Aug

4

Posted by Karin

Custer Q & A with Donald P. Schwarck, author of a KC Barker monograph that he plans to publish someday.

Donald P. Schwarck was born and raised in South Lyon where he taught middle school science and coached high school track and field for 32 years. He holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in science from Eastern Michigan University.

Don’s research into Kirkland C. Barker began with an interest in Custer’s Detroit connection with regards to the Detroit Audubon Club and Mr. Barker’s hunting trip to Kansas with other Detroiters in 1869, as presented in Custer’s Nomad letters in Turf, Field, & Farm.

In 1990, Don visited the former K. C. Barker home on Grosse Ile with Dr. Lawrence Frost, the well-known Monroe, Michigan podiatrist and Custer biographer.

“We saw the copper bathtub that was known to exist during George and Libbie’s visits with the Barkers,” says Don.

Two years ago, Don retired to Mackinac Island along with his wife, Karen. Karen owns Escapades Group Tours. Both Karen and Don escort senior citizen groups on tours throughout the US and around the world.

Karin’s note: I found this interview especially interesting because I live on Grosse Ile and know the house where KC Barker once lived. It’s been known by locals as the wedding cake house because of it’s ornate architecture and white paint scheme. Recently the house was repainted and is no longer all white. It’s still gorgeous. I’ll try to snap a photo and post it soon.

Karin: Who is Kirkland C. (KC) Barker?

Don: K.C. Barker was born in New York, but moved to Detroit at a young age. He became a well-known tobacco manufacturer and owned the K C Barker, American Eagle Tobacco Co. in Detroit. His company made plug chewing tobaccos, pipe blends, and smoking tobaccos.

He was also an avid yachtsman, hunter, and horse owner. He owned Ericsson, a world record holding trotting horse. His 60′ lake yacht CORA was well known on the Great Lakes.

Mr. Barker was a highly visible member of several fraternal clubs and organizations. He was Commodore of the International Yacht Club of the Lakes, a member of the Detroit River Navy and a member of the Brooklyn, New York Yacht Club. He was the president of the Horse Association of America and a member of the Detroit Commandary of Knights Templar, as well being the founding president of the Detroit Audubon Club.

Karin: As mayor of Detroit, what is Barker’s administration most known for achieving?

Don: Barker was mayor of Detroit during the last year of the Civil War. His primary achievement as mayor was helping to head off the piracy of the USS Michigan, a 15 gun US warship, used in the protection of the lower Great Lakes during the Civil War.

The incident occurred on the morning of September 19, 1864 when Confederate conspirators highjacked the side-wheeler Philo Parsons on the Detroit River with the intent of also taking over the USS Michigan on Lake Erie. Their eventual intent was to use the powerful USS Michigan to free confederate prisoners on Johnson Island near Sandusky, Ohio.

Barker was also instrumental in stopping a conspiracy by southern sympathizers in Canada [whose intent was] to interrupt the US national election in 1864. The plan was to burn several large US border cities on the evening before the presidential election, thereby creating enough confusion to influence the election. Barker caught wind of the plan and put it down before it had time to materialize.

He also established the first nighttime police force in the city of Detroit.

Karin: Describe the relationship between Custer and KC Barker.

Don: Kirkland C. Barker befriended Custer prior to the end of the Civil War. Some twenty years Barker’s junior, Custer described him as…”a liberal and high-minded gentleman, whom I am proud to number among my warmest friends,” which speaks of Barker’s generous nature and high principles.

To Barker, Custer was the young, dashing Union Major General, whom he could parade in front of his well-established Detroit friends. To Custer, Barker was the rich, older, well-connected politician who could help to establish him in possible business or political pursuits.

Barker had also made a gift to Custer of two Scottish staghounds, Maida & Blucher, who figured prominently in many of Custer’s letters during his time while stationed on the plains of Kansas in 1867-1869.

In October of 1869, Mr. Barker, Samuel Lewis, Horace Gray (all of Grosse Isle) and a number of other Detroiters ventured to Kansas for a grand buffalo hunt, hosted by Custer.

In a letter to her cousin, Rebecca Richmond, Custer’s wife Elizabeth best defines why her husband and Barker had established such a warm and lasting friendship.

“He is so fond of dogs [and] horses and hunting,” she wrote, “Autie and he are great friends…”

It was through Barker that General Custer made numerous gifts of mounted animal trophies, Indian artifacts, and natural history specimens to Detroit’s Audubon Club.

Karin: Please explain Custer and KC Barker’s involvement with the Detroit Scientific Society.

Don: General Custer and KC Barker were affiliated with the Detroit Audubon Club, which later, after both men were deceased, made a gift of all of its natural history specimens to the Detroit Scientific Association.

Karin: Thank you Don for this clarification. Please tell us about Custer and Barker’s affiliation with the Detroit Audubon Club.

Don: Initially the Audubon Club was conceived as a hunt club for gentlemen interested in the shooting sports. The club’s first meeting was held in February of 1868 at which time a statement of purpose was written. That purpose being the enforcement of “all laws and ordinances against the unlawful killing or selling of game” and additionally, “the collection and preservation of specimens of natural history and the establishment and maintenance of proper rooms and appurtenances for the social and business meetings of a club.”

At this same meeting members unanimously decided to name the new club The Audubon Club of Detroit and K.C. Barker was elected president. Not to be confused with The Audubon Society, which did not come into existence until 1887, the Audubon Club was patterned after Chicago’s Audubon Club. The bylaws were borrowed from the Forester Club of Buffalo.

“The Club” as members knew it, established rooms on Detroit’s Buhl Block where meetings were held on the first Monday of each month. “London Field”, “Wilkes Spirit of the Times” and “Turf, Field and Farm” were periodicals to which subscription had been made and could be enjoyed by members in the club’s reading room. Card games and later billiards were popular pastimes among the members.

In an attempt to discourage the wanton taking of wild game, the first official act of the club was to print (in English and German) a warning to persons breaking local game laws. A reward of $5.00 was offered “to parties giving information that would lead to the conviction of anyone destroying game in an improper season.”

General Custer, through Barker, along with other enthusiastic contributors quickly filled the club’s rooms with a variety of animal specimens and natural history artifacts. Always an avid hunter and collector, the Audubon Club gave Custer a repository for many of his “relics of the chase.”

Karin: Did Custer ever visit Barker at his Grosse Ile home? If yes, can you provide any details of these visits?

Don: George and Libbie Custer both spent time on Grosse Isle [English spelling] with the Barkers. Libbie stayed for weeks at a time during her husband’s deployment to Kansas in 1868 and 1869. She had recently lost her mother and Mrs. Barker, who was 20 years her senior, seemed to fill the void. The Barkers also had a married daughter, Carrie B. Hull, who was Libbie’s age, and who had also befriended the Custers.

General Custer himself spent time on Grosse Isle after his court martial and forced one-year removal from duty in 1868. Custer was at Barker’s home when he received a telegram from William T. Sherman, calling him back to duty in Kansas, two months before his one-year sentence was up, ostensibly so he could lead the US Seventh Cavalry at the Battle of the Washita.

Karin: Barker died in 1875, the year preceding Custer’s death? Any record of Custer sending condolences, attending funeral, etc.?

“While being readied for entry in the International Boat Club regatta, Mr. Barker’s racing yacht Cora lay at anchor off Stony Island May 20. Aboard the Mattie, which carried three tons of ballast for the Cora that morning, were Mr. Barker, Frederick Dudgeon, Manly Webb (sailing master of the Cora), and fourteen-year-old Peter Miller, son of Mr. Barker’s gardener. The Mattie capsized; all were thrown overboard and drowned. “
Isabella E. Swan, The Deep Roots: A History of Grosse Ile to July 6, 1876; 1976

Don: This is one area that I have researched extensively… and I have unfortunately not found anything written by Custer expressing his sorrow or sense of loss after Barker’s death.

Karin: Thank you Don for this great interview! I do have another question. What became of Custer’s “relics of the chase” once displayed by the Detroit Audubon Club and the Detroit Scientific Association? Hope you can post a reply to this question when you read the blog! Again, thanks Don for all your information.

Aug

4

Posted by Karin

Q & A with Dave Ingall, Monroe County Historical Museum (MCHM) assistant director

Karin: Aside from historical significance, are General George Armstrong Custer’s ties to Monroe still relevant? Is there any important economic aspect Custer’s legacy can provide the community today?

Dave: At least half the people who visit the museum, especially those who come from outside Monroe, are looking for Custer oriented sites and exhibits.

Dave estimates 40,000 people visit the museum annually.

Dave: Where’s the house? is the first thing people ask.

MCHM, a former post office, occupies the site of Elizabeth Bacon’s childhood home where she and Custer lived periodically. The Bacon/Custer home was moved, and Steve Alexander, a Custer expert and living historian, along with his wife, Sandy, now reside in the home which they both restored.

Dave: We get people from all over the world. Four weeks ago, on two separate occasions, two gentlemen from London [England] visited the museum. Last year, people came from England, France, Germany, Japan, China, and Australia. Numerous Canadians visit the Custer exhibit.

People come here and find out there’s more to Monroe than just Custer. They find out about the 1812 Battlefield, labor museum, Vietnam memorial. They spend a day or weekend.

People always ask, “Where can I buy gas, eat, spend the night?” The museum is one of the biggest draws downtown. Custer generates a lot of dollars for this community.

Karin: Who are these people? Why their interest in Custer?

Dave: Tourists. History buffs. He’s a controversial character. People are interested in him. The American West is very popular with Europeans. Custer’s connection to the Civil War and the American West make him a big draw.

Karin: What’s unique about the MCHM Custer exhibit?

Dave: It’s the largest exhibit on Custer in the world.

Karin: Really!

Dave explained the Little Big Horn Battlefield museum has an excellent display. In fact, Libbie donated the items she cherished most to the battlefield museum. She donated several uniforms and the personal items Custer had left behind at Fort Lincoln. She also donated all 13 of his commissions that were signed by Presidents Lincoln and Johnson. While Libbie donated her collection to the battlefield museum, Custer family members and local residents donated their artifacts to the MCHM.

Karin: What are some of the items on exhibit?

Dave: Colored copies of the signed commissions will be on display at the MCHM this October as part of the Custer Celebration Event. I don’t think that’s ever been done before.


We also have his personal guidon or flag from when he commanded the Michigan Cavalry Brigade, his buffalo coat from the Kansas Plains, and his desk from Fort Abraham Lincoln.

One of the most unique collections on loan is the Trevilian Station exhibit. This exhibit consists of his brigadier general frock coat that was worn during his wedding here, his silver Tiffany saber given to him by the Michigan Cavalry Brigade, and other personal effects captured in the baggage wagon. (Read more about this exhibit here)

A really unique item is the Confederate short sword captured on the Chickahominy from the Louisiana Wheat Tigers (the most famous Zouave unit in the Confederacy) by Company A, 4th Michigan infantry and given to Custer.

All together, there are about 20 exhibits.

Karin: Custer is often maligned and considered an anti-hero to many. Why should people take the time to visit the museum and the city of Monroe to learn about him?

Dave: They should come here and get the facts about who Custer really is. The guy was just an individual, a [mere] lieutenant colonel. He wasn’t a large enough figure to set Indian policy.

Custer admired the Native Americans and wrote about it in his book “My Life on the Plains.” Many Native Americans, such as the Lakota who were warriors, admired him, too. They thought he was brave.

At the Custer Celebration Event [this October], you’re going to be able to see and hear many different viewpoints including the views of Native Americans. You may be shocked to hear what they say.

Ernie LaPointe, Chief Sitting Bull’s great-grandson is coming to Custer’s hometown. How many people actually get the opportunity to meet Sitting Bull’s great-grandson! Ernie is a really cool guy. He looks just like Sitting Bull. Ernie is very pro-Lakota, but he understands two cultures clashed and Custer was just a character.

Custer had an incredible record in the Civil War and was revered by the men he led. He never lost a color (battle flag)! He captured numerous Confederate flags.

Dave showed me an exhibit featuring a reproduction of the writing table Major General Sheridan presented to Libbie Custer at the conclusion of the Civil War. The original writing table is on display at the Smithsonian. The accompanying text reads:

“I respectfully present to you the small writing table on which the condition for the surrender of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia were written by Lt. General Grant – and permit me to say Madam that there is scarcely an individual in our service who had contributed more to bring about this desirable result than your very gallant husband. Very Respectfully, Phil Sheridan, Major General”

Dave: That’s from Phil freakin’ Sheridan! Custer’s action directly resulted in Lee deciding to surrender the Army of Northern Virginia. He was one of the main characters of the Civil War that helped the Union win!

My sincere thanks goes to Dave Ingall for allowing me to interview him. The interview should have taken a half hour but lasted 2.5 hours. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute. Dave is a hometown Monroe boy who is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about Custer, Civil War history and local history. I highly recommend scheduling a tour with him when you visit the museum.

Don’t forget to ask him about his take on The Battle of Little Big Horn. Was Custer really a blundering, glory seeking egomaniac or a victim of bad circumstances and betrayal? Can you guess which view Dave holds?

The Monroe County Historical Museum is located at 126 South Monroe Street. For hours, further information, or to schedule a tour with Dave, call 734 240-7782.

Aug

4

Posted by Karin

I ran across this interesting article published January 3, 1942 in the Monroe Evening News during the movie run of “They Died With Their Boots On”. Although the film about George Armstrong Custer starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Haviland wasn’t historically accurate, it was a top-grossing movie of its time. The movie played at the Monroe Theater now called the River Raisin Center for the Performing Arts. This movie was shown there again last year as part of the Custer Celebration Event festivities.

The Monroe Evening News interviewed several people who had known George Custer. One man told of Custer and friends bellying up at the bar of a local pub astride their horses. He also reminisced about receiving a Saint Bernard dog that he didn’t want. He had to ask Custer to take it back.

Read more about Custer and his Monroe days here:
http://monroe.lib.mi.us/books_movies_music/special_collections/custer_news_recalls.htm

Clarification please. In my notes, I have written that the movie “They Died With Their Boots On” first premiered in Monroe. However, I have found that it opened in New York in 1941 and then throughout the US on January 1, 1942. Any movie buffs/historians care to clarify this?

Jul

22

Posted by Karin

Local living historian Steve Alexander portrayed General George Armstrong Custer at Gettysburg in early July as part of the 145th anniversary of this famous Civil War battle. Co-blogger Ronda Stiffler published details of Steve Alexander’s trip in the Monroe Evening News.

Read about Steve’s trip here:
http://www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080705/NEWS01/821392122/-1/NEWS

Jun

7

Posted by Ronda

Monroe’s Custer Celebration has made a YouTube account and will be uploading movies of interest to all Custer buffs and history lovers. Here’s our first video inviting visitors to Monroe for the 2008 Custer Celebration:

 

May

15

We are pleased to announce that a page just for kids will soon be added to Monroe’s Custer Celebration Blog. The Custer Celebration Events Committee is partnering with local Boy Scouts to produce a page with links, fun facts, activities and other cool stuff for the younger set. Check back often for this exciting new addition to the blog!

May

12

Posted by Karin

Recent foot surgery has kept me immobilized, so I’ve spent this rainy Mother’s Day lounging on the couch reading Robert M. Utley’s Cavalier in Buckskin. This interesting read has led me to ask a couple of questions. (I’ll leave the military strategy debates to others, I like to know personal details). Anyone know the answers?

1) While George was fond of the ladies and they of him, Utley states there was another Monroe girlfriend before Libbie - Fanny Fiefield. Any armchair historians or scholars know any details about Fanny? Did she stay in Monroe? Get married? Start a prosperous business?

2) Several books state Custer gave up drinking after making a public spectacle of himself in front of Libbie’s home. I was told Custer was drinking in a local tavern where McGeady’s Town Pub now occupies. Does anyone know the name of the original tavern? And what exactly did Custer do that humiliated him so?

3) Eliza Brown Denison, the Custer’s runaway slave/companion/cook. Does anyone know anything about her?

4) In the book When Custer Walked The Streets of Old Monroe, author Steve Alexander mentions George Custer purchased Meloche Liniment specifically from Pauline Meloche, one of the Meloche Drugstore owners. While Custer was friends with her brother Frank Meloche, Pauline “didn’t appreciate Custer killing Indians!” according to her great nephew Frenchie Beneteau. Beneteau states his great aunt “never married, but took care of a lot of homeless people including the local Indians whom she fed and cared for.”

Imagine the conversations that must have transpired between Pauline Meloche and George Custer. Does anyone have any information on this fascinating lady?

May

12

Posted by Karin

Tickets for the Grand Ball are now on sale for just $35 each. Ticket price for this elegant and fun affair includes: soiree, dinner, dancing.
Reserve your tickets today. Email us at CusterGAC@aol.com and we’ll send you contact information.

Mar

28

Posted by Karin 

I have to give props to my co-blogger Ronda Stiffler for designing this excellent and informative site. The blogroll is fantastic! Ronda has made research easy. A wealth of information is just a click-of-a-link away.

I spent the past hour learning more about George Custer by reading a compilation of newspaper articles catalogued by the Monroe County Library System. These articles are easily accessed by clicking on the Custer in the News link found under our blogroll. What an excellent resource for teachers, scholars, students and history buffs.

Some interesting reads include a local account of Custer’s wedding, a series of articles on the Indian Expedition, a letter penned by Custer himself to the “editors of the world,” Sitting Bull’s purported account of the Battle of Little Big Horn, and an article documenting the return of the remains of Boston Custer (George’s brother) and Henry Armstrong Reed (Custer’s nephew) who died alongside Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn.

I also found written evidence supporting the belief that Dandy, the General’s favorite horse, is indeed buried on Neville Custer’s farm located on North Custer Road.

A 1922 Detroit Free Press article “Monroe Recalls When Custer Rode to Battle with the Horse” states: ”The horse died when about 30 years old and was buried in an orchard on the Custer farm, along the winding River Raisin.”

Time to go. I want to read some more articles.

Mar

27

Posted by Karin 

Monroe County Historical Museum-Photographed by Darryl White

One of the highlights of the 2007 Custer Week Celebration was my visit to the Monroe County Historical Museum. As I explained in a previous post, interesting and rare historical artifacts pertaining to Custer were on display.

One such exhibit, the Battle of Trevilian Station, was a major coup for the museum to obtain, and you could say - a homecoming of sorts. Dave Ingall, MCHM assistant director explained the collection contained Custer’s personal effects captured on June 11, 1964 by Confederates at Trevilian Station, Virginia.

Belongings seized included the dress coat worn by Custer when he married Libbie as well as the 1860 silver Tiffany presentation sword given to him by the 5th Michigan Cavalry. Custer never saw his belongings again.

Shawna Mazur published an excellent, in-depth article entitled Custer’s First Stand: The Battle of Trevilian Station in the January/February 2008 issue of the River Raisin News & Dispatch, a bi-monthly newsletter published by the MCHM, Monroe County Historical Commission and Monroe County Historical Society.

According to the article, it’s believed James F. Blair, a Confederate Texas Cavalryman, is one of the captors of Custer’s wagon.

Blair purportedly took the items home to Texas as a souvenir where they remained for over 135 years - until discovered - stashed under a bed.

In 2000, Custer’s belongings were auctioned to the public and purchased by a group of Idaho antiques collectors.

“It took over a century, but the General’s items finally found their way home again,”writes Mazur.

Yet now on the second floor of the museum they are carefully laid out for all to view. It is truly fitting that they are home again and reunited with that red and white silk guidon, with its jagged corner, that resides permanently in the Custer display.

“What a rare opportunity for these pieces, that belong together, to be displayed right next to each other. Yet, it won’t last, so don’t wait, come visit the museum today and contemplate the past before these pieces once again vanish into history.”

Originally, the Battle at Trevilian Station collection was on loan to the MCHM through January 2008. The exhibit has been extended indefinitely. So hurry! There’s no telling if or when this exhibit may return. Or, as Mazur poetically puts it: “before these pieces once again vanish into history. “

Wouldn’t it be great if a major benefactor stepped forth to insure this wonderful collection could stay in Monroe permanently?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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