Thursday, October 15, 2009

In Memoriam: LCWRT Life Member Ace Elmore

LCWRT Life Member and Past President Fletcher L. "Ace " Elmore passed away Oct 13, 2009. The son of F. Leigh Elmore Sr. and Kathleen Prince Elmore, Ace was a decorated Navy combat aviator during World War II, a graduate of the Unversity of Richmond, a member of the Masonic Lodge, the Sons of the American Revolution, and a docent at Locust Grove. Ace was a past president of both the Louisville and St. Louis Civil War Round Tables and was awarded a Life Membership in the LCWRT. A member of the Filson Society, he also published the Civil War diary of his uncle, J.E. Whitehorne, a Confederate veteran.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Mary Wheeler Elmore,four sons, F. Leigh Elmore (Lorraine), of Kansas City, Stuart H. Elmore (Barbara) of Columbia, MO, Jeffrey P. Elmore of Huntsville, AL and William H. Elmore, of Louisville; two grandsons, Andrew L. Elmore, of Kansas City and Patrick H. Elmore, of Atlanta; and a sister, Cora Sue Spruill, of Tappahannock, VA.

We enjoyed his presence, and Mary's, on many field trips and at many meeting over the years. He will be missed.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Wilson Greene Speaks at the LCWRT

Wilson Greene

This past Saturday at the 449th Meeting of the LCWRT,the speaker was the excellent Will Greene on “Confederate Leadership in the Petersburg Campaign”. Mr. Greene broke down the leadership issues of the campaign, effectively running though the strengths and weaknesses of the Confederate generals.

Wilson Greene has spoken to us on a number of other occasions the last being in October 2005. He also served as our tour guide for the 1998 Petersburg field trip. He is a graduate of Florida State University and Louisiana State University with degrees in American history. He served for 17 years with the National Park Service at a variety of historic sites including Petersburg National Battlefield, Fredericksburg, Independence National Historical Park, and Gulf Islands National Seashore. In January of 1995, he became the Executive Director of Pamplin Historical Park and the Museum of the Civil War Soldier, which has become one of the premiere Civil War attractions in the country.

He was a founder and the first Executive Director of the Association for thePreservation of Civil War Sites (now the Civil War Preservation Trust) from 1990 to 1994, where he was instrumental in preserving numerous battlegrounds for future generations.

Wilson has authored five books and over 20 articles over the years. Among his books are Breaking the Backbone of the Rebellion: The Final Days of the Petersburg Campaign and Whatever You Resolve to Be: Essays on Stonewall Jackson which has recently been republished. His latest book is Civil War Petersburg: City in the Crucible of War. He is currently working on a 3-volume history of the Petersburg Campaign.

2010 Field Trip: Atlanta Campaign
From Chattanooga to the Chattahoochee
The LCWRT will be going to Georgia April 14-18, 2010 to study the Atlanta Campaign of 1864 from its commencement south of Chattanooga until the crossing of the Chattahoochee River north of Atlanta. This will include several major battlefields and sites associated with this decisive military campaign. Our guide will be Gregg Biggs who is an expert on the Atlanta Campaign. More details will to follow.

New Web Site Address!

The Round Table website has moved to http://louisvillecwrt.yolasite.com. Please visit and see the wealth of information about our Round Table including newsletters, history, schedules, field trips, and links to other Civil War sites of interest.

Researcher Seeking Information on Louisville Flag Maker

Greg Biggs is seeking any and all information regarding Louisville based flag maker Hugh Wilkins. Wilkins made flags for Union Kentucky regiments, some Ohio regiments and at least one Tennessee Union regiment.Biggs has copies of all of his papers from the Kentucky Archives in Frankfort for the flags he made for Kentucky units but there must be more out there somewhere. If you know of any sources please contact Greg Biggs, Clarksville, Tn CWRT at Biggsg@charter.net

2009 – 2010 Dates
Sunday November 15: Bud Robertson “Forgotten Elements of the Civil War”

Saturday December 5: Chris Kolakowski “Battling for the Bluegrass: The Perryville Campaign”

Saturday January 16: Jim Ogden “TBA”

Saturday February 13: Eric Wittenberg “Plenty of Blame to Go Around: Jeb Stuart’s Controversial Ride to Gettysburg”

Saturday March 13: Lawrence Lee Hewitt “Civil War Deserters Who Didn’t: The Untold, Unknown Story”

Saturday April 10: William C. Davis “TBA”

Saturday May 8: Joe Reinhart “McCook’s Dutchmen: The 9th Ohio Infantry Regiment”

September 2009 Quiz Answers:

1. What was Abraham Lincoln's salary during his first term as president?
$25,000

2. When Lincoln was assassinated, what was found in his wallet?
He had a pencil, a Confederate five-dollar bill, and news clippings of unrest in the Confederate army, emancipation in Missouri, the Union party platform of 1864, and an article on the presidency by John Bright.

3. In the Lincoln White House were "Bob", "Jack", and "Jib". Who were they?
"Bob" was a cat, "Jack" was a turkey, and "Jib" was a dog.

4. What kind of legal will did Lincoln have?
Strangely enough for a lawyer, Lincoln died without drawing up a will. When he was killed, his son Robert asked family friend and Supreme Court Justice David Davis to take charge of the estate.

5. Lincoln was the only American president to have what?
A patent, No. 6469, for his invention of a device to lift boats over shoals without having to unload their cargoes. The patent was granted on May 22, 1849, but was never manufactured. His scale model is at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

October Quiz:
1. In May of 1863, Union forces under Generals McClernand and McPherson defeated General Pemberton's Confederate forces in what battle?

2. At Front Royal on May 13, 1862, troops from the 1st Regiment (Union) and the 1st Regiment (Confederate) from the same state faced each other head on. Which state were they from?

3. Six Confederate Major Generals were killed in action during the war (Cleburne, Ramseur, Rodes, Walker, Stuart and Pender). When and where was each killed or mortally wounded?

4. Early in 1862 President Lincoln declined the offer of what from the King of Siam?

5. What were the first "Negro" nations to be diplomatically recognized by the United States, and how did this come about?