Call
to
arms
May 2013
Volume IV, Issue 5
The Newsletter of the Brunswick Civil War Round Table
The President’s
Corner
Wally Rueckel
T
his month we
celebrate another important milestone in our
Round Table’s history,
we are three years old.
In this short period of
time we have grown to
a membership of over
550. Many of our
speakers have told us
we probably are the
largest
Civil
War
Round Table anywhere. A lot of the
credit certainly goes to
Max Williams, our Program Director who has
attracted a world class
group of speakers but
credit also needs to be
given to a wonderful
group of volunteers that
handle everything including publicity, room
set-up, field trips, re-
freshments, registration,
finance,
newsletter,
web site and numerous
unseen workers. Thanks
to all of you. Last month Will
Greene, Executive Director of Pamplin Park
in Petersburg, Va returned to speak to us
last month about the
Overland
Campaign
that took place late in
the war and pitted the
new Union Commander
General Ulysses Grant
against General Robert
E. Lee. Will arrived
both tired and hungry a
few minutes late for our
meeting after an 11hour
constructiondelayed drive from
Chattanooga. He probably felt like he had just
fought the battle of the
Wilderness but his presentation
was
both
thoughtful and entertaining. You will be
glad to know that I
solved his hunger problem after the meeting at
Mr P’s. He then left for
a 5-hour drive to Petersburg. A very energetic young man. A group of us are taking a field trip May 11
and 12 with Will
Greene as our historian/
guide to the battlefields
around Petersburg including the infamous
“crater” and several
battlefields leading to
Lee’s final surrender at
Appomattox.
Will
Greene not only is a
great speaker but does a
...Continued next page
Inside this
Issue
President’s
Message
Next Program
Last Meeting
Synopsis
Ladies’ Dept
1-2
Spring Trip
5
Pendleton
6
Blockade
7-8
2
3
4
Notices
9
Membership/
Renewal
Form
150 Years
Ago
10
10
Co-Editors
Charen Fink
Jim McKee
M AY 2013
Next Speaker
P AGE 2
Georgians’ attitude toward Sherman’s
march through georgia
Few Civil War historians
can boast credentials like those
of the Round Table’s guest
speaker at the Tuesday, May 7th
meeting of the Brunswick Civil
War Round Table. He is renowned Civil War historian and
scholar, Richard McMurry,
Ph.D., a native of Atlanta, currently living in Dalton. GA. The
title of his presentation is “A
Georgian’s View of Sherman.”
The meeting will be held at
Trinity
United
Methodist
Church, 209 E. Nash St., Southport.
Attendees at the upcoming
meeting will hear one of the
most interesting and fascinating
presentations about a crucial
event affecting the eventual outcome of the Civil War. On the
one hand, McMurry’s topic
would seem like the logical reaction of Georgians about
Sherman;
i.e.,
recalling
Sherman’s “scorched earth”
policies that he implemented in
conducting “total war” against
the Confederate States as he
captured
Atlanta
and
….
President
cont.
wonderful job of developing
his tours including little known
facts and occasional anecdotes
about the sites and people involved. We have room for
more. Contact Mike Powell to
sign up for this trip. You will be
glad that you joined us. marched through Georgia to
the sea. On the other hand, there
were circumstances that revealed neither side was good
enough nor bad enough to contribute to a great military victory based on tactical conditions
that prevailed in 1864. The scenario is intriguing. McMurry is
one of the most knowledgeable
historians to share these facts
and theories.
McMurry taught history at
Valdosta State College, and was
We are always looking for
volunteers. We are currently
looking for people to assist with
registration on meeting nights.
Please contact either Norm
Praet [email protected] or
[email protected].
Our organization is only as
good as the volunteers we attract. an adjunct professor at North
Carolina State University. Since
1988, he has been a freelance
writer and speaker, and has
served as a guide/historian for
many tours and cruise groups.
He has authored more than one
hundred articles on various facets of the Civil War. He also
authored numerous books, receiving honors and awards from
such organizations as the
United Daughters of the Confederacy, the New York Civil
War Round Table, the Civil
War Round Table of Chicago,
the New Orleans Civil War
Round Table, and the Civil War
Round Table of Milwaukee. He
is also a member of numerous
historical societies, and is active
in the Civil War Trust and the
Organization of American Historians.
M AY 2013
Speaker Synopsis
P AGE 3
Will Greene: U.S. Grant and the Overland
Campaign
By Dan Fink
A.Wilson Greene never
ceases to amaze with his ability
and his knowledge. He is not
only the resident expert around
Richmond on anything Civil War
but also can turn that information
into
gems of “Greene” wisdom most satisfying to any Civil
War enthusiast. This campaign
has been “covered” in 10-15 minutes but all you will get is a
thumbnail sketch with absolutely
no flavor. Will gave us a packet
containing 26 pages of juicy information and marvelous maps to
thoroughly chew and slowly digest. Ask any of your members to
rate Will’s presentation and they
will reach the top of any measurement scale. The news just gets
better. If you want an opportunity
to spend an unforgettable weekend with Will Greene as your
guide, Join your fellow members
on May10-12 as Mike Powell puts
together another of his Civil War
journeys in most excellent style.
There is still plenty of room and
all who join now will lower the
overall cost for all. A full tour
costs less than just meeting minimums. Hurry, read the details and
contact Mike Powell. Your Civil
War learning curve will go off the
charts. He may even share heartwarming stories of soldiers who
have a connection to our area.
Don’t miss this one. Petersburg
and Appomattox are the destinations. He picks up right where he
ended and follows the Campaign
of 1864 right to the end of the
War in the Eastern Theater. Contact Mike at 910-278-3545 or
[email protected] May10-12.
The Battle is really unique because it never stops for 40
days. Particular to most of the
four main battles and surrounding
skirmishes is not unlike a sword
fight among many more players
than Grant and Lee. Will “points”
us to outcomes that make many
thrusts and parries crucial to the
overall vastly different conclusion
to war. The uniqueness of this 40
day battle cost both sides so much
for so little on the conclusions
side. The goal, of course, was
above all to destroy Lee’s Army
of Northern Virginia.
First, the Battle of the Wilderness was a very costly stalemate
with huge losses on both
sides. Some motivations are important to know: Lee’s Army is
hungry, it is outnumbered two to
one, moving fast means more
cavalry than he has and Lee is not
well.(we think he had a
stroke). Grant is so nervous at
this Battle of the Wilderness that
he smokes up to 20 cigars a
day.
These health issues will
eventually kill both
men. Longstreet is wounded by
friendly fire one year to the day
and five miles away from the spot
where Stonewall Jackson was
killed. “Lee to the rear” shouted
Longstreet’s Texans as they attempted to help their beloved
leaders.
Imagine opening your front
door to see yourself surrounded
by an Army.
The “Widow
Phoebe Taft did just that. (Ya just
had to be there to hear Will
Greene joyfully tell her story. He
is truly a wordsmith.) Try to put
yourself as part of Grant’s Army
when they attempt to move
quickly through dense underbrush
of a wild place called Spotsylvania. Think, by comparison, you
are in our own Green Swamp but
have no roads – just the unfin-
ished roadbed of a railroad for
travel. Yep, it is that ugly. The
Battle of Spotsylvania Court
House is Grant’s second attempt
to fight Lee. The Confederates
get there first with time to entrench and get something to eat.
The famous “Mule Shoe Salient,”
holds for almost a day before the
Union prevails. There are 32,000
casualties here and at the “Bloody
Angle” making it one of the
bloodiest and most costly battles
...Continued page 5
M AY 2013
Ladies’ Department By Charen Fink
Technology
I In 1843 Alexander Bain
invented a facsimile machine
that could send a copy or image over telegraph lines. The
Pantelegraph, a working version of this system, was built
in 1861 by Giovanni
Caselli. Four years later the
world’s first commercial telefax service was launched between Paris and Lyon.
IIn 1871 telephones were
invented and came into limited
use in 1877 during Reconstruction.
IThe amount of mail sent
increased dramatically during
the war. To handle this increase the mail was divided
into first-class, second-class,
and third-class mail. Free delivery was provided in the cities.
IThe Pony Express reached
its peak during the Civil
War. It was established on
April 3, 1860 and strove to
deliver mail from St. Joseph,
Mo to Sacramento, CA (two
thousand miles) in ten
days. Eighty riders were employed including “Buffalo
Bill” Cody. Each rider rode
seventy to eighty miles at a
time. Stations along the route
were built at intervals of ten
miles. The Express lasted
about a year-and-a-half until
October 24, 1961. The telegraph linking the East and
West Coasts was cheaper and
faster.
ITelegraphy was modified
using dot and dash symbols
known as the Morse
Code. Morse’s first message
was, “What hath God
wrought,” sent from Baltimore
to Washington, DC.
INews of the war was
learned by various publications. There was “Tabloid”size dailies. Southern papers
shrank in size along with lack
of available resources and
printed on less-than-ideal materials. Because of the shortage of newsprint one 1863 edition of the Opelousas Courier
was printed on wallpaper.
News stories were sent by telegraph. At times these lines
were cut by the enemy eliminating some of the stories resulting in reporters developing
an “inverted pyramid” style of
story writing. Therefore, if the
lines were cut the lead paragraph would go through for the
basis of a story. Critical information was in the lead paragraph followed by news in decreasing importance, a basic
format used in most print news
stories to this day.
Civil War Periodicals
Some of these are still in use
today:
Northern News Publications—Hickman Daily Courier
(Kentucky); National Police
Gazette; The New York Times;
Philadelphia Inquirer; Oregonian Weekly
Southern News Publications—The Galveston Daily
News; The Louisville Daily
Journal; The Post and Courier
(Charleston, SC)
P AGE 4
Cosmetics
A hand care recipe which can
be used today to keep hands
soft:
1 Tbsp. Honey, 3 Tbsp. Cold
cream, 3 Tbsp. Finely ground
almonds.
Make sure the almonds are
ground very fine. Combine the
honey, cold cream and almond
meal and store in a container. Use to smooth dry
hands, apply before or after
using soap and leave it on the
skin.
References
Varhola, Michael O. Life in
Civil War America. Cincinnati, OH: Family Tree Books,
1999.
Mescher, Virginia. Powered,
Painter, and Perfumed…
Burke, VA: Vintage Volumes,
2003.
M AY 2013
2013 Spring Trip
P AGE 5
Spring Field Trip with Will greene
Wilbur McLean’s parlor, in his
house at Appomattox, is one of
those places in American history
where visitors automatically lower
their voices in reverence.
In the room above Lee offered his sword to Grant, in surrender, Grant refused it. This site, which is so important
in the history of this country, will be the last stop on our
Petersburg to Appomattox tour in May.
The modern photo, shows little change to the
McLean House appearance over the years.
….
Will greene
cont.
of the War. By now, Will shows
us, Grant is fighting a battle of
attrition and decides to try luring
Lee onto open ground. Lee is
unsure of Grant’s plan so designs
an inverted “V” to split Grant’s
army. Grant falls for this trap, but
the mighty microbe takes over
Lee’s intestines which have de-
bilitated him. None of his subordinates could execute his plans. It
ends in a draw.
Grant is admired by Lincoln who identifies him with two
words: He Fights! Once again he
does just that at the fourth and
final battle scene –Cold Harbor. This is the last of Lee’s offensives. When the campaign is
evaluated, Grant has lost over
55,000 and Lee loses 40,000. The
difference is that Grant can easily
replace those losses – Lee cannot.
Grant HAS destroyed the Army of
Virginia. No longer will the South
be on the offensive. Petersburg is
next and finally on to Appomattox.
2013 Trip No. 1
M AY 2013
They Also Served
P AGE 6
General & reverend William N.
Pendleton
By “Col. Black” Jack Travis
William Nelson Pendleton was
born in Richmond, Va. on December 26, 1809. He spent most
of his formative years on the family plantation near that city and
received his educational instruction from personal tutors before
entering John Nelson School, in
Richmond and then on to West
Point in 1826. Pendleton, graduated in 1830, fifth out of a class of
forty-two, he was exceptionally
gifted in Mathematics and Engineering. While attending West
Point, he formed lasting friendships with classmates Robert E.
Lee, Jefferson Davis, and Joseph
E. Johnston . After one year from
graduation, he returned to West
Point as an assistant Professor of
Mathematics. He resigned from
the army on October 31, 1833 to
pursue a career as an Episcopal
minister. He was ordained in
Pennsylvania
in
1837.
During the Civil War, he became famous with the Southern
press for supposedly ordering his
men to fire just after prayer.
"While we kill their bodies", he
said, "May the Lord have mercy
on their sinful souls." When in
command of the Stonewall Battalion he named his four six-pounder
cannons Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John.
Though an excellent administrator and organizer, Pendleton
quickly revealed that he was not a
battlefield artillery commander.
Several Confederate officers
could not understand why Lee
kept him in his position throughout the war. However, he and Lee
were intimate life time friends.
A frustrated Confederate officer summed up the dilemma,
“Pendleton, is Lee’s weakness,”
he observed, “He is like the elephant, we have him and don’t
know what on earth to do with
him, and it costs a devil of a sight
to feed him.” Another battalion
commander, who felt that Pendleton was, “lacking in force,” revealed that he was “regarded in
the army as a sort of joke.” The
fact that
the
chronically ill
Pendleton, with
such
a
tarnished
record,
served so
long as
the Chief
of Artillery for
the Army of Northern Virginia,
remains a puzzlement. Pendleton’s reputation, as a fumbling
commander drew derision from
much of the army’s officer corps.
Pendleton, was thought by one
staff officer, to be a little more
than a glorified ordnance officer.
Such discontent could hardly have
escaped Lee’s notice, and from
evidence, it seems clear that it
certainly did not. Praise for Pendleton’s performance was conspicuously absent from Lee’s official battle reports and Pendleton,
likewise received several rebukes
from Lee.
Pendleton would retain a place
in the Army of Northern Virginia,
for the remainder of the war, but
he was progressively distanced
from personal command of the
guns. After the death of Stonewall
Jackson, and the subsequent reorganization of the army into three
corps, the army’s reserve artillery
was eliminated and each corps
was assigned five battalions of
artillery; three to serve as line
units and two to act as a corps
reserve. Pendleton, was almost
out of a job, but retained his rank
and assumed the position as the
Army’s Chief of Artillery.
His tragic inadequacies, as an
artillery field commander were
most painfully felt at the Battle of
Gettysburg, when Lee planned for
a massive bombardment of Federal positions in preparation for
the grand assault of July 3, 1863.
Pendleton exercised little oversight of the operation, neglected
to properly account for the Confederate supply of projectiles, and
generally drew criticism from
frustrated artillery commanders.
The Confederate bombardment
was an impressive sight, but
largely ineffective in softening the
Federal position, contributing to
the disastrous failure July 3.
He failed to see the whole field
of battle so he might coordinate
an effective use of all three corps
guns; the results was each corps
chief of artillery had to operate
independently and see only what
was in his front, thus losing the
effect of all out coordinated artillery bombardments during the
three day Battle of Gettysburg.
After the war, Pendleton returned
to Lexington, VA., were he assumed his duties as rector of
Grace Episcopal Church. He was
instrumental in helping Robert E.
Lee, obtain the position as President of Washington University in
Lexington, Va. Pendleton died on
January 15, 1883 and is buried in
Grace Church Cemetery in Lexington. M AY 2013
News of Note
P AGE 7
M AY 2013
News of Note
P AGE 8
Robert Maffitt, a member of the Brunswick Civil War Round Table, is
the Great Grandson of Captain John Maffitt, a Confederate blockade
runner and captain of the Confederate raider, Florida. M AY 2013
NOTICES
P AGE 9
North Carolina Historical
Society Book Sale
McKee to Hold Class
and Speak
The North Carolina Military Historical
Society is sponsoring a military history book
sale with more than 200 titles available on
Saturday, May 25, from 10:00am to 4:00pm.
The sale will be held at the Air Force Recreation Center on Fort Fisher Blvd. (U.S.
421), which is located 1/2 mile north of the
Fort Fisher Civil War Museum. It is open
and free of charge to the public. Contact:
Dennis Wrynn 910-458-2657
Member Jim McKee will give talks to the
New Bern Civil Round Table on May 8 and
to the Cape Fear Civil War Round Table on
May 9. The topic for both talks will be “Fort
Anderson: Then and Now.” He will also be
showing the latest photos of the west wall of
Fort Anderson visited by the BCWRT in
January. But these photos are the latest,
taken in the last two weeks since the site has
been burned off!
On May 14 he will “Civil War 101” at
Trinity Methodist Church Room 213 from
6:00-9:00 pm. This will be an all encompassing look at the Civil War. It will be an
unusual format in that it will begin with a
Q&A session that will evolve into the program.
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO THE MEMBERSHIP
After two years in establishing the Brunswick Civil War Round Table, the officers and Board (9 members), and the
advisors (3 members) have recently evaluated this organization. The membership should be made aware that certain changes have been decided on as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Basic membership fees for individuals and couples will remain at $25.00 and will not change prior to January
1, 2013, if then.
Students will be welcomed free of charge effective immediately;
A $5.00 admission fee will be charged all guests, effective September 4, 2012.
Subsequently it may be necessary to charge guests a higher fee when there is an especially renowned speaker
or when travel arrangements become more expensive.
The RT has the following stated objectives:
1. To promote knowledge and understanding of the complex Civil War Era through programs, travel, and the
Newsletter;
2. To support the development and preservation of Civil War sites. (This group has adopted Fort Anderson as it
primary site.)
Pursued in various ways, some obvious and some less so, these efforts vary as to the monthly cost of speakers,
venues, programs, and publicity. With this in mind, we propose to establish two categories of elective, tax-free
giving which would secure our finances in light of unknown future changes. The proposed categories reflect our
purposes. One category will be for programs and the other for Historic Site preservation.
The membership may be assured that due diligence is given to all RT finances and other affairs.
M AY 2013
Membership Information
P AGE 10
BRUNSWICK CIVIL
WAR ROUND TABLE
Membership Application and Renewal
The Brunswick Civil War Round Table usually meets on the first Tuesday of each
month, except during July and August. Most meetings will be held in the Southport
area. Specific locations will be announced in advance, either at meetings, in the newsletter, via email, or on our web site. (brunswickcivilwarroundtable.com)
Annual dues are $25.00 for individuals and couples, students are free of charge. Nonmembers pay $5.00 per visit, which can be applied to membership. Please make
checks payable to: B. C. W. R. T. Payments for renewal memberships should be made
on the anniversary of your initial membership. Forms and checks for membership
or renewal can be given to those at the registration desk, at the meetings, or send to:
BCWRT, P. O. Box 10161, Southport, NC. 28461
NAME(S):________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS:_______________________________________________________________
CITY/STATE/ZIP:________________________________________________________
PHONE:_______________________CELL:____________________________________
EMAIL:__________________________________________________________________
If you would like to make a donation to help BCWRT in its historical preservation
work or to assure that we continue to get the best speakers possible please complete
boxes below.
Speakers and programs:
Amount $________
Battlefield preservation:
Amount $________
Recognition may be acknowledged in our communications should you wish.
150 YEARS AG O May 1863
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
May 2– 2nd Pattern National Flag adopted by Confederate States
May 1– Battle of Chancellorsville begins
May 2– Stonewall Jackson’s flank attack at Chancellorsville. Jackson shot 3 times by friendly fire
May 3– 2nd Battle of Fredericksburg and Battle of Salem Church during the Battle of Chancellorsville.
May 6– army of the Potomac retreats across Rapidan River ending Battle of Chancellorsville
May 10– Stonewall Jackson dies at Guinea Station. 2nd Confederate flag first used to be draped on his coffin
May 15– Pemberton ordered by Gen Johnston to break out of Vicksburg. He refuses the order.
May 18– Confederate strategy meetings concerning the “Summer Strategy” ends. This will result in the
Gettysburg Campaign
May 19-22– Union frontal assaults against Vicksburg fail
May 22– Darius Couch offered command of Army of the Potomac. Couch recommends George Meade
May 30– Lee reorganizes the Army of Northern Virginia into three corps.
M AY 2013
Call To Arms
P AGE 11
THE NEXT MEETING IS
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The Brunswick Civil War Round Table 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:
Trinity United Methodist Church
209 E. Nash St.
Southport, NC 28461
Registration is open at 6:30 pm and the program starts at 7:00pm.
2013 BCWRT Officers, Directors and Advisors
Wally Rueckel: President & Director
Rob Clarke: Vice President & Director
Marv Hamer: Vice President & Director
Tom Kehoe: Treasurer & Director
Norm Praet: Secretary & Director
Tom O’Donnell: Director & Advisor
Jack Carpenter: Advisor
Charen Fink: Director
Chuck Roedema: Director
Max Williams: Director
Chris Fonvielle: Advisor
Jim McKee: Advisor
Connie Hendrix: Advisor
Roy Pender: Advisor
Check Us Out on the
Web
The Brunswick Civil War Round Table's website is now up and running. The BCWRT
website can be found under brunswickcivilwarroundtable.com or brunswickcivilwarroundtable.org. All of the information on the website is available to everyone except for the
newsletter - Call to Arms. which is available to members. Your username and password is
required to view the newsletter. Be sure to check out the list of presenters already lined up
for our 2012/2013 year. There is also information on current Round Table sponsored trips
and write-ups on trips already taken. Be sure to check out the Links page for other organizations involved in the Civil War.
Members should have received an email with their login information including username
and password. Everyone's default password is their email address. Junk mail filters will
likely impede the delivery of many of those emails. If you did not receive this e-mail please
check your spam folder first. For the people who did not received the e-mail due to incorrect or no e-mail address provided to the club, please contact Kathy O'Donnell at [email protected].
The website is updated frequently so please keep checking in on us.