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.