p T The Newsletter of the Salt Creek Civil War Roundtable Vol. XLXIV No. 10 June 2011 442nd Regular Meeting Illinois provided the Union with its president and the generals who ultimately won the war. "Illinois Fights the Civil War" is an overview of the importance and contributions of the State of Illinois during the Civil War. Illinois was important for a varitey of reasons; it was geographically significant; it was a transportation nexus, a storehouse of food and materials and provided more men per capita to the ranks than any other state. Using numerous examples, the talk will illustrate some of the many contributions of the state to the war effort, discuss opposition to the war and also highlight the memory and legacy of Illinois in the Civil War era. Robert I. Girardi aka Rob is past president of the Chicago CWRT, past Vice President and Newsletter editor of the Salt Creek CWRT, member of Northern Illinois and South Suburban CWRTs and a fellow in the Company of Military Historians. He earned his M.A. in Public History from Loyola University. Rob is the proud editor of the Sesquicentennial Issue of the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society and a member of the advisory board of the Illinois State Historical Society. He has spoken at CWRT events throughout the country and is the 2010 recipient of the CWRT of Chicago's prestigious Nevins-Freeman Award for distinguished service in Civil War Scholarship and the CWRT movement. Rob is also the author/editor of nine books and numerous essays, articles and reviews. The Salt Creek CWRT proudly welcomes our illustrious scholar and good friend to the podium. The Outpost DATE: Friday, June 17, 2011 PLACE: Lisle-Hilton 3003 Corporate West Drive, Lisle IL 60532 TIME: 6:30 p.m. Cocktails, 7:30 p.m. Dinner 8:30 p.m. Presentation. SPEAKER: Robert I. Girardi.. Historian/Author TOPIC: “ILLINOIS FIGHTS THE CIVIL WAR” MAY MEETING BY RICK BENSON On Friday May 20, 2011 Jerry Allen gave an in depth presentation on Scandinavians that fought for the Union. Jerry has a vested interest, as he is a Norwegian. Jerry had relatives that fought for the 15th Wisconsin at Chickamauga. The 15th Wisconsin was from the Racine, Wisconsin area. Wisconsin was a hotbed of anti-slavery. The Wisconsin Supreme Court, in fact, declared the fugitive slave laws unconstitutional. The Scandinavians were very loyal to the heritage, and also to their new country. Thus when the call came for soldiers by Lincoln, Scandinavians were right there to be counted. 90% of the 15th Wisconsin was Norwegians. 115 of the men had the first name of Ole’. The other 10% were from many varied European countries. Verbal communications in Norwegian by the 15th were many times misunderstood. This was due to the many dialects of Norwegian. The only fully discernable verbiage was swearing words. This unit was predominantly Lutheran, as this is the State Religion of Norway. This unit fought at Island #10 on the Mississippi. In 1862 they fought at the Battle of Stones River. Many of the soldiers in the 15th Wisconsin were anti-slavery. However, many were not. Union General Jefferson C. Davis was staunchly pro-slavery. Many of the members of the unit would not fight for General Davis because of this. At Chickamauga, the 15th Wisconsin soldiers got rid of their playing cards, as any good Lutheran would not want to be found with these on his body if he were killed. The 15th Wisconsin was the last unit to leave the field at Chickamauga at the end of the 1st day. Jerry gave details of many of the Scandinavian individuals during this specific action. The 15th Wisconsin then fought at Chattanooga, Pickett’s Mill, and Atlanta. The unit started out with 906 men, and ended up with 320 men in late 1864. Roughly 55-60 died in POW camps. Roughly 250 died in battle. The balance was discharged earlier, primarily because of injuries suffered in battle. One of the questions at the end of the presentation dealt with “why did the Norwegians settle in the Racine area”? Jerry theorized that this was due to the colder climate, plus in many respects, the topography of Wisconsin is very similar to that of Norway. Jerry related that the Racine area is flatter than Norway, but there are many other similarities. Jerry also related that there were over 3000 Norwegians that fought for the Union Army during the Civil War. A very interesting in-depth presentation on Scandinavians that fought in the American Civil War. PRESERVATION REPORT BY LEN OVERCASH, SR. (Chantilly, Va.) – During the organization’s annual conference in Chantilly, Va., Civil War Trust president James Lighthizer announced the winners of the 2011 Preservation Awards, recognizing extraordinary individual and organizational achievements in the cause of Civil War preservation: The 2010 award winners are: Shelby Foote Preservation Legacy Award: This honor was given to three individuals who have demonstrated exceptional merit in Civil War battlefield preservation: Julian Bibb is one of the driving forces behind the dramatic resurgence of historic preservation in Franklin, Tenn. Carrington Williams Battlefield Preservationist of the Year Award: This award, named for the first chairman of the Civil War Trust, was presented to the “Wilderness Walmart” Plaintiffs: Curtis Abel, Dale Brown, Sheila Clark, Susan Caton, Dwight Mottet, Craig Rains, and Friends of Wilderness Battlefield. National Preservation Leadership Award: This recognition for federal policymakers who have made significant contributions to preservation was awarded to Rep. Frank Wolf of Virginia. Rep. Wolf is a staunch advocate of battlefield preservation, helping guide legislation through Congress to protect the Manassas National Battlefield as well as create the Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park and the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Heritage Area. Brian C. Pohanka Preservation Organization of the Year Award: This year’s award went to No Casino Gettysburg for the outstanding grassroots activism that prevented a second attempt to bring casino gambling within a mile of Gettysburg National Military Park. National Park Service Preservationist of the Year Award: This award, which is presented to outstanding NPS personnel, went to John Howard, recently retired Superintendent of Antietam National Battlefield. During his fifteen years at Antietam, Howard worked closely with the Trust to permanently protect 200 acres of the battlefield, while also increasing landscape and historic structure restoration efforts, establishing an active education program and increasing partnerships with the local community. Preservationist Teacher of the Year Award: Every year, the Trust recognizes an outstanding teacher for motivating students to become more involved in battlefield preservation. This year, the Trust recognized Mr. Richard Deardoff of Kettle Run High School and Lord Fairfax Community College, Fauquier County, Va. Part of his rigorous curriculum, which emphasizes primary sources and local impact, requires students to volunteer at nearby sites. Discovery Trail Site of the Year Award: The White Oak Museum in Falmouth, Va., was honored as the top site on the Civil War Discovery Trail, a network of more than 600 historic sites in 32 states. The museum displays the personal collection of D.P. Newton — potentially the finest private assortment of Civil War artifacts — inside a completely hand- restored building. Reenactment Unit of the Year Award: Across the nation, many living history groups are actively involved in land and artifact preservation. For the first time, the Trust has recognized a “civilian” organization with this honor. The Civil War Dance Foundation and its performing troupe, the Victorian Dance Ensemble, have contributed more than $100,000 to preservation initiatives through outright donations and fundraisers. Civil War Roundtable of the Year Award: This award was presented to the Bull Run Civil War Round Table for its commitment to excellence and battlefield preservation. The Bull Run Civil War Roundtable has been a loyal member of the Trust since 1995, taking a particular interest in preservation efforts at nearby battlefields like Bristoe Station, Centreville, Chancellorsville, Chantilly and Manassas. ALL THE UNION Many thanks to Jerry Allen for a very enlightening and entertaining presentation last month. “Civil War Days “July 9-10 Lakewood Forest Preserver near Wauconda. Featuring encampment, reenactments, first person portrayals and music performed by Dave Corbert and his “Battlefield Balladeers” Don Sender has acquired a heirloom condition (1882-1902) 25 vol. set of Bret Harte Stories. Special “Drawing” Tickets $5. Only 100 tickets printed (630) 668-1897. HAVE A SAFE AND ENJOYABLE SUMMER! (Hopefully Filled with Civil War Adventures) UPCOMING CIVIL WAR EVENTS JUNE 14, 2011 MCHENRY COUNTY CWRT “Longstreet in East Tennessee” Speaker: Bill Grey Woodstock Public Library 440 West Judd Street JUNE 21, 2011 LINCOLN-DAVIS CWRT “Baring the Iron Hand” Speaker Steven J. Raymond JULY 19, 2011 “Blood & Treasure” Speaker: Donald S. Frazier Country House Restaurant 5400 W. 127th Street Alsip, IL Lincolndavisroundtable@yahoo.com SEPTEMBER 2, 2011 NORTHERN ILLINOIS CWRT “Failure in the Saddle” Speaker: David Powell Arlington Heights Memorial Library 500 N. Dunton Ave. Arlington Heights, www.nicwrt.freehostia.com SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 CHICAGO CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE “8th Illinois Cavalry Troopers” Speaker: Marshall Krolick Holiday Inn Mart Plaza Chicago 350 North Orleans Street Dinner 6:30 p.m. (630) 460-1865 to make reservations chicagocwrtdinner@earthlink.net SEPTEMBER 10, 2011 GREAT LAKES CIVIL WAR FORUM “2nd Wisconsin at Bull Run” Lance Herdegan; “Wisconsin Grays Go to War” by Dan Joyce, “Care of the Wounded from the Battle of Wilson Creek” by Dr. Tom Sweeney; ”Snatching Defeat From the Jaws of Victory: 10 Worst Civil war Generals” by Bruce Allardice FUTURE MEETINGS 2011 Sept 16 “Judah Benjamin” By Rick Benson Oct 21 “Panel Discussion TBD Ron Carlson Nov 18 “Annual Battlefield Preservation Auction THE SALT CREEK CWRT www.saltcreekcwrt.org President: Jan Rasmussen Vice-President: Rick Benson Treasurer: Jean Cairns Secretary: Rick Zarr Historian: Cindy Intravartolo Meeting Liason: Mary Lord Newsletter Editor: Jennie Warner Newsletter Staff: Rick Benson, Len Overcash Sr., Rick Zarr, Jan Rasmussen Webmaster: Stephen Munier