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Civil War: Battle Flags, Medals of Honor and Soldiers Unknown

7/19/2014

2 Comments

 
PictureFeatherston's Brigade Flag ~ Franklin 1864








War Cry Heal Union: The series (5th of 10)


Honor and Death were present when Van de Graaff met Buckley.

Imagine a hot Georgia mid-afternoon 150 years ago today; about 1,000 soldiers, mostly Mississippians, hear the fate of Atlanta (and thus the Confederacy) is in their hands.

Now imagine another moment, one less than an hour from the other one, of a Mississippian (Van de Graaff / a name implying Germany) and a New Yorker (Buckley / who was born in Canada) meet and try to kill each other.

Here, I’ll explain …

The commander of the Mississippi brigade, Brigadier General Winfield Scott Featherston, a veteran who fought in the eastern theater (Virginia and Maryland) under the command of Robert E. Lee (at Antietam in 1862, for example), and then was transferred west (also by Lee) later that year. On this day, 20 July 1864, Featherston is leading an aspect of Confederate General John B. Hood’s plan of attack on the Federal approach to Atlanta. Hood was put in command by Jefferson Davis (President of the Confederacy) and brought an “I’ll attack” strategy to the defense of Atlanta; the battle at Peachtree Creek was his first effort.

Picture33rd Mississippi Battle Flag ~ Peachtree Creek 1864
Hood told General Stewart, who told General Loring, who told Featherston who then told the 1,000 Mississippians (including Van de Graaff) of their moment. So off they go in attack, six Confederate/MS battalions forward into six Federal battalions ~ two from Ohio and one each from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Wisconsin and New York. The Federal line falls back; at first the charge succeeds with the Mississippi brigade taking the ridge; then the Federals’ fire cannon into the breached line (into the Mississippians) and counter-assault.

The 26th Wisconsin captured the battle flag pictured here from one of Featherston’s battalions, the 33rd Mississippi, and its loss (capture) would have taken place during this phase of the battle; in total, Featherston’s brigade would lose seven battle flags at Peachtree Creek.

Which brings us to the meeting of Van de Graaff and Buckley.  

PicturePrivate Dennis B Buckley ~ Peachtree Creek 1864
Private Dennis B. Buckley of the 136th New York battalion struggles with the battalion Adjutant of the 31st Mississippi, W.J. Van de Graaff. Various reports note a hand-to-hand struggle for the flag of the 31st; it would have looked like the one pictured above, the 33rd’s. Van de Graaff, who was carrying the flag only because the other bearers had been shot, lost the flag to Buckley; Buckley, after wresting control of the flag, was then shot and killed. Private Dennis B. Buckley was awarded the US Medal of Honor for capturing the 31st’s battle flag and is buried in Marietta National Cemetery.

Being from Illinois, I usually see our Civil War more or less from the Federal perspective; today, having been myself an Adjutant (battalion staff officer/personnel, US Army, Saudi Arabia 1991), it’s Van de Graaff that I’m feeling. In his report of the battle, Featherston made special mention of the 31st’s leaders who died on 20 July 1864, specifically, their commander Lt. Col. J. W. Drane and executive officer Major F. M. Gillespie. The 31st suffered 164 casualties from 215 men sent into battle; here’s what  Featherston wrote in his report of Van de Graaff, followed by the names of the unit’s leaders killed or reported missing: “Adjt. W.L. Van de Graaff, of the 31st Mississippi Regiment, a gallant and accomplished officer, a young man of promise and great moral worth, seized the colors of his regiment and bore them to the front after two or three color bearers had been shot down, and following their example shared their fate. He fell with the colors in his hand.”


Killed:
Lt. Col. J. W. Drane, Major F. M. Gillespie, Capt. John B. Ketchum, Adjutant W. J. Van de Graaff , Lt. W. D. Carradine, Lt. J. C. Morrow, Sgt. J. M. Johnson.
Missing:
Capt. G. W. Lewdon, Capt. C. W. Richards, Lt. S. M. Bobbs, Lt. J. C. Hallum, Lt. Thomas Lyles, Lt. P. G. McGraw, Sgt. J. S. Bridges, Sgt. J. J. Cudley.

Representing all our citizens in a new constitutional House of Representatives, one for every 30,000, is something we have to look forward to; while doing so, let’s look back and perhaps think again ~ of the individual citizen-soldiers of our Civil War ~ as well.

Next time, July 27th, is the sixth essay in the War Cry Heal Union series ~ Henry Lee III, father of Robert E. Lee, defends the First Amendment and the Unrepresented.

Posted by Bryan W. Brickner








2 Comments
Mary Mellen
10/22/2017 07:57:19 pm

Thank you for your take on the story of William Jacob Van de Graaff, my 1st cousin 3x removed. I grew up knowing that all the men of his generation in my family were killed fighting for the Confederacy, a somewhat embarrassing distant fact for me. But as I was reading this account of William’s death, I began to understand the pain and devastation of my ancestors in a different way.

Reply
Bryan Brickner
10/23/2017 08:06:02 am

Mary, Thank you for your kind words. William's merit was evident to those who knew him; you seeing that too makes my eyes water ~ that's what I felt learning about him. Peace is what he fought for, giving his life so we other Americans don't have to fight each other: there's a lesson of peace in learning about soldier's like William. Bryan

Reply



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    Brickner has a 1997 political science doctorate from Purdue University, cofounded Illinois NORML in 2001, and was a 2007 National NORML Cannabis Advocate Awardee. He is also publisher and coauthor of the 2011 book banned by the Illinois Department of Corrections – The Cannabis Papers: A Citizen’s Guide to Cannabinoids.

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