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PostPosted: Thu Jul 11, 2019 12:17 pm 
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Joined: Sun Jan 04, 2009 9:33 pm
Posts: 314
Location: Old Northwest (Michigan)
Fellow Sharpshooters,

The latest edition of the Civil War Digest features an interview between old comrade, Will Eichler and Ms. Hazel Monahan, former director of the Hudson (Michigan) Museum.

I first became acquainted with Hazel in the 1993, while I was doing research on Sgt. Cobb (having read about his exploits in C.A. Steven's book).

At that time Hazel's goal was to improve the Maple Grove Cemetery-the final resting place of Frank Cobb, Ed Southworth and most of the 'Hudson Squad' that served in Berdan's Company C. During the annual Bean Creek Festival, Hazel created a cemetery tour and stationed a number of Michigan's best living historians to portray 10-15 of the citizen-soldiers buried there. The tour would stop at designated stations as a historian gave a 'first person' autobiographical sketch of 'their lives'. Hazel asked me to represent Sgt. Frank Cobb. The tour was a huge success, with over $1500 being donated to restore Maple Grove to its former glory. At a later tour I was invited back to portray Sgt. Ed Southworth (WIA Kelly’s Ford, discharged disabled).

To prepare me for my role as Frank Cobb, Hazel sent me clippings from the Hudson Gazette newspaper that featured Cobb's wartime letters to the editor, and later, his correspondence with William Saunders and D.M. Montgomery. Cobb was reunited with Wm. Saunders at the 25th anniversary at Gettysburg, and the pair returned to Hudson, where the former Confederate was feted by the entire community-and former Sharpshooters.

An amazing story of enduring friendship formed in the crucible of War.


https://civilwartalk.com/search/39598/? ... obb&o=date

Bill Skillman
Hudson Squad


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PostPosted: Sun Jul 14, 2019 10:53 am 
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That is a great fundraiser idea for a cemetery!

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Mike Thomas

140th PVI, Co A
https://www.facebook.com/140pvi/

1st USSS, Co H
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 16, 2019 8:53 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2009 3:25 pm
Posts: 23
Location: ROCKPORT, MAINE
What a compelling story! The fact the the photos of these two old foes are safely held in a place where they can be appreciated and shared along with the newspaper accounts of their letters is absolutely priceless.

Thanks for sharing this story with us and God bless hazel for her dedication to the museum.

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Captain Dave Sulin
Rockport, Maine
"Mind your helm"


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PostPosted: Mon Aug 12, 2019 9:10 am 
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Joined: Sun Jan 04, 2009 9:33 pm
Posts: 314
Location: Old Northwest (Michigan)
Fellow Sharpshooters;

On Saturday night I was lying in a recliner with my eyes searching the northern skies for the strobe-like flashes and streaks representing the annual Perseid meteor shower. After an hour it occurred to me that I had done this before, albeit in different dress, circumstances, and location. Twenty years earlier I was lying on a recreated surgeon’s operating table in Hudson, Michigan, looking for those same flashes and streaks in the night sky.

The surgeon table belonged to Ted Barber of the 4th Michigan Infantry (reenactors), who, with his company had participated earlier in the day as part of the Bean Creek Festival, with a couple members representing soldiers of the “Old Forth” in the first annual Maple Grove Cemetery tour (like I had, as 3rd Sgt. Frank Cobb). Following the tour, I joined the other ‘Hudson boys’ (Originally, Cobb wanted to join the 4th—that had recruited extensively in Hudson and Lenawee county in 1861), around the campfire to trade ‘war stories’. Captain Rick mentioned the Perseid's meteor shower, so someone was ‘on watch’ looking heavenward to call out a particularly remarkable falling star, streaking overhead. Eventually, the boys drifted off to their tents, and since I didn’t have one, Ted offered me to sleep under the fly of his tent. I accepted, but after an hour of shivering under my tissue paper thin repop ‘emergency’ blanket, I had to get off the cold ground. It was then I noticed Ted’s operating table. It would serve two purposes, it would get me off the cold ground while giving me a great view the night sky, and the Perseid meteors. Eventually, I drifted off to sleep.

I was awakened by the sound of tent flies being opened and boys dressing, while someone stoked last night’s embers into a fire. Then I heard: “Surgeon Barber, wake up. You have an customer!” followed by roars of laughter. With a start, I opened my eyes and I realized that I was the ‘customer’. Fortunately, Surgeon Ted is a late sleeper and I had a five hour drive ahead of me; so I threw on my coat, collected my Sharps and traps, and hook hands with my grinning comrades. I told them I’d see them soon—but not on the operating table.

Bill Skillman
Hudson Squad Mess


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PostPosted: Wed Nov 27, 2019 4:45 pm 
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Joined: Sun Jan 04, 2009 9:33 pm
Posts: 314
Location: Old Northwest (Michigan)
Fellow Sharpshooters,

Brian texted me (on October 23) to report that Hazel Monahan has passed away, "she had been in poor health for some time'. I thought friends of the original Hudson Squad would like to know of her passing. She will be missed by all of us Wolverines, who she graciously encouraged to 'tell the story of Frank Cobb and our Sharpshooters' by participating in the Bean Creek Festivals, the Maple Grove Cemetery tours and living history presentations at the Hudson Historical Museum. Hazel was a great historian, a dedicated community citizen, and a friend to all living historians of Leenawee County and Michigan.

Bill Skillman
Hudson Squad
USSS


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