Civil War history can get bogged down in statistics, maps and regiment numbers. Carr helped humanize the war by shedding light on individual lives, like two brothers from Milton named Edward and John Ketchum.
“Colonel George Sharpe of the 120th NY came to Milton with little hope of recruiting volunteers in a town where most residents were pacifist Quakers,” Carr said. “Sharpe pleaded with residents. He even volunteered to sign up as a private from Milton to save the town the embarrassment of being the only town in Ulster County where no soldiers were recruited.”
The Ketchum brothers, who were also Quakers, stepped forward and signed up, going against their Quaker beliefs. “When you talk about warfare, people do things that are not normally part of their character,” observed Carr.
Edward Ketchum would end up giving the ultimate sacrifice for the Union cause. John Ketchum then stepped in and replaced his brother.
As was the case with all large American wars up to the end of the 20th century, most Civil War soldiers weren’t professionals. Instead, they were men who volunteered for service. They often received little training.
“The soldiers faced hardships every day including disease, weather and seemingly endless marches,” said Carr.
By World War I, it could be said a soldier’s life was months of boredom punctuated by moments of terror, but in the Civil War, it seemed often to be months of marching. Carr noted how soldiers would march tens of miles to one town, only to be ordered to return to where they were before. Oftentimes after waiting an hour, they would have to march somewhere else.
“The roads were not paved,” he said. “The soldiers were often walking through mud and thick forests and swamps.”
Disease was a constant threat, owing to poor sanitation and pre-germ theory wound care. More soldiers died from disease than in battle.
Other disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder were not known. Soldiers who were in no shape mentally or physically to battle were often shamed into fighting by peer pressure, leading to even higher casualties, Carr said.
After holding forth for some time on some of the more horrible aspects of Civil War soldiering, Carr related a lighter tale. One day, a regiment from Vermont was rejoicing after capturing an embroidered eagle believed to come from a Confederate flag. But the 80th NY didn’t take too kindly to that, being that the eagle had come from its flag, which had been sewn by a Saugerties woman. The 80th demanded it be returned. The Vermont Regiment refused. The disagreement eventually made its way to Union Headquarters, where it was adjudicated: the 80th got its eagle back.
Gettysburg was not the only major Civil War battle where these local regiments saw action. The 120th NY saw action at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, Carr said. The 80th saw action at Fredericksburg and Antietam.
Carr’s talk received a good response, with high marks from those with a casual interest and diehard history buffs alike. Town of Ulster resident John Metague, a Civil War aficionado and Gettysburg guide, said he was impressed with Carr’s knowledge and called the talk an excellent presentation.
Carr loves military history, and he holds a master’s in the subject from Norwich University in Vermont. But he didn’t make a career of it. He currently works at what he describes as an office job in the wholesale division at Van Kleeck’s Tire.
“I don’t want history to become a job,” he said. “If I think it’s work, I wouldn’t enjoy it.”
He said many people believe military history buffs glorify war. He says that’s a misconception. “If you don’t understand war, you don’t have a chance of overcoming it,” he said. “When I was a kid, we always talked about the big battles and important dates during social studies class. I always wanted to dig deeper beyond the big heroes and the victories and losses to understand why — Why do people reach a point where they are willing to kill each other for what they believe in? That’s a very important question.”
For his next library talk, Aug. 12 at 6 p.m., Carr plans to step back four score and six years to another turning point: the Revolutionary War Battle of Saratoga.
