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?

The LCWRT Season has Begun

Sept. 10, 2011: Joe Reinhart

September 10, the LCWRT welcomed author and LCWRT member Joe Reinhart. Joe has been actively researching and writing about the Civil War for the past 17 years. He is the author of a history of the Union’s 6th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and the translator and editor of three books containing letters from German-born soldiers fighting for the Union. His most recent book, A German Hurrah!: Civil War Letters of Friedrich Bertsch and Wilhelm Stängel, 9th Ohio Infantry, was the runner up for the Museum of the Confederacy’s 2010 Founder’s Award for outstanding editing of primary source documents. Joe is a Louisville native, a retired C.P.A. and has degrees from Bellarmine College and Indiana University.

Joe discussed the 1861 Union invasion  of Western Virginia, with a focus on the 9th Ohio Infantry, aka McCook’s "Dutchmen", including the battles of Phillipi, Rich Mountain, and Carnifex Ferry. The presentation will also include some of the experiences of the in western Virginia. The 9th Ohio was a German regiment organized in Cincinnati, and is credited with being the first three-year regiment organized in the West.



Many of Joe's books are available at Amazon.com


Fall Field Trip: Lexington October 23

We will be traveling to Lexington for our annual one-day Fall Field Trip on Sunday October 23.  We will meet our guide, Sam Flora, at 9:30 at the gates to the Lexington Cemetery at 833 West Main St.  From there we will begin our tour  which will include stops at the John Hunt Morgan House, Lexington History Museum, the Fayette County Courthouse, Ashland, and a few other interesting places.  Plan on car pooling and bring money for lunch and house tours.

Spring Field Trip: April 25-29,2012

We will be going to Shiloh April 25- 29 for our Spring Field Trip.  Our tour guide will be Tim Smith, historian at Shiloh Military Park.  More details will be announced soon. 

2011 – 2012 Meeting Dates

Oct. 8      Thomas Schott  “Jefferson Davis and Alexander Stephens:A Marriage Made in Hell”

Nov. 12   Glenn LaFantasie    “The Rise of U.S. Grant in 1862”

Dec. 3      Sam Elliot        “Tennessee Governor Isham Harris”

Jan. 21     Saxton’s Cornett Band    “Civil War Music”

Feb. 11    Michael Bradley    “TBA”

Mar.10     Gary Gallagher  “The Real Lost Cause: Union in the Memory of the Civil War”
                                  
Apr. 14    Ari Hoogenboom    “Gustavas Fox of the Union Navy”

May 12    Brian McKnight     “Contested Borderland”

Help the Civil War Trust Save 141 Acres at Perryville

The Civil War Trust has launched a campaign to save 141 acres of core battlefield at Perryville.  Here is the scoop from Trust President James Lighthizer:
  "Today, you and I have the chance to save 141 absolutely crucial acres that go a long way toward completing this tremendously significant battlefield. 
This ground saw horrific fighting during the afternoon of October 8, 1862, with hundreds of casualties occurring on this land.  This property surrounds on three sides the historic Bottom House, and contains the site of Henry Bottom’s Barn which burned during the battle, killing many wounded men who had crawled in there for shelter.
By the end of the day, both sides would suffer a total of approximately 7,400 casualties, and local experts on the battle estimate that about 500 of those occurred in just a few afternoon hours of fighting on the 141 acres we are working to save. If we can raise $181,250, we can save this critically important land valued at $725,000 – that’s a $4-to-$1 match of your donation dollar". 

Follow this link to donate: Civilwar.org

Contributions may be mailed to:
Civil War Trust, P.O. Box 1477, Hagerstown, MD 21741-1477.

Bits and Pieces, July 4, 2011

A few bits and pieces on this July 4, the 235th anniversay of the Declaration of Independence, the 148th anniversay of the battles of Gettysbiurg and Vicksburg, and the 185th anniversary of the deaths of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. 

A highly recommended read: From the Civil War, Family Unity? by Pam Platt in the July 3, Courier Journal

From Junction City, KS, a impressive Civil War Monument in Heritage Park at the intersection of 6th and Washington St.  Not bad for a town with a population of  2684 in 1880.

 And as ever:

 The New York Times Ongoing series: Disunion

The LCWRT May Wrap up

Jeffery Wert

The  LCWRT welcomed back acclaimed Civil War historian and author Jeffrey Wert for our May meeting. His excellent presentation: He Stood Out on the Great War Canvas: Jeb Stuart, focused on Jeb Stuart's leadership skills, relationships with subordinates, his friendship with Stonewall Jackson, and the controversies with his generalship.  Of course, there was an emphasis on his famous "ride" during the Gettysburg Campaign. This was a  fitting wrap up to our 2010-2011 season.

 A graduate of Penn State University, with a Master of Arts in History, Jeffery has  retired from teaching, and has concentrated on writing several excellent Civil War books: Mosby’s Rangers, 1990; General James Longstreet: The Confederacy’s Most Controversial Soldier, 1993; Custer: The Controversial Life of George Armstrong Custer; A Brotherhood Of Valor: The Common Soldiers of the Stonewall Brigade, C.S.A., and the Iron Brigade, U.S.A., 1999;  The Sword of Lincoln, 2005, A Biography of J.E. B. Stuart, 2008, and just published, A Glorious Army: Robert E. Lee's Triump 1862-1863, 2011.  Each of his books has been either a main or alternate selection of the History Book Club and Book-of-the-Month Club.  Gettysburg: Day Three,2001, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award.

He has also written more than one hundred articles, essays, and columns for various magazines, including Civil War Times Illustrated, American History Illustrated, America’s Civil War, Blue & Gray Magazine, Virginia Cavalcade, and Pennsylvania History.   He has also appeared on numerous television programs such as C-Span 2, Pennsylvania Cable Network, the History Channel, and A & E.  Jeffrey is also an honorary member of the Civil War Trust.

Follow the Civil War Sesquicentennial On-line

If you have access to the Internet, you can follow the events each day of what happened 150 years ago in both the New York Times and the Washington Post.  Both of the papers are offering great articles on the Civil War and these are absolutely free.  The New York Times web site is Nytimes.com and just click on Opinion then Opinionator and Disunion and you will find a listing of the articles.  The Washington Post address is washingtonpost.com and then go to house-divided.

April 2011 Quiz Answers:

1.  In response to the Confederate demand to surrender Fort Sumter, U.S. Major Robert Anderson said he would evacuate the fort at noon on April 15th as long as he did not receive further orders, supplies and/or reinforcements.  Why was this unacceptable to the Confederate government?
 They wanted immediate evacuation because they knew supplies and maybe reinforcements and more importantly orders were on the way.

2.  What was the difference between Fort Sumter and Confederate Charleston in terms of troops and guns?
 Fort Sumter:  48 guns, 85 officers and men plus 43 workmen employed by the fort. Confederate Charleston:  more than 70 guns and over 4,000 officers and men.

3.  Even as the bombardment of Fort Sumter was taking place, the Union navy secured an ultimately more important prize.  What was it?
The forces sent to relieve Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island in Pensacola Bay, Florida landed successfully.

4.  Confederate President Jefferson Davis termed U.S.President Abraham Lincoln's proclamation of April 15, 1861 a declaration of war.  What three steps did Lincoln take in his proclamation?
1) Declared that an insurrection existed.  2) Called for 75,000 militia. 3) Convened Congress in special session on July 4th

5.  What was the Baltimore Riot?
Federal troops coming to Washington by rail had to detrain in Baltimore and march between stations to the Washington one.  On April 19, 1861, the Sixth Massachusetts was marching through Baltimore when they were surrounded by a pro-Confederate crowd.  Words were exchanged, stones were thrown, and finally shots were fired by both sides.  At least four soldiers and twelve civilians were killed, with numerous soldiers and civilians being wounded.  This is also known as the Pratt Street Riot.

May 2011 Quiz:

 1.  What was the Department of the Ohio and who was placed in charge?
 2.  Which two states had both Union and Confederate governments?
 3.  Who was Colonel Elmer Ellsworth?
 4.  Who was James Jackson?
 5.  When three runaway slaves sought freedom at Fort Monroe near Hampton, Virginia in May 1861, General Benjamin Butler's classification of them as "contraband of war" and his refusal to return them resulted in what Federal policy? 

(The Quiz is prepared by Harriette Weatherbee)

LCWRT Participates at the Simpsonville Massacre Dedication

We have more from the April 10, 2011, the Shelby County Historical Society dedication.  This is the completed memorial to the 22 USCC soldiers killed by Confederate guerrillas near Simpsonville, Ky in Jan. 1865. As a  recipient of the LCWRT 2009 Preservation Grant, we were happy to participate on the ceremony. The memorial, on U.S. 60 west of Simpsonville, features 22 memorial headstones, a dry stone sitting wall, flag pole and a historical marker.

Honor Guard from the 12th USCHA -Reactivated

 Dr. Art Boerner, LCWRT President, makes his remarks, with Jerry T. Miller, Shelby County Historical Society Project Manager ( and LCWRT member) on left

 Bronze Dedication plaque

Round Table members in attendance: L. to R. Chris Kolakowski, Art Boerner, Holly Jenkins-Evans, John Davis, Monty Evans

Shelby County Historic Society Dedicates USCC 5th KY Cavalry Memorial

On April 10, 2011, the Shelby County Historical Society dedicated a new memorial to the 22 USCC soldiers killed by Confederate guerrillas near Simpsonville, Ky in Jan. 1865. This project was the recipient of the LCWRT 2009 Preservation Grant. The memorial, on U.S. 60 west of Simpsonville, features 22 memorial headstones, a sitting wall, flag  pole and a historical marker. LCWRT President Dr. Art Boerner was asked to participate in the dedication along with Shelby County Judge Executive Rob Rothenberger, Dr. J. Blaine Hudson, Chairman of the Ky. African American Heritage Commission and Kent Whitworth, Executive Director of the Ky. Historical Society and an Honor Guard from the 12th USCHA -Reactivated.

The LCWRT would like to thank Jerry T. Miller, project manager for the Shelby County Historical Society for bringing this project to our attention and allowing the LCWRT another opportunity to continue our  mission to preserve Ky. Civil War Battlefield sites.

For more on the story and photos, Click here

"U.S. Grant Returns to Mississippi" with John Marszalek

Meet our Speaker: Dr. John Marszalek

An alumnus of Buffalo's Canisius College and the University of Notre Dame, Dr. John F. Marszalek taught at Gannon University in Erie, PA. before going to Mississippi State University in 1973 where he became a W. L. Giles Distinguished Professor of History in 1994, and retired as Giles Distinguished Professor Emeritus in 2002. A specialist in the U. S. Civil War, the Jacksonian Period, and race relations, he is the author or editor of thirteen books and over 300 articles and book reviews. He has lectured widely throughout the nation and has appeared on all the major broadcast and cable networks, as well as radio stations throughout the nation. He is the recipient of numerous teaching awards, including the Richard Wright Literary Award for life-time achievement by a Mississippi author and the B.L.C. Wailes Award for national distinction in history.

Dr. Marszalek is the executive director and managing editor of the Ulysses S. Grant Association, co-executive director of the Historians of the Civil War Western Theater, and a member of the Board of Advisors of the Lincoln Forum, the Lincoln Prize, and the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. From 2007-2008, he served as president of the Mississippi Historical Society.

He is best known for his award winning books:
Sherman, A Soldier's Passion for Order , a finalist for the Lincoln Prize and a History Book Club selection,The Petticoat Affair: Manners, Mutiny, and Sex in Andrew Jackson's White House, also a History Book Club selection,The Diary of Miss Emma Holmes, 1861-1866, Sherman’s Other War: The General and the Civil War Press, Commander of All Lincoln's Armies, A Life of General Henry W. Halleck
a History Book Club selection and a finalist for the 2005 Peter Seaborg Award for Civil War Scholarship, Sherman's March to the Sea, A Black Congressman in the Age of Jim Crow, South Carolina's George Washington Murray, and he co-edited The Greenwood Encyclopedia of African-American Civil Rights'

A U.S. Army Vietnam veteran, Dr. Marszalek is married to the former Jeanne Kozmer, and they are the parents of three grown sons and have four grandchildren.

Follow the Civil War Sesquicentennial On-line

If you have access to the Internet, you can follow the events each day of what happened 150 years ago in both the New York Times and the Washington Post. Both of the papers are offering great articles on the Civil War and these are absolutely free. The New York Times web site is Nytimes.com and just click on Opinion then Opinionator and Disunion and you will find a listing of the articles. The Washington Post address is washingtonpost.com and then go to house-divided.

Kentucky Sesquicentennial Events

April 8-9: Civil War Seminar, Winchester.

April 10: Gravestone dedication, United States Colored Troops, Simpsonville.

September 1-4: Cornets and Cannons Civil War Sesquicentennial Music Festival, Frankfort.

Cornets and Cannons Civil War Sesquicentennial Music Festival

The City of Frankfort, Kentucky, will host a unique observance of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. The Cornets and Cannons Civil War Sesquicentennial Music Festival will celebrate the music of the War Between the States. Outstanding ensembles and solo performers from across the eastern United States will be in Kentucky’s capital city for this event on September 1-4, 2011.
The Festival will begin on the evening of Thursday, September 1 with an opening ceremony and a program about the history of Civil War era music at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History. Festival concerts will begin on Friday with a performance on the lawn of the Old State Capitol by the Wildcat Band from Pennsylvania. On Friday evening, Saxton’s Cornet Band – Frankfort’s hometown Civil War ensemble – will perform in the Grand Theatre. Performances will continue Saturday and Sunday with a “battle of the bands” as the climax of the event on Sunday afternoon. This joint performance will be at Frankfort’s new Ward Oates Amphitheatre overlooking the Kentucky River. Cannons will join the horns, fifes, and drums in a dramatic – and loud – closing concert.

All Cornets and Cannons events will be free. Details about the performers, presenting scholars, and venues are at the event website – www.cornetsandcannons.com.

Silent Auction of Fort Sumter Flag at April Meeting

We will conclude the silent auction of a flag that has flown over Fort Sumter and was donated by National Park Historian Rick Hatcher. This is a reproduction of the first Confederate flag that flew over the fort after the surrender on April 13, 1861. This flag will be won just three days from the 150th anniversary of the firing on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861.

2010 – 2011 Dates

Saturday April 9 John Marszalek “Grant Returns to Mississippi”

Saturday May 14 Jeffrey Wert “Jeb Stuart”

Saturday September 7 Joe Reinhart “ McCook’s Dutchmen: The 9th Ohio Infantry”

Saturday October 8 Larry Hewitt “Bragg and His Calvary”

Saturday November 12 Glenn LaFantasie “The Rise of U.S. Grant”

Saturday December 3 Sam Elliot “Tennessee Governor Isham Harris”

Saturday February 11 Michael Bradley “TBA”

Saturday March 10 Gary Gallagher “TBA”

Saturday April 14 Ari Hoogenboom “TBA”