April 2007 Issue 63 LOWCOUNTRY CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE April 2007 Issue 63 Presented by Brian Steele Wills hat really happened at Fort Pillow. Situated on a high bluff on the eastern bank of the Mississippi river about forty river miles above Memphis, TN, it became part of a chain of Federal garrisons. In W April 1864 it was manned by 295 white Tennessee troops and 262 U.S. Colored Troops when Nathan Bedford Forrest, the famous (or infamous) Confederate cavalryman, attacked and the fort surrendered. phis The Union garrison at Fort Pillow consisted of about 600 men, divided almost evenly between black and white troops. The black soldiers belonged to the 2nd U.S. Colored Light Artillery and the 6th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery, under the overall command of Major Lionel F. Booth. Many were former slaves. The white soldiers were predominantly new recruits from the 14th Tennessee Cavalry, a Federal regiment from western Tennessee, commanded by Maj. William F. Bradford. As the battle started, Major Booth was killed by a sharpshooter's bullet and Bradford assumed com- mand. The Confederates had captured two rows of barracks about 150 yards from the southern end of (Continued on page 4 PILLOW) 1885 COLOR POSTER OF THE "F ORT P ILLOW M ASSACRE Casualties were high and only sixty-two of the U.S. Biography of Brian Steele Wills Colored Troops survived the fight. The Confederates were accused of massacre, a controversy that contin- Brian Steel Wills was raised in Suffolk ues today. Fort Pillow became the subject of a Fed- County, Virginia. His interest in American eral joint Congressional investigation. Was it a massa- history began early with a love for reading cre, revenge or "war as an act of violence pushed to books about great American figures such its utmost bounds"? as George Washington and Robert E. Lee. Fort Pillow, 40 miles north of Memphis, was built by He graduated from the University of Rich- Brigadier General Gideon Johnson Pillow in early 1862 mond, after which he earned an M.A. and PhD. from the and was used by both sides during the war. With the University of Georgia. He is a former professor of his- fall of New Madrid and Island No. 10 to Union forces, tory at Georgia Southern University and is currently Confederate troops evacuated Fort Pillow on June 4, associate professor of history and chair of the depart- 1862, in order not to be cut off from the rest of the ment of history and philosophy at the University of Confederate Army. Union forces occupied Fort Pillow Virginia–Wise. Wills’ reputation as a popular and dy- on June 6, 1862, and used it to protect the river ap- namic speaker was recently reinforced when he was proach to Memphis. recognized with an Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the On March 16, 1864, Forrest launched a month-long commonwealth’s highest honor for professors at Vir- cavalry raid with 7,000 troopers into western Tennes- ginia’s public and private colleges and universities. see and Kentucky. Their objectives were to capture Union prisoners and supplies and to demolish posts and Wills’ publications include The Confederacy’s Greatest fortifications from Paducah, Kentucky, south to Mem- Cavalryman: Nathan Bedford Forrest and The War Hits Home . Page 1 Lowcountry Civil War Round Table Lowcountry Civil War Round Table AS I SEE IT Inc . by Paul Bucklin, President The Minie Ball Gazette any members attend classes of a historical P.O. Box 2252 nature here in the Lowcountry and some Bluffton, SC 29910 WWW.LOWCOUNTRYCWRT .ORG visit other Roundtables and listen to some M outstanding presenters. I receive many Dedicated to Historic Preservation suggestions from members about potential good pro- and Enlightenment gram subjects and speakers of high quality who could provide future programs for our Roundtable. I pass Editors: Mitch & Marian Sackson this information on to our Program Committee. The Lowcountry Civil War Round Table Inc. is a not-for- profit, charitable organization as qualified under section 501 (c) I feel it is important that our mem- (3) of the Internal Revenue Code bership understand how our pro- gramming is determined and how we go about securing our speakers. Officers & Committee Chairpersons First, you must understand that our Program Committee decided in the President Paul Bucklin 705-5168 very beginning (2000) that we would start with the first year (1861) and work our way Vice President Bob Ham 842-9836 through the War until it’s conclusion in 1865. We are now this program year completing 1863 and most of 705-9089 next year’s programs will be time lined in 1864. Our Secretary Wendy Glasgow committee has already tied down many of the speak- 757-2106 ers for the ‘07-‘08 program year and they are now Treasurer Jack Forster constructing the ‘08-‘09 program topics. At-Large Bernie Covert 705 -7808 We, as you know, have tried to put together program years that feature a combination of battles, gener- Membership Brenda & Steve Bacon 705-3432 als, interesting personalities, professional actors who have impersonated President Lincoln and Mary 681-1956 Chestnut, battle group reenactors like the 54 th Mas- Program Chris Clayton sachusetts USCT, and special interest topics such as 705-2628 music, heroines, prisons, chaplains, medicine, journal- Editor Marian & Mitch Sackson ism, plantation life, etc.. The make -up of our Round- 705-6232 table is quite different from most others because Distribution Betty & Jeff McMillion our membership is about 40% women and 60% men. 705-5049 Our programs try to present a balance that is inter- Dinner Register June & Janice McIntyre esting for all. Hospitality Margret & Don Hubsch 705-7786 Once a program subject is selected and the person best qualified to present it is determined, then a member of the Program Committee is assigned to be Near Capacity Audience Heard the “Coordinator” to produce that program. That means contacting the speaker and securing their will- Edwin Bearss on March 14, 2007 ingness to be with us, coordinating the date, con- firming the subject, sharing information about our audience and the venue where the presentation takes place, arranging for travel and over-night accommo- dations or possibly hosting the speaker, reimbursing each for their travel and determining the Civil War charity to be the recipient of their time with us. Lastly our “coordinator” introduces the speaker at our Roundtable. Our Program Committee is very ably chaired this year by Chris Clayton. Members are Paul Ricker, Bob Zabawa, Kirk Schleifer, Bob Williams, Past Presi- dents Bob Eberly and Johanna Verwer, Judge Bill Bodoh, John Monkaitis and Steve Mohn. Any one of them would welcome any input you feel would be helpful. They meet monthly one week before each roundtable and contribute substantially to what this Please return the Dinner Reservation Roundtable is today. We all owe them much praise Form as soon as possible, but no later and many thanks. then April 5th 2007 Page 2 April 2007 Issue 63 Sept 13 2006 ChancellorsvilleChancellorsville. Mac Wyckoff will explore Chancellorsville, a bloody affair that best portrayed Robert E. Lee's confidence, determination, tactical courage and military genius. It was a battlefield triumph for the South and a personal tragedy for Lee with the loss of his "right arm" General Thomas "Stonewall" Jack- son. Mr. Wyckoff will bring this battle to life as seen through the eyes of the major personalities locked in combat May 1-3, 1863, Chancellorsville, Virginia . Oct 11 2006. GettysburgGettysburg. Rev. Jeff Miller will examine Gettysburg, the strategies of Lee and Meade, and the aftermath of the Confederate loss. The three days of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863 are called by some the turning point of the Civil War or the "high tide" of the Confederacy. General Lee marched into Pennsylvania expecting to win his third major battle in six months; but now he entered the enemy's country and the outcome was quite different. From the gallantry of Pickett's charge to the bravery on Little Round Top, Gettysburg has be- come the symbol of the War Between the States. Nov 8 2006 The Western TheaterTheater. Richard McMurry will talk on the Western battles: Forts Donnellson and Henry, Shiloh Church, Vicksburg, Chickamauga and many others in what is referred to as the trans-Mississippi region. These battles have until recently been relegated to a position of less importance than the battles in the Eastern states, yet they represented, for the Union, the most significant victories. What was the Unions strategy and why were they more successful? Jan 10 2007 Jefferson Davis and his generals. Jack Davis is a renown historian of the Civil War. His talk will concern Jefferson Davis' relationship with his generals, specifically Gen Johnston, Beauregard and Bragg. Feb 14 2007 Role of ‘Colored‘ TroopsTroops. This presentation will depart from our usual format and present a living history when the Charleston ReRe----enactorsenactors Group becomes the 54th Massachusetts and portrays their role in the battle of Battery Wagner. We will discuss the events that led to the formation of the so called "Colored Troops" and their role in the Civil War. Also, we will show the uniforms and customs of this regiment and dis- cuss details of the battle. Mar 14 2007 Chickamauga & ChattanoogaChattanooga. Ed Bearss will return to examine the battles of this region of Ten- nessee, including Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain. The name Chickamauga was an old Cherokee word meaning river of death and it lived up to its name as each side lost nearly a third of its men. Chicka- mauga was a Union disaster.