The Outpost 
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE SALT CREEK CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE 
VOLUME XLIII No. 9 May 2006 
391st Regular Meeting


DATE: 5th May 2006
PLACE: Fairview Village, 200 Village Dr., Downers Grove, Il.
TIME: 8:00 P.M.
SPEAKER: Phil Lauricella
TOPIC: “Glass Slide Show of the Last Gettysburg Reunion”


In studying the Civil War, we often neglect the question of what became of those 
men whose “hearts were touched with fire”? In our forthcoming gathering, Phil 
Lauricella will give us a glimpse of these men as they prepared to leave the stage. 
Get ready for at least a few tears to flow as we witness the Last Gettysburg Reunion.

 Phil Lauricella’s credits include over 25 years experience in the field of Historical 
Interpretation and over 15 years of formal school classroom and assembly 
presentations at some of the Chicago area’s finest Elementary, Middle, and High 
Schools. Stage and Screen credits include: consultant work with both the Chicago 
Emmy Award-winning children’s program- The Magic Door Theater production of 
The Hannuka Soldier, and the fine Joseph Jefferson Award-winning stage production 
of “Leander Stilwell” by Stage Left Productions. He has also appeared as Sen. 
Preston Brooks in local stage productions of “Civil War Diaries: Letters from the 
Civil War”. In December of 1997, he appeared in the A&E Network production of 
“Betrayed: Custer at Little BigHorn”, a Kurtis production in association with A&E 
and the New Explorers. In 1999, he was a featured historian on the History Channels 
“Quantrill”. Most recently, he will be seen as “Dr. Bluel” in the upcoming feature 
film “Prairie Rose”, due to be released in May 2006. The SCCWRT extends its 
warmest welcome to this eminent Civil Warrior. 

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APRIL MEETING

 BY 

CINDY INTRAVARTOLO

 On April 7th, current board member 
Len Overcash presented, “Fort Fisher”, 
before 38 members and guests at the 
390th regular meeting of the 
Roundtable.

 Overcash noted that Fort Fisher was 
the largest and most formidable 
earthen defensive structure in the 
Confederacy. It was built between the 
Cape Fear River and the Atlantic 
Ocean and served to protect not only 
the town of Wilmington NC, but also 
the blockade -runners. The Federal 
Navy could not approach Wilmington 
without drawing fire from Ft. Fisher or 
any of the surrounding batteries. 
Overcash commented that even into 
the last days of 1864, blockade-runners 
could travel back and forth at will 
without fear of any Union threats. 
Because the fort was so formidable it 
was often referred to as the “Gibraltar 
of the South”. Overcash said this was 
largely due to the fort’s final 
commander, Colonel William Lamb, 
who was responsible for expanding the 
fort and constructing a massive line of 
powerful batteries and gun chambers. 
He widened the land face to _ mile and 
lengthened the sea face to extend a 
mile along the beach. By the time Fort 
Fisher fell, Wilmington was the last 
port that remained open in the 
southern United States.

 The first attempt to capture Ft. 
Fisher took place in December 1864. 

On Christmas Day, a joint army-navy 
attack failed when General Ben Butler 
pulled out his troops and returned to 
Hampton Roads, VA. His lack of action 
disgusted the naval commander, 
Admiral David D. Porter, who had 
prepared the way for Butler’s assault 
with a massive coastal bombardment. 
Grant relieved Butler of command on 
Jan. 8, 1865 and replaced him with 
Gen. Alfred H. Terry. Porter had 
hoped that Sherman would be 
appointed the new commander, 
however, in spite of that, Terry and 
Porter co-operated in devising a plan 
of attack.

 On Jan. 13 Terry’s men went ashore 
under protective fire from Porter’s 44ship flotilla. For two days the 
combined Army-Navy forces kept up a 
constant fire. Lamb’s commander, 
Gen. W. Whiting, joined him and 
together they were determined to 
defend the fort. Whiting and Lamb, 
however, were both wounded, the 
former mortally, and the latter 
severely, in their valiant defense 
attempt. Lamb requested assistance 
from Gen. Braxton Bragg at various 
junctures but to no avail. Finally, on 
the night of the 15th, the Confederates 
surrendered. By that time most of the 
fort, batteries, and gun chambers had 
been destroyed. For an in-depth study 
on Fort Fisher, Overcash highly 
recommended the book, Confederate 
Goliath: Battle of Fort Fisher, written 

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by Edward G. Longacre and Rod 
Gragg.

 The Salt Creek Civil War Round 
Table wishes to extend its thanks and 
appreciation to Len, not only for 
enlightening us on one of the lesser 
known topics of the war, but also for 
his continued interest in, and support 
for, the round table. Len writes the 
“Preservation Report” for the 
newsletter and frequently videotapes 
meetings and special events. 


PRESERVATION REPORT

 BY

 LEN OVERCASH, SR. 

FREDERICKSBURG, VA.-The Civil War 
Preservation Trust (CWPT), America’s 
largest nonprofit battlefield 
preservation group, today announced 
the beginning of a $12 million national 
campaign to preserve the historic 
Slaughter Pen Farm, a key part of the 
Fredericksburg battlefield. The 205acre farm, known locally as the 
Pierson Tract, was the scene of bloody 
struggle on December 13, 1862. 
Historians estimate that more than 
5,000 casualties were incurred on the 
property.

 “This is the most ambitious 
nonprofit battlefield acquisition in 
American history,” remarked CWPT 
President James Lighthizer. “The 
veterans themselves referred to the 
farm as “the slaughter pen” because of 
the enormous amount of blood that 
was shed there. Despite the price tag, 
we simply could not sit by and watch 
this irreplaceable battleground 
become an industrial park. We will 
raise the money needed to save this 
historic treasure-because we must.”

 Historians agree with Lighthizer’s 
assessment that preserving the 
Slaughter Pen farm should be a 
national priority. According to Ed 
Bearss, Chief Historian Emeritus of the 
National Park Service, the farm is, 
“without a doubt the most significant 
part of the battlefield at 
Fredericksburg that is not protected. 
Its acquisition will provide an 
opportunity to permit visitors to walk 
in the footsteps of history.” Historian 
Frank O’Reilly, the author of “The 
Fredericksburg Campaign: Winter War 
on the Rappahannock”, calls the 
Slaughter Pen Farm, “the very heart 
and soul of the Fredericksburg 
Battlefield. This is the point where the 
battle was won and lost.”

 “This is our last chance to save an 
irreplaceable portion of the 
Fredericksburg Battlefield,” stated 
Central Virginia Battlefields Trust 
(CVBT) President Mike Stevens. 
“Standing on that last unblemished 
landscape, where so many men gave 
their lives on a cold winter day, it is 
clear that such sacrifice and valor must 
be preserved to inspire future 
generations.” Stevens also noted that 
CVBT intends to play a key role in the 
campaign to save the Slaughter Pen 
Farm.

 Russ Smith, Superintendent of 
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania 
National Military Park, also expressed 
enthusiasm for a cooperative effort to 
save the Slaughter Pen Farm: “We 
view this as a rebirth of the 
Fredericksburg Battlefield. 
Preservationists had long ago given up 
on maintaining a vista from Union to 
Confederate lines, but CWPT and 
Tricord have given this historic 
landscape a second chance.” (Tricord 
Inc. is a family-owned development 
company that moved quickly to take 
the property off the open market-Ed.) 
A map showing the property can be 
accessed at: 

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www.civilwar.org/news/maps/slaughterpenmap.
pdf)
Source: The Civil War Preservation
Trust (www.civilwar.org)



ALL 
FOR THE 
UNION 

It’s re-enacting season again! Come 
see your various favorite combatants 
(and SCCWRT members!) at 
battlefields near you! First 
opportunity is at Naper Settlement, 
Naperville, Illinois on May 20-21. 


EDITOR’S 
NOTES 

Contrary to the announcement made 
at the last meeting, we will be meeting 
in our usual room this month at 
Fairview Village Apts. 

The next board meeting will be held at 

7:30 P.M. 5/23/06 (Note Date!) at the 
home of Jan Rasmussen, 756 Sterling 
Ct., Bartlett, IL. 630-830-7614. 
Re: the 97th Concert at Methodist 
Campground in August. There will be 
no advance ticket sale. Tickets will be 
sold only at the door. Prices will be $8 
for adults and $5 for those 16 and 
under. 


CALENDAR OF EVENTS 

June2nd- 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 
Perryville and Wilson’s Creek 
November 17-Annual Auction at Lisle 
Hilton (note date!) 
December 1-Ron Carlson- Gen. 
Alpheus S. Williams 
2007 
January 5-Richard Crowe: Great Ghost 
Stories of the Civil War 
February2: TBA 
March 2: Mary Carol Farber: Womens’ 
Movement During the Civil War 
April 7: TBA 
May 4: TBA 
June 15-Annual Banquet 
September 7-Marshall Krolick: Council 
of War, July 2, 1863 
Let’s Fill Up Those TBA’S People! 

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 

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