Announcing Our 527th Meeting

Date: Saturday, March 10, 2018

C.S.A. Gen. Ben Hardin Helm and Emilie Todd Helm

Presented by Stuart W. Sanders

Stuart W. Sanders will speak about the remarkable lives of Confederate General Benjamin Hardin Helm and his wife, Emilie Todd Helm. After General Helm was killed at the Battle of Chickamauga, Emilie—the sister of Mary Todd Lincoln—visited the White House where she grieved the loss of her husband with the Union commander-in-chief. Sanders will discuss these two Kentuckians and the controversy of Emilie—a rebel widow—visiting Washington, DC.  Sanders is the author of the e-book, Lincoln’s Confederate Little Sister: Emilie Todd Helm. He has also written an essay about General Helm that just appeared in volume four of Confederate Generals in the Western Theater, published by the University of Tennessee Press.

Stuart W. Sanders is the former executive director of the Perryville Battlefield Preservation Association. As director, he worked for nearly 10 years to preserve and interpret Kentucky’s largest Civil War battleground before coming to the Kentucky Historical Society. He oversees community field services and as History Advocate, Stuart brings his experiences as a preservationist, interpreter, outreach specialist, author and speaker to his current duties, communicating the relevance, value and significance of Kentucky’s history. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and completed Developing History Leaders @SHA.  

Stuart W. Sanders is the author of three books, including Perryville Under Fire: The Aftermath of Kentucky’s Largest Civil War Battle, The Battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky, and Maney’s Confederate Brigade at the Battle of Perryville. He has also contributed essays to the books Kentuckians in Gray: Confederate Generals and Field Officers of the Bluegrass State, multiple volumes of Confederate Generals in the Western Theater, and multiple volumes of the forthcoming Confederate Generals in the Trans Mississippi. He has written essays and articles for publications, including Civil War Times Illustrated, America’s Civil War, MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History, Hallowed Ground, Blue and Gray, Kentucky Humanities, Kentucky Ancestors, The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, Encyclopedia Virginia, and more.