News Briefs from the April issue of Civil War News

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According to Round Table president Garry Hollands Worcester County was a major source of soldiers who answered President Lincoln’s call for volunteers to put down the rebellion and preserve the union in those early war years.

The 21st Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, an existing Massachusetts Militia unit, was mustered into federal service in August 1861. It trained at Camp Lincoln, the previous site of the fair grounds, site of today’s Elm Park.

In September 1861 the 25th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment also trained at Camp Lincoln. In 1862 additional regiments trained there, including the 34th and 36th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry regiments. The city also helped the war effort with its industrial strength.

Hollands said the Worcester trainees suffered from inclement weather, tough training, forced marches, poor diet, disease and battle. Of the 5,205 men who trained at Camp Lincoln 1,079 died.

The dedication program will include historian Ronald Borjeson giving an account of Worcester’s role in the Civil War and a keynote address by Holy Cross History Professor John B. Anderson.

S.C. Confederate Museum Hosts Photography Exhibit
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Robert E. Lee in the uniform he wore while surrendering at Appomattox. Abraham Lincoln’s last formal photo session in the White House. The moment when the Lincoln assassination plotters were executed. 

These images – and more than 50 other iconic photographs of the Civil War – will be displayed at the S.C Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum through June 28.

The exhibit is the first South Carolina appearance for “Civil War Photographs from the David L. Hack Collection,” the traveling exhibit organized by the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Va.

“The images in this collection are stark, human and unforgettable and will be of great interest to both the military history enthusiast and the general public,” said museum Director Allen Roberson.

They range from portraits of Gen. George Armstrong Custer and Confederate spy Rose O'Neal Greenhow and her daughter to battle front scenes and studio shots of soldiers and their tattered flags. The exhibit also explains the technical processes used by photographers working in the North and South. 

The Chrysler exhibit is supplemented with a few examples from South Carolina photographers that are from the Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum’s collection or borrowed from the South Caroliniana Library. 

Also on exhibit is “Civil War Redux: Pinhole Photographs by Willie Anne Wright,” which features photographs depicting Civil War reenactors using the primitive pinhole photography process. Using this technique, Wright documented scenes similar to those familiar to Civil War-era photographers.

For information call (803) 737-8095 or go to www.crr.sc.gov

Joining Gordon Rhea, Clark “Bud” Hall and Greg Mertz will be guest historians Rhode Island Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank Williams, Chairman of the Lincoln Forum, and Dr. John Y. Simon, the executive director and managing editor of the Ulysses S. Grant Association.

The weekend will include presentations with guest speakers, battlefield tours with noted historians, reception at Ellwood with special tour of newly restored Warren’s Headquarters, an optional evening program at Guinea Station commemorating Gen. Stonewall Jackson’s last night and the annual dinner and auction as well as other meals and transportation. All proceeds will benefit the Ellwood Restoration Project.

The programs will offer a thorough examination of the influencing politics, personalities and subsequent planning, on both sides of the Rapidan, during the winter encampments of 1864, followed by investigation of the complexities of leadership and the resulting successes or failures.

By 1864, it was an election year for the Lincoln Administration and public support for war was waning in both North and South. The placement of Lt. Gen. U.S. Grant as military commander of "all the armies of the United States" and his implementation of Lincoln’s overall political dictates will be considered along with Lincoln’s role as both a candidate for reelection and commander-in-chief. 

The Winter Encampment of 1864 and horrific battle of the Wilderness set the tone for the Overland Campaign and the beginning of the end at Appomattox.

Reservations for the conference are limited. Check the FoWB Web site www.fowb.org for updates, fees and reservation information.

Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association (TCWPA) President and State Representative Steve McDaniel said,  ”We hope this new plate will help promote Tennessee as the site of more than 1,600 battles during this tragic war and the need today to preserve this hallowed ground.”

As soon as 1,000 license plates are ordered they will be produced. Proceeds will go to TCWPA for preservation of Tennessee’s endangered Civil War battlefields. TCWPA is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of Tennessee’s Civil War battlefield sites.

TCWPA’s Vice President Col. James W. Danley, U.S. Army (Ret.) looked forward to vehicles across Tennessee displaying a license plate  “that not only honors the sacrifices of American soldiers wearing both blue and gray, but helps preserve the hallowed ground where they so gallantly fought.”

The Civil War Sesquicentennial license plate can be ordered from TCWPA’s Web site, www.tcwpa.org. Information is also available by e-mail at tcwapcontact@aol.com or TCWPA, P.O. Box 148535, Nashville, TN  37214.

Fort Mulligan Fundraiser Needs Reenactors
PETERSBURG, W.Va. — Reenactors and living historians are needed for a May 31st weekend fundraising encampment at Fort Mulligan. The Civil War Preservation Trust owns the site, which local groups help maintain and interpret. Mowing alone costs $3,000-$5,000 a year.

The Union fort was built from August to December 1863 by troops from the 54th Pennsylvania, 1st West Virginia and the 23rd Illinois Infantries under the command of Col. James Mulligan and other troops from Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

For information contact Fort Mulligan Day c/o Fort Hill Motel, HC 59 Box 99, Petersburg, WV 26847 or go to www.forthillmotel.com

Support Asked For Manhattan Memorial
NEW YORK, N.Y. — The Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Association seeks support for restoration of the city’s memorial to Civil War soldiers through letters to Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Charles Rangel, asking them to support appropriations requested by the Riverside Park Fund.

At the annual Memorial Day ceremony the ribbon will be cut for $1.1 million restoration of the South Plaza of the monument which is on Riverside Drive at 89th Street.

Funds are needed to repair the memorial itself, a 96-foot-high domed structure with 12 Corinthian columns that has fissures in the marble and granite, broken steps, graffiti and other damage.

It is considered the sister memorial of the General Grant National Memorial. A Walk of Remembrance to that memorial will follow the ceremony.

Park Day Is April 5
WASHNGTON, D.C. — The Civil War Preservation Trust and the History Channel are again sponsoring Park Day on April 5, when volunteers throughout the country clean and repair the grounds at over 100 Civil War sites.

This is the 11th year for the project which saw some 4,000 volunteers donated more than 12,000 hours of service last year. The work ranges from trash pickup and trail renovation to tree planting, stream restoration and minor repairs.

For a list of participating sites and contact information visit www.civilwar.org/parkday. Volunteers will receive a T-shirt.

Lewisburg Event In May To Focus On Blacks In War
LEWISBURG, W.Va. — “The Black Experience During the Civil War” is the theme for this year’s seventh Battle of Lewisburg from May 16-18. It will be held on the grounds of New River Community & Technical College. The Battle of Lewisburg took place on May 22, 1862, in downtown Lewisburg.

The 146th anniversary weekend will feature a number of speakers on the black experience theme. Michael Crutcher will give an evening portrayal of Frederick Douglass at John Wesley Methodist Church and presentations and scenarios during the weekend. As Douglass, he and Lincoln will recreate their first meeting at the White House.

Joyce Bailey, a member of FREED (Female Reenactors of Distinction), who are affiliated with the African American Civil War Memorial & Museum in Washington, will portray Elizabeth Keckley at the ladies tea. She will speak about on her life in the White House as Mary Todd Lincoln's seamstress and confidante.

United States Colored Troops from the Ohio 5th USCT regiment will participate at the reenactment with women members depicting civilian camp life as they followed the troops in battle.

Additional programs include two black women period educators, a period black church sermon, a talk on black Freemasonry, presentations by Union and Confederate generals, and interactive stations, including field hospital, medical tent and embalmer.

Co. G, 5th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment, the Longstreet Brigade, is the weekend’s military host. Military activities include a Saturday skirmish at 4 p.m., Sunday downtown battle of Lewisburg at 2 p.m., weapons firing and camp activities.

Last year’s Escape from Lewisburg, crossing enemy lines during the night, will be repeated, as will a vignette from the Living History Village at Gettysburg with night surgery by candlelight on soldiers and civilians after the Escape scenario.

For the first time a field hospital and medical museum will be set up at the old library, which was used as a hospital after the battle.

For information go to www.battleoflewisburg.org

Gettysburg Bridge Work Closes Avenue
GETTYSBURG, Pa. — The section of Reynolds Avenue north of U.S. Route 30, on Gettysburg National Military Park is closed for approximately two months for bridge repairs. According to the National Park Service the late 1950s bridge over railroad tracks is bring rebuilt.

The closure and detours also affect Buford Avenue and Doubleday Avenue, which will be closed except for local traffic. A signed detour route for park visitors from the intersection of U.S. 30 and Reynolds Avenue follows 30 West to Herr’s Ridge Road North and Mummasburg Road South to the Eternal Light Peace Memorial.

The return detour for the auto tour route will be Mummasburg Road North to Herr’s Ridge Road South, to 30 East to Seminary Avenue.

The project is part of a $ 2.2 million roads project on the Gettysburg battlefield. The Federal Lands Highway Program has funded the repaving project on 19 historic park roads and the repair of the Reynolds Avenue bridge.

Laurel Hill Approved For National Register
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A commission of the State Historic Preservation Office, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, recently approved the nomination of Laurel Hill Battlefield in Belington to the National Register of Historic Places.

Laurel Hill, which saw action from July 7-11, 1861, prevented Confederate capture of the railroads and allowed officials to freely travel to Wheeling where they hammered out creation of the state of West Virginia two months later.

According to Lynne Snyder of the Laurel Hill Reenactment Foundation, the Battle of Laurel Hill is known as the longest battle of the Tygart Valley Campaign, which included Grafton, Philippi, Laurel Hill, Rich Mountain and Corrick’s Ford.

George McClellan was seen as a hero after the campaign and Robert S. Garnett, C.S.A., became the first general to die in the war, at Corrick’s Ford.

For more information about the foundation and its plans for a Laurel Hill visitor center see the fundraising directory in this issue.

Dave Cornett Follows Maupin A Longstreet's Corp Leader
By Tony Zusman - Adjutant
After almost 25 years in reenacting, Maj. Gen. James Maupin bid a memory-filled good-bye to his old command, Longstreet’s Corps. Col. Dave Cornett succeeds him.

Maupin assumed command of Longstreet’s after the death of longtime commander Charles Hillsman in 2001. Almost from the start he continued the work Hillsman had started in commanding some of the large events in the Eastern Theater.

Maupin commanded the Confederate forces at 140th Antietam and 140th Gettysburg. His command has been a regular part of the success of the annual event at Gettysburg.

Addressing Longstreet’s men for one last time, Maupin remembered times in command both good and bad. He stated he always felt that he was a “bridge” between the old Corps and the future. During his time in command Longstreet’s saw steady growth and ushered in a change in its organizational makeup.

Maupin had taken a “furlough” from his duties after the 144th Gettysburg event in July. Temporary command of Longstreet’s Corps was given to Infantry Commander Col. Dan Shoemake of the 47th Virginia Infantry. Shoemake finished Maupin’s work steering the Corps towards the future and helping with advance planning on the 145th Gettysburg reenactment.

At the annual meeting of Longstreet’s Corps in January Cornett was elected commander. He is a 20-year reenacting veteran. He was a founding member of the 28th Virginia Infantry which he served as captain for many years before being appointed commander of Longstreet’s 2nd Infantry Battalion.

Cornett has retained many of the staffers who worked with Hillsman and Maupin and plans to add a few new officers. Gregg Gallion, a longtime assistant to Cornett, will serve as Longstreet’s Chief of Staff.

Planning started almost immediately on the upcoming events at the Battle of Williamsburg and 145th Gettysburg to which Longstreet’s has committed to command this season.

CWPT Honors Steve Israel
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) recently honored Congressman Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) with its National Preservation Leadership Award in recognition of his support of Civil War battlefield preservation.

President James Lighthizer made the presentation at a Capitol Hill ceremony. Rep. Israel is a long-time advocate of the federal Civil War Battlefield Preservation Program, a matching grants program that has become the principal tool for protecting battlefield land in the U.S. 

He is one of 85 co-sponsors of H.R. 2933, a bill seeking to reauthorize the program in its current form for an additional five years. It has been used to save more than 14,000 acres of hallowed ground in 15 states.

Rep. Israel is also co-chairman and a founding member of the Congressional Battlefields Caucus, an informal group of lawmakers with an interest in historic preservation, and a member of the Historic Preservation Caucus.

“Walking the ground of a Civil War battlefield is a transcendent experience, one that never fails to inspire me personally,” Israel said. “I am honored to be recognized for work that pays tribute to the more than 470,000 New Yorkers who served in the Union armies and preserves an important part of our nation’s past.”

In September the Naval Institute Press published Israel’s book Charge! History’s Greatest Military Speeches. He said the labor of love by a self-professed amateur historian was sparked by a contemplative atop Little Round Top at Gettysburg.

Cashin Book Receives Award
NEW YORK, N.Y. — The Civil War Round Table of New York’s annual Fletcher Pratt Literary Award for best non-fiction book of 2007 was given to Joan Cashin’s First Lady of the Confederacy: Varina Davis’s Civil War, published by Harvard University Press.

The award committee said the unusual book about an unusual woman related fascinating details about Davis, who did not quite fit in with the Confederate States’ hierarchy.

“Varina’s dark appearance, her manners, her wit, her very being, struck discordant notes with many of her contemporaries in Richmond,” the committee noted. Bud Livingston chaired the group that included Judith Lee Hallock, Patrick Falci and Jacqueline Eberstein.

Brigade Recruiting For 145th Gettysburg
The Federal Independent Brigade is looking for units and individuals, both progressive campaigners and mainstream reenactors, individuals for battalion and brigade staff and a Fife and Drum Corps to join them for the July 4-6 145th Gettysburg Reenactment. For information contact Matthew Fox at regimental_officer1861@yahoo.com

New Jersey CWRT Scholarship Offer
HAMILTON, N.J. — Camp Olden Civil War Round Table & Museum Inc. is offering a $500 scholarship to a New Jersey resident who has been accepted or is attending an accredited U.S. college or trade school and is a member of a Civil War organization.

Details about application requirements are at www.campolden.org or can be obtained by emailing kdaly14@aol.com. The deadline is April 11.

CWOT Teacher Institute Scheduled
HAGERSTOWN, Md. — The Civil War Preservation Trust Summer Teacher Institute will be held July 25-27 in Hagerstown.

Classroom sessions include civilian, military, teaching and informational topics. Field trips will go to Antietam and Harpers Ferry.

For information email jblanton@civilwar.org or info@civilwar.org or go to wee.civilwar.org

Grzelak Steps Down
OLUSTEE, Fla. — Col. Jeff H. Grzelak stepped down as an officer after hosting the 17th annual ceremony on Feb. 17 at the Union Monument during the Olustee reenactment weekend. He said he had set his retirement date years ago, but plans to take part in Olustee events until the “last roll call.”

Grzelak, who was commissary and ordnance officer with the Department of the South, said the number 17 is his lucky number. He was born on Dec. 17, started the 17th Connecticut Infantry and is the 17th person in his family born in this country.

He told CWN, “More importantly it was 100 years ago that my family came to this country, and 40 years since I lost a family member in Vietnam in the Tet Offensive.

“I am the product of an immigrant family's effort to live the American Dream,” he said.“ Hopefully I have done honor to these men and my family.”