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Circular Memorandum #469
louisvillecwrt.yolasite.com
Announcing Our 502nd Meeting
May, 2015
“Ole Joe in the Vipers’ Pit”
Will be Presented by Richard McMurry
DATE: Saturday, May 9
COCKTAILS: 6:00 P.M.
Location: Big Spring Country Club
DINNER ($25.00): 7:00 P.M.
PROGRAM: 8:00 P.M.
Meet Our Speaker Richard McMurry
Richard M. McMurry is a native of Atlanta. He attended public schools in that city and in Decatur, Georgia. In
1961 he received the B. A. degree in history from the Virginia Military Institute. He served two years active
duty in the United States Army, most of the time as the Personnel Management Officer at Fort Campbell, Ky.
(1961-1963). Entering graduate school at Emory University in September 1963, he received the M. A. degree
in June 1964 and the Ph. D. in June 1967.
From 1967 until 1981 McMurry taught history at Valdosta (Georgia) State College. He taught as an adjunct
professor at North Carolina State University from 1981 to 1988. Since 1988 he has been a freelance writer
and speaker and has served as a guide /historian for many tour and cruise groups.
McMurry’s field of specialization is the American Civil War. He has authored more than one hundred articles
on various facets of that great conflict. In 1994 two of his books--John Bell Hood and the War for Southern
Independence and Two Great Rebel Armies: An Essay in Confederate Military History--were listed among the
one hundred best modern Civil War books as selected by the eminent historian Gary Gallagher for the magazine
Civil War. The former work received both the Mrs. Simon Barach University Award, presented by the United
Daughters of the Confederacy, and the Fletcher Pratt Award, presented by the New York Civil War Round
Table. In 1999 McMurry published Virginia Military Institute Alumni in the Civil War: In Bello Praesidium. His
history of the 1864 military operations in North Georgia, Atlanta 1864: Last Chance for the Confederacy, was
published by the University of Nebraska Press in 2000 as a volume in the Great Campaigns of the Civil War
Series. The Austin, Texas Civil War Round Table selected the book for the 2001 Daniel M. & Marilyn W. Laney
Prize awarded for distinguished scholarship and writing on the military or political history of the Civil War.
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May 2015
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One of McMurry’s most unique books is The Fourth Battle of Winchester: Toward a New Civil War Paradigm ,
was published in 2002 by Kent State University Press. McMurry has also edited several works, notably
Footprints of a Regiment by William H, Andrews and (with Gordon B. McKinney) the microfilm edition of The
Papers of Zebulon B. Vance. In 2005 the Civil War Round Table of Chicago presented its Nevins-Freeman Award
for outstanding work in Civil War history to McMurry.
Richard McMurry has spoken to Civil War groups, students, and other organizations in twenty-five states and
the District of Columbia. He is a member of numerous historical societies and is active in such organizations as
the Civil War Preservation Trust and the Blue and Gray Education Society. He presently lives and writes in
Dalton, Georgia.
RESERVATIONS: Call Doug Krawczyk (502-425-0325) to place your reservations. If you are making
reservations for more than just yourself, please give the names of the others. If you leave your reservation
on his answering machine, please spell out your name so he can correctly identify you. You can also make your
reservation by e-mail by sending it to [email protected]. Please call or email no later than
Wednesday, May 6, by noon. If you wish to join us just for the program, please call and make a reservation
so that we can provide you with a chair. If you are only coming for the program, you can call Doug anytime up
to 4:00 p.m. the day of the meeting.
Reminder for Table Reservations: We can reserve tables for parties of eight only, and we need you to provide
us with the names of all the people in your party when you make the reservation. This will enable us to manage
our meeting space in a more efficient manner. Thank you.
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Books! Books! Books!
Richard McMurry will have copies of several different books he has written for sale at the meeting.
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Bourbon and BBQ Will Return June 13!
Once again the Louisville Civil War Round Table will hold a Bourbon and BBQ fund raiser event. This year's event
will be held at Art Boerner's lovely home on the Ohio River on Saturday, June 13 beginning at 4:00. Sign-up
sheets will be avai
lable at the next meeting. Spaces are limited! Special guests include Bourbon historian Michael Veach and
Whiskey Professor Bernie Lubbers, Heaven Hill distillery’s whiskey ambassador. Bernie will give us a Bluegrass
music history of bourbon! This year we will feature bonded bourbons in our tasting. We will have our usual great
food featuring BBQ ribs, brisket and pulled pork with sides, desserts, sauces etc. Cost is $50 per person for
members of the Round Table and for non-members the cost will be $60. After May 9, the cost will be $60 for
everyone. Don’t delay, sign up as soon as possible and pay your fee. This is the only way to guarantee your
reservation. The last three BBQ and Bourbon events sold out and we had to turn people away so act now! Send
your check made out to the LCWRT to Doug Kremer, 11024 Indian Legends Dr., Apt 203, Louisville, Ky. 40241.
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Future Schedule
Saturday
May 9
Richard McMurry
“Ole Joe in the Vipers’ Pit”
Saturday
June 13
Bourbon and BBQ
Art Boerner’s House
Friday
September 11
David Powell
“Chickamauga”
Saturday
October 10
Charlie Knight
“TBA”
Sunday
November 15
Bud Robertson
“TBA”
Saturday
December 5
Sam Hood
“John Bell Hood”
Saturday
January 16
Gordon Rhea
“TBA”
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Official Records Special Offer!
We have a first edition complete set (128 vols.) of the Officials Records of the War of the Rebellion
that we are offering for $100. Please contact Doug Krawczyk (502-425-0325) if you are interested.
The $100 will go into the Round Table’s general fund.
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2015 Preservation Grant Goes to Tebbs Bend
We are pleased to announce that the 2015 Louisville Civil War Preservation Grant of $2000 will go to the
Tebbs Bend Battlefield Association headed by round table member Betty Jane Gorin Smith. The award
will be presented at the May meeting.
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Tebbs Bend Fall Field Trip Scheduled for October 3
Please mark your calendar for October 3, 2015 as we will be going to Tebbs Bend for a guided tour given
by Betty Jane Gorin Smith. We will carpool down to Tebbs Bend and tour until we enjoy a BBQ lunch.
After lunch, we will go to Muldraugh Hill for a guided tour of Civil War sites there. We will have more
details about the trip in the Summer and September newsletters and at the May and September meetings.
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May 2015
Sheet Music to be Auctioned at
the May Meeting!
These three pieces of rare and original sheet
music will be available for you to bid on at our next
meeting. Silent bidding started in November and
continues till May. The starting bids are $25 for
the three pieces. Final bids will be taken at 8 PM
at the May meeting. ‘Who’ll save the left’ was
written in honor of the 19th Illinois at the battle
of Stones River.
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Winners of the April Door Prizes
Congratulations to our door prize winners at the April meeting.
Fearful Times
Ranger Mosby
Brave Men
Thunder From a Clear Sky
Fallen Guidon
Rebel Raider
A Battle From the Start
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by Glen Hodges
by Virgil Jones
by John McKay
by Ray Mulesky
by Ed Davis
by James Ramage
by Brian Willis
won
won
won
won
won
won
won
by Kevin Clark
by Stephanie Blair
by Gary Hopkins
by Pam Fleece
by Mike Thomas
by Brenda Posey
by Thelma Thomas
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Filson Civil War Field Institute – John Hunt Morgan’s Great Raid:
The Confederate Ride Across Indiana - May 29 - May 30
Our April speaker, David L. Mowery, will be the tour guide for a Filson Club sponsored tour of John Hunt
Morgan’s Great Raid path in Indiana. They will spend the night in Scottsburg, IN where historian Gary
Matthews will give a dinner lecture about Thomas Henry Hines, a scout for Morgan. They will finish the tour
by following Morgan’s route into Ohio and stop at Harrison, 25 minutes northwest of Cincinnati. Throughout
the two days, they will stop at various historical sites along the way and study Morgan’s raiding tactics and
objectives as he traversed Northern territory. The bus will depart from The Filson Historical Society at
8:00 a.m. on Friday, May 29 and will return to The Filson on Saturday evening.
Fieldtrip Fee
$200 for Filson members; $250 Non-members (Includes all admission fees to museums and parks, chartered
bus, two lunches, a reception and one dinner)
To reserve your place, a non-refundable deposit of $50 per person is required at time of registration. Space
is limited.
To assure your field trip reservation, you can call the Filson Club at (502) 635-5083. All participants are
responsible for making their own hotel accommodations.
Accommodations
Holiday Inn Express
200 N. Beechwood Ave. Scottsburg IN., 47170
(812) 752-0000.
Mention The Filson to receive group rate $84.00 before tax.
For more information and details about this event, visit The Filson Club’s Website: www.FilsonHistorical.org
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MAY 2015 QUIZ:
1. In whose room did President Lincoln die?
2. How long was the Petersburg Campaign?
3. Who was the last Union general to be killed or mortally wounded during the Civil War?
4. Why was one member of President Lincoln's cabinet absent from his funeral, and who was he?
5. Who was the senior Confederate general at the beginning of the Civil War?
APRIL 2015 QUIZ ANSWERS:
1. What was the purpose of the Bureau for the Relief of Freedmen and Refugees?
It was formed to assist former slaves to find work, education, and land. Later named the
Freedman's Bureau, it was the nation's first social welfare agency and served some four million
former slaves.
2. What was the last major Confederate city to fall to Federal troops?
It was Mobile, Alabama on April 12, 1865.
3. In 1860 which state had the highest percentage of slaves?
Approximately 57% of South Carolina's population were slaves.
4. The Medal of Honor was authorized during the Civil War. Who were its first recipients?
Starting with Private Jacob Parrott, they were the six surviving members of the April 1862
Andrews Raid in Georgia, awarded on March 25, 1863. Later the Medal was awarded
posthumously to the other 15 members of the raid. Their leader, James Andrews, did not
receive the Medal because he was a civilian.
5. What were the measurements of the mine that resulted in the Petersburg Crater?
The mine was 510 feet long and had a ventilation system. The end chamber was 80 feet wide
and 20 feet below the Confederate line. It contained 8,000 pounds of black power.
(The Quiz is prepared by Harriette Weatherbee)
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Attest:
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John Davis
Adjutant