The last surviving soldier involved in the 1914 Christmas Truce has died. He was 109.
You can read more about the Christmas Truce here and here, including various theories as to why it happened.
If you haven't seen it, see if you can get a hold of a BBC 3-parter (it's running on The Military Channel right now) called THE TRENCH. A group of guys from Hull spend 2 weeks reinacting life in a trench in 1915, and follow the official war diary for the period to show how they lived.
I'm a WWI junkie, but I think I would have liked it even if they'd picked a different war to reenact in a similar fashion.
Posted by: James at November 21, 2005 09:06 PMI'm a WWI junkie too, ever since I was little and saw a pic of an aunt's first husband in his gorgeous, gorgeous Doughboy uniform. I've just spent an hour in a WWI plastic surgery site. Fascinating stuff. I read about the Tin Noses Shop when I was a teen, and thought it was amazing. That, combined with the birth of modern plastic surgery makes for a great read. The doctor who started it was an incredible fellow, and talk about a service to mankind.
I read that the one single thing that made Blackjack Pershing so popular was that he brought in wooden pallets so our Doughs wouldn't have to live in the mud.
Posted by: Donnah at November 21, 2005 09:17 PMWe often heard my WWI veteran Grandpa hum "Over There" while he worked around the house.
Closer to home for Southern Crackers, read this National Park Service para on the battle of Mufreesboro (Stones' River), TN:
"On the evening of December 30, 1862, Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg and Union Gen. William S. Rosecrans and their combined total of 83,000 soldiers were camped near Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Everyone knew that a battle was only hours away... The bands of both armies played, each trying to drown out the other, as they could be heard for some distance. Then, one of the bands struck up "Home Sweet Home," and "as if by common consent, all other airs ceased, and the bands of both armies, far as the ear could reach, joined in the refrain."1 Together, the soldiers sang the bittersweet song that brought back memories of home and family. Voices faded as the call came for lights out in the frosty camps.
At dawn on New Year’s Eve, General Bragg took the initiative by attacking while the Union soldiers were building their fires and eating their breakfasts."
That one does make me cry...thinking about Braxton Bragg leading our sweet boys. Gah, I hate that guy.
I wish Nathan would have taken him out.
I hadn't heard that story, Salt. Thanks.
Posted by: Donnah at November 22, 2005 08:49 AMThanks for the links, Donna. I used one of them on my own post about Sgt. Anderson.
Posted by: Baron Bodissey at November 22, 2005 10:38 AMYou're welcome, Baron.
Posted by: Donnah at November 22, 2005 09:09 PM