Circular Memorandum #568

“Calamity at Frederick: Robert E. Lee and Special Orders 191” will be presented by Alex Rossino

Date: Friday, September 12

Location: Big Spring Country Club

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

Meet our Speaker - Alex Rossino

A resident of western Maryland, Dr. Alex Rossino is an independent historian and author. He earned his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in History at Syracuse University before working for nine years as a historian at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. Dr. Rossino turned his attention to the American Civil War in 2011 and after several years of research, he produced Six Days in September: A Novel of Lee's Army in Maryland, September 1862. The book proved to be popular among historians and enthusiasts alike, leading to a sequel titled The Guns of September: A Novel of McClellan's Army in Maryland, September 1862, which came out in September 2024. Dr. Rossino also returned to writing history, producing Their Maryland: The Army of Northern Virginia from the Potomac Crossing to Sharpsburg in September 1862 (Savas Beatie, 2021) and co-authoring with Gene Thorp The Tale Untwisted: General George B. McClellan, The Maryland Campaign, and the Discovery of Lee's Lost Orders (Savas Beatie, 2023). His most recent history, Calamity at Frederick: Robert E. Lee, Special Orders No. 191, and Confederate Misfortune on the Road to Antietam (Savas Beatie, 2023), completed his in-depth study of the Lost Orders saga from the Confederate perspective.

“Calamity at Frederick: Robert E. Lee and Special Orders No. 191”

In his meticulous new study, Calamity at Frederick, Alex Rossino presents a bold reinterpretation of the evidence surrounding the creation of the orders, their distribution, and their loss outside Frederick, Maryland, in September 1862. Rossino makes extensive use of primary sources to explore these subjects and other important questions related to the orders, including why General Lee thought his army could operate north of the Potomac until winter; why Lee found it necessary to seize the Federal garrison at Harpers Ferry; what Lee hoped to accomplish after capturing Harpers Ferry; where Corporal Barton Mitchell of the 27th Indiana found the Lost Orders; and if D. H. Hill or someone else was to blame for losing the orders. The result is a well-documented reassessment that sheds new light while challenging long-held assumptions.

Julie Bartlett is Our New President

Greetings from your globetrotting President. I will be in Central Asia in Aug/Sept, so I’m entrusting our first meeting to our former President, John Davis. I will be celebrating a small personal goal; to travel to 100 countries/territories as defined by the Travelers Century Club. This is an international social organization founded in 1954 for travelers who have visited one hundred or more of the world’s countries and territories. Wahoo! My husband was astonished when we first met to learn that I love to travel despite living out of a suitcase for work. I’m especially looking forward to visiting Samarkand. If you recall, George Bailey, from It’s a Wonderful Life, had wanted to go there.

It is with great pleasure that I have been re-elected to serve as your humble president this historic season. As you may have read in your last newsletter, we have an amazing year planned for the round table. We will be celebrating not only our 65th year, but also our 600th mtg. There are hundreds of CWRTs across the nation; be proud that you are part of one of the most active and growing CWRTs around. Our members range in age from 15-85 years old – what other group can say THAT!!?? We are united by our love of CW history, fellowship, and fried chicken. I challenge each of you to bring a friend this year and introduce them to our friendly and VERY knowledgeable group of folks.

Your very dedicated board deserves a tremendous shoutout for planning informative meetings, fun and engaging field trips, our annual fundraiser; Bourbon & BBQ, and for fulfilling our mandated preservation commitment. If you have suggestions for the board, please don’t hesitate to approach myself or any of the other board members. We are here to make this a great experience each and every month.

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 Tuesdauy before our Friday 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.

Online options are here!

Members of the Round Table now have new options for making dinner reservations, Bourbon & BBQ reservations, field trip reservations, and membership renewals. You can make reservations by clicking on the following links:

Dinner & Program: https://buy.stripe.com/3cIaEY2JHdK3boDeEU87K0N

Program Only: https://buy.stripe.com/5kQ8wQac99tN64jgN287K0O

It is Time for Membership Renewals

**** Patron Memberships Are a Major Boost to the Round Table ****

The annual membership fees of the Round Table are now due and there is good news! Any amount you give above the basic or family membership fee is tax-deductible since the Round Table has tax-exempt status as a 501 (c) (3) organization!

There are two ways to renew your membership.

(1) You can print the membership renewal form attached to this newsletter and mail your renewal check made out to LCWRT directly to Louisville Civil War Round Table, 9462 Brownsboro Road - #142, Louisville, Ky., 40241.

(2) Or you can go to our website https://louisvillecwrt.yolasite.com by clicking on this link or by googling “Louisville Civil War Round Table” which will bring up a link to our website. On the home page of our website under “Membership”, you will find options to renew your membership using your credit card or you can click on one of the links below and it will take you directly to your renewal.

There are seven levels of membership:

Single Membership: $50.00 (Basic Membership)

Click here to renew your Single Membership

Family Membership: $60.00 (Allows spouse or family member to join. $5 for each additional family member living at the same address.)

Click here to renew your Family Membership

Patron Membership: (Single or Family Membership, plus financial gift to LCWRT; the gift portion is deductible for income tax purposes.) Please select the Level of Patron Membership you wish to renew and know that the LCWRT is most appreciative of your generosity

Student Membership: $10.00

Click here to renew your Student Membership

Please Note: If you joined the Round Table in either April or May of this year, you do not need to renew your membership at this time. Your membership is good throughout the coming year until next summer.

Round Table Life Member Dick Skidmore Passes Away

Richard S. "Dick" Skidmore, age 90, of Hanover, Indiana passed away on August 6. Dick was born in 1934 in Indianapolis. He served two years in the United States Army after which he graduated from Indiana State in 1961. He was employed with IBM for 26 years, having worked in Indiana, New Jersey, and Maryland. He was united in marriage to Wilda Vass Neely on July 17, 1982, in New Albany, Indiana. He retired in 1987 and eventually moved to Hanover, Indiana.

Dick had great interest in American Civil War history. In addition to serving as president of three other Round Tables, he served as president of our Round Table in 1998-1999 and on our Board of Directors for several years. During this time, he initiated our involvement in preservation and the Patron membership program which is a tremendous help to our financial stability. For his service to our Round Table he was awarded our highest honor, the Life Membership award. Dick wrote several magazine articles, published two books, and wrote the "Civil War" entry for the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. He coordinated the project to preserve 160 valuable military oil portraits at the Indiana Veterans' Home. He also coordinated the establishment of the John Hunt Morgan Heritage trail, which covered 185 miles over seven southern Indiana counties, and resulted in 27 interpretive roadside signs, a Guidebook, a CD, and tourists' brochures. Among his many honors, the Indiana Historical Society's "Hoosier Historian", Life Membership in two Round Tables, the Jefferson Davis Gold Medal Certificate from the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and the Distinguished Hoosier award from Governor Mitch Daniels. Despite being unable to attend meetings because of ill health, Dick maintained his Patron membership in our Round Table until his passing.

Dick will be greatly missed by his loving companion, Sheila Lenz; his daughter, Kathryn Skidmore of Hanover, Indiana; and several grandchildren and great grandchildren His beloved wife of 27 years, Wilda Vass Neely-Skidmore, died January 19, 2009 who was also a member of our Round Table. We wish to express our deepest sympathies to his family and friends. Thank you, Dick Skidmore, for being such a good friend of our Round Table.

The Farmington Historian Lecture Series Presents

William C. “Jack” Davis, retired professor emeritus of American History at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, was educated in Northern California, spent 20 years in editorial management in the magazine and book publishing industry, then left the industry in 1990 to spend the next decade working as a writer and consultant.

There will be two public opportunities to hear Davis speak in Louisville.

On Wednesday, October 8th there will be an intimate dinner with Jack Davis at the Frazier History Museum at 6:30 pm. At this event, Davis will speak on Kentuckian and Vice-President John C. Breckinridge. A $300 ticket includes dinner, drinks, and a copy of the book Wharton’s War.

On Thursday, October 9th Davis will present letters from Wharton’s War with Louisville actress Rena Brown at Farmington at 6:30 pm. A $95 ticket includes a barbeque dinner catered by Kingsley’s at 6pm.

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 johnd.davis@twc.com or you can sign up at the meetings beginning in September.

2025 Schedule

Friday September 12 Alexander Rossino “Calamity at Frederick: Robert E Lee and Special Orders No. 191”

Friday October 10 George Rable “Conflict of Command: George McClellan, Abraham Lincoln, and the Politics of War”

Saturday November 8 Kevin Pawlak “Water to his Front, Water to his Rear: Robert E. Lee Defends the Confederate High Water Mark at Sharpsburg”

Friday December 12 Wade Sokolosky “The 1865 Carolina Campaign”

The Bourbon & BBQ Returns!

Mark your calendars for Sunday, October 19 when the 13th Annual Bourbon & BBQ returns! This year’s theme will be “Tennessee and a Twist of Kentucky: The Election of 1844” with Dr. Mark Cheathem presenting. Master Distiller Chris Morris will conduct the tasting of different expressions of Jack Daniel’s whiskeys. Of course, there will be plenty of BBQ and tasty sides. The cost will be $90 for Round Table Members and $100 for non-members. The event will be held at Farmington.

SUMMER 2025 QUIZ:

1. Who was Pope of the Catholic Church during the Civil War?

Pope Pius IX was Pope from 1846-1878.

2. By 1865, what was the official age range for the Confederate draft?

By then, they were officially drafting men between the ages of 17-50.

3. How was the news of General Lee’s surrender sent by General Grant to the War Department?

General Grant sent the news by telegraph, taking less than 5 hours.

4. What was the cause of General Ulysses S. Grant’s death?

He died of throat cancer on July 23, 1885.

5. The design for the original National Park Service uniform was based on which uniforms?

It was based on those uniforms worn by the Army in the 1910’s, with the coats and hats being similar to what U.S. Army soldiers wore during World War I.

SEPTEMBER 2025 QUIZ:

1. What was the second largest city in Virginia during the Civil War?

2. Roughly how many Union and Confederate soldiers served during the Civil War?

3. What Union general launched a failed attack on Lynchburg, Virginia in mid-June 1864?

4. Who was the highest-ranking Confederate general during the Civil War, and where was he born?

5. Who served as the Chief of Artillery for the Army of the Potomac for most of the Civil War??

The Quiz is prepared by Harriette Weatherbee

Attest: By Order of:

John Davis Julie Bartlett

Adjutant President

Adjutant’s Call September 2025