Franklin Civil War Round Table to Meet at Historic Courthouse

On Sunday, February 12th at 3 P.M., the Franklin Civil War Round Table will provides members and the general public a unique opportunity to learn more about Williamson County’s Historic Courthouse in the facility’s refurbished main court room.   Heritage Foundation historian Rick Warwick will discuss some of the events witnessed by this Greek Revival structure built in 1858 and fresh from a $6.2 million update completed in 2010.

The Williamson County Courthouse is one of only a few remaining county seat structures in Tennessee from the Civil War era. It was occupied by the Union Provost in 1863 and served as a hospital during and after the November 1864 Battle of Franklin.  Shortly after the war, riots occurred just outside its front doors. Rick Warwick will be sharing these and other stories at the February event. 

Warwick, the long time editor of the Williamson County Historical Society Journal and a former county educator, has written some 18 books on various county topics including several involving the Civil War years. These include Williamson Country: Civil War Veterans, Williamson Country: The Civil War as Seen through the Female Experience and Historical Markers of Williamson County.

The event is free to the public and free parking is available in the city garage just across the street as well as behind the courthouse..

 

The Franklin Civil War Round Table official membership is rapidly approaching 100 including family and individual memberships.  We appreciate your support and attendance at our programs!

 

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Our Past Programs:

2011

2010

2009

2008

Confederate Cavalry in the Battle of Nashville at January's Round Table

On Sunday, January 8th at 3 P.M., the Franklin Civil War Round Table will present author and historian Ross Massey, who will speak on Confederate  General James Chalmers and his cavalry at the December 1864 Battle of Nashville. 

Major General James R. Chalmers and his seasoned division of cavalry fought along Charlotte Pike on the first day of the battle. On the second day his troops played an important role in the final actions along Hillsboro and Granny White Pikes and in the Otter Creek area. 

Massey grew up in Nashville, walking the Nashville battlefield as a child. As an adult he has initiated the preservation of several key locations such as the earthworks at Bells’ Bend and Granbury’s Lunette, both now part of the Metro Nashville Parks system. In the early 1990’s he was a founding member of the Battle of Nashville Preservation Society which has been instrumental in preserving and interpreting many Nashville sites such as Fort Negley and Shy’s Hill. Massey has also appeared on A&E and The History Channel. 

Massey’s “Nashville Battlefield Guide” is considered a key source for historians and tourists alike when visiting the city’s key battleground areas. He is currently working on a soon to be released book about Chalmer's key role in the battle.

Holiday Mixer on Battlefield Preservation at December's Round Table

On Sunday, December 11th at 3 P.M., the Franklin Civil War Round Table will present a special Holiday program highlighting the various groups involved in battlefield preservation and interpretation in Franklin. After an informal question and answer opportunity with representatives of these groups, there will be time to mix with them and Roundtable members and enjoy Holiday snacks. As an added treat, Thomas Flagel, instructor at Columbia State and Round Table member, will lead a Civil War Trivia contest with great prizes.

Preservation representatives will include Fred Prouty of the Tennessee Wars Commission, Joe Smyth of the Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association, Julian Bibb and Stacey Watson of Franklin’s Charge, Michael Skinner of the Franklin Battlefield Commission, Mike Walker of Save The Franklin Battlefield, J.T. Thompson of the Lotz House Museum, and Robert Hicks of the Battle of Franklin Trust.

The Tennessee Brigade at November's Round Table

On Sunday, November 13th at 3 P.M., the Franklin Civil War Round Table will present author, teacher and historian Randy Bishop, who will speak on the Tennessee Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia.  

Leaving their families in Middle Tennessee, the soldiers of the Tennessee Brigade participated in the major Civil War battles of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. With regiments raised before Tennessee's secession, the brigade saw action at Seven Pines, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Spotsylvania. It suffered the first Confederate casualty at Gettysburg and was the guiding unit during the third day's assault on the Federal positions. The brigade survived Petersburg's trenches only to surrender a fraction of its once-mighty ranks at Appomattox. 

In addition to his 2005 book, “The Tennessee Brigade,” Bishop has also written “Tennessee's Civil War Battlefields:  A Guide to Their History and Preservation.” He will speak to preservation efforts in both Tennessee and northern Mississippi. 

An accomplished educator, Bishop is a teacher at Middleton High School, where he has six times been recognized as “Teacher of the Year.” He serves as an adjunct professor of history at Jackson State Community College. Bishop earned his B.S. from Union University and his M. Ed. from the University of Memphis.

October Round Table to Tour Rest Haven Cemetery

On Sunday, October 9th at 3 P.M., the Franklin Civil War Round Table will conduct a members-only tour of the Rest Haven Cemetery in Franklin.  

It is not commonly known that over 50 veterans of the Civil War are interred at Rest Haven with more being documented all the time.  Most have intriguing stories, of which many will be told on the tour. 

Margie Thessin, author and owner of Franklin on Foot Tours, has assembled a great group of local authorities on the historic burials, including Rick Warwick, Chad Gray, Sam Gant, Greg Wade, Thomas Flagel, Linda and Jason Boshers, and Stuart Cruikshank.

Battle of Perryville at September's Round Table

On Sunday, September 11 at 3 P.M., in the Community Room of the Franklin Police Department on Columbia Pike in Franklin, the Franklin Civil War Round Table will present author Christopher Kolakowski, who will be speaking on the Battle of Perryville.

The 1862 Battle of Perryville was the largest battle in the state of Kentucky and fought between Union General Carlos Buell’s Army of Ohio and the Confederate Army of Mississippi under General Braxton Bragg. Perryville proved to be a violent precursor to the bloody battles between what would become the Union Army of the Cumberland and the Confederate Army of Tennessee. Young commanders named Cleburne, Cheatham, Polk, Buckner, and Sheridan fought to a tactical Confederate victory only to be followed by a Confederate retreat back towards Nashville.

A graduate of Emory and Henry College with a graduate degree in Public History from the State University of New York, Kolakowski has had numerous assignments interpreting and preserving American military history including time with the National Park Service, Civil War Preservation Trust and United States Army Reserve. From 2005-2008 he was the Executive Director of the Perryville Enhancement Project during which time the Perryville Battlefield Park added 152 acres of critical battleground while increasing Perryville’s national profile. In 2009 he published The Civil War at Perryville: Battling for the Bluegrass. Kolakowski is currently the Director of the General George Patton Museum of Leadership in Fort Knox, Kentucky. In 2012 the U.S. Army will publish his work on the 1862 Virginia Campaigns as part of its sesquicentennial series on the Civil War.

 

 

Isham G. Harris: Tennessee's War Governor at July's Round Table

On Sunday, August 14 at 3 P.M., in the Community Room of the Franklin Police Department on Columbia Pike in Franklin, the Franklin Civil War Round Table will present author and Chairman of the Tennessee Historical Commission, Sam Davis Elliott, who will speak on “Isham G. Harris: Tennessee’s War Governor.”

Born in Middle Tennessee, Harris grew up to serve in the Tennessee State Senate, as a U.S. congressman, and as governor during the secession crisis. He tirelessly dedicated himself to the Confederate war effort, raising troops and money and establishing a logistical structure and armament industry. When the Federal army occupied Middle and West Tennessee in 1862, he attached himself to the Confederate Army of Tennessee, served as a volunteer throughout the war and was considered a possible successor to Jefferson Davis should the new republic survive.

Elliott will present a picture of this overlooked leader, establishing him as the most prominent Tennessean in the Confederacy and a dominating player in nineteenth-century Tennessee politics, offering Isham used his political influence and constitutional power to trample on the state constitution to align Tennessee with the Confederacy. 

An attorney in the Chattanooga area, Elliott is the immediate past president of the Tennessee Bar Association, a board member of the Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association, a past president of the Friends of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, and a member of the Society of Civil War Historians and the Historians of the Western Theater. 

Elliott’s most recent book is Isham G. Harris of Tennessee: Confederate Governor and United States Senator, published in 2010 by Louisiana State University Press as part of its prestigious Southern Biography Series. The book was the co-winner of the 2010 Tennessee History Book Award. He is also the author of Soldier of Tennessee: General Alexander P. Stewart and the Civil War in the West and editor of Doctor Quintard, Chaplain C.S.A. and Second Bishop of Tennessee: The Memoir and Civil War Diary of Charles Todd Quintard.

Lee and the Retreat from Gettysburg at July's Round Table

On Sunday, July 10 at 3 P.M., at the Williamson County Library in Franklin, the Franklin Civil War Round Table will present Lexington, Kentucky author, Kent Masterson Brown, who will speak on “Lee and the Retreat from Gettysburg.”

 

Much has been written about the Battle of Gettysburg but very little about those dramatic days that followed as General Robert E Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia escaped back to the relative safety of Virginia. Brown’s most recent book, Retreat from Gettysburg: Lee, Logistics and the Pennsylvania Campaign, was released in April of 2005 by the University of North Carolina Press. It is a selection of the History Book Club and Military Book Club and has been awarded the 2005 Bachelder-Coddington Award, the 2005 United States Army Historical Foundation Award for Distinguished Writing in History and the 2005 Dr. James I. Robertson, Jr. Literary Prize.

Brown was the creator and first editor of the magazine, The Civil War.  He has written numerous other books on the Civil War including, The Civil War in Kentucky: Battle for the Bluegrass State.  He has served in many capacities including the first chairman of the Gettysburg National Military Park Advisory Commission and first Chairman of the Perryville Battlefield Commission.  He has also produced, written and narrated several historical documentaries such as The Long Road Back to Kentucky and Retreat from Gettysburg. 

 

An attorney, Brown is a 1974 graduate of the Washington & Lee University School of Law in Lexington, Virginia. He has been given numerous awards for his work in historic preservation as well as Civil War history.

 

The Mystery of Ulysses S. Grant at June’s Round Table

On Sunday, June 12 at 3 P.M., at the Williamson County Library in Franklin, the Franklin Civil War Round Table will present Dr. Glenn LaFantasie, history professor at Western Kentucky University, who will speak on “The Mystery of Ulysses S. Grant.”

Called a butcher by some, a mastermind by others, and a consummate soldier by many more, Ulysses S. Grant possessed a deeply stoic demeanor, which led both his contemporaries and historians to wonder what exactly made him “tick.”  Dr. Glenn LaFantasie will explore the wartime successes and failures that shaped the man, and ultimately the course of the American Civil War.

Dr. LaFantasie is the Richard Frockt Family Professor of Civil War History at WKU where he specializes in the Civil War and Reconstruction.  He is director of the Center for the Study of the Civil War in the West, and the author of Twilight at Little Round Top; Gettsyburg Heros: Perfect Soldiers, Hallowed Ground; Gettysburg Requiem: The Life and Lost Causes of Confederate Colonel William C. Oates and a forthcoming book on Grant and Lincoln.  LaFantasie earned his Ph.D. in History at Brown University.

John Bell Hood: Myths & Realities at April’s Round Table

On Sunday, April 10 at 3 P.M., at the Williamson County Library in Franklin, the Franklin Civil War Round Table will present “John Bell Hood: Myths and Realities.”

Confederate General John Bell Hood is well-known and often-maligned as the commander of the Confederate Army of Tennessee, whose fateful decision to strike north from Atlanta and take Nashville ended in the tragic destruction of his army and the creation of much of Middle Tennessee’s Civil War history. 

The Franklin Roundtable has assembled three authorities who have studied the Western Campaigns of the War extensively, and who will re-assess and challenge some of the time-honored views of this controversial leader, his strengths and weaknesses.

Sam Hood, of Huntington, West Virginia is currently working on a book about General Hood’s battlefield performance as a commander, especially in the Tennessee Campaign of 1864. He is a graduate of Marshall University and a Marine Corps veteran. He has served on various historical boards including Confederate Memorial Hall in New Orleans and the Blue & Gray Educational Society.  Hood shares a common ancestor with General Hood.

Dr. Steve Davis, of Atlanta, has written several pieces on the Western Theater including his 2001 book, Atlanta Will Fall: Sherman, Joe Johnston and the Heavy Yankee Battalions.  He has served as book review editor for Blue and Gray Magazine and has written for publications such as Civil War Times and the Georgia Historical Quarterly. Dr. Davis received his doctorate from Emory University where he concentrated on the Civil War in Southern Literature.  His new book, What the Yankees Did to Us: Sherman’s Bombardment and Wrecking of Atlanta, will be released next year by Mercer University Press.

Eric Jacobson is the Chief Operating Officer and Historian for the Battle of Franklin Trust.  His 2006 book, For Cause & for Country: A Study of the Affair at Spring Hill and the Battle of Franklin, has been praised for its exhaustive research and detail on the 1864 Tennessee Campaign.  His 2007 book, The McGavock Confederate Cemetery, focused on many of the incredible stories of the cemetery’s development and those interred there.  He has a third book scheduled to be released in 2011 about the Ohio and Missouri Regiments at Franklin entitled, Baptism of Fire.

Civil War Play Excerpts at March’s Round Table

On Sunday, March 13 at 3 P.M., at the Williamson County Library in Franklin, the Franklin Civil War Round Table will present “Scenes from SCATHE: A Civil War Incident in Middle Tennessee.” 

Confederate General Earl Van Dorn was a well-known and effective commander of cavalry, but his off duty judgment, or sometimes lack of it, produced much colorful gossip.  This was especially true in the spring of 1863 when his infamous “liaison” with one of Spring Hill’s most prominent ladies led to one of the most talked about local incidents of the War.
 
Dr. Deanne Collins, herself a Round Table member, and her cast will present portions of her dramatic play with music, SCATHE. The play, its title referencing injury, brings to life how an entire town is injured by both the Van Dorn affair and the greater tragedy of the War.
 
Collins is an accomplished dancer who has traveled throughout the United States in a National Endowment for the Arts presentation, has been a presenter at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and has served as an Assistant Professor at Lane College in Jackson, TN.  She received her Doctorate from Vanderbilt University, and currently writes and directs plays for the Spring Hill Library’s Kidz Kompany.
 
During the 45-minute presentation, the cast will perform excerpts involving Van Dorn and General Forrest, Van Dorn’s eviction from White Hall, the evolvement of his relationship with Jesse Peters and his assassination by Dr. Peters.  The entire play will be presented by the Spring Hill Historical Commission in early May, on the anniversary dates of the actual events portrayed.
 

Middle Tennessee and the African American Civil War Experience

The Franklin Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce our February session will focus on the African American experience during the War. 

Franklin author and historian Thelma Battle will speak on families and individuals and their experiences during the War period.  Ms. Battle has written for numerous historical publications and is considered one of Williamson County’s premier historians. She was the inspiration for the Thelma Battle Collection at the Williamson County Library, and her essay was featured in the recently released Historic Franklin, published by the Heritage Foundation. Her book Rainy in the House and Leaking Outdoors features the lives of 100 of Franklin’s most influential women of color over the last several generations.

A Nashville fireman by trade, Bill Ratcliff has been a Civil War re-enactor for 25 years.  As a member of “B” Company, 54th Massachusetts, U.S. and Co. A, 13th United States Colored Infantry, Mr. Ratcliff  has participated in Civil War events across the United States. In 2006, a statue honoring the USCT buried at Nashville’s National Cemetery was unveiled, and Bill served as the model for that statue.  He served our country in Vietnam in 1969-70, and his father fought in Europe in World War II. He is also a descendant of a Medal of Honor recipient from the Civil war.

Pearl Bransford has lived in Franklin for 22 years. A native of Brownsville, Tennessee, she is a graduate of Tennessee State University and earned her masters degree in science from Vanderbilt University. A nurse by trade, Ms. Bransford is vice president of training and development at Claiborne and Hughes.  She is currently serving as a Franklin alderman and is very active in historic preservation, especially with the Historic Natchez District. She also served many years on the Franklin Special School District Board and is married with three children. Pearl will serve as a moderator for our event.

 

Loyal Cavaliers: Tennessee's Unionist Cavalrymen

On January 9, 2011, at 3:00 p.m., at the Williamson County Library in Franklin, the Franklin Civil War Round Table (FCWRT) will present Myers Brown, curator of extension services at the Tennessee State Museum, who will speak on “Loyal Cavaliers: Tennessee’s Unionist Cavalrymen.”

Despite officially joining the Confederacy in 1861, Tennessee provided the Union with nearly 32,000 troops during the Civil War. Representing a Southern opposition to secession and loyalty to the Union, many of these Tennesseans served as cavalry or as mounted infantry. Labeled traitors and renegades by Confederate Tennesseans, these men risked reprisals on their homes and families as they dutifully served the Union cause.

Brown holds a B.A. in History from Oglethorpe University and an M.A. in Public History from Middle Tennessee State University. He has served as the curator of military history at the Atlanta History Center and as the curator of the General Joe Wheeler Home in Courtland, Al. He joined the staff of the Tennessee State Museum as curator of extension services in 2005. 

Brown has published articles or book reviews in Military Collector and Historian, Blue and Gray, History News, The Georgia Historical Quarterly, Atlanta History, Civil War: A Journal of the Middle Period, and The Historian. His most recent publication is Tennessee’s Union Cavalrymen from Arcadia press.

Nathan Bedford Forrest: Napoleonic Cavalryman

On December 12, 2010, at 3:00 p.m., at the Williamson County Library in Franklin, the Franklin Civil War Round Table (FCWRT) will present “Nathan Bedford Forrest – Napoleonic Cavalryman.” 

Greg Biggs, founding force of the Clarksville and Nashville Round Tables, will give an overview of Napoleon’s use of cavalry, drawing parallels to Nathan Bedford Forrest’s command during the Civil War. Although Forrest had no military school training, he had an inherent understanding of the value of cavalry and its use on the battlefield. His tactics and successes were studied in military schools well into the twentieth century. 

Mr. Biggs has been a featured speaker at numerous Round Tables, historical conferences and events across the county, and has served as a Civil War tour guide at various battlegrounds across the country.   He has been published in Blue and Gray Magazine, Civil War News, and other publications and is writing a book about Tennessee’s Civil War flags for the Tennessee State Museum.

 

A Want of Confidence: Longstreet’s East Tennessee Campaign at Round Table

On Sunday, October 10 at 3 P.M., at the Williamson County Library in Franklin, the Franklin Civil War Round Table will present Dorothy Kelly, who will speak on “A Want of Confidence:” Longstreet’s East Tennessee Campaign.” 

In the fall of 1863 Confederate General James Longstreet with the First Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia was sent to Knoxville to dislodge or destroy the Federal Army of the Ohio under General Ambrose E. Burnside.  Longstreet and Burnside had faced each other a year earlier at Fredericksburg with devastating results for the Federals.  At Knoxville the tide turned and Longstreet found his attacking troops repulsed at the Battle of Fort Sanders.  His later charges of “…a want of confidence” against his subordinate General Lafayette McLaws seem to reflect his own indecision and lack of confidence in his troops and in himself.

Dorothy E. (Dot) Kelly is a native of Knoxville and has had an avid interest in the Civil War since the age of twelve when her grandmother recounted stories from her grandfather, a Confederate veteran.   Like many East Tennesseans, Kelly discovered many years later that she was also descended from Union soldiers.  Her ancestry led to a consuming curiosity and years of research on East Tennessee’s role in the Civil War.  She has had articles published in North & South Magazine, the East Tennessee Historical Society’s Tennessee Ancestors and several other publications.

Dot has spoken to numerous round tables including Chicago, Rappahannock Valley (VA) and St. Louis, as well as historical societies and various service organizations.  She has led field trips to various East Tennessee sites as well as the Knoxville area.  She is program chair for the Knoxville Civil War Roundtable and has served as president of the Roundtable and the Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association.
 

The Mexican War: Civil War Training Ground at Round Table

On Sunday, September 12 at 3 P.M., at the Williamson County Library in Franklin, the Franklin Civil War Round Table will present Dr. Timothy D. Johnson, who will speak on “The Mexican War: A Civil War Training Ground.” 

Tim Johnson has written four books on the Mexican and Civil Wars, and numerous other articles, papers and books on 18th to mid-19th century American politics, diplomacy, army professionalization, and Constitutional history. He has been featured on C-SPAN’s BookTV and The History Channel.

The U.S. army mustered in 1846 to fight the Mexican War consisted of a small number of professional soldiers, state militias commanded by self taught generals (many left over from the War of 1812), and a group of young officers--untested graduates from the recently established Military Academy at West Point. Over 200 future Civil War generals learned their first lessons of war during this conflict. The Mexican War experience of Lieutenants Grant, McClellan, Hooker, Meade, Jackson, Beauregard, Longstreet, Hardee, and Hill, along with Captain Lee and Lt. Colonel Johnston would affect their Civil War generalship.  The tactics they saw work so well in 1846-1848, they would employ on countless Civil War battlefields--for better or worse.
 

Chicago’s Irish Legion in Dixie at Round Table

On Sunday, July 11 at 3 P.M., at the Williamson County Library in Franklin, the Franklin Civil War Round Table will present local author James B. Swan, who will speak on “Chicago’s Irish Legion in Dixie.” 

Mr. Swan is a retired professor of Agronomy from Iowa State University with a life-long passion for the Civil War and an Irish heritage. He is the author of “Chicago’s Irish Legion: The 90th Illinois in the Civil War,” a story told in a style that reflects both his scholarship and his understanding of the Irish.

The 90th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, known as the Irish Legion, is frequently overlooked by historians. The regiment marched 2600 miles, through 7 Confederate states and participated in the capture of 3 Confederate state capitals. The men of the Legion exhibited an Irish sense of humor but also the willingness to do hard duty, including hard fighting, guarding wagons, and finding ways to enjoy themselves through it all.  Mr. Swan will provide a rare description of the experiences of the Irish in the Western Theater of the Civil War. He also gives a personal connection to the 90th Illinois, in that his grandfather, Simon Swan, fought with the regiment.
 

“Was the War in Your Backyard?” at Round Table

On Sunday, July 11 at 3 P.M., at the Williamson County Library in Franklin, the Franklin Civil War Round Table will present "Was the War in Your Backyard?" The Roundtable’s Greg Wade and Columbia State’s Thomas Flagel will share fascinating facts about local fighting and its widespread impact upon Williamson County.

While the Battle of Franklin is the seminal event for Williamson County, Wade and Flagel will tell of lesser actions of scouting and fighting in what are often modern-day neighborhoods. “There were a number of events other than the Battle of Franklin that were dramatic and resulted in casualties,” said Wade. “We want to give both new and longtime residents of our area an insight in this aspect of Williamson County’s rich Civil War history. It might just change your perspective on where you call 'home.'"

The presentation will feature many "then and now" photographs and Vann Martin of The Veteran’s Attic will have Civil War artifacts on display.

Thomas Flagel is an instructor of History at Columbia State Community College, and is the author of several books on the Civil War, including “The History Buff’s Guide to the Civil War” and a similar work on Gettysburg. He holds a B.A. in History, a M.A. in European History and a M.A. in International History. An Iowan by birth with an ancestor who fought with the 2nd Iowa Volunteer Infantry, he now resides in Franklin.

Greg Wade is the founder of the Franklin Civil War Round Table. He is on the staff of the Civil War News and has written for numerous history related publications, newspapers and Internet sites. Wade has served as President of Save the Franklin Battlefield and is currently a board member of Franklin’s Charge. He has reenacted with both Federal and Confederate units and has assisted the City of Franklin in various archeological surveys.
 

Jim Lewis of Stones River featured at June 13th Franklin Round Table

Ranger Jim Lewis of Stones River National Battlefield will present, "They fought at Stones River," which brings to life individual stories of several who fought in one of the most intense and destructive battles of the War. Those who have heard Jim in the past will attest to this dynamic presentation. Please mark your calendars for June 13th, 3:00 at the Williamson County Library. We are fortunate Jim is able to commit to this event and hope to see you all there.

Our sincere thanks to Ranger Jim Lewis for his informative and fascinating presentation about cavalry activity at the Battle of Stones River.  Jim expertly guided the audience through complicated movements, oftentimes many miles from the Stones River battle ground, between cavalry units of both sides.  We appreciate Jim and his service to the Park Service and hope we can hear him again in the future!
 

Peter Cozzens well received

Acclaimed author Peter Cozzens spoke to a Franklin Civil War Round Table audience in excess of 100 attendees at the March meeting.  Cozzens, author of several Civil War works as well as biographies and Indian War works, spoke largely on his most recent book, “Shenandoah 1862.”
 
We thank everyone for their attendance and support of our March meeting.  We especially thank the Battle of Nashville Preservation Society who co-sponsored this event.

 

United States Colored Troops featured at February Round Table

On February 14 at 3 P.M., at the Williamson County Library in Franklin, the Franklin Civil War Round Table will present their second program of the New Year. Bill Radcliff will give a presentation on the trials of the African American soldier in the Civil War and their role in the Union Army. Radcliff is a well known re-enactor of United States Colored Troops (USCT) and will be in full uniform.

Mr. Radcliff is well-known throughout Middle Tennessee for preserving the history and sharing the stories of the African American troops during the Civil War years. Most recently, he was a member of the honor guard at the recent burial of Franklin's "Unknown Soldier" and was part of the Battle of Nashville anniversary events at Fort Negley this past December.

Radcliff was the model for the statue commemorating the USCT troops interred at Nashville's National Cemetery, a monument not duplicated anywhere else in the United States. He has served the city of Nashville for many years as a member of the Nashville Fire Department and is a veteran of the Vietnam War. His father fought across Europe in World War II with Patton's Army as part of the famed Red Ball Express while his mother served as a member of the Colored United Service Organization (USO). His brother served as an officer in Desert Storm. Radcliff has recently discovered he is a descendant of a Medal of Honor recipient from the 1864 Battle of Chapin's Farm, Virginia.

Franklin’s Charge  announces its affiliation with the Franklin Civil War Round Table  as part of  ongoing efforts to provide educational opportunities about Middle Tennessee and related Civil War history.

The official announcement was May 26th at a kickoff event  on the back porch of Carnton.  Ernie Bacon, President of Franklin’s Charge,  congratulated members of both groups for their vision.

Franklin’s Charge, known for its efforts in battlefield preservation, already hosts an annual summer symposium featuring well known speakers and tours of various historical landmarks.  The Round Table started about two years ago and was then known as the Landmark (bookstore) Civil War book group.  “As we grew we needed more space and moved to the (Williamson County) library,” says founder Greg Wade.  Round Tables are not officially organized and there is no national organization. “’Round Table’ is a well known name for groups that bring in speakers, especially authors about the Civil War period,” he added.  The Franklin group meets the second Sundays of the month.

“We will provide administrative support while the Round Table will help support the group’s preservation efforts,” says Stacey Watson of Franklin’s Charge.  “It’s a win win for everybody and will help us round out our mission to learn more about that period’s rich local history,” she added.

Franklin Civil War Round Table presents Robert Hicks

On November 8, 2009, at 3 P.M., at the Williamson County Library in Franklin, best-selling author Robert Hicks, spoke to the Franklin Civil War Round Table. Hicks, author of The Widow of the South and A Guitar and a Pen,  spoke on his latest historical novel, A Separate Country, which follows John Bell Hood through his post-War years in New Orleans.

Having served on the Boards of Historic Carnton Plantation, the Tennessee State Museum, The Williamson County Historical Society, and the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, Hicks has been instrumental in battlefield preservation successes here in Williamson County as the founder of Franklin’s Charge. He is a gifted and entertaining story teller and will be discussing John Bell Hood, arguably one of the most controversial generals of the Confederate Army – and one of the most tragic figures. In his book, Hood emerges as a flawed yet decent and good man who struggled with his inability to admit his failures, but managed to create a life in New Orleans following the war.

In addition, the Round Table’s own Vann Martin  exhibited part of his most recent acquisition, the largest collection of photos of Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain taken during the War.
 

October Round Table presented Cotton Gin panel 

An informative panel discussion took place at the October edition of the Round Table regarding the fighting around the Carter Cotton Gin during the 1864 Battle of Franklin.  Eric Jacobson talked about regiments that up until now had received little credit for holding the Union lines in that area.  David Fraley discussed the deaths (and where they died) of the six Confederate generals while Rick Warwick informed us about development in the Gin area after the War up to the present.  This land included the original location of Battle Ground Academy.  Margie Thessin talked of the lore of ghosts as a result of Williamson County fighting and how new students of history develop out of fascination from these stories.   We then walked from the library site to the gin area where Franklin’s Charge Ernie Bacon shared his groups vision of land acquisition for continued development of additional battlefield park acreage. 
 

August Round Table a great success

A crowd of about 70 enthusiastic attendees and members heard Lt. Col. Tom McKenney speak about his recent book, Jack Hinson’s One Man War.  Recalling an exhausting effort of 15 years to produce this work, McKenney told of the sorrows and challenges that faced this Dover, Tennessee family caught in the chaos of two clashing armies.   After he spoke, Jack Hinson’s rifle along with some other Forrest related artifacts were on display at The Carter House where Colonel McKenney signed his book.

We appreciate working with the Carter House on this presentation.

 

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