Circular Memorandum #570, November 2025

“The Greatest Hits of Stonewall Jackson”

Presented by: Chris Mackowski

Date: Saturday, November 8 Location: Big Spring Country Club

Cocktails: 6:00 PM Dinner: 7:00 PM Program: 8:00 PM

Chris Mackowski, Ph.D., is the editor-in-chief of the Emerging Civil War and managing editor of the Emerging Civil War Series. He is a professor of journalism and mass communication at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, NY, and historian-in-residence at Stevenson Ridge, a historic property on the Spotsylvania battlefield in central Virginia. He has also worked as a historian for the National Park Service at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park, where he gives tours at four major Civil War battlefields (Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania), as well as at the building where Stonewall Jackson died. Chris has authored or co-authored a dozen books on the Civil War, and his articles have appeared in all the major Civil War magazines. Among the books Chris has authored or co-authored are “The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson: The Mortal Wounding of the Confederacy’s Greatest Icon-and the Birth of Its Greatest Legend”, “Fight Like the Devil: The First Day at Gettysburg July 1, 1863”, and “That Furious Struggle: Chancellorsville and the High Tide of the Confederacy, May 1-5, 1863”. He was a 2014 finalist for the Army Historical Foundations & Distinguished Book Award for “Chancellorsville & Forgotten Front: The Battles of Second Fredericksburg and Salem Church”. Chris has had six of his plays produced and he serves on the national advisory board for the Civil War Chaplains Museum in Lynchburg, Virginia. His latest book is “A Tempest of Iron and Lead: Spotsylvania Court House”. He frequently partners on projects with the American Battlefield Trust, the nation’s largest battlefield preservation organization. Chris serves as vice president on the board of directors for the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, he serves on the advisory board of the Civil War Roundtable Congress and the Brunswick (NC) Civil War Roundtable—the largest in the country—and is a supporter of the Antietam Institute.

The Greatest Hits of Stonewall Jackson

Stonewall Jackson has become one of the most legendary figures of the American Civil War. Was he all he was cracked up to be? What were his greatest accomplishments? Where did he underperform? Overperform? Why? Spend some time with professed Stonewall Jackson fanboy Dr. Chris Mackowski for a look at Jackson’s record on the battlefield. He’ll count down the Mighty Stonewall’s many exploits—see if you agree with Chris’s top picks!

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED!

Reservations Are to be Sent to Doug Krawczyk or Made on Our Website

If you do not make a reservation, you may not get fed!

The Round Table must give Big Spring an accurate count of reservations no later than Wednesday before our Saturday meeting. Reservations can be made by emailing Doug Krawczyk at rdklou1@gmail.com or by calling Doug Krawczyk at 502-592-6864. When making a reservation for more than yourself, please list the names of everyone for which you are making a reservation. If you are calling Doug, and get his voicemail, please spell your name so he can properly identify the reservation.

If you wish to join us for just the program, you must still make a reservation so we can assure you have space and a seat. If you are attending just the program, you can call Doug anytime up to 4:00 PM the day of the Meeting.

Reminder for Table Reservations: Tables for parties of eight (8) can be reserved. When making a Table Reservation, please list the names of everyone in your party. That will ensure everyone in your party will be at the same table and enable us to manage our meeting space in a more efficient manner.

Make Your Meeting Reservations Online!

Members of the Round Table now have new options for making dinner reservations, You can go to our new website, louisvillecwrt.com and make your meeting reservation and make your payment.

Harold Holzer is Coming to the Louisville Civil War Round Table!

Mark your calendars for our 600 th meeting celebration to be held on May 9, 2026. To help us celebrate this special event, we are very excited to have renowned Abraham Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer come and speak to us. He is one of the country’s leading authorities on Abraham Lincoln and the political culture of the Civil War era. A prolific writer and lecturer, and frequent guest on television, Holzer served for six years (2010–2016) as Chairman of The Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation. We are planning several special ways that we will commemorate this special occasion. Stay tuned for details as this will be a meeting you will not want to miss!

The Emerging Civil War Website

Our November speaker, Chris Mackowski, is the managing editor of the Emerging Civil War Series which serves as a public history-oriented platform for sharing original scholarship related to the American Civil War. The primary audience is the general public, so scholarship is defined broadly: historical research, memory studies, travelogues, personal narratives, essays, book reviews, and photography. Journalistic-style coverage of current Civil War-related events and the Civil War in pop culture are also included. Furthermore, ECW encourages respectful discussion about that material. ECW does not publish fiction or poetry.

The Mission of the Emerging Civil War

ECW seeks to encourage a diversity of perspectives in the scholarship it presents. We do that, in part, by identifying and spotlighting the next generation of Civil War historians and the fresh ideas they bring to the historical conversation. As a collective, the individuals who comprise ECW are encouraged to share their own unique interests and approaches. The combined collection of material—and the respectful discussions that surround it—forward ECW’s overall effort to promote a general awareness of the Civil War as America’s defining event. This is a link to their website emergingcivilwar.com.. You can subscribe and receive daily emails that will contain a variety of articles by historians that will be of interest to you.

Field Trip to the Carolinas: Sherman’s 1865 Campaign: April 22-26, 2026

with Wade Sokolosky

We are going to the Carolinas to learn about the Civil War’s last major campaign that took place in March and April of 1865 culminating in the surrender of the Confederacy’s last major army. The campaign pitted William Sherman against Joseph Johnston. Our guide will be Civil War historian and author Wade Sokolosky. Wade was recently named the new Executive Director of the Blue and Gray Educational Society. He is a retired colonel and a 25-year veteran of the U.S. Army. He is a respected historian and the author of four books with more on the way. Wade has been leading battlefield tours for many years and is recognized as an authority on the Civil War battles in the Carolinas. Wade will be coming to the Round Table to speak to us this December. This is a field trip we have never taken and we will see several well preserved battlefields including Averasboro, Monroe’s Crossroads, Wise’s Forks and Bentonville. We will also see the ironclad CSS Neuse and many other historical sites along the way. We will be staying in Smithfield, North Carolina. We will walk this hollowed ground and cover in detail what unfolded. You can sign up now by emailing John Davis at jddavis1122@gmail.com or you can sign up at the meetings.

2025 – 2026 Schedule

Saturday November 8 Chris Mackowski “The Greatest Hits of Stonewall Jackson”

Friday December 12 Wade Sokolosky “The 1865 Carolina Campaign”

Saturday January 17 Kent Masterson Brown “Kentucky in the American Revolution”

Friday February 13 Derrick Lindow “Conquer or Die: Partisan Warfare in 1862 Western Kentucky”

Saturday March 14 Chris Kolakowski “TBA”

Saturday April 11 Will Greene “Lost Opportunity: Grant Crosses the James”

Saturday May 9 Harold Holzer “TBA”

The 13th Annual Bourbon & BBQ

The 13th Annual Bourbon & BBQ was held at Farmington on October 19 th . This is a major fundraising event for our Round Table. It was a somewhat “cool” and blustery afternoon at Farmington outdoor pavilion as about 50 hardy folks gathered to hear some great speakers, taste some Jack Daniels whiskeys, and enjoy some very good BBQ. Chris Morris who is a member of our Round Table and a Master Distiller at Brown-Foreman distillery, conducted the tasting of five varieties of Jack Daniels whiskeys. Chris gave us a great talk about the history of Jack Daniels distillery and the story behind each of the Tennessee whiskeys we tasted. And yes, there really was a Jack Daniels who started distilling when he was a teenager. The Jack Daniels whiskey we are familiar with, and the most popular Jack Daniels is Old Number 7. It got its name from the Tennessee district it was originally licensed in back in the mid-1800 hundreds. Chris also told us about the Frank Sinatra version of Jack Daniels and the story behind it. Once Frank tasted Jack Daniels it immediately became his favorite whiskey and he actually hired a Jack Daniels employee to keep him constantly supplied with his favorite whiskey. Two boxed bottles of the Frank Sinatra special commemorative whiskey were auctioned off for $200 each with the funds going to the Round Table!

Chris also explained the distinguishing feature that makes Tennessee whiskey unique. As a final step before bottling, the whiskey is filtered through a sugar maple charcoal filter. This makes it Tennessee whiskey and not bourbon. After enjoying a buffet of pulled pork, BBQ ribs, and all the fixins and sides you could want including peach and cherry cobbler, we settled down to hear Mark Cheatham professor of history at Cumberland University give us a very informative talk on the presidential election of 1844. The principal candidates were Kentuckian Henry Clay who ran as the Whig party candidate and Jame. K. Polk of Tennessee Who was the Democratic party candidate. The issues of the expansion of slavery and the annexation of Texas were the primary issues of the campaign. Polk ran on a platform embracing popular commitment to expansion, often referred to as Manifest Destiny. Polk won a narrow victory winning the popular vote by approximately 40,000 votes or 1.4%. But due to narrow margins of victory in key states he won the electoral vote by 170 to 105. After the election Polk engineered the annexation of Texas which led to the Mexican American War. Both candidates had pledged to serve only one term and James Polk kept his promise. At the end of the event, several bottles of Jack Daniels was auctioned off and $800 was raised for the Round Table. Thanks to all those who made this evert possible including Doug Krawczyk, Chris Morris, Julie Bartlett, Terry Pyles, Margaret Krawczyk, Mike Karowkic, and all those who helped set up and clean up things afterward!

Dixie Hibbs, Friend of the Round Table, Passes Away

Dixie P. Hibbs of Bardstown, KY, died peacefully on October 3, 2025, surrounded by family. At our 2nd B&BBQ some 12 years ago, Dixie Hibbs spoke about Bardstown and its distillers. She was the first “historical speaker” for the event. Dixie was a close friend of Mike Veach. When Mike and Doug Krawczyk talked about incorporating a “history speaker” along with the tasting Mike recommended Dixie. For our inaugural LCWRT B&BBQ it was just Mike talking about the differences between what “spirits” Northern soldiers were accustomed to as opposed what the Southern soldiers imbibed. Basically, it was Rye versus Corn. Then for the following year we decided to add another dimension to the program….hence we invited Dixie to speak.

She was born on January 12, 1942, to Bill and Christine Boblitt Polley. Dixie was deeply devoted to community service and the City of Bardstown. She recognized the importance of both preserving the city’s rich history and advancing it forward. To that end, she was a member of the Historical Society, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Bourbon Hall of Fame Committee, and the Mission Committee at Nazareth, with whom she traveled to Belize in 2012 to participate in building a home for a local family. She led the renovation of six significant properties, including Anatok, Flaget Hall and Spalding Hall. Dixie also led efforts to develop the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History and to preserve Wickland – The Home of Three Governors - and served as caretaker for that property for several years while it was open for tourists and special events. She was the first woman to be inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame. She was honored as Citizen of the Year in 1992 and inducted into the Nelson County Hall of Fame in 2008. Shortly before her death, the Kentucky Heritage Council recognized Dixie with the Ida Lee Willis Memorial Service to Preservation Award in Frankfort, and the City of Bardstown issued a Proclamation recognizing her lifetime of service, leadership, and preservation efforts.

OCTOBER 2025 QUIZ:

1. Petersburg was the terminus of how many railroads during the Civil War?

It was the terminus of 5 railroads.

2. Following General J.E.B. Stuart’s death, who commanded the Army of Northern Virginia cavalry?

General Wade Hampton served until transferred to North Carolina and was included in the

surrender at Bentonville on April 26, 1865.

3. How many times did General U.S. Grant try to take Vicksburg before he was successful?

After six failures, he was successful on the seventh try.

4. What was the bloodiest action of the Vicksburg Campaign?

That was the Battle of Champaign’s Hill (Baker’s Creek) on May 16, 1863.

5. How old was President Lincoln’s assassin?

John Wilkens Booth was twenty-six years old.

NOVEMBER 2025 QUIZ:

1. What did President Abraham Lincoln issue on October 3, 1863?

2. What was unique about the 2 nd Massachusetts Volunteer Cavalry?

3. What was the largest Civil War battle west of the Mississippi River?

4. What Confederate general was killed at the Battle of 3 rd Winchester?

5. Which Northern state had the most units involved in the Appomattox Campaign?

The Quiz is prepared by Harriette Weatherbee

Attest: By Order of:

John Davis Julie Bartlett

Adjutant President

Adjutant’s Call November 2025