September 2010 Vol. 19 No. 9 - The Rocky Mountain Civil War

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ROCKY MOUNTAIN
CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE
Vol. 19
No. 9
September 9, 2010
FEATURE PRESENTATION
Further Reading
Retreat From
Gettysburg
Brown, Kent Masterson. Retreat from
Gettysburg: Lee, Logistics, and the
Pennsylvania Campaign, University of
North Carolina Press, 2005.
M
N
W. Bowles Ave
Christensen Lane
Columbine United Church
6375 S. Platte Canyon Rd.
Gen. George Gordon Meade
S. Santa Fe Dr.
embers begin to gather at 6:00
PM at Columbine United Church
for dinner (B.Y.O.) and discussion about
the “War Between the States.” Buy plenty of tickets. Ian is sure to have some
great books, as always, for this month’s
meeting. Everyone present will receive
one free ticket with additional tickets
available at 5 for $1.00.
S. Lowell Blvd.
his month Ray examines one of the
most controversial events of the
Civil War: Lee’s successful withdraw and
subsequent escape after the Confederate
disaster at Gettysburg. Should Lee have
been pursued more aggressively by Meade?
Or was President Lincoln’s expectation
that this was a golden moment to
destroy the Army of Northern Virginia
unreasonable under the circumstances?
S. Platte Canyon Rd.
T
Wittenberg, Eric J., Petruzzi, David J., and
Nugent, Michael. One Continuous Fight: The
Retreat from Gettysburg and the Pursuit
of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, July
4-14, 1863, Savas Beatie, 2008.
Wadsworth Blvd.
Ray Polster
The drawing will take place at 6:45
PM just prior to the new business portion of the meeting. The presentation
will begin promptly at 7:00 PM.
Upcoming Presentations
Read ahead, share your viewpoints. The
Round Table encourages discussion.
September 9 - Retreat From
Gettysburg by Ray Polster
October 14 - Civil War Navy, Part 2:
Confederate Infernal Machines by
Bob Moulder
November 11 - Forum Discussion:
The Third Day at Gettysburg
December 9 - Topic TBD by Tom
Lux
President’s Message
i
Have We Forgotten the War?
Fellow Members,
As I was browsing the landing page
of Yahoo the other day, seeing what
passes as news these days, I suddenly
realized this: For a country that is at
war, you could never tell it by the news
we see every day. Of the top 44 stories
that Yahoo had on their page, not one
mentioned that we were at war. There
was the usual minutia about celebrities,
several unremarkable stories about the
current economy, two or three pieces of
a political nature, and some crap about
where you can get the best pancakes in
America. Now in all fairness I did find
one account of an alarming rise in the
suicide rates among U.S. Marines serving
in the front lines of Iraq and Afghanistan,
so I did not lose all hope. But are we to
assume that the only newsworthy story
on this particular day that had anything
at all to do with the war is that troops
serving on the front lines are subject
to a great deal of stress? Are we really
that obtuse?
We seem to be a country very much
2
insulated from the war in Afghanistan.
We go to work every day; we take the
weekend off and are soon lost in our
own world, one that is far, far away
from the bitter cold, bullets and IEDs
that are the reality of a soldier’s life in
Afghanistan. Why do we forget that we
are at war? The only thing the pundits
and politicians want to talk about is how
the other side is ruining our country.
I don’t believe it is because we don’t
care about the men and women who
are giving up their freedom to protect
ours. Even the staunchest antiwar voices
will often say “I hate the war, but I
support our troops.” A lesson we learned
from Vietnam, no doubt. No, I believe
the country’s disinterest in the war is a
combination of things. It is partly a byproduct of an all volunteer military. Since
there is very little chance the majority of
us will ever have to serve in the military,
we thank God someone else is willing to
do it, count our blessings and move on
with our lives. And it is also due to the
fast-moving information age we live in.
News travels so fast that in an hour, a
new item becomes old news that nobody
cares about. This has created a country
with the collective attention span of a
4-year-old on caffeine. We see something
horrible on the news; we shake our heads,
click our tongues, and say how terrible
that is. Then we move ahead to the next
tragedy unfolding before our eyes.
“[Fast-moving
information]
has created a country with
the collective attention span
of a 4-year-old on caffeine.”
I am not sure I really have an answer
to all this, except that we as Americans,
safe and sound in our homes, owe a great
deal to those men and women who are
giving up their lives and freedoms to
protect ours. I think it is very important
for each of us to let them know of our
gratitude for what they do. Here are a
few websites that we can all use to reach
out to these service men and -women to
let them know we have not forgotten.
The USO has several links on their
website you can use to reach out to
Americans serving in the Military www.uso.org
A website called “Any Soldier” gives out
names and addresses of active soldiers
who would like to receive letters and
emails. - www.anysoldier.com
The Defense Department has a number of
links on their website with ways to reach
out to the troops: - www.ourmilitary.mil/
letters_messages.shtml
— Mike Lang
Third Annual Symposium
Only Weeks Away
T
he 3rd annual Rocky Mountain Civil
War Symposium is just a few weeks
away. This year’s focus is on Grant, and
Nick has lined up some great speakers.
If you’ve been to a previous symposium,
you know how informative and enjoyable
they are. If this will be your first one,
you are truly in for a treat. This is
one of the best events of its type west
of the Potomac. The cost of $50 gets
you a continental breakfast, lunch, and
helps offset the travel expenses of our
speakers. Also, as a bonus, if you pay
next year’s dues you get a discount.
The symposium will again be at the
Community Collage of Aurora. The
auditorium seats close to 200 people, so
there is plenty of room. Members are
encouraged to sign up a friend and bring
them along too. We need your support to
get the attendance out!
If you have questions, please see me at
the meeting, give me a call at 303-9730549, or go to the RMCWRT web page
at www.rockymtncivilwarrt.com.
— Dave Townsend
Book REview
By Don Hallston
M
y interest in the Civil War was
sparked by reading the Civil War
Golden Book when I was a child. This
interest continued to be nurtured as
an adult and resulted in my becoming
somewhat of a bibliophile. This being
said, William Shea’s latest book has been
highly anticipated by me and many civil
war buffs. My interest was based on
one of his previous books and the fact
that Prairie Grove didn’t have a reliable
campaign study.
In Fields of Blood: The Prairie Grove
Campaign, Shea presents the campaign in
Arkansas that will pit the Army of the
Frontier led by Brigadier General John
Schofield against the Trans-Mississippi
Army led by Major General Thomas
Hindman.
Other important Union
characters in this campaign include Major
General Sam Curtis, Brigadier Generals
James Totten, Francis Herron and James
Blunt, and Colonel James Black. On the
confederate side there are Major General
John Marmaduke, Brigadier Generals
James Fagan, Daniel Frost, Mosby
Parsons and Francis Shoup, and Colonel
John Shelby.
Many of these soldiers are not very
3
well known to the casual Civil War
student. Similarly, the Battle of Prairie
Grove and the extended campaign is
on a much smaller scale concerning
numbers engaged when compared to
much more famous battles like Antietam,
Chickamauga and Shiloh. Prairie Grove
was the third and final major battle in
the Trans-Mississippi Theater.
The size of the battle when compared
to more famous battles would have little
meaning to the soldiers engaged. The
troops engaged in this battle would
fight as valiantly and die as readily
as troops involved in the much larger
battles east of the Mississippi River. On
the confederate side these soldiers were
from Arkansas, Texas and Missouri. The
soldiers on the union side were from
Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Indiana,
Illinois and some Native Americans from
the Indian Territory. Many of these
men would comment on the savagery
of the fighting as compared to other
engagements they were in. Descriptions
of the fighting are documented in many
personal reminiscences that the author
uses.
The author has also included in his
narrative the maneuvering of both armies
prior to the battle. This occurred across
parts of Missouri, Arkansas and the
Indian Territory. He also discusses the
engagement at Cane Hill that took place
prior to the battle and the union raid to
the Arkansas River after the battle.
There are seventeen maps and forty
one photographs in the book. Included
are photographs of most of the union
and confederate leaders. The battle itself
would be fought in two distinct phases.
The best photographs for the reader are
the current views of the battlefield.
They provide the reader with excellent
interpretations of the topography of
the battlefield. However, there are only
current view photographs of the terrain
from the first phase of the battle. Some
additional photographs showing the
current views of the terrain that the
second phase was fought over would
have assisted the reader’s interpretation.
The maps in the book are down to the
4
regimental level and supplement the
narrative quite well.
Another interesting aspect of the book
was discovering more about Major General
Thomas Hindman. It is probably safe to
say that Hindman is not a very well
known general. He may be best known
for his friendship with Patrick Cleburne.
This being said, the author does a good
job portraying Hindman’s strengths
and weaknesses. When transferred to
the Trans-Mississippi, he finds literally
nothing under his command. There were
no supplies and more importantly, no
army. Hindman, demonstrated he was
an effective organizer and did create an
army, albeit a small one, from scratch.
He quickly prepared his army to engage
the union adversary.
Besides building
his army from nothing, his plans for
attacking were quite well thought out.
Like most battles, it is interesting to see
how initial plans are affected by events
on the battlefield. — Don Hallstrom
Dave A.’s Maunderings
The Jamison family’s tale continues into
late 1864...
Part 10
W
hile they were at dinner, three
others went down into the cellar,
where they found a jog (jug) containing
whiskey, as they thought from its looks.
One came back for a tumbler. Directly,
all three came in hurriedly, walked to
Mrs. L., and asked what was in that jog.
She said, “It is camphine (sic), we have
it for burning in lamps – it is distilled
from turpentine.” The man said, “Will
it kill me?” “I don’t know, as I said we
burn it – never drink it.” The soldier
replied, “Do you think if I go back to
camp and take a dose of oil it will save
me?” Mrs. L. answered, “I don’t know, it
may or it may not. That is what you get
for prowling everywhere that you have
no business to go.” We ladies glanced
at each other rather amused than sympathetic. He said he drank a tumbler-full
without stopping, so sure was he that it
was whiskey. We heard no more of him.
Before those men left, a Captain
Guthrie rode into the yard and handed a
set of rubies to the younger lady of the
house. He had taken it from one of his
men. She thanked him and asked how
she should keep it. He said, “Put it on.”
No one attempted to take it again. Two
men remained until after night. They
said to guard the house – but we knew
they were waiting to see if my son and
the young Captain S. would not come in.
Just as those men were going out of the
lower gate, my son rode in. One man
said, ”Here is Captain Norris.” It was
a clear but not a bright night. My son
was riding a white horse, Captain Norris
was about my son’s size, and he also
rode a white horse. My son demanded
of them roughly what they were doing
there. They told him they were guarding
the house. He then ordered them to go
immediately to camp. They told him they
did not know the way. They were to go
to Bennettsville. My son gave directions
to Bennettsville, told them where to turn
off from the road and what other turns
to take; but he had never been there
himself. He then came to the house. The
men rode off for camp. I was in the hall
and said, “J. [John W. Jamison] these men
have been waiting for you for hours. My
son, I fear they will come back.” He said,
“Yes, I met them at the gate, and they
took me for their Captain Norris. Mother
can I lie down a little? I am very tired,
and suffering very much.”
I said to
him, “Come upstairs and rest on my bed.”
He said, “No, not upstairs.” He said he
had been a prisoner to probably the same
company for some hours. The kind old
gentleman came to us and directed him
to an outhouse filled with cottonseed,
but asked him to come in and eat first;
but he said he was too much fatigued.
He had been taken prisoner by Captain
Guthrie who had that morning returned
the set of rubies to Mrs. L. My son and
Captain S. had been together and had hid
their horses in a thicket in the swamp.
Symposium Ticket Sales
Brisk
T
icket sales for this year’s event are
running well ahead of where they
were at this time last year. Through the
use of innovative tools such as Facebook,
word about the Symposium is getting out
there and generating increased interest.
It is hoped that the current pace will
propel us well beyond last year’s 59
tickets sold.
Once again members who combine the
purchase of a Symposium ticket with 2011
membership dues payment will receive a
discount. Both may be had for $65.
JEFF DAVIS’S LAST APPEAL TO ARMS.
“Fellow Citizens—the Victory is within your
reach. You need but STRETCH FORTH YOUR HANDS
TO GRASP IT.”—(Address of Jeff Davis to his
Soldiers.)
— Harper’s Weekly August 22, 1863
5
War News From...
The Knapsack
Major archaeological find at site
of Civil War prison
July 25 1863 Issue
The Battle of Gettysburg:
July 4, 1863
“....The Federal troops did not chase them.
The land back of the seminary was rather
flat and cut up into grain fields, with here
and there a patch of woods. The rifle-pits
on the brow of the hill proved an effectual
aid to the Federal soldiers in maintaining
their ground; and as they lay behind the
bank, with the ditch in front, they could
pick off the stragglers from the retreating
enemy. There was but little serious fighting after that, and night put an end to
Friday’s struggle, the Confederates having
retired about a mile on the north, near the
seminary, and half a mile on the south, at
a little stream.
During the night the dead in the streets
of Gettysburg were buried, and the wounded on all parts of the field were collected
and carried to the rear. On the next morning General Meade expected another attack; but, instead of making it, the enemy
retreated further, abandoning their entire
line of battle, and the pickets reported that
they were intrenching at the foot of South
Mountain. The Federal army was terribly
crippled and sadly in want of rest, and no
advance was made, although pickets were
thrown out across the enemy’s old line of
battle, and toward the place where they
were building intrenchments. All the day
was spent in feeding and resting the men.
Gettysburg was turned into a vast hospital, and impromptu ones were made at a
dozen places on the field. The rain came,
too, and with it cool air and refreshment
both from wind and rain. No one could tell
what the enemy were doing; every picket
reported that they were intrenching, and
the night of the 4th of July closed upon
the field with it in the Federal possession.”
6
Thanks to Ian for sharing this story. The
discovery of the site of the Confederate
Lawton Stockade is being termed one
of the most significant finds in decades.
www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/14/georgia.civil.
war.camp/index.html?hpt=T2
Mike’s Link to Civil War Photos
In last month’s presentation on Civil
War photography, Mike Lang mentioned
that he relied on the Library of Congress
“American Memory” collection of images.
Those photos may be found at www.memory.
loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/cwphome.html
Symposium Registration Forms
Available
Ian will have extra registration forms on
hand for the convenience of members who
wish to buy their tickets at the September
meeting. Also, a printable registration
form is attached to this month’s newsletter
e-delivery.
Points of contact
President, Mike Lang
Treasurer, Nick Kurtz
Symposium, Dave Townsend
Newsletter. . . . Ron Berg
Dave Armagast
Ian Duncanson
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