Friday, December 10, 2021

Robert Drake and the Presence of the Past

 

There are stories, and then there are stories within stories. This is one of the latter.

In 1981, upon the publication of Robert Drake’s The Home Place, I wrote a review of it for Modern Age (Fall 1981) which I entitled “A Concelebration of Verities.” I suppose that title captured some element of the book, but as I look back now after forty years, it strikes me as awfully pretentious.  Well, I was a young college professor feeling his oats—what more needs to be said?

Anyway, Mr. Drake was favorably impressed with the review—it was indeed highly laudatory—and he wrote me a very nice thank-you note. (At the time he was teaching at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville; I was at McNeese State University in Louisiana.) For whatever reason, I did not answer his letter, a most un-Southern thing to do as I later reflected. Was I “too busy”? Hardly an excuse. And at this late date I cannot rightly remember what was behind my lack of graciousness.

More @ The Abbeville Institute

Penalty for Not Re-Enlisting

  Circa1865

 https://archive.org/services/img/militarycivilhis00lccrof/full/pct:200/0/default.jpg

Author Jonathan W. White’s book “Emancipation, the Union Army and the Reelection of Abraham Lincoln” (LSU Press, 2014) contends that Secretary of War Edwin Stanton utilized intimidation tactics to ensure Lincoln’s election and use the soldier vote to help accomplish it. His assistant secretary, Charles A. Dana, admitted to using the full power of the War Department to ensure Lincoln’s electoral triumph. Stanton also employed creative solutions for filling the blue ranks with soldiers.

By May 1864, the initial three-year enlistments had expired and strong measures utilized for re-enlisting the veterans. The hated draft was causing riots in northern cities, and Grant complained often of the useless soldiers he was sent — paid substitutes and draftees who often deserted at the first opportunity.

Desperate to retain the veterans, Stanton demanded additional government bounty money to entice them to stay, one-month furloughs home to show off their “Veteran Volunteer” sleeve chevrons, and commanders rewarded with promotions for re-enlistments obtained. Commanders unsuccessful in their re-enlistment efforts were denied promotion or cashiered.

The bounty money made soldiers wealthy men for the time, but naturally caused them to avoid battle in order to spend it. White estimates that only 15 percent of veteran soldiers re-enlisted, leaving 85 percent who walked away, as it had become an abolition war rather than the “save the Union” banner they had enlisted under. Additionally, they saw emancipation bringing many black freedmen north in search of employment, thus depressing wages and taking jobs from white northerners.

Penalty for Not Re-Enlisting

In May [1864] the three-years’ service of the regiment had expired; and three hundred and seventy-five men who had not reenlisted as veterans were mustered out and made their way home as best they could. On arriving in New York, they drew up and adopted a series of resolutions. They began by rehearsing an order of Col. [Henry L.] Abbot, dated May 21, urging them to “stand by their colors, and not march to the rear to the sound of the enemy’s cannon.”

The reason for their non-re-enlistment seems to be stated in the charge against Col. Abbot:

“That he has spared no pains to place over us a military aristocracy, subjecting us to every variety of petty annoyance, to show his own power, and take away our manhood; subjecting men to inhuman and illegal punishments for appealing to him for justice; disgracing others for attempting to obtain commissions in colored regiments; . . . about May 4 ordering his heavy artillery men who had not re-enlisted, into the ditch for the remainder of their term of service, thus placing us on a level with prisoners under sentence for court-martial; and finally capping the climax by leaving us to the tender mercy of provost-marshals, turning us loose on the world, without pay, without officers, without transportation, without rations and without our colors.”

(The Military & Civil History of Connecticut, During the War of 1861-1865. W. Croffut & J. Morris. Ledyard Bill. 1869, pg. 558-559)

What’s the true meaning of Arctic ice record-fast recovery?

 Via 4Branch

 

Barents Observer and the likes, no doubt, are greatly disappointed. Even with the help of ever-ready to falsify data, Roshydromet (Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring), it’s impossible to claim, that the temperatures are abnormally high, though a month ago Roshydromet tried to do exactly that (and Barents Observer was only happy to spread the lie around). Roshydromet was harshly criticized by a number of agencies and ministries of Russian Government, for its’ false forecasts and damages they caused. I on my part, did my best to debunk Roshydromet, when giving interviews to a number of Russian national media outlets, TV, radio.

Dec 8: Situation along the Northern Sea Route is normalized, or if looking at eastern sector of NSR, doesn’t exist any more – there’s no “situation” to talk about. Nuclear icebreaker TAYMYR led the last ships of west bound convoy of 3 dry cargo ships and 1 tanker, including Finnish bulk carrier KUMPULA, to ice-free waters, they’re safe and continue their voyage. The only ships left in eastern sector, are west-bound LNG tanker NIKOLAY ZUBOV, and dry cargo LEV YASHIN, in Pevek. That’s about all. LNG tankers of NIKOLAY ZUBOV type are icebreakers in their own right, though there’s no doubt, that they’ll need real icebreakers, if they’re to continue their transits

 As for western sector of NSR, it has a year-round navigation, and always had, with or without “Climate Change”.  :)

What’s really astounding in this year’s NSR navigation, is the speed, with which Arctic ice cover returned to mediana 1981-2010 ice cover boundaries. It took Nature just several months, to recover ice to its’ former boundaries. Several years to melt to more or less substantial, noticeable, cover decrease, and several months to return to normal, and in some areas, already surpass mediana 1981-2010. Judging from weather and temperature maps, Arctic ice cover looks like it’s on the way to surpass mediana, and reach record-high boundaries.

More @ Maritime Bulletin

Tucker Carlson on Mitch McConnell

Lighted ‘Let’s Go, Brandon’ Boat Wins Best In Show; Mega Cringe Ensues When Title Stripped Hours Later

 

A “Let’s Go, Brandon!” themed vessel took home Best In Show at the annual Yorktown Foundation holiday boat parade this past weekend only to be stripped of it’s title just hours later.

The winner was a real beauty. A 50-foot boat decked out with American flags, a Christmas tree, and “FJB” and “Let’s Go Brandon” in big bright lights for all the world to see.

Unfortunately, it sounds like the foundation got cold feet after word eventually got out and the urge to publicly apologize became way too strong.

More @ WLT

Oregon Governor Signs “Racist Bill” Removing Math And Reading Skills To Help Students Of Color

Oregon governor

An influx of people have responded to a 4 month old news article detailing how Oregon Governor suspending Math, Reading and Writing requirements for High School Students.

The Oregon Governor states this should help students of color graduate.

This obviously wasn’t covered very well the first time, since people everywhere are commenting on this NOW.

It would not surprise me one bit if the MSM covered this poorly by design.

More @ WLT