Volume 56, No 4 April, 2016 2016 Officers: Vacant, President (xxx) xxx-xxxx Anne M. Peasley, IPP (530) 320-5112 apeasley22@gmail.com Donald J. Hayden, Vice President (916) 485-1246 djhbooklover@yahoo.com Silver N. Williams, Program Director (916) 408-4574 snw5678@aol.com Barbara A. Leone, Secretary (916) 457-3915 bleonelachatte@hotmail.com George W. Foxworth, Treasurer (916) 362-0178 gwfoxworth@sbcglobal.net Dennis Kohlmann, MAL (916) 726-4432 gkohlma@aol.com Paul G. Ruud, MAL (530) 886-8806 paulgruud@gmail.com VACANT Editor SCWRT Website www.sacramentocwrt.com Kim Knighton, Webmaster webmaster@digitalthumbprint.com Battle Cry Founded 1961, Newsletter of the Sacramento Civil War Round Table P.O. BOX 254702 Sacramento, CA 95865-4702 http://sacramentocwrt.com/ President s Message Welcome to the balmier weather bringing beautiful flowers, the birds, the foliage lifting our spirits and getting us out of the doldrums. We will need to remember Gibson Ranch responsibilities still exist and welcome volunteers to serve at our table the last weekend of this month. We have also agreed to provide a speaker on Saturday and Sunday for the general public at a time which has not yet been provided to me and I trust will be forthcoming. Volunteers are encouraged to come forward. Please let me or George Foxworth know if you might be interested. Many thanks to George Beitzel for his illuminating talk on the plight of the Confederate Cabinet Members and their fates after the surrender. Another long time member of our group, Susan Williams, will present "Two Brothers in the Civil War" next Wednesday evening, April 13th. I am sure she will provide her usual excellent discussion. Our Board will meet the same morning at 10:00 AM at Brookfield s Restaurant on Madison Avenue. All members are always welcome and the main discussion will be our planning for next year's November West Coast Civil War Conference to which we have committed ourselves. Those of us who regularly attend these annual events find them to be the outstanding educational opportunities offered out here and we strive to obtain the best faculties available. I have attended all we have sponsored since 2000 and each has been an outstanding success. I look forward to seeing you, your friends, and guests at next week's meeting. Don Hayden, Vice President
MINUTES SACRAMENTO CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE Wednesday, March 9, 2016 HOF BRAU RESTAURANT, 2500 WATT AVENUE, SACRAMENTO ATTENDANCE 34 MEMBERS 28: Don Hayden, Vice President, George W. Foxworth, Treasurer, Barbara Leone, Secretary, Silver Williams, Program Director, Jim Armstrong, George Beitzel, Joan Beitzel, Roy Bishop, Harvey Cain, Marsha Jutovsky Cain, Monica Foxworth, Arnd Gartner, Alan Geiken, Ron Grove, Bob Hanley, Chris Highsmith, James Juanitas, Dennis Kohlmann (MAL), Arnold Kunst, Horst Penning, Bernie Quinn, John Rice, Paul Ruud (MAL), Nancy Samuelson, Richard Sickert, Roxanne Spizzirri, Susan Williams, John Zasso. GUESTS 6: Esther Boeck, George Costenbader, Tom Jacobs, Michael Keffer, Larry Spizzirri, Richard Spizzirri. 1. The meeting was called to order by Don Hayden at 7:03 PM. He led the pledge and John Zasso conducted the raffle. 2. Don announced a reenactment March 19 20, 2016 in Knight's Ferry. Paul Ruud noted current information about the 2017 West Coast Conference. Nancy Samuelson provided flyers for a reenactment July 16 17, 2016 in Duncan Mills, CA. 3. Our speaker was George Beitzel, a long-time Sacramento CWRT member and President of the Elk Grove CWRT. The topic was the Flight Into Oblivion referring to the fall of Jefferson Davis and his Cabinet at the end of the Civil War. The eight positions were held by sixteen men over the life of the Confederacy. Several held different posts at different times. Most had experience in politics and their particular field of expertise. 4. George summarized the life of Jefferson Davis including some personality characteristics that had a detrimental effect on the effectiveness of his Presidency. In April 1865 as Lee was abandoning Richmond, Davis called a Cabinet meeting and ordered everything of value to be sent by train to Danville, VA that night. Davis and the Cabinet were also on that train. From Danville, they went to Greensboro, NC. The train continued to Charlotte and arrived at Abbeville, SC on April 26. There is considerable controversy over where the final Cabinet meeting was held. On May 10, Davis was captured at Irwinville, GA. He was imprisoned under harsh conditions. When reunited with his family, they lived on donated property. He died in 1889. 5. Alexander Stevens of Georgia was the Confederate Vice President. He had been a successful lawyer and a member of the US House before secession. He often disagreed with Davis. He was sickly most of his life and after the War, he returned to his home. He was arrested there and imprisoned for 5 months. Eventually, he was elected to the US House and then became Governor of Georgia. He died in 1883. 6. Judah Benjamin served as the first Attorney General, then as Secretary of War, and finally as Secretary of State. He left Davis in Abbeville, heading for the Bahamas. He eventually arrived in England after surviving a series of misadventures. He became a corporate lawyer and had the privileges of the Queen's Council. He died in 1884. 7. The Postmaster General was John Reagan, previously a member of the US House from Texas. He was Secretary of the Treasury for a few days before he was captured and imprisoned for 22 weeks before returning to Texas and the US Congress. He died in 1905, the last survivor of the Cabinet. 8. Stephen Mallory was Secretary of the Navy. He had been a US Senator from Florida before secession. He made innovations such as arming warships and developing submarines. Mallory remained with Davis and was arrested in La Grange, GA. After a one year imprisonment, he resumed his law practice, dying in 1873. 9. John Breckinridge, who was Vice President to President Buchanan, briefly served as Secretary of War for Davis. He was a lawyer from Kentucky and served in the US Army before becoming a member of Congress. He was expelled from the Senate when the Confederacy was formed and made a Confederate General. He joined Davis in the flight but left to escape capture. Using two boats and various acts of deception, he reached Cuba after surviving several dangerous situations. He went to England, Canada, Europe, and back to Canada. Granted amnesty, he returned to the US, dying in 1875. 10. In the end, no senior military or political leaders were convicted of any crimes. 11. The next Board Meeting will be Wednesday, April 13, 2016, 10:00 AM at Brookfield's, Madison Avenue. Barbara Leone, Secretary Treasurer s Report The cash balance following the March 9th meeting was $5,109.59. Thanks to John Zasso, other members, and guests, the raffle brought in $58.00. George W. Foxworth, Treasurer 2
Coming Programs for 2016 Date Speaker Topic April 13th Susan Williams Two Brothers in the Civil War May 11th Ruthanne Lum Chinese Yankee McCunn June 8th Dr. Tad Smith Lucy Pickens: Queen of the Confederacy July 13th Ted Savas To Be Determined August 10th Bob Bundy Foracker, Cleveland, and the Confederate Flag September 14th To Be Determined To Be Determined 2016 Membership The 2016 membership renewal is due as of January 1, 2016. The dues are $20.00 and you can renew at a monthly meeting or send to the Treasurer through the mail. For all checks, make them payable to Sacramento Civil War Round Table and send them to George W. Foxworth 9463 Salishan Court Sacramento, CA 95826-5233 Remember, you can also pay at any monthly meeting. NEWSLETTER CIVIL WAR ARTICLES Civil War articles/book reviews are welcome. The submission deadline is the 1 st of each month for that month s Battle Cry. However, you can submit articles at anytime. Please submit your items in Microsoft Word or regular email to: gwfoxworth@sbcglobal.net Do not submit scanned files since I need to edit files to combine the Battle Cry. The Battle Cry is the monthly newsletter of the Sacramento CWRT. Submissions are subject to availability of space and size limitations. Submissions do not necessarily reflect the views of the organization or the Editor. The official address of this organization is: Sacramento Civil War Round Table, Post Office Box 254702, Sacramento, CA 95865-4702. http://www.sacramentocwrt.org is the web site address. Check the web for past newsletter editions and information about the group. 3
Gibson Ranch 2016 The annual Civil War re-enactment this year will again be held at Gibson Ranch starting on Thursday, April 28 th and ending on Sunday, May 1 st. The current manager of activities at Gibson Ranch, Doug Ose, met with our Round Table Board of Directors in February to decide on the role that we will play in this year s program. You no doubt recall that for years, there has been a student program on Friday with the typical re-enactment activities on Saturday and Sunday. We have for years provided docents on Friday to lead student groups between re-enactor stations where the students would learn about various aspects of the Civil War. The student portion of the program this year has been increased to two days starting on Thursday and continuing on Friday. We were pleased to learn that Doug is able to get older students to volunteer on both Thursday and Friday to do the job that we have done in the past. Consequently, we have no requirement this year to provide volunteers for the student program. This is good news for us since there is no way we could generate enough volunteers to handle the physical challenges of escorting students on both days. Doug emphasized that our members would be welcomed on either day to join the festivities. I hope to go out on either Thursday or Friday and join a student group or two to learn more about the War from the re-enactors. We will continue to have a presence at Gibson Ranch on Saturday and Sunday our tradition there continues to be a booth where we have volunteers answering the public s questions about the War and spreading the word that our organization is open to the public and new members are always welcomed. I encourage you to volunteer to help staff our booth when sign-up lists are circulated at monthly Round Table meetings. I also encourage you to enjoy a day at Gibson Ranch to soak up the environment and watch the re-enacted battles. Paul Ruud, SCWRT Member at Large GIBSON RANCH BOOTH Hi all. We need volunteers to work the Round Table booth at Gibson Ranch. The dates are April 30, 2016 and May 1, 2016, Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Saturday shifts are 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Sunday shifts are 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM and 12:30 PM to 4:00 PM. You can sign-up at the April 13, 2016 monthly meeting or by contacting me by phone or email. Thank you. George W. Foxworth 916-362-0178 gwfoxworth@sbcglobal.net 4
There's a 2016 Civil War Conference in Southern California! We hope you'll join us... Commemorating the 155th Anniversary of the beginning of America's most costly conflict, seven historians, and researchers join together with Gazette665 to present: The American Civil War - 1861: Marching To War Saturday, June 4, 2016 8:30 AM 'til 5:00 PM The Temecula Conference Center, 41000 Main Street Temecula, California 92590-2764 $40.00 per person, lunch is included Seven Guest Speakers: Bruce Carver, David T. Dixon, Meg Groeling, Robert Munson, Mark Schoenberger, John Smoley, Sarah Kay Bierle For More Information and Presentation Topics, please visit: www.gazette665.com/cw-conference-2016 Online Registration is available or you may use the printed form below 1861: Marching To War Conference Registration (Mail In) Name (first & last): Email: Phone: Mailing Address: Lunch will be provided by Panera Bread; please select your choice (1 per guest) Cafe Turkey Sandwich Cafe Ham & Swiss Sandwich Cafe Classic Garden Salad $40.00/Person - CHECKS ARE MADE PAYABLE TO: GAZETTE665 Mail completed form(s) and check to: Gazette665 ~ 32016 Merlot Crest ~ Temecula, CA 92591-5900 An Email Confirmation Will Be Sent Within 2 Business Days of Receiving Registration
Finding Debbie Lincoln By Judith Breitstein Many years ago, after a delicious dinner at The Happy Apple Inn in Imlaystown, New Jersey, I walked across the street to a tumbling down building to read the handmade plaque nailed to the door. It read: Mordecai Lincoln, great, great grandfather to President Abraham Lincoln, lived here. Curious, I began to do a little research. I discovered that these early Lincolns had a daughter buried nearby and they had left New Jersey shortly after her death. On my next trip to The Happy Apple, I asked all the wait staff and many of the customers if they knew anything about the history of the town. No one did. On our next visit, the plaque was gone and the building was being reinvented as offices. I emailed Harold Holzer (one of the foremost Civil War historians in the country and consultant on the movie Lincoln) who told me there was not really anything I could do. How tragic for New Jersey to lose an important Lincoln connection. Debbie Lincoln would have been Abraham Lincoln s great grand aunt. The background: Mordecai Lincoln (1686-1736) and his brother, Abraham, settled in Imlaystown, NJ in the early 1700s. They set up their blacksmith shop which today houses offices. Mordecai fell in love with and married Hannah Salter (1692-1727), daughter of Richard Salter, farmer and owner of the local gristmill. Hannah gave birth to a daughter, Debbie, on December 30, 1716. Sadly, little Debbie passed away from a childhood disease on May 15, 1720. Not having a family plot, Debbie was buried in Ye Olde Robbins Burying Place (established 1695). We began to search for her and finally, after a very long and frustrating search, discovered her resting place. Her gravestone reads: Debbie Lincoln Age 3Y 4 M May 15, 1720 The gravestone of Debbie Lincoln 6
Ye Olde Robbins Burial Place is only found by locating a solitary marker on the side of the road. The Cemetery must have been set back very, very far. Today you enter a jungle of branches, travel several hundred feet, risking thorns and ticks and being tripped by the vines but then eureka! There she is. It is like walking into a fairy tale. Peaceful, serene like the overgrown forest in Sleeping Beauty. Her grave is surrounded by a rusted fence, placed there after the Lincoln assassination. Sadly, the Cemetery is fast disappearing. There seems to be no program to keep the graves there cleared. What will happen to this solitary place in the years to come God only knows. I think it will be lost to history. Submitted by Judith Brietstein. 7
WEST COAST CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE CONFERENCE WAR AND REMEMBRANCE October 28-30, 2016, Costa Mesa, CA Jointly Hosted by the Orange County and Pasadena Civil War Round Tables Speakers and Topics Eric Wittenberg, Author/Historian Custer What If...? Little Phil: A Reassessment of the Leadership of General Phil Sheridan James Hessler, Author/Historian How Dan Sickles Declared Himself the Hero of Gettysburg Paul Gillette, Author/Historian Orange County CWRT A Never-Ending War: The James-Younger Gang, 1866-1882 Meg Groeling, Author/Historian/Educator These Honored Dead Evan Jones, Author/Historian The Road Home Michael Oddenino Historian/Attorney Pasadena CWRT Robert E. Lee After the War Ted Savas, Author/Historian Owner, Savas-Beatie Publishing Rediscovering Hallowed Ground Nick Smith, Historian Sons of Union Veterans/Pasadena CWRT Westward Bound: Veterans and Their Lives in California James Stanbery, Historian Professor, Los Angeles Harbor College Orange County & Pasadena CWRTs Left-Wing Confederates, In and Beyond the War Joan Waugh, Author/Historian Professor of History, UCLA The Civil War in History and Memory Cheryl Wilkinson, Author/Historian Sawtelle: New Battles for Union Veterans in West Los Angeles 1888 -- 1915 Conference Hotel Crowne Plaza Costa Mesa 3131 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, CA Group Rate of $129/night includes free breakfast for two per room; free wi-fi and parking; free shuttle from John Wayne Airport. Group rate available pre/post event. For details on the hotel and nearby activities/attractions, check their web site: http://www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/ us/en/costa-mesa/laxcm/hoteldetail Group Reservations (prior to Oct. 7, 2016): (866) 437-5657 Group Name: Civil War Round Table (Code CWR) Conference Registration Early Bird Rate: $215 (January 1 to July 31, 2016) Regular Rate: $225 (starting August 1, 2016) Refunds Refunds prior to Sept. 1, 2016 will be less a $25 processing fee; no refunds will be made after Sept. 1, 2016. Questions? Contact the Co-Chairs Joann Knowles, Orange County CWRT joannsbk@aol.com Janet Whaley, Pasadena CWRT janet1860@charter.net REGISTRATION FORM Make your check payable to CW Round Table 2016 Conference and mail to Joann Knowles, 32 Elksford Avenue, Irvine, CA 92604 Credit Card payments accepted via PayPal: http://pasadenacwrt.org/conferenceregistration NAME AFFILIATION ADDRESS/CITY/ZIP PHONE E-MAIL