The Union Army in the Civil War Was Nearly Commanded by an Italian September 8, 2010

Had Abraham Lincoln Been Able to Offer his Emancipation Proclamation a Year Earlier, This Italian Military Hero May Have Been An American Military Hero As Well

Winfield Scott Lives up to his "Old Fuss and Feathers" moniker and the notion that he was a tired old man at 75

On This Date in History:  It has been well documented and reviewed that Abraham Lincoln had a difficult time finding a general to lead the Union Army at the outset of the Civil War and in the years to come.  The carousel of commanders ultimately ended with the elevation of General Ulysses S. Grant to the position of Lt. General of the Armies in 1864 following his victory at Vicksburg in 1863.  When the war began, Lincoln had a true military hero in General Winfield Scott who had gained accolades for his efforts in the War of 1812 and the Mexican War.  But “Old Fuss and Feathers,” as Scott was called, was 75 years old and in declining health when hostilities began in 1861.  After Scott had set forth his “Anaconda Plan” to strangle the South with a naval blockade, he retired from military service.

Lt. Colonel Robert E. Lee Could Not Turn His Back on Virginia

Before the war broke out. Scott had approached Lt. Colonel Robert E. Lee about taking command of the Union armies in the field.  Scott pleaded with Lee not to join the Confederacy.  Lee, however, felt great loyalty to his state of Virginia as its history had in some measure been shaped by his ancestors, including American Revolution hero Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee, Robert E. Lee’s father.  When Virginia voted to secede from the Union and Lee informed Scott of his decision, the aging general said, “Lee, you have made the greatest mistake of your life;  but I feared it would be so.”    Virginia officially proposed secession on April 17, 1861 and Robert E. Lee resigned from the US Army 3 days later.  Three days thereafter, Lee was named commander of the armed forces of Virginia.

McClellan's Deliberate Approach Was Good For Railroad Building But Not So Good For Waging War; Posing Like Napoleon Didn't Make Him Napoleon

From that point, it was all downhill for the Union.  President Lincoln turned to General George B. McClellan who was a West Point Graduate but had spent the most recent years with the railroads, most significantly plotting the course of the Northern Pacific Railroad across the Cascades.  He was gifted at organization and literally built the US Army from scratch.  But, McClellan envisioned himself as an American Napoleon and had a strained relationship with the president as exemplified by his reference to the Commander in Chief as an “idiot” or “the original gorilla.”  McClellan had been a good student at West Point and thus followed the doctrine taught at the academy which  was based on the ideas of Antoine Henri de Jomini.  In general, the military strategy involved maintaining supply and communications lines and securing key locations.  True to his organizational strengths, McClellan and other Union generals tended to take their time in preparation and tended to make deliberate, rather than decisive, moves.  Lincoln accused McClellan of having a case of “the slows.” 

Famous Alexander Gardner Photo of Dead Soldiers at Antietam

In September 1862, Lee invaded Maryland and split his army, which was unconventional, in order for him to follow the Jomini doctrine of securing his supply routes.  McClellan is said to have received advanced intelligence that informed him of Lee’s plans.  A Union soldier in Frederick, Maryland had found a pack of 3 cigars in the street and when he picked it up, he found the cigars were wrapped in Lee’s orders to his field commanders which outlined the strategy which were known as Lee’s Special Orders  no. 191.  McClellan was brimming with confidence that his much larger army could surprise and overcome the divided forces of the Army of Northern Virginia and achieve a great victory.  Alas,  in spite of the information, McClellan moved so slowly and with such deliberate care that Lee was able to regroup his army at Antietam.  The Battle of Antietam, which was fought near Antietam Creek  on September 17, 1862, was one of the bloodiest of the Civil War.  McClellan said it was a great victory but, in fact, his army with a two to one advantage in numbers missed an opportunity to destroy Lee’s army and perhaps end the war.  Lee escaped with his forces intact and McClellan failed to follow up with a pursuit.

Garibaldi Refused Command of Union Army Due To Lincoln's Reluctance to Commit to Free American Slaves

As it turns out, the name of George B. McClellan might be lost to history had Abraham Lincoln been successful a year before the Battle of Antietam.  You see, on this date in 1861, the president attempted to enlist the services of Italian Revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi to lead the Union Army.  Garibaldi had become famous in his own country in his successful operation to unify Italy.  Robert E. Lee did not join the Confederacy because he supported slavery, but instead out of loyalty to Virginia.  Garibaldi had no such loyalty issues and had fought against slavery in South America.  However, a sticking point in the attempt to gain the skills of Garibaldi was the Italian’s insistence that Lincoln promise that American slaves would be freed.  At that point, Lincoln’s objective was to preserve the Union and he doubted he could reach his objective and make such a commitment. 

Ever Heard of Don Carlos Buell?

Of course, 5 days after Antietam, President Lincoln announced his intention of issuing the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 that would free all slaves in areas in insurrection.  Lincoln said it was a military measure to help limit the South’s ability to make war.   However, it effectively freed the slaves since it would be incomprehensible to free those in bondage only to put them back in their former state once the war was over.  Had Lincoln felt as if he was in a position to make such a commitment in September 1862, then George B. McClellan might have been relegated as a footnote of history, like General Don Carlos Buell or even, in some measure, Winfield Scott. 

Light Italian Aircraft Carrier Named For Garibaldi

As it stands, it was Giuseppe Garibaldi who has been lost to American history.  Ultimately, victory was acheived under the command of Ulysses S. Grant, who was not a very good student at West Point and therefore had not been indoctrinated in the Jomini philosophy.  He developed a strategy that involved the “theatre of war” as well as using his overwhelming superiority in stregnth to simply attack and overwhelm the enemy.  The tactics involved are known as “Grantonian Tactics” and were later used by the likes of Erwin Rommel and Bernhard Montgomery.  The philsophy continues to this day and is described by historian Russell F. Weigley as The American Way of War.  The media has given some of those tactics the moniker, “Shock and Awe.”  As for Garibaldi, while he was never named as commander of the Union Army, the Italians did name an aircraft carrier in his honor.

Weather Bottom Line:  I saw someone on TV on Tuesday night say that the track of what is left over of Tropical Storm Hernine would determine if our rain chances go up at the end of the week.  What a crock.  A tropical cyclone is a very large feature and this storm remained well defined even as far north as San Antonio.  Its flow opens up the Gulf and the storm will track into the plains states.  The flow is so broad that most certainly, the moisture drawn up to the east of the center of the low will over run the cold front that came through on Tuesday.  The question will be whether or not the moisture will overcome the dry air and when it does, not the track of the system.  Look for a coolish night in the upper 50′s, a warm afternoon on Thursday with low humidity and high clouds on Thursday afternoon and then thickening clouds as the day progresses on Friday.  The dry air will limit the rain chances for awhile but by late Friday, into Friday night, its likely that our atmosphere will be saturated enough to give us a decent shot at some much needed rain.   The system will lift the front north as a warm front on Friday night or Saturday morning and that will be the best chance.  Saturday may be a shade warm and humid in advance of a cold front which may not only provide decent rain chances Saturday evening, but also, I would think, a risk of some trouble-making t’storms.

Kentucky Learns No Decision is the Wrong Decision; You Must Take a Stand May 20, 2010

Houses Divided Fall but What if they Can't Decide to Divide or Not?

Even a Kentucky Civil War Battle Map is Not Too Clear

On This Date in History:  The American Civil War split the nation in two:  North vs. South, Slave State vs. Free State.  Except for one thing.  Not all of the slave states seceded from the Union.  One of those states was Kentucky.  It had been formed from the state of Virginia and, as part of the deal, Kentucky had to be a slave state.  I suppose that there were two reasons for this little clause.  One was that the politicians were generally from the wealthy class and the wealthy minority owned the vast majority of slaves.  Also, slave-holding Virginia’s legislature wanted to double its power.  Because of distance and topography, it was extremely difficult to govern such a large area stretching from the Atlantic Coast to the Ohio River.  So, they almost had to do it.  But, they also knew that citizens in the western part of the state really wanted it too.  So, they agreed to the split and, by making certain that it was a slave state, ensured two more Senators from slave states as well as an additional delegation in the House of Representatives that would be supportive of the “slaveocracy.” 

Sherman Ruled Kentucky Long Enough To Be Called Insane

Well, as previously mentioned, the vast majority of slave-holders in Kentucky were wealthy planters.  The majority of people, however, did not own slaves.  So, that made for a difficult decision for legislators when it came to secession.  Not only were there more people who did not own slaves in the state, but also the Federal government was putting great pressure to have the state of the birth of Abraham Lincoln remain in the Union.  Militarily, it was also an extremely important strategic asset for the North as whomever held Louisville could control the Ohio River at the Falls of the Ohio.  Louisville was also a big rail hub for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and its connection to the South.  The Kentucky Legislature chose not to choose.  Instead, on this date in 1861, the state of Kentucky took a stand of neutrality.  They would officially not support the North nor the South.  It was a pretty short sighted position as I’m not sure how exactly the state thought that it could keep either side from sending troops through the state.  The fact is, they couldn’t. 

US Grant Rise to Prominence Followed Initial Confederate Invasion into Kentucky

President Lincoln was a very shrewd politician and so instead of forcing the issue, on July 10,1861 he wrote  Inspector General of the Kentucky Militia Simon B Buckner and stated that Federal Troops would not enter the Bluegrass State.  In essence he was taking the high road and probably understood that the Confederacy would not make such a claim but instead try to entice the slave state to join their ranks in some form or fashion.  If that was his thought, then he was correct because on September 4, 1861 Gideon Pillow led his Confederate troops out of Tennessee and into extreme Western Kentucky to set up fortifications at Columbus, KY.  Rebel Major General Leonidis Polk was in control of Arkansas and Missouri and he was the one who ordered Pillow into the state.  The South’s Secretary of War told Polk to withdraw but Confederate President Jefferson Davis over-ruled that order.   In reaction, Union General US Grant moved from Cairo, IL to secure Paducah and Smithfield.   Shortly thereafter, Grant started his climb to prominence with victories and Fort Henry and Fort Donnelson. 

Magoffin Was Stylin' With His Beard But Was Hardly a Trendsetting Governor

Obviously, neutrality was not going to work .  Both sides had violated the neutrality terms but the Confederates had started it.  Really, they had started it well before Pillow’s crossing the border.  See, Kentucky Governor Beriah Magoffin had signed the notice of neutrality but he had sympathies with the Confederacy.  So, he did nothing when Rebel recruiters came into the state.  He also did nothing when war materials were being exported South.  Lincoln, however, refrained from reacting because he was very sensitive to doing anything that might shove Kentucky into the arms of the Confederacy.  But in June elections, Unionists had won 5 of 6 Kentucky Congressional seats.  For some reason, many secessionists in the state decided it was wise to boycott the polls.  Then, in early August, Republicans won majorities in both houses of the Kentucky legislature. 

So, it should not be surprising that two weeks after Pillow moved into Kentucky, the legislature resolved that the Confederate “invaders must be expelled!”  Magoffin resigned and that was the end of neutrality.  The Union Army designated Louisville as the home of the Army of the Ohio. At first, it was under the command of Robert Anderson of Fort Sumter fame but he was in poor health and was replaced by William T. Sherman.  Sherman kept wildly saying he needed more troops and acted so eccentrically that he was seen by many as “insane.”  His career almost came to an end but instead he was transferred under the command of Henry Halleck in St. Louis where Sherman regained his composure and later regained his reputation as the right hand man of General Grant.  Don Carlos Buell took over in Louisville and commanded about 75,000 men.  They built some 15 forts around Louisville as a defense against Confederate invasion. 

When an adversary retreats after a battle, most of the time it's seen as a victory. Buell held the field after Perryville and the Confederates never returned to the state in force. Yet, Buell was fired and many want to say the Battle of Perryville was a Confederate victory.

In 1862, Braxton Bragg led an army of about 45, 000 into Kentucky.  He was convinced that Kentuckians were just waiting to join the Southern Cause.  He moved his troops in an tried to gain recruits.  By the time he got to Mumfordville, it became apparent that was not the case.  Reporter Whitelaw Reid, who later became the editor of the New York Tribune, said that Bragg complained that Kentuckians were “shuffling middlemen” who just sat on the sidelines waiting to see which side would be victorious before making a committment.  So, he tried a political solution by going to Frankfort and holding his own gubnatorial swearing in ceremony.  Perhaps he thought that if the Confederacy swore in a Confederate governor and simply claimed the state that the citizens would follow.  Instead, the ceremony was halted early due to the report of Union cannonfire from a detachment of artillery that was sent from Louisville by Buell.  It was a hot and dry summer and both Buell and Bragg had their men go to Perryville in order to get water from a creek.  A battle ensued with the Confederates inflicting more casualties but the Union holding the ground as overnight Bragg retreated.  Bragg continued to retreat all the way out of the state, never to return.  Buell didn’t follow him and he got fired, never to serve again.

Jeff Davis Monument: No Comparison to Washington

My research revealed a historian who claims that the people of Perryville buried the Union dead and left the Confederates to rot in the hot sun.  Some 25,000 Kentuckians fought for the Confederacy while over 125,000 wore the blue uniform.  Louisville was the home of 75,000 Union troops and was defended by 15 forts against Confederate invasion.  The Kentucky legislature called for the expulsion of Confederate armies.  When given the opportunity to join Bragg’s army, Kentuckians did not respond.  William Clarke Quantrill of “Quantrill’s Raiders” fame died in Louisville after being shot and captured near Smiley, KY.  Confederate Guerilla leader Marcellus Jerome Clarke aka Sue Mundy was executed in Louisville.  Doesn’t sound like much of a Southern state, does it?  Well, after the war, as part of the “Lost Cause” effort in the South, history changed.  Many of Louisville’s elites had been associated with the South and that’s what they wanted to remember.  Louisville, home of the Army of the Ohio, has a Confederate War Memorial.  Jefferson Davis was born in the state but lived in Kentucky for just a few years before he moved to Mississippi. He did return to go to school for a few years but his life’s work was really in Mississippi.   Yet, his statue is in the state capital.  There is also monolith monument to Davis in Fairview, KY that resembles the Washington Memorial.  Not a single Union memorial is in the state.  On April 17, 1885 Louisville led the nation in a birthday celebration of the 63rd year of Ulysses S. Grant.  You can find a plaque commemorating the event on Grant’s tomb but not one word of it is in the 1896 Memorial History of Louisville.  The same is true of the decade long National Industrial Exposition yet, the 5 year Southern Exposition has an entire chapter all to itself.  No…Kentucky said it was neutral but sided with the Union.  It’s history was tied with the North.  I’ve seen a quote that says that “in 1865, Louisville was a Northern City and by 1900 it was a Southern City.”  Most Kentuckians have been raised to think it was always in the South.  Nevertheless, those of us from more southern regions know better. 

No Matter What Party of the Country you Associate Kentucky, It's a Very Interesting and Nice Place to Live

When my friend Kim Stevens, from Muscle Shoals, AL married a young man from Louisville, her family said that they guessed it was okay for her to marry a Yankee.  When Snow White and I were in Savanah, GA and discussing the war between the states with a tour guide, when she found out that we were from Kentucky she dismissed us as being Yankees.   Much of Kentucky gets from 1 to 2 feet of snow each year and annually has at least one night of near zero or below zero temperatures.  Last year, Louisville went through the entire month of July without a single high temperature in the 90′s.  The South?  No…but its not the North either, nor the Midwest or the East.  What makes Kentucky so difficult to pinpoint geographically also makes it difficult to define culturally.  And from a climatological and meterological perspective, its location makes it extremely difficult to categorize and forecast.  Perhaps that is why the state legislature could not make up its mind in 1861.  But, one thing that I think is certain, this conundrum is exactly why I think the state is a wonderful place to live.

Weather Bottom Line:  Thursday evening into Thursday night will most likely produce some pretty good storms with rain totals over an inch.  We don’t need that.  We don’t need severe storms either but most likely we will not see those but its worth keeping an eye on. Some troubling storms with wind and small hail may be on the loose in a couple of areas.  Still looks like we heat up and dry out from the weekend forward.

Tsunami Claims At Least 34; Philippines Death Toll Rises; US General killed by fellow officer September 29, 2009

Tropical Storm Parma Will Miss Philippines

Update Found HERE

Tropical Storm Ketsana dropped some 17 inches of rain in 12 hours on one of the most populous cities on earth, Manila.  The Philippines is not a wealthy country and there are reports that international aid is pouring in.  But, as of Sept 29, the big donor has been Japan at about $220,000.  The US has pledged $100,000.  We have ballplayers who make more than that in one day.  I suppose its good to wait and see what is needed but it seems to me that much more will be needed.  The US Navy is assisting in search and rescue operations.  There are numerous sources for flooding photos from the Philippines.   Stories are flying across the wires that the Philippines will get hit by another tropical cyclone.  Well, that’s a bit of hyperbole.  Yes, there is a tropical storm.  Yes, it is expected to become a typhoon.  Yes, it is moving in the general direction of the Philippines.  But, the latest forecast calls for it to turn and head toward Taiwan.  Now, with this course, the northern Philippines can expect unwanted rain in the form of bands passing through, but don’t believe the headlines just yet that imply the Philippines will be struck dead on with another tropical cyclone in a few days.

Elsewhere in the Pacific, there was a lot of shaking going on and frayed nerves.  Ever since the tsunami in Thailand, the press has become tuned in, acting as if its a new phenomena.  Video and the internet clued in ignorant journalists to what pacific rim folks have known for centuries, that tsunamis can be extremely devastating.  While there have not been world wide reports regarding deaths, there was a 5 foot tsunami in American Samoa that occured following a giant quake  that has been reported as 7.9, 8.3 and 8.0 and was moderately shallow at 11.2 miles depth.  It was known for quite sometime that at least one village was washed away but CBS now reports at least 14 have died on American Samoa. Later reports have the death toll up to 34.   Here are the details from the USGS.

Earthquake Details

Magnitude	8.0
Date-Time	Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 17:48:11 UTC Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 06:48:11 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location	15.558°S, 172.073°W
Depth	18 km (11.2 miles) set by location program
Region	SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
Distances	185 km (115 miles) ENE of Hihifo, Tonga 195 km (125 miles) S of APIA, Samoa 705 km (435 miles) NNE of NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga 2700 km (1670 miles) NNE of Auckland, New Zealand
Location Uncertainty	horizontal +/- 6.6 km (4.1 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters	NST=293, Nph=293, Dmin=>999 km, Rmss=1.07 sec, Gp= 32°, M-type=teleseismic moment magnitude (Mw), Version=8
Source	USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID	us2009mdbi

The USGS also has a summary regarding the plate tectonics involved specifically with the event:

Tectonic Summary

The broad-scale tectonics of the Tonga region are dominated by the relative convergence of the Pacific and Australia plates, with the Pacific plate subducting westward beneath the Australia plate at the Tonga trench. At the latitude of the earthquake of September 29, 2009, the Pacific plate moves westward with respect to the interior of the Australia plate at a velocity of about 86 mm/year. The earthquake occurred near the northern end of a 3,000 km long segment of the Pacific/Australia plate boundary that trends north-northeast.; farther north of the earthquake’s source region, the plate boundary trends northwest and then west. The eastern edge of the broad Australia plate may be viewed as a collection of small plates or microplates that move with respect to each other and with respect to the Pacific plate and the Australia plate interior.

On the basis of currently available location and fault mechanism information, we infer that the September 29 earthquake occurred as a normal fault rupture on or near the outer rise of the subducting Pacific plate.

The broad-scale Australia/Pacific plate boundary is one of the most active earthquake regions in the world. Earthquakes occur on the thrust-fault boundary between the Australia and Pacific plates, within the Pacific plate on both sides of the trench, and within and on the boundaries of the small plates that compose the eastern edge of the overall Australia plate.

Bull Nelson Before Demise

On This Date in History: Union General William “Bull” Nelson got his name from being a big, bearish man who used his physical size to intimidate others. He had initially been an officer in the navy and somehow became a general in the army. But the Bull was butchered in the Galt House in Louisville on this date in 1862. Not only was he murdered by another Union General named Jefferson Davis, he met his demise in the presence of the Governor of Indiana.

NY Illustrated News Captured the Moment

In the summer of 1862, while General Don Carlos Buell was wandering around Tennessee with his Louisville based Army of the Ohio building railroads following the battle of Shiloh, the contingent of men left to defend Louisville was left to one of Buell’s subordinates, Nelson. Confederate General Braxton Bragg began a campaign into Kentucky and the fear was he would get to Louisville before Buell could return. So, while Buell was plodding along back to Louisville, Nelson started putting cannon on the Indiana side of the river so he could shell the city if the Confederates ever invaded. For some reason, Bragg didn’t come to Louisville…probably a blunder…though he was probably fearful of the reception he would get from the populous. So, as Buell’s army trickled back in, Nelson spied Gen. Jeff Davis of Indiana ordering his men to dig in. Bull didn’t think much of that and let Davis know.

Jefferson C Davis Didn't Man Up

Davis wasn’t pleased but instead of manning up and facing Bull, he ran back to Indianapolis and fetched Indiana Governor Oliver Morton and on the evening of September 29 1862 in the stairwell of the Galt House in Louisville, tough guy Davis confronted Nelson. He challenged the powerful Nelson to a duel who, in front of Morton, rebuffed Davis with a scoff and then with the back of his hand when pressed. Nelson went up the stairs and our hero Davis grabbed a pistol, ran up the stairs and shot General Nelson dead. Before he died, Nelson tried to cover all of his bases by getting baptized but that didn’t help with the post mortem scales of justice. See, Buell had Davis arrested but Buell got fired about two months later following the battle of Perryville. With Buell out of the way and the main witness being a good Republican Governor from a Union State, Davis never faced trial and so the murder of a Union General in front of several witnesses was never “solved.” And so ends another tale of courage and justice during the Civil War and it all happened at the Galt House.

No word on whether or not Davis spent the rest of his life looking on golf courses for the real killer.

Louisville NWS Wed AM Forecast Temps

Weather Bottom Line:  You can tell that I didn’t look at the stuff too much because I missed a feature that I should have caught.  It was a vort lobe swinging around the main low.  Very common with winter systems and this is a winter-like system.  So, we had wrap around clouds and many people never got to the 60′s.  Now, the trofiness associated with the lobe should continue to pinwheel around and we will clear out.  I suspsect that the winds will also decrease so I still think overnight lows in the 30′s for the northern 1/3 of the area is reasonable to expect.  We had temps in the mid 40′s last night and I think that the low to mid 40′s will be popular.  Wednesday will be a better day with plenty of sunshine and the mercury in the mid 60′s.  Low 70′s on Thursday and then Friday is a bit in the air.  We’ll be in a situation where we have a front approaching that will try to drag up warm moist air before it gets replaced by another round of cooler air.  Its possible that we get some strong storms…but I gotta believe that everything has to come together at the right time for that to occur. So, we’ll see how it unfolds.

No More Bull and No More Hurricane Kyle September 29, 2008

Davis Declares No More Bull

if you hurry, you may be able to catch the tropical storm kyle radar loop by CLICKING HERE before it scoots off out of radar range into Canada. just navigate away from the ohio valley default location and move northeast, then click animate to loop.

We have one more day of warmer than average temperatures before we do a flip-flop. We’ve had below average rain totals for every month this summer and it is carrying into fall. A cold front coming through early Tuesday will bring some light showers but nothing of real consequence. While I think everyone will get some rain, you will be hard pressed to find anyone who got a quarter inch before it comes to an end midday on Tuesday. Highs for the rest of the week will be in the upper 60′s and low 70′s and over night lows for a couple of nights will be in the low 40′s. It would not surprise me to see some folks in the outlying areas get to the upper 30′s on Thursday morning and maybe Friday morning as well. We warm up some over next weekend but no real rain is in the offing.

Tropical Storm Kyle Satellite IR image 0929 0245Z

Tropical Storm Kyle Forecast Track 0928 11pm

Tropical Storm Kyle: Yes, we’re back to a tropical storm and it is no longer Hurricane Kyle. Most of Sunday it held on to the more robust moniker though it didn’t deserve it. The winds were about the only thing that was hurricane about it. It was a becoming a cold core low with arguably a front extending from it, was over water temperatures in the 50′s and the air temperatures were in the low 60′s. Nothing really tropical about it but since it had already been a hurricane, might as well keep it as that designation to keep the public up to speed. It made landfall east of Maine and will be moving quickly to and through the Gulf of St. Lawrence and into Quebec by Monday night. Canadian officials are concerned that people inland aren’t taking the storm seriously and so thats why its well enough that they kept the more menacing designation for as long as they did. We can tell you in Louisville, winds of 40-60 mph for several hours and cause a lot of damage and make for a lot of headaches. Look to the bottom for the National Hurricane Center Tropical Storm Kyle Forecast Discussion.

On This Date in History: Union General William “Bull” Nelson got his name from being a big, bearish man who used his physical size to intimidate others. He had initially been an officer in the navy and somehow became a general in the army. But the Bull was butchered in the Galt House in Louisville on this date in 1862. Not only was he murdered by another Union General named Jefferson Davis, he met his demise in the presence of the Governor of Indiana.

In the summer of 1862, while General Don Carlos Buell was wandering around Tennessee with his Louisville based Army of the Ohio building railroads following the battle of Shiloh, the contingent of men left to defend Louisville was left to one of Buell’s subordinates, Nelson. Confederate General Braxton Bragg began a campaign into Kentucky and the fear was he would get to Louisville before Buell could return. So, while Buell was plodding along back to Louisville, Nelson started putting cannon on the Indiana side of the river so he could shell the city if the Confederates ever invaded. For some reason, Bragg didn’t come to Louisville…probably a blunder…though he was probably fearful of the reception he would get from the populous. So, as Buell’s army trickled back in, Nelson spied Gen. Jeff Davis of Indiana ordering his men to dig in. Bull didn’t think much of that and let Davis know.

Davis wasn’t pleased but instead of manning up and facing Bull, he ran back to Indianapolis and fetched Indiana Governor Oliver Morton and on the evening of September 29 1862 in the stairwell of the Galt House in Louisville, tough guy Davis confronted Nelson. He challenged the powerful Nelson to a duel who, in front of Morton, rebuffed Davis with a scoff and then with the back of his hand when pressed. Nelson went up the stairs and our hero Davis grabbed a pistol, ran up the stairs and shot General Nelson dead. Before he died, Nelson tried to cover all of his bases by getting baptized but that didn’t help with the post mortem scales of justice. See, Buell had Davis arrested but Buell got fired about two months later following the battle of Perryville. With Buell out of the way and the main witness being a good Republican Governor from a Union State, Davis never faced trial and so the murder of a Union General in front of several witnesses was never “solved.” And so ends another tale of courage and justice during the Civil War and it all happened at the Galt House.

No word on whether or not Davis spent the rest of his life looking on golf courses for the real killer.

TROPICAL STORM KYLE DISCUSSION NUMBER 14
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL112008
1100 PM EDT SUN SEP 28 2008

SATELLITE IMAGERY CONTINUES TO SHOW LITTLE OR NO DEEP CONVECTION
ASSOCIATED WITH KYLE…AND THE SYSTEM WAS UNCLASSIFIABLE USING THE
DVORAK TECHNIQUE. CONSEQUENTLY…KYLE IS CONSIDERED TO BE
EXTRATROPICAL AND THIS WILL BE THE LAST ADVISORY. A QUIKSCAT PASS
AT 23Z SHOWED ONE HURRICANE FORCE WIND VECTOR. THE MAXIMUM WINDS
ARE ASSUMED TO HAVE DECREASED A BIT OVER THE PAST FEW HOURS AND
ARE NOW ESTIMATED TO BE 60 KT. ADDITIONAL WEAKENING IS EXPECTED AS
THE SYSTEM MOVES INLAND OVER NEW BRUNSWICK.

THE INITIAL MOTION IS 010/23…WHICH IS LEFT OF THE PREVIOUS TRACK.
HIGH PRESSURE TO THE EAST OF KYLE IS BEING ERODED BY THE LARGE LOW
OVER THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC…AND AS A MID-LATITUDE SHORT WAVE
BYPASSES KYLE TO THE NORTH ITS FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED TO
SLOW OVER THE NEXT DAY OR SO. THE MODELS SEEM TO HAVE MISSED THE
MORE NORTHWARD TURN THIS EVENING…AND AS A RESULT I’VE PLACED THE
OFFICIAL FORECAST ON THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE GUIDANCE ENVELOPE…IN
BEST AGREEMENT WITH THE 18Z UKMET.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS SYSTEM CAN BE FOUND IN HIGH SEAS
FORECASTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE…UNDER AWIPS
HEADER NFDHSFAT1 AND WMO HEADER FZNT01 KWBC.

FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS

INITIAL 29/0300Z 44.8N 65.9W 60 KT…EXTRATROPICAL
12HR VT 29/1200Z 47.2N 64.6W 50 KT…EXTRATROPICAL
24HR VT 30/0000Z 49.5N 63.7W 40 KT…EXTRATROPICAL
36HR VT 30/1200Z 50.6N 63.7W 30 KT…EXTRATROPICAL
48HR VT 01/0000Z 51.5N 64.0W 25 KT…EXTRATROPICAL
72HR VT 02/0000Z…DISSIPATED

$$
FORECASTER FRANKLIN