T The Newsletter of the Salt Creek Civil War Roundtable Vol. XLXVIII No. 8 April 2011 410th Regular Meeting During the Civil War both North and South instituted the Draft (Conscription) for the first time in U.S. history. The movie "Gangs of New York" touches on one aspect of the draft--the 1863 Draft Riots in New York. But the Draft resulted in much more, arguably changing America like no other measure before or since. Bruce Allardice is professor of history at South Suburban College. He is past president of both the Civil War Round Table of Chicago and the Northern Illinois Civil War Round Table. A lifelong resident and long-suffering White Sox fan, Mr. Allardice has authored or co-authored five books and numerous articles on the Civil War including Texas Burial Sites of Civil War Notables, More Generals in Gray, Confederate Colonels: A Biographical Register, and Kentuckians in Gray, co- authored with Prof. Larry Hewitt. He is currently working on editing the diary of a Confederate steamboat officer. His article on "The Election of 1862 in Illinois" will appear in 2011 in the Journal of the Illinois Historical Society. Mr. Allardice has presented numerous lectures and presentations on the Civil War and genealogy for Civil War Round Tables, museums, and civic organizations. He is the recipient of the CWRT of Chicago's prestigious Nevins-Freeman Award for distinguished service in Civil War Scholarship and the CWRT movement. An avid sports historian, Mr. Allardice currently heads up the "Civil War Baseball" subcommittee for the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR), specializing in researching the lives of 19th century ballplayers. Mr. Allardice is a graduate of the University of Illinois and the University of Illinois School of Law. The Outpost DATE: Friday, April 15, 2011 PLACE: Fairview Village Downers Grove, IL 60516 TIME: 8:00 p.m. SPEAKER: Bruce Allardice TOPIC: Conscription and the Civil War MARCH MEETING BY RICK BENSON On March 18, 2011 Ray Glick, DVM gave us Horses & Mules Part II on the care, training, feeding and Veterinary care given by both the North & South during the CW. Dr. Glick started out by talking “how” the horses and mules were used. Most horses were “untrained” when they were procured by the Armies. There were about 7 million of these animals in the United States when the war started. About 60% were in the North. A significant percentage of these animals were in the border states of KY, TN, & MO. Ironically, this is about the same number of horses & mules in the US today. He first talked about the Calvary on both sides. It was primarily used for “reconnaissance”. It was also used for “screening”, such as J.E.B. Stuart did for Lee’s army on route to Antietam. “Raiding”, rear guard action- withdrawal”, and as mounted infantry at the end of the war. A typical Regiment of Calvary would comprise 1,100 men, officers, support personnel, etc. and at a minimum, a like number of horses. This does not include the “replacement” animals they had to bring along. Winfield Scott stated that the “Calvary was unimportant, and a secondary service” at the beginning of the war. The Union lost a significant portion of their Calvary officers at the beginning of the war to the South. Northern Calvary officers initially were political appointees. Many could not ride, had not commanded men, etc. Their performance mirrored their preparation. Cavalry soldiers were spoken of as “clerks & tailors on horseback”. 60% of Calvary soldiers came from the trades, 20% had urban backgrounds, and only 20% were from rural backgrounds with some knowledge of these animals. Most troopers had no knowledge of “care” for these animals. They were primarily concerned with taking care of themselves. Training of both the soldiers and animals initially was terrible in the North. When the horses were received, they were unbroken. After the 1st Manassas, the Union realized that they needed a strong cavalry. They created “Remount Stations” & a facility to care for the horses outside Washington, DC. They were able to send 60% of the horses back into service. PRESERVATION REPORT BY LEN OVERCASH, SR. (Gettysburg, Pa.) – After years spent with its fate hanging in the balance, the Department of the Interior today announced that the 95-acre site of the former Gettysburg Country Club has officially become part of Gettysburg National Military Park. In celebrating the permanent protection of the second-largest privately held property inside the boundaries of park, Civil War Trust president James Lighthizer issued the following statement: “This is a day that many in Gettysburg and the larger preservation community have long dreamt of. Here at the Country Club, we have been presented with the incredible opportunity to set aside some of the most blood-soaked ground still unprotected at Gettysburg, and we owe our partners at The Conservation Fund a debt of gratitude for helping us ensure that this happy conclusion was reached. In acquiring this land, known historically as the Emanuel Harman Farm, we have largely completed the protection of the first day’s battlefield. (Washington, D.C.) – The Civil War Trust, the nation’s leading organization seeking to protect the hallowed ground of our rapidly disappearing Civil War battlefields, announced that with the completion of its efforts at Dallas and Resaca, Ga., it has forever preserved more than 30,000 acres of historic land. To mark the occasion, Trust president James Lighthizer issued the following statement alongside a personal video message to the group’s supporters: “When I took the helm of this organization in late 1999, neither I nor anyone involved in the battlefield preservation movement, could have predicted this level of success. But year in and year out, the passionate support of this organization’s members, and their heartfelt desire to leave a legacy greater than themselves for their children and grandchildren, has propelled us beyond my wildest expectations. To each and every one of these individuals I owe a great debt of personal thanks. “The figure of 30,000 acres — the equivalent of 47 square miles — is almost too large to comprehend. But in the case of this organization, it is a tangible success that can be visited and appreciated one battlefield at a time. It’s 240 acres at Antietam, 710 at Corinth and 385 at Perryville. It’s 377 at Shiloh, 705 at Gettysburg and 1,798 at Brandy Station. It’s 117 on Morris Island, 952 at Malvern Hill and 212 at Wilson’s Creek. And more land at scores more battlefields — 110 sites spread across 20 states. “But our work is far from done, with these sites are disappearing at the alarming rate of 30 acres per day. And so, although today we pause to celebrate our achievements, we will not rest in our efforts. As we begin the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, let us redouble our work to set aside these irreplaceable landscapes as a lasting memorial to the brave men who took up arms during our nation’s most turbulent hour. What legacy for the sesquicentennial could be more fitting?” The source for the above article[s] is CWT Senators Webb, Warner Introduce Bill to Make Petersburg National Battlefield A longtime advocate for Civil War battlefield preservation, Senator Jim Webb, in partnership with Senator Mark Warner, today re-introduced the “Petersburg National Boundary Modification Act,” to protect an additional 7,200 acres of historic battlefields surrounding Petersburg National Battlefield. The expansion would make Petersburg National Battlefield the largest military park in the United States. The source for the above article[s] is CWT ALL FOR THE UNION 2011 membership renewals are due and will gladly be accepted at the meeting or by mail to Jean Cairns, Treasurer 1420 71st St., Downers Grove, IL 60516 April 16, 2011 Civil War Collector's Show DuPage County Fairgrounds Wheaton, IL Volunteers are needed to staff the table April 17th, Rob Girardi will speak to the Wilmette Historical Society on "Illinois Fights the Civil War" and April 19th he will present "General Impressions of the Civil War" to the Sarasota CWRT. The Lake County Discovery Museum in Wauconda is hosting a Civil War High Tech Exhibit thru Aug. 21, 2011 847-968-3400 UPCOMING CIVIL WAR EVENTS APRIL 19, 2011 LINCOLN DAVIS CWRT Speaker: Dr. Mark A Lause Topic: “Missing Dimensions of the Civil War” PNC Bank LaGrange Rd (Rt. 45) & Lincoln Hwy (Rt. 30) russelltarvid@hotmail.com APRIL 28, 2011 SOUTH SUBURBAN CWRT Speaker: Don White Topic: “Lincoln Calls on Grant” PNC Bank LaGrange Rd (Rt. 45) & Lincoln Hwy (Rt. 30) russelltarvid@hotmail.com MAY 6, 2011 NORTHERN ILLINOIS CWRT Arlington Heights Memorial Library 500 N. Dunton Ave. Arlington Heights, IL 60004 www.nicwrt.freehostia.com MAY 13, 2011 CHICAGO CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE Speaker: Tom Schott, Ph.D. Topic: "Alexander Stephens and Jeff Davis: A Marriage Made in Hell" Holiday Inn Mart Plaza Chicago 350 North Orleans Street Dinner 6:30 p.m. (630) 460-1865 to make reservations chicagocwrtdinner@earthlink.net FUTURE MEETINGS 2011 (3RD FRIDAY OF THE MONTH) May 20, 2011- Jerry Allen "Fur God og Vort Land" The 15th Wisconsin Infantry June 17, 2011 Annual Banquet “Illinois Fights the Civil War Robert Girardi September 16, 2011 "Judah Benjamin" Rick Benson 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