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Knoxville Civil War Roundtable
~ Remembering the Civil War in East Tennessee
Tag Archives: Ulysses S. Grant
Welcome to Knoxville, Gen. Grant (Curt Fields)
Posted by knoxcwrt in news
Curt Fields, Ulysses S. Grant
Curt Fields will be the speaker at the Knoxville Civil War Roundtable on Tuesday, March 14, at 7 p.m. (See details for the dinner on the left side of the page.
Dr. E. C. (Curt) Fields, Jr., is an avid and lifelong student of the American Civil War. His interest in portraying General Ulysses S. Grant was driven by that study and his deep respect and admiration for General Grant. Dr. Fields is the same height and body type as General Grant and therefore presents a convincing, true-to-life image of the man as he really looked. He researches and reads extensively about General Grant to deliver an accurate persona of the General. His presentations are in first person, quoting from General Grant's Memoirs, articles and letters the General wrote, and statements he made in interviews.
Curt Fields as Gen. Grant
Dr. Fields holds a Bachelor and Master's degrees in Education from the University of Memphis. He later earned a Master's degree in Secondary Education and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Curriculum from Michigan State University. He is a career educator who taught for eight years at the junior and senior high school levels and then served for 25 years as a high school administrator. He also has taught as an adjunct Sociology Professor at the University of Memphis and in Education for Belhaven University's Memphis campus.
Dr. Fields is now an educational consultant and living historian. As a consultant, he has worked in leadership development as espoused and practiced by General Grant with several corporate and civic groups. As a living historian, Dr. Fields portrayed General Grant at the 150th Sesquicentennial observations of Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Raymond, Vicksburg, and at Appomattox Court House in 2015. He has portrayed the general on film as well staring as General Grant in the Visitor Center film shown at Appomattox Court House National Historic Park and in the Discovery Channel's three-part documentary series "How Booze built America." Dr. Fields also was featured as General Grant, giving his life story, on the Civil War Trust website.
A frequent contributor to "The Civil War Courier" (A Civil War monthly newspaper), Dr. Fields is a member of The Tennessee Historical Society, The West Tennessee Historical Society, The Shelby County Historical Society, The Nathan Bedford Forrest Historical Society, The Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association, The Appomattox 1865 Foundation, The 290 Foundation (dedicated to the Civil War Navies), The Civil War Trust, and the Ulysses S. Grant Association.
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Up next (March 14, 2017): the days leading to Appomattox
Posted by knoxcwrt in news, speakers
Appomattox, Curt Fields, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant
In the last days of March, 1865, Lieutenant General U. S. Grant had planned to assault General Robert E. Lee's thinly-manned lines around Petersburg, Virginia.
Curt Fields as U.S. Grant
He felt that enough time had dragged by in the nearly year-long campaign and that Lee could not withstand a simultaneous attack all along his lines. However, General Lee, anticipating the assault, attacked Grant first. That attempted break-out failed, and Lee began to fall back, abandoning Richmond in the process. The next few days were a blur as one savage battle after another was fought by a far- from-dead Army of Northern Virginia. But Lee was running out of time and food.
On April 7th, Grant sent the first letter to Lee of what became a short series of exchanges between the two generals, a series that culminating in the surrender meeting in the most unlikely of places for such a momentous event.
At the next KCWRT meeting, General Grant (played by historian Curt Fields) will talk of those letters and what was transpiring during the two days they were exchanged.
The General will also speak about the actual meeting between himself and General Lee, what was said, and what happened in the 75 or so minutes they were together in Wilmer McLean's parlor. He will address what he said in the surrender letter he wrote to General Lee effectively ending the war, and why he wrote what he did. He will also touch briefly on the unintended ramifications his letter later had on President Andrew Johnson's Cabinet and administration.
The next KCWRT meeting is Tuesday, March 14. Details are at the left of this page.
Marszalek: Sherman was 'no villain'
Posted by knoxcwrt in Civil War leaders, speakers
John Marszalek, Knoxville Civil War Rountable, Shiloh, Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman
The members of the Knoxville Civil War Roundtable will have to wait until Tuesday (July 12, 2016) to find out what historian John Marszalek has to say about William Tecumseh Sherman being "the South's best friend."
Before then, however, we can read a bit of what Marszalek has written about Sherman.
Here are some excerpts from Marszalek's biography John F.. Sherman : A Soldier's Passion for Order.
This from the Prologue:
William Tecumseh Sherman, photo by Matthew Brady
The destructive methods Sherman employed in the march to the sea were controversial, but he was no villain; he was one of the great military leaders of the Civil War. He knew how to outmaneuver a major Confederate army and how to destroy the Confederate will. He was an appealing individual, whom soldiers, family, and friends idolized. As a major public figure, he was in demand for both the office of the presidency and small social gatherings and public speeches. He impressed his contemporaries, influenced his age, and left a name for posterity.
Marszalek, John F.. Sherman : A Soldier's Passion for Order. Carbondale, US: Southern Illinois University Press, 2007. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 7 July 2016.
Copyright © 2007. Southern Illinois University Press. All rights reserved.
'Sherman: The South's Best Friend' is topic for July KCWRT meeting
Posted by knoxcwrt in news, speakers, William Tecumseh Sherman
Assault at West Point, Civil War, generals, John Marszalek, Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman
John F. Marszalek, the Giles Professor Emeritus of History at Mississippi State University, will be the speaker for the July meeting of the Knoxville Civil War Roundtable.
John Marszalek
Marzalek's topic will be "William Tecumseh Sherman: The South's Best Friend."
Marzalek is the author of a number of books, including three on the life and career of Sherman.
The talk will begin at 8 p.m., Tuesday, July 12, at the Bearden Banquet Hall, 5806 Kingston Pike. The cost for just attending the talk is $5; students may attend for free. Dinner is at 7 p.m. and costs $17 for non-members of the roundtable and $15 for members. Those wishing to attend should RSVP by noon, Monday July 11, by calling 865-671-9001.
Marzalek began teaching at MSU in 1973 and retired in 2002. He served as director and mentor of MSU's Scholarship Program.
Civil War Trust provides excellent video introduction to Gettysburg
Posted by knoxcwrt in Gettysburg, news
Abraham Lincoln, Civil War Trust, George Meade, Gettysburg, Gettysburg Address, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Vicksburg, video
With the approach of the anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3), KCWRT.org will be providing some information about the battle during the next couple of weeks.
A great place to start is the video introduction to the battle produce by the Civil War Trust, which you can see below.
Historian Garry Adelman gives a quick run-through of the battle with lots of animation and supplementary footage.
Gettysburg is so iconic — particularly because of the Gettysburg Address that Abraham Lincoln delivered four months after the battle — that we tend to lose sight of what it meant to the people who lived during the war.
Civil War images: Authors explore the Mosby Myth
Posted by knoxcwrt in Civil War leaders
Civil War, Ed Caudill, Gray Ghost, John Singleton Mosby, Paul Ashdown, The Mosby Myth, Ulysses S. Grant, Virginia
What we think about John Singleton Mosby is a mixture of what he did on the battlefields of the Civil War and the myth-making that occurred during and after the war. In this post, author Ed Caudill talks about his book on this expert image-maker.
What is real, and what just exists in our mind's eye, about our past?
Those were the questions two journalism historians had when they took on John Singleton Mosby, the famous Gray Ghost of the Confederate Army. What they produced is an insightful and interesting book titled The Mosby Myth: A Confederate Hero in Life and Legend.
Paul Ashdown and Ed Caudill (two colleagues and good friends) were fascinated by the fact that Mosby, a minor character in the gigantic events that occurred in America between 1861 and 1865, should have such a large place in the consciousness of America. Mosby is said to be the most famous non-general to emerge from the smoke of the war.
Even before the war ended, Mosby and his "raiders" had gained an outsized reputation due not just to their courageous exploits but also because of Mosby's careful attention to his own image. Ulysses Grant once ordered that they be executed immediately if they were caught.
James Longstreet
Posted by knoxcwrt in Civil War leaders, news
Ambrose Burnside, Battle of the Wilderness, Braxton Bragg, Centreville, Chattanooga, Chickamauga, Civil War in East Tennessee, Civil War in Knoxville, Fredericksburg, Ft. Sanders, George McClellan, Gettysburg, James Longstreet, Jefferson Davis, Joseph Hooker, Manassas Junction, Robert E. Lee. George Pickett, Rutherford B. Hayes, T.J. "Stonewall" Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, United States Military Academy, West Point
By J. C. Tumblin, O.D., Past President, Knoxville Civil War Roundtable
Copyright 1998 by J. C. Tumlbin All rights reserved.
CHILDHOOD, YOUTH, AND WEST POINT YEARS (1821- 1842)
James Longstreet was born the fifth child of James and Mary Ann Dent Longstreet, on January 8, 1821, in the Edgefield District of South Carolina. His mother had traveled to her mother-in-law's home for his birth. Both of his parents, owners of a cotton plantation near present-day Gainesville in the Piedmont section of northeastern Georgia, were descendants of families dating to the colonial period — James born in New Jersey, Mary Ann in Maryland. The future general always regarded Georgia as his home, as he came there within weeks of his birth and spent the first nine years of his life there. It had required hard physical labor and resilience to carve a farm out of the forest and wilderness that had been the frontier only a few years previous. Under the tutelage of his older brother and sister, William and Anna, young James rode horseback, hunted, fished, and developed the strong physique that would characterize him throughout life. He also developed self-confidence, self-reliance, and a work ethic.
Welcome to the KCWRT
The Knoxville Civil War Roundtable is a organization dedicated to remembering and studying the Civil War in East Tennessee.
Find out how to join the KCWRT on our membership page.
Meetings of the KCWRT are held at the Bearden Banquet Hall (5806 Kingston Pike). A dinner buffet is served at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $17 for members and $20 for nonmembers. Reservations must be made or cancelled not later than 11:00 am on the day before the meeting. Call (865) 671-9001 to make or cancel reservations.
Roundtable business is conducted at approximately 7:15 p.m.
A guest speaker, normally an author, educator, or historian of national prominence in his or her field, speaks for approximately one hour, on some aspect of the American Civil War. Additional information about this month's speaker can be found in the current issue of The Scout's Report.
This address is followed by a brief question and discussion period. Cost (for those not dining) is $5 for members and $8 for nonmembers.
The normal schedule of events at each meeting is as follows:
6:30 p.m. - Buffet Dinner
7:15 p.m. - Roundtable Business
7:30 p.m. - Speaker + Questions/Discussion
8:45 p.m. - Adjournment
Protect your pate with this fashionable and utilitarian cap. Made of cotton twill, it is durable, yet comfortable, and displays the Knoxville Civil War Roundtable logo prominently in front. Our caps are proudly worn by Ed Bearrs and they are an excellent accessory for your civil war history adventures. Priced at only $15.00, you too could look like a national treasure!
"Its Memory Alone Remains"
The Battle of Fort Sanders took place on what is now known as Fort Sanders Hill near downtown Knoxville. Nothing remains of the original fortifications however this short film provides excellent information about the fortifications and the battle. The fortifications were designed by Orlando Poe who encircled the fort with a deep trench which was not visible upon approach to the walls of the fort. Poe also had interwoven telegraph wire among the tree stumps surrounding the fort which presented a nearly impassable barrier, and utilized brush from the cut trees as additional camouflage. The resulting battle was brutal, resulting in large casualties.
Produced by Steve Dean, this documentary was filmed on a full-scale reproduction of the bastion with the dimensions of the earthwork and ditch taken from Orlando Poe's description. The title of this film was taken from an 1890's Blue and Gray Reunion Medal.
Available for purchase at $15.00.
"The Hidden Battlefield"
From the renowned Heartland Series, "The Hidden Battlefield" retells the history of the battle of Campbell Station. On November 16, 1863, nearly 20,000 soldiers fought on two fronts, with hundreds of deaths. Unfortunately little remains at this location to commemorate the 6-hour battle for possession of the crossroads at Campbell Station that resulted in two Medals of Honor being awarded.
The illustrious and knowledgeable Gerald Augustus is featured in this presentation.
Available for purchase at $15.00
All items are available for purchase at our monthly meetings or by mail to PO Box with check to KCWRT for amount of purchase. add $5 for postage and handling and email to zachsam@yahoo.com with order.
Abraham Lincoln Alfred Pleasonton Alfred Waud Ambrose Burnside Antietam Army of Northern Virginia Army of the Potomac Atlanta campaign Battlelines: Gettysburg Battle of Stones River Battle of the Wilderness Braxton Bragg Brian McKnight Brian Steel Wills Centreville Champ Ferguson Chattanooga Chickamauga Civil War Civil War in East Tennessee Civil War in Knoxville Civil War outlaws Civil War partisams Civil War Trust crowdsourcing Culp's Hill Curt Fields Earl Hess Ed Bearss Ed Caudill Edwin Forbes Fort Dickerson Frank O'Reilly Fredericksburg Free State of Jones Ft. Sanders George Armstrong Custer George Henry Thomas George McClellan George Meade George Rable Gettysburg Henry Wirz J.E.B. Stuart James Longstreet Jefferson Davis Jim Lewis Jim Ogden John Marszalek John Singleton Mosby Joseph Hooker Joseph Johnston Joseph Wheeler Knoxville Civil War Rountable magazines Manassas Junction march through Georgia news during the Civil War newspapers Paul Ashdown Richard Ewell Robert E. Lee Robert E. Lee. George Pickett Rutherford B. Hayes Scout's Report T.J. "Stonewall" Jackson Ulysses S. Grant United States Military Academy University of Alabama Vicksburg video West Point William P. Sanders William Tecumseh Sherman Wyatt Moulds
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Civil War Preservation Trust