Biloxi - Day 2

Yes, ye socks, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Mini-Vacation continues.

Day 2 began with leaving the casino culture behind in favor of some real culture on the grounds of Beauvoir, the magnificent old home of Jefferson Davis.

Yours truly had visited the site many times before, so kinda knew what to expect. I was glad to see the home had been restored following Katrina. The former presidential library and museum, however, was completely obliterated and ground will not be broken for its replacement for another coupla weeks.

The grounds were markedly different, many fewer trees. And, the graceful marble arch that once greeted visitors was still laying in pieces near the veterans cemetery like a big jigsaw puzzle.

In strolling thru the rubble, we encountered a former groundskeeper (Gary) who knew everything about the history of Beauvoir and gave us a unique guided tour.

While this historic site still hasn't recovered 100% in the 4+ years since Hurricane Katrina, it was nice to see how much time and effort was being poured into Beauvoir. It is very evident how much the place means to the community, which makes it all the important that any of ye socks planning to visit this little corner of heaven add a stop here to your itinerary.

That being said, it is now time to head back to casino-land. There's the much-heralded strawberry shortcake to be sampled at Boomtown before checking in at the Beau Rivage.

More later.

The adventures of Uncle Lyman

Ye socks who are not already using Google's book search app are really missing out . . . for example, today I discovered this really cool, previously undiscovered biographical sketch of my great-uncle (brother of my Civil War ancestor Edson Blakesley):

Lyman Blakesley, a well-known citizen of Fort Wayne and one of the veteran passenger conductors of the western division of the P. Ft.W. & C. railroad, was born in Putnam County, Ohio, March 14, 1842. He is the son of J.B. Blakesley, who was a native of New York, but resided during the most of his life in Ohio, being employed as a railroad bridge contractor. He died in 1881 or 1882. Lyman was reared in Sandusky City, but when ten years of age left home and for five seasons was a sailor on the lakes, attending school during the winter months. At about the age of seventeen years he began railroading as a brakeman with the old Sandusky, Dayton & Cincinnati railroad. In June 1861, he enlisted in Company E, Seventh Ohio regiment, and served three years. At Cross Lane, WV, he was taken prisoner August 26, 1861, and for nine months was in prison at Richmond, New Orleans, and Salisbury, NC. He was honorably discharged at Cleveland in June 1864, and returned to railroading on the SD&CRR, where he remained until 1867, and then came to Fort Wayne and entered the service of the P. Ft.W. & C. RR as a brakeman. One year later, was promoted to freight conductor, and in 1872 he was promoted to passenger conductor, and has since been on the run between Fort Wayne and Chicago. The time covered by Mr. Blakesley's service in the P. Ft. W. & C. RR amounts to twenty-two years, and he is one of the oldest passenger conductors running out of Fort Wayne. He was married September 8, 1864, to Miss Mary J. St. John, who was born near Tiffin, Ohio, July 21, 1844; she died December 4, 1888. To their union three children were born: Harry A., Laura D., and Ralph. The latter died in infancy, and Laura D. died March 15, 1889. For fifteen years, Mr. Blakesely was a member of the Order of Railway Conductors, and he is the oldest ex-chief conductor in Indiana. He is a member of the Third Presbyterian church of which Mrs. Blakesley was also a member, and he is one of the executive committee of the railroad department of the YMCA.

[Excerpted from Valley of the Upper Maumee River, published by Brant & Fuller (1889), Volume 2, pages 77-78.]

5 Greatest Moments of the National Memorial Day Concert

(in no particular order)

1. Lawrence Fishburne's reading of a letter by Abraham Lincoln, accompanied by violin soloist Robert McDuffie playing the theme to Ken Burns' "Civil War" series.

2. Denyce Graves' rendition of The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

3. The team of Diane Wiest and Katie Holmes interpreting the writings of a mom and sister of a disabled vet . . . all three of whom turned out to be in the audience.

4. Trace Adkins' song at the end. I need to see if I can get that CD or download the single . . .

5. The anthems and color guards of each branch of the military, but particularly the US Air Force. . . off we go, into the wild blue yonder . . .

I wonder if folks who have no direct ties can ever fully appreciate what the men and women in our armed forces and their families sacrifice on behalf of this nation?

Headed home

Ok, I've decided South Carolina isn't a complete waste of space, but I'd warn ye roadtrippin' socks not to bother venturing north of I-26. All the sites worth seeing seem to be confined to that stretch of Highway 17 from I-95 to the crab shacks beyond Mount Pleasant.

The capstone to my current jaunt thru the Low Country was Frampton Plantation.

Really, it was just a glorified tourist information center, but after the torturously long and slow drive from Charleston, it was at least a welcome opportunity to stretch ye olde legs.

Turns out the original plantation home was burned by the dastardly Yankees during the War Between the States. The current structure was erected on its (smoldering?) foundation in 1868, and you can see the remains of the earthworks residents threw up in the back yard in their vain attempt to save the home.

The grounds featured some awesome magnolia trees with the best smelling blossoms I've found north of the St. Mary's River.

There was also a huge, moss-laden oak tree to contemplate from the "joggler" on the front porch.

Touring the house and grounds is self-directed and free of charge. But, they did get me to buy a jug of cherry cider to tote back to the Sunshine State.

Hope to get back before the rains start!!

Amendments run amok

Ye out-of-town socks may be unaware of the school budget shortfall we are projecting in this little corner of heaven--to the tune of $125 million.

The bean counters estimate a significant chunk--about $50 million--could be made up if we added 4 children per classroom.

Unfortunately, we are forbidden by the Florida Constitution from doing so. It seems back in the glory days of 2002 when the state was flush with cash, 52% of voters injected an amendment limiting class sizes.

I think it was about the same time that voters amended the state constitution mandating a high-speed rail link between Orlando, Tampa, and Miami. That never happened, for some reason. But, the class-size thing did. I wonder why one amendment is enforced and the other isn't . . .

Anyway, I thought constitutions were supposed to be frameworks for government. That being the case, why is Florida's constitution open to so many ridiculous amendments? Such things as bullet trains and class sizes should be statutory or policy decisions. I know, I know. Back in 1968, when the constitution was enacted, everybody was all about "power to the people." But, what about our state's elected officials doing the jobs we hire them to do at the ballot box?

Clearly, our constitution is anything but a framework for government anymore. I say we should consign it to the dustbin of history where it belongs.

We have precedent.

Florida has actually had 6 constitutions over the years:
* 1838 - prepared with an eye on statehood (which was achieved in 1845).
* 1861 - created to allow the state to secede from the Union and join the Confederacy.
* 1865 - designed to return the state to the Union by abolishing slavery, among other things.
* 1868 - the so-called "Carpetbag Constitution" that created a very powerful governor.
* 1885 - the post-Reconstruction document that cut-back executive powers.
* 1968 - the current version that has us in such a pickle, ironically designed to simplify its predecessor (which had grown to include 149 amendments totaling 50,000 words . . . the US Constitution by contrast only has 6,000 words)

Just as we are all discovering in our private lives, it's time for our government to get back to basics.

And, in Florida, that may mean it's time for a constitutional convention.

Gettysburg witness in critical condition

Believe it or not, even though the Battle of Gettysburg was fought way back in July 1863--145 years ago--there are still a handful of living witnesses in the area.

Of course, they're not of the human variety.

They're all trees.

Anyway, one of them was severely damaged in a storm last Thursday night, and experts are offering a pretty grim prognosis.

The honey locust in question stood on Cemetery Hill at the right of the Union lines during the high water mark of the Confederacy, bearing silent witness to the carnage of the three-days of fighting.

Then, too, it stood just 150 feet from the platform where Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address.

It's amazing that a living thing that bore witness to two great moments in American history survived into the 21st century, and its loss should be felt by all ye socks with any appreciation for the past.

Talk about trying to collect on an old debt . . .

I've gone thru some pretty odd wranglings trying to collect on some accounts receivable in my day, but this one takes the cake!



It seems way back on 21 June 1861, the City of Tampa was scrambling to prepare its Civil War defenses. So, acting mayor John Jackson agreed to pay the firm of Kennedy & Darling the sum of $299.58 plus 8% annual interest to repair a cannon and provide some ammunition.

The thing is, they never paid the bill.

So, now Kennedy descendant Joan Biddle (age 77) is suing the city for principal plus interest (and, perhaps, nearly a century-and-a-half of mental anguish) totalling $22,700,000.00!!

But, something tells me the modern City of Tampa has some fat cat lawyers who will be able to shoot down her claim.

For one thing, Mrs. Biddle seems to have lost sight of the fact that the City of Tampa incorporated in 1855 but was abolished for insolvency in 1869. It is most likely that any legitimate claim for collection would have died at that time. The modern City of Tampa was not incorporated until 1887, so realistically cannot be held to account for the expense of what was technically another entity.

For another thing, Biddle's ancestor Thomas Pugh Kennedy was only one-half of the Kennedy & Darling enterprise. Presumably, the descendants of his partner John Darling would be entitled to half of any claim.

But, really, can't we all just agree this is one of the most frivolous lawsuits to come down the pike? Talk about a classic case for tort reform . . .

Ah, well, if you want to check out a REAL account of the Civil War, try reading my book: Like the Cats of Kilkenny.

Ron Paul is an idiot

Lest ye socks be drawn into the spellbinding powers of the RINO candidate for President after his recent appearance on "Meet the Press," let me assure you that he is as irrelevant to the '08 campaign as Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War.

But, that didn't prevent the idiot from trying to make it relevant.

Don't get me wrong. As anyone who read my recent book will tell you, I love talking about the Civil War Era. But, it just does not need to be a focus of a presidential primary in this day and age . . . especially when the guy talking about it is a complete idiot.

In case you missed it, Idiot Paul believes Abraham Lincoln is to blame for singlehandedly starting the Civil War because he thought it would be cheaper to expend the lives of 600,000 people on both sides than it would be to have the federal government simply buy all the slaves and set them free.

Specifics as to why this argument makes him a complete idiot:

1. Not even Abraham Lincoln, as big an historical figure as he is, had THAT much influence. The war had been brewing for decades.

2. Putting morals aside for a moment, isn't the Idiot Paul the person who screams loudest whenever anyone proposes a big federal spending plan? This would have been the biggest ever contemplated!!

3. The war could not have been avoided as late as 1860, when Lincoln was elected president. And, the issue wasn't even slavery. It was, rather, whether the individual states had the wherewithall (if not the right) to withdraw from the Union as freely as they entered it. It had to be decided. And, unfortunately, it involved going to war. It happens, and it's horrible. But, it happens.

I think that's what the idiot was really trying to accomplish in his public display. He was, I believe, trying in some round about way to make George W. Bush's leadership in the war on terror appear as "unnecessary" as Abraham Lincoln's leadership in the Civil War.

Way to go, Ron, you just succeeded in making yourself look like an idiot again.

What I don't understand is how idiotic the people must be who keep sending you money!!

More of our Florida heritage up in smoke

I was sickened to learn of the destruction of the historic "Woodlea House" up in Tavares this weekend.

Apparently, two transient jackasses decided to set it on fire because they thought it was haunted.

Captain Melton Haynes (1827-1883) returned from serving in the Civil War to settle in the area, and built "Woodlea House" in 1871.

The City of Tavares had the historic structure moved in 2005 to save it from demolition, and locals were raising funds to have it properly restored before the tragic events of Sunday night.

The one piece of good news in this otherwise depressing tale is Police Chief Stoney Lubins succeeded in nabbing the culprits. But, that's only small consolation when such an important piece of our regional history has been lost.

Amasa Blakesley

That's the name of one of my Civil War ancestors.

I've known about him for awhile, having traced the old family tree for many years now. And, I even wrote a book about some of them who fought in the War-Between-the-States.

But, imagine my surprise when I discovered his name appears on the national African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, DC!

(If you're in the neighborhood, check out plaque #C-76.)

If you've ever watched the movie "Glory," you're probably aware the "all-black" regiments in the Civil War were not really "all-black." All of their officers and most of their non-commissioned officers were white. My Amasa fell into the latter category, serving for a time as the regimental musician for the 66th U.S. Colored Troops.

Apparently, in memorializing the "colored" regiments, the designers of the memorial made no distinction between the men and the officers, black or white.

And, that's appropriate, don't you think?

New kinnections

For those of you socks wrapped-up in fame or genealogy (or both), I've added some names to my list of notable relations:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~oldpinecastle/notablekin/index.html

The new names are all descended from a common ancestor by the name of Samuel Lathrop who lived in Connecticut in the late 1600s:

• Benedict Arnold, infamous Revolutionary War general and traitor.
• Thomas E. Dewey, Governor of New York and failed presidential candidate.
• John Foster Dulles, U.S. Secretary of State and airport namesake.
• Clint Eastwood, legendary actor and Mayor of Carmel, California.
• Ulysses S. Grant, Civil War general and President of the United States.
• Frederick Law Olmstead, landscape architect who designed Central Park in NYC.
• Anthony Perkins, the lead actor from the classic movie "Psycho."
• Mitt Romney, Governor of Massachusetts and presidential candidate.
• Adlai Stevenson, U.S. Senator and failed presidential candidate.

A quote from Robert E. Lee

I found this excerpted from a letter between the great general and Charles Marshall, dated 1866, and thought it was appropriate for contemporary situation(s):

"The march of Providence is so slow and our desires so impatient; the work of progress is so immense and our means of aiding it so feeble; the life of humanity is so long, that of the individual so brief, that we often see only the ebb of the advancing ways, and are thus discouraged. It is history that teaches us to hope."

Update on "The Last Confederate"

Some socks may recall my posting from early this year about Julian Adams' new film "The Last Confederate."



He's the guy who outdid me when it comes to paying tribute to our families' personal Civil War histories. I wrote a book about my people, and this guy went out and made a feature-length motion picture about his.


Hey, Julian, nobody likes an overachiever!


Just kidding. He's done a great job, and that is reflected in ten (that's right, TEN) recent film festival awards.

Like my book, Julian's film is based on a true story. Of course, his isn't about the Morgans, its about the Adams family. (That's Adams with one "d," not two. The "two d" family had their story told in a cheezy sitcom several decades ago. But, I digress.)


"The Last Confederate" centers on the tumultuous love story of Robert Adams and Eveline McCord, a guy from the South and a gal from the North. It was produced, written, and portrayed by their descendants with the help of someone most socks will recognize: Mickey Rooney.


To find out more about this incredible film, visit http://www.strongbowpictures.com/


And, pass the popcorn!

A shout out to Darrell

One of my old fraternity brothers (and, now an occasional sock in the dryer devotee) called me yesterday afternoon to catch-up.

And, I promised to send him a "shout out" on the blog.

So, here it is.

He did offer me some criticism, though.

Too much genealogy-related posts, he thinks.

Guess he hasn't been bitten by the bug, yet.

So, as if I have to justify my addiction, I want Darrell and the rest of you socks to know of my most recent genealogical discoveries.

It turns out that my great-great grandfather and namesake W.S. Morgan the First was a maternal cousin of the fellow pictured in today's post.

Now, Darrell, if you studied your "Son of the Stars" pledge manual diligently back in the late 80s, you should be able to tell who this fellow is.

But, in case your memory fails, I'll have you know it's John Holt Duncan, "of ever honored memory." He was one of the 8 founders of our fraternity, Beta Theta Pi. In fact, he served as the first president of Alpha Chapter before moving to Texas--yes, Darrell, Texas. And, to make him an even greater person to claim as a cousin, he also served as a captain in the Confederate Army during the War Between the States. Even lost a leg to "the cause."

So, the next time you want to criticize my genealogical addiction, remember this post.

- kai -

A concise visual history of the Civil War

As many of you loyal socks in the dryer know, the book I published last year was about my family's experiences during the Civil War.

Well, now thru the wonders of YouTube, you can get another good comprehensive account of that horrible conflict. Click on this link to check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e06jNDhYo2I

In about four minutes, you can get a good visualization of how the battle lines moved as the war progressed. And, as a grim reminder of the war's staggering death toll, the video includes a running casualty total in the corner of the screen.

Pretty sobering history lesson, actually.

You know, you might be better off sticking with my book. It's a lot less grim.

Thanks, Be!

I spoke to Be Bateman this afternoon. She wanted to let the family know that she and the UDC were thinking of us as they commemorated Confederate Memorial Day this past weekend.

In addition to marking the graves of all the Confederate veterans out at Greenwood, they also placed a small flag by Dad's marker.

He would have loved that!

Let your voice be heard at the NARA

From previous posts, you know how I feel about the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and their efforts to both jack-up fees and change their hours of operation in what appears to be a very deliberate effort to confound family historians seeking their roots.

Well, their latest unconscionable proposal is to raise the fee for copying a Civil War pension file from $37 to a whopping $125. That's more than tripling the fee! (See http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0307.txt)

Now, I understand the agency has an obligation to make ends meet and operate within the budget. I can respect that. But, $125 to copy a few pages pertaining to an average American's heritage is just highway robbery.

If you agree, I would encourage you to take the following steps:

1. Go to www.regulations.gov
2. Under "Search for," select "Documents Open for Public Comment."
3. Under "Agency," select "National Archives and Records Administration."
4. Under "Document Type," select "All Document Types."
5. In the "Keyword or ID" field, type "NARA-07-0001-0001."
6. Select "Exact Phrase."
7. Click the "Submit" button.

And, if you really want to be a proactive, irate citizen, write your members of Congress at: http://www.house.gov/writerep

Lt. Col. Skip Morgan (1948-2007)

Lt. Col. W.S. "Skip" Morgan, age 58, of Orlando, passed away at his home early this morning. He was the 9th generation of a pioneer Central Florida family, and worked as a paper boy for the Orlando Sentinel during his early years. He was an Eagle Scout.

A 1966 graduate of Oak Ridge High School, he was a classmate of Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty.

He was also a 1970 graduate of The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. He shared rides with author Pat Conroy from that military college to their common hometown in Florida. And, during his senior year, Skip was named to the elite Sumerall Guard drill team.

After college, Skip embarked on a career in the U.S. Air Force, interrupted only briefly by a stint as a pilot with the now-defunct Air Florida.

He received commendations for his efforts to retain highly-trained military pilots during the Cold War when commercial carriers were competing for their talents.

His last assignment was at The Pentagon, where he worked with Gen. Colin Powell on arms control agreements with the former Soviet Union.

He retired in 1992, and returned to Orlando.

Skip's great passions included big game hunting, Civil War history, genealogy, and his family.

Sadly, he was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's Disease in 2002, and succombed only after a 5-year long struggle with the illness.

Survivors include his wife of 36 years, Leigh Anne; son William of Apopka; daughter Mrs. Keith Simmons of Mt. Pleasant, SC; and 2 grandchildren.

Arrangements are being handled by Woodlawn Carey Hand Funeral Home, with interment to follow at Greenwood Cemetery in downtown Orlando.

The family suggests donations to the Alzheimer's Association of Central Florida, 988 Woodcock Road, Orlando, FL 32803. (http://www.alzflorida.org/)