Patrick S. Gilmore When Johnny Comes Marching Home

Here is the true story behind the creation of one of the most enduring songs of the Civil War. The song is "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" by Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore. At the beginning of the Civil War Patrick S. Gilmore was a bandleader. During the war he and his entire band enlisted in the Union Army. During their service the band was called upon several times to act as stretcher bearers after engagements with the the Confederate army. It has often been suggested that this activity played a major role in the creation of the song. This may be true but if so it was just one element of a larger mosaic that culminated in the creation of the song. To see the entire picture you must first look back to the beginning of the war. At that time Patrick was living on the east coast of the United States. He had several years earlier separated from his parents and had gone off to make his own way in life. For Patrick this meant leaving his native Ireland and Emigrating to the US. His parents, in a move similar to that of Patrick, also emigrated to the United States during the late 1840's or early 1850's. Rather than living on the coast as Patrick had chosen to do they had decided to live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. With them they brought Annie M. their daughter and their youngest son Henry D. When the Civil War broke out these children were in their late teens and, much as Patrick himself did, they felt the call to serve the Union cause. For Annie this meant being loyal to her beau, a young man named John O'Rourke. John had enlisted in the Union Army as a private and had immediately been promoted to Captain within the 6th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. Throughout the war Annie would remain loyal to her Captain and pine for his return. For Henry the war meant enlisting in the Union Army. As an Infantry soldier he would do his part to serve his adopted country. At first, Henry did very well in the Army. Through his hard work and effort he earned several promotions and eventually reached the rank of Sergeant. It is because of these four people, Patrick, Annie, Henry and John, and the events that were about to unfold in their lives that the song would be penned. Were it not for their love of each other, shared in such a public way, that we today would not be able to express our desire to see our own loved ones return from war in such a powerful way. This then is where the story of the songs creation actually begins. We start with Henry for of all the Gilmore's and O'Rourke's he would pay the highest price for his service to country. Henry was destined to would fall in battle. He would suffer the loss of both legs in an explosion on a field of battle. The loss of his legs were the lesser of his sufferings as he had also suffered extensive head trauma and would forever more be incapable of cognizant thought. Over time his body would heal as best as it could over time but his greatest loss was that of his future. A young man at the time of his injury he would spend the rest of his life in an insane asylum unaware of his condition or state. That Patrick and Annie received word of their brothers fate there was no doubt. Each would have grieved in their own way and in their own way suffered alongside of their fallen brother. Patrick, still serving with his band, was not in eminent danger of injury by this time in the war. Annie remained in Milwaukee and continued to write letters of support to her Captain. But what of the Captain? The Captain had changed duties from Infantry to Artillery and had been sent, along with his men, to the Cumberland Gap area in West Virginia. There he and his men faced nearly daily skirmishes with Rebels and on multiple occasions played prominent roles in open battle with the enemy. It was at this time that Annie wrote a letter to her brother expressing her dire concern for her Captain. Would the Captain fall victim to the same fate as Henry? Would she ever see him alive again? Would he ever return to her at all? It was at this moment in history that the now famous song was penned by Patrick to calm his dear sisters fears. So you see, the song is about Henry who had lost so much and about Johnny who continued to face danger and also about Annie who so longed to have her Johnny back safe and sound. It is here then, at its roots, that we learn the song is an intensely personal message meant to sooth the heart strings of a sister so wracked by doubts and fear over a loved one facing danger. It is also the hope of Patrick that no one else should suffer the fate of his brother in battle. Did the original Johnny make it home again? After many adventures and dangers he in fact returned home where he married his beloved Annie. The two of them would spend the rest of their lives together. Johnny had made it home.

Four people, one short version of the story and a whole new understanding of the song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" and its all true. Every word of it. As a final note: Perhaps it is the heartfelt empathy and purity of intent that inspired Patrick when he wrote the song. Perhaps it is these same qualities that have reached out to countless hearts for more than 150 years. And perhaps, yes perhaps, someday there will be an end to war and there will be no more need for the song. Until then we will all look forward to "When Johnny Comes Marching Home".

Note: The photo above of Captain O'Rourke is from the "Captain John O'Rourke House Collection". Notation of this fact must accompany any copy or usage of the image. Thank you.

The true story of Espo the Rabbit and Santa's great list of naughty and nice children

Oh, I'm quite certain that you're heard about Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. I'm absolutely positive you've also heard of all the other Reindeer as well. You might even have heard of Mrs. Clause, the Elves, the sleigh the Santa's great ride across the world on Christmas Eve to deliver presents. Why, you even know about the great lists that Santa keeps on all the good boys and girls. You know the one, the one that determines which children get presents and which children get bags of coal. Yes, yes, I am quite sure that you have heard of the lists but do you know how they started? Do you know how Santa keeps track of all the children and knows who is naughty and who is nice? Some people will tell you its "Christmas Magic" but they are simply mistaken. How do I know you ask? Well I will tell you that when I was just a young boy Captain O'Rourke told me the story - the true story of how Santa helped a rabbit named Espo and how Espo came to help Santa and in so doing Christmas was changed forever. You see, I know its true, the Captain told me so and he would never lie. He told me and now I will tell you - exactly as he told me the story. You see (the Captain began telling his story) the men and I were in camp outside of Petersburgh and winter had come early that year. The tents were cold, food was scarce and everyone was tired of the war. I sent out a group of men to see if they could find anything to eat. We used to call this foraging for food. When the men returned from foraging they had scant little to offer. One man, a Sargent, had his hand inside of his coat. With a smile he pulled a plump rabbit out of his coat and held him out to me. "For you Sir" he said "And a Merry Christmas to you as well." "He should make a fine meal sir!" the man said as he held out the rabbit to me. I thanked the Sargent and accepted the rabbit. I had a cage brought to my tent and placed the rabbit inside thinking that he would indeed make a fine dinner. What happened next would change my way of thinking about rabbits forever! I no more than closed my tent flap when that rabbit commenced to speaking to me. He said "Please Captain, you must, umm, you must help me. I have an important mission that I just must complete. If you insist on eating me for dinner I will fail and you see I so did promise. You understand don't you?" Well I can tell you I certainly did not understand. In fact I thought someone was playing a joke on me and was about call for my watchman to check around the back of the tent to see who was playing such a joke when that same rabbit said to me "I just can't let Santa down not after all he did for me. And especially not on Christmas Eve!" Christmas Eve! Why I had not even thought of that. Most people know that at special times animals, if they wish, can talk and one of those times is Christmas Eve. I decided not to call the watchman and instead turned back to the rabbit. "Now Talk" I told him. "Tell me everything and be quick about it. I am a busy Captain and yes even hungry. Your words will decide your fate. Let's here your story." And so began the tale of Espo. Espo explained to the Captain that several years before he and his family had been living way up north. As Espo was very fond of the grass that grew as the snow melted in the spring he and his family had traveled further and further north in search of this early grass. They had traveled north following the green grass as first spring and then summer had arrived. The grass was good and they ate their fill and traveled on. Thinking that by continuing north they would continue to find this delicious grass they had traveled so far north that they found themselves in a land without any grass. And then the weather turned towards winter and before they knew it the little family of rabbits was in a very bad way. Espo and the others huddled together for warmth and wondered what to do. Just as things looked beyond all hope an unfamiliar sound was heard. It was the sound of sleigh bells. Beyond all belief the little family looked on as a jolly fat man with a hugh white beard landed on the ice just a short distance from them. The reindeer, glad for a short rest, began to paw at the ice in search of a morsel or two. "Ho Ho Ho what do we have here?" the fat man exclaimed. "Are you looking to become a Polar Bear meal?" he laughed as he said this and even though Espo and the others didn't know what a Polar Bear was they began to like this man who had found them. "I'ts a good thing I have sharp eyes and spotted you as I was flying over. Why you folks are southern rabbits. You should be far from here this time of year. It's a good thing I spotted you as we returned from delivering all those toys. You might not have lasted through the night." Espo, to cold to reply just nodded his head towards the fat man. "Well, lets go then. I can't leave you out here like this, mamma will want to see you." And with that the fat man gathered up the rabbits and, after putting the babies inside his beard, gave the order for the reindeer to move out. And so it was, Espo and the others found themselves at the North Pole itself. Santa, by now they knew it was Santa, and Mrs. Clause were delighted to have the rabbits at the village. The rabbits played, ate green grass Mrs. Clause grew for them and generally had a great time. Espo, understanding the great gift that Santa had given him and his family, wanted to do something nice for Santa. He watched and listed and learned all about how the North Pole worked. You know, what the elves do, what the reindeer do all of that sort of thing. He tried his hand at making toys but his ears kept getting in the way. He tried to pull the sleigh but although he could hop a very long way he could not fly like the reindeer. And then an opportunity came for Espo to help. As Santa toiled over his great list of Children, his heart and his head weary with the task of trying to watch all of the children the world over a thought came to Espo. I could do that, we could do that, the rabbits of the world could do this. He spoke to the others about his idea and all were in complete agreement. The rabbits would help Santa keep track of the good boys and girls as well as the bad. Santa, upon hearing the idea, proclaimed it to be a capital idea and all agreed to start right away. And so it has been ever since. Rabbits all over the world watch the little children to see which are naughty and which are nice. If you don't believe this simply look outside your window and you will probably see a rabbit sitting there. He's not just enjoying the grass. He's keeping watch for Santa. In this way Santa can keep track of all the worlds children all year long. And thanks to Espo he always knows exactly who is behaving and who isn't. In this way Espo related his story to the Captain. Then the captain said "I have one final question for you. If you are so good at this watching business and have been doing it for so long how come you got caught by my Sargent?" Espo, if it's possible for such a thing to happen, reddened in the face just a bit from embarrassment. "Well, I'm not as young and spry as I used to be and the grass around here is especially tasty and, well, I ate a bit more than I guess I should have." As he said this he patted his round belly. "Rather like Santa's now I'm afraid." With this the Captain burst out laughing. "All right what can I do to help?" he asked Espo. Espo replied that he was terribly late in meeting Santa and due to his capture he would probably miss him altogether. It would be the first time since promising to help Santa that he would fail and he felt terrible about it. "Santa won't know where to look for me now" he cried. The Captain replied with a wink in his eye "I think I have an idea." With that the Captain picked up Espo and tucked him into his own coat. He picked up his pillow from the bead and then, leaving the tent he headed towards a group of men. In a hushed tone he told Espo "You'll need to be quiet now. Good luck!" When he arrived at the group of men they all snapped to attention and saluted. He returned the salute and asked that the men load one of the cannon's with a 1/2 charge of powder. The men dutifully loaded the powder into the gun. The Captain explained that he intended to fire a "Christmas Salute" and that no cannon ball was needed. Since a louder sound can be produced from a cannon that has wadding or stuffing in front of the powder than without the men were not surprised when the Captain stuffed the pillow he was carrying into the end of the barrel. "Now, when I tell you to fire do so right away". What the men had not seen was that the Captain had allowed a very nervous Espo to climb into the barrel after the pillow had been put in. It was the Captain's intention that if Santa could not come to Espo then Espo would go to Santa! Everyone stood in silence staring at the night. The men's breath was visible against the black sky lit up by the full moon. Suddenly and without warning something was seen crossing the sky. High up and moving fast it went. The Captain, standing a short way from the cannon heard a small voice call out "That's him! That's Santa!" As the sleigh moved into sight the Captain gave the order to "Fire!" and the gun roared to life. For just a split second Espo could be seen waving back at the Captain and then the Sleigh dipped from its course and swooped him up. As the sleigh slipped from sight all of the men thought they heard a hearty "Ho Ho HO! but none could be sure of it. The Captain, thinking it's a good thing he has sharp eyes, returned to his tent still hungry but happy nonetheless. The next day upon awaking the Captain found that his men had found a large bag of sweets just outside of the camp and had determined that they had been lost by a passing column of wagons the day before. The Captain knew better and said to himself "Thanks Espo and Merry Christmas". And that's exactly how the Captain told it and its true every word of it. I know it for the Captain wouldn't make something like that up. Besides, if everyone knew the secret then children might try to be good just in front of the rabbits and not all the time but trust me - they will see you! Still not convinced? Take a look at any Christmas card or picture, look at the wrappings that come from the North Pole and will see Espo and his family right there for all to see. They are always there and will always be there right at Santa's side. But now that you know the entire story you will know that's its the rabbit that's keeping an eye on you and not the other way around and you will know that you better be good for goodness sake!

When Johnny left Fort Mulligan

Fort Mulligan is a Civil War era fort that resides just outside of Petersburg, West Virginia. Many people know that the fort was built by Union troops under the command of Colonel James. A. Mulligan. What many people do not know is that the artillery officer in charge of his battery of light artillery was none other than Captain John Rourke of Wisconsin. Yes, this Captain John Rourke is the same man named in the song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" by Patrick Gilmore. During the period of time that the Captain served under Colonel Mulligan he utilized the name Rourke rather than O'Rourke but that is a subject for another day. For today I bring you an interesting story about a historic man, a historic location and a life changing event or "pivot point" as Glenn Beck would call it. Before telling this story I would like to thank the South Branch Valley Civil War Society Inc., McNeill’s Rangers Camp #582, Sons of Confederate Veterans and the 7th WV Infantry Camp #7, Sons of Union Veterans for their hard work in maintaining and supporting Fort Mulligan. Although I have only seen the fort through photographs I do intend to visit the actual site at some point and would love to meet the members of this group. I would also like to thank Linda Cunningham Fluharty and Lindapages.com for her tireless efforts in researching civil war soldiers in order to preserve their stories for posterity. Without Linda's efforts a portion of this story would not be know. OK, as you know the original fort was built between August and December of 1863. If you look at the photographs online of the fort you will notice that there appears to be positions for seven cannon's rather than the normal six assigned to a battery. The records show that the 1st Illinois Light Artillery Battery L commanded seven tubes or cannons. I have been unable to identify where the seventh gun came from but it is more than likely the original six came from the state of Wisconsin. Why Wisconsin you may ask? Well Captain O'Rourke was an Irish immigrant who had settled in Milwaukee and then moved to Mauston within the state of Wisconsin. He had originally entered the service as John O'Rourke, had immediately been promoted to Captain by a vote of his peers and, when the 6th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry was ready he shipped out to Washington D.C. with his troops. Now, there is another story here but we will tell that one on another day. For now what you need to know is that the good Captain resigned and returned to Wisconsin where none other than the Governor Louis P. Harvey reenlisted O'Rourke, this time as Rourke and offered him command of the 17th Wisconsin Infantry. O'Rourke turned down the offer. Why? Because he wanted to serve with his pre-war friend James A. Mulligan. That's why! The two men had met during business conducted between John Fitzgerald, a railroad contractor, and the firms represented by Mulligan who was a lawyer. When Mulligan learned that O'Rourke was unattached and available he requested the Illinois governor extend a request to the Wisconsin governor to allow O'Rourke to serve under the Illinois flag. The Wisconsin Governor went one better on the offer and, while he didn't have enough men to form a complete unit, the governor sent O'Rourke and his partially organized unit the 11th Wisconsin Light Artillery to Chicago, Illinois and had them attached to Mulligan as battery L of the 1st Illinois Light Artillery. Now it is true that the cannons used by this group could have been provided by either Wisconsin or Illinois I would assume they came from Wisconsin as it would be bad manners to send the men unarmed so to speak. Together the men would travel to the east to pursue the war. Mulligan, is recorded as being a man of 6ft 4 inches in height with Hazel colored eyes and brown hair. O'Rourke it is believed, from examining period pictures of the man was of similar height. Unfortunately his eye color and hair color have not been found to be recorded in the records so far. Mulligan, a man of some wealth chose to wear his business when photographed. On the field he was known to wear flamboyant clothing that made him stand out and allowed him to be seen by all his soldiers at just a glance. O'Rourke, from the images, also believed in a well kept appearance. The remaining photographs show a man well groomed in a finely kept uniform. Later images show a man in neat and orderly suits as were common during his day. Together these two men must have been quite a sight. Both taller by far than their subordinates on the field. Together these men would build the new fort. In off hours one can almost imagine the Irish playing at road bowling as is told about in stories of the fort while in use. The rules of the game called for small metal balls to be rolled towards pins set up on grassy flats. What better to use than a solid shot meant for say a six pound cannon? Plentiful and available it would be a natural fit for the game. During his time at the fort O'Rourke would be singled out several times by his superiors. In one recorded event he is singled out for having captured a large shipment of tobacco. In this action he had utilized 60 of his cannoniers as cavalry and had captured the shipment while foraging. In another action he was praised by Lieutenant Colonel James Quirk of the 23rd Illinois for having positioned and fired the guns himself that lead to the recapture of a large herd of cattle after a grueling all night chase on the outskirts of Petersburgh. There were good times and bad at the fort but for the Captain things would soon go from bad to worse. According to the records of the Headquarters of the Second Brigade dated February 14, 1864 the events we are about to discuss happened on the 30th of January 1864. This record was written out and forwarded to Headquarters by J. Thoburn, Colonel, Commanding the units involved in the action. According to Thoburn Fort Mulligan was to be abandoned due to the advance of Early's troops on the position. The position, it was thought at the time could not be held due to the short amount of supplies on hand and the potential that the train bringing in new supplies may or may not reach the agreed upon delivery point. With this in mind Thoburn gave the order to evacuate the fort and the army moved out and Johnny left Fort Mulligan for the last time. Now, with most historic facts or events there is usually only one account of what happened. For this event, as it pertains to the Captain, there are three. The three accounts consist of 1. the J. Thoburn report, 2. A testimony of Captain William S. Robb the case of Corporal Theopilus W. Richardson of and 3. What the Captain himself had to say about the matter. First up lets see what Thoburn had to say: The column arrived in good condition, without casualty or disaster on the way, with the exception of a few stragglers that were picked up by the enemy while in a state of intoxication. Among these I am sorry to say were Captain John Rourke, Illinois Light Artillery, and Captain William S. Robb, First West Virginia Volunteer Infantry. Sounds like the Captains had a bit to much to drink. This explanation of the event always left me wondering because O'Rourke was a highly educated and deeply religious man. Might not stop him from drinking then again it just might. The second testimony comes from Captain Robb. In documents uncovered by Linda and available for viewing at Lindapages.com you can read the entire description. For our purposes its important to note that when testifying on behalf of Theophilus Richardson at a veterans benefit hearing he states that he came across Captain Rourke being tended by two Corporals after he was thrown by his horse. He, Robb, was looking for stragglers and making sure no useful supplies or equipment had been abandoned during the evacuation. It can be surmised that Rourke was doing the same when he was thrown from his horse. Robb goes on to say that all four of the Union Soldiers, including himself, were at that time captured by the Confederates and taken to prison camps. He does not mention being drunk or drinking with Rourke. He simply states that he came across Rourke while performing his duties. The third and final testimony on this event comes from O'Rourke himself in sort of an offhand manner. As a prominent citizen of Plattsmouth, Nebraska during 1881 he was asked if he would like to have his bio printed in the "Andreas History of Nebraska" book that was to be published. At the time it was kind of like a who's who of today. O'Rourke chose to include a bio of himself that had been published in a paper some years after the war but previous to the request by Andreas. This account designated by O'Rourke himself as accurate states: While in advanced line of the army before Petersburg, W. VA., his left shoulder was broken and himself taken prisoner, being first confined to Libby Prison Hospital, ...... Again, no mention of drinking or of being with Captain Robb. Kind of makes one wonder if Thoburn was covering his own bottom by saying they were lost due to drunkenness rather than lost in the line of duty. Either way, Captain O'Rourke had left Fort Mulligan and had begun one of the roughest periods of his entire life - that of a prisoner of the Confederate States of America. Finally, as I always do with the historic articles I invite you to ask questions, do the research yourself to validate what I say or simply write it off as a fanciful story. What I can tell you in defense of my research is that the stories I tell of O'Rourke come from hard, factual in period articles that have been uncovered during five years of research. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed finding them. Thank you for reading.