"Roundheads and Ramblings"

flood waters

The Hurricane of 1861

Posted on Friday, November 2, 2012 8:27 PM

I've been hesitant to post about this during the worst days of Hurricane Sandy, but the historian in me has been struck by a coincidence of time and event. In late October, 1861, the Union mounted a huge expedition designed to capture a safe harbor along the southern coast and use it as the base of operations to enforce the blockade against the Confederacy. The expedition itself included some 12,000 soldiers and 80 ships, led by then-Commodore Samuel DuPont.

The records show that October 30 was a beautiful warm day at sea, but the weather shifted, and on November 1 the fleet ran full tilt into a late-season hurricane. Several ships were lost, 31 men washed up on a North Carolina coast and were taken prisoner, and the army lost their landing boats, which meant they would be unable to take part in the upcoming Battle of Port Royal.

I first wrote about this incident in my historical monograph, "A Scratch with the Rebels," Then I expanded the story to include it in my historical novel of the same period, "Beyond All Price," Readers will remember Nellie warning that the encroaching clouds and dropping pressure reminded her of the nor'easters of her Maine childhood. There was a dramatic moment in which a huge wave nearly swept Nellie overboard and dealt her a blow to the head before she was rescued by her gallant regimental commander.

The storm was real, although obviously not as intense as the one we just witnessed. Yet when I hear people making the leap from October Hurricane to impending doom caused by climate change, I can't help but want to remind them that vicious storms at this time of year are not quite as unusual as they seem from our short-sighted point of view. More than that, climate change is nothing new, but rather seems to be a recurring pattern over broad eras and hundreds of years.

I in no way want to belittle the suffering of so many people affected by Sandy, but I will continue to point out that there is much to be said for keeping things in historical perspective.

Déjà Vu in Memphis: The Value of Historical Fiction

Posted on Thursday, May 12, 2011 10:32 AM

One day this week, the front page of the Memphis newspaper featured a photo of the encroaching Mississippi flood waters. An elderly black woman sat on the front porch of her little house, watching as the river swallowed her yard and her front steps. "Two more bricks," she said, pointing to the corner of the house. "If the water gets over those two bricks, I may have to do something."

The accompanying story explained that safety officials and members of her family had already pleaded with her to evacuate to a shelter. Her refusal was firm. "This house may not be much, but it's all I've got. This house is full of memories. I've lived here all my life. I raised 12 children in this house. A little bit of water ain't gonna drive me away from here. This here house is my life, and I'm staying put."

As I read the article, I kept hearing echoes of the past. 150 years ago, the slaves of South Carolina watched their plantation owners flee from the invading Yankee army. And just as stoically as that woman on the front porch, they refused to budge when the chance to flee was offered to them. The soldiers, missionaries, and teachers who came to help them were puzzled by their reactions. After all, didn't all slaves want to be free? Of course they did, but to them, freedom meant being free to choose to stay in the homes they had always known.

What I was sensing here was not an attitude exclusive to one group of people or one occasion. Rather, it seems to be a universal trait of the human condition. Home is where we live and love and fight whatever small battles come our way. Home isn't a building or a particular town. It's a feeling of belonging, of being connected to something bigger than ourselves. And human beings everywhere will fight to cling to what they consider home, no matter how humble or threatening it may be.

A story of triumph appeared on the same day, in the same paper. Booker T. Washington High School was named the winner of the "2011 Race to the Top Commencement Challenge". The school is located just a few blocks from where that elderly woman sat on her porch. That morning, the school's principal had received a call from Vice President Joe Biden, telling her that President Obama would be delivering this year's commencement address. What a success story lies behind that announcement!

A few years ago, BTWHS was one of the lowest-achieving schools in the country. The neighborhood suffered from poverty, crime, and demoished buildings. Students floundered and quit school. Now, thanks to a concerted effort by their faculty, and supported by a federal grant, they have turned around not only the school but the neighborhood and the lives of those who live in South Memphis. To see all the facts and figures, watch the video they made.

Once again, as I read the article, I compared it to the story I am currently researching -- the development of the Penn School on St. Helena Island, South Carolina. Like BTW, Penn set out to prove that all people can learn and grow into useful citizens. Penn, too, had a dedicated faculty, led by Miss Laura Towne. Laura believed that in a safe and supportive environment, all children could achieve a high level of academic excellence. She took small slave children and turned them into life-long learners. Her goals exactly match those of the faculty of BTW.

As I consider these similarities, I am more and more convinced of the value of the kind of writing I do. Through the stories of the past we can better understand the challenges of the present. People who lived 150 years ago faced the same sorts of problems we do and found the same kinds of solutions that work today. There are no hard lines of "then" and "now." We are all part of a continuum, sharing the same human condition. Historical fiction is one tool for strengthening our bonds to the human community.

Ol' Man River

Posted on Tuesday, May 3, 2011 1:37 PM

I've heard so many questions about flood dangers here that I thought it might be a good idea to bring you all up to date. Memphis is not yet under water, but we're getting there fast. Memphis gauge's flood stage for the Mississippi is 34 feet. Today, the river is at 43.6 feet. Forecasts predict that we will hit 48 feet or higher on May 10th and stay at that level for some time. To put that number in perspective, the highest ever river level in Memphis measured 48.7 feet in 1937. We are uncomfortably close to setting a new record.

Flooding problems are compounded by the number of rivers and streams that wander through the county. Under normal circumstances, they flow right into the Mississippi. But when the mighty river is already in flood, the smaller ones start out lower and find their normal paths completely blocked -- which means they simply back up and overflow their banks. Add to that problem the past seven days of rain which have dumped anywhere from 11 inches (at the airport)to 18 inches just north of I-40. Water has nowhere to go!

Most roads are still dry, and only a few families have been forced from low-lying areas into evacuation centers so far. Our own house sits high and fairly far away from any river or stream that is trying to flow into the Mississippi. Our subdivision has good drainage and several holding basins, so we are not packing up. Nevertheless, we're keeping a close eye on conditions. Here are a few pictures for those of you familiar with the area. You're looking at some of the casinos in Tunica, the I-40 bridge to Arkansas, a drive-in theater, and several playing fields and parks.

One bright spot in all of this has cheered me. As evacuation shelters open, people are being told to bring their pets with them. At each shelter, volunteers from the ASPCA check the animals in and arrange transportation to take them to an emergency shelter of their own, where they will be cared for at no cost until their owners can reclaim them. Maybe we did learn something from Katrina after all!

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flood waters

The Hurricane of 1861

Déjà Vu in Memphis: The Value of Historical Fiction

Ol' Man River