Missouri Guerrillas and North Texas

One of my favorite movies of all time is Josey Wales. I must have seen it a dozen times. I finally obtained the book the movie was based upon, Gone to Texas by Forrest Carter.  After reading only a few pages, I was reminded of how connected Indian Territory and North Texas (where I lived and where my parents live now)  was to the Confederate Partisans of Missouri.  Evidently, they often made their way here.  To understand these guerrilla fighters, is it important to see them in context. As Carter says in his preface, “Missouri is called the Mother of Outlaws.”  She acquired her title in the aftermath of the Civil War, when bitter men who had fought without benefit of rules in the Border War (a war with a War) could find no place for themselves in a society of old enmities and Reconstruction government . . . Many of them drifted to Texas.”

Carter says that with “muffled horses’ hooves, they would slip through Union lines to cross the Indian Nations on their way to Texas to lick their wounds and regroup. But always they came back” (9).

These men were likely the fiercest fighters in the Confederacy.  They were feared and hated by the Federal (Yankee)  forces, so much that in 1862, General Halleck issued General Order Two: Exterminate the guerrillas of Missouri; shoot them down like animals hang all prisoners.”  This was followed by General Order Eleven which gave orders to arrest the womenfolk, to burn the homes and to depopulate the Missouri counties along the Border of Kansas.

My point is that these fierce Confederates often moved through North Texas and Indian Territory. Quantrill was in Bonham, Bloody Bill Anderson’s men camped outside of Sherman and married a saloon girl from the area, and there’s little doubt that some of the other fighters left a desolate Missouri, moved here to stay and were absorbed by the Red River Valley’s population.  I know that in the Kemp Cemetery there is a grave of a soldier who was in the 6th Missouri. Whether he’s Confederate or Federal, I’m not sure, but I intend to look into it.

If you can obtain a copy of Carter’s book, I think you’ll enjoy it.  It reflects good research and if you like to read westerns, it will stir your heart.

*Correction to an earlier post: I reposted the correct and complete lyrics to Mickey Newbury’s song, “Nights When I Am Sane” on Oct. 19, 2008. I finally obtained the CD it was on. Yesterday, I listened to the song till I was manic. I have these creative episodes now and then in which I temporarily lose my head.

I’ve reviewed a few of Jed Marum’s CD’s on this blog in previous posts. Jed’s site is here: I believe him to be one of the most talented guitarist and vocalist in the Celtic music world. I’ve listened to hundreds of songs related to the War Between the States, and I believe Marum has also composed some of the finest Civil War music of this age. After listening to Marum’s newest CD production, Sands of Aberdeen, once again I must say that I am impressed with Marum’s musical vision and with the quality of his work  as well as that of the wonderfully talented musicians who work with him. Here’s a little bit of information on this new CD:
The album was recorded in Dallas and in Toronto and was produced by Paul Mills. This has been been a LONESTAR STOUT project and includes Hugh Morrison, Mason Brown, Pete Dawson along with Jed and Jaime Marum and David Shaw. The new album features original and traditional music, a blend of Scottish, Irish and American roots music with a strong Celtic flavor.

I intend to do a few posts on this CD, including posting interviews with the other band members. For today, as I immediately fell in love with the title song of the CD, “Sands of Aberdeen,” a ghost story, I decided to begin with it. Here are the lyrics along with a few of Marum’s notes on the song.

JED MARUM LYRICS:

Sands of Aberdeen, (c) Jed Marum, 2008

Grey and blue while I wait for you
All on the South Breakwater
Overdue how I long for you
I long to see your sail

May the Cold North Sea bring you home to me
I am my mother’s daughter
From that foreign shore, frozen Labrador
Home to Cruden Bay

CHO: Every night I hear your footsteps
Climbing up my stair
You kiss my cheek and I awaken
I speak your name
But you’re not there

Time wears away
Wearing day by day
Are you still among the living?
Months have been
Since you should have seen
The sands of Aberdeen

Time wears away
Still I wait and pray
Along the South Breakwater
I watch for you
How I long for you
I long for your embrace

Notes: I used a diary of a Scottish sailor and fisherman who sailed with his crew from England in the 1830s to form the back story for this song. They would fish and trap for furs in Labrador each season. They’d wait for the sea ice to break up in the spring, then set up camp for the summer. Ships in those days didn’t always return home, and sometimes those left behind in Scotland and the UK would never have a clue what happened to their loved ones who sailed away to the new world. I wondered how the young wife of a sea captain from Aberdeen might feel while facing the likely loss of her husband to the frozen Labrador shores or the unforgiving North Atlantic.
You can find more information on Jed Marum, his music, CD’s, and order this newest release, The Sands of Aberdeen here:

Here is a photo of Jed:

Jed Marum at Chicago Gaelic Park Irish Fest

I’ve always been a fan of Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind. I have the novel, the movie, have books about the movie, and collect every article I can on it. I know of two museums devoted to Mitchell’s novel–one is in Jefferson, Texas and one in the Atlanta area. I intend to visit both of them. I’m designing a college course of Civil War fiction, and I intend Gone with the Wind to be one of the works we study. Certainly, the novel was one of the books that inspired me to write my own, Stories of the Confederate South.

I just finished Michener’s book, Literary Reflections: Michener on Michener, Margaret Mitchell, Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote & Others (Forge 1993). One section was devoted to Gone with the Wind, and I was delighted to read Michener’s thoughts on Ms. Mitchell and on the novel. I’ve always admired Michener as a writer, though I’ve only read two of his novels–Caravans (about Afghanistan) and The Covenant (a prophetic work about South Africa). One late night when I lived in Naples, Florida, I remember hearing him interviewed on a distant talk radio program. That is one of the memories we writers have, one of the trigger experiences that plunged us into the brutal world of writing.

Here are some quotations from Michener’s book concerning Mitchell and Gone with the Wind:

“[T]he things Scarlet set her mind on were unthinkable” (205)

“[C]ritics will have to grapple with the problem of why her novel has remained so readable and so important to so many people” (207)
“Within a year of publication, 1,383,000 copies had been sold. Today [1993] sales stand at about 21,000,000” (207)

“[T]his story of a saucy French-Irish girl of sixteen facing up to the Civil War and holding her family together through the post-war reconstruction became more than a mere novel. It became a symbol” (208).

“Primarily, however, it is the South that changes, altered by war and defeat and social upheaval and stark determination to reestablish itself” (220).

Trivia: Mitchell’s original title was “Tomorrow is Another Day.” Scarlett’s original name was Pansy (after Mitchell’s favorite flower).

I hope you’ll pardon the brief, personal, and therefore, uninteresting post today.

Last night, in addition to meeting with contacts and a small informal signing, I went to House of Shock in New Orleans. What an experience! You can see and read all about the House of Shock here: It has to be the largest, the best, and the most frightening haunted house attraction I’ve ever been to. It is so frightening that one customer actually died from fright. I kid you not. The staff is numerous and well-costumed, the lines are long, and after attending this, no haunted house could hope to compare.

During my return drive today, I met with several teachers, librarians, and a principal in Brookhaven and in McComb. The good news on that as a result of these visits is that I’m going to present a program at the Mississippi School of the Arts in the future, as well as the McComb, MS Public Library. There are a few other programs in the works as a result of my queries, but I’ll let you know about those as they are confirmed.

I was so impressed with the students at the School of the Arts. THOSE are my kind of people. And after viewing a dance class, talking to some creative writers, and seeing visual artists hard at work (the artists are taught by my good friend, Tito) I’d have to say that the brightest and most creative kids in Mississippi are likely to be at this school. I was most impressed! And three of my books are now in the school’s library! I wish Louisiana would have been bold and loved the arts as much as Mississippi did when it created this school. You can see and read all about the school here:

I just arrived home from my two-day trip, and I did not make plans for tonight. I’m overloaded with work anyway. Perhaps I’ll watch a movie or two, but whatever I do, I know my thoughts will be on Halloween–one of my favorite nights of the year.

After an exhausting Friday in New Orleans, an exhausting but exhilarating weekend at NELA Celtic Fest, I am delighted to share this news: Pelican Publishing in Gretna, Louisiana, has agreed to publish two more of my children’s books. These are working titles, as I know the publisher has the right to tweak things. The first is another alphabet picture book with a working title of The Little Confederate’s ABC Book.  I intend for this to be sort of Civil War primer for the children of the South.  Our Southern culture and history is slipping from public and family consciousness and we need to hold on to it. Each letter of the alphabet has text in poem form that teaches the young Southern scholars about the words, history, people, and culture of the South during the Civil War.

The second book has a working title of Sunday School with Professor Jackson, and it tells the story of a black Sunday Presbyterian Sunday school that the great Stonewall Jackson taught at just before the War Between the States.  Several notable and influential black educators and ministers came from that Sunday school. They were also grateful for Jackson’s work, even raising money for a stained-glass window in their church that honored Stonewall. You can see that window today in the church in Roanoke, VA.

The next stage involves the publisher finding a good artist for the work. I suspect the book will be available sometime next year.  I’ll publish sample poems with some illustrations as the artwork comes in.

Tomorrow, I’ll be speaking at the state convention of the Louisiana Reading Association. My topic is, “Why Authors Should Fall to their Knees and Worship Librarians.” I’ll try to make a post about that event tomorrow night.

Yesterday afternoon, I was at Tisket-a-Tasket on Decateur Street in New Orleans. The signing went well, and Ms. Lisa, the owner, as usual was a delight to work with. I met people from all parts of the U.S. including a couple of people from Scotland (They bought the Scottish ABC book) From there, I drove to the Barnes and Noble in Metairie. There, I worked on my online classes for a couple of hours, then presented story time. What a delightful group of parents and children I met!  I told stories of the Civil War and of Scotland and also played my guitar. Here is a photo of me and Gina Liuzza, the Community Relations Manager of that store. She loves her work and it shows in the quality of the program she’s been able to build. She said she was quite pleased with my program.  It looks like this is a store I’ll be back to. I did one signing years ago for my novel, Red River Fever.

I returned home to Monroe late–about 1:00 a.m. Rose early to go to the Celtic Fest here. I worked till about 7:30 p.m. and then left.  It was a great day.  I ‘ll be back tomorrow and certainly will have more to report. I ran into several old friends. Here is a photo of my friend Amy, a very creative and sharp lady whom I haven’t seen in a long time.

I decided to look at again at James Lee Burke’s novel, Two for Texas. As words are important, I decided to make a little Texas vocabulary quiz from words in the book. Take the quiz and see how you do. The answers are below.

Vocabulary Quiz from James Lee Burke’s Two for Texas

1. Who were Houston’s “Twin sisters of Texas”?
2. What were Zapadores?
3. What is a jenny-barner?
4. What Texas Indian tribe mentioned practiced and was known and feared for their ritual cannibalism (of enemies)?
5. What is a cutpurse?
6. The name of the only man who refused to stay and die in the Alamo.
7.  In the historical setting, the town of San Antonio was known as what?
8.  Which Alamo defender was said in the book to be related to Santa Anna by marriage?
9.  What is deguello?
10.  What were maisons de chiens?

Answers:

1. Two six-pounder cannon.
2. These men were the elite, crack troops of Santa Anna.
3. A prostitute
4. Tonkawas
5. Pickpocket
6. Louis “Moses” Rose
7.  Bexar
8.  Jim Bowie
9. A bugle call indicating that no quarter will be given to survivors.
10.  Dog houses. Wooden punishment boxes in the Louisiana prison system that prisoners were locked into.  In the cramped, hot space, with only a cigar-size hole for air, men were known to go mad or suffer intense physical damage to their body.

BOOK SIGNING NEWS:

Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll be in the French Quarter for signings. Tomorrow night, I’ll be at the Barnes and Noble in Metairie at 7:00 p.m. signing books and doing a story time. I’ll then have to drive back to Monroe as I have a busy weekend with the Celtic Festival here. When I add that busy schedule to my online classes I must work with every day, it doesn’t leave much time for sleep.  I’ll post as I can this weekend–hopefully with some pictures.

I’ve always tended to read by author. When I find an author I like, I do try to read everything they write. I’ve long enjoyed the award winning author James Lee Burke with his Dave Robicheaux novels, so I was surprised to read a bit of his historical fiction entitled Two for Texas (Hyperion 1989). I was pleased with the read.

The novel reflects intense research. As is typical in his other novels, Burke avoids stereotypical writing and creates so many memorable phrases. My supervisor at Louisiana Delta Community College, Karen Harmon, a wonderful writer herself, studied under Burke. I wish I had been able to. The back jacket gives this summary of the novel:

“Sam Holland and Hugh Allison have only one thing in common–they escaped from prison together.   . . . What ensues is a whirlwind trip from Louisiana to Texas where they collide with flavorful characters and life-threatening circumstances. With teh world of their escape traveling fast, the only hope they hafve of freedom is by becoming key players in the Texas Revolution.”

Here are some lines I really liked:

“Where do you think you are? The regular rules don’t have nothing do to with this place” (10).

“It ain’t good to look back and sometimes figure how many years you lost . . .” (42).

[This is a prophetic statement] “Once this revolution is over, Texas won’t be no different than back in the Uninted States. They’ll have a rule for everything and a manacle to go with it” (65). I’ve often wondered about this scenario: Texas seceded from Mexico (by revolution). Texas joined the U.S. with the understanding it could leave. The Civil War came and Texas left. The U.S. made it stay. Hmmm.

“Sometimes you can’t do everything eright, boy” ( 92).

“Listen, boy. It’s no good to go back where you already been. It ain’t the same. Other people own it, and it ain’t yours no more” (113).

There are so many good lines in this novel, but these perhaps will pique your interest in Burke’s book. As I am working on my Texas school programs, I found this book a good investment.

Junior League Hollydays

Today turned cool. I drove back from Baton Rouge early this morning to attend my grandson’s baptism. I had a long day yesterday at the Junior League’s Hollydays where I played my guitar and signed books for the Lollipop Tree Children’s Store in Baton Rouge. I was there from 11:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. You should visit the store’s site here: Their motto is, “Where Imagination Grows.” They are located between Kenilworth Parkway and Staring Lane, near Mount Hope Plantation, at 8476 Highland Road Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808 225-615-8069. As the signing went very well, it appears I’ll be doing more signings with them in the future. I’ve never seen such shopping madness! I met so many cool people, but I was so busy I never got to leave the booth to look around! The Junior League gave away a new Mercedes in a raffle (tickets were five dollars). Alas, my one ticket didn’t win.

The store is owned and operated by Meredith Benoit and this Saturday she was helped Saturday by her Brent, also posing with us in the picture below. He is a novelist himself and we had some good discussion about writing). Here we are at the event.

Here is Stephany, a young lady who is going to be a teacher.

Saturday night, Michele Aucoin hosted a little soiree in Assumption Parish for some of us musicians. Steve (from Arkansas), Krushev (from Assumption Parish) and I played songs and talked until past midnight. This was my first time back to the parish in quite a while. I couldn’t help noticing the major damage the last storm had inflicted on the timber and several buildings in the area. One of Krushev’s songs is one I loved by Mickey Newbury . I did a search and found the lyrics. You can read the bio of the songwriter and descriptions of his music here: I intend to purchase his music. I searched unsuccessfully for the song on iTunes. Anyway, the song touched me. I wish now I had recorded Krushev singing the song.

Nights When I Am Sane by Mickey Newbury

Nights When I Am Sane by Mickey Newbury

Chorus:

Well, it’s cold on this mountain
When Winter comes along
The dew in the meadow
Is sprinkled alone

This road down to Nashville
Like crystal and stone
Its a place where a man
Sells his soul for a song

God knows I loved her
Too much I can see
Much more than she
Could have ever, ever loved me
If I was the last man
In East Tennessee

Well, at times I feel I need the rain
At time’s I need the sun
Pleasure is a thread of pain
When it is undone

My moments of insanity
Are never like a chain
I only know I am not free
The nights when I am sane

So do not be concerned my love
If you should see me cry
For the laughter does not change
To free the happiness inside
Just as there may seem to be
A smile that’s out of place.
It only means there is a pain
It hurts too much to face.

Chorus:

I’m just one man
Sometimes I wish I was three
I could take a .44 pistol to me
Put one  in my brain
Just for her memory
One more for my heart
And I would be free.

One more for my heart,
And I would be free.

I just returned from a wonderful day at Alba-Golden ISD. I presented about eight programs. Some of the classes and teachers were in costumes. As usual, the students were full of questions and they really got into the program. The girls especially love the “Language of the Fan” portion of the  program. Tomorrow, I must drive to Baton Rouge, for the Hollydays of the Junior League. There, I’m scheduled to sign books and play my guitar some.  You can read about Holllydays, Louisiana’s largest holiday market in Baton Rouge here:

After working there from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m., I have a party to attend and also play at in Assumption Parish. Will be a busy day. Teaching these online classes for Virginia College is keeping me very busy. Add to that my college classes at Delta and ULM, my band, my programs, work on my house–it hurts my head to think of all that needs to be done. I’ll try to do a post tomorrow about the Hollydays.