MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS THURSDAY, March 10, 2016

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS THURSDAY, March 10, 2016 BRCWRT — Vol. XXIII, Issue 2, MARCH 2016 Page 1 The Newsletter of the Bull Run Civil War Round Table — Vol. XXIII, Issue 2, MARCH 2016 NPS RANGER AND AUTHOR DANIEL VERMILYA SPEAKS ON “THE BATTLE OF MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS KENNESAW MOUNTAIN, GA” AT THE THURSDAY, March 10, 2016 MARCH 10TH MEETING 7 p.m. Centreville Library By Mark Trbovich GUEST SPEAKER: We will go down to Georgia this month for the “The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain”, which HISTORIAN/AUTHOR was fought on June 27, 1864, during the Atlanta NPS RANGER AND AUTHOR Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the DANIEL VERMILYA most significant frontal assault launched by Un- TOPIC: ion Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman against the Confederate Army of Tennessee, under Gen. “THE BATTLE OF Joseph E. Johnston. This ended in a tactical de- KENNESAW MOUNTAIN, GA” feat for the Union forces. Strategically, however, the battle failed to deliver the result that the Con- federacy desperately needed—namely a halt to search on the Union Army at Antietam. Sherman's advance on Atlanta. Our speaker is He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in well versed in this pivotal western theater battle. history and politics from Hillsdale College in 2009 and graduated cum laude, with departmental honors in history. His Master of Arts degree (2011) is from John Carroll University. His studies were mainly focused on the Civil War. Dan’s master's thesis analyzed motivations and experi- ences of Ohio soldiers in Sher- man's army during the Atlanta Campaign of 1864. Dan writes and maintains a blog, “Our Country’s Fiery Ordeal,” dedicated to his third great- grandfather, Private Ellwood Rodebaugh, Company D, 106th PA Volunteer Infantry, who was killed at the Battle of Antietam, Septem- The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, June 27, 1864 . ber 17, 1862. Come on out at 5 p.m. and meet Dan Vermilya is a National Park Service Dan for dinner at Carrabba’s Italian Restaurant, ranger at the Antietam National Battlefield and 5805 Trinity Pkwy., Centreville, VA 20120: (703) was the first to receive the Joseph L. Harsh Me- 266-9755. morial Scholarship Award this year for his re- BRCWRT — Vol. XXIII, Issue 2, MARCH 2016 Page 2 BULL RUN CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE UPCOMING Executive Committee MEETINGS President: Mark Trbovich, [email protected], 703.361.1396 Past President: Nancy Anwyll, [email protected] March 10, 2016 - Dan Vermilya - "Battle of Vice-President: Mark Whitenton, [email protected] Kennesaw Mountain, GA" Treasurer: Mark Knowles, 703.787.9811 Secretary: John Pearson, [email protected], April 14, 2016 - John Quarstein - "Battle of Mobile 703.475.1943 Bay" At Large: Charlie Balch, John De Pue, Brian McEnany 25th Silver Anniversary: Brian McEnany and Jim Lewis May 12, 2016 - Chris Mackowski - "Battle at the Communications/Media: Jim Lewis, Mule Shoe Salient" [email protected] Membership: Rob Orrison, [email protected], June 9, 2016 - Anniversary Meeting - Panel of Past 703.431.2869 BRCWRT Presidents Preservation: Blake Myers, [email protected] Student Scholarship: Nancy Anwyll ([email protected]) July 14, 2016 - Ed Bearss - "Battle of 1st and Rob Orrison ([email protected]) Manassas" Field Trips: Rob Orrison, [email protected], John De Pue August 11, 2016 - John Hennessey - "Battle of 2nd Webmaster: Alan Day, [email protected] Manassas Campaign" Graphic Design: Drew Pallo, [email protected] Newsletter Editor: Nadine Mironchuk, September 8, 2016 - Jon Hickox - “Historic Finds at [email protected] Bull Run” Newsletter Team: Saundra Cox, Eric Fowler, Janet Greentree, Jill Hilliard, and Andy Kapfer. October 13, 2016 - William Backus - "Battle of The Bull Run Civil War Round Table publishes the Stone Wall. Bristoe Station" General Membership meetings are held at 7 p.m. on November 10, 2016 - Bruce Venter - "Kill Jeff the second Thursday of each month at: Davis, The K&D Richmond, VA Raid" Centreville Regional Library 14200 St. Germain Drive December 8, 2016 - Dwight Hughes - "CSS Centreville, VA 20121-2255 Shenandoah" 703.830.2223 For specific meeting dates and information, please visit the Web site: http://bullruncwrt.org In This Issue NEWSLETTER ARTICLE SUBMISSION DEADLINE For the April 2016 issue, e-mail articles by 9 a.m., Fri- The President’s Column Page 3 day, March 28, to Nadine Mironchuk at: [email protected] NEWSLETTER ADVERTISEMENT The Book Corner Page 4 SUBMISSION DEADLINE For the April 2016 issue, advertisers should please Preservation Report Page 5 click on “Instructions for Advertisers” at http://bullruncwrt.org and e-mail ads by noon, March 18, to Charlie Balch at [email protected] Ms. Rebelle Page 6 Support the BRCWRT in its important mission to educate and to commemorate the battles and events of the Civil War Meet the Member Page 8 - PLACE YOUR ADVERTISEMENT IN FFX RR Museum Page 9 THE STONE WALL - Tour/Forum BRCWRT — Vol. XXIII, Issue 2, MARCH 2016 Page 3 The President’s Column By Mark A. Trbovich Bull Run Civil War Round Table Members, Since March 21st signals the beginning of spring, I hope it comes in like a “lamb” this year. This winter has been fierce, so let’s get some sun and warmth going! I am looking forward to our March 10th meeting, when our lecture subject will be the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, GA - June 27th, 1864. We missed this lecture during our busy Sesquicentennial Anniversary lecture series in 2014, but wanted to get it in as soon as Civil War balloon expert Kevin Knapp brought several items to the we could, following the 150th set schedule of February meeting demonstrating the history of the unusual air craft that was introduced as a tool of war by both the Union and Confeder- commemorative talks. ate armies. As discussed again at the February meeting, Photo by Janet Greentree we are looking forward to our June BRCWRT 25th Anniversary meeting event with great antici- BRCWRT is pation. The 2016 calendar will contain a year of actively work- BRCWRT 25th celebrations and lectures that will ing with the certainly be memorable for our members and City of Alex- friends. andria’s Advi- Please make an effort to sign on again in sory Group March, either at the meeting or online, to remain on Confeder- on the BRCWRT rolls, as the membership drive ate Memorials continues. April will be our last month for the and Street membership drive, at which time, if you haven’t Names “re-upped,” you will be dropped from the rolls. preservation You will not want to miss any of these special initiative. Our th 25 events, nor will you want to miss any issues Preservation BRCWRT President Mark Trbovich (left) of our award-winning newsletter. lead, Blake thanking Kevin Knapp for his great talk Feb- Myers, along ruary on Civil War ballooning. Our February speaker, Kevin Knapp, brought Photo by Nancy Olds us an outstanding Civil War ballooning presenta- with Rob Or- tion, made all the more interesting by his being a rison, attended their initial meeting in January present-day balloonist, himself. The talk was and reported back to us on their findings. Many filled with the history of ballooning prior to, and members of the BRCWRT’s Executive Commit- during Civil War campaigns in 1861 and 1862. tee have written letters regarding the matter of Kevin’s knowledge of the subject is exten- either changing or retaining present memorials sive, and all left the meeting with a great deal of and street names associated with Confederate information themselves about ballooning and its history, and we encourage all to express their related strategy. Thank you, Kevin, for a job well opinions through written letters as well. done, and we hope to see you soon with your Being reviewed by the council are: the status beautiful air craft at local Civil War events! of the Appomattox statue on South Washington Again our March 10th lecture will be present- Street; the name of the Jefferson Davis Highway ed by NPS Ranger Daniel Vermilya. You won’t in the City of Alexandria; the names of the many want to miss it. streets within the City that are named after Con- As was noted at the February meeting, the (con’t on page 10) BRCWRT — Vol. XXIII, Issue 2, MARCH 2016 Page 4 periments to settle blacks on confiscated agricultural THE BOOK lands in the south during the war promised success, CORNER only to be reversed by Andrew Johnson. It was one of many cruel betrayals of our ex-slaves. Politically, Lincoln hoped for a simple re- admission of the states with new, free-state constitu- tions. But he was not naïve. He knew that a success- by Ralph G. Swanson ful reuniting of our nation would turn on the extraor- I often wish I had been alive in the 19th century so dinarily difficult issue of race. He did not believe the I could have experienced our American Civil War. races could live together, but by war’s end he had Not so with Reconstruction - that post-war period of abandoned his ideas of colonization. He had accept- turmoil, corruption and injustice that wracked our ed that blacks must somehow be integrated into our nation. “Reconstruction, America’s Unfinished Revo- society as evidenced by his tentative approach to the lution: 1863-1877” (Harper Collins, 1988) by Eric issue of black suffrage in his last public address on Foner is the outstanding historical treatment of our April 11, 1865. Reconstruction trauma. There are shorter summaries Poor Andrew Johnson mishandled virtually eve- available (Foner himself wrote one), but none provide rything during the brief period of “Presidential Re- the breadth and depth of analysis necessary to com- construction.” Never was a politician more qualified prehend what is the true legacy of our Civil War.
Recommended publications
  • Lee's Mistake: Learning from the Decision to Order Pickett's Charge
    Defense Number 54 A publication of the Center for Technology and National Security Policy A U G U S T 2 0 0 6 National Defense University Horizons Lee’s Mistake: Learning from the Decision to Order Pickett’s Charge by David C. Gompert and Richard L. Kugler I think that this is the strongest position on which Robert E. Lee is widely and rightly regarded as one of the fin- to fight a battle that I ever saw. est generals in history. Yet on July 3, 1863, the third day of the Battle — Winfield Scott Hancock, surveying his position of Gettysburg, he ordered a frontal assault across a mile of open field on Cemetery Ridge against the strong center of the Union line. The stunning Confederate It is my opinion that no 15,000 men ever arrayed defeat that ensued produced heavier casualties than Lee’s army could for battle can take that position. afford and abruptly ended its invasion of the North. That the Army of Northern Virginia could fight on for 2 more years after Gettysburg was — James Longstreet to Robert E. Lee, surveying a tribute to Lee’s abilities.1 While Lee’s disciples defended his decision Hancock’s position vigorously—they blamed James Longstreet, the corps commander in This is a desperate thing to attempt. charge of the attack, for desultory execution—historians and military — Richard Garnett to Lewis Armistead, analysts agree that it was a mistake. For whatever reason, Lee was reti- prior to Pickett’s Charge cent about his reasoning at the time and later.2 The fault is entirely my own.
    [Show full text]
  • Bbrriiggaaddiieerr Ggeenneerraall Lleewwiiss AA
    GRADE 8 Brigadier General L ewis A. Armistead & GRADE 11 Major General Winfield Scott Hancock Best F riends and E nemies The life of Lewis Armistead was full of setbacks and disappointments. Before the Civil War, he: • Was forced to resign from West Point twice. Once was for hitting future Confederate General Jubal Early over the head with a dinner plate. The other time was due to an extensive illness. • Suffered from Erysipelas, but was successfully treated for this disease which destroyed skin tissue • Lost his first wife, Cecilia Lee Love, and his four-year old- daughter • Lost his family farm when it burned to the ground • Remarried, but lost his infant daughter. Then he lost his second wife in an epidemic of cholera — Lewis Armistead Biography Lewis Armistead met Winfield Scott Hancock, and his wife, Almira, for the General Lewis Armistead. From first time in 1844. The three became close friends, and Hancock and Battles and Armistead fought together in the Mexican War. The Mexican War became a Leaders III . “training ground” for many future Civil War generals. Hancock and Armistead stayed friends, despite the fact that Armistead went off to fight for the Confederacy and Hancock decided to stay with the Union. The decision to fight for the Confederacy was a difficult one for Armistead. Like Lee, he felt that his first duty was to protect his home state of Virginia. On the night of his departure, Armistead gave Hancock’s wife his prayer book with Trust In God And Fear Nothing inscribed inside, and he gave Hancock a new major’s uniform (Lewis Armistead Biography ).
    [Show full text]
  • PICKETT's CHARGE Gettysburg National Military Park STUDENT
    PICKETT’S CHARGE I Gettysburg National Military Park STUDENT PROGRAM U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Pickett's Charge A Student Education Program at Gettysburg National Military Park TABLE OF CONTENTS Section 1 How To Use This Booklet ••••..••.••...• 3 Section 2 Program Overview . • . • . • . • . 4 Section 3 Field Trip Day Procedures • • • . • • • . 5 Section 4 Essential Background and Activities . 6 A Causes ofthe American Civil War ••..•...... 7 ft The Battle ofGettysburg . • • • . • . 10 A Pi.ckett's Charge Vocabulary •............... 14 A Name Tags ••.. ... ...........• . •......... 15 A Election ofOfficers and Insignia ......•..•.. 15 A Assignm~t ofSoldier Identity •..••......... 17 A Flag-Making ............................. 22 ft Drill of the Company (Your Class) ........... 23 Section 5 Additional Background and Activities .••.. 24 Structure ofthe Confederate Army .......... 25 Confederate Leaders at Gettysburg ••.•••.••• 27 History of the 28th Virginia Regiment ....... 30 History of the 57th Virginia Regiment . .. .... 32 Infantry Soldier Equipment ................ 34 Civil War Weaponry . · · · · · · 35 Pre-Vtsit Discussion Questions . • . 37 11:me Line . 38 ... Section 6 B us A ct1vities ........................• 39 Soldier Pastimes . 39 Pickett's Charge Matching . ••.......•....... 43 Pickett's Charge Matching - Answer Key . 44 •• A .•. Section 7 P ost-V 1s1t ctivities .................... 45 Post-Visit Activity Ideas . • . • . • . • . 45 After Pickett's Charge . • • • • . • . 46 Key: ft = Essential Preparation for Trip 2 Section 1 How to Use This Booklet Your students will gain the most benefit from this program if they are prepared for their visit. The preparatory information and activities in this booklet are necessary because .. • students retain the most information when they are pre­ pared for the field trip, knowing what to expect, what is expected of them, and with some base of knowledge upon which the program ranger can build.
    [Show full text]
  • Gettysburg: Three Days of Glory Study Guide
    GETTYSBURG: THREE DAYS OF GLORY STUDY GUIDE CONFEDERATE AND UNION ORDERS OF BATTLE ABBREVIATIONS MILITARY RANK MG = Major General BG = Brigadier General Col = Colonel Ltc = Lieutenant Colonel Maj = Major Cpt = Captain Lt = Lieutenant Sgt = Sergeant CASUALTY DESIGNATION (w) = wounded (mw) = mortally wounded (k) = killed in action (c) = captured ARMY OF THE POTOMAC MG George G. Meade, Commanding GENERAL STAFF: (Selected Members) Chief of Staff: MG Daniel Butterfield Chief Quartermaster: BG Rufus Ingalls Chief of Artillery: BG Henry J. Hunt Medical Director: Maj Jonathan Letterman Chief of Engineers: BG Gouverneur K. Warren I CORPS MG John F. Reynolds (k) MG Abner Doubleday MG John Newton First Division - BG James S. Wadsworth 1st Brigade - BG Solomon Meredith (w) Col William W. Robinson 2nd Brigade - BG Lysander Cutler Second Division - BG John C. Robinson 1st Brigade - BG Gabriel R. Paul (w), Col Samuel H. Leonard (w), Col Adrian R. Root (w&c), Col Richard Coulter (w), Col Peter Lyle, Col Richard Coulter 2nd Brigade - BG Henry Baxter Third Division - MG Abner Doubleday, BG Thomas A. Rowley Gettysburg: Three Days of Glory Study Guide Page 1 1st Brigade - Col Chapman Biddle, BG Thomas A. Rowley, Col Chapman Biddle 2nd Brigade - Col Roy Stone (w), Col Langhorne Wister (w). Col Edmund L. Dana 3rd Brigade - BG George J. Stannard (w), Col Francis V. Randall Artillery Brigade - Col Charles S. Wainwright II CORPS MG Winfield S. Hancock (w) BG John Gibbon BG William Hays First Division - BG John C. Caldwell 1st Brigade - Col Edward E. Cross (mw), Col H. Boyd McKeen 2nd Brigade - Col Patrick Kelly 3rd Brigade - BG Samuel K.
    [Show full text]
  • Civil War Leadership and Mexican War Experience
    Civil War Book Review Winter 2008 Article 10 Civil War Leadership and Mexican War Experience Richard Bruce Winders Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cwbr Recommended Citation Winders, Richard Bruce (2008) "Civil War Leadership and Mexican War Experience," Civil War Book Review: Vol. 10 : Iss. 1 . Available at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cwbr/vol10/iss1/10 Winders: Civil War Leadership and Mexican War Experience Review Winders, Richard Bruce Winter 2008 Dougherty, Kevin Civil War Leadership and Mexican War Experience. University Press of Mississippi, $50.00 hardcover ISBN 9781578069682 The Proving Ground for Civil War Leaders Historians have wondered what effect the Mexican War may have had on participants who later went on to lead the great armies of the Civil War. Kevin Doughertyù1983 West Point graduate, former army officer, and history instructor at the University of Southern Mississippiùis the first author to explore the connection in a book length treatment. He has produced a volume that some will find superficial and others will find groundbreaking. In a sense, Civil War Leadership and Mexican War Experience is both. The superficial characterization stems from the fact that the bulk of Dougherty's research comes from his mining secondary sources for accounts of Civil War generals' service in Mexico. These accounts were paired with events from the Civil War to demonstrate the existence of a connection with their respective past experiences in Mexico. These vignettes, presented as brief, concise nuggets of data that read like military briefing documents, comprise the body of the book. Readers new to Civil War literature will find the information new and exciting.
    [Show full text]
  • Fort Jackson (1808 – 1861)
    General History of Fort Jackson To understand the history of Fort Jackson, we must realize that the land surrounding the fort today is far different from what it was when European first saw the Savannah River. The river flowed through many marshy fields resembling a flat plain. The appearance of the area caused the founder of Georgia, General James Edward Oglethorpe, to name the river and town “Savannah,” meaning a treeless plain or relatively flat, open region. When early Indians built large ceremonial mounds near the river, they could not find dry land to build on closer than a mile from the river. One set of these mounds was located about 1600 yards southwest of the future site of Fort Jackson. No doubt General Oglethorpe noticed these mounds as he searched for high ground for his settlement in 1733. As the river flowed around present-day Hutchinson’s Island, the two channels rejoined north of a small clay island which rose just a few feet above the water at high tide. The convergence of these channels created a deepening to about 30 feet, more than ten feet deeper than normal. This part of the river became known as Five Fathom Hole. A few years later, an illiterate brick mason named Thomas Salter chose a site for a brickyard three miles east of the city on the south bank of the Savannah River where he hoped to earn a good living making bricks for housing foundations. The spot he chose was actually the small clay island. The brick-making trade was one of intense hand labor and has not changed in hundreds of years.
    [Show full text]
  • James (Jim) B. Simms
    February 2013 1 I Salute The Confederate Flag; With Affection, Reverence, And Undying Devotion To The Cause For Which It Stands. From The Adjutant The General Robert E. Rodes Camp 262, Sons of Confederate Veterans, will meet on Thursday night, January 10, 2013. The meeting starts at 7 PM in the Tuscaloosa Public Library Rotary Room, 2nd Floor. The Library is located at 1801 Jack Warner Parkway. The program for February will be DVD’s on General Rodes and one of his battles. The Index of Articles and the listing of Camp Officers are now on Page Two. Look for “Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp #262 Tuscaloosa, AL” on our Facebook page, and “Like” us. James (Jim) B. Simms The Sons of Confederate Veterans is the direct heir of the United Confederate Veterans, and is the oldest hereditary organization for male descendants of Confederate soldiers. Organized at Richmond, Virginia in 1896; the SCV continues to serve as a historical, patriotic, and non-political organization dedicated to ensuring that a true history of the 1861-1865 period is preserved. Membership is open to all male descendants of any veteran who served honorably in the Confederate military. Upcoming 2013 Events 14 February - Camp Meeting 13 June - Camp Meeting 14 March - Camp Meeting 11 July - Camp Meeting 11 April - Camp Meeting August—No Meeting 22-26 - TBD - Confederate Memorial Day Ceremony Annual Summer Stand Down/Bivouac 9 May - Camp Meeting 12 September - Camp Meeting 2 Officers of the Rodes Camp Commander David Allen [email protected] 1st Lieutenant John Harris Commander
    [Show full text]
  • 2019 Fall Reunion
    Audie Murphy (Born June 20, 1925 – Died May 28, 1971) Audie Murphy was born on June 20, 1925, in Kingston, Texas. He was the seventh child of twelve of Emmett Murphy and Jose Killian. His father abandoned his family when Audie was very young, and his mother died of pneumonia when he was a teenager. He worked many jobs throughout his youth, from picking cotton to working in a radio repair shop. However, his skill with a rifle helped feed his family. Audie Murphy always wanted to be a soldier. The U.S. Army accepted him in 1942 and sent him to Fort Meade for advanced infantry training. During training, he earned the Marksman and Expert Badges. In 1943, he began a military tour in the Mediterranean region, which took him from Morocco to Italy, where he was promoted to Staff Sergeant. During this time, he received the Bronze Star. Audie Murphy entered the European Theater in 1944, where he was part of the first wave of the Allied invasion in southern France. He had many kills and in one instance, stood on a flaming German tank and returned fire to enemy soldiers, killing or wounding fifty Germans. For those actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor and eventually promoted to First Lieutenant. The United States also honored Audie Murphy with countless other medals for military service and heroism. In July 1945, Life Magazine depicted Audie Murphy as the “most decorated soldier.” A Hollywood producer took notice, which propelled him into acting. His film career spanned from 1948 to 1969, where he made more than forty films and one television show.
    [Show full text]
  • Winter 2019 Edition January 1
    Thomas M. Holt Lodge # 492 A.F. & A.M. Regular Meetings 1st and 3rd Thursday of the Month at 7:30pm Address: 512 Johnson Avenue, Graham, NC, 27253 Websites: www.thomasmholt492.org or 492-nc.ourlodgepage.com Upcoming Events The Holler Log – Winter 2019 Edition January 1 Happy New Year - 2019 “May the Year Ahead Bring You Good Messages from the East: Luck, Good Health, Good Fortune, Great Success, and Lots of Brotherly Love.” Brethren, January 3 As the sun rises in the East to open and Dinner @ 6:30 PM govern the day, so shall the sun rise on all of Stated Meeting @ 7:30 PM us, as we kick off the new year !! So Happy New Year, Thomas M. Holt Lodge # 492 !! January 17 First off, I would like to thank the Dinner @ 6:30 PM Stated Meeting @ 7:30 PM Brethren of Thomas M Holt Lodge, thank you for your confidence and trust in me to lead this lodge, by electing me and giving me this opportunity to serve February 7 as your Worshipful Master for the next year. It is indeed a great honor and Dinner @ 6:30 PM privilege to serve you in this capacity and one I will not take for granted. Stated Meeting @ 7:30 PM Second, I would like to thank and congratulate all of our 2019 officers, February 21 and thank them for volunteering their time to serve with me, and accepting Dinner @ 6:30 PM the responsibilities that your individual chair requires. Installation was held Stated Meeting @ 7:30 PM on Sunday, December 16, with Worshipful Brother Alvin Billings presiding and it fills my heart with joy to see some many Masons, their Families, and March 7 Friends in attendance.
    [Show full text]
  • Alexander Atkinson Lawrence Papers
    Alexander Atkinson Lawrence papers Descriptive Summary Repository: Georgia Historical Society Creator: Lawrence, Alexander Atkinson, 1869-1930. Title: Alexander Atkinson Lawrence papers Dates: 1915-1981 Extent: 26.0 cubic feet (48 boxes, 73 volumes) Identification: MS 2019 Biographical/Historical Note Alexander Atkinson Lawrence (1906-1979) was born in Savannah, Georgia, on December 28, 1906. He was the son of Alexander Atkinson Lawrence and Isabel Ashby Paine. He attended Massie School (Savannah, Ga.) and Woodberry Forest Preparatory (Orange, Virginia). He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia in 1929 and read law in his father's Savannah law office, Lawrence and Abrahams. He married Margaret Adams on April 18, 1933, and they had two children. From 1930-1969, Alexander Lawrence practiced law in Savannah as a partner in the firm of Bouhan, Lawrence, Williams, and Levy and established a wide reputation in the legal profession. He engaged in mainly civil cases and represented some of Savannah's major insurance, utility and railroad companies. In 1968, he was nominated to the bench of the Federal District Court of South Georgia. As judge he faced the issue of the desegregation of the Savannah- Chatham County public school system. One of his highest profile civil-damages case grew out of the February 1971 explosion at the Thiokol Chemical Corporation in Woodbine, Georgia. Lawrence served as president of the Georgia and Savannah bar associations. He was a member of the Georgia Bar Examiners' Board, the American College of Trial lawyers, Georgia Historical Commission, Society of Colonial Wars, Society of the Cincinnati, and he served as president of the Georgia Historical Society from 1945 until 1952.
    [Show full text]
  • "Simple Grandeur": the Creation of the Soldiers' National Cemetery At
    “Simple Grandeur” The creation of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery at Gettysburg and the men who stepped forward to make their contribution. Rob Wingert, Licensed Battlefield Guide (Battles & Leaders) The rain had started by mid-morning, interspersed with claps of thunder and flashes of lightening. General John Imboden, in command of the 17 mile-long ambulance train filled with Lee’s wounded veterans, wrote on July 4th: “Shortly after noon of the 4th, the very windows of heaven seemed to have opened. The rain fell in blinding sheets; the meadows were soon overflowed, and the fences gave way before the raging streams.” 1 The two armies were gathered, licking their wounds after three days of horrific fighting. General Robert E. Lee had decided to begin his retreat from Gettysburg, hoping to reach the Potomac River before the Union forces of General George Meade could catch him on the northern side of the river with his back to an impassable, flooded body of water. The battle had lasted three days and with each day passing there were more wounded and dead. At the end of that fight, 7,000 dead lay on the fields surrounding the town of Gettysburg. An additional 3,000 would succumb to their wounds in the ensuing weeks and be listed on the rolls of the dead. Though Lee attempted to get 6,000 of his wounded back to Virginia, there were still over 20,000 wounded Union and Confederate soldiers remaining in scattered field hospitals in Adams County as well as churches, schools and private homes in Gettysburg.
    [Show full text]
  • Terrain of Cold Harbor Battlefield, June 1, 1864
    HISTORICAL LANDSCAPE STUDY: TERRAIN OF COLD HARBOR BATTLEFIELD, JUNE 1,1864 by CLIFFORD R. DICKINSON ADVANCED RESEARCH GRANT UNITED STATES ARMY MILITARY HISTORY INSTITUTE CARLISLE, PENNSYLVANIA 1987 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE RICHMOND NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD PARK RICHMOND, VIRGINIA August 8, 1988 The scope of this study is not intended to be one of the entire Cold Harbor Battlefield. Its primary purpose being to recreate the historical landscape of the two sites contained in Richmond National Battlefield Park's Cold Harbor unit, it focuses on those areas. The report should be read in conjunction with the Terrain Map of Cold Harbor Battlefield, June 1, 1864 (Revised June 8, 1988) prepared by the author. It provides documentation in support of the landscape as sholvn on the map. In some instances general calculations have been made which effect vegetation lines. These are based as far as possible on historical maps of the vicinity. Personal examination of modern vegetation, particularly timber growth, supports some preconceived generalizations. Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture Forest Service reports on local vegetation have also lent their weight to these findings. Much of the park unit containing the visitor center remains in a state similar to that in which it existed during the American Civil War. This is due in large part to the poor soil which until recent years has primarily supported pine forest. Unfor- tunately, this is not the case with the Garthright House and national cemetery sites which have been impacted significantly by agriculture and housing development. The author wishes to express sincere thanks and appreciation to the National Park Service and the fine staff at Richmond National Battlefield Park; the library and manuscript divisions of the United States Army Military History Institute, Carlisle, Pennsylvania; and Eastern National Parks and Monuments Association which funded the two weeks of research.
    [Show full text]