For Knowledge, Commemoration and Preservation of Our Civil War Heritage

The Scout’s Report Knoxville Civil War Roundtable

P. O. Box 313
Knoxville, Tennessee 37901
KCWRT Website:
http://www.discoveret.org/kcwrt/

VOLUME XXVI I AUGUST, 2010 NO. 2

Tuesday, August 10, 2010 "HE STOOD OUT ON THE GREAT WAR CANVAS: JEB STUART."
Buffet at 7:00 PM
Speaker at 8:00 PM
Dinner & Speech
Union Major General John Sedgwick said of his old friend in the
$15.00 Members antebellum army, Jeb Stuart, that Stuart was "the greatest cavalry
$17.00 (Non-members) officer ever foaled in America." A Virginian, Stuart was unmatched in
Speech Only reconnaissance and the screening of an army. With his "ride" around
$3.00 Members the Army of the Potomac in June 1862, he became one of the
$5.00 (Non-members)
RESERVATIONS ARE
Confederacy's most renowned heroes. Despite his flamboyance, Stuart
REQUIRED FOR DINNER was a thorough professional soldier, with his mounted units well-drilled
AND MUST BE MADE BY and well-disciplined.
11AM, MONDAY, AUGUST 9
CALL (865) 671-9001 (PLEASE History has judged Stuart, in part, for his controversial role in the
LEAVE MESSAGE)
Gettysburg Campaign. His decision to ride again around the
MENU: Union army removed him and three brigades of cavalry from the
Meatloaf Confederate movement into Pennsylvania for eight critical days. But
Roast Beef w/ Gravy his failing in that campaign must be weighed against his overall
Garden Salad accomplishments as the finest light cavalry commander of the war.
Mixed Steamed When he was mortally wounded at Yellow Tavern on May 11, 1864,
Vegetables Stuart was only thirty-one years old. He had commanded an infantry
Whipped Potatoes corps at Chancellorsville with distinction and had led his cavalry corps
Rolls, Beverages with superb leadership for three years. He was as his old comrade,
Assorted Desserts Sedgwick, noted, the finest horse soldier of the Civil War.
Location:
Bearden Banquet Hall
5804 Kingston Pike

THIS ISSUE

JEB STUART.................1
PRES. MESSAGE..........2
SPEAKERS....................3
JEFFREY WERT..........4
CW SIGNS.....................5
GOATS...........................6
FARRAGUT..................7
 PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
As we try to stay cool during the middle of this hot summer, there are two events I want to tell
about.
1) On Saturday, August 7th, the East Tennessee Historical Society (ETHS) will be hosting its
History Fair in the downtown area surrounding the ETHS Center on Gay Street from 10 a.m. to
5 p.m. I heard that several thousand people showed up last year to enjoy this outdoor event.
One of the special attractions is the free admission to the ETHS's Museum of East Tennessee
History. There will also be live music and crafts. Check out ETHS's web site at
www.easttnhistory.org to get more details.

Numerous tables will be set up by various history related organizations. I'm pleased to announce
that our RT will be participating this year for the first time. Member Dot Kelly has been in
charge of handling the many details involved from acquiring a space and tent to printing RT
information to hand out.

2) There will be a huge discount sale of CW books at our regular RT meeting on August 10th. I
went to Ed Archer's book sale last week and, for the benefit of the RT, he offered me a deal I
couldn't refuse. I came away with about 100 books! There's quite a selection of quality books
that I need to sort and price. Here is a situation that benefits everyone in that Ed was able to
substantially reduce his inventory, which will allow the membership to purchase books at greatly
reduced prices.

I want everyone to have as much time as possible to peruse these volumes. They will be displayed
prior to the start of the meeting in case you would like to arrive early plus they will be kept out
for about ten minutes after the conclusion of the meeting. In addition, I plan to have about a ten
minute break between the end of the announcements and the introduction of the speaker so that
everyone will have an opportunity to visit the book table.

Speaking of special events, I don't think it's too early for folks to start thinking about our annual,
fall Civil War event at Ft. Dickers on this November 12th--14th. Member Laura Reagan and
others have already put in many hours in preparation of this important KCWRT activity. This
is not only a way to showcase our unique, authentic CW fort but also to educate the public on
Knoxville's CW history.

As you probably know, Jeff Wert is a nationally known speaker and author of several CW books.
If you are like me, you probably own several of his books that you would like to bring to the
August meeting for him to sign. See you then!

Norman Shaw, President

 KCWRT NEWS
UPCOMING SPEAKERS 2010

2010
August 10th--Jeffry Wert, Historian, author, "He Stood Out on the Great War
Canvas: Jeb Stuart."

September 14---Wiley Sword, Historian, author, “Beauregard at Shiloh: Hero or

Villain?”

October 12--- Frank O’Reilly, Historian Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania NMP, “Robert

E. Lee: The Early Years”

November 9---Edwin C. Bearss, Chief Historian Emeritus NPS, “Bleeding Kansas:

Road to War”

December 14---James H. Ogden, Chief Historian Chickamauga/Chattanooga NMP,

Topic TBA

2011
January 11---Ron Jones, Commander Longstreet-Zollicoffer Camp, SCV “Rock
Island: The Andersonville of the North?”

February 8---Mike Toomey, Historian LMU, “‘Firm and Determined:’ The 1861 East
Tennessee Unionist Conventions”

March 8---Rick Hatcher, Historian NPS, Charleston, “Charleston: The War Begins”

April 12---TBA

May 10---William G. Piston, Historian, Missouri State University, “Battle at Wilson’s

Creek, MO”

June 14---TBA

July 12---Sam Davis Elliott, Author, “Gov. Isham G. Harris and Tennessee’s
Secession”
 WELCOME, JEFFRY WERT

Jeffry Wert is a well-known Civil War author, historian,

and speaker. With a B.A. and M.A. in History from Penn
State and Lock Haven University, he has educated us with
his knowledge as seen in his Civil War Times Illustrated
columns “The Progress of War” and “Turning Points,” as
well as numerous books. He taps into the unpublished
records and diaries as he researches his works. This due
diligence pays off as his arguments and views can be
bolstered with fact and not just left up to conjecture. He is
one of my favorite authors and it does not hurt that he is
speaking on one of my most revered heroes, JEB Stuart.

Wert’s books are a treasure trove of untapped resources

and are a must for any Civil War enthusiast. In his first
book, From Winchester to Cedar Creek: The Shenandoah
Campaign of 1864, Wert not only evaluated the
performance of commanders Sheridan and Early, he gave
us an insight into each man, how their decisions were made
and why. Mosby’s Rangers was equally as compelling and
colorful as it gave readers a complete understanding of the
personalities that made up this elite fighting force.
General James Longstreet: The Confederacy’s Most Controversial Soldier was a masterpiece. Wert breathed the
life or praise back into a battered reputation, while never glossing over Longstreet’s record.

With Custer: The Controversial Life of George Armstrong Custer, and Sword of Lincoln, Wert takes on subjects
and personalities that have been avoided for decades and fills that void with a keen understanding that only
intensive research provides. His work continuously gives the reader not only expert insight into the subject,
the man, the mission, the time, the event...he gives the reader a portal in which to step through and watch all
unfold around them. He gives the reader the pathway to crawl into the mind of not only the generals but the
common soldier, hearing their gripes and grimaces, feeling their unwavering confidence that they could whip
the Confederates any time, any day, if only they had a general worthy of them.

The common soldier was the protagonist as well in A Brotherhood of Valor and Gettysburg: Day Three. Who
better to tell the world of their triumphs and failures than the men who stood there, sweat rolling down into
their shoes to mix with the blood they would soon shed. How be tter to tell the world than with their own
words, penned to paper, pinned to their pockets.

Tuesday night, Jeffry Wert will give us the insight into JEB Stuart as only Jeffry Wert can. With Cavalryman
of the Lost Cause: A Biography of J.E.B. Stuart, Wert has put other Stuart authors on notice. No longer can
you give a one -dimensional account of a multi-faceted man. If you wish to examine with minute detail the
blemishes, you must also shine a light on the whole man. And you must do this with convincing evidence. And
you must present this evidence from the hand of the greatest cavalry officer ever foaled in America.

To say I look forward to A Glorious Army: Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia From The Seven
Days to Gettysburg, due out in 2011, would be an understatement. Jeffry Wert is my Civil War “Kathleen E.
Woodiwiss.” In other words, if he wrote it, I own it! -Laura E. Reagan Scout’s Report Editor
4
 Ft. Dickerson Civil War Trails Sign Installed
Submitted by Dot Kelly

The Civil War Trails crew paid a visit to Knoxville last

Monday, July 19th . The first sign installed on this swing
through Tennessee was the KCWRT’s new Fort Dickerson
sign.
The sign features the folk
art sketch of Knoxville
drawn by Pvt. Henry
Doman as he camped at
Ft. Dickerson in 1864.
The sign also discusses
the fortifications around
Knoxville and their
designer, Capt. Orlando Poe, Burnside’s Chief Engineer.

According to Civil War Trails Executive Director, Mitch

Bowman, there were 150 signs already in the ground in
Tennessee prior to this trip, and 25 more to be installed
last week. The second sign installed that morning
depicted the Battle of Ft. Sanders and was placed at
Redeemer Church of Knoxville on the corner of 17th and
Highland. The sign used the familiar 1864 George
Bernard photo featuring the sentinel atop the fort with
the infamous stumps in front to give the visitor a vision
of the area after the battle. (Pictured right-Leslie Fawaz,
Mitch Bowman, Executive Director of Civil War Trails,
Terry Faulkner of the East Tennessee Civil War Alliance, and Will Copeland.

Civil War Trails plans two or three more visits to Tennessee before the end of the year. Hopefully
other signs will be ready for installation in Knoxville and the sites will be included on next years’
edition of the Tennessee Civil War Trails map. The web site is at www.tnvacation.com

Pictured on right- Fred Brown, News Sentinel; Mike Harris, Parks & Recreation; Tammy Burroughs,
Secretary KCWRT; Dot Kelly, Program Chair KCWRT; Ethiel Garlington, Knox Heritage; Joan
Markel Past President, KCWRT; Bob Becker Knoxville Vice Mayor.
 GOATS + FORT DICKERSON = NO KUDZU
NO KIDDING!

Whoever came up with the idea of bringing goats to Fort

Dickerson to take care of an ever growing problem, kudzu, must
be congratulated. This is the best idea since, well, sliced bread.
Not only is this beneficial to the goats, it is green, it is
economical, and sheer brilliance.

These pictures of our little hilltop heroes, submitted by Dot

Kelly, were graciously sent by Allison Teeters, Executive
Director of Keep Knoxville Beautiful.

6
 A VISIT TO THE NEW FARRAGUT MEMORIAL PLAZA

I was unable to attend the opening of the new

Farragut Memorial Plaza and the unveiling of
the statue of Admiral David G. Farragut who
was born nearby. I recently took a trip down
to see the Admiral. The seven-foot statue,
created by a local artist, turned out to be very
impressive atop its pedestal.

Equally impressive for Civil War buffs are the

two cannon flanking Farragut. The two
authentic cannon are on permanent loan from
the U. S. Naval Historical Center and have
stories of their own. A nine -inch Dahlgren
weighing 9,000 lbs and with a range of almost
two miles, is from the USS Hartford,
Farragut’s flagship at Mobile Bay. It would
have been present when he did (or did not)
utter that famous order: “Damn the
torpedoes! Full speed ahead!” The second
gun, an eight-inch muzzle-loader, is from the
ship USS Independence upon which Farragut
served in 1815 as a young man.

Also on the grounds is a Civil War Trails sign

with details on the Battle of Campbell’s
Station. And don’t forget the small, but
impressive Farragut Folklife Museum with its
Farragut Collection. All these combine to
make an interesting and informative spot to
visit.---Dot Kelly
 THE SCOUT’S REPORT
For Knowledge, Commemoration, and Preservation of Our Civil War Heritage

PRESIDENT: SECRETARY: DIR. PRESERVATION:

Norman Shaw Tammy Burroughs Brian Burroughs
1120 Winding Way Dr. tburroughs1@charter.net bburroughs@charter.net
Knoxville, TN 37923-6606
865-693-2171 DIR. COMM. ACTIVITIES: AT LARGE DIRECTOR:
shawclan4@bellsouth.net Paul Tanguay
Eric Wayland
VICE PRESIDENT: DIR. OF MEMBERSHIP:
Jim Lyle NEWSLETTER EDITOR:
7206 Sheffield Drive L. E. Reagan
Knoxville, TN 37909 reagansecesh@aol.com
PAST PRESIDENT: 865-588-0911
Joan Markel The Knoxville Civil War
jmarkel@utk.edu DIR. PROGRAMMING: Roundtable welcomes any person
Dot Kelly who has an interest in the
ddkelly@earthlink.net American Civil War.
New members are always
TREASURER: DIR. PROMOTION welcome.
Larry Moore For more information, please call
lima173lm@yahoo.com 865-671-9001. Or check out our
website at:
http://www.discoveret.org/kcwrt

Knoxville Civil War Roundtable

Box 313
Knoxville, TN 37901