One of the side benefits of catching up on Juneteenth is this: I've learned a little more about my direct paternal ancestor Sam France, because he was involved in the occupation of Texas in 1865. His unit, the 31st Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment, was sent by steam ship down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, where they camped for a while, then by ship out in the Gulf to disembark at Indianola, Texas. Sam France had been wounded at Shiloh and Stones River (Murfreesboro) and promoted to corporal; by the time he reached Texas he was about twenty-five years old. The 31st Indiana was part of Major General David S. Stanley's IV Corps, which was composed mostly of "Western" men (what we would now call Midwestern), with units from Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, etc.
Also learned something about Indianola, a strategic port location in 1865. For a while, it competed directly against other strategic Texas entry points like Galveston and Corpus Christi. But then something bad happened: in 1875, a hurricane destroyed much of the town and killed scores and scores of people (akin to the recent Joplin Tornado); the coup de grâce, though, came in 1886, when what has been retroactively classified as a Category Five hurricane knocked over the town once again. Indianola is now little more than a ghost town in a watery grave. It served its national purpose well in 1865-1866, though.
Today's Rune: Partnership.
4 comments:
It may just be me, and having seen what the frickin' ocean can do when it is seduced I think anyone living near a barrier island is a wee bit off kilter.
I've heard vaguely of Indianola but didn't know it's history. I may have to look up some more stuff on it.
Wow...interesting! Funny how things that have had such significance can just vanish over time.
Erik, history is interesting on it's own and even better when our family is involved. We cross our fingers and hold our breath with our Keys joint in sometimes peril!
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