July-Sept. 2010
Vol. 4, No. 3
Richmond, Ky.

News in Brief

Richmond makes endangered list

Richmond has been identified as one of the most threatened Civil War battle sites in the United States by the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) in its annual report, “History Under Siege: a Guide to America’s Most Endangered Civil War Battlefields.”

“All across the country, our nation’s irreplaceable battlefields – these tangible links to our shared history – are threatened by inappropriate development, misguided public policy, limited financial resources and, in some cases, simple apathy,” CWPT President James Lighthizer said at the report’s unveiling. “Next year marks the Sesquicentennial of the bloodiest conflict in our nation’s history, and as we prepare for that seminal moment, it is an opportune time to shine a spotlight on the places that tell America’s story.”

The report states: “Although the battlefield has been well protected to date, future preservation efforts will be complicated by the addition of a new highway interchange, paving the way for significant commercial growth in an area that has previously experienced little development pressure.”

Richmond is the only Kentucky site included in the report.


‘Dr. Livingstone, I presume?’

Henry Stanley
In March 1871, Civil War veteran Henry M. Stanley was preparing to enter his name into historical trivia.

Now a reporter for The New York Herald, Stanley was commissioned by publisher James Gordon Bennett to find Scottish missionary and explorer Dr. David Livingstone, who was in Africa attempting to discover the source of the Nile River. Livingstone had not been heard from in some time.

Stanley, who was born in Wales, had immigrated to the United States in 1859 at age 18. He reluctantly participated in the Civil War, first joining the Confederacy and fighting in the Battle of Shiloh in 1862. He was taken prisoner, deserted and joined the Union. He eventually served in the Navy, but deserted again.

A 7,000-mile trip through tropical forest found Stanley on Nov. 10 in the village of Ujiji in present-day Tanzania. He soon would be face-to-face with Livingstone.

A servant took Stanley to the missionary/explorer, but the Welshman wasn’t sure how the Scotsman might receive him. He chose a laid-back, formal approach.

Stanley walked deliberately to Livingstone, took off his hat and uttered the now-famous phrase  – “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”


Crittenden tried to avert Civil War
John J. Crittenden

In December 1860, Kentucky Sen. John J. Crittenden tried to resolve the U.S. secession crisis.

The Crittenden Compromise addressed concerns that led deep south states to contemplate secession from the United States. The document guaranteed permanent existence of slavery in the slave states and addressed Southern demands regarding fugitive slaves and slavery in the District of Columbia. A key element was permanent reestablishment of the Missouri Compromise line – that slavery would be prohibited north of the 36-30 parallel and guaranteed south of it. It also included a clause that the compromise could not be repealed or amended.

Introduced on Dec. 18, the proposal was tabled Dec. 31, discussed in February 1861, but failed to pass. It was a last-ditch effort to resolve the secession crisis of 1860-61 by political negotiation.



‘Bear’ with them at West Liberty
The Battle of West Liberty will be relived and observed Sept. 24-25 as part of the Morgan County Sorghum Festival.

Re-enactments are scheduled on Saturday (Sept. 24) at 5 p.m. and on Sunday at 2 p.m. A drill demonstration, ladies’ tea and grand ball also are planned.

Three Civil War skirmishes were fought near West Liberty and much of the town was burned during the war, including the courthouse.   When the Union won the day Oct. 23, 1861, an after-action report listed the following as being captured: 34 prisoners, 52 horses, 10 mules, and “one large bear.” The bear, reportedly, would have been a mascot.






Tilghman House featured in publication
Lloyd Tilghman

Paducah’s Lloyd Tilghman House and Museum is featured in the May-June issue of The Confederate Veteran.

Tilghman, an 1836 West Point alumnus and engineer, was hired to build a railroad from Paducah to the Gulf of Mexico. He moved his wife and six children to McCracken County in 1852 into a two-story brick house that has served as a residence, boarding house and commercial property. The structure was saved from demolition in 1998 and turned into a museum. Due to financial problems, the house was sold to the Sons of Confederate Veterans in 2008.

In 1863, Tilghman became a colonel of the 3rd Kentucky Confederate Volunteer Infantry. He died in 1863 at Champion Hill, Miss.



Sept. 1 deadline set for Civil War cruise

Sept. 1 is the deadline to register for the Sept. 11 Civil War cruise aboard the Belle of Louisville.

The fall event begins with boarding at 6:30 p.m. and includes a three-hour cruise down the Ohio River, a special reception in the Captain’s Quarters, steam calliope music, and a dance on an air-conditioned deck. Refreshments will be provided by Greg Tipton, secretary of the Battle of Richmond Association (BORA), featuring chicken and ham salads, veggie and fruit trays and desserts.

A cash bar also will be available, unlimited light soft drinks and music provided by the Southern Sons Band.

The cost is $60 per couple, or $35 single with 19th century dress required. The cruise is sponsored by the 2nd Kentucky Infantry CSA and is limited to 300 individuals. For reservations and more details, contact Paula White at vermillion69@hotmail.com or by cell phone at 859-624-6791. E-mail reservations should include a phone number in order for confirmation.


Union was first and last in war deaths

The first actual battle casualty of the Civil War was a U.S orderly who was hit by thrown objects during a riot with a pro-secession group in Baltimore, Ohio, on April 18, 1861.

Ironically, the last man to be killed in battle at the end of the war was a Union soldier.


Equestrian games, Sesquicentennial next

Lexington will be host to the World Equestrian Games Sept. 25-Oct. 10, which is expected to attract more than 600,000 international visitors to the Commonwealth. A number of side trips by visitors to Civil War sites and other historical locales is anticipated during the 15-day event.

During the last week in September (Sept. 25-30), the Battle of Richmond Association will conduct a variety of living history events at its Battlefield Park for visitors.

And, then, the Civil War Sesquicentennial kicks off 2011 and extends through 2015 with thousands of Civil War enthusiasts expected to visit Kentucky’s more than 60 period battlefields and sites.


Perryville living history event scheduled Oct. 1-3
 
“Perryville:  The Eve of Battle,” a living history event on Merchant’s Row, will be conducted Oct. 1-3.

Artillery, cavalry and medical demonstrations, a parade, tours of historic homes and historically based street dramas are among the planned activities.  A $5 donation fee will be used for the renovation and preservation of Merchant’s Row.

For additional information, contact Vicki Goode, executive director of Main Street Perryville, at 859/319-9762 or e-mail Vicki@downtownperryville.com.

The Battle of Perryville Re-enactment is scheduled at the battlefield park Oct. 2-3.
 
 
 Ivy Point skirmishes set for Oct. 1-3
 
The Ivy Point Skirmish will be re-enacted Oct. 1-3 at the Gardner Farm in Magoffin County.

The re-enactment will be staged on the original Gardner Farm battle site, one mile north of Salyersville on U.S. 460/Rt/ 7. Multiple Civil War skirmishes were fought on the Gardner Farm in 1863. For more information, call 606-349-1607 or e-mail krkgoats@yahoo.com.
Articles and photos appearing on www.thekentuckycivilwarbugle.com may be used with permission. For permission, contact Bugle editor Ed Ford at fordpr@mis.net.

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