Iconic Image 3

 Welcome back viewers

This month's iconic image is...

The Scourged Back 

Intro:

This photograph depicts a former slave turned soldier who is showing horrible scars from a beating he received while he was being held on a Louisiana plantation. This photo would come to symbolize the agony of American slavery and help to rally many Freedmen to enlist in the Union army and navy. It would also help to open the eyes of the American populace and help turn the tide of the American Civil War.

Part I

This photograph is believed to have been taken in March of 1863. At this point, the American Civil War had been raging for at least two and a half years. The war had been mostly fought on two fronts in the states of Virginia and Tennessee (Eastern front and Western Front). In Virginia, the Confederate army had was clearly winning against the invading Union armies. In Tennessee however, the Union (or Federal) army was winning in their push south of Tennessee and capturing numerous Confederate outposts on the Mississippi River. In other words, the war had reached a bitter stalemate with casualties rising into the tens of thousands.

Things began to change when President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This declared that all enslaved people in the Confederate states were hereby free (this did not include the slaves in Missouri, Kentucky, and Maryland). This gave many enslaved people in the South the courage to escape from their plantations and make a run to Union lines. One of them, was a young man named Gordon.

Part II

Gordon (sometimes called, Peter) was a slave from a 3,000 acre plantation in Louisiana. After he learned that Union soldiers had captured Louisiana's capitol (Baton Rouge), he escaped from the plantation and made a ten day run to Union lines. Despite being vigorously pursued by hunters (with bloodhounds), Gordon successfully evaded recapture by rubbing his body with onions. This confused the bloodhound's scent. After fleeing more than 80 miles, Gordon finally made it to Baton Rouge and stumbled into a Federal camp.

After arriving in the camp, Gordon was taken to it's hospital. During the examination, the surgeons noticed a large number of horrible keloid scars on Gordon's back that extended from his buttocks all the way to his shoulders. After being asked what had happened to him, Gordon explained that he had received a severe beating (although he did not say why) only a year earlier. His story of being nearly beaten to death quickly spread through the camp and eventually reached the ears of a photographer, named William D. McPherson.

McPherson was a member of the abolitionist movement and saw an opportunity photograph the truth about slavery in the United States. He and an assistant named, Oliver, asked Gordon to pose for a picture so that his story could be shown to the rest of the northern states, Gordon agreed. He then sat very still in a chair with a look of complete impassiveness on his face. McPherson and Oliver were able to take two solid images. 

Epilogue

The photograph was quickly developed and distributed in the Harper's Weekly newspaper (the most widely read newspaper journal at the time). The effect on the public was monumental. Hundreds of thousands of people saw for the very first time, the brutal reality that was slavery. This photograph ultimately help change public opinion about slavery and convinced thousands of young men (white and black) to enlist in the Union army and navy. One journalist wrote, "This photograph should be multiplied by 100,000 and scattered all over the United States". 

After the photograph was taken, Gordon eventually enlisted in the Union army. He served at the Siege of Port Hudson and was honorably discharged in 1865. From there, Gordon disappeared from all sources. His ultimate fate is unknown. What remains is the photograph. To this day, this photograph is the only one of it's kind that speaks of the agony that was slavery in the United States. It speaks for all that suffered under that brutality and ultimately played a roll in inspiring the Union to win the Civil War.

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/302544

https://www.abhmuseum.org/the-scourged-back-how-runaway-slave-and-soldier-private-gordon-changed-history/

https://www.history.com/news/whipped-peter-slavery-photo-scourged-back-real-story-civil-war

Hero of the week 99

 Welcome back viewers

This week's hero is...

John Bradley

John Bradley was born on July 10, 1923, in Antigo, Wisconsin. He grew up as a city boy hoping to eventually work in the funeral business. However, when the time came, he decided to answer a call to duty. Bradley joined the US Navy when he was 19 and qualified to serve as a hospital corpsman. Upon his graduation, Bradley was assigned to an infantry unit in the US Marine Corps in 1945. By now, World War II was in it's final year. Bradley would only see combat in one battle. However, it was a battle that would become the most famous and vicious of all engagements for the war in the Pacific. It would be on the barren volcanic island of Iwo Jima.

Since the island fortress contained an airfield, Iwo Jima was selected to be used as a base for American bombers and fighters to land and refuel after bombing mainland Japan. However, taking this island would not be easy. Iwo Jima was defended by more than 23,000 Japanese soldiers who were ready to give the last full measure in defense of their country. While under the command of an intelligent general named, Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the Japanese garrison had turned the island into an underground fortress. Instead of fighting in the open, the Japanese would fight from tunnels and hidden caves. 

When the American fleet arrived, they proceeded to bombard Iwo Jima for 10 days. On February 19, 1945, the assault officially began. As the first wave of American marines and sailors came ashore, the Japanese held their fire. But as soon as the marines had cleared the beach, the Japanese unleashed a vicious amount of fire that literally mowed them down. Bradley had been assigned to E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division. This unit came ashore in the ninth wave and received heavy casualties. 

On February 21, Bradley was part of the group that launched an attack against the island's high point. It was a dormant volcano named, Mount Surabachi. During the assault, he noticed a marine get shot down at the base of the mountain. In a complete disregard for his own safety, Bradley sprinted across thirty yards of open terrain to reach the marine. After treating the marine's wounds, Bradley lifted him up and ran back through a gauntlet of enemy fire until he reached American lines.

Two days later, Bradley was with a group of marines that ascended Mount Surabachi and raised a small American flag at it's crest. He and his comrades were photographed several times by marine photographer, Louis Lowery. Once it was clear the Mount Surabachi was secure, Bradley returned to the front. On March 4, a Japanese soldier charged Bradley while he was treating a wounded marine. He quickly pulled the marine's gun and shot the soldier when he was only feet from them. Eight days later, Bradley was severely wounded by a mortar round while trying to aid more of the wounded. He would see no further combat for the rest of the battle.

For his courage and valor during the battle of Iwo Jima, Pharmacist's Mate 2nd Class John Bradley received the Navy Cross and the Purple Heart. While he was recovering he and two marines (Ira Hayes and Rene Gagnon) were transferred back to the United States. The three had been identified as the ones who raised the flag above Mount Surabachi. They were taken on war bonding tours and successfully raised billions of dollars for the American war effort. However, Bradley hated being called a hero (as did Hayes and Gagnon) and adamantly refused all media requests. In November of 1945, he received a medical discharge from the US Navy.

After being discharged, Bradley returned to Antigo and raised a family. He became a funeral parlor and often donated to charities. According to his family, John Bradley suffered severe PTSD from his war experiences. One day, one of his sons found him crying on the stairs of his home, "Where is he? Where is he?". Near the end of his life, Bradley revealed to his son the man he was referring to was his best friend, Private Ralph "Iggy" Ignantowski. Iggy was a marine who disappeared during a Japanese attack on Bradley's position on March 4. Three days later, Bradley discovered his severely mutilated body in an enemy cave. Bradley had seen much carnage over the last few weeks, but the discovery of his best friend's horrifically violent killing was by far his worst memory. John Bradley passed away on January 11, 1994, at the age of 70.

For more than seven decades, John Bradley was thought to be one the six servicemen who were depicted in the famous flag-raising photograph by Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press. In 2016 however, it was discovered that although Bradley had raised the first flag above Mount Surabachi, he was not depicted in the more famous image that would come to symbolize the battle. Despite this revelation, John Bradley is still remembered as one of America's greatest heroes of World War II. His courage and valor were among the very best that our country had to offer. His story is one that should always be remembered.

https://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/2016/06/23/photo-mix-up-wont-tarnish-bradleys-legacy/86290252/

https://ss.sites.mtu.edu/mhugl/2015/10/11/john-bradley/

https://fampeople.com/cat-john-bradley-united-states-navy

Hero of the Week 98

 Welcome back viewers!

This week we will honor two heroes who share a connection

They are...

Margaret Corbin and Mary Hays 

 

Intro:

Margaret Corbin and Mary Hays were two patriotic women who answered a call to duty. They would both face some of the heaviest combat during the American Revolution. And their courage and valor would secure both women special places in American legend. 

Part I

Margaret Corbin (born Cochran) was born on November 12, 1751, in the Pennsylvania colony. She was the daughter of Scottish Irish immigrants who settled on the very edge of the colony's frontier line. Early in her life, Margaret suffered terrible loss when her father was killed by Iroquois warriors and her mother abducted (never to be heard from again). As a result, Margaret and her brother were then raised by an uncle. When she was 21, Margaret married a farmer named, John Corbin in 1772. Little did either of them know, they were about to play a major role in the coming revolution. 

When the American Revolution began in 1775, Margaret's husband was one of the first to enlist in the Continental Army. When the British attacked New York, the Continental Army was soundly defeated at the battle of Long Island, in August 1776. Although they had fought a successful defense at the battle of Harlem Heights (and a successful delaying action at White Plains, NY), the Patriots were pushed back to the north end of Manhattan. The bulk of the army was holed up in Fort Washington on Manhattan. On November 16, the British launched their attack.

Margaret had chosen to accompany the Continental Army as a volunteer nurse. Her husband John Corbin, was posted with a small artillery battery at the northern most point of Fort Washington. With around 250 riflemen to support them, they faced more than 800 British regulars and Hessian mercenaries. The patriots struggled to hold their ground against the oncoming force and managed to inflict some severe casualties on the attackers. 

During the attack, Margaret acted as a water carrier for the artillery and the wounded. When she looked up, she noticed John get hit by a Hessian volley that cut down many soldiers. With no time to mourn him, Margaret realized that her husband's cannon was now unmanned. She ran up to the gun and quickly reloaded it. She then fired the cannon into the advancing British and Hessians inflicting many casualties. She continued to reload and man the cannon until an enemy artillery shot destroyed it and knocked her unconscious. 

Part II

Mary (born Mary Ludwig) Hays was born on October 13, 1744, in the colony of New Jersey. She was the daughter of German immigrants who owned a small modest house. Much of her early life has not been documented except that she got married to a barber named, William Hays on July, 24 1769. And when the American Revolution began, like thousands of other Americans, both William and Mary answered the call to duty.

Mary's husband enlisted in the Continental Army in the year 1777. By September, heavy fighting was taking place in the Pennsylvania colony. The patriots had recently two devastating defeats at Brandywine Creek and Germantown. By December, Philadelphia had been captured by the British and the Continental Army retreated to a small village 18 miles north-west of the city. The village was named, Valley Forge. 

Mary Hays had accompanied her husband on the march to Valley Forge and helped care for the sick and wounded during the winter of 1777-78. During the six month stay at Valley Forge, Mary watched the army resupply and retrain. One thing that they devoted much of their time to was to effectively use their artillery. While the soldiers (including William Hays) were trained to fire and reload the guns, many of the women were used by the army as water-carriers. Their job was to continually supply the soldiers with water for the latter's hydration and to cool the cannons as they were being reloaded. Little did Mary know, she would end up doing far more than just carrying water.

After a six month respite, the Continental Army was ready to fight again; especially after the British departed Philadelphia in June 1778. Washington set out from Valley Forge and met the British on the fields of Monmouth, New Jersey. On June 28, 1778, (an exceptionally hot day with temperatures over 100 degrees) the two armies began the largest clash up to that point. During the engagement, Mary ran into the fray to deliver water to patriots as they advanced against the British. However, the intense heat caused many on both sides to pass out during the battle. One of those to pass out from heat stroke was William Hays. Upon seeing her husband fall, Mary quickly grabbed his ramrod and proceeded to assist the gunners in reloading the cannon. During the battle, Mary's group helped repulse at least two British assaults on their position. She continued to fight with her unit until the fighting had ended. After which, she helped tend to the wounded.

Epilogue: 

Despite Margaret Corbin's courage and valor at Fort Washington, this battle ended in defeat for the patriots. Although Washington managed to escape with most of his army, more than 2,800 Patriot soldiers (including Margaret) were forced to surrender to the British. Fortunately, the British agreed to release her (and some other severely wounded POWs) in a prisoner exchange. In 1779 (while the war was still being fought) Margaret became the very first woman in American history to receive a pension from the US Congress. Although she lived to see the end of the Revolution, Margaret Corbin never fully recovered from the wounds she had received at Fort Washington. She ultimately died due to complications from them on January 16, 1800. She was only 48.

At the end of the day both sides had agreed to disengage from the battlefield of Monmouth Court House. Tactically this battle had ended in a draw. However, since the British had suffered far more casualties than the Americans, history would remember this battle as a strategic victory (a victory in the long term) for the latter. For her part, both Mary Hays and her husband William had survived the battle. George Washington was so impressed by Mary's courage that he made her a non-commissioned officer in the Continental Army. For the rest of the war she was known as, "Sergeant Molly Pitcher". It was a moniker that would stay with her for the rest of her life. When the war ended, both Mary and William returned to Pennsylvania and lived a quiet life on their farm. Like Margaret Corbin before her, Mary Hays also received a pension from the US Congress for her gallant service during the American Revolution (although she had to wait until 1822 for it to be given). She passed away on January 22, 1832, at the age of 87.

In the long years since the American Revolution, most of the patriots who served as foot soldiers have been largely forgotten by the general American populace. Most people tend to remember the leaders who laid the groundworks that helped to spark the revolution and the generals who secured victory on the battlefield. However, when one reads about the stories of people like Margaret Corbin and Mary Hays, they will learn that the American foot soldier played a vital role in securing the future of the United States of America. Their courage and valor remain great examples of what ultimately made our country.

https://www.biography.com/military-figure/molly-pitcher

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mary-ludwig-hays

https://www.americanrevolutioninstitute.org/margaret-corbin-revolutionary/

https://www.dar.org/national-society/margaret-cochran-corbin

https://www.thoughtco.com/molly-pitcher-biography-3530670

Hero of the Week 97

 Welcome back viewers

This week's hero is...

Chiune Sugihara

Chiune Sugihara was born on January 1, 1900. He was raised by a middle-class family in the town of Kozuchi (now the city of Mino), Japan. From a young age, Sugihara expressed a desire to travel abroad. He decided to pursue a career in foreign ministry. After becoming fluent in the Russian language, he was chosen to be Japan's main diplomat to the country of Lithuania in 1939. He was instructed to report the movements of the Soviet Red Army and inform the Japanese government of the brewing hostilities in Europe. Little did he know, he would witness some of the worst horrors of the coming storm. 

By 1940, war had broken out and Poland had fallen to Nazi Germany. Sugihara was stationed at the Lithuanian temporary capital of Kaunas. It wasn't long before thousands of Polish refugees (mostly Jews) began flooding into Eastern European countries in order to escape the Nazis. Many of them gathered in Lithuania and spoke of atrocious acts of barbarity being committed against Poland's Jewish population. They also feared that it would not be long before the Nazis turned their attention to Eastern Europe and invade the Soviet Union.

Sugihara was horrified by these reports and asked the Japanese government for permission to issue travel visas to the refugees. To his astonishment, the Japanese Consul in Tokyo denied his request. Despite the denial, Sugihara refused to turn his back on those who needed help. He decided to issue the travel visas to the refugees without the consent of the Japanese government. 

For the next 29 days, Sugihara and his wife Yukiko, signed thousands of travel visas. On one day alone, the two of them issued 300 different visas to 300 different people. With their new travel visas, the refugees were able to board trains that took them deep into Russia. Some were able to make it all the way to China and even Japan. 

When the Japanese government learned of Sugihara's disobedience, the latter received a telegram that recalled he and his family back to Japan. Even as Chiune Sugihara began boarding the train, he continued to distribute last-minute travel visas to as many people as he could. By the time the train departed, Sugihara had successfully written more than 4,000 visas that enabled thousands of people to travel away from Lithuania and beyond the reach of the Nazis. 

Sadly, Sugihara's good deeds did not go unpunished. In 1944, the Japanese government reassigned him to Romania, where he was captured by the Red Army. After spending the next eighteen months in a Soviet prison camp, Sugihara returned to Japan and was informed by the Japanese foreign office that he was to be dismissed from his position due to his disobedience nearly five years earlier. He spent the next three decades doing odd jobs to support his wife and children. 

However, the thousands of people whom he had saved had never forgotten his brave acts of kindness to them. In 1984, Chiune Sugihara and his wife were invited to Israel to be honored as righteous among the nations. Sadly, the former was in ill health and could not attend the ceremony (Yukiko and one of their sons went in his place). In the last year of his life, Sugihara was asked why he did it. He answered, "They were people and they needed help. I'm glad I found the strength to make the decision to give it to them. I may have had to disobey my government. But if I don't, I would be disobeying God." Chinue Sugihara died on July 31, 1986. Yukiko Sugihara followed him on August 8, 2008.

During World War II, millions of people who were being targeted by Nazi Germany were arrested and killed in what would be known as the Holocaust. There were many people who were in positions that held the power to save those in need. Unfortunately most of these people (especially diplomats) chose to look the other way and not lift a finger to help them. Chiune Sugihara was one of the few who decided to make a difference. He used his influence to save people even if it meant defying his own country. Like so many before and after him, he did so much for others and received so little in return. 

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/chiune-sugihara

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/chiune-sempo-sugihara

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/04/chiune-sugihara-my-father-japanese-schindler-saved-6000-jews-lithuania

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/01/27/chiune-sugihara-jews-holocaust-japanese-schindler/