Earliest Programs
Early Programs
"Tennessee Valley Civil War Round Table" (Huntsville, Alabama)
TVCWRT is a relatively large Civil War Round Table serving Huntsville and the Tennessee Valley of northern Alabama and middle Tennessee. Our organization was founded in 1993 to provide a forum for non-partisan study, education, and discussion of the American Civil War.
We meet the second Thursday of every month (except for December), at the Elks Club , 725 Franklin Street SE, in Huntsville, Alabama. A buffet style meal is available beginning at 5:30 p.m. We begin at 6:30 pm with organizational announcements and the program presentation starts at about 7:00 P. M. Programs typically last one hour with expected attendance of between 150 and 200. These monthly meetings are free and open to the public.
Annual membership dues are $25 for a single membership and $30 for a family. TVCWRT is a not-for-profit historical and educational organization. Any generated revenue not expended in administering the organization will be donated to organizations active in the preservation and protection of American Civil War sites and history.
We are interested in speakers who are willing to share with us their interest and knowledge of the Civil War. For more information and to get on our program calendar, contact the Director of Programs.
TN Valley Civil War Round Table
Disclaimer: This is and always has been my private website, a part of my Google account. As a simple courtesy to the Tennessee Valley Civil War Round Table I include information about the organization and its activities, all of which is supplied by the officers of that organization. I do not independently verify their content nor do I necessarily endorse it. The "Boomer Blog" material is my own personal endeavor and is entirely independent of the organization. Any specific advertising links on that page are mine and do not financially benefit the Round Table.
Programs - 2010-11-12 (to access these just click the button at the bottom of this page)
Programs - 2009
January 8
Russell Bonds
The Stealing of the General
February 12
Robert Schaefer
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and the Transformation of the American Union
March 12
Tom Parker
The Campaign for Corinth Mississippi
April 9
Tom Flagel
Lee’s Surrender at Appomattox
May 14
Olde Towne Brass
Greetings From Occupied Huntsville Yankee Bands in Dixieland
June 11
Jimmy Perberton
July 9
John Marszalek
Major General Henry W. Halleck and his influence on the War in the Western Theatre
August 13
Jeff Ewing
Gettysburg – Myths and Mistakes
September 10
Terry Winschel
Vicksburg Campaign
October 8
David Lady & Mark Hubbs
The Battles of Forts Henry and Donelson
November 12
Kent Wright
Blockade and Counter Blockade Strategies in the American Civil War
December
No Meeting
Month/Day
Programs - 2008
January 10
Mark Hubbs
February 7
John B. Scales
Sherman Invades Georgia
March 13
Ron Hodge
Separating the Man from the Myth, the Great Stonewall Jackson Debate
April 10
Gregg Biggs
Union Cavalry in the Battle of Shelbyville, TN
May 8
George C. Rable
June 14
Bob Davis
Before the Gates of Hell; Andersonville
July 10
Morris Penny
August 14
Jeff Ewing
Union Cavalry at Brandy Station
September 11
Michael Bradley
Nathan Bedford Forrest's Escort and Staff
October 9
Terry Winschel
The Confederate High Command at Vicksburg
November 13
Jeffery Purser
The Disintegration of a Confederate State
Month/Day
Programs - 2007
January 11
Nancy Rohr
Civil War Memoirs of the Wharton Sisters
February 8
Kent Wright
March 8
Michael Flannery
April 12
Norman Shaw
May 10
Shirley F. Jones
Martha Ready Morgan: From Wife to Widow in 630 Days
June 14
Morris Penny
Gettysburg, Day 2 - Did Hood Disobey an Order
July 12
Jerry Bartig
August 9
Jeff Ewing
Ft.Oglethorpe / Chickamauga Battlefield Documentary
September 13
Brian Hogan
October 11
Jimmy Pemberton
November 9
Sid Lyons
Month/Day
Programs - 2006
January 12
Jim Lewis
My Poor Orphans, The First Kentucky Brigade (CSA)
February 10
Nancy Rohr
Octavia Otey’s Uncivil War
March 9
Kent Wright
Naval Warfare on Western Waters
April 13
Sid Lyons
Collecting the Civil War
May 11
Jamie Gillum
June 9
Robert Hicks
Widow of the South
July 14
Morris Penny
General Pillow’s Raid
August 10
Karel Biggs
The Confederate Logistics System
September 14
Daryl Carpenter
Aeronautics in the Civil War
October 12
Robert Scott Davis
Defending Atlanta From Itself, (G.W.Lee’s “Civil War” Against)
November 9
Ryan Dupre
The First Alabama Cavalry, U.S
December
No Meeting
Month/Day
Programs - 2005
January 13
Michael Bradley
With Block and Fire, Life Behind Union Lines in Middle Tennessee
February 10
Robert Davis
The Macon Arsenal
March 10
Nancy Rohr
Mary Jane Chaddick
April 14
Gary McCall
Battle of Cabin Creek, Oklahoma
May 12
Rick O'Obrien
Flags of the Union
June 9
Raymond Doody
Texas Rangers
July 14
Jacque Gray
A Female Union Spy
August 11
Talbot Hackett
West Point Class of 1861
September 8
Gregg Biggs
Brice's Cross Roads
October 13
Morris Penny
U. S. Grant, Diversions, Deceit in the Vicksburg Campaign
November 10
Coy Michael
Knights of the Golden Circle
December
No Meeting
Month
Programs - 2004
January
Joe Bailey
Franklin: Death of the Western Army
February
Band: Un-Reconstructed
Role of Music of the Civil War
March
Jimmy Pemberton
April
Rick O'Brien
May
Josh Coons
June
Morris Penny
William C. Oates, Patriot, Soldier, Private Citizen
July
Tom Kennemer
The Retreat From Nashville - Bedford Forrest Covers the Army
August
James Ogden
The Chattanooga Campaign
September
Buddy Moon
John H. Morgan
October
Morris Penny
John A. Logan: Politician, Soldier, a Man of His Times
November
Gregg Biggs
The Army of Heartland: A Story of Failure in Command
Month
Programs - 2003
January
Michael Geoffrey
Unionism in Alabama
February
Talbot Hackett
Battle of Antietiem
March
Kent Wright
Ellet's Ram Fleet
April
Morris Penny
William S. Rosecrans; A Career That Might Have Been
May
Brian Hogan
Maplewood Cemetary
June
Kent Wright
Ellet's Marine Brigade
July
Bill Souder
Civil War Postage Stamps & Illustrated Envelopes and the Politics of War
August
Bob Sackheim
What if the South could have negotiated a peace?
September
Jacque Gray
Clara Barton, Angel of the Battlefield
October
Bob Davis
Andersonville
November
Pete Sparks
Guntersville in the Civil War
1st Alabama Cavalry (Nov. 2006)
http://1stalabamacavalryusv.com/
Ryan Dupree will speak on “The Civil War Within,
Alabama Unionists and the First Alabama Cavalry”.
The opposition to Alabama’s succession from the Union,
the active support of the Union, the consequences for the
Union supporters, and the major campaigns of the
Union Army’s First Alabama Cavalry will be discussed.
Ryan has studied the Union Army’s First Alabama
Cavalry Regiment extensively. This study has been
incorporated in an award winning web-site dedicated
to preserving the history of the First Alabama
Cavalry Regiment. It is one of the most extensive
websites devoted to a single Civil War unit.
Ryan Dupree is a computer programmer
with a small engineering firm in Huntsville.
Ryan was born and raised in Illinois, but
has spent the last 11 years in Alabama.
Brandy Station (August 2008)
Thursday, August14, 2008
Jeffrey Ewing - "The History of the 6th U.S. Cavalry- From Stoneman's Raid to Brandy Station, 1863"
Early in 1863, a northern newspaper correspondent reflected on the contributions of the cavalry forces of the Army of the Potomac: "This Arm of our service has been of little account heretofore, owing to the mismanagement and imbecility of General McClellan". Yet less than six months later these same troopers would play a pivotal role in the army's decisive victory at Gettysburg.
Documentary filmmaker and TVCWRT member Jeffrey Ewing's historical documentary will explore the events during the first half of 1863 that transformed these troopers into the mounted fighting force that challenged their once dominant Confederate counterparts for the remaining years of the war. The project was commissioned by the 6th Cavalry Museum and the story is told through the eyes of troopers from that regiment.
Jeff will also report on the week he spent studying Abraham Lincoln at the annual conference of The Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. The June conference included presentations by James McPherson, Ken Burns, Craig Symonds, Harold Holzer, Kent Gramm, and Ed Bearss.
Jeffrey Ewing's interest in the Civil War is a legacy from his father, an amateur historian who dragged the family to Civil War battlefields each summer. Jeff enrolled in Gettysburg College after high school and occasionally returns to his alma mater for its Civil War Institute; where he lives in the dorms, eats in the dining hall, and tries to pretend he is much younger. After a career in human resources and communication, Jeff moved to the Huntsville area and opened his own video production company, "Grin Without a Cat", specializing in genealogical/historical documentaries and Internet commercials. He also teaches film appreciation and digital video production. When not exploring battlefield terrain with his topographical maps and compass, Jeff enjoys watching high school and college softball.
Major General Alfred Pleasonton
Commanding Federal Cavalry
Major General J.E.B. Stuart
Commanding Confederate Cavalry
Forest (Sept. 2008)
Thursday, September 11, 2008 - 6;30 p.m. - Elk's Lodge
Dr. Michael Bradley - "Nathan Bedford Forrest's Escort and Staff"
During the Civil War, army regulations, north & south, authorized an escort, or bodyguard company, for major generals. Most generals used men detailed from existing cavalry regiments. Major General Bedford Forrest recruited a special company which remained an independent command to serve as his escort. From their organization in the summer of 1862 until their surrender at Gainesville, Alabama, in May 1865, this group was in daily contact with General Forrest. In 1877, shortly before Forrest's death, the survivors of the escort met with Forrest and formed a Veterans Association. This organization met regularly until 1909 when only a handful of men remained alive. Dr. Michael Bradley has traced the war-time record of the escort company and has secured the minutes of the Veterans Association to tell the story of this legendary band of men
For thirty six years Dr. Bradley, a native of the Tennessee-Alabama state line region near Fayetteville, Tennessee, taught United States History at Motlow College, a Tennessee Board of Regents junior college near Tullahoma, Tennessee. He retired in May, 2006. Dr. Bradley is the author of several books on the War Between the States period including Tullahoma: The 1863 Campaign; With Blood and Fire: Behind Union Lines in Middle Tennessee; Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Escort & Staff in War and Peace; It Happened in the Civil War; and Home Fires in the Line of Fire, a part of an anthology about the war in Tennessee. Two recent articles have been published in North & South magazine; “Death Lists in Middle Tennessee,” and “In the Crosshairs: Confederate Civilians Targeted for Death by the United States Army.” He also writes on other topics including the Revolutionary War, the Great Smoky Mountains, and historical stories. Dr. Bradley has written for various reference works, including The Civil Rights Encyclopedia and The Tennessee Encyclopedia. In 2006, Dr. Bradley was elected Commander of the Tennessee Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. He is a Life Member of that organization
Rousseau's Raid (June 2009)
Jimmy Pemberton will speak on “Rousseau's Raid, July 10-22, 1864”. General Rousseau of the Union Army lead the raid on the Confederate's Montgomery & West Point Railroad in central Alabama on one of the most successful Union cavalry operations of the Civil War. The railroad was a major supply line for the Confederate forces in Atlanta. The raid pointed out the vulnerabilities of the Deep South to aggressive Union forces. The details of the raid and its impact will be presented by Mr. Pemberton, who is a long time Civil War enthusiast with strong ancestral ties to the Confederate Army, and is a free lance writer specializing in Alabama historical events.
During General Sherman”s advance on Atlanta, Georgia in July of 1864, he expressed a desire to cut off supplies to the Confederate Army in Atlanta that were arriving via the railroad running between Atlanta and Montgomery, Alabama. To accomplish this he telegraphed Major General Lovell Rousseau in Nashville, Tennessee, then commander of the district of Tennessee, to put together a command to conduct the raid. General Rousseau put together an Army of five regiments, about 2500 soldiers, and proceeded from Decatur, Alabama on July 10, 1864. The army marched southeast and reached the West Point Railroad on July 17, 1864 without much opposition. They proceeded to destroy some 30 miles of railroad, depots, and any other property/supplies earmarked for the Confederate Army. After completion of his mission Rousseau”s army joined Sherman in the vicinity of Atlanta on July 22, 1864. The 400 mile raid was considered by Sherman to be a complete success, and had a significant impact on the Confederate Army defending Atlanta.
ABOUT OUR SPEAKER
Jimmy Pemberton is a native of Tallapoosa County Alabama. He graduated from Auburn University in 1958 with a B.S. Degree in Aerospace Engineering. He moved to Huntsville Alabama in 1961 and worked some 40 years as an Aerospace Engineer with industry and government. In 1968 he received a M.S. Degree in engineering from UAH. In 2003 he retired as an Aerospace Engineer from the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM), after 32 years of service. During his career he served as Chief Engineer for the U.S. Army PERSHING Missile and Army Tactical Missile System programs. He is a member of The Huntsville/Madison County Historical Society, The Alabama Historical Association, The Tennessee Valley Civil War Round Table and The East Alabama Genealogical Society. His interest in the Civil War stems from his extensive ancestral ties to the Confederate Army. He had 3 Great-Grandfathers and 6 Great-Great-Grandfathers that served in the Confederate Armies, with three of the latter dying in the war. These ties, even in high school, led him to an interest/hobby in researching military records, visiting Civil War battlefield sites and reading many Civil War related books. In recent years he has been a freelance writer for magazines, periodicals, newspapers, etc, specializing in Alabama related historical events.
Shelbyville
(April 10, 2008) “Turning the Tide, The Union Cavalry at Shelbyville, TN” will be presented by Greg Biggs, renowned speaker, author and tour leader from Clarksville, TN.
“TURNING THE TIDE: THE UNION CAVALRY AT THE BATTLE OF SHELBYVILLE, TN.” - Prior to the cavalry engagement fought literally within the town of Shelbyville, TN on June 27th, 1863, as part of Union Gen. William S. Rosecrans' brilliant Tullahoma Campaign, Confederate cavalry in the West had been dominating their Union counterparts at most every turn. Dynamic and bold leaders like Nathan Bedford Forrest, Joe Wheeler and the “Kentucky Thunderbolt”, John Hunt Morgan, coupled with officers like Thomas Woodward and Adam Rankin Johnson, lead raids throughout the Tennessee and Kentucky theaters of war, beating Union cavalry at almost every turn. But all of that started to change just before and at Shelbyville, when Wheeler’s vaunted troopers were routed out of town by an aggressive Union cavalry brigade under Col. Robert Minty. Indeed, the performance of the Union cavalry in the entire campaign outshone their Rebel counterparts and served as a wake-up call that the days of being dominated were over. From Shelbyville forward, Union cavalry in the West would start to dominate the Confederates for the rest of the war.
Spring Hill (May 2006)
Jamie Gillum will speak on “The Battle at Spring Hill Jamie is a
former U.S. Marine Gunnery Sergeant whose
college major was in history with an emphasis on
historic preservation. He currently works at the
Carter House in Franklin, TN. His book,
“Twenty-five Hours to Tragedy”, uses over 700
eye-witness, individual observations to record an
hour-by-hour account of the events leading up to
the Battle at Franklin twenty-five hours later.
The Battle at Franklin decided the fate of the
Army of Tennessee led by Confederate General John Bell Hood.
Stonewall Debate March 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008 - 6;30 p.m. - Elk's Lodge
Separating the Man from the Myth, the Great Stonewall Jackson Debate
The accomplishments and personality of one of the South's greatest commanders will be debated by a panel of local Civil War buffs. His first successes in independent command came when the South desperately needed a hero and Jackson, with The Valley Campaign behind him, became the man of the hour. His famous flank attack at Chancellorsville and subsequent untimely death guaranteed his continued hero status and kindly treatment by most historians. He was also one of the Civil War’s greatest characters and had a not so perfect side rarely documented by his many biographers. The debate will take a rare look at Jackson’s “other side” as well as his wartime accomplishments. It is expected that quite a bit of previously not well known, but very interesting, “Stonewallian” behavior will be presented. The stage will be set with a brief description of General Jackson's prewar life.
The debate team will be Jerry Bartig, Joe Cobb, Ron Hodge, Brian Hogan, Clarke Moore and Kent Wright. The moderator will be John Allen. Before the debate Morris Penny will help put Jackson in context with some descriptions of his prewar life. All of these gentlemen are TVCWRT members and are long time and avid students of the Civil War.
Sultana April 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007 - 6;30 p.m. - Elk's Club
Norman Shaw, "The Explosion on the Civil War Steamer, Sultana"
Most people, even those interested in Civil War history, are unaware that the greatest maritime disaster in American history was the explosion aboard the steamer Sultana April 27, 1865 as the vessel steamed up the Mississippi River with the loss of 1,800 lives. This vessel was transporting recently released Union POW's from the Confederate prisons at Andersonville, GA, and Cahaba, AL. Through greed, human error, and bad fortune, about 2,100 soldiers and nearly 200 passengers faced death by explosion, fire, or drowning when the ship's boilers blew up at 2:00 a. m. about seven miles above Memphis, TN.
Norman Shaw's presentation will describe the last journey of the Sultana and the events that led to the tragedy. Included will be the story of the Union 3rd Tenn. Cavalry, comprised of men from the Knoxville area, many of the unit's war survivors were on the Sultana that fateful night. Mr. Shaw's talk will conclude with a brief account of the work of the Sultana Association over the last twenty years.
Norman Shaw's study of the American Civil War started in earnest following his graduation from law school and taking a position as a title attorney in Knoxville, TN, in 1981, where he works and resides today. In 1983, Mr. Shaw founded the Knoxville Civil War Roundtable and later became its first president. He continues to be active in the KCWRT having held various positions and having been involved in numerous activities. In 1987, Mr. Shaw started the Sultana Association with a current national membership of about 150 folks which meets annually in Knoxville or other cities connected with the Sultana story. He worked with the "Blue and Gray" magazine to publish a Sultana issue which eventually came out in August of 1990. Mr. Shaw is a member of the Civil War Preservation Trust and the Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association.
Explosion of the Steamer "Sultana", April 28th, 1865
Harper's Weekly, May 20, 1865.
