This is my attempt to share with the public a worth while group of people that are trying to make a difference during a period of time when famine is great and the ability for an honorable man to make an honest dollar is scarce. The name of the group is LEOPA which stands for Lake Erie Performance Association. They will be celebrating their 19th Thunderfest Event this year.

This Saturday, July 18, 2009, at least 43 high performance boats and company sponsors, mainly from the Michigan area and some from as far away as Arizona are all coming together to help feed Monroe County, Michigan. All profit from their annual event called Thunderfest will be donated to the GodWorks Program, which is a local soup kitchen of sorts. They serve a meal everyday of the week somewhere in Monroe County and have also branched into the FlatRock and Temperance MI areas.

Historically they have been able to raise thousands of dollars during the one day event. Leopa is hoping to top previous years donations, due to the tremendous need for the charity donation this year; in a year many realize  earning money is difficult enough, let alone raising money. They’re event starts at the generous Detroit Beach Boat Club at 10 a.m., goes to the Sand Bar Lounge at Toledo Beach Marina where they will be for about an hour, then they load up again and travel to the Bitter End Restaurant at Anchor Point, where they will be for about 2 hours before once again making their way back out onto Lake Erie to visit Swan Boat Club before heading in for the evening at Detroit Beach Boat Club. The public is welcome to visit the run at any of the public facilities the group is visiting or you can view them along any public access shoreline.

Some of the sponsors and contributors involved are listed below. These sponsors and contributors are greatly appreciated, and I for one, a Monroe County Resident, would like to like to thank them for their efforts, time and consideration.

Sponsors and Contributors for Thunderfest 2009

Cigarette Boats,Ilmore High Performance, Konrad high output propulsion systems, Earthwerks,Scorpion Racing Engines, Shaffer Pharmacy, Dubbert’s Professional Outdrive services, www.artonthewater.com, Marine Technologies, Jerry’s Speed Shop, Brenner 75Marine, Eerie Performance, Monroe Sports, The Clamdigger, House of Meats, Kustom Marine, and Dunn Chevy/Buick.

Ladies and Gentlemen I applaud your efforts and wish you a safe and fun day on the water!

Make it a historical Day!

Savannah Meade

Starving, cold and already inclined to return to the Union, they remained faithful Rebels. What is it about honor, faith, and loyalty that we as a society to not possess as a whole any longer? I think this opens a discussion about the “IT” factor. They had “IT” and we don’t! What do you think?

This next book is a continuation of the first called “And She Fought At Gettysburg”. That book can be obtained at the local book store called The Book Nook or by ordering it at your local book store. I do not have the entire details about who will be carrying the second as of yet because the last few details have not been nailed down yet, but since the book will be available to the public by August 1…those details will be along shortly.

Only Ghosts Came Home picks up where the first book left off, and takes the reader from Gettysburg..home to Frederick Maryland. The characters end up in places such as Richmond, Culpeper,Johnson’s Island and a trip up the Erie Canal just to name a few. It gives the reader a full flavor of the Civil War time period far beyond just learning the times, places and people of that time period.

You can visit savannahmeade.com for details and to purchase the book or you can visit authorhouse .com and type in savannah meade and purchase directly from the publisher.

This book is the 2nd in a trilogy…the first being “And She Fought At Gettysburg” available for purchase currently for $15.00 and the last “Bitter Resolutions!” not yet released.

The first is a book about a woman that fought and died at Gettysburg:

The second takes us from the battle of Gettysburg almost to the end of the war and the third will be on the reconstruction period. All are in novel form with the intent to provide the reader with a clear feel of the time period. All events are fictional set in researched, accurate historical events. Without understanding History we can never understand or appreciate the future.  “Nor can we prevent future events from repeating the past with all of its grand mistakes.” quote by Savannah Meade

Fannie Wilson & Nellie graves 24th NJ

Lizzie Compton age 16 of 11th Kentucky Volunteers

Mary Owens Pennsylvania

Frank Henderson (fictious male name) 3rd, 11th &19th Illinios Infantry

Lizzie Cook detected before serving

unknown name, however, story goes she fought entire war alongside men and when the war was finished ,put on her skirt, walked out of her tent, and retired from military service.

Charles Martin (never gave her real female name, drummer in Penn. regiment

No name, however, regimental daughter giving aid on the field to 6th MASS through-out war.

Kadie Brownell 5th Rhode Island Volunteers

Captain Sarah Taylor of the 1st Tennessee

Mrs. G., wife of slain officer, promoted by President of United States to the position of Major in the army.

Miss Major Pauline Cushman-Federal scout and spy

Francis Hook of the 19th Illinois Regiment

Miss Schwartz- age 15 of Missouri

Annie Lillybridge of 21st Michigan Reg.

Mrs. Colonel; Ellis from Tipton- special aid to General Hunter

A bugler in the 8th Michigan also namd Frank

There were African American woman in the 12th Rhode Island

They were aids to officers,nurses,doctors,speakers,farmers; they sewed uniforms, flags, underwear; they were cooks, spys, secret agents, conspirators, government contractors,soldiers,officers; they made weaponry, they were wagon drivers, they started what we now know as the Red Cross…developed triage and ambulatory services. They were storekeepers, mill workers etc. etc. etc.

How many of them are buried as unknown all across this great country just because it wasn’t fashionable or what the popular vote said was what a women was supposed to be doing. When we honor the brave men….we must also honor them…those we will now never know….who gave their last full measure.

Make everyday a Historical one!!!!!!

Savannah

It starts because during the 1800’s and, especially you during the Civil War, Medical advances occurring by accident and necessity.  they had become aware of their need to know about the human body to prevent disease and death. However, there is no provision at that time, anywhere that allowed Medical researchers access to Human cadavers to learn upon. Large amounts of money can be made by grave robbing for those willing to dig up dead bodies, and sell them to Medical colleges and the like. Yuck! It was not until later, that a provision was made to allow researchers and medical colleges  rights to take over unclaimed bodies for their research, still, shortages occurred.

Which is a basis for our Lincoln story. It was not such a big business here in the states by the time of Lincoln’s death or there after…(there are recorded incidents of it occurring in Canada and it hit the National News in 1875 in Montreal, proving the practice did still occurr)  It is evident to me that there have been several plans over the years to steal Lincoln’s body. I have found a few different plans of ransoming it for various reasons.  Again, Yuck!!!

This particular plan was concocted in Nov. of 1876 by James Kennally a Chicago business man who wanted to randsom the body for $200,000 in exchange for his friend Ben Boyd to be set free from prison, after being caught for creating a counterfiet $50 dollarbill. Unfortunate for him, he revelaed his plan to a man named Swedges who ran to the Feds and alerted them of the plan. These men knew that the body would be in good shape due to it being enbalmed very well in April 1865. The art of Enbalming a dead persons body began during the Civil War in and around the time of the battle of Antietam, in an attempt to get bodies home to families in good shape, if they had the money to pay for it.  Lincoln had been taken to several locations in the Month following his death and the practice performed on him several times until it was felt the appearance of his body started to become unpleasant. These men knew the 16th president’s, embalmed, body resided in a marble container and were confident only one locked door stood between them and their payday.

They did manage to get into the tomb and pry off the lid of the marble vault, but the coffin was sealed. They attempted to lift off the casket lid to get a glimpse, but it was screwed on and time was running out. As it turns out ,the coffin was lead lined and so heavy that the three men attempting the grave robbery, couldn’t lift it out of the vault. The authorities were waiting due to Swedges.

Soon after the failed caper, the question of how to prevent this from ever happening again was answered.  They placed Lincoln in a moldy basement below the tomb and eventually buried him in a shallow unmarked grave. Mrs. Lincoln was placed there too upon her death in 1882. He remained there for over a decade. This improved in 1887 when the two caskets were reburied in the tomb in a well-protected grave. This hole was filled with tons of concrete.

In 1901 when the Lincoln tomb was refurbished, the coffins were moved again and installed in a new steel box, and a fresh layer of concrete. The men doing this, did take a gander at Ole Abe. They cut a small hole in his box and 22 local citizens checked out he body to make sure he was still there. Abe looked fine. Among the people who examined the body in 1901 was a Springfield resident named Fleetwood Lindley, who died in 1963. He was the last living person to examine the face of the 16th president.

Has society really gotten worse! Some of the things our ancesters have done is unbelievable!!!!

Have a historical Day!

Savannah

I bring this up because while studying and researching reconstruction material for my Third Book on the Reconstruction Period following the Civil War, another thought hit me. (The above suggestion has been haunting me, but this next one sends shivers down my spine.

What if the group that Booth was in conspriacy with, was not actually Southern Like history suggests. They suggest this because of the south losing the war and doing this in retaliation, and because Booths escape route took him back toward the south, suggesting A “Southern Plot”. What if a well known group in congress known as the “Radical Republicans” were responsible and devised a plot to make it look like it was a Southern Plot? Used Booth as their “Patsy” so to speak, and even falsely represented themselves as Southern to get Booths attention and interest in becoming involved?

Sounds like I’m going on a fishing excursion! I’ll have more in the next couple of days to continue this……….please come visit me during my quest for a possible dirty plot within our own government!    Imagine that, corruption and deceit in congress! LOL They would never do that now would they!!!??????

Have a Historical Day!!!!!!!!!!!

Savannah

On the opening day of the Battle of Gettysburg, July, 1863, the 26th North Carolina met the 24th Michigan Infantry, part of the Iron Brigade, on McPherson’s Ridge just west of the town of Gettysburg.

The first exchange of volleys between the “black-hatted” Federals, and the 26th took place as the Carolina troops came upon Willoughby Run. Described as a “murderous fire,” the skirmish felled the 26th’s color bearer, Color Sgt. Jeff Mansfield. Before the fight was over, a total of 14 men, including Colonel Henry Burgwyn, would pick up the 26th NC’s flag only to be cut down by Federal fire also.

One Tar Heel later recalled, “Lots of men near me were falling to the ground, throwing up their arms, and clawing the earth.  The whole field was covered with gray suits soaked in blood.”  As fierce as the 24th Michigan was, the 26th gave it right back to them.  At some points, the opposing lines were only 20 or 30 feet apart, practically firing into each other’s faces. A Federal officer, who heard the rebel yell of the Tar Heels at the top of their lungs, called it “unearthly”.  In just a little more than 30 minutes, nearly 1,000 men on both sides had been killed, wounded or captured. One of General Pettigrew’s staff officers described the scene as he walked among the fallen bodies, that he heard “not moans, but howls”.

The 26th who had about 800 men to start with were left with only 212 that had escaped unscathed. The 24th Michigan lost nearly 400 of its number.

God bless the sould of the soldiers from Michgan and North Carolina that fell that day!

God bless our troops!!!!!!!

Have a historical day!

Savannah

The remains were brought to the visitors center at Antietam National Battlefield and turned over to experts who determined that they belonged to a Union soldier from New York State.

This find came 146 years after the soldier perished and is a continual reminder that there are still soldiers unaccounted for, and because of this, the story is not factual beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Many of the soldiers that died on these battlefields like Antietam and Gettysburg, just to name a couple, were buried in shallow, unmarked graves quickly, due to scavengers, both human and animal alike, and because of the stench of the quickly decaying bodies. Many of thesse bodies were not reburied until 5 years or more after the incident, and there are numerous reports of the graves being forgotten because the person keeping track, remembered it to be by a tree, for example. And, because that tree grew and the landscape grew back it did not look the same, therefore the burial site was never found and the bodies recovered. That is why we still occationally come across finds like these. The last one at Antietam was an unidentified member of the Irish Bridgade, in 1989.

The soldier’s identity will remain a mystery as are so many. For example, look at how many headstones are marked unknown in the National Cemetary at Gettysburg, or how about the Confederate soldiers that were buried under the streets of Gettysburg as punishment, never to be recovered. These men and women have been lost to time as are their stories. A National Park Service archaeologist and Smithsonian Institution anthropologist were the ones who confirmed the bones were from a soldier and believe he was approximately 19 to 21 years of age at the time of his death.

 There were 23,100 soldiers confirmed killed, wounded, captured or declared missing at Antietam, but what is interesting is if they are confirmed, then why is the missing number somewhere between 140 to 200. This vast difference in the amount of soldiers actually beleived to be missing, supports my statement that we will never know the events and how they actually unfolded beyond a shadow of a doubt, because there is so much that is being speculated. And, I am finding to the victor go the spoils. The Unions versions have been taken to the hearts of America, and its later generations tainting their perseptions of the Southern People and their right to their heritage.  The Confederate point of view and motivation behind their efforts has been picked apart and made to look unimportant and that of a people bored with their lives.  This careless, narrow minded way of the victor (the North) presenting the events and motivations of a people, convinced they were carrying out the true course of how our forefather’s intended our country to be governed, and the rights its people were meant to have over their government when they beleived it did not have their best interest in mind, for future people and their children to read about in history books in every school in America is what has perpetuated racism into the 21st century.

By the way it is believed that because of General Lee’s retreat from the battlefield gave President Lincoln the political strength to issue the Emancipation Proclamation five days later. Please read my earlier blogs on this subject filed under Civil War.

Well……The Civil War seems to continue to keep us in awe for over 144 years now and it probably will keep us talking and debating for the next 144 years. What do you think??

Have a Historical Day!!

Savannah