Table of Contents
Civil War Muster program brought to you by the
Welcome from the Holland Museum ................................................................................................ Page 3 The Holland Museum Celebrates 75 years ..................................................................................... Page 4 Thank you Sponsors .............................................................................................................................. Page 5 History of the VanRaalte Farm & Home ............................................................................................ Page 6 A Word from DeGraaf Nature Center ................................................................................................. Page 8 Historical Map & Summary of Antietam ........................................................................................ Page 10 How I Became a Reenactor ................................................................................................................ Page 13 Van Raalte Farm Muster Event Map ............................................................................................... Page 14 Schedule of Events .............................................................................................................................. Page 16 Finding Your Civil War Ancestor ....................................................................................................... Page 17 Holland Honor Roll ............................................................................................................................... Page 18 Local Monuments ................................................................................................................................. Page 20 Holland Soldiers Guard Lincoln’s Body ........................................................................................ Page 22 The Angel of the Battlefield: Clara Barton ................................................................................... Page 23 How did Citizens React to the Emancipation Proclamation? ................................................ Page 25 Thank You to Volunteers & Boy Scouts ......................................................................................... Page 27
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Richard J. Veenhoven
Geoffrey Reynolds
Welcome
from the Committee & Museum Board Chairs Fourth Annual Civil War Muster Welcome to the Holland Museum’s fourth annual Civil War Muster. This is a great year for the Holland Museum! Not only are we celebrating 4 years of bringing the Civil War to life, we are also celebrating 75 years as an institution bringing the City of Holland’s history to life. As we look to the future, the Museum is excited to keep presenting events like this for the West Michigan community. Over the past four years the Muster has continued to expand. This year will be the second year that we partner with DeGraaf Nature Center’s Heritage Days. Last year we decided to combine events that occurred in the same month on the same site, and what a partnership it has been! Both events have added to each other allowing them to grow in ways they might not have if not for the partnership. We have also been able to add a day for local schools to participate. Our education day is called “The Civil War Class-
room”, and it is for 5th grade students. This program happens the Friday before the event, serving up to 500 students from our local schools for free! Another exciting development has been that this year we altered our battlefield. Thanks to the City of Holland and the Michigan Farm Bureau we planted corn to simulate Miller’s cornfield from the Antietam Battlefield. The Van Raalte Civil War Muster has been so successful over the past four years because of the hard work and dedication of the staffs of the Holland Museum and DeGraaf Nature Center, the Muster planning committee, the 3rd Michigan reenactors, local business owners, and YOU: the people who choose to attend our event! As you enjoy the event by strolling the camps, visiting the sutlers, watching crafters and participating in hands on activities, please remember this is a
donation-supported event. There will be donation buckets before the battle and in the parking lots. By leaving a donation you are not only supporting your local museum, but you will also play an integral part in bringing the event back next year. Any donation is greatly appreciated and will help the Holland Museum continue to be able to offer other quality programming like the Muster. Thank you for your support and enjoy the Holland Museum’s Van Raalte Farm Civil War Muster! Richard J. Veenhoven Muster Committee Executive Chair
Geoffrey Reynolds Chair of the Holland Museum Board of Trustees
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Holland, Michigan,
nearly 170 years on the road from settlement to urban center, has collected objects all along the way. Many of these objects now reside in the collections of the Holland Museum. They tell stories about the journeys of the people of this place. Those objects define us and our place in history. In honor of the Museum’s 75th anniversary, a temporary exhibition of some of these objects and their stories will open on September 28, 2012, in the Wichers Gallery. The Board of Trustees of the Holland Historical Trust is hosting a special Community Celebration on:
October 6, 2012 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Holland Museum
Three Museums Tell The Story of Holland’s Settlement
Holland Museum 31 West 10th Street, Holland
Holland, Michigan’s three museums the Holland Museum, the Cappon House Museum, and the Settlers House Museum are located within a few city blocks of each other. The Holland Museum features permanent exhibits on Holland’s history “from settlement to city” and over 400 years of Dutch History in our Dutch Galleries. On its lower level, the Archives and Research Library houses the museum’s collection of books, papers and photographs related to Holland’s history. The Cappon and Settlers Houses, a few blocks to the west, enhance the story of Holland’s early settlers with the beautifully preserved and restored living environments of a common worker’s family and that of Holland’s first mayor. The Holland
Museum is an AAM accredited museum.
Cappon House 228 West 9th Street, Holland
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City of Holland Following Ben’s death in 1917 the family used the homestead as a vacation residence until it was sold to the City of Holland for $350,000 in 1983. It is the largest park in Holland. Currently DeGraff Nature Center uses the barns and grounds for community programming. The 1940’s addition is used as a classroom. The Holland Museum graciously thanks the City of Holland for allowing us to use the farm site for our Civil War Muster. It is the perfect setting for this event, and we enjoy coming back every year.
The Van Raalte Farm
Homestead By Carolina Marquis
A Place Called Home This city owned park was originally the homestead of Benjamin Van Raalte, the second son of Rev. Albertus Christiaan Van Raalte. Ben’s father gave him the initial 80 acres; Ben then purchased an additional 80 acres from his older brother Albertus. Both Ben and his younger brother Dirk served in Company I, 25th Michigan Infantry during the Civil War from 1862 – 1865. Ben and his father were zealots for the Union cause.
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Having served with distinction during the war Ben returned to Holland to start a family and a business. The first buildings constructed on the site were 3 barns. Two of these barns still exist. The grey barn was used for livestock and hay. The red barn was a “showroom” for his farm implement business. The foundation of the third barn is located behind the grey barn.
Rev. Albertus Van Raalte In 1871 Ben began construction of the classical revival inspired Italianate home for his new bride Julia Gaddis Gilmore of Fairview, Illinois. This white clapboard home still sits proudly on the highest promontory in Holland and overlooks the former farm fields and the north fork of the Black River running through the wetlands. Ben added to the stately home by planting maple trees around the house. The family has referred to the homestead as “The Maples” ever since. The house originally contained a parlor, dining room with a bay window, kitchen and pantry on the main floor, and there are three bedrooms on the second floor where Ben’s children were born, Julia C. (Lu) Van Raalte in1873 and Benjamin, Jr. in 1876. In the 1940’s descendants put an addition on the rear of the house, which includes a family room, bedroom, and office.
Benjamin Van Raalte
Historic Site Michigan Registered
SGT. Benjamin Van Raalte Company 1, 25th MI Volunteers Benjamin Van Raalte was born on May 8, 1840 in the Overijssel Province of the Netherlands. He immigrated to the United States with his father, Rev. Albertus Van Raalte. In 1862, Benjamin Van Raalte enlisted in Company I, 25th Michigan Volunteer Infantry. The 25th served in the Western Theatre of the Civil War, participating in a series
of garrison details prior to taking part in Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign and subsequent March to the Sea. During his time in service, through meritorious action, Ben was promoted to sergeant and assigned to the color company of the 25th. This was accomplished through a single action where Ben Van Raalte rescued the unit’s colors under enemy fire. The regimental standard he saved became his charge for the remainder of the war and now resides in the Michigan
Historical Museum in Lansing, along with the rest of Michigan’s Civil War banners. After the war, Ben returned home and his father, A.C. Van Raalte, gave him the land that today makes up Van Raalte Farm. During his time here, Ben formed the A.C. Van Raalte post of the Grand Army of the Republic. He served as the post’s second commander, and remained active in veterans affairs for the rest of his life. Images Courtesy of the Holland Museum Archives and Research Library
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Saturday 22 & Sunday 23
. . . and the Van Raalte Farm
In 1983, the City of Holland
purchased the 160 acre Van Raalte Farm property from the Reimold family, descendents of Rev. Albertus Van Raalte. Once in the city’s hands, the planning process began for the future of the property. After a number of planning sessions, focus groups and meetings with community members, a master plan was in place taking into account many of the ideas presented. The original master plan called for preserving the original Van Raalte homestead for the “legacy to future generations” as stated by then mayor Terry Hofmeyer to city council. It was also proposed and seriously considered, that the original farmstead be restored to a working historic farm. Many citizens showed interest in keeping the land as natural as possible to provide a place to hike, observe nature, jogging, biking and cross country skiing. Very few people wanted to see the property become a site for recreational fields for soccer, baseball, etc. “I like the idea of keeping the house and barns as they are. Would it be possible for this to
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be a working farm? It is very difficult to take recreational facilities (i.e. ball parks, tennis court) and revert them into a farm or natural habitat, but bulldozers and other equipment can do the reverse in hours! Save the farm.” stated one concerned citizen while another said “In 50-100 years when houses are side by side in developments, green space and open country will be priceless. Its value lies in its link to the past and its unique setting- not in “recreational” experiences which can be developed elsewhere.” At that point, it was the intention of the Holland Historical Cultural Commission that the 160-acre Van Raalte Farm “remain as a symbol of the past to remind the City of Holland of its cultural background.” The original Master Plan for the property included maintaining the homestead and working farm complete with feed lot, vegetable garden, ornamental garden, grazing pasture, hay pasture and an orchard. There was also to be a large grass meadow with picnic area and play field, an amphitheater for concerts and other entertainment, sledding hill, and a natural area complete with walking trails. In the end, some things from the original master plan have been implemented, and others are still on the shelf.
Heritage Harvest Days Activities at the Van Raalte Farm Civil War Muster 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Outdoor Classroom By Mike Graves
Maple Sugar Time in March shows visitors the process of making maple syrup through the years.
In 2005, the center set up a sugar
house near the barns in a stand of Sugar Maple trees. Starting in the spring of 2006, the maple sugar program moved from the nature center to the farm where they are able to demonstrate the process as well as produce pure maple syrup to sell in the Science and Nature Store located at the center.
Today, they also use the farm for In 2003, the previous residents,
John and Judy Madison, moved out of the historic farmhouse. Around that time, the DeGraaf Nature Center adopted the property as an extension of their outdoor classroom space. The acreage at the Van Raalte Farm, as well as the many different habitat types, made it the perfect place to expand the center’s educational offerings. The programs added to the field trip opportunities for upper elementary students included: A River Runs Through It, Plants on the Move, Orienteering, Birds, Beaks and Binoculars and a Habitat program.
Also at this time, the nature center started an internship program for recent college graduates and the farmhouse served as housing as well as classroom space for these new programs. Currently the DeGraaf Nature Center sees 2000 students per year at Van Raalte Farm programs. The farm is also used for many summer programs and special events.
Come Visit DeGraaf Nature Center has many activities, programs, events and trips planned throughout the year at the Van Raalte Farm, the DeGraaf Nature Center, and other locations in the area. If you would like to see what is offered, please visit the website at
www.degraaf.org, by phone at (616)355-1057, or stop by: 600 Graafschap Rd. Holland, MI 49423 and we will be happy to help.
a Halloween event every October that includes crafts and treats for kids, live animals, hay wagon rides, and a campfire with refreshments. This event is in its eighth year and has been a very well attended event over the years.
DeGraaf’s newest event at the farm is Heritage Days which is in its fourth year and has seen good growth in attendance since joining the Holland Museum’s Civil War Muster. This event gives visitors a chance to see and do things that were a part of everyday life 150 years ago. Visitors can make hand-dipped candles, pioneer crafts, play with pioneer toys and games, and learn about spinning wool, knitting, rug hooking, basket making, blacksmithing, old-time woodworking and more.
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During the night, both armies tended to their wounded and consolidated their lines. In spite of crippling casualties, Lee continued to skirmish with McClellan on the 18th, while removing his wounded south of the Potomac. McClellan, much to the chagrin of Abraham Lincoln, did not vigorously pursue the wounded Confederate army. While Antietam is considered a draw from a military point of view, Abraham Lincoln and the Union claimed victory. This hard-fought battle, which drove Lee’s forces from Maryland, would give Lincoln the “victory” that he needed before delivering the Emancipation Proclamation - a document that would forever change the geopolitical course of the American Civil War.
September 17, 1862
By civilwar.org
Battle of Antietam Fight for the Cornfield 7:00am to 7:40am
On September 16, 1862 Maj. Gen.
George B. McClellan and his Union Army of the Potomac confronted Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia at Sharpsburg, Maryland. At dawn on September 17, Maj. General Joseph Hooker’s Union corps mounted a powerful assault on Lee’s left flank that began the single bloodiest day in American military history. Repeated Union attacks, and equally vicious Confederate counterattacks, swept back and forth across Miller’s cornfield and the West Woods. Despite the great Union numerical advantage, Stonewall Jackson’s forces near the Dunker Church would hold their ground this bloody morning. Meanwhile, towards the center of the battlefield, Union assaults against the
Sunken Road would pierce the Confederate center after a terrible struggle for this key defensive position. Unfortunately for the Union army this temporal advantage in the center was not followed up with further advances.
Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan
Late in the day, Maj. General Ambrose Burnside’s corps pushed across a bulletstrewn stone bridge over Antietam Creek and with some difficulty managed to imperil the Confederate right. At a crucial moment, A.P. Hill’s division arrived from Harpers Ferry, and counterattacked, driving back Burnside and saving the day for the Army of Northern Virginia. Despite being outnumbered two-toone, Lee committed his entire force at the Battle of Antietam, while McClellan sent in less than three-quarters of his Federal force. McClellan’s piecemeal approach to the battle failed to fully leverage his superior numbers and allowed Lee to shift forces from threat to threat.
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ANTIETAM Quick Facts
This Battle was a part of the Maryland Campaign. The three other battles in the campaign were South Mountain, Shepherdstown, and Harpers Ferry.
Total Number of Troops Involved
132,000 Union: 87,000 Confederate: 45,000
Killed Wounded Missing or Captured
22,717
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Confederate
12,401
10,316
2,108 9,540 753
TOTAL
1,546 7,752 1,018
Commanders Union:
General George McClellan
Confederate:
General Robert E. Lee
Result Total Estimated Casualties
Union
Inconclusive
How I Became a Reenactor As you explore the camps surrounding Van Raalte Farms, keep in mind that the people portraying life during the 1860’s are not paid professional actors. They are reenactors or living historians. They come from a variety of backgrounds, giving their time to recreate for you a living portrait of life; both military and civilian, during one of the most challenging time periods in American History. To many, it’s a family hobby including dad, mom and the kids. Most reenactors will tell you that they participate in the hobby so they can better understand the military history, political environment, and social structure that existed one hundred and fifty years ago. One can gain only so much knowledge from reading books. However, wearing a wool uniform, or a long dress with several layers on a 90 degree day, gives one a whole new appreciation for the lives our ancestors endured. Also, the smells of food cooking on open fires, the feel of wet wool uniforms after a sudden shower, the sounds of explosions, and the beautiful period music are all part of the experience reenactors seek during their weekend hobby. My personal Civil War interest began back in 1962, when I had the opportunity to explore most of the battlefields from Get-
Take a Step Back in Time By Dan Penny
tysburg to Richmond while spending my summers in Virginia. My love of History continued through college and into my adult years. In 1988, on the eve of the 125th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, I enlisted in the Union Army! There were over 12,000 military troops at that reenactment and I was hooked. Since then, I’ve been involved in over a hundred reenactments. I have been an extra in three movies, and have done numerous school presentations and living history camps every year. Most importantly, I continue to enjoy the companionship of my fellow reenactors, both military and civilian. Together we learn and continue to increase our understanding of the Civil War period. Please take the time today to visit the camps and talk with the reenactors. Many have travelled to Holland from other parts of Michigan and some from out of state. They will eagerly share their experiences and knowl-
edge of the Civil War period. We sincerely hope that each of you will take home an increased interest and appreciation for the study of America’s most turbulent time period. Should you desire to take a step a back in time, we are always enlisting new recruits in our hobby. Next year, you can be part of the action, not part of the crowd! For further information on participation in reenactment units visit the Holland Museum website at: hollandmuseum.org Respectfully submitted by Dan Penny Recruiting Officer 3rd Michigan Volunteer Infantry Co F of Grand Rapids
Thanks for coming and we hope you had a great time.
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A frenzy seized each man and impa-
“
tient with their small muzzle loaded guns, they tore the loaded ones from the hands of the dead and fired them with fearful rapidity, sending ramrods along with the bullets for double execution.” - Pvt. G. L. Kilmer, Company I, 14th New York Artillery, John P. Smith, “History of the Antietam Fight,” in Scrapbook of J.P. Smith.
William Child, Major and Surgeon with the 5th Regiment New Hampshire Volunteers September 22, 1862 (Battlefield Hospital near Sharpsburg)
“My Dear Wife; Day before yesterday I dressed the wounds of 64 different men – some having two or three each. Yesterday I was at work from daylight til dark – today I am completely exhausted – but stall soon be able to go at it again. The days after the battle are a thousand times worse that the day of the battle – and the physical pain is not the greatest pain suffered. How auful it is – you have not can have until you see it any idea of affairs after a battle. The dead appear sickening but they suffer no pain. But the poor wounded mutilated soldiers that yet have life and sensation make a most horrid picture. I pray God may stop such infernal work – through perhaps he has sent it upon us for our sins. Great indeed must have been our sins if such is our punishment.”
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s t n e v E f o e Schedul
Friday 21
on Day 9:00 Educati y Holland Armor e th at ce an D 7:00
Saturday 22
Open 9:00 Camps Drill 10:00 Militar y ities Begin vest Days Activ ar H e ag it er H 10:00 Band 10:30 5th MI ourse istol and Saber C P ry al av C 5 :4 11 12:45 Lincoln egins 2:00 Battle B Scenario 2:55 Medical 3:30 Lincoln Show 4:00 Fashion ities End vest Days Activ ar H e ag it er H 4:00 r Dinner 5:00 Reenacto egins 7:00 Dance B Close 9:00 Camps uttle 9:30 Last Sh
Sunday 23
Open 9:00 Camps ities Begin vest Days Activ ar H e ag it er H 10:00 Ser vice Period Church 0 :0 0 1 ll 11:45 Kids Dri higan Band 12:15 5th Mic 1:00 Lincoln 2:00 Battle ismissal 3:30 Unit D vehicle traffic Camps open to ivities End ar vest Days Act H e ag it er H 4:00
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Let’s get started. If you are intimidated with computer technology, ask your ten-year-old grandson or your eight– year-old granddaughter for their help. You will both learn a lot by doing this together. You will learn new technology. Your grandchild will experience a new-found ownership and family connection to the past. In order to get started you will at least need a name and state from which your ancestor may have served. A family surname is essential. Knowledge of a person’s first name and middle Image Courtesy of www.popsci.com initial will be most helpful.
Finding Your Civil War Ancestor
By Al McGeehan
Welcome to the annual Holland
Museum Civil War Muster. As you walk the grounds at Holland’s historic Van Raalte farm, you are experiencing some of the sights and sounds that 150 years ago were not “history” but were the “current events” of those tragic years of 1861-1865. While enjoying this property which was originally owned and operated by a Civil War veteran, you will hear the roar of the cannons, smell the burning black gunpowder and feel the pounding of “soldier’s “feet marching in cadence with the beat of the drum. As you visit the soldier camps, and witness the battle you will be transported back to time when the future of this great American experiment in republican democracy was in great doubt. Truly, you will not be the only visitor to wonder if you had a family member who fought for either the North or South. If you already knew that answer, you may be one who has an interest in discovering even more about your ancestor who wore either the blue or the gray. In today’s world of the computer and the internet, the ability to research your family member’s possible involvement in the Civil War is now easier than it has ever been.
Let’s begin the search. Using your computer log on to the Civil War Soldier and Sailor database at http://www.nps.gov/ civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-database. htm. This website has information for those who served from both the North and South and all military branches. On this home page, click on either Soldier or Sailor. On the next screen, fill in your ancestor’s name. Again the last name is crucial and the first name will be of great help. Looking on the same page click on either Union or Confederate. Supply the name of the home state of residence at the time of service. If you know the numeral of the regiment in which he/she served enter that under Unit. (Yes, women did serve in the ranks during the war, but this is another story) Under Function enter the branch of service if you know it. With this information now entered, click on Submit Query. Now the fun begins for you will be taken to a page that lists all of the soldiers with that name from that particular state. Immediately you will see why a middle initial or name can help to spot your Civil War ancestor. Sadly, if you were searching for a “John Smith” from Pennsylvania you will be overwhelmed
by several hundred names. However, if you were searching for a “John Q. Smith”, you have a confirmation. Click on the soldier’s name and on your screen appears the soldiers from that state who share this name. With these names on your screen you have two options to access further information. By clicking on each name you will be able to read the soldier’s company, rank and regiment. By clicking on the actual regiment you will be able to discover where the unit was mustered into service. Knowing the town or county where he lived can help to narrow the search. You will also now be able to confirm family legend and discover whether your great grandfather was truly at the Battle of Antietam! Armed with this very preliminary information you can visit another website that contains a wealth of additional information. Thanks to the government of the United States our National Archives contain a treasure trove of documents related to those who fought in America’s greatest conflict. Step #1 Log onto www.nara.gov Step #2 Click on Obtain Copies in the left-hand column Step #3 On the new screen click on Military Service Records Step #4 On the new screen click on Pre-WW I Records Step #5 Under Military Service Records scroll down and click on Order Online Step #6 On this new screen click on Compiled Military Service File (NATF 86) Step #7 On this next screen click on Add to Cart Step #8 Create an account by providing a User ID and Password Step #9 Finally on this screen you will enter all that you know about your ancestor’s name, rank, branch of service and home state Step#10 Continue to Pay and Ship The fee is $25.00. Many applicants receive copies of dozens of pages of relevant information. Some receive more and others less. If nothing is found in gov ernment files, you are not charged the fee.
Now your wait begins. Please be advised that this wait can sometimes be 60 to 90 days due to the great numbers of folks such as yourself who are submitting these requests. GOOD LUCK AND GOOD HUNTING!
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Civil War Honor Roll
The Honor Roll is a list of Dutch colonists who served in the Civil War from Holland, Zeeland, Fillmore, and Overisel as well as Grand Haven, Kalamazoo, Grand ville, and Grand Rapids. It was assembled by Gerrit Van Schel ven and taken from Historische Schetsen uit het Kolonial Leven. Begonnen in No. 20, Jaargaug 51. 22 April 1913.
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Idema, Lamper Dramer, Frederik Knoop, Jan J. Keppel, Derk Knol, Hendrik Kraai, Thomas Langen, Jan Meppen, Hendrik Mokma, Maarten Molesteeg, Hendrik Mulder, Karel Nijland, Hendrikus Polsma, Rense P. Ruters, Bertus Sempel, Geert Streng, Jan A. Slager Jan Slaghuis, Abram Van Rij, Frank Van Dijk, Jan Van Nuil, Wouter Verhoeks, Gijsb’rt VanZantwijk, Alex VanDijk, Jacob J. Vand.Veen, Arend V.d.Tak, Adrianus Wagenaar, Adriaan Wakker, Stef B. Wolters, Pieter
V.den Berg, Gerrit Van Dijk, Fank Vredenburg, Hend’k VanDijk, Broer V.der Hoop, Bertus Wissink, Jan Wm. Ypma, Roelof Zwartwoud, August
14th Regt. Mich. Infy.
Despelder, Jan V. Helder, Jr., J. Valkenburg, Lamert
16th Regt. Mich Inf.
Meijdam, Anton Morowsky, August Bongaerts, Roelof Pruin, Euno Boonstra, Sake Reenders, Eldert DeKraker, Sr., Louis Steketee, Pieter 1st Reg. Mich Infy. De Spelder, Pieter Van Loo, Corn. Semeijin, Leonard DeKruif, Johannes P. VanderSluis, James Visscher, Willem 2nd Regt. Mich Infy. Van Stee, Peiter Gunst, Peter 17th Regt. Mich Infy. Van Stee, Anthony VanZwalnwenberg, Gerrit Aling, Albert Verhoeks, Gerrit DeKlerk, Abram 3rd Regt. Mish Infy. Verhoeks, Jan Leroy, Simon Dijkema, Hendrik Van Strien, Jakobus Klink, Jan Poel, Hendrik N. VanLeeuwen, Wm.H. De Groot, Jan L. 19th Regt. Mich Infy. Van der Boeg, Corn. Ranke, Frederick Botzen, Theodore Van den Berg, (Sakkers) Richard De Kraker, Meeuwes Brinkman, Jan H. Wijngaarden, Isaac B. Steffens, Jan Grootemaat, Jan Zwol, Hendrik Kuijers, Roelof Galman, Jr., Jan 10th Regt. Mich Infy 24th Regt. Mich. Infy. Steffens, Roelof Kleefman, Egbert Hofman, Jan Douma, Jan R. Kuijers, Jacob Lohuis, Gerrit Domine, Johannes Kleijn, Pieter Rutgers, Jan 12th Regt. Mich Infy. Havega, Edward Kleijn, Jacob G. Rookus, Paulus Hildebrand, Wm. Kloosterman, Peiter Mol, Cornelius Verhage, Jakob Johannesssen, Joh. Lokker, Cornelius Nagel, Rudolph Wagemaker, Klaas 13th Regt. Mich Infy. Lucasse, Arie Scholten, Hendrik Zagers, Hendrik Anijs, Willem G. Lage, Phillip Schram, Peter G. Zwemer, Jan Bultman, Jacob Mokma, Germ W. Van Dijk, Willem 21st Regt Mich Infy. Broekman, Jan Notier Mattheus VanderPoel, Geo. Brand, Jan Broekman, Evert Nijland, Gerrit 8th Regt. Mich Infy Bakker, Oscar Bos, Andries J. Otten, Jan Beukema, Aleck Bal, Jan Danenberg, Jan Sootsma, Jakob Boot, Anthony Bos, Lutje J. Hekhuis, Jan Van Est, Hend’k H. Belt, Daniel D. Bijlsma, Oscar Heinz, Hendrik VanderKreeke, Jan Bongaerts, Martinus Cornelisse, Joh. Hekman, Hendrik Vermeulen, Pieter Bongaerts, Adrianus DeGlopper, Corn.J. Heijboer, Gerard 25th Regt. Mich. Infy. Drost, Komerinus O. De Kraker, Jozia Heeringa, Hend’k Albers, Jan G. Doesburg, Otto De Wit, Jan Kuite, Marinus Abrams, Jan De Groot, Simon De Bree, Johannes Kramer, Jan Boot, Otto De Jong, Jan DeRuijter, Derk Kramer, Martinus Bouwman, Cornelius De Kief, Arie Dijkema, Willem Kooiman, Jacobus Blom, Willem De Boer, Jakob Esveld, Kommer Keppel, Teunis Blom, Marinus De Boer, Jan Gelock, Maarten Leenhouts, Issac Barendreght, Huibert De Fouw, Willem Kraai, Jan Rutgers, Lambertus Brouwer, Arend Farma, Hendrik Kronemeijer, Alb. Riepma, R. Brouwer, Jan Grootenhuis, James Klouw, Cornelius Sapes, Jermome Christian, Cornelius Grebel, Hendrik Kossent, Marinus Slotman, Jan H. Dijkhuis, Klaas Geelhoed, Jacob Kamhout, Marinus Schepers, Jacob Donker, Hendrik Goedgeluk, Willem Krijger, Jakob V.d. Boogaert, Jan D. Doesburg, Jakob O. Idema, Hendrik Moerman, Bastiaan V.d.Veer, Oscar L.
DeVries, Ulke Veen, Roelof Kuiper, Daniel 5th Regt. Mich. Cav. DeVries, Renke Hoezee, Pieter Luten, Lambert Brink, Simon L. DeFeyter, Pieter Hesselink, Gerrit j. Mastenbroek, Jan Dalman, Hendrik De Vries, Pieter Kleis, Berend Mastenbroek, Abram Garvelink, Herman De Kruif, Gerlinus E. Louwis, Johannes Moes, Pieter Kok, Jan De Boe, Martin Mulder, Marinus Nieuwenhuis, Jakob Nijhof, Willem Grootenhuis, Jan Oostema, Roelof Oppeneer, Jan Notting, Jan Huizenga, Jan Rookes, Pieter Quartel, Marcus M. Reimink, Albert C. Horlings, Mense W. Smits, Jakob Richards, Jan Van Bree, Gerrit Jonkheer, Alexander Toren, Hendrik Sonke, Jan Zoerman, Hendrik Jansen, Mines Wesselink, Geert Ten Hopen, Jan H. 6th Regt. Mich. Cav. Kramer, Jan VanTongeren, Peter G. Teenstra, Theodore J. Van der Sluis, Francois O. Koning, Arie VanLente, Hendrik Versteeg, Arie 9th Regt. Mich. Cav. Kamhout, Cornelius Van de Verde, Maarten Van der Made, Jan Bouwkamp, Jan Ledeboer, Wm. G. Van den Bosch, Tamme M. Van den Berg, Willem De Vries, Jelle Naber, Jan Van der Zwaag, Bartel Van der Kooi, Lambert Gezon, Hermanus Oggel, Jan P. Wakker, Gerrit Van der Made, Derk Hoekstra, Jurien Pelon, Jan Woltman, Jurien Van der Meer, Jan Kaslander, Stoffel Rot, Arie Van Dijk, Albert 1st Regt. Mich. Cav. Roon, Willem Reenders, Ale Van Keuren, Jan P. Heins, Geett Strick, Roelof Steginga, Derk Van Stee, Cornelius Heins, Jan Uhlberg, Johannes Steketee, Jan VanSteensel, Arie Heins, Roelof 10th Regt. Mich. Cav. Te Sleghte, Hendrik J. Wirts, Johannes Van Antwerp, Louis Bosma, Jan Verschure, Pieter Van Bergen, Josias 1st Regt. Mich. Sharpshooters Brakel, Willem Veen, Jan Beukema, Ripke 2nd Regt. Mich. Cav. Bosman, Johannes Veneklaasen, Petrus Du Mez, Gerrit Blom, Nicholaaas Dekker, Sietze Van Dam, Cornelius Huizinga, Maarten Boes, Pieter Dykema, Cornelius Van Appeldoorn, Wulf Luikens, Jan De Groot, Maarten Rosenburg, Cornelius Van Putten, Willem Langeland, Jan De Groot, Albert Verstraat, Maarten Van den Belt, Frederik Van den Berg, Jan De Jong, Jan Merrill Cavalry Van Raalte, Benjamin Eding, Hendrik 1st Regt. Mich. Light Artillery (A Michigan Company, VanRaalte, Dirk B.K. Heering, Gerrit Boeve, Jan assigned to a Missouri Regiment) Van De Luijster, Marinus Kamhout, Leendert De Vries, Pieter Hulscher, Coenraad Van Schelven, Gerrit Koster, Willem Den Boer, Adriaan Lincoln Cavalry Van Dijk, Hendrik B. Miedema, Derk Grootemaat, Johannes Westrate, William Van Regenmorter, Melgert Moerdijk, Willem Kamhout, Jan Van Lente, Johannes 1st Regt. Mich. Mech. & Eng. Meijerink, Reindert Louwes, Jakob Van Leeuwen, Pieter Cleenewerk, Benjamin Nies, Jan Oppeneer, Jakobus Van Malsem, Arie Dalman, Roelof Reidsema, Simon Verstee, Cornelius Van den Belt, Hendrik Dijkema, Samuel Reidsema, Maarten Verstee, Arie Wolters, Frederik De Glopper, Rieter Riemersma, Jan Verstee, Karel Wakker, Willem De GLopper, Maarten Reidsema, Jakob 16th Regt. US Infy. Wilterdink, Jan A. De Koijer, Pieter Rust, Jan Van Zwaluwenberg, Jacob Den Herder, Cornelius De Kraker, Jr., Louis Rust, Samuel W. US Navy Ellen, Pieter De Vree, Andries Schelling, Willem Van Landegend, Cornelius Everhard, Jan D. De Vree, Jan Thiel, Christiann Freick, Willem Unassigned or Organization Not Known De Vree, David Van Anrooi, Jan Bos, Frederik Bakker, Jan O. Elgisma, Eltze Van Halteren, Benj. Buursma, Ale Domine, Johannes Falen, Daniel Van Halteren, Gerrit Dunnink, Jan Dykema, Krijn Frans, Aaron Van Leeuwen, Jan G. Doesburg, Gerrit S. De Kraker, Jakobus Gerlock, Willem Van Uil, Lucas Dijkema, Jan P. Gort, Cornelius Grootemaat, Mathijs Vogel, Jan De Feyter, Marinus Hoeksema, J. Haan, Jakob Westvelt, Hendrik Eding, Albert Kloosterman, Pieter Hoeve, Pieter 3rd Regt. Mich. Cav. Everts, Hendrik Liesveld, Willem Haan, Nicholaas Heeringa, Jakob Grebel, Jakob Lucasse, Arie Hendriks, Pieter Hoek, Hendrik Vork, Jan D. Roos, Hendrik Kamhout, Jan Mockelenkate, Jan Verhage, Adriaan Bootsma, Jakob Koning, Hendrik Rooks, Frederik Vork, Pieter D. Van Est, Hendrik Kraai, Pieter 4th Regt. Mich. Cav. Verplanke, Joos Krijger, Cornelius Semeijn, Pieter
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Photos Courtesy of Charles DeWitt
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Holland
SOLDIERS GUARD LINCOLN’S BODY By Al McGeehan Military historians consider the outcome of the Battle of Antietam a draw. Both sides claimed victory. Yet, the cost in battlefield casualties was horrendous. More Americans died along this now infamous creek, in the cornfield, at the infamous Bloody Lane and storming the Burnside Bridge than the total those who had fallen over the seven years of our American Revolutionary War. As both armies limped away and went into their winter camps, Union President Abraham Lincoln decided that the time had finally arrived to expand the war’s original purpose of reunification of the states and give a moral cause to this civil war. The time had come to issue his Emancipation Proclamation. From here on in, whatever southern territory the Union armies would occupy, the slaves residing there would forever be “free”. This decision to abolish the institution of slavery culminated seventy-five years of
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intense political debate as to the validity of this “peculiar institution” within a nation established upon freedom and liberty. The presidential order outraged the south and anti- abolitionists in the north as well, including the well-known American actor, John Wilkes Booth. Two and a half years after Lincoln’s call to abolish slavery and with the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia on April 9, 1865 the still angry actor used the setting of Washington, D. C.’s Ford’s Theater to assassinate the 16th President of the United States. This final casualty of the war which had already cost 640,00 lives was deeply mourned by his countrymen and was now to be laid to final rest in his hometown of Springfield, Illinois. Members of Michigan’s 24th Regiment of Infantry were assigned the duty of
guarding the martyred President’s body and accompanying it on the funeral train, which made a circuitous route through northern cities on its way to Springfield. Records held by the Archives of the Holland Museum confirm that two Holland, Michigan soldiers were part of that guard detail. These soldiers were Matthew Notier and Jan (John) Douma. In the 1960’s John Douma’s granddaughter, Barbara Lampen, a long time teacher of history in the Holland Public schools identified her grandfather as being the soldier standing to the left of the iron gate at Lincoln’s tomb in Springfield’s Oak Hill Cemetery.
Private Jan Douma (to the left of gate) stands guard during President Abraham Lincoln’s internment services May 4, 1865.
“My business is staunching blood, and feeding fainting men.” - Clara Barton
Clara Barton By Wendy Van Woerkom
Photo Courtesy of the Commonwealth Press, Worcester, Mass from the Library of Congress. Portrait taken during the Civil War and authorized by Clara as the one she wished to be remembered by.
Angel of the Battlefield
Today as you walk around the site you
may notice some very conspicuous red crosses. Every year at our event we work with the Red Cross to provide first aid and first responder services to our visitors. This group not only helps with our event, but they do other good work all over the country. “So what is the connection,” you might ask? Well, the founder of the American Red Cross was actually at the Battle of Antietam. Clara Barton started out her career as a school teacher, but was serving as a clerk in the U.S. Patent Office at the beginning of the Civil War. In April of 1861, supporters of the Confederacy mobbed a train of Union soldiers in Baltimore, Maryland. When the wounded found their way to the new U.S. Capitol building, guess who found her way to help the
wounded? Clara Barton. This would be her first encounter coming to the aid of soldiers, but it would not be the last. Following that incident, Ms. Barton felt that it was her calling to help wounded soldiers in some way. Contacting family and friends across the country, she was able to gather food, medicine, clothing, and other supplies, which she would then take with her to various battlefields. One of those battlefields was Antietam. Clara was tending soldiers so close to the action that she actually had a bullet go through her sleeve. Her work did not end after the war. She spent an exhausting year trying to help locate missing soldiers to bring closure to many families. She also went on a lecture tour conducting approximately 300 pre-
sentations about her experiences during the war. Following all this work her doctor recommended that she take a break. She traveled to Europe where officials of the International Red Cross contacted her. When she heard about all that the organization had been able to do in Europe, she realized that it could be of great help in her own country. Upon her return to the United States, she once again went into action, and by 1881, she had helped to found the American Red Cross. A mission that had started as a desire to help soldiers in need during a war had turned into a life’s work with far reaching implications. So when you look at the nearest Red Cross representative, know that history affects people long after the fact.
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onded to our best ability your efforts to put down this unholy rebellion. Actuated by such motives I must be permitted to say that while we do not doubt the entire sincerity of your convictions as to the proper mode of dealing with the rebels of the South it is apparent to us that the Emancipation Proclamation can have no other than the most mischievous effect. We believe that a vast majority of the people of the Free States do not approve of it, and that so long as the Policy of this document is adhered to you cannot expect to find at the North the unanimity of sentiment without which this deplorable war cannot be successfully prosecuted.” Image Courtesy of www.answers.com
The Emancipation
Proclamation
The featured small quote (center of article) captures some of the nature of the Emancipation Proclamation, a measure alike Military & Philanthropic. Not everyone was so jubilant about it though. Some believed that it did too much others thought it did not do enough. In this article, we have a few reactions, but first what do we know about the Emancipation Proclamation? Well most importantly it freed the slaves, but did you know it didn’t free all of them? The initial Proclamation issued on September 22 of 1862 gave the states in open rebellion until January 1 of 1863 to come back into the Union or their slaves would be freed. The Proclamation did not apply to slave holding borders states siding with the Union or any areas that the Union already occupied.
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Henry Nicoll to Abraham Lincoln
Monday Feb. 9, 1863: “Sir,
It is the privilege of every Citizen of this great Commonwealth to address its Chief Magistrate… Always a supporter of the Democratic Party, the attack on Fort Sumpter made me, in common with thousands of others, who had not helped to put you in power, ready and willing to give your Administration our best support in its efforts to enforce the Constitution and preserve the Union…..
“The People are jubilant over your
emancipation message as a measure
”
alike Military & Philanthropic.
So you can see that while it laid the groundwork for the - Telegram from James W. Stone humanitarian side of the war effort it to Abraham Lincoln Sept 23, 1862i. truly was a military measure as Stone Having nothing to ask for, with no other noted. Let us look at a few of those reacpurpose or end than the safety of our tions. You might be surprised by some common country we have rallied around of them. you, as our Chief Magistrate and sec-
Another viewpoint from a letter written by William Fitzgeraldiii to Abraham Lincoln on Saturday, July 4, 1863 “As a citizen of the United States I take the liberty of addressing you a short letter. I am now and for a considerable time have been incarcerated by the Enemies of our Country, in Castle Thunder Richmond—Here I shall soon die; but before being consigned to my obscure grave, I desire as a Southern man to applaud and commend your efforts in the holy cause in-which you are engaged; not only of restoring the Union, but in rending the shackles of Slavery from millions of our fellow beings—Let me assure you that the prayers of thousands in the South ascend to heaven daily for your ultimate success, in the great work--…. In conclusion I will venture a single suggestion on another point—It would be arrogance and folly in an humble individual like myself to presume to council the chief magistrate of a great nation but having closely watched the progress of this work, and the policy of your administration, I may be pardoned for expressing the result of my observations, and a single suggestion— Your Emancipation proclamation opened the grandest issue involved in this sanguinary struggle, and may prove the heaviest blow dealt the rebellion—But as I understand it, and as it is unwisely interpreted in the South, it frees all the Slaves within the territory to which applies without offering
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any indemnity to loyal citizens—In this respect it is wanting—There are many loyal slaveholders in the South, and your proclamation has driven some, and will drive others over to the rebels. I know within my circle of acquaintances several with whom it has had this effect. …Not only were these two men added to the rebel army, but also the influence of their example was by no means insignificant— Since then you can not desire the innocent to suffer for the misdeeds of the guilty, that the loyal should receive—the wages of treason, let another proclamation be issued, promising loyal citizens of the South reasonable compensation for the slaves liberated, out of the confiscated property of the disloyal, and the two proclamations together will quickly prove, with assistance of the army now in the field, the heaviest blows, and the death blows to the rebellion— Such is the belief of your dying and Obedient Servant Wm. Fitzgerald”
So as you can see the Proclamation
was a rather simple document with far reaching repercussions. The first initial draft was shown to the full cabinet on July 22, 1862 and the first Proclamation was issued after Antietam on September 22, 1862. Looking at the series of events before its release it is clear that Lincoln was going to emancipate the slaves. He was just biding his time to release the Proclamation until it would have the best effect. Antietam was deemed by him to be the best time. One hundred days after his initial Proclamation he issued another listing what states and areas of states would be effected. He also included a clause that stipulating that able-bodied free men would be accepted into military service. i - Mr. Brown was a Boston Abolitionist and newspaper editor ii - Mr. Nicoll was a Democratic member of the 30th Congress 1847-1849 from New York iii - Fitzgerald was a prisoner in Richmond iv - “Emancipation Proclamation” www.ourdocuments.gov National Archives
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This document not only changed the nature of the war by giving a moral force to the Union cause, but it served as a milestone on the road to the end of slavery in the United Statesiv.
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to all of our generous VOLUNTEERS & Boy Scouts!
Civil War Muster Committee Back row Left to Right: Mary Parchert, Wendy Link, Dwayne Rotman, Lollie Baumann, Dave Baumann Front Row Left to Right: Dan Penny, Rick Veenhoven, Carolina Marquis, Alex St. John Not Pictured: George Zepic, Sally Laukitis, Mike Graves, Wendy VanWoerkom, Kristina Wieghmink, Taylor Wise-Harthorn
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31 West 10th Street, Holland, MI 49423 (616) 796-3329 www.hollandmuseum.org