Nashville Civil War Roundtable

14 Jan

January Newsletter and Meeting Notice

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January 16th, 2012 – Our 34th Meeting!!

The next meeting of the Nashville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Monday, January 16th, 2012, in the visitor’s center of Ft. Negley Park, a unit of Metro Parks, Nashville, TN. This is located off I-65 just south of downtown between 4th Avenue South and 8th Avenue South on Edgehill Avenue/Chestnut Avenue. Take Exit 81, Wedgewood Avenue, off I-65 and follow the signs to the Science Museum. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM and is always open to the public. Members please bring a friend or two – new recruits are always welcomed.

OUR SPEAKER AND TOPIC: “Freedom’s Captain – Robert Smalls From Slave to Congressman.”

Robert Smalls was born a slave in Beaufort, South Carolina, on April 5th, 1839. His birthplace was the slave cabin behind his master’s home. In 1862, living in Charleston at the age of 23, he escaped aboard a steamer called the Planter with his family and a few friends. Smalls had been the boat’s pilot and the Planter served the Confederacy as a transport. The boat made a harrowing journey past other Confederate vessels before it was surrendered to the USS Onward of the Union squadron that was blockading Charleston.

If the escape wasn’t enough excitement, Smalls met President Abraham Lincoln a couple weeks later who became enamored of the young man. Because of Smalls’ abilities as a boat pilot around the inlets of Charleston Harbor Lincoln commissioned him as a captain in the U.S. Navy in command of the boat by which he escaped. Smalls became the first black Captain of a U.S. Navy warship. Smalls later begged Lincoln to consider recruiting black troops to fight for the Union and Lincoln asked Smalls to help recruit and train the 1st South Carolina Infantry (Colored).

Smalls commanded the USS Planter for the rest of the war taking part in engagements in the Charleston area and helping to maintain the blockade. After the Civil War he was elected to the U.S. Congress as part of the first class of black congressmen in American history. Ironically, he later bought the home of his former owners for his family.

The story of Robert Smalls will be conveyed to the Nashville CWRT by Kraig McNutt. A Louisville, Kentucky native, he has been seriously studying, researching and writing on the American Civil War since the mid 80s. He has self-published numerous studies on the war and his Civil War blogs receive tens of thousands of visits a month. Kraig specializes in the Battle of Franklin but is not limited to that topic. He holds degrees from Indiana University and the University of Kentucky and taught at the college level for several years. He now lives on a small farm in Franklin where he and his family raises and breeds Arabian horses.

LAST MONTH’S MEETING

John Walsh, owner of Fort Donelson Relics in Dover, Tennessee and president of the new Fort Donelson CWRT, gave us a fascinating program on Civil War photography. Beginning with a history of the art, Walsh delved into the several types in use during the Civil War era. Using a fine Power Point heavily illustrated with examples of each type, Walsh showed the evolutions and good and bad points of each type. The Civil War brought a massive renaissance in photography with purveyors of the art taking to the field to show, for the first time, the horrors of the battlefield including those that had lost limbs. Soldiers by the thousands flocked to have their pictures taken after enlisting or during the war to send home. Thankfully many of these survive to give the modern viewer an insight into the Civil War era. Thanks to John Walsh’s excellent program all of us were able to understand and learn that insight. Walsh also brought along examples from his large personal collection for display. This program would be wonderful for any CWRT. Thanks John.

FUTURE PROGRAMS (please check our new web site for other events):

February 2012 – Myers Brown, Tennessee State Museum/author – “Tennessee’s Confederates” (based on his recent book)

March 2012 – Mike Manning, Fort Donelson NBF/author – “The Civil War In The Indian Territory”

April 2012 – Mark Christ, historian/author – “The Civil War In Arkansas 1863” (based on his recent book)

May 2012 – Nancy Baird, Western Kentucky University/author – “Josie Underwood’s Civil War; A Union Girl in Bowling Green, KY”

June 2012 – Gordon and Traci Belt, authors – “Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion in the Army of Tennessee”

July 2012 – The one and only Ed Bearss!!!!!! We are not kidding!!! Topic to be determined.

August 2012 – Jim Ogden, Chattanooga-Chickamauga NMP – “The Prelude to Chickamauga” (tentative)

September 2012 – Ruth Hill McAllister, author/historian – “Sam Watkins Memoirs, Company Aytch” (tentative)

October 2012 – Dr. Brian Wills, Kennesaw State University, author/historian – “General George Thomas” (tentative)

November 2012 – Dorothy Kelly, Knoxville CWRT and author – topic TBA (tentative)

December 2012 – Krista Castillo, Fort Negley and Nashville CWRT – “Christmas In The Civil War”

January 2013 – Rick Warwick, Williamson County Historian – topic TBA (tentative)

MEMBERS AND DUES – The membership has decided that every May will be our fiscal year. Please plan on taking care of your membership renewals at this meeting. The annual dues structure for the Nashville CWRT is as follows:

Single membership – $20
Family – $30
Military – Active duty and Veterans – $15
Military Family – Active duty and Veterans – $25
Student – $10
Senior (age 60 plus) – $15
Senior couple – $20

When your dues are paid your name badge with two stars on it will be available at the following meeting. If your badge does not have a star on it then you are not current. Our dues go to paying for speakers as well as donations for Civil War preservation causes especially those of a local nature. Please be sure to pay your dues so we can offer the best programs possible for you! We also utilize donated items for silent auctions each month to help add to the treasury. If you have something you would like to donate for these auctions, please bring them to the meetings. Books, art, or anything Civil War, works very well. Thanks very much to all of you who have made such donations!

Dues for the 2011-2012 campaign are due at this month’s meeting. We cannot bring in speakers without dues being paid so if you have not yet renewed for 2011-2012 please do so. Thanks for supporting the Nashville CWRT.

CIVIL WAR NEWS AND EVENTS

Online Civil War Program At The US Army Heritage And Education Center, Carlisle, Pennsylvania (From the Kankakee Valley CWRT newsletter in Illinois)

If you are looking for some good online Civil War lectures you cannot do wrong by visiting www.carlisle.army.mil/ahec/. A search through their Media Galleries will lead you to their lecture series. Some of their presentations do have a bit of static, and some even have some distortion and focus issues. However, the material presented is of very high quality. Here’s the list of what’s currently online and expect more topics to become available as the Civil War Sesquicentennial moves along.

Devils Own Work-CW Draft Riots and the Fight to Reconstruct America Barnet Scheter 73 mins

Virginia Campaign-May-June 1864 Mark Grimsley 60 mins

Harp and Eagle Irish-American Volunteers and the Union Army, 1861-1865 Dr. Susannah J. Ural 64 mins

Role of the Constitution in the CW Mark Neely, Jr. 73 mins.

From Engineer Lieutenant to Corps Commander-The Civil War Career of Godfrey Weitzel Dr. Arthur W. Bergeron Jr. 61 mins

Generalship of Ulysses S. Grant and the American CW Dr. Richard J. Somners 81 mins

West Pointers in the Civil War Dr. Wayne Hsieh 69 mins

Other online topics range from the militia men in King Philips War through Magnificent Desolation: The Long Road Home from the Moon with Dr. Buzz Aldrin, former Apollo astronaut.

Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial Signature Event: Invasions By Rail and River, April 4-5 2012

The next series of Tennessee Sesquicentennial Civil War events will be held on April 4-5, 2012 at Pickwick Landing State Park. This site is not far from Shiloh National Military Park. Part of the festivities will include – Looking Back:The Civil War In Tennessee digitization project, where people can bring their letters, diaries, photos, weapons and much more to the event so that they can be documented by the state archives. Other programs include living history demonstrations; special exhibits from the Tennessee State Museum and Tennessee State Library and Archives plus musical performances and lectures by noted Civil War historians. These speakers include Larry Daniel, Wiley Sword, Stacy Allen, Tim Smith, James McDonough, John Marszalek Carroll Van West and others.

For more details on the location please visit www.tn.gov/environment/parks/PickwickLanding/. The hotel at Pickwick Landing is offering a special sesquicentennial rate of $75 per night and to secure that rate please call 800-250-8615. For more details on the event please call 615-741-2159 or email vionne.williams@tn.gov

Shiloh National Military Park Sesquicentennial Events – April 6-7, 2012

If you stay in the Pickwick Landing area a couple more days you can attend the additional sesquicentennial events hosted by Shiloh National Military Park just down the road. These include special extended tours of the battlefield and a grand illumination of the Shiloh National Battlefield with 23,746 luminaries, one for each American soldier killed, wounded or missing at Shiloh. If that isn’t enough, two amazing locally sponsored living history reenactments featuring 6,000+ re-enactors and hundreds of cannons will be held on March 29 through April 1st in Hardin and McNairy counties to commemorate the 150th Battle of Shiloh.

For more information on these locally organized events visit www.nps.gov/shil/.

Fort Donelson National Battlefield Sets Their 150th Anniversary Programs

Fort Donelson National Battlefield in Dover, Tennessee, will be having a number of events for their upcoming 150th Anniversary. Not all of the programs have been filled as yet but several known authors including Ed Bearss, Kendall Gott, Jack Hurst and Myron Smith have all been tabbed to make appearances at the park, most of them during the February events. Smith is an expert on the naval war in the west with several books to his credit while Hurst and Gott have both written books on the Fort Donelson Campaign. Ed Bearss is…well… Ed Bearss! Most of the events will be around the date of the battle, February 12-16, 1862, but there will also be events for the fall of Fort Henry and Fort Heiman around February 4-6, 2012. Many of the programs will be led by park rangers but there will also be living historians and their encampments to add luster to the affair.

For more information on all of the events please visit the park’s web site at: www.nps.gov/fodo

150th Anniversary Fort Donelson Reenactment – March 2-4. 2012 To Be Held At Cumberland City, Tennessee

This 2012 national event will be held 20 miles south of the actual battlefield on the Stewart-Houston County line in an industrial park. The event will feature loads of cannons, thousands of troops as well as civilian events like a ladies tea. The whole affair is sponsored by Porter’s Tennessee Battery (www.portersbattery.com) and the Armies of Tennessee (www.armiesoftennessee.com).

For more details about attending either as a spectator or reenactor please visit the event web site at – www.FortDonelson.org. This is an approved state of Tennessee Sesquicentennial event – visit www.tnvacation.com for details of all of their Civil War events.

Battle of Franklin Blog and Emailed Newsletter

his month’s speaker, Kraig McNutt, offers a fine blog on the Battle of Franklin as well as an emailed newsletter that will offer updates, information and much more. To get to the blog
please go to – www.BattleofFranklin.net – and be prepared for a lot of information. If you wish to receive his emailed newsletter simply send your email address to
– BattleofFranklin@yahoo.com.

Kraig also offers a site dedicated to the descendants of those men who fought at Franklin on November 30, 1864. Please visit –

http://franklindescendants.wordpress.com/

Kentucky Historical Society Gives Award to Phil Seyfrit of Battle of Richmond, Kentucky (From the Civil War News)

The Kentucky Historical Society recently presented its 2011 Frank R. Levstik Award given for professional service to Phillip Seyfrit. Seyfrit is the superintendent of the Battle of Richmond
Battlefield in Kentucky. He began working at the park in 2007 and guided most of the projects aimed to making it a viable resource and tourist destination including the new visitor
center which opened in 2008. His official title is Madison County Historic Properties Director.

In addition to running the battlefield park, Seyfrit is a member of the Kentucky Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission (appointed in 2010 by Governor Steve Breshear), as well as the
program chair for the Madison County Civil War Roundtable. He is also an officer of the Central Kentucky World War Two Roundtable. He also won a previous award, the Pinnacle
Award, given by the Kentucky Museum and Heritage Alliance. Our heartiest congratulations to one of our past speakers!

19 Dec

December Meeting Notice and Newsletter

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December 19th, 2011 – Our 33rd Meeting!!

The next meeting of the Nashville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Monday, December 19th, 2011, in the visitor’s center of Ft. Negley Park, a unit of Metro Parks, Nashville, TN. This is located off I-65 just south of downtown between 4th Avenue South and 8th Avenue South on Edgehill Avenue/Chestnut Avenue. Take Exit 81, Wedgewood Avenue, off I-65 and follow the signs to the Science Museum. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM and is always open to the public. Members please bring a friend or two – new recruits are always welcomed.

OUR SPEAKER AND TOPIC: “Civil War Photography”

While photography existed before the Civil War, that war gave it a powerful boost in not only popularity, but also as a method of documenting war for the first time. A coterie of photographers, many of whom were protégés of Matthew Brady, followed the armies as they marched taking pictures of officers and men during the down times and battlefields after the shooting had stopped. Both styles of images were powerful and brought home to the public at large for the first time just what war was.

Photographs of the period came in several types including cartes de visite; tin types, daguerreotypes, stereo types and glass images. All of them had their strengths and weaknesses and each was processed in a different manner. Cartes de visite were the “baseball cards” of their day, often cheaper and easier to get into the hands of the people while the other styles often came in ornate frames. Smaller versions of images often went off to war with soldiers, they often featuring the wife and any children. Each type of image was different and had their own unique manners of development.

John Walsh, owner of Fort Donelson Relics, and an avid collector of Civil War images, will be speaking about Civil War photography. His program will cover all of the types of images and how each differed from the other. The program will also have a short history of photography prior to the Civil War as well as show how it greatly expanded during the war with more and more photographers taking to the fields from the various Northern and Southern cities. Lastly, he’ll also review some of the tips and attributes to look for in an image when looking at or purchasing such images for your collection.

If you own Civil War images, you might want to bring them to this meeting where our speaker can help you with their care and perhaps answer some lingering questions for you. John lives in Dover, Tennessee with his wife Nikki and two sons. They own Fort Donelson Relics just down the road from the national park. John also works for a clinical products firm.

LAST MONTH’S MEETING

We were blessed with a terrific program by Eric Jacobson, director of the Battle of Franklin Trust. Based on his new book, Baptism Of Fire, about the three green Union regiments whose first engagement was the Battle of Franklin, the 44th Missouri, 175th and 183rd Ohio Infantry were crucial to stopping the Confederate breakthrough in the Union center. Jacobson’s program detailed the formation of these units, where their men came from and how they ended up in Middle Tennessee just in time to partake in Hood’s Tennessee Campaign of November-December 1864. Jacobson argued that these three regiments were more critical in stopping the Confederates than Emerson Opdycke’s Brigade, who typically gets much more credit. Not only was this program filled with outstanding battle details, but it also contained very powerful human interest accounts. Jacobson has become a master of melding the two styles together which takes real talent as a historian. All of this was delivered with full knowledge of the topic and with grace and some humor. This is simply an outstanding program! Civil War Roundtables across the country would do VERY well in getting this program!

Thanks Eric for coming to see us.

FUTURE PROGRAMS (please check our new web site for other events):

January 2012 – Kraig McNutt, historian/author/blogger – “Robert Smalls: From Slave to Congressman.”

February 2012 – Myers Brown, Tennessee State Museum/author – “Tennessee’s Confederates” (based on his recent book)

March 2012 – Jim Brooks, Austin Peay State University – “Jefferson Davis”

April 2012 – Mark Christ, historian/author – “The Civil War In Arkansas 1863” (based on his recent book)

May 2012 – Nancy Baird, Western Kentucky University/author – “Josie Underwood’s Civil War; A Union Girl in Bowling Green, KY”

June 2012 – Gordon and Traci Belt, authors – “Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion in the Army of Tennessee”

July 2012 – The one and only Ed Bearss!!!!!! We are not kidding!!! Topic to be determined.

CIVIL WAR NEWS AND EVENTS

Civil War Trust to Save 267 Acres at Fallen Timbers in Tennessee – Shiloh’s Aftermath

As the defeated Confederate Army of the Mississippi fell back from Shiloh on April 8, 1862, they were pursued by William T. Sherman’s infantry division. Their objective was the
Confederate hospital area but he was not aware that this was being protected by Confederate cavalry under Colonel Nathan Bedford Forrest. As Sherman’s men marched down the
Ridge Road and began to deploy, Forrest, with but 300 men, charged. His troopers broke the Union skirmish line and moved towards the main line. The Federals fired a volley that
dropped a number of Forrest’s men. Forrest himself was badly wounded. The Confederates turned and moved away to the west. Sherman’s troops then captured the hospital site.
Sherman later stated, “I am sure that had he not emptied his pistols as he passed the skirmish line, my career would have ended right there.” Imagine, indeed, what would the war
have been like had Sherman or Forrest been killed at Fallen Timbers?

Now the Civil War Trust is stepping forward to save 267 acres and they are having a fundraising campaign that will be matched $3.50 for every dollar donated. If you wish to contribute
please visit the Civil War Trust web site at www.civilwar.org and click on the Fallen Timbers section. There you can find the history of the fight and a terrific color map showing the action
as well as the field being sought. This will protect about 75 per cent of the battlefield if successful.

More Civil War Trust Western Battlefield Campaigns

In addition to Fallen Timbers, Civil War Trust is also raising funds to add more land to Parker’s Crossroads Battlefield in West Tennessee and Perryville in Kentucky. The land at Parker’s Crossroads, another battle that involved Nathan Bedford Forrest, is right along the north side of I-40 just east of Exit 108. In this area two of Forrest’s regiments and most of his artillery were deployed. As Forrest was taking the surrender of the Union brigade commanded by Cyrus Dunham, another Union brigade under John Fuller advanced on his rear. This caused Forrest to order his men to, “charge both ways!”

The land at Perryville, fought on October 8, 1862, is along Doctor’s Creek in the southern end of the field that surrounds the Bottom Hose. These 141 acres are where the Confederate brigades of Bushrod Johnson, Patrick Cleburne and Daniel Adams crossed the creek and advanced on the Federal line held by Lovell Rousseau’s Division. The Trust is only $10,000 shy of their goal so please visit the Trust’s web site at www.civilwar.org and see how you can help secure this great piece of history.

Just recently, the Trust announced the saving of some acreage for “Walthall’s Advance” at the Battle of Franklin. This important land being saved will add to the story of how that important battle played out. This 5 acre parcel of land is just west of the Carnton Plantation. So far the fine efforts of the Civil War Trust and the generosity of the American people have combined to save 30,000 acres of Civil War land preserving these acres for future generations.

Fort Donelson National Battlefield Sets Their 150th Anniversary Programs

Fort Donelson National Battlefield in Dover, Tennessee, will be having a number of events for their upcoming 150th Anniversary. Not all of the programs have been filled as yet but several known authors including Ed Bearss, Kendall Gott, Benjamin F. Cooling and Myron Smith have all been tabbed to make appearances at the park. Smith is an expert on the naval war in the west with several books to his credit while Cooling and Gott have both written books on the Fort Donelson Campaign. Ed Bearss is…well… Ed Bearss! Most of the events will be around the date of the battle, February 12-16, 1862, but there will also be events for the fall of Fort Henry and Fort Heiman around February 4-6, 2012. Many of the programs will be led by park rangers but there will also be living historians and their encampments to add luster to the affair.

For more information on all of the events please visit the park’s web site at: www.nps.gov/fodo

New Monument to General Patrick Cleburne Recently Dedicated in Wartrace, Tennessee

A new monument to Irish-born Confederate General Patrick Cleburne’s Division was dedicated on December 10, 2011 in Wartrace, Tennessee. This marker is part of the memorial park in Wartrace and it lies just west of the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad tracks (now run by CSX Transportation). The park is across the road from the Chockley Tavern, which served as Cleburne’s headquarters in the Tullahoma Campaign. Within this park, in addition to the monument remembering the fight at Liberty Gap north of town by Cleburne’s Division in June 1863, are also markers for the dead Arkansas soldiers killed in the fighting. General St. John Liddell’s Brigade, part of Cleburne’s Division, held off a powerful Union infantry attack on June 24-25, 1863. This all-Arkansas command fought tenaciously until finally forced to the southern end of the gap by superior numbers.

This is the second monument raised in recent years to General Cleburne or his men. A monument of the general was placed at Ringgold gap in Ringgold, Georgia a few years ago to honor the stand his crack division made against Joseph Hooker’s Corps in late November 1863. This stand allowed the defeated Army of Tennessee, shattered at Missionary Ridge, to retreat safely back to Dalton, Georgia. Cleburne won the thanks of the Confederate Congress and became known as the “Stonewall of the West.”

Battle of Nashville Commemoration at Fort Negley – Saturday, December 17, 2011

The critical Battle of Nashville, fought on December 15-16, 1864, was the only Civil War battle in which a major army was nearly destroyed on the battlefield. The two day hammer
blows of Union General George Thomas, smashed the Confederate left flank forcing them from one line of defense to a second. Then Thomas smashed the flank again this time
with his cavalry encircling the Confederate left forcing a rout. The Confederate retreat was aggressively pursued and hundreds of prisoners were captured as rear guard actions
sought to stem the Federal tide.

On Saturday, December 17, 2011, the Fort Negley Park in Nashville, will play host to a Union living history encampment featuring the 13th and 44th United States Colored Troops. The
event begins at 9 Am and continues until 4 PM. At 2 PM, the Fallen Drummer Boy ceremony will take place to honor all fallen American soldiers in all of our wars. Other events include
children’s programs, civilian living history events and more. Lastly, President Abraham Lincoln, and Generals Ulysses S. Grant and George Thomas will also be in attendance.
Everything is free to the public.

The event is hosted by the Fort Negley Visitors Center, the 13th USCT and the Living History Association & Ladies Auxiliary.

Historian Revises Civil War Death Numbers (From Civil War Times)

J. David Hacker of Binghamton University in New York, has gone through years of Census data for before and after the Civil War and found that far more men died in the war than had
been previously thought. The figure before was 620,000 men for both sides, most of disease. Using the figures between 1850 and 1880, Hacker’s research concluded that the more
accurate figure is actually 750,000, which is a 20 per cent increase. What prevents this study from being even more accurate is the fact that neither side kept great records. Also
hindering is the fact that many records, in particular Confederate, are missing, destroyed during the war or lost afterwards. Historian James McPherson believes that most of these
new deaths were, indeed, Confederates.

This new revelation just adds to the horrors that the Civil War brought to America – a greater combination of men killed than all other American wars combined.

13 Nov

November Meeting Notice and Newsletter

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November 21st, 2011 – Our 32nd Meeting!!

The next meeting of the Nashville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Monday, November 21st, 2011, in the visitor’s center of Ft. Negley Park, a unit of Metro Parks, Nashville, TN. This is located off I-65 just south of downtown between 4th Avenue South and 8th Avenue South on Edgehill Avenue/Chestnut Avenue. Take Exit 81, Wedgewood Avenue, off I-65 and follow the signs to the Science Museum. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM and is always open to the public. Members please bring a friend or two – new recruits are always welcomed.

OUR SPEAKER AND TOPIC: “Baptism of Fire: The Role of Federal Recruits at the Battle of Franklin”

The Battle of Franklin has been considered the five most violent hours of the Civil War. Charge after charge of Confederate infantry threw themselves at Union entrenchments with the only success, albeit temporarily, coming in the center along the Columbia Pike. Here, the Union line broke, thanks to attacking Confederates intermingling with retreating Union forces from an advance line. As has been commonly reported, the Union brigade commanded by Emerson Opdycke, posted below the brow of Carter’s Hill, rose up and counterattacked, sealing the Union line which continued to resist further attacks well into the darkness.

But was it just Opdycke’s Brigade that saved the day? Historian Eric Jacobson, in his new book, Baptism Of Fire: The Role of Federal Recruits at the Battle of Franklin, examines the role of three green Union regiments who, in their first battle, also contributed greatly to the eventual saving of the Union line. The program will focus on the roles of the 44th Missouri, 175th Ohio, and 183rd Ohio, all three of which found themselves involved in some of the worst fighting at the Battle of Franklin. These three regiments played crucial roles in determining the battle’s final outcome and until now their roles have been virtually unknown. The program will show conclusively that Opdycke’s Brigade alone did not save the Federal army at Franklin.

Eric A. Jacobson has been studying the American Civil War for nearly 25 years. A Minnesota native, Eric lived in Arizona for over a decade before relocating to Middle Tennessee in 2005. He is the author of For Cause & For Country: A Study of the Affair at Spring Hill and the Battle of Franklin, a project which encompassed nearly 10 years. Published in March 2006 the book is considered by some to be one of the most important books ever written about the 1864 Tennessee Campaign.

Eric’s second book, The McGavock Confederate Cemetery, was published in April 2007. He is currently the Chief Operating Officer and Historian for the Battle of Franklin Trust, which manages the Carter House and Carnton. His third book, entitled Baptism of Fire, which details the roles of three Federal regiments at the Battle of Franklin, was released in September 2011.

Eric lives in Spring Hill, Tennessee, with his wife, Nancy, and their two daughters.

LAST MONTH’S MEETING

Phil Seyfrit, Historic Properties Director of Madison County, KY, regaled us with a fine program on the overlooked Battle of Richmond, KY. Fought on August 29, 1862 between Union troops commanded by Gen. William “Bull” Nelson versus the Confederate army led by Edmund Kirby Smith, Smith ended the day shattering the Union command, arguably the closest it ever came during the Civil War of an army being destroyed on the field. The resulting victory left Cincinnati, Ohio, Lexington, KY and other places wide open to attack and gave a boost to the early stages of the Confederate invasion of the Blue Grass State. As Seyfirt operates the Battle of Richmond Visitors Center, his knowledge of the battle is immense and the program as delivered with style and humor. Often dwarfed by the bigger fight at Perryville, this battle had huge consequences and great possibilities.

Thanks Phil for the fine program!

FUTURE PROGRAMS (please check our new web site for other events):

December 2011 – John Walsh, Ft. Donelson Relics – “Civil War Photography”

January 2012 – Kraig McNutt, historian/author/blogger – “Robert Smalls: From Slave to Congressman.”

February 2012 – Myers Brown, Tennessee State Museum/author – “Tennessee’s Confederates” (based on his recent book)

March 2012 – Jim Brooks, Austin Peay State University – “Jefferson Davis”

April 2012 – Mark Christ, historian/author – “The Civil War In Arkansas 1863” (based on his recent book)

May 2012 – Nancy Baird, Western Kentucky University/author – “Josie Underwood’s Civil War; A Union Girl in Bowling Green, KY”

June 2012 – TBA

July 2012 – The one and only Ed Bearss!!!!!! We are not kidding!!! Topic to be determined.

CIVIL WAR NEWS AND EVENTS

Tennessee Historical Society Reissues Civil War Articles From the Tennesseee Historical Quarterly In A New Book Series

The Tennessee Historical Society has just launched the 12-volume series Tennessee in the Civil War. The first and namesake volume appeared in October 2011 and new releases will take place through March 2015. The series is an official legacy project of the Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission. Planning was done in partnership with the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area. Carroll Van West, PhD, is the series editor, and title editors are specialists on their subjects. Each book features a selection of articles related to the topic along with an introductory essay.

The series examines great battles, controversial leaders, first hand accounts, occupation, experiences on the homefront, women’s roles, the triumph of African Americans, and the legacy of the Civil War. The content of the volumes is drawn from the Tennessee Historical Quarterly, now in its 70th year. The THQ has published almost 400 articles since 1942 on the Civil War in the Volunteer State. The best of these pieces — by noted Civil War historians such as James L. McDonough, B. F. Cooling, Stephen Ash, Bobby Lovett, Stanley F. Horn, Edwin C. Bearss, and many more – will be included.

Volume 1, Tennessee in the Civil War, is now available, and Volume 2, The Civil War in Appalachia, will come out in late November 2011. The books in the series are trade-quality paperbacks of approximately 230 pages in length, with maps, illustrations, and index, printed on acid-free paper. Titles in the series include:

· Tennessee in the Civil War (October 2011): Title editor, Carroll Van West, PhD

· The Civil War in Appalachia (November 2011): Spurgeon King, PhD

· The Battle of Shiloh (March 2012): Timothy Smith, PhD

· Forrest and the West Tennessee Cavalry Campaigns (August 2012): Myers Brown

· The Battle of Stones River (November 2012)

· Emancipation and the Fight for Freedom: African Americans in the Civil War (March 2013)

· The Battles for Chattanooga (August 2013)

· Tennessee Women in the Civil War (November 2013): Antoinette van Zelm, PhD

· Fort Pillow (March 2014)

· Eyewitness to the War: A Collection of First Hand Accounts (August 2014): Ann Toplovich

· Hood’s Campaign: Franklin and Nashville (November 2014): James L. McDonough, PhD

· After the War: Reconstruction (March 2015)

The books retail for $25 each (shipping and sales tax extra). Members of the Tennessee Historical Society receive a 20% discount. For more information and to order, please go to http://www.tennesseehistory.org/TennesseeintheCivilWar.htm.

Please also note that book shops and historical sites may purchase 10 or more copies at a 50% wholesale discount — $12.50, plus shipping. (No sales tax if a tax number is provided.)

Historian Randy Bishop to speak at the Franklin Civil War Round Table’s November 13th, 2011

Author, teacher and historian, Randy Bishop, is the featured speaker for the November edition of the Franklin Civil War Round Table. He has written extensively on Tennessee regiments, especially those that served in the Army of Northern Virginia, and his 2010 release, The Tennessee Brigade, has been well received. This work follows these Tennesseans from the Wars beginning to their dramatic last days at Appomattox in 1865. In a review of this book, Lt. Colonel Robert Lynn wrote, “This is a superb account…..Civil War unit history doesn’t get any better than this.” Bishop has also written Tennessee’s Civil War Battlefields and Mississippi’s Civil War Battlefields.

An accomplished educator, Bishop has been named as Teacher of the Year at Middleton High School and has served as adjunct for Jackson State Community College. His wife, Sharon, is also an educator. If you are interested in hearing about the average Tennessee soldier in some of the harshest fighting of the Civil War, you will not want to miss this Round Table event. The date is November 13th, Franklin Police Headquarters Community Room. The meeting begins at 3:00 PM.

Save The Franklin Battlefield Annual Dinner – Thursday, November 17th, 2011

Now is your last chance to reserve your spot for the STFB Annual Meeting which will be the evening of Thursday, November 17 at Historic St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Franklin, located at 510 W Main Street.

After dinner beginning at 6:30, there will be a short business meeting with a review of STFB 2011 activities including the recent acquisition of the Loring’s Advance 5 Acre parcel, and presentation of our annual Preservation Award. Following this, key note speaker Lee Ann Newton of Murfreesboro, will be talking about her new book on the 50th Ohio Infantry. Lee Ann had one of those eureka strokes of discovery when she found buried behind an old bookcase a lost copy of “The Civil War Memoirs of Erastus Winters Corporal Co K 50th OVI 1861-1865”. Lee Ann quickly realized its importance and had it republished. The book is a very well written 1905 account detailing Erastus’ experiences at Perryville, the Atlanta campaign, Franklin, Cahaba prison, and the Sultana disaster. Lee Ann will recount the adventures of Corporal Winters and why she was determined to republish his book. You will not want to miss hearing Lee Ann. She will have copies of her book for sale at the meeting.

Send in payment of $25 per person to be received no later than Monday November 14 to:

STFB

PO Box 851

Franklin TN 37065-0851

If you have questions, call 615-480-9539.

Filson Historical Society Civil War Lecture Series – November 20, 2011

The Filson Historical Society of Louisville, Kentucky offers a Civil War lecture series that will continue through the sesquicentennial. The next program will be on Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 5 PM EST. It will be held at Ballard High School, 6000 Brownsboro Road, Louisville, KY.

This month’s program features Adam Goodheart, author of the recent pivotal book 1861: The Civil War Awakening, a gripping original account of how the war began that has garnered rave reviews. Adam Goodheart is a historian, journalist, and travel writer. His articles have appeared in National Geographic, Outside, Smithsonian, The Atlantic, and The New York Times Magazine, among others, and he is a regular columnist for the Times’ acclaimed Civil War series, “Disunion.”

This event is free for members and $10 for non-members. Please call The Filson or visit us online to make your reservation. Send ticket requests to The Filson Historical Society, GPBL Tickets, 1310 S. Third Street, Louisville, KY 40208. Reservations are required, please go to this web site to make them – http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2333389230

Louisville is only 3 ½ hours from Nashville so please support this event if possible.

December Nashville CWRT Meeting – Civil War Photography

Our December speaker, John Walsh, will be bringing a selection of Civil War photographs for display during his program. If you own similar items please bring them to this meeting
and John will be happy to help you with them.

14 Oct

October Newsletter and Meeting Notice

Posted by clarksvillecivilwar in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment

October 17th, 2011 – Our 31st Meeting!!

The next meeting of the Nashville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Monday, October 17th, 2011, in the visitor’s center of Ft. Negley Park, a unit of Metro Parks, Nashville, TN. This is located off I-65 just south of downtown between 4th Avenue South and 8th Avenue South on Edgehill Avenue/Chestnut Avenue. Take Exit 81, Wedgewood Avenue, off I-65 and follow the signs to the Science Museum. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM and is always open to the public. Members please bring a friend or two – new recruits are always welcomed.

OUR SPEAKER AND TOPIC: “Kirby Smith’s Invasion of Kentucky and the Battle of Richmond”

In late August 1862, the Confederate forces in Tennessee under General Edmund Kirby Smith, along with the Army of the Mississippi under General Braxton Bragg, began an invasion
of Kentucky. A third column under General Humphrey Marshall, moved from Virginia into Kentucky. The plan was to recover most of Middle Tennessee and eastern Tennessee and
force the Union armies back to defend the Ohio River line. Kirby Smith and Bragg, although trying to coordinate their separate movements, operated in an uncoordinated manner.
Neither officer was placed in authority over the other.

Smith drew first blood south of Richmond, Kentucky on August 29, 1862 but the battle at Richmond, fought on the next day, proved critical to Confederate hopes. Smith’s Army of
Kentucky, reinforced by two brigades from Bragg’s army (Preston Smith’s and Patrick Cleburne’s) attacked the Union army under General William “Bull” Nelson and after a time
shattered their lines in coordinated assaults. The pursuit and battle virtually annihilated the Union army on the field – the only Civil War battle where a defeated army suffered such
damage. The road to Cincinnati was wide open! And yet the engagement remains almost unknown even to students of the war in the West.

This month’s speaker is Phil Seyfrit, Historic Properties Director of Madison County, Kentucky and site manager of the Richmond Battlefield. He is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky
University and the Mid-America College of Funeral Service. After working in the funeral industry, Phil changed direction and took charge of the historic sites of the county where he
resides today. He has been widely published on the Battle of Richmond in various periodicals and has been appointed to the Kentucky State Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission.
Mr. Seyfrit also reenacts and tours and helps to preserve Civil War sites across the country.

We look forward to this fine program for our September meeting.

LAST MONTH’S MEETING

Derek Frisby, Associate Professor of History at Middle Tennessee State University, gave us a fascinating program on the secession of Tennessee in 1861. Using his own research into the voting patterns of the February 1861 and June 1861 secession attempts (and other sources), Dr. Frisby found that, what had been conventional wisdom with regards to the more pro-secession parts of the state, actually had more Unionists than had been thought. Thus, the lines of demarcation in political sentiments on Tennessee’s three regions are now more blurred and not as cut and dry as previously thought. When such scholarship is presented it advances our understanding of what took place in Tennessee in 1861 a lot further along. This was a thought-provoking program delivered in fine style. Thanks Dr. Frisby for coming to see us.

FUTURE PROGRAMS (please check our new web site for other events):

November 2011 – Eric Jacobson, Battle of Franklin Trust – “Baptism of Fire: The Role of Federal Recruits at the Battle of Franklin”

December 2011 – John Walsh, Ft. Donelson Relics – “Civil War Photography”

January 2012 – Kraig McNutt, historian/author/blogger – “Robert Smalls: From Slave to Congressman.”

February 2012 – Myers Brown, Tennessee State Museum/author – “Tennessee’s Confederates” (based on his recent book)

March 2012 – Jim Brooks, Austin Peay State University – “Jefferson Davis”

April 2012 – Mark Christ, historian/author – “The Civil War In Arkansas 1863” (based on his recent book)

May 2012 – Nancy Baird, Western Kentucky University/author – “Josie Underwood’s Civil War; A Union Girl in Bowling Green, KY”

June 2012 – TBA

July 2012 – The one and only Ed Bearss!!!!!! We are not kidding!!! Topic to be determined.

CIVIL WAR NEWS AND EVENTS

The Battle of Stones River 150 Years Later Symposium – October 26-27, 2011

By the end of October 1862, Murfreesboro, Tennessee became more than the geographic center of the state. It was the center of attention in the Western Theater of the Civil War. By the end of the year, 81,000 soldiers would clash in one of the most significant and bloody battles of the conflict. Join us for a two day symposium that examines how the Battle of Stones River shaped the outcome of the war, changed the lives of thousands of soldiers and civilians, and still impacts our lives 150 years later.

Friday October 26, 2012

Keynote Speaker – Larry Daniel

Saturday October 27, 2012

Speakers include: Earl J. Hess, Richard McMurry, Jim Lewis, Antionette Van Zelm. Keynote Speaker – Dwight Pitcaithley, Former NPS Chief Historian

Special battlefield programs will be offered Saturday afternoon. The admission fee is only $20 and includes lunch. Contact the park at (615) 893-9501 for more information.

Filson Historical Society Civil War Tour – The Tullahoma Campaign of Middle Tennessee, November 3-5, 2011

This Fall The Filson Civil War Field Institute will visit the visually stunning Middle Tennessee to explore a campaign that is only just becoming appreciated by Civil War historians as an important campaign that achieved vital goals with very few casualties on either side. The campaign began in late June and ended on July 4, 1863, the same day that Vicksburg surrendered and Lee began to retreat from his defeat at Gettysburg. Tullahoma is overshadowed to a great degree by these other Union victories, however strategically it is in the same category as both. It is still taught at the Military Academies and Service schools as a great example of Maneuver Warfare.

Tour guides and speakers will be Dr. Michael Bradley, who will be the keynote speaker and co-tour guide alongside Greg Biggs. Sites to be visited include Fortress Rosecrans, Hoover’s Gap, Liberty Gap, Guy’s Gap, Shelbyville, TN, Oaklands Historic House Museum, The Cowan Railroad Museum and Chockley Tavern. Dr. Bradley will speak on Thursday night.

Fieldtrip Fee – $280 for Filson members; $330 Non-members. This includes all admission fees to museums and parks, Chartered Bus, Two lunches, a reception and one dinner (Thursday evening). To reserve your place, a non-refundable deposit of $50 (Due by 9/23/11) per person is required at time of registration and balance is due to the Filson by October 21, 2011. Space is limited. The first 25 participants that register will receive an issue of Blue & Gray Magazine (Vol. XXVII, #1) featuring the main article about the Tullahoma campaign written by Michael Bradley including comprehensive maps for the campaign. This issue also includes a two page side bar on the rise of the Union cavalry by Greg Biggs. Issue will be mailed to you by request. To reserve your space or if you have any questions please email Scott Scarboro at – sscarboro@filsonhistorical.org – or you can visit the Filson web site at – www.filsonhistorical.org – and register and pay online.

Battle of Nashville Preservation Society Civil War Seminar – November 11-12, 2011

The Battle of Nashville Preservation Society (BONPS) joins with Belmont Mansion and the Lotz House to bring a significant Sesquicentennial symposium on the Civil War to Middle Tennessee on November 11 and 12 to further commemorate and explore the 150th anniversary of the start of the War. The symposium will launch with an opening night reception at the Lotz House in Franklin, Tennessee on Friday, November 11. The reception will be hosted by BONPS President Phillip Duer and Thomas Flagel, author of “The History Buff’s Guide” book series. The formal Symposium will begin the following day at Belmont Mansion at 8:00 a.m. Speakers include:

Thomas Cartwright– Franklin-based historian, one of the nation’s leading authorities on the Battle of Franklin

Tim Johnson, professor of history at David Lipscomb University, who has appeared on the History Channel,C-SPAN and NPT.

Carole Bucy, professor of History at Vol State Community College and the newly appointed Metro Historian.

James McDonough, noted author of Five Tragic Hours and Nashville: The Western Confederacy’s Final Gamble.

Doug Richardson, Park Ranger and Chief of Interpretation at Fort Donelson.

Dr. Bobby Lovett, long-time professor of history at Tennessee State University and author

The event fee is $75.00 and includes the reception, the symposium, Sesquicentennial commemorative Hatch Show Print, Minie ball, and BONPS Guide to Civil War Nashville autographed by author Mark Zimmerman. This event is being sponsored by Wade and Egbert Insurance Partners and Kay, Griffin, Enkema and Kolbert. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Contact jtt@lotzhouse.com for more information. For more information including tickets, contact Mark Brown at Belmont University at mark.brown@belmont.edu, or Ellen McClanahan at the Lotz House by email at ellen@lotzhouse.com or phone at 615-804-5068.

Civil War Events in Kentucky

Civil War: My Brother, My Enemy – Exhibit Opening, Frazier History Museum, Louisville, KY – Opens October 15. This exhibit will feature more than 100 artifacts that examines Kentucky’s divided families and more. For information: http://www.fraziermuseum.org/exhibitions/temporary-exhibits/upcoming-2/civil-war/

“Embattled Capitol: the Civil War in Frankfort” – Paul Sawyier Public Library Community Room, Frankfort, KY. October 17, 6:30 p.m. Presentation by James Prichard, KY State Archives, KY Humanities Council Speaker. For information, contact Diane Dehoney at diane@pspl.org.

“United We Stand, Divided We Fall” – Exhibit, Filson Historical Society, Louisville, KY. Opens October 21

This exhibit will be free and open to the public Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For information, visit www.filsonhistorical.org, or call 502-635-5083.

In addition, the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) has been working with the Kentucky Department of Travel and Tourism and the Kentucky Heritage Council on a new Kentucky Civil War Heritage Trail. The website for this trail has just been launched, and can be accessed at www.kentuckycivilwartrails.org. This site includes information about the trail sites, blog postings, travel itineraries, and more.

14th Louisiana Infantry Battle Flag Returned To Memorial Hall in New Orleans

A rare battle flag of the 14th Louisiana Infantry was stolen from Confederate Memorial hall in the early 1980s by a former volunteer. After years of search, the flag was located in private hands in Virginia. The collector bought the flag in 2004 and when informed by the FBI unit that specializes in artifacts and art of its theft years ago, turned the flag over to them. The flag was returned to Memorial Hall in New Orleans, Louisiana on Friday, October 7th. Besides seeing a lot of combat action, the banner also laid over former Confederate president Jefferson Davis’ coffin after his death. The museum will raise funds for its conservation and eventual display. If you care to donate please contact Memorial Hall at Memhall@aol.com for details. The 14th Louisiana Infantry contained many members of the Polish community of New Orleans.

18 Sep

Nashville CWRT Meeting Notice and Newsletter for September

Posted by clarksvillecivilwar in Uncategorized. 1 Comment

September 19th, 2011 – Our 30th Meeting!!

The next meeting of the Nashville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Monday, September 19th, 2011, in the visitor’s center of Ft. Negley Park, a unit of Metro Parks, Nashville, TN. This is located off I-65 just south of downtown between 4^th Avenue South and 8^th Avenue South on Edgehill Avenue/Chestnut Avenue. Take Exit 81, Wedgewood Avenue, off I-65 and follow the signs to the Science Museum. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM and is always open to the public. Members please bring a friend or two – new recruits are always welcomed.

OUR SPEAKER AND TOPIC: “The Vortex of Secession: Tennessee 1861”

Like her fellow upper South states of Arkansas, Virginia and North Carolina, Tennessee did not make a definitive move towards secession until after the firing on Fort Sumter in
April 1861.  Governor Isham Harris tried to secure the state’s secession in February 1861 when the pot of disunion was boiling over and other states were leaving or had already left
the Union.  The plebiscite was voted down by the people.  Fort Sumter changed things.  In May, the legislature secured a secession document that was ratified by the voters in June. 
Not long afterward, Tennessee became the final state to leave the Union.  

As a result of Tennessee’s three votes during the secession crisis, many historians have searched for clues in their results to explain the basis of Tennesseans’ allegiances during
the conflict.  Often, the analysis has perhaps, not surprisingly, suggested that slaveholding and antebellum party preferences cast a significant influence upon the choice to render
loyalties to either the Confederacy or the Union.  However, the recent increase in studies dealing with Tennessee’s home front, occupation, and southern Unionism have begun to
question these traditional interpretations, especially in areas where the war was omnipresent, the occupied areas of the Upper South, like West Tennessee. Dr. Frisby will present a
new perspective of the state on the eve of disunion.

Derek W. Frisby is an Associate Professor of History at Middle Tennessee State University teaching Tennessee, US, and military history. He is Middle Tennessee native and US Marine Corps veteran whose research interests deal with military occupation and reconstruction strategies. Frisby received his doctoral degree from the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa and has authored numerous articles and essays dealing with Tennessee’s Civil War occupation and Reconstruction experiences. He is completing his first book dealing with southerners who remained loyal to the Union during the Civil War and their role in the region’s occupation and restoration. Dr. Frisby was a 2003 military history fellow at the US Military Academy at West Point, served six years as editor of the West Tennessee Historical Society Papers (one of three academic state historical journals), and was coordinating director of the Society for Military History’s 2009 annual conference in Murfreesboro, TN. He serves a historical consultant to the staffs of regional ROTC programs (including MTSU), Fort Campbell, and Fort Knox, frequently leading battlefield tours, conducting “staff rides,” and teaching military history courses.

We look forward to this fine program for our September meeting.
LAST MONTH’S MEETING

We were very fortunate in having Greg Wade of the Franklin CWRT come and tell us of one of the battles on Hood’s retreat from Nashville in December 1864. For some reason, the series of battles fought by Hood’s rear guard covering the retreat of the Army of Tennessee back to Alabama have been glossed over by the larger fights at Nashville and Franklin. Yet, they saved this army from annihilation and an aggressive pursuit by Union cavalry. They were nasty affairs with yet more men falling at their posts for both sides with the first of these, the topic of Greg’s program, being the fight at West Harpeth River. Fought on December 17, 1864, the battle began the process of slowing down the Union pursuit. Greg has done extensive research into this little known fight and thanks to his fine program more light can now be shed on it. This would be a wonderful program for any CWRT. Thanks Greg for coming to visit with us.

FUTURE PROGRAMS (please check our new web site for other events):

October 2011 – Phil Seyfrit, Richmond KY Battlefield, “The Battle of Richmond, Kentucky”

November 2011 – Eric Jacobson, Battle of Franklin Trust – “Baptism of Fire: The Role of Federal Recruits at the Battle of Franklin”

December 2011 – John Walsh, Ft. Donelson Relics – “Civil War Photography”

January 2012 – Kraig McNutt, historian/author/blogger – “Robert Smalls: From Slave to Congressman.”

February 2012 – Myers Brown, Tennessee State Museum/author – “Tennessee’s Confederates” (based on his recent book)

March 2012 – Jim Brooks, Austin Peay State University – “Jefferson Davis”

April 2012 – Mark Christ, historian/author – “The Civil War In Arkansas 1863” (based on his recent book)

May 2012 – Nancy Baird, Western Kentucky University/author – “Josie Underwood’s Civil War; A Union Girl in Bowling Green, KY”

June 2012 – TBA

July 2012 – The one and only Ed Bearss!!!!!! We are not kidding!!! Topic to be determined.

MEMBERS AND DUES – The membership has decided that every May will be our fiscal year. Please plan on taking care of your membership renewals at this meeting. The annual dues structure for the Nashville CWRT is as follows:

CIVIL WAR NEWS AND EVENTS

 
Living History and Skirmish presented by the Friends of Fort Negley, Metro Parks and Fort Negley Visitors Center

On September 24, 2011, a Civil War skirmish and living history will be held on the grounds of Nashville’s historic Fort Negley. There will be lots of hands-on activities for kids, military and civilian reenactor encampments, a miniature train ride, guest speakers and a skirmish! Events begin at 9 AM and conclude at 5 PM. Admission is $5 with children under age 5 getting in free. Fun for the whole family! Please park and enter at the Greer Stadium parking lot from Chestnut Street. The proceeds go for Fort Negley projects. Last year’s event drew nearly 1000 people so plan on making this year’s event even bigger!

 
Please support this excellent local event that helps raise money for this historic site!  They are also looking for volunteers to help run the event – please call Fort Negley and let Krista know if you can help or do so at this month’s meeting.

Atlanta Campaign Tour Led by Greg Biggs – October 21-23, 2011 – Final Call!

If you are planning on going on this tour you need to get your checks in to the Tennessee Valley CWRT of Huntsville, Alabama as soon as possible. The tour bus is filling up and space is getting tighter every day. This is the final call for this tour which will cover from Ringgold Gap to Kennesaw Mountain. Please contact Kent Wright at – kdwrt@netzero.net. The tour fee includes hotels, bus, guide, park fees and much more.

Filson Historical Society Civil War Tour – The Tullahoma Campaign of Middle Tennessee, November 3-5, 2011

Tour guides and speakers will be Dr. Michael, who will be our Keynote speaker, and co-tour guide alongside Greg Biggs. Sites to be visited include Fortress Rosecrans, Hoover’s Gap, Liberty Gap, Guy’s Gap, Shelbyville, TN, Oaklands Historic House Museum, The Cowan Railroad Museum and Chockley Tavern. Dr. Bradley will speak on Thursday night.

Fieldtrip Fee – $280 for Filson members; $330 Non-members. This includes all admission fees to museums and parks, Chartered Bus, Two lunches, a reception and one dinner (Thursday evening). To reserve your place, a non-refundable deposit of $50 (Due by 9/23/11) per person is required at time of registration and balance is due to the Filson by October 21, 2011. Space is limited. The first 25 participants that register will receive an issue of Blue & Gray Magazine (Vol. XXVII, #1) featuring the main article about the Tullahoma campaign written by Michael Bradley including comprehensive maps for the campaign. This issue also includes a two page side bar on the rise of the Union cavalry by Greg Biggs. Issue will be mailed to you by request.

To reserve your space or if you have any questions please email Scott Scarboro at – sscarboro@filsonhistorical.org – or you can visit the Filson web site at – www.filsonhistorical.org – and register and pay online.

All participants are responsible for their travel arrangements to and from Murfreesboro, TN and making their own hotel accommodations and dinner on Friday evening. During the fieldtrip we will travel by chartered bus as a group. The tour will be staying at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Murfreesboro, 175 Chaffin Place, Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37129- Phone: 615-849-1150 or 800-228-2800. Rooms are $94+tax a night- Mention FHS for a special group rate.

Battle of Nashville Preservation Society Civil War Seminar – November 11-12, 2011

The symposium will launch with an opening night reception at the Lotz House in Franklin, Tennessee on Friday, November 11. The reception will be hosted by BONPS President Phillip Duer and Thomas Flagel, author of “The History Buff’s Guide” book series. Attendees will be able to tour the historic Lotz House Museum, meet each of the symposium speakers, and enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres. The formal Symposium will begin the following day at Belmont Mansion at 8:00 a.m. Five guest speakers will focus on unique perspectives regarding the Battle of Nashville, Ft. Donelson and Shiloh. The event will be moderated by Thomas Flagel, assistant professor of American History at Columbia State Community College and serves on the boards of Franklin’s Charge, the Carter House Museum, the Franklin Battlefield Preservation Commission, and the Executive Committee for the Franklin Civil War Round Table. Panelists will include:

Thomas Cartwright– Franklin-based historian, one of the nation’s leading authorities on the Battle of Franklin

Tim Johnson, professor of history at David Lipscomb University, who has appeared on the History Channel,C-SPAN and NPT.

Carole Bucy, professor of History at Vol State Community College and the newly appointed Metro Historian.

James McDonough, noted author of Five Tragic Hours and Nashville: The Western Confederacy’s Final Gamble.

Doug Richardson, Park Ranger and Chief of Interpretation at Fort Donelson.

Dr. Bobby Lovett, long-time professor of history at Tennessee State University and author

A snack with coffee will be served in the morning and a lunch will be provided in the afternoon. Following lunch, visitors will take a guided tour of the Belmont Mansion. Guests will also be able to videotape their comments regarding the Civil War as it relates to the Battle of Nashville, Ft. Donelson and Shiloh. This video will be uploaded and available on various websites following the event. An exhibit will be set up depicting Ft. Donelson, and guest speakers will be available to sign their books during this time.

Tickets are $75.00 and include the reception, the symposium, Sesquicentennial commemorative Hatch Show Print, Minie ball, and BONPS Guide to Civil War Nashville autographed by author Mark Zimmerman. This event is being sponsored by Wade and Egbert Insurance Partners and Kay, Griffin, Enkema and Kolbert. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Contact jtt@lotzhouse.com for more information. For more information including tickets, contact Mark Brown at Belmont University at mark.brown@belmont.edu, or Ellen McClanahan at the Lotz House by email at ellen@lotzhouse.com or phone at 615-804-5068.
Please support this excellent event.

10 Aug

Meeting Notice and August Newsletter

Posted by clarksvillecivilwar in Uncategorized. Leave a Comment

August 15th, 2011 – Our 29th Meeting!!

The next meeting of the Nashville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Monday, August 15th, 2011, in the visitor’s center of Ft. Negley Park, a unit of Metro Parks, Nashville, TN. This is located off I-65 just south of downtown between 4^th Avenue South and 8^th Avenue South on Edgehill Avenue/Chestnut Avenue. Take Exit 81, Wedgewood Avenue, off I-65 and follow the signs to the Science Museum. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM and is always open to the public. Members please bring a friend or two – new recruits are always welcomed.

OUR SPEAKER AND TOPIC: “The December 17, 1864 Retreat From Nashville and the Battle of the West Harpeth River (Medals of Honor, Fascinating Personalities and an Agricultural Giant)”

On December 15^th and 16^th, 1864, the Union army under General George Thomas delivered hammer blows to the besieging Confederate Army of Tennessee under General John Bell Hood, driving them back from their prepared defenses south of downtown Nashville. Too weak to recapture the city itself, Hood’s men dug in and waited. The weather turned ugly with snow, ice and sleet as men shivered in the cold with little fuel for fires. After the weather cleared, Thomas, under threat from Gen. U.S. Grant of being relieved if he did not attack, pulled the trigger. The result shattered the Confederate army – at no time during the war was a major army so smashed in battle. What remained broke for the Alabama border. Unlike many Civil War generals, Thomas ordered an aggressive pursuit lead by the rampaging cavalry of James Harrison Wilson. This phase of the battle is very well known.

What is not so well known are the series of rear-guard battles that kept the retreating Confederates from being over-run. These ended at Sugar Creek, just above the Tennessee-Alabama state line when Nathan Bedford Forrest and an attached infantry division, drove back Wilson’s troopers. The first of these actions was along the West Harpeth River on December 17, 1864. The results will slow down the Federals and generate a Medal of Honor. The fight also features a well known Confederate artillery battery and a hollow square, typically formed for anti-cavalry purposes.

This month we have Greg Wade, founder of the Franklin, TN Civil War Roundtable, who will inform us of this smaller but no less important part of the Tennessee Campaign of 1864. Greg works for Traveler’s Insurance and is also a writer for Civil War News. He has also been published in North-South Trader, Blue & Gray magazine, the Williamson Herald and other places. He has also written Sequatchie County in the Civil War and Tennesseans In World War 2 among other books. Greg is also heavily involved in saving battlefield land in Franklin, Tennessee serving with Franklin’s Charge and the Save The Franklin Battlefield groups.

We look forward to this fine program for our August meeting.

LAST MONTH’S MEETING

We were very fortunate in having noted National Park Service historian Bobby Krick from the Richmond (VA) National Battlefield offering his program “Standing the War on its Head: The Pivotal Seven Days Battles Outside Richmond.” Backed up to the very gates of Richmond, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, then under General Joseph E. Johnston, turned to strike back along the Chickahominy River at Seven Pines. Johnston was badly wounded, and while the attack served notice to the Federals that the Confederates would retreat no more, it was delivered in a near-piece meal style and was not nearly as effective as it should have been. Johnston’s wounding, however, brought the rise of a giant of American military history – Robert E. Lee. Formulating his plan of attack, Lee delivered a series of telling blows over the course of what has been called the Seven Days Campaign, the culmination of which drove the Federal Army of the Potomac back to the James River landing where they were withdrawn. While sometimes flawed, Lee’s plan was enough to work and it saved Richmond from capture in the early summer of 1862. This was an outstanding program and the Nashville CWRT was lucky and happy to have Bobby Krick visit with us.

FUTURE PROGRAMS (please check our new web site for other events):

September 2011 – Derek Frisby, Middle Tennessee State University – “Tennessee’s Secession Crisis”

October 2011 – Phil Seyfrit, Richmond KY Battlefield, “The Battle of Richmond, Kentucky”

November 2011 – Eric Jacobson, Battle of Franklin Trust – “Baptism of Fire: The Role of Federal Recruits at the Battle of Franklin”

December 2011 – John Walsh, Ft. Donelson Relics – “Civil War Photography”

January 2012 – TBA

February 2012 – Myers Brown, Tennessee State Museum/author – “Tennessee’s Confederates” (based on his recent book)

March 2012 – Jim Brooks, Austin Peay State University – “Jefferson Davis”

April 2012 – Mark Christ, historian/author – “The Civil War In Arkansas 1863” (based on his recent book)

May 2012 – Nancy Baird, Western Kentucky University/author – “Josie Underwood’s Civil War; A Union Girl in Bowling Green, KY”

CIVIL WAR NEWS AND EVENTS

Help Conserve The 6^th Tennessee Cavalry Battle Flag at the Tennessee State Museum

Ronny Mangrum is well known to many in Middle Tennesse Civil War circles. An ardent member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, he is passionate about conserving battle flags in the Tennessee State Museum. He has already worked to conserve the silk flag of the 20^th Tennessee and has now turned his sights to conserving the 6^th Tennessee Cavalry banner, made at the Augusta Depot in Georgia and issued in early 1864. To help raise money, he holds an annual “Ronnaroo” music and food event at his home near Peytonsville, Tennessee featuring bands, fellowship and much more. This year’s event is Saturday, August 13^th, 2011. Tickets are just $20 and the money goes to conserve the flag.

The event will be held at the antebellum Smithson home located at 4762 Peytonsville Road, off I-840 southeast of Franklin. The doors open at 3 PM and the music begins an hour later. For more information please contact Ronny at celticgranda2@yahoo.com or by calling (931)374-8368.

Franklin Civil War Round Table Programs

Sam Davis Elliott will be speaking on his recent book on Tennessee’s Civil War governor Isham Harris. A Chattanooga resident, he presented a well received Keynote speech, The Coming of the War at the Tennessee Sesquicentennial kick off held at the Tennessee capital complex last November. Mr. Elliott’s intriguing presentation begins at 3:00, August 14^th at the Franklin Police Complex Community Room. This is a new meeting place for the Franklin CWRT and it’s just down the street from the old library location.

On September 11, the Franklin CWRT will host Chris Kolakowski, director of the Gen. George S. Patton Museum at Fort Knox, Kentucky. His topic will be on the Perryville Campaign of 1862 of which he is an acknowledged expert and author. The meeting begins at 3 PM in their new home at the Franklin Police Department.

Please support Tennessee’s Civil War Roundtables!

New Tennessee Civil War Roundtable Begins This Month In Dover

The Fort Donelson Civil War Roundtable begins operations on Thursday, August 18^th, 2011. Their debut speaker will be Jimmy Jobe, noted historian of Fort Donelson National Battlefield. The meetings begin at 7 PM at the Stewart County Visitors Center on Highway 79 which is located right across the highway from the main entrance to Fort Donelson National Battlefield. This will be yet another Tennessee Civil War Roundtable that will meet on a Civil War battlefield along with Franklin, Middle Tennessee, Chattanooga and the Nashville CWRTs. Not that many across the country are so privileged.

Atlanta Campaign Tour Led by Greg Biggs – October 21-23, 2011

If you are planning on going on this tour you need to get your checks in to the Tennessee Valley CWRT of Huntsville, Alabama as soon as possible. The tour bus is filling up and space is getting tighter every day. Please contact Kent Wright at – kdwrt@netzero.net. The tour fee includes hotels, bus, guide, park fees and much more.

Lots of Civil War Events in Kentucky – September–December 2011

Our neighbors to the north have lots of events for the Civil War Sesquicentennial. Here’s just a small sampling of things, most of which are within 3 hours of Nashville. So head up I-24 or I-65 and have some fun in the Bluegrass State.

Hart County Civil War Days – September 9 – 11, 2011

Events include battle reenactments, living history camps, guided tours, ceremonies, games, historical presentations, food, music, booths, period dancing, period church service, and more. Munfordville is the site of two Civil War battles. For information call (270) 524-4752 or (270) 524-2892 or go to www.visitmunfordville.com.

Bowling Green’s Remembering the Civil War – September 17, 2011

Multiple sites in Bowling Green, including the Kentucky Museum, the Historic Railpark and Train Museum, Riverview at Hobson Grove, and the Lost River Cave and Valley are partnering to present a multitude of activities related to Bowling Green and the Civil War. This is a wonderful opportunity to visit several historic sites in Bowling Green. For information, see http://visitbgky.com/micro/civilwar/sesquicentennial-events/.

Ongoing exhibition – “Lexington During the Civil War” – Through January 1, 2012

Location: Lexington History Museum. For information, see www.lexingtonhistorymuseum.org.

Ongoing exhibition – “Lincoln and His Wife’s Hometown” – Through January 1, 2012

Location: Lexington History Museum. For information, see www.lexingtonhistorymuseum.org.

Ongoing exhibition – “Relics of the Past: The Forgotten Story of Confederate Camp Beauregard” Through January 1, 2012

Location: Market House Museum, Paducah

For information, see www.markethousemuseum.com.

Living History and Skirmish presented by the Friends of Fort Negley, Metro Parks and Fort Negley Visitors Center
On September 24, 2011, a Civil War skirmish and living history will be held on the grounds of Nashville’s historic Fort Negley.  There will be lots of hands-on activities for kids,
military and civilian reenactor encampments, a miniature train ride, guest speakers and a skirmish!  Events begin at 9 AM and conclude at 5 PM.  Admission is $5 with children
under age 5 getting in free.  Fun for the whole family!  Please park and enter at the Greer Stadium parking lot from Chestnut Street.  The proceeds go for Fort Negley projects. 
Last year’s event drew nearly 1000 people so plan on making this year’s event even bigger!
Please support this excellent local event that helps raise money for this historic site!

31 Jul

The “Forgotten Soldiers” of the Mexican War

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If you remember, Clarksville CWRT member Jim Page spoke to us recently about the bodies of Mexican War soldiers who need to be brought home, especially as they are most likely Tennesseans. He is finally getting the news media interested. Check it out!

22 Jun

TN Civil War Sesquicentennial License Plates

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Tennessee Governor Haslam has signed into law a bill that will extend the official Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial License Plate sign up/pledge period for ONE MORE YEAR - until June, 2012.

We have about 630 orders – we need 370 more. If you haven’t ordered your plate – NOW is the time to do. For those of you who’ve ordered, please help by getting one more person to sign up. Ask your friends, family, local preservation organization members to go to http://www.tcwpa.org/license-plate and join the campaign!

Let’s get the OFFICIAL Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial License plate on Tennessee roads as soon as possible!

14 Jun

June Newsletter and Meeting Notice

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June 20th, 2011 – Our 27th Meeting!!

The next meeting of the Nashville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Monday, June 20th, 2011, in the visitor’s center of Ft. Negley Park, a unit of Metro Parks, Nashville, TN. This is located off I-65 just south of downtown between 4th Avenue South and 8th Avenue South on Edgehill Avenue/Chestnut Avenue. Take Exit 81, Wedgewood Avenue, off I-65 and follow the signs to the Science Museum. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM and is always open to the public. Members please bring a friend or two – new recruits are always welcomed.

OUR SPEAKER AND TOPIC: – “The Mexican War: A Civil War Training Ground”

Lee, Grant, McClellan, Beauregard, Jackson, and over 200 more Civil War generals fought together in Mexico in 1846 and 1847. They developed friendships in Mexico that would be shattered a decade and a half later. At places like Monterrey, Cerro Gordo, and Chapultepec, these officers learned that aggressive offensive tactics win battles and they remembered those lessons well in the Civil War even though technology was already bringing about an evolution in warfare that elevated defensive fighting. This talk will highlight the Mexican War experiences of a few of the well-known Civil War names and provide a glimpse of their first lessons in combat. If you study military history it is linear in nature and what is used in one war likely came from something learned and developed in a previous war. The Mexican War was not an exception where a U.S. Army, supported by volunteer regiments, fought a very good Mexican Army trained and equipped along the lines of Napoleon’s famous Grande Armee and led by the “Napoleon of the West,” General Santa Anna.

Our speaker, Dr. Tim Johnson, received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Alabama and joined the History Department at Lipscomb University in Nashville in 1991. He has written over twenty articles for scholarly journals, magazines, and encyclopedias, and he has authored or edited six books. His biography of General Winfield Scott and his book about the 1847 Mexico City Campaign were both nominated for national prizes and were History Book Club selections. His most recent book, Liberty VS Power: The Founding Fathers’ Vision for America, is a short and easy-to-read reminder of our nation’s founding principle of limited government.

Professor Johnson has been a research fellow at Yale University as well as the Virginia Historical Society. He has spoken at the National Archives in Washington, and appeared on The History Channel, C-SPAN, and Public Television. He has received “Outstanding Teacher” recognition at Lipscomb University, and recently Lipscomb designated him as University Research Professor. He has been married to his wife Jayne for 32 years, and they have three sons.

Please join us for what will prove to be an informative program.

LAST MONTH’S MEETING

We were fortunate to have Dr. Michael Bradley speak to us on the staff and escort of General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Using primary sources and delivered with complete knowledge of the topic and laced with humor, Dr. Bradley showed us who these men were, what made them work so well together and why Forrest’s cavalry became such a scourge to the Union Army in the war. Their performances in battle and camp were analyzed and all were found to be resolute, brave and intelligent men who served their fiery commander very well indeed. The program was based on his book which is very much worth getting.

Any CWRT would be well-served in getting Dr. Bradley to speak to them on this topic. We look forward to having him back soon.

FUTURE PROGRAMS (please check our new web site for other events):

July 2011 – Bobby Krick, Historian, Richmond National Battlefield – “The Seven Days Campaign and the Rise of Robert E. Lee”

August 2011 – Greg Wade, Franklin CWRT, “The December 17, 1864 Retreat from Nashville and The Battle of the West Harpeth (Medals of Honor, Fascinating Personalities and an Agricultural Giant)”

September 2011 – Derek Frisby, Middle Tennessee State University – “Tennessee’s Secession Crisis”

October 2011 – Phil Seyfrit, Richmond KY Battlefield, “The Battle of Richmond, Kentucky”

November 2011 – Eric Jacobson, Battle of Franklin Trust – “Baptism of Fire: The Role of Federal Recruits at the Battle of Franklin”

December 2011 – John Walsh, Ft. Donelson Relics – “Civil War Photography”

Dues for the 2011-2012 campaign are due at this month’s meeting. Thanks for supporting the Nashville CWRT.

CIVIL WAR NEWS AND EVENTS

Battle Of Nashville Preservation Society and the Lamlighters Theater Present “The Andersonville Trial,” June 2011

The famous Civil War play and movie, “The Andersonville Trial,” based on the trial of camp commandant Captain Henry Wirz, will be presented at Nashville’s downtown Presbyterian Church in three performances on Friday, June 17 (one performance) and Saturday (two performances), June 18, 2011. The play will be performed in the historic sanctuary of the antebellum church which is located on the corner of 5th Avenue and Church Street. The Friday performance begins at 7:30 PM while those of Saturday will be 3:00 PM and 7:30 PM. Tickets are $15 and can be bought at the door or through www.ticketsNashville.com. For more information please visit www.lamplighterstheatre.com or call (615)969-9273.

This is a wonderful opportunity to view a famous Civil War play in a Civil War era church which was built in 1851 and has a famous interior and sanctuary. The church was designed by the same man who designed Tennessee’s state capitol.

Atlanta Campaign Tour Led by Greg Biggs – October 21-23, 2011

The Tennessee Valley CWRT of Huntsville, Alabama is having a three day guided tour of the first phase of the Atlanta Campaign led by our own Greg Biggs. This tour begins at Ringgold, GA and ends at Kennesaw Mountain. The CWRT is opening the tour up to anyone who wishes to attend. The tour begins out of Huntsville and people can park either there or in the Chattanooga area where others will be picked up. The tour fee includes hotels, bus, guide, park fees and much more. For more information please email Kent Wright at – kdwrt@netzero.net. Greg has been leading Atlanta tours since 1993 and has been walking these battlefields for many years.

Graves Of American Soldiers Killed In The Mexican War Found In Monterrey Mexico

The developer of an apartment complex in Monterrey, Mexico, began clearing the land for the project in 1996 and almost immediately the workers come across human remains. The project is halted and archeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico are contacted and they began an extensive survey to see what these bodies were and if more could be found. Indeed, over the years, several more bodies were found. As of last month, eleven have been recovered. One of them retained .75 caliber musket balls in the skeleton and another had coins from 1822 and 1846 laid over the eye sockets.

What were these bodies and where did the musket balls come from? The site for the apartments is on the old Battle of Monterrey battlefield and these soldiers are American troops buried on the battlefield who were either killed in action or died in the hospital. Based on where these troops were found they are most likely from Colonel William Bowen Campbell’s 1st Tennessee Volunteers or Colonel Jefferson Davis’ Mississippi Rifles. Both regiments were part of the American attack on the Teneria (tannery) which the Mexicans had converted into a fortress. The 1st Tennessee suffered 100 casualties in the attack. The Battle of Monterrey was fought in September 1846 when the American forces under General Zachary Taylor attacked the fortified city. Several notable Civil War figures were involved in this battle besides Davis and Campbell including artillerist Braxton Bragg, whose guns helped win the battle. The standard musket for the Mexican Army was the British Brown Bess musket which was of .75 caliber.

These discoveries have been confirmed by the Mexican INAH who entered into a protracted legal battle with the developer over their survey of this site. Fort Campbell, on the Tennessee-Kentucky state line, is named for William Bowen Campbell who also became a Union general in the Civil War. For those that are not familiar with Fort Campbell, it is the home post for the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), the 5th Special Forces Group and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (the famous Night Stalkers).

To date Senators Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander nor Congressman Marsha Blackburn have not responded to emails or letters from Captain Page on this issue but Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has. Govenor Haslam has directed the state Commissioner of Veteran’s Affairs to investigate the remains and to determine what can be done. The Tennessee State Adjutant General’s Office is also aware and has acknowledged Captain Page’s letter and can provide support for burial, etc. if these men are indeed Tennesseans who can be brought back to Tennessee for reburial. If they prove to also be men from Mississippi then political officials from that state also need to be informed.

It would be wonderful if the membership of this roundtable would also contact their Tennessee representatives and for the members of the CWRTs getting this newsletter would do the same with their representatives. Little has been reported on this story save for a recent scroll on Fox News last week and MSNBC some years ago. It would be great if these men could be repatriated home for reburial or moved to the American cemetery in Mexico City. Right now the remains are in storage awaiting their fate. These are American soldiers sent to do the bidding of their government who gave the ultimate in patriotism by sacrificing their lives in a war. Please contact your elected officials to make these men known to them. If enough of them know about it then maybe they can be buried properly in a real cemetery. It is the least we can do.

For more information on this please contact Captain Jim Page, US Army, 101st Airborne Division historian at – jim.page@us.army.mil. Captain Page will give us a short address on these findings at this month’s Nashville CWRT meeting.

General Dan Sickles Lost Leg On The Move (From the Raleigh CWRT newsletter)

Union General Daniel Sickles, commander of the 3rd Corps at Gettysburg, had his leg shattered by a cannonball on the second day of the battle when Gen. James Longstreet’s Confederates smashed his corps at the Peach Orchard. Sickles left the field on a stretcher smoking his cigar and cheering his boys on. After having the leg amputated, he later met with President Lincoln and gave him the first report on the battle which was not complimentary of commanding General George Gordon Meade.

Sickles’ leg was later put on display in the Army Medical Museum near Washington. It is said that he even led tours of the site making sure that everyone got to see it! Well, that leg is on the move for a time anyway. It is to be loaned to Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland for a time so if you happen to be in the DC area, Frederick is only an hour northwest. This is close to the Civil War Medical Museum in Hagerstown and the Antietam Battlefield. Even closer is the Monocacy Battlefield and Gettysburg is not that far north of Frederick. So make your vacation plans and be sure to see Ol’ Dan’s leg!

USS Olympia, Spanish-American War Cruiser Needs Our Help

The cruiser USS Olympia from the Spanish-American War, is one of the most historic warships that still survive from the US Navy. It was the flagship of Admiral George Dewey in the Battle of Manila Bay in the Phillipines. While this is a warship from a war after the Civil War, George Dewey was a US Navy veteran officer of the Civil War. He served under David Farragut at New Orleans in 1862 and Port Hudson in 1863. He was also at Fort Fisher in North Carolina in 1865. The USS Olympia is ported at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the river – and it is the river that has become her worst enemy. She has a lot of hull damage that needs repairs and then she will probably need moving to a dry dock situation for further display to the public. She is actually in danger of sinking at her moorings if these repairs are not made soon. An alternative has been proposed to tow her out to sea and sink her! This would be a tragic loss of our naval history! The National Trust for Historic Preservation has stepped up and is now fund raising along with the Independence Seaport Museum to help get the USS Olympia stabilized and perhaps moved to a dry display area. You can visit this link and follow the easy directions for making donations: http://www.preservationnation.org/travel-and-sites/sites/northeast-region/the-uss-olympia.html

12 May

May Meeting Announcement and Newsletter

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May 16th, 2011 – Our 26th Meeting!!

The next meeting of the Nashville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Monday, May 16th, 2011, in the visitor’s center of Ft. Negley Park, a unit of Metro Parks, Nashville, TN. This is located off I-65 just south of downtown between 4^th Avenue South and 8^th Avenue South on Edgehill Avenue/Chestnut Avenue. Take Exit 81, Wedgewood Avenue, off I-65 and follow the signs to the Science Museum. The meeting begins at 7:00 PM and is always open to the public. Members please bring a friend or two – new recruits are always welcomed.

OUR SPEAKER AND TOPIC: - “The Bodyguard and Staff of Nathan Bedford Forrest”

Few Civil War commanders elicit as many responses today as the controversial Nathan Bedford Forrest. Love him or hate him, he was arguably the finest cavalry commander of the war, north or south. His record in combat was one of the best during the war in terms of victories and his reputation was such that he tied down two full Union corps in 1864 during the Atlanta Campaign. General Sherman called him, “that devil Forrest.” What is not known are the men behind the man including his escort/bodyguard and his staff. Forrest was not a professional solder and for the technical aspects of running his command he needed a competent staff to keep his men equipped. While most Civil War generals had escorts, most were not used in combat whereas Forrest often used his as Napoleon used his Old Guard – the final strike force designed to win the day. Forrest’s escort was recruited from picked men who stayed with him for the whole war. Even after the war, veterans of Forrest’s staff and escort attended reunions as late as 1909.

Historian, author and retired history professor Michael Bradley, a well-known speaker in Tennessee, has written a fine book on Forrest’s escort and staff and this program will be drawn from that book looking at the men, their exploits and reunions. Dr. Bradley is also the author of a book on the Tullahoma Campaign and a forthcoming biography on David C. Kelly, one of Forrest’s subordinates. He is past commander of the Tennessee Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans and lives in Tullahoma, Tennessee. He will be bringing copies of his books for sale at the meeting.

Please join us for what will prove to be an informative program.

LAST MONTH’S MEETING

Michael Panhorst, a historian of art and architecture from Alabama, turned his considerable skills to Civil War monuments for this excellent program delivered to the Nashville CWRT. Using a number of slides to back up his points, Panhorst documented the early monuments made in what he termed the “heroic” style through modern monuments, some of which leave much to be desired on several levels (like the Longstreet Monument at Gettysburg). The program depicted the spread of monument styles from the 19^th through 21^st Centuries and while the styles changed, the reasons for them remain the same – honoring those who fought the Civil War. This was a most interesting program and Panhorst delivered it with humor and a full command of the topic.

If you are tired of the same style of programs then the Nashville CWRT heartily suggests getting Dr. Panhorst to speak. Look for his forthcoming book on the monuments at Vicksburg.

FUTURE PROGRAMS (please check our new web site for other events):

June 2011 – Dr. Tim Johnson, Lipscomb University – “Civil War Officers in the Mexican War”

July 2011 – Bobby Krick, Historian, Richmond National Battlefield – “The Seven Days Campaign and the Rise of Robert E. Lee”

August 2011 – Greg Wade, Franklin CWRT, “The December 17, 1864 Retreat from Nashville and The Battle of the West Harpeth (Medals of Honor, Fascinating Personalities and an Agricultural Giant)”

September 2011 – Derek Frisby, Middle Tennessee State University – “Tennessee’s Secession Crisis”

October 2011 – Phil Seyfrit, Richmond KY Battlefield, “The Battle of Richmond, Kentucky”

November 2011 – Eric Jacobson, Battle of Franklin Trust – “Baptism of Fire: The Role of Federal Recruits at the Battle of Franklin”

December 2011 – John Walsh, Ft. Donelson Relics – “Civil War Photography”

When your dues are paid your name badge with a star on it will be available at the following meeting. If your badge does not have a star on it then you are not current. Our dues go to paying for speakers as well as donations for Civil War preservation causes especially those of a local nature. Please be sure to pay your dues so we can offer the best programs possible for you! We also utilize donated items for silent auctions each month to help add to the treasury. If you have something you would like to donate for these auctions, please bring them to the meetings. Books, art, or anything Civil War, works very well. Thanks very much to all of you who have made such donations!

Dues for the 2011-2012 campaign are due at this month’s meeting. Thanks for supporting the Nashville CWRT.

NASHVILLE CWRT ELECTIONS

It was decided that the elections would be postponed to the May meeting. The officer positions are listed below if you would like to run for one of them.

CIVIL WAR NEWS AND EVENTS

Cave City, Kentucky Civil War Relic Show and Civil War Reenactment – May 27-29, 2011

Cave City, Kentucky, located just east of Exit 53 off I-65 north of Bowling Green, Kentucky, is having a combination Civil War Relic Show and Reenactment on the weekend of May 27-29, 2011. This is Memorial Day weekend. The event will be held in the Cave City Convention Center. The relic show is on Saturday and Sunday only and the hours are 9 Am to 9 PM and on Sunday, 9 Am to 5 PM. For more information call Cave City City Hall at (270)773-2188 or visit their web site at: www.cityofcavecity.com. Cave City is less than 2 hours from Nashville.

You can make this an additionally fun weekend by also going up US 31 to Rowlett’s Station and Munfordville and see more Civil War history on the wonderful walking trails they have developed. These sites are only a few miles north of Cave City.

The Filson Historical Society Tour – “Cumberland Gap: The Confederacy’s Corridor To The North”

The next trip Of Louisville’s Filson Historical Society will be June 2-4, 2011. The theme will be “Cumberland Gap: the Confederacy’s Corridor to the North”. The Filson Civil War Field Institute will focus on the Cumberland Gap’s pivotal role in the War Between the States and how the area’s significance laid in its routes north and south, the topography and geography, and the divided nature of its citizenry.

Some sites that we will visit include: the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum, Harrogate, TN; Cumberland Gap National Historical Park; Camp Wildcat, London, KY; Richmond, KY Battlefield; White Hall, home to Cassius Marcellus Clay and Camp Nelson, Nicholasville, KY. The tour guide and keynote speaker is Dr. Brian McKnight, an Associate Professor of History at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise. He is the author of “Contested Borderland: The Civil War in Appalachian Kentucky and Virginia” (Kentucky, 2006) which one the James I. Robertson Literary Prize in 2006. His newest book is “Confederate Outlaw: Champ Ferguson and the Civil War in Appalachia.” Filson Historical tours are open to anyone wishing to go and are very professionally run. If you join their organization your tour fee will be lower than for non-members.

If you wish to register online please go to: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1111997013

Atlanta Campaign Tour Led by Greg Biggs – October 21-23, 2011

The Tennessee Valley CWRT of Huntsville, Alabama is having a three day guided tour of the first phase of the Atlanta Campaign led by our own Greg Biggs. This tour begins at Ringgold, GA and ends at Kennesaw Mountain. The CWRT is opening the tour up to anyone who wishes to attend. The tour begins out of Huntsville and people can park either there or in the Chattanooga area where others will be picked up. The tour fee includes hotels, bus, guide, park fees and much more. For more information please email Kent Wright at – kdwrt@netzero.net. Greg has been leading Atlanta tours since 1993 and has been walking these battlefields for many years.

Speakers at the Clarksville and Franklin, TN Civil War Roundtables – May/June 2011

Franklin, TN CWRT will not meet in May but their June program will be, “The Mystery Of Ulysses S. Grant,” presented by Dr. Glenn LaFantasie of Western KY University. Dr. LaFantasie has spoken to Clarksville before so we know how good he is. The Franklin CWRT meets at the Williamson County Library just south of the Carter House off US 31. The meeting is Sunday, June 12 at 3 PM

Clarksville CWRT, who meets at the Bone & Joint Center by Gateway Hospital off of Exit 4 (I-24), has Kent Wright, Tennessee Valley CWRT. His program will be the “Ellett’s Rams” about the most interesting Union unit raised during the war – a fleet of ram boats commanded by the Army! They were instrumental in winning the Battle of Memphis in June 1862. The meeting is Wednesday, May 18^th and begins at 7 PM.

Tennessee Historical Society Spring Speaker Series To Be Held at Fort Negley In Nashville

The Tennessee Historical Society continues offering some Civil War programs to be held at the Fort Negley Visitor Center at 1100 Fort Negley Boulevard in Nashville. Each speaker will have new books from which their programs are based for sale at the events.

Thursday, May 19, 2011 – 5:30 – 7:00 pm. THIS Annual Membership Meeting & Address: Confederate Outlaw Champ Ferguson and the Civil War in Appalachia, Brian McKnight, University of Virginia’s College at Wise

Civil War Events at Jefferson Davis State Park, Fairview, Kentucky – June 2011

Jefferson Davis State Park will hold several days of Civil War events from Friday, June 3^rd through Sunday, June 5^th, 2011 on the park grounds. Friday events include tours of the Davis monument and registration for the reenactors attending and an evening Civil War movie. More events ensue on Saturday including monument tours, reenactments, period music by Red River Breeze, a period tea, author Tom McKinney on Jack Hinson, and much more – a full day of events. That evening will see a firing of cannons. Sunday’s events include a period church service, lectures on Jefferson Davis and more. The weekend is made possible by the Jefferson Davis State Park, John Hunt Morgan UDC Chapter and the Jefferson Davis Reenactors Camp. For more information please call 270-889-6100 or visit the park website at – www.parks.ky.gov. There is a small fee for the tours.

To get to the park from Nashville take I-24 into Kentucky to Exit 89 (KY Highway 115). Turn right and take that to Fairview and the park will be on the right. It is about 90 minutes away from Nashville.

Battle Of Nashville Preservation Society and the Lamlighters Theater Present “The Andersonville Trial,” June 2011

The famous Civil War play and movie, “The Andersonville Trial,” based on the trial of camp commandant Captain Henry Wirz, will be presented at Nashville’s downtown Presbyterian Church in three performances on Friday, June 17 (one performance) and Saturday (two performances), June 18, 2011. The play will be performed in the historic sanctuary of the antebellum church which is located on the corner of 5^th Avenue and Church Street. The Friday performance begins at 7:30 PM while those of Saturday will be 3:00 PM and 7:30 PM. Tickets are $15 and can be bought at the door or through www.ticketsNashville.com. For more information please visit www.lamplighterstheatre.com or call (615)969-9273.

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Nashville Civil War Roundtable Where history is all that matters!

January Newsletter and Meeting Notice

December Meeting Notice and Newsletter

November Meeting Notice and Newsletter

October Newsletter and Meeting Notice

Nashville CWRT Meeting Notice and Newsletter for September

Meeting Notice and August Newsletter

The “Forgotten Soldiers” of the Mexican War

TN Civil War Sesquicentennial License Plates

June Newsletter and Meeting Notice

May Meeting Announcement and Newsletter

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