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Civil War Round Table of Arkansas
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Newsletter Archive - We have left these
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War Roundtable of Arkansas Newsletter please use the Newsletter button in
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VOL. XXXX, No. 05, MAY 2004/FOR THE MEETING TUESDAY,
MAY 11
Our 40th Year
Meets Fourth Tuesday, January-November/Founded March 1964
Fletcher Branch Library, H & Buchanan (East of University Ave.),
Little Rock
Program at 7 p.m.
Online: www.civilwarbuff.org
Brian Brown, President / Charles O. Durnett, Editor,
Dues $15 Per Year VISITORS WELCOME!
VISIT THE BATTLEFIELDS WHEN YOU CAN...WHILE YOU CAN
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CHANGE IN DATE: MAY 11
(This meeting only)
"The Third
Arkansas at Antietam."
by Cal Collier
WE HAVE CHANGED OUR
meeting date (see above) to accommodate our perennial May speaker,
Founding Member Cal Collier. Speaking last year on The Great
Beefsteak Raid, Cal provided his usual excelent presentation.
Cal Collier served in the U.S. Air Force, spending some of his time
at LRAFB. A native of Virginia, he grew up on the Civil War, and,
while he was in Arkansas, became interested in the activities of
Arkansas’ Confederate soldiers. This resulted in his writing of
three books:
“They’ll Do To Tie To”, a history of the Third Arkansas Infantry
which served in the Army of Northern Virginia;
“First In, Last Out”, a history of the Capitol Guards (First
Arkansas Infantry), which served in the Army of Tennessee;
and “The War Child’s Children”, a history of the Third Arkansas
Cavalry, which served under Forrest and Gen. Joe Wheeler (called the
war child because of his slight stature).
Cal was a member of the Arkansas Civil War Centennial Commission in
the early sixties, and is a Founding Member of our Round Table.
He and Melba moved to Baltimore several years ago, to be near his
children in the Washington, D.C., area. He is an active member of
the Baltimore CWRT and has made several talks to that group. He has
also spoken to the National Congress of Civil War Round Tables and
the Confederate Historical Institute on several occasions.
In 2000, he was the recipient of our group’s Patrick Cleburne Award,
an ethched Staff Sword. Renamed this year as the Jerry L. Russell
Award it is given for significant contributions to Arkansas Civil
War history, Battlefield Preservation, and the safekeeping of
Arkansas’ rich History; he joined Ed Bearss, Jerry L. Russell, Don
Hamilton, and Bill O’Donnell, who were the previous recipients.
Since that time, former Sen. Dale Bumpers, Dr. Bobby Roberts,
and Carl H. Moneyhon have also become a recipients. Perhaps one of
the former recipients will bring their sword to the meeting for
display.
Each May, Cal and Melba return to Little Rock for his Air Force
squadron re-union, and we take advantage of those visits to add an
outstanding program to our schedule.
His program last year was about The Great Beefsteak Raid, an 1864
Virginia event involving Wade Hampton and his Rebel cavalrymen and a
herd of Yankee cattle, gathered to feed Grant’s Army. (You may have
seen the movie based on this action, starring William Holden and
Richard Widmark.)
This year Cal’s presentation
will follow "The Third Arkansas at Antietam." In the autumn of 1862
The 3RD joined Brig. Gen. John Walker (Walker’s Brigade) and decided
to take a little stroll with General Lee to visit Maryland. The 3RD
and the 27th North Carolina stopped along an old sunken road
separating the Roulette and Piper farms.
Major General McClellan took exception to their being there and
on the Morning of September 17 Union Gen. Joseph Hooker's artillery
began a murderous fire on Jackson's men in the Miller cornfield
north of Sharpsburg.
Before the two day battle would be over, the sunken road was
renamed Bloody Lane.
And 23,100 men would lay dead.
You won’t want to miss Cal’s dynamic presentation (Cal’s
presentations are always dynamic) on this most tragic Civil War
action.
Remember, we will be meeting Tuesday, May 11 (NOT the fourth
Tuesday), at the Fletcher Branch Library, H & Buchanan (East of
University Ave.), The time is the same--7 p.m. And the fellowship is
the same -- outstanding.
See you there.
THE HERITAGE
Dedicated in 1911 during the United Confederate Veterans Reunion,
the Capital Guard memorial honors the local militia unit which
participated in the seizure of the Arsenal in February 1861 and
later fought as Company A of the 6TH Arkansas Infantry during the
Civil War.
For over ninety years, the Capital Guard has stood watch over
MacArthur Park. The memorial is listed on the National Register of
Historic Places and recently underwent significant conservation to
repair decades of deterioration.
Join us on Saturday, May 15, at 2:00 p. m. as the MacArthur Museum
of Arkansas Military History celebrates the historic return of the
Capital Guard memorial to Little Rock.
 Mark your calendars
October 7-10, 2004, and make your plans to join the 30th Annual
Congress of Civil War Round Tables for Vickesburg
“Grant vs the Disparte Confederate Trio: Jeff Davis and Gens.
Pemberton and Joe Johnston”
Featuring Guided Tours of Chickasaw Bayou, Grant’s Canal, Grand
Gulf, Windsor, Bruinsburg, Port Gibson, Vicksburg NMP/USS Cairo,
Rocky Springs, Raymond, Champion Hill, Big Black Bridge
Led By Edwin C. Bearss, Chief Historian Emeritus, National Park
Service. This meeting will also feature A Living Tribute to Ed
Bearss at the Place where he began his careerand a Memorial Tribute
to Jerry L. Russell (1933-2003) for his contributions to Battlefield
Preservation.
PROGRAMS FOR 2004
May 11,
2004 –
*NOTE CHANGE OF DATE FOR MEETING*
Cal Collier, Towson, Md.,
"The Third Arkansas at Antietam." AND the 40TH
Birthday Party
June 22, 2004 --
Dr. Billy Gurley, Jr --
"Yankee Bullets, Southern Blood: The Remarkable Journal Of
Dr. Henry M. Dye, Confederate Surgeon"
July 27, 2004 --
Gaylord Northrop, Sherwood,
”Command & Control in Confederate Arkansas“
August 24, 2004 --
Supt. Ralph Jones, Fort Gibson, Okla.,
”The Battle
of Honey Springs“
September 28, 2004 --
Don Montgomery, Historical Interpreter,
Prairie Grove Battlefield. The Biennial Reenactment is set for
December
October 26, 2004 --
This is our Annual joint meeting with
the North Pulaski Roundtable to hear Mark L. Cantrell, historian, of
El Reno, OK
November
23, 2004 --
Drew Hodges, speaking on “A. P. Hill”
Election of Officers
December, 2004 –
No meeting Scheduled in December
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
One evening in 1964; Jerry Russell, Cal Collier, Bill O’Donnell, Ben
Isgrig, and Mr. Clark came together to talk about the civil war. Out
of that meeting grew an Arkansas and national tradition of Civil War
Roundtables. The Civil War Roundtable of Arkansas has met monthly
(with few exceptions) every since. The CWRT has established a
reputation for quality speakers and has made a major impact on the
Battlefield preservation and maintaining the heritage of the south.
In 1997, ARISTOTLE ISP put our history making organization on the
World Wide Web. In May of 1997, Aristotle and the CWRT of Arkansas
partnered in forming a unique and informative WebSite celebrating
the civil war in Arkansas. This site, the first to be devoted to
information about the Civil War in Arkansas, made its debut on
Memorial Day, May 26, 1997 and is a result of the combined efforts
of Aristotle Internet Access and the Civil War Roundtable of
Arkansas.
The site has become a place for educators, school children, and
history buffs to discuss and obtain historical information. We owe a
large thanks to Marla J. Norris, president of Aristotle for helping
us develop and maintain this sight for the past seven years.
The site (www.civilwarbuff.org) has averaged over one thousands hits
a day since in came on line in 1997. Most recently it has been
reviewed worldwide; other than the US, we receive inquires from
Japan, Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom, Canada, Austria,
Australia, France, and Taiwan.
This has become one of the first sites to provide an on-line
newsletter. With the rising cost of mailings it is growing in
importance.
The Civil War Roundtable of Arkansas also forms the membership base
of The Central Arkansas Civil War Heritage Trail. The parent is a
network of six regional private, nonprofit, volunteer organizations
seeking to identify, protect, interpret and promote Arkansas
properties related to the state's Civil War experience. The Arkansas
Historic Preservation Program, an agency of the Department of
Arkansas Heritage, provides general guidance for the groups.
CWRT forms the Central Arkansas CWHT. The Central Arkansas Civil War
Heritage Trail serves Conway, Perry, Saline, Faulkner, Pulaski,
White and Lonoke counties.
We are looking forward to another 40 years of study and always serve
the credo
This is a picture of Alice Anne & Jerry, Andrew
Russell & Ed Chesnutt, taken at Pea Ridge in 1969, when they joined
a group of Civil War friends from Oklahoma to tour Pea Ridge.
This is Jerry Russell and Bill Hackett (probably a
charter member or at least an early member) taken at Shiloh Church
in May, 1969, while on the Chicago CWRT tour with Ed Bearss. Hackett
owned a book store in Broadmoor specializing in antiquities and
collectibles with a strong emphasis on history.
Cal Collier presiding over Civil War 101......left
to right: Hugh Dunlap, Ben Isgrig, Cal Collier, Jerry Russell and
???????. Don't know date, but guess is 1964 or 1965. I also suppose
that this was about the time the RT was formed.
Visit
www.civilwarbuff.org
Register to receive your newsletter on-line.
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Our 40th birthday will be in May.
SEE YOU TUESDAY NIGHT
for Cal Collier &
"The
Third Arkansas at Antietam."
GOD BLESS AMERICA
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