| |
 ars,
for better or worse, have often marked significant turning points
in world history. Today I would hope that our family members have
been involved in their last war, but we should also remember those
who took part in them in the past. Through their involvement in
these conflicts we can make a personal connection to what we read
in the history books.
Wars for Scottish Independence
If nothing else, the series of battles and wars between Scotland
and England were a long and bloody affair. Even if our specific
connection to the old Gordon clan is not completely established,
there is no doubt that a number of our ancestors fought and died
in these clashes. The movie Braveheart notwithstanding, the
Scots were generally on the losing end in most of the major battles.
Looking at the Gordon history from this period, there is a definite
pattern of the mature males in each generation being killed somewhere
on a field of battle. With luck, as in our case, they were able
to leave some children behind to carry on the family name.
Adam Gordon, a descendant
of the family founder, reportedly fought a hand-to-hand battle with
Prince Edward, "Edward Longshanks," later King Edward
I of England. The outcome was a draw. Edward later led most of the
armies that were involved in the conflicts of the early 14th century
against Robert Bruce. Adam's
father Sir Adam Gordon
had also taken part in the 7th Crusade led by Louis IX of France,
and died about 1270 while enroute to the Holy Land.
The better known Sir Adam
Gordon (1285-1333), contemporary of William Wallace and
Robert Bruce, led the Gordon warriors at the Battle of Bannockburn
on June 23-24, 1314, one of the only victories that Scotland scored
over England in a set-piece, pitched battle. Bannockburn is the
name of a small stream (a "burn") in the vicinity of Stirling
Castle, northwest of Edinburgh. Adam was later killed in the Battle
of Halidon Hill in Berwickshire on July 19, 1333.
Adam's grandson, John Gordon,
was killed in the Battle of Otterburn in nothern England on
August 19, 1388. The Battle of Flodden, where a later John
Gordon was killed on September 9, 1513 was particularly disastrous
for the Scots since most of the nobility who took part were killed.
Even the king, James IV, was killed when a nearby cannon accidentally
exploded. And finally, there was the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
on September 10, 1547 where yet another John
Gordon, grandson of the previous John Gordon, was killed by
the forces of Henry VIII.
Revolutionary War
We had several ancestors that took part in this conflict. Almost
nothing is known about their length or type of service, or any actions
that they might have taken part in. The following are definitely
documented as Revolutionary War veterans:
- Isaac Darnall (1731-aft.
1778), who served in the militia of Maryland.
- Robert Armstrong
(1724-1811), who served in a regiment of the Virginia militia.
Note that Robert was 52 years old when the war started in 1776.
However, this was not unusual since the militias were loosely organized,
with men often mustering in and out depending on what services were
required. In addition, the following of our ancestors are listed
as having been in the war, but have not been located in the official
records to date:
War of 1812
This is one of the lesser-known wars in our country's history,
but upon closer study there were many interesting events during
the war that occurred right in our area of the country (Kentucky,
Ohio, Michigan). The British, under General Henry Procter at Fort
Malden (Amherstberg, Ontario) had captured the fort and settlement
at Detroit and were allied with an Indian confederation put together
by the famous Shawnee leader Tecumseh. They were trying to control
the potential expansion of the fledgling United States into the
territory of northwest Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. Opposed to them,
the U.S. forces were led by Gen. William Henry Harrison, who was
later elected President in 1840.
Our military ancestor in this war was William
Quaintance (1785-1867), who served as a private under Capt.
Joseph C. Belt in the 4th regiment of Pogue's Volunteer Militia
from Fleming Co., Kentucky. Interestingly, in one roster listing
he is noted as being a "substitute for Samuel Rodes,"
an expression that usually means that he was paid by the original
militia member to take his place in the service. The record that
we have simply indicates that he served in "northern Ohio,"
but this almost certainly means that he was stationed at Fort Meigs.
| Ft. Meigs, as restored at Perrysburg,
Ohio |
Fort Meigs is located on the Maumee River just outside of present-day
Toledo. Interestingly, it is not far from the site of another famous
battlefield where an Indian alliance was defeated by Gen. Anthony
Wayne at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794. During the
War of 1812, this fort was established by Harrison and garrisoned
mainly with soldiers from Kentucky and southern Ohio. The Kentuckians
had a particular enthusiasm for enlisting because an earlier force
from their state had been defeated at the Battle of the Raisin
River near present-day Monroe, Michigan. The night after the
battle, a group of intoxicated Indians massacred a large number
of wounded soldiers, making "Remember the Raisin" a rallying
cry for recruitment.
Most of the time spent at Fort Meigs was probably filled with boredom
for the majority of the soldiers. However, there was one period
of intense action in April of 1813 when a large force of British
and Indians marched from Amherstberg up the Maumee and laid siege
to the fort. There was an exchange of artillery fire and a couple
of major assaults, but the fort held. In the end, the British withdrew
and it was viewed as a victory for the U.S. side.
Fort Meigs has been restored on its original site as an Ohio historical
park, although it is now surrounded by modern subdivisions instead
of by redcoats and Indians. The stockade fence and blockhouses are
all total reconstructions, but most of the earthworks inside the
fort are the originals that were put up by the soldiers during the
siege. We will never know exactly what part, if any, William Quaintance
played at Fort Meigs, but it is possible that he witnessed some
action and saw some of the historical figures of the war.
Another relative who was involved in the war, although not a direct
ancestor, was Ayres LeForgee,
son of Abram LeForgee
and great-uncle of Lucinda
Armstrong who married Thomas
Darnall. Ayres was with George Matthew's company of the
Mounted Kentucky Volunteers. In an article written about Ayres Leforgee,
it is stated that he took part in the Battle of the Thames,
which was the climactic battle of the war in the old Northwest,
in October of 1813.
The Thames River flows from what was then called Moraviantown,
near what is now Chatham, Ontario, to the eastern shore of Lake
St. Clair, just above the mouth of the Detroit River. A large American
force was pursuing the retreating British, who were accompanied
by their Indian allies. The British forces finally stopped and made
their stand when they reached the vicinity of Moraviantown, but
were completely defeated and routed by the much larger American
army. It was in this battle that Tecumseh was killed, demoralizing
the Indians and causing them to quickly flee the scene.
According to Ayres, he actually saw the body of Tecumseh, who was
one of the most famous Indian leaders in history even at that time.
He also offers his opinion as to who killed him, but this fact,
along with the knowledge of where his body was finally buried, have
been disputed by historians ever since. In any case, this battle
marked the end of active conflict in this part of the nation.
Republic of Texas
The Battle of the Alamo was of course the most famous action
in the War of Texas Independence that occurred in 1836. One of our
cousins, Alfred S. Donovan,
travelled from Kentucky, enlisted shortly after that battle, and
served in the Texas army until 1838. He probably did this partly
to claim the land bounty that was offered to outside volunteers.
A letter received by a family member a few years later indicated
that he had several property holdings in Texas. Another attraction
to Texas might have been that the Texas forces were being commanded
by Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, who was born in Mason Co., Kentucky
— the place that Alfred was also from. Gen. Johnston later
gained fame as a commander of Confederate forces in the Civil War.
In 1841, Alfred again volunteered for army duty, this time as a
member of the ill-fated "Santa Fe Expedition." This was
a venture intended to possibly annex the New Mexico territory to
the Republic of Texas. The expedition ran into trouble from the
start, and was eventually captured by Mexican forces and marched
to prisons in Mexico from which only a few returned. Alfred, however,
was killed in a skirmish with Indians on the west Texas plains in
August of 1841, only two months into the expedition. His back pay
for his services was eventually recovered by his father, who still
lived back in Mason Co., Kentucky.
The Civil War
| Grave of Joseph Quaintance in Mercersburg,
Penn. |
We have no known direct ancestors who served in this conflict,
probably because Kentucky was a border state with no strong allegiance
to either cause. Many Kentuckians did serve, but our ancestors were
really not of the right age or class to have been likely to volunteer.
On the other hand, we did have some cousins from the old Virginia
side of the Quaintances who fought for the Confederacy. According
to the records, three brothers, sons of Henry Harford Quaintance,
were enlisted in a regiment of the Stonewall Brigade under
Gen. Jackson. This unit saw action throughout the war and took part
in two of the bloodiest and most significant battles: Antietam (Sharpsburg)
and Gettysburg.
It was at Gettysburg that one of them was wounded and shortly afterwards
died during the Southern retreat. Joseph
William Quaintance, who was from the family branch that
remained in Rappahannock Co. Virginia, fought in Robert E. Lee's
"Army of Northern Virginia." He died from wounds received
at the Battle of Gettysburg and was buried in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania.
An excerpt from a letter written to Joseph's father from an acquaintance
in the North shows some of the feeling of this conflict between
the States:
"... The ball was extracted from his spine
a day or two before his death and he sank under the effects. He
seemed to be convinced that his case was very critical and his
great regret seemed to be that he would have to part with his
wife and child. We hear Mr. Leidy's family [who cared for him
in their home] were very attentive and kind to him and they have
his ring and some of his hair for his friends, and a stone has
been put at his grave... He had the consolation of having a Clergyman
with him and one attended his funeral service. We hear he made
an edifying death and may he rest in peace. Oh my good friend
and customer, may the day soon come when this cruel war which
is bringing so much woe and sorrow to so many families be over.
May God in His mercy hasten it..."
His gravesite, which includes the graves of two other Confederate
soldiers, is still well-known in the area. On a visit to the cemetery
in 1998, the site was found to be decorated with ribbons and Confederate
flags. It is likely that this was done by the "Sons of the
Confederacy" organization, or by a group of re-enactors.
One mystery in this story is that, although the Quaintance history
records the soldier who died as "Joseph W. Quaintance,"
the grave marker shows it as "W. H. Quaintance." There
is clearly a discrepancy here, but no explanation is currently available.
Perhaps the initials "J. W." were simply mixed up with
his father's name and came out "W. H." Another brother
from the same family, John
Robert Quaintance, died of typhoid fever while also fighting
for Stonewall Jackson.
World War I
Our family representative in The Great War was Andrew
Danenhauer (1891-1965). Due to the circumstances under
which he left his family in the 1930s, his wife and daughter spoke
little of him, and as a result nothing is really known about the
capacity in which he served. Also, a fire in one of the archival
institutions in Washington unfortunately destroyed quite a number
of World War I service records. He is buried in Dayton National
Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio. From his marker, he attained the
rank of Sergeant.
World War II
Albert Cedric Gordon
(1910-1975) was our ancestor who fought in World War II. He was
in the 99th Infantry Division which was for a time in the
3rd Army, commanded by the famous Gen. George Patton. This
division had just arrived in the combat zone when they saw some
of the fiercest fighting of the war in the Battle of the Bulge.
They were stationed at a critical point at the edge of the bulge,
near Elsenborn Ridge, and were instrumental in preventing a major
collapse of the Allied lines. After this battle, they participated
in the sweep into Germany, including the crossing of the Rhine River
at Remagen.
Cedric was drafted into the Army shortly after Pearl Harbor, along
with almost all other men between the ages of 18 and 35. However,
in deference to his age (35) and education, he was assigned to a
desk job in the training facility at Paris, Texas. As an experienced
typist and journalist, he handled paperwork, published the camp
newsletter, and wrote articles for Stars and Stripes, the
Army enlisted men's magazine. As he took on more responsibilities,
he also advanced in rank to the level of Sergeant in the 99th Infantry
Division.
It was the middle of 1944 when the call finally went out. It was
after D-Day and the Germans were being pushed back through France
and Belgium, but there were more large offensive operations on the
horizon. All available men were needed for the fighting, and it
became clear that Cedric would have to ship out with the rest of
his division.
His exact movements are not known for sure, but I believe that
like most troops he went first to England for a time, even spending
some time in London. Shortly thereafter, the 99th shipped over to
France and began the trek towards Belgium and Germany, cleaning
up behind the troops that had earlier carried out the D-Day assault.
He went through a freshly liberated Paris, and reported attending
the infamous Folies Bergere, Can-Can dancers and all. After
this things became grimmer as they finally caught up with the retreating
German Wehrmacht.
Battle of the Bulge
| A.C. Gordon, as sketched by a friend |
The German offensive that was launched in December of 1944 quickly
became known as the Battle of the Bulge. The name refers
to the "bulge" created in the Allied lines when the entire
remaining might of the German Wehrmacht was thrust against
its center. Attacking through the Ardennes Forest of Belgium, the
Germans came close to severing the Allied line and separating their
forces.
By this time, even those who were part of Special Services were
close to the front lines and were getting involved in combat situations.
On the night before the German offensive started, Cedric was sent
on a mission to deliver some papers to a temporary headquarters
in an old house in a village close behind the Allied front lines.
He did this and, since it was nighttime when he arrived, he was
invited to spend the night in an upstairs room. It was during this
night that the Germans launched their surprise attack.
Cedric was always a very sound sleeper, and had even slept through
a blitz while in London where the building next door was destroyed.
When he awoke the next morning he heard movement and activity in
the street outside. After listening for a few moments, it dawned
on him what was wrong about it: they were speaking German! A quick
look out the window confirmed the worst, as the streets were occupied
by German soldiers.
Since the houses were probably being searched and there was little
chance of escaping in broad daylight, the only hope was concealment.
Cedric climbed out of a rear window and dropped to the ground. He
was able to find some sort of entrenchment in the back yard into
which he crawled and covered himself up as much as possible. It
was here that he spent the entire day, in sub-freezing weather,
waiting for the cover of darkness.
It was fortunate that he was not captured by the Germans that day.
Their army was moving with all possible speed and with minimum provisions
for their own men; they could not afford to spend much effort on
prisoners. In one infamous incident near Malmedy, a number of prisoners
taken during this time not far from Cedric's location were lined
up and gunned down by the Germans. In our time we might no longer
be surprised by the atrocities of war, but at that time this was
considered to be a serious "war crime." I never thought
to ask him what happened to the other Americans who had been at
the outpost, or why he had not been awakened and warned. Perhaps
he never learned of their fates.
After night had fallen, he crawled out of his hiding place and
began the long trek back towards his own lines. His feet were numbed
from the freezing temperature, and he had to half walk and half
crawl along the road leading (he hoped) to safety. Each time that
he heard or saw a vehicle coming, he had to dive into the ditch
and cover up again. This continued through most of the night until
he came to an encampment and was challenged by the guards - in English.
He had made it back to American-controlled territory!
By this time he was in serious trouble, probably from what we would
call exposure or hypothermia. He was transported to a field hospital
where they immediately turned their attention to the condition of
his feet, which were quite frozen by then. He told me how he feared
waking up the next day, not sure of whether he would still have
his feet. This was a justified fear, as frozen feet and subsequent
amputations were not unknown during this harsh campaign. In any
case, he recovered and was later sent back into action. For this
incident he was awarded the Purple Heart medal, but forever
afterward his feet were particularly sensitive to cold temperatures.
The Bridge at Remagen
| Somewhere in Germany, 1945 |
Another famous action in the War in Europe was the crossing of
the Rhine River at Remagen. By this time, the Germans were being
pushed back into their own territory, and it was obvious to most
that it was only a matter of time before the Allies were in Berlin.
However, the crossing of the Rhine River itself was one of the significant
advances that the Germans were still determined to stop at all costs.
At Remagen stood one of the bridges that was still relatively intact,
and it was a bottleneck through which the Allied forces would have
to pass. Crossing a bridge is a risky affair for an army, since
it must necessarily be strung out into a thin column in an exposed
place as it makes the crossing. This bridge was also under constant
shelling from the Germans who were entrenched on the other side,
and it was only a matter of time until the bridge became unusable.
Cedric's platoon was one of the last ones to cross the bridge before
it collapsed. On the other side was a railroad tunnel in which they
were taking shelter while trying to return the Germans' fire. As
they ran towards the tunnel, one of his comrades went down under
machine gun fire. Seeing this, Cedric headed back, picked up the
fallen man on his back, and carried him into the tunnel where the
medics were stationed.
Shortly after this, the bridge finally collapsed under heavy bombardment.
The Engineer Corps then brought up some special equipment and constructed
a pontoon bridge across the river so that the rest of the troops,
tanks and other equipment were able to cross the river and eventually
rout the German defenders. Although the soldier that he carried
in later died from his wounds, Cedric was awarded a Bronze Star
for his actions.
The War Ends
There were some other close calls that occurred in the course of
finishing up the war. In one case, he was about to go check out
a jeep from the motor pool when a German V-1 "buzz bomb"
missile came down and destroyed several of the vehicles; "God
was with me that day," he wrote in a letter to his mother.
There were some other incidents with exploding shells and a minor
shrapnel wound, but he made it through to the end.
As part of the occupation period, his unit apparently spent time
in Nürnberg (Nuremberg). In one photo, a friend of his is standing
inside a stadium that was built by the Nazi regime; I saw this stadium
on a business trip a few years ago and recognized it immediately.
There were also pictures of the central part of the city which had
been reduced to rubble by intensive Allied bombing; again, this
is a part of town that I saw in its now restored state without knowing
that Dad had been right on that spot 45 years earlier. In fact,
I stayed at a place called the Grand Hotel which is right
outside the old city walls. A brochure on the history of the hotel
indicated that it had been used as the Allied Headquarters for several
years after the war. If Cedric was stationed in Nuremberg, it is
not unlikely that he might have visited the HQ building - another
interesting coincidence.
Since the 99th Division had paid its dues in the final European
campaigns, they were not kept long doing occupation duty before
they were relieved by fresh troops and were "shipped out."
Things were looking up for the veterans already, as they spent some
time back in England before returning to the States. I remember
Dad telling me that he had been A.W.O.L in London for about two
weeks while he was stationed there. At this point, nobody cared
about the fine points of Army discipline and I am sure that the
celebrations were something to see!
|
|
