Wordless Wednesday - 011608

Wordless Wednesday 08/14/07

What is this? Answer here

Please Note: Last Week's Wordless Wednesday and Figure It Out Friday explanation will be available Thursday.

Wordless Wednesday 080807

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Kirkland Memorial: Humanity and Godliness on the Battlefield

Richard Rowland Kirkland

Angel of Marye’s Heights

The bronze effigy atop the remains of Lieutenant John Meigs is where I pause at Arlington National Cemetery for a special teaching moment concerning the brutality of war and the history of the cemetery.

In contrast, the Felix De Weldon statue that was installed in 1965 and serves as a monument to Richard Rowland Kirkland’s compassion in Fredericksburg, is on the way to or from Washington, DC and Williamsburg and where I often take a detour off I95 for a teaching moment about humanity and Godliness on the battlefield.

Richard Rowland Kirkland was born of a humble farm family sometime in August 1843 in Kershaw County South Carolina. Not much is known about his early life, but he was the fifth son of Mary and John Kirkland of Flat Rock, a farm community in Kershaw County. Kirkland has been described as a slender, but muscular young man of about 5’8” and 150 lbs. He was known for both his horsemanship and marksmanship. His letters written during the war reflect his modest education and deep Christian faith.

He was eager to fight for his state and his country, the newly formed Confederate States of America, and enlisted before his older brothers. Initially, he served as a private in Company E, 2^nd South Carolina, but after a year switched to Company G where he joined many of his friends and was quickly promoted to sergeant. By the time he reached Marye’s (pronounced Marie’s) Heights in Fredericks burg in December of 1862, he was a seasoned combat veteran of such battles as the First Manassas (Bull Run) and Sharpsburg (Antietam). He was 19 years old.

After setting up the battle conditions in cold December, I normally pose the question to my students, “Would you risk you life to bring comfort to the enemy?” Interestingly enough the range of answers and thoughts are the same whether it is a Christian, public, or private school; most would not.

But Sgt. Kirkland’s magnificence in his Good Samaritan act brings to light that the soldiers fighting on both sides were American brothers. It also reminds me of something Gen. Washington said that is carved into the memorial amphitheatre in Arlington National Cemetery: When we assumed the soldier, we did not lay aside the citizen.

Rather than summarize the battle and Kirkland’s heroics, I feel it more appropriate that you read the words of his commanding officer, General Joseph Brevard Kershaw (photo above):

Richard Kirkland, The Humane Hero Of Fredericksburg
By
General J. B. Kershaw.

(The following incident, originally published in the Charleston News and Courier, deserves a place in our records, and we cheerfully comply with requests to publish it, which have come from various quarters.)

Camden, S.C., January 2d, 1880.

To the Editor of the News and Courier:

Your Columbia correspondent referred to the incident narrated here, telling the story as 'twas told to him, and inviting corrections. As such a deed should be recorded in the rigid simplicity of actual truth, I take the liberty of sending you for publication an accurate account of a transaction every feature of which is indelibly impressed upon my memory.

Yours very truly,

J. B. Kershaw.

Richard Kirkland was the son of John Kirkland, an estimable citizen of Kershaw County, a plain, substantial farmer of the olden time. In 1861 he entered as a private Captain J.D. Kennedy's company (E) of the Second South Carolina volunteers, in which company he was a sergeant in December 1869.
The day after the sanguinary battle of Fredericksburg, Kershaw's brigade occupied the road at the foot of Marye's hill and the ground about Marye's house, the scene of their desperate defence of the day before. One hundred and fifty yards in front of the road, the stone facing of which constituted the famous stone wall, lay Syke's division of regulars, U.S.A., between whom and our troops a murderous skirmish occupied the whole day, fatal to many who heedlessly exposed themselves, even for a moment. The ground between the lines was bridged with the wounded' dead and dying Federals, victims of the many desperate and gallant assaults of that column of 30,000 brave men hurled vainly against that impregnable position.
All that day those wounded men rent the air with their groans and their agonizing cries of "Water! water!" In the afternoon the General sat in the north room, up stairs, of Mrs. Stevens' house, in front of the road, surveying the field, when Kirkland came up. With an expression of indignant remonstrance pervading his person, his manner and the tone of his voice, he said:
"General! I can't stand this."
"What is the matter, Sergeant?" asked the General.
He replied, "All night and all day I have heard those poor people crying for water, and I can stand it no longer. I come to ask permission to go and give them water."
The General regarded him for a moment with feelings of profound admiration, and said: "Kirkland, don't you know that you would get a bullet through your head the moment you stepped over the wall?"
"Yes, sir," he said, "I know that; but if you will let me, I am willing to try it."
After a pause, the General said, "Kirkland, I ought not to allow you to run a risk, but the sentiment which actuates you is so noble that I will not refuse your request, trusting that God may protect you. You may go."
The Sergeant's eye lighted up with pleasure. He said, "Thank you, sir," and ran rapidly down stairs. The General heard him pause for a moment, and then return, bounding two steps at a time. He thought the Sergeant's heart had failed him. He was mistaken. The Sergeant stopped at the door and said: "General, can I show a white handkerchief?" The General slowly shook his head, saying emphatically, "No, Kirkland, you can't do that." "All right," he said, "I'll take the chances," and ran down with a bright smile on his handsome countenance.
With profound anxiety he was watched as he stepped over the wall on his errand of mercy -- Christ- like mercy. Unharmed he reached the nearest sufferer. He knelt beside him, tenderly raised the drooping head, rested it gently upon his own noble breast, and poured the precious life- giving fluid down the fever scorched throat. This done, he laid him tenderly down, placed his knapsack under his head, straightened out his broken limb, spread his overcoat over him, replaced his empty canteen with a full one, and turned to another sufferer. By this time his purpose was well understood on both sides, and all danger was over. From all parts of the field arose fresh cries of "Water, water; for God's sake, water!" More piteous still the mute appeal of some who could only feebly lift a hand to say, here, too, is life and suffering.
For an hour and a half did this ministering angel pursue his labor of mercy, nor ceased to go and return until he relieved all the wounded on that part of the field. He returned to his post wholly unhurt. Who shall say how sweet his rest that winter's night beneath the cold stars!
Little remains to be told. Sergeant Kirkland distinguished himself in battle at Gettysburg, and was promoted lieutenant. At Chickamauga he fell on the field of battle, in the hour of victory. He was but a youth when called away, and had never formed those ties from which might have resulted in a posterity to enjoy his fame and bless his country; but he has bequeathed to the American youth -- yea, to the world -- an example which dignifies our common humanity. *

********************************************************

Lt. Kirkland is buried a few paces away from his commanding officer at the Old Quaker Cemetery, Camden, Kershaw County, South Carolina.

According to some sources, Lt. Kirkland’s last words were, “Save yourselves, and tell my father I died right.”

He lived right.


Proverbs 25:21 Romans 12:20
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There is also a story that General Sherman spared the Kirkland House as his name was legend on the lips of both Union and Confederate soldiers. Unfortunately, the house no longer exists.


* Source: Southern Historical Society Papers, Vol. VIII. Richmond, Virginia, April, 1880. No. 4.
For more information:
Mort Kunstler site
Fredericksburg Battlefield
Gen. Burside Report of the Battle Report of Gen. Robert E. Lee
Battle of Fredericksburg Official Records
Angel of Fredricksburg
Felix de Weldon

Wordless Wednesday 080207

Where are these young ladies?
Answer here

Wordless Wednesday 072607

For the answer, click here.

Wordless Wednesday 071807

Wordless Wednesday 071107

Wordless Wednesday 062707

This man represents a significant 'first' and also has a
Georgia connection.

(The WW originally slated for this week, has become a Museum Monday)

Wordless Wednesday 062007

Elementary schoolteacher got it correct!

This above is one of my own photos. It is taken through the glass wall.

Here is my story:
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I watched it being built.

I passed it almost every day, looming higher and higher beside Interstate 395.

I was appalled at the severity of the three talons that seemed to scratch the sky.

I thought it was an intrusion on the Virginia and Washington, DC skyline and understood why others did not want it near the Marine Corps Memorial (Iwo Jima)

It was the St. Louis Arch disassembled.

I drove to the site and stood in the midst of it.

It seemed so sterile.

I looked up and saw the three protrusions, the sculpture of four colorguards, and the fighter jets etched into the glass wall.

I read the quotes and words on the walls.

I contemplated the meaning of all of this.

I understood.

==============================

I purposely did not read about the new Air Force Memorial because I like to get the ‘feel’ of things on my own. My approach to memorials is akin to my approach to any great work of art or literature; I explore my feelings first, then do the research. After the dedication on October 13^th, 2006, I drove to the memorial.

The ‘talons’ were the vapor trails of three jets.

The color guard is to honor all who served and make it photo-friendly for visitors.

The etched glass represented the Missing Man Formation.

I was standing on a runway.

On both ends were etched walls containing quotes from officers and pioneers of aviation, core values of leadership, and the names of those who had earned the Medal of Honor.

The memorial sits on a promontory, in the shadow of the Navy Annex/Headquarters Marine Corps and overlooking Washington, DC, Arlington National Cemetery, and the side of the Pentagon that was hit on September 11^th.

There is some irony in the fact that this memorial also is within a stone's throw of Fort Meyer, where the Wright Brothers first tested warplanes. It was there on September 17, 1908, with Orville Wright as the pilot, Lt. Thomas Selfridge (a passenger) became the first death in a powered aircraft accident.

There is so much to talk about here.

Of course, I had to figure out a way to introduce and interpret the memorial, give a brief history of the United States Air Force, the importance of air power, feats, battles, and leadership, to all my seventh and eighth graders. I wasn’t quite sure how to begin..

When I brought my first group to visit the memorial, I was inspired, I simply asked them, “How did you get to the East Coast?”

“We flew.”

The rest came naturally.
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For details of the memorial click here.

For two reviews from the Washington Post, click here and here.

Wordless Wednesday

Ooooo! Look What I've Found! A New Site!

While I was hunting around to find the answer to elementaryhistoryteacher's Wordless Wednesday, I accidentally stumbled down a rabbit hole and found The Sheila Variations She has two blogs that I can see; one is a well-researched (very important to me), engaging, and personal view on our founding fathers and other aspects of history. The other is a hodgepodge of wonders; April is poetry month, need i say more?

She posts when the spirit and a significant date moves her. Her posts are accompanied by illustrations, poetry, and popular culture .

Naturally, I felt right at home with her Gibson Girl illustrations; I think I've found a Kindred Spirit!

I was particularly taken by the juxtaposition of Alexander Hamilton and Dean Martin; I'm not going to give you the explanation, you just have to be there! (Hmm, could I find a connection between Sinatra and Franklin?)

So follow the breadcrumbs I've left and say, "Hi!".

Wordless Wednesday #11 041107

Wordless Wednesday #10 - Women's Titanic Memorial

Answer:
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This is one of the Titanic Memorials in the Washington, DC area. It looms above Washington Channel on the Potomac adjacent to Ft. McNair in Southwest DC.

The official name for this Memorial is The Women's Titanic Memorial. The Inscription is as follows:

To the brave men who perished in the wreck of the
Titanic, April 15, 1912.
They gave their lives that women
and children might be saved.

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (the grandmother and guardian of little Gloria, the fashion designer) won the national commission which was open only to women. The granite memorial is an 18-foot Christ-like figure standing on a six foot pedestal, his arms outstretched representing sacrifice.

Indeed the majority of the 1500 lives that were lost as a result of the sinking of the Titanic, were men, including an estimated ten percent of those who were responsible for the wealth of the United States.

Gertrude Vanderbilt had a very personal connection to this memorial as she had lost many friends aboard the Titanic and three years later she would lose more friends including sadly, a brother, who were sailing aboard the Lusitania.

President and Mrs. Hoover attended the dedication on May 26, 1931, along with the members of the memorial association that spearheaded the fundraising, which included former First Lady Helen Herron Taft.

Each year the members of the Men's Titanic Society take part in a ceremony at the memorial; it was recorded in 2004 for NPR.

I have actually brought groups over to the memorial on the morning of the 15th of April and have seen the wreath and empty champagne bottles at the base of the memorial. Vision Forum also conducts their own observance to acknowledge the noble sacrifice of these men.

Of course, all my groups wonder whether James Cameron had this in mind for the now iconic vision of Jack Dawson as, King of the World, in his movie, Titanic.
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The Titanic Memorial in Washington, DC is located at 4th and P Street, SW alongside Fort McNair at Water Front Park. One needs to walk past the Apartment Building to the water or walk along the channel to the end.

Another Tour Marm Titanic-related post concerning the Isidore and Ida Straus and Macy's
Interesting Websites concerning the Titanic:

Butt-Millet Memorial Fountain on the White House Ellipse in Washington, DC, not too far from the National Christmas Tree in President's Park. Here's a better history.

Other Interesting Titanic Memorials in New York including a photo of the Straus Plaque
Phill Ottwell's Tribute to RMS Titanic and Titanic Memorial Page

Wordless Wednesday #9

This is the General Sherman Tree - it is the world's largest tree by volume.
Unfortunately, I am having problems transferring my WORD document to this - so there will be more information later when I rewrite. Thanks.

Wordless Wednesday #8

BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH!

BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH
Sic Semper Tyrannus!
44 BC
Coin struck by Brutus and Cassius, celebrating the death (assassination) of the "tyrant" (Julius Caesar) on the Ides of March:

It was already pointed out by flavian (from Sweden, so get out that translator program!) that the Ides of March should be observed on the 23rd because of the change of calendars from the Julian to the Gregorian. I knew that, but it loses something in translation. It would be like celebrating the 4th of July on the 15th. However. we have made the adjustments to the 'old style' ('OS' is indicated on Thomas Jefferson's obelisk grave marker) dates. If one were to look up the birth dates of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. they are eleven days earlier than the days we celebrate.
As I commented to flavian, "Details, details!"

So getting back to the business at hand: My original post was going to cover commemorative coins and the gruesomeness of celebrating an assassination!

However, like my blog mentor-mom elementaryschoolteacher, sometimes our research takes us to other threads far more interesting or germane to our blog. This is the case here.

The posting is about the Phrygian Cap

A Phrygian is also referred to as a Liberty Cap. It's roots are in antiquity and was most notably used as a sign in ancient Rome of a freedman - a slave who gained his/her freedom.

First, I shall present the official explanation of the coin from the people who possess it: The Fitzwilliam Museum:

The Ides of March denarius, struck by Brutus in 43/2 BC, is easily the most famous of Roman Republican coins. It was famous in antiquity -- one of the few coin types mentioned in an ancient author (Dio Cassius), and imitated a century after its issue to celebrate the murder of Nero.

The reverse is the more striking face with the plain reference to Caesar's assassination -- the legend EID MAR with two daggers --, and the meaning of the assassination -- the liberty cap, worn by slaves on the day of their manumission. The importance of the cap here derives from the Republican claim that Caesar was aiming at the kingship, since in Roman political terms the relation of king to subject was that of master to slave. The murder of Caesar has set the Roman people free; and the multiplicity of the heroic murderers is indicated by the daggers which are always unalike. When the type was copied after the murder of Nero the legend read LIBERTAS RESTITVTA.

But the later coin bore the head of Libertas on the obverse, where here we have a portrait of Brutus himself. This is a great surprise, since the head of a living Roman had never appeared on coinage until Caesar introduced himself in 44 b.c., and then it was connected with his assumption of supreme power as Dictator Perpetuus. What is Brutus up to? A famous assassination of a kingly pretender had been achieved by one of his ancestors, who was portrayed (ideally) on Brutus' own coin when he had been a mint official in Rome. Here he presumably equates himself with that great forebear, but the implied reference to Caesar is very insensitive.

This example in the Fitzwilliam Museum (Hart collection) is one of finest known of this uncommon issue.

Classical Influences: The Phyrgian Cap, Close to Home
The flag of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Great Seal of Virginia:

The Phyrgian Cap can also be seen on the Virginia Commonwealth Flag. It's central seal was designed by George Wythe in 1776 Wythe (pronounced, Whith) who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, as well as the tutor and mentor in law for several future US luminaries including Thomas Jefferson and the father of our modern judicial system, Chief Justice John Marshall. His aim was to emphasize Virginia's independence from Britain.
The seal shows Virtus (Virtue) wearing the Phyrgian cap, with one foot on the dead body of Tyranny, whose crown has fallen off. When Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861, this seal was used in the flag. In 1930, the seal was revised to the one shown below. The Commonwealth mottos is: Sic Semper Tyrannus (thus always to tyrants). Naturally during the War Between the States it referenced the Union.


The Statue of Freedom
The Phyrgian Cap can also be seen on the allegorical Statue of Freedom atop the United States Capitol. In Politics: The Agendas Behind the Monuments, the entire story of the clash amongst the sculptor, Thomas Crawford; the person in charge of the construction, Senator Jefferson Davis; and the engineer Montgomery C. Meigs (Remember Meigs from my post Bringing Cemeteries to Life?) is told in great detail. The cap is disguised by a cluster of feathers which gives the Statue of Freedom the appearance of a Native American. This statue is the tallest piece of sculpture in Washington, DC at 19 1/2 feet and weighs approximately 7 1/2 tons. (The statues of the standing Jefferson and the seated Lincoln at their respective memorials are both 19 feet tall.) Thomas Crawford did not live to see his sculpture atop the US Capitol; he died in London in 1857.

Wordless Wednesday #7

Note: My new WW banner is courtesy of Bradbury and Bradbury Wallpapers

Worldess Wednesday #5 Answer Technical Problems

For some reason WORD is not allowing me to transfer my posts: My Neighbor: Dr. Ralph Bunche and Figure It Out Friday's, Emily Warren Roebling

I'll try to get them up as soon as I can figure out my WORD problem.

Wordless Wednesday #6