Clarksville, TN – The next meeting of the Clarksville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Wednesday, February 15th at the Bone & Joint Center, 980 Professional Park Drive, right across the street from Gateway Hospital. This is just off Dunlop Lane and Holiday Drive and only a few minutes east of Governor’s Square mall. The meeting begins at 7:00pm and is always open to the public. Members please bring a friend or two – new recruits are always welcomed.

The meetings topic is “Nashville – Siren’s Song of the Confederacy”

Nashville then became the focus of no less than five Confederate offensives to capture it either directly, or indirectly, which dominated Confederate strategy in the west for the rest of the war.

In essence, this telegraphed the Southern playbook to the Union Army so that they were able to make their own plans to retain hold of the city. Beginning in April 1862 and ending in December 1864, with the Confederate Army of Tennessee literally on the doorstep, Nashville remained in Union hands, becoming the major supply depot for all western campaigns conducted by their army.

Our speaker, CWRT president Greg Biggs, will detail the importance of Tennessee and Nashville before going into each of the campaigns to retake the city by the Confederates. Some of these offensives might be a surprise considering where they went, but part of their goal was getting Nashville back. The program will analyze these movements and the corresponding events after they failed.

Greg Biggs, president of the Clarksville CWRT, is also a flag historian, tour guide and research historian for some notable authors. He has lectured across the country to CWRTs, conferences and other history groups and has lead tours for many of them as well as the US Army.

Please join us for Greg Biggs and his program on the attempts to retake Nashville, Tennessee.

Please join us for another informative meeting of the Clarksville Civil War Roundtable.

Clarksville, TN – The next meeting of the Clarksville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 at the Bone & Joint Center, 980 Professional Park Drive, right across the street from Gateway Hospital. This is just off Dunlop Lane and Holiday Drive and only a few minutes east of Governor’s Square mall. The meeting begins at 7:00pm and is always open to the public.

The meetings topic is “How Dover Tennessee Failed Public History and How Public History Failed Dover”

The purpose of public history is not just simply preservation. Historians interpret and tell stories of American history that form the foundations of communities and the nation and shape us as a people. America is full of buildings that are of historical, cultural and architectural importance that should be saved so they can continue to contribute to American society, culturally and economically.

This presentation will examine the challenges that the small town of Dover, Tennessee encountered when confronted with issues of preserving and restoring local historical structures and the many failures they incurred and why. The program will also address how public history organizations (in this instance the park service) do not always make the best decisions in regards to preserving or restoring historical structures.

With so few structures from the Civil War era remaining, thanks to much of the town being burned in August 1862, the challenge for buildings of that era is even greater. The Dover area was the site of three Civil War battles (February 1862, August 1862 and February 1863) in addition to numerous skirmishes in the region. Fewer small towns from the war suffered so much and the ultimate challenge is to preserve what remains.

Our speaker is Teresa Prober from Austin Peay State University where she is an instructor in history. She earned a BA in History from University of North Carolina at Pembroke and an MA in History from American Military University. She taught High School Social Studies for 9 years in North Carolina.

She has also designed public history programs for Pennyroyal Area History Museum in Hopkinsville, KY; was an archivist who cleaned and preserved historic documents Stewart County TN and assisted in redesigning school programs for Fort Donelson National Battlefield.

She has done extensive research on the Dover Hotel where CS General Simon Buckner surrendered the Fort Donelson garrison to Union Gen. U.S. Grant. She is currently working with University of Tennessee Press to publish the book, “The Dover Hotel a Silent Witness to History in Tragedy and Triumph.”

Please join us for another informative meeting of the Clarksville Civil War Roundtable.

Clarksville, TN – The next meeting of the Clarksville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Wednesday, December 21st, 2011 at the Bone & Joint Center, 980 Professional Park Drive, right across the street from Gateway Hospital. This is just off Dunlop Lane and Holiday Drive and only a few minutes east of Governor’s Square mall. The meeting begins at 7:00 pm and is always open to the public.

This meetings topic is “The Petersburg Campaign”.

Petersburg, located below the James River south of Richmond, Virginia, was an important Confederate supply center and railroad junction. All of the supplies sent to Richmond from the Deep South passed through the city during the war. Accordingly, it became a military target for the Union Army. Defense lines were built, local defense troops raised and industry expanded.

In 1864, the Union military targeted both Richmond and Petersburg with a massive offensive. Union General Ulysses S. Grant used a two-fisted approach to go after these cities; his right hook was aimed at Richmond via the Overland Campaign while the left hook was the Army of the James starting with the Bermuda Hundred attack and subsequent crossing of the James River by Grant’s forces.

Petersburg was first attacked in June along the Dimmock Line east of the city, held by Bushrod Johnson’s Tennesseans, among others. As the Union Army gained strength, they probed south and west seeking to cut the railroads into Petersburg and thus Richmond. With these gone, the Confederates would have to abandon both.

Battle of Petersburg

Battles at Ream’s Station, Weldon Railroad, the Crater, Fort Stedman and Jerusalem Plank Road were critical fights to maintain the Confederate hold on the cities. Finally, with Union troops west of Petersburg, the Battle of Five Forks, followed by the massive attack along Hatcher’s Run on April 2nd, 1865, shattered the Petersburg defenses. The Confederates were forced to retreat to the west which ended at Appomattox Court House on April 9th.

Petersburg was the longest continuous campaign of the Civil War and its conclusion set up the immediate defeat of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the loss of Richmond. Some of the biggest names, north and south, fought in the campaign which caused massive casualties. The huge trench systems built by both sides presaged what would happen in World War I in 1916. Despite the size of the campaign, few books have been written on it.

Fortunately for us, we have John Marler, former Petersburg National Battlefield ranger and now Operations Assistant for the Battle of Franklin Trust, coming to tell us the story of all that happened. John’s program will focus entirely on what happened south of the James River, Grant’s left hook. John, in addition to working for the National Park Service at Petersburg, also ran the Appomattox Touring Company which lead tours of the campaign. Since 2009, John has been working at Carnton and the Battle of Franklin Trust rising from a part time employee to his current position.

Please join us for another informative meeting of the Clarksville Civil War Roundtable.

Clarksville, TN – The next meeting of the Clarksville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Wednesday, November 16th, 2011 at the Bone & Joint Center, 980 Professional Park Drive, right across the street from Gateway Hospital. This is just off Dunlop Lane and Holiday Drive and only a few minutes east of Governor’s Square mall. The meeting begins at 7:00 pm and is always open to the public.

This meetings topic is “Baptism of Fire: The Role of Federal Recruits at the Battle of Franklin”

The Battle of Franklin has been considered the five most violent hours of the Civil War. Charge after charge of Confederate infantry threw themselves at Union entrenchments with the only success, albeit temporarily, coming in the center along the Columbia Pike. Here, the Union line broke, thanks to attacking Confederates intermingling with retreating Union forces from an advance line. As has been commonly reported, the Union brigade commanded by Emerson Opdycke, posted below the brow of Carter’s Hill, rose up and counterattacked, sealing the Union line which continued to resist further attacks well into the darkness.

The Battle of Franklin

But was it just Opdycke’s Brigade that saved the day? Historian Eric Jacobson, in his new book, Baptism Of Fire: The Role of Federal Recruits at the Battle of Franklin, examines the role of three green Union regiments who, in their first battle, also contributed greatly to the eventual saving of the Union line. The program will focus on the roles of the 44th Missouri, 175th Ohio, and 183rd Ohio, all three of which found themselves involved in some of the worst fighting at the Battle of Franklin. These three regiments played crucial roles in determining the battle’s final outcome and until now their roles have been virtually unknown. The program will show conclusively that Opdycke’s Brigade alone did not save the Federal army at Franklin.

Eric A. Jacobson has been studying the American Civil War for nearly 25 years. A Minnesota native, Eric lived in Arizona for over a decade before relocating to Middle Tennessee in 2005. He is the author of For Cause & For Country: A Study of the Affair at Spring Hill and the Battle of Franklin, a project which encompassed nearly 10 years. Published in March 2006 the book is considered by some to be one of the most important books ever written about the 1864 Tennessee Campaign.

Eric’s second book, The McGavock Confederate Cemetery, was published in April 2007. He is currently the Chief Operating Officer and Historian for the Battle of Franklin Trust, which manages the Carter House and Carnton. His third book, entitled Baptism of Fire, which details the roles of three Federal regiments at the Battle of Franklin, was released in September 2011.

Eric lives in Spring Hill, Tennessee, with his wife, Nancy, and their two daughters.

Bonus News

The Clarksville CWRT will be presenting a check to the Clarksville Parks & Recreation Department to purchase the first picnic table for the Fort Defiance Interpretive Center. This check is the result of the effort of several months of fund raising by the membership and will go to help make the picnic experience at Fort Defiance much better than it currently is. The idyllic setting of the site has proven to be very popular with residents and visitors and the addition of the table will allow them to enjoy a nice meal while on the property.

Please join us for another informative meeting of the Clarksville Civil War Roundtable.

Clarksville, TN – The next meeting of the Clarksville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Wednesday, October 19th, 2011 in our new home at the Bone & Joint Center, 980 Professional Park Drive, right across the street from Gateway Hospital. This is just off Dunlop Lane and Holiday Drive and only a few minutes east of Governor’s Square mall. The meeting begins at 7:00 pm and is always open to the public.

This meeting’s topic is “Kirby Smith’s Invasion of Kentucky and the Battle of Richmond”

In late August 1862, the Confederate forces in Tennessee under General Edmund Kirby Smith, along with the Army of the Mississippi under General Braxton Bragg, began an invasion of Kentucky. A third column under General Humphrey Marshall, moved from Virginia into Kentucky. The plan was to recover most of Middle Tennessee and eastern Tennessee and force the Union armies back to defend the Ohio River line. Kirby Smith and Bragg, although trying to coordinate their separate movements, operated in an uncoordinated manner.

Neither officer was placed in authority over the other.

General Edmund Kirby Smith

Smith drew first blood south of Richmond, Kentucky on August 29th, 1862 but the battle at Richmond, fought on the next day, proved critical to Confederate hopes. Smith’s Army of Kentucky, reinforced by two brigades from Bragg’s army (Preston Smith’s and Patrick Cleburne’s) attacked the Union army under General William “Bull” Nelson and after a time shattered their lines in coordinated assaults. The pursuit and battle virtually annihilated the Union army on the field – the only Civil War battle where a defeated army suffered such damage. The road to Cincinnati was wide open! And yet the engagement remains almost unknown even to students of the war in the West.

This month’s speaker is Phil Seyfrit, Historic Properties Director of Madison County, Kentucky and site manager of the Richmond Battlefield. He is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University and the Mid-America College of Funeral Service. After working in the funeral industry, Phil changed direction and took charge of the historic sites of the county where he resides today. He has been widely published on the Battle of Richmond in various periodicals and has been appointed to the Kentucky State Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission.

Mr. Seyfrit also reenacts and tours and helps to preserve Civil War sites across the country.

Please join us for this program about a very overlooked part of the Kentucky Campaign of 1862.

Clarksville, TN – The next meeting of the Clarksville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Wednesday, September 21st, 2011 in our new home at the Bone & Joint Center, 980 Professional Park Drive, right across the street from Gateway Hospital. This is just off Dunlop Lane and Holiday Drive and only a few minutes east of Governor’s Square mall. The meeting begins at 7:00pm and is always open to the public.

This meeting’s topic is Brig. General James R. Chalmers and the Battle of Nashville.

Brig. Gen. James R. Chalmers was a veteran infantry and cavalry commander and commanding one of the divisions of Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Cavalry Corps. Chalmers and his escort made Belle Meade Plantation their headquarters in the days before the December 1864 Battle of Nashville. His escort provided a violinist and Selene Harding played piano to make their nights “heavenly.”

Brig. Gen. James R. Chalmers

The good times ended sometime after 2:00am on December 15th when a courier had Chalmers awakened to learn of the impending attack by the Union army of George Thomas. With Biffle’s Brigade detached on the far right, Chalmers only had Rucker’s Brigade in hand to fight off the Union cavalry and the U.S. Navy on the Cumberland River. He battled both to a stalemate that day.

On December 16th, Chalmers, totally cut off from the infantry line, pulled off a perfect withdrawal and covered Hood’s retreat from the city. His stand on Granny White Pike prevented the Union cavalry from cutting off General John Bell Hood’s retreat as it moved down the Franklin Pike thus saving Hood’s army from being trapped. It was one of the highlights of this under-appreciated cavalry commander.

Our speaker this month is Ross Massey, historian for the Battle of Nashville Preservation Society and Nashville CWRT member. He is the author of a guide to sites of the Battle of Nashville and has appeared on Civil War TV shows as well as lectured around the country. Ross will be bringing his vast knowledge of this battle to this month’s meeting of our roundtable. For those that were here when we began, he was the first speaker of the Clarksville CWRT!

This program will be an important addition to our understanding of this pivotal battle as the cavalry operations often get left out.

Please join us for this program about a very overlooked part of the Battle of Nashville.

The center, also known as the APSU Farm, sits only a few miles from Governor’s Square Mall and is somewhat affected by that area’s light pollution, but as of Friday, it has become the one of the best spots in Clarksville for astronomers to congregate.

That’s because, next to the barns and hay bales, APSU has opened a new observatory with a retractable dome and a 20-inch Ritchey-Chretien telescope, featuring the same optical design as NASA’s Hubble Telescope.

New APSU Observatory offically opens.

For about 10 years, APSU associate professor of physics Dr. Spencer Buckner has worked to build an observatory as a training and research tool for his students. In 2002, he began searching for suitable land to place such a facility, and in 2005, his project gained momentum when the University purchased a dome for the proposed building.

“It was delivered in early 2006 and sat in a warehouse for a number of years,” he said.

In 2007, Buckner gave the University a land gift of 4.26 acres near Palmyra for the project, but the site was too remote, and construction costs ultimately put construction on hold. The planned building’s metal dome, all the while, stayed almost forgotten in that warehouse.

Finally, it was decided to put the observatory on the APSU farm, and in October of 2010, the building was put up and the metal dome and telescope installed. Buckner and Dr. Allyn Smith, associate professor of physics, spent the next few months calibrating and preparing the equipment, and at sunset on August 18th, the two men joined President Hall for the ribbon cutting ceremony that officially opened the observatory for student use.

“Students will feel like they own this place,” Smith said. “We have a list of tasks students will be involved with this fall, integrating the CCD camera, building the flatfielding screens, painting the dome, painting the store shed, telescope alignment.”

The ribbon cutting was part of a two-day APSU Physics and Friends Reunion celebration. Past graduates of the APSU physics department and members of the astronomy club converged on campus that weekend. The festivities included a 90th birthday celebration for professor Mel Mayfield, the founding chair of that department. Former chairs Sara Wood-Boercker and the late Dr. Robert Sears were also honored that weekend.

The new observatory will serve APSU students, but Buckner also hopes to host public nights once or twice a month at the observatory. And, he said he still hopes to put a similar facility on the APSU property out in Palmyra, away from the light pollution in Clarksville.

“We’re still working on that project…hopefully we’ll have something out there,” he said. “We’ll in effect, get two for one.”

For more information on the new APSU Observatory, contact the APSU Department of Physics at 931.221.6116.

Clarksville, TN – The next meeting of the Clarksville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Wednesday, August 17th, 2011 in our new home at the Bone & Joint Center, 980 Professional Park Drive, right across the street from Gateway Hospital. This is just off Dunlop Lane and Holiday Drive and only a few minutes east of Governor’s Square mall. The meeting begins at 7:00pm and is always open to the public.

This meeting’s topic is “The Civil War of Nashville’s Maggie Vaulx, April 1861 to March 1862”

In 1862, a 17 year old girl growing up during a time of great national strife spoke these words, “that I may be in after years an ornament to society and the delight of my dear parents.” Margaret Nichol Vaulx came of age during the American Civil War and left writings which are that very ornament which she so prophetically spoke of. Margaret, also known as Maggie was indeed the delight of her dear parents.

Margaret Nichol Vaulx

Maggie’s journals have been described as both national and state treasures and as one Belmont University literary professor said, “she can be compared to a civil war Anne Frank.” Even though Maggie identified her journals as private, their emphasis is on a difficult three week period known in Nashville as “the Panic.” Nashville came under Federal control in February 1862 and remained occupied by the Union army throughout the rest of the war. Great hardships were placed upon the citizens of the city including the children. Maggie began her journals 2 week after the war began and she continued to write well beyond the surrender.

Nashville’s Ross Hudgins will bring Maggie’s story to life at this month’s meeting. There is a fascinating story as to how he came to find these journals that he will share with us this month but the main event will be Maggie and her perceptions of what was going on around her. Ross Hudgins is a military veteran as well as a former Tennessee Valley Authority employee. He will offer a Power Point with his presentation. Please join us for the story of Nashville’s Maggie Vaulx at this month’s meeting of the Clarksville Civil War Roundtable.

Please join us for another informative meeting of the Clarksville Civil War Roundtable.

This event is free and is open to the public. Local radio stations will broadcast live during the event and will announce the names of each fireworks display.

Shoot lists will be available so the public can follow along to know what is being viewed. The parking area of the mall beside Sears will be roped off for public viewing of the fireworks being shot from The Lodge Sports Pub. Shoot lists will be available at Allen’s Fireworks, Ad One Advertising, Governor’s Square Mall and the Lodge Sports Pub.

For more information call Allen’s fireworks at 931-648-1914 or go to www.juneboom.com.

Clarksville, TN - Tickets for the The Belk Charity Event will be sold today, Saturday, April 9th, between 1:00pm-3:00pm at the Belk store at Governors Square Mall. The Humane Society of Clarksville Montgomery County will be at the entrance facing Wilma Rudolph Blvd.

Participating charities (including the Humane Society of Clarksville Montgomery County) will be selling Belk Charity Day tickets for just $5.00 each. All proceeds from in-store ticket sales are divided equally among all charities.

Humane Society of Clarksville Montgomery County featured Pets.

The tickets are available for redemption next Saturday during the Belk Charity Sale shopping extravaganza.

Ticket includes:

• $5.00 off your first regular, sale or clearance purchase (so your ticket pays for itself!)
• 20%-70% off storewide, including special savings on rarely discounted brands
• Extra 50% off current ticketed price on clearance items, a total savings of 75%!
• Includes Cosmetics and Fragrances
• Earn Double Points with Belk Rewards Card and Triple Points with Belk Elite Card
• Not valid at www.Belk.com

Remember, the Clarksville Humane Society keeps 100% of ticket purchases made prior to Saturday, April 16th!

Thank you for supporting the Humane Society of Clarksville-Montgomery County.