Sic Semper Tyrannis and Cutting Trees

Every so often I do internet searches for the three generations of the Texas branch of the McBride family tree. Just this week, using a new website sponsored by the University of North Texas called Portal to Texas History, I found this photo. No context was given with the image, so I don’t know when it was taken. The McBride is not likely kin to me, just a shared last name.

I’m betting the image is from the early 1900’s. Looking at two of the three standing men, the guys on the outside both have similar jackets buttoned all the way to the collar, while the man on the mule and the fellow standing in the middle look to be in shirt sleeves. My guess is the jackets are some sort of issued clothing, maybe by a prison, maybe by the CCC, Civilian Conservation Corps, maybe by the railroad. Perhaps the two men who are “dressed up” are inspectors or visiting big wigs posing with a two-man work crew. There's only two of the hook tools being held. Whatever the unknown specifics, the photo is a stark reminder that jobs and life have gotten a lot “softer” and gone “inside” for most of us.

Moving on to writing McBee III, I’m still working to keep my history accurate. Therefore, this week I did an internet search to identify which specific regiment of the US Colored Troops fought the Fifth Texas Infantry, including my main character John McBee, in one of the key 1864 battles around Richmond.

I quickly found a detailed map of the battle –New Market Heights—that shows that the 22^nd Regiment of US Colored Troops (USCT) were the ones who charged the breastworks defended by the 5^th Texas Regiment of Confederates. 

The African-American soldiers in the regiment were from New Jersey, and in accordance with prevailing beliefs of the 1860’s that black men could not govern themselves, the officers were all white men. That bit of 19th century institutional racism is important to the story line in McBee III.

It turns out that the regimental flag of the 22^nd USCT is still in a museum, and that it was designed and painted by an African-American artist. Here is an image of the original flag in the museum and a colored photo of a replica of the flag used by a group of reenactors.

The painted image of the black soldier bayoneting a Confederate sergeant is pretty striking to me. It leaves little doubt that the regiment hoped to go into combat and not just be content with building fortifications and roads as many of the USCT regiments were assigned to do, including the 22^nd during the spring of 1864.  But, by the summer, when General Grant needed more soldiers, an entire division of 12 regiments of African-American soldiers joined his siege of Richmond, and most went into combat.

I’m not writing here about the particulars of the day the 22^nd USCT attacked the 5^th Texas Infantry, since that is grist for the plot in McBee III. Suffice to say men died on both sides.

A curious part of the history of the 22^nd USCT is that after spending time in Virginia after Richmond was taken by Grant’s army, the 22^nd was transported by steamboat to Brownsville, Texas. There they fought Texans again in the last battle of the Civil War in May of 1865, at Palmetto Ranch near the Mexico-Texas border--almost a month after Lee surrendered at Appomattox.

A last point about the flag is the Latin motto at the top, loosely translated: Death to Tyrants. Virtually the same motto can be found on some of the Confederate regimental flags scattered around in museums. Both sides were quick to label the enemy as tyrants, validating their own side's position by name-calling the other. Sounds familiar to today's politics, and war.

That’s the history lesson for this week.