Newsletter of the Ray Fawcett Chapter of The Central Ohio Civil War Roundtable

The WarCorres ondent

General-in-Chief's ReportBy

Brian Hall

I would like to thank ourAugust 10lh speaker Greg Biggsfor his interesting and informativetalk on 'The Collapse ofConfederate Dept. NO.2."

As always I would alsolike to thank all the members andguests who attended the meeting.Just to let the every one know wenow average 35 members/guestsper meeting. It was only a coupleof years ago we would onlyaverage 10 members/guests permeeting. The only time we wouldhave 30 or more members/guestswould be if the topic were onGettysburg. So thank you all foryour interest in the speakers andtopics that Pete has beenscheduling.

I look forward to seeingall of you at the Septembermeeting.

Your Obedient Servant,Brian Hall

Answer to AugustPuzzler

What Union spy, destin-ed to gain fame for a daring rail-road exploit, won the confidenceof Confederates by smugglingquinine to them?

James J. Andrews.

September 2005

September Puzzler

On September 13, 1862,what enlisted man found RobertE. Lee's famous Lost Order,which had been carelesslydropped by a Confederate staffofficer?

Historian General'sReport

ByPete Zuhars

Our speaker for theSeptember 14th meeting will beDavid Long his topic will be:liThe Dahlgren Raid."

Mr. Long is a former triallawyer in Columbus, Ohio, andAssistant State Attorney inSarasota, Florida.

His dissertation whichwas published in 1994 under thetitle 'The Jewel of Liberty:Abraham Lincoln's Re-electionand the End of Slavery" wasnominated for the Pulitzer Prizein history, the Frances ParkmanAward, the Albert BeveridgeAward, the George BancroftPrize and The Lincoln Prize ofGettysburg College.

He has published num-erous chapters in books andarticles in historical journals andmagazines, plus book reviews.

Mr. Long has appearedon the 1994 CBS presentation ofthe special "Halloween" whichincluded a segment about the

Vol. 15, NO.3

dreams and premonitions ofAbraham Lincoln; 1999 C-Spandocumentary 'The AmericanPresidency" including a three-hour long interview by BrianLamb with David Long andhistorian Edna Green Medfordfrom the front parlor of theLincoln Residence in Springfield,IL. 2001 PBS six-partdocumentary "Abraham andMary Lincoln: A House Divided";also in 2001 the History ChannelMemorial Day presentation"Cover-Up at Cold Harbor" withMr. Long discussing his theoryas to why the worst Unionbattlefield disaster of the CivilWar never became known tomost Americans; 2004 theDiscovery Channel presentationof 'The Lincoln AssassinationPlots" with Mr. Long giving histheory on Lincoln's role andcomplicity in the 1864 attempt toassassinate Jefferson Davisknow to history as "The DahlgrenRaid."

Mr. Long was alsonamed to the Abraham LincolnBicentennial Commission to planthe events leading up to thecelebration of the bicentennial ofthe nations' sixteenth president,which will be celebrated in 2009.He is also one of three foundersof the Lincoln Forum, the largestorganization in the world devotedto the study and publication ofhistorical works and empiricaldata concerning the presidency

Continued on page 2

of Abraham Lincoln and themiddle period of Americanhistory.

Adjutant General'sReport

August 10,2005Meeting

ByRory Mcintyre

Greg Biggs spoke at ourJuly meeting. This talk wasentitled "Crack of Doom: TheCollapse of Confederate Dept.#2."

Confederate Dept. #2stretched from the CumberlandGap to the Mississippi River,which included Kentucky andTennessee, both slave states,and Missouri, which despiteelecting a pro-South governor,had mixed loyalties. These 3states contained valuable naturalresources and important riversystems, which the Union armiescould use to penetrate thesouthern heartland.

Jefferson Davis appoint-ed Gideon Pillow as commanderof the Army of Tennessee.Pillow's plan was to protect thebanks of the Mississippi, butwhen Davis promoted his oldfriend Leonidas Polk over Pillow.The conflict which followed thispromotion, led to many com-mand problems in the west.

Polk occupiedColumbus, Kentucky to takeadvantage of the commandingbluffs over the Mississippi. Heconcentrated his troops here andwould not detach any troops forthe defense of any other area ofoperation, so the remainder ofthe CS line was thinned evenmore. This action, however,violated Kentucky's declaredneutrality, causing it to remainwith the Union. The Confed-eracy lost a buffer state and leftTennessee open to invasion.

In Missouri, Lincolnreplaced General Fremont withHalleck, who calmed the state.U. S. Grant, his subordinatesecured the mouths of theTennessee and CumberlandRivers and, with assistance fromthe navy, reconnoitered up-stream

Forts Henry and Donel-son were built on the Tennesseeand Cumberland Rivers, re-spectively, to defend Nashville.Due to poor engineering, Henrylay in a flood plain and was takeneasily when the Tennessee rose.After a fierce battle, Grant thentook Donelson. His army wasfree to roam throughout middleTennessee. Nashville soon fell,and the Union brown-water couldmove into the south as far asDecatur, Alabama. The north-south defensive line had colla-psed into an east-west defensiveline from Columbus, Kentucky toCorinth, Mississippi.

Dept #2 fell due toinfighting and a lack of initiativeamongst its generals, as well asJefferson Davis's micromanage-ment. Grant, leading the unionefforts, however was successfulbecause he remained flexible,cooperative and calm, and hadLincoln's support.

The roundtable thanksMr. Biggs for his interesting andwell-presented talk.

Civil War EducationAssociation

Below are listed someupcoming tours.

• Antietam CampaignConference & Tour -September 8-10,Frederick, MD. WithJohn M. Priest, DavidHinze, Gary Ecelbergerand Scott Patchan.Thursday 7:30 pm-

Saturday 5:00pm) thecost is $325 whichincludes 2 breakfasts, 2lunches and Fridaydinner. (Attend all orany part)

• The ChickamaugaCampaign: A Field &Walking TourSeptember 14-17,Chattanooga, TN. WithWilliam GlennRobertson and StevenE. Clay. Wednesday8:00 pm-Saturday 5:00pm the cost is $395which includes 3lunches.

• J.E.B. Stuart and theDefenses of Richmond:A Field Tour plus awalking tour ofHollywood Cemetery -September 23-25,Richmond, VA. withRobert E. L. Krick andChris Ferguson. Friday8:00 pm - Sunday 4:00pm, the cost is $395which includes 3lunches.

• Unsung Heroes atGettysburg - JuniusDaniels and GeorgeSears GreeneSeptember 24, withRobert L. Baker. Thecost is $125, whichincludes lunch.

• Ulysses S. Grant: TheMaking of a General: AField Tour of Sites -October 4-9, with DavidC. Hinze and John Y.Simon. Tuesday 8:00pm-Sunday 4:00 pm.The cost is $1,195 perdouble occupancy$1,395 per singleoccupancy. The costincludes 5 nightslodging, 5 breakfasts, 5lunches and 1 dinner.

• James Longstreet andHis First Corps atGettysburg: A Walking

Tour - October 8-9 withGary Kross. Saturday8:45 am Sunday12:00 pm. The cost is$195, which includesSaturday lunch.

• Stonewall Jackson atCedar Mountain andChancellors ville: AWalking Tour. October13-16, with Robert K.Krick. Thursday 8:00pm -Sunday 12:00 pm.The cost is $325, whichincludes Friday andSaturday lunches andSaturday night cookout.

• Gettysburg: CriticalDecisions on the FirstDay: A Walking Tour.October 28-29 with GaryKross. Friday 8:45 am -Saturday 4:30 pm. Thecost is $295, whichincludes 2 lunches.

You will also need to letKen Ramsey know what yourinterested in just in case thereare 5 members who areregistering for the same tour sothat you can get the 25%discount. Ken's address is 1932Strathshire Hall, Powell, OH43065 or you can talk to him atthe meetings.

Contact information:Civil War Education Association,American History Forum, P.O.Box 78, Winchester, VA 22604;Phone 800-298-1861 or 540-678-8598; Fax 800-550-1347 or540-667 -2339;cwea@eathlink.net orwww.cwea.net

GettysburgLicensed Battlefield

Guides Fall 2005 Seminar

The Association ofLicensed Battlefield Guides ofGettysburg has announced itsFall 2005 seminar for September9-11, 2005. It will be the

examination of the Union Army1st and 11th Corps retreats onDay 1, the fighting in the streets,and the impact on a towntransformed overnight into abattlefield. Entitled "The warhad been brought to our verydoor: July 1, 1863."

This will be a combin-ation of battlefield walks,exclusive behind-the-scenestours and slide presentations bysome of the foremost experts onthe first day of the battle. Someof the presenters are SusanBoardman, Charles Fennel,Ph.D., Robert Housch, RichardHohr, Wayne Motts and TimothySmith.

The registration for theseminar is extremely limited andon a first-come, first-servedbasis. The cost for the seminaris $300.

For information, contactRenae MacLachlan, LicensedBattlefield Guide at 717 -338-0719; Rhardoby@hotmail.com

Ohio Bus Trip

The Crossroads Re-source Conservation andDevelopment Council, Inc., isplanning a day long bus triptouring Civil War and Under-ground Railroad sites in Belmont,Harrison, Carroll, and Jeffersoncounties on September 14, 2005.

The cost is $95.00 perperson, which includes lunch,guest speaker and gift bags.

For more informationcontact Nancy Summers at 330-339-9317 ornancy.summers@crossroadsrcd.org

Fairfield HeritageAssociation

The Fairfield HeritageAssociation is sponsoring the125th anniversary of the "War IsHell" speech given by General

William T. Sherman on August11, 1880, at the Ohio StateFairgrounds (now Franklin Park)

On Friday, September23, in Columbus, at the FranklinPark Conservatory there will bere-enactors and a dinner withRichard M. McMurry, Ph.D., asthe speaker.

On Saturday andSunday the events will move toLancaster, Ohio. There will betours of the Sherman HouseMuseum, a military living historytrail walk at Smeck Park in Balti-more, Ohio; a panel discussionon "Race and the Civil War" withMark Grimsley, PhD., AnnetteJefferson, PhD. and CharlesNuckolls with Lou Varga asmoderators. There will a booksigning following the discussion.There is a second discussiontitled "The Hell of War" with DonAllison, Lester V Horwitz, andDennis Keesee with KenHeineman, PhD. as moderator.

There will be a Civil Warfashion show and tea at theGeorgian Mansion and Museum.There will be tours of theMuseum on Sunday afternoon.

A reception will be heldSaturday evening at theSherman House and dinner atthe Knights of Columbus Hall.The speaker will be WayneMotts.

On Sunday a brunch willbe held with John Marszalek asthe speaker.

For information, sche-dules and registration contactFairfield Heritage Association,105 E. Wheeling St., Lancaster,Ohio 43130. Phone 740-654-9923 or visit www.lancaster-oh.com/Sherman.

All proceeds/donationswill be used. to preserve andpromote the history of FairfieldCounty, Ohio.

mailto:cwea@eathlink.nethttp://www.cwea.netmailto:Rhardoby@hotmail.com

The War CorrespondentPatty Barker, Editor

Roundtable OfficersBrian HallGeneral-in-ChiefGary MilliganInspector General

614-793-0761milligg@columbus.rr.comRory MclntryeAdjutant General

614-26 I -7 I79 rmci@columbus.rr.comPete ZuharsHistorian General

740-363-9542 zeteman@yahoo.comPatty BarkerChief of Signal Corps

614-985-3353War Council MembersPete ZuharsWar Council CommanderMike PetersKen RamseyRichard CartwrightEd Chapdelaine

THE WAR CORRESPONDENTNewsletter of The Ray FawcettChapter of The Central Ohio Civil War Roundtable

P. O. Box 471Lewis Center, OH 43035-047]

CALENDAR OF COMING EVENTS

Wednesday, September 14, 7:30 p.m. - The speakerwill be David Long on "The Dahlgren Raid". Themeeting will be held at the Westerville ElectricCompany, 139 E. Broadway, Westerville, 0"43081.

Future Meetings:

October 12 - Lara Cahill, The Battle of MonocacyNovember 9 - TBADecember - No meeting

Dates are sub.iect to change

mailto:milligg@columbus.rr.commailto:rmci@columbus.rr.commailto:zeteman@yahoo.com