I don’t know about you, but I love me some totally random facts! And even more so, I love me a totally random battle that not many people have heard about! So today, we are going to look at what many say is the actual first battle of the War Between the States!

1| Where and When. This battle took place on June 10th, 1861, 160 years ago! The battle took place in Big Bethel Virginia and is one of the lesser-known battles of the war.

2| It All Happened Here. Many people refer to either Ft. Sumter or First Manassas when talking of the first battle of the War Between the States. But Big Bethel is actually the first.

3| Looking at the Numbers… As with most battles of the war, the Confederate Soldiers were outnumbered. They had under 1,500 men while the Union invaders had around 3,500. But you know us, that makes the odds about even! *halo*

4| The Men Behind the Moment. Two lesser-known Generals were in command of the opposing armies. For the federals, Brigadier General Ebenezer W. Peirce led them into battle. For the Confederacy, it was Colonel John B. Magruder.

5| Confederate Gold Star Family. This battle saw the death of the very first Confederate soldier in the field. Private Henry Wyatt was the sole Confederate soldier killed in the battle, the only fatality of 8 Southern soldiers injured.

6| How did he Die? Being the first enlisted casualty of battle, it’s no wonder we know how it happened. Colonel D. H. Hill requested 4 volunteers to set fire to a house federal troops had commandeered and were using to pin down the Southern troops with their firepower. Henry was one of them. They never made it to the house, and Henry died in the line of fire.

7| The Fate of the House. After Henry’s death, the volunteers were recalled and the house was taken out by artillery fire.

8| Why Here? Confederate Forces hoped to dislodge troops from Ft. Monroe, reclaiming it for the Confederacy. Unfortunately, the same fort where Custis Lee (Robert E. Lee’s son) was born at remained the only Southern Fort in Virginia to remain in federal control through the entire war.

9| Tar Heel Legacy. North Carolina has often been known as the state that was “First at Big Bethel and Last at Palmito Ranch.” We lost more soldiers than any other state and sent the most men to the Confederate Army. As usual, we had a big hand in the events at the battle of Big Bethel.

10| The Victorious Victors *Halo* The Confederacy of course. They couldn’t let the first battle at home be won by the opposing army!


Have you heard of this battle before today? Is this the first time? I encourage you to do some research and share some of your findings in the comments below!

Have a Blessed Day and God Bless America!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Hello! Today, I have a fun collaboration with Author Kassie Angle to share with you today! We are expounding on a total of 10 things that Military and Ministry kids (MKs) can relate to! So click here to read her post first, then slide on down to read 6-10 here! (PSST! If you are subscribed to my email list, you get to know my take on the first 5!)

Note || I can only speak for myself on these issues and my own personal experience. Attitude is everything, and if you are raised with a selfless mindset, that makes all the difference!

Ministry kids vary, but a lot of us have moved several times. Traveling a lot during the year counts too 😉 I have personally moved five times in my life, living in four different locations. Military kids can undoubtedly sympathize with me here! When dad gets stationed somewhere else, its pack up and go. The same is true for Ministry kids. We go where Dad and our family has been called to! And I’ve been excited every time! There was never a choice in the matter, and that didn’t bother me. It’s not my choice to make anyway. Just accept it, embrace it, and enjoy the ride!

My siblings are my best friends, not gonna lie. I don’t need other people to change that for me. While I certainly enjoy having friends as we travel, I get along just fine (I’m one of seven kids, y’all, things are never dull 😉).

That being said, as a ministry kid, I have learned the importance of a friendly spirit, while being on guard. Are these people going to be a good influence on me? Can I help them in some way while I’m here? Can I bring honor to God through my relationship with them, no matter how long or short term it is?

I can’t vouch for anyone else, but most of my friends are much older or at least a few years younger than me! My generation tends toward cliques, and I want no part of that. Some places we go, I don’t “hit it off” with anyone. Other places, it’s like we’ve known each other for life!

The long and short of it is, I’m not looking for friends. It’s just a bonus when I find one!

Yes, yes, yes! I cannot fathom trying to be a ministry family while trying to attend a school, Christian or not! We need to be flexible, and (in an average year XP), we have a lot of out of town meetings. It’s not possible to always leave everyone behind (we sing when our dad preaches), and no school on earth would put up with us being gone so much, lol! I can imagine that being a military kid would also benefit when you’re never sure when Dad will have some time off for a quick trip to visit family. And who wants to do school when dad just got home from Afghanistan in the middle of October??? Seriously! So as homeschoolers, when things come up, and we need time off, we can double up to take days off or make-up days we missed.

Also, ministry/military kids tend to be some of the most patriotic kids around (I am not saying you have to be in the ministry or the military to be patriotic 😉), so we tend to reject mainstream educational trends. With homeschool, we know precisely what our kiddos are learning and can make sure that what they learn is Biblical and Historically sound!

And hence I try to come up with a way to explain this. The short answer is, it’s impossible, but anyone in either group is nodding their head right now. We have our inside jokes and favorite books/films. We have our favorite events of the year and the games we play. We understand each other pretty well, and we know when one of us is being a little over dramatic about a situation 😊 I mean, you don’t have to be one of us to play with us or talk with us, but you might not understand all of our references, just saying 😉

Not proud in the sense that we are boastful. I think a better word for it is grateful, appreciative that God chose us for this, even when we didn’t. I am so thankful to be a ministry kid, and I hope my kids someday will have the same privilege. God is so good, and He writes the best life stories.

Are you letting Him write yours?
 
That's it for now! Don't forget to swing by Kassie's blog if you haven't already!
Have a blessed day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Welcome back to Soldier Life! Today, I’m doing a post on the Lieutenant Colonel! I’ve done some advanced research, and I’m gonna go ahead and tell you that information on the Lieutenant Colonel and the full Colonel is not as detailed as the lower ranks. So be prepared for these posts to be shorter 😉

As usual, I will link the last post in this series here. And also, I will give my general disclaimer that I am not a military nor 1860’s expert. These are just things I wished I had known about the era or thought other authors/history buffs would find helpful/interesting. The posts are non-biased and intended for all readers. I hope you enjoy!

Unlike our British counterparts, during the War Between the states, a Lieutenant Colonel was not the commander of a regiment. In fact, there were no duties specified for him at all! It was simply understood that if the full colonel were to be injured, killed, or otherwise absent, he was to take command. So naturally, he would need to understand the duties of regiment commander. When the Lieutenant Colonel was present, he was subject to whatever duties the Colonel required of him. Sometimes these were tasks he could have preformed himself but could be delegated to a subordinate.

According to Kautz’s Customs of Service for Officers of the Army, “The Lieutenant-Colonel, when not the senior officer of the Regiment, has precisely the same kind of duties that the Major is required to perform: Field Officer of the Day, the Command of Detachments, Field Officer’s Court-Martial, etc.  Four companies are sufficient to constitute a Lieutenant-Colonel’s Command, when the Regiment is divided about among several posts.”

So, if you have a Lieutenant Colonel in your story, just make sure you have him giving orders and filling out paperwork and being saluted by those lower-ranking 😊 You should be good to go!
 
That’s it for now! Hope you have a blessed day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

This series has seriously got swept under the rug! It’s time for a new episode, and today’s is on Cold Harbor! I hope you enjoy!

1| Fickle Federals. The command of Col. Elisha Strong Kellogg couldn’t decide what they thought of him. One moment, they would be complaining he was too strict, and the next, they would be pooling their resources to get him a better horse! Col. Kellogg’s first and last fight would be the opening day of Cold Harbor.

2| Bloodiest? Many battles of the War Between the States claim some sort of “Bloodiest” title, and Cold Harbor (May 31st-June 12th, 1864) is no exception. Its claim to fame is in have the bloodiest single hour of the entire war. Nearly 7,000 federal troops fell in that space, most, it is claimed, within 10 minutes! (Source: HistoryNet)

3| A New Weapon. While some might not think of it as such, the spade was the real weapon of the Battle of Cold Harbor. The Confederates spent hours digging trenches that stood chest-deep, with head logs to shield their heads, leaving a slit for them to fire from. The federals never stood a chance.

4| Go Back! My favorite story from Cold Harbor is that of a flag bearer in the Union army. He boldly marched forward, zoned in on the Confederate lines, heedless of the fact that he was the only man left from his company advancing; the others had fallen in the fight. Southern troops ceased fire and shouted for him to turn around, unwilling to knowingly shoot an unarmed man. When he realized he was alone, he calmly stood at attention, saluted smartly to his enemies, did an about-face, and withdrew. The Confederates honored him with a Rebel Yell and thunderous applause.

5| Victory No Matter the Cost. Grant didn’t care about wasting time getting ready. He threw tired, travel-weary men straight into the fight at Cold Harbor and ordered a multitude of deadly charges on their fortified works, reminiscent of the Federals’ foolish charges at Fredericksburg and the Confederates’ at Pickett’s Charge.

6| The Only Union Successes. Grant only had two victories over the battle of Cold Harbor. Confederate troops lost ground the first day, and on the second day of fighting, they lost nearly 200 men prisoner to General Francis Barlow. Confederate losses stood at 788 killed, 3, 376 wounded, and 1,123 missing or captured for a total of 5,287 men. Federal Casualty rates were much higher, with 1,845 killed, 9,077 wounded, and 1,816 missing or captured for a total of 12,738.

7| Wrong Guys! Lines were so tangled during this particular campaign (the Overland Campaign) that multiple times during the fighting, officers of one side could successfully, though unintentionally, give orders to men of the opposite side and be obeyed! And because of several visibility issues, one Confederate officer watered his horse very close to a group of federal soldiers who paid him no heed!

8| What’s in a Name? Cold Harbor was named after a tavern in the area that wouldn’t serve hot meals. It was neither cold nor anywhere near the water.

9| A New Nickname.  Following multiple senseless and fruitless charges, Grant was no longer touted as Unconditional Surrender Grant, but Butcher Grant.

10| Stubborn as a Mule. Grant waited for days to officially admit defeat on the field by calling for an official truce. He didn’t want to accept yet another failure to his superior on the field, Robert E. Lee. His pride cost many disabled wounded their lives.  

And as usual, here is an excerpt from my Series from the Battle of Cold Harbor!

Jordan surveyed the ingenious trenches built during the day of silence. They were deep enough to conceal most of a soldier’s body. Forked branches anchored into the mounds to hold a “head log,” gave the Confederate forces full protection. The Union troops wouldn’t have time to aim between the headspace.

That night it rained cats and dogs. Jordan cramped together with his fellow soldiers in small tents, tried to keep dry. The longer the war lasted, the tinier the replacement tents got. Economizing, some called it.

From the next tent came fiddle music, slow and gentle. Jordan frowned as he drifted back to sleep, hearing the last verse in his mind…
 
We’ve been fighting today on the old campground.
Many are lying near.
 Some are dead, some are dying.
Many are in tears.
Many are the hearts that are weary tonight,
Wishing for the war to cease.
Many are the hearts looking for the right,
To see the dawn of peace.
 
Dying tonight, dying tonight.
Dying on the old campground.
 
««««1864««««
 
June 3rd, 1864
Confederate Encampment
Cold Harbor, Va.
 
June 3rd was hot and muggy. Southern soldiers shed their coats and jackets, opting to fight in their shirt sleeves. Richard checked the line of men. They leaned up against their trenches, rifles ready and fingers on the trigger.

“They’re coming,” Burdy whispered to him.

Richard nodded, squinting at the regimental colors.

“There are enough men here, put your unit farther down the line,” an officer shouted to Richard.

The men in Richard’s rag-tag unit hurried down the line, loading their pistols and checking their sabers as they went.

The flank was the weakest link in the Confederate lines. Union Gen. Francis Barlow[1] knew this and decided this would be the perfect place to advance his military career. He organized his men and ordered the attack.

No sooner had the 32:7 Boys arrived than Federals raced out of the woods. Burdy took a step back, stunned at the sudden appearance of the enemy, shouting like banshees. “Get back!” Titus ordered, pushing the boy behind him.

It was a battle like Burdy had never seen before. He stood rooted to the ground, blinking in disbelief. The Union soldiers seemed like beasts rather than humans to the lad. They beat Confederate soldiers to the ground with their rifles, then using the bayonet to finish the job. Some were taken prisoner.

[1] Overly ambitious, Francis Channing Barlow was young, but eager. He started out as a lieutenant and made his way up to Brevet Major General.

And to find out more, you'll have to buy the book! :)
That’s it for now! God Bless!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Happy July, and welcome to our fifth missions spotlight! Chile is July’s focus country, and I hope you enjoy our little trip to this South American nation! It’s been so much fun for me, reviewing all these countries I learned about in Spanish 2! So without further ado, let’s take off!

Country: The República de Chile

Continent: South America

Population: 18.73 Million (2018)

Capital: Santiago

Largest City: Santiago

Motto: Por la Razón o la Fuerza (By Right or Might)

National Anthem: “Puro, Chile es Tu Cielo Azulado” (How Pure, Chile, is Your Blue Sky)

Current Leader: Sebastian Piñera

Language: Spanish

Bordering Countries: Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina.

Religions: Catholic (45%); Protestant and Baptist (18%); Unaffiliated (32%); Other (5%). Approximately  77% of the population is involved in false religion, and probably more have never heard a clear Gospel presentation from the Bible.

Animals of Interest: Culpeo (fox-like creature), Chilean flamingo, Hippocamelus (a type of llama looking deer), Rheas (a large bird), Kodkod (a member of the cat family), and Southern River Otter, just to give a sample!

Famous Foods: Paste de Chocl0 (corn casserole with meat stuffing), Cazuela (beef, chicken, corn, rice, and potato stew), Completo (a jumbo hot dog with Mayonaise, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and Sauerkraut!), Porotos Granados (Bean stew with mashed corn, onions, pumpkin, garlic, tomato, and basil), Sopaipillas (Pumpkin fritters), and Chorlillana (sliced beef with fries, eggs {scrabbled or fried} and fried onions).

Fun Facts: The world’s largest swimming pool is in Chile! The Chilean Andes mountains have some of the largest active volcanos! Chile is home to the world’s oldest mummy!

Missionaries: (Subject to Additions!)

Prayer Requests: Pray that the light of the Gospel will reach this nation and turn it around from an idol-worshiping nation to followers of Christ. FBN is heard in this country, so please pray that God will bless the broadcast and that the Chilean people will hear the Gospel. And above all, pray for laborers to go and serve!

Don’t forget to check your list of missionaries at your church for Missionaries to Chile! Encourage your family to pray for them and perhaps send them a note of encouragement!

Have a blessed week!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22