Rest and Relaxation at the Willard

I know its been a while since the last post....The next letter does not come out until April 7th, so I have been lax in updating this post to fill in the gaps....



This past weekend, my lovely wife, daughters and son-in-law treated me to a weekend at the historic Willard Hotel in Washington DC.  For those of you who don't know the Willard, it has been witness to the political history of Washington as well as the nation.  The Willard is located at 1401 Pennsylvania Ave about 2 blocks from the White House and right next to the Treasury building.  It is a beautiful and stately building which takes you back to the splendors of the 19th century.  The current hotel was built in 1847 when Henry Willard combined six separate buildings (built starting in 1816) into a general overall structure.  The hotel has been improved over the years and the current structure was formalized in 1901.  For those who know their Civil War history, it was the place that Ulysses Grant stayed when he came to Washington with his son to accept command of the Army of the Potomac.  It has been the location preferred for political debate, military reunions and gentry use in years gone by.




Abraham Lincoln stayed in the Willard prior to his first inauguration in 1861and wrote his first inauguration address while he was there.  President Grant frequented the hotel during his 2 terms and spent time in the lobby of the hotel meeting with special interest representatives coining the term for these men...Lobbyists.

The MLK memorial in Washington DC.

Martin Luther King, Jr. penned his famous "I have a Dream" speech while staying in the hotel and prior to giving the speech in 1963.....

The table used by MLK to write his famous "I have a Dream Speech"

When we checked into the hotel last Saturday, the hotel manager struck up a friendly conversation with me and then to my surprise, upgraded us to the Martin Luther King, Jr. suite....the suite that he used to pen the famous speech.  What a room!  Besides the beauty of the suite itself, the sheer historic significance of the room and actual place where history was made....was awe inspiring.







The Willard has a small hotel museum inside that gives a small glimpse into the history of the hotel.

One of my favorite parts was a excerpt from Charles Dickens during his visit to America and Washington in 1824.  He was NOT a fan.  Dickens stayed at one of the many buildings that eventually evolved into the Willard of today...but in 1824....Willard it wasn't!

The weekend was a blast!....not withstanding the Occupy Wall Street crowd camped across the street....

Thanks to my beautiful wife and wonderful daughters....and son-in-law....


More pics...

Willard Lobby

Ceiling in the lobby of the Willard

Cherry blossoms and the Jefferson Memorial...1 day late.

'Nuff said....

Jim D.

Drum-Taps...Walt Whitman Again!

I spent the last week in Texas and Arizona and had some time to finish reading Walt Whitman's short poetry book, Drum-Taps while on the various flights.  I had not been one prone to reading poetry, but with this project and my interest in Walt Whitman, I have found myself enjoying the content and depth of feeling in his writings.  Some of these poems, in my opinion, are rather "corny" and not to my liking, but others are very touching.  For example...I would put his poem Song of the Banner at Daybreak...into the "corny" category, while others such as Come up from the Fields Father...and...The Wound-Dresser...are very well done.  There are a few that are just plain excellent...Dirge for Two Veterans....I Saw Old General at Bay....and my favorite...Ethiopia Saluting the Colours.  The latter being poignant, thought provoking...and slightly sad.

In my freshman year in college I was assigned a topic for my English 101 research paper.  That topic was:  The Effects of the Civil War on the Poetry of Walt Whitman.   I spent two weeks researching and writing the paper.  Having always received "A's" in high school English, I exerted limited effort on the task.  The result was a failing grade on the paper.  I have always remembered that disaster and I guess that prompted me to go back and do the work that was never done by a lazy college freshman.  I am glad I did.

Here are two of my favorite poems from Drum-Taps, by Walt Whitman....

ETHIOPIA SALUTING THE COLOURS.

  Who are you dusky woman, so ancient hardly human,
  With your woolly-white and turban'd head, and bare bony feet
  Why rising by the roadside here, do you the colours greet?

  ('Tis while our army lines Carolina's sands and pines,
  Forth from thy hovel door thou Ethiopia com'st to me,
  As under doughty Sherman I march toward the sea.)

  Me master years a hundred since from my parents sunder'd,
  A little child, they caught me as the savage beast is caught,
  Then hither me across the sea the cruel slaver brought.

  No further does she say, but lingering all the day,
  Her high-borne turban'd head she wags, and rolls her darkling eye,
  And courtesies to the regiments, the guidons moving by.

  What is it fateful woman, so blear, hardly human?
  Why wag your head with turban bound, yellow, red and green?
  Are the things so strange and marvellous you see or have seen?

COME UP FROM THE FIELDS FATHER.

  Come up from the fields father, here's a letter from our Pete,
  And come to the front door mother, here's a letter from thy dear son.

  Lo, 'tis autumn,
  Lo, where the trees, deeper green, yellower and redder,
  Cool and sweeten Ohio's villages with leaves fluttering in the
            moderate wind,
  Where apples ripe in the orchards hang and grapes on the trellis'd
            vines,
  (Smell you the smell of the grapes on the vines?
  Smell you the buckwheat where the bees were lately buzzing?)
  Above all, lo, the sky so calm, so transparent after the rain, and
            with wondrous clouds,
  Below too, all calm, all vital and beautiful, and the farm prospers
            well.

  Down in the fields all prospers well,
  But now from the fields come father, come at the daughter's call,
  And come to the entry mother, to the front door come right away.

  Fast as she can she hurries, something ominous, her steps trembling,
  She does not tarry to smooth her hair nor adjust her cap.

  Open the envelope quickly,
  O this is not our son's writing, yet his name is sign'd,
  O a strange hand writes for our dear son, O stricken mother's soul!
  All swims before her eyes, flashes with black, she catches the main
            words only,
  Sentences broken, gunshot wound in the breast, cavalry skirmish,
            taken to hospital,
  At present low, but will soon be better.

  Ah now the single figure to me,
  Amid all teeming and wealthy Ohio with all its cities and farms,
  Sickly white in the face and dull in the head, very faint,
  By the jamb of a door leans.

  Grieve not so, dear mother, (the just-grown daughter speaks through
            her sobs,
  The little sisters huddle around speechless and dismay'd,)
  See, dearest mother, the letter says Pete will soon be better.

  Alas poor boy, he will never be better, (nor may-be needs to be
            better, that brave and simple soul,)
  While they stand at home at the door he is dead already,
  The only son is dead.

  But the mother needs to be better,
  She with thin form presently drest in black,
  By day her meals untouch'd, then at night fitfully sleeping, often
            waking,
  In the midnight waking, weeping, longing with one deep longing,
  O that she might withdraw unnoticed, silent from life escape and
            withdraw,
  To follow, to seek, to be with her dear dead son.

This book, along with other Whitman books are available free of charge on the Gutenberg Project website.  Drum-Taps is available at:

http://m.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8801.mobile

Jim D.

Letter #9 - Hatteras Inlet, Camp Winfield, North Carolina -- February 18, 1862

Thanks everyone for your patience...I know it has been a couple of weeks...so here you go....



I've often wondered about the food that soldiers had available to them during the Civil War.  Horror stories of southern soldiers eating shoe leather (when they could find a shoe) as well as grass, boiled bark and insects are documented.  While JWD did not have to endure this level of deprivation, it is clear that his diet changed dramatically owing to the realities of army logistics in the 19th century and the affect on food inventories.  Most army encampments had some sort of sutler informally attached to the unit...a retail camp follower would be a good description...but those "Quickie Marts" of the day were expensive and not always of the best quality.  Funny how some things never change!

I did a little research and found the following which is an excerpt from "Hardee's Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics":

One soldier's ration would include:

• 20 oz. of salted pork or fresh or salted Beef^[1]
• 12 oz. of Hard Bread^[1] in camp or garrison or 16 oz. of Hard Bread at sea, on campaign, or on the march.
• 1 oz. compressed cube of desiccated mixed vegetables^[1] or a 1.5 oz. compressed cube of desiccated potatoes if supplemental foods were unavailable.

This would be supplemented by (per 100 rations):

• 8 qts. of Beans or Peas.
• 10 lbs. of Rice or Hominy.
• 10 lbs. of green Coffee beans or 8 lbs. of roasted Coffee beans.
• 10 lbs. of Sugar.
• 2 qts. of Salt.
• 1 gallon of Vinegar.
• 3.75 lbs. of horse meat The most common field ration issued to individual soldiers was salt pork and hardtack, both which were designed to withstand field conditions without deteriorating. Excess salt could be scraped off the meat to supplement the salt ration.

These rations required cooking to make them palatable, but less experienced soldiers were unlikely to have their own cooking equipment and the large company-level kettles were sometimes left behind during a rapid advance.

Food often became infested with insects, especially rice or grain weevils. Infestation along with scarcity and unpalatability of rations made it necessary for soldiers to supplement their diets. A soldier could often gain a larger variety of foods either by foraging/raiding, by receiving food boxes from their families, or by purchasing items from sutlers. Families throughout the country were affected by the war and often had little to give. Those supporting the side currently in control of the area might be able to provide food, but in most cases, the food had to be acquired by theft.

***From Wikipedia....Search item:  "Foods of the American Civil War"


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foods_of_the_American_Civil_War




This list provides what a soldier in the North was SUPPOSED to have for a daily ration.  I did a comparison against what JWD states in various letters and it is clear to me that the average soldier did not get a consistent ration as stated above.

I have had numerous discussions with my Dad regarding the tone of some of JWD's letters.  We have both concluded that he had a bit of wit and sarcasm in some of his letters.  Something that his parents probably read and laughed about.  Letter #9 shows some of this sarcasm...

"Further, I let you know that I like it very good yet.  So far we have plenty to eat and plenty to drink for we will get one cup of coffee and four crackers in the morning, and piece of speg (bacon) and a cup of hominy for our dinner, and a cup of coffee and four crackers for supper and that is the way it changes off, every meal something new. " 

Describing a less than filling daily meal regime and by concluding with the words "...every meal something new..." conveys his humor at the monotony of the food provided to the soldier in the field.   This explains his excitement in Letter #6 (January 16, 1862) at receiving a box from home filled with the foods he loved best.  In college, I felt the same way when my Mom would send me a big box of cookies to supplement the terrible cafeteria food at my school.  I was immediately the most popular person in my dorm as other dorm mates would descend upon my room for a share of the home goods.  I imagine it was the same for JWD.

In addition to the description to his parents of his daily food situation, JWD also talks about his sister Elizabeth and her work as a domestic at the home of the "Heplers" as well as his other sister Salomy.  He references another friend's family...John Beaver...and is interested what is happening at home.  At this time, the 48th PVI is camped on Hatteras Island where it is windy, cold, wet and sandy.  I imagine he is very bored, tired, and longing for home.  So far for JWD...the war has not seen very much action....six months of drilling, moving from one place or another...and waiting.   Not quite what he thought he would be doing to defend the Union.  I believe that this is what drives his comments regarding the conclusion of the war and his eminent return to Pennsylvania.  Wishful thinking.  His reference of returning home in May is ironic as this is the time his real battlefield involvement begins.

Lastly...he is still concerned about ensuring that his pay and pay certificate is safe and secure.  After all...if he is going to be miserable in the army...he wants to come home to some reward for his service.  

Hatteras Inlet, N.C.,

Camp Winfield,

Feb, 18. 1862

My Dear Father,

            I take my pen in hand to write these few lines to you to let you know that I am well at present time and I hope these few lines will find you in the same state of good health.  Further I let you know that I received your letter yesterday and I was glad to hear from my dear sister Elizabeth and as much as I can understand she is at Hepler’s again.  But I would like to know whether she is single yet or not.  And I would like to know whether Salomy is at home or not.    I wish you would let me know how John Beaver’s family is getting along for you didn’t mention anything yet about them.  Further, I let you know that I like it very good yet.  So far we have plenty to eat and plenty to drink for we will get one cup of coffee and four crackers in the morning, and piece of old speg (bacon) and a cup of hominy for our dinner, and a cup of coffee and four crackers for supper and that is the way it changes off, every meal something new.  But we don’t expect to stay long on Hatteras Island anymore for we calculate to come on the mainland before long and till May we will all be at home in sweet Pennsylvania.  Further I let you know that I did send a letter home two weeks before this with a certificate in it to draw my money at home and I wish you would let me know whether you got it or not.  If you did, let me know, if not do the same.  You must excuse my bad writing and all my mistakes.  Answer me this letter as soon as you get this from me and direct as before.

                                                                                    Yours Truly,

                                                                                    John W. Derr

NOTE:   There is a large gap between Letter #9 and Letter #10.  Letter #10 will be available on April 7th.  I will be blogging on other items during the gap time, so please check back during that period.

Thanks to all of you for your comments, suggestions and well wishes. 

Jim D.