A Chickamauga Campaign Conflicting Story

Gen Benjamin Hardin Helm

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Birth:  Jun. 2, 1831 Hardin County Kentucky, USA Death:  Sep. 20, 1863 Chickamauga Walker County Georgia, USA Civil War Confederate Brigadier General. Born in Bardstown, Kentucky, he was called Ben Hardin Helm and graduated 9th in the West Point class of 1851. He resigned his Lieutenant's commission in 1852 after duty at the Carlisle, Pennsylvania, cavalry school and at Fort Lincoln, Texas, and became a law student, a 1 term Kentucky state legislator, a state attorney for Kentucky's 3rd District, and a prosperous lawyer. At the start of the Civil War he recruited the 1st Kentucky Cavalry for the Confederacy, then received a commission as a Colonel on October 19, 1861. He occupied Bowling Green, Kentucky, with Brigadier General Simon B. Buckner, and was later sent south. He received his promotion to Brigadier General on March 14, 1862. On April 6, at the end of the first day of fighting in the Battle of Shiloh, he incorrectly sent word from his post in north Alabama that Union Major General Don Carlos Buell's force was pressing for Decatur, Alabama, instead of moving to Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant's aid. General P.G.T. Beauregard, who assumed command after General Albert Sidney Johnston's death at Shiloh, later claimed that he disregarded his message, yet he did not press his advantage on the 6th. By morning, the reinforcements had arrived, strengthening the Federal position and denying victory to the Confederate troops. Shiloh did not affect his career. Posted to Vicksburg in summer 1862, he took part in Major General John C. Breckinridge's expedition to Baton Rouge but missed the battle because of injuries in a fall from his horse. In January 1863 he joined the Army of Tennessee and served in the Tullahoma and Chickamauga Campaigns under Breckinridge. On September 20, he was mortally wounded at Chickamauga and died that night with his final word being "Victory!". He is remembered less for his Confederate service than for marrying Emily Todd in 1856. Before the war, she, Mary Todd Lincoln's half sister, brought her husband into President Abraham Lincoln's family circle. Lincoln offered him a Union commission with the rank of Major in 1861, which he declined to raise the 1st Kentucky. After his death, his widow passed through Union lines to visit her sister at the White House in December. She later recalled that Lincoln himself met her at her carriage with tears in his eyes. Her stay would later cause a furor in the Northern press. (bio by: Ugaalltheway) Family links:  Parents:   John Larue Helm (1802 - 1867)   Lucinda Barbour Hardin Helm (1809 - 1885)  Spouse:   Emilie Todd Helm (1836 - 1930)*  Children:   Katherine Helm (1857 - 1937)*   Elodie Todd Lewis (1859 - 1953)*  Siblings:   Benjamin Hardin Helm (1831 - 1863)   George H. Helm (1833 - 1859)*   *Calculated relationship   Benjamin H. Helm died as a Confederate soldier at Chickamauga and he was in Abraham Lincoln's  family circle. Henry M. Cist was the secretary of the Army of the Cumberland and recorded many Civil War stories like this. He learned this from his father, Charles E. Cist. Andrew C. Allen 513.638.7140 pewabic34@gmail.com

State of Georgia Civil War Battlefield Museum Park

The Chickamauga Civil War Battle was a complex and confusing battle for both the Union and Confederate soldiers according to our tour guide, Mr. Chris Barr, a park ranger with a history degree about the Civil War. Enclosed is a photo from our walk through the forest. I was with a school group as well as other civil war reenactment personalities who were dressed in modern clothing, not antebellum period clothing. They added to the discussion that Mr. Barr lead.
Some things to remember when walking through a battlefield forest is that you just know what is in front of you. You are in the present moment. Everything else does not matter when fighting for your life. The gun shots from across the field 1/2 mile away does not matter. When a troop of soldiers would walk across the changing terrain. soldiers experienced a slinging effect through the forest. Soldiers would cross a creek or river and the back end group would wait while the front end group would cross and move forward. It was a stop and go process.
There was a group of soldiers from Florida that played an important role at Chickamauga in September 1863. I believe this was an introduction on how the Cist family had a cottage on Sanibel Island, FL at  Thistle Lodge. Henry M. Cist must have met Floridian soldiers at Chickamauga and kept  in contact with them through the Society of the Army of the Cumberland. He was Secretary of the organization for many years.
This battlefield was filled with potential friends and enemies. Based on family stories, we had conductors on the Underground Railroad in the family. Also, there is an unidentified African-American  gentleman in our family photo album from the 1840's.  It is still in the original casing album. Lewis J. Cist was a published author of Fugitive Slave Poems.  I know that Henry M. Cist was fighting for Union causes to keep the Union together and to abolish slavery.
Col. Peyton Colquitt and State Rights Gist fought at Chickamauga and was willing to die to keep slavery intact. Many soldiers fought for different reasons. They were at the same location in the same battle, but for different reasons. Another reason for fighting in the Civil War battle at Chickamauga was the tariff act in Virginia during the 1830's a generation ago. The offspring of the political power players fought in this battle.
Black soldiers, white soldiers, rich and poor alike, men and women all played a part in this complex and interwoven event.

Andrew C. Allen
513.638.7140
pewabic34@gmail.com

Mobile Devices and Mobile Living Research

This blog entry is more about how I am going about my research and assembling my blog/ novel on the Cist family and their influences on liberty and freedom.


I recently made a choice of either keeping my apartment or giving up my car. I chose to keep my car and leave my apartment. This summer I can continue to drive to different libraries and other avenues of archival searches. I am sharing some ways to work smarter, not harder in this summer heat.


I have placed items in storage. I am still navigating mobile living from a suitcase, but here are a few tips about my daily endeavors. I have two sections in my trunk, right side for clean clothes, left side for the laundry hamper.


I am in Lexington, KY now and I have stayed at a clean shelter on Winchester Road. I have to be in line for a bed by 7:00pm. There are signs posted of conduct and an invitation to help keep the outside clean. I was exhausted and went straight to bed.  I have used the YMCA facilities to work out and shower. I can do this in the morning. Some shelters have rules to follow, so check the website and phone ahead.


My eating habits need improving, but I am focusing on new ideas. First, I bought a glass bottle with a porcelain top at Michael's Art and Crafts store. The plastic bottles break down in my car during the summer heat. Plastic bottles are made from petroleum and it break down in heat. I also go to a convenience store and use my cup and fill it with ice. Selective Kroger stores have a triple filtered water location. I LOVE THIS PRODUCT! It costs less than bottled water.


Other choice locations while on the road are downtown libraries of the cities that I visit.


Additionally, Crackle Barrel restaurants are peppered along the I -75 corridor both North and South. It starts from Detroit, MI and continues to the tip of Florida. As a literary citizen, writing, reading, and listening to other authors improves discipline. They have an audio/ books on tape section. How does it work? You use your credit card and check out a tape and listen to it. Return it during your next visit to the restaurant. Ask a server for full details. There food and service-very good. Their servings are large, so I usually ask for a take out container. I mix this up with an red apple, yellow banana, or blueberries with milk for a second road meal. My friend Jennifer Beck at the Wellness Center taught me about how to eat the colors of the rainbow, red, yellow, orange. I wonder if a green lime in my Corona beer is acceptable?


Finally, I use FedEx/Kinko's to use as a business station while on the road.


I am making plans to use Megabus for a trip to Philadelphia, PA to learn more about how Charles Cist was involved in early political, cultural, social, scientific, and monetary policies in the city.


I welcome comments on how to improve my summer mobile search.
Andrew C. Allen
513.638.7140
pewabic34@gmail.com

Thank you blog event visitors

This is a simple thank you note to all the engaging visitors at my blogging event in Historic Lebanon, Ohio today, June 6th. Your interest keeps me going.
Andrew C . Allen
513.638.7140
pewabic34@gmail.com

Charles Cist's Philadelphia Cherry Wood Walking Stick.

The Charles Cist Heirloom: An Unassuming Secret Messenger

In the Cist family, there exists an unassuming heirloom that holds a significant historical narrative. This modest walking stick, standing about four feet tall and crafted from cherry wood, features a silver cap with "Charles Cist" etched into the front. What makes this ordinary-looking cane exceptional is its secret compartment, concealed within the silver cap.

During the Revolutionary War era, this Philadelphia walking stick was ingeniously employed as a clandestine courier for written messages exchanged among patriots. The secret chamber housed within the cane's silver top was used to transport letters to and from the printing shop of Cist and Styner. As the British authorities could stop and search anyone in the streets, patriots carrying these messages would boldly offer, "Go ahead, search me."

Upon initiating the search, the patriot would hand the walking stick to the British soldier while stretching out their arms as a silent gesture of cooperation. Unbeknownst to the British soldiers, they were, at that very moment, holding the key to revolutionary communication—the secret compartment containing the vital message to be printed by Cist and Styner.

Andrew C. Allen   April 16th, 2015

Blog Event in Historic Lebanon, Ohio.

My next blog event will be in Historic Lebanon, Ohio on June 6th, Saturday, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Royce Cafe' & Coffeehouse is located at 30 East Mulberry Street-1st Floor Lebanon, OH  45036.

Come learn how Charles Cist and the new hit TV show TURN on AMC are related. Learn a new added vantage point to Colonial America during the American Revolution.

Look for the 99 cent special printing of historical information on Charles Cist and Cist family matters.

Buy some coffee, read, and enjoy the gem of Historic Lebanon, OH. It really does have much to offer.

See you there.
Andrew C Allen April 10, 2015
513.638.7140
pewabic34@gmail.com

Stephen Daye Press

This blog is about early British North American printing. This was before the birth of Charles Cist, but since Mr. Cist was a European first and then an American, there might be a connection between the two. Most of the Industrial goods came from Europe first. We shall find common connections. I am good at this. I am taking notes on names, places, and events. History repeats itself, therefore we can see a pattern.

Additionally, Scott Stamp Catalog number 857, year 1939, shows a picture of the Stephen Daye Press. This is were I had the idea of making a connection and placing this into the data base of information.

Stephen Daye

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The Whole Booke of Psalmes Faithfully Translated into English Metre, printed by Stephen Daye, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1640. First book printed in British North America

Stephen Daye, Sr. (c.1594 – December 22, 1668) was the first British North American printer.

Life[edit]

Daye was born in Sutton, Surrey London, and emigrated on June 7, 1638 to Cambridge Massachusetts on board the "John of London" with his wife Rebecca (Bordman - from a previous marriage) (died October 17, 1658), sons Stephen, Jr. (died December 1, 1639), Matthew (died May 10, 1649), and stepson William Bordman (died March 25, 1685), and three household servants. In 1638 he is recorded as being a locksmith by profession who was under financial contract to Reverend Joseph Glover to repay the loan of £51 for ship transportation for himself and his household and the cost of purchasing iron cooking utensils. Further, he was contracted to set up a printing press at Glover's home in Cambridge, Massachusetts and to be paid wages according to Massachusetts custom.
Glover died on the ship John of London during the voyage, but Daye was legally bound to fulfill his contract setting up the printing press with the aid of his sons and stepson in the home of Rev. Glover at Cambridge. Elizabeth Glover, the widow, was the legal owner of the press and Daye's debt and contract upon the death of her husband. In 1639, it is generally thought or cited in the survey of the literature that Daye printed his first work, The Freeman's Oath, a broadsheet. However, this work may have actually come second following the printing of the first almanac composed by William Pierce. Pierce's almanac, as was typical, commenced with the month of March, which according to English law and custom was the first month of the year, rather than the Gregorian calendar that began in January. Consequently, Daye must have printed Pierce's almanac prior to the English first of the year that began on March 15. In 1640, he printed the Bay Psalm Book, the first book published in the American colonies. The next year, 1641, Daye was rewarded for his work with three hundred acres of land.
Andrew C. Allen  April 1, 2015
513.638.7140
pewabic34@gmail.com