The American Civil War Round Table of Australia
Included in this MN are some political cartoons from the present and the past dealing with aspects of America and the CW. Sometimes the creative nib of the artist/cartoonist can promote a message immediate and memorable; a picture it has been said is worth a thousand words (who said this adage your editors haven’t a clue but we do subscribe to the idea!).
Your editors are looking forward to Byard’s presentation this coming Wednesday, 22nd February at the Swan Hotel. If you can’t make the meeting be sure to tune into the meeting by zoom from the comfort of your own home. Your editors send out our best wishes to Paul Spencer our member from Murray Bridge.
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In this MN we have included a fine article on the life of David McCullough, he of the mellifluous voice so prominently displayed to wonderful effect by Ken Burns in his Civil War series At the time, editor Warren thought Mr. McCullough was just a voice-over merchant and it wasn’t until a modicum of research showed him to be a fine popular historian with a patriotic flair. There is a wonderful interview with him on Youtube talking about his book on Harry Truman. McCullough died in the latter part of 2022. Also in this edition of MN we have a brief review of Tom Keneally’s latest novel, “Fanatic Heart”.
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This month, as has become traditional, our president Byard Sheppard will be speaking from the pulpit with a presentation entitled “City Point; The Base That Gave Grant his Ultimate Victory”.
Your editors would like to draw your attention to our proposed early Christmas lunch at the Swan Hotel on December 11th. December is a busy month for all of us but it would be great to catch up for a chat over Christmas fare. Contact Barry or Byard with your acceptance so a positive booking can be made.
In this MN we have some interesting articles but not much about the military aspect of the war. Heavens forbid we even have a recipe for an almond cake! Avid reader and TV viewer Chere from Williamstown alerted editor Warren to the story about the Angel’s glow, a phenomenon that was not answered for 140 years. Once a logical explanation can be found myth soon becomes reality. A big thank you to the little general, young Barry Crompton for finding so many nuggets of information to include each month for our MN. Without his input the MN would be a very thin enterprise all together.
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Wednesday night in Melbourne; midway through first month of Spring, weather improving, footy finals this weekend for AFL (and next week for NRL); public holiday in Melbourne tomorrow for the Queen’s Commemoration and an event in Canberra; Friday another public holiday for the football (seeing we don’t get the Royal Show day off work now) so a four-day weekend.
Remembering the Antietam campaign this week; another great Zoom meeting for me this morning for the Los Angeles Round Table; ours will be another live / zoom meeting next Wednesday the 28th (and still refining our technical whiz); thanks for the editorial team for Minie News; thanks to Alex for last month and thanks to Juliette for this month.
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Home and away games are over and the finals are about to begin. For football tragics the sporting year is approaching its pinnacle. Winter is drawing to a welcome close and the ACWRTA is going full steam ahead. The August MN is a bit of a dogs breakfast but aside from that it could not have been cobbled together without the strong support and information delivered by our little General from the south eastern suburbs, young Bazza Crompton. I am sure Barry will acknowledge with your editors the recent anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley on the 16th August 1977. Another case of a personality being dead for longer than he was alive!
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Congratulations to James Stallard on a sterling presentation at the last meeting on the relatively unknown General Edwin Sumner. James does like to deep dive into CW tactics and strategy and similarly to Bill Dunkley who will be presenting at the July meeting he holds strong views on some of the ordinary personnel involved in prosecuting the war. Excellent work James.
Bill will be talking about the 1864 Red River Campaign. Editor Warren initially thought he would watch the John Wayne film “Red River” in preparation but somehow he came to the realisation that a long cattle drive has nothing to do with the CW campaign!
We had a fine passel of speakers at our last meeting each presenting in a nutshell a different aspect of the Civil War. James Stallard spoke on the Partisan Ranger Act; Dr. Dale Blair spoke on the Confederate Congress; Margaret Let spoke on the intriguing Smells of the Civil War; Paul Spencer (via Chris Hookey) read a Joseph White Lattimer Letter; Bill Dunkley waxed eloquent on the American Battlefield Trust; Dr. Juliette Peers spoke on General Albert Pike and his Unbelievable Faith in the Confederacy including the fact that Baldur von Shirach the high ranking WWII German politician was directly related to a Union General. Byard Sheppard concluded the evening by speaking about the other Address at Gettysburg delivered by Rev Edward Everett.
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The autumnal weather is passing quickly and the winter cold is waiting to roar into play as the ACWRTA Inc. organisation moves into its fiftieth year. You wouldn’t think our Baz, Adrian Pearce and Stewart Duff were that old! But as time and tide awaits no man (person) the ACWRTA Inc is in fine working order and is moving forward with an ever so slight trajectory. Your editors will pour a drink and raise their glasses to honour the massive fact that the organisation has survived and grown over those fifty years. Your editors do not wish to single out the people behind the success over those fifty years but they know who they are. And we will also raise a glass of over proof popskull to the current and past membership of the ACWRTA Inc. Three cheers to all concerned.
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Interesting new television series in the offing “Kelsey Grammer Presents: Historic Battles for America”. The chronological eight-part series will begin with three episodes on battles during the American Revolutionary War, including the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Battle of Brooklyn, and the Battle of Yorktown. After the focus on the American Revolution, “Kelsey Grammer Presents: Historic Battles for America” will bring viewers inside the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution followed by three episodes on the American Civil War, highlighting the First Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Antietam, and the Siege of Vicksburg. Grammer will conclude the series with a spotlight on the American Indian Wars’ Battle of the Little Bighorn.
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This month we have a presentation from Dr. Dale Blair on the Battle of Fort Stedman and the Petersburg campaign just prior to the surrender at Appomattox. Dale should be well and truly rested up after a couple of weeks on the rails; traversing Australia from north to south and east to west. He has literally covered more miles that the early explorers without wearing out his shoes. Your editors are looking forward to a relaxed and effervescent Dr. Dale Blair. I wonder if he will come in from the hills by train.
It was great to hear from Hugh Jordan who sent his best wishes to Barry and the ACWRTA last month. We return his generous greeting and trust he is enjoying that wonderful southern slow cooked BB Q. In this MN we have included a couple of interesting postcards of the HMAS Cerberus before being turned into a breakwater off Black Rock and well beyond preservation.
Juliette has kicked the year off by setting an exceptionally high bar for others to follow in 2022. It is a brave person who has raised a hand to present at the February meeting and that brave individual is our old warhorse and campaigner, Mr. Barry Crompton. Bravo Mr. Crompton. Barry will take the lectern to talk about battle monuments and Civil War monuments (and what they mean in Australia) as well as their current standing with the population at large. Over the past few years statues and monuments representing past history has been very much in the forefront of peoples thinking.
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