The Outpost THE NEWSLETTER OF THE SALT CREEK CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE VOLUME XLIII No. 8 April 2006 390th Regular Meeting DATE: 7th April 2006 PLACE: Fairview Village, 200 Village Dr., Downers Grove, Il. TIME: 8:00 P.M. SPEAKER: Len Overcash Sr. TOPIC: “Fort Fisher” The Anaconda plan was almost complete in 1864. Only one port remained open, Wilmington, NC, but it was protected by the largest, most formidable earthen defense structure in the Confederacy, Fort Fisher. If the fort could be taken, Wilmington would be in immediate jeopardy of falling, and then every port in the South would have been closed. The South would soon run out of supplies. However, the fort was ideally situated on the Cape Fear River. The Federal Navy could not bombard Wilmington without entering the river, but could not enter without drawing fire from the fort. Len Overcash was born in Joliet in 1946 and now resides in Shorewood. He has been a Salt Creek member since 1996 and this is his fourth presentation. He is a self-taught amateur historian with several articles published in the Battlefield Journal. His interest in the war comes from his father, who was born in Chambersburg, PA, and relatives who took him on tours of Gettysburg in his youth. His family contributed 82 participants to the Confederacy and 2 to the Union. He is the father of six and grandfather of twelve. This presentation is taken from a fascinating book he read several years ago, Fort Fisher: Goliath of the West, by Rod Gragg. The SCCWRT looks forward to hearing from this historian, author, and RT board member on one of the final actions of the late conflict. 1 MARCH MEETING BY CINDY INTRAVARTOLO On March 3rd, past president Gale Pewitt presented, “Confederates in Canada”, before 50 members and guests at the 389th regular meeting of the round table. His wife, Lyn, provided excellent technical assistance for his outstanding power point presentation. According to Mr. Pewitt, several hundred Confederates operated in numerous cities throughout Canada during the Civil War. They were well financed and carried out a number of operations. Pewitt discussed these operations and the men who were responsible for them. By 1864, Jefferson Davis realized that the South could not win the war the way it was going. He felt that the North’s will to continue must be broken and he decided the best place to influence this was in Canada. He appointed two commissioners, Jacob Thompson and Clement Clay, to proceed there and direct a secret operation to “bring the horrors of war to the North”. Thompson was a planter from Mississippi, a former US representative and Secretary of the Interior under James Buchanan. Clay was an ex-senator from Alabama. Together they went through the blockade at Wilmington, NC, and, once in Canada, Thompson set up shop in Toronto and Clay went to St. Catherine’s near Niagara Falls. Clay also had an assistant, Thomas Henry Hines. Hines was known for engineering the escape of John Hunt Morgan and his men from the state prison in Columbus, OH. Pewitt noted that another significant player in these operations was George N. Sanders, a well-connected Kentucky Democrat. Together, Sanders and Clay organized a Peace Conference near Niagara Falls with members of Lincoln’s administration in July 1864. John Hay, secretary to Lincoln, brought a letter from Lincoln stating that the Federal government would be willing to negotiate a peace except for two issues: 1) the Union must be maintained and 2) slavery abolished. The Peace Conference ended with nothing resolved, however, Pewitt noted that Sanders maintained contact with northern politicians throughout the war trying to work out some sort of a peace deal but, to no avail. Meanwhile, Thompson and Hines worked closely with the Copperhead organizations in the North in the hopes that they would support their movement. The Copperheads developed plans with the Confederates to take over the state governments of Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana. Part of this plan included freeing the Confederate prisoners of war in several northern prisons including Camp Douglas and Johnson’s Island. The first escape was planned for August 29 at Camp Douglas to coincide with the Democratic Convention in Chicago. This would be the perfect setting with large numbers of people in the city distracted by the convention. However, plans were foiled 2 when four Copperhead leaders were arrested, in Indiana, on August 20. A Union intelligence officer, Felix Grundy Stidger, had penetrated the group, leading to the arrest. The next escape attempt was planned for Johnson’s Island in Ohio for September 19th but, due to unforeseen circumstances, that raid was also abandoned. The Confederates also planned several other raids from Canada including the bank robberies in St. Albans, VT in October, as well as, an attempt to burn New York City in November. A second attempt to free the prisoners at Camp Douglas was tried and abandoned in November as well. Other activities included sabotaging shipping and railroad operations in various locations in the North. There is also evidence that the Confederates attempted a form of germ warfare by shipping trunks of soiled clothing from Bermuda that were infected with yellow fever, to major cities in the North. They did not know at the time that the mosquito spreads yellow fever not infected clothing. In summary, Pewitt cited several reasons why the Confederates did not succeed in Canada. Their organization was flawed with both Thompson and Clay acting as leaders and they themselves were not suited to the task. They had no previous experience in any type of secret service work. Their efforts were often thwarted by the excellent counter-espionage work of the Union. What it did accomplish was alarming the population with the constant threat of an uprising. Overall, Pewitt concluded that the operation was a success since the odds of them accomplishing anything from the start was minimal at best. The Salt Creek Civil War Round Table wishes to extend its thanks and appreciation to Gale for not only enlightening us on Confederate activities up North, but also his continued interest in, and support for, the round table over the years. PRESERVATION REPORT BY LEN OVERCASH, SR. WASHINGTON, DC.- The Civil War Preservation Trust has released its’ annual list of 10 most endangered battlefields. Among those making the list are: GETTYSBURG, PA.- A 3,000 slot gaming facility is planned for 1 mile from East Cavalry Field. SHENANDOAH VALLEY, VA.- Cedar Creek and 10 other fields are threatened by proposed widening of I-81 along the length of the Valley. GLORIETA PASS, NM.- Safety concerns about heavy traffic along SR 50 keep much of the site closed to visitors. CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER LINE, GA.-Devastated. Most of features destroyed by property owners who feared historic details would impede development plans. GLENDALE, VA.-Only 262 of 7,888 acre site is protected. Construction has begun on three housing developments in the immediate area and three more are in the planning stages. RAYMOND, MS.- Only 65 of 1,000 acres preserved. Development pressure along State Highway 18 to Jackson is main problem. Source: The Civil War Preservation Trust 3 THE VACANT CHAIR Sad news to report on two fronts. First, President Rick Zarrs’ mother passed away recently. The SCCWRT extends its most heartfelt sympathies and condolences to Rick and his family. May she rest in peace. Second, we are now informed of the death of member and past president (1970-1972) Roger F. Wilhelm. Roger lived in Lombard and was still a member as of 2005! We hope his family and friends will accept our profound sorrow at the occurrence. ALL FOR THE UNION There is a Civil War Collector’s Show & Sale at Du Page County Fairgrounds on 4/15 8AM-4PM $6 Admission. Friday night preview 6-9 $15. SCCWRT will not have a table. EDITOR’S NOTES Best get well wishes are extended from the SCCWRT to valued friend and long-time member Joyce Clark. Joyce recently broke her hip. She is out of the hospital and currently at the Fairview Village Nursing Facility. Speedy Recovery, Joyce! The next board meeting will be held on Tues. 4/4 at 7:30 P.M. at the home of Mary Lord, 200 Village Dr. #341, Downers Grove, IL. 630-769-6182 CALENDAR OF EVENTS May 5th-Phil Lauricella-Glass Slide Show of last Gettysburg Veteran’s reunion. June 2nd-Banquet at Lisle Hilton- Pat Brennan- The Battle of Nashville. August 5th-97th Regimental String Band at Methodist Campground, Des Plaines. September 1-Kurt Carlson-Pat Cleburne. October 6-Bill Hupp-Virtual Tour of Gettysburg November 17-Annual Auction at Lisle Hilton (note date!) December 1-Ron Carlson- Gen. Alpheus S. Williams The Salt Creek Civil War Roundtable www.saltcreekcwrt.org. President: Rick Zarr Vice-President: Gil Mitchell Treasurer: Bill Hupp Secretary: Jan Rasmussen Historian: Cindy Intravartolo Sgt. At Arms: Ron Kumnick Meeting Liaison: Mary Lord Newsletter Editor: Dan McCarthy, 4358 Lawn Ave., Western Springs, IL,60558. 708-246-7873, macarthaig@aol.com Newsletter Staff: Cindy Intravartolo, Len Overcash Sr., Jan Rasmussen 4