Carter Van Vleck Learns the Craft of War, and Pays the Ultimate Price
One of the fun
aspects of researching local Civil War figures is that each trail that you
follow seems to branch off into many other interesting paths. While researching Knoxville’s Albert Eads,
who later settled in Macomb, I discovered Carter Van Vleck and his wonderful
legacy of Civil War letters.
During the Battle
of Fredericksburg, General Lee is said to have turned to one of his
subordinates and reflected somberly, “it
is well that war is so terrible, else we should grow fond of it.” Carter Van Vleck, a lawyer from McDonough
County, penned similar feelings in October of 1862.
“It takes an immense amt. of study to learn
well the art of killing people, without getting killed yourself. And that is the greatest secret of war, to
kill and cripple the enemy to the greatest degree with the least possible
damage to those under your command. It
is a fearful yet a very pleasant study.
I like it much better than I expected to and much better than anything
else I have ever studied or practiced.”
Teresa K. Lehr has gathered and edited
a 277 page book of Van Vleck’s letters. Emerging Leader, The Letters of Carter Van
Vleck to his Wife, Patty, 1862-1864.
The letters that I quote from are from this expertly edited volume which
is available in paperback for $17.95.
Carter Van Vleck is a highly literate officer whose letters make
engrossing reading. It didn’t take me
long to immerse myself in his life, watching him grow as an officer and leader,
and learning that his fascination with war eventually would sour to
disillusionment and sadness as he dealt with incompetent leaders, both
spiritual and military, and watched too many good men and friends die in battle
and of disease.
I am not the
first person to fall under the spell of Colonel Van Vleck. Ms. Lehr attests to falling in love with the
man twenty years ago when she first discovered his letters and became
fascinated with the thoughts and presence of the man that came to life through
the written material, and Professor John Hallwas, in a review of Ms. Lehr’s
book, pays tribute to his “war experience, his values and his spiritual
struggle” and notes that he’s “the most notable Civil War figure buried in
{Macomb’s} Oakwood Cemetery.” Steve
Raymond thrust the Colonel to center stage in his regimental history of the 78th
Illinois, as he greatly relied on the Colonel’s keen observations as a primary
source . If you are interested in local history, an
avid Civil War enthusiast, or just looking for an engrossing read, Emerging Leader, the Letters of Carter Van
Vleck belongs in your library.
Where do I begin
with such a multi-faceted man? A little
background information is in order.
Carter Van Vleck had been employed as a teacher, a merchant, a
homeopathic physician and finally as a lawyer before he enlisted in the 78th
Illinois. He had been married to his
wife, Patty for 12 years before he went off to war, and it had been a close and
loving relationship This is evident in
his letters to her. They had shared the
grief of losing three of their four children all before their first
birthday. Their love and hopes centered
upon their remaining child, Nellie, who was four years old when her father
first left to go to war. There are
pictures in the book of young Nellie as well as a letter that she painstakingly
wrote to her father on wide-lined paper in a child’s crude block letters. Ms. Lehr has managed to find and include
pictures of Carter and Patty as well. Little
touches like this add to the poignancy of the story. Before the war Carter and Patty were active
in the Macomb Presbyterian Church Sunday School, and Carter, as befitted a
young aspiring professional of his time, joined the Masons and became active
politically, joining the Democratic Party, but as the war approached, Van Vleck
became more and more opposed to the party’s stance on the slavery issue, so he
helped to organize a non-partisan political group that touted “Unconditional
Union.” He was respected in his
profession. In 1859 the Macomb Eagle endorsed him as “one of the
ablest and most successful lawyers in this part of the State and is surpassed
by none in legal ability, indefatigable research, and unwearied endeavor.” When the war broke out Patty was elected to
the Macomb Ladies Relief Society, a group which worked as such groups do
nowadays, for the comfort and aid of sick and wounded soldiers. Carter did not enlist until the summer of
1862, which some may wonder at, given that the war had been raging for a year,
but the couple had lost their 6 month old son, Charlie, in September of 1861,
and no doubt Carter felt the need to be there to help his wife handle her grief
at the loss of yet another child at a very young age.
Theresa Lehr has
divided the book into five parts. The
first takes the regiment from its inception in Camp Quincy, Illinois to
Kentucky. It mainly deals with training
and shaping the regiment into soldiers and with men such as Van Vleck learning
to adjust to leadership roles. The
second section takes the regiment into Tennessee. Personality conflicts begin to rear their
head as the men (including Van Vleck) vent their displeasure at the
incompetency of General Charles C. Gilbert and Colonel William Benneson. Observing the shortcomings of these men who
were thrust into positions of command that they demonstrated a complete
unfitness for, no doubt taught Carter Van Vleck valuable leadership lessons
that would serve him in good stead later.
It is always best to learn from someone else’s mistakes. Part three takes the regiment as far as Chattanooga. General Gilbert and Colonel Benneson are
finally replaced, and there’s a very interesting account of the capture and
execution of two Confederate spies. Part
four takes the regiment to Chickamauga and beyond, where Major Broaddus is
killed and Carter Van Vleck wounded, and part five takes the regiment and
Carter Van Vleck, by this time a Colonel and a greatly admired leader, to the
outskirts of Atlanta. During the
following weeks of this article on the book Emerging Leader, the Letters of Carter Van Vleck, I will let his
eloquent letters themselves do most of the speaking.
Carter Van Vleck,
like any soldier, missed the comforts of home and the companionship and
physical presence of a wife that he loved deeply. An excerpt from a March 1863, letter is
eloquent proof of this.
“ To say merely that I love you more than all else on earth, &
that I long to return to your loved embrace, that I think of you constantly,
even when I’m filled with the cares of the regt. And dream of you and our dear
Nellie very often, is but to repeat what you already know, not only from
assurances often made for twenty years, but from a consistent devotion and
constant fidelity for the same period.
So that although my letters should not contain one affectionate word,
you still could not for a moment doubt that I love you and am still faithful to
my vow, and I know, that your love& fidelity to me are none the less to be
doubted, under any circumstances.”
As an officer,
Carter Van Vleck had to put the thoughts of home, his daughter and a loving
wife behind him and deal with the bureaucracy of leading a group of men and
dealing with superiors that often did little to earn respect. Much to his disgust and chagrin, he had two
such fools to contend with:
Colonel William Benneson and General Charles C.
Gilbert. Carter Van Vleck vented his
frustration in his letters to Patty about his dealings with the two worthless
leaders.
“I realize the unfortunate situation we are
in with regard to officers in command of us, and was it not for the duty I feel
to be due from me to the noble band of patriots, which in the Providence of God
has fallen to my command, I should not hesitate an hour to tender my
resignation.”
General Gilbert and Colonel Benneson’s
quarrel escalated to where General Gilbert had the Colonel relieved from
command due to “feeble health.” The
Colonel, rather than protesting, seemed content to do nothing but eat, sleep
and draw his pay, having had his responsibilities lifted from him. What raised Van Vleck’s ire is that the
Colonel seemed satisfied with the arrangement.
“Such a complete & disgraceful back down
I never have seen, it surprises & disgusts everybody. It is a plain confession of cowardice and
imbecility. It shows a desire to be relieved
of any command or responsibility. He
{Benneson} is satisfied not only to compel others to do his duties,
while he draws the pay, but to share his disgrace and the thousand
discomfitures that a vindictive General can heap upon a hated & disgusted &
vanquished inferior and his subordinates, while the power of redress is in his
hands & all the rest of us are powerless.”
It did not take long for Carter Van
Vleck to lock horns with General Gilbert as well. The situation began when an officious provost
guard used insulting language toward one of Van Vleck’s men when ordering him
to extinguish the lights in his tent.
Sergeant Hamilton had words with the guard and was placed under arrest. Other men in the company, having heard the
altercation, took up their guns and moved to protect the Sergeant from what
they perceived as an injustice. Carter
goes on to describe the situation and what ensued in a letter to Patty.
…”I may safely say that had the arrest been
attempted, the guard would have been a dead man in a minute. When I arrived Captain Reynolds was trying to
persuade the guard (who was waiting for reinforcements and talking very loudly
and profanely) to be a little more gentlemanly in his bearing.
As soon as I learned the cause of the
trouble, I sent for Srgt. Hamilton & found that he was still in bed taking
no part in the disturbance. I told him
to get up, put on his clothes & to follow me, which he did, & I took
him to my tent & had him sleep with me that night. The crowd immediately dispersed and the guard
went away.”
Captain Reynolds
went to the Provost Marshall and complained of the conduct of the guard. The Marshall, instead, ordered Reynolds to
send Sgt. Hamilton to the guardhouse to spend the night there. Carter continues the account in his letter to
Patty.
“I refused to let him go. He had committed no offense, & while I
have life and strength, my men shall not be dragged to the guardhouse to suit
the caprice of anybody’s dog……The same demand was made of me the next morning
and I refused again to let him go.
Capt. Reynolds and myself made separate,
full and specific statements of the facts to Genl. Gilbert expecting that the
guard would be severely punished, as we naturally would, but on the
contrary. Both the Captain and myself
were yesterday ordered under arrest for ‘mutiny in exciting a large crowd of
soldiers to the resistance of the Provost Guard, whereby Sergeant Hamilton was
forcibly released from the lawful custody of the guard.’ The charge, is of course, perfectly
groundless & we care nothing for them & should be glad to have a trial
immediately, but will not be gratified….
After the arrest every officer in the
Regiment excepting Capt. Reynolds and myself who were prohibited by our arrest,
signed a petition to be relieved from Gilbert’s command & they say that if
the petition is not granted they will resign in a body. “
Within five days,
Carter had re-assuring news to send back to his wife. He wrote that “We have the best of assurances that we are rid of Gilbert for the last
time. General Granger sent for me soon
after Gilbert had left, & released me from my arrest & told me to
release Captain Reynolds.”
In a letter just
a week later, Carter wrote of the capture and execution of two Rebel
spies. In his letter to Patty, one can’t
help but compare the admiration that he showed for two of his foes, whose
bravery and willingness to die for a cause was as evident as General Gilbert’s incompetency
as a leader and Benneson’s abnegation of the role.
“Although they acknowledged the justness
of their sentence & that they knew the risk they were running when they
started out, yet they were very anxious to be shot and not hung, & got
permission to telegraph for that priviledge to {Gen.} Rosecrans, & we
waited until 9 o’clk AM for an answer but no answer came.
They were then taken out in the presence of
all the troops, & both hung to the same tree. It was the most Melancholy and painful sight
that I ever saw. They walked up to
gallaws with a firm step & were both noble looking fellows. The did not exhibit the least emotion until they
had the ropes adjusted & the hankerchiefs tied over their heads. They then embraced each other. The young man sobbed & nearly gave way to
his pent up feelings, but the Col. Promptly checked it, by saying ‘Let us die
like Men.’ And they did. I never saw or read of so fine an exhibition
of self-sacrificing devotion to a cause, nor so heroic and philosophical a resignation to such a terrible fate. I could not help admiring them as men &
sympathized deeply with them.”
Such were the
lessons in leadership and comportment that Van Vleck witnessed, endured and
absorbed. Witnessing leadership and
bravery, or the lack of it, was shaping him into a leader of men simply by observing the kind of man he
wanted to or did not wish to become.
By September 10th
of 1863 Carter Van Vleck was Colonel of the 78th Illinois. By this time Colonel Benneson had resigned
and General Gilbert had been sent packing.
It was just in time too, as the 78th would undergo one of its
severest trials near a river of death called Chickamauga. On September 21st he wrote a
rather sobering letter tp his loving wife.
Battle had not left him unscathed this time.
“We yesterday were engaged in one of the
most fearful battles of the war & our brigade was in the very thickest of
the fight. It took place about 14 miles
south of here. The whole line was
engaged & we were every where met by an overwhelming force & were
driven back 7 miles to Rossville, where the whole Army of the Cumberland was
concentrated…. The 78th suffered very severely. Major Broaddus was shot through the neck,
cutting the jugular vein on both sides.
He lived but a few minutes. I had
his body carried from the field. But as
we were compelled to send all the ambulances to the rear there was no
possibility of bringing off his body. I
will send for it at the first opportunity.
“The regiment drove the Rebels for a half
a mile, & stood its ground like a stone wall, from about noon until 5
o’clk. About 4 o’clk, my horse was shot under me and
killed instantly. When the brigade began
to fall back the Adjt. Offered me his horse, & while trying to mount it I
recd. a musket shot in the left forearm; the ball entering near & below the
elbow & following the main bone came out a short distance above the wrist,
no important bone was injured. I still
mounted my horse & conducted the Regt. Across a large ravine to the rear
where I formed a new line in perfect order.
As the enemy followed us across the ravine, we poured into them a most
destructive fire.
I remained until a further retreat was inevitable. I by this time had become so much exhausted
from severe pain and loss of blood that
I knew I had no time to loose in getting off the field. I soon found one of our Surgeons, who dressed
the arm & stopped the blood, & also found a saddle & a Bridle &
a horse voluntarily came to me & so did one of my Lieuts., who helped me
onto the horse….”
“I am suffering but little & the
Doctor says there is not the least danger but it will soon be well. Adjt. Green took command when I left, by
previous arrangement with the officers.
No language can express the valor and
noble bearing of the 78th.
Every officer and his man did his whole duty and nothing but his
duty. Bullets came as thick as snow
flakes & only lying down saved many of them. Those who had horses kept them {as
shields). Much love to all.”
Although a painful way to earn it, the
wound earned Colonel Van Vleck a furlough home to recover, a cherished 5 week
period of treasured time with his wife and young Nellie. The wound healed, but left him limited use of
his left arm. He returned to his
regiment on the 21st of November, 1863.
“I had a glorious reception by the
Regt. It made yesterday the most
glorious day of my life. All the
officers & most of the privates came & shook hands with me, within
three minutes after I got back, & they very nearly shook my arm off. I was very happy for awhile.”
The fighting became more constant as
the army slowly moved its way toward Atlanta.
The horrors of war were supplanting the grandeur of it. One of the most grisly episodes Carter Van
Vleck recounts is the recovery of Major Broaddus’s body to return it home three
and a half months after it was hastily interred in a mass battlefield
grave. The ravages of war depressed him
as well.
“It is heartrending to see the terrible
destitution about us here. Not a fence
or four-footed beast can be found anywhere in this vicinity. What the poor wretches live on it is hard to
see. A little corn meal & where they
even get that I cannot imagine, is all any of them appear to have to eat. Oh, how long will they be compelled thus to
suffer? Really, the rebellion seems to
be drawing near its close. Deserters are
coming in by squads of tens & hundreds every day and they all tell the same
tale of discontent and wretchedness & all agree that ‘the thing is played
out.””
Disenchantment with the war and
leadership continued to permeate the Colonel’s letters. The movements of troops that led to needless
slaughter coupled with the periods of inactivity that sapped a soldier’s
vitality and strength were both wearing upon him, and one senses a weariness
and resignation in his letters that is almost heartbreaking as the army slowly
maneuvers closer and closer toward the prize of Atlanta. On the morning of August 11th,
1864, he penned a short letter to Patty.
“ …I am feeling considerably better today
& have determined to go to the Regt. (unless it rains) this afternoon,
& to stay there as long as I am able, which I hope may be until this
campaign is over. I think there is no
longer any specific disease which I have to contend with. It is only general debility from which I can
as well recover at the regt. as here. I
am tired of this place & every body connected with it, & am much needed
at the regt.
The Northern sky is exceedingly dark just
now, in fact, I have never come so near the verge of despair as I now am. Hope seems almost gone, but I still have
faith in God, but in no other body and nothing else. Much love to all. A kiss for Nellie and the same devoted love
for Patty.”
A letter headed “Hospital, Aug. 11th,
1864 at 8:30PM” was tucked in the envelope.
“My Dearest Patty,
This is probably the last letter I shall
be able to write you. I went to the
regt. at noon & was struck by a stray bullet just at dark, the bullet still
being in my head. I thank God that I
have been spared to write you a few words.
Through God’s grace I I am prepared to die
as I have long lived, faithful to Him, to you and to my country. I hope I may possibly see you and Nellie
before I die, if not I shall meet you both in Heaven. Goodbye.
The grace of God bless you infinitely& bring you to me in Heaven
when God has finished his will with you here.
Much love to all and a kiss for Nellie
& my whole heart’s love for Pattie.”
Patty arrived at his bedside just
hours before he died, on the evening of the 23rd of August. It is best to let Patty have the last words in
this article. She wrote later in her
life that..
“with his death the joy and brightness went
out of my life.”
This is as moving a collection of
Civil War letters as I have ever read, with a strong local connection. I urge you to purchase a copy for your own
library. You won’t be disappointed.
Bibliography
Emerging Leader, the
Letters of Carter Van Vleck to his Wife Patty, 1862 to 1864 Transcribed and edited by Teresa K. Lehr and
Philip L. Gerber. Abridged by Teresa K.
Lehr IUniverse, 2012
“ A Long, hard war for
one Illinois regiment” Book Review,
John B. Saul, 2013
“In the Very Thickest
of the Fight: The Civil War Service of the 78th Illinois Volunteer
Regiment” Steve Raymond, Globe
Pequot Press, 2012
The Spiritual Struggle
of War: Macomb’s Carter Van Vleck” Book
Review, Dr. John Hallwas, 2012
Carter Van Vleck Gravesite Find A Grave website.
