this is utterly off-topic, but i thought it was at least a little interesting and i wanted to write it down, which is only satisfying if it is sent to someone who might read it.
tonight i watched the first installment of ken burns's remastered "the civil war" on pbs. i'd seen the old version several times, and tonight i did something that made it somewhat more real: i took out the colt's model of 1851 "navy .36" that was carried through the war by my great grandfather, titus cummings, an officer with the 81st indiana volunteers. titus was quite a fellow, and the very old people in the family when i was very young, the ones who knew him, would talk of his various exploits. early in the war his company was on the receiving end of a cavalry charge and titus got a sabre in one cheek which came out the other cheek. when my father was tiny and asked titus what he did then, the reply was, "why, sonny, i bit it in two!" i brought out the old revolver, which is still in fine working condition, because i thought it would provide a tangible connection to what i was seeing. here, in front of me, sometimes in my hand, was something that had been fired in anger in that war, that in all probability had killed people in that war, conceivably someone whose picture i would see on the screen, though of course i would not know one way or the other. and it did add to the experience. afterwards, i thought i'd see if i could find out a little more about titus. i have the standard family genealogy stuff here, but that's a tree with few leaves. so i poked around a little on the web. i knew that he had been terribly wounded at chickamauga, but i did not know until tonight that he had received the musket ball to the gut on his 33rd birthday. i also knew that he had been expected to die and therefore was tightly bandaged and left to "stew in his own juices," as the term of art was called. (he survived and lived until 1907.) and i knew that he had been promoted to captain, but i did not know that it was as a result of his behavior at chickamauga. from his commanding officer's report of the battle: "It is due under the circumstances that I should speak of the conduct of the officers and men of the Eighty-first Indiana. With scarcely an exception they behaved in the most gallant and admirable manner, and, though comparatively a young regiment, conducted themselves with the coolness, steadiness and, precision of veterans on the field of battle. Captain Mitchell, a brave and efficient man, was mortally wounded, and Lieutenants Northcutt, Cummings . and Zimmerman were wounded while gallantly leading their men, in the discharge of their duties. They battled as brave men, worthy of the best government ever instituted among men, and the Republic may feel confident when its interests rest in the hands of such defenders. . . ." also, i found this: CAPT TITUS CUMMINGS 1st Lt Co G at muster. Age 30. Boatman from Derby, Perry County. Commanded Co C Feb 23/63 - Apr/63. Court martial, pay stoppage of $45. Wounded left side at Chickamauga Sep 19/63. Capt Nov 8/63 vice Mitchell (died of wounds at Chickamauga). Detached as military conductor, Louisville and Nashville RR Apr 8/64. Resigned disability Jul 9/64. and this: http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/indiana/civilwarex/images/cummingstitus.htm which to me is pretty cool. -- dep http://www.linuxandmain.com -- outside the box, barely within the envelope, and no animated paperclip anywhere. _______________________________________________ Linux-users mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe/Suspend/Etc -> http://www.linux-sxs.org/mailman/listinfo/linux-users
