April Speaker: Ed Bearss
Board of Directors
Cecil A. Jones
President, (12)
James Morgan
Vice President, (13)
Dwight Bower
Secretary, (14)
Gary Mester
Treasurer, (12)
[email protected]
Chris Custode
Program Chairman, (12)
[email protected]
Bill Wilkin
Past President, (14)
Curl Piggott, (13)
Wynne Saffer, (13)
Craig Swain, (14)
Dues: $25
(Due in March)
Mailing Address:
PO Box 1622
Leesburg, VA 20177-1622
For Information or
Newsletter Contributions
Contact Newsletter Staff
Craig Swain, Editor
J&C Cannon, Type Setters
Gary Mester, Distribution
Edwin C. Bearss served as Chief Historian of the National Park Service from 1981 to
1994. He holds a B.S. degree from Georgetown University and a M.A. in history from
Indiana University. He served in the Marine Corps during World War II. Ed first joined
the National Park Service in 1954 and after his retirement in 1995, he was named Chief
Historian Emeritus of the National Park Service. He has received many honors and
awards to include the Bruce Catton Award, the Distinguished Service Award from the
Department of the Interior, and Commendation from the Secretary of the Army. The
Civil War Preservation Trust has created the Ed Bearss Award for achievements in
historic preservation (which he was awarded in 2001). Ed was featured on the PBS
documentary The Civil War. His written works include "The Vicksburg Campaign - a 3
vol. study", "Fields of Honor: Pivotal Battles of the Civil War" and his most recent
work, "Receding Tide: Vicksburg and Gettysburg: The Campaigns that Changed the
Civil War". He is often quoted saying, "You can't describe a battlefield unless you walk
it”, which best captures his approach to the study and interpretation of the Civil War.
The Battle of Shiloh
Following a series of defeats and retreats in the spring of 1862, General Albert S.
Johnston sought to reverse Confederate fortunes in the west. After concentrating
forces, numbering 44,000 men, at the railroad center of Corinth, Mississippi, Johnston
planned a surprise attack on 49,000 Federals under General Ulysses S. Grant,
concentrated at Pittsburg Landing along the Tennessee River. On the morning of April
7, Johnston's forces surged forward into the Federal encampments. Although initially
successful, the rebel assaults stalled as the blue-coats rallied. The battle took its name
from the log Shiloh Church which stood on the contested ground. But the struggle also
immortalized place-names such as the Peach Orchard, Sunken Road, Bloody Pond, and
the Hornet's Nest. Johnston fell mortally wounded mid-afternoon, and General P.G.T.
Beauregard assumed command. Grant, driven back to a final line of defense near the
river landing, rallied his men and received reinforcements. When dawn broke on April
8, it was the Confederates' turn to stubbornly give ground. After two days of bitter
fighting, 23,746 men were dead, wounded, or missing. "Bloody Shiloh" is
remembered as the first major battle of the war.
!! Meeting is at the Old Court House !!
Date: April 10, 2012
Time: 7:30 PM
Place: Old Court House
18 Market Street
Leesburg, Virginia 20176
703-737-7195
Speaker: Ed Bearss
Subject: The Battle of Shiloh
Loudoun County Civil War
Roundtable Speakers
and Programs for 2012
May 8 - Jon Guttman - The Battle of Drewry's
Bluff - 1862
June 12 - Gregg Biggs - The Twin Rivers
Campaign
July 10 - TBA
Aug 14 - R.E.L. Krick - The Seven Days
Campaign and the Rise of RE Lee
Sept 11 - John Hoptak - The Battle of South
Mountain
Oct 9 Dennis Frye - The Antietam
Campaign: New Perspectives
Friends of the
Ball's Bluff Battlefield
The “Friends of the Ball's Bluff Battlefield” are up
and running and would love to have you join us.
For more information contact Jim Morgan by phone
at
540-822-4480
or
by
email
at
[email protected].
Board of Directors Elections
At our April meeting, three incumbent members of
the board were reelected for three year terms: Bill
Wilkin, Dwight Bower, and Craig Swain. After the
meeting, the board elected Cecil Jones as president.
Other officers appointed are Vice President James
Morgan, Secretary Dwight Bower, Treasurer Gary
Mester, and Program Chairman Chris Custode.
Nov 13 - Brian Boucher - The War in Loudoun
County - 1862
Dec 11 - Christmas dinner/members’ meeting
NOTE: If anyone has a suggestion for a
speaker or a topic, please contact Chris
Custode at a meeting or by email at
[email protected].
Sully Historic Site CW Lecture Series
Sully Historic Site at in Chantilly continues its
CW lecture series through the spring.
Help out your LCCWRT
And don't think you must be on the board to help
out! If you wish to help out with refreshments, the
newsletter, mailing or other activities, please let a
board member know. The refreshments turn what
would otherwise be a dry and boring wait before the
meeting into bubbling social conversation. The
newsletter, a vital part to our Round Table's
communications, does require a little time to
coordinate and compose. But usually no more than
a few hours each month. Please let us know if you
can help out.
April 10 - Kieth Jarman - The AfricanAmerican perspective of the Civil War.
May 8 - David Welker - Northern view of the
Battle of Chantilly.
Talks begin at 7pm. Seating is limited (RSVP
to 703-437-1794). Suggested donation of $5
for attendees.
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/sully/
Dues for 2012
If you missed the March meeting, please see
Treasurer Gary Mester regarding dues. Dues are
$25 per family. Please make checks out to
“LCCWRT”.
It Happened 150 Years Ago in April
April 3 - General A.S. Johnston begins marching his army north out of Corinth, Mississippi to attack
Federals camped along the Tennessee River.
April 5 - Employing troops marching round-about routes, General John Magruder hides his real
numbers from Federal scouts, convincing General George McClellan a siege was needed to clear
Yorktown, Virginia.
April 6 - Hit by a mine ball in the back of his knee, General A.S. Johnston dies on the field at Shiloh,
becoming the highest ranking officer killed in the war.
April 8 - Surrounded by swamps and Federals, General William Mackall surrenders the garrison of
Island No. 10 at Tiptonville, Tennessee.
April 11 - After enduring bombardment, including rifled cannon, Colonel Charles Olmstead surrenders
Fort Pulaski, Georgia.
April 16 - Confederate President Jefferson Davis signed a bill establishing a draft of able body white
males between the age of 18 and 35. Later amendments exempted specific professions from
conscription.
April 18 - Admiral David Farragut begins bombarding Forts Jackson and St. Phillip protecting the river
approaches to New Orleans.
April 19 - Portions of General Samuel Curtis' Army of the West skirmished at Talbot's Ferry on the
White River, as the Federals advanced across Arkansas.
April 23 - Complaining the weapons were inefficient and unsafe, Colonel John Geary, then in Loudoun
County, sent the "Coffee Mill" machine guns back to Washington.
April 24 - Admiral Farragut runs his fleet past the Mississippi River forts, losing three ships. His fleet
reached New Orleans the next day.
Loudoun County Civil War Round Table
PO Box 1622
Leesburg, Virginia 20177-1622
Upcoming Events
April 1- June 30, Exhibit: “American Civil War Moments through a Day in the Life of a Soldier: Camp
Life and Battles” prepared by Gary Mester. Lower Level Meeting Room, Balch Library, 208 West
Market Street, Leesburg. Call 703-737-7195.
April 14, 12:00-5:00 PM Mosby: Scout along the Turnpike. Mt. Zion Church, 40309 John Mosby
Highway, Aldie VA 20105. Members of the Gray Ghost Interpretive Group will interpret guerilla
warfare between Mosby’s Rangers and federal forces at three Rt. 50 Mosby sites--Mt. Zion Church,
Aldie Mill and the Caleb Rector House. Free admission; donations gladly accepted. Co-sponsored by the
Mosby Heritage Area Association & the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. 540-687-6681;
www.mosbyheritagearea.org
April 21, 1-5pm. Walking tour, "Second Manassas Battlefield Hike," ranger-guided tour at the Manassas
National Battlefield Park. Free with park admission. www.nps.gov/mana