James Dufresne: They Met at Appomattox Court House
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February 2017 Vol XXXII, No 7 Thurs Feb 9 James Dufresne: They Met at Appomattox Court House “From present indications, the retreat of the enemy is rapidly becoming a rout.” So wrote Philip H. Sheridan to Lt Gen Ulysses S. Grant on April 5, 1865, from Jetersville Depot, Virginia, three days after Lee’s army had abandoned the trenches of the fallen cities of Richmond and Petersburg and begun its flight west. From the start, Grant’s goal was not merely to pursue Lee’s army but to intercept it: to cut it off and prevent Lee from veering south and joining the Confederate army of Joseph Johnston in North Carolina. Grant wanted to bring this war to a conclusion, so he ordered his two top generals, Sheridan and Sherman, to keep Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia constantly on the move. Lee’s army was in dire straits with very little food and ammunition remaining. Lee had planned to resupply his army at various points along his march west; however, he had little to no success. Grant had sent Sheridan and his command ahead with orders to destroy any supplies or ammunition that Lee might be able to acquire on his route west. He was also to intercept Lee’s army on its route wherever the time and place would allow. Sheridan did get the opportunity to stop Lee and his army at a place called Appomattox Court House. Gen Grant had been corresponding with Gen Lee for a couple of days previously while both were on the march. They agreed to meet at Appomattox Court House to work out a plan of action for the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia. Jim’s talk is on what transpired after Lee and his forces left the trenches around Petersburg and Richmond on their trek west. Grant discovered that Lee had snuck out of the trenches, and so followed him with all his force, which amounted to almost three times the size of Lee’s. Jim Dufresne was the Librarian for the Grand Lodge of Maine for over twenty‐three years before founding the Maine Masonic Civil War Library and Museum in 2013. Located at 415 Congress St in Portland, Maine, the MMCWL&M is a research library, which is open to Capture of Confederate wagons at Sailor’s Creek. the public. Battlefield sketch: Alfred Waud. Jim is the Past President of the Masonic Librarian and Museum Association, an international organization with global membership. He is also a member and Past Master of the Maine Lodge of Research. He has had several articles published in the proceedings of the Maine Lodge of Research. Jim is a member of the Southern California Research Lodge, The Civil War Lodge of Research ‐Virginia, Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076 ‐ United Grand Lodge of England. He enjoys his work as director of the Maine Masonic Civil War Library and Museum, doing ongoing research and working with others on their research projects. JLC CWRT meetings are the second Thursday of each month: 7:00 pm Morrell Room Curtis Memorial Library 23 Pleasant St, Brunswick ME Weather Cancellations: Channels 6, 8, 13 If the Library closes due to a storm, the meeting will be cancelled. Members will receive an email notification of cancellation from the CWRT Secretary. 2 News from Headquarters From the President – Dan Cunningham February marks the beginning of the 32nd year for the Joshua L. Chamberlain CWRT. Our meeting attendance continues to be strong, as we had 66 people attend our January meeting. This is the third time in five meetings we have had an attendance of 66 people. In the past we would usually have anywhere from 40‐55 people for most meetings. This is great news and one of the reasons we can continue the CWRT. At that meeting I recognized Walter Chop, who attended the first Chamberlain CWRT in January 1986 and has continued to be a valued member. Also in attendance at our January meeting was Al Obery, who became a member a few meetings later. Al is a past president and he and his wife, Mary, handled the raffle for many years. I am eternally thankful to Al for telling me about the CWRT on a trip organized by the Pejepscot Historical Society in 1994. This trip followed the career of Joshua Chamberlain through many of the Civil War battles he participated in. When we returned, I attended my first meeting in October 1994 and have been a member ever since. In addition to Walter and Al, Ken McAfee was also an early member of the CWRT. Ken has been president at least twice and was our treasurer for many years. We all owe Walter, Al, and Ken a big thank you for helping the Round Table get started and for continuing to be members. I hope to see you at our February meeting. If we have to cancel we will send you an email by noon on the day of the meeting. As always thank you for being members and enabling the CWRT to continue. 3 Treasurer’s Update – Paul Lariviere Quick Stats – January: Meeting: Jan 12, 2017 Speaker: Jared Peatman: A Hell of a Regiment Attendance: 66 Book Raffle tickets sold: 81 In‐Kind Donations: 31 books Book prizes distributed: 12 INCOME: $255.00 Memberships $74.00 Book Raffle revenue $11.00 Additional Book Sales $32.00 Cash Donations $50.00 Adopt‐a‐Speaker $42.00 Silent Auction $464.00 TOTAL cash income Year‐to‐Date: EXPENSES: NET Income: $1,013.84 $15.60 Speaker Meals Bank Balance, Jan 31, 2017: $3,943.26 $250.00 Speaker Fee $265.60 TOTAL Expenses NET INCOME: $198.40 NET income Adopt‐A‐Speaker – Dinner Host Program In conjunction with its Adopt‐A‐Speaker setup, the JLC CWRT maintains a Dinner Host program. With this arrangement, members who donate to the Adopt‐A‐ Speaker program at the “General” level have the opportunity to have dinner with a visiting speaker at Richard’s Restaurant in Brunswick. Under this program, the CWRT pays for dinner for the speaker, and the host pays for his/her own dinner. See the last page of the newsletter to enroll in the Adopt‐A‐Speaker program. Please contact Paul Lariviere (Treasurer) to make arrangements to host a specific speaker, at least one week before the program. Below is our speaker line‐up for the rest of 2016/17. Feb 9 James Dufresne They Met at Appomattox Court House 4 March 9 Charles Plummer Lincoln the Humorist, Storyteller and Poet April 13 Matt Cost Joshua Chamberlain and the Civil War: At Every Hazard May 11 John Cross Entering the Maelstrom: The Bowdoin Class of 1861 and the Civil War June 8 Tom Desjardin TBA Field Reports Historical Perspectives from our Members Report from the Low Country by Jay Stencil “Low Country” represents the coastal area roughly from Charleston, SC, to the border of Georgia. This past fall I attended the Low Country Civil War Round Table. The featured speaker was Lou Benfante, local Civil War buff and historian, who spoke about Fort Pulaski, which was built to protect the port of Savanna, GA. It is located near Tybee Island at the entrance to the Savanna River from the Atlantic Ocean. On October 15, 1924, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the fort as a National Monument. In 2009, Robert Redford used the fort for his movie “The Conspirator.” Although this lecture was to have 5 included a tour of the fort, it was postponed due to continued cleanup from hurricane Matthew. Preceding the presentation was a Park Ranger from the fort, who discussed the extensive damage from hurricane Matthew. High tides crested over 12 feet and flooded‐out the fort and its moat surroundings. Every building in the fort was damaged and over 400 trees were downed. The storm knocked out two bridges into the fort, and even knocked down some of the 7‐foot‐ thick walls housing a 32‐pounder cannon. Estimated cost for repairs is $1.8 million, but the US Congress is holding up allocation of the funds. Nevertheless, the fort was re‐opened to the public on a limited basis about 4 weeks after the storm. Fort Pulaski – Hurricane Matthew damage, October 16, 2016. Photo: Miami Herald. Fort Pulaski was named after the Polish Revolutionary War hero, Casmir or Kazimierz Pulaski. He was said to have saved George Washington’s life at the Battle of Brandywine, PA, and he later died in the Battle of Savanna, GA. It was the War of 1812 that sparked the need for America to protect some of its waterways from invaders by establishing and building a system of 30 coastal forts, including Fort Pulaski. Early in his career Robert E. Lee designed a series of canals to help drain water from the fort. The walls were 7 feet thick, and protected by 32‐pounder Parrot guns. It took from 1829 to 1847 to complete the fort’s truncated hexagonal structure and surrounding moats, as well as fortify it with magazines and cannon. Meantime, Fort Walker and Fort Beauregard at the entrance of Port Royal Sound were also 6 being completed. Neither of those forts stand today, although there is a monument at Fort Walker on Hilton Head Island. In 1860, Georgia seceded from the Union. The Governor seized Fort Pulaski in 1861. Soon after the start of the war at Charleston’s Fort Sumter, the Union Blockade began effectively interdicting shipping commerce into southern ports. In November 1861 under the command of Commodore Samuel DuPont, the blockading squadron conducted the largest amphibious landing prior to World War II at Port Royal.