Also, please visit our interesting and informative website at brunswickcivilwarroundtable.com.

Transcription

1 ow about that Chris Mackowski!!! What a great show. I have already booked him for early This is a good time to tell you how we select speakers. We have nine spots to fill in the year. In July and August we do not meet, and Ed Bearss always enlightens us in January. We try to get four A listers the best we can obtain. Then, we try to land three B listers. These are very good historians, just not as famous to people who are not Civil War enthusiasts, but very well known to students of the war. The last two slots go to local talent, or up-and-coming historians. Chris Mackowski was in that group, but I suspect he will soon be a household name in Civil War circles. We should get to see him for quite a while. The A list speakers receive the highest fees, obviously. So, this formula keeps us on budget. Over the years, I ve gone to many venues to hear speakers. Wally and I also attend events that feature speakers, so I have a large database of Civil War historians. Finding a contact point is the hard part. You would think it would be easy to get in touch with them, but not so. If they teach, you have to go through the school. If they write, you must contact their publishers. Sometimes other round tables, where they have spoken, can be helpful. Since taking on my new duties, I have been fortunate that Leon Hicks came forward to help me with the contact information. Most round tables have a greater emphasis on the military aspects of the war. Because of our large female membership, we only engage a few blood and mud battle topics. And we are all better for it. We have the most diverse and varied topics of any Civil War round table I have been associated with. Max Williams set us on that road and we are still on it. I thought it was appropriate for me to share our policy on this subject because many of you have made speaker or subject recommendations. And I thank you very much for all suggestions! We have used and scheduled some of the presenters. So, the help is appreciated and makes it much easier for us when we can use them. I regret that we are not able to invite all of them to speak, but I keep every name in my database. Somewhere down the road, we may book them. We reserve speakers over a year in advance, so now I am booking for Well, there it is, Speakers 101.

2 ne of the most popular, distinguished, and well received Civil War speakers is returning once again to enlighten us and fill our auditorium! Bud Robertson, an award-winning author and recipient of every major award given to Civil War historians, is back Tuesday, March 1, speaking on, What Ever Happened to The presentation will draw from his latest book, After the Civil War, published by the National Geographic Society. The work follows the postwar careers of some 70 Civil War figures, and reveals (shockingly at times) the ups and downs of those individuals as they sought to adjust to peacetime demands. As background, returning to the turbulent days of a nation divided, Bud will discuss many of those who shaped America during Reconstruction and beyond. Relentless politicians, intrepid fighters, cunning innovators -- the times called for bold moves, and the resilient generation would not disappoint. Individuals examined include William Tecumseh Sherman, a fierce leader who would revolutionize modern warfare and Thomas Nast, whose undefeatable weapon was his stirring cartoons. Bud will tell us about other heroes, villains, soldiers, and civilians who weathered the turmoil to see a nation reborn. Following these extraordinary legends from the battle lines to the White House, from budding metropolises to the wooly west, we re-discover the foundation of this great country. These are the people who weathered the turmoil to see a nation reborn. Clearly this will be a presentation not to be missed, and can only be told by our celebrated speaker. Bud is the author or editor of more than 25 books, including biographies of Gens. Robert E. Lee and A.P. Hill, and several works on the common soldier. He has served as Executive Director of the U.S. Civil War Centennial Commission in the 1960s, and worked with Presidents Kennedy and Johnson in commemorating the War s 100 th anniversary. He then taught 44 years at Virginia Tech, where his upper division course on the Civil War era attracted 300 or more students per semester, making it the largest class of its kind in the nation. At his retirement in 2011, the university named him Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History. Our March 1 meeting will take place at NC Baptist Assembly s Hatch Auditorium on the grounds of historic Fort Caswell, Oak Island. Registration begins at 6:30 p.m. with the program commencing at 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome. The guest admission fee is $10, and can be applied toward the $25 annual membership dues. The BCWRT welcomes all guests and invites them to become members of our growing, non-profit organization which now has well over 900 members, making it clearly the largest Civil War Round Table in the country! For more information, contact president Mike Powell at (910) , or to mpowell6@ec.rr.com. Also, please visit our interesting and informative website at brunswickcivilwarroundtable.com.

3 hris is nothing less than stupendous. His standing ovation cemented that feeling. The New Orleans, Louisianan natives have adopted a French word for his style and presentation. Lagniappe means getting something extra that you did not expect. Chris resolved to throw in a little extra for us. We were rewarded with a performance not just a presentation. Thomas Jackson is born poor. He perseveres with such resolve that this word becomes his lifelong guiding light. He learns and follows a profound adage that becomes his mantra and future demise, says Chris. Here it is: You may be whatever you resolve to be. Jackson s admission to West Point is marginal and he starts near the bottom. His resolve turns lemons into lemonade and he graduates near the top of his class. He craves lemons for the rest of his life. The pinnacle of his military career comes at Chancellorsville where he prevails over 3-1 odds. Lee does win by attacking and rolling up the flanks of Hooker s army. The cost, for Lee, is insurmountable. He suffers 23% casualties as opposed to Hookers 13%. Jackson, however, is Lee s worst loss. Jackson is hit three times by his own men as that resolve puts him in the wrong place at the wrong time. He eventually loses his left arm but Lee contends he has just lost his right arm with the subsequent death of Jackson. Stonewall is like a son to Lee. Chris will argue that this battle is the high point of the Confederacy. Resolve, we are told, earned that nickname, Stonewall, at the battle of Bull Run. He held a ridge until General Bee s retreating troops rallied in his rear. The general remarked in awe, Look at Jackson standing there like a great stone wall. It stuck. Ya just had to be there to find out what part an unknown road played in the battle. Jackson wanted, above all, to be an excellent dad. A ten-day visit gives him a small chance to bond with his six-month-old Julia shortly before his death. Pneumonia finally kills him. His last words are, Let us cross over the river and rest under the trees. His resolve bought a costly victory at Chancellorsville for Lee. That same kind of Stonewall resolve, Chris tells us, is used by Grant to finally win. Chris closes by asking us to try this phrase on for size. You may ALSO be what you resolve to be.

4 Ladies Department By Charen Fink March 27 is Easter Sunday, a major religious celebration, but was it observed during the Civil War? If so, what comments were made by the soldiers, North and South? Easter occurred on March 31, 1861, when the country was suspended between the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln and the first shots of the war at Fort Sumter on April 12, The Philadelphia Inquirer mentioned on April 1 that the Episcopal, Unitarian and Roman Catholic churches prescribed particular services for Holy Saturday. The following day was All Fools' Day and people should be on their guard against the sells pranks by practical jokers. The holidays also brought out the ruffians with a goodly amount of drunken and disorderly conduct. Trivia The importance of pine trees. h The umbilical cords of newborns were dabbed with turpentine. h The wood was used for building, matches, cartridge boxes, ship masts, turpentine & tar. h Turpentine was used as a stimulant, diuretic, antiseptic, laxative, diabetes, tetanus, T.B., and injection of hot turpentine into wounds during the heat of naval battles, etc. h Rosin was used to waterproof and in making soap. h The roots produced a garnet-colored dye. So, yes, Easter during the war was celebrated on: ; ; ; ; and In April 1862, a USA soldier wrote, This is Easter and a pretty day. We had 2 eggs a piece this morning. Alexander Gwin (Campbell, Joseph, Judy Gowen. Marching Orders: The Civil War Diary of Alexander). In April 1863, a CSA soldier wrote, The snow is about seven or eight inches deep. I don t think we will have a very gay Easter today, as game is skearce (sp.), and we can get no eggs. (Taylor, Michael. The Cry is War, War, War. Winston- Salem: Morning Side Press). In March 1864, a Union soldier stated, The beautiful Easter Sunday finds us all O.K. for it is as pretty and warm day, but we have no eggs. We could have them at 40 cents per dozen. But I guess we will do without this time. Daniel Chisholm (Menge, W. Springer /mange, J. August Shimrak. The Civil War Notebook of Daniel). All taken from: Civil War Talk ( civilwartalk.com/threads/diary-note-from-aconfederate-soldier-on-easter.98244/)

5 Our sixth Ladies (only) Forum is scheduled Monday, April 11, 2016, from 5:30-8:00 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 209 E. Nash St. in Southport. Registration begins at 5 p.m., with the program starting promptly at 5:30 p.m. The forum s first segment features Dr. Carolyn Williams, guest pianist and current organist at Trinity United Methodist Church. She will be playing a selection of music from the Civil War, including Aura Lee, Dixie, and The Vacant Chair with an opportunity to sing along! Each piece includes a brief narrative of the song s origin. Dr. Williams is an accomplished pianist and singer, as well as author of Music of the Bicentennial. important role in her story about a wealthy lady who lived in the Holden Beach area while managing 1,000 acres of land. Christy, a former educator, is an accomplished author of numerous publications, covering Civil War history, local sites of interest, and search and rescue dogs. Ms. Christy Judah Dr. Carolyn Williams Intermission will include delicious Civil War era refreshments. The second portion of the evening features guest speaker Christy Judah of Carolina Kennels. Her topic is taken from her book, Two Faces of Dixie, examining life in the Civil War era from several perspectives the rich and the poor. She will explain how her search and rescue dogs played an Door prizes will complete the evening s program. Reservations are needed and Round Table members are free, guests are $5.00, payable at the door. To pre-register or for information, please call Charen Fink at or dcftandm@hotmail.com. The Ladies Forum is sponsored by the Brunswick Civil War Round Table whose objective is to bring awareness of mid-nineteenth century women and their role in shaping history.

6 Get out your calendars! Our May meeting date is changed to TUESDAY, May 10, due to a scheduling issue with speaker Craig Symonds. That s one week later than our normal meeting date. Owing to a conflict with Hatch Auditorium s availability, our meeting on Tuesday, June 7, will be held at our old venue Trinity United Methodist Church, 209 E. Nash St, Southport. Our speaker is Susannah Ural, talking on the Irish in the Civl War, based on her book, The Harp and the Eagle. For both meetings, registration begins at 6:30 p.m., with the program starting at 7 p.m. Heads up for those that believe there is no such thing as having too many Civil War books. Thanks to a member donation, we are offering for sale two fine tomes: New Jersey Troops in the Gettysburg Campaign from June 5 to July 31, 1863 ; authored by Samuel Toombs and survivors; illustrated hardback; appears to be original edition printed in 1888; asking $25 and Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Volume Four ; illustrated hardback; contributors are famous Union and Confederate officers covering major battles; 1888 second edition; asking $20. All monies go to the BCWRT general fund. If interested, please contact Wally Rueckel, at wrueckel@outlook.com. The April tour of Ft. Caswell is not sold out yet; roughly half of the 50 available slots are available. On both of our fall tours we experienced a last minute burst of members signing up, so I d advise anyone thinking of taking the April tour to register soon and not be disappointed, said tour organizer John Walsh. The tour is Tuesday, April 5, prior to our regular monthly meeting and will be led by fellow member and noted historian Jim McKee. To sign-up, send an to jdwalsh1@gmail.com. (Last month s article listed and incorrect , so be sure and use jdwalsh1@gmail.com.) The fee is $10 per person which should be sent after signing up, via check made out to BCWRT, to John Walsh, 2795 Golfmaster Ct, Southport, NC The tour starts at 5 p.m. in front of Hatch Auditorium. Remember that if you paid for a tour last fall and got rained out, you are welcome to take the April tour at no charge. However, you are asked to send an to be included on the tour roster. The Brunswick Civil War Round Table believes in the importance of maintaining a liaison with like-minded Civil War organizations, both in the area and beyond southeast North Carolina. We think cooperative sharing of information and support is mutually beneficial, noted BCWRT president Mike Powell. Jack Carpenter, a BCWRT Advisor, is our liaison with Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson where he serves as a Director. Longtime BCWRT member Robert Maffitt is our liaison to the 290 Foundation. He serves as the US Vice president for the British-based organization devoted to the naval history of the American Civil War. (See site/290foundation/home-1 for more information.) The liaison position to Fort Fisher has recently come open. We are looking for a member who actively participates with both the BCWRT and the Friends of Fort Fisher. The duties include: communicating information beneficial to both organizations; working closely with each group; and acting as a liaison and facilitator. The individual will keep both organizations informed of events each might promote, as well as ways we can act cooperatively. Candidates need not be officers or advisors with either organization. If you are interested in serving as the Fort Fisher liaison, please contact Mike Powell (mpowell6@ec.rr.com) or call

7 v Limited Edition #309 of v 6" tall on a 4" by 4" hardwood base. v Signed on the top of the base in gold marker by the artist. v The piece bears the Chilmark gold button of authenticity. v Like new condition. Very nice, highly detailed beautiful Civil War collectible. It would be a great addition to your CIVIL WAR collection or would look nice on your desk or shelf. Randall Jones, the award winning author and storyteller, will share stories from America s fight for independence, Wednesday, March 9, at the Cape Fear Revolutionary War Round Table. The group meets at the St. Johns Masonic Lodge #1, 4712 Oriole Dr, Wilmington. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the program begins at 7 p.m. Jones talk, Before They Were Heroes at Kings Mountain, focuses on the significant turning of the tide in the American Revolution. There is no charge for Cape Fear RWRT members. Guests pay $5 which can apply towards the $25 annual membership dues. For more information, call Connie Hendrix at Due to an editing error, several photos in last month s newsletter were incorrectly attributed. Member Tish Gordon provided: the Ed Bearss picture on page 3, the bottom photo on page 6, and the left photo on page 8. Many thanks to Tish for sharing her excellent snapshots and our apologies for the erroneous credits.

8 At their February 9 meeting, the Brunswick Civil War Round Table Board of Directors selected Tish Gordon and Ken Keast as new advisors for the organization. These are two outstanding members who have already shown their willingness to roll up their sleeves and help out, noted BCWRT President Mike Powell. Tish recently coordinated the tour featuring Ed Bearss. She also was instrumental in accomplishing numerous administrative tasks for the Leadership Team, helping with an article and photos for Call to Arms, and making phone calls encouraging members to renew. Ken is probably a familiar face as he a key helper in the lobby assisting members and guests with signing in, as well as facilitating members with dues renewals. He also is responsible for coordinating data on the membership roster. The BCWRT Leadership Team now consists of five officers, four directors, and 11 advisors. For the complete list of the Leadership Team, visit the BCWRT website and hit the officers tab Some of you may recall the contribution of a lot made to our round table by long time members Barbara and John Lawter. The Lawters moved away and sadly John died. Following the sale of the lot late last year, BCWRT sent a plaque to Barbara expressing our appreciation of the Lawters generous gift. In her thank you to the round table, Barbara mentioned, The round table provided such wonderful opportunities for us to explore our life long obsession with Civil War history.we were very happy to participate in every event the round table offered. Barbara ended her note saying, Thank you so much for remembering us, and for all the good work that you do. President Mike Powell noted, The Lawters thoughtful gift will greatly help with our mission of Civil War education and battlefield preservation. NEW APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP IN THE BCWRT Joining the largest Civil War Round Table in the US is a snap! Our annual dues are $25 for individuals, as well as couples. Students are free of charge. Non-members are welcome to attend our monthly meetings (usually held the first Tuesday except for our July-August vacation), paying $10 per meeting, which is applicable for membership! Please make checks payable to BCWRT. Payments for renewal memberships are due on the month of your initial membership. New membership applications and checks, as well as renewal payments, may be given to the registration desk at our monthly meetings. If you prefer, send payments (and if appropriate your initial membership application) to: BCWRT, PO Box 10161, Southport, NC NAME(S): STREET ADDRESS: CITY/STATE/ZIP: LANDLINE PHONE: CELL:

9 Slide Show Ads Who, what, when, where and why with contact info. Highlight the event, not the organization. One slide - per month - per group. Some people may be 60 ft. from the screen, so ad needs to be in large print as small print will not be seen by most. Must be Civil War related or from Southport Historical Society or Southport Maritime Museum. No recruiting of volunteers among our membership. No fundraising. We have right to refuse any ad. If any ads need additional info or clarification, Mike Powell will secure from provider. Must be received 7 days prior to meeting, which is the 1 st Tuesday of the month, to Rob Clarke at rmclsrke46@gmail.com or Mike Powell at mpowell6@ec.rr.com or call Newsletter Ads Short, one paragraph, 5-6 lines, single-spaced, lined with bullet points and contact information. Any graphics must be in the 6 lines. The editors can determine criteria. However, the same principles that are set for slides will hold true for newsletter. BCWRT Board and editors have the right to refuse. Newsletter Date of submission to Jim McKee and E. Gifford Stack is the 18 th of the month to allow the editors time to format the information. Space limited to 5-6 lines to adhere to same criteria as slide show ads. Articles submitted to be limited to 100 words. Organizations may not hand out flyers, either outside or in the auditorium, without advance approval from Jim Johnson. jimsclocks@hotmail.com. Editing may be done for readability without changing content. No Ads will be accepted for the website. (Several months back, we asked members to send us a photo of their visit to a Civil War battlefield, monument, park, reenactment, or historical site. Here s our first submission.) Broadside view of the remains of the USS Cairo sunk on December 12, 1862, while clearing mines for the attack on Haines Bluff. Vicksburg National Military Park June 11, Photographer: Joe Volpe

10 THE NEXT MEETING IS Tuesday, March 1, 2016 Hatch Auditorium The is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization that meets on the first Tuesday of each month, except July and August. Unless otherwise noted, meetings will be held at: Hatch Auditorium, NC Baptist Assembly Fort Caswell, Oak Island, NC Registration is open at 6:30 p.m. and the program starts at 7:00 p.m. Mike Powell: President & Director Chris Fonvielle: Advisor Rob Clarke: Vice President & Director Tish Gordon: Advisor Jim Johnson: Vice President & Director Connie Hendrix: Advisor Tom Kehoe: Treasurer & Director Ken Keast: Advisor Mo Beers: Secretary & Director Jim McKee: Advisor Charen Fink: Director Roy Pender: Advisor Kathy O Donnell: Director Jonathan Richmond: Advisor Chuck Roedema: Director Wally Rueckel : Advisor E. Gifford Stack: Director Gregg Schneider: Advisor Jack Carpenter: Advisor & Ft. Anderson Liaison Max Williams: Advisor The BCWRT website can be found under brunswickcivilwarroundtable.com or brunswickcivilwarroundtable.org. All of the information on the website is available to everyone, no user name or password is required. Be sure to check out the list of presenters already lined up for our 2015/2016 year. There is also information on current Round Table sponsored trips and writeups on trips already taken. Also, check out the Links page for other organizations involved in the Civil War. The website is updated frequently, so please keep checking in on us.