Adjutant’s Call -February 2024
Link to Original PDF of February 2024 Newsletter
Circular Memorandum #553 - January 2024
“On to Richmond: The Wilderness and Spotsylvania Campaigns” Presented by Brad Gottfried
Brad Gottfried was born and raised in Philadelphia. After receiving his Ph.D. (Zoology) in 1976, he embarked on a 40-year career in higher education. He was a full-time faculty member for eleven years at three colleges, and then entered the ranks of the administration, rising to the role of President. He served in this capacity for seventeen years at two colleges, retiring as the President of the College of Southern Maryland in 2017. He now devotes his time to writing and giving tours of the Antietam battlefield (he is a certified Antietam battlefield guide) and the town of Gettysburg (he is a licensed town guide).
Brad’s strong interest in the Civil War has led to the publication of 18 books, with several more in the pipeline. Many have been map studies of the Eastern Theater Campaign. He is married, has five children, and seven grandchildren.
“On To Richmond: The Wilderness and Spotsylvania Campaigns”
U. S. Grant, the newly minted General-in-Chief of the Union armies set two goals for the Army of the Potomac: Destroy Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia and capture Richmond. The odds were certainly in Grant’s favor. Grant had 120,000 men in George Meade’s army, augmented by the IX Corps. Lee had about half that number, and actually began the spring campaign without James Longstreet’s First Corps that had returned to Virginia from its service in Tennessee, but had not yet reached the army.
Grant thought he could beat and possibly destroy Lee’s army if he could get it out into the open, but his troops had to first traverse the tangles of the Wilderness. The Union army began its campaign on the night of May 3- 4, 1864 and headed toward the Wilderness. Lee became aware of Grant’s movement and he set his two corps on a collision course with the Union army in the densely vegetated area.
The Battle of the Wilderness occurred on May 5-6 and Lee held his own. Grant realized that the dense vegetation neutralized his numeric advantage, so he slid around his adversary’s right flank and headed south for Spotsylvania Court House. Lee beat him there, setting up an epic fight that stretched from May 8-18, when Grant finally threw up his hands and continued his slide toward Richmond.
Dr. Brad Gottfried, the author of The Maps of the Wilderness and the Maps of Spotsylvania will use his detailed maps to illustrate and cut through some of the complexities of these two campaigns.
Books, Books Books!
- Maps of the Wilderness- I normally sell them for over the posted price ($55.00) on Amazon and eBay, but will sell them at list price- $40.00
- Maps of Spotsylvania- Still in print, so I will sell them for $36.
- Lee Invades the North: A Comparison of the Maryland and Pennsylvania Campaigns (Paper)- Lists for $29.95, but I will sell them for $25.
- Lincoln Comes to Gettysburg: The Story of the Creation and Dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery- Lists for $14.95. I will sell for $12.
- Hell Comes to Southern Maryland: The Story of the Point Look out Civil War Prisoner of War Camp For Confederates- Lists for $14. I will sell for $11.
There will be 12 copies each of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania books; half a dozen of the Lee Invades books; and a handful of the others.
Kent Masterson Brown Awarded Life Membership
Kent Masterson Brown was awared the Honorary Life Membership award at the January meeting. Kent has been a longtime friend of the Round Table and has spoken here many times, most recently as our Frank Rankin Memorial lecturer which he as now done several times. And I am happy to report that he will return again in January 2025! I think it is safe to say that Kent is our most popular speaker, and his wonderful presentations are the most attended of any of our meetings. In his opening remarks at the January meeting, Kent said that “he loved the Louisville Civil War Round Table” and I think we can say we love Kent Masterson Brown! Kent’s contributions to the history community are many. He has written several books on the Civil War which have won many awards and his Witnessing History Educational Foundation. has produced several award winning videos that are distributed throughout the country on PBS channels. His most recent is “The Shot Heard Round the World: The Coming of the American Revoution”. A nationally known speaker and Civil War battlefield guide, Kent was the first chairman of the Gettysburg National Military Park Advisory Commission and the first chairman of the Perryville (Kentucky) Battlefield Commission, a seat he held for eleven years overseeing the expansion of the Perryville Battlefield. He served on the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and is now a member of the Kentucky Film Commission. He has also been a director of the Gettysburg Foundation. Kent now joins an elite group of Historians who have been honored with our Life Membership Award for their contributions to our Round Table. These are James I. “Bud Robertson”, William C. “Jack Daivs”, and Charles Roland. We welcome Kent Masterson Brown to this special group!
Suggested Reading List for the Wilderness – Spotsylvania
There is no better place to start than the books by our guide, Gordon Rhea. These are easily the best studies of these two battles ever written. “The Battle of the Wilderness May 5-6, 1864” and “The Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern May 7-12, 1864” cannot be topped. Bradley Gottfried has written two detailed map studies of the battles that give a map-by-map detailed explanation of these battles. “The Maps of the Wilderness” and “The Maps of Spotsylvania Through Cold Harbor” are highly recommended. For briefer and more recent books, I recommend Chris Mackowski’s “Hell Itself: The Battle of the Wilderness” and his book “A Season of Slaughter: The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House”. Both of these books are from the Emerging Civil War Series.
Things to Know About the Wilderness – Spotsylvania Field Trip
We will leave the Free Enterprise parking lot at 6:30 A. M. for the 555-mile trip to Fredericksburg. You can park your vehicle in the secure parking lot at Free Enterprise.
We will stop at McDonald’s for breakfast and make another stop for lunch before arriving at the Comfort Inn Suites in Fredericksburg, 4615 Southpoint Parkway, at approximately 5:00.
There are several restaurants within easy walking distance of the hotel including a very nice Mexican restaurant next door to our hotel for those who want to partake of the traditional Wednesday night Mexican experience. The Adjutant’s Call 5 January 2024 We will spend the first one and a half days on the Wilderness battlefield. Much of the core battlefield is preserved in the National Park system. There will be quite a bit of walking as we traverse Saunders field and the surrounding woods before breaking for lunch and then spending the afternoon on the Orange Plank Road section of the battlefield including all the important actions that occurred around the Widow Tapp house and farm. Friday morning, we will cover the transition to Spotsylvania Court House as both armies raced to this important crossroads.
Friday afternoon and Saturday will be spent on the Spotsylvania battlefield, the scene of two weeks of dramatic fighting. The famous Mule Shoe and Bloody Angle are well preserved and there are lots of trails to canvas as we cover the fighting at Laurel Hill, Emory Upton’s dramatic dawn attack, the Union break through at the apex of the Mule Shoe and the Confederate attempt to counterattack and restore their line culminating in the 24- hour struggle at the Bloody Angle. We will also see Lee’s new line after he abandoned the Mule Shoe and visit the battlefield at Harris Farm.
We will conclude Saturday with dinner at the Stevenson’s Ridge event center hosted by Chris Mackowski and his wife Jennifer. This will be a fantastic buffet dinner and a great way to wind up our trip before heading home on Sunday morning.
The cost of the trip is estimated currently to be $450 per person. The final cost is determined by the number of people who will be on the trip. We have a maximum number of 40 for this trip. We will begin collecting the $200 non-refundable deposit in January that will guarantee your reservation.
What does the cost of the trip cover? In addition to the cost of the bus, the fee includes the fees charged by our guide, Godon Rhea, any fees for admission to the National Military Parks, three lunches, the Friday night pizza party at the hotel, the grand finale dinner on Saturday night, and all gratuities paid to our guide and bus driver.
What is not covered? You will be responsible for your hotel which you will get at the reduced group rate of $120 per night plus Virgina state taxes. You will also be responsible for any meals not covered by the trip fee.
I hope you will make plans to join us on what promises to be a great experience with a great guide and great fellowship! Mark your calendars for April 17-21. You can sign up at the meetings or by emailing John Davis at johnd.davis@twc.com. If you have any questions, please send your email to John or talk to him at the meetings.
There is no better place to start than the books by our guide, Gordon Rhea. These are easily the best studies of these two battles ever written. “The Battle of the Wilderness May 5-6, 1864” and “The Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern May 7-12, 1864” cannot be topped. Bradley Gottfried has written two detailed map studies of the battles that give a map-by-map detailed explanation of these battles. “The Maps of the Wilderness” and “The Maps of Spotsylvania Through Cold Harbor” are highly recommended. For briefer and more recent books, I recommend Chris Mackowski’s “Hell Itself: The Battle of the Wilderness” and his book “A Season of Slaughter: The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House”. Both of these books from the Emerging Civil War Series.
April 17-21,2024, Field Trip to the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Battle of Giants: Lee vs Grant with Gordon Rhea
$200 Non-refundable Deposit is Due!
We are going to Virginia to cover the beginning of the Overland Campaign, the battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania. The dates are April 17-21, 2024. The signup sheet will be at the January meeting. We are also collecting the $200 non-refundable deposits. You can sign-up by emailing John Davis at johnd.davis@twc.com and mailing your $200 non-refundable deposit check made out to LCWRT directly to Louisville Civil War Round Table, 9462 Brownsboro Road - #142, Louisville, Ky., 40241. The $200 non-refundable deposit is now due which will guarantee your reservation for the trip. We anticipate the cost of this year’s trip will be between $450 and $475. Our guide will be renowed Civil War historian and author Gordon Rhea. He has written seven award-winning books about the American Civil War, including The Battle of the Wilderness, The Battles at Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern, To the North Anna River, Cold Harbor, On To Petersburg, Carrying the Flag, and In the Footsteps of Grant and Lee. He has conducted numerous tours of these battlefields and has been involved in their preservation.
These two battles which occurred over May 5 – May 12, 1864 marked the beginning of the titantic confrontation of the war’s two greatest generals, Robert E. Lee and U.S. Grant and would to a large extent determine the outcome of the Civil War. When the Army of the Potomic numbering some 120,000 men crossed the Rapidan River on May 4 and entered the tangled undergrowth of the Wilderness, Robert E. Lee responded by having his 55,000 Army of Northern Virginia break camp and march directly towards Grant’s army. What followed was some of the war’s most savage and dramatic fighting resulting in enormous casualties on each side. 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 meeting.
JANUARY 2024 QUIZ
1. How many times was Stonewall Jackson buried?
At least four times: It is believed that Jackson’s amputated arm was buried at least twice in the cemetery at Ellwood Plantation while the rest of his body was buried twice in the cemetery in Lexington, Virginia.
2. What percentage of white men of military age in the Confederacy lost their lives during the Civil War?
According to James McPherson, fully one-fourth lost their lives, and that doesn’t include an unknown number of civilian deaths in the South.
3. According to historian James McPherson, the 120 killed during the New York City draft riots of 1863 were mostly who?
“In the end most of those killed were not blacks or abolitionists but rioters, shot down by troops rushed to New York from Gettysburg.”
4. What was the connection between the New York City riots and the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts?
The mob beat to death the nephew of one of the Fifty-fourth’s sergeants on July 15, 1863. Three days later Sergeant Robert Simmons was mortally wounded in the attack on Fort Wagner.
5. Who were the six Union officers (five generals and one major) who became President of the United States?
Generals Chester A. Arthur (quartermaster general for New York State), James A. Garfield, Ulysses S. Grant, Benjamin Harrison, Rutherford B. Hayes, and Major William McKenley.
FEBRUARY 2024 QUIZ
1. What was Abraham Lincoln’s salary during his first term as president?
2. When Lincoln was assassinated, what was found in his brown leather wallet?
3. In the Lincoln White House were “Bob”, “Jack”, and “Jib”. Who were they?
4. What kind of legal will did Lincoln have?
5. Lincoln was the only American president to have what?