Can O' History - The Vidalia Sandbar Fight

 

The Sandbar Fight, also known as the Vidalia Sandbar Fight, was a formal one-on-one duel that erupted into a violent brawl involving a number of combatants on September 19, 1827. It took place on a large sandbar in the Mississippi River, a few miles north of Vidalia, Louisiana and Natchez, Mississippi. The fight resulted in the death of General Samuel Cuny and Major Norris Wright. American pioneer and folk hero James Bowie survived, but was seriously injured in the fight. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandbar_Fight

Duel

- On Wednesday, September 19, 1827, at midday, Wells and Maddox, accompanied by their seconds and supporters, met on a sandbar near the town of Natchez, Mississippi. Jim Bowie supported Wells, while Norris Wright favored Maddox. In total, 17 named men were present. The Wells party arrived first by a small boat from the Louisiana shore. The Maddox party and local observers then arrived by horse from a nearby Mississippi plantation house, fording a bayou. The duel was conducted by formal rules of the time, with a lengthy delay between exchanges of fire. The noncombatant witnesses (including the surgeons) kept a reasonable distance from the duel for the duration of the fight.

Wells and Maddox each fired two shots, and as neither man was injured, resolved the formal duel with a handshake.

Brawl

- At the conclusion of the initial duel, the party of six (Wells, Maddox, McWorter, Crain, Dr. Cuny, and Dr. Denny) prepared to celebrate survival. They walked towards the remaining Maddox partisans, because no participant of the duel had a violent relationship with that group. The duel participants were balanced in number (three each) and unarmed with the exception of the seconds. Crain carried a loaded pistol in each hand. The duel participants were intercepted by the remaining Wells partisans; Crain now faced three additional armed men. Seeing this from a distance, the remaining Maddox partisans began running forward to join the group. General Cuny, who had previously fought with Crain, is recorded as having called out to him, "Col. Crain, this is a good time to settle our difficulty." Crain fired, missing Cuny but striking Bowie in the hip and knocking him to the ground. Cuny and Crain then exchanged fire, with Crain sustaining a flesh wound in the arm and Cuny dying from a shot to the chest or thigh.

Bowie, rising to his feet, drew his knife and charged at Crain, who struck him so hard upon the head with his empty pistol that it broke and sent Bowie to his knees. Wright appeared, drew a pistol, and shot at the fallen Bowie, missing. Wright then drew his sword cane and stabbed Bowie in the chest, but the thin blade was deflected by his sternum. As Wright attempted to pull the blade free, Bowie reached up, grabbed his shirt, and pulled him down upon the point of his Bowie knife. Wright died quickly and Bowie was shot again and stabbed by another member of the group. As Bowie stood, both Blanchard brothers fired at him, and he was struck once in the arm. Bowie spun and cut off part of Alfred's forearm; Carey fired a second shot at Bowie, but missed. As the Blanchard brothers fled, Alfred was shot "through the arm" by Jefferson Wells, while Carey was shot at by Major McWorter "without effect".

The brief (90-second) brawl left Samuel Cuny and Norris Wright dead, and Alfred Blanchard and Jim Bowie badly wounded. The unarmed Dr. Denny was shot in a finger and a thigh. Others may have suffered minor injuries; Crain claimed that a bullet "grazed the skin" of his arm.

Crain helped carry Bowie away, with Bowie recorded as having thanked him, saying, "Col. Crain, I do not think, under the circumstances, you ought to have shot me." One doctor reputedly said, "How he [Bowie] lived is a mystery to me, but live he did." The five doctors who had been present for the duel managed to patch Bowie's wounds. The dead and wounded (at least, and perhaps all partisans) promptly crossed the river by boat soon after the death of General Cuny.

Can O' History - Gunfight at Blazer's Mill

 

- The Gunfight at Blazer's Mill (April 4, 1878) was a shootout between what were known as the Lincoln County Regulators and buffalo hunter Buckshot Roberts.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunfight_at_Blazer%27s_Mill

The Regulators, including Billy the Kid, Charlie Bowdre, and led by Richard "Dick" Brewer, were in the process of hunting down anyone believed to have been associated with the murder of John Tunstall, which had sparked the Lincoln County War. Roberts had been implicated in crimes associated with the "Murphy-Dolan" faction, but in reality it is believed he wanted nothing to do with the ongoing range war.

Blazer's Mill was located on a hillside between Lincoln, New Mexico and Tularosa, and was owned by Dr. Joseph H. Blazer, a dentist. The area included a large two-story house, a large square office building, a sawmill, a grist mill, several one story adobe structures and houses, a post office, a general store, and a number of corrals and barns. Three days earlier, the Regulators had killed Sheriff Brady and Deputy Hindman, and were in Blazer's Mill to have a good meal at Mrs. Godfrey's Restaurant. (See Dead Right: the Lincoln County War. Clifford Caldwell)

The Regulators known to be present that day included Brewer, Bowdre, William McCarty (aka Billy the Kid), Doc Scurlock, Frank McNab, George Coe, Frank Coe, John Middleton, Jim French, Henry Newton Brown, Fred Waite, and several lesser-known others.

Buckshot Roberts wanted no part in the Lincoln County War and had made plans to leave the area, selling his ranch and waiting for the check from his buyer. On the day in question, Roberts rode his mule into Blazer’s Mills, a sawmill and trading post located on the Rio Tularosa. Looking to collect his check, he was shocked to discover that the entire upper echelon of the Regulators were eating lunch in a nearby building. They had left the area around Lincoln, New Mexico after killing Sheriff Brady just three days earlier. One of them, Frank Coe, sat with Roberts on the steps of the main house and tried to talk him into surrendering. The old gunman refused, believing he would be killed by the vengeful cowboys.

Regulator chief Dick Brewer grew impatient with the stand-off and sent a few of his men outside to take Roberts into custody. At the sight of the armed, quickly walking cowboys, Roberts jumped up, aiming his Winchester. Both he and Charlie Bowdre fired at the same time. Roberts was struck in the stomach while his shot hit Bowdre’s belt buckle, severing his gun belt and knocking the wind from him. Dangerously wounded, Roberts kept pumping bullets at the Regulators as he retreated to the doorway. John Middleton was seriously wounded in the chest. One slug grazed Doc Scurlock and another struck George Coe in the right hand, costing him his trigger finger. Once Roberts' rifle clicked empty, Billy the Kid dashed from cover to finish off the wounded gunman, only to be knocked senseless by the barrel of the Winchester.

Barricading himself in the house, Buckshot Roberts ignored both his painful wound and the Regulators’ gunshots, armed himself with a single-shot .50-70 Government Springfield rifle belonging to Blazer (one source claims it was a Sharps rifle which belonged to Dr. Appel) and readied himself for a fresh onslaught. Stunned by the turn of events, the Regulators tended to their wounded and tried to get Roberts to come out. Frustrated that none of his men dared to approach the fortified adversary, Brewer circled around the main house, and took cover behind some stacked logs and opened fire on the room where the wounded man was lying prone on a mattress in front of the barricaded doorway. Roberts, seeing the cloud of gun smoke from the log pile, opened fire when Brewer put his head up again, striking the cowboy in the eye. The Regulators, demoralized by their casualties, pulled out and left the area. Buckshot Roberts died the next day and he and Dick Brewer were buried side by side near the big house where the gunfight occurred.

Can O' History - Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight

 

-  a famous gun fight that occurred on April 14, 1881, on El Paso Street, in El Paso, Texas. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Dead_in_Five_Seconds_Gunfight

Marshal Dallas Stoudenmire, a noted gunfighter who had only started as town marshal on April 11, was present in the court room. After the court adjourned, he walked across the street for dinner. Constable Krempkau went to a saloon next door to retrieve his rifle and pistol. There, a confrontation took place with George Campbell over remarks he allegedly made about Krempkau’s translations and his apparent friendship with the Mexicans. John Hale, who was reportedly unarmed, was heavily intoxicated and was also upset with Krempkau’s involvement in the matter. Hale grabbed one of Campbell's two pistols and yelled, "George, I've got you covered!" He then shot Krempkau, who reeled backward. Slumping against a saloon door, Krempkau drew his own pistol.

Marshal Stoudenmire heard the shot, jumped up from his dining chair at the Globe Restaurant, pulled out his pistols, and ran out into the street. While running, Stoudenmire fired wildly, killing Ochoa, an innocent Mexican bystander who was running for cover. As the first shot was heard, John Hale jumped behind a thick adobe pillar. When he peered out from behind the pillar, Stoudenmire fired and struck Hale between the eyes, killing him instantly.

Campbell stepped from cover with his pistol drawn, saw Hale lying dead, and yelled to Stoudenmire that this was not his fight. However, Constable Krempkau, mistakenly believing that Campbell had shot him, then fired his pistol twice at Campbell before losing consciousness from loss of blood. Krempkau's first bullet struck Campbell's gun and broke his right wrist, while the second hit him in the foot. Campbell screamed in pain and scooped up his gun from the ground with his left hand. Stoudenmire whirled away from Hale and instantly fired at Campbell, who dropped his gun again, grabbed his stomach and collapsed onto the ground. Stoudenmire walked slowly toward Campbell and glared at him. In agony, Campbell yelled, "You big son of a bitch! You murdered me!" Stoudenmire said nothing. Both Campbell and Krempkau died within minutes.

After just a few seconds, four men lay dead or dying. Three Texas Rangers were standing nearby, but did not take part, saying later that they felt Stoudenmire had the situation well in hand.

Can O' History - Long Branch Saloon gunfight

 

April 5, 1879. My Wiki rabbit hole recently was outlaws and gunfighters of the Old West. And mountain men was how it started.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Branch_Saloon_gunfight

On April 5, 1879, Richardson strode into the Long Branch Saloon specifically looking for Loving. Loving, however, was not there at that time. Richardson settled into a game of poker. Around 9:00 p.m., Loving entered the bar, this time armed. Loving took a seat at a long table, at which point Richardson moved over and sat across from him. The two men could be heard talking low to one another, but what was said could not be understood. Suddenly, Richardson said loudly "You wouldn't fight anything, you damned son of a bitch," to which Loving said calmly, "Try me and see."

Richardson stood and drew his gun, which prompted Loving to do the same. Both men fired their weapons repeatedly, with Richardson firing five rounds and Loving firing six. When the shooting stopped, Richardson had been shot in the chest, the side, and the arm. Loving was grazed on the hand by one bullet, but otherwise was uninjured. Town Marshal Charlie Bassett quickly responded, having heard the shots, but Deputy Marshal Duffey arrived first, and took hold of Richardson as he crumpled to the floor. No one else in the saloon was injured. Loving was arrested as was standard procedure in such a case. On April 7, 1879, a coroners inquest ruled the shooting self defense, and Loving was released without charges. The Globe newspaper said of the fight; "...it seemed strange that Loving was not hit, except for a slight scratch on the hand, as the two men were so close together that their pistols almost touched each other..."

Can O' History - The Burning of Norfolk 1/1/1776

 

- The Burning of Norfolk was an incident that occurred on January 1, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War. British Royal Navy ships in the harbor of Norfolk, Virginia, began shelling the town, and landing parties came ashore to burn specific properties.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_Norfolk

https://www.theclio.com/tour/292/9

https://www.loc.gov/item/2018664467/

• Cannon ball lodged in wall of St. Paul's Church, Norfolk, Virginia - fired by Lord Dunmore on New Year's Day, 1776 [1907]

Can O' History - October 26

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_26

1881 – Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday participate in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona.

• 1774 – American Revolution: The First Continental Congress adjourns in Philadelphia.

• 1813 – War of 1812: A combined force of British regulars, Canadian militia and Mohawks defeat the United States Army in the Battle of the Chateauguay.
• 1825 – The Erie Canal opens, allowing direct passage from the Hudson River to Lake Erie.
• 1859 – The Royal Charter Storm kills at least eight hundred people in the British Isles.
• 1890 – Malleco Viaduct in Chile, at the time "the highest railroad bridge in the world", is inaugurated by President José Manuel Balmaceda 

Can O' History - Affair of the Diamond Necklace

 

The Affair of the Diamond Necklace was an incident from 1784 to 1785 at the court of King Louis XVI of France that involved his wife, Queen Marie Antoinette.

The Queen's reputation, already tarnished by gossip, was ruined by the false implication that she had participated in a crime to defraud the Crown's jewellers in acquiring a very expensive diamond necklace she then refused to pay for. In reality, she rejected the idea of buying it only to have her signature forged by Jeanne de Valois-Saint-Rémy. Although Jeanne was later convicted, the event remains historically significant as one of many that led to the French disillusionmen

https://www.history.com/news/marie-antoinette-diamond-necklace-affair-french-revolution

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affair_of_the_Diamond_Necklace

The History of the Can O' History

 

I always found history topics to be hard but this turned out to be a good series. Because they are actually interesting. Most of my posts aren't all that interesting. They lack a filmic nutrition, as our friend spaced99 would say. 

Short history topics I found without much meat to them I would put in the Can O' History, which was the little garbage can time capsule Larry, Darryl, and Darryl had on Newhart. One day I was at a friend of mine's house and he had a little fire pit outside and sitting next to it was that little metal garbage can. I freaked out and said, "Where did you get that garbage can?!" "Why?", he suspiciously asked.  "That's the Can O' History!"

Can O' History topics include: Pole Sitting, Plate Spinning, Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy, The Shootout on Juneau Wharf, Napoleon Attacked by Rabbits, S.S. America: The Ship of Gold, T.E. Lawrence and Carchemish, U.S. Camel Corps, Locusta the Poisoner, What is a Clipjoint?, Ascent of the Eiger, Bal de Ardents, Great New England Hurricane of 1938, Codex Gigas - The Devil's Bible, Republic of West Florida.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0660009/

https://thegoldenhornblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Can%20O%27%20History

Can O' History - The Republic of West Florida

 

Baton Rouge was briefly a part of this short-lived Republic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_West_Florida

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-history-of-the-short-lived-independent-republic-of-florida-28056078/

https://www.al.com/news/mobile/2017/06/how_alabama_got_cheated_out_of.html

 

Can O' History - Codex Gigas - The Devil's Bible

 

A giant illuminated manuscript. Czech. Thought to be the work of Herman the Recluse. Header image of the devil has been color enhanced and the footer is a facsimile copy. My family is also Czech and one of the public domain image uploaders on Wiki has a very similar name. I chuckled when I saw it. Another one of those shrimp/plate of shrimp moments I am so fond of.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Gigas

The codex's bookbinding is wooden boards covered in leather, with ornate metal guards and fittings. At 92 cm (36 in) long, 50 cm (20 in) wide and 22 cm (8.7 in) thick, it is the largest known medieval manuscript. Weighing 74.8 kg (165 lb), Codex Gigas is composed of 310 leaves of vellum claimed to be made from the skins of 160 donkeys, or perhaps calfskin, covering 142.6 m² (1,535 sq ft) in total.

https://bookriot.com/10-things-know-devils-bible/ 

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/codex-gigas-the-devil-s-bible

Can O' History - The Great New England Hurricane of 1938

 

September 21, 1938.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1938_New_England_hurricane

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-great-new-england-hurricane-of-1938-62061578/

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-great-new-england-hurricane

Can O' History - Bal des Ardents

 

Paris. January 28, 1393. The Ball of the Burning Men. (aka Bal des Sauvages - Ball of the Wild Men.) At a masquerade ball, four dancers caught fire and were killed; nearly killing King Charles VI, who was already suffering from periodic insanity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bal_des_Ardents

On the suggestion of Huguet de Guisay, whom Tuchman describes as well known for his “outrageous schemes” and cruelty, six high-ranking knights performed a dance in costume as wood savages. The costumes, which were sewn onto the men, were made of linen soaked with resin to which flax was attached “so that they appeared shaggy and hairy from head to foot”. Masks made of the same materials covered the dancers’ faces and hid their identities from the audience. Some chronicles report that the dancers were bound together by chains. Most of the audience were unaware that Charles was among the dancers. Strict orders forbade the lighting of hall torches and prohibited anyone from entering the hall with a torch during the performance, to minimize the risk of the highly flammable costumes catching fire.

According to historian Jan Veenstra the men capered and howled “like wolves”, spat obscenities and invited the audience to guess their identities while dancing in a “diabolical” frenzy. Charles’s brother Orléans arrived with Phillipe de Bar, late and drunk, and they entered the hall carrying lit torches. Accounts vary, but Orléans may have held his torch above a dancer’s mask to reveal his identity when a spark fell, setting fire to the dancer’s leg. In the 17th century, William Prynne wrote of the incident that “the Duke of Orleance ... put one of the Torches his servants held so neere the flax, that he set one of the Coates on fire, and so each of them set fire on to the other, and so they were all in a bright flame”, whereas a contemporary chronicle stated that he “threw” the torch at one of the dancers. 

The scene soon descended into chaos; the dancers shrieked in pain as they burned in their costumes, and the audience, many of them also sustaining burns, screamed as they tried to rescue the burning men. The event was chronicled in uncharacteristic vividness by the Monk of St Denis, who wrote that “four men were burned alive, their flaming genitals dropping to the floor ... releasing a stream of blood”. Only two dancers survived: the King, thanks to the quick reactions of the Duchess of Berry, and the Sieur de Nantouillet, who jumped into an open vat of wine and remained there until the flames were extinguished. The Count de Joigny died at the scene; Yvain de Foix, son of Gaston Fébus, Count of Foix, and Aimery Poitiers, son of the Count of Valentinois, lingered with painful burns for two days. The instigator of the affair, Huguet de Guisay, survived a day longer, described by Tuchman as bitterly “cursing and insulting his fellow dancers, the dead and the living, until his last hour” 

Can O' History - Ascent of the Eiger

 
August 11, 1858. North face not till 1938. Famous climbing disaster incident was in 1936.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiger

https://www.summitpost.org/first-ascent-of-the-eiger-1858/172575

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1936_Eiger_north_face_climbing_disaster

https://thegoldenhornblog.blogspot.com/2020/02/mountain-climbing.html

Can O' History - What is a Clip Joint?

 

Another Cheers reference. Early Harry the Hat appearance, Coach calls Harry a flim-flam, and Harry accuses Sam of running a clip joint.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clip_joint

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/flimflam

 

Can O' History - Locusta the Poisoner

Cook wanted.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locusta

“Locusta testing in Nero’s presence the poison prepared for Britannicus”, painting by Joseph-Noël Sylvestre, 1876

 https://gizmodo.com/badass-historical-chemists-locusta-1734516314

http://www.prisonersofeternity.co.uk/locusta-the-poisoner-of-rome/

Can O' History - U.S. Camel Corps

Whoa, there, big fella.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/whatever-happened-wild-camels-american-west-180956176/

Feral camels did survive in the desert, although there almost certainly weren’t enough living in the wild to support a thriving population. Sightings, while uncommon, were reported throughout the region up until the early 20th century. “It was rare, but because it was rare, it was notable,” Baum says. “It would make the news.” A young Douglas MacArthur, living in New Mexico in 1885, heard about a wild camel wandering near Fort Selden. A pair of camels were spotted south of the border in 1887. Baum estimates there were “six to ten” actual sightings in the postbellum period, up to 1890 or so. The legend of the Red Ghost — a crazed, wild monster roaming the Arizona desert — fit snugly within the shadow of the camel experiment.

 https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/61993/how-civil-war-broke-camel-corps

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Camel_Corps

Can O' History - T.E. Lawrence and Carchemish

Archaeology and intrigue.

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anecdotes-from-the-archive/lawrence-in-arabia-from-archaeologist-to-spy-1914/

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2003/sep/04/research.artsandhumanities

https://www.world-archaeology.com/features/jerablus-and-the-land-of-carchemish/

Leonard Woolley (left) and Lawrence in their excavation house at Carchemish, c. 1912.

http://ancientneareast.tripod.com/Carchemish.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carchemish

Can O' History - SS Central America: The Ship of Gold

September 12, 1857. The SS Central America sinks in a hurricane off the Carolinas with more than 420 passengers and 30,000 pounds of California Gold Rush gold. This loss helped spark the Panic of 1857. 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11376701/What-was-the-SS-Central-America-or-Ship-of-Gold-and-why-did-it-sink.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/01/30/how-treasure-hunter-tommy-thompson-one-of-the-smartest-fugitives-ever-was-caught/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Central_America

Can O' History - Pole Sitting

Ouch.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/542170/top-world-remembering-lost-trend-flagpole-sitting

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flagpolesitting-youngman-1929.jpg

https://www.al.com/living/2013/12/as_alabamian_celebrates_50_yea.html

https://historydaily.org/alvin-kellys-claim-to-fame-sitting-on-flagpoles

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pole_sitting

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maryland_youth_breaks_pole_sitting_record._William_Ruppert,_14-year-old_youth_of_Colgate,_Maryland,_as_he_appeared_atop_the_flag_pole_in_the_yard_of_his_home_yesterday_after_breaking_the_LCCN2016889434.jpg

Can O' History - Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy

Russian sideshow performer. 1868-1904.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fedor_Jeftichew

https://www.neatorama.com/neatogeek/2016/06/24/True-Tales-Of-The-Bearded-Lady-And-The-Dog-Faced-Boy/