Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
General Hugh Mercer of the
Continental Army fell near this spot during the battle of
William H. McKelvy
(grandfather of James W. McKelvy, my grandmother’s grandfather) served in
Capt. Baldwin's Company, Col. Andrew Pickens SC Regiment of Infantry between
1776-1777. He marched into
The
Brits had come back after the battle in
Richard Fields (my grandfather’s
great-grandfather) served during the War of 1812 and Creek Indian War in 1814
under Gen. Andrew Jackson.
On
Built as a chapel after
1744, the
The
Hernando
From 1-3 July 1863, The Army
of the
Ransom
Christopher Wheeler enlisted in the 29th Georgia Volunteer Regiment in 1861,
and at one time served under Gen. Braxton Bragg. In 1864 (as a
Corporal) he was wounded, captured, and held as a POW. He was later
released in a prisoner exchange. He was wounded in battle again, and
served until the end of the war in 1865.
Corporal
Ransom C. Wheeler, C.S.A.
(by his great-great
grandson, Randy Young, W.D. Mitchell Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp #163,
Thomasville, Georgia)
29th Georgia Volunteer
Infantry Regiment, C.S.A.
Jackson Siege, July 1863;
Chickamauga, September 19-20, 1863; Chattanooga Siege, September-November 1863;
Chattanooga, November 23-25, 1863; Atlanta Campaign, May-September 1864;
Atlanta Siege, July-September 1864; Franklin,
“Corporal Ransom C.
Wheeler proudly served under the flag of the Confederacy while a part of the
29th Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment, comprised mostly of men from
Born
on
Life
as a young man growing up in
This
placid period of peaceful existence lasted until the spring of his 28th year.
It was then that his state of
True
to duty, Ransom Wheeler volunteered for service to his state and new country in
the newly formed Confederate Army. This decision would lead to the greatest
adventure of his lifetime.
His
regiment, the 29th Georgia Volunteer Regiment, was led by Captain William D.
Mitchell, who organized his men along lines similar to those of other
companies. There were four lieutenants, seven sergeants, and four corporals.
The lieutenants included A. Q. Moody, J. Blackshear Jones, T. N. Gandy, and
John James. When the official appointments came through that fall, Mitchell
declared that he and his fellow officers "accept the Commissions."
Thomas
County has a voting population of about one thousand - of these she has sent
out six organized companies, and in the latest response to the Governor, one
more to make seven companies, besides nearly 100 men in other companies
organized in adjoining counties - aggregating about seven-hundred and fifty men
out of one thousand voters. Others counties in the state may have done better
than this - it is not my object to disparage any, but to do justice to those I
know. All honor and glory to whom honor and glory belong!
The
29th Georgia Volunteers left Thomas County from the bustling train depot of the
county seat of Thomasville on
Early
in November,
The
next few years of life in the war for Ransom Wheeler and the Twenty-Ninth
Georgia was one of constant movement, but limited action. Under the leadership
arm of Department of South Carolina and
In
September 1862, several companies of the Twenty-Ninth were stationed with the
General
P.G.T. Beuregard, as overall commander of the Department of South Carolina,
It
was in July of 1863 that the Twenty-Ninth engaged in its first heavy fighting
in the exchanges around
In
the fall of `63, the Twenty-Ninth was part of Braxton Bragg's Army of
Tennessee, and was part of the many battles around Chattanooga, including
Mission Ridge, Dalton, and the vicious battle of Chickamauga, where new
regiment commander Colonel William J. Young lost his right arm (which would
lead to his eventual discharge), and Captain Mitchell was wounded. Totaled, there
were nearly 35,000 casualties in this lone, awesome firefight in the north
Throughout
1864, Corporal Wheeler and his regiment were heavily involved in the bitter
fighting surrounding
Corporal
Wheeler wrote:
Camp
Near
Dear
Sister,
It
is with great pleasure that I address you with a few lines which is in answer
to your very kind letter which came to hand on yesterday bearing the date of
July 8, which gave me great pleasure to receive. It found me not very well,
though by no means bad off. I have the direut with some fever, but I hope to be
better soon. I hope these few lines may find you and the family well. As for
news I have none worth your attention.
We
are now lying in line for battle, resting, and have been for the past 8 days. I
do not think we will stay here much longer, but some think the great battle
will be fought here in a few days. As for my part, I can not say but I hope the
Almighty God will crown us with a victory over the enemy and enable us to
restore peace once more in our once free and happy land, as I think a defeat of
the this Yankee army would end this cruel civil war.
We
are now on the south side of the
Sister,
we have some very nice meetings up here. I saw five soldiers baptised on Friday
last, and six joined the Methodist church yesterday. Right here at our Regiment
there is to be preaching this morning and I think there will be some more who
will join today.
Sister,
I have some bad news to write you. My little captain died on the 14th day of
June from wounds received in battle. On the 15th day of June my company lost
seven men and six have been wounded since we left
Mr.
Stringer sends his love and best respects to you. As I have nothing to write, I
will close. Hoping to hear from you soon. Give my love to all inquiring
friends, and my best wishes to Mrs. Mumford and her mother and the same to
Uncle Dick Taylor.
I
remain as ever, your true brother, R. C. Wheeler.
Write
as soon as you get time."
Four
days later, on
Cpl.
Wheeler was held as a prisoner of war in the infamous confines of
Still hampered by his
wounds, Wheeler nonetheless quickly rejoined his compatriots of the 29th
During
this bitter battle, Cpl. Wheeler was again wounded, this time in the left arm.
He was admitted to Confederate States of
After
recuperating from his wounds and returning to what was left of his home,
Wheeler moved to Leon County, Florida and served as overseer of Walters
Plantation, near Miccousukee. After a few years of work on the plantation, he
saved enough money to purchase a piece of land in his native
Wheeler
was very proud of his rank of corporal in the Confederate army, and many times
in his long life he said he "preferred to hold this position as it allowed
(him) to suffer hardships with the soldiers." When asked while applying
for his Confederate pension by whose authority he had left the war, he stated
"By two Yankee bullets - one in my thigh and one in my shoulder."
On
One
endearing example of the heart of Corporal Wheeler is shown by his adoption of
Joe, a tiny negro baby, who was left behind by his parents in
Some
years after the war, while on business in
Ever
true to his God, Ransom served as steward in the
At
Corporal Ransom C. Wheeler's
passing did not diminish the memory of the gallant display of his love for
family and homeland, and his service to the South as a member of the 29th
Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment of the Confederate States of America still
today wells pride in the hearts of his ancestors. Long may his example,
alongside countless others who valiantly served for their homeland, be revered
and remembered!”
There were five Webb
brothers who were born and grew up in
When Confederate General
Braxton Bragg began his retreat from
The Thursday morning,
October 8, 1863, edition of the CHATTANOOGA DAILY REBEL reported these
Company
F:
(wounded)
Serg't T J Webb, severely in
ankle and amputated.
D S Webb, slightly in thigh.
A H Webb, slightly in foot.
Little Round Top
On
the night of
Presidential
Box, Ford’s Theater, Washington, D.C. Fort
Concho,
Established in 1867, along the banks of the Concho
River, Fort Concho was built to protect frontier settlements, patrol and
map the vast West Texas region, and quell hostile threats in the area. In June 1889, the last soldiers marched away
from Fort Concho and the fort was deactivated. After 22 years Fort
Concho's role in settling the Texas frontier was over.
Fort Worth Historic Stockyards
In
1849 Major Ripley Arnold and a troop of soldiers were ordered to set up Fort
Worth and protect the settlers in North Texas. By 1853, the frontier moved
west. The fort was abandoned and the buildings that were left became the town
of Fort Worth. By 1856 the citizens stole the county records from Birdville and
won the county seat. Soon Fort Worth became a frequent stop for cattlemen
herding through the area. Wild longhorns that roamed the open range were free for
the taking. Many cowboys herded them up, branded them, and drove them north for
a large profit. By 1866, the city had earned its reputation as
"Cowtown," and was in the middle of the Chisholm Trail. The city now
began to prosper as a leader in the cattle business. Many travelers looking for
a break in the monotony of traveling the open range now frequented Fort Worth.
There they found hot meals, saloons, gambling and bordellos. The town soon
earned a reputation as "Hells half acre." Even Butch Cassidy and The
Hole-in-the-wall Gang found the city an entertaining place to stop. By 1872, the citizens of Fort Worth were eager to connect to
the railroad. Plans were mapped out, resembling a tarantula to many. In 1876,
despite numerous difficulties, it was completed. With the opening of various
meat-packing companies, Fort Worth was soon to become one of the major beef
suppliers in the country, and continued to be until the 1960s. It was then that
the Swift and Armour companies closed their doors.
Booger
Red Privett - You may ask, "where did you get that name?" Well,
here's the story: Booger Red is a definite Texas thing and usually has to
do with having red hair and being tough and ugly. Samuel Thomas Privett (1858-1926) applied his
Bronc-Busting skills to performing in his own touring wild west show and
achieving championship fame in rodeos and world fairs. He made breaking horses
his business. Privett became one of the most legendary rodeo performers
in Texas, once having 86 bronco rides in one day. He would advertise his shows
by saying “Come and see him ride! The ugliest cowboy dead or
alive!” Privett would pay anyone $100 who could bring a horse he
couldn’t ride. No one ever collected.
Booger
(Sherry Fields’ great-great uncle) was born on a ranch near Dublin, Erath
County, Texas, on December 29, 1858 and as a youth seemed to possess all the
vim, vigor, and vitality that makes the red-head outstanding. At the age of 10
he began riding wild calves on his father's ranch and by the time he was 12
years of age he was widely known as the Red-Headed Kid Bronc-Rider and was
already on the road to fame. He was the youngest of a large family and was
always trying to imitate some stunt of his older brothers. In attempting to
make his own fireworks on his 13th Christmas as he had seen others do, he and a
pal crammed a lot of gun powder into a hole bored into an old tree stump and
when it exploded it killed his friend and blew him about twenty feet. His face
was hopelessly burned and for six months he did not see daylight. His eyes were
cut open three times and his mouth and nose twice. As he was being carried to
the hospital in a farm wagon, a small boy friend hopped on the side of the
wagon, looked over at Red and thoughtlessly remarked, 'Gee, but Red is sure a
booger now, ain't he?' Thus, the famous "Booger Red" nickname which
went with him to his grave. His parents died when he was 15 years old and he
started out in the world to make his own way at the job which he loved most,
that of breaking wild horses. None were too bad for him to tackle and he made a
name for himself in a country where there were plenty of bronc scratchers. By
the time he was grown he had saved enough to buy and stock a small ranch near
Sabinal, Texas, but he soon sold that and purchased the wagon yard in San
Angelo, Texas. He married Mollie Webb at the little west Texas town of Bronte,
in 1895. She and their six children who became famous in show life were great
assets to the show business which he established later. He died of Bright's
disease at Miami, Oklahoma, in 1924.
The Booger Red Saloon, Fort Worth
Stockyards, TX
Booger
Red's last performance was at the Fat Stock Show at Fort Worth in 1924 just a
short time before he died. He had retired and went to Fort Worth just to see the
show. To keep from being recognized he wore a cap instead of his big white hat,
and low quarters instead of boots and slipped in on the top seat of the
grandstand. He was enjoying the performances when trouble arose in the arena
with an outlaw horse. The rider was thrown and the crowd yelled, “Give us
Booger Red.” He sat as still as a
mouse until an old lady at his elbow recognized him and shrieked, “Here
he is!” The crowd went wild and
would not be put off. He made his way calmly down through the audience until he
reached the bottom step where he was hoisted on the shoulders of the cheering
throng and carried to the arena. He rode the old horse to a finish and many
said it was the prettiest riding they ever saw. He was at that time probably
the oldest man on record to make such a ride.
Booger
Red is the namesake of the Booger Red’s Saloon in Fort Worth where their
motto is “Red on the Head, Ugly as a Booger.”
Buckingham Palace,
Haiti
Hofburg Palace,
Nueschwanstein
Castle, Fussen,
Germany Princeton (dark
uniforms) vs. Yale,
November
6, 1869 marked the first-ever intercollegiate football game. The teams were Princeton and Rutgers (played
in New Brunswick, NJ). The Princeton-Yale
rivalry goes back to 1870.
Tower Bridge,
London,
England
Early in the 19th century, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm began to collect German folktales and subsequently publish their own adaptations. Some of the settings in their stories were heavily influenced by the Black Forest.
Statue of Liberty, off the coast of
New Jersey.
In 1886, the French gave the Statue of Liberty to the U.S. because of its Revolutionary War friendship. It was shipped in 350 pieces. Gustave Eiffel helped with the structure.
The Arche de Triomphe was commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon following his victory at Austerlitz. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the eternal flame commemorating the dead of the two world wars lies beneath the arch.
Arche de Triomphe, Paris, France Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
The
Eiffel Tower was built as a centennial memorial of the French Revolution
for the International Exhibition of Paris of 1889. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII of
England, opened the tower. Of the 700 proposals submitted in a design
competition, Gustave Eiffel's design was the one unanimously chosen.
Note: While I make every effort to produce an error-free document, errors occasionally creep in. I would appreciate you bringing any to my attention so that I may make the necessary corrections.
Ancient World History
Renaissance/Reformation World History
Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries (YOU ARE HERE)
WW2