Nashville Civil War Roundtable

14 Apr

April Meeting Notice and Newsletter

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April 15th, 2013 – Our 49th Meeting AND 4th Anniversary as well.
The next meeting of the Nashville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Monday, April 15th, 2013, 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: Author and historian David Bastian will discuss “Grant’s Canal in the Vicksburg Campaign”

David Bastian’s slide presentation, based on his book, references the two Union campaigns against Vicksburg and focuses on the efforts to divert the Mississippi River away from Vicksburg by digging a canal across the narrow bend opposite the town. Had they succeeded, they would have had immediate and complete control of the river (definitely in the summer of 1862 and possibly in the winter of 1863). Beyond Vicksburg’s geographical significance, Mr. Bastian will also discuss the city’s topography and why this made the city very defensible for the Confederacy. This said, if the Union had succeeded in its plan, Vicksburg would have lost much of its importance as a Union objective.

Mr. Bastian is a retired hydraulic engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where among his accomplishments he had a 6-year stint in Panama as a delegate to the tri-national Commission for the Study of Alternatives to the Panama Canal.
Bastian holds a degree in civil engineering from Georgia Tech and a master’s degree in river engineering from Delft in the Netherlands. He is now a practicing engineering consultant.

LAST MONTH’S MEETING
Jerry Wooten, superintendent of Johnsonville State Park, gave an excellent program on the building of that site as a major Union supply base that assisted the Nashville Depot as well as Nathan Bedford Forrest’s raid there in November 1864. Supported by a wonderful Power Point program, Jerry filled in the details of the creation of the site, the extension of the Nashville & Northwestern Railroad from Kingston Springs to Johnsonville to get the supplies to Nashville and how important it became in supplying the needs of the Union Army operating in Tennessee and Georgia. Forrest’s raid, which destroyed the depot and millions of dollars in supplies, devastated the site which was never rebuilt by the Union. This was a wonderful and informative program given by a gifted historian. If you have not visited the Tennessee state park there you should.

FUTURE PROGRAMS:

May 2013 – Rhea Cole, historian/Middle TN CWRT –“General Rosecrans’ Signal Corps; the War Winning Secret Weapon Nobody Has Ever Heard Of”
June 2013 – Dr. Carole Bucy, Volunteer State Community College – “The Secession of Tennessee”
July 2013 – Dr. Mark Lause, University of Cincinnati – “Price’s Missouri Campaign” (tentative)
August 2013 – Brian Allison, Traveller’s Rest historian – topic TBD
September 2013 – Stewart Cruikshank, historian/author – “Major General James Scott Negley and Mutiny at Camp Negley”
October 2013 – William C. Davis, noted author/historian, Virginia Tech University – topic TBA
December 2013 – Chris Kolakowski, author/historian

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 three stars on it will be available at the following meeting. If your badge does not have three stars 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!

CIVIL WAR NEWS AND EVENTS

April 20th, 2013: “War in the Mountains III” symposium set for Lincoln Memorial University

Lincoln Memorial University presents another Civil War symposium focused on the Civil War in the Appalachian Mountains. In this symposium, three speakers will present on the following topics:

1. Dr. Wilma Dunaway will discuss “The Civil War and Emancipation through the Eyes of Appalachian Slaves.”
2. Dr. Michael Toomey will lecture on “The Campaign that Never Was: The Union Invasion of East Tennessee, 1861.”
3. Dr. Brian McKnight will discuss “The Roles of Weather and Terrain in the Rise and Fall of Felix Zollicoffer.”

The registration fee is $30 and the symposium will be held at the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum at LMU in Harrogate, Tennessee. The university is located at the southern end of Cumberland Gap, itself an important Civil War site and national park.

The Saturday program will last from 9 a.m. through 3 p.m., and include two breaks. Lunch is not included in the registration fee. For more information contact Carol Campbell, director of programs, at 423-869-6439 or 800-325-0900, ext. 6439. She can be reached by email at: Carol.Campbell@lmunet.edu

June 6-8, 2013: “East Tennessee in Turmoil” – A Filson Civil War Field Institute Program

The Filson Historical Society of Louisville, KY continues its series of presentations and field trips. Participants for this tour will meet in Greeneville, TN, and travel throughout East Tennessee by bus over the two days. These sites include:

• the East Tennessee Historical Society Museum in downtown Knoxville
• Bijou Theater, the location of the Lamar House, a center of secessionist activity.
• Fort Dickerson in Knoxville
• the site of the Battle of Blue Springs, two Burnside victories during East Tennessee Campaign
• Dickson-Williams mansion, where John Hunt Morgan spent his last night on Earth as a guest of the family.
• the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, where his home, his tailor’s shop, his grave, and the museum are located.
• Abingdon’s Sinking Spring Cemetery, where John Hunt Morgan was first buried and the infamous John Floyd still lies.

Dr. Brian McKnight, associate professor of history at the Univ. of Virginia – Wise, will be the tour’s guide. His first book, Contested Borderland: The Civil War in Appalachian Kentucky and Virginia (Kentucky, 2006), won the James I. Robertson Literary Prize in Confederate History. His most recent book, Confederate Outlaw: Champ Ferguson and the Civil War in Appalachia, tells the story of the Confederacy’s most notorious borderland guerrilla and was awarded the Tennessee Historical Commission’s award for the Best Book on Tennessee History for 2011. Additionally, he co-edited The Age of Andrew Jackson and appeared on the Ashley Judd episode of NBC’s Who Do You Think You Are?.

Fieldtrip Fee

$280 for Filson members;
$330 Non-members
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 4/22/2013) per person is required at time of registration and balance is due to the Filson by May 28, 2013

To assure your field trip reservation, you can register on-line through Eventbrite. (additional fees apply)

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/3585760105#

Payment can also be sent to:
The Filson Historical Society
c/o Scott Scarboro CWFI
1310 S Third Street
Louisville, KY 40208

For more information please contact Scott at: sscarboro@filsonhistorical.org

All participants are responsible for their travel arrangements to and from Greeneville, TN and making their own hotel accommodations and dinner on Friday evening. During the fieldtrip we will travel by chartered bus as a group.

Accommodations:
General Morgan Inn
111 North Main Street
Greeneville, TN 37743
(423) 787-1000 / (800) 223-2679
$85 per night Filson group rate

Civil War Exhibit At Fort Negley

Starting on March 13th, Fort Negley will host an exhibit called “Voices of the Battlefield.” This multi-panel exhibit is the product of Brian Allison of Traveller’s Rest in Nashville. The panels will tell the stories of the Battle of Nashville and preservation of area Civil War sites. The exhibit will remain at Fort Negley into September so be sure to drop by to see it.

Civil War Land Under Development Threat in Atlanta at Peachtree Creek Battlefield (Civil War Trust)
Atlanta’s massive development over the last 100 years has swallowed up most of the three battlefields that decided the fate of the Gate City of the Confederacy. The first of these, Peachtree Creek, fought on July 20, 1864, was John Bell Hood’s first battle as the new commander of the Army of Tennessee. While this neighborhood was developed many years ago with stately homes and a large golf course, a few pockets of pristine land remain.
In Atlanta, just minutes away from city offices and downtown attractions, 14 acres of brush and woods have caught the eye of apartment housing developers. That in itself is nothing new. But what makes those 14 acres special is this: The prime piece of in-town real estate is also a part of Civil War history. A Confederate army brigade encamped there during the summer of 1864, ahead of what became the Battle of Peachtree Creek — which soon after led to the decisive and costly Battle of Atlanta. The non-profit Civil War Trust says nearly 20% of American Civil War battlefields have been destroyed and, of those that remain, only 15% are protected as national parks.
Many of the battlefield sites are now in urban or suburban communities, on valuable land. And there have been some highly publicized skirmishes in recent years as preservation groups fought to keep large companies from developing the sites. In the case of 14 acres of Atlanta woods, the property’s owner wants to break ground later this year on a 236-unit apartment complex. But local residents would like the grounds to be looked over before the bulldozers start their work. “If there were some archaeological or historic significance to this particular area, I think that would definitely add some value to the neighborhood,” Wyatt Gordon, president of the local neighborhood association, told WXIA-TV.
Two Upcoming Civil War Tours – Tullahoma Campaign and Fort Donelson Campaign in June, 2013

Noted author and historian Michael Bradley, author of the first book on the Tullahoma Campaign, and Greg Biggs (Clarksville and Nashville CWRTs) will co-lead a tour of the Tullahoma Campaign to celebrate its 150th Anniversary. The date for the tour is Saturday, June 22nd, 2013. The tour will meet in Murfreesboro and travel by bus for the day seeing sights from Hoover’s Gap, Liberty gap and Shelbyville to Cowan and Sewanee Mountain where the campaign ended. Details will follow very soon.

Another tour, led by Greg Biggs, of the Fort Donelson Campaign, will be held on Saturday, June 29th, 2013. The tour will feature members from several CWRTs and will take the entire day seeing sights outside of the national park as well as the park itself. The tour will leave from Clarksville that morning and there will be a meeting on Friday, June 28th at Clarksville’s Fort Defiance Park for a tour of that site. The tour costs $20 per person if paid before June 10th: $25 per person afterwards.

For more information on both tours please email Greg at: Biggsg@charter.net

9 Mar

March Meeting Information and Newsletter

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March 18th, 2013 – Our 48th Meeting!! Our fourth birthday!!!!
The next meeting of the Nashville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Monday, March 18th, 2013, 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: “Johnsonville, TN: The End of the Line, November 4, 1864”

The Tennessee River town of Johnsonville, Tennessee, was developed as a major supply depot for the Union Army to help supply the massive Nashville Depot. Its creation came about due to Confederate raids on steamboat traffic on the Cumberland River (which was smaller in size) and the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. Both were quite vulnerable and both were often closed to Union supply traffic.

Fortifications and massive docks and warehouses were built to handle the huge volume of supplies coming in from up north. It is because of the importance of the town and its supply hub that it drew the attention of famed Confederate cavalryman Nathan Bedford Forrest in November 1864. Forrest believed that William T. Sherman, then embarking on his March to the Sea, drew his supplies from Johnsonville and Nashville and if he could smash this depot Sherman would be forced to retire. Forrest attacked the depot on November 4, 1864 and while destroying millions of dollars in supplies, sinking transports and doing other damage, it did not stop Sherman, who had cut himself off of the supplies coming from Tennessee.

Our speaker this month is Jerry Wooten, Park Manager of Johnsonville Historic Park. His program will illustrate the significance of Johnsonville, Tennessee, and its impact upon the Union war effort in Tennessee in 1863-65. Wooten will discuss details about the troops involved in this late-war Tennessee River campaign, provide descriptions of the Union depot at Johnsonville, and share photographic images of the Union’s largest supply operation in the western theater during the Civil War. A discussion of the events leading up to the Battle of Johnsonville, Tennessee, on November 4, 1864, will also be highlighted during the program.

Jerry Wooten is originally from Clarksville, Tennessee. He received his Bachelor’s degree in American History from Austin Peay State University in 1992 and his Master’s Degree from Murray State University in Public History in 1994. Currently, Jerry is finishing his Ph.D. in Public History at Middle Tennessee State University concentrating in heritage tourism and Civil War battlefield preservation. Jerry’s dissertation topic focuses specifically on Union army operations on the Tennessee River and the Union supply depot at Johnsonville, Tennessee during the American Civil War. From 1994 to 1996, he helped open the Pamplin Historical Park in Petersburg, Virginia, where he served as Park Historian. After a stint with TVA in Kentucky he accepted the position as Executive Director of the River Heritage Museum in Paducah, Kentucky, where he remained until 2002. He then accepted the directorship of Kentucky’s Shaker Museum and stayed there until 2003 when he returned to Tennessee and went to work for the Tennessee Historical Commission in Nashville as Director of State Historic Sites. In this role, Jerry was responsible for all 191 state-owned historic buildings and sites in Tennessee.

In 2009, Jerry accepted a position with Tennessee State Parks at Nashville’s Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park as program director. In April 2011, Jerry accepted the position as Park Manager of Johnsonville State Historic Park located in Humphreys County in New Johnsonville, TN, where he is currently employed. Jerry is married to Robin Wooten who also works for Tennessee State Parks and serves as the area manager for East Tennessee. When not “doing” history or working in parks, Jerry enjoys painting, watching movies, playing music, and spending time with his wife and their dog “Flash” at their Nashville home.

LAST MONTH’S MEETING
Historian and author Kevin McCann regaled us with a very interesting program on the 6th Tennessee Cavalry (U.S.). What had begun as research into a possible Confederate ancestor turned out to be a soldier of this Union regiment. Led by staunch Unionist Fielding Hurst, of McNairy County on the Tennessee River, the regiment developed an unenviable reputation for both sides. Laced with first person accounts and a fine power point program in support, McCann wove a unique tale. One of the things his program proved was that Unionism in Tennessee was not limited to the eastern portion of the state. A most enjoyable program that was well delivered and received by the membership as evidence by the number of questions afterwards. Thanks Kevin.

FUTURE PROGRAMS:

April 2013 – David Bastian, author/historian – “Grant’s Canal in the Vicksburg Campaign”
May 2013 – Rhea Cole, historian/Middle TN CWRT –“General Rosecrans’ Signal Corps; the War Winning Secret Weapon Nobody Has Ever Heard Of”
June 2013 – Dr. Carole Bucy, Volunteer State Community College – “The Secession of Tennessee”
July 2013 – Dr. Mark Lause, University of Cincinnati – “Price’s Missouri Campaign” (tentative)
August 2013 – Brian Allison, Traveller’s Rest historian – topic TBD
September 2013 – Stewart Cruikshank, historian/author – “Major General James Scott Negley and Mutiny at Camp Negley”
October 2013 – William C. Davis, noted author/historian, Virginia Tech University – topic TBA

Coming soon – dates to be determined: Lee Ann Newton

CIVIL WAR NEWS AND EVENTS

Nashville CWRT Loses Another Member

On February 11, 2013, member Gloria Wells passed away. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Gloria moved to Nashville in 1966. She was a member of the United Methodist Women and the Bellevue Women’s Club as well as the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was buried in the Middle Tennessee Veterans Cemetery. Her husband Jeff will continue to remain in our ranks for which we are grateful. We will all miss seeing her at our meetings.

New Editor for the Nashville CWRT Newsletter

A big “thank you” goes to member John Cummins who will take over as the newsletter editor for the Nashville CWRT. Anyone getting this newsletter who would like to have their events published in our newsletter please send details to John at: john.cumminsIII@mnps.org

Civil War Exhibit At Fort Negley Starting March 13, 2013

Starting on March 13th, Fort Negley will host an exhibit called “Voices of the battlefield.” This multi-panel exhibit is the product of Brian Allison of Traveller’s Rest in Nashville. The panels will tell the stories of the Battle of Nashville and preservation of area Civil War sites. The exhibit will remain at Fort Negley into September so be sure to drop by to see it.

Nashville Civil War Sesquicentennial Symposium – April 13, 2013

The next symposium sponsored by the Nashville Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee will be held on April 13, 2013 at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. The church is located at 615 6th Avenue South in Nashville. The event begins at 8:30 AM. The speakers will be Dr. Bobby Lovett and Dr. Susan O’Donovan with period music by the 1861 Project.

Civil War Symposium, March 23rd, 2013 Sponsored by Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia

The tenth installment of the annual Civil War Symposium, sponsored by the Civil War Center of Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, will be held on Saturday, March 23rd, 2013. This year’s conference goes under the theme, Civil War East and West – 1863. Speakers included Dr. Richard McMurray, Larry Daniel, Brian Steel Wills and Larry Hewitt. All are well know authors and highly respected Civil War historians. The symposium begins at 9 AM and it will be held at the KSU Center, 3333 Busbee Dr. NW on the Kennesaw State campus. This can be reached at Exit 271 off of I-75 and the center is located behind the Cracker Barrel. For further information please email Michael Shaffer at: mshaffe3@kennesaw.edu. Their web site is – http://www.kennesaw.edu/civilwar era

Civil War Tours In Murfreesboro, Friday March 29th and Saturday, March 30th, 2013

Join Stones River NPS park ranger Jim Lewis for guided tours of Fortress Rosecrans on Friday, March 29th, and of the Vaught’s Hill/Battle of Milton battlefield on Saturday, March 30th, 2013. Confederate raider John Hunt Morgan attacked a Union brigade on Vaught’s Hill at Milton, Tennessee on March 20, 1863. Despite having twice as many men as the Federals, Morgan, after a pitched fight, and with reinforcements coming from Fortress Rosecrans, suffered a punishing defeat. Morgan was defeated three times in a row in the late winter of 1862-1863 which greatly tarnished his reputation. The result of these defeats was Morgan’s creation of his famous Ohio Raid designed to get his name back into the headlines of Southern newspapers. They also gave William S. Rosecrans, commanding the Army of the Cumberland, ideas as to where to attack Braxton Bragg in the Tullahoma Campaign of late June/early July, 1863.

Vaught’s Hill battlefield is privately owned as is an antebellum home used as a hospital and Ranger Lewis has access to both. The event for Saturday begins at 9 Am at the Rutherford County Visitors Center for an orientation before tour participants drive to the battlefield. There is no cost for the tour other than what you buy for lunch and dinner. The Friday Fortress Rosecrans tour begins at 5 PM and it will be followed by a reception at the Stones River park visitors center that evening. For more information and to reserve your space for the tour, please email info@tcwpa.org. You can also visit the Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association web site at – http://www.tcwpa.org.

Civil War Land Under Development Threat in Atlanta at Peachtree Creek Battlefield (Civil War Trust)
Atlanta’s massive development over the last 100 years has swallowed up most of the three battlefields that decided the fate of the Gate City of the Confederacy. The first of these, Peachtree Creek, fought on July 20, 1864, was John Bell Hood’s first battle as the new commander of the Army of Tennessee. While this neighborhood was developed many years ago with stately homes and a large golf course, a few pockets of pristine land remain.
In Atlanta, just minutes away from city offices and downtown attractions, 14 acres of brush and woods have caught the eye of apartment housing developers. That in itself is nothing new. But what makes those 14 acres special is this: The prime piece of in-town real estate is also a part of Civil War history. A Confederate army brigade encamped there during the summer of 1864, ahead of what became the Battle of Peachtree Creek — which soon after led to the decisive and costly Battle of Atlanta. The non-profit Civil War Trust says nearly 20% of American Civil War battlefields have been destroyed and, of those that remain, only 15% are protected as national parks.
Many of the battlefield sites are now in urban or suburban communities, on valuable land. And there have been some highly publicized skirmishes in recent years as preservation groups fought to keep large companies from developing the sites. In the case of 14 acres of Atlanta woods, the property’s owner wants to break ground later this year on a 236-unit apartment complex. But local residents would like the grounds to be looked over before the bulldozers start their work. “If there were some archaeological or historic significance to this particular area, I think that would definitely add some value to the neighborhood,” Wyatt Gordon, president of the local neighborhood association, told WXIA-TV.
Newsletter and Web Site for the Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina Civil War Heritage Trails
The states of Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina have banded together to form a Civil War Trails association. This co=promotes Civil War sites in these three states. Their web site is full of interesting information on the Civil War sites of the three states as well as events, their newsletter and much more including Sesquicentennial events. To access this please go to – http://www.civilwarheritagetrails.org and be prepared to spend some good times there.

17 Feb

February Newsletter and Meeting Notice

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February 18th, 2013 – Our 47th Meeting!! We continue our fourth year!
The next meeting of the Nashville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Monday, February 18th, 2013, 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: “Hurst’s Wurst: The 6th Tennessee Cavalry U.S.”

The Sixth Tennessee Cavalry (U.S.) was described by one Confederate soldier as “an ignorant posse of men led by vicious and unprincipled leaders” who were “the scourge and terror of the lower Eastern Counties of West Tennessee, and were as thoroughly detested and hated as any band of marauders who ever disgraced the name of soldiers.” Nathan Bedford Forrest loathed this unit and enjoyed beating them as often as possible

Were the men who served in the Sixth Tennessee truly the villains that partisan writers have portrayed them? Or were they persecuted for the choice they made not to join the Confederacy but stand for the Union instead? They hailed from the McNairy County area along the Tennessee River, which was not known as a big area for pro-Union sentiment in the state.

Our speaker this month is a descendant of soldiers who served in the Sixth Tennessee. Author of a book on the regiment, Kevin D. McCann examines the activities of the Sixth Tennessee—both official and unofficial—and gives a historical and factual account of this controversial Federal regiment and its equally controversial leader, Fielding Hurst. He will have copies of his book for sale at the meeting.

Kevin D. McCann was born in Jackson, TN in 1970 and attended public and private schools in Jackson and Madison County. He attained a Bachelor of Science Degree in History from Union University in 1993. He now lives in Dickson, TN with his wife Cindy and their two children, Braden and Brianna.

Kevin’s interests range from the Civil War to minor league baseball and the Age of Jackson, though all pertain to his love for Tennessee history. He is the author of four books: Jackson Diamonds: Professional Baseball in Jackson, Tennessee (1999); Hurst’s Wurst: Col. Fielding Hurst and the Sixth Tennessee Cavalry U.S.A. (2007); Adam Huntsman: The Peg Leg Politician (2011); and The Jackson Generals: Minor League Baseball in Jackson, Tennessee (2012). He is the co-author of The Kitty League (Images of Baseball series) and co-editor of The Reminiscences of the Early Settlement and Early Settlers of McNairy County, Tennessee (2012).

Kevin is the co-founder of BrayBree Publishing, an independent publishing company that specializes in books on Tennessee history. His company’s website is http://www.braybreepublishing.com

LAST MONTH’S MEETING
A good turnout of members and guests were treated tro a fine program by Rick Warwick, Williamson County historian and expert on the Confederate veteran reunions held at Franklin, Tennessee after the war. In full command of the facts on the topic and supported by an informative power point program, Rick’s topic was very well presented and received. Of note was an ad from the Franklin newspaper for one of the reunions in the early 20th Century offering land for sale on the battlefield! From there Franklin was overbuilt and has only been recovering much of this land in the last decade or so. Thanks Rick for a wonderful program.

FUTURE PROGRAMS:

March 2013 – Jerry Wooten, New Johnsonville State Park, TN. – “Johnsonville, TN: The End Of The Line, November 4, 1864”
April 2013 – David Bastian, author/historian – “Grant’s Canal in the Vicksburg Campaign”
May 2013 – TBD
June 2013 – Chris Kolakowski – topic TBA
July 2013 – Dr. Mark Lause, University of Cincinnati – “Price’s Missouri Campaign” (tentative)
August 2013 – TBD
October 2013 – William C. Davis, noted author/historian, Virginia Tech University – topic TBA

Coming soon – dates to be determined: Carole Bucy, Lee Ann Newton, Brian Allison and Stewart Cruickshank

CIVIL WAR NEWS AND EVENTS

Esteemed member Captain Jim Page Passes Away in January 2013
As members of the Nashville CWRT already know, our fine member, Captain Jim Page, passed away suddenly of a heart attack. He leaves behind a wife and two young children plus other family members. He was buried with full military honors in Louisville, Kentucky, his home town, on Monday, January 28th. A memorial service was held at Fort Campbell on Wednesday, February 6th.

Jim was division historian for the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and was highly dedicated to that illustrious command’s history. He worked with the Pratt Museum on post and was the key element in seeking to get returned to Tennessee the remains of some American soldiers who were killed in the Battle of Monterey, Mexico in the Mexican War. These men are probably from the 1st Tennessee Volunteers led by Colonel William Bowen Campbell, for whom Fort Campbell is named.

Jim was also a member of the Calrksville CWRT. In his honor, the membership of Nashville CWRT voted to raise funds for a second picnic table for Clarksville’s Fort Defiance whose cost it is proposed to be shared with the Clarksville CWRT which he also belonged to. Also coming with the table will be a memorial plaque. It will be up to our membership to discuss and vote on this proposal at the February meeting. The cost will be about $850 but it will be shared with the Clarksville CWRT. We raised nearly $180 at the January meeting and have some more to go. Jim will be deeply missed by us all!

New Newsletter Editor Needed for the Nashville CWRT Newsletter

Two days after the passing of Jim Page, the father of member Karel Lea Biggs (and program chair Greg Biggs’ father in law), passed away suddenly. Accordingly, the Biggs will be going to East Tennessee quite a bit to settle the matters of his house and estate. This will eat up a lot of their time. As they currently do the newsletter for the Nashville CWRT and there will not be enough time to continue to do so, a new newsletter editor is needed starting with the March 2013 issue. If you are interested in doing this please let them know at the February meeting. They really need to pass this off to someone new!

Foragers for February meeting

As the membership decided last month to have beverages and snacks for the meetings the choice was to have one or two people per month take care of these things. The foragers so far are as follows:

February: Paul Smith
March: Greg Biggs
April: Millie Rice and Marie Burr
Thanks very much for stepping up to help the Nashville CWRT!

Short newsletter this month folks due to being tied up with too many things.

13 Jan

January Newsletter and Meeting Notice

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January 21st, 2013 – Our 46th Meeting!! Happy New Year! We continue our fourth year!
The next meeting of the Nashville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Monday, January 21st, 2013, 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: “Confederate Reunion s in Franklin, Tennessee 1877-1925”

As with the former members of the Union Army, Confederate veterans also formed organizations where their members could get together and reminisce about their time in the Civil War. Thus was formed the United Confederate Veterans, and much later, the Sons of Confederate Veterans. In addition to their reunions, these camps helped to raise money to care for Confederate cemeteries and raise monuments on battlefields in many Southern towns like the one in downtown Franklin, Tennessee. These camps, along with the United Daughters of the Confederacy, helped keep the memory of the Confederate soldier alive and helped write much of the Lost Cause history via the magazine Confederate Veteran or by books.

This month’s program, by noted Williamson County historian Rick Warwick, will examine the Confederate reunions held in Franklin, Tennessee between 1877 and 1925. Over time, all of these camps fell apart due to the passing of its members but they left behind a history that will form the basis of this program.

Rick Warwick is a retired school librarian, Williamson County, Tennessee historian, editor of the Williamson County Historical Society Journal and the author of several Williamson County related books including the authoritative, Williamson County: Civil War Veterans-Their Reunions & Photographs. He has served on the boards of the Carter House, Carnton Plantation, The Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County, Franklin’s Charge and is currently serving on the African American Heritage Society of Williamson County and the Tennessee Historical Commission.

We hope you will join us for another informative program by a fine historian.

Last Month’s Meeting
Krista Castillo, president of the Nashville CWRT and director of Fort Negley park in Nashville, presented a fine program on Christmas in the Civil War to a joint meeting of the Clarksville and Bowling Green CWRTs at Ariella Italian Restaurant in Russellville, KY. Backed by a wonderful power point program, she explained the history of Christmas in the western world before focusing on it in America from colonial times into the Civil War. Early on it was not celebrated by the Puritans but evolved into something closer to how it is today with commercialism mixing with religion by the time the nation split apart. Cartoonist Thomas Nast, already famous for his Civil War art work in Harper’s Weekly, was the man who designed what would become the American impression of Santa Claus, and his work was prominent in the program. The program was well researched and presented and capped off with our wonderful Christmas party. Thanks Krista for an excellent program!

FUTURE PROGRAMS (please check our new web site for other events):
February 2013 – Kevin McCann, author/historian – “Hurst’s Wurst – The 6th Tennessee Cavalry U.S.”
March 2013 – Jerry Wooten, New Johnsonville State Park, TN. – “Johnsonville, TN: The End Of The Line, November 4, 1864”
April 2013 – David Bastian, author/historian – “Grant’s Canal in the Vicksburg Campaign”
May 2013 – TBD
June 2013 – Chris Kolakowski – topic TBA
July 2013 – Dr. Mark Lause, University of Cincinnati – “Price’s Missouri Campaign” (tentative)
August 2013 – TBD
October 2013 – William C. Davis, noted author/historian, Virginia Tech University – topic TBA

Coming soon – dates to be determined: Carole Bucy, Lee Ann Newton, Brian Allison and Stewart Cruickshank

CIVIL WAR NEWS AND EVENTS
Civil War Symposium to be Held at Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia – March 2013
Kennesaw State University’s Civil War Center, under the direction of noted historian and author Brian Steel Wills, is having another Civil War symposium. The date is Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23, 2013. The symposium’s theme is 1863 – Struggles East and West.

The Friday kick off and reception will be held at the Marietta Museum of History in downtown Marietta right on the historic city square. The evening entertainment is being provided by Ross Moore. Friday’s event begins at 6 PM. The actual address is 1 Depot Street, Suite 200 Marietta, GA 30060

The Saturday event will be held in the Kennesaw State University Center located at 3333 Busbee Dr. NW in Kennesaw, Georgia. Traveling south on I-75, take the Chastain Road exit, #271. Turn left and proceed back across the interstate (overpass) then turn left onto Busbee Drive. (Cracker Barrel on the left at the turn.) Proceed approximately 1/4 mile on Busbee Drive – the KSU Center is on the right…large electronic message board out front…you cannot miss the spot! The physical address: 3333 Busbee Dr. NW, Kennesaw, GA 30144.

The hours are from 9 AM until noon. The speakers are:

Larry Daniel – historian/author – The Western Theater – The Mistakes Made
Richard McMurry – historian/author – Getting Right With Gettysburg
Larry Hewitt – historian/author – Port Hudson: The Most Photographed Battlefield of the Civil War
Brian Wills – historian/author – The Logic of Logistics: The Suffolk Campaign of 1863

The event is free of charge including the Continental breakfast on Saturday morning.

If you wish to register for the event, please email Michael Shaffer, Civil War Center Assistant Director at – mshaffe3@kennesaw.edu

For more information please see the center’s web site at – http://www.kennesaw.edu/civilwarera
You can also follow the center on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/civilwarcenter
New Book On Stones River Now Available
Larry Daniel, noted Civil War historian of the Western Theater, has released his latest book on the Battle of Stones River. Stones River National Battlefield historian Jim Lewis has called it the best single volume work on this battle. This was a pivotal Civil War battle that greatly affected not only Tennessee but also offset the Union defeat at Fredericksburg a couple weeks earlier and gave political cover to Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation which took effect on January 1, 1863. If you are familiar with Larry’s fine research and writing then this book will be a “must” for your library.

Copies of this fine book can be purchased at Barnes & Noble bookstores and other sources.
New Book On Kentucky In The Civil War Documenting Resources Available From the Louisville, KY CWRT
The Louisville Civil War Roundtable has produced a up to date bibliography of the 150 best books on Kentucky’s participation in the Civil War. Kentucky in the Civil War: 150 for the 150th, is the product of over a year’s research and work. Each listing is annotated for a better understanding of the content. The book covers seven categories including personalities, battles and campaigns, politics and more and has two additional sections for bibliographies and reference works. This is a limited edition soft cover of 48 pages and retails for $12.50 plus $2.50 shipping. If you are looking for where to start with books on Kentucky in the war or have already read a number of books on the topic but are looking for something new then this is an excellent reference guide.

Anyone interested in purchasing the book can contact Norvelle Wathen at (502) 339-9000 or via e-mail at: musicalnorvelle@bellsouth.net.
Author Lanny Smith Publishes Latest Book – Morgan’s Cavalry 1861-1862
Lanny Smith, a Civil War historian and author based in Texas, has self-published his latest book, Morgan’s Cavalry 1861-1862. The book focuses on Morgan’s early war career from Morgan’s Cavalry Squadron through leading a division on the famous Christmas Raid of December 1862 culminating with his marriage to Matty Ready in a star studded ceremony. Included are Shiloh, the Kentucky Campaign, Hartsville, Lebanon, Cynthiana and more. If you are familiar with his limited edition two volume set on the Battle of Stones River (one volume for the Confederate side and one for the Federal – sometimes available at Stones River National Battlefield), then you know how detailed and complete his books are. This one is also a hard cover and runs 520 pages of text with 116 pages of notes and bibliography plus loads of maps. Only 271 copies are being printed so if you are interested in getting a copy then email Lanny at – lannysmith1861@hotmail.com.
Tennessee Historical Quarterly Publishes Volumes on the Civil War
The Tennessee Historical Society and state Sesquicentennial Commission have published four volumes on the Civil War in Tennessee taken from previous articles published in the Tennessee Historical Quarterly journal. More volumes are planned in the series. Each volume is edited by a noted Tennessee Civil War historian. The volumes so far available are: Tennessee in the Civil War; Civil War in Appalachia; The Battle of Shiloh and the latest on the Battle of Stones River and the Civil War in Middle Tennessee. Each volume is $25 but if you go to the web site of the Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association, you can get all four for a 20 per cent discount (15 per cent if individual books are purchased) plus shipping and sales tax (if Tennessee resident).

To order these books, and all other merchandise that helps save Tennessee’s battlefields, please visit – http://www.tcwpa.org/shop

Save The Date – New Civil War and Militaria Show To Be Held in Clarksville, Tennessee, October 12-13, 2013
As part of the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, a Civil War relic and militaria show will be held in Clarksville, Tennessee on the weekend of October 12-13, 2013. The event will take place in the new Wilma Rudolph Event Center in Liberty Park which is part of the new marina complex on the Cumberland River. At least 100 tables will be available for anyone interested in selling Civil War items, post-war militaria including World War 2 as well as displays for organizations and authors.

The event is sponsored by the Clarksville/Montgomery County Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission, the Clarksville Civil War Roundtable, the Fort Donelson Civil War Roundtable (Dover, TN) and the Frank P. Gracey SCV Camp. Dealers and interested authors and organizations can contact John Walsh of Fort Donelson Relics at: john@fortdonelsonrelics.com or Greg Biggs at: Biggsg@charter.net

Save The Date Part 2 – Civil War Syposium to Be Held in Huntsville, Alabama, November 1-2, 2013

The Tennessee Valley Civil War Roundtable is planning its first Civil War Symposium. This will be a one-day event in Huntsville, Alabama, on Saturday, November 2, 2013. Its overarching theme will be the Western Theater, with a variety of speakers and other activities anticipated (perhaps including a kick-off that Friday evening, November 1). We are in the initial stage of planning, so most details have yet to be firmed up. This event is almost eleven months away, but calendars fill up fast, so please let your membership know that this event is in planning and to reserve this date on their calendars. We are, of course, hoping for a banner turnout.

12 Oct

October Meeting Notice and Newsletter

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October 15th, 2012 – Our 43rd Meeting!! We continue our fourth year!

The next meeting of the Nashville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Monday, October 15th, 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 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:        “DOUBTING THOMAS OR TOUTING HIM? – AN ASSESSMENT OF GENERAL GEORGE H. THOMAS”

George Henry Thomas’s military accomplishments in the Civil War mirrored his solid physical stature, leading him to emerge as one of the best of the Union’s general officers. Ezra Warner, the compiler of two volumes of biographical sketches of Union and Confederate commanders has described Thomas as the “third of the triumvirate who won the war for the Union.” Widely known as the “Rock of Chickamauga,” for his stand on Snodgrass Hill in September 1863, Thomas was also “Old Pap” to his men and “Old Slow Trot” to critics who found his methodical approach to warfare offsetting. Yet, from Mill Springs in 1862 to Nashville in 1864, where he propelled the Confederate general John Bell Hood and the Army of Tennessee from the outskirts of the city and added “Sledge of Nashville” to his impressive list of nicknames, George Thomas demonstrated success on the battlefield and reliability and dependability in command.

Born in Southampton County, Virginia, he grew to adulthood in the paternalistic world of Southern slavery. Young Thomas developed the core of his life’s values, particularly a sense of duty, justice and determination in these years. Educated at the United States Military Academy at West Point he graduated in 1840 ranked twelfth. Despite these credentials and a long period of military service that included the War with Mexico, doubts concerning George H. Thomas existed at the opening of the War Between the States. The outcome of a battle in Kentucky, known as Mill Springs in January, 1862, should have settled matters. Thomas accomplished the destruction of the opposing army forcing a near rout. Instead, questions continued in the minds of some of the highest-ranking officials in the government he had chosen against the wishes of members of his own family.

Thomas exhibited his best traits at Chickamauga. When Confederates under James Longstreet broke through the Union lines driving most of William S. Rosecrans’s army from the field only the stubborn defense of the Union left flank by George Thomas prevented the entire collapse of the Union command. From that point he was known as “the Rock of Chickamauga.” Subsequently, Thomas took charge of the Union defense of Chattanooga, vowing to hold the town “until we starve.” Ulysses S. Grant arrived to take command taking on a more aggressive attitude. Grant reopened the supply lines and later directed his trusted lieutenant, William T. Sherman, to turn the Southern right flank. Stubborn Confederate resistance prevented Sherman’s success, forcing Grant to use Thomas to draw attention to the Confederate center with a probing attack. The action accomplished this and much more as his troops drove up the slope. The charge carried Missionary Ridge routing Bragg’s army surprising Thomas, Grant, and the Confederates.

In the Atlanta campaign of 1864, Thomas’s Army of the Cumberland constituted the largest part of a three-army juggernaut and frequently held the center of the advance. Through the course of these operations, the same General Sherman who chided his friend and subordinate continually in communications with General Grant for being “slow,” nevertheless called him “my wheel-horse” and demonstrated a dependency on his talents and capabilities that he could not deny. Thomas’s final great wartime accomplishment came at Nashville in late 1864. Despite persistent harassment by General Grant and horrible winter weather, Thomas staged a two-day assault on December 15-16 that smashed John Bell Hood’s depleted Army of Tennessee. As the Confederates fell back in chaos Thomas exclaimed to his cavalry chieftain James H. Wilson, “Dang it to hell Wilson, didn’t I tell you we could lick ‘em, didn’t I tell you we could lick ‘em?” The victory added to his laurels as “the Sledge of Nashville.” Yet, Ulysses Grant did not alter his views about the Virginian. In 1865 he confided to Sherman, “Knowing Thomas to be slow beyond excuse I depleted his army. . . ,” with part of it going to the Carolinas to reinforce Sherman; part to East Tennessee; and part to Mississippi. “The Sledge of Nashville” found his own command hammered to bits.

Thomas remained in the service, having been promoted to major general in the regular army. George Thomas was in California in command of the Division of the Pacific when he suffered a stroke on March 28, 1870. It is ironic that “Old Pap’s” last battle concerned his response to public statements concerning the 1864 Nashville Campaign attributed to a disgruntled subordinate, John M. Schofield. In death, Thomas did not return to his native Virginia, but was interred in his wife’s home community of Troy, New York.

This month’s speaker, Dr. Brian Steel Wills, noted biographer of Nathan Bedford Forrest, has recently released an acclaimed biography of George Thomas. In addition to telling his story, Dr. Wills will also analyze how Thomas fought his war. Was he better on defense or offense? Was he as slow as he had been criticized or was he the object of the professional jealousy of Grant and Sherman? Was he as good as his career suggested? There is obviously a renewed interest in Thomas with Dr. Wills’ book being the third released over the last dozen years. It seems “Old Pap” is finally getting his just due.

Brian Steel Wills is the Director of the Center for the Study of the Civil War Era and Professor of History at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga., after a long tenure at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise. He is the author of numerous works relating to the American Civil War. His latest work is George Henry Thomas: As True as Steel (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2012).

His biography of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, A Battle From the Start: The Life of Nathan Bedford Forrest is currently in reprint as The Confederacy’s Greatest Cavalryman: Nathan Bedford Forrest (University Press of Kansas). This work was chosen as both a History Book Club selection and a Book of the Month Club selection. Dr. Wills also authored, The War Hits Home: The Civil War in Southeastern Virginia, released in October, 2001, and No Ordinary College: A History of The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, (2004), both by the University Press of Virginia. Gone with the Glory: The Civil War in Cinema appeared in 2006 with Rowman and Littlefield. An updated edition of the James I. “Bud” Robertson, Jr., Civil War Sites in Virginia (Virginia, 2011) appeared just in time for the 150^th Anniversary of the Civil War. In 2000, Dr. Wills received the Outstanding Faculty Award from the state of Virginia, one of eleven recipients from all faculty members at public and private institutions across the state. He was named Kenneth Asbury Professor of History and won both the Teaching award and the Research and Publication award from UVa-Wise.

LAST MONTH’S MEETING

The Nashville CWRT was fortunate to have Ruth Hill McAllister, great-great granddaughter of the legendary Sam Watkins, the private in Co. H, 1^st Tennessee Infantry (Maney’s) tell us how his memoir, considered one of the great Civil War classics, came to be revised by Sam after its success as a book in the late 1800’s. She was able to work with the actual manuscript, maintained by another family member and reissue it in book form with the original text as well as Sam’s own changes and additions merged in where he intended. The result is a great classic made even better. Her story was fascinating and gave much insight into how this classic came into being and how it was revised.

Thanks Ruth for a different and interesting program.

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

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

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

January 2013 – Rick Warwick, Williamson County Historian – “The Confederate Reunions at Franklin, 1877-1927”

February 2013 – Kevin McCann, author/historian – “Hurst’s Wurst – The 6^th Tennessee Cavalry U.S.”

March 2013 – Jerry Wooten, New Johnsonville State Park, TN. – TBA

April 2013 – David Bastian, author/historian – “Grant’s Canal in the Vicksburg Campaign”

October 2013 – William C. Davis, noted author/historian, Virginia Tech University – topic TBA

Coming soon – dates to be determined: Carole Bucy, Lee Ann Newton, Brian Allison and Stewart Cruickshank

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

Annual Stones River Civil War Symposium – October 26-27, 2012

The 2012 installment of the annual Stones River Civil War Symposium, held in Murfreesboro, TN, will be held on Friday, October 26 through Saturday, October 27^th. The Friday portion includes tours of downtown Murfreesboro, period Civil War music, a teacher’s workshop and more. The day will be capped with a lecture by noted Civil War historian and author Larry Daniel. On Saturday, historians Earl Hess, Richard McMurry and Dwight Pitcaithley will offer lectures along with Tennessee historians Antoinette van Zelm and park ranger Jim Lewis. All of this runs a most reasonable $20.

You can download the registration form at –
http://www.nps.gov/stri/planyourvisit/upload/LegacyStonesRiver-final-RGB-1.pdf
– or get more information from the Stones River Battlefield park web site – www.nps.gov/stri – or the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area web site at – www.tncivilwar.org. All events will be held at the Stones River National Battlefield and the First Presbyterian Church in Murfreesboro.

Anniversary Events At Johnsonville State Park, New Johnsonville, TN – November 3-4, 2012

On November 3-4, 2012, Johnsonville State Historic Park, located in New Johnsonville, Tennessee, in Humphreys County, will commemorate the 148^th Anniversary of the Battle of Johnsonville which took place on November 4, 1864. On that date, General Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Confederate cavalry attacked the massive Union supply depot and destroyed millions of dollars in supplies as well as gunboats and transports. Part of the post was defended by United States Colored Troops and units of the U.S. Quartermaster Forces raised in Nashville. This raid cost the Union more in dollar value than any other Confederate raid in the Civil War.

The weekend features cannon firing demonstrations hosted by Porter’s Battery anda Union infantry encampment where you can witness musket firing demonstrations and learn more about Civil War camp life at historic Johnsonville in 1864. There will be anniversary walking tours offered both days. One covers the battle and historic sites in the park while the other tour takes a look at the nature perspective on this beautiful location. To participate in one or both tours (approximately 1.5 hrs.) bring good walking shoes, a light jacket, rain gear, and a water bottle. All tours will leave promptly at the scheduled time. Please plan accordingly. Be sure to stop by and visit the new Welcome Center at Johnsonville State Historic Park. View brand new exhibits on the Civil War, watch the award winning film about the Battle of Johnsonville, and be sure to visit the wonderful park gift shop.

For more information about Johnsonville State Park’s anniversary event, November 3-4, 20102, please call:

(931) 535-2789. You can also visit their web site for more details at –
http://www.tn.gov/environment/parks/Johnsonville/
The park is located about 40 miles southwest of Fort Donelsonjust off Highway 70 at the Tennessee River. Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park, also connected to this raid, is close by as is the Union fort at Waverly, Tennessee.

Some Wonderful Civil War Events Being Held in Middle Tennessee

October 29, 7 pm – Grave Matters, Rest Haven Cemetery, Franklin – Tour with actors portraying those buried in the Rest Haven Cemetery

November 12, 11 am – Veterans’ Day Ceremony, Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Nashville – Honoring Union Gen. Alvan C. Gillem, SUVCW Fort Donelson Camp # 62

November 17, 6:30 pm – STFB Membership Meeting, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Franklin – Speaker: Lee Ann Newton, editor, The Civil War Memoirs of Erastus Winters

November 19-20 – Blue-Gray Days, Carton Plantation and the Carter House, Franklin – Civil War Living History with reenactors and military demonstrations

November 27, 4 pm – March to The Carter House, Franklin — The public is invited to join the Confederate reenactors’ march from Winstead Hill or the Union reenactors march from Fort Granger (leaving from Pinkerton Park)

11 Jul

Special Meeting With Ed Bearss!

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July 16th, 2012 – Our 40th Meeting!! We continue our fourth year with the one and only Ed Bearss!!
The next meeting of the Nashville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Monday, July 16th, 2012, at the Z. Alexander Looby Library and Theater which is located at 2301 Rosa L. Parks Boulevard. This is also Tennessee Hwy. 12 and US. Hwy. 41A and the Looby Theater is at the junction of US 41 A and 10th Avenue North right across from the Watkins College of Art. It is on the same side of the street as the Honda dealership. This is but a few miles north of the junction of Rosa Parks and I-65 north of downtown Nashville in Metro Center.

You can check Mapquest online for how to get there by just putting in the above address.

This event is also made possible by Nashville’s Metro Parks. The Looby Theater is one of their excellent sites and we thank them very much for their generosity.

OUR SPEAKER AND TOPIC: “General George H. Thomas Versus General U.S. Grant – Union Command In The Tennessee Campaign of 1864”
The Tennessee Campaign of November-December 1864 was the Confederacy’s last gasp in the West. John Bell Hood, after losing Atlanta in September, took the beleaguered Army of Tennessee northward back into north Georgia with Sherman pursuing. After reaching Dalton, Hood then moved into Alabama to establish a new line of supply and rest. Sherman responded by sending Gen. George H. Thomas, the “Rock of Chickamauga,” back to Nashville with a couple corps of troops. Sherman then returned to Atlanta to implement his March to the Sea.

Thomas was given the power to bolster his forces with new troops from Cincinnati, St. Louis and other places and he sent a corps of John Schofield to slow Hood down in southern Middle Tennessee. Hood moved to cut off Schofield and then fought the bloody Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864. Meanwhile, Thomas built up the Nashville defenses bringing in more troops, gunboats and adding to the lines of defensive works. Hood closed on the city and threw out siege lines. In the meantime, the weather turned for the worse with ice, sleet and snow.

In Virginia, Gen. U.S. Grant demanded that Thomas attack. Grant, like Sherman, considered Thomas to be too slow and did not believe Thomas’ telegrams detailing the bad weather. Finally, Grant dispatched Gen. John A. Logan to Thomas in Nashville with peremptory orders to replace him if he had not attacked Hood by the time he arrived. Finally, the weather somewhat improving, Thomas unleashed a massive attack over two days that shattered the Army of Tennessee driving them back into Alabama. It was the end of Hood as an army commander.

The one and only Ed Bearss, this month’s speaker, will go into the complicated command relationship between Grant and Thomas in this campaign. Was Thomas slow or was he right in waiting until the weather improved? Come and find out with the legendary Ed Bearss.
Ed Bearss is the Chief Historian Emeritus of the National Park Service and is the most requested Civil War speaker and tour guide in the nation. Over the years, Bearss has spoken to thousands of history groups and has led thousands of tours of battlefields across the country. He has also led tours for World War 2 in Europe and the Pacific Theater. Mr. Bearss is a combat wounded Marine from the war in the Pacific. Due to his active schedule, Mr. Bearss is difficult to book for an appearance. As he nears his 88th birthday, Mr. Bearss shows no signs of slowing down. The Nashville CWRT, and our co-sponsors, Battle of Nashville Preservation Society and Metro Parks, are very lucky to have him coming to town.

Mr. Bearss has appeared as a historian in the famous Civil War series by Ken Burns as well as the TV show Civil War Journal. He has also appeared on C-Span and other television events for the Civil War. Mr. Bearss is featured in the introductory film at the U.S. Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, Virginia. Mr. Bearss has also authored hundreds of articles on the Civil War for state historical journals and other Civil War publications such as Blue & Gray magazine. He is also the author of a number of books including the definitive study (in three volumes) on the Vicksburg Campaign. His latest book, on the Petersburg Campaign, is due to be released in September.
For more on the Ed Bearss event please see below.
LAST MONTH’S MEETING

Traci and Gordon Belt regaled us with a terrific program based on their book on religion in the Army of Tennessee. Citing first person accounts and highlighting clergy of the period as well as common soldiers, Traci began by going over religion of the era and how the south used the Old Testament as a basis for what it was doing with regards to secession, slavery and fighting a war. Supported by a wonderful Power Point, Traci also told of he own exposure to the Civil War and, as an ordained minister and the daughter of clergy, how religion in her background helped her study of religion in the Civil War. Gordon, a professional archivist, then told of the sources that were used in their book and program offering a view of the terrific resources that can be found in libraries and the Tennessee State Library and Archives.

This would be a fabulous program for any CWRT. Thanks for coming to be with us!
FUTURE PROGRAMS (please check our new web site for other events):
August 2012 – Jim Ogden, Chattanooga-Chickamauga NMP – “The Prelude to Chickamauga”
September 2012 – Ruth Hill McAllister, author/historian – “Sam Watkins Memoirs, Company Aytch”
October 2012 – Dr. Brian Wills, Kennesaw State University, author/historian – “General George Thomas”
November 2012 – Dorothy Kelly, Knoxville CWRT and author – topic TBA
December 2012 – Krista Castillo, Fort Negley and Nashville CWRT – “Christmas In The Civil War”
January 2013 – Rick Warwick, Williamson County Historian – topic TBA
February 2013 – Kevin McCann, author/historian – “Hurst’s Wurst – The 6th Tennessee Cavalry U.S.”
October 2013 – William C. Davis, noted author/historian, Virginia Tech University – topic TBA

We cannot bring in speakers without dues being paid so if you have not yet renewed for 2012-2013 please do so. Dues are due now! Thanks for supporting the Nashville CWRT.

Thanks also for bidding on the books in the silent auction and to those of you who have donated items for the auction!

CIVIL WAR NEWS AND EVENTS

Ed Bearss Meet and Greet Prior to the Ed Bearss Lecture – July 16th, 2012

The Ed Bearss lecture begins at 7 PM but before that we are having a special meet and greet event with food, drink and fun. This is open only to the members of the Battle of Nashville Preservation Society and current dues paid members of the Nashville Civil War Roundtable. Some of our food is being catered and courtesy to the wonderful members who have donated their time and efforts. Thank you all so much!

Your name badge will have three stars on it. If you do not have three stars then you are not current with your dues. You must be current in order to get into this event for free.

The Meet and Greet begins at 5:00 PM. Thanks to those of you who have volunteered to help with this event. If you are a reenactor please do dress up for this event.

PLEASE EMAIL GREG BIGGS BY THURSDAY, JULY 12TH, IF YOU ARE GOING TO ATTEND THE MEET AND GREET. WE NEED TO BE ACCURATE ON HOW MUCH FOOD TO ORDER. GREG’S EMAIL IS BIGGSG@CHARTER.NET. IF YOU HAVE DONE SO ALREADY THANKS VERY MUCH. If you have any questions, call Greg at 931-920-3063

Ed Bearss Event!

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Our big fund raising event featuring the one and only Ed Bearss is almost here. The event is Monday, July 16 at the Looby Theater/Library on Rosa Parks Blvd in Metro Center.

This is a two tiered event. Beginning at 5 PM there will be a meet and greet with Ed at the Looby Theater for members of the Battle of Nashville Preservation Society and dues paid members of the Nashville CWRT.

Ed will then begin his program at 7 PM and he will be speaking about Gen. George H. Thomas Versus Gen. U.S. Grant and their command relationship in the Tennessee Campaign of 1864. If you have heard Ed before you know this will be a great evening – and if not then you are in for a treat!

If you wish to get current with your dues please send a check to Philip Duer, 530 Church St., Ste. 400, Nashville, TN 37219. Make the check out to the Nashville CWRT. The dues rates are as follows:

The fee for the Ed Bearss lecture event (not the meet and greet) for non-current members will be $10 and the proceeds are going to be shared with BONPS and our fundraising for the Tennessee Monument to be built at the Battle of Richmond, Kentucky. These tickets will go on sale at 6:30 PM on July 16th at the Looby Theater. This is the same rate being charged to the public in general.

The Nashville Public Library’s Looby Branch which is located at 2301 Rosa L. Parks Boulevard which is also Tennessee Hwy. 12 and US. Hwy. 41A and is at the junction of US 41 A and 10th Avenue North right across from the Watkins College of Art on the same side of the road as the Honda dealership.

Thanks for your support of the Nashville CWRT. We have a lot of fine programs planned for the future and we would love for you to be part of them. If you have any questions please let me know.

Greg Biggs
program chair
Nashville CWRT

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