Monthly Archives: October 2016

Meeting of November 29, 2016

Rene Accornero presents “Civilians and the Battle of Gettysburg” Video

Tim Smith

Tim Smith

In this C-Span DVD, Tim Smith discusses the frequently overlooked story of the role and impact of the Battle of Gettysburg on the local civilian population. The video includes a brief history of the town of Gettysburg and how its location was pivotal to why the battle was fought there.

Tim’s discussion includes testimonials from civilians describing their actual experiences before, during, and after the battle. Letters and diary entries serve as the sources for much of the description of the impact on the Gettysburg civilians. The presenter describes in detail how civilians were tasked with a number of overwhelming responsibilities such as assisting in the care of over 20,000 wounded soldiers, the disposal of thousands of dead horses, and the removal of the massive amount of wreckage of military armaments.

Tim Smith is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and has been a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg National Military Park since 1992. Tim is the Research Historian for the Adams County Historical Society, and has written numerous articles, booklets, and books about the Gettysburg area including co-authoring the book Devil’s Den, A History and Guide. The DVD is about 45 minutes in length.

Meeting Minutes November 2016

Quiz for November 29, 2016

Civil War Quiz – What Do You Know About the War Along the Mississippi River?

Q#1 – At the beginning of the Civil War, what city was considered the most strategic along the Mississippi River?

Q#2 – Which Union commander was placed in charge of naval operations on the Mississippi River?

Q#3 – What naval battle on the Mississippi River in June 1862 resulted in a crushing defeat for the Confederate forces, and marked the virtual eradication of a Confederate naval presence on the river?

Q#4 – This ground and naval battle was fought on August 5, 1862, and resulted in the Union capture of which major Confederate State Capital?

Q#5 – What were the names of the two Confederate forts that guarded the mouth of the Mississippi River south of New Orleans?

Q#6 – What action by Union Major General John McClernand infuriated Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and caused both General-in-Chief Henry Halleck and Grant to totally revise their campaign strategy for capturing Vicksburg, MS?

Q#7 – General John C. Pemberton, Confederate Commander of Mississippi, was suspected of having divided loyalties – why?

Q#8 – What was the name of a river located northeast of Vicksburg, MS, that was critically important to the Union plans to capture Vicksburg?

Q#9 – What was the failed attempt by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant to float gun boats and his infantry past Vicksburg without coming under the fire of Confederate guns?

Q#10 – What was the name of the Union naval commander who successfully sailed his ships past Vicksburg as part of General Grant’s plan to land infantry troops of the east shore of the Mississippi south of Vicksburg?

Q#11 – The 1959 movie entitled “The Horse Soldiers” starring John Wayne was based on what actual Civil War event related to the eventual capture of Vicksburg, MS?

Q#12 – Once General Grant had landed his army below Vicksburg, which three major battles were fought during May 1863 that eventually led to the Siege of Vicksburg?

Q#13 – What was the name of a key Confederation fortification that was the main target for Grant’s May 22, 1863, assault on Vicksburg?

Q#14 – In an attempt to break through the Confederate defense at Vicksburg, General Grant approved an action that almost a year later would be attempted again during the siege of Petersburg, VA. What was the action?

Q#15 – Before surrendering Vicksburg, Confederate commanders considered and then rejected what last maneuver?

Meeting of October 25, 2016

Blaine Lamb on “The Extraordinary Life of Charles Pomeroy Stone”

stone-bookAs the secession crisis came to a head in the winter of 1861, an obscure military engineer, Charles Pomeroy Stone, emerged as the rallying point for the defense of Washington, D.C., against rebel insurrection or attack. He was protector of the president and right hand man of the army’s commanding general. Nevertheless, in just a year, this same hero sat in a military prison accused of incompetence and disloyalty.

Like other Union officers, Stone had the misfortune to run afoul of politicians who sought to control the war effort by undermining the professional military establishment. Their weapon, the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, applied a litmus test of commitment to abolition, loyalty to the Republican Party, and battlefield success for the retention and promotion of army commanders. Stone, a Democrat who did not see the conflict as a crusade against slavery, and who lost his only battle, failed on all counts.

Readers of Civil War history know Stone best for his disgrace and imprisonment. His story, however, goes far beyond this unfortunate occurrence — from the Halls of the Montezumas to Gold Rush California, and from the pyramids of Egypt to the Statue of Liberty. In a presentation drawn from his recently published biography, The Extraordinary Life of Charles Pomeroy Stone: Soldier, Surveyor, Pasha, Engineer, historian Blaine Lamb weaves a narrative of adventure, exploration, war and intrigue with a cast of characters ranging from the dour William Tecumseh Sherman to the flamboyant Ismail the Magnificent. But the center remains Stone himself, a man of honor, steadfast loyalty and tragic innocence.

blaine-lambA native of San Diego, California, Blaine Lamb obtained his BA and MA degrees in history from the University of San Diego. He then moved to Tempe, Arizona, and entered the doctoral program in history at Arizona State University, receiving his Ph.D. in 1982. Dr. Lamb returned to California and joined the staff of the State Railroad Museum as an archivist and later became a senior archivist at the California State Archives. In 2007, he took the position of Chief of the Archaeology, History and Museums Division of California State Parks, where he remained until his retirement in 2012. Since retirement, he completed work on his biography of General Charles Pomeroy Stone, which was published in 2016.

In addition to the Stone biography, Dr. Lamb’s publications include articles and reviews in California History, Journal of Arizona History, Western Historical Quarterly, Journal of America’s Military Past, Journal of the West, and Overland Journal.

Meeting Minutes October 2016

Quiz for October 25, 2016

Civil War Quiz: What Happened During the Month of October 1861–1865?

Q#1 – In October 1862, who was appointed as Union commander of the Army of the Cumberland?

Q#2 – What action did Governor Thomas More of Alabama take in 1861 that he hoped would pressure the governments of France and Great Britain to recognize the Confederate government?

Q#3 – What legal action did President Lincoln take reluctantly, that was necessary for the war effort?

Q#4 – In 1862, which Union general replaced Major General Don Carlos Buell as commander of Army of the Ohio?

Q#5 – Who won the Second Battle of Corinth, Mississippi, which was fought October 3–4, 1862?

Q#6 – On October 8, 1862, what was the name of the largest battle fought on Kentucky soil?

Q#7 – In October 1862, this Union general was given command of the Department of the Tennessee – who was he?

Q#8 – In October 1863, what event did President Lincoln designate as a national holiday at the end of November?

Q#9 – In October 1863, General Grant approved the plan of “Baldy” Smith to supply Union troops in Chattanooga – what was this supply line called?

Q#10 – Who won the Battle of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, fought on October 25, 1863?

Q#11 – In October 1863, Ulysses S. Grant traveled to Louisville, Kentucky, to meet with Secretary of War Edwin Stanton for what purpose?

Q#12 – In October 1864, which border state abolished slavery in their new constitution?

Q#13 – What was the name of the battle in October 1864 where Union General Philip Sheridan made his famous ride to rally his retreating troops?

Q#14 – In October 1864, which territory did the Republican-controlled Congress rush into statehood in order to assist in the re-election of President Lincoln?

Q#15 – In October 1865, which former Confederate political official was released from military prison in Boston, Massachusetts?