Richard McMurry tells KWCRT Joseph Johnston gets ‘too much credit’ for transforming the Army of Tennessee

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Army of Tennessee, Braxton Bragg, Chattanooga, Civil War, Joseph Johnston, Richard McMurry

Historian Richard McMurry told the August meeting of the Knoxville Civil War Roundtable that Confederate Gen. Joseph Johnston gets too much credit for being a “miracle worker” in November 1863 when he too command of the Army of Tennessee south of Chattanooga.

Most of the things that happened to change the army during that winter, McMurry said, “would have happened anyway no matter who was the commander.”

Here’s a video excerpt of McMurry’s talk:

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KCWRT-McMurry from Jim Stovall on Vimeo.

Historian Richard McMurry discusses the undue credit that Confederate Gen. Joseph Johnston receives for “turning the Army of Tennessee around” in the winter of 1863-64 when he took command. Many of the things that happened to re-invigorate the army would have taken place no matter who was in command. The speech was given on August 9, 2016, to the Knoxville Civil War Roundtable.

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Johnston took over the Army of Tennessee in November 1863 when it was demoralized and in disarray. McMurry listed some of the things that Johnston did to get the army ready for its spring battles:

• He reorganized the command and thus restored its morale.
• He made useful suggestions for transporting food more efficiently.
• The men built relatively comfortable shelters for the winter.
• More railroad cars became available and thus more food, clothing and supplies were shipped tot he army.
• Johnston reduced the number of mouths the army had to feed by granting furloughs.

Many of these things would have happened anyway, McMurry said, but Johnston gets credit for them. The reputation of Braxton Bragg, one of the army’s previous commanders, has suffered because these things had not happened on his watch.

Marszalek tells KCWRT about Sherman’s “hard war” and “soft peace”

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Civil War, John Marszalek, Louisiana State University, video, William Tecumseh Sherman

John Marszalek, professor emeritus at Mississippi State University, said that William Tecumseh Sherman, despite his modern-day reputation, was the South’s “best friend” because he advocated a “hard war” and a “soft peace.”

John Marszalek on William Tecumseh Sherman as the “South’s best friend” from Jim Stovall on Vimeo.

Marszalek spoke to the Knoxville Civil War Roundtable on July 12, 2016 about the general whom many in the South and elsewhere consider a 19th century terrorist.

Director, Matthew McConaughey interviewed about Free State of Jones

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Civil War, Free State of Jones, Gary Ross, Keri Russell, Matthew McConaughey, Wyatt Moulds

The movie Free State of Jones stars Matthew McConaughey and was directed by Gary Ross.

Both were interviewed for this piece on CBS Sunday Morning.

See the KCWRT.org’s previous piece on Free State of Jones.

Battlelines: Gettysburg: Day 3, Friday, July 3, 1863

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Alfred Waud, Army of Northern Virginia, Battlelines: Gettysburg, Civil War, Culp's Hill, Edwin Forbes, George Armstrong Custer, George Meade, Gettysburg, J.E.B. Stuart, James Longstreet, Pickett's charge, Richard Ewell, Robert E. Lee

Note: The annual anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg is this weekend. To commemorate that, we are posting, with permission, excerpts from Battlelines: Gettysburg, that describe aspects of the battle. Battlelines: Gettysburg contains the battlefield drawings of Alfred Waud and Edwin Forbes, the only two artists who witnessed the battle.

Lee’s original plan for the third day of battle was similar to that of the second day: attack both sides of the Union line. But early in the morning, instead of just holding his position, Meade ordered troops at Culp’s Hill to clear out the Confederate forces that had captured Union positions the day before. So, rather than storming Culp’s Hill – as Lee had planned – General Richard Ewell’s troops had to fight to hold their own position.

When Lee realized that Ewell’s troops were occupied, he changed his plans and told Longstreet to prepare of an attack on the center of the Union line. The attack would require soldiers to cross nearly a mile of open fields that gradually sloped up toward a copse of trees that stood just behind the center of the Federal forces. Longstreet argued against the assault, but Lee was a gambler and felt this was a chance worth taking.

By 11 a.m., Ewell’s troops had been flushed out of their positions at Culp’s Hill and could offer no support for the advance that would later occur. At 1 p.m. Confederate artillery opened up on the Union line, but many of their shots were aimed too high and fell harmlessly behind the lines. Union artillery answered for a while until the order came to cease firing in order to conserve ammunition. By not answering the Confederate fire, Union artillery units were able to conceal their positions in some instances.

Edwin Forbes’ painting of Pickett’s charge

After two hours of bombardment, the cannons ceased, and more than 12,000 Confederates advanced on Union lines in what has become known as Pickett’s charge. In addition to the field being open and often exposing the troops to direct and flanking fire, the troops had to cross fences that further exposed them to Union musketry. The center of the Union line held fire for a time, leading Confederate leaders to believe that the artillery bombardment had been successful.

They were wrong.

‘Sherman: The South’s Best Friend’ is topic for July KCWRT meeting

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Assault at West Point, Civil War, generals, John Marszalek, Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman

John F. Marszalek, the Giles Professor Emeritus of History at Mississippi State University, will be the speaker for the July meeting of the Knoxville Civil War Roundtable.

John Marszalek

Marzalek’s topic will be “William Tecumseh Sherman: The South’s Best Friend.”

Marzalek is the author of a number of books, including three on the life and career of Sherman.

The talk will begin  at 8 p.m., Tuesday, July 12, at the Bearden Banquet Hall, 5806 Kingston Pike. The cost for just attending the talk is $5; students may attend for free. Dinner is at 7 p.m. and costs $17 for non-members of the roundtable and $15 for members.  Those wishing to attend should RSVP by noon,  Monday July 11, by calling 865-671-9001.

Marzalek began teaching at MSU in 1973 and retired in 2002. He served as director and mentor of MSU’s Scholarship Program.

Brian McKnight tells KCWRT about the life of Champ Ferguson

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Brian McKnight, Champ Ferguson, Civil War, Civil War in East Tennessee, Civil War partisams, Clinton County KY, Knoxville Civil War Rountable, partisan fighting

Historian Brian McKnight, professor at the University of Virginia-Wise, told the Knoxville Civil War Roundtable on Tuesday that partisan fighter and Confederate outlaw Champ Ferguson was a man who saw the world as “black or white.”

“You were either for him or against him,” McKnight said.

And if he thought you were against him, McKnight added, he would probably try to kill you.

Here’s a video (less than three minutes) of some of McKnight’s remarks:

 

Brian McKnight speaks to the KCWRT about Champ Ferguson from Jim Stovall on Vimeo.

 

McKnight made these additional points about Ferguson:

Civil War images: Authors explore the Mosby Myth

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Civil War, Ed Caudill, Gray Ghost, John Singleton Mosby, Paul Ashdown, The Mosby Myth, Ulysses S. Grant, Virginia

• What we think about John Singleton Mosby is a mixture of what he did on the battlefields of the Civil War and the myth-making that occurred during and after the war. In this post, author Ed Caudill talks about his book on this expert image-maker.

What is real, and what just exists in our mind’s eye, about our past?

Those were the questions two journalism historians had when they took on John Singleton Mosby, the famous Gray Ghost of the Confederate Army. What they produced is an insightful and interesting book titled The Mosby Myth: A Confederate Hero in Life and Legend.

Paul Ashdown and Ed Caudill (two colleagues and good friends) were fascinated by the fact that Mosby, a minor character in the gigantic events that occurred in America between 1861 and 1865, should have such a large place in the consciousness of America. Mosby is said to be the most famous non-general to emerge from the smoke of the war.

Even before the war ended, Mosby and his “raiders” had gained an outsized reputation due not just to their courageous exploits but also because of Mosby’s careful attention to his own image. Ulysses Grant once ordered that they be executed immediately if they were caught.

Crowdsourcing the Civil War

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Civil War, crowdsourcing, George Rable, magazines, news during the Civil War, newspapers, University of Alabama, video

In the video below, George Rable, University of Alabama history professor, discusses the sources of information that newspaper editors during the Civil War used for their reports about battles and the war in general.

One important source was letters from soldiers — a form of what we could call today crowdsourcing. This means using the accounts of participants at an event to construct an account of that event.

Crowdsourcing the Civil War from Jim Stovall on Vimeo.

This post was originally posted on JPROF.com and is used here with permission. George Rable is now retired from the University of Alabama.

 

Brian McKnight, biography

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Brian McKnight, Civil War

Brian McKnight

Brian McKnight, the KCWRT speaker for June, 2016, is Professor of History and a Founding Director of the Center for Appalachian Studies at University of Virginia-Wise.

He is a specialist in contested and coerced loyalties and is the author of Contested Borderland: The Civil War in Appalachian Kentucky and Virginia, which won the James I. Robertson Literary Award, and Confederate Outlaw: Champ Ferguson and the Civil War in Appalachia, which won the Tennessee Library Award for best book in Tennessee history.

His most recent book is titled We Fight For Peace: The Story of Twenty-Three American Soldiers, Prisoners of War, and Turncoats in the Korean War. His other writings have been featured in the New York Times and his work on Korean War prisoners of war was profiled in the New Yorker.

President’s message, June 2016

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Civil War

Speaker Meeting Attendance

At the May meeting we had 58 diners of whom 5 were non-members. We also had 36 civil war buffs for the lecture only and 6 of those were non-members. Please be sure to make your reservation for the June 14 meeting by calling in your dinner reservations before 11 am on Monday, June 13.

We are saddened to hear of Bud Robertson’s speaking cancellation due to a recent elbow injury. We wish him a speedy recovery and look to have him back as a speaker soon. In the meantime, we thank Brian McKnight for filling in on short notice and we look forward to an informative presentation.

Passing the baton

My three years as president of the KCWRT voluntarily comes to an end on June 30. However, I remain on the board as the immediate past president. I appreciate your support over these years and thank you for it. It has truly been a humbling and rewarding experience for me to represent you throughout our community. Leadership will now be in the very capable hands of John Stegner. Please give him your support (think volunteering to do stuff) to an even greater degree than that which you gave to me. It has been a distinct honor and pleasure to represent such a wonderful growing organization during these three years.

We have enjoyed many noteworthy accomplishments together. I am not personally responsible for most of them; it has always been a group effort. I’d like to recount some of the most significant in this, my final President’s Message.