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  • Civil War Top 100

Interview with Ron Maxwell, director, Copperhead, a Civil War parable

June 17th, 2013 javal

From the man who gave us “Gods and Generals” and “Gettysburg,” now comes  another Civil War-based movie, Copperhead.

“Copperhead” has been in production for over a year, will be seen in a  special premiere in Gettysburg, Pa. on June 27 and then open in theaters across  the country. For those who are unfamiliar with the term “Copperhead,” it refers  to an individual who eschewed both abolition and secession, and whose main  desire and purpose was in seeing that the Union was kept intact and the  Constitution protected.

Read Entire Story Here 

Civil War history of Utah’s Fort Douglas comes alive

June 17th, 2013 javal

About the only inauthentic parts of Civil War reenactor Kris Larson’s uniform as a 1st Sergeant in the Union Army’s 1st California Infantry were the bulky casts bound with Velcro on both of his feet.

Sitting next to a pup tent in his heavy blue wool uniform at Saturday’s Fort Douglas Day encampment, the Tooele computer expert said the diabetes that damaged his feet wasn’t going to keep him from helping commemorate veterans, past and present.

Read Entire Story Here 

Preservationists aim to protect Civil War weapons

June 17th, 2013 javal

Preservationists are using computer sensors and other high-tech methods to protect massive iron Civil War guns at a fort in South Carolina that fired on Fort Sumter to open the war in April 1861.

The sensors and modern rust-fighting epoxy coatings are being used to preserve historic siege and garrison guns, some of which were used to lob shells at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor when the war erupted. Union forces surrendered 34 hours after the bombardment started as the nation plunged into a bloody, four-year war.

Read the Entire Story Here 

Gettysburg Battle Anniversary Events Sponsored by the National Park Service and the Gettysburg Foundation

June 17th, 2013 javal

Gettysburg National Military Park and the Gettysburg Foundation are commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg with more than 200 special programs between June 29-July 7.  Free visitor opportunities include Civil War talks and book signings, National Park Service Ranger programs, overview hikes, battlefield experience programs, children’s programs, more than 500 Civil War reenactors doing encampments, firing demonstrations and more.

SIGNATURE EVENTS

The “Gettysburg: A New Birth of Freedom” commemorative ceremony on June 30, at 8 p.m., will feature Pulitzer prize winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin as the keynote speaker and a performance of the national anthem by country music artist Trace Adkins. The United States Military Academy Orchestra will perform and the 3d U.S. Infantry will provide a color guard and a 21 gun salute with howitzers. The highlight of the event will be “Voices of History,” a dramatic reading of eyewitness accounts written by soldiers and citizens swept into the events of the battle and its tragic aftermath.

The ceremony ends with a procession to the Soldiers’ National Cemetery to see luminaries marking each of the more than 3,500 graves of soldiers killed in the Battle of Gettysburg.

Pickett’s Charge Commemorative March – Another highlight of the nine days of programs will be on July 3 at 3 p.m. when National Park Rangers lead the Pickett’s Charge Commemorative March across nearly one mile of open fields.  The special program offers visitors the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of Confederate soldiers who made this fateful attack from Seminary Ridge or to stand on the ground defended by Union soldiers on Cemetery Ridge.  The march begins with the firing of artillery at 3 p.m. and ends at the High Water Mark with a playing of echo taps along Cemetery Ridge by buglers in both U.S. and Confederate uniforms.

George Spangler Farm – This summer, for the first time ever, visitors can tour this Gettysburg farm that served as a field hospital to more than 1900 wounded Union and Confederate troops. The site is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through August 18 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Access is free and by shuttle bus only from the Museum and Visitor Center.  Tickets are required, available at the Museum and Visitor Center. 18.  Special National Park Service Ranger programs on July 4 will explore Civil War medicine and the experiences of the wounded at the farm from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Access is free and by shuttle bus only from the Museum and Visitor Center.  No tickets necessary on July 4.

Programs and events will showcase Gettysburg as a defining event in the American Civil War and the war’s legacy in our continuing struggle for civil rights.

“The battle of Gettysburg changed the course of the American Civil War and the history of this nation,” said Bob Kirby, Superintendent of Gettysburg National Military Park. “Soldiers and civilians in Gettysburg witnessed some of the most dramatic and horrific scenes of thE war and these special programs provide an opportunity for us to explore their struggle and sacrifice and to better see those who were engaged in it.”

“These Gettysburg programs are not a celebration but rather a thoughtful commemoration of the people who were caught up in this cataclysmic confrontation,” added Kirby.

“We invite people of all ages to join us for Gettysburg’s commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg and take part in the special programs and experiences we have planned with the recognition that Gettysburg belongs to a grateful nation, and its capacity to captivate our collective imagination and define and inspire our national character endures,” said Joanne Hanley, President of the Gettysburg Foundation.

A full list of programs is available in a commemorative event guide at the Gettysburg national Military Park Museum and Visitor center information desk and is also available at the website: http://www.nps.gov/gett/planyourvisit/150th-anniversary-index.htm

Gettysburg National Military Park is a unit of the National Park Service that preserves and protects the resources associated with the Battle of Gettysburg and the Soldiers’ National Cemetery, and provides an understanding of the events that occurred there within the context of American History.  Information is available at www.nps.gov/gett.

The Gettysburg Foundation is a private, non-profit educational organization working in partnership with the National Park Service to enhance preservation and understanding of the heritage and lasting significance of Gettysburg. The Foundation raised funds for and now operates the Museum and Visitor Center at Gettysburg National Military Park, which opened in April 2008. In addition to operating the Museum and Visitor Center, the Foundation has a broad preservation mission that includes land, monument and artifact preservation and battlefield rehabilitation—all in support of the National Park Service’s goals at Gettysburg. Information is available at www.gettysburgfoundation.org.

 

Treasures of the Civil War Exhibit Opens June 16

June 17th, 2013 javal

President Abraham Lincoln didn’t like to plant trees or gardens. Gen. Ulysses
Grant didn’t care for music. Gen. George Armstrong Custer wore candles in his
hair while he slept. These insights and more can be found in the new exhibit
Treasures of the Civil War: Legendary Leaders Who Shaped a War and a
Nation, opening June 16. Offered by Gettysburg National Military Park and
the Gettysburg Foundation as part of the commemoration of the 150th anniversary
of the Battle of Gettysburg, this exhibit offers a rare glimpse into the
personal and professional lives of 13 individuals who shaped a nation: Abraham
Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses Grant, George G. Meade, John
Reynolds, George Pickett, Alexander Webb, William Tecumseh Sherman, George
Custer, John Mosby, Frederick Douglass and Clara Barton.

This exhibit offers 94 historic items from seven different outstanding Civil War collections throughout the United States – all being exhibited together for the first time at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center. Visitors can look at Lincoln’s face mask; Meade’s frock coat and slouch hat he wore at Gettysburg; Pickett’s
spur; Grant’s sword for the Vicksburg victory; Reynolds’ kepi worn at
Gettysburg; a lock of Lee’s hair and his horse Traveller’s mane; and an original
copy of Douglass’ autobiography “The Narrative of the life of Frederick
Douglass,” to name a few.

In addition, the exhibit features extended biographies of each individual, including little-known facts that provide insights into their personalities and lives. Clara Barton, at age 11,
nursed her brother for two years when he fell from a barn roof and sustained
major injuries. Union General William Tecumseh Sherman’s granddaughter married the grandson of famed Confederate General Lewis Armistead. And Confederate Colonel John Singleton Mosby was a member of University of Virginia’s literary and debating society but
was expelled before graduation for shooting a fellow student.

Admission to the exhibit is included with the purchase of Cyclorama, Film and Museum
Experience tickets or with purchase of museum-only tickets, all
available at the ticket counter in the lobby of the Museum and Visitor
Center, online at www.gettysburgfoundation.org, or by telephone at 877-874-2478. Proceeds from ticket purchases benefit battlefield preservation.

A Benefit for Third Winchester

June 17th, 2013 javal

The country’s preeminent battlefield historian and the nation’s foremost
filmmaker on the Civil War are coming together for a very special event – and a
day to remember.

On June 22, 2013, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation will present A
Benefit for Third Winchester, a special fundraiser featuring three
remarkable events: a battlefield tour led by legendary historian Ed Bearss, a
VIP reception with our special guest, director Ron Maxwell, and an advance
screening of Copperhead, the new movie from the acclaimed
director.

Proceeds from the event will go towards the SVBF’s work to restore and interpret the
historic Third Winchester battlefield.

Civil War Roster Index Now Available Online

June 17th, 2013 javal

The Historical Publications Section of the N.C. Department of Cultural
Resources has made available online a cumulative master index of the first 18 volumes of “North Carolina Troops, 1861-1865: A Roster.” This index of approximately 115,000 names
of North Carolinians who served in the Civil War will be of great interest to
historians, genealogists, and anyone with a Tar Heel ancestor who fought in that
conflict.

Work on “North Carolina Troops, 1861-1865: A
Roster” began in 1961 with the purpose of researching, compiling, and publishing
service records for every North Carolinian who served in the Civil War. To date,
18 of a projected 22 volumes have been published.

The rosters in each volume are arranged numerically by regiment or battalion and
alphabetically by company. Each roster is preceded by a unit history giving
information about where it was raised and how it was designated. Officers and
enlisted men are listed in separate sections alphabetically by surname. Each
name is followed by a service record that includes information such as the
soldier’s county of birth and residence; his age and occupation at time of
enlistment; promotions; whether he was wounded, captured or killed; and whether
he deserted or died of disease.

This online cumulative index contains an entry for each man listed in the series.
Each entry includes the volume number and page number where his service record
is listed or where he is otherwise mentioned. It does not list company and
regiment. Cross referencing of variant name spellings is available. The index
database also contains entries for all the persons, places and military units
mentioned in the histories.

Most public and academic libraries hold volumes of the “North Carolina Troops”
series. Individual volumes and copies of individual pages from those volumes can
be purchased from Historical
Publications.

Digitization of the “North Carolina Troops” index is a joint project of Historical
Publications and the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources Information
Technology Application team.

For additional information call (919) 733-7442, ext. 225. The Historical
Publications Section within the Office of Archives and History is part of the
N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

ARTILLERY FIRING DEMONSTRATIONS TO BE PRESENTED AT WILSON’S CREEK NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD

June 17th, 2013 javal

Artillery in the Civil War will be the theme of living history programs hosted at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield on Saturday June 22, 2013.  According to Supt Ted Hillmer, “If you are new to the Springfield area, a long-time resident, or haven’t visited the battlefield
in a while, this event will be worth attending for everyone.  Come experience
your local National battlefield and learn about the history of the Battle of
Wilson’s Creek.”

Firing demonstrations are scheduled hourly from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at tour stop 5.
During the demonstrations, Visitors will be able to learn about the role of
artillery at the battle, see cannon drill and experience a Civil War cannon
being fired.   Additional artillery demonstrations are scheduled on July 6 and
July 22.

Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield preserves the site of the first battle west of the Mississippi River.  Fought on August 10, 1861, the battle was fought over control of Missouri, during the first year of the Civil War.  The battlefield is located 10 miles southwest of Springfield, Missouri at the intersection of State Highway ZZ (Wilson’s Creek
Blvd) and Farm Road 182.  For additional information, call
417-732-2662.

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