The Outpost The Newsletter of the Salt Creek Civil War Roundtable Vol. XLV No. 4 December 2007 406th Regular Meeting DATE: 7th December 2007 PLACE: Fairview Village, 200 Village Dr., Downers Grove, Il. TIME: 8:00 PM SPEAKER: Roger Bohn TOPIC: “Anecdotes and Adventures of the Civil War Blockade” Shortly after Fort Sumter, President Lincoln issued a Proclamation of Blockade for all the South’s seaports, which covered 3500 miles of coastline. This massive effort was designed to prevent the passage of essential trade goods, supplies, and arms to and from the Confederacy. Ships that tried to evade the blockade, were mostly newly built, high-speed, ships, but with small cargo capacity. The majority of these were owned by British mercantile companies and operated by retired/on-leave British naval officers. The Union Navy’s blockade fleet was commissioned to “constrict” the efforts of these blockade runners. We will examine a few “adventures” of some of these people, and we will examine the validity and merit of such an undertaking on the part of the Union and the Confederacy. Roger Bohn is a graduate of Elmhurst College and is retired from Montgomery Ward and Commonwealth Edison. He is a past-president of Salt Creek and the CWRT of Chicago. He is a long-time student of the Civil War with a special interest in its naval aspects. Roger is also involved with the 1st Michigan Engineers, assisted in the creation of the Bureau Co. Historical Society’s Civil war exhibit, and has done background research for Admiral Frank Alston and Robert Girard. Roger coedited a book on the 2nd Ohio Volunteer Cavalry with Girardi, as well. He also does living history presentations for various groups and for a wide range of scholastic levels. The SCCWRT takes great pride in welcoming our member, former officer, jack-of-all-needs, and friend, to its podium. former officer, jack-of-all-needs, and friend, to its podium. NOVEMBER MEETING BY CINDY INTRAVARTOLO On November 2nd, thirty-two members and guests attended the 16th annual auction for Battlefield Preservation. The auction was held at the DuPage Co. Historical Museum in Wheaton as a courtesy to the round table. Before the auction began, President Rick Zarr announced the slate of officers for 2008. Those kindhearted volunteers who are willing to serve include: President, Jan Rasmussen; Vice-President, Rob Girardi; Treasurer, Paula Walker; and Secretary, Rick Zarr. Those nominated for the Board of Directors include: Cindy Heckler, Mary Lord, Chuck Kurtz, Len Overcash, Sr., and Gil Mitchell. Since we cannot function without the help of our support staff, Stephen Munier will continue as webmaster extraordinaire. Dan McCarthy will be newsletter editor for another year. Mary Lord is Fairview Village liaison, as well as, hostess for the board meetings. Cindy Intravartolo will continue as historian, archiving the newsletter collection and maintaining the scrapbook, along with the president’s album. Last, but certainly not least, is Roger Bohn. He not only creates the speaker’s certificate and plaque for each meeting, but also gives generously of his time to fulfill many other tasks for which we are eternally grateful. The auctioneers last month included Dan McCarthy, Rob Girardi, and Kevin Naughton, along with auctioneer-in-training, Eric Girardi. Together they managed to raise over $900 from 27 of the attendees. The evening was spent haggling over a variety of items. The highest bids were for two Confederate notes that went for $50 each. A big Thank You goes out to all who arrived early to set up and categorize the items prior to the auction, as well, as, those who brought refreshments. The coffee was provided courtesy of the museum, and we certainly appreciate their support in this event. So whether you donated an item or two, or purchased a few to take home, your participation in this event is always greatly appreciated. Thanks to all of you for your continued support and Happy Holidays! PRESERVATION REPORT BY LEN OVERCASH, SR. MS-“We have now protected the most significant land on one of the most decisive battlefields of the Civil War (Champion Hill),” said CWPT President Jim Lighthizer. “Preserving this property is a significant boost to our efforts in Mississippi and throughout the Western Theater. When combined with previous victories at the site, we have now achieved a ‘critical mass’ of preserved land at Champion Hill.” Terry Winschel, historian at Vicksburg National Military Park, concurred with Lighthizer’s appraisal. “This is the single most important parcel of the battlefield,” he said. “And this remarkable achievement adds impetus to the movement to establish Champion Hill battlefield as a unit of the National Park System.” In order to protect the property, which contains several important strategic landmarks from the battle, CWPT purchased a conservation easement from the Champion family. While the Champions retain possession of the property, it is now permanently protected from development. CWPT has also retained a “right of first refusal” on the property-securing the first opportunity to purchase the property should the Champion family ever decide to sell. “This is an exceptional and creative preservation solution,” said Lighthizer. “The Champions, outstanding caretakers of this battlefield for generations, retain their ancestral property, while formalizing their longstanding commitment to see it protected for all time.” VA.—Tucked behind rows of new single-family homes and town houses are approximately 134 historic acres now open to the public as Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park in Bristow. Historians and residents celebrated the park’s grand opening this weekend with tactical demonstrations, tours, and living history exhibits. Park visitors got to see what a Civil War field hospital would have looked like, complete with a field surgical chest, various medical tonics, a body cleaning area, and other items. Historical re- enactor James Owens of Silver Spring, Md., and his fellow members of Co. D, 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, demonstrated various Union Army formations for visitors Sunday. The source for the above articles is: The Civil War Preservation Trust ALL FOR THE UNION Welcome to new members: Tom O’Donnell of St. Charles; Sharon Maher of Downers Grove; Randy and Kathy Nickell of Wheaton; and Don Turner of Lemont. Also a hearty Welcome Back!! to Steve Hogeorges and Marianne Mills of Lisle and Michael Millette of Elburn. We are glad to have you all aboard, pards! The late Ron Kumnick’s wife, Delores, will be offering some of his books for sale. If interested, please contact her, after Dec. 10th, at 630941- 0964. Pursuing our battlefield preservation mission, your board has approved donations to be sent by the end of the year. $500 each is going to: The Carter House, Franklin, TN., Friends of the Wilderness, VA., Johnson’s Island, OH. and the CWPT Campaign for Glendale, VA. Two of the donations will be made in memory of James Krob and Dan Lapinski. Note that this newsletter issue includes the form to re-enlist for the coming year by January 31. This year, one submission will be drawn from among those received by 1/31/08. The person whose form is drawn receives a dues refund, free membership for 2008! EDITOR’S NOTES The next board meeting will be held at the home of Mary Lord, 200 Village Dr., Apt. 341, Downers Grove, IL. 7:30 PM, 1/29/08. Phone: 630-769-6182 CALENDAR OF EVENTS January 4-Robert Girardi-General Impressions of the Civil War February 1-Bjorn Skaptason-Shiloh March 7-Eric Girardi-69th New York State Volunteers of the Irish Brigade April 4 –Phil Angelo-Allan Pinkerton May 2-General Book Discussion June 20-Cricket Bauer Pohanka-TBA September 5-Stephen Munier-The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858. October 3-Tony Cichantk-Civilians of Gettysburg November 7-Annual Battlefield Preservation Auction. December 5-‘Show and Tell’Memorabilia Night THE SALT CREEK CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE www.saltcreekcwrt.org President: Rick Zarr Vice-President: Gil Mitchell Treasurer: Brenda Grazis Secretary: Jan Rasmussen Historian: Cindy Intravartolo 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