New Shots and Info: Confederate Scot

[Rob MacKillop]

Confed1bw by RobMacKillop, on Flickr​

This is the inscription on the stone:

Col. Robert A. Smith
Of The
10th Mississippi Regiment
Confederate States Army
A Native Of Edinburgh
Who Fell Mortally Wounded
At The
Battle Of Mumfordsville
Kentucky
September 14th, 1862
While Gallantly Leading
In The
Charge Of Fort Craig
Aged 26 Years

[Confederate Sign]

Sponsored by Murfreesboro SCV Camp
Tennessee


Confed1 by RobMacKillop, on Flickr
​

I mislead you in a previous thread, as I thought it was a commemoration stone for all Scots who had died fighting on the Confederate side of the Civil War. But, I was in a hurry yesterday. A little more time today...

Smith is not a particularly Scottish name, especially for the 1860s, and I had been assuming there would be a clan connection. - mind you, Smith is a very large clan!

Young lad too. Poor sod. One of 4,862 casualties that day... He has his own Wiki Page.

Info on the battle HERE - note that the inscription misspells the name of the battle, which should read Munfordville.

Was his final moment like this, I wonder?

 

[Brian Moore]

Extremely fascinating, Rob! Thank you for going back and providing the updated information. I really appreciate it.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

No problem, Brian. Got quite interested in him!

 

[Davie Hudson]

wasn't it a confederate Scot who started the KKK?

 

[Rob MacKillop]

I wouldn't be surprised. Even the great Robert Burns was prepared to become a "slave driver" if his first book of poems didn't sell. He even had his passage to Jamaica booked. A man's a man for a' that, as long as he's no black...

On the other hand, many Scots did good things for the anti-slavery movement, and, of course, many Scots fought for the North during the Civil war. It's a complicated story.

I once told the novelist, James Robertson, about a black slave of a Dundonian sugar planter, called Joseph Knight, which might interest you Dundonians. The plantation owner decided to retire and come home to Dundee, and he brought his man-servant slave, Joseph Knight, with him. After a while, Joseph asked for his freedom, and the Laird refused it. After a couple of years, Joseph fell in love with, and secretly married, a local white girl. He then claimed that he was now a free man. The Laird said he wasn't, and eventually the case came to the Court of Dundee. The judge found in favour of the Laird - at which point the citizens of Dundee rose up, created a tumult, and as a consequence the trial was set again for the High Court in Edinburgh. This time Joseph won his freedom.

It's a wonderful story, and to my surprise and delight, James Robertson did indeed write a novel based on the story., and here it is: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Joseph-Knight-James-Robertson/dp/0007150253/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352318329&sr=8-1 - note that it is one of those "Look Inside" amazon books. If you do look inside, you will see my name on the Aknowledgements page

James found all the original court records, and wove them into a fascinating historical novel, well worth reading. Have a read of the amazon reviews...

 

[Davie Hudson]

the fair minded nature of dundonians comes to the fore again

 

[Pete Askew]

What a wonderful set of stories Rob, and you should press the author for a share of the royalties - I've just ordered a copy! And also a fine photo. I like the monochrome version best but do miss the colour of the flag (what a contradiction that is!). I'd be tempted to create muted version by layering a mono version with the colour and allowing just a hint of colour through, like a hand-tented B&W print. What do you think?

 

[Rob MacKillop]

I'm hoping he gets a Holywood film deal!

I like both the colour and black and white versions. Maybe they will work together, as you mention. I'll give it a try.

 

[Ahmad Bhai]

B&W is marvellous as is the story.
(There's always a few rotten apples in every nations basket thankfully plenty of yummy apples).

I wonder how the photo would look with just the flag in colour. I dont know how to do selective colour in aperture nor lightroom (too lazy to look it up).

EDIT : Celtic 2 Barcelona 1

 

[Davie Hudson]

B&W is marvellous as is the story.
(There's always a few rotten apples in every nations basket thankfully plenty of yummy apples).

I wonder how the photo would look with just the flag in colour. I dont know how to do selective colour in aperture nor lightroom (too lazy to look it up).

EDIT : Celtic 2 Barcelona 1

it's very easy in aperture, you literally turn it B&W then use the eraser tool to remove the B&W over the desired area

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Sorry, guys, but I really hate that technique of one object in colour (usually a red balloon!). Such a 90s cliche, but still with us!

 

[Brian Moore]

B&W is marvellous as is the story.
(There's always a few rotten apples in every nations basket thankfully plenty of yummy apples).

I wonder how the photo would look with just the flag in colour. I dont know how to do selective colour in aperture nor lightroom (too lazy to look it up).

EDIT : Celtic 2 Barcelona 1

What a result for the Bhoys! Lisbon here we come! Oh wait,...that was 44 years ago.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Something for you colour poppers and mashers...

Confed1bwc by RobMacKillop, on Flickr


Confed1bwc2 by RobMacKillop, on Flickr​

 

[Pete Askew]

I think the first one works quite well Rob. Maybe the flag is a touch too intense but it has the look of a hand-coloured B&W which suits.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

I still prefer the BW version, but I can see what you mean.

Cheers.