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June 18-20 Symposium To Feature On Franklin Battle The symposium will emphasize the Civil War story in Middle Tennessee and the historic resources preserved in Franklin. Supported by the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, the symposium will feature experts giving tours and lectures addressing such themes as the military campaigns, the costs of occupation and the promise of emancipation. This year, the program is expanding to include the Battle of Nashville. The new Civil War Trails program will be used for the first time as a tool for educating attendees about the Battle of Franklin. Williamson County has 14 markers in the area. The symposium will include a special workshop for teachers on Thursday, June 18, about the Civil War, Franklin and teaching tools they can use. Scholarships are available and can be requested at info@franklinscharge.com. Symposium registrations can be made online at the newly enhanced Franklin's Charge Web site www.franklinscharge.com or by calling (615) 595-0636. The Franklin Marriott Cool Springs is the host hotel for the conference. Cooperating with Franklin’s Charge to present the symposium are the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, Franklin-Williamson County Chamber of Commerce, Historic Carnton Plantation, The Carter House, the African American Heritage Association, The Heritage Foundation, the Williamson County Visitors Bureau and Save the Franklin Battlefield. 45 Acres Next To Gettysburg Park Donated To Foundation According to Barbara J. Finfrock, Vice Chair of the Foundation’s Board, the land is adjacent to Gettysburg National Military Park and within the Battlefield Historic District. It is not accessible from any park roads. Gettysburg resident Wayne Hill, president of Gettysburg Construction Company, and his wife Susan donated the tract, which has an appraised value of $445,000. Foundation spokesman Dru Neil said it is vacant land that is an important environmental area that includes wetlands and wildlife habitats. Plum Run runs across the property. The Foundation has no plans other than to preserve the site. Donor Wayne Hill said the land “is a natural, beautiful spot, and now we’re sure it will stay that way.” He is a former member of the Friends of the National Parks at Gettysburg board. Union skirmishers would have been in this area on July 2, 1863. On July 3 Union Cavalry units were there as they participated in the final conflicts of the three-day battle. Movie Premiere Benefits 2 Groups The funds were generated by the sold-out premiere of “Gettysburg: Darkest Days & Finest Hours,” held at the Majestic Theater on Remembrance Day Weekend. The Gettysburg Anniversary Committee produced the movie that was directed by Kevin R. Hershberger of Lionheart Film Works. It was filmed in high-definition at a location south of Gettysburg and at last summer’s 13,000-reenactor 145th Anniversary National Civil War Reenactment held at the Redding & Entwistle Farms. The producers say no other documentary or film places the viewer on the battlefield quite like this with such vivid and intense footage. In addition to the main feature, three additional hours of reenactment footage, behind-the-scenes extras, photo gallery and reenactor interviews are included. “Gettysburg: Darkest Days & Finest Hours” willsoon be launched for distribution internationally and is now available at several retail outlets in Gettysburg. It can also be ordered at www.gettysburgreenactment.com Unveiling, Tours, Exhibits Set For Monterey Pass Anniversary BLUE RIDGE SUMMIT, Pa. — The One Mountain Foundation and Monterey Pass Battlefield Association (MPBA) will commemorate the 146th anniversary of the battle of Monterey Pass with unveiling of a Pennsylvania Civil War Trails wayside exhibit, displays and two tours on Friday, June 26. The 1 p.m. unveiling ceremony will be held at the Rolando Woods Lions Club Park in Blue Ridge Summit. Since 2004, the One Mountain Foundation, chaired by Gary Muller, worked with tourism officials in Pennsylvania and Maryland to have Monterey Pass recognized as the second largest Civil War battle to take place in Pennsylvania and the only one fought on both sides of the Mason and Dixon Line. Activities will begin at 9 a.m. with John A. Miller, founder and historian of the battlefield association, who will be on site to answer questions and talk about the importance of this once forgotten Civil War battle. The association will have displays and costumed interpreters who will explain the mountaintop’s Civil War heritage. Miller will conduct two tours of the original Maria Furnace Road, where parts of the battle occurred. The first tour will start after the dedication ceremony and the second at 6 p.m. He will share first-hand accounts of what the Confederate Army experienced as it withdrew from Gettysburg and marched over South Mountain at Monterey Pass. Attendees are advised to dress for walking in woods area and bring bug spray. The MPBA will carry the celebration into the former Fort Ritchie Army base during the Saturday and Sunday Mountaintop Heritage Days. Informal lectures, exhibits and firing demonstrations will be presented. For more information go to www.onemountainfoundation.org and www.emmitsburg.net/montereypass. Craig L. Symonds To Receive Austin CWRT’s Laney Prize AUSTIN, Texas — Craig L. Symonds, U.S. Naval Academy Professor Emeritus, will receive the Daniel M. & Marilyn W. Laney Book Prize at the June 18 meeting of the Austin Civil War Round Table Inc. He will receive the group’s $2,000 prize for his new work, Lincoln and His Admirals, published by Oxford University Press. Laney Prize selection committee member Michael Parrish, Professor of History at Baylor University, wittily noted, “Symonds has been anchored at the Naval Academy for a long time and delved into a boatload of material that no historian has dived into as thoroughly and carefully as he did. He portrays Lincoln quite accurately as a practical, innovative and patient commander-in-chief who effectively handled a ton of problems from the Navy Dept. and its admirals. Historian James McPherson said Symonds “offers a gripping narrative that finally gives the Union navy — and its commander-in-chief — the credit they deserve for the important part they played in winning the Civil War." The Daniel M. & Marilyn W. Laney Prize, now in its 14th year, recognizes distinguished scholarship and writing on the military or political history of the Civil War. It was established by the round table’s membership to honors the Laneys for their efforts on behalf of the group and to protect endangered Civil War battlefields. For more information contact Austin Civil War Round Table President David White at h.white@freescale.com Petersburg Kids’ Camp Children will learn about Civil War soldier life through the camp’s hands-on approach to science and history as they sign enlistment papers and prepare themselves for an outdoor adventure. As soldiers, they will dress in uniform, perform marching drills and create flags. As scientists, they will perform biological water tests in the stream and learn about archeology in the trenches. There will also be hand-on crafts and projects. Call (804) 732-3531 ext 204 for reservations and information about Arrowhead Day Camp. Longstreet Society Members will do yard work at James Longstreet’s restored Piedmont Hotel where lawn games and hotel tours will be held on Sunday. For information about the society call (770) 539-9005 or visit www.longstreet.org Lincoln Auction Item According to a Heritage press release a Midwest historical society is selling the page. It is accompanied by a notarized affidavit that traces ownership back to Indian Affairs Commissioner William P. Doyle. It was part of the original handwritten manuscript given to a printer to be typeset, printed and distributed to political leaders and the national press. Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg in Lincoln Collector told how Superintendent of Public Printing J.D. Defrees gave some of the pages that were to be thrown out to friends. Only 11 partial and full pages from Lincoln’s message are known to survive. On this page Lincoln wrote, “... We are not exhausted, nor in process of exhaustion,” he wrote. “... We are gaining strength, and may, if need be, maintain the contest indefinitely.” Richmond Tours Harpers Ferry Hikes Information about the trails, co-sponsoring groups and hiking gear will be available in Trails Day tents in the lower town on the park green. Connecticut Volunteers This was the third year that round table members volunteered at Antietam. This year members of the 8th, 11th and 14th Connecticut Infantry Regiment reenactment groups joined them, making a total of some 30 volunteers. Projects included adding battens, according to historic photographs, to the coping at Burnside Bridge, building lane fence at the Joseph Poffenberger farm, clearing trees on the Roulette farm near Bloody Lane, planting trees in the East Woods, painting and cleaning the cemetery rostrum and cleaning the headstones of Connecticut soldiers buried in the national cemetery. Naval Camp Classes will include everything from weapons and cutlass drills to boat operations and trips on the Chattahoochee River to navy communications and navy cooking. Also, on Monday evenings the museum is offering training for volunteer guides. For information contact (706) 327-9798 or www.portcolumbus.org. Civilian Exhibit The exhibit includes ladies’ clothing, accessories and undergarments. Men's items include shoes, hats and smoking caps. Children’s underwear, shoes, bonnets and clothing will be shown. Jewelry, accessories, and mourning pieces, Union and Confederate currency and newspapers and a large collection of photographs will be part of the exhibit. For those who have special interest in reproducing or studying the clothing, close examination of them can be arranged with the owners at (770) 427-4686 Ext 229 or PNJWCol1860@aol.com. Ironworks Event Family and adult-only lantern tours of the camps and historic district will be given Saturday night by advance reservation. The 6th New Hampshire band will perform a short concert for each tour. All proceeds go toward restoration and interpretation at Long Pond Ironworks. For information contact info@LongPondIronworks.org or visit www.LongPondIronworks.org. Franklin Cited The city, which has seen a surge of preservation activity after years of neglecting its Civil War heritage, was cited for its “strong preservation ethic that has helped retain its distinctive sense of place and protect the region’s architecture, village communities and traditional farmsteads.” Artillery Match Is July 11 & 12 In Grayling, Mich. The longtime event has turned into a tourist attraction for people who enjoy seeing rifled and smoothbore cannon, mountain rifles and coehorn and siege mortars compete in live-fire matches. The cannon will be shooting at 600 and 1,200 yards. All of the pieces on the range will be pre-1898 black powder originals or accurate full-size replicas. Their crews will be in uniforms appropriate to the gun. Drill procedures will follow period manuals for each particular weapon. Some of the competition guns provided the sound effects for the cannon action in the 2003 movie “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.” For information contact Matt Switlik, (734) 234-6347, museumandcollector@gmail.com
(updated 5/29/2009) |
