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 1, 2015

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.

August 31, 2015

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.

July 12, 2015

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.

May 12, 2015

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

April 14, 2015

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.

April 7, 2015

Lincoln 150 – On the Trail of the Assassin

150Lincoln

Spend the weekend in Charles County, MD!

Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the Lincoln 150 Commemoration. History comes alive this April 17-19, 2015. Enjoy Civil War re-enactors, encampments, music, theater, guided tours, and food. See below for participating hotels commemoration discounts.

April 17, 2015
An Evening of Civil War Music and Words – “Charles County in the Civil War,” a lecture presented by Dr. Christine Arnold Lourie, CSM Professor of History following with Q & A. “Civil War Music and Words,” a dramatic presentation with music, performed by CSM theatre students under the direction of CSM Associate Professor of Theatre, Keith Hight, with CSM Lecturer in Music Michael K. Santana on keyboard.

Time: 6 – 8:30 p.m.
Location: College of Southern Maryland
8730 Mitchell Rd, La Plata, MD 20646
(Center for Business and Industry (BI) Building, Room 113)
Event Admission: Free (tickets not required)
Phone: 301-934-7828
Website: http://www.csmd.edu/Arts/

April 17 – 18, 2015
A Global View of The Escape – Experience history through science at the James E. Richmond Science Center. Using the latest digital dome technology and Science on a Sphere audiences will get a vivid picture of Booth’s escape path.
Time: Friday, 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m., 10:45 a.m. & Noon
Location: James E. Richmond Science Center
5305 Piney Church Rd, Waldorf, MD 20603
Event Admission: Fee
Phone: 301-934-7464
Email: JERScienceCenter@ccboe.com
Website: http://www.ccboe.com/sciencecenter/

April 18 – 19, 2015
Lincoln 150 – On the Trail of the Assassin – On April 14, 1865 John Wilkes Booth, the assassin, rode on horseback with co-conspirator David Herold to Dr. Mudd’s home in the early hours of April 15th for surgery on his fractured leg before continuing his escape. Weekend activities include: Port Tobacco Players Theater Production titled, “The Assassin’s Doctor”, living history group and suttlers, first person impressions (i.e. Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses Grant, Dr. Mudd, etc.), guest speakers, authors, music performances, and Civil War Dolls display.
Time: Saturday, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Location: Dr. Samuel Mudd House Museum
3725 Dr. Mudd Rd, Waldorf, MD 20601
Event Admission: $5 per car
House Tour Admission: $8 for adults, $2 for children (6 – 16); Free for members
Phone: 800-766-3386
Email: welcomecenter@charlescountymd.gov
Villains, Rebels & Rogues – Join professional archaeologists as they excavate around Rich Hill Farm uncovering evidence of its 19th century appearance. Hear from local historians as they share Rich Hill’s connection to the Lincoln assassination and learn about the little known people who lived and worked on this historic Charles County farm.
Time: Saturday and Sunday: 10 a.m to 3 p.m.
Location: Rich Hill Farm House (home of Samuel Cox)
Rich Hill Farm Rd, Bel Alton, MD 20611
Event Admission: Free
Phone:800-766-3386
Email: welcomecenter@charlescountymd.gov

Conspiracy – The Talk of Port Tobacco – Come take a walk around Port Tobacco Village, a Maryland port town that was a hotbed of Confederate activity and where residents may have been involved in the conspiracy. Learn about one of the conspirators who lived and owned a business here.
Time: Saturday and Sunday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (last tour begins at 3 p.m.)
Location: Port Tobacco Historic Village
8430 Commerce St, Port Tobacco, MD 20677
Event Admission: $5
Phone: 301-392-3418
Email: historicdistrict@charlescountymd.gov

Hotel Discounts
Best Western Plus La Plata Inn
6900 Crain Highway
La Plata, MD 20646
Ph: 301-934-4900
website: www.bestwestern.com/laplatainn
Phone Reservation Only: Reservation Code LIN to receive 22% discount rate.

Hampton Inn Waldorf
3750 Crain Highway
Waldorf, MD
phone: 301-632-9600
website: www.waldorf.hamptoninn.com
Refer to Lincoln 150 Commemoration Weekend or Group Code CHXLCW to receive the discount rate.

Colony South Hotel
7401 Surratts Road
Clinton, MD 20735
Ph: 301-877-4801
website: www.colonysouth.com
Refer Group code 1504LINC to receive the discount rate.

March 16, 2015

Civil War Stamp Dedication

WHAT	First-Day-of Issue stamp dedication ceremony for the Civil War 1865 Forever stamps. The ceremony will take place in front of the McLean House where Lee surrendered to Grant. The public is encouraged to attend this free event.

WHEN	1:30 p.m., Thurs., April 9 (note: April 8 overnight encampment on-site; April 9 events begin at 7:30 a.m. There will be a reenactment of Lee surrendering to Grant at the McLean House that starts at 1 p.m.)
WHERE	Appomattox Court House111 National Park Dr. Appomattox, VA 24522 (Although travel time is several hours from LaPlata, MD, anticipate significant traffic congestion upon entering the Appomattox area April 8-12. The National Park Service will provide shuttles from satellite parking areas.)

BACKGROUND With these two stamps, the U.S. Postal Service concludes its series of ten stamps commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Pre-order the stamps now via usps.com and search for “Appomattox” and “stamp.” Expect delivery shortly after April 9. Since 2011, souvenir sheets with two stamp designs have been issued for each year of the war (1861-1865). On the 2015 souvenir sheet, one stamp depicts the Battle of Five Forks, near Petersburg, VA, on April 1, 1865. The other stamp depicts Robert E. Lee’s surrender to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9. Art director Phil Jordan selected historic paintings for the stamp designs. The Battle of Five Forks stamp is a reproduction of a painting, circa 1885, by French artist Paul Dominique Philippoteaux (1846-1923). Philippoteaux was best known for his massive cyclorama (360-degree circular painting) of the Battle of Gettysburg that drew large audiences when it was first displayed in Chicago in 1883. The Appomattox Court House stamp is a reproduction of the 1895 painting “Peace in Union” by Thomas Nast (1840-1902), depicting Robert E. Lee’s surrender. Nast, a political cartoonist for most of his career, devised the donkey as a symbol of the Democratic Party and the elephant to represent the Republican Party. The background image on the souvenir sheet is a photograph of a number of Federal rifles stacked in the vicinity of Petersburg during the siege. The 12-stamp souvenir sheet includes comments on the war by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, and Union General Joshua L. Chamberlain. It also includes lines parodying the lyrics of Patrick S. Gilmore’s famous Civil War song, “When Johnny Comes Marching Home.”

March 10, 2015

April 2015 Southern MD Civil War Round Table Meeting

April 14, 2015

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that its next meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 14, 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: Michael Kauffman

Local author, Michael W. Kauffman, author of “American Brutus: John ...

Michael Kauffman, author of the best seller “American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies” will speak to the Southern Maryland Civil War Roundtable about the Booth conspiracy and how it was built largely around Southern Maryland politics. Booth was often described as a Southerner, but in fact, he was a Marylander — and so were almost all of the people who were drawn into his plot. The people of Southern Maryland lived on the fault line of national politics, in a Border State, where politics had grown intensely personal through the war, and where the phrase “Brother vs. Brother” was literally true for many local families. Its geographical position — nearly surrounding the nation’s capital — gave it a strategic importance far beyond that of any other state that remained in the Union.

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In the fall of 1864, John Wilkes Booth set out to recruit a band of conspirators for his plot against the president. Booth knew little about the area, but he knew how the people here felt about Lincoln. He was a master of manipulation, and he took full advantage of the political climate to build his plot. When he looked for cohorts, a sympathetic ear, and a secure route of escape, he knew where he would find friendly territory. Southern Maryland was his only option.

MICHAEL W. KAUFFMAN is a political historian and graduate of the University of Virginia who has studied the Lincoln assassination for more than thirty years.

Taking a full-immersion approach to his research, he has rowed across the Potomac where Booth rowed, leaped to the stage in Ford’s Theatre, and for a time he even took up residence in Tudor Hall, the Booth family home in Maryland.

Kauffman has written for Civil War Times, the Washington Post, American Heritage, Blue and Gray, and the Lincoln Herald, among others. He has lectured throughout the United States, and has appeared in more than twenty television and radio documentaries, including programs on A& E, The Learning Channel, the History Channel, National Geographic Channel, and the Discovery Channel.

His works include a modern edition of Samuel B. Arnold’s Memoirs of a Lincoln Conspirator, as well as American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies, which was named as one of the best non-fiction books of 2004.His latest book, “In the Footsteps of An Assassin” is a 161-page book which guides the reader with maps, rare photos and an accompanying CD through the sites Booth encountered on his flight from Washington to the Garrett Farm, the site of Booth’s death.

February 11, 2015

Southern MD Civil War Round Table Spring Field Trip

The Booth Escape Tour
Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table
Saturday, May 2, 2015
8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

This year is the sesquicentennial President Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination. Therefore, it is fitting that the third annual Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table tour be the “Booth Escape Tour.”

We will board the bus at CSM’s La Plata Campus and head up to Ford’s Theater, where we will visit the museum and the Peterson House across the street where Lincoln died.

Then we will re-board the bus to see some relevant sites around D.C., including the home of Sec. of State William Seward. Next we will drive down to the Surratt Tavern, where we will be given a tour of the facility and then onto the Mudd House. Along the way, you will dine on a box lunch (included in the price of the tour).

Our next stop takes us over to the Samuel Cox House (Rich Hill) and the pine thicket in Bel Alton. After driving by Pope’s Creek, where Booth pushed off from Maryland, we will head south and drive by Cleydael, the home of Dr. and Mrs. Richard Stewart and then by the Peyton House in Port Royal, and finally to the location of the Garrett Farm, where Booth was killed.

The cost of the tour includes a Keller bus, guided tour, admission to several historic structures, and box lunch. The cost is $60 for members of the Round Table (and their guests). Those paying by or at the March 10 Round Table meeting will only pay $55. The cost for nonmembers is $70.