A group of veterans gathered in chattanooga, tennessee, and one of the key moments of the american civil war, they were in chattanooga for their 33rd annual meeting of the society of the army of the cumberland. That army had fought in march across middle tennessee in 1863, climbing mountains and reversing rivers before fighting confederate armies at chickamauga creek, in the greatest battle in the western theater of the war. In the minds of these veterans, chickamauga was not a union defeat, but rather the battle for the capture and permanent possession of the city where they were meeting, chattanooga. That capture of chattanooga eventually led to the capture of atlanta and the Union Victory in the war. At the Third Session of the meeting, an unexpected topic came up. A statue for the man who led the army of the cumberland during its most important battles in the campaign. Major general William Stark rosecrans. The men began to express themselves. I worship the memory of general william s rosecrans. A hole for him or reference in my heart never to be replaced in a veteran. Tore was no in superior rosecrans. A third voice added, i want to say i think in strategy, rosecrans was not surpassed by anyone in the civil war or any previous war. He secured the city of chattanooga in the face of strong a strong and powerful enemy, overcoming almost insurmountable difficulty, but he had the nerve to undertake it. I think the success of general grant is due to rosecranss matchless strategy. , anyone veteran opined who studies the campaign from murfreesboro will to southeast city,hville, to this chattanooga, gained by his blended strategy, cannot fail to afford to him the place of one of the greatest leaders of his age. This statue shall have a place in washington where it will stand as long as this republic. Wow. So who is this man, who is William Stark rosecrans . County,orn in delaware ohio, in 1819. That is north of columbus. He won appointment to west point and he graduated in the class of 1842, fifth in his class. Into theled him to go engineering corps. He was the first westerner, many west of the appellations, to be in the engineering corp. Because he was in the engineering corps, he missed the mexican war. He saw service in his military and at fort monroe, virginia, not too far from richmond. He taught at west point. He had a profound religious conversion. He converted to catholicism. This would be a big part of his personality. If you were to meet rosecrans and knew nothing about his military career, he would probably want to discuss the elegy with you. However, the military really wasnt that great a career if there wasnt a war going on. So he resigned from the army and engaged in private business. He was an engineer, he knew about refining. He worked in western virginia, in that area, and even had an accident one day that left him scarred. It looked like he had a smirk on his face. If you look at the book cover, you can see that. War,hen in 1851, the civil he offered his services to the governor of ohio and was commissioned in the regular army. His first area of service would be in western virginia. Western virginia, still part of virginia at the time, was the first significant campaign of the war. The overall Union Commander there was George B Mcclellan. The first major battle of consequence was the battle of rich mountain. That is near beverly West Virginia. It was to be a pins or move, thats where you approach the opposing army from both sides. He would go up the mountain and make a flank attack. The aim was to strike that in me from the front. The cleland didnt do his part, didnt participate in the battle. Rosecrans did, and he won. The beneficiary of this immediately was George B Mcclellan. He is called to washington to head the armies of the potomac in the wake of the union defeat at manassas, first bull run. So George B Mcclellan gets command of the union army of the having actually participated in combat in the civil war. Rosecrans now becomes the Union Commander in that department of the war. He fights another battle in september 1861 in central West Virginia. Small battle, but important. Then later in the fall he faces none other than robert e lee, in beijingrst military in engagement of the war. They faced each other across towns. These were raw armies, they didnt really know what they were doing. Lee wanted rosecrans to attack so he would be able to destroy him. Rosecrans realize that and he. Ith drew, pulled back leave then pulls back, comes back here to richmond. That really into the campaign in West Virginia in 1861. But a lot had been accomplished. Because the entire western part of the state was occupied by the union army. People know that West Virginia used to be part of virginia, but they also dont know why they were able to become a separate state. One reason was the union army occupied that land. If rosecrans had done nothing else, if he had just done his term and then died or resigned, he would be an important but minor figure of the war. Virginiaplaced in west by john c fremont. Fremont was the first republican domine for president in 1856. He had been in missouri in 1861. He was an ardent abolitionist, as far as generals went. He was always popular with the more radical element of the republican party, and i dont think it is stretching it to say it was a political dimension to him replacing rosecrans. He had voted for stephen a douglas. So where does rosecrans go . He goes to northeastern mississippi. He fights first under Henry Hallock and when hallock comes to washington, he fights under ulysses s. Grant. Two battles. The second was the battle of karen. These are in northeast mississippi. Most people have heard of shiloh. These are south of shiloh. Im going to talk about corinth first. He said the effect was very great. It was indeed a decisive blow to the confederate cause and changed the whole aspect of affairs in west tennessee. From the timid offensive, we were at once and able to assume the bold offensive. From the timid offensive to the bold offensive. Thats pretty interesting. Lets talk about iuka. It was important for another reason. Corinth inr, then october. I you can is the beginning of a risk between grant and rose kants that would never heal and would ultimately calls rose kants rosecrans to be removed and to not be in the army when the war ended. Why did this happen . Pinzers also to be a movement. Rosecrans was to come in from the south and grant was to come in from the north. As originally planned, grant would come in first and then engage the enemy, and rosecrans would come in from the south. That was the plan. As we all know, plans dont always go as planned. So what happened was, rosecrans was delayed in arriving. He telegraphed that to grant, and grant changed his plans. But things get curious. Rosecrans never got word of those changing plans. In fact, there is a 30 hour period when there is no communication between rosecrans and the commanding general grant. Rosecrans is coming in from the south and engages the confederates, there is some fighting, the confederates then, instead of being trapped, they are able to take another road , andftown and evacuate some people criticize rosecrans for this. Rosecranss position would have been, where is the commanding general . Why havent i heard from him . Grant wrote to reports on the battle. The first one, he highly praises rosecrans. In the second, he doesnt mention him. Then Something Else happened,nd that was rumors of drinking that grant was drinking. Very contentious issue in the civil war. A lot of people dont like to talk about this. Where do these rumors start . They seem to have started with a private soldier who wrote a letter to his parents just a few days after the battle. Then an article presumably written by him, with the same initials as william f stewart, appeared in the cincinnati newspapers. This would cause some problems. At the battle of corinth, which comes after iuka, rosecrans repulses general Earl Van Dorn. They had been fighting in the heat, not a lot of support, and then the next morning he pursues van dorns army and keeps pushing him. He believes he can capture Earl Van Dorn and he believes he can take before vicksburg. But grant called him back. Rosecrans appeal to hallock up in washington, and hallock writes to grant and says let him pursue. Grant says no, i dont think he can do it, and he calls him back. So these are the reasons for this rift. Rosecrans feels he cannot fight under grant, served under grant, and asks to be transferred out of that theater of the war. Where he goes next is tennessee. He takes over the army that had been led by it had bought at perryville and repulsed the confederate invasion at perryville in 1862. Replaced him. Rosecranscember 31, fights the battle of stones river, or murfreesboro. This is an important battle. Its one of the 10 biggest battles of the war. Its about the same size as shiloh, does much more famous. Its important for two reasons, i think. At the end of the battle am of the union army held its ground and the confederates retreat. We hear so much about the battles around richmond here. Despite all the losses, the army of the potomac under grant didnt retreat. The same thing could be said for 1863 ats in 1862 or stones river. But theres another reason, psychological. December 1862 was probably the low point of the union war effort. The disaster at fredericksburg. Ligon says if there is a place worse than lincoln said there if there is a place worse than hell, im in it. All of a sudden grant thinks that he can take vicksburg with the supply depot destroyed. Then this fear in washington that the British Parliament is going to intervene on the side of the confederacy. The confederacy is doing well. If thes a sense that british come in its going to be very difficult for the union to win. But the victory at stones river, and it was considered a victory at the time people today will say it wasnt a victory. People that were there thought it was a victory. Men who really thought it was a victory the man who really thought it was a victory was abraham lincoln. Eight months after the battle, in august of 1863, he wrote this to rosecrans. Whilst ier forget remember anything that about the end of last year and beginning of this, you gave us a hardearned victory which, had there been a defeat instead, the nation could scarcely have lived over. Yes people that know about the civil war thomas who did lincoln send that too, they probably would have never guessed rosecrans in the battle of stones river. So get it confederate spectrum. Robert monks lost albert marx lost a leg at stones river. This is what he said. That made murfreesboro the hinge on which the fortunes of the confederacy must turn, if that battle had been won by the confederates, the paper blockade in other words hes saying the blockade wasnt really that strong would be torn to tatters and the independence of the confederacy assured. Genius of rosecrans turn the paper blockade into one of adamant. On that field, his genius destroyed the confederacy and reestablished the union. Even if someone says thats a little bit overstated, you could , people really felt that strongly on both sides . And yet a lot of people fell. Not a victory. After stones river, what does rosecrans do . Well, if you read many histories, you will say he delayed for six months. He was idle. Well, he wasnt idle. Rosecrans had suffered. His army had suffered greatly at stones river. Suffered a lot of casualties. He also knew that he was going to be entering an area where the terrain was difficult, hilly and eventually mountains. He also wanted to build up his army. He was an innovator. Rosecrans was a man that had two patents. He was an engineer. He graduated fifth in his class. He was a smart man. He created a mountain infantry. These were soldiers that traveled on horseback, but then dismounted and thought as infantry. He was very innovative in topography and cartography. They would go and take pictures of the terrain, develop those pictures, and then put what they saw on maps. They constantly had maps updated. Its very he was very interested in medical things, sanitation. In West Virginia he had created an ambulance. And a way hospitals to take the wounded from battlefields to where they could get care. A pioneer brigade that when ahead in cleared areas for the army to more easily advance. He created an honor roll to honor soldiers. Created the largest earthen fort in the war, ft. Rosecrans. You can still see parts of it if you go to murfreesboro, the Fastest Growing county in tennessee. Of course this all would be war,tant for later in the for sharman, that big supply base. The lightning brigade, john c wilders lightning brigade. The lightning brigade was he given it that had spencer repeating rifles. The War Department did not seem that interested in it. John c wilder, with the approval of rosecrans, her just these spencer repeating rifles, and to pay for them, money was inducted from the soldiers pay. This is not being idle for six months. Then in late june, he moved. What rosecrans does is, he uses strategy. He thanks, he pretends to go in one direction, and then strikes and another. Bragg feels that the enemy is in his rear, so we has to withdraw all away to chattanooga. Rainingd not started late in the campaign, its possible that brags army could have been captured. I mentioned the lightning brigade. The first time the spencer repeating rifles were used was at hoovers gap, which is a campaign. The hadcrans was a man that strong opinions about things. That what heted had achieved in middle tennessee much asappreciated as what grant had done it vicksburg and at gettysburg. He actually wrote a note to authorities in washington and overlooking what we have accomplished, because it is not written in letters of blood. So he was a man of strong opinions. Now what do we do . I dont know if any of you have betweenthat area murfreesboro and chattanooga, but its the most difficult terrain that any armies in the war face. Mountains, rivers, the Tennessee River which is quite large. Way. Rans had to find a he had three choices. He could go from north of chattanooga, but in doing that hes separating himself from the supply line, the railroad. And again, there would be no gunboats for him. The rivers were not deep enough to have gunboats. He could follow the Tennessee River into chattanooga, but then youre going into a gorge. You can be attacked. So he decided to go south and to s supply route to the south. But in doing that, he had to cross mountains, most notably lookout mountain. Lookout mountain had a few passes. The criticism of rosecrans is that he divided his army before the battle of chickamauga. Well, he had to divide his army. He had to go through those mountain passes. Thater criticism of him is he should have stated chattanooga. There is a misconception, the union army did not occupy chattanooga fully until after the battle. Just one part of his army went into chattanooga. He is dividing his army. One part comes through chattanooga area daily but brigade there, and then it continues on to try to capture and destroy brags army. So that is another criticism. The battle itself, chickamauga, the second bloodiest battle of the war. A twoday battle, september 20, a sunday, the day of the famous fatal order. Wood, the misinterpretation. A lot of standard histories will say that thomas would willingly made the decision to follow an order he knew couldnt work in order to destroy his army. I cant except that. Selfpreservation alone would have something to do with that. Recent scholarship has cast a lot of doubt on that. It was a mix up, all these battles. Been long street who had transferred from the army of Northern Virginia down to brags force. Massing a great rosecrans was outnumbered. Union army had fewer people on the field in september 1863 in the confederate army. The ride is shattered, and then rosecrans is criticized for fleeing the battlefield impacts in panic. Another side of the story. Rosecrans met up with james a garfield. Garfield, an interesting fellow. He said it one point that he loved every bone in rosecranss aday. Body. He was a selfmade man, he had and was ae elegy congressman who would later become president. He and rosecrans would discuss theology laid into the evenings. They would hook up after the right has been shattered, and rosecrans said that he suggested that garfield go to chattanooga and rosecrans stay on the field, and garfield said i dont know if i can do all those things that need to be done, why dont you go . That is his side of the story. Chattanoogad go to and he did prepare for the defense of the city. Iscourse George Henry Thomas another underappreciated person on the union side of the civil war. Total able to prevent the rout of the army, earning the name the rock of chickamauga. We should not forget that reinforcements came up and played a big role. Was broken and despondent. Going to read something from another interesting character, Charles A Danner was officially second secretary of war. But everyone then he was a spy. His job was to go and report to the War Department on what was going on. This is what he wrote to washington right after the battle. This is a time when honesty is paramount. When you want to know whats really happening. This is what he wrote. He said i can testify to conspicuous and steady gallantry of rosecrans on the field. He made all possible effort to rally the broken colonies. Nor do i see that there was any fault in the disposition of his forces. Later he would start to write more critically and he would accuse rosecrans of being despondent. Its on the basis of these dispatches that rosecrans was relieved of command. You may have heard the quote of lincoln that rosecrans was stunned like a duck hit on the hand on the head. Lincoln could only know what he many of those things were coming from Charles A Danner. O rosecrans was relieved since we are in richmond here, let me read something from the richmond examiner. It says meanwhile, lincoln is helping us. He has removed from command the most dangerous man in his army and put two fools in his place. Mean pretext for rosecrans removal had been published by the yankee press. Asecrans thus retired unquestionably the greatest captain the yankee nation has yet produced. Is performance in the field too fresh in the memory of every reader to necessitate recapitulation. This is a man few people even know about today. Vicksburg waser itd of title idle, and wasnt necessarily his desire, he visited several cities, including new orleans, where he falls off a horse and hurt his leg very badly. But then right before tockamauga he is summoned louisville, kentucky. This is after the battle. There are two sets of orders. Rand will be an overall command, but one set of orders leaves rosecrans in charge of the army of the potomac and the other removes him. Not surprisingly, grant decides to remove him. This is in part because of what iuka a year earlier. Before we move onto his next and last year of the war, the opening of the supply line. Say that thatill f baldy smith. Rosecrans was despond it, he was sitting there, could barely get out of bed, and it took others to come in some used to say grant did it, but hardly anybody says that now. Rosecrans died in 1898. There had been a dispute about this. Smith asked for the War Department to convene a board of officers to look into this. It tells you how this was talked about in the 19th century. This is what the War Department concluded. After a diligent search of the official records, the board failed to find any evidence that general Debbie F Smith was the originator of the plan for the relief of chattanooga. On the contrary, there is abundant evidence in the official record to show that the plan, which contemplated crossing the Tennessee River at bridgeport at the northern end of the lookout valley, which was successfully executed by general 1863, october 2620 8, was devised and prepare for a general rosecrans before relinquishing command and that execution was begun under orders issued by general thomas the , thatight of october 19 general rosecrans was relieved from command of the department of the cumberland, and without consultation with general smith. People disagree with this am and they need to look at these documents. Lincoln liked rosecrans and he said at one point, i must do something for general rosecrans. He said he couldnt understand why there was this animosity against him. Rosecrans is put in one more theater of the war, and that is missouri. Missouri was a pretty difficult place. It was a very divided state. We really had guerrilla warfare in places. It had been stripped of troops, sent sherman was conducting the atlanta campaign. Upon this lot by something called the oak, the organization of american nights. He did a great study on this and try to interest the administration on this uprising that was going to happen. I think in part he was trying to become important again. In the fall of 1864, missouri was invaded by sterling price. Objective, and did not have much chance of succeeding, was perhaps to threaten st. Louis, cause an uprising among these american knights, perhaps install a confederate government. None of these were founded. Price kind of went in and are. E headed went in an arc kansas was a whole Different Military theater with a different commander. , weretle of westport coming up on the 150th anniversary of that in a few more weeks. It is the last major battle of that campaign. Effectively the civil war was over. West of the mississippi. Heecrans thought thought it would bring him back into good graces, but he was wrong. In december, he was relieved by grant, and he never again had an active post in the war, never again had an active role. Army untiln the 1867. Then in 1867 he retired. John russell1867, gone was the editor of the new york tribune. He sent a letter to garfield. It read, my dear general, i see that rosecranss resignation has been accepted at last. And that he is to go out of the army. I wish you would sit down before you leave washington and give me a memorandum of his military career, how he was removed for times. Each time at the end of a victory. As to enable me to write an editorial about him, give me your ideas and i will try to do him justice. Garfield, who knew rosecrans very intimately, spoke about ideas. He responded, and this was part of the response. He said, it if the president makers, and actually Horace Greeley had sent a person down to sound out rosecrans for running for president , this thing is so complicated and so much different than what we assume is the set story of the war. If the president makers had let , he might have been at the head of our army today. But in the fatal summer of 1863 was enveloped visions of the presidency consulate thrust before him. Heres the important part. I think this made him a little overcautious and increased the delay in the beginning of the campaign of middle tennessee. That is actually garfield. Garfield betrayed rosecrans a little bit. The kind of said rosecrans needs to move faster. You could argue that garfield want to have action before he came to washington. Rosecranss actions in middle tennessee were brilliant and successful but they came so late as to be up secured by the army of the potomac and gettysburg. I think also that the political leaders became alarmed at his increasing fame, and were not unwilling to see evil befall him. That the waris department seemed very ready to find fault with him from that time forward. I have never before put these thoughts on paper, and have rarely spoken them to my dearest friends. The events are too recent to make it prudent, but the time may come when they will be known. Politics. Some ofook, i look at these political leaders. Im just going to mention the one i think is key. That is a man named washburn. He is probably the most important unknown figure of the civil war. He was a senior republican in the house of representatives. Towas one of the few people greet lincoln when lincoln came in kind of incognito into washington to be inaugurated. He was from illinois. He had a chance to make some people officers. Guess who else was from illinois . Ulysses s. Grant. He was grants sponsor, patron, he defended him in the house of representatives. We somehow forget how after shiloh and northeast mississippi, grant was under a cloud. So washburn is a very important figure in this whole story. Rosecrans lived until 1898. Most of us would like to have a long life. For most of us would be a pretty prominent life. He was an ambassador to mexico for a while until grant became president , and that was the end of that. He was registrar of the treasury. His image has never been on currency. He served two terms in congress in california. He had the opportunity to have other elective offices. He was from ohio and other didnt want really to do that. He had the nickname the great decliner. He dies in 1898 in california, and he is reburied in Arlington Cemetery in 1902. If you are to come up on his grave, you would see these words. Major general william s 18191898. Nothing else. You would know he was in the civil war. You would know anything about him. So why dont people know about him . Thats a good question. I stumbled upon this. Think in a 19th century people did know about this. There were books written on both the union side and the confederate side, on the dispute between lee and long street. This was talked about. But by 1898, the civil war was beginning to recede in the popular memory. Most of the famous people were deceased. There was a war in 1898, the spanishamerican war. New heroes. A new century, new america. Weston 20 years we have the first world war. Less than 30 years after that, the second world war. Think, in the 1950s, the civil war really wasnt as studied or as prominently in the popular imagination as it has become now. That changed in 1961 with the centennial. However, i think the emphasis in the centennial was the army of the potomac, and all of a sudden the big focus became ulysses s. Grant and robert e lee. Rosecrans, but people like George Henry Thomas and others who fought in the western just were not discussed much. That has changed in recent years. Thele have looked at campaigns in middle tennessee, West Virginia, and people have looked at these campaigns and have generally been favorable to rosecrans. But no one seems to string them together, and very few people into the political dimension. Im going to close with two things. , should we do anything about this . Recently, didnt have a statue anywhere. He does have one in ohio. Last september, citizens in his home county dedicated a statue to him, north of columbus. If youre ever in that area, you should go visit it. Its a great story how local people decided to do something. Its a very handsome statue, also. Does he have a statue in washington . No. Why doesnt he have a statue . Well, i think in part because he lived too long. If he died in 1870, he may have gotten a statue. General thomas, who died in 1870, has a statue. But he doesnt have one. I want to just quote this. Statue ofhy erect a so great a man in at your place . Some people want to put it in arlington. The object is to perpetuate the memory of one of the greatest generals of the civil war. Anyone who studies the campaigns from murfreesboro to chattanooga will see this great strategy. The soldiers that he fought under that knew him best wanted the statue. Its up to the American Public to decide if they think he should have a statue. Since we are in richmond, and since we are in the museum of the confederacy, im going to close with a quote by a confederate. This confederate is dabney mari. Of matthewnephew fontaine mari, who of course has a statue on monument avenue. Dabney mari fought against rosecrans. He said general rosecrans was one of the eight listed Union Generals and his moderation and humanity kept pace with his courage and skill. Our dead received from him all the care do you brave men who fell in manly warfare and are wounded and prisoners fell into his hands a test his soldierly courtesy. So beloved by the people that fought under him, respected by neglected by, but the people in his own country. Thank you. [applause] do we have any questions . To engineeringed and refining, things i dont really understand. I mentioned the statue in ohio. If you go to rosecrans headquarters [indiscernible] theres a great webpage on rosecrans that is very well done. He was a smart guy. In son barry ohio, which is delaware county, north of columbus. Its right off the interstate. Its right in the town square and well worth visiting. Antebellum an attitude like the know nothings. How do you think that played and his attitude postwar memory as well . When i stumbled upon this and was trying to figure out and i had a friend i did research with. If you read the book, you will learn a little bit about him. I wondered about that. I dont really think it was as big as we think it was. I dont claim to be an expert on this. Catholics were prominent in cincinnati. Georgetown college, a jesuit institution, was probably the leading college in washington at the time. Catholics were not an unknown presence. I have a treatment in here on that because i think it was very important. I have come to the conclusion generalwas just a religiosity. Different so many groups created in the 19th century. They saw a man praying, but they also saw brave man. There is a quote in here from a general haskell that accuses gongs and incense. Thats an example of someone saying this guy is a mystic or something. I think it hurts him today. And that in general im generalizing here. I think many academics dont really like religious people. Thats a terrible thing to say, but i think its true, at least military religious people. I think it kind of hurts him am a but i dont want to get sidetracked on that. I do think the fact that rosecrans was a very religious person, i dont think it helps them today in academia. I think the general population will say it is interesting. Mention the first chief of staff, he was decapitated at stones river. I was recently at stones river. Prevatican ii catholicism. They told me at stones river that some people come there and pray at the site. Its very interesting. Mrs. Rosecrans is buried at the same cemetery. Mary sirotka was executed for being a conspirator in the assassination of lincoln. I stumbled upon a book and started raising reading all these superlatives and got deeper into the political asset. Garrett shea is buried there. The direct show storm that came from the midwest and knocked out a lot of power derecho storm. It toppled that monument. Has anyknow if he descendents that would be interested in restoring it. People often say there is new about the civil war. [laughter] gettysburg, lee, jackson, sherman, grant. I stumbled upon this, as i have said. No one seemed to be interested in this. Read decision of the west . Says, end of the book, he he expresses his wish, his young that some courageous historian will write about general rosecrans. No one seemed to be interested. Hasn named frank barney written a book about general grant, and rosecrans. Hes going to write a book down here in petersburg about five forks. Theres a new book, gateway to the confederacy, about chattanooga. Is a chapter there about the grantrosecrans dispute. So i think its beginning to be reevaluated. To grant the point rosecrans ambassador to mexico . No, he would never have done that. That would have been andrew johnson. He was president until march of 1869. You were saying that someone said that is the messiest of divorces. Congress in rosecrans served in congress. Grant had some financial problems and they wanted to put him on the retired list which would entitle him to a pension. Rosecrans bought that. A lot of people thought that was not good. But he felt strongly about it. Grant notat general only had wronged him but had wronged other people as well. Thomas of course was going to be released by general rant. It is an interesting and deep story. Book, its this is a and also man that should be commemorated. If you think he is someone that should be remembered in the capital nation that he played a big part in preserving. Anything else . Is there any directed movement to get rosecrans a statue . We can start one. Ohio did it. The book just came out in march. There are going to be people that are going to say no, im making these things up, but i think it is well documented. I hope this will happen in the next few years. Thank you very much. Thank you. [applause] war heirs here every saturday at 6 00 and 10 p. M. Eastern time. To watch more of our civil war programming any time, visit our. Ebsite, www. Cspan. Org history youre watching American History tv. All we can, every weekend, on cspan3. Featuring green bay wisconsin, the cds home to the green bay packers, nfls third oldest franchise. Founded in 1919, the team is the only Nonprofit Community owned Major League Professional sports team in the u. S. We recently traveled to green bay to explore the citys rich history. Learn more about green bay all weekend here on American History tv. We are hearing green bay, wisconsin. Ofs is a collection of Historic Buildings important to northeast wisconsin. Brought here in the mid1970s. The park opened in 1977. We have about 43 structures, 25 of which are historic. Ro the structure is the oldest wooden house in wisconsin. The buildings surrounding us are the four howard buildings from the historic four howard here at green bay. The one over here is the detached kitchen. The one behind me is actually a replica of our school the four howard schoolhouse. The four howard hospital over here to my right is in 1836 structure. Over to the south here is the four howard guarde,