The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Sam Davis - Confederate Hero (Nov-1863) - Apr. 23rd, 2003

http://www.mindspring.com/~sam_davis/sdwhois.htm ^ | Floyd Dennis, Jr.

[SAMWolf]

Dear Lord,

There's a young man far from home,
called to serve his nation in time of war;
sent to defend our freedom
on some distant foreign shore.

We pray You keep him safe,
we pray You keep him strong,
we pray You send him safely home ...
for he's been away so long.

There's a young woman far from home,
serving her nation with pride.
Her step is strong, her step is sure,
there is courage in every stride.
We pray You keep her safe,
we pray You keep her strong,
we pray You send her safely home ...
for she's been away too long.

Bless those who await their safe return.
Bless those who mourn the lost.
Bless those who serve this country well,
no matter what the cost.

Author Unknown

.

FReepers from the The Foxhole
join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time.

.

.................................................................................................................................

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Sam Davis:
Hero of the Confederacy

Who was Sam Davis? There have been several replies made to this question over the years. Davis has been multiply labelled as "The Boy Hero Of The Confederacy," a soldier doing his duty, a living example of the Southern gentleman's code of honor, and a spy. Which is the correct answer? All of them are, to a certain degree. Simply put, Sam Davis was a young man who, in the midst of war and the many senseless deaths which accompany it, made his death meaningful - and with it, his life.

On 6 October 1842, Sam Davis was born in the Stewartsboro (now Smyrna), Tennessee farmhouse of his parents Charles Lewis Davis and Jane Simmons Davis. By all accounts, his life was that of a normal boy in a middle class rural Southern family until November 1860 - when Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States. With whispers of an approaching war already on the wind, Davis' parents enrolled him in Nashville's Western Military Academy. Davis' academic career at WMA was destined to be a short one, however. Davis left the Academy in April 1861 and volunteered for the 1st Tennessee Infantry (Company I - "Rutherford's Rifles") the following month. Davis officially became a Confederate soldier in August 1861, when the 1st Tennessee was mustered into the Confederate Army.

Davis served as an infantry private under Robert E. Lee during Lee's Virginia/West Virginia campaign until December 1861, when the 1st Tennessee was transferred to Major General Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson's command for the defense of the Shenandoah Valley. Davis performed with distinction, earning several commendations for valor during the First Valley Campaign of 1862. The 1st Tennessee participated in this campaign until March 1862, when the Federal capture of Fort Donelson and Fort Henry led to the transfer of the 1st Tennessee to the command of General Albert Sidney Johnson for the defense of Corinth, Mississippi. Sam Davis and the 1st Tennessee Infantry arrived in time to engage in fighting on both days of the Battle of Shiloh - one of the bloodiest clashes of the Civil War. Davis was wounded slightly, and his valor was once again noted by his regimental officers.



In June 1862, the 1st Tennessee was transferred to the command of General Braxton Bragg as part of the newly-formed Army of Tennessee, to conduct offensive operations in Tennessee and Kentucky. Davis' participation in these operations included the battles at Perryville, Murfreesboro (Stones River) and Shelbyville. For Bragg to continue his operations, however, more detailed information on Federal troop and supply movements was required. To meet these needs, a special calvary company was formed. This company was staffed with the creme-de-la-creme of the soldiers - men who had repeatedly demonstrated courage, endurance and coolness under fire. Sam Davis was one of about 30 soldiers transferred to Coleman's Scouts in July 1862, under the leadership of Captain Henry B. Shaw (working under the pseudonym "Capt. E. Coleman").

During his time with Coleman's Scouts, Davis performed his scouting duties in the middle Tennessee/northern Alabama area. During the time of the Battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga (fall 1863), Davis worked within the city limits of (federally-held) Nashville, gathering information on the city fortifications and Union troop dispositions. Davis was even able to eavesdrop on conversations between Union General Rosecrans and his officers. Eventually, the area got too "hot" for the intelligence-gathering activities to continue - Union troops were constantly on the move in the area, increasing the Scouts' chances of detection. Many scouts (Coleman's and others) had been captured or killed - so many that when Davis came into the Scouts' headquarters (located at Big Creek, TN about 20 miles south of Columbia) in mid-November with a load of Union newspapers and dispatches, there was nobody available who could relay the delivery on down the courier line. Thus it was that on 19 November 1863, Capt. Shaw happened upon Davis on the road with a large parcel of mail and packages, trying to find a crossover to Confederate territory. Shaw gave Davis a special dispatch to deliver to General Bragg (headquartered in Chattanooga) and suggested Davis try crossing into Dixie territory south of Decatur, Alabama.


Sam Davis Monument - 1909
Smyrna, Tennessee

Davis' route took him to Giles County, Tennessee and the city of Pulaski - then home to the headquarters of the Union Army's 16th Corps. On the morning of 20 November 1863, while riding down Lamb's Ferry Road about 15 miles south of Pulaski, he encountered two soldiers in Confederate uniform who said they were conscripting for the Confederate Army. Over his Confederate uniform Davis was wearing a coat given him by his mother on his last trip home - a Union coat (taken from a deserter) and dyed brown with walnut hulls. Davis stated that he was already a member of the Confederate Army and presented his pass for verification, whereupon he was arrested. The two men in Confederate uniform were actually Union soldiers of the 7th Kansas Calvary.

The two soldiers took Davis to their commanding officer. A search of Davis' effects revealed (hidden in his saddle and the soles of his boots) detailed documentation on Nashville's fortifications, 16th Corps troop positions and movements, and a hand-written record of the entire wartime activities of Coleman's Scouts - addressed to General Bragg and signed "Capt. Coleman." Union General Grenville Dodge, commander of the 16th Corps, immediately took personal charge of Davis' interrogation. The letter to Bragg conclusively identified Davis as a member of Coleman's Scouts, and Dodge wanted Coleman; also, the information on the 16th Corps was so detailed, Dodge was certain Davis had been in communication with an informer in the ranks of Dodge's own officers. Davis was subjected to incessant interrogation for several days, with his inquisitors pushing hard both for the identity of his source for information on the 16th Corps and the true identity of Capt. Coleman. Davis was repeatedly promised leniency (a promise which was escalated to freedom during the interrogation) if he would divulge the names, or death by hanging as a spy if he would not. Little were they aware that Davis not only knew Capt. Coleman's true identity of Henry B. Shaw, he also knew Shaw's location - in the next cell. Shaw had been arrested under his own name as a Confederate soldier on furlough, but the Union troops had no clue that he was their elusive "Capt. Coleman".


Sam Davis, Boy Hero of the Confederacy.
Nashville, Tennessee

Throughout all interrogations, Davis revealed nothing to his captors. By all accounts, the Union soldiers (including Gen. Dodge) grew very fond of the young man's courage and his strong sense of personal honor. Many of them wanted Davis to talk so his life would be spared - but the young man remained silent.

On 25 November, a court-martial found Davis guilty of spying, despite the testimony of both arresting soldiers and their commanding officer (Capt. L. H. "Chickasaw" Naron) that Davis was wearing his Confederate uniform when arrested. Davis was sentenced to hang on 27 November 1863. As the gallows on which Davis was to be hung was constructed in full view of Davis' jail cell, the Union officers continued to interrogate Davis. At this point, they were virtually begging Davis to reveal the requested names, so execution of the sentence could be deterred. Davis was ridden from the jail to the gallows in a wagon, sitting on his own coffin. The last soldier to appeal to Davis did so as Davis stood on the execution gallows. Capt. Naron promised Davis his horse, his sidearms, and an escort to Confederate lines if Sam would reveal who gave him the papers he was carrying. Davis' reply is still remembered today, as it echoes the sentiments of Nathan Hale in an earlier war:

"I am but a private soldier in the Confederate Army. The man who gave me this information is worth ten thousand more to the Confederate cause than I, and I would sooner die a thousand deaths before I would betray a friend or be false to duty."

According to some reports, the Union Captain overseeing the execution broke down at the last minute and was unable to pronounce execution of the sentence. Sam Davis' last words before the hood was placed and the trapdoor sprung were directed at the hangman - "Soldier. Do your duty."

[SAMWolf]

The following article is from the Confederate Veteran, Vol. II, No. 5, Nashville, Tenn., May, 1894.

SAM DAVIS, THE HERO MARTYR.

[Extracts from an address by J. M. King, Jr., before a Literary Society at the University of Nashville.]

It is not of the words of a statesman, nor of the deeds of a great general, but of the actions and death of a noble Southern hero that I beg you to listen to. A short time before the battle of Mission Ridge Gen. Bragg had planned a campaign through Tennessee into Kentucky. It was important to know the exact strength of the Federal forces occupying the sections through which he was to pass. For this information, which had been promised by a Federal officer at Nashville, a courier was to be sent. This perilous undertaking, to pass through a country swarming with Federal soldiers, required a man of the coolest courage and unflinching devotion to duty.

Sam Davis, of Coleman's Scouts, a youth of nineteen years, was chosen for the hazardous journey. He went dressed in his gray, and accomplished his task, but on his return was taken prisoner near Pulaski, Tenn. A search of his person revealed the important papers he carried, and from their accuracy and minuteness of detail it was at once suspected that he had secured them from a Federal officer of the engineering department. It was highly important to detect the name of the traitor, and to that end Davis was questioned. His answers were straightforward. Frankly admitting that he had received the papers as suspected, he firmly declined to give the name of the officer. The commander pressed him, offering him pardon and safe return into his lines, or would subject him to trial by court martial, to result in death on the gallows. He was unmoved, and stoutly refused to sell his friend. A commission being appointed, he was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to be hanged as a spy Friday, November 23, 1863, in the town of Pulaski. When his fate was made known to him he expressed some surprise at its harshness being dressed in his army colors and wearing his Confederate arms when captured—he was no spy, but he showed not the least fear or weakness—not the quiver of a muscle. In writing to his mother he realized full well the end. Death was certain. These are his words to her:

"Dear Mother—O how painful it is to write to you that I have got to die to-morrow morning. I will be hanged by the Federals. Mother, do not grieve for me, I must bid you goodbye for evermore. Mother, I do not hate to die. Give my love to all. Tell the children all to be good."

A nobler heart never beat! Think of his grief stricken mother as she read those lines. The simplicity, the sincerity expressed in them illustrates his character. Directly after writing this he was again visited by the Chaplain, but he remained firm not to reveal the confidence given him. At the time appointed for his execution, seated on his coffin, his arms pinioned at his back, he was driven to the scaffold which had been erected on an elevation overlooking the town. He saw the soldiers move the coffin from the wagon, and, turning to the commander, inquired how long he had to live. "Just fifteen minutes," was the reply. Then, without a tremor or the slightest change of countenance, he said, " The rest of the battles will have to be fought without me."

As he ascended the steps of the scaffold in company with the Chaplain, after committing a few keepsakes to a friend, his mind evidently turned back to his home. Familiar scenes and trying recollections thronged upon him. He recalled his dear mother as she bade him farewell at the gate, giving to him her treasured Bible, asking God to take care of her precious boy. He saw his father, his frame trembling with emotion as he took his hand and said, "My son, go and fight for our Southland, and, if need be, die in her cause and no doubt he recalled the tender words of his dearest one as they knelt at the altar and vowed to be all and all to each other. At this moment a messenger, dispatched in haste from headquarters, arrived at the scaffold. It was the last offer of pardon. He was told that such fate might be avoided by giving the name of the officer from whom he had the treasonable documents. Though standing upon the brink of eternity, he turned upon the messenger and, with a glowing indignation, said, "No! I would die a thousand deaths first. I will never betray the confidence reposed in me." After a short prayer the black cap was drawn over his head and he stepped upon the trap, and with the calmness of a philosopher, the sternness of a patriot, the sincerity and courage of a Christian martyr, paid the severe penalty of unswerving devotion to duty and honor.

Far and wide his death was mourned. His executioners wept. The common soldiery stigmatized the deed as a cruel assassination. Among his own lines his comrades resolved to erect a monument to mark the resting place of one who deserved the title of Marshal Ney, "the bravest of the brave."

Noble Sam Davis was admired by his enemies and loved by his friends. No one ever awakened greater sympathy. His youth, his courage, his coolness Under the trying circumstances, endeared him to all. Even now, after the lapse of twenty-nine years, at the mention of his name to a comrade or friend, a tender sympathy causes the tear to rise unbidden to the eye. He was a martyr to what he conceived to be his duty.

[SAMWolf]

Captain Henry B. Shaw commanded a company of Confederate scouts and spies that gathered information about federal troop movements behind Union lines in Tennessee in the fall of 1863. Early in 1863, Sam Davis became a member of "Coleman's Scouts," a group co-founded by his older half-brother John. The Yankees were constantly on the lookout for these spies, whom they called Coleman's Scouts after the pseudonym, E.C. Coleman, that Shaw used. On November 20, 1863, they caught a 21 year old man in Confederate uniform with information about federal troop positions and a pass signed by "E. Coleman." Among the papers found concealed on Sam was information that could have only come from the desk of Union General Grenville Dodge. Convinced that one of his own officers was supplying information to the Confederates, Dodge decided to put pressure on Sam to identify his spy.


Members of the legendary group of heroes known as "Coleman's Scouts", the eyes and ears of the Army of Tennessee, assemble secretly in Nashville in 1866 for their one and only reunion. Pictured above, seated from left to right, are W. M. Roberts, Sam Roberts, Capt. Henry B. Shaw (alias Coleman), J. M. Shute, and George D. Hughes. Standing, also from left to right, are W. H. Porch, John G. Davis, Robert F. Cotton. Present only in spirit were their many comrades who perished during the late war, including the martyred Sam Davis and Dewitt Smith Jobe. Less than a year after this photograph was taken both Henry B. Shaw and John G. Davis (Sam Davis' older half~brother) would also be gone, killed in the February, 1867 explosion of the steamer "David White" on the Mississippi River.

The federal soldiers especially wanted to know where "E. Coleman" was, but Davis would say nothing, even when General Grenville M. Dodge interrogated him and offered not to hang him as a spy if he would turn over the information. Davis again refused and insisted that he was not a spy but simply a courier. He was quickly and illegally tried, convicted, and hanged. Throughout the ordeal he composed himself bravely. He stoically refused to betray "Coleman," causing Dodge to exclaim as he saw the body dangle from the gallows: "He was too brave to die."

The whole story of this episode did not come out until much later. The Yankees did not know it, but they had "Coleman" in the same jail cell as Davis. Shaw, described by his captors as "an old , seedy, awkward-looking man in citizen's clothes," was known to the Yankees only by his real name and had been arrested separately from Davis. Shaw had once been Davis's teacher and they were friends, though they were careful to make sure their captors did not know. Davis's execution was clearly visible to his friend in the jail cell.



Davis's patriotism and willingness to die for his country was praised in print and stone throughout the South and caused him to be known as a Confederate Nathan Hale.

Long after the war, when Dodge was an old man, he remembered the bravery of the young man he had hanged, and contributed $5 to a monument being built in Nashville to honor Davis.

Additional Sources:

www.wtv-zone.com/civilwar
www.tennessee-scv.org
www.cwvacations.com
janus.mtsu.edu
www.johnsrealmonline.com
www.findagrave.com
www.objectivistcenter.org

[SAMWolf]

On the day before the execution, Sam penned a last letter to his family in Rutherford County.

Pulaski, Giles County, Tenn., Nov. 26, 1863

Dear Mother: Oh, how painful it is to write you! I have got to die to-morrow morning--to be hanged by the Federals. Mother, do not grieve for me. I must bid you good-by forevermore. Mother, I do not fear to die. Give my love to all.

Your son, Samuel Davis

Mother, tell the children all to be good. I wish I could see you all once more, but I never will any more.

Mother and Father, do not forget me. Think of me when I am dead, but do not grieve for me. It will not do any good. Father, you can send after my remains if you want to do so. They will be at Pulaski, Tenn. I will leave some things, too, with the hotel keeper for you. Pulaski is in Giles county, Tenn., south of Columbia.

S.D.

[SAMWolf]

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[SAMWolf]

[SAMWolf]

SAM DAVIS

TRIBUTE BY: ELLA WHEELER WILCOX

When the Lord calls up earth's heroes
To stand before his face,
O, many a name unknown to fame
Shall ring from that high place!
And out of a grave in the Southland,
At the just God's call and beck,
Shall one man rise with fearless eyes,
And a rope about his neck.

For men have swung from gallows
Whose souls were white as snow.
Not how they die nor where, but why,
Is what God's records show.
And on that mighty ledger
Is written Sam Davis' name
For honor's sake he would not make
A compromise with shame.

The great world lay before him,
For he was in his youth;
With love of life young hearts are rife,
But better he loved truth.
He fought for his convictions;
And when he stood at bay,
He would not flinch or stir one inch
From honor's narrow way.

They offered life and freedom
If he would speak the word;
In silent pride he gazed aside
As one who had not heard.
They argued, pleaded, threatened
It was but wasted breath.
"Let come what must, I keep my trust,"
He said, and laughed at death.

He would not sell his manhood
To purchase priceless hope;
Where kings drag down a name and crown.
He dignified a rope.
Ah, grave! where was your triumph?
Ah, death! where was your sting?
He showed you how a man could bow
To doom and stay a king.

And God, who loves the loyal
Because they are like him,
I doubt not yet that soul shall set
Among his cherubim.
O Southland! bring your laurels;
And add your wreath, O North!
Let glory claim the hero's name,
And tell the world his worth.

Confederate Veteran
December 1908

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on April 23:
1464 Johanna van Valois Queen of France
1464 Robert Fayrfax composer
1484 Julius Cæsar Scaliger Italy, scholar (On the Subtlety of Things)
1500 Alexander Alesius [Aless/Alane] System theologist/physician
1564 William Shakespeare Stratford-on-Avon England, bard (Hamlet, MacBeth, Julius Cæsar)
1598 Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp naval commander
1605 Boris Godunov tsar of Muscovy (1598-1605) in Time of Troubles
1623 Jan Adam Reincken composer
1629 John Commelin director (Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam)
1649 Andreas Kneller composer
1697 George Baron Anson British Admiral/explorer
1708 Friedrich von Hagedorn German poet (Versuch einiger Poem)
1715 Johann Friedrich Doles composer
1728 Samuel Wallis explorer (Wallis Island)
1735 Ildephons Haas composer
1747 Alexandre-Auguste Robineau composer
1756 Alexander Reinagle composer
1775 Joseph Mallord Turner England, landscape painter (Shipwreck)
1791 James Buchanan Cove Gap PA, (Federalist/Democrat), 15th US President (1857-61)
1791 W Friedrich Olivier German landscape painter/cartoonist
1803 Jules J baron d'Anethan Belgian minister of Justice
1804 Guillaume Nerenburger Belgian General (Triangulatie of Belgium)
1809 Eugene-Prosper Prevost composer
1810 Thomas Wright historian
1812 Louis-Antoine Julien conductor
1813 Stephen Arnold Douglas [Little Giant] US Senator (Lincoln debates)
1818 James Anthony Froude historian
1818 John Gill Shorter Governor (Confederacy), died in 1872
1821 Pierre Dupont song writer
1823 Abdül-Medjid 31st sultan of Turkey (1839-61)
1827 Johann F Ritter von Schulte German Catholic lawyer
1828 Albert king of Saxon (1873-1902)
1838 Alfred J Verwee Flemish painter
1852 Edwin Markham US, poet (1st winner of Amer Academy of Poets Award 1937)
1855 Ernst L Wolzogen German writer/founder (Cabaret Überbrettl)
1857 Ruggero Leoncavallo Naples Italy, composer (I Medici)
1858 Max Ludwig Planck German physicist (Planck Constant, Nobel 1918)
1861 Edmund Henry Hynman 1st viscount Allenby of Megiddo/Fieldmarshal
1867 Simon Abramsz Dutch teacher/writer (For the Young Ones)
1877 Arthur Farwell composer
1881 Claude Carter South African slow lefty cricketer (1912-22)
1881 Otakar Sini composer
1882 Albert Coates St Petersburg Russia, conductor/composer (Eagle)
1882 Max [G M J] Winders Maximilien Belgium, architect (WWII)
1889 Charles Warrell big Chief I-Spy writer/teacher
1890 Donald Nichols Tweedy composer
1890 Marcel L'Herbier French director/screenwriter (El Dorado)
1891 Sergey Prokofiev Ukraine, composer (Peter & the Wolf)
1891 Sergey Sergeyevich Prokofiev Ukraine, composer (Peter & the Wolf)
1892 Minus van Looi [Benjamin van der Voort] Flemish writer
1892 R Huelsenbeck writer
1893 Frank Borzage Salt Lake City, director (7th Heaven, Strange Cargo)
1894 Basil Sydney St Osyth Essex England, actor (Hamlet, Jassy, Simba, Farmer's Wife)
1894 George Renevant Paris France, actor (Moulin Rouge, Scotland Yard, Comrade X)
1896 Margaret Kennedy novelist
1897 Lester Bowles Pearson (L) 14th Canadian PM (1963-68) (Nobel 1957)
1897 Lucius D Clay US, General (WWII)
1897 Harold French director (Encore)/actor
1897 John Wengraf Vienna Austria, actor (12 to Moon, Pride & Passion)
1897 Lucius du Bignon Clay US, General (WWII)/Governor (West Germany)
1898 Edwin E Dwinger German writer (General Vlassov)
1899 Dame Edith Ngaio Marsh Christchurch New Zealand, Kiwi mystery writer (Black Beech & Honeydew)
1899 Vladimir Nabokov St Petersburg Russia, novelist (Lolita, Ada)
19-- Tina Andrews Chicago IL, actress (Sanford Arms, Valerie-Falcon Crest)
1900 Ary Verhaar composer
1900 Henry Barraud composer
1900 Joseph Green film maker
1902 Halldór Laxness Iceland, novelist (Salka Valka) (Nobel 1955)
1904 Duncan Renaldo Spain, actor (Cisco Kid)
1904 Leslie French actor/singer (More than a Miracle)
1905 Lord Carew Ireland, judge (dressage)
1906 Marcel Hillaire Cologne Germany, actor (Adventures in Paradise)
1906 Maria Arnoldo [Adrianus Broeders], photographer/writer
1907 Baroness Dudley
1908 Frederick Hawkins dancer
1908 Herbert Telley British actuary
1909 Thomas Padmore senior civil servant
1911 Ronald Neame director (1st Monday in October, Poseidon Adventure)
1911 Simone Simon France, actress (All Money Can Buy, Ladies in Love)
1913 Jan Meyerowitz composer
1914 John Hubbard Indiana Harbor IN, actor (Don't Call Me Charlie)
1914 Simone Simon France, actress (All Money Can Buy, Ladies in Love)
1914 Andrew Martin Lord-Lieutenant (Lechestershire England)
1914 Mitsu Suzuki teacher of tea ceremony at San Francisco Zen Center
1915 Arnold Hall CEO (Hawker Siddeley Group)
1916 Bud Wilkinson college football coach (Oklahoma)
1917 Jacob Kistemaker nuclear physicist (ultra centrifuge)
1918 Anthony Craxton British TV producer
1918 Maurice Druon [Kessel] French writer/journalist (Prix Goncourt)
1919 Dorian Leigh San Antonio TX, model, sister of Suzy Parker
1919 Talivaldis Kenins composer
1920 Eric Yarrow CEO (Clydesdale Bank)
1920 Louis Barron composer
1921 Janet Blair Altoona PA, actress (Leave it to the Girls, Smith Family)
1921 Warren Spahn left-handed pitcher (Boston/Milwaukee Braves)
1922 Boy [Segundo JA] Ecury Aruba, resistance fighter
1922 Diarmuid Downs auto engineer
1923 Avram Davidson American sci-fi writer (Joyleg, Phoenix & the Mirror, Peregrine Primus, Rork!)
1923 James Kirkup travel writer/poet/novelist (African in Greenland)
1923 Nathan "Dambuzza" Mdledle singer (played a major role in the evolution of South African music)
1924 Arthur Frackenpohl Irving NJ, composer (Natural Superiority of Music)
1924 James Colin Ross Welch columnist/critic
1924 Malcolm Anson CEO (Wessex Water Authority)
1926 James P Donleavy Brooklyn NY, novelist (The Ginger Man, Onion Eaters)
1926 Virgil I [Gus] Grissom astronaut (Liberty Bell 7, Gemini 3)
1926 Richard Laws Master (St Edmunds College Cambridge)
1927 Russell Smith composer
1928 Shirley Temple Black Santa Monica CA, child actress (Heidi)/ambassador (UN)
1928 Bill Cotton CEO (Noel Gay TV)
1928 Okke Jager Dutch theologist/writer/poet
1929 George Steiner professor (English)
1930 Alan Oppenheimer New York NY, actor (6 Million Dollar Man, Eischied)
1930 Michael Bowen Roman Catholic Archbishop (Southwark)
1932 Halston [R Halston Frowick] fashion designer (1972 Hall of Fame)
1932 Jim Fixx jogger/writer (Jim Fixx on Running)
1933 Roger Wittevrongel Flemish painter
1935 David Evans MP
1936 Elias [Etienne Michiels] Flemish painter
1936 Estelle Harris actress (Estelle Castanza-Seinfeld)
1936 John D'Arcy cricketer (New Zealand Test batsman on 1958 England tour)
1936 Joseph Willaert Flemish painter
1936 Roy Orbison Vernon TX, rocker (Oh Pretty Woman, Only The Lonely)
1937 Barry Shepherd cricketer (Australian lefty bat early 60's)
1937 Don Massengale Jackson TX, PGA golfer (1966 Bing Crosby Celebrity)
1937 Victoria Glendinning author (Edith Sitwell A Unicorn Among Lions)
1938 Leonard Ernest John Chant social worker
1938 Russell Hillhouse under-secretary Scottish Office
1938 Steven D Symms (Senator-Republican-ID, 1981- )
1939 David Birney Washington DC, actor (Brigette Loves Bernie, St Elsewhere)
1939 Lee Majors [Harvey Lee Yearly] Wyandotte MI, TV actor (Big Valley, $6,000,000 Man, Fall Guy)
1939 Ray Peterson Denton TX, singer (Tell Laura I Love Her)
1939 William Hagerty editor (People)
1940 Richard Monaco US, sci-fi author (Grail War, Final Quest)
1941 Ed Stewart British DJ
1941 Hal Daub (Representative-Republican-NE, 1981- )
1943 Herve Villechaize France, "Da Plane! Da Plane!" (Fantasy Island)
1943 Tony Esposito Ontario Canada, NHL goalie (Chicago Blackhawks)
1943 [Gerardus] Bob van Toll actor/interpreter/director (Pastorale 1943)
1943 Carmen von Thyssen Barcelona Spain, Baroness
1943 Hugh Davies composer
1944 Sandra Dee [Alexandra Zuck] Bayonne NJ, actress (Gidget, A Summer Place, Tammy and the Doctor, Imitation of Life)
1944 Niklaus Schilling Basel Germany, director (Dormire, Atem, Rheingold)
1947 Bernadette Devlin McAliskey Ireland, political activist
1947 Saskia [Trudy van den Berg] singer (S & Serge, Spinning Wheel)
1948 Richard Day engineer/development expert
1948 Tessa Wyatt actress (Beast in the Cellar, Wedding Night)
1949 Blair Brown Washington DC, actress (Altered States, Molly Dodd)
1949 John Miles vocal/guitar/keyboards (John Miles Band-Rebel, Zaragon)
1949 Joyce DeWitt Wheeling WV, actress (Janet Wood-Three's Company)
1949 Walter Sweeney MP
1951 Loek Hermans Dutch MP (VVD)
1952 Lionel Johnston Augusta GA, actor (Sons & Daughters)
1952 Narada Michael Walden Kalamazoo MI, rocker/producer (I Don't Want Nobody Else, I Shoulda Loved Ya)
1952 Tony Maselli (fictional character on "Who's the Boss")
1952 Terry Moor Hartford CT, tennis star
1953 Fred Upton (Representative-Republican-MI)
1953 James Russo New York NY, actor (My Own Private Idaho, China Girl)
1955 Captain Sensible bassist (Damned-Happy Talk)
1955 Judy Davis Perth Australia, actress (Husbands & Wives)
1955 Mike Smith British DJ
1955 Su Ingle London England, British TV hostess (Tomorrow's World)
1955 Tony Miles chess player
1956 Peter Teravainen Plymouth MA USA, Australasia golfer
1957 Jan Hooks Decatur GA, comedienne actress (Saturday Night Live, Designing Women)
1957 Kathleen Lynch Motueka New Zealand, cyclist (Olympics-96)
1958 Max Planck physicist (Quanta Physics)
1959 Terri Luckhurst LPGA golfer
1960 Steve Clark Hillsborough England, rock guitarist (Def Leppard-Hysteria)
1960 Valerie Bertinelli Wilmington DE, actress(One Day at a Time, Sydney)/ Mrs Eddie Van Halen
1960 Joseph Martin Mudd Louisville KY, PGA golfer (1988 Federal Express)
1963 Benoit Doucet Montréal Québec Canada, hockey forward (Team Germany 1998)
1964 Dan Frischman Whippany NJ, actor (Arvid Engen-Head of the Class)
1964 Gen [Simon Matthews] English pop drummer (Jesus Jones-Zeroes & Ones)
1964 Martin Lopez-Zubero Spanish backstroke swimmer (world record 200 meter)
1965 Donna Weinbrecht skier (Olympics-gold)
1966 Jacques "Jacq" Koumans soccer player (NAC)
1966 Richard Greenwood Los Angeles CA, Canadian Tour golfer (1990 Napa Valley)
1966 Wayne Drinkwalter CFL defensive tackle (British Columbia Lions)
1967 Brent Muscat rocker (Faster Pussycat-Wake Me When It's Over)
1967 Melina Kanakaredes Akron OH, actress (Dr Sydney Hanson-Providence, Eleni Andros-Guiding Light)
1967 Rheal Cormier New Brunswick, pitcher (Montréal Expos)
1968 Susan Emily Savastano East Providence RI, Miss Rhode Island-America (1991)
1969 Nadeem Shahid cricketer
1970 Cristiano Caratti Italy, tennis star (1987 Orange Bowl boys doubles)
1970 Frank Temming WLAF running back (Amsterdam Admirals)
1971 Chuck Adams Pacific Palisades CA, tennis star (1989 USTA Boys)
1972 Rachel Hetherington Port Macquarie New South Wales, golfer (1993 New South Wales champion)
1973 Derek Armstrong Ottawa, NHL center (New York Islanders)
1973 Patrick Poulin Vanier, NHL left wing (Tampa Bay Lightning)
1974 Joey Kent wide receiver (Tennessee Oilers)
1974 Sam Madison cornerback (Miami Dolphins)
1975 Bret Anderson CFL slot back (British Columbia Lions)
1976 Tamas Buday Jr Budapest Hungary, Canadian canoeist (Olympics-96)
1981 Gabriella Windsor daughter of English prince Michael

---

Deaths which occurred on April 23:
0034 Christ crucified, according to Isaac Newton
0303 George knight of Cappadocië/saint/patron of England, beheaded
0871 Ethelred I king of Wessex/brother of Alfred the Great, dies
0990 Ekkehart II [Palatinus] monk to St-Gallen/poet, dies
0997 Vojtech "Adalbert" of Prague 2nd bishop of Prague/apostle, dies at 40
1014 Brian Boru king of Ireland, dies in battle at 87
1014 Sweyn Forkbeard Viking king of England (1013-14), dies
1016 Aethelbred II "the Unready" king of England (979-1016), dies
1416 Blaise/Blasius of Parma Italian astrologist/philosopher/algebra, dies
1616 Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Spanish writer (Don Quixote), dies at 69
1616 William Shakespeare English author (Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet), dies on his 52nd birthday
1625 Maurice of Nassau Prince of Orange, dies at 57
1670 Loreto Vittori composer, dies at 69
1691 Jean-Henri D'Anglebert composer, dies
1695 Henry Vaughan poet (Silex Scintillans), dies at 72
1728 Tomas de Torrejon y Velasco composer, dies at 83
1732 Cajetan Kolberer composer, dies at 63
1740 Thomas Tickell poet, dies
1742 Mihael Omerza composer, dies at 62
1762 Johann Samuel Endler composer, dies at 67
1774 Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich painter, dies
1786 Alexander Cozens English water colors painter, dies at about 68
1812 Franz Sebastian Haindl composer, dies at 85
1827 Johanna C Wattier-Ziesenis actress (Phaedra/Lady MacBeth), dies at 65
1838 John W Janssens Governor-General of Cape Colony/Dutch-Indies, dies at 75
1847 Erik Gustaf Geijer composer, dies at 64
1850 William Wordsworth poet, dies at 80
1853 Auguste Laurent chemist, dies
1865 James Dearing US Confederate Brigadier-General, dies at 24
1878 Friedrich Preller landscape painter, dies
1880 Guess Saleh [Sarief Bastaman] Javanese painter, dies
1885 William Henry Holmes composer, dies at 73
1895 Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig physiologist, dies
1897 Clement Harris composer, dies at 25
1905 Karel Komzak composer, dies at 54
1915 Rupert Chawner Brooke English poet (Lithuania), dies at 27
1918 Percy Thomson Dean Lieutenant-commander, killed at Zeebrugge, dies
1925 André Caplet French composer (Le miroir de Jésus), dies at 45
1926 Joseph Pennell artist/author, dies
1929 Rudolf W Nilsen Norwegian poet (Hverdagen), dies at 28
1942 Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear President of Argentina (1922-28), dies at 73
1943 Fréderic baron d'Erlanger French composer/banker, dies at 74
1945 Albrecht Haushofer writer, dies at 42
1946 Jesus Castillo composer, dies at 68
1952 Elisabeth Schumann singer, dies
1952 Minus van Looi [Benjamin van der Neart] Flemish writer, dies at 60
1955 Robert H Woltjer classical/AR-First-Member of parliament, dies at 76
1957 William Orlamond actor (Flesh & Devil, Words & Music), dies at 89
1960 Cornelis Jan Bakkerr Dutch/US nuclear physicist, dies
1960 Toyohiko Kagawa Japanese Christian-social reformer/writer, dies at 71
1962 Stirling Moss auto racer, killed while racing at 32
1965 Josephina J "Fien" de la Mar Dutch actress (Pygmalion), dies at 67
1969 Krzystzof Komeda composer, dies at 37
1970 Herb Shriner humorist/TV host (Herb Shriner Show), dies at 51
1971 William Tubman President of Liberia (1944-71), dies at 76
1973 Otto Eissfeldt German old testament scholar, dies at 85
1975 Pete Ham rocker (Badfinger), commits suicide by hanging himself at 27
1975 R D Brinkmann writer, dies
1975 William Hartnell actor (Dr Who), dies at 67
1976 James Flavin actor (Man With a Camera), dies at 69
1976 Shimen Ruskin actor (Meyer-Corner Bar), dies at 68
1976 Ronald Radd actor (King Lear, Up Jumped a Swagman), dies at 47
1978 Will Greer actor (Grandpa Walton-The Waltons), dies at 76
1980 Jane Froman US singer (JF's USA Canteen), dies at 72
1983 Buster Crabbe 400 meter US swimmer (Olympics-gold-1932)/actor, dies from a heart attack in Scottsdale AZ at 76
1983 Selena Royale actress (Robot Monster), dies at 78
1984 August "Guus" Oster actor/director (Carrie), dies at 68
1985 Kent Smith actor (Peyton Place, Invaders), dies at 78
1985 Sam J Ervin Jr (Senator-Democrat-NC), dies at 88
1986 Harold Arlen [Hyman Arluck] US composer, murdered at 81
1986 Jim Laker cricketer (193 wickets for England at 21 24), dies
1986 Otto Preminger director (Advise & Consent, Anatomy of Murder), dies at 79
1988 Arthur Michael Lord Ramsey/archbishop of Canterbury, dies
1990 Albert Salmi (Caddyshack), kills terminally ill wife & self at 62
1990 Palmer Deane actor (Still of the Night), dies
1990 Paulette Goddard actress (Hazard), dies of heart failure in Ronco Switzerland at 78
1991 Peter Bailey Graphic designer/calligrapher, dies
1992 Deron Johnson 1965 National League run leader, dies of cancer at 53
1992 Satyajit Ray Indian director (Distant Thunder/Agantuk), dies at 70
1992 Victoria Kellem Lederman model, dies of amyloidosis at 52
1993 Bertus Aafjes poet/writer (World is a Muze), dies at 78
1993 Lalith Athulathmudali Sri Lankan minister, murdered at 59
1994 Cassidy Clinton Cremer author (John Cremer), murdered at 30
1994 Cecile Dreesmann son of Anton Dreesmann, dies at 74
1995 Howard Cosell sportscaster (Monday Night Football), dies at 77
1995 John Stennis (Senator-Democrat-MS), dies at 93
1995 Lonesome Sundown blues singer/guitarist, dies at 66
1995 Robert Selby Taylor bishop, dies at 86
1996 Leonard Kuntstat blues discographer, dies at 70
1996 Pamela Lyndon Travers writer (Mary Poppins), dies at 96

---

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1966 DYCZKOWSKI ROBERT R. BUFFALO NY.

1966 GOSS BERNARD JOSEPH SYRACUSE NY.
08/78 REMAINS RETURNED MONTGOM HANOI

1970 EADS DENNIS K. PROPHETSTOWN IL.

1970 GOMEZ ROBERT A. JACKSONVILLE FL.

1970 LUCKI AUBIN E. SALT LAKE CITY UT.

1970 LITTLE DANNY L. ABILENE TX.

1970 MURPHY LARRON D. DALTON GA.


POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

---

On this day...
1014 King Brian Boru of Ireland beats Danes at Battle of Clontarf
1154 Damascus surrenders to sultan Nur ad-Din van Aleppo
1348 1st English order of knighthood founded (Order of the Garter)
1500 Pedro Álvarez Cabral lands & annexes Brazil (Terra da Vera Cruz)
1504 King Maximilian I routes troops to Bavaria
1616 Netherlands buys De Briel/Vlissingen/Fort Rammekens from England
1633 Sweden & Protestant German monarchy form Union of Heilbronn
1661 English king Charles II crowned in London
1662 Connecticut chartered as an English colony
1705 Richard Steele's "Tender Husband", premieres in London
1723 Cornelis Steenoven elected archbishop of Utrecht
1775 The opera "Il Ré Pastore" is produced (Salzburg)
1789 President-elect George Washington moves into Franklin House, New York
1795 William Hastings acquitted in England of high treason
1798 Dutch emperor accepts new Constitution
1826 Missolonghi captured by Turks
1838 English steamship "Great Western" crossing Atlantic docks in New York NY
1851 Canada issues its 1st postage stamps
1860 Democratic convention in Charleston SC divided over slavery
1861 Arkansas troops seize Fort Smith
1861 Battle of San Antonio TX
1864 Battle of Cane River LA (Red River Expedition, Monett's Ferry)
1867 Queen Victoria & Napoleon III turn down plans for a channel tunnel
1871 Blossom Rock in San Francisco Bay blown up
1878 1st Dutch test drive of steam tram
1881 Gilbert & Sullivan's opera "Patience or Bunthorne's Bride" produced in London
1883 John Heemskerk Azn forms Dutch government
1891 Jews are expelled from Moscow Russia
1896 Vitascope system of movie projection 1st demonstrated (Koster & Bial's Music Hall, NYC)
1900 1st known occurrence of word "hillbillie" (New York Journal)
1903 New York Highlanders (Yankees) win their 1st game beating Washington Senators 7-2
1904 American Academy of Arts & Letters forms
1908 Denmark, Germany, England, France, Netherlands & Sweden signs North Sea accord
1910 International Exhibition opens in Brussels
1915 ACA becomes National Advisory Council on Aeronautics (NACA)
1916 Lord Dunsany's "Night at an Inn", premieres in NYC
1918 Battle of Zeebrugge ends
1918 Dover Patrol overthrows Germany U-boat in East Sea
1918 National Urban League forms
1919 Major leagues open a reduced 140-game season
1920 Turkish Grand National Assembly 1st meets, in Ankara
1921 Charles Paddock runs world record 100 meter (10.4 seconds)
1924 British Empire Exhibition opens at Wembley
1925 1st London performance of operetta "Fasquita" staged
1925 Pastor LH Perquin forms Union of Catholic Dutch Radio (KRO) forms
1932 Shakespeare Memorial Theatre opens at Stratford-on-Avon
1933 Dovo soccer team forms in Veenendaal
1936 Carl Hubbell's 1st start of season is his 17th straight win
1938 Sudeten Germans in Czechoslovakia demand self government
1939 1st performance of Béla Bartók's 2nd Concerto for violin
1939 Boston Red Sox Ted Williams hits his 1st homerun
1940 Dance hall fires kills 198 (Natchez MS)
1940 New York Yankees dedicate a plaque to Jacob Rupert
1941 Greece Army surrenders to German Nazi's RAF brings Greek king George II to Egypt
1942 4-day allied bombing on Rostock begins
1942 Luftwaffe bombs Exeter
1943 British & US offensive directed at Tunis/Bizerta
1945 Concentration camp Flossenburg liberated
1945 US troops in Italy cross river Po
1946 Brooklyn Dodger Ed Head no-hits Boston Braves, 5-0
1948 KSTP TV channel 5 in St Paul-Minneapolis MN (ABC) 1st broadcast
1949 Courtesy mail boxes for motorists started in San Francisco
1949 Chinese Red army conquerors Nanjing
1949 Netherlands annexes Elten & Tudderen
1950 1st major league day game completed under lights (Phillies 6, Braves 5)
1950 4th NBA Championship Minneapolis Lakers beat Syracuse Nationals, 4 games to 2
1950 Nationalist China evacuates Hainan Island
1950 Stanley Cup Detroit Red Wings beat New York Rangers, 4 games to 3
1951 Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins LPGA Richmond Women's Golf Open
1952 Bob Cain of St Louis Browns & Bob Feller of Cleveland Indians each pitch a one-hitter
1952 New York Giant Hoyt Wilhelm wins his 1st relief game & hits his only homerun
1952 Oil pipeline from Kirkuk to Banias completed
1953 General Charles P Cabell, USAF, becomes deputy director of CIA
1953 KTAR (now KPNX) TV channel 12 in Phoenix AZ (NBC) begins broadcasting
1953 WCOV TV channel 20 in Montgomery AL (IND/CBS) begins broadcasting
1954 Hammerin' Hank Aaron hits 1st of his 755 homers
1954 NBA adopts the 24-second shot clock rule
1955 "Kismet" closes at Ziegfeld Theater NYC after 583 performances
1955 Betsy Rawls wins LPGA Carrollton Golf Open
1956 US Supreme court ends race segregation on buses
1958 Gil Hodges hits his 300th homerun & Pee Wee Reese plays in 2,000th game
1959 "Destry Rides Again" opens at Imperial Theater NYC for 472 performances
1959 1st heliport in Britain opens in London
1960 1st performance of Ferde Grofé's "San Francisco Suite"
1961 "Tenderloin" closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 216 performances
1961 Mary Lena Faulk wins LPGA Babe Didrikson-Zaharias Golf Open
1962 New York Mets win their 1st game ever, after going 0-9, beat Pittsburgh Pirates 9-1
1962 Ranger 4, 1st US satellite to reach Moon launched from Cape Canaveral
1962 1st US satellite to reach the moon launched
1963 Jerry Bock & S Harnick's musical "She Loves Me", premieres at Eugene O'Neill Theater NYC for 302 performances
1964 Houston Colt 45s Ken Johnson becomes 1st major league pitcher to lose a 9 inning no-hitter, Cincinnati Reds win 1-0
1964 James Baldwin's "Blues for Mr Charlie", premieres in NYC
1964 New York State Theater opens
1965 Launch of 1st Soviet communications satellite
1967 Soyuz 1 launched; Vladimir Komarov becomes 1st in-flight casualty when its parachute lines became tangled and the parachutes failed to open properly upon return to Earth
1967 Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Raleigh Ladies Golf Invitational
1968 United Methodist Church forms
1968 "I'm Solomon" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 7 performances
1968 1st decimal coins issued in Britain (5 & 10 pence)
1969 Over 1000 square miles flooded in Shantung Province China
1969 Sirhan Sirhan sentenced to death for killing Bobby Kennedy
1969 ABC Masters Bowling Tournament won by Jim Chestney
1969 Los Angeles Laker Jerry West scores 53 points
1971 Columbia University operations virtually end, by student strike
1971 Soyuz 10 launched; soft docked with Salyut 1
1972 Apollo 16 astronauts explore Moon surface
1972 26th Tony Awards Sticks & Bones & 2 Gentlemen of Verona win
1972 Betty Burfeind wins LPGA Birmingham Centennital Golf Classic
1974 USSR performs nuclear test at Sary Shagan USSR
1975 Harold Pinter's "No Man's Land", premieres in London
1977 Czechoslovakian chess master Vlastimil Hort plays 201 games simultaneously & only loses 10
1977 Dr Allen Bussey completes 20,302 yo-yo loops
1977 ADO The Hague soccer team forms
1977 Military workers kill 300-500 students in Addis Ababa
1978 Amy Alcott wins LPGA American Defender Golf Classic
1978 Cincinnati Red Joe Morgan ends record streak of 91 cons errorless games at 2nd
1978 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1980 Soviet sub catches fire off Japan, 9 die
1983 David Hookes scores his only Test Cricket century, 143 vs Sri Lanka
1984 AIDS-virus identified (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)
1985 Brooklyn College soccer team wins Nepal's invitational
1985 New Coke debuts
1985 Philadelphia Flyers 5-New York Islanders 3-Patrick Division Finals-Flyers hold 3-0 lead
1985 Coca-Cola announced it is changing its secret flavor formula
1986 Grand Floridian Beach Resort groundbreaking
1986 Madrid-Nelli Cooman runs world record 60 meter indoor (7 seconds)
1987 28 construction workers killed in an apartment building collapse in Bridgeport CT
1987 New Jersey Devils farm team Maine Mariners (AHL) move to Utica (Devils) NY
1988 A Greek pedals self-powered aircraft, 74 miles
1988 Federal smoking ban during domestic airline flights of 2 hours or less
1988 Karolina Szabo runs female world record 25k (1:29:30)/30k (1:47:06)
1989 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar plays his last game as a Los Angeles Laker
1989 Students in Beijing China announce class boycotts
1989 Betsy King wins LPGA USX Golf Classic
1989 Nolan Ryan blows a no hitter in 9th inning
1990 11th Emmy Sports Award presentation
1991 Bjorn Borg loses 6-2, 6-3 to Jordi Arrese after 8 year lay off
1991 Gordon Greenidge scores 223 vs Australia, his last Test Cricket knock at home
1991 USSR grants republics right to secede under certain conditions
1992 "Shirnada" opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC for 4 performances
1992 Marion Berry (former mayor of Washington DC) is released from prison
1992 McDonald's opens its 1st fast-food restaurant in China
1993 Eritrea votes to secede from Ethiopia
1993 Mötley Crüe's Mike Mars files for divorce from Emi-Canyn
1993 Peter Townshend's musical "Tommy", premieres in NYC
1994 Army shoots to death 23-40 fishermen in Gonaives Haiti
1994 General Tire World Bowling Tournament of Champions won by Norm Duke
1994 Libertarian party nominates Howard Stern for Governor of New York
1995 Laura Davis wins LPGA Chick-fil-A Charity Golf Championship
1995 President Bill Clinton declares a national day of mourning for Oklahoma City bombing victims
1996 Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Reno NV on KRZQ 96.5 FM
1996 Sotherby begins 4 day auction of Jackie O stuff-takes in $34.5 million
1997 "Titanic", opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC
1997 32nd Academy of Country Music Awards LeAnn Rines, Brooks & Dunn win

---

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Bermuda : Peppercorn Day
Turkey : National Sovereignty Day/Children's Day (1923)

---

Religious Observances
Ancient Rome : Vinalia (grape harvest), honoring Jupiter
Roman Catholic : Memorial of St George, dragon slayer, patron of England (optional)
Lutheran : Commemoration of Toyohiko Kagawa, renewer of society

---

Religious History
33 Christian tradition says the Jesus Christ, crucified three days earlier, was raised from the dead -- marking this date as the very first Easter.
1586 Birth of Martin Rinkart, German clergyman and Latin scholar. Rinkart, a prolific writer, penned the German hymn which begins: "Nun danket alle Gott..." ("Now Thank We All Our God").
1779 Anglican clergyman and hymnwriter John Newton wrote in a letter: '"What Thou wilt, when Thou wilt, how Thou wilt." I had rather speak these three sentences from my heart in my mother tongue than be master of all the languages in Europe.'
1789 What is believed to have been the first Catholic newspaper in America, "The Courier de Boston" published its first issue. (The periodical lasted only until October 15th of this same year.)
1968 In Dallas, the 10.3 million-member Methodist and the 750 thousand-member Evangelical United Brethren churches joined together to form the United Methodist Church. The merger made this the second largest Protestant denomination in the United States (after the Southern Baptists).

---

Thought for the day :
"If you bow at all, bow low."

[Jen]

FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!

To be removed from this list, please send me a blank private reply with "REMOVE" in the subject line! Thanks! Jen

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!

[SAMWolf]

Current Military News
Young Marines

Chris Thompson, 12, center, gets help from Zack Severs, 12, left, and Evan Rabidou, 14, right, Wednesday, April 16, 2003, at Camp Lejeune, N.C, as he does pull ups during the weekly drill meeting of the Camp Lejeune Young Marines.(AP Photo/Bob Jordan)


Gunnery Sgt. Lori Hanley, right, a 21-year Marine veteran, helps Tyler Tehas, 8, Wednesday, April 16, 2003, at Camp Lejeune, N.C, during Tehas' first day at boot camp as a member of the Camp Lejeune Young Marines. The group meets once a week year-round to train and learn about the Marine Corps. (AP Photo/Bob Jordan)


Dustin Coleman, 8, a member of the Camp Lejeune Young Marines, listens during a class on Marine Corps history, Wednesday, April 16, 2003, at Camp Lejeune, N.C, during the groups weekly drill meeting. (AP Photo/Bob Jordan)


Capt. James Jones, company commander of the Camp Lejeune Young Marines, walks inside 'his circle' as he teaches a class on Marine Corps history, Wednesday, April 16, 2003, at Camp Lejeune, N.C, during the group's weekly drill meeting. (AP Photo/Bob Jordan)

[WhiskeyPapa]

It would be nice if the state of Tennessee would see fit to honor the 31,000 Tennesseans who remained loyal to the old flag instead of making such a big fuss over traitors.

Walt

[SAMWolf]

Good morning Jen.

[WhiskeyPapa]

"My recruiter said to me,
How would you like to be a Marine?
We'll dress you all up in green,
prettiest thing you ever seen."

[SAMWolf]

1985 Coca-Cola announced it is changing its secret flavor formula

What a great marketing strategy, huh?

[Valin]

Now wait just a min., is it their fault that we didn't have the good sense to recognize a good great product when they gave it to us?

[SAMWolf]

Morning WhiskeyPapa

[Pippin]

GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY!

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning SAM, everyone.

[SAMWolf]

You can't deny the Sam Davis' bravery and dedication to his cause. It's tragic that it come to armed conflict between the States.

[SAMWolf]

We consumers are just to dumb for our own good. Glad the Coca-Cola company is watching out for ue. :-)

[SAMWolf]

Morning Pippin

[WhiskeyPapa]

You can't deny the Sam Davis' bravery and dedication to his cause.

It's tragic he was duped into fighting for the slave power.

Large numbers of German and Japanese soldiers were equally brave and dedicated.

Walt

[SAMWolf]

Large numbers of German and Japanese soldiers were equally brave and dedicated.

The tragedy of Sam Davis and others were that they were Americans, fighting Americans.

I have a hard time putting my self in the mindset of the 1850-60's. All we've know is a strong Federal government. The powers of the States and one's loyalty to their State was so much different than it is today.

[Johnny Gage]

Since today's thread is about a soldier who was a spy, thinking along those same lines, I bring you:

...

Air Power
Lockheed U-2

The U-2 is a single-pilot, single engine, high altitude reconnaissance aircraft. It is the first plane to be built primarily for recon missions. The U-2 has long, straight, wide wings which gives it a glider like looks. It can carry a variety of different sensors and cameras. The U-2 is also a very reliable aircraft, and because of this enjoys a high mission completion ratio. Because of it's unusual landing characteristics is a very difficult airplane to master. Because of the altitude the U-2 flies at it is necessary for a pilot to were a full pressure suit.

The U-2 was built to a CIA request issued in 1954, for a high altitude spy plane. Designed and built at Lockheed's famous Advanced Development Projects or Skunk Works. The U-2 first took to the air on the first of August 1955. The initial testing site was called Paradise Ranch (even though it is located out in the Nevada desert).

The U-2 began flying spy-missions in 1956. These missions were top secret until May 1, 1960 when Gary Powers was shot down over Russian soil. He crashed and was captured, he was then tried and sentenced to ten years in jail. After this incident over-flights of Russia were permanently canceled.

Other over-flights and missions went on though and now the U-2 provides continuous day or night, high altitude, all-weather, stand of surveillance of a battle area or hostile area. It provides critical intelligence to generals and others throughout a conflict. On request the U-2 has also taken pictures for the Federal Emergency Management Agency after a disaster for damage reports.

The U-2's are based at Beale Air Force Base in California. These U-2's support four bases through out the world with tactical requirements. The new U-2 crews are also trained here in U-2ST trainers.

Primary Function: High-altitude reconnaissance
Contractor: Lockheed Aircraft Corp.
Construction: Conventional aluminum monococque
Length: 49.7 feet U-2R: 103 feet
Wingspan: 80 feet U2-R: 63 feet
Wing Area: 600 square feet
Height: 15 feet, 2 inches (at tail)
Empty Weight: 14,250 pounds
Maximum Gross Take-Off Weight: 24,150 pounds
Maximum Speed: over 430 mph
Operational Ceiling: over 85,000 feet
Maximum Unrefueled Range: 3,000 nautical miles
Armament: none
Powerplant Data: Pratt & Whitney(P & W) J57-P-37/ J57-P-37A with 10,500 pounds of thrust
updated to: P & W J57-P-31/ J57-P-31A with 11,200 pounds of thrust
updated to: P & W J75-P-13/ J75-P-13A with 15,800 pounds of thrust
updated to: P & W J75-P-13B axial flow turbojet with 18,500 pounds of thrust

Available Recon Platforms

E-Bay Payload:
LN-33 PIII INS: is a INS/GPS navigator
NAS-21A ANS: is the retired astrointernial navigator
EWS: Electronic Wafare System

Nose Payload:
E/0: Electro-Optical
IR: Infared
Both these systems are are part of the Senior Year Electro-Optical Reconnaissance System(SYERS)
ASARS-2: Advanced Synthectic Apature Radar by Hughes

Q-Bay Payload:
DDL: Dual Data Link
UHF CTT Radio Relay: Is the Commanders Tactical Terminal
DCRSI: Is the recorder for the ASARS-2

Superpod Payload:
Senior Spear & Senior Ruby: are Signal Intelligence systems

Dorsal Pod:
Span and Spur: Are two satellite data links

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Johnny.

Just had a flash back to the Gary Powers incident.

The wing span on the U2 always amazed me.

[WhiskeyPapa]

All we've know is a strong Federal government.

George Washington urged an immovable attachment to the national Union.

Walt

[manna]

Present!

[SAMWolf]

IMHO, the Feds today are invovled in too many things that should be local issues. Education, the EPA and the NEA come to mind.

[WhiskeyPapa]

IMHO, the Feds today are invovled in too many things that should be local issues. Education, the EPA and the NEA come to mind.

Of course that is correct. Chief Justice Marshall wrote 175 years ago that the power to tax is the power to destroy. We are seeing that now. The feds tax us heavily, then they offer that carrot of federal money to the states. But of course they must have oversight -- it's in the taxpayers interest, don't you know.

But none of that has anything to do with the Civil War. Jefferson, Washington, Madison, Jackson -- they are all on the record as supporting an indivisble Union, and that is all the ACW proved -- that the Union is indivisible.

Walt

[SAMWolf]

I agree with you on that one. Once you're in you're in.

Too bad it took a war to settle the issue.

[Jeff Head]

If the power to tax is the power to destroy, then it follows that unless that power is abated at some point, the Union itself will be destroyed. Because along with that power and as a result of the massive funds accumulated thereby, the other implements of that destruction have been spawned and are steadily working to erode the Union and the Constitution upon which it is based.

Of late, we are seeing some progress in turning parts of it back ... but not nearly enough.

Many will disparage and condemn the confederates for their stand and the issues upon which they made that stand ... slavery was the ultimate point upon which people focus, and upon which the North was ultimately forced to focus to maintain the will to see the fight through to victory ... and it is deserving of that focus and it was well (and very bloodily) ended. But, it was far from the only issue upon which that war was fought, particularly at the outset. Another major issue was in fact the size, scope and power of the Federal government of that day.

That the confederates stood on these issues and against the government of their day cannot be denied ... and that many men and women of principle stood with them very nobly and steadfastly can also not be denied. It was a tragedy for our nation ... but from a historical perspective, irrespective of my agreement with the stand against over intrusive federal governance ... it was an absolutely necessary one. If the Union had been splintered ... the European powers would have been able to set America at odds against itself later during the World Wars and fascism and totalitarianism of the worst sort would probably have been able to rule the world. Clearly, the Union had to hold.

... and just as clearly, without many more reversals of the current trends of the last 60-90 years ... we or our children or grandchildren may find ourselves making a similar stand against an even more intrusive government ... and that stand will (in an historical irony joining us with both sets of our forefathers) be both for the Union and the Constitution and for a return to its fundamental principles of a less burdensome government, free of slavery.

So, the story of Sam Davis and those like him (including my own four Great great grandfathers on my Dad's side) is a story of commitment, duty and great tragedy. As such, I can say this, irrespective of what one thinks of his motivations ... young Sam Davis was the Nathan Hale of the confederacy and is deserving of the respect and honor that his descendants choose to place upon him.

Best Fregards for a good dialog.

Jeff

[Mo1]

Thank you SamWolf for another good The FReeper Foxhole ... I have to admit, I've learned more from the Foxhole then I ever did in my history class in high school

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Jeff Head. Very well said.

When I was putting the thread together I couldn't help but make the comparison to Nathan Hale. I also agree that slavery was not the only issue that precipitated the War between the States. It's unfortunate that slavery is the issue that is concentrated on in our education system because it blurs some of the other factors involved and tends to color the conflict as one which was between slaveholding and non slaveholding States. I can't believe that everyone who fought for the South was fighting to maintain slavery. There were too many who didn't hold slaves nor believed in it. Trying to pin the war solely on slavery over-simplies the issues of that time.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Mo1. What a wonderful compliment. We appreciate it.

[WhiskeyPapa]

Another major issue was in fact the size, scope and power of the Federal government of that day.

About all the feds did in 1860 was fight indians, deliver the mail........and enforce the fugitive slave act.

Federal revenue was less than $2 per person per year in 1860.

Look to Woodrow Wilson for the big appearance of big brother.

Walt

[WhiskeyPapa]

"That the confederates stood on these issues and against the government of their day cannot be denied..."

It's easily denied because it has no basis in fact. Secession was brought on by slavery. The secessionists made that very plain.

Not only that-- but -southerners- had controlled the federal government for -decades- prior to the ACW.

Walt

[WhiskeyPapa]

"...and that many men and women of principle stood with them very nobly and steadfastly can also not be denied."

"I think that Lee should have been hanged. It was all the worse that he was a good man and a fine character and acted conscientiously. It's always the good men who do the most harm in the world."

-- Henry Adams

Walt

[snippy_about_it]

Amen Sam regarding Sam Davis.




More sad news today from the Iraqi front I see. :(

[SAMWolf]

Current Military News
The Children

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Greg Shanahan, a civil affairs specialist with the 486th Civil Affairs Company, speaks with Iraqi citizens during a visit to their village. The 486th Civil Affairs Company is deployed to an undisclosed location from Broken Arrow, Okla., in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Quinton T. Burris


A group of Iraqi boys gather in hopes of receiving water from the 205th Quarter Master Company from Hunter Army Airfield, Ga. The 205th is deployed to an undisclosed location in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Quinton T. Burris


Iraqi civilians crowd the streets and cheer as U.S. forces arrive in Najef, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kyran V. Adams


A family in An Nasiriyah, Iraq, looks on as Marines with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) pass by. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Brian L. Wickliffe


A young girl in An Nasiriyah, Iraq, waves to Marines with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable). U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Brian L. Wickliffe


Children of An Najaf, Iraq, watch through a gate while U.S. Army soldiers of 3rd Platoon, A. Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, patrol through their neighborhood. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kyran V. Adams


An Iraqi family smiles as Marines with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) pass by in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Brian L. Wickliffe


A group of Iraqi children pose for a photo while their parents receive humanitarian daily rations and water in Ar Rutba, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Brett Bassett


Sgt. Maj. Charles Smith, 308th Civil Affairs Battalion, administers first-aid to a boy near the city of An Najaf, Iraq. The 308th is deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Christopher Calkins

[SAMWolf]

Prayer Request

Walter Mattson
Retired Marine
BentFeather's Uncle
April,23, 2003

He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.


Of a war that he had fought in
And the deeds that he had done.
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, everyone.


And 'tho sometimes, to his neighbors,
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened,
For they knew whereof he spoke.


But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Walter has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer,
For a Marine died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.


He held a job and raised a family,
Quietly going on his way;
And the world won't note his passing;
'tho a Marine died today.


When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.


Papers tell of their life stories,
From the time that they were young,
But the passing of a Marine,
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.


Is the greatest contribution,
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise,
And cons his fellow man?


Or the ordinary person,
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve their Country
And offers up their life?


The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are sometimes disproportionate,
To the service he gives.


While the ordinary Marine,
Who offered up their all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.


It's so easy to forget them,
For it is so long ago,
That our Walter's and Jane's and Johnny's,
Went to battle, but we know.


It was not the politicians,
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom,
That our Country now enjoys.


Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?


Or would you want a Marine,
Who has sworn to defend,
Their home, their kin, and Country,
And would fight until the end?


He was just a common Marine,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us,
We may need his like again.


For when countries are in conflict,
Then we find the Marine's part,
Is to clean up all the troubles,
That the politicians start.


If we cannot do him honor,
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage,
At the ending of his days.


Perhaps just a simple headline, In the paper that might say:

"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING, FOR A MARINE DIED TODAY."

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Snippy. Sad News for Bentfeather too today.

[KDD]

Bump for lunch.

[GOPcapitalist]

About all the feds did in 1860 was fight indians, deliver the mail........and enforce the fugitive slave act.

Now that's odd. Cause a brief review of Lincolnian legislation indicates more:

Morrill Tariff Act of 1861
Income Tax Act of 1861
Homestead Act of 1862
Morrill Land Grant College Act of 1862
Transcontinental Railroad Subsidy Acts of 1862, 1863, and 1864
Comptroller of the Currency created 1863
National Banking Acts of 1863, 1864, and 1865
Contract Labor Act of 1864
Tariff expansions of 1863 and 1864
Department of Agriculture created 1862
Bureau of Printing and Engraving created 1863

(Source: Daniel Elazar, Economic Change in the Civil War)

Looks to me like the government did quite a bit more than simply delivering the mail etc.

[Jeff Head]

Sorry WP, I do not intend to get into any argument or drawn out battle or rehash over this ... but it has plenty of basis in fact.

The tarriffs on incoming products and taxes on exports being imposed by the majority northern states on the south (to the tune of 60-70 million dollars per year at the time), particularly over the cotton issue, were examples of federal intrusions that rankled southerners. There were many more. The Federal government is not just the executive branch ... it is also the House and Senate and the Judiciary. What they do and the laws they pass and interpret are the basis for what the Executive Branch upholds. It was true then too and the various tarrif acts and other tax laws that favored the northern states were driving a weges into southerners who felt that since the states came together to form the Union, that the Union could not become greater than those who formed it.

Lee and many others were good men who were clearly fighting for and considered their own home states as where their duty lay. Lee was clearly not fighting for slavery. But, in the end, he and the south in general viewed the northern armies as invading armies and armies of aggression. The south had no intent of forcing its will on the north, the opposite was true, I have already indicated where I stand on this, that in the end this was necessary, particuarly as a student of history and seeing what would have happened had it not occurred. That does not change the fact that at the time, this is how many of the people in the south viewed it.

Lee was offered command of the volunteer army Lincoln was raising, but he turned it down knowing how his state assembly would react if a northern army attempted transit through Virginia. He was convinced that the raising of such an army would do more to drive the nation towards a major and prolonged armed conflict than almost anything else. The rest is history. IMHO, Lee was agruably the best general ... most loved and most capable ... ever produced in the history of our nation. It is tragic that his talents were applied as they were.

But ... there I go. I believe that God in Heaven was for a maintenance of the Union. I also believe Lincoln, had he lived, would have formulated a much more unifying rehabilitation and less costic one ... I also believe that he was killed for that (just my opinion). I do not believe that the reconstruction had anything to do with the good of the Union ... it led to many of the problems we faced as a nation later. As Lincoln himself said ...

"The money powers prey upon the nation in times of peace and conspire against it in times of adversity. It is more despotic than a monarchy, more insolent than autocracy, (and) more selfish than bureaucracy. It denounces, as public enemies, all who question its methods or throw light upon its crimes. I have two great enemies, the Southern Army in front of me and the bankers in the rear. Of the two, the one at my rear is my greatest foe...corporations have been enthroned, and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in the hands of a few, and the Republic is destroyed."-Abraham Lincoln

We can both throw quotes around all day.

My bottom line is that the Union had to hold, that slavery had to go away (and I believe would have gone away on its own accord over time anyway) and that ultimately the war empowered and led to a much more centralized and intrusive federal government. The first two points in all of that was absolutely neccessary ... the latter point we are still grapling with and will ultimately have to also turn around.

Best regards.

[snippy_about_it]

Thank you Sam. Prayers offered.

[Do the Dew]

I love these pictures. Keep them coming!!

Thanks for all you do, SAMWolf.

[SAMWolf]

Current Military News

U.S. Army Spc. Christopher Ogg and Pfc. Timothy Gosser, both of A Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, keep watch in their sector in An Najaf, Iraq, during a combat operation to seize and secure an enemy Iraqi operating base. Ogg and Gosser are infantryman of the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) Division deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kyran V. Adams


A convoy of U.S. Army tanks and armored vehicles kick up dust as they cross the flight line at Baghdad International Airport, the primary base of operations for U.S. troops, cargo and humanitarian airlift for Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Cherie A. Thurlby


Staff Sgt. Tommy L. Reece builds a solar shower at Baghdad International Airport. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Cherie A. Thurlby


Khudar Al-Emeri from the Free Iraqi Force translates a conversation between the Iraqi citizens of the city of Qalat Sikar, Iraq, and Capt. Brian Reynaldo with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit from Camp Lejune, N.C. The Marines are a part of a humanitarian effort to restore water to the Iraqi people. The restoration of the plant will provide thousands of gallons of drinking water to the citizens of Qalat Sikar. U.S. Marine Corps phot by Lance Cpl. JP Sotelo


Two soldiers hold a banner, thanking troops for their efforts during Operation Iraqi Freedom, from the people of Minnesota, delivered by U.S. Representative Gil Gutknecht during his visit to the wounded and tour of the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where many of the wounded are treated before returning to the United States. Gutknecht, along with six other members of Congress toured the hospital 15 April 2003. U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech Sgt. Maria L. Taylor


A Black Hawk UH-60 maintainer with the Army's 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, Hunter Airfield, Ga. applies a protective spray to the Black Hawks rotors during morning hours at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq. U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen

[HiJinx]

Very nice application of a new classic, SAM.

Comforting prayers going up for our Bentfeather...she and her family have given so much to this country.

HJ

[SAMWolf]

Thanks HiJinx.

Feather shared pictures of Walter with us a few times and talked about him quite a bit.

I almost feel as if I knew him.

[Darksheare]

INteresting.
He was a soldier to the last.
Very few are ever born who are like that.