Julia's Brother's Commanding Officer

An excerpt from Sixty years in a school-room....,  By Julia Ann Tevis, John Tevis:

In connection with General [Sam] Houston I am reminded of Colonel Thornton Posey, who was intimately associated with my brother during his last visit to the home circle in Washington. This dear brother, not twenty years old, held the honorable position of first lieutenant in Colonel Posey's regiment.

Louisiana State Gazette (New Orleans, Louisiana)30 Oct 1817 (Newspapers.com)

Colonel Posey had nobly distinguished himself in the war of 1812, and was retained in the peace establishment as a highly esteemed and trustworthy officer.

Note; Colonel Posey's brother, Alexander Posey, and William Roark [my ancestor] engaged in a real estate transaction.

Settled With His Bride At Detroit

Sixty years in a school-room: ...,  By Julia Ann Tevis, John Tevis:

Heights Of Georgetown

Early days of Washington, By Sally Somervell Mackall

Arrived At Washington City

Source Of Map Of Washington

A Rebel war clerk's diary...:

Commodore Barney's Young Spies

Source

"I [Commander Barney] propose that you shall continue to act as oystermen; but without spending much time at the labor. In other words, I want information from the enemy, such as you can gather, and have spent considerable time explaining where and how you may communicate with me. That part of the business need not be repeated."

Suter And Sutter

Sutter of California is a biography of Johann Augustus Suter who was born February 23, 1803, in the village of Kandern to a family of paper-makers.  Note: According to Wikipedia, Kandern is near a landmark...from which one can see parts of Germany, France, and Switzerland.

After noticing that the surname was also spelled SUTER, I remembered that my niece and nephew's step-grandfather was a Suter.  Was there a relationship with Sutter of gold rush fame?

Hans Suter, Johann's grandfather, lived in Basle at one time.  Hans' son, Johann Jakob Suter and his wife, Christine Wilhelmine Stoberin (Stober) Suter, moved to Neuchatel from Kandern about 1819.

After four years of attending a military academy, Johann A. Suter, along with his younger twin brothers, Heinrich and Friedrich, were apprentices in Basle.  Johann A. also served as an officer in the reserve corps of the Swiss Army.

Johann, who met and married Anna Dubelt in 1823, had Johann Augustus, Jr., Anna Elisa, Emil Victor and William Alphonse.

Dreams of the United States were beckoning.  In July of 1834 Johann landed in New York with the promise of sending for Anna and the children whenever possible (it was 17 years later except for the oldest son).  He changed his name to John A. Sutter.  His adventures had just begun.

General John A. Sutter died June 18, 1880, in Washington, D.C., and is buried in Pennsylvania.

Included in Sutter of California were diary entries by Mr. Sutter.  Some of John Sutter's diary entries are online as well.

No connection between the step-grandfather Suter, son of George and Lucille (Cross) Suter of Vermont, and John A. Sutter was found (though Switzerland is a common denominator).  George Suter's ancestor, Samuel Suter, was born in Ober-Entfelden county, Aaran, Switzerland.

Frances Wheeler's Encounter With General Joseph Wheeler

From "Roses in December," the autobiography of Frances Parkinson (Wheeler) Keyes:

My (Frances Wheeler's) first meeting with General Joseph Wheeler, which took place at the Capitol a few days later, was less disastrous than my meeting with General Miles at the White House...  An aura of grandeur surrounded the names of the men who had fought under the Stars and Bars and who, thirty years later, volunteered to serve under the Stars and Stripes; in the case of Fitzhugh Lee and 'Little Joe' Wheeler this aura became a positive radiance.  The pint-sized cavalry officer---'a diminutive Alabamian of terrific energy'--had had twenty-four horses killed under him during the War Between the States, but undeterred had continued to go galloping onward; the greater the danger the more he seemed to thrive.  Nothing could have been better suited his tastes and talents than the charge on San Juan Hill and, in my eyes, he was the outstanding hero of the Spanish-American War.  Therefore, I could hardly believe my good fortune when the distinguished companion with whom I was just entering the Rotunda...shouted to an officer who was just entering it, 'Hold on a minute, Joe!  come and meet a Yankee relative of yours!'"

The general turned at once, smiling broadly and saluting swiftly.  'Well, well,' he said in response to the quick introductions.  'So your name's Wheeler, too, is it?  Frances Parkinson Wheeler?  John Wheeler's daughter?  Well, well.  But what do they mean by calling you a Yankee then, my dear child?  Weren't you born in James Monroe's house, at the University of Virginia?  If that doesn't make you a southerner, I don't know what would!'

Scenes of Rough Riders charging Kettle Hill (from a movie) can be found on YouTube here.  My blog about authentic YouTube images for the Spanish-American War can be found here.

Frances And General Miles

From "Roses in December," the autobiographical story of Frances Parkinson (Wheeler) Keyes, who was not only a prolific author but also the wife of Senator Henry Keyes (and Governor of New Hampshire).  As a young girl, Frances visited the White House with her mother on two separate occasions.  Mrs. Keyes (rhymes with "eyes") related what made her first two visits to the White House memorable.

Anticipating a second visit to the White House, Frances' mother warned her that she "...must avoid doing, a second time, anything which would so greatly embarrass her.... (Frances and her cousin had "briefly basked in the glory of a great impersonation" when other visitors thought they were President Harrison's grandchildren).  Benjamin Harrison was President 1889-1893.

Though Frances assured her mother that she would not embarrass her a second time,  "As the long line of guests advanced to the Blue Room where President and Mrs. McKinley were receiving...I heard someone addressing a thick-set, white-haired, red-faced man, just in front of me, as 'General Miles.'  Greatly excited at being so close to a celebrity, I leaned forward and spoke to him.  'Oh General Miles!' I exclaimed.  'I am so thrilled to see what you really look like.  I have been reading all about you in the papers!'"

From the U.S. Congressional serial set , Issue 3872

"My impetuous action had really been prompted by admiration, but the general did not so interpret it.  The papers were full of stories about the tainted meat which had caused as many deaths as Spanish bullets among the soldiers in the recent war.  Though part of the responsibility for this outrage was attributed to the Secretary of War, Russell Alger, General Miles had permitted distribution of the meat and evidence against him was also very strong.  He naturally concluded from my remark that I wished to see whether or not he rally did have horns and a tail, figuratively speaking.  Instead of responding to my greeting, he glared at me and drew stiffly away."

"Too late, I realized I had done or said something amiss and, eager to leave the scene of my faux pas, I rushed blindly ahead, reaching the head of the receiving line before my mother."

Secretary of War Russell Alger was a Michigan politician whose wife, Annette Henry, was Squier descendant as are my grandchildren.  Annette's grandfather was Wait Squier (Sr.); he was my granchildren's 5th great-grandfather.

The 2nd Michigan Gets Spencer Repeating Rifles

The book, "A Hundred Battles In The West," was written about the Second Michigan Cavalry's participation during the Civil War. One important development during the Civil War was the advent of the Spencer repeating rifles.

Colonel Smith went to Loudon, Tennessee, where the Michigan 2nd Cavalry's former colonel, Gordon Granger was camped, and made further arrangements for the regiment's Spencer repeating rifles "at that time the newest and most effective weapon in the service."

Below is a picture of the target board used by President Lincoln when he tested a Spencer repeating rifle in Washington, D.C., on August 18, 1863.


An account of the Spencer rifle and the 2nd Michigan Cavalry in battle (at the Battle of Franklin in Tennessee):General Croxton referred to the Michigan soldiers as the "whitefish boys" and said that "you'll hear them speak in a moment or two." The soldiers then "poured into the enemy a sheet of fire which could be hurled from no other arm than the Spencer carbine (a shorter, lighter version)."