble he was in the early returns from New England and New York shows his new tallies as much less than was expected. He stayed up rest the evening and early morning analyzing the bits as they were counted. By 10:30 AM Dewey realized the jig was up at 11:14 AM he sent a kind letter of concession Pres. Truman. Clearly the pollsters had gotten it all wrong and went back to their books and came up with new ways of interpreting their data. Truman went on to serve four more eventfull years as president of the United States. But with a picture of Truman holding up the Chicago Tribune saying Dewey had defeated him in their memories, polllsters were never quite so sure of themselves again. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Sources = "Truman" by David McCullough. Simon and Schuster, 1992.XXXXXX https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_United_States_presidential_election#Fall_campaignXXXXX https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/truman-defeats-dewey XXXXX https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna26661213

JUNE 23 = Hitler Tours Paris

  Adolf Hitler, Der Fuehrer his very own self stopped by Paris for a few hours to gaze and gawk a bit on today's date, June 23 in 1940. He had a full schedule of things that he wanted to see, but he was there for just a few hours that morning, and that was it. He left promptly and never came back. All the better for the people of Paris one might say, but there it was. Evidently the man was as odd as he was evil. Now  I should say right off that I've run into several other internet sources saying that Hitler's visit came on the 24th, the  25th, and also the 21st. But I've found more saying the 23rd was the date than others citing another date so that is the one I'm going with. Forgive me if I've gotten it wrong.

Hitler Arrives on the Spot

The Germans blew through the French defenses without too much trouble and and the French wound up surrendering to the Germans on June 22, 1940 on the very spot where Germany had had to surrender to France at the end of World War I. In fact Hitler had the railway car of  Marshall Foch (the General who had beaten the Germans in 1918) hauled to the spot in Compiegne Forest wherein the 1918 ceremony had taken place and took the French armistice there, not wanting to pass up this chance to rub salt into the wounds of his enemies. He subsequently had the memorial sight destroyed. Hitler also ordered the destruction of two other memorials: one of French War Hero General Mangin and one of Edith Cavell a nurse who helped Allied troops to escape the Germans in World One. Now that he had destroyed these little details, Hitler had a few other things to do.

Der Fuehrer Decides to Have a Look at Paris

  Albert Speer, whom Hitler referred as his "colleague" in matters of Art and Architecture was  informed by the Little Corporal himself that he wished tour the French capitol in a few days, and that he wanted Speer as part of his entourage. So at 5:30 a.m. the plane carrying Hitler and his Henchmen arrived at Le Bourget airport near Paris and they all piled into three large Mercedes sedans (with Hitler seated as usual next to the driver) and drove through streets largely unoccupied at such an early hour. They went directly to Paris Opera House - a great neobaroque building designed by Charles

Garnier which was very dear to Hitler's "heart". The great stairway was very spacious and highly ornamented as well as the elegant foyer (above) all were carefully examined. Hitler, who took on the role of guide in spite of the presence of a guide from the Opera Co. noticed a salon  was missing and pointed it out, but the guide already knew it. Hitler was quite taken with all of this beauty. When the tour was finally over Hitler through his adjutant offered a couple of times to pay the Opera's attendant 50 marks, which the man politely but firmly declined saying that he was 'only doing his job."

Off to the Eiffel Tower!

Next the Motorcade proceeded past the Rue Madeline, on down the Champs Elysees, and on to the Eiffel Tower.  Hitler seemed in the film of this event to be one more tourist looking the place over; not overly impressed as he moved among his cronies. From the Arc de Triomphe which included
France's Tomb of the Uknown Soldier, Hitler's caravan move onto L'Invalides there to gaze upon the tomb of Napoleon (the Original Little Corporal)which he spent some time doing. He later ordered that the remains of Napoleon's son to be re-interred alongside of his Dad. Hitler was much impressed by the Pantheon, but had no great interest in the most significant architectural works in Paris: the Place des Vosges, the Palace of Justice, and  the Louvre. The only sight he got into was the unitary row of houses on the fashionable Rue de Rivoli. After taking in a few more churches, Hitler had everyone back at airport by 9:00 a.m.. It was one of the greatest cities in world, but after less than three hours this man had had his fill. Nevertheless he later gushed to Speer: "It was the dream of my life to be permitted to see Paris. I cannot say how happy I am to have that dream fulfilled today."


Sources =

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hitler-takes-a-tour-of-paris

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/hitlerparis.htm

https://www.google.com/search?q=rue+Rivoli&oq=rue++Rivoli&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l2j46j0l3j69i60.46675j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Father's Day

It is amazing to me think that I've been doing this Blog since about 2014 (I think!), and only today did I notice that I've never done a posting about Father's Day! I know that I've posted the picture to the left of my own magnificent father before, and I've written about
his participation in World War II. And within my family, I have a couple more veterans, my brother-in-law Dave and my brother Pat, both of them veterans of the U.S. Navy. And there is nephew Pat Jr., who served in the U.S. Army. There is another brother, not me, but my brother John who is a Dad. And two more nephews (both of whom are taller than me), and a couple of nephews in law all of whom, just like the men mentioned above are excellent fathers and husbands. I wish them all Happy Father's Day!

A Bit of the History of Father's Day

   There are versions of Father's Day across the world on which we celebrate our Fathers and show our filial devotion to the men who brought us into this world. In Americca, the first celebration is thought to have been a memorial service held for the men who had been killed in the Mining Disaster which took place in Monongah, West Virginia in 1907. But following that, it seems to have been the inspiration of a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd (pictured,right) (1882 - 1978), a native of Arkansas. When listening to a sermon about the newly created Mother's Day at the Central Methodist Church in Spokane, Washington. Ms. Dodd held her own father, a Civil War veteran very dearly in her heart, and after hearing the sermon felt that there should be a day to honor fathers as well. She spoke with church leaders about her idea which was well received. They chose the third Sunday in June as the date. So Father's Day was first celebrated in Spokane on June 19, 1910.

The Date Changes Over Time
 
Observance of the day faded over the course of the following decade. But it regained popularity ans in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson wrote a telegram to the leaders of Spokane praising them for their celebrations of the day, and the great orator William Jennings Bryan
spoke out in favor of observance of the day.And getting closer to our own time, President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring that the third Sunday in June to be Father's Day. And in 1972 President Richard Nixon established the third Sunday in June to be the permanent observance of Father's Day. Of course there are hundreds of merchants and department stores which try their best to cash in with sales of all kinds. But Ms. Dodd that she thought anything to honor our fathers was fine with her. So let's get going with parties, and toasts to the loving spirit of our fathers, and warm memories of those, who like my own Dad are no longer here to share them with us.


Sources =

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father%27s_Day

 https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/jun/18/it-started-here-sonora-dodd-the-spokane-mother-of-/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonora_Smart_Dodd

  

MAY 21 = Clara Barton Founds the American Red Cross

"But perhaps the most resilient worker of them all, and certainly the one who stirred up was a stiff-spined little spinster in a plain black dress and muddy boots who had brought the newly organized American Red Cross in from Washington. Miss Clara
Barton and her delegation of fifty doctors and nurses had arrived on the B&O early Wednesday morning."

- David McCullough

The American Red Cross was founded on today's date, May 21 in 1881.Clara Barton was named president  of the society, which held its first official meeting at her I Street apartment in Washington, DC, on this date with the help of Adolphus Solomons a prominent member of the American Jewish community in social welfare matters. Clara Barton was well captured in Mr. McCullough's description of her stirring up notice as she arrived with her Red Cross volunteers and marched right into the thick of disaster. It certainly fits everything ever written about this amazing woman Whether there were casualties from war or from natural disaster she always walked to the heart of the problem and took hands-action to fix it. And usually in a field which was considered men's work.

Clara Barton's Early Life - What Lead Her to Nursing?

 Clarissa Harlowe Barton was born on December 25, 1821, to Captain Stephen Barton, a local militia leader and Sarah Stone Barton one of five children in the family. She attended school at age three getting good marks in adding and spelling although socially she was quite timid. At age 10, when her brother David fell from the roof a barn and sustained serious head injury she took upon herself the job of nursing him back to health when most of the doctors had given up on him. She obviously had an ability to learn and the compassion to help those who were suffering. She taught in New Jersey and eventually had a job as a clerk in the U.S. Patent Office.

The Civil War Breaks Out.

In the spring of 1861, the bloodshed from the war started arriving in Washington D.C. where Clara worked at the time. She wanted to serve, so she went to the train station and saw all of the suffering.
She began nursing the wounded men. She provided  vital personal help to these men who were hungry and suffering from battle wounds, and who had very few supplies. So she began taking supplies to them at the unfinished Capitol building where they had been taken. Barton and some of the other women there provided food, decent clothing and began dressing their wounds. Through this experience, Barton learned the business of storing and distributing medical supplies. She also
offered emotional support to the men, reading to them, and writing letters home for them. From this point onward in her life she devoted herself to providing help and supplies to wounded soldiers. She even stored many of the supplies at her own home. In 1862 she was given permission by Quartermaster Daniel Rucker to work at the frontline of battle.

"The Angel of the Battlefield"

"I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it, and while our soldiers can stand and fight, I can stand and feed and nurse them." - Clara Barton

She brought loads of supplies along with her in three army wagons for the suffering wounded going directly to them in the field hospitals. She even braved the havoc at Antietam where the shortage of supplies forced some surgeons to make bandages out of corn husks. She organized men who were able to practice first aid, prepare food and carry water. She paid for much of this with donations from citizens and much of it with her own funds (for which the government eventually reimbursed her). For the duration of the war, Barton had her wagons following the Union Army caring for the sick and wounded not just of the Union, but also tending Confederate prisoners as well. She became known as

"The Angel of the Battllefield." Many of the male surgeons objected to woman nosing into what they considered men's work but she ignored them and kept on working. During the union assault on Battery Wagner (July 18, 1863) many of the wounded were brought to Clara's care on Morris Island. There she would care or the sick, pass out mail and fresh food. Barton herself, based in her tent became very ill and had to be evacuated to Hilton Head. Of the action there, Barton said:

"We have captured one fort - Gregg - and one charnel house - Wagner - and we have built one cemetery, Morris Island.  The thousand little sand-hills that in the pale moonlight are a thousand headstones, and the restless ocean waves that roll and breakup on the whitened beach sing an eternal requiem to the toll-worn gallant dead who sleep beside." 

Clara Barton and the International Red Cross

After the grim carnage of the Civil War. Barton helped in identifying
the many missing soldiers left from combat and also in the hellish Confederate P.O.W. camp at Andersonville, Georgia. President Lincoln gave her the title "General Correspondent for the Friends of Paroled Prisoners" and her job was to answer the many inquiries from loved ones of the many soldiers marked "M.I.A.". She was thus required to scour the casualty lists, Prison roles, and parole
roles kept at Annapolis Maryland. In order to accomplish this Hurculean labor Clara produced the Bureau of Records of Missing Men of the Armies of the United States and published Rolls of Missing Men, and had these rolls produced across the country. It was also at her behest that the many anonymous graves at Andersonville be identified and marked. in 1869, she went to Geneva, Switzerland as a member of the International Red Cross. She began searching for wealthy benefactors to contribute to an American chapter of the Red Cross.

 During 1870, the Franco-Prussian War (July, 1870 - May, 1871)broke out with the French getting their clocks cleaned by Bismarck's armies, and their Emperor, Louis Napoleon captured at Sedan. During the course of this mess, the Prussians laid siege to Paris for @ five months.
Here again Clara was on the scene helping to prepare military hospitals, and was in charge of getting supplies to the embattled people of Paris. For her efforts she was rewarded the Prussian Iron Cross. Back in the United States, Clara started working on a project to acquire recognition of the International Committee of the Red Cross by the U.S. government. President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1878 demurred with the thought that the country was unlikely to face a calamitous occurrence such as the Civil War again.  She tried again with President Chester Arthur and succeeded with the idea that the Red Cross could be called in to deal with natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes and forest fires. So Clara Barton was named President of the American Red Cross on this date in 1881.

The American Red Cross Expands

The Red Cross expanded it's meaning and activities with the outbreak of the Spanish American War (April - August, 1898), not only treating American wounded, but also treating refugees and prisoners of the Cuban side of that conflict. Throughout the 1880's wherever there were victims in need following tornadoes or floods along the Ohio River, the Red Cross usually with Barton herself was there with supplies of food, or medical items and general medical care for any who needed it. In

fact when the city of Johnstown, Pennsylvania was hit with a disastrous flood on March 13, 1889 the American Red Cross took up its first major relief operation with Clara Barton showing up with her corps of 50 doctors and nurses (Coverage in Johnstown newspaper above). They worked steadily and seriously, staying on the scene for a full five months. In 1897, Barton traveled to the Ottoman Empire and brought relief to the Armenian peoples being slaughtered by the Turks. And her final field expedition as President of the leader of the American Red Cross came in 1900 to the relief of huge humanitarian losses suffered by the people of Galveston, Texas following the hurricane that visited there in 1900.

Miss Barton was forced out as President of the American Red Cross in 1904 when criticism was voiced over issues of mixing personal and professional resources. At age 83, Clara had what has been described an egocentric management style which didn't fit well with the organization of charitable organization such as the Re Cross had grown into. She moved to her home at Glen Echo, Maryland wherein she died of pneumonia on April 12, 1912 at the age of 90.  She left us a quote from some time in her life which could be said to be her reaction to the all-male power structure with which she had done battle all of her life:

"I have an almost complete disregard of precedent, and a faith in the possibility of something better. It irritates me to be told how things have always been done. I defy the tyranny of precedent. I go for anything new that might improve the past."

Of the good she had done with her life it is impossible to say enough.  When and where she saw suffering she moved immediately to assuage that suffering, settling only for whatever worked and
appeared to have little time for the traditional toes she stepped on. And there are literally millions of lives that were better off for her work, her determination and dedication.



Sources =

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Barton

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/american-red-cross-founded

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/clara-barton?gclid=CjwKCAjwqpP2BRBTEiwAfpiD-6ugVzPqHrFv7V-gYIOTbg6CbaBSs0H7OQXFyXwoc5G2VMiaP_ODaBoC4ncQAvD_BwE

https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/enterprise-assets/about-us/history/history-clara-barton-v5.pdf

https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/enterprise-assets/about-us/history/history-clara-barton-v5.pdf

"The Johnstown Flood" by David McCullough, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1968

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnstown_Flood

FEBRUARY 18 = Pluto the Ninth Planet is Found , Then Kicked out of the Planets Club!.

 Pluto, once believed to be the ninth planet, was discovered  on today's date, February 18 in 1930 by astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh working at the Lowell Observatory at Flagstaff,  Arizona. Now I will readily admit that in this subject of the study of planetary bodies I am taking on a  subject  about which I know almost nothing. But this seemed like an important subject. So please forgive in advance for all of the mistakes I may end up making!

Planet out There?

First of a all planets are way too faraway to be discovered by simply going out and just taking a picture of it like the one above of Pluto and saying "there it is." In this case of Pluto, just as in the case of the many planets which have been discovered since way back in the 1930's a

planets existence can only be found by unexplained wobbles of the known orbits of known celestial bodies. In this case our view of the orbital patterns of Uranus and Neptune showed a sort of wobble that could only be explained by the gravitational pull of another planetary body (Clyde Tombaugh pictured above). The first man to propose the ninth planet was Percival Lowell based on these wobbles. Lowell calculated the likely position of this ninth planet and searched for it for a decade without finding it. On February 18, 1930, Tombaugh using some of Lowell's calculations, discovered the small faraway planet by the using a new astronomic technique of combining a blink microscope with the photograph plates. It was named "Pluto"   
after the Roman god of the underworld, the equivalent of Hades in Greek mythology. The discovery was confirmed by other astronomers and announced in March of that year.

But Why Was Pluto "Demoted" From Planetary Status?

Pluto exists within the Kuiper belt, a ring of bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. And there had been debate for some time on whether it should have  been declassified to just a minor dwarf planet within the Kuiper belt. The discussion came to  a conclusion within the International Astronomical Union with an official definition of a "Planet" quoted directly from Wikipedia:

   (Above: Pluto as photographed from the Hubble Space Telescope in 1998.) 

1.) The object must be in orbit around the Sun.
2.) The object must be massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity. More       specifically, its own gravity should pull it into a shape defined by hydrostatic   equilibrium.
3.) It must have cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.

Again quoting directly from Wikipedia which is far beyond my level of understanding:

"Pluto fails to meet the third condition. Its mass is substantially less than the combined mass of the other objects in its orbit: 0.07 times, in contrast to Earth, which is 1.7 million times the remaining mass in its orbit (excluding the moon). 
The IAU further decided that bodies that, like Pluto, meet criteria 1 and 2, but do not meet criterion 3 would be called dwarf planets."

  There was considerable disagreement within the scientific community about this  announcement by the IAU. The portion which said Pluto would no longer be considered a planet, due to new rules that said planets must “clear the neighborhood around its orbit.” Since Pluto’s oblong orbit overlaps that of Neptune, it was disqualified.  Alan Stern, principal investigator with NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto dismissed the reclassification out of hand: ""the definition stinks, for technical reasons". Stern has said that under IAU's new rules, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Neptune would not qualify as planets because they all share their orbits with asteroids. Stern also stated that fewer than 5% voted  for it and thus the kick Pluto out of the planets decision was not representative of the many of the astronomical scholars. Again as I said at the start this is way outside my field, so if I've made  some glaring errors please do feel free to write in on the response box below, and as long as you don't get TOO nasty I will publish it right here.  

Sources =

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pluto-discovered

JANUARY 9 = 1861 "Star of the West" is Fired Upon

The American Civil War begun in earnest in April of 1861 when shots were exchanged between Union batteries in Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor and Confederate guns on the shore installations.  But the first actual shots were fired on this day, January 9 in 1861 when shots were fired upon the merchant ship "Star of the West" (above) as she attempted to resupply and reinforce Fort Sumter.

States Seceding, the Union Dissolving

   This all came about during the secession crisis that followed the election of Abraham Lincoln on November 6, 1860. Sectional differences had divided the United States for years. There were arguments about state's sovereignty, but  the main dividing factor was the practice of slavery in the southern states.  Lincoln's Republican Party had run on a platform which pledged not to interfere with slavery where it already existed, but which opposed the extension of  slavery into the territories as they became states. The election was held, and with the opposition so divided between pro and anti-slave elements, Lincoln won with nearly 40% of the popular vote but a commanding majority of the electoral votes - 180 of  the 303 available. Many of the Southern states had been threatening to secede from the Union, and this mindset was very strong in South Carolina. On Nov. 8, the newspaper the Charleston Mercury, published a dark message: "The tea has been thrown overboard—the revolution of 1860 has been initiated.” And South Carolina indeed lead the way formally seceding from the Union on Dec. 20, 1860.

Fort Sumter - in Charleston Harbor

  On seceding from the Union on that day South Carolina demanded the the withdrawal of the Federal garrison in Fort Sumter right out in the middle of Charleston Harbor.  The small number of Federal troops still in Charleston after secession had been moved there by their

commander, Major Robert Anderson in (left) to "prevent the effusion of blood." President James Buchanan refused to cave in on this one point.  But Maj. Anderson and his 80 men required supplies and perhaps reinforcements. But Pres. Buchanan sent a civilian supply ship instead of a military ship, so as to keep the crisis from expanding by provocative action. The ship sent was "The Star of the West", a purely civilian ship. Sent on Jan. 5, Star of the West was cruising into a hornet's nest. Cadets from the South Carolina Military Academy - the Citadel - had set up a battery of guns on Morris Island, and were waiting.

The Shots Are Fired!

  Early in the morning of today's date, January 9, Star of the West captain John McGowan tried to move his ship into a channel near Fort Sumter. The Cadets on Morris Island fired a shot across the merchant vessel's bow to warn her off. Still Star of the West tried to move on forward. The cadets began to open fire (below). Major Anderson gave no thought to returning fire from his batteries on

Sumter.  If he had it might have initiated a full fledged  military engagement, and the Civil War might have started right then and there. Some batteries on nearby Fort Moultrie scored a couple of hits on their target, causing some damage on the ship. At this point, Capt. McGowan in charge of his unarmed ship decided to exit the channel and make a safe withdrawal.

So ended thee initial shots of  America's bloodiest war... a  small little skirmish in a Southern harbor in which nobody was killed or even harmed. A few weeks later after Lincoln had been inaugurated, 11 southern states had seceded from the union. And on April 12, 1861 the batteries in Charleston harbor opened fire on Fort Sumter itself, and the real shooting had begun.




Sources =

https://www.postandcourier.com/news/charleston-at-war-in-star-of-the-west-gets-first/article_27c54d7b-af4a-57a2-8273-d5902a0965a3.html

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/star-of-the-west-is-fired-upon


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_of_the_West

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Sumter

"The Civil War" Prod. by Ken Burns, written by Geoffrey C. Ward Vol. 1
"The Cause".