When I moved to Virginia in 1988 I kept one important fact of my personal life absolutely secret. I never let on that I was a Civil War buff. Why? Because, I paled in comparison to anyone there. So many people breathe it, eat it, sleep it.
I found it almost disgusting. You couldn't find any property for a landfill in the state because everything was sacred.
Everything seemed to be a Civil War historic area. I remember thinking, "Why don't they designate the entire state as a historic area and truck waste to North Carolina?" Actually, Virginians may even have supported me on that because they don't like North Carolinians.
Oops! I think I've been out of Virginia too long. Virginia is not a state. Virginia is a Commonwealth.
A scholar there once told me that there were a group of Utah Mormons who had distinguished themselves in the Civil War. I was aghast. He couldn't provide me with any details but he was sure of his facts. I thought maybe he had the Civil War effort mixed up somehow with The Mormon Battalion.
I tucked this little tidbit away in my brain hoping I would find something to either substantiate it or refute it. All these years later, all I've found is this little video and historical footnote. But, this may be my answer.
I found it almost disgusting. You couldn't find any property for a landfill in the state because everything was sacred.
Everything seemed to be a Civil War historic area. I remember thinking, "Why don't they designate the entire state as a historic area and truck waste to North Carolina?" Actually, Virginians may even have supported me on that because they don't like North Carolinians.
Oops! I think I've been out of Virginia too long. Virginia is not a state. Virginia is a Commonwealth.
A scholar there once told me that there were a group of Utah Mormons who had distinguished themselves in the Civil War. I was aghast. He couldn't provide me with any details but he was sure of his facts. I thought maybe he had the Civil War effort mixed up somehow with The Mormon Battalion.
I tucked this little tidbit away in my brain hoping I would find something to either substantiate it or refute it. All these years later, all I've found is this little video and historical footnote. But, this may be my answer.
Since Lot Smith was involved, then I think the whole operation is worth checking into. That man deserves his own lengthy biography and Hollywood movie. He's an undiscovered gem.
His Wikipedia biography doesn't even mention his Civil War service or say much about his unusually successful guerrilla war tactics in the Utah War.
It will be interesting to see if the rest of the world ever discovers him.
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