A Perfect Hell of Blood: The Battle of the Crater

Announcing Our 530th Meeting

DATE: Friday, September 7                       

A Perfect Hell of Blood: The Battle of the Crater

Presented by A. Wilson Greene

         

We welcome back our friend Will Greene to the September meeting. Will recently completed a 44-year career in public history as a park historian, battlefield preservationist, and museum director.  Greene holds degrees in history from Florida State University and Louisiana State University, where he did his graduate work under the legendary T. Harry Williams.  He worked for the National Park Service for sixteen years, was the first executive director of the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites (now the Civil War Trust) and is the founding executive director of Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier.   

He is the author of six books and more than 20 published articles on Civil War history, Greene's latest publication is A Campaign of Giants: The Petersburg Campaign from the Crossing of the James to the Battle of the Crater.  

Greene lives in Walden, Tennessee with his wife, Maggie, and his cat, Ozzie Guillen.  Will was our guide in and 2013 and will be our guide on next spring’s field trip to cover Jackson’s 1862 Shenandoah campaign.

“A Perfect Hell of Blood: The Battle of the Crater”

The Petersburg Campaign lasted 292 days, but the one Petersburg event that stands out for most students of the Civil War is the Battle of the Crater on July 30, 1864.  The basic facts about this infamous engagement that Ulysses S. Grant called "the saddest affair I have witnessed in the war" are well known.  A Pennsylvania regiment, full of former coal miners, dug a mine shaft in which they packed 8,000 pounds of black powder under a prominent Confederate fort.  The explosion blasted a huge hole in the ground, but the Union attackers, instead of going around the crater, stopped and sought shelter.  Confederate counterattacks regained the lost ground in some of the war's most brutal close-quarters combat.  Will Greene discovered in the course of his research new information, some of which runs counter to the standard Crater narrative.  His illustrated talk, "A Perfect Hell of Blood," will reveal some of those findings and in the process remind listeners how war can transform men into remorseless killers.

As Summer Ends, a New Season Arrives for LCWRT

The LCWRT will open its 57th year this September with our guest speaker, Will Green on the Battle of the Crater.  This year will will host both new and repeat guest speakers, including Jeffrey Wert, Bud Robertson, Clay Stuckey, Brian Steele Wills, Michael Murphy , Stephen Davis and Chris Mackowski.

And as for our 2019 Spring Field Trip? 

We will be heading to the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia where we will study the famous 1862 Valley Campaign of Stonewall Jackson.  The dates for the trip are April 24-28, 2019 and our guide will be Will Greene.  Will is one of the best guides we have ever had and we are looking forward to having him interpret Stonewall Jackson’s epic valley campaign of 1862. We will be headquartered in Harrisonburg from which we will traverse up and down the Valley visiting all the major sites of the campaign.  It has been 25 years since the Round Table took a field trip to study this important operation.

And from the Summer Issue of the LCWRT Adjutant's Call: 

"Seventh Annual Bourbon and BBQ a Big Success!

On the beautiful afternoon of Saturday of June 23rd, some sixty-five members and guests gathered at the lovely home of Art Boerner on the Ohio in southern Indiana for a wonderful afternoon of fun, food, and fellowship! We want to thank everyone who attended and donated time and money to this event. Our theme for this year was Irish Whiskey and how it contrasted with Bourbon.  Once again Bourbon historian Mike Veach served as master of ceremonies and conducted the auction. Chris Zaborowski a veteran of the beverage alcohol business and current owner of Westport Whiskey & Wine in Louisville led the tasting of three Irish whiskeys and three bourbons. I think Kentucky bourbon was the clear favorite! This was followed by a BBQ feast with fantastic ribs prepared by Art Boerner and scrumptious pulled pork slow cooked and smoked by Marc Oca with all the side dishes and desserts one could hope for including peach and blackberry cobbler prepared by Cindy Winslow.  Everyone had a great time and no one left hungry!"

2018 LCWRT Bourbon & Barbecue on the River

Gordon’s Flank Attack: Lost Opportunity in the Wilderness

Announcing Our 528th Meeting
Date: Saturday, April 14

Gordon’s Flank Attack: Lost Opportunity in the Wilderness

         Presented by Greg Mertz

We welcome back Greg Mertz, who serves as the supervisory historian at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.  He has been our guide on several of our field trips to eastern battlefields and has spoken at our meetings before as well.  Greg Mertz was born and raised near St. Louis, Missouri.  His interest in the Civil War began and grew out of annual hiking and camping trips the scout troop made to the Shiloh, Tennessee battlefield every spring.  He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri and a master’s from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania.  His 37 year career with the National Park Service began with four years at Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site followed by 33 years at Fredericksburg.  He has written four feature articles for Blue and Gray Magazine on the Battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House and has an upcoming book in the Emerging Civil War Series titled Attack at Daylight and Whip Them: The Battle of Shiloh, April 6-7, 1862.
  

       Gordon’s Flank Attack: Lost Opportunity in the Wilderness

The final attack during the May 5-6, 1864 Battle of the Wilderness, was not simply a small portion of the first showdown between Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant.  For Confederate General John B. Gordon, of whom the attack is named, the dusk attack was a lost opportunity – and one of several such chances blown by the Confederates that he observed during the course of the war.   Gordon felt that the situation in the Wilderness was similar to a missed opportunity he had experienced at Gettysburg, as well as a pair of other prime chances the Confederates had during subsequent battles later in 1864.  In addition to observing similarities among the several lost opportunities, Gordon also noticed parallels in the decision-making process for the attacks that failed to accomplish all that Gordon felt the Confederates could have achieved.  Some combination of Generals Gordon, Richard S. Ewell and Jubal A. Early were involved in the discussions regarding lost opportunities, and Gordon blamed these superiors for failing to make attacks that did not reach their potential.  We will examine how Gordon’s Flank Attack in the Wilderness tells us about more than just a sliver of the battle, but illuminates our understanding of the inner workings of a key portion of the Army of Northern Virginia.  

American Civil War Monuments

Abraham Lincoln

Richmond, Knoxville and Vicksburg

Only 3 statues of Abraham Lincoln are to be found in the 11 states which made up the Confederacy.

 Photos and text courtesy of LCWRT Member Charlie Moore

This statue of Abraham Lincoln and his son Tad is located at the Tredegar Iron Works, National Historic Landmark in Richmond, Virginia.  Tredegar was the largest provider of armaments for the Confederacy during the Civil War.  Protests against the monument took place during its dedication April 4, 2003.

                

This statue of Lincoln stands at the entrance to Lincoln Memorial University which is located in Harrogate, Tennessee.  The school is located 80 miles north of Knoxville in the Cumberland Gap area.  The university was chartered by the State of Tennessee on February 12, 1897.

The third statue is located at the Vicksburg National Military Park and was covered on this blog on 2/15/2018: 

"The Kentucky Memorial was dedicated October 20, 2001, and features bronze statues of United States President Abraham Lincoln and Confederate President Jefferson Davis who were both native Kentuckians.  The memorial symbolizes the division within Kentucky during the Civil War as well as the reunification of the state and country afterward. " 

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.

American Civil War Monuments

Kentucky Memorialization at Vicksburg

Vicksburg National Military Park

Vicksburg, Mississippi

                         

 Photos and text courtesy of LCWRT Member Charlie Moore

The Kentucky Memorial was dedicated October 20, 2001, and features bronze statues of United States President Abraham Lincoln and Confederate President Jefferson Davis who were both native Kentuckians.  The memorial symbolizes the division within Kentucky during the Civil War as well as the reunification of the state and country afterward.  After Kentucky erected this state monument, the Sons of Confederate Veterans of Kentucky decided they needed to erect a monument to only the Confederate forces from the state who served at Vicksburg.  It was dedicated May 8, 2010.

                             

The Lincoln/Davis Statue was done by Gary Casteel who also did the Longstreet equestrian statue at Gettysburg, which may be seen on the October 25, 2016 blog.

Announcing Our 526th Meeting

DATE: Saturday, February 10

PROGRAM: 8:00 P.M.

The Battle and Legacy of Missionary Ridge
Presented by Christopher L. Kolakowski

We welcome back former member and LCWRT President Chris Kolakowski to our February meeting.  Chris was born and raised in Fredericksburg, Va. He received his BA in History and Mass Communications from Emory & Henry College, and his MA in Public History from the State University of New York at Albany.  

Chris has spent his career interpreting and preserving American military history with the National Park Service, New York State government, the Rensselaer County (NY) Historical Society, the Civil War Preservation Trust, Kentucky State Parks, and the U.S. Army. He has written and spoken on various aspects of military history from 1775 to the present. He has published two books with the History Press: The Civil War at Perryville: Battling For the Bluegrass and The Stones River and Tullahoma Campaign: This Army Does Not Retreat. In September 2016, the U.S. Army published his volume on the 1862 Virginia Campaigns as part of its sesquicentennial series on the Civil War. He is a contributor to the Emerging Civil War Blog, and his study of the 1941-42 Philippine Campaign titled Last Stand on Bataan was released by McFarland in late February 2016. He is currently working on a book about the 1944 India-Burma Campaigns scheduled for release in 2020.
Chris came to Norfolk having served as Director of the General George Patton Museum and Center of Leadership in Fort Knox, KY from 2009 to 2013. He became the MacArthur Memorial Director on September 16, 2013 where he currently serves.

The Battle and Legacy of Missionary Ridge

The capture of Missionary Ridge on November 25, 1863 was a turning point in the Civil War, and capped a series of battles that left the Union in undisputed control of the key city of Chattanooga. The actions of an 18-year-old lieutenant in the 24th Wisconsin, Arthur MacArthur, at this battle would reverberate far beyond southeastern Tennessee. In some ways, the foundation of the MacArthur military dynasty occurred on the slopes of Missionary Ridge. Other echoes of the battle can be heard even today. The talk will discuss the battle, its impact on the Civil War, and its enduring legacies.