S3E7 - Off to War

Hello and welcome to the Story of Rhode Island. The podcast that tells you the story of Rhode Island’s fascinating history. In last week’s episode we watched Irish immigrant John Gordon be unjustly executed for killing a wealthy industrialist named Amasa Sprague. While John’s execution left the Gordon family in ruins, the Sprague family managed to bounce back following the murder of their family patriarch. In fact, as we jump into this week’s episode, we visit the late Amasa’s son, William, on a January afternoon in 1860. It’s been 17 years since William’s father was murdered but the agony it caused his family still haunts him. Just 13 at the time, he’ll never forget hearing his mother’s relentless cries of sorrow as she grieved her husband’s death. But now at 29 years old and the new head of the family business, William knows that he has no time for such sad thoughts, so he buries his emotions deep inside of him and gets back to work. Similar to William, Rhode Island has also grown quite a bit since Amasa’s murder. An industrial powerhouse, Rhode Island’s banking capital has grown by 109%, the woolen industry by over 700%, and the state’s bread and butter, the textile industry, by 187%, an impressive feat given how large it was to begin with. But like all growth, this progress has not been linear. A few years back, America was struck by an economic depression known as the Panic of 1857 and Rhode Island businesses are still working their way out of its trenches. And William, like all other industrialists at the time, feels the anxiety that comes with these difficulties. As he sits restlessly in his chair situated behind his large, intricately carved desk, his business partners provide an update on their newly built mill. They let him know that the spindles and looms are functioning properly and the mill is churning out yarn and cloth even faster than they expected. While anxiously stroking his mustache, William responds with “That’s good but what about the profits?” “Well sir, they’re…they’re lower than we hoped but business is struggling everywhere and…” but before he can finish his sentence William stands up and shouts “Nonesense! I’m tired of the excuses”. Then, while leaning over his desk and making his somewhat small stature seem as though it’s the size of a giant, he tells his men he knows there are buyers out there. They just need to find them. Following his tirade, William sends his associates on their way and turns around to look out his office window. While peering down at the snow filled streets, he worries about the future of his company. But unbeknownst to William, his business will be turned around soon enough as a war is about to break out and nothing accelerates business quite like a war. However, America’s fight will not be against some far off, foreign adversary but instead against itself. Over the next year, Rhode Islanders like William Sprague will watch tensions between America’s northern and southern states continue to rise until the two sides decide that their differences can’t be resolved with words. In search of military glory, Sprague will lead Rhode Islanders into what he, like most Americans, think will be nothing more than a 90 days war. Unfortunately, after a catastrophic first battle, he’ll quickly come to the realization that this conflict will be far deadlier than anyone could’ve ever imagined. The story of life in Rhode Island during the onset of the Civil War is what we’ll cover in this episode of the Story of Rhode Island Podcast.

Intro Music

Like the age-old saying of Rome in its heyday, a map of Rhode Island in the 1860s makes it seem as though all roads lead to Providence. Shooting out from the state’s founding city and into nearby communities are turnpikes and railroads fueling its economy. These thoroughfares, some built over ancient paths used by indigenous communities long before European settlement, connect Providence to farm products and resources in the western countryside, finished goods from the state’s many mill towns while also escorting weary travelers going to and from Boston and New York. And due to all this economic activity, providence is now Rhode Island’s leading industrial center. The city seems to have its hands in every industry one could imagine; from textiles to machine tools to metals. Even maritime trade, the industry that once dominated life in the city, still plays a role in driving economic growth in Providence. As a result, Providence’s population has grown dramatically and it is now home to nearly 30% of the state population. And as we visit the state’s founding city on a February afternoon in 1860 we find ourselves at Union Station. The stub-end train station, a symbol of any mid 19th century city’s national prominence, demonstrates to all that Providence is now a thriving metropolis. As men and women hop off of one of the three railroads arriving at Union Station they eagerly make their way to the second floor of Railroad Hall. Speaking on this frigid winter night is a 51 year old man from Illinois that Rhode Islanders are becoming intrigued with. His name is Abraham Lincoln and this midwestern candidate has just begun making ripples in the young Republican Party, a party created mainly to oppose the growth of slavery in the United States. Lincoln’s just come from making a rousing speech at the Cooper Institute in Manhattan, helping him to make inroads among the northeastern community. For nearly an hour people continue to squeeze into the assembly hall until every inch of space is taken. Finally, the doors close, and the tall, skinny man they’ve been waiting for begins making his way to the center of the stage. The tension filling the building reflects the animosity that exists between America’s northern and southern states. After decades of sidestepping the issue of slavery, differing opinions on the horrific institution are beginning to threaten the nation with civil war. Throughout the 1850s 50 people were killed in Kansas as pro and anti-slavery factions clashed over whether the state would enter the Union as a free state or a slave state, a saga known as bloody Kansas. More recently, in the fall of 1859, a radical abolitionist named John Brown was executed after his failed attempt at initiating a slave revolt at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. The historic event made Southerners even more distrustful of the Northerners' encroachment on their so-called 'peculiar institution,' inspiring them to begin violently attacking Yankees throughout their communities. And now, the man standing in front of this large crowd hopes that his words will convince the Rhode Islanders that he is the one who can keep the Union intact, enabling him to become the Republican Party’s 1860 presidential candidate. As Lincoln’s voice echoes throughout the Providence assembly hall, he hits on many of the same points he discussed just a day earlier during his historic Cooper Union Address. Many of the people in the crowd, having never heard Lincoln speak before, find themselves captivated by his eloquent message and are increasingly convinced that he’s well equipped for the nation’s highest office. Following his speech, the ripples he’s been making in the northeast turn into waves and a growing portion of the Rhode Island population become supportive of Lincoln’s belief that the institution of slavery cannot be defended by the U.S. Constitution. This sentiment is deepend when Lincoln makes another speech in Woonsocket in early March. By May, the once lesser known, slender individual from the midwest has made enough inroads throughout the north to be nominated the 1860 Republican presidential candidate. However, what’s important to keep in mind is that Lincoln wins the hearts and minds of the Rhode Island electorate not because he is a gung ho fighter of slavery but because they see him as a more moderate option than the more radical Republican abolitionists. Like the majority of Northerners, Rhode Islanders oppose slavery but are not willing to see it abolished at the expense of the Union. And Rhode Island, perhaps more than any other state in the North, fears the economic consequences that would come with disunion. Along with the fact that their textile factories are fueled by cotton picked by enslaved southerners, South County villages like Peace Dale and Lafayette have built their entire communities around producing goods for southern slave owners. In fact, Rhode Island’s economic interests in the south make them so uniquely concerned about taking too radical of a stance on slavery that they are the only state in New England not to elect a Republican Governor in 1860. This is made possible by the more conservative arm of the state’s Republican party teaming up with the Democrats to get a Democratic elected Governor. And the man who ends up getting elected is William Sprague, the wealthy industrialist we met at the start of the episode. Unfortunately, for the young Sprague, he couldn’t have chosen a more difficult time to be elected into office. If he thought running a textile company was stressful, well, he’s quickly going to discover how being Governor of Rhode Island while America is on the verge of Civil War will be an even more daunting task.

While walking through downtown Providence on a fall afternoon in 1860, Governor Sprague, or as he’s also been called on account of his young age, the Boy Governor, looks at the Presidential Campaign posters littered throughout the city. After stopping to pick up one of the posters on the ground, he sees the face of Abraham Lincoln at its center. As he stares at the image of the Republican presidential nominee, he thinks about what it would mean for his state if Lincoln were to be elected president. Although nominated largely due to his moderate stance on slavery, the south considers any Republican candidate a threat to their way of life to the point where they’ve threatened to secede if Lincoln is elected President. While many northerners take little stock in such a threat, Governor Sprague is forced to think of the consequences that would come with such an action. If the slave state’s do in fact secede then does that mean war, he asks himself? If so, then how will his fellow Rhode Islanders react? Will men both young and old decide to valiantly leave their families behind and risk their lives in defense of the union or will they prefer to avoid the bloodshed and just allow the slave states to walk away? Then, following his moment of contemplation, he drops the poster on the ground, looks up toward the sky and thinks about the state’s business affairs. Rising high into the sky is smoke coming from one of the city’s various factories. Ever since Samuel Slater built America's first textile mill in Pawtucket decades earlier these factories have been reliant on cotton grown and picked by enslaved southerners. And now, with 35% of the state’s population employed by textile and other manufacturing companies, he worries about how a break in their relationship with the south could put many out of work. But eventually, Sprague decides that there’s no need to worry just yet. Although Lincoln will likely be elected president, he doubts that the south will actually secede. For the next hour or so, Sprague continues on with his stroll but eventually makes his way back home to his elegant mansion. By the time he falls asleep that night, his mind has already shifted back to his business affairs and away from his concerns about the nation's unity. However, over the next couple of months he comes to realize just how valid his concerns truly were. Following Abraham Lincoln being elected President, South Carolina announces that it’s seceding from the Union in December. Shortly after that Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas follow suit as well. Then, in February of 1861, things continue to pick up steam when the Confederate States of America are organized and Jefferson Davis is appointed their provisional president. And finally, the nation’s once solely political strife seems as though it’s bound to become violent when northern and southern forces come toe to toe at a military base known as Fort Sumter.

Although most of his formative years were spent in school or learning the ins and outs of the family business, William Sprague has always had a tertiary interest in military affairs, or at least the glory that comes with it. When Thomas Wilson Dorr turned his political upheaval into an armed rebellion back in 1842, a 12 year old Sprague convinced a group of boys to begin drilling and marching so that they could help repel an attack by the Dorrites. Thankfully, state troops discovered the boys in the midst of their shenanigans and sent them home before any of them got hurt. Then, in his teens and early twenties, Sprague drilled with the Providence marine artillery company for years and was eventually promoted to Colonel, albeit likely due to the fact that he paid all of the company’s bills. And now, with the nation on the precipice of war, Sprague has this same military mindset while thinking of how his state can help if hostilities were to ensue. For the past few weeks, the southern confederacy has been seizing federal property within their boundaries, one of these places being a South Carolina military base known as Fort Sumter. However, instead of surrendering the fort, Union soldiers have decided to stand their ground. Unfortunately, their supplies are running dangerously low and it looks as though President Lincoln now only has two equally abysmal options on the table; he can either surrender the fort and look weak or send in reinforcements to help the troops fight their way out, likely initiating war with the south. Thankfully, Lincoln’s brilliance has allowed him to come up with an alternative. He’s informed South Carolina’s Governor that he is sending in an unarmed ship with nothing more than food for hungry men. If He and Jefferson Davis choose to fire on their peaceful maneuver then they will be the ones to blame for igniting a war. And so, with the world tensely waiting to see what happens, we visit Sprague as he writes a letter to the president letting him know that Rhode Island is ready to come to his defense if a war were to break out. It’s a late April evening in 1861 and the Boy Governor informs Lincoln that he has a battery of light artillery and a force of 1,000 men. They are well disciplined and equipped for battle. If President Lincoln feels they are needed then they can be ready to march out to defend the nation’s capital at a moment’s notice. Finally, he closes out the letter by dating it April 11th 1861 and signing his name as “Your obedient servant, William Sprague”. However, before the letter can even make it to Washington, events begin to unfold that initiate the American Civil War. Only hours after sending his letter, in the early hours of April 12th, Jefferson Davis preemptively fires on Fort Sumter before the supply ships can make it to the Union soldiers. At that very moment, President Lincoln, Governor Sprague, and the rest of America is well aware that any chance of a peaceful resolution has passed. The very next day, Lincoln issues a proclamation calling for 75,000 men into service tasked with putting down the insurrection in the south. And since Lincoln, like the rest of the north, anticipates a quick conflict, he only calls them into service for 90 days. The positive response from Rhode Islanders and the rest of the northern states is almost overwhelming. Galvanized by what they believe will be an easy war, northerners left and right enlist in the fight to smash the south’s annoying threats once and for all. Then, on April 20th, the First Rhode Island Regiment, a group of brave soldiers consisting of a thousand men dispersed among 10 different militia companies, lines up at Exchange Place in Providence and is surrounded by cheering civilians as they move out. As the soldiers dressed in blue flannel pullovers and gray woolen trousers walk past the crowd their stoicism impresses the onlookers. Although armed with U.S. Model 1855 Rifle-Musket and bayonet they don’t anticipate they’ll be needed that much. They have little doubt that a quick showing of force will knock some sense into these southern rebels and allow them to return back home to their friends and loved ones. Unfortunately, as we all know, the north is in for a much longer fight than they ever could’ve imagined.

Written on a piece of rag paper is a letter composed by Sullivan Ballou, a Union soldier from Smithfield Rhode Island. The letter he's writing is addressed to his wife, Sarah, who along with their two children, Edgar and William, pray that Sullivan will return home safely. It’s mid July, and after months of preparation by both northern and southern states, it finally looks as though the first major battle in the American Civil War is about to begin. Stationed at Camp Sprague in Washington DC, Ballou begins his note by telling his wife how he believes it’ll only be another day or two before his regiment moves out to engage the confederates. With the time for battle just around the corner, he feels compelled to write a few lines to her while he still can. The 32-year old soldier can’t help but shake a morbid feeling that’s looming over him. He has a strong premonition that this war will be the death of him and that pretty soon he shall “be no more”. But he tells his wife that he has QUOTE “no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged UNQUOTE. In fact, he explains how he’s perfectly willing to sacrifice his life to defend their country’s government. And although The death he feels fast approaching worries him, it also makes him grateful for the time he’s had with his wife. He tells Sarah QUOTE “The memories of the blissful moments I have spent with you come creeping over me, and I feel most gratified to God and to you that I have enjoyed them for so long UNQUOTE”. With his love for her in mind and having seemingly come to the forgone conclusion that he will die in battle, he tells his wife to never forget how much he loves her and to know that if the worse were to happen and his life were to be taken while on the battlefield that he will be whispering her name while dying. Finally, he closes out his letter with QUOTE “But, O Sarah! If the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you; in the gladdest days and in the darkest nights … always, always, and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath, as the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by. Sarah do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for thee, for we shall meet again … UNQUOTE. And with that, Ballou folds up the rag paper and sticks it in an envelope to be sent out to his beloved Sarah. His words not only represent the painful emotions that come with a final goodbye from a loving husband and father but the ultimate sacrifice so many brave Rhode Islanders will make to defend the Union.

Located about a mile west of Bull Run Creek in Virginia, is a brigade of Rhode Island troops. Commanding them is Colonel Ambrose Burnside, a man from Bristol, Rhode Island who we’ll discuss in far more detail throughout the war. His troops make up a fraction of the 30,000 Union soldiers who are about to engage an equally sized Confederate force in the first major battle of the Civil War. Burnside's brigade consists of a regiment from New York, New Hampshire and 3 from Rhode Island. One of the soldiers in the Rhode Island regiments is Sullivan Ballou, a man who we already know is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the union. Although it’s still early in the morning, the soldiers can already feel the humid air pressing down on them as they march towards the enemy. While all are understandably nervous, others are energized by the opportunity for military glory this battle can bring. One of these men is William Sprague, the Boy Governor who months earlier promised President Lincoln that his state would be ready to fight if it came to such a thing. As Sprague sits upon his dashing white horse, he valiantly follows close behind his fellow Rhode Islanders. Then, out of nowhere, bullets are heard whizzing through the air and before they know it Sprague, Ballou, and Burnside are thrust into the heat of battle. Realizing his men have been startled by the fire, Colonel Burnside takes a moment to remind them of their training. Finally, with his men regrouped and ready to engage the enemy Burnside shouts FORWARD! Immediately Lieutenant Ballou and the others begin pressing forward. Moments later, the artillery is given the same order and responds just as bravely. With the brigade now fully engaged in combat, Union and confederate troops begin dropping left and right. Although many of the union soldiers are new to combat they perform extremely well. Unfortunately, just as he predicted, one of the individuals mortally wounded by the onslaught is Sullivan Ballou. Amidst all the chaos, Ballou has part of his right leg torn off by a six-pounder cannonball, a gruesome injury that he succumbs to a week later. Eventually, Governor Sprague notices that the battle is going their way so he rides his horse deeper into the fighting. But as soon as he does, an enemy shot takes out his horse and sends him flying to the ground. In shock by what’s just occurred, he stumbles to his feet and is momentarily rushed off the battlefield by a fellow soldier. The fighting rages on for another couple of hours but by the end of the morning the Union troops manage to force the rebels to make a slight retreat to a nearby high ground called Henry House Hill. After taking about an hour to regroup, Union forces begin launching their next attack. Within 15 minutes the fighting is just as hot as it was earlier on in the day and as southern lines grow thin it begins to look as though the north is on their way to winning a smashing victory. Word of their progress quickly makes its way back to Washington about 20 miles east and northern politicians are once again convinced that this whole ordeal will be over just as quickly as it started. However, shortly after midday, everything changes. First, a legend is made when Confederate General, Thomas J. Jackson, a former professor and a devout Presbyterian, reinforces the line at Henry House Hill. While under heavy fire and with troops in his regiment dropping left and right, Jackson and his men continue to hold the line against all odds. A fellow General uses their bravery as an example and tells his men QUOTE “Look men, there is Jackson standing like a stone wall! Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer. UNQUOTE. And on that day, they do in fact conquer the battlefield. As more rebel reinforcements are moved into the battle, Union soldiers, tired and exhausted from 14 hours of marching and fighting, slowly begin falling back. Then, their steady retreat turns into a mad dash back to Washington as enemy soldiers come running towards them. Heard coming from the confederates in their rear is an eerie, high pitched scream that eventually becomes known as the “rebel yell”. By early evening, the fighting comes to an end and the Union suffers a decisive tactical defeat. The battle, known to northerners as Bull Run and southerners as Manassas, energizes confederate forces and makes them even more committed to protecting their rebel confederacy. On the other hand, the north is devastated. At that very moment, any hope they had of putting a swift end to this conflict goes right out the window and everyone comes to accept the fact that this war will be far longer than they originally thought. Perhaps the only positive from the battle is that Sullivan Ballou's name and the sacrifice he made for his country is not forgotten. Over a century after the war, Ken Burns releases his critically acclaimed documentary on the Civil War and the letter Ballou wrote to his wife is featured in one of the episodes, turning the Rhode Islander into one of the many legends of the Civil War. However, more recently, historian and Rhode Island native, Robert Grandchamp, has claimed that the tale of Ballou writing the letter is more of a myth than a legend as He believes that Ballou wasn’t actually the one who wrote this letter. But I’ll add more details on that in this episode’s webpage so you can decide for yourself. As for the Boy Governor, well the fighting he saw that day would be enough for him. After the battle, William Sprague returns home and redirects his focus on politics, a completely understandable decision given he’s a politician not a soldier. Which leaves us with the man who commanded the Rhode Islanders at Bull Run, Colonel Ambrose Burnside, a man whose contribution to the Civil War we’ll take a closer look at in next week’s episode. While other Rhode Islanders will play a key role on the homefront, none will have as much of an impact on the battlefield as Burnside. His military career, although not without its challenges, will give us a closer look at the role America’s smallest state plays in defending the union. We’ll follow him as he travels into the heart of enemy territory and watch as he leads his men into the horrors of the American Civil War. But that’s a story for next time on next week’s episode of The Story of Rhode Island Podcast.