How the Worst President Ever Ended Up on a Controverisal New Coin (James Buchanan)

Today, the U.S. Treasury released a $1 coin commemorating former President James Buchanan. And people aren't happy about it.

To understand why, some background is helpful. In 2007, thanks to a bill promoted by then-Senator John Sununu of New Hampshire, the Treasury began minting $1 coins with the likenesses of former Presidents, starting with George Washington.

The coins -- which have been appearing ever since, featuring a new President every three months -- are meant to improve use and circulation of America's dollar coins, which are often seen as an awkward misfit among currency, neither fish nor fowl.

Sununu's initiative drew inspiration from the 50 State Quarters Program, which launched in 1999. The runaway success of that effort, according to his legislation, "shows that a design on a U.S. circulating coin that is regularly changed... radically increases demand for the coin, rapidly pulling it through the economy."

The bill also suggested that a program wherein Presidents are featured on a succession of $1 coins, and First Spouses commemorated on gold $10 coins, could help correct a state of affairs where "many people cannot name all of the Presidents, and fewer can name the spouses, nor can many people accurately place each President in the proper time period of American history."

So the bill passed, and the Washington dollar coin appeared not long after. It was followed by Adams, Jefferson, et al., with the First Spouse coins minted alongside.

Now we're up to Buchanan, the fifteenth President, who took office in 1857 and turned things over to Abraham Lincoln in 1861, and whose coin (produced at the Philadelphia and Denver Mints and purchasable through the U.S. Mint website) has occasioned the aforementioned grousing. Here's where some feel the coin program is falling short:

Many Americans have never gotten into the habit of using $1 coins, and as a result, over a billion commemorative Presidential coins are sitting around in a stockpile at the Federal Reserve. As BBC News reports, if these coins were stacked up and laid on their side, they'd stretch for 1,367 miles, or the distance from Chicago to New Mexico.

In February 2008, a year after the first presidential coins were minted, The New York Times reported that a survey had found large numbers of American teens to be woefully ignorant of their country's history. It was far from the first time Americans had gotten a dismal grade in history, suggesting that Sununu's commemorative-coin campaign isn't having much of an effect in that arena, either.

In fairness, this is a grievance with a specific president, not the presidential coins program as a whole. Still, it seems to come up in all the coverage of the new coin: Buchanan wasn't very good at his job.

That's the consensus of historians, anyway, who have traditionally censured Buchanan for his failure to prevent the Civil War. Last year, a C-SPAN survey of historians granted Buchanan the dubious distinction of worst president ever.

Still, all of this isn't reason enough to declare the commemorative-coins program a total failure. If more coin collectors start avidly pursuing the presidential coins, it could have the effect of pushing down the national debt, thanks to the way the value of the coins fluctuates with their availability. And if the dollar coins were to catch on and replace paper $1 bills entirely, it could save the country between $500 and $700 million each year in printing costs.

Plus, if things stay on track, 2012 will see the release of the Chester A. Arthur dollar coin -- marking the first time that long non-commemorated president's face has ever appeared on any nation's currency. And who are we to deprive him of that?

It seems, reading that, that Chesterfield and Cheraw were the main centers.

That's because there were great big plantations that took up lots of space between the towns. So a plantation could be near Pageland and Ruby and Mt Croghen. Mt. Croghan is located ten miles east of the Town of Pageland and ten miles west of the Town of Chesterfield. They are all very very close.

Once again, "Mount Croghan was one of the towns burned down by General William T. Sherman and his army in 1864.During the Civil War, the northerners burned the Academy and stuck their swords and bayonets in the surrounding ground to see that nothing of value was buried there.

On November 19, 1860, Chesterfield County held the first secession meeting in South Carolina. The ensuing war took its toll upon the state and the county. It is commonly known "that Sherman expected to exact vengeance from the original secessionists, who, he said, bore a major share of the blame for the war." This he did, and on March 2, 1865, entered Chesterfield County with a vengeance. In Chesterfield, the county seat, the courthouse, jail, academy, and other buildings, were burned to the ground. In Cheraw, the business portion, except for one house, was also burned down. Cotton, crops, food, and livestock were either stolen or destroyed. In a letter during reconstruction, Thomas Powe of Cheraw to Governor Orr, Powe brought that "every house in Chesterfield District, with the exception of two cabins, were visited by Sherman's

Town of Mt. Croghan was almost completely destroyed during the War.

Other places in Chesterfield County include the monument marking the first secession meeting on the grounds of the Old Courthouse on Main Street. The Robert Mills Courthouse on this site was burned by the Union Army. Next door is the John Craig House, c. 1798, Sherman's personal headquarters. The Austin-Craig House, C. 1858, already put to the torch, was saved when a slave reported that it belonged to a Yankee. Fire marks are visible in this, one of the rare homes in Chesterfield to escape destruction.

Nearby Mt. Croghan was almost completely destroyed, never to really fully recover. © Sarah Spruill The Cheraw Visitors Bureau 5/2000)"

And did I miss the part where it talks about the border of North and South Carolina being changed?

I did not say the article mentioned Anson County. There are historical maps that show the boundary differences over periods of time. It is not my responsibility to find your maps for you.If you are that interested go find them yourself.

Finally, I noticed that the article gives a great deal of detail about the activities of the Klan in the area. Far more, in fact, than it dedicates to Sherman's March,

So What. Maybe the Klan took up a larger space on the time-line of the area. Who gives a damn, except you.

So it was ok to burn homes over the heads of undefended women, children, the elderly, both black and white? To leave them to die of starvation and exposure? That is a coward's war. If you want the succession leaders than man up, do your homework and seek them out. Don't turn a gang of criminals loose on the weak, then not have enough guts to own up to it.(mstar)

As you would imagine, Southern women were of strong mind and character. Here is how Mrs. Henrietta B. Lee expressed the war being waged on women and children (bold mine):

“Shepherdstown, VA

“July 20, 1864

“General Hunter -- Yesterday your underling, Captain Martindale, of the first New York Cavalry, executed your infamous order and burned my house. You have the satisfaction 'ere this of receiving from him the information that your orders were fulfilled to the letter; the dwelling and other outbuildings, seven in number, with their contents, being burned, I, therefore, a helpless woman whom you have cruelly wronged, address you, a major-general of the United States Army, and demand why this was done? What was my offense?

“My husband was absent - an exile. He had never been a politician or in any way engaged in the struggle now going on, his age preventing. This fact your chief of staff, David Strother, could have told you. The house was built by my father, a Revolutionary soldier, who served the whole seven years for your independence. There was I born; there the sacred dead repose. It was my home and there has your niece (Miss Griffith) who has tarried among us all in this horrid war up to the present moment, met with all kindness and hospitality at my hands. Was it for this you turned me, my young daughter, and little son out upon the world without a shelter?

“Or was it because my husband is the grandson of the Revolutionary patriot and ‘rebel,’ Richard Henry Lee, and the near kinsman of the noblest of Christian warriors, the greatest of generals, Robert E. Lee? Heaven's blessings be upon his head forever! You and your government have failed to conquer, subdue or match him; and disappointed rage and malice find vent on the helpless and inoffensive. Hyena-like you have torn my heart to pieces, for all hallowed memories clustered around that homestead; and demon-like you have done it without even the pretext of revenge, for I never saw or harmed you. Your office is not to lead like a brave man and soldier your men to fight in the ranks of war, but your work has been to separate yourself from all danger, and with your incendiary band steal unawares upon helpless women and children to insult and destroy. Two fair homes did you yesterday ruthlessly lay in ashes, giving not a moment's warning to the startled inmates of your wicked purpose; turning mothers and children out of doors, your very name is execrated by your own men for the cruel work you give them to do.

“In the case of Mr. A. R. Boteler, both father and mother were far away. Any heart but that of Captain Martindale (and yours) would have been touched by that little circle, comprising a widowed daughter just risen from her bed of illness, her three fatherless babies - the eldest five years old - and her heroic sister. I repeat, any man would have been touched at the sight but Captain Martindale! One might as well hope to find mercy and feeling in the heart of a wolf bent on his prey of young lambs, as to search for such qualities in his bosom. You have chosen well your agent for such deeds, and doubtless will promote him.

"A colonel of the Federal Army has stated that you deprived forty of your officers of their commands because they refused to carry out your malignant mischief. All honor to their names for this, at least! They are men, and have human hearts and blush for such a commander! I ask who that does not wish infamy and disgrace attached to him forever would serve under you? Your name will stand on history's pages as the Hunter of weak women, and innocent children; the Hunter to destroy defenseless villages and beautiful homes - to torture afresh the agonized hearts of widows; the Hunter of Africa's poor sons and daughters, to lure them on to ruin and death of soul and body; the Hunter with the relentless heart of a wild beast, the face of a fiend, and the form of a man. Oh, Earth! Behold the monster! Can I say ‘God forgive you’? No prayer can be offered for you! Were it possible for human lips to raise your name heavenward, angels would thrust the foul thing back again, and demons claim their own. The curse of thousands, the scorn of the manly and upright, and the hatred of the true and honorable, will follow you and yours through all time, and brand your name infamy! Infamy!

"Again, I demand why have you burned my house? Answer as you must answer before the Searcher of all hearts; why have you added this cruel, wicked deed to your many crimes?

Henrietta B. Lee”

The Women Of The ConfederacyJohn Levi Underwood, pp 159 - 161.

Captain Kangaroo - We still teach our children to be good little rebels!

Here's a snippet from Netta Lee's diary, Henrietta B. Lee's daughter. (Bold mine)

“Bracing herself, and looking every inch the daughter of a Revolutionary soldier, our brave Mother faced the man, whose eyes quailed before hers. He began a patronizing tone: ‘Madam, I have come to tell you that I have been obliged to carry out my orders in burning your home; I also wish to offer you my pity."

"’Stop sir, I command you!’ cried my Mother, stamping her foot. ‘You pity me? I scorn your pity! But listen to me! Do you see the one remaining column about to fall? That, sir, is the last of the original masts of the Federal frigate, Constitution, Old Ironsides. My Father, a brave soldier of the Revolution, built this home after that war. He went in as a boy, young and strong, he came out after serving seven years, weak and broken. He died at the early age of forty-five. Your grateful country has honored his memory by turning me, his daughter, and these my children, upon the world, homeless and destitute. Now you may go, sir. You have done all the harm, of which you are capable; I defy you to do more, and I utterly scorn your pity. Be gone out of my sight!’

From "The Diary of Netta Lee, The Lee Society, Alexandria, VA, 1925, PP 29-34.

On Sunday night, the 16th [of April] a party of men disguised, went to the house of Robert Melton, a peaceable farmer, a native of the State, who has been identified with the republican (sic) party and called him out under some pretense and then fired upon him; his wife and one of his daughters came to the door at the same time. Mrs. Melton was killed at once – the daughter mortally wounded and Mr. Melton shot through the bowels so … that he cannot recover. ...

...The Ku Klux Klan of Chesterfield County, according to a lady writing to a northern newspaper, did not fit this pattern at all. She described the Klan as not being “composed of border ruffians, but its members are from what might be called ‘respectable families,’ and the different bands are always headed … by a gentlemen; many of the members are ex-Confederate soldiers and officers, and the organization and discipline is perfect.” She did “not think their strength and power are at all understood in the North.” In fact, she continued, they were “the supreme law.”

So it wasn't the riffraff, it was the so-called 'respectable' folks comitting these atrocities. How on earth can you have any pride in being from there?

[cowboy]: If they lived in the South his rabble targeted them.

[Colonel]: No he didn't, he targeted secessionist thugs. Rustbucket in post #269 quoted Sherman as ordering General Watkins: ... Sherman was not targeting children though I wouldn't doubt some secessionists hid behind children so their rabble rousing and money making could go on unhindered by distress or danger.

Colonel, I suggest you purchase "The Uncivil War: Union Army and Navy Excesses in the Official Records" by Thomas Bland Keys. Here are two examples from it:

Sherman to General in Chief Halleck, September 17, 1863: "… we will remove and destroy every obstacle -- if need be, take every life, every acre of land, every particle of property, everything that seems to us proper; that we will not cease until the end is attained.

General Howard to his command, October 16, 1864: "To-day soldiers of our army entered houses and opened trunks, drawers and boxes, utterly destroying everything they could lay their hands on. They took from women and children the last morsel of food. In some cases these things were done under the eyes of commissioned officers and in a manner as if it were a frolic. ."

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