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January, 2016 Our Next Meeting – Thursday, January 21, 2015 edition 21, No.5 “…all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be
in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free." Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863
THE OLDE COLONY CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE
THE CAMPAIGN!
Reporting the latest Occurrences from Both the Front and the Rear. http://www.occwrt.org
OFFICERS
President
Joe Dipoli Vice President
Dana Zaiser Secretary
Gail Dugan
Treasurer
Don Fitzgerald Campaign Editor
Paul Griffel Past President
Rich Campagna EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:
(Officers are also members) President Emeritus Joe Scalia
Bob Hearsey Martha Horsefield Barbara Magruder
Dana Zaiser
Dave Sheldon
Sue Kuecker
Programs: Jack Kavanagh
Membership: Paula Cunningham
Jubilee: Bob Hearsey, Gail Dugan Web Master and Preservation: Dana Zaiser
Revere Award: Martha Horsefield
Refreshment Barbara Magruder
THE CAMPAIGN! A publication of the
Olde Colony Civil War Round Table
Headquarters: Dedham, Massachusetts
Editor Emeritus – David Kenney Current Editor
OCCWRT Monthly Meetings (except June/July/August and the
October Jubilee Dinner)) are regularly held the 3rd Thursday each
month, 7:30 PM (except December—2nd Thursday) at the Endicott
Estate, Dedham.
Our Next Meeting: January 21, 2015
Thursday at the Endicott Estate in Dedham:
7:00pm Book Sale, meeting begins 7:30 pm
Mini-bit Civil War in 4 from the Civil War Trust
Mini-bit Petersburg, Richmond, & Appomattox
Rich Campagna, Past President, OCCWRT
Guest speaker Megan Kate Nelson A Man Among
Ruins: Charles Fessenden and Civil War Destruction
Raffle and refreshments to follow
Megan Kate Nelson is a writer, historian, and
cultural critic. Based in Lincoln, Massachusetts, she
has written for the New York Times Disunion
blog, JSTOR Daily, The Chronicle of Higher
Education, Civil War Monitor, and Civil War Times.
She earned her BA in History and Literature from
Harvard University and her PhD in American Studies
from the University of Iowa, and has taught at Texas
Tech University, Cal State Fullerton, Harvard, and
Brown.
She has written two books—Ruin Nation: Destruction
and the American Civil War (2012) and Trembling
Earth: A Cultural History of the Okefenokee
Swamp (2005)—and is working on a third, Path of the
Dead Man: How the West was Won—and Lost—
during the American Civil War.
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While the destruction wrought by armed conflict is always
mentioned in accounts of wars, it is not usually the primary focus of
attention. This is not the case with Ruin Nation, a volume in the
University of Georgia Press series “Uncivil Wars”, which takes a look at
the cultural and social effects of the destruction engendered by the Civil
War on contemporary economic, cultural, and social institutions and
norms, as well as on the physical environment, and, of course, on the
people. (Review credit: www.synergy.org, photo:Atlanta history center)
Peachtree Street Atlanta 1866
Our Last Meeting December 17, 2015
Brian Murphy, OCCWRT
A Civil War Christmas
Brian has been nothing short of spectacular in his renditions of stories regarding how Christmas, “Peace on Earth”, was celebrated during the bloodiest war in US
history. Over 30 OCCWRT members were on hand to remember and celebrate Christmas together.
This was Brian’s sixteenth annual Christmas in the
Civil War mini-bit. They primarily focus of this talk
was the second Christmas of the War, the
Christmas of 1862.
Through many years of researching material for his
annual “Christmas in the Civil War” mini-bit, Brian
had often found small tidbits and stories which
showed that the Christmas spirit and sentiment
was shared by Americans on both side of the war.
A recurring theme was stories that included acts of
civility, if not charity, towards an enemy, or even a
momentary truce among soldiers blue and gray.
After all, at that time of year they could more
readily see that their common enemy was the war
itself. They shared a similar situation of being
hundreds of miles from home facing an immediate
threat to their own mortality at a time they
ordinarily would have been enjoying the
celebration of their Christmas with family and
friends.
Credit: Thomas Nast collections
In addition, Brian expanded his talk into a
multimedia event. He included his poster sized
Thomas Nast drawing titled Christmas Eve 1862.
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It appeared in black and white in the Christmas
edition of Harper’s Weekly that year. A copy is
shown below.
Brian also had on display a Chilmark pewter figure
titled “Merry Christmas Yank.” It depicts a
supposed Christmas truce between a Rebel soldier
and a Union soldier sharing rations and captured
fowl at the fireplace of a home in which all that
remains is in fact the hearth.
You’ll recall that South Carolina seceded from the
Union on December 20th, 1860. The first
hostilities occurred after Christmas when The Star
of the West was fired upon as it attempted to
supply the Union garrison at Fort Sumter. The first
Christmas of the Civil War then was in 1861. The
majority of participants on both sides were
nostalgic for hearth and home but hopeful still of a
quick resolution to the fighting.
Thomas Nast’s first drawing for a Harper’s Weekly
Christmas edition featured patriotic Santa Claus
delivering boxes to Union soldiers. In fact soldiers
in each army did their best to keep some
semblance of the Christmas spirit. Small
celebrations were common. By the Christmas of
1862 the savage angels of our nature had revealed
themselves at Antietam, and more recently
Fredericksburg. Both armies were on the move
too. It was clear that there would be a lot more
fighting to be done. It was far from certain
whether this would be the last Christmas of the war. Chilmark: Merry Christmas Yank
Thomas Nast Christmas (numerous sources)
THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE
PRESIDENT
To all of our members: Happy New Year, and thank
you for your support this past year.
We on your executive board are already at work on
programming for the next program year beginning in
September of 2016. Our board members do so much
behind the scenes to ensure that your meetings are
informative and well worth your time and effort to
attend.
We take for granted that there will be books for sale,
an excellent program of speakers and refreshments at
every meeting. The people behind the scenes do a
very commendable job month after month, but we
would be happy to have some new people eager to
roll up their sleeves and keep things running.
Our organization is no different from any other in its
need for people to step up, and guarantee that we will
still be here on Thursday evenings long after me and
the other officers have moved on.
If you haven’t paid your membership dues please drop
a check off with Paula Cunningham at the January meeting.
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Your dues help us save battlefields and fund other worthwhile
projects that preserve and perpetuate our heritage. We are trying
to fill our program calendar and Jack would love to hear from
you regarding a Minibit or longer presentation at a future
meeting. If baking is your thing our refreshment committee
could always use some cookies or brownies for the table. In
short, this Round Table is yours to create and participate and
most importantly enjoy and pass down to another generation of
future members who appreciate the sacrifices made on
battlefields by Americans from the Revolutionary War to ISIS.
We welcomed a new member to our board this month and we
would love to see more as time goes on.
Joe Dipoli
DUES ARE DUE! Please submit!
OCCWRT 2015-2016
MEMBERSHIP DUES
Date:_____________2015
Name ____________________________________
Address___________________________________
City______________________State___Zip______
Enclosed is my check for :
Individual Membership $ 20
Family Membership $ 25
Annual Membership plus added
Donation to Preservation Fund $_____
MAILTO: Paula Cunningham,
62 Ridgewood St., Taunton, MA 02780
DUES ARE IMPORTANT!
Dues provides funds for awards to speakers
Dues provide funds for refreshments
OCCRWT provides a yearly donation to the Endicott
Estate, ensuring that our meetings can be held in an
historic and enriched meeting environment
Money from dues are distributed to worthy preservation
organizations and activities
Paying dues demonstrates a commitment to
preservation of our heritage and Civil War
history!
Meeting cancellation advisory: If the Dedham
Schools announce that they will not open OR they
will have early dismissal, the Endicott Estate will be
closed for the day.
Friends of Olde Colony Civil War Round Table
Generous donations were provided by the following businesses
and individuals, and resulted in one of the most successful
raffles. Wherever possible, please consider using the services of
those businesses that supported the raffle:
ALEXANDER, TED, SOUTHERN REVENGE,
AUTOGRAPHED COPY
AMERICAN DIGGER MAGAZINE, ACWORTH, GA,
SAMPLE & 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION
BOSTON RED SOX: BASEBALL AUTOGRAPHED BY
CLAY BUCHLOLZ
CAMPAGNA, JOAN, NECKLACE AND EARRINGS
CIVIL WAR NEWS, TUNBRIDGE, VT, 1 YEAR
SUBSCRIPTION AND BACK ISSUES
DEDHAM COMMUNITY THEATRE, DEDHAM, MA, Two
Movie Passes and Pop Corn
DEDHAM SAVINGS, DEDHAM, MA, $50.00 AMERICAN
EXPRESS GIFT CARD
DIPOLI, JOE, Book, Newburyport in the Civil War
DUGAN, GAIL, Books, Appomattox T Shirt and Tote
DIXIE GUN WORKS: $10 gift card
FULTON, PAT, CIVIL WAR STAMPS, Necklace, Bracelet
GRIFFEL, PAUL, GETTYSBURG POSTER
HEARSEY, DOREEN, Desk Top Lincoln Statue
HEARSEY, ROBERT, 35 BOOKS, DVDs, Statue
HOLIDAY INN DEDHAM, DEDHAM, MA, HOTEL ROOM
FOR GUEST SPEAKER
ISABELLA RESTAURANT, DEDHAM, MA, $25.00 GIFT
CARD
KINGS BOWLING, DEDHAM, MA, BOWLING PASSES
PARADISE CAFÉ, DEDHAM, MA, 50% DISCOUNT
RED SOX BASEBALL AUTOGRAPHED
REGIMENTAL QUARTERMASTER, GETTYSBURG, PA,
SWORD, 2 $25 Gift Cards
ROCHE BROTHERS, WESTWOOD, $50.00 GIFT CARD
RON’S ICE CREAM, DEDHAM, MA, $15.00 Gift Card
STAR MARKET, DEDHAM, MA $25.00 GIFT CARD
TAUNTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TAUNTON, MA, MEMBERSHIP 1 YEAR
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THOMAS PUBLICATIONS, GETTYSBURG, PA, BOOK
VALORI TRELOAR, MD, NEWTON, MA,
DERMATOLOGY SAMPLES, 3 BAGS
ZAISER, DANA, CIVIL WAR TOKEN
50’S RESTAURANT, DEDHAM, MA, $25.00 GIFT CARD
Civil War History:
The incredible opportunities to learn and share our
heritage:
The Civil War Round Table of Greater Boston
Meetings: 7:30 pm on the 4th Friday of each month,
Sept. to June
President David L. Smith
781-647-3332
www.cwrtgb.com
The Civil War Round Table
of North Worcester County
Meetings: 7:00 pm on the 2nd Tuesday of each
month, Sept. to June, at the
Leominster Historical Society
17 School Street
Leominster, MA 01453
For information contact:
President, Ruth Frizzell
[email protected] or www.nwrccwrt.org
978-365-7628
The Civil War Round Table of
Central Massachusetts/Worcester
Meetings are held at 7:00 p.m. on the
4th Wednesday of each month
September to June
at the Holden Senior Center
Main Street
Holden, MA
For information contact:
President Mark Savolis
860-923-2777
Civil War Roundtable of Cape Cod
P.O. Box 1431 20 Main St.
The Riverview School on Rte 6A
3rd Monday of each month, 1:00 p.m. Yarmouth
Senior Center
Fred Wexler, President, or John Myers, Programming
at (580) 896-6421
The Civil War Roundtable
of the Merrimack
P.O. Box 421
West Newbury, MA 01985
54th Mass Glory Brigade Foundation
Ben Goff, Corr. Secy
P.O. Box 260342 Mattapan 02126
(617) 254-7005 [email protected]
President Emmett Bell-Sykes
617-333-9970
The Greater New Bedford
Civil War Roundtable
Joe Langlois, Pres.
Fourth Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m.
1000 S. Rodney French Blvd. New Bedford
(thanks to Nadine Mironchuk, Northshore CWRT)
Rhode Island Civil War Round Table
third Wednesday of the month at the William Hall
Library,1825 Broad Street, Cranston, R.I.; social hour
at 5:30, meeting and speaker at 6:00.
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Chairman is Mark Dunkelman
Secretary is Len Levin ([email protected])
Civil War Round Table of East Bridgewater
North Shore Civil War Round Table Dextor Bishop, president 53 Andrew Street, Lynn Largest GAR Hall and museum in the United States. You must attend a meeting to see a landmark Civil War heritage site!
Olde Colony Civil War Round Table Schedule 2015-2016
Such appreciation to the effort of Jack Kavanagh Program chair!
Most meetings begin at 7 pm with announcements from the President, followed by a presentation: The Civil War in 4, a video program from the Civil War
Preservation Trust, organized by Dana Zaiser:”
January 21, 2016
Rich Campagna, OCCWRT, minibit
“Petersburg”
Megan Kate Wilson
“A Man among ruins, Charles Fessenden and Civil War
Deconstruction”
February 18, 2016 Ralph Stenelli, OCCWRT, minibit
“Battlefield Flags”
Susan Kueker
“Grierson’s 1863 Mississippi Raid”
March 17, 2915 Paul Griffel, OCCWRT
“Civil War Trivia”
Mark Melllo
“The Devil’s Den”
April 21, 2016 Dale Julius
“A Civil War Round Table event”
May 19, 2015
“Alexander Stephens”
Brian Sims: “Russia in the Civil War”
ANNOUCEMENTS:
The group now has an active PO box to receive Civil
War related mailings and materials:
Olde Colony Civil War Round Table
P.O. Box 361
Dedham, MA 02027
Note the Zip is 02027, not the routine zip for Dedham
which is 02026
Civil War Trivia:
One of Robert E. Lee’s must trusted companions
during the war were his horse Traveller. Lee first saw
the Confeerate0gray stallion during his West
Virginian campaign in 1861, and the bought the horse
for $200 a year later. Lee named the 16 hand horse
Traveller and spent much of the war on the back of
this horse. Lee rode Traveller in almost every
important battle and over thousands of miles. He
would relieve stress by taking the horse for an
evening ride. He wrote to his wife in a letter and said,
“Traveller is my only companion, and I may say my
only pleasure.
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The horse out lived Lee by several years, but
ultimately died of complications of lockjaw. His
remains were preserved and the horse had become an
icon of Confederate history.
Trivia questions: what was the original name of the
horse before Lee renamed him Traveller?
Where can the remains of the horse be viewed?
Anything odd about the name?
Bonus question: what was the name of the favorite
horse of General Ulysses S. Grant?
Answers at the trivia contest March meeting!
Donations Made to the OCCWRT, please support
organizations that made generous contributions to
OCCWRT and preservation:
Due to the overwhelming response from Civil War News
subscribers, advertisers and readers, Jack Melton has decided to
continue Civil War News in its current newspaper format instead
of transitioning some of it into a new magazine. The regular
CWN departments and features will continue, along with some
new ones. The CWN website and Facebook (just shy of 70,000)
will continue as well. Jack can be reached at
Subscribe to Civil War News: and enjoy current news and
happenings in the Civil War preservation & reenacting
communities, color photos, extensive news coverage, in-
depth book reviews, letters to the editor, columns on
preservation, CWRTs, Civil War medicine, images and
firearms, The Watchdog and display and classified
advertising.
Other contributors:
