February 2016 Southern MD Civil War Round Table Meeting

February 9, 2016

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that its next meeting will take place on Tuesday, February 9, 2016 at 7:00pm at the College of Southern Maryland’s Center for Business and Industry, Chaney Enterprises Conference Center, Room BI-113, at 8730 Mitchell Road in La Plata, MD.

Guest Speaker:  Dr. Bradley Gottfried

mapsofgettysburgbradgottfried

Join us as we keep it “in the family” this evening!  Round Table President Dr. Brad Gottfried will address us, not only as our President, but also about his latest book, “The Battle of the Wilderness: Disaster in the Thickets“.

 

Because of the thick vegetation that enveloped the armies during the battle of the Wilderness, the May 5 & 6, 1864 fight has been considered one of the most misunderstood and confusing battles of the entire Civil War. Brad Gottfried has spent considerable time studying the battle and walking the battlefield in preparation for his new book, The Maps of the Wilderness. Using many of his full-color maps, Gottfried will explain why the battle occurred here, how it played out, and its persisting legacy. Copies of his new book may be available for sale.

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table invites all to attend this lecture on one of men who saw much of the Civil War from the right hand of the Confederacy’s leading general.  Attendance is free for all, but membership is recommended.  For information, contact the Round Table’s president, Brad Gottfried, at bgottfried@csmd.edu or 301-934-7625.

 

January 2016 Southern MD Civil War Round Table Meeting

January 12, 2016

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that its next meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 at 7:00pm at the College of Southern Maryland’s Center for Business and Industry, Chaney Enterprises Conference Center, Room BI-113, at 8730 Mitchell Road in La Plata, MD.

Guest Speaker:  David Born

 

Colonel Charles Marshall.jpg

 

Tonight we welcome David Born, who will discuss the life and career of Lt. Col. Charles Marshall, who served as an aide de camp, assistant adjutant general and military secretary to Gen. Robert E. Lee.

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table invites all to attend this lecture on one of men who saw much of the Civil War from the right hand of the Confederacy’s leading general.  Attendance is free for all, but membership is recommended.  For information, contact the Round Table’s president, Brad Gottfried, at bgottfried@csmd.edu or 301-934-7625.

Movie and a Meeting!

December 8, 2015

Our September showing of The Hunley was meet with such satisfaction that we decided to do it again.  Our good friend Dr. Rich Siciliano will be showing the following movie, prior to our regularly scheduled meeting at 7:00pm.  Please note the special start time of 4:47pm, in order to allow a full showing and to accommodate any special set up needs of our guest speaker.  Get your popcorn ready!

 

Killing-Lincoln-24834-C

You’re Invited on Tuesday, December 8, 2015, starting at 4:47 p.m., Room BI-113, right before our regular meeting of the Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table. Start the evening with a free screening of Killing Lincoln, the 2013 documentary based on the bestselling book by Bill O’Reilly. The movie looks at Lincoln’s presidency from the eyes of bodyguard Ward Hill Lamon. The National Geographic documentary drama looks at the events surrounding the assassination of Lincoln, and the manhunt for his killer, acclaimed actor John Wilkes Booth. It is produced by O’Reilly, along with siblings Tony and Ridley Scott, and directed by Adrian Moat. Starring: Billy Campbell, Jesse Johnson, Geraldine Hughes, and narrated by Tom Hanks.
Running Time: about two hours (we will skip the commercials).

A few moments of poetic license are taken, so its historical accuracy may be criticized. However, the film is a successful portrayal of the events surrounding Lincoln’s last days, especially the assassination sequence at Ford’s Theater. Keep in mind, however, this is a docudrama and not documentary.

 

 

December 2015 Southern MD Civil War Round Table Meeting

December 8, 2015

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that its next meeting will take place on Tuesday, December 8, 2015 at 7:00pm at the College of Southern Maryland’s Center for Business and Industry, Chaney Enterprises Conference Center, Room BI-113, at 8730 Mitchell Road in La Plata, MD.

Guest Speaker:  Anthony J. Ziebol

Richard Kirkland, The Angel of Marye's Heights

Richard Rowland Kirkland of the 2nd South Carolina Infantry is arguably the most famous “common” soldier of the Civil War. Although his act of risking his life to give water and medical aid to enemy soldiers at the battle of Fredericksburg is well known, the rest of his story, along with that of the 2nd South Carolina Infantry is not.
Without even mentioning Fredericksburg, this Angel of Marye’s Heights was present at some of most fierce fighting of the war and most iconic locations: Henry House Hill at 1st Bull Run, the Dunker Church at Antietam, the Peach Orchard and Wheatfield at Gettysburg and Snodgrass Hill at Chickamauga. After 15 years of walking in Kirkland’s footsteps from his father’s plantation to the battlefields northward, author Anthony J. Ziebol’s presentation will include stories/photos of the men who stood with him and the fields that were soaked with their blood.
Among them:

The magnet for bullets – Captain (and eventual general) John Doby Kennedy, who survived six wounds and being struck by 15 spent bullets.

The gold digger – Captain Franklin Gaillard, failed at striking it rich mining for gold in California but became a brave soldier

Anthony J Ziebol is an accomplished journalist and writer from Minneapolis, Minnesota. After receiving a degree in print journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Mr. Ziebol moved back to the Twin Cities and began writing as a staff reporter for newspapers and as a freelancer for Midwest magazines. He also did promotional writing for the legendary rock club of Prince’s Purple Rain fame, First Avenue.  But more than anything, Ziebol loved history and the outdoors and so he went searching for the one story that would leap from the pages and unite his passions. He took solo road trips, some for as many as two weeks at a time, camping near Civil War battlefields, encountering more wild animals than people. In one of these trips, he stumbled into Fredericksburg, VA, where he saw a statue of a common soldier with an incredible story. And he knew the epic of Richard Kirkland had to be told to the world. Since that day, Ziebol has become so knowledgeable about Kirkland’s regiment that he helped edit well-known National Park Service (retired) historian Mac Wyckoff’s latest book, A History of the 2nd South Carolina Infantry, which is now in print. He has also been invited to speak at the prestigious South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum in Columbia, SC and will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Richard Kirkland Memorial Service, an annual event in Camden, SC. He also gave a talk on the battlefield at the 150th anniversary of the battle of Chickamauga, where he organized a joint ceremony with the Camden chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and a contingent of the Minnesota Civil War Commemoration Task Force.

Ziebol’s first historical novel, “Angel of Marye’s Heights: The Story of Richard Kirkland” has a tentative publishing date of November 2015. After more than a decade of research, this extremely realistic novel (in the same vein as Jeff Shaara) is as close as it gets to a true history of one of the few individuals that is a hero to both sides of the Civil War.  With a powerpoint show featuring both period photographs and his own pictures taken while following in Kirkland’s footsteps from South Carolina to Fredericksburg to Gettysburg to Chickamauga, and everything in between, Ziebol will captivate any audience with Kirkland’s incredible story.

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table invites all to attend this lecture about the incredible act of kindness, mercy and bravery by a so called “common man”.  Attendance is free for all, but membership is recommended.  For information, contact the Round Table’s president, Brad Gottfried, at bgottfried@csmd.edu or 301-934-7625.

November 2015 Southern MD Civil War Round Table Meeting

November 10, 2015

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that its next meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 10, 2015 at 7:00pm at the College of Southern Maryland’s Center for Business and Industry, Chaney Enterprises Conference Center, Room BI-113, at 8730 Mitchell Road in La Plata, MD.

Guest Speaker:  Dr. Gary Miller

“…drenched in dirt and drowned in abominations…”:  Insects, Soldiering, and the Civil War

 

Gary Miller

Sometimes slimy!  Sometimes beautiful! Sometimes bothersome! Sometimes fatal!  All can refer to our thoughts about insects; worms, butterflies, bugs and bees.  Tonight, join the Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table as Dr. Gary Miller takes us on a journey, showing us the influence of insects during the Civil War.  Insects had an important impact on nearly every aspect of soldier life including disease transmission and general annoyances.  However, they were also a source of entertainment. This topic brings to light an overlooked aspect of the War.

Gary Miller was born and raised in the Pennsylvania Dutch region of Lancaster County, PA.  He received his B.A. in Biology from Millersville University, Millersville, PA (1980) and M.S. in Entomology and Plant Pathology from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (1982).  While working as a Research Associate at Auburn University, AL, he was able to pursue his doctorate and received his Ph.D. in Entomology from Auburn University (1991).  Dr. Miller began his career with the USDA in 1991 as a Support Scientist with the Systematic Entomology Laboratory (SEL) in Beltsville, MD.  In 2004, he was hired as the aphid specialist in SEL where his assignment includes research, service identifications, and curation of the national aphid collection (>90,500 microscope slides).  Dr. Miller has published over 135 scientific publications concentrating mostly on aphids and scale insects.  He currently serves as the Research Leader for the USDA’s Systematic Entomology Laboratory.

In addition to his interest in entomology, he is also a long-time student of the American Civil War. With this combination he is able to provide a unique perspective to the Civil War that includes both history and natural history.  Dr. Miller has published several papers on this topic and has co-authored (with Dr. R.K.D. Peterson) the website:  Insects, Disease, and History.

Attendance is free for all, but membership is recommended.  For information, contact the Round Table’s president, Brad Gottfried, at bgottfried@csmd.edu or 301-934-7625.

October 2015 Southern MD Civil War Round Table Meeting

October 13, 2015

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that its next meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 13, 2015 at 7:00pm at the College of Southern Maryland’s Center for Business and Industry, Chaney Enterprises Conference Center, Room BI-113, at 8730 Mitchell Road in La Plata, MD.

Guest Speaker:  Calvin Goddard Zon

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table welcomes Calvin Goddard Zon, as he discusses his latest book, “Divided We Fall: The Confederacy’s Collapse From Within, A State-by-State Account“. “Divided We Fall: The Confederacy’s Collapse From Within, A State-by-State Account” makes the case that active opposition among Southerners in the 11 seceded states played a major role in the Confederacy’s downfall. The Civil War News writes, “Certainly this volume will deflate the idea of a solid front in the South. It is highly recommended to readers interested in knowing more about the South’s internal politics during the Civil War.” Winston Groom, author of Forrest Gump and three prominent Civil War books, writes, “Zon has made a substantial contribution to Civil War history by relating the discontent and outright resistance in some cases by Southerners who dissented with the South’s decision to secede from the Union in 1861”.  Zon’s first book, “The Good Fight That Didn’t End: Henry P. Goddard’s Accounts of Civil War and Peace” (University of South Carolina Press, 2008) is based on the letters and writings of Zon’s great-grandfather, a captain of the 14th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry. The Civil War News calls it “an outstanding annotation of an important firsthand account of the war in the East. Highly recommended.” Goddard was wounded at Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg, where his heroism saved the life of his commander. The book includes postwar observations of race relations in Connecticut, Maryland, and the South as well as uncirculated anecdotes about Abraham Lincoln and Goddard’s friend and Hartford neighbor Samuel Clemens.

Zon earned a B.A. from Davidson College, where he majored in American history, and an M.A. from the American University. He has taught high school American history. He was a staff writer for the Washington Star daily newspaper, for the Press Associates, Inc. news service, and for the United Mine Workers Journal, and worked as a copy editor for Bloomberg BNA’s Daily Labor Report. He is past commander of the Washington area Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, and is a member of the Lincoln Forum. His articles have appeared in the Civil War News, People magazine, the National Catholic Reporter, the Progressive, and In These Times. He served for six years in the U.S. Army Reserve. He has presented his books at Civil War Round Tables and other venues from South Carolina to New England.

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table invites all to attend this lecture about intricacies and inner workings of the Confederate political system.  Attendance is free for all, but membership is recommended.  For information, contact the round table’s president, Brad Gottfried, at bgottfried@csmd.edu or 301-934-7625.

Two-fer Tuesday!

The Hunley

Come early (5:00 p.m.) and see the movie,  The Hunley.
 
Professor Richard Siciliano has acquired a copy of the movie and will show it at 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, September 8, 2015 in Room BI-113 of the Business and Industry Building on the LaPlata campus of the College of Southern Maryland.  (The same room as our regularly scheduled meeting!)



The TNT network movie The Hunley tells the incredible true story of the crew of the manually propelled submarine CSS Hunley, during the siege of Charleston, SC of 1864. It is a story of heroism in the face of adversity, the Hunley being the first submersible to sink an enemy boat in time of war. The movie tells the human side of the story relating the uncommon and extraordinary temperament of the 9 men who led the Hunley into history and died valiantly accomplishing this feat. (92 minutes)
Then join us as Dr, Robert Neyland discusses his work on the recovery, restoration and conservation of the Confederate submarine, the H.L. Hunley.  The Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley attacked and sank the USS Housatonic on Feb. 17, 1864.  It is historically significant as the first submarine to successfully sink a warship in combat. Hunley also was lost with all hands after the battle. The location of the missing submarine was a mystery until it was rediscovered by bestselling author Clive Cussler in 1995. In 2000, it was raised by a team of archaeologists headed by Dr. Robert Neyland and returned to the port if left 136 years previously. Over the last 15 years the submarine has been opened, excavated and the eight crewmen identified and reburied. Analysis and conservation of the artifacts and hull is ongoing, but the sub is on display at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center in North Charleston. This presentation discusses the processes of recovery, archaeology, identification of the crew, conservation of the artifacts and hull, and  what mysteries have been solved as well as what remains to be discovered.
Attendance is free and all are welcome to attend.  For more information, please contact Round Table President Brad Gottfried at bgottfried@csmd.edu or 301-934-7625.

September 2015 Southern MD Civil War Round Table Meeting

September 8, 2015

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that its next meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 8, 2015 at 7:00pm at the College of Southern Maryland’s Center for Business and Industry, Chaney Enterprises Conference Center, Room BI-113, at 8730 Mitchell Road in La Plata, MD.

Guest Speaker:  Dr. Robert Neyland

... Robert Neyland, who directed the Hunley's recovery. (Courtesy of

Join us as Dr, Robert Neyland discusses his work on the recovery, restoration and conservation of the Confederate submarine, the H.L. Hunley.  The Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley attacked and sank the USS Housatonic on Feb. 17, 1864.  It is historically significant as the first submarine to successfully sink a warship in combat. Hunley also was lost with all hands after the battle. The location of the missing submarine was a mystery until it was rediscovered by bestselling author Clive Cussler in 1995. In 2000, it was raised by a team of archaeologists headed by Dr. Robert Neyland and returned to the port if left 136 years previously. Over the last 15 years the submarine has been opened, excavated and the eight crewmen identified and reburied. Analysis and conservation of the artifacts and hull is ongoing, but the sub is on display at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center in North Charleston. This presentation discusses the processes of recovery, archaeology, identification of the crew, conservation of the artifacts and hull, and  what mysteries have been solved as well as what remains to be discovered.

Dr. Robert Neyland was project director in charge of the recovery of the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley, which sunk in the Charleston, S.C., harbor in February 1864. Neyland is the Head of the Underwater Archaeology Branch, Naval History and Heritage Command, located in the Washington Navy Yard. The Navy still retains title to its sunken military craft–approximately 3,000 shipwrecks and 14,000 aircraft. Due to its expertise in underwater archaeology and management of sunken military craft the NHHC frequently is assigned management of Confederate and other military shipwrecks. Dr. Neyland has worked on Bronze Age shipwrecks off the coast of Turkey, dove in the sunken pirate city of Port Royal, Jamaica, recovered and documented numerous wrecks in the Netherlands and throughout the United States. He was the principal archaeologist on numerous Navy shipwreck investigations and excavations including the search for the 1820s antislavery and piracy schooner USS Alligator, excavation of a Revolutionary War shipwreck in the Penobscot River in Maine, a survey of the D-Day invasion shipwrecks in Normandy, France,  Civil War shipwrecks CSS Florida and USS Cumberland, War of 1812 flagship of Commodore Joshua Barney–USS Scorpion, and the search for John Paul Jones ship Bonhomme Richard.

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table invites all to attend this lecture on one of the more fascinating moments in Civil War history.  Attendance is free for all, but membership is recommended.  For information, contact the roundtable’s president, Brad Gottfried, at bgottfried@csmd.edu or 301-934-7625.

150th Anniversary of the Release of the Prisoners of War at Point Lookout State Park

June 13 & 14, 2015

150th Anniversary of the Release of the Prisoners of War at Point Lookout State Park

Point Lookout Maryland Address

Saturday June 13, 2015:  11:00am – 4:00pm

Sunday June 14, 2015:  11:am – 3:30pm 

Activities Include:

– Living History programs

– Infantry and Artillery Demonstrations

– Release of Prisoner of War Ceremony

confederate prisoners point lookout

A special Saturday evening program will feature Mr. Ross Kimmel, co-author of “I’m Busy Drawing Pictures”, the Civil War Art and Letters of Private John Jacob Omenhausser, prisoner of war at Point Lookout.

A Civil War Living History Program Presented by:

The Maryland Park Service, Department of Natural Resources and The Friends of Point Lookout located at historic Fort Lincoln, Point Lookout State Park, Scotland, Maryland

 

May 2015 Southern MD Civil War Round Table Meeting

May 12, 2015

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that its next meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 at 7:00pm at the College of Southern Maryland’s Center for Business and Industry, Chaney Enterprises Conference Center, Room BI-113, at 8730 Mitchell Road in La Plata, MD.

Guest Speaker:  Edward Bonekemper

Image of Edward H. Bonekemper

Ulysses S. Grant was the greatest general of the Civil War and the overrated Robert E. Lee was part of the Myth of the Lost Cause!  These are the conclusions of historian Edward Bonekemper, author of “Grant and Lee:  Victorious American and Vanquished Virginian”, a war-long comparison of the two most famous generals of the Civil War. Mr. Bonekemper will reveal how Lee’s hyper-aggression resulted in his army suffering approximately 209,000 casualties, while Grant’s army lost “only” about 154,000.  He will explore and explain how Grant won and Lee lost the Civil War.

by Edward Bonekemper, III

Mr. Bonekemper will show to us that Lee was far too aggressive a general for the Confederacy, which did not have the burden of winning the war and could not afford to squander its manpower.  He will demonstrate that Lee was a Virginian first, a Confederate second – priorities that led him to a bloody stalemate in the East and had disastrous impacts on Vicksburg, Chickamauga, Atlanta, Chattanooga and elsewhere. Mr. Bonekemper will show that throughout the war Lee either did not know or did not care what was occurring outside his theater and committed blunders that aided Grant and later William Tecumseh Sherman in the Middle and Western theaters of the war. The inter-theater relationships and interplay between Grant’s and Lee’s campaigns; even before they fought head-to-head in 1864 and 1865, will be described by Mr. Bonekemper.  He will detail Lee’s draining of the entire Confederacy to replace his intolerable losses, his resistance to sending needed reinforcements to other theaters and his role in facilitating Sherman’s critical capture of Atlanta.

In contrast to Lee, Mr. Bonekemper depicts Grant as doing exactly what a Union general was supposed to do:  aggressively taking the fight to the enemy, winning the Mississippi Valley and the East and saving the critical Union Army in the Middle Theater. Perseverance, deception, alacrity and appropriate aggressiveness were the hallmarks of Grant, the Civil War’s greatest general.

Edward Bonekemper is the author of four other Civil War books covering Grant, Lee, Lincoln and McClellan which include, “How Robert E. Lee Lost the Civil War”, Lincoln and Grant:  The Westerners Who Won the War”, and “McClellan and Failure: A Study of Civil War Fear, Incompetence and Worse”.  Copies of “Grant and Lee:  Victorious American and Vanquished Virginian” will be available for purchase and Mr. Bonekemper will be available to sign them after the discussion.