THE PRESIDENT S CORNER - MIKE POWELL

Transcription

1 NOVEMBER 2018 VOLUME IX ISSUE 3 Call to Arms Brunswick Civil War Round Table Newsletter THE PRESIDENT S CORNER - MIKE POWELL Our November speaker, Bob Mullauer, will talk on the Battle of Stones River or Murfreesboro, Tennessee, a major battle in the Western Theater. Most Civil War conversations orient north and south, centering on the Eastern Theater. For every book on the West -- the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi ten books discuss the East the Appalachian Mountains to the coast. Why does the West receive short shrift? From the b e g i n n i n g t h e Eastern Theater set a pattern that lasted until May 1864: after each Union defeat, the Union armies fell back on the defenses of Washington, regrouped, and then began another Richmond campaign. Whether 1 st Bull Run, the Peninsula Campaign, 2 nd Bull Run, Fredericksburg, or Chancellorsville, each Union defeat led to retreat behind the defenses of Washington, DC. The casualties mounted, morale sank, and little else changed each time. The victors on these battlefields were no closer to victory in the war. After Union victories at Antietam and Gettysburg, Lee retreated back across the Potomac River to the safety of Virginia. Union commanders were left with increased casualties and slightly improved morale. Not until U. S. G r a n t s engagement at the Battle of the Wilderness (portrayed at left), May 5-6, 1864, did the Union break pattern. Instead o f r e t r e a t i n g north, Grant continued south. Chris Mackowski insisted last month that this was the turning point in the war. If the Eastern Theater offered capitals as targets, then the Western Theater ran replete with railroads, not capitals. Vicksburg s fall closed the Mississippi River to the Confederacy. (Continued on page 7) 1

2 There was no celebration on New Year s Eve, 1862 During the Civil War, a little known but strategically important battle commenced on December 31, 1862, and ended on January 3, It was called the Battle of Stones River (also known as the Second Battle of Murfreesboro). Neither the Confederates nor the Union army were in a celebratory mood as they headed into battle. This will be guest speaker Bob Mullauer s topic during the Tuesday, November 6 meeting of the Brunswick Civil War Round Table. Of all the major battles of the war, Stones River had the highest percentage of casualties on both sides. Although the battle itself was inconclusive, the Union Army s repulse of two Confederate attacks and the subsequent Confederate withdrawal were a much-needed boost to Union morale after the defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg, dashing Confederate aspirations of control of Middle Tennessee. The Battle of Stones River pitted Union Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans Army of the Cumberland against Confederate General Braxton Bragg s Army of Tennessee. While both sides were pretty much evenly manned at 43,400 for the Union and 35,000 for the Confederates, casualties and losses were significant with each side losing between 12,000 and 13,000 killed, wounded or captured/missing. Bragg retreated on January 3, granting the North a valuable strategic victory in the middle of an otherwise dismal winter. Returning guest speaker Bob Mullauer was a high school history teacher for over a decade. He currently teaches courses at Anne Arundel Community College, as well as speaking to a variety of groups on various Civil War topics. He has led U.S. Army officers on staff rides over the Chickamauga and Chattanooga battlefields. In addition, Bob and his wife are re-enactors and 2 appeared in the 2003 Civil War movie, Gods and Generals. Three important reminders: First, remember Tuesday, November 6, is Election Day. Everyone is encouraged to exercise their civic duty by voting in this important mid-term election. Vote early and then join your friends and neighbors in what promises to be a most interesting and entertaining evening. The second reminder is that the meeting will be held as usual at Hatch Auditorium on Caswell Beach. But, the G.V. Barbee Bridge on the east end of Oak Island will be closed for repairs until next April. The alternative route is to take Middleton Blvd. east at the intersection of Midway Road and Rt. #211 to Swain s Cut Bridge, and turn left on Oak Island Dr. to Caswell Beach. Finally, they are back by popular demand the Masonbqoro Parlor Band! The highly entertaining musicians start playing at 6 p.m. and conclude around 6:50 p.m. As usual, the Tuesday, November 6 meeting takes place at Hatch Auditorium on the grounds of Fort Caswell. Registration and refreshments begin at 5:15 p.m. Masonboro Parlor Band strikes up at 6 p.m., and the program starts promptly at 7:00 p.m. The guest admission fee is $10, and can be applied toward the $25 annual membership dues. For more information, contact president Mike Powell at (910) , or to mikepowell260@gmail.com. Our website is brunswickcivilwarroundtable.com.

3 GENERAL GRANT S LAST BATTLE Review of Chris Mackowski s October 2 Presentation By Jim Medeiros Why do we come to listen to speakers instead of just reading their books? Unlike a book, the good speaker can give us his expressions, his raised eyebrow, his variations in tempo to emphasize the gravity of a story. The good speaker can repeat conversations so for a few brief moments we imagine ourselves face-to-face with a General Grant just as Chris Mackowski did for us. The good speaker brings us into the intimacy of his t h o u g h t s b y walking among us rather than using a lectern as a bulwark to hide behind. The good speaker can pick people out of his audience and briefly make them a part of his story (as Mr. Mackowski did several times) to build intimacy with his listeners. He uses props such as chairs that become footstools, swivel chairs, and resting points, and, yes, even a peach that took center stage. In short, a speaker as good as Chris Mackowski uses every tool in his speaker s and historian s work boxes to seize and hold our attention. (Chris jokingly explained he needed to hurry so he could get through his 270 slides in thirty minutes. He used no slides. No one complained.) Among the prominent takeaways Mr. Mackowski gave us first the recurring theme of Grant s philosophy, No turning back. That philosophy shaped not just the Civil War but especially the production of his memoirs, the titular Grant s Last Battle. Next, surprising even to Grant, came the adulation of both his veterans a n d t h e w i d e r world. Mark Twain counted on this ready-made audience for the 25%-75% split of memoir profits between himself a n d G r a n t. H o w e v e r, t h e expected audience has been reborn w i t h e a c h g e n e r a t i o n, starting with over $ 2 0 0, i n p r o f i t s i n t h e Memoir s first six months and then ongoing sales to keep the books in print continuously since publication. The books bear both literary and historic value, a verdict Grant himself would be bemused to find out today. Mr. Mackowski ended with dramatic somber tones on Grant s last days, yet the image of the peach persists, perched on his lectern and triggering Grant s ticking clock. Returning to the peach several times, Mr. Mackowski made it a bookend, marking the start of his talk, the beginning of the end for Grant when the General took a bite and discovered his cancer, and then the peach remained center stage on the lectern. No turning back indeed. 3

4 Ladies Department By Charen Fink Civil War Facts - Chewing Gum and People of Medicine Chewing Gum General Santa Anna, the Mexican commander in the War of 1836, is responsible for the chewing gum industry. When he went to New York in the 1860s he brought with him a large chunk of chicle, the dried sap of a Mexican jungle tree (sapodilla). He originally wanted an inventor, Thomas Adams, to experiment with chicle as a rubber substitute. Santa Anna returned to Mexico leaving Adams to pay for expenses and warehouse bills for storing the chicle. Up until then the only thing for chewing was paraffin and spruce which was not very good. Adams and his son used chicle to manufacture their new product under the name Adams New York-Snapping and Stretching Gum. It was rumored that swallowing it would make the intestines stick together causing death. It was also rumored that boxer Jack Dempsey chewed the gum which strengthened his jaw, preventing it from being broken in Eventually flavoring was added and the gum we chew today is mostly polyvinyl acetate supplied by the Hercules Powder Company. Today there is a company of gum-removers called gummers just to remove gum from businesses. An average of 168 sticks per person per year are chewed at a cost of over $300 million a year. People of Medicine 4 At the opening of the Civil War the military felt that the surgeons and stewards could provide all the necessary care for the sick and wounded soldiers. But the military hierarchy realized that with the massive number of people they needed to revamp their medical care system. They struggled along during the first year of the war until September of 1862 when Congress passed a law to provide better care for the sick and wounded soldiers. They added matrons, assistant matrons, ward matrons, nurses, cooks, laundresses and other workers. Each hospital had two matrons in charge of getting food to the patients. The two assistant matrons were in charge of hospital laundry and clothing for the patients. The ward matrons (two for each hundred patients) kept the beds ready and the ward clean. They also made sure the patients received their medications and food, along with the needed care. Matrons were actually the supervisors over the staff. At the beginning of the war nursing was done by Catholic and Protestant nuns, the only trained nurses in the country. Other nurses were the patient s relatives of soldiers and recovering soldiers. Dorothea Dix became one of the most important persons in the army who determined who would do the nursing. During the war women did not work in field hospitals, only in general hospitals far back from the lines. Clara Barton and Mother Bickerdyke were exceptions. More on People of Medicine next month. References Beller, Susan Provost, Medical Practices in the Civil War. Betterway Books: Cincinnati, Ohio, 1992, pgs Campbell, Hannah. Why did they Name it...? Ace Books: New York, N.Y., 1964, pgs

5 BCWRT DONATES TO HURRICANE FLORENCE DISASTER RELIEF Our round table showed its concern and compassion for Hurricane Florence families at our October meeting. At the suggestion of Roger Albizu, one of our stalwart 50/50 ticket sellers, the BCWRT Board decided to donate the round table s portion of sales to Brunswick Family Assistance (BFA) in Shallotte. At our meeting, President Mike Powell m a d e s e v e r a l announcements regarding the intended donation. Pre-meeting slides and flyers on the Hatch windows as well as word of mouth quickly got the word out. The 441 members and guests present responded by purchasing one of the highest dollar amounts of 50/50 tickets in our history $548, half of which would go to BFA. It gets better. Members Pat and Jim Evans of Southport contributed $50 to our BFA donation. Then Harold Hosid, the lucky winner of the member s half of the 50/50, donated $100 of his winnings to our BFA contribution. I knew the money would be well served helping families in our community. My wife and I were very fortunate that we experienced no damage from Hurricane Florence to our home in St. James, noted Harold, on the right in photo, giving his donation to 50/50 coordinator Roy Pender. All told, the BCWRT presented a check for $424 to the BFA who expressed sincerest appreciation for the donation. I am proud that our round table was able to help less fortunate victims of the hurricane, President Mike noted. He added that BFA welcomes volunteers as well as additional financial contributions. Contact Brunswickfamilyassistance.org, or call (910) Their mailing address is Brunswick Family Assistance, P.O. Box 1551, Shallotte, NC ***************************************************************************** Remember to Use AmazonSmile As mentioned in last month s newsletter, BCWRT members (and family/friends) who shop using the AmazonSmile program, contribute 0.5% of their purchases on eligible products to BCWRT. To participate, members should log on to the AmazonSmiles website ( and follow the easy steps to begin shopping (our name for the program is Brunswick Civil War Roundtable), giving a percentage of their sales to our organization. All monies go towards program services. 5

6 RAFFLE = HOLIDAY GIFT POSSIBILIITY Are you stumped what to get that Civil War enthusiast (or yourself) for the upcoming holiday? Your answer could be at our November and December meetings. Thanks to member Skip Maxwell who recently took over our gifts/donations program, a raffle will be held during our next two meetings for three collectibles, including a replica cannon, limber, and mounted figure of General Robert E. Lee. These items are from the estate of member Thomas Whiteside who was recognized in our October newsletter, Skip stated. The cannon and limber are made of metal and wood. The cannon measures 12 x 6 x 5 ; and the limber measures 10 x 6 x 4. The figure Lee Indomitable stands 4 x 5 x 2. Tickets will be sold next to the 50/50 table. Scrooge would love the pricing: $1 for one ticket or $5 for six. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< PLEASE DON T LET THE BRIDGE CLOSURE STOP YOU I know it ll be worth the extra miles and minutes to hear outstanding speakers, get the latest notices, nibble on a cookie or two, maybe win the 50/50, pick up a bargain book or magazine at the Sutler s Table, and share conversations and camaraderie with your fellow members, President Mike Powell repeated recently. As a bonus for our November 6 meeting, we ve got the Masonboro Parlor Band back by popular demand! They ll start playing at 6 p.m. Again, here s a handy map. 6

7 The President s Corner - Continued from Page 1 Texas cattle stayed in Texas. Neither could they cross the river nor break out of the Union naval blockade. Transportation within the Confederacy had become king. Mathew Brady, Timothy O Sullivan and the other well-known photographers stayed East. By the time photographers and reporters could reach the West, the war had moved on. The Union capture of Chattanooga and its railroads further cut part of the Confederacy: the upper South. The capture of Atlanta further chopped off the lower South and its railroads. These were militarily decisive to the war effort and contributed to the evershrinking Confederacy. Unlike the battles in the East, the western victories bore a longterm importance beyond the battlefields. Nonetheless, we study the Western Theater less attentively because the East held the power centers of both combatants. Richmond and Washington hugged the East coast. Politicians from both sides clustered in the capitals. The nation s major newspapers spoke from the East. Getting reporters to the western battlefields for their stories took time. In such vast empty country railroads tied the West together. Eastern battles fought over a much smaller geographic area diminished the importance of the rails compared to the West. Also, R. E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, the heroes and headliners of the South, occupied the eastern stage. However, the men who would eventually win the war, Grant, Sherman and Sheridan, all started in the Western Theater. Their victories were responsible for the shrinking South and brought them East to conclude the war. The Union needed to reconquer the West in order to win in the East. Give the Western Theater its due and come out to hear Bob Mullauer talk of one of the important battles of the Western Theater. Learn another piece of the Civil War puzzle. Mike Interested in Serving? As President Mike Powell mentioned at October s meeting, the election for round table officers is fast approaching. According to our by-laws, a slate of officers will be presented at our November meeting, elected at December s meeting, and assume office at our January gathering. If interested in serving as an Advisor, Board Member, or Officer, please contact Mike at , or to mikepowell260@gmail.com Do you know this band? The first 400 members and guests to correctly identify the group get to hear them play, Tuesday, November 6, at Hatch Auditorium, beginning at 6 p.m. Good luck! 7

8 CIVIL WAR VIEWS The editors of Call to Arms ask you to share your visits to a Civil War battlefield, monument, park, reenactment, or historical site. Simply your high resolution photo to egstack@cnsp.com along with the name of the photographer, location, date taken, and a short caption. (Above, clockwise) Jack Carpenter at Pamplin Historical Museum, Petersburg, Va, in May. (Photo by his son, Chris) Rob Clarke visited Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Va, when he evacuated from Hurricane Florence in September. Shown at gravesite of Generals Pickett and Stuart. (Photos by his brother-in-law, Ben Seawell) E Gifford Stack toured the Confederate submarine Hunley Museum in Charleston, SC, in July. He s shown next to full-scale profiles of the Hunley, the first combat submarine to sink an enemy warship, July The Hunley also went down for unknown reasons. She was raised in 2000 and is on display in the museum s conservation tank. (Photo by fellow tourist) 8

9 Pictured at Our October 2 Meeting Chris Mackowski and 441 members (including 14 new memberships!) and guests attended our October 2 meeting. Some of the happy attendees paused for our cameras. (Photos by Tish Gordon and E Gifford Stack) 9

10 Pictured at Our September Meeting - Continued 10

11 MUSTER NOTES and NOTEABLES The next meeting of the BCWRT is Tuesday, November 6, The meeting will be held at Hatch Auditorium, NC Baptist Assembly, Fort Caswell, Oak Island, NC. Registration and refreshments begin at 5:15 p.m. and the Masonboro Band begins playing at 6 p.m. Our program starts at 7 p.m. BCWRT is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, co-founded by Tom O Donnell and Wally Rueckel, and organized in May The BCWRT website, brunswickcivilwarroundtable.com, contains helpful information and is available to everyone, no user name or password required. Our Facebook page is at Visit both sites to learn of future speakers, trips, and interesting Civil War information Officers, Directors, Advisors, and Liaisons Mike Powell: President & Director Charen Fink: Vice President & Director Jim Johnson: VP, Director, & Ft. Fisher Liaison Tom Kehoe: Treasurer & Director Jennifer Chapman: Acting Secretary Tish Gordon: Director Kathy O Donnell: Director Chuck Roedema: Director E Gifford Stack: Director Jack Carpenter: Advisor & Ft. Anderson Liaison Chris Fonvielle: Advisor Ken Keast: Advisor Paul Laird:Advisor Jim McKee:Advisor Roy Pender:Advisor Leslie Rivers:Advisor Wally Rueckel:Advisor Lori Sanderlin:Advisor Dave Shultz:Advisor Nathan Sloan: Advisor Wade Sokolosky:Advisor Len Trizinsky: Advisor Peter Whalen: Advisor Max Williams: Advisor Emeritus ***************************** Call to Arms co-editors: Charen Fink and E. Gifford Stack 11