Guns and other collectibles at the 2018 show in Dalton (Civil War Picket photo)
Civil War
historian and author Gregg Biggs will speak Saturday at the annual Chickamauga Civil War Show in Dalton, Ga., about Confederate flags flown during the
Henry-Donelson Campaign in Tennessee.
The 31st
edition of the annual firearms,
artifacts and relics show at the Dalton Convention Center, 2211 Tony Ingle
Parkway, takes place Saturday and Sunday. Mike Kent, who has been producing
Civil War shows for 35 years, said vendors will set up items on about 450
tables.
Biggs is one of four speakers scheduled Saturday
Many Confederate flags were captured as Union forces under Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant
took Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in February 1862 and gained vital land and
river areas in the Western Theater. About 13,000 Confederates were taken
prisoner.
Biggs, a
noted flag expert, told the Picket his afternoon program will cover three major
flag patterns in use: The first national flag of the Confederacy, Virginia
state flags used by Brig. Gen. John Floyd’s brigade, and the first use of the
Hardee pattern flag by Brig. Gen. Simon Bucker’s division. (Hardee example at left is 3rd Tennessee in a private collection. It was captured by the 14th Missouri.)
Buckner designed the flag while in Bowling Green, Ky., in
January 1862. Hardee pattern flags had a blue field and a circular or rectangular white center. They are most identified with units in the Army of Tennessee.
The units holding the forts were from
Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas and Virginia. Biggs’ talk
will cover existing flags and captured flags that cannot be located today.
"None of the captured CS flags from Henry or Donelson were ever sent to the War Department, which makes tracking them difficult," Biggs told the Picket. "Some were sent home by Union officers and most of those remain missing today."
A few days after Fort Donelson fell,
Clarksville and Nashville were captured; the latter the first capital of a
Confederate state to go into Union hands.
The lectures Saturday are in Room 1-A on the lower level of the trade center. Seminars are for paying attendees only, said Kent.
Other speakers on the schedule
11 a.m.: Michael J. Manning, author of “They
Fought Like Veterans:The Military History of the Civil War in the Indian
Territory.” A summary of the book says the strife of the Civil War severely fractured the Five Civilized
Tribes, splitting allegiances between the Union and the Confederacy.
Noon: Historian and author Scott Sallee on
the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. He will present the theory that
the killing had nothing to do with the Confederacy but, instead, the radical
faction of the Republican Party and the highest levels of the U.S. government.
1 p.m.: Greg Biggs (see above)
2 p.m.: Fort Donelson expert and battlefield
tour guide John Walsh will discuss photography during the Civil War. Walsh operates
Fort Donelson Relics.
Relic shows
are a major place for sellers, museum curators, authors, collectors and others
to network.
Show hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on
Saturday and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $12 for adults;
children 12 and under are free.
The Bullet and Shell table at the 2018 weekend event in Dalton, Ga (Picket photos)
Patrons at
this weekend’s 30th edition of the Chickamauga Civil War Show in
Dalton, Ga., can take in lectures on battlefield preservation, religion during
the conflict and Reconstruction.
The annual firearms, artifacts and relics show at the
Dalton Convention Center, 2211 Tony Ingle Parkway, takes place Saturday
and Sunday. During dealer move-in Friday, people can pay $50 for an “early
buyer” badge that gives them the first crack at many items. They can use the
pass through the weekend.
Show organizer Mike Kent, who has been producing Civil War
shows for 34 years, including 20 at Dalton, said nearly 200 vendors will set up
items on 450 tables.
“Standout
displays of Confederate buckles by Dr. Bill Blackman, Kenny Copelin and Scott
Riddle are always one of the top attractions at the show and Father Bob Miller,
who is one of our guest speakers, will also have a display on religion during
the war,” Kent (left) told the Picket.
Kent said all
Civil War shows have evolved over the years. What started out as mainly a
show for dug relics from the Civil War has developed into an all era,
militaria-type show with relics, artifacts, weapons and memorabilia from the
Revolutionary War up through World War ll.
“As Civil War
material becomes more difficult and expensive to acquire, collectors are
tending toward items from more recent eras such as WW ll, but the Dalton show
is still 80% to 90% Civil War related.” Kent also runs the larger Franklin
Civil War Show in Tennessee, held in December.
Beyond sales, relic
shows are a major place for sellers, museum curators, authors, collectors and
others to network.
While there is a fee to enter the Dalton hall,
three lectures Saturday in Room 1-A on the first floor of the trade center are
free and those interested do not need to enter the show to listen. The schedule:
Noon: Father Bob Miller, a Catholic priest and historian, speaks on “Religion is what makes soldiers brave: Seven reasons
why faith was important during the Civil War.”
1 p.m.: Historian and author Scott Sallee
lectures on Reconstruction following the Civil War, and its three phrases.
Civil War photo collector and expert David Wynn Vaughan of
Atlanta plans to attend Friday’s VIP session. “I (always) hope to find a nice Confederate image.”
Ronald S.
Coddington,author, historian and publisher of Military Images magazine, has previously set up shop at the Dalton show -- interacting
with patrons by scanning tintypes, ambrotype images and
cartes de visite for possible print and online galleries for this magazine,
getting story ideas and weighing in on a card’s value.
While he is unable to attend this year, Coddington said he
enjoys meeting the public.
“The passion and knowledge these caretakers have for
artifacts is inspiration. And the opportunity to be physically present to touch
the artifacts is not something you can get in the digital world -- at
least not yet.”
A prospective buyer checks out firearms in 2010 (Civil War Picket)
Kent says photo collector and dealer Paul Reeder, known for
his Confederate images, will be at the show. Military Images has published some
of his collection.
Show hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on
Saturday and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $12 for adults;
children 12 and under are free. Friday’s VIP session ($50) is 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Matt Holleman serves as an activator at Chickamauga (Picket photos)
The voices of
Jody Carter’s students travel hundreds of thousands
of miles each year from their amateur radio club in northwest Georgia.
Those in the
Rambler Radio Club (W4LMS) at at
LaFayette Middle School learn about other parts of
the world – by communicating with one person at a time.
“We
discuss weather, geography and significant sites around them,” according to the
computer science teacher.
They spoke
with members of Parks on the Air (POTA), a network of ham radio enthusiasts who
travel to federal and state parks and talk away. The international hobby group
was formed in early 2017.
I met a few
of the POTA people in late September during the federal park’s walks and tours
related to the 160th anniversary of the Battle of Chickamauga, a
significant Confederate victory.
The licensed
radio operators were at a picnic and gathering area, away from monuments that
dot the battlefield.
“This is
hallowed ground,” said Allen Padgett, 73, of LaFayette. “We try to maintain the
decorum there, and respect the special nature of the place.”
For Padgett
and millions of others, ham radio offers a chance to chat with people in far
corners of the world.
“We like to
talk and have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It is practice for us when
everything else goes down the toilet,” he said, referring to the ability of ham
radio folks to keep up with emergencies and stay connected during disasters.
While any
topic may come up, being at a park provides the opportunity to talk about
nature or the historic importance of the site. “We have talked to people who
had folks who fought or died in the battle,” said Padgett. “Those will almost
make you tear up.”
On the day I was at Chickamauga, Padgett and his comrades were dealing with the sun, which
was disturbing their radio signals. But they had a few dozen conversations,
including with four of Carter’s students.
They wanted
to know what was special about that day, Padgett recalled. “Cannons roared,
rifles fired and people died,” he recalled relating to the dozens of students
listening in.Padgett (at right with antenna at Chickamauga) and
Carter are members of the Tri-States Amateur Radio Club.
Carter,
who sponsors the school radio club, has made several contacts with POTA,
including at Chickamauga.
“The group that I chose for this contact were all 8th-grade students studying Georgia history this year, and the fact that the
activation was taking place in one of the Civil War's most significant battle
sites and that the site was less than 15 miles away from our school, I
knew we didn't want to miss out on this opportunity,” Carter told the Picket in
an email.
The
educator said another group of students attended a reenactment near the
battlefield the following weekend.
“I hope that
they see a glimpse into our nation's past and realize the importance of
remembering what those before us hoped to preserve," said Carter.
How to speak ham radio
I confess to knowing little about ham radio, its history and
those who do it. Padgett gave me a bit of a primer on how it works with the nonprofit POTA.
I also listened to a couple YouTube videos which said the hobby
is a fun way for participants to get “out
of the shack” and into the field to communicate. All it takes is a radio,
antenna, battery and a laptop – for as little as $600 and a license with the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC), if you are a U.S. citizen. POTA also has a code of conduct.
So-called “activators” set up and go the group’s website to
indicate they are on the air. “Hunters” around the world will then lock into
the frequency from their homes or vehicles. Messages between the parties bounce
off the ionosphere. (Click here to see current POTA active spots). Most participants are hunters.
The hobby awards points, gold stars and online certificates.
While they have no financial value, the recognitions are a reward of sorts for
taking part in activities.
“You
are never in too much a hurry to not talk,” said Padgett, who was among the
activators that afternoon at Chickamauga.
(Click photo at left to see typical radio bands.)
Ham
radio operators have their own language, and I asked Padgett to provide a
hypothetical conversation he might have had that day.
Here’s what he provided:
I would
pick a frequency and say:
KN4FKS CQ Parks On The Air, CQ Parks On The Air,
Kilo November Four Foxtrot Kilo Sierra, listening.
If no answer after listening for 15-20 seconds,
repeat.
Say W5ABC calls simply by saying his call sign. I
respond:
He responds: I have you 5-9 in Kansas, thanks for
the activation. (At this point, he might ask about my equipment, ask about the
park or ask about the weather here. He usually judges this by how busy I am as
HAMS usually listen a bit before they call)
I reply: 73 (which means best regards), KN4FKS QRZ
(which means who's next?) if no one answers, then I repeat first sentence CQ.
(CQ means is if you hear me give me a call)
When we activate from that picnic area we will
often tell our callers from Ohio the artillery that was at our exact location
on the first day of the battle was from Ohio. If from Indiana, we explain the
infantry was from Indiana.
Teacher says ham radio is what the world needs now
Ham radio enthusiasts tend to be male and most are middle-aged
or older.
Padgett says for an older hobbyist, sometimes “his contact with the outside world is
his home health nurse and his radio.”
Carter,
the school radio club sponsor, says getting students interested early pays
dividends. Students have traveled beyond our world – through a 2012 conversation
with the crew of the International Space Station – during the club’s 17 years.
Pupils
discuss the basics of radio theory, antennas,
signal propagation, the relationship between frequency and wavelength and other
technical topics related to the hobby.
“More than anything else, our students appreciate that with
amateur radio, they are treated like people, not like a little kid -- they are
respected for their pursuits,” Carter wrote.
“Considering the breakdown in communication that we are seeing
between large groups of us nationally and globally, it is my hope that we teach
the next generation the importance of making connections with people who we
think are not like us, one person at a time. Really, we are much more
alike than we are different.
“I want my students to learn how to think for themselves and to
articulate those ideas effectively. And I believe that for my students, amateur
radio can play a key role in teaching that life skill.
“We desperately need it.”
Activators keep logs (left) of calls and upload the data (Picket photo)
Do you know the reason why Chattanooga and Chickamauga became the sites
of the first national military park, or that it contains more monuments than
Gettysburg?Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
staff historian Jim Ogden does, and he shared these and other ear-catching
facts that are part of his style with the Chattanooga Civitan Club on Friday.-- Article
(Courtesy of Tennessee State Library and Archives)
Ranger-led
hikes, artillery demonstrations, programs and the re-enactment of a
flag-raising will be featured in this month’s commemoration of the battles of
Chattanooga, termed the “death knell of the Confederacy.”
Chickamauga
and Chattanooga National Military Park in Tennessee and Georgia has events
planned in and around the city from Nov. 23-25.
“155 years
ago, months of fighting culminated with a series of battles throughout the
Chattanooga area,” the park said in a press release. “By the time the
smoke cleared, Orchard Knob, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, and Ringgold
Gap were strewn with the wreckage of war, and the Confederate Army of Tennessee
was in full retreat.”
The Federals
held Chattanooga, the “Gateway to the Lower South,” which became the supply and
logistics base for Sherman’s successful 1864 Atlanta Campaign.
Among the
commemoration highlights is an event set for 9 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 25. Living
historians will recreate a flag-raising by the 8th Kentucky
Infantry (US) on that date in 1863, one day after three Union divisions
assaulted Lookout Mountain. By midnight, it appeared Federal forces had
prevailed. A general wanted Old Glory to be planted on top of the mountain.
Capt. Wilson (Library of Congress)
The next
morning, with sunshine burning off the mist, a half dozen members of the 8th
Kentucky, led by Capt. John C. Wilson, climbed up that morning to plant the
flag. While they feared being shot upon, they found the ground had been
abandoned by Rebel troops.
“(The
soldiers) carefully ascended the summit of Lookout Mountain and entered present-day
Point Park. Finding it abandoned by Confederates, they walked out on the point
of the mountain. Perhaps foreshadowing the US Marines on Iwo Jima 82 years
later, they unfurled an American flag from the commanding heights,” the NPS
said.
Capt. John
Wilson, who led the party, later remarked, ‘It was the highest flag that was
planted during the war...and we were the lions of the day in the Union Army.’”
A newspaperman
gave this account of the response:
“The right of the Federal front, lying
far beneath, caught a glimpse of its flutter, and a cheer rose to the top of
the mountain, and ran from regiment to regiment, through whole brigades and
broad divisions, till the boys way around in the face of Mission Ridge passed
it along the line of battle.”
A photographer asked the heroes to
re-enact the moment with gallant poses on the craggy heights. After the battle,
Lookout Mountain became the single-most photographed place during the war.
Photographer Royal Linn and others took countless photos of soldiers and
civilians standing dangerously close to the edge of outcrops.
Historic entrance to Point Park (Library of Congress)
The gallantry
of the 8th Kentucky soldiers is now being remembered – 155 years
later. The National Park Service said visitors can come to the Ochs Museum in Point Park atop Lookout Mountain to
capture the moment. The flag-raising also will be shown live on the park’s
Facebook page.
Printed schedules
for the November programs are available at the Chickamauga battlefield and the
Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Centers, and a digital schedule, including
times and descriptions, is available online at: https://www.nps.gov/chch/chattanooga155.htm
James
Longstreet’s triumphs and travails on the battlefield and in the Southern
society he inhabited after the Civil War are the subject of an upcoming
symposium in metro Atlanta.
The Center
for the Study of the Civil War Era at Kennesaw State University on March 18
will feature talks by historian and author Jeffry D. Wert, history professor
Keith Bohannon and Brian Wills, director of the center. The program is entitled "Longstreet to Redemption."
Wills told
the Picket he will focus on the Confederate general’s independent campaigns at
Suffolk, Va.; and Knoxville, Tenn., in 1863.
“Longstreet struggled to replicate success on his own,”
away from the Army of Northern Virginia and Gen. Robert E. Lee, Wills said. “His
inability to achieve results in these operations did not negate his
performances before or after those campaigns, but exposed limitations for
Longstreet in working under such circumstances.”
Bohannon, who teaches at the University of West Georgia, will summarize
Longstreet’s actions in the 1863 Chickamauga campaign – including a
fortuitously timed attack that sent thousands of Federals fleeing before Major.
Gen. George Thomas stemmed the disaster.
Statue in Gainesville, Ga.
Bohannon’s talk is called “The Bull of the Woods Goes West” – and he will cover several areas.
“I'm hoping to explore first how various historians have interpreted
Longstreet's desire in 1863 to go west and reinforce (Gen. Braxton) Bragg's army,”
Bohannon said. “Was Longstreet hoping to get command of the Army of Tennessee?”
The historian said he will discuss
William Glenn Robertson’s view that Longstreet did not have a grand strategy at
Chickamauga. “Lastly, I plan on concluding with some thoughts about the
acrimonious relationship that developed between Longstreet and Bragg in the weeks following Chickamauga.”
Wert – who wrote a 1993 biography of the controversial general -- will examine the “criticism
that Longstreet received following the war, largely associated with the
Confederate defeat at Gettysburg, Longstreet's criticisms of General Lee and
his postwar career as a Republican,” the Civil War Center said in a press
release. “(Longstreet) was, as he stated, arraigned before the world as the "only
one responsible for the loss of the cause."
Wert
and other historians have done much to bring a new assessment of Longstreet’s
tarnished postwar reputation.
Piedmont Hotel, the general's Gainesville residence.
People
who want to learn more about Longstreet and his legacy also can take part in an
April 8 bus tour to Gainesville, Ga., where the general lived his last years.
The event includes a guided tour of his home led by Wills and Richard Pilcher of
the Longstreet Society, admission to the Northeast Georgia History Center and a
boxed lunch.
The
Longstreet Society works to rehabilitate the image of Lee's "War Horse." It argues he has
been unfairly vilified by postwar detractors.
Advance registration for
the 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. March 18 symposium is available here for a donation of $5 to benefit the center and its
programs. The April 8 bus event has a cost is $59 per
person. Kennesaw Corps Annual member admission is $49. You can register here.
Failings of
Confederate leadership in the Western Theater will be the subject of an
upcoming seminar held in conjunction with the Chickamauga Civil War Show in
Dalton, Ga.
Bandy Heritage Center for Northwest Georgia’s Feb. 6
colloquium will draw patrons who flock to the annual firearms, artifacts and
relics show at the Dalton Convention Center, 2211
Dug Gap Battle Road.
“We have held our colloquium in conjunction with the Civil
War show every year since 2010,” said Brian Hilliard, Bandy project director. “It
is a natural tie-in with the community interest in the show.”
The talks in the lecture
hall on the upper level of the trade center are free and feature three
prominent Civil War historians and authors. The schedule for “Losing the
Heartland: The Failure of Confederate Theater Command in the West” is:
Tim Smith
9:15 a.m.: “Albert Sidney Johnston: Hero or Villain?”
Tim Smith will examine the
general’s strategic and tactical decisions and their repercussions. Smith,
including in “Shiloh: Conquer or Perish,” has written extensively about the
fallen leader’s conduct at that 1862 battle. In an America’s Civil War magazine article, Smith took on the myth that the South would have won the battle if Johnston had
lived.
10 a.m.: “Joseph E. Johnston and the Mess in the West”
Richard McMurry will explore
the complex relationships between Johnston and his superiors and subordinates
and how that affected strategy. The general had a defense-and-retreat strategy
in northwest Georgia that eventually led to his loss of command. Johnston later
argued he was heavily outnumbered and won support from early postwar writers,
but McMurry has raised questions about his effectiveness. “It turns out that
Joseph E. Johnston is not regarded now by a lot of people as the greatest thing
since grits,” the historian said in 2014, adding the general’s retreat toward
Atlanta was a political and logistical disaster for the South. (Coincidentally,
Johnston led troops against Maj. Gen William T. Sherman around Dalton during
the Atlanta Campaign).
Steve Davis
11 a.m.: “Bonnie Blue Flop: P.G.T. Beauregard and Confederate Strategy
in the Autumn of 1864”
Steve Davis, who has written extensively about the Atlanta Campaign, will discuss
Beauregard’s role in Confederate President Jefferson Davis’ failed efforts to
create a unified command structure in the West. The Louisiana-born general did
not get along well with Jefferson Davis and other leaders.
11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Discussion panel
In the same building, the Chickamauga Civil War Show is scheduled for 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on
Saturday, Feb. 6, and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 7. Admission is $10 for
adults; children under 12 get in free.
Show organizer Mike Kent told the Picket he expects to
have 475 tables with dealers from more than 20 states and England. Rafael
Eledge, who appears on PBS’ “Antiques Roadshow,” and his business Shiloh Relics
will be among the vendors. Eledge will give free appraisals, Kent says.
“We expect a great crowd as always, with several local Civil
War Roundtables making their annual pilgrimages to the show,” said Kent.
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park invites
the public to attend a 2-hour car caravan tour on Saturday, April 18 , exploring the challenges faced by soldiers, civilians, and former enslaved
people at the end of the Civil War. • Details
Jim Ogden (above) and other staffers at Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park last month led 16 “real-time” walks during the 150th
anniversary of the Battle of Chickamauga in North Georgia. He estimates at
least 1,000 people participated in the walks across the battlefield, timed to
the hour and dates events occurred. The park historian, 54, spoke recently with
the Civil War Picket about the tours.
Q. What were the
walks like, given you led 14 groups and were hoarse by the last one?
A. I did roughly
22 hours of interpretation over two and a half days. We did not really do
anything strenuous and did not cover that many miles. The poison ivy is an
issue because it is the predominant force on the forest floor. The other issue
in the woods and trails is that people get strung out, and you wait for people
-- not unlike what a military commander had to do.
NPS photo
Q. Tell me about the
people who took part.
A. I think the
groups that we had were a cross of the entire spectrum. Some people were very knowledgeable
about the Civil War in general, and this battle and campaign more specifically.
They know the battle story pretty well and are probably capable of giving a
tour of some depth in and of themselves. There were people this was their first
introduction to the Battle of Chickamauga. You have to be constantly watching
your group and seeing how you are engaging them. Seeing the looks on people’s
faces and sense whether you are offering a little to everybody in the group.
Q. How do you handle
comments from participants with more than a casual knowledge?
A. I don’t mind
interjection. Usually, some folks can offer something from a different
perspective or put it in a different way where someone can better connect. I
really encourage it with military groups (staff rides), whether there is a more
extended multi-person conversation. The primary thing is to have an enhanced
awareness that something utterly important happened on this ground. That this
is hallowed ground -- an event that helped shape our country in utterly
significant ways happened here.
Civil War Picket photo
Q. Tell me about your
approach on some walks?
A. On Snodgrass hill, (Union Col. Charles) Harker used it
essentially as a parapet behind which to position and protect his troops. He advanced
them to top, fired, withdrew, advanced. I illustrated that by moving back and
forth over the crest of the spur. I don’t care if someone remembers all of
Harker’s tactics. I want them to understand a really complex fight went on in. I
hope they (tour participants) would think about how individual choice made an
impact on the battlefield. I present a lot of what they (commanders) knows
right now and the condition right now -- who knows what will happen in the
future? When Longstreet orders four divisions forward at 11 a.m., by pure dumb
luck three of those divisions strike the Union line exactly where a Union
division is in the process of being replaced by another and thereby find the
weak spot in the line. There are innumerable places that decisions made at higher
and lower levels changed the course of the action.
Ranger Lee White leads tour at Snodgrass Hill (Picket photo)
Q. What about
soldiers’ descendants who take part?
A.On a daily basis we have a couple people who
asked about the walks. I try to tell them which program would be the best
relative to their particular interest. We had one family that were descendants
of 17th Indiana mounted infantry with Wilder’s Brigade. I brought
that role in a little more specifically than I might have otherwise.
Q. Are there times
you don’t have a ready answer to a question?
A. I do get
stumped sometimes. I hope this happens on a daily basis. This is a multimillion
piece jigsaw puzzle. We no longer have the box or all the pieces. We only
generally know that it is a nationally significantly battle. We don’t know what
that picture looks like. Some pieces we may not be able to put into the picture
because we don’t know how they fit into the section.
NPS photo
Q. What about the
appearance of the battlefield, compared to 1863?
A. It is important to preserve, restore and maintain the scenes
of some of this action. The pattern of fields and forests here is close, about
80% of the way that it was. Some fields are too large, others are no too small.
Some are entirely grown up. When you zoom in, a lot of work stills to be done.
The difference now is the nature of the forest, which in 1863 was a lot more
open than it is today. Reasons include agriculture practices at the time where
unfenced livestock ate vegetation. Second is the absence of fire. Today, fire
is suppressed. The final part is the plants. Chinese privet was not here in
1863. It has increased dramatically since my first summer here in 1982. It is
an utterly detrimental plant in the forest understory.
Q. Tell me about
source material at the park?
A. I worked at
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania. I did some archives research at Gettysburg.
This park does not have as much as Gettysburg or Fredericksburg. They have
larger staffs and acquired more material. But it is not just staffing. It is
the interest of the staff member. They may look at a descendant’s letter. They
should ask for a copy.
Q. Studies indicate
the age of national park visitors is increasing. There also is a question of
diversity at Civil War parks. Is that a concern?
A. The hump in
the bell curve has been moving up further up the age spectrum. There are fewer
younger people involved in history activities. The average age of re-enactor is
getting older. My observation, having been raised by educators, is that about
40 or 50 years ago there was a change in the way that history was taught in the
United States. Many are not given that background -- that spark of interest.
The National Park Service is addressing this problem of reaching out. The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, for example, has an urban wildlife refuge initiative
in which they are reaching out to urban populations.
Picket photo
Q. How does
technology affect what you and the park do?
A. The NPS has a cell phone tour here. The Civil War
Trust rolled out their Battle of Chickamauga animated map.What I am
doing is old school. I am not opposed to putting in new technologies. The
question is practicality. We have theability
to present maps and graphics by a smartphone or tablet. But that is hard to
show to a large crowd.
Q. In March, you will
be part of a Georgia Battlefields Association tour in North Georgia. What do
you aim for?
A. My goal is for
folks to have a great appreciation of that site and this history when they
finish. I am trying to improve that experience.
After years of slowly fading away at Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, the Lytle Monument stands tall again, a tribute to a fallen Union poet-warrior and others who spilled blood in the 1863 battle.
The pyramid of 323 reproduction 8-inch shells produced by a local foundry was rededicated on Sept. 20, almost 150 years to the hour that Brig. Gen. William H. Lytle was killed leading a counterattack against Confederate forces who would carry the field at Chickamauga that day. He was a brigade commander in Sheridan's Division of McCook's Corps.
R.A. Davis, commander of Lytle SUV camp
Vandalism
took its toll gradually after the Lytle Monument was dedicated in 1894. As the pyramid
shrank to one level, some of the cannonballs – surplus artillery shells from the Civil War –
were used to repair other monuments at the park. For the restoration, Lookout Metalworks used 130 bags of concrete and welded each of the shells to a metal frame. The cannonballs aren't going anywhere. "It still chokes me up," Lee Collins, a laborer for the company, said of the significance of the project.
People across the North and South came together to raise about$65,000 for the work.
Tom Reckner's great-great-grandfather fought with the 10th OVI
About 60 percent of the gifts came from outside the Georgia-Tennessee region, said executive director Patrice Glass of the Friends of the Park. Forty percent came from Ohio, home to Lytle, a hero in his hometown of Cincinnati.
"It has been a joint effort and labor of love," Glass told the crowd, seated around the monument and standing under the dappled sunlight on Lytle Hill.
The well-known poetry and
bravery of Lytle, twice wounded in previous battles, brought him high esteem
among his Confederate adversaries, who placed a guard around his body until it
could be returned to Union lines.
Pete Sturdevant played at ceremony
Lytle early in the war led the 10th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
"He was not an officer who led from behind the lines," said Kerry Langdon of the General William H. Lytle Camp #10 of
the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCV).
Graying warriors in the years after the battle placed monuments in the fields of glory, recognizing fallen men and the sacrifice of Confederate and Union units. The park was authorized by Congress in 1890, a tribute to hallowed ground "where they returned to shake hands," said Glass.
Tom Reckner, who re-enacts with the 6th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, carried a reproduction flag of the 10th Ohio, the unit in which his great-great grandfather, Sgt. Michael O'Brien, served.
"It touched my heart," Reckner, 53, said of his company commander's decision to let him perform the role during honor guard duties at the Chickamauga ceremony.
O'Brien's service with the 10th included the battles of Perryville and Resaca. According to pension records, he was believed to have contracted chronic bronchitis at Resaca. He died of complications in 1893.
