tvcwrt.files.wordpress.com€¦ · web view07/07/2018 · tennessee valley civil war round...

Tennessee Valley Civil War Round TableJuly 2018 Newsletter

To Inform and Educate Since 1993Contents

President’s Message …..………. Page 2

Membership Initiatives …………………………….…………. Page 3

Announcements

Mr. Ross Massy takes leads us through the Battle of Nashville ……………..……..………..…….…. Page 3

Forest Defends Mississippi TVCWRT Excursion …………….…..…… Page 4

Ryman Diaries Performance Invitation …………………………. Page 5

Preservation of down town bricks by Former President Carol Codori……………………………………….. Page 6

Board Reports …………………… Page 8

2018 Programs Membership

TVCWRT Features

Nooks and Crannies by Emil PosyA Tale of Two Cities Part 2 …………………………..……….… Page 8

Book Reviews

A Vast Sea of Misery; Gettysburg Field Hospitals by Gregory A. Coco …………………………………….. 4

A Strange and Blighted Land; Gettysburg Aftermath, by Gregory A. Coco

Little RT Report by Arley McCormick Stand Watie ……………………. Page 16

The TVCWRT is a not-for-profit organization providing a forum for non-partisan study, education, and discussions regarding the American Civil War. It also supports the preservation of Civil War battlefields and landmarks. The TVCWRT meets the 2nd Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm, the Elks lodge on Franklin Street Huntsville, Al. TVCWRT will never sell or rent your email address to anyone. Address: P.O. Box 2872 Huntsville, Alabama 35804 Page 1

Little RT Schedule …………… Page 18

Elks Lodge Hosts RT for 13 years

……………………………………... Page 19

Trivia Answer …….……………. 0

President’s Message

Happy 4th of July everyone! The Union forever, hurrah folks, hurrah! This will otherwise be a short note, for this is a holiday, after all. The BOD usually meets the first Thursday of the month, but we realized that it would be wrong to expect a quorum on 5 July, with Independence Day vacations taking place. We'll be back to business in August. We do look forward to this month's speaker, Ross Massey, who will cover the late 1864 Nashville Campaign, waged by General Hood to finally wrest Tennessee's capital from the Federal forces of George Thomas. Ross will focus on the Battle of Nashville, and we will benefit from his deep knowledge of the battle; he wrote the Nashville Battlefield Guide. It is no small challenge to guide visitors through the urban sprawl of Nashville while making sense of a battle almost unrecognizable due to the utterly transformed terrain. Should be good! Remember to plan your October around our field trip into Mississippi, where we will visit a number of battlefields and other sites fought over by Nathan Forrest against several different Federal commanders. Our distinguished John Scales will lead, and the arrangements are first rate. Elsewhere in the newsletter are more details; we opened

The TVCWRT is a not-for-profit organization providing a forum for non-partisan study, education, and discussions regarding the American Civil War. It also supports the preservation of Civil War battlefields and landmarks. The TVCWRT meets the 2nd Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm, the Elks lodge on Franklin Street Huntsville, Al. TVCWRT will never sell or rent your email address to anyone. Address: P.O. Box 2872 Huntsville, Alabama 35804 Page 2

reservations in June and will continue taking names (and cash/checks/cards) in July. You can also register through the website using Paypal. Thanks for your support of the Board of Directors, our programs and preservation efforts this first half-year. Your participation and contributions make it all happen and makes it all worthwhile.

David LadyPresident; Tennessee Valley Civil War Round Table

Which U.S. President hadbeen a Confederate cavalry officer?

Membership; the Round Table’s life blood for the future We are looking to the future. Membership is at its lowest point in 10 years. We can explain it, but any explanation is moot if we cannot provide the quality speakers you deserve. The board brainstormed methodology to raise revenue sufficient to sustain the speaker program and, hopefully, stimulate membership growth. It’s coming soon.

ANNOUNCEMENTS;

Thursday, 12 July; Ross Massy (left) takes us on General Hoods’ journey to defeat at Nashville, Tennessee. He wrote the Nashville Battlefield Guide which he confesses qualifies him as the chief cannonball counter

in Nashville.

LET’S VISIT NICK’s RISTORANTE

The TVCWRT is a not-for-profit organization providing a forum for non-partisan study, education, and discussions regarding the American Civil War. It also supports the preservation of Civil War battlefields and landmarks. The TVCWRT meets the 2nd Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm, the Elks lodge on Franklin Street Huntsville, Al. TVCWRT will never sell or rent your email address to anyone. Address: P.O. Box 2872 Huntsville, Alabama 35804

Nick’s Ristorante remains the #1 steakhouse in North East Alabama and now has the Best Chef in the Valley as voted in The Planet.

John Scales wins the night out at Nick’s.

We Thank,

Homewood Suites by Hilton, (714 Gallatin Street Southwest Huntsville) for their support for the Round Table.

In the event a scheduled meeting must be canceled, visit the website www.tvcwrt.org for a detailed update no later than 3:00 P.M. on the day of the meeting. A cancelation will only be for weather or if the Elks Lodge has an unexpected facility issue that requires closure. The board will not attempt to contact members.

Celebrating the Alabama Bicentennial, the Huntsville/Madison County Historical Society is representing the best of the narratives from the last 46 years of Huntsville Historical Review publications. It can be found on Amazon and the TVCWRT Editor will have copies available for $20 each. The series will be a treasure for anyone interested in the history of North Alabama, the County and the City. https://www.amazon.com/Huntsville-

Historical-Review-Bicentennial-I-ebook/dp/B077RM5FFQ/


Our friend Nick of Nick's Resturante

https://www.amazon.com/Huntsville-Historical-Review-Bicentennial-I-ebook/dp/B077RM5FFQ/

https://www.amazon.com/Huntsville-Historical-Review-Bicentennial-I-ebook/dp/B077RM5FFQ/

http://www.tvcwrt.org/

The per person cost (double occupancy): $170 includes all bus expenses, water on bus, handouts, and breakfast on Sunday. Not included are other drinks at rest stops, lunches Saturday and Sunday, and supper Saturday. Single rooms are $40 extra. Hotel is Wingate by Wyndham in Tupelo, MS. Depart from Space & Rocket Center parking lot 7 a.m. Saturday October 27th, return Sunday around 5 p.m. Sign up began Thursday 14 June. See Beth or Kevin. Visit Gettysburg Battlefield on Line; submitted by David Lady In honor of the 155th anniversary of the four most momentous days of the American Civil War (1-4 July, 1863), the American Battlefield Trust has a developed a wonderful series of live walking tour videos, made on the Gettysburg battlefield and covering all three days of the battle (https://www.battlefields.org/events/155th-gettysburg-live for an explanation). Expert historians including some of the senior licensed Gettysburg Battlefield tour guides, provide a virtual battlefield tour on the Battlefield Trust Facebook Page that you can view on your computers or other devices, (https://www.facebook.com/americanbattlefieldtrust). Quite a


https://www.facebook.com/americanbattlefieldtrust

https://www.battlefields.org/events/155th-gettysburg-live

few episodes of seventeen to nearly forty minutes apiece; if you can take the time, it is well worth it. The Ryman Diaries

Tennessee Stage and Film Com-pany announces the performance schedule for the new company’s two inaugural productions in the Middle Tennessee area. The Ryman Diaries, multi-media historical show featuring seven original songs, tells the story of the romance of one Captain Tom Ryman and Bettie Baugh, a south-ern belle debutante growing up in Franklin with all the advantages of the daughter of the postmas-

ter. Together, they built an empire of 38 paddlewheel boats on the busy Cumberland River, and Ryman, after hearing traveling evangelist Sam Jones, was moved to build Nash-ville’s Union Gospel Tabernacle, later re-named the Ryman Auditorium. Interwoven into the story line of the building of the tabernacle, are also the separate adventures of the pro-tagonists. Ryman, a young boy growing up on the Cumber-land River, became the soul breadwinner for his mother and sisters, and at one point was captured by Union soldiers. While held captive, the enterprising and ambitious young en-trepreneur developed a commercial business with Yankees while a prisoner. Meanwhile, Bettie Baugh became a hero when she helped her mother and sister to escape their cabin during the infamous Battle of Franklin. The romance be-tween Bettie and Captain Tom is a major storyline and is told through acting and song. A cameo appearance by local ac-tors cast in the role of Rev. Sam Jones rounds out the produc-tion, which also features intermittent film story and historical Civil War-era slides. The Ryman Diaries, now in its fourth year of production, has entertained audiences composed of church groups, historical interest groups, and schools, as well as general and tour group audiences. The show has been


1205 East Side Square

performed at church and historical organization fund-raising events. The Ryman Diaries schedule of performances is as follows in the Middle Tennessee area:

August 24-25 STAAR Theatre at Antoinette Hall, Pu-laski, Tennessee.

September 21, 22, 28, 29 Arts Center, Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

October 12-13-14, 4th Story Theatre, West End United Methodist Church, Nashville, Tennessee.

For information regarding the performance, call 615-397-8259 or e-mail [email protected]. Any TVCWRT member desir-ing to organize a group to attend a performance please check with Debby Watts.Preservation Work Is Progressing on Mid-1800’s Sidewalk

Provided by Carol Codori, former President of the TVCWRT

Pop Quiz: What’s this box covering? Where’s it lo-cated in Huntsville? Your Round Ta-ble, in partner-ship with the Huntsville-Madi-son County His-torical Society, is looking forward

to “reveal” hand-made bricks that were laid in the 1800’s. They’re practically invisible now, below street level in down-

town Huntsville. You can find them

at 205 East Side Square, in front of the old Law Library. The lovely tiled-front building itself is being refurbished by new owners--and history buffs too--Attorney and Mrs. Mitchell Howie. They’ve kindly allowed the team to meet inside; they’re open to the possibility of interpretive displays in their lobby in the future.


mailto:[email protected]

RSA Archeologist Ben Hoksbergen examining a clay brick once a part of the sidewalk around the square.

Best estimate is the bricks were made in late-1860 into 1890, so civil war era citi-zens very likely walked upon them. The scratched, foggy, broken covering is over 50 years old and it’s been heavily damaged by weather and wear. But ac-cording to Redstone Arsenal archeologist Ben Hoksbergen, the old bricks at street

level are in amazingly good shape. The coordinator for the project is Past President Carol Codori. She and her team located the original drawings for the box. However, an entirely new structure has been de-signed and approved by the city, to meet modern safety standards. The city awaits delivery of special tempered glass this sum-mer. It will allow for much better viewing. Then the city will help tear down the old box. They will affix new aluminum framing and railings that match the current black metal style on city benches. The team hopes to host a ribbon cutting to “welcome back” the original bricks this fall, or during the State Bicentennial year in 2019. The Huntsville-Madison County Historical Soci-ety is the umbrella for the project, with major financial sup-port and key administrative guidance from Historic Huntsville Foundation. In-kind work is provided by the UAH’s public history pro-gram, city departments of public works and general services, archeology department at Redstone Arsenal, and local de-signers and photographers. The Round Table is considering the sunken sidewalk for selected preservation contributions in 2019. Here’s what some new signage will say: “In the mid-19th century, masons sculpted local clay into these bricks and created this sidewalk. What once served as a humble walkway for farmers, merchants, and pedestrians


now links you to Huntsville’s past and to all those who trod where you are currently standing.” The project is costing nearly $5,000—and much of this al-ready is covered by the partners. Any tax-deductible contri-butions are welcome and still needed for lighting the interior and developing new educational materials. Donations of at least $500 will be recognized by desig-nated names on the final signage. The team anticipates that it will have a bronze metal style, looking much like the mark-ers in front of Constitution Village on Gates Avenue and the Bibb House on Williams Street. Other contributors can be listed in the sunken sidewalk’s future publicity and social me-dia. See early posts on FaceBook at “SOS--Saving our Sidewalk,” with Twitter and Instagram in the works. Contact Carol Codori at 256-293-0075 or [email protected] to contribute via the RT or the Historical Society, or to seek additional de-tails.

Board Reports

Programs; 2018 programs as provided by Acting Programs and Field Trip Coordinator John Scales

Dates Presenter Program

9 Aug; Howard Mann “Alton Military Prison”13 Sep; John Sledge “Alabama in the Civil War”11 Oct; Greg Biggs “Atlanta Campaign Logistics” 8 Nov; Tom Flagel “Gettysburg 50th Reunion” The Membership; submitted by Membership Chair Kevin Rodriguez; As of the end of June our membership stands at 139 and includes families and students.

TVCWRT Features

Nooks and Crannies (formerly The Posey Position)

Emil, the former VP to the TVCWRT, is an avid reader on all subjects related to history and through that independent study has provided us all insight on how interpreting history


mailto:[email protected]

can be applied to the issues of today and yesterday. The in-tent is to generate discussion and understanding that will add one more level to the Round Tables’ focus on education. Emil invites comments and dialog, so don’t hold back. ̶ Edi-tor

A Tale of Two CitiesWhat’s in a Capital City?

(Part 2)

Last month, in the June newsletter, we began with a discus-sion of likely considerations for deciding which city to select to be the initial capital of the Confederacy. We then sur-veyed likely possibilities, narrowing them down to three: Montgomery, Atlanta, and Columbia, South Carolina. Each were centers of strategic industry. manufacturing, and trade; had growing, active populations; and were centrally located in the heartland of the Confederacy, protected by distance from Union incursion and supported by rail and water com-munications. So, how did Montgomery come to be selected? To understand, we must go back to the Fire-Eaters. Seces-sion was an appealing idea throughout the South, but not to everyone. Among its proponents, there was concern that se-cession, to succeed, had to involve at least four states – preferably more. Fewer and the effort might die aborning. And while the several southern states were preparing seces-sion ordnances, some were skittish at the gate when it came to making secession happen. William C. Davis captures it well: “In South Carolina, at the forefront of extremism for more than a generation, Governor William H. Gist decided to be prepared. Yet he feared that his state might act alone and find itself isolated and without support from sister states of the South. Early in October he addressed fellow governors to ask what they felt should be the response to a Lincoln vic-tory, and clearly hinted that he did not want to be the first to secede. The replies came in through the next month and showed more trepidation than unity of resolve. John Ellis frankly admitted North Carolina’s reluctance. From Alabama Andrew B. Moore said his state would go out, but not by it-self. John Pettus suggested that Mississippi would want a council of the Southern states first, in order that all should act in concert. Louisiana’s Thomas O. Moore said the same thing, but then added that he doubted harmony could be


achieved. Georgia would not secede on her own without some overt act of aggression by Lincoln, but Joseph E. Brown added his voice to the call for a convention. Only Milton Perry [having waited until after Lincoln’s election to respond] showed some inclination to adopt a less passive stance. His Florida would not secede on her own, but she would follow South Carolina or any other state. Moreover, he said, ‘if there is sufficient manliness at the South to strike for our rights, honor and safety, in God’s name let it be done before the inauguration of Lincoln.’” [“A Government of Our Own”: The Making of the Confederacy, William C. Davis, New York: The Free Press, 1994, pg. 7.] Strong words and thought, reined by hesitation. How to move things forward? And where? Charleston seemed likely as a spring board from the Democratic National Convention back in April, but politically was it the ideal choice? Would a centralized location be better – a location that would be con-venient to the traveling delegations yet support the same po-litical fire? Montgomery fit the bill. It was in the center of the nascent Confederacy (which, recall, at this point con-sisted only of the southern tier of states) and with the likes of William Yancey was virtually South Carolina’s sister in the Fire-Eaters’ desire for action. The South Carolina secession convention in December 1860 recommended a meeting of Southern states take place in Montgomery prior to Lincoln’s inauguration (scheduled for March 4). They elected commissioners to go to the other Southern states in January 1861 to encourage them to adopt their respective secession ordnances and to attend the pro-posed multi-state convention. When Alabama passed its or-dinance of secession, there was a resolution officially inviting the other states to meet on February 4 in Montgomery. Things were moving forward.

A convention on secession was called by South Carolina. It sent out the initial invita-tion and fixed the topic. Alabama’s accep-tance fixed the time and place. The conven-tion began in Montgomery at noon on Friday, February 4, 1861, with delegates from the six states that had passed secession ordnances convening in the Alabama statehouse. (Texas, which awaited its referendum, was

not involved in the early deliberations.) The delegates had


Alabama Statehouse

http://exploringmontgomery.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2016/02/Old-Capitol.png%00%E5%A1%B9%EF%92%81%E1%B4%BB%E4%A1%BF%E2%B2%AF%E5%B6%82%E8%97%84%E6%8C%A7%00%00%EA%AE%A5

been chosen largely by the state conventions. A distin-guished group of southern leaders, many ardent secession-ists had been passed over in favor of more moderate men. After electing Howell Cobb* as permanent president of the convention and a few other officials needed to run the con-vention, they needed to develop a set of rules for the con-vention. Alexander Stevens of Georgia (to his dismay) was assigned this task.** Given his ten years of United States Congressional experience, he chose the US House Rules as his model. He turned in his draft the following day, entitled “Government of this Congress, Rules for the Government of this Congress”. Up to this point this had been a convention; now it was a congress. The rules were adopted that day (February 5), followed quickly by a motion to form a commit-tee to frame a provisional government. This is what a con-gress would do, not a mere convention. Work proceeded over the next few days, and on February 10 a Provisional Constitution was approved, and on February 18 Jefferson Davis of Mississippi was sworn in as the first Provisional Pres-ident at the statehouse in Montgomery. * Thomas Howell Cobb had been the Governor of Georgia (1851-1853), a five-term member of the US House of Representatives from Georgia (1843-1857), during which time he served as Speaker of the House (Dec 1849 – Mar 1851), and Secretary of the Treasury 1857-1860. He later served as the President of the Provi-sional Congress of the Confederate States (Feb 1861 – Feb 1862)

** Alexander Stevens would go on to be the first and only Vice President of the Confederacy, sworn in at the state-house in Montgomery on February 11, with a tenure that ultimately would be eight days longer than President Jef-ferson Davis’.

Thus, Montgomery became the first, provisional capital of the new Confederate States of America. (It’s interesting to note that while this was going on, the Virginia state legislature had convened the Washington Conference Convention, meant to draft and propose one or more amendments to the US Constitution to save the Union and avert secession.) So, we have Montgomery the capital of the provisional gov-ernment of the Confederacy out of political utility. Why didn’t it stay the capital? As described by Michael C. Hardy, “There were many sites vying to become the permanent capital of the Confederacy.


In March [1861], the Alabama General Assembly proposed giving the Confederacy a ten-mile square piece of property near Montgomery for the capital. One editor from New Or-leans believed the area should be christened the “District of Davis” and be an independent district. He believed that it would take six years to construct the necessary infrastruc-ture for the new capital complex. Huntsville was deemed a “formidable rival” to the Montgomery location, as were Tuscaloosa, Selma, Shelby Spring, and Spring Hill (all in Al-abama). Tuscaloosa went so far as to send a delegation to Montgomery, offering to the Confederate government the buildings that once housed the Alabama capital. Atlanta was advanced more than once, and also in the mix were Nashville and Memphis in Tennessee; Pendleton, South Carolina; as well as Alexandria, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. On April 27, John Janney, president of Virginia’s secession convention, sent Davis a copy of a reso-lution, inviting Davis and the “constituted authorities of the Confederacy” “to make Richmond…the seat of the Govern-ment of the Confederacy.” Several resolutions were made in the provisional Congress to accept Virginia’s offer, culminat-ing in the Congress voting on May 21 to accept the move (and appropriated some $40,000 to cover the cost of the move. With that, Congress adjourned, and the delegates boarded trains or steamboats and headed out of town. [The Capitals of the Confederacy: A History, Michael C. Hardy, Charleston: The History Press, 2015, Chapter 1, Kindle Edi-tion.] Richmond was an enticement to Virginia to join the Confed-eracy. Mississippi’s Jefferson Davis, seen by many as a mod-erate, was selected as the Provisional President of the Con-

federacy at least in part in hopes that he could coax borders states, principally Virginia, into the new CSA. The so-called “Cotton States” had been the first to leave the Union, and they maintained that a “Cotton Confederacy” should have its capital there, but Richmond seemed better suited to the task.


https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjZgJudvbbbAhUmxVkKHTpCDYYQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/405886985158825480/&psig=AOvVaw0tMsdy0kxDav3erjXNg23-&ust=1528080339602473%00%E5%A1%B9%EF%92%81%E1%B4%BB%E4%A1%BF%E2%B2%AF%E5%B6%82%E8%97%84%E6%8C%A7%00%00%EA%AE%A5

Tredegar Iron Works

Richmond’s population in 1860 was 38,000 (third largest city in the Confederacy, and Virginia would be its largest state), over 60% of which was white. It was well serviced by rail-roads (although they were gapped in the city, and connec-tions to the south and southwest were of a different gauge) and had good access to the Atlantic Ocean via the James River (which, of course, would be blocked from the get go by Union forces in Newport News and Hampton Roads). It had plenty of commercial accommodations, plus the heritage of the Founding Fathers. It was a center for industry and busi-ness, including the second largest slave market on the conti-nent and the world’s largest flour mills. Richmond was far larger than Montgomery and could provide whatever accom-modations the national capital needed. Moreover, if Virginia or Maryland was going to be the site of the main military action, then Rich-mond was a better place to direct that confronta-tion. * At this point, the Civil War had started (Ft. Sumter, April 11), and both sides were mobilizing. While few, if any, contemplated the scope and dreadfulness of what lay in front of them, those in Montgomery – President Davis in the forefront – were aware that serious military action was forth-coming. When Virginia joined the Confederacy, its border moved to the gates of Washington, DC and to the Ohio River to the west (with, of course, the West Virginia kerfuffle to come). Northern Virginia would become a battleground. Richmond was one of the (if not “the”) leading industrial cen-ters in the South, with impressive strategic manufacturing fa-cilities such as the Richmond Armory, the Tredegar Foundry/Iron Works (the foremost cannon manufacturer in the South), the Richmond Naval Ordnance Works, and the nearby Peters-burg Iron Works, Tappey & Lumsden, and Bellona Arsenal. This resource would be critical to the war effort and had to be protected. As John Marszalek has observed, “It might be argued that, based on strictly military considerations, the Confederacy would have been wiser to have stayed in Mont-gomery or some other interior location. However, the Confed-eracy had little real choice but to unite its political and indus-trial capitals. Richmond was that place. Montgomery was not.”* With Virginia expected to be the decisive theater, Richmond also facilitated a forward defense posture and lent itself to President


https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiczMbYvbbbAhWswVkKHSJ6Bx4QjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tredegar_Iron_Works&psig=AOvVaw2VADYygWQe-EPo-LACxSG6&ust=1528080508141544%00%E5%A1%B9%EF%92%81%E1%B4%BB%E4%A1%BF%E2%B2%AF%E5%B6%82%E8%97%84%E6%8C%A7%00%00%EA%AE%A5

Davis’ “defend everywhere“ strategy and his micro-management style of military operations. More about this in a future article.

Atlanta was the strongest rival to Richmond as the choice for a permanent national capital. It was centrally located and less vulnerable than most cities. It was in the heart of Geor-gia’s strong industrial and agriculture region and had a rail network to support it. As opined by Greg Biggs, being more central to the nation, and particularly with its location at the southeast base of the Appalachian Mountains, it would have mitigated the Eastern-centric orientation driven by locating the capital in Richmond in favor of a more wholistic strategic view vis-à-vis the Western Theater (particularly the Nashville-Chattanooga axis). Be that as it may, Richmond was the prize. As Howell Cobb explained to a crowd in Atlanta that May, “If you wish to know why the Government was removed to Richmond, I can say, circumstances have arisen that have rendered it proper. We have received the Old Dominion into our Confederacy. Her soil will, perhaps, be the battle ground of this struggle. Her enemies are gathered around her to force her into subjection to their foul dictates. We felt it our duty to be at the seat of war. We wanted to let Virginia know that whatever threats or dangers were presented to her, filled our hearts with sympathy for her, which we are willing to exhibit, to show that there was not a man in the Confeder-acy who was afraid to be at his post on Virginia soil. We also wanted to be near our brave boys, so that when we threw off the badge of Legislators, we might take up arms and share with them the fortunes of war. We felt the cause of Virginia to be the cause of us all. If she falls, we shall all fall; and we were willing to be at the spot to be among the first victims. We are ready to say to Lincoln, when he attempts to put his foot on Virginia soil, ‘Thus far shalt thou come, no farther.’” [Richmond Dispatch, May 30, 1861] So, it was not by happenstance that Montgomery and Rich-mond came to be capitals of the Confederacy. Meeting cer-tain characteristics was important, but not deciding. They became capitals because they fit the political dynamic — po-litical utility, as it were. The Fire Eaters at the Democratic National Convention in Charleston were determined the South should secede, but it had to be a multi-state move. They conceived a convention to galvanize action and dan-gled Montgomery as the location as a way to garner momen-


tum. Once convened – while the iron was hot – they moved immediately to form a government. Viola! Montgomery be-comes the first, provisional capital. But they needed to strengthen the Confederacy by bringing in more states, and the prize was Virginia. Once it voted to secede, they moved to cement the relationship — there was to be no turning back. Viola! Richmond is made the permanent capital of the Confederacy. Like all good real estate decisions, it came down to “location, location, location”. Charleston provided the spark for the Confederate States of America, Mont-gomery was its birthplace, and Richmond its shield. Game on!

*****Postscript: In his book The Capitals of the Confederacy, Michael Hardy speaks to three other Confederate capitals — Danville, Virginia (April 3-10, 1865), Greensboro, North Car-olina (April 14-15, 1865), and Charlotte, North Carolina (April 19-26, 1865). He refers to them as such because President Davis and what was left of his government conducted busi-ness in each after having evacuated Richmond. That is a reach. They were on the run, soon to be captured, so these three cities were more refuges or waystations than capital cities per se.

Many thanks to Greg Biggs, David Lady, John Mason, and Mike Coker for their valuable guidance and editorial support. --Emil

Book Reviews;

A Vast Sea of Misery, A History and Guide to the Union and Confederate Field Hospitals at Gettysburg, July 1 – November 20, 1863, by Gregory A. Coco, El Dorado Hills: Savas Beatie LLC, 2017; and A Strange and Blighted Land, Gettysburg, The Aftermath of a Battle, by Gregory A. Coco, El Dorado Hills: Savas


Beatie LLC, 2017; a Tennessee Valley Civil War Round Table Review by Emil L. Posey

Gregory Ashton Coco (May 4, 1946 – February 11, 2009) was a student of and a prolific writer on the Civil War. In these two volumes (each a 2017 reprint by Savas Beattie of the originals), Greg gives us an enlightening tour of too often-neglected aspects of the Battle of Gettysburg – battlefield medical care (Union and Confederate) and the aftermath of the battle. The Civil War was the bloodiest war in the history of the United States. Two percent of the population at the time (approximately 620,000) died during the conflict. These numbers may actually be an underestimate of the death toll, given that much of the data regarding deaths of Confederate soldiers was destroyed when Richmond burned on April 2, 1865. More recent estimates based on comparative census data put the figure closer to 752,000. In any event, more Americans died in the Civil War than in all other US wars combined. The Civil War left about 1 in 10 able-bodied Union soldiers dead or incapacitated, versus 1 in 4 in the Confederate Army. Countless soldiers were left disabled in one way or another. Amputations were prolific. The year after the war ended, the state of Mississippi spent 20% of its annual budget on artificial limbs for its veterans. We don’t have accurate figures on what today we call post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), so one can only presume its extent and the lingering suffering it caused. At Gettysburg, alone, casualties totaled 23,049 for the Union (3,155 dead, 14,529 wounded, 5,365 missing). Confederate casualties were 28,063 (3,903 dead, 18,735 injured, and 5,425 missing), more than a third of Lee's army. This era is often referred to in a negative way as the Middle Ages of medicine in the United States. Physicians were practicing in an era before the germ theory of disease was established, before sterile technique and antisepsis were known, with very few effective medications, and often operating 48 to 72 hours with no sleep. Layer that on something over 33,000 injured in three days of hard fighting, and you can begin to imagine the scope of what Mr. Coco covers in these two books.


Based upon years of firsthand research, Greg’s A Vast Sea of Misery introduces us to 160 “field hospitals”. He uses the term broadly, applying it to the complete network of field aid stations and anywhere else that casualties were collected for medical treatment – the full gamut of what today is known as a combat service support system: battlefield medical care. His is an exhaustive treatment, describing each site by name and location, often supplemented with recollections and first-hand accounts to provide context and flavor. With his maps and inventory of sites, one could spend days at the battlefield studying this aspect of the battle alone. In the book’s one appendix, Greg, himself a National Park Service Ranger and a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg, provides a concise history of how battlefield guides came to be an organized and certified service at Gettysburg. In the companion book, A Strange and Blighted Land, Greg deals with the death and destruction that littered the landscape after the battle. He discusses how the dead and wounded were handled, how prisoners were handled, and the fate of the thousands of stragglers and deserters left behind once the armies departed. Along the way he describes how and why the Gettysburg National Cemetery and the Gettysburg National Military Park were established. These are not easy reads, but they are interesting books and necessary for anyone who wants to be well-informed about the American Civil War or even about war in general. A wealth of information in each, Greg did us a great service in writing them, as did Savas Beatie for re-issuing them for today’s audiences. For an awareness skim-through or a deep dive, these books will serve you well. Enjoy! PS, if you are interested in delving more deeply into either of these topics, let me suggest Retreat from Gettysburg: Lee, Logistics, and the Pennsylvania Campaign (Kent Masterson Brown) and Ruin Nation: Destruction and the American Civil War (Megan Kate Nelson). Reviews of both books are available on our website (www.tvcwrt.org). Your reviewer is Emil L. Posey, former Vice President of the TVCWRT, now continuing to support by being part of the Stage Crew. His work history spans almost 45 years of military and civilian service to our country. He retired from NASA/George C. Marshall Space Flight Center on December 27, 2014. He has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Hood College, Frederick, Maryland; is a former president of the Huntsville chapter of the National Contract Management Association and is a life


member of the Special Forces Association. He is also a member of Elks Lodge 1648 (Huntsville, AL) and the Tennessee Valley Genealogical Society. He is a dedicated bibliophile and is a (very) armchair political analyst and military enthusiast.

Little Round Table Report May 24, 2018: The Little Round Table, organized initially by John Allen, former President of the TVCWRT and currently led by David Lady, President of TVCWRT and Little Round Table lead

On June 28, LRT Report; by Arley McCormick

Who was Degadoga or Stand Watie? Degadoga was born on December 12, 1806, near New Echota in the Cherokee Nation, east of present day Gordon County, Georgia. He was 5ft 8in tall with solid, strong, athletic, frame, and smart. He adapted to the demands of military leadership and command quickly and was feared by every Union officer that expected to face him. His given name was Degadoga, meaning "he stands," and he didn’t speak English till he was 12 years old. He was a Christian baptized into the Moravian Church as Isaac S. Watie, but later dropped Isaac and combined his Cherokee and Christian names into Stand Watie. He was the son of a full-blood Cherokee and his mother was half-blood. Ironically, his Cherokee nemesis was John Ross, a one-eight Cherokee, who in addition to being the Tribal Chief was the leader of a political group of full blood Cherokee referred to as the Treaty party or the PINS. The PINS wanted to make a treaty with the United States to end the continuous confrontation with Georgia white squatters that migrated onto Cherokee land intending to displace the Cherokee. Stand Watie, recognizing it was fruitless to make treaties with the U.S. Government, pleaded to sell Cherokee land and move to Indian Territory. Stand Watie, with his older brother Elias Boudinot, an uncle Major Ridge, and his cousin John Ridge formed a powerful Ridge-Watie-Boudinot were the leaders of the faction in Cherokee politics that ultimately led to the division between the union leaning Ross (full bloods or PINS) and southern leaning Watie contingent. The PINS eventually murdered Watie’s brother, uncle, and cousin, and he narrowly escaped


as he killed his assailant. He stood trial in Arkansas and was found innocent after pleading self-defense. Stand Watie’s college education in a college in Tennessee led him to become a clerk to the Cherokee Supreme Court. He also exercised his business potential by raising tobacco and eventually cotton on his own plantation where he employed slaves. In 1835 Stand Watie and his political party took advantage of John Ross and other leaders of the Treaty Party’s absence in Washington D.C., negotiating a treaty with the Federal Government, holding a council pining for the Treaty of New Echota that would result in trading the Cherokee land for $5.5 million, and in return the tribe would move west to Indian Territory, what is now Oklahoma, to start a new life. It led to the Trail of Tears. In the absence of John Ross, the Cherokee chief, the treaty was agreed upon and representatives of the Federal Government presented it to Congress who were unmoved that John Ross had been absent from the proceedings. In March 1836 the Treaty of New Echota was approved, and the Cherokee were removed from the Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. The treaty divided the Cherokee Nation. Add the border incursions resulting from the Kansas-Nebraska act in 1854, and the animosity between other tribes in the West to the intrusion by the Cherokee and other civilized tribes, life was a struggle to stay alive and raise a family. As the political differences became more pronounced and slavery became a major platform dividing the nation, the slave holding Cherokee easily leaned toward the south. Ross’s Treaty party if not siding with the North wanted to remain neutral in the struggle. It was impossible for many to consider neutrality because as the Union began to dissolve and troops were needed, particularly after Fort Sumpter, the Union troops in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri were pulled out to the east. The vacuum was filled by Redlegs, Boarder Ruffians, plains Indians particularly the Comanche, Kiowa and Sioux. In early 1861, every Indian agent in the Territory had southern sympathy and actively began recruiting Indians for the CSA. Watie would personally be responsible for raising a Regiment of Cherokee and by 1864 every able-bodied


Cherokee male of military age was either serving the Union forces as Indian Home Guard or southern units as cavalry. Watie began scouting and raiding in 1861. By the end of the year he was a household word in the Indian Territory. Portions of his command joined the battle of Wilson’s Creek, in Missouri, where the first Cherokee would die on the battlefield, and his troops would continue the duties of tracking union forces in Northeast Oklahoma, Southwest Missouri, and Northeast Arkansas. His first major loss was at the first battle of Cabin Creek where he attempted to capture a Union resupply train. He was outmanned, outgunned, and out maneuvered, but he learned from that experience and was more successful in every other contested battlefield. He learned when to attack, when to withdraw to fight another day, and most of all he learned to employ a combined arms force using the terrain to effectively use infantry; sometimes his cavalry dismounted, and his cavalry were employed on the flanks, enveloping the rear of the enemy, and the use his meager artillery to the best advantage. There are three events that stand out to historians that define the fighting prowess of Stand Watie. The capture of a Union artillery position at the Battle of Pea Ridge (unfortunately he had to endure the ire of the Union press when one of his Indians scalped a Union soldier), the capture of a large paddle wheeler on the Arkansas River resupplying Union soldiers at Fort Gibson, and the return to Cabin Creek to steal a huge Union wagon train and transport the goods under duress across three rivers and into the hands of Confederate Quartermasters. While historians whisk over his raiding effort, Watie took part in approximately 15 Battalion to Regimental level battles, countlessly encountered Union cavalry, and was nearly always outgunned, less equipped, and underfed. Yet, his Cherokee regiment could be counted upon to execute their orders while other Indian formations for either side were chastised in official reports for failure to obey orders, ill-discipline, and propensity to avoid standing up in a fight, preferring to hide behind rocks, trees, or other havens. The engagements involving routine scouting and raiding that kept the Union forces north of the Arkansas River and unable to mount a serious campaign into Texas possessed all the drama of large scale battles. In the end, he would


probably be lost to history if, after Robert E. Lee surrendered in April at Appomattox, the news had not traveled so slowly to the west. A month later Stand Watie was organizing a raid into Kansas to relieve Union-held Fort Scott of its quartermaster stores when other leaders began disbanding their troops and sending them home or meeting with Union representatives for terms similar to those accepted for Lee’s surrender. Finally, in June, Stand Watie, the only remaining General of the Confederacy, surrendered. That is his spot in history, but to the Cherokee Nation he is soldier and hero that saved Indian Territory from the Union in war only to lose it in peace. Laudatory remarks were published in newspapers upon his death in all the states he roamed, almost at will, during the war. Stand Watie died in 1871 after beginning anew as a farmer, cattleman, and broker. He had become a consulting politician, but the war years had taken a toll on his body. He was preceded in death by his two sons who had served honorably in his regiment during the war and resumed civilian life. Soon after his death his two daughters died while in school in Arkansas and Oklahoma about two weeks apart. Watie died on his daughter’s farm alone while tending to the crops. His wife out lived the family dyeing in 1882.

TVCWRT Little Round Table Discussion Schedule, 2018The Civil War west of the Mississippi river, 1861-62, a seven-part series

26 July_ Ed Kennedy: Missouri Campaign 4- Battle of Pea Ridge and March to seize Helena, Arkansas.23 August_ Larry Bayer: Missouri Campaign 5- Battle of Prairie Grove.27 September_ Fred Forst: New Mexico Campaign and the Battle of Glorieta Pass.25 October _John Allen: The Sioux Indian War in Minnesota, 1862.13 December_ Mark Hubbs: Technology and the War; The most important new weapons of the American Civil War.


Thank You! Dr. Davis for another stirring presentation and this time on the defense of General Hood during the Atlanta Campaign. Peach Tree Creek to the Surrender. On the left Dr. Davis receives a Certificate and a copy of the TVCWRT book addressing Civil War Generals with a North Alabama connection. To the right Dr. Davis addressing the Round Table expressing his appreciation for the gratuities.

Ms. Jan Abbot speaks to the TVCWRT membership at left representing the Elks Lodge director Buzz Byron and receives a certificate of appreciation from the President, David Lady and Carol Codori joining them on right for a night of thanks and appreciation.

Elks Lodge 1648 Hosts the RT for Thirteen Years and Counting

On May 10, we celebrated the RT's 25th Anniversary, and we've been meeting at the Elks for over half of those years! Carol Codori, past RT president and Elks member, thanked Elks representative George Mahoney, on behalf of our founders and entire membership. George's dad was the original Exalted Ruler at this Elks Lodge, so recognizing him was especially meaningful to Carol. George was instrumental in bringing us to our meeting home in 2005. He also served for many years on the


RT board as our sergeant-at-arms--our liaison to the Elks for all things administrative. During these thirteen years, we've held scores of board meetings, committee meetings, Regular meetings, and Little Round Table meetings. Each time, we've benefitted by the support of Elks officers and managers. Let's not forget the timely set-up services and the gracious food and beverage hosting by our skillful Elks staff. The second Thursday chicken buffet is a delicious favorite among our members. But truth be told, the hearty Elks burger might even win first place! While the RT can't begin to repay the Elks' generosity for our "use of the hall," we honor their work and participate in several ways. To name a few, our members have:

--welcomed many Elks to all our own events--engaged partnerships between Elks and local veterans--recommended new Elks members--donated funds to improve their sound system--contributed books and media to their free library--written notes for their monthly calendar and newsletter--added items to their lobby bulletin board--worked on clean-up crews for interiors and grounds--planted and maintained annual outdoor flowersand just for fun...--played (at) golf in their annual charity events.

Thanks again to everyone who attended our 25th anniversary celebration on May 10. We encourage you to also join the Elks if desired, to support their important scholarships and veteran’s activities. They especially welcome the RT as new members. When you next attend the RT, please share your appreciation to staff of Elks Lodge 1648, for many productive past and future years at 725 Franklin St., Huntsville, AL.

Which President had been a Confederate Cavalry Officer?


1951 Movie “Cavalry Charge” Staring President Ronald Reagan.

The TVCWRT Board of Directors

David Lady, President Johnathan Creekmore, Secretary and Website ManagerJohn Scales, Former President, Field Trip Coordinator Edwin “Ed” Kennedy, Communications OfficerBeth Altenkirch, TreasurerLee Hattabaugh, Deputy TreasurerRobert Hennessee, Preservation OfficerKevin Rodriguez, Membership OfficerArley McCormick, Newsletter Editor

ADVISORSJohn A. Allen, Former PresidentCarol Codori, Former PresidentJohn Mason, Former PresidentKent Wright, Former Programs OfficerMark Hubbs, Former Preservation Officer and co-founderApril Harris, Academic Outreach Advisor

STAGE CREWEmil Posey, Former Vice PresidentMike SosebeeLin Turner


tvcwrt.files.wordpress.com€¦ · web view07/07/2018 · tennessee valley civil war round...

Documents