W.F. Reeves / Camp Douglas, U.T. ...

 

Tintype sewn into cardstock. The face is slightly tinted and the military buttons have been painted gold. This is really a most amazing artifact. This is the face of a man who survived over two years of Hell.

Written on front: W.F. Reeves

Written on verso: Camp Douglas, U.T., Jan. 24th / 66. Received Feb. the 17th, 1866.

Walter Francis Reeves was my great-great grandfather. He was born in Ohio, near Kent, Oct. 13, 1838, the youngest child of Walter Francis Reeves and Martha (Gee) Reeves. His Dad was a vet of the War of 1812 and died when Walter the 2nd was very young.

Even so, since Walter the 2nd shared his father's name, he was known as "Frank."

The Reeves family moved to Michigan. The early 1860s was something of whirl for Frank. He married Lydia Melissa Upham in 1861. Became a father in 1862. And then joined the Union Army at the very end of 1863.

Frank was one of Custer's Wolverines, being a private in the 5th Michigan Cavalry (Co. G). He took part in many battles, including the Wilderness, Cold Harbor, Five Forks, and Appomattox. In some of these battles, Frank might've been shooting at relatives of mine on my Dad's side who were serving in the Confederate Army. 

My grandmother, who remembered him well, told me Frank used to call U.S. Grant "a drunken butcher." Although he was proud he served his country, he carried very bitter memories of the War. It never ceases to astound me that I heard opinions of a Union vet only second hand, and know quite a bit about his personality from people who remembered him. Our history is closer than we think.

After marching in the Grand Review, Frank didn't get to go home to Michigan. Instead they transferred him into the 1st Michigan Calvary and sent him out West in places like Fort Leavenworth, Fort Laramie, and as shown in this tintype, Fort Douglas, Utah Territory. He did take part in some battles with the Native Americans, including at Willow Springs, Dakota Territory, Aug. 12, 1865.

Frank was honorably discharged at Salt Lake City on Mar. 10, 1866. So far as I know, at that time he had been the farthest West of any of my ancestors. He would return.

The Ulysses S. Grant Song

My great great grandfather

Rode with Custer

In the Civil War

He was a Wolverine.

Cold Harbor, Wilderness

He was there at Appamattox

When the Rebs called out "No more!"

His name was Frank

Calvary private was his rank

And he never minced his words

Just to suit yer

He lived to 1916

And told everyone he could

That he considered Grant

"A Drunken Butcher."

 

 

Phone photo 1911

The Windermere Real Estate headquarters in Centralia, Washington

In the early 20th century this was the home of my great-grandparents, Theodore and Jennie Hoss. My Mother was born in this place. Supposedly, the ghost of my great-great grandfather, Walter Francis "Frank" Reeves, a crusty Wolverine Civil War vet, and later a civilian Custer scout (according to family lore) who came to Washington before statehood, died at the breakfast table in this house in 1916 and is still hanging around as a ghost there. Frank saw some horrible stuff in the Civil War, being at Cold Harbor and The Wilderness. He was also at Appomattox. I'm told he considered U.S. Grant, quote, "A drunken butcher."

I am so grateful to Windermere for preserving this structure. They did a beautiful and impressive job. This home was, I'm told, designed by the same architect who created Hoquiam's Castle.

Phone photo 1149

The Grant House, Fort Vancouver National Site, Washington

Built in 1849, this structure was around when Capt. Ulysses S. Grant arrived at Fort Vancouver in 1852, but he never lived here. Later, as President he probably did visit this place.

The spot where Grant actually lived 1852-1854 is now under a nearby freeway.

Phone photo 775

Grant and Lee under plastic

As I Recall the 'Sixties

The parallels between the 1860s and 1960s have long fascinated me. Those of us who grew up in the 1960s sometimes think that particular bubble in time was unique. But was it really? The captions could easily fit the 1960s, but the etching-like illustrations of the 1860s are also appropriate.

Now get set for a long printing history only of interest to comix fans. And I'm sure the following is not complete. There are some printings in my own files that I can't explain, account for, or guess at their origin:

One of my more reprinted minicomix. First published in Pullman, Washington in 1983, 75 copies.

The 2nd ed. was published by Robert Stump in Hopewell, Virginia in 1984.

In 1994 I had a large catalog of titles I would print on demand and each work had a "Reprint Series" statement. An unknown number of copies of this minicomic were printed and sold.

Also in 1994 25 copies (blue cardstock) were printed for the "Media, Communication, and Culture" program, South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC), Olympia, Washington.

And again in 1994, 20 copies were printed as a "Special Fandom House Ed." for a distributor in Colorado.

In 1997 As I Recall the 'Sixties was reprinted in Maximum Traffic's enormous comix anthology, Truth Be Known, published in Butler, Pennsylvania.

38 copies were printed in 1998 for Mike Murray's history class at SPSCC (13 gray, 23 blue, and 2 blue without edition statements)

40 copies (20 green, 20 blue) were printed for Mike Murray's class in Feb. 1999. One of these was later posted on OlyBlog (July 2007)

The comic was included among several others as part of an exhibit of my comix at SPSCC July 5-Aug. 12, 1999.

The "KHW Ed." of Oct. 21, 2002 consisted of a grand total of 5 copies (4 green, 1 white).

The last hardcopy versions were published as 1st Danger Room Reprint Ed. in June 2005. Five copies (4 blue, 1 pink).