I Wish This Oscar Had Gone to the Duke

In honor of Sunday's Academy Awards, I'm sharing thematic movie quotes through my blogs. (I love movies almost as much as I love California and the Civil War, family history and country living, but I don't really have anything new to add to the topic of movie blogs, so I haven't created one of those yet.)

"She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" is by far one of my all-time favorite films. What's not to like about a John Wayne/John Ford western shot in color in Monument Valley???

John Wayne was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Captain Nathan Brittles and, although the movie doesn't relate directly to the Civil War, the quote does mention three memorable Civil War figures who served in California prior to the war.

Huntington to Host Civil War Exhibitions

The Huntington Library in San Marino, California, will host two exhibitions of Civil War photographs and related material this fall.

The photo exhibit, "A Strange and Fearful Interest: Death, Mourning and Memory in the American Civil War," will be presented in the MaryLou and George Boone Gallery. It will feature 150 Civil War photographs from the library's archives that offer a look at how the evolving technology of photography was able to capture, reflect and shape the nation's views of death and mourning. This exhibit opens October 13.

In a related exhibit, The Huntington will mount "A Just Cause: Voices of the Civil War," a display of Civil War library material, such as letters, diaries, and newspaper and magazine articles from the war, in the West Hall of the Library. This exhibit will open September 22.

The Huntington hosted an amazing exhibition on Abraham Lincoln that I was fortunate enough to see in 1993, so I'm sure this one will be equally amazing!

Another Collection of Civil War/California Links

Did some Google-searching over the weekend and came up with a variety of links related to California's involvement in the Civil War. Hope you enjoy them!

Street scenes of San Francisco during the Civil War

A look at how southern California tried to secede from northern California from KCET

President McKinley visits with Civil War veterans at the Soldiers' Home in Los Angeles

"San Diego in the Civil War" from the Journal of San Diego History, April 1961

Information about San Francisco's harbor defenses from the California State Military Museum

San Diego State University's "Echoes of the War: The Civil War at 150"

Lincoln and California

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington,

 D.C. 20540

Today is the 203rd anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth.

California fascinated Lincoln, and his plan to build a transcontinental railroad made the west coast of America more accessible to residents in the east and midwest. He had two conversations about California on April 14, 1865, one with his wife and one with Speaker of the House of Representatives, Salmon Chase. Chase planned to visit the Golden State soon, and Lincoln wanted him to thank the miners for their important work that helped the Union pay for the war effort.

A few weeks earlier, Lincoln told another friend: “I have long desired to see California; the production of her gold mines has been a marvel to me, and her stand for the Union, her generous offerings to the Sanitary Commission, and her loyal representatives have endeared your people to me; and nothing would give me more pleasure than a visit to the Pacific shore, and to say in person to your citizens, ‘God bless you for your devotion to the Union,’ but the unknown is before us. I may say, however, that I have it now in purpose when the railroad is finished, to visit your wonderful state.”


For more information on Lincoln and California, click here. Lincoln's California legacy is documented on a site from the California state parks that coincided with the bicentennial celebration of his birth in 2009.

A Little-Known Moment in Arizona History

Granville H. Oury

Tuesday marks the anniversary of Arizona's statehood. On Feb. 14, 1912, it became the 48th state, but 50 years earlier, it became part of the Confederate States of America--even before it became part of the United States. A year later, Arizona became part of the United States when it became a U.S. territory on Feb. 24, 1863.

Granville Henderson Oury of Tucson (1825-1891) was the territory's delegate to the Confederate Congress, and a historical marker near the town of Florence commemorates his service. Oury is buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Florence, where he practiced law after serving as a territorial representative, the territorial attorney general, and a Congressional representative.

During the war, Oury served as captain of Herbert’s Battalion, Arizona Cavalry, Confederate Army. He took the oath of allegiance at Fort Mason, Arizona, in October 1865. Before moving to Arizona, Oury mined in Marysville, California, during the Gold Rush.

Col. Emil Fritz: From Immigrant to Businessman

Col. Emil Fritz was born in Germany in 1832. He joined the Gold Rush to California and became captain of the 1st California Calvary when the California Column was being formed to defend the territories of New Mexico and Arizona against Confederate invasion. Fritz's men arrived too late to defend the territory against Rebel invaders, so they were sent to Fort Sumner to help control the Navajos who had taken the Long Walk to Bosque Redondo. Col. Fritz and his men participated in the campaign against the Kiowas and Comanches that Kit Carson organized, and he was breveted for heroism at the Battle of Adobe Walls. He was mustered out in 1866 and became business partners with Lawrence Murphy in Lincoln County, New Mexico. Col. Fritz died of tuberculosis and kidney disease in 1874, and the settlement of his estate in New Mexico figured into the start of the Lincoln County Wars.  Photo from the Richard K. Tibbals Collection at the United States Army Military History Institute

Captain Augustus Starr, 2nd California Cavalry

Captain Augustus Washington Starr was born in Ohio in 1834. He came to California during the Gold Rush where he first operated his own store, then later served as a clerk in another retail establishment in Sacramento. At the start of the Civil War, Starr helped raise a cavalry company and was commissioned second lieutenant in Company F, 2nd California Cavalry. During the war, he fought the Maidu Indians. After the war, he remained in the cavalry, serving with the 8th U.S. Cavalry until 1871. Capt. Starr then supervised a flour mill in Vallejo. Capt. Starr died in Napa in 1907 and is buried in the St. Helena Public Cemetery. Photo from the Richard K. Tibbals Collection at the United States Army Military History Institute

Henry Black: West Point Graduate

Henry Moore Black was born in Pennsylvania in 1827. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1847 and served as an assistant instructor of artillery until serving with the 4th Infantry in the Mexican War. He was also posted to Florida, Missouri, Kansas and the Indian Territory with the 9th Infantry. He was promoted to captain and served at several forts in Washington state before being assigned to San Francisco at the start of the Civil War. He commanded the garrisons at Alcatraz and Benicia Barracks and the District of Humboldt as colonel of the 6th California Infantry. Between 1864 and 1870, Col. Black served as Commandant of Cadets at the US Military Academy, where he also taught artillery, infantry and cavalry tactics. He served at numerous posts in the South, Far West and East until he retired in 1891. Col. Black died in 1893 and is buried at West Point. Photo from the United States Army Military History Institute