Davis and Stephens: A Marriage Made in Hell

Saturday, October 8 :Thomas Schott

The LCWRT welcomes Thomas E. Schott October 8. He was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi and raised in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He earned a Ph.D in American History from Louisiana State University where he studied under famed historian T. Harry Williams.  He has written a prize winning biography of Alexander H. Stephens, and is co-editor of two upcoming publications: Confederate Generals in the Trans-Mississippi, vol. 2  & Robert E. Lee and His Generals: Essays in Honor of T. Harry Williams, both future publications of the University of Tennessee Press.
He recently retired from a long career as a historian for various Air Force organizations and the U.S. Operations Command. He lives in Norman, Oklahoma, where his grandkids are.

                 Jefferson Davis and Alexander Stephens: A Marriage Made in Hell

Political expediency dictated the selection of Alexander H. Stephens as vice president of the Confederacy. A former Whig from Georgia, a  state which could not be ignored for top offices in the new nation, he vehemently opposed secession right up until passage of the secession ordinance. Jefferson Davis was his political opposite: a Democrat who favored secession. The two men did share some personality traits, but this only served to exacerbate the differences between them. The period of cooperation between them after their election lasted only a few months. Thereafter, Stephens stayed mostly at his home in Georgia and away from Richmond.

For Stephens, the war was about "constitutional liberty" above all else. Therefore he opposed virtually everything the Davis administration did in its efforts to win the war: conscription, impressment, financial policy, and especially suspension of writ of habeas corpus. In 1864, the vice president delivered a speech to the Georgia legislature publicly attacking the administration's policies. He actively supported various peace plans being proposed in the South in the latter stages of the war. He was probably the worst possible choice for the office he held in the Confederacy.

 The 149th Commemoration of the Battle of Perryville

The Battle of Perryville was fought 149 years ago on October 8, 1862. The battle was significant nationally as the CSA defeat at Perryville helped Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation.  During the summer of 1862, five Confederate armies began an offensive that would eventually end at Perryville, Kentucky. Never again would the Confederate military forces be able to launch such an offensive. The Confederate defeats at Corinth, Antietam and the stalemate at Perryville gave Abraham Lincoln the political clout he needed to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.
The Battle of Perryville was Kentucky’s largest and bloodiest Civil War battle.  Over 40,000 men engaged in a desperate struggle that raged throughout the day of October 8, 1862. The battle left in its wake 7,500 men killed and wounded, a countryside ravaged by war and a civilian population in serious distress with a tremendous lack of food and water.  Today the preservation efforts at Perryville Battlefield are a great success. The park has over 750 preserved acres and the Civil War Trust recently entered into an agreement with several local land owners to purchase 248 more acres. The annual Commemoration of the Battle of Perryville will occur this year on October 1-2, 2011 and will feature numerous activities that can be enjoyed by both families and serious Civil War historians and enthusiasts. You can find more at www.perryvillebattlefield.org for more information.

 
October 2011 Quiz:

1.  During October 1861, Jefferson Davis was besieged by requests from unhappy Confederate soldiers.  What did they want?

2.  CSA General Thomas Jackson's map maker was a native of what state?

3.  In what battle did the charging troops of Winfield Scott Featherstone, CSA, push their foes back so that they fell to their deaths over a steep cliff?

4.  Why, after the above battle, were neither USA Brigadier General Charles P. Stone nor CSA Brigadier General Nathan G. "Shanks" Evans promoted?

5.  This Georgia politician served as a U.S. Representative both before the Civil War and after Reconstruction.  Who was he and what did he do during the Civil War?

Forgotten Elements of the Civil War

Forgotten Elements of the Civil War

The LCWRT welcomes back James I. “Bud” Robertson, Jr. on November 15. His topic? Forgotten Elements of the Civil War. Dr. Robertson, a native of Danville, Virginia, is currently Alumni Distinguished Professor in history at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. He has written and edited over 20 books and countless articles and reviews. His latest book is a collection of essays co-edited with William C. Davis, Virginia at War, 1863. Among his other books are The Stonewall Brigade, General A. P. Hill, Soldiers Blue and Gray, Civil War Sites in Virginia, and of course his award winning Stonewall Jackson: The Man, The Soldier, The Legend.. He received his B. A. and Litt.D. degrees from Randolph-Macon College and M. A. and Ph.D degree from Emory University, where he studied under famous Civil War historian Bell I. Wiley. He served as Executive Director of the U. S. Civil War Centennial Commission and has been honored with several major awards including the 1987 Fletcher Pratt Award, the 1988 Jefferson Davis Medal and the Freeman-Nevins Award.

His many books are available at Amazon.com - click here

New Book on Perryville is Released

LCWRT Member Chris Kolakowski's new book Perryville Battling for the Bluegrass has just been released by History Press. As the former Director of the Perryville Battlefield Preservation Association, Kolakowskit is in an admirable postion to write on the Perryville battle. The book was recently reviewed in the Courier-Journal by Ric Manning in which he described Chris as “a good storyteller” with an “engaging” style. The 190 page book will be the subject of Chris’s talk at the December 4 LCWRT meeting. After a stint in Atlanta with the National Museum of the Army Reserve, Chris has returned to Kentucky and is now the Director of the Patton Museum at Fort Knox.

And it's available here

LCWRT's New Web Site Address

The Round Table website has moved to 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.


November 2009 Quiz:

1.  Near what city did about 16,000 Confederates keep about 72,000 Federals at bay in October 1862?
 
2.  What was the size of the railroad trestles at Muldraugh's Hill, KY, destroyed by John Hunt Morgan, CSA during his Christmas Raid?
 
3.  What city was the hub of every railroad linking Richmond, VA with the eastern Confederacy?
 
4.  Who said, "Somewhat like the boy in Kentucky who stubbed his toe while running to see his sweetheart. The boy said he was too big to cry and far too badly hurt to laugh."?  When?  Why?
 
5.  Who supposedly said, "Major, we haven't taken Washington, but we scared Abe Lincoln like hell!"?  When?

October Quiz Answers:
 
1.  In May of 1863, Union forces under Generals McClernand and McPherson defeated General Pemberton's Confederate forces in what battle?
The Battle of Champion's Hill outside of Vicksburg, Mississippi.

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?
  Maryland

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?
Patrick Cleburne: November 30, 1864 at the Battle of Franklin, TN.
Stephen Dodson Ramseur: October 19, 1864---Mortally wounded at the Battle of Cedar Creek or Belle Grove, VA and died the next day.
Robert Emmett Rodes: September 19, 1864 at the Third Battle of Winchester, VA.
William Henry Talbot Walker: July 22, 1864 at the Battle of Atlanta, GA.
James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart: May 11, 1864---Mortally wounded at the Battle of Yellow Tavern, VA and died the next day.
Dorsey Pender: July 2, 1863---Mortally wounded on the Second Day of the Battle of Gettysburg and died on July 18, 1863.

4.  Early in 1862 President Lincoln declined the offer of what from the King of Siam?
He declined the offer of war elephants on February 3, 1862.

5.  What were the first "Negro" nations to be diplomatically recognized by the United States, and how did this come about?  
On June 5, 1862 President Lincoln signed a bill granting him authorization to appoint diplomatic representatives to Haiti and Liberia.