Abraham Lincoln is Coming to Washington
On February 6th, 2012, Abraham Lincoln will once more be visiting the City of Washington, Illinois. Abraham Lincoln interpreter Fritz Klein of Springfield will be in town as the Key Note speaker for assembles at each of the four grade schools in Washington as well as other events around town. Some of the events are open to the public. Media coverage is welcomed to all of the events.
Here is the schedule of events for the day.
9:00AM / Washington District 50 4th & 5th Grade Classes
10:15AM / Washington District 52 5th Grade Classes
12:15PM / Press Conference on Washington Square hosted by Washington Historical Society & Washington Chamber of Commerce, Kickoff of In Lincoln's Footsteps Tourism Campaign
1:00PM / Washington District 51 3rd Grade Classes / Open to Public
2:15PM / St. Patrick’s Catholic School All Students / Open to Public
6:00PM / FREE Public Presentation at Washington Community High School / Open to Public
The Washington Historical Society will be hosting a kickoff to a new tourism campaign. In the Lincoln's Footsteps is a tourism campaign that will be highlighting know locations Lincoln visited in Washington by placing Bronze Footprints of Abraham Lincoln at these locations. Three such locations on the Square in Washington will be highlighted. Our Abraham Lincoln will assist the Historical Society in introducing this campaign to the public. While the Bronze Footprints will be on display at the kickoff event, they will not be installed until later in the spring of 2012. This Kickoff Event will be Open to the Public.
A FREE Presentation of Fritz Klein as Abraham Lincoln will be held at the Washington Community High School at 6:00 that same day. This event is free and Open to the Public. The program will be similar to the program the students of Washington will see during the day and all ages are welcomed. The Washington District Library last hosted Fritz Klein five years ago and the event then was standing room only. As such, we anticipate a similar large crowd, so please come early for best seating.
Event Sponsor’s
Uftring Auto Group – Principle Sponsor
Saint Patrick’s Catholic School – Principle Sponsor
Tazewell County Board Member John C. Ackerman – Principle Sponsor
Circuit Judge Candidate Kate Gorman – Principle Sponsor
Matt LaHood – Principle Sponsor
Washington District 50 School
Washington District 51 School
Washington District 52 School
Washington Historical Society
State Representative Keith Sommer
Tazewell County Board Member Terry Hilligonds
Tazewell County Board Member Melvin Stanford
Judy and Tom Gross
Circuit Judge Candidate Matt Hoppock
Tazewell County Board Candidate Andrew Rinehart
Tazewell County Board Candidate John Redlingshafer
South Side Bank
Black, Black & Brown Law Offices
Courier Newspapers
IDOT Presentation to the Tazewell County Board
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will be making a presentation to the Tazewell County Board concerning the current status of the Peoria Eastern Bypass, formly known as the Ring Road. The meeting will be before the monthly Tazewell County Board Meeting at 5:00 in the Tazewell County Justice Center.
At this point IDOT has six possible corridors they are reviewing. The point of the meeting with us is to make sure the County Board is aware of the possible routes and also to see if their are any concerns. At this point they are not looking for a formal position from the County Board on this project.
As you may already know, I have written my position on this project and posted it on my website (www.JohnCAckerman.com) along with the maps of the possible corridors.
Upcoming Tazewell County Board District Three Debates
I have heard of at least five debates involving the Tazewell County Board District Three Candidates that are being finalized. These debates will be a great opportunity to research the qualifications of each of the eight Tazewell County Board Candidates that are campaigning for seven County Board Positions.
District Three consist of Fondulac, Washington, Deer Creek, Mackinaw, Little Mackinaw, Hittle and Boynton Townships.
East Peoria and Pekin 9/12 Tea Party Local Candidates Debate
February 21st at 6:00
Fondulac Park District Administrative Offices
10th Judicial Race, Tazewell County Cornor, Tazewell County District Three Candidates
Boynton Township County Board Candidates Debate
February 27th at 6:00
Boynton Township Hall
Mediators are Chris Kaergard, a City/Politics Reporter for the Peoria Journal Star, and Doris Klockenga, the Boynton Township Clerk.
Washington Chamber of Commerce Local Candidate Debate
March 1st at 6:00
Location: TBA
10th Judicial Race, Tazewell County Cornor, Tazewell County District Three Candidates
Morton 9/12 Tea Party Meet the Republican County Board Candidates
March 8th at 6:30
Morton Freedom Hall
Tazewell County Board District One and District Three Candidates
Mackinaw County Board Candidates Debate
Date and Time: TBA
Location: TBA
Ken Harris of the Pekin Daily Times is the Mediator
These debates will be a great opportunity to listen to the candidates and pick the best seven of eight individuals. As such, I will be participating in each of these and any other debates that are organized.
If you hear of any opportunity available for me to speak before an organization or group, I would appreciate it if you would let me know. Any opportunity to discuss the present and future of Tazewell County with voters would be an invaluable resource for me in this primary campaign.
As always, I consider it an honor and a privilege to serve you on the Tazewell County Board and if I can be of any assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Abraham Lincoln is Coming to Washington!!!
On February 6th, 2012, Abraham Lincoln will once more be visiting the City of Washington, Illinois. Abraham Lincoln interpreter Fritz Klein of Springfield will be in town as the Key Note speaker for assembles at each of the four grade schools in Washington as well as other events around town. Some of the events are open to the public. Media coverage is welcomed to all of the events.
Here is the schedule of events for the day.
9:00AM / Washington District 50 4th & 5th Grade Classes
10:15AM / Washington District 52 5th Grade Classes
12:15PM / Press Conference on Washington Square hosted by Washington Historical Society & Washington Chamber of Commerce, Kickoff of In Lincoln’s Footsteps Tourism Campaign
1:00PM / Washington District 51 3rd Grade Classes / Open to Public
2:15PM / St. Patrick’s Catholic School All Students / Open to Public
6:00PM / FREE Public Presentation at Washington Community High School / Open to Public
The Washington Historical Society will be hosting a kickoff to a new tourism campaign. In the Lincoln’s Footsteps is a new tourism campaign that will be highlighting know locations Lincoln visited in Washington by placing Bronze Footprints of Abraham Lincoln at these locations. Three such locations on the Square in Washington will be highlighted. Our Abraham Lincoln will assist the Historical Society in introducing this campaign to the public. While the Bronze Footprints will be on display at the kickoff event, they will not be installed until later in the spring of 2012. This Kickoff Event will be Open to the Public.
A FREE Presentation of Fritz Klein as Abraham Lincoln will be held at the Washington Community High School at 6:00 that same day. This event is free and Open to the Public. The program will be similar to the program the students of Washington will see during the day and all ages are welcomed. The Washington District Library last hosted Fritz Klein five years ago and the event then was standing room only. As such, we anticipate a similar large crowd, so please come early for best seating.
Event Sponsor’s
Uftring Auto Group – Principle Sponsor
Saint Patrick’s Catholic School – Principle Sponsor
Tazewell County Board Member John C. Ackerman – Principle Sponsor
Circuit Judge Candidate Kate Gorman – Principle Sponsor
Matt LaHood – Principle Sponsor
Washington District 50 School
Washington District 51 School
Washington District 52 School
Washington Historical Society
Tazewell County Board Member Terry Hilligonds
Tazewell County Board Member Melvin Stanford
Judy and Tom Gross
Circuit Judge Candidate Matt Hoppock
Tazewell County Board Candidate Andrew Rinehart
Tazewell County Board Candidate John Redlingshafer
South Side Bank
Black, Black & Brown Law Offices
Courier Newspapers
Here is the schedule of events for the day.
9:00AM / Washington District 50 4th & 5th Grade Classes
10:15AM / Washington District 52 5th Grade Classes
12:15PM / Press Conference on Washington Square hosted by Washington Historical Society & Washington Chamber of Commerce, Kickoff of In Lincoln’s Footsteps Tourism Campaign
1:00PM / Washington District 51 3rd Grade Classes / Open to Public
2:15PM / St. Patrick’s Catholic School All Students / Open to Public
6:00PM / FREE Public Presentation at Washington Community High School / Open to Public
The Washington Historical Society will be hosting a kickoff to a new tourism campaign. In the Lincoln’s Footsteps is a new tourism campaign that will be highlighting know locations Lincoln visited in Washington by placing Bronze Footprints of Abraham Lincoln at these locations. Three such locations on the Square in Washington will be highlighted. Our Abraham Lincoln will assist the Historical Society in introducing this campaign to the public. While the Bronze Footprints will be on display at the kickoff event, they will not be installed until later in the spring of 2012. This Kickoff Event will be Open to the Public.
A FREE Presentation of Fritz Klein as Abraham Lincoln will be held at the Washington Community High School at 6:00 that same day. This event is free and Open to the Public. The program will be similar to the program the students of Washington will see during the day and all ages are welcomed. The Washington District Library last hosted Fritz Klein five years ago and the event then was standing room only. As such, we anticipate a similar large crowd, so please come early for best seating.
Event Sponsor’s
Uftring Auto Group – Principle Sponsor
Saint Patrick’s Catholic School – Principle Sponsor
Tazewell County Board Member John C. Ackerman – Principle Sponsor
Circuit Judge Candidate Kate Gorman – Principle Sponsor
Matt LaHood – Principle Sponsor
Washington District 50 School
Washington District 51 School
Washington District 52 School
Washington Historical Society
Tazewell County Board Member Terry Hilligonds
Tazewell County Board Member Melvin Stanford
Judy and Tom Gross
Circuit Judge Candidate Matt Hoppock
Tazewell County Board Candidate Andrew Rinehart
Tazewell County Board Candidate John Redlingshafer
South Side Bank
Black, Black & Brown Law Offices
Courier Newspapers
Newsletter; Storm Shelter Update
Storm Shelter Update
Back in 2009 I started talking about the danger of no Storm Shelters at the Tazewell County Tremont Facility, home of the Tazewell County Health Department, Tazewell County Highway Department, Tazewell County Animal Control Office, Tazewell County Resource Center and the Tazewell County Emergency Management Agency. Around 150 employees work every day at our Tremont Facility.
As I said back in 2009, “while we have been very fortunate in the past that severe weather has not directly hit these buildings, I find it unacceptable for us as a County Board to allow this to continue into the future.”
Back then, it was estimated that the cost to build these shelters would exceed $30,000 - $50,000 and take over five years.
Yesterday I was proud to join the rest of the Tazewell County Property Committee in approving the work of a joint Tazewell County Board and Tazewell County Health Department Sub-committee that was formed to recommend a solution to the lack of Storm Facilities. Later this summer we will have in place almost three fourths the storm facilities needed.
The work had been accomplished in less than three years. It has also been accomplished at under half the projected cost. Rarely is it seen when work of a government committee comes in early and so far under budget!
The Tazewell County Sub-Committee lead by County Board Member Carroll Imig should be congratulated for such amazing work. While three additional storm shelters will be needed in the years to come, as we approach the 2012 Storm Season our Tremont Facility is by far a safer place to work when compared to 2009.
This project has truly been a win/win scenario; the Tazewell County Tremont Facility Staff and guest have a safer workplace and Tazewell County Taxpayers can be assured that only a minimum amount of tax revenue has been utilized thanks to the work of the Sub-committee lead by County Board Member Carroll Imig.
New Blog Available
It has come to my attention that former Mackinaw Resident and Tazewell County Republican Robert Stanford has started a blog discussing economic and political issues. Robert is the son of Tazewell County Board Member Melvin “Dutch” Stanford.
Robert has a Master's Degree in Economics from Illinois State University and is currently teaching Economic classes at Lincoln College, Illinois Central College and Heartland College.
You can find this new Blog at www.examiner.com/bloomington-economic-policy-in-springfield/robert-stanford.
Upcoming Tazewell County Board District Three Debates
I have heard of at least three debates involving the Tazewell County Board District Three Candidates that are being finalized. These debates will be a great opportunity to research the qualifications of each of the eight Tazewell County Board Candidates that are campaigning for seven County Board Positions.
District Three consist of Fondulac, Washington, Deer Creek, Mackinaw, Little Mackinaw, Hittle and Boynton Townships.
The debate that seems to be the most organized at this point has been set for February 21st in East Peoria. The host is the Tazewell County Tea Party and a time and location has not been announced.
A second debated is being planned in Mackinaw but a time, date and location have not been set. I will keep you up-to-date as these events are finalized.
Finally, a third debate has been organized in Boynton Township on February 27th at 6:00. The event will take place at the Boynton Township Hall and is being hosted by the Boynton Township Officials.
These debates will be a great opportunity to listen to the candidates and pick the best seven of eight individuals. As such, I will be participating in each of these and any other debates that are organized.
If you hear of any opportunity available for me to speak before an organization or group, I would appreciate it if you would let me know. Any opportunity to discuss the present and future of Tazewell County with voters would be an invaluable resource for me in this primary campaign.
2012 Election
Based on my column above, and with the candidates for the Tazewell County Board District Three in mind, here are locations for you to gain more information concerning each. Also note the order each name appears below will be the order the candidates will be on the Primary Ballot on March 20th, 2012.
John C. Ackerman: Lives in Washington. Has a website at www.JohnCAckerman.com, which also offers a newsletter. Has a blog located at www.JohnCAckerman.blogspot.com. Look for him on Facebook under the name John C. Ackerman.
John Redlingshafer: Lives in Washington. Has a website at www.JohnRedlingshafer.com. Look for him on Facebook under the name John Redlingshafer for Tazewell County Board.
Andrew Rinehart: Lives in Washington. Look for him on Facebook under the name Andrew Rinehart for Tazewell County Board.
Russ Crawford: Lives in East Peoria. Look for him on Facebook under the name Russ Crawford.
Mike Harris: Lives in Mackinaw.
Paul Hahn: Lives in Mackinaw.
Terry Hillegonds: Lives in Washington.
Melvin Stanford: Lives in Mackinaw. Look for him on Facebook under the name Melvin Stanford.
Back in 2009 I started talking about the danger of no Storm Shelters at the Tazewell County Tremont Facility, home of the Tazewell County Health Department, Tazewell County Highway Department, Tazewell County Animal Control Office, Tazewell County Resource Center and the Tazewell County Emergency Management Agency. Around 150 employees work every day at our Tremont Facility.
As I said back in 2009, “while we have been very fortunate in the past that severe weather has not directly hit these buildings, I find it unacceptable for us as a County Board to allow this to continue into the future.”
Back then, it was estimated that the cost to build these shelters would exceed $30,000 - $50,000 and take over five years.
Yesterday I was proud to join the rest of the Tazewell County Property Committee in approving the work of a joint Tazewell County Board and Tazewell County Health Department Sub-committee that was formed to recommend a solution to the lack of Storm Facilities. Later this summer we will have in place almost three fourths the storm facilities needed.
The work had been accomplished in less than three years. It has also been accomplished at under half the projected cost. Rarely is it seen when work of a government committee comes in early and so far under budget!
The Tazewell County Sub-Committee lead by County Board Member Carroll Imig should be congratulated for such amazing work. While three additional storm shelters will be needed in the years to come, as we approach the 2012 Storm Season our Tremont Facility is by far a safer place to work when compared to 2009.
This project has truly been a win/win scenario; the Tazewell County Tremont Facility Staff and guest have a safer workplace and Tazewell County Taxpayers can be assured that only a minimum amount of tax revenue has been utilized thanks to the work of the Sub-committee lead by County Board Member Carroll Imig.
New Blog Available
It has come to my attention that former Mackinaw Resident and Tazewell County Republican Robert Stanford has started a blog discussing economic and political issues. Robert is the son of Tazewell County Board Member Melvin “Dutch” Stanford.
Robert has a Master's Degree in Economics from Illinois State University and is currently teaching Economic classes at Lincoln College, Illinois Central College and Heartland College.
You can find this new Blog at www.examiner.com/bloomington-economic-policy-in-springfield/robert-stanford.
Upcoming Tazewell County Board District Three Debates
I have heard of at least three debates involving the Tazewell County Board District Three Candidates that are being finalized. These debates will be a great opportunity to research the qualifications of each of the eight Tazewell County Board Candidates that are campaigning for seven County Board Positions.
District Three consist of Fondulac, Washington, Deer Creek, Mackinaw, Little Mackinaw, Hittle and Boynton Townships.
The debate that seems to be the most organized at this point has been set for February 21st in East Peoria. The host is the Tazewell County Tea Party and a time and location has not been announced.
A second debated is being planned in Mackinaw but a time, date and location have not been set. I will keep you up-to-date as these events are finalized.
Finally, a third debate has been organized in Boynton Township on February 27th at 6:00. The event will take place at the Boynton Township Hall and is being hosted by the Boynton Township Officials.
These debates will be a great opportunity to listen to the candidates and pick the best seven of eight individuals. As such, I will be participating in each of these and any other debates that are organized.
If you hear of any opportunity available for me to speak before an organization or group, I would appreciate it if you would let me know. Any opportunity to discuss the present and future of Tazewell County with voters would be an invaluable resource for me in this primary campaign.
2012 Election
Based on my column above, and with the candidates for the Tazewell County Board District Three in mind, here are locations for you to gain more information concerning each. Also note the order each name appears below will be the order the candidates will be on the Primary Ballot on March 20th, 2012.
John C. Ackerman: Lives in Washington. Has a website at www.JohnCAckerman.com, which also offers a newsletter. Has a blog located at www.JohnCAckerman.blogspot.com. Look for him on Facebook under the name John C. Ackerman.
John Redlingshafer: Lives in Washington. Has a website at www.JohnRedlingshafer.com. Look for him on Facebook under the name John Redlingshafer for Tazewell County Board.
Andrew Rinehart: Lives in Washington. Look for him on Facebook under the name Andrew Rinehart for Tazewell County Board.
Russ Crawford: Lives in East Peoria. Look for him on Facebook under the name Russ Crawford.
Mike Harris: Lives in Mackinaw.
Paul Hahn: Lives in Mackinaw.
Terry Hillegonds: Lives in Washington.
Melvin Stanford: Lives in Mackinaw. Look for him on Facebook under the name Melvin Stanford.
January's Monthly Political Column - Representatives Responsibility to Communicate
The 2012 Primary Election has official started as the candidates turned in their petitions for elected office earlier this past month. This is a rare election in which every elected representative office is up because of the once-a-decade redistricting process. Here in Tazewell County, each citizen is represented by seven County Board Members. How many of you can name each one?
Part of the issue may be you have not taken the time to look into the County Board. Maybe you know one or two members and feel that is enough. In the end the way I see it, it is not fully your responsibility to get know your County Board Members. If they want to be representatives, should they not make an effort to let you know who they are?
We hear from our elected officials during election time when they come knocking on your door and asking for your vote. Reaching out during election season is a step in the right direction, but the more important step is in continuing this communication once elected. Too many times we see individuals that make the effort to be seen or heard when they are up for election, but afterwards they could care less about what the people want.
In this day and time when the ability to communicate is as readily available and inexpensive, it is time we hold our elected officials more responsible for continued communication. After all, they chose to be elected as a representative of the people and a large part of that responsibility is listening to what your constituents want. If good, clear, ongoing communication with the electorate is not a priority with these individuals, what is their main priority, other than getting elected?
In my last election, I pledged to improve the transparency of Tazewell County politics. One step I took to achieve this pledge was to fund my own website (www.JohnCAckerman.com) to allow the citizens of Tazewell County access to several important documents regarding Tazewell County that are not currently available elsewhere on the internet. When you add to this website my Facebook page and frequent letters to the editors concerning the topics of the day, I hope the citizens of Tazewell County see that I am making the effort to communicate to them.
While everyone does not need to have a website, Facebook page, or other communication tools, it is important that they are making the effort to communicate what they are voting for and why they are doing so. If not, ask yourself how can they be truly representing you and your needs.
Part of the issue may be you have not taken the time to look into the County Board. Maybe you know one or two members and feel that is enough. In the end the way I see it, it is not fully your responsibility to get know your County Board Members. If they want to be representatives, should they not make an effort to let you know who they are?
We hear from our elected officials during election time when they come knocking on your door and asking for your vote. Reaching out during election season is a step in the right direction, but the more important step is in continuing this communication once elected. Too many times we see individuals that make the effort to be seen or heard when they are up for election, but afterwards they could care less about what the people want.
In this day and time when the ability to communicate is as readily available and inexpensive, it is time we hold our elected officials more responsible for continued communication. After all, they chose to be elected as a representative of the people and a large part of that responsibility is listening to what your constituents want. If good, clear, ongoing communication with the electorate is not a priority with these individuals, what is their main priority, other than getting elected?
In my last election, I pledged to improve the transparency of Tazewell County politics. One step I took to achieve this pledge was to fund my own website (www.JohnCAckerman.com) to allow the citizens of Tazewell County access to several important documents regarding Tazewell County that are not currently available elsewhere on the internet. When you add to this website my Facebook page and frequent letters to the editors concerning the topics of the day, I hope the citizens of Tazewell County see that I am making the effort to communicate to them.
While everyone does not need to have a website, Facebook page, or other communication tools, it is important that they are making the effort to communicate what they are voting for and why they are doing so. If not, ask yourself how can they be truly representing you and your needs.
Representatives Responsibility to Communicate
This week marks the official start to the 2012 Primary Elections as candidates must turn in their petitions for elected office. This is a rare election in which every elected representative office is up because of the once-a-decade redistricting process. Here in Tazewell County, each citizen is represented by seven County Board Members. How many of you can name each one?
Part of the issue may be you have not taken the time to look into the County Board. Maybe you know one or two members and feel that is enough. In the end the way I see it, it is not fully your responsibility to get know your County Board Members. If they want to be representatives, should they not make an effort to let you know who they are?
We hear from our elected officials during election time when they come knocking on your door and asking for your vote. Reaching out during election season is a step in the right direction, but the more important step is in continuing this communication once elected. Too many times we see individuals that make the effort to be seen or heard when they are up for election, but afterwards they could care less about what the people want.
In this day and time when the ability to communicate is as readily available and inexpensive, it is time we hold our elected officials more responsible for continued communication. After all, they chose to be elected as a representative of the people and a large part of that responsibility is listening to what your constituents want. If good, clear, ongoing communication with the electorate is not a priority with these individuals, what is their main priority, other than getting elected?
In my last election, I pledged to improve the transparency of Tazewell County politics. One step I took to achieve this pledge was to fund my own website (www.JohnCAckerman.com) to allow the citizens of Tazewell County access to several important documents regarding Tazewell County that are not currently available elsewhere on the internet. When you add to this website my Facebook page and frequent letters to the editors concerning the topics of the day, I hope the citizens of Tazewell County see that I am making the effort to communicate to them.
While everyone does not need to have a website, Facebook page, or other communication tools, it is important that they are making the effort to communicate what they are voting for and why they are doing so. If not, ask yourself how can they be truly representing you and your needs.
Part of the issue may be you have not taken the time to look into the County Board. Maybe you know one or two members and feel that is enough. In the end the way I see it, it is not fully your responsibility to get know your County Board Members. If they want to be representatives, should they not make an effort to let you know who they are?
We hear from our elected officials during election time when they come knocking on your door and asking for your vote. Reaching out during election season is a step in the right direction, but the more important step is in continuing this communication once elected. Too many times we see individuals that make the effort to be seen or heard when they are up for election, but afterwards they could care less about what the people want.
In this day and time when the ability to communicate is as readily available and inexpensive, it is time we hold our elected officials more responsible for continued communication. After all, they chose to be elected as a representative of the people and a large part of that responsibility is listening to what your constituents want. If good, clear, ongoing communication with the electorate is not a priority with these individuals, what is their main priority, other than getting elected?
In my last election, I pledged to improve the transparency of Tazewell County politics. One step I took to achieve this pledge was to fund my own website (www.JohnCAckerman.com) to allow the citizens of Tazewell County access to several important documents regarding Tazewell County that are not currently available elsewhere on the internet. When you add to this website my Facebook page and frequent letters to the editors concerning the topics of the day, I hope the citizens of Tazewell County see that I am making the effort to communicate to them.
While everyone does not need to have a website, Facebook page, or other communication tools, it is important that they are making the effort to communicate what they are voting for and why they are doing so. If not, ask yourself how can they be truly representing you and your needs.
December Monthly Political Column - The Story of the World War II Ice Aircraft Carrier
“Behold ye among the heathen, and regard and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told to you.”
Habakkuk 1:5, the Old Testament prophet
This is the true story of the British Navy’s Project Habbakuk (note the miss-spelling is on the British part, not mine), an answer to the shortage of steel during the war. First introduced in 1942, the center piece of this project was the proposed HMS Habbakuk which would have been the largest Aircraft Carrier ever built. Compared to other British Aircraft Carriers of the time, the HMS Habbakuk would be 62 times larger!
O’, and by the way, did I mention it would be built of ice? Well, not fully a floating ice box, but we will get to that shortly.
Britain was looking for anything that could be used for the war that did not require steel, which was in very short supply. In steps American scientist Geoffrey Pyke. Working for the British Government, he started looking into ship designs that could be used to win the Battle of the Atlantic. The Allied forces were losing a considerable amount of merchant shipping in the Atlantic Ocean, due to German submarine forces and the lack of adequate air cover in the mid-Atlantic. The range of operating aircraft was not sufficient to cover this area and aircraft carriers were in short supply to allow for shorter range flying. Plans for an Allied invasion of Europe were also underway and it was felt that large floating platforms were needed to assist the assault forces.
Geoffrey Pyke’s answer was ice. His idea was that because ice was unsinkable, the berg ships would be insulated and impervious to bomb and torpedo attacks. They would be easy to repair as water only had to be poured into holes and frozen, thus making the ship whole. The ships would be cheap to make so that a vast number could be made. One problem had to be overcome. Ice split too easily and Pyke suggested the addition of some kind of building material could solve the problem.
What he found he named “Pykecrete”. Put a mix of water and fourteen percent sawdust in a mold, let it freeze, and you have Pykecrete. It doesn't shatter like ice, it's strong enough to use in building projects, and strangely, it doesn't appear to melt. It would be a perfect answer to the materials supply problems facing Brittan, as both ice and wood where abundant.
With this new material, he drew up plans for the HMS Habbakuk. This gigantic aircraft carrier would be 2,000 feet long, 300 feet across the beam and 200 feet in depth. This floating airfield would have had hangar capacity for 200 Spitfire fighters or 100 Mosquito bombers complete with every facility in the shape of operational and repair shops, etc. It would have been propelled at a speed of seven knots by Diesel-electric machinery with a normal consumption of 120 tons a day. Fuel capacity for 5,000 tons was to be provided, which would have given the ship a radius of action of 7,000 miles. The complement was to have been 404 officers and 3,216 petty officers and men. Displacement was to be around 2,000,000 tons.
For comparison, the largest British Aircraft Carrier of the time was only 673 feet long, 96 feet across the beam and 29 feet in depth. With the largest British Aircraft Carrier having a displacement of 32,100 tons and aircraft capacity of 60 aircraft, the HMS Habbakuk would have no equal. Here is another way to compare it; the United States nuclear powered Nimitz Class Supercarriers, with an overall length of 1,092 feet and displacements of over 100,000 tons, are currently the largest capital ships in the world but would like toys compared to the HMS Habbakuk.
A possible design for Geoffrey Pyke's iceberg aircraft supercarrier, HMS Habakkuk. To give a sense of scale, shown here next to an Iowa-class battleship (lower right) and a Nimitz-class supercarrier (upper left).
As with any theory, eventually it needs to be proven. First step was showing his work to his supervisor, Lord Mountbatten, the Chief of Command Operations. Whatever he showed Mountbatten impressed the man so much that he showed it to his good friend Winston Churchill - while he was in the bath. Lord Mountbatten walked into the bathroom and dropped a chuck of Pykecrete into Churchill’s bath with him. Lord Mountbatten pulled out his pistol and shot the Pykecrete. The bullet did not penetrate the block; rather it ricocheted off the ice. Both men looked at the block of Pykecrete and as time passed, and things probably got a little awkward between them, the Pykecrete didn't melt in the warm bath water. Churchill was sold on the idea and authorized construction of a prototype model. For the best possible results, the ship would need to be built in Canada or Russia, where the ship could be naturally frozen.
In January 1943, Patricia Lake, Canada, was chosen as the test site for building a prototype vessel. The planned vessel was to be 2,000 feet long and the prototype was to be a 1:10 scale model of this. In actual fact, the beam was to approximately this scale, but the length was only 60 feet, about a third of scale. Patricia Lake was chosen for this work on account of having rail connections at Jasper and being a suitably cold, remote area that already had military training involvement in the area as camouflage. The first experiments had used natural lake ice, in a Canadian winter. The model ship was to use plain ice, but partly natural and partly refrigerated. Construction proceeded through March 1943 by building a wooden cabin on the frozen lake, installing refrigeration equipment and a nest of 6 inch cold air ducts, and then increasing the height of the ice wall around the cabin.
In an effort to gain American support and continue the work, at the Quebec Conference of 1943 Lord Mountbatten brought a block of Pykecrete along to demonstrate its potential to the admirals and generals who had come along with Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Mountbatten entered the project meeting with two blocks and placed them on the ground. One was a normal ice block and the other was Pykecrete. He then drew his service pistol and shot at the first block. It shattered and splintered. Next, he fired at the Pykecrete to give an idea of the resistance of that kind of ice to projectiles. The bullet ricocheted off the block, grazing the trouser leg of the American Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Ernest King, and ended up in the wall. Despite this second successful shooting test, the American leadership didn’t buy into it.
As the project proceeded, it became more and more clear that ships of the size they wanted would take too long to make and would not be available soon enough. Plus the cost became too high with a price tag of 10 million pounds. In December of 1943, the project was officially closed. Sadly, Geoffrey Pyke did not find success adjusting after the war. After dealing with sharp criticism over the post war years about his proposed aircraft carrier, in the evening of Saturday, February 21st, 1948, Pyke consumed a bottleful of sleeping pills. His landlady found his body the following Monday morning. The coroner gave a verdict of suicide at a moment of mental unbalance.
As for his prototype built on Patricia Lake, it was abandoned in June of 1943 and last another three summers with no maintenance floating on the lake. Finally it broke up and sank. In the 1970’s remains of the model were found and studied. Another diving expedition to the site in 1985 found the remains of the model on a steep slope just off-shore, at a depth between 85 and 140 feet. Although the refrigeration equipment was removed before sinking, there remain the wooden walls of the hull, an "incredible jumble” of cold air ductwork and also a great quantity of the bitumen used as part of the insulation. As of June, 2011, large sections of the hull and one side of the wooden wall could still be found.
So what are we to make of this? World War II produced many unusual prototypes and ideas beyond this one. When you stand back and just look at the facts, the project was somewhat a success. The actual building materials (ice and wood pulp) where readily available to Brittan. In the end though, the amount of steel needed to build the facilities needed to build the ship would have been much than if they would just build several conventional aircraft carriers. The cost was also unrealistic. In the end, time may yet provide a need for “Pykecrete”. While we laugh today at the idea of an ice aircraft carrier, someday we may see this as an important breakthrough that was not appreciated in its own time. As we find all too often, out-of-the-box ideas that are originally given little credibility can and all too often do come back to life and find a need to fulfill.
Habakkuk 1:5, the Old Testament prophet
This is the true story of the British Navy’s Project Habbakuk (note the miss-spelling is on the British part, not mine), an answer to the shortage of steel during the war. First introduced in 1942, the center piece of this project was the proposed HMS Habbakuk which would have been the largest Aircraft Carrier ever built. Compared to other British Aircraft Carriers of the time, the HMS Habbakuk would be 62 times larger!
O’, and by the way, did I mention it would be built of ice? Well, not fully a floating ice box, but we will get to that shortly.
Britain was looking for anything that could be used for the war that did not require steel, which was in very short supply. In steps American scientist Geoffrey Pyke. Working for the British Government, he started looking into ship designs that could be used to win the Battle of the Atlantic. The Allied forces were losing a considerable amount of merchant shipping in the Atlantic Ocean, due to German submarine forces and the lack of adequate air cover in the mid-Atlantic. The range of operating aircraft was not sufficient to cover this area and aircraft carriers were in short supply to allow for shorter range flying. Plans for an Allied invasion of Europe were also underway and it was felt that large floating platforms were needed to assist the assault forces.
Geoffrey Pyke’s answer was ice. His idea was that because ice was unsinkable, the berg ships would be insulated and impervious to bomb and torpedo attacks. They would be easy to repair as water only had to be poured into holes and frozen, thus making the ship whole. The ships would be cheap to make so that a vast number could be made. One problem had to be overcome. Ice split too easily and Pyke suggested the addition of some kind of building material could solve the problem.
What he found he named “Pykecrete”. Put a mix of water and fourteen percent sawdust in a mold, let it freeze, and you have Pykecrete. It doesn't shatter like ice, it's strong enough to use in building projects, and strangely, it doesn't appear to melt. It would be a perfect answer to the materials supply problems facing Brittan, as both ice and wood where abundant.
With this new material, he drew up plans for the HMS Habbakuk. This gigantic aircraft carrier would be 2,000 feet long, 300 feet across the beam and 200 feet in depth. This floating airfield would have had hangar capacity for 200 Spitfire fighters or 100 Mosquito bombers complete with every facility in the shape of operational and repair shops, etc. It would have been propelled at a speed of seven knots by Diesel-electric machinery with a normal consumption of 120 tons a day. Fuel capacity for 5,000 tons was to be provided, which would have given the ship a radius of action of 7,000 miles. The complement was to have been 404 officers and 3,216 petty officers and men. Displacement was to be around 2,000,000 tons.
For comparison, the largest British Aircraft Carrier of the time was only 673 feet long, 96 feet across the beam and 29 feet in depth. With the largest British Aircraft Carrier having a displacement of 32,100 tons and aircraft capacity of 60 aircraft, the HMS Habbakuk would have no equal. Here is another way to compare it; the United States nuclear powered Nimitz Class Supercarriers, with an overall length of 1,092 feet and displacements of over 100,000 tons, are currently the largest capital ships in the world but would like toys compared to the HMS Habbakuk.
A possible design for Geoffrey Pyke's iceberg aircraft supercarrier, HMS Habakkuk. To give a sense of scale, shown here next to an Iowa-class battleship (lower right) and a Nimitz-class supercarrier (upper left).
As with any theory, eventually it needs to be proven. First step was showing his work to his supervisor, Lord Mountbatten, the Chief of Command Operations. Whatever he showed Mountbatten impressed the man so much that he showed it to his good friend Winston Churchill - while he was in the bath. Lord Mountbatten walked into the bathroom and dropped a chuck of Pykecrete into Churchill’s bath with him. Lord Mountbatten pulled out his pistol and shot the Pykecrete. The bullet did not penetrate the block; rather it ricocheted off the ice. Both men looked at the block of Pykecrete and as time passed, and things probably got a little awkward between them, the Pykecrete didn't melt in the warm bath water. Churchill was sold on the idea and authorized construction of a prototype model. For the best possible results, the ship would need to be built in Canada or Russia, where the ship could be naturally frozen.
In January 1943, Patricia Lake, Canada, was chosen as the test site for building a prototype vessel. The planned vessel was to be 2,000 feet long and the prototype was to be a 1:10 scale model of this. In actual fact, the beam was to approximately this scale, but the length was only 60 feet, about a third of scale. Patricia Lake was chosen for this work on account of having rail connections at Jasper and being a suitably cold, remote area that already had military training involvement in the area as camouflage. The first experiments had used natural lake ice, in a Canadian winter. The model ship was to use plain ice, but partly natural and partly refrigerated. Construction proceeded through March 1943 by building a wooden cabin on the frozen lake, installing refrigeration equipment and a nest of 6 inch cold air ducts, and then increasing the height of the ice wall around the cabin.
In an effort to gain American support and continue the work, at the Quebec Conference of 1943 Lord Mountbatten brought a block of Pykecrete along to demonstrate its potential to the admirals and generals who had come along with Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Mountbatten entered the project meeting with two blocks and placed them on the ground. One was a normal ice block and the other was Pykecrete. He then drew his service pistol and shot at the first block. It shattered and splintered. Next, he fired at the Pykecrete to give an idea of the resistance of that kind of ice to projectiles. The bullet ricocheted off the block, grazing the trouser leg of the American Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Ernest King, and ended up in the wall. Despite this second successful shooting test, the American leadership didn’t buy into it.
As the project proceeded, it became more and more clear that ships of the size they wanted would take too long to make and would not be available soon enough. Plus the cost became too high with a price tag of 10 million pounds. In December of 1943, the project was officially closed. Sadly, Geoffrey Pyke did not find success adjusting after the war. After dealing with sharp criticism over the post war years about his proposed aircraft carrier, in the evening of Saturday, February 21st, 1948, Pyke consumed a bottleful of sleeping pills. His landlady found his body the following Monday morning. The coroner gave a verdict of suicide at a moment of mental unbalance.
As for his prototype built on Patricia Lake, it was abandoned in June of 1943 and last another three summers with no maintenance floating on the lake. Finally it broke up and sank. In the 1970’s remains of the model were found and studied. Another diving expedition to the site in 1985 found the remains of the model on a steep slope just off-shore, at a depth between 85 and 140 feet. Although the refrigeration equipment was removed before sinking, there remain the wooden walls of the hull, an "incredible jumble” of cold air ductwork and also a great quantity of the bitumen used as part of the insulation. As of June, 2011, large sections of the hull and one side of the wooden wall could still be found.
So what are we to make of this? World War II produced many unusual prototypes and ideas beyond this one. When you stand back and just look at the facts, the project was somewhat a success. The actual building materials (ice and wood pulp) where readily available to Brittan. In the end though, the amount of steel needed to build the facilities needed to build the ship would have been much than if they would just build several conventional aircraft carriers. The cost was also unrealistic. In the end, time may yet provide a need for “Pykecrete”. While we laugh today at the idea of an ice aircraft carrier, someday we may see this as an important breakthrough that was not appreciated in its own time. As we find all too often, out-of-the-box ideas that are originally given little credibility can and all too often do come back to life and find a need to fulfill.
Newsletter; Tazewell County Vehicle Policy Wisdom Illustrated
Tazewell County Vehicle Policy Wisdom Illustrated
In the Pekin Daily Times last Tuesday, they reported on a upcoming Court Case and Tazewell County Disciplinary Action that will need to be taken against a Tazewell County Employee for wrongful use of a Tazewell County Vehicle. If you missed the paper that day, here is the link to the news report.
http://www.pekintimes.com/news/x801979527/County-employee-faces-discipline
It is never good to read about the rare wrongful acts of a Tazewell County Employee, but this news report does illustrate that the hard work put forward by myself and several other Tazewell County Board Members to get the Tazewell County Vehicle Policy passed late last year was worthwhile.
It took almost a full year and lots of hours to get the Tazewell County Vehicle Policy passed, with a big sticking point being that many members felt that if we rarely had issues with the county vehicles then they argued that we did not need such a policy. I originally put forward the need for a Tazewell County Vehicle Policy in February of 2010, but it took until December of 2010 to get vote of the County Board because of the efforts of some to block this vehicle policy.
As stated by Chairman Zimmerman in this news report, the Tazewell County Board is on solid legal ground as far as this case is concerned thanks to the Tazewell County Vehicle Policy. Chairman Zimmerman pointed to several sections of the policy that were violated by this employee.
It is very important as we approach the upcoming election that the voters remember the County Board Members that had seen the need for this valuable policy and took the steps necessary to get it passed by the County Board. Current Tazewell County Board Members Melvin Stanford, Tim Neuhauser, Brett Grimm, Russ Crawford and Jerry Vanderheydt played a major role in assisting me in getting the Tazewell County Vehicle Policy passed.
Please do not forget these County Board Members whose wisdom helped insure that today the citizens of Tazewell County are ensured that wrongful actions by a very few will be properly handled.
In the near future, we need to move past utilizing this policy on the small scale for just the direct employees and move towards further reducing this risk by making it mandatory for all employees, including those under the management of elected County Officials. We have given the Attorney General a full year to let us know if we could not pass such a mandatory policy, which would be similar to policies in McLean and Peoria Counties. Her silence on this subject is an indication that we do have this authority and it is now time for us to move forward.
As seen here and in a few other cases since we passed the Vehicle Policy, the County Taxpayers need to know that the equipment they pay for is being properly utilized and for County Business only with a minimization of risk.
2012 Campaign Update
Today is the first day for candidates for the 2012 elections to submit the required petitions to get their names on the March 20th Primary Ballot. This morning I was proud to file my petitions for re-election to the Tazewell County Board representing District Three.
For the second such time I walked my petitions around myself, asking each and every individual that signed for their support and backing. This year, I took the opportunity of getting these petitions signed in the two townships that were added to District Three; Boynton and Hittle Townships. I saw this as an excellent opportunity to not only get my petitions signed but also meet new friends and get re-equated with friends I had not represented in the past.
I appreciate all of the supportive comments I received following my announcement that I would be running for re-election to the County Board. I will be running a campaign of facts and positions, focusing not only on what I have been able to do in the past for the taxpayers of Tazewell County but also on what I want to do in the future with your assistance.
For this election, I want to re-confirm my past commitment to; A) be an advocate for Tazewell County Farmers and Outdoorsmen, B) be an advocate for Conservative beliefs and values, and C) be a supporter of contiguous, planned community growth.
I would appreciate any support you could offer. If you are interested in assisting with my campaign for re-election, please contact me via email or phone. As always, I consider it an honor and a privilege to serve you on the Tazewell County Board and if I can be of any assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me.
In the Pekin Daily Times last Tuesday, they reported on a upcoming Court Case and Tazewell County Disciplinary Action that will need to be taken against a Tazewell County Employee for wrongful use of a Tazewell County Vehicle. If you missed the paper that day, here is the link to the news report.
http://www.pekintimes.com/news/x801979527/County-employee-faces-discipline
It is never good to read about the rare wrongful acts of a Tazewell County Employee, but this news report does illustrate that the hard work put forward by myself and several other Tazewell County Board Members to get the Tazewell County Vehicle Policy passed late last year was worthwhile.
It took almost a full year and lots of hours to get the Tazewell County Vehicle Policy passed, with a big sticking point being that many members felt that if we rarely had issues with the county vehicles then they argued that we did not need such a policy. I originally put forward the need for a Tazewell County Vehicle Policy in February of 2010, but it took until December of 2010 to get vote of the County Board because of the efforts of some to block this vehicle policy.
As stated by Chairman Zimmerman in this news report, the Tazewell County Board is on solid legal ground as far as this case is concerned thanks to the Tazewell County Vehicle Policy. Chairman Zimmerman pointed to several sections of the policy that were violated by this employee.
It is very important as we approach the upcoming election that the voters remember the County Board Members that had seen the need for this valuable policy and took the steps necessary to get it passed by the County Board. Current Tazewell County Board Members Melvin Stanford, Tim Neuhauser, Brett Grimm, Russ Crawford and Jerry Vanderheydt played a major role in assisting me in getting the Tazewell County Vehicle Policy passed.
Please do not forget these County Board Members whose wisdom helped insure that today the citizens of Tazewell County are ensured that wrongful actions by a very few will be properly handled.
In the near future, we need to move past utilizing this policy on the small scale for just the direct employees and move towards further reducing this risk by making it mandatory for all employees, including those under the management of elected County Officials. We have given the Attorney General a full year to let us know if we could not pass such a mandatory policy, which would be similar to policies in McLean and Peoria Counties. Her silence on this subject is an indication that we do have this authority and it is now time for us to move forward.
As seen here and in a few other cases since we passed the Vehicle Policy, the County Taxpayers need to know that the equipment they pay for is being properly utilized and for County Business only with a minimization of risk.
2012 Campaign Update
Today is the first day for candidates for the 2012 elections to submit the required petitions to get their names on the March 20th Primary Ballot. This morning I was proud to file my petitions for re-election to the Tazewell County Board representing District Three.
For the second such time I walked my petitions around myself, asking each and every individual that signed for their support and backing. This year, I took the opportunity of getting these petitions signed in the two townships that were added to District Three; Boynton and Hittle Townships. I saw this as an excellent opportunity to not only get my petitions signed but also meet new friends and get re-equated with friends I had not represented in the past.
I appreciate all of the supportive comments I received following my announcement that I would be running for re-election to the County Board. I will be running a campaign of facts and positions, focusing not only on what I have been able to do in the past for the taxpayers of Tazewell County but also on what I want to do in the future with your assistance.
For this election, I want to re-confirm my past commitment to; A) be an advocate for Tazewell County Farmers and Outdoorsmen, B) be an advocate for Conservative beliefs and values, and C) be a supporter of contiguous, planned community growth.
I would appreciate any support you could offer. If you are interested in assisting with my campaign for re-election, please contact me via email or phone. As always, I consider it an honor and a privilege to serve you on the Tazewell County Board and if I can be of any assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me.
County Board Recap
As we get closer to the holidays, these Monthly County Board Meetings should get shorter. Tonight was a great example. Items 1, 9, 12, 13, 14 & 15 were pulled from the Consent Agenda. Item 1, 12, 13 & 14 passed with no objections. Item 9 was pulled by Member Crawford who had question concerning the mileage of the Regional Office of Education. After his questions were answered, the issue passed with no objections.
Item 15 was the only issue that had any objections. This involved the appointment by Chairman David Zimmerman of Carl Powell to the position of Tazewell County Coroner. This issue has been delayed and stretched out over the past few months. Some members wanted to table this issue rather than voting on it tonight. Their questions centered on the fact that Carl Powell was going to be campaigning for this office in the March Primary Election and they did not want this appointment to be used as a message of support for his campaign.
As Member Stanford and then I reminded the County Board Members, it is not our job to appoint or even debate the appointment of an individual. It is the County Board Chairman’s job to appoint the individual he feels is best for the position that is open. After he makes his choice, the County Board Members then vote whether or not that individual is qualified.
Over the past few years, I have not agreed with a few of Chairman Zimmerman’s appointments, but in the end the decision is his.
In this case, I never heard any County Board Member ever say that either of these candidates where not qualified. With that then, once Chairman Zimmerman made his decision to appoint Carl Powell, the County Board Members decision should have been an easy vote yes.
Member Crawford brought forward a motion to table, which failed by a vote of 9 to table and 10 against it. County Board Members Jim Donahue, Dean Grimm, Terry Hillegonds, Nancy Proehl, Greg Sinn, Melvin Stanford, Sue Sundell, Jerry Vanderheydt and Terry Von Boeckman joined me in successfully voting against the motion to table. After the motion to table failed, the issue passed with no objections.
Item 15 was the only issue that had any objections. This involved the appointment by Chairman David Zimmerman of Carl Powell to the position of Tazewell County Coroner. This issue has been delayed and stretched out over the past few months. Some members wanted to table this issue rather than voting on it tonight. Their questions centered on the fact that Carl Powell was going to be campaigning for this office in the March Primary Election and they did not want this appointment to be used as a message of support for his campaign.
As Member Stanford and then I reminded the County Board Members, it is not our job to appoint or even debate the appointment of an individual. It is the County Board Chairman’s job to appoint the individual he feels is best for the position that is open. After he makes his choice, the County Board Members then vote whether or not that individual is qualified.
Over the past few years, I have not agreed with a few of Chairman Zimmerman’s appointments, but in the end the decision is his.
In this case, I never heard any County Board Member ever say that either of these candidates where not qualified. With that then, once Chairman Zimmerman made his decision to appoint Carl Powell, the County Board Members decision should have been an easy vote yes.
Member Crawford brought forward a motion to table, which failed by a vote of 9 to table and 10 against it. County Board Members Jim Donahue, Dean Grimm, Terry Hillegonds, Nancy Proehl, Greg Sinn, Melvin Stanford, Sue Sundell, Jerry Vanderheydt and Terry Von Boeckman joined me in successfully voting against the motion to table. After the motion to table failed, the issue passed with no objections.
November's Monthly Political Column - Philip Sheridan’s Temper Accomplishes the Impossible
“Did he really say that?”
“Well he usually knows what he’s talking about. Let him go ahead and do it.”
General Ulysses S. Grant, May 6th, 1864, responding to a challenge by a subordinate
Many leadership lessons can be learned from the command of General Ulysses S. Grant. One of my favorite books is “Cigars, Whiskey and Winning; Leadership Lessons from Ulysses S. Grant” and the whole book consist of taking leadership lessons from Grant’s life and applying them to today’s corporate business world. One read through this book and you can truly see that the lessons of today can be learned from analyzing our past.
The above quote is not found in that book, but easily could be. General Grant had just arrived and taken command of all Union Armies in March of 1864 and had made changes to the command structure which included replacing some Eastern Theater generals with Western Theater generals. By May of 1864, General Grant and his Union Army start pushing towards their new stated goal, the destruction of the Army of Northern Virginia, and the army’s nemesis, Confederate General Robert E. Lee. As they start pressing, tempers are flaring up and down Grant’s command staff. Grant’s new leadership staff starts to turn on one another and is questioning the wisdom of their new Commander in Chief.
As we will soon see, these generals (Eastern vs. Western Theater) fighting in the same Union army did not have the same fighting styles, temperament, or respect for one another. As a matter of fact, Grant’s two top generals in the Army of the Potomac are the prime examples of this difference. Representing the Eastern Theater, General George Meade, the hero of the Battle of Gettysburg. Meade had commanded the Army of the Potomac since shortly before the battle, but since the battle he had done little with the army. Representing the Western Theater, General Philip Sheridan, who had been brought with Grant to take charge of the cavalry units.
As the Union forces moved south in May of 1864, they first found and fought the Army of Northern Virginia in the vicinity of Chancellorsville, Virginia, with the great battle of The Wilderness. After two days of battle, the army had already lost 17,500. In December of 1862, General Burnside had lost 13,000 after attacking nearby Fredericksburg, and then in May of 1863, General Hooker had lost 17,000 after attacking on this very same ground. In these previous years, after such a terrible loss of life, the army had retreated back to the protection of the North. But here is where Grant showed he was going to be different. Instead of once more retreating, Grant ordered his men to move to Spotsylvania further south and closer to Richmond.
To start this action, General Meade ordered General Sheridan’s cavalry forces to race ahead and get to the town before the Confederate Army. To accomplish these orders, Sheridan’s cavalry would have to leave during the dark, rainy, foggy night. To make the mission harder, Lee’s Army was positioned closer and Sheridan’s cavalry would have to travel twice as far as the Confederates. Sheridan and his cavalry would lose the race to Spotsylvania and thus another major battle over the next few weeks would be the result.
In his anger over this lose, General Meade would confront the individual he blamed, General Philip Sheridan. Meade had no respect or use for the cavalry. He viewed their role in the army as nothing more than skirmishers and guards of the baggage train. It was the night of May 6th when General Meade found General Sheridan and told him of his disgust of his lack of action and told him so in no uncertain terms. While Meade outranked him and was his commanding officer, Sheridan responded with the same disrespectful language and tone that he had just received.
Ending the disagreement, Sheridan told Meade “I could whip Jeb Stuart if you would only let me. But since you insist on giving the cavalry directions without even consulting or notifying me, you can command the cavalry corps yourself. I will not give it another order.” This was the civil war version of “take this job and shove it”. Resigning as he stormed out, he left a shocked and stunned Meade standing.
It should be clarified that Confederate General Jeb Stuart was the Army of Northern Virginia’s cavalry commander and had become famous over the course of the war for embarrassing the Army of the Potomac over and over again. His cavalry was hated by the leadership of the north more than any other Confederate unit. During General McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign in the summer of 1862, Stuart and his cavalry made a famous round trip ride over four days and over a hundred miles completely around McClellan’s Union Army, destroying their communications and scouting his weaknesses which lead to the failure of the entire Campaign. Every officer in the Union Army wanted Stuart dead.
Meade went straight to General Grant to reprimand Sheridan for his insubordination. When Grant did not respond the way he expected, he repeated Sheridan’s boast. “Did he really say that” Grant asked. “Well, he usually knows what he is talking about. Let him go ahead and do it.” Later that same night, General Sheridan was back in the saddle and leading his cavalry of 10,000 men to the outer suburbs of Richmond. Stuart answered the challenge and led his outnumbered southern cavalry to Yellow Tavern, just six miles from Richmond, and engaged the Union in battle. Sheridan ordered his men to charge and split the Confederates in two, during which Stuart was shot by a dismounted Michigan cavalryman.
Accomplishing his boast, Sheridan returned to find his unit completely separated from Meade’s command and reporting directly to Grant. While killing Stuart did nothing to help the upcoming battle at Spotsylvania, it made a dramatic point about the proper use of cavalry and helped boost the image of the Union Cavalry. It also maintained the peace between these officers and allowed Grant to keep the services of both men. Meade would stay by Grants side till the very end of the war, effectively serving as his right hand man and together with General William Sherman would be the second only to Grant in the Union Army.
Sheridan’s next assignment would be to destroy the Shenandoah River Valley, which had long been the breadbasket of the South. In the same fashion as Sherman did with his famous March to the Sea, Sheridan would completely burn and devastate the Shenandoah Valley to the point of making it a wasteland for the remainder of the war. To the South, Sheridan would become hated only slightly less than Sherman, with both men being considered nothing more than devils.
Grant could have easily done as requested and reprimanded Sheridan. I believe he did not because of his faith in Sheridan’s abilities. He also had nothing to lose. By sending Sheridan out, he removed an obstacle from General Meade and allowed him to focus clearly on the upcoming Battle of Spotsylvania. If Sheridan had failed, he could then more openly reprimand Sheridan. By allowing him the opportunity to succeed, he opened the door for the cavalry to develop into the great war weapon they became.
Today we all too often attack young, energetic individuals who attempt to do what we perceive as the impossible. Rather than allowing them to develop, we try to shield them and control their development. If we could only step back and trust in their training and abilities, much like Grant trust Sheridan, we could be surprised as we see the impossible accomplished.
“Well he usually knows what he’s talking about. Let him go ahead and do it.”
General Ulysses S. Grant, May 6th, 1864, responding to a challenge by a subordinate
Many leadership lessons can be learned from the command of General Ulysses S. Grant. One of my favorite books is “Cigars, Whiskey and Winning; Leadership Lessons from Ulysses S. Grant” and the whole book consist of taking leadership lessons from Grant’s life and applying them to today’s corporate business world. One read through this book and you can truly see that the lessons of today can be learned from analyzing our past.
The above quote is not found in that book, but easily could be. General Grant had just arrived and taken command of all Union Armies in March of 1864 and had made changes to the command structure which included replacing some Eastern Theater generals with Western Theater generals. By May of 1864, General Grant and his Union Army start pushing towards their new stated goal, the destruction of the Army of Northern Virginia, and the army’s nemesis, Confederate General Robert E. Lee. As they start pressing, tempers are flaring up and down Grant’s command staff. Grant’s new leadership staff starts to turn on one another and is questioning the wisdom of their new Commander in Chief.
As we will soon see, these generals (Eastern vs. Western Theater) fighting in the same Union army did not have the same fighting styles, temperament, or respect for one another. As a matter of fact, Grant’s two top generals in the Army of the Potomac are the prime examples of this difference. Representing the Eastern Theater, General George Meade, the hero of the Battle of Gettysburg. Meade had commanded the Army of the Potomac since shortly before the battle, but since the battle he had done little with the army. Representing the Western Theater, General Philip Sheridan, who had been brought with Grant to take charge of the cavalry units.
As the Union forces moved south in May of 1864, they first found and fought the Army of Northern Virginia in the vicinity of Chancellorsville, Virginia, with the great battle of The Wilderness. After two days of battle, the army had already lost 17,500. In December of 1862, General Burnside had lost 13,000 after attacking nearby Fredericksburg, and then in May of 1863, General Hooker had lost 17,000 after attacking on this very same ground. In these previous years, after such a terrible loss of life, the army had retreated back to the protection of the North. But here is where Grant showed he was going to be different. Instead of once more retreating, Grant ordered his men to move to Spotsylvania further south and closer to Richmond.
To start this action, General Meade ordered General Sheridan’s cavalry forces to race ahead and get to the town before the Confederate Army. To accomplish these orders, Sheridan’s cavalry would have to leave during the dark, rainy, foggy night. To make the mission harder, Lee’s Army was positioned closer and Sheridan’s cavalry would have to travel twice as far as the Confederates. Sheridan and his cavalry would lose the race to Spotsylvania and thus another major battle over the next few weeks would be the result.
In his anger over this lose, General Meade would confront the individual he blamed, General Philip Sheridan. Meade had no respect or use for the cavalry. He viewed their role in the army as nothing more than skirmishers and guards of the baggage train. It was the night of May 6th when General Meade found General Sheridan and told him of his disgust of his lack of action and told him so in no uncertain terms. While Meade outranked him and was his commanding officer, Sheridan responded with the same disrespectful language and tone that he had just received.
Ending the disagreement, Sheridan told Meade “I could whip Jeb Stuart if you would only let me. But since you insist on giving the cavalry directions without even consulting or notifying me, you can command the cavalry corps yourself. I will not give it another order.” This was the civil war version of “take this job and shove it”. Resigning as he stormed out, he left a shocked and stunned Meade standing.
It should be clarified that Confederate General Jeb Stuart was the Army of Northern Virginia’s cavalry commander and had become famous over the course of the war for embarrassing the Army of the Potomac over and over again. His cavalry was hated by the leadership of the north more than any other Confederate unit. During General McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign in the summer of 1862, Stuart and his cavalry made a famous round trip ride over four days and over a hundred miles completely around McClellan’s Union Army, destroying their communications and scouting his weaknesses which lead to the failure of the entire Campaign. Every officer in the Union Army wanted Stuart dead.
Meade went straight to General Grant to reprimand Sheridan for his insubordination. When Grant did not respond the way he expected, he repeated Sheridan’s boast. “Did he really say that” Grant asked. “Well, he usually knows what he is talking about. Let him go ahead and do it.” Later that same night, General Sheridan was back in the saddle and leading his cavalry of 10,000 men to the outer suburbs of Richmond. Stuart answered the challenge and led his outnumbered southern cavalry to Yellow Tavern, just six miles from Richmond, and engaged the Union in battle. Sheridan ordered his men to charge and split the Confederates in two, during which Stuart was shot by a dismounted Michigan cavalryman.
Accomplishing his boast, Sheridan returned to find his unit completely separated from Meade’s command and reporting directly to Grant. While killing Stuart did nothing to help the upcoming battle at Spotsylvania, it made a dramatic point about the proper use of cavalry and helped boost the image of the Union Cavalry. It also maintained the peace between these officers and allowed Grant to keep the services of both men. Meade would stay by Grants side till the very end of the war, effectively serving as his right hand man and together with General William Sherman would be the second only to Grant in the Union Army.
Sheridan’s next assignment would be to destroy the Shenandoah River Valley, which had long been the breadbasket of the South. In the same fashion as Sherman did with his famous March to the Sea, Sheridan would completely burn and devastate the Shenandoah Valley to the point of making it a wasteland for the remainder of the war. To the South, Sheridan would become hated only slightly less than Sherman, with both men being considered nothing more than devils.
Grant could have easily done as requested and reprimanded Sheridan. I believe he did not because of his faith in Sheridan’s abilities. He also had nothing to lose. By sending Sheridan out, he removed an obstacle from General Meade and allowed him to focus clearly on the upcoming Battle of Spotsylvania. If Sheridan had failed, he could then more openly reprimand Sheridan. By allowing him the opportunity to succeed, he opened the door for the cavalry to develop into the great war weapon they became.
Today we all too often attack young, energetic individuals who attempt to do what we perceive as the impossible. Rather than allowing them to develop, we try to shield them and control their development. If we could only step back and trust in their training and abilities, much like Grant trust Sheridan, we could be surprised as we see the impossible accomplished.
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