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News in Brief
Kirby Smith descendants visit Richmond, witness
scene of one of ancestor’s greatest triumphs
Lynwood Brown, great-great grandson of Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith, recently visited the Richmond museum that highlights one of his ancestor’s greatest triumphs.
Brown, a municipal planner in Blowing Rock, N.C., told his children, Jimmy, 9, and Rowena, 6, about their illustrious relative who was co-commander of the 1862 Confederate invasion of Kentucky and who led the South to an overwhelming victory in the Battle of Richmond.
While enroute to Illinois, Brown visited the Battle of Richmond Visitor’s Center in November along with his wife and two children, remarking that he was told, “You’ve got to see this.” The museum features a bronze bust of Gen. Smith along with exhibits and videos about the 1862 battle that was the second largest Civil War conflict in Kentucky and the most convincing Confederate victory of the entire war.
Although he may be the first of Kirby Smith’s descendants to visit Richmond, Brown said family elders often talked of “The General’s” career. Brown said he hopes to bring his elderly mother for a visit in the coming year.
Brown is descended from Gen. Smith through one of the General’s daughters.
During the war, Smith commanded all Confederate forces west of the Mississippi, won two large victories and was the last to surrender a large Rebel army.
Two months after the Battle of Richmond, Confederate armies were expelled from Kentucky and the South lost its bid for independence.
Smith last visited Madison County in 1868, attending the Madison County Fair.
Breanna Mink defies those who contend youngsters don’t know American history
Civil War aficionados who claim young people are growing up unaware of their nation’s history need to meet Breanna Leigh Mink.
The freshman at Richmond’s Madison Central High School has written award-winning history essays and continues to participate as a volunteer in Battle of Richmond Civil War events. Breanna also is the author of the article about Gen. Patrick Cleburne in the current issue of The Bugle.
As an eighth grader at Richmond’s Clark-Moores Middle School, Social Studies teacher Sharon Graves got the Waco youngster interested in American history. As a result, Breanna volunteered at a number of Battlefield of Richmond Civil War events, including battle re-enactments, acting as a tour guide for two living history programs and participating in a National Park Clean-up Day.
With the encouragement of Mrs. Graves, Breanna entered and won first place in a Richmond Elks Club essay contest for a piece entitled, "Why I am Proud to be an American." That article went on to win second place in the state.
She also won first place in a Daughters of the American Revolution contest for an essay entitled, "Memoirs of Paul Revere." That won first place in state and was the 2011 East Central Division winner and was one of the eight division winners entered in the national contest.
In addition to her interest in history, Breanna enjoys cheerleading and softball and is a member of the Madison County Teen Court.
It was 10-year-old Chloe searching for her dad
 The photo in the October issue of The Bugle showing the child searching for her father in a lineup of 6th Kentucky Confederate re-enactors has initiated a singular question. Who is she?
Here’s the answer…
The young girl is 10-year-old Chloe Clark, whose father, Juston, is hidden by the unit flag. The photo was taken at a Battle of Richmond re-enactment by freelance photographer Doug Brewer.
The 6th Kentucky Infantry soon will be beginning its fourth year of re-enactment activity. A story about the 6th appears elsewhere in this issue.
Madison Roundtable opens with Sanders on Buckner
Stuart Sanders, administrator for the Kentucky Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission, will kickoff the 2012 schedule for the Madison County Civil War Roundtable.
Sanders, community services administrator for the Kentucky Historical Society, will speak on “A Name Worthy of a Division: Simon Bolivar Buckner” at the Roundtable meeting set for 6:30 p.m., Jan. 20, at the Dinner Bell Restaurant in Berea.
Other programs on the 2012 schedule include:
• March 23, “Champ Ferguson and Guerilla Warfare,” by Brian McKnight;
• May 11 or 18, 35th Anniversary Meeting, “Napoleonic Cavalry: Nathan Bedford Forrest,” by Greg Biggs;
• July 20, “The 6th Kentucky Confederate Cavalry,” by Joni House;
• Sept. 21, “Federal Gen. Horatio Wright,” by Tom Kriedler;
• Nov. 16, “The Forgotten Battler of Murfreesboro, Tenn.,” by Chris Kolakowski.
McIntyre named Berea’s ‘Woman of Year’
 Bugle Advertising Director Rhonda McIntyre has been named Woman of the Year by the Berea Chamber of Commerce for her charitable and civic work in Berea and Madison County.
McIntyre, who’s also creative director for Creative Tech Media, a Berea advertising firm, has an extensive background in print, radio marketing and public relations and is co-owner of BereaOnline.com and
New Web Radio.com. A Berea Chamber member for seven years, she is a board member and board secretary and chairs the communications committee and the entertainment/stage committee for the annual Spoonbread Festival.
She also is involved in the Madison County Veterans Committee helping plan charitable events.
McIntyre is a director of the Battle of Richmond Association and co-chairs its public relations committee and is a part-time employee of the Kentucky Farm Bureau Berea Agency.
Biddle allegedly was first to shed blood
 Among the many “firsts” being highlighted during the Civil War Sesquicentennial is one involving a Schuylkill Haven, Pa., native, Nicholas Biddle.
The servant of Union Capt. James Wren supposedly became the first person to shed blood in the Civil War.
Biddle became a notable historical figure following an incident April 18, 1861 in Baltimore, Md., near Camden Station.
A pro-Confederate mob threw bricks and the first hit Biddle, knocking him to the ground and leaving a wound that reportedly exposed bone.
Capt. Wren referred to his black servant as his orderly.
Frazier exhibit, “My Brother, My Enemy,” explores
how Civil War changed Commonwealth forever
“Civil War: My Brother, My Enemy,” an original exhibit produced by the Frazier Museum featuring more than 100 artifacts - most of which have never before been seen by the public - opened Oct. 15 in Louisville.
Historical items include a casket wagon once used by Cave Hill Cemetery to reinter soldiers, an exceptionally rare enlisted soldier’s uniform, slave documents and plantation horns, as well as a number of dresses, flags, surgical tools, horse tack, letters, photos and other personal objects, including the historically significant Mary Todd Lincoln collection.
The exhibit, which runs through April 8, 2012, examines how Kentucky’s distinctive physical and political positioning led to deep and lasting divisions among families and friends. Unlike many other Civil War studies that tend to focus on the battlefield chronology, the 3,800-square-foot exhibition delves into personal stories of the nationwide conflict that forever severed close-knit relationships in Kentucky.
The Mary Todd Lincoln collection includes a baby garment sewn by Mrs. Lincoln for her son, Robert, as well as commitment papers from the Illinois institution where the widow of America's 16th president was involuntarily committed. Framed in the greater context of Lincoln’s life, the historic papers provide an insight not only into one of the lowest points of the First Lady’s life, but into the lives of all women at the time.
The museum is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free for members and teachers, $9.50 for adults, $8 for military, $7.50 for seniors, $6 for children 5-17 and free for children four and under.
Kozak elected to third term as KCWSA president
Camp Nelson’s Mary Kozak has been elected to her third term as president of the Kentucky Civil War Sites Association (KCWSA). Kozak, who will serve through December 2012, was re-elected at the association’s Dec. 13 meeting in Frankfort.
Joan House, Perryville, was re-elected the group’s vice president, Susan McCrobie, Hardin County History Museum, will serve as secretary and Nancy Turner, Civil War Fort at Winchester, was elected treasurer.
Kozak, Turner and Paul Rominger – Richmond – were re-elected directors and outgoing treasurer Betty Gorin – Tebbs Bend - was newly elected to a director’s post.
The KCWSA is a non-profit group that seeks to promote and preserve Kentucky’s Civil War heritage.
Paducah marker honors 8th Colored Heavy Artillery
The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) dedicated a historical marker Oct. 22 at the Paducah-McCracken County Convention and Expo Center to honor the 8th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery, a Civil War regiment of African-American soldiers.
During the war, Paducah was the first city in Kentucky where an African-American regiment officially was organized. Parts of other black regiments also were recruited there and were granted freedom along with any other slaves who joined the Union army.
Paducah also is the site of Fort Anderson, an earthen fort built by Union soldiers. On March 25, 1864, Confederate troops attacked Fort Anderson and the 8th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery helped repel the assault.
Applications available for battlefield grants
Non-profit groups, academic institutions, and local, regional, state and tribal governments are encouraged to apply for American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) Battlefield Preservation Grants.
Types of eligible projects include:
· Archeology
· Cultural Landscape Inventories
· Cultural Resource Documentation
· GIS Mapping
· National Register Nominations
· Preservation Plans
Since 1990, the ABPP has worked to help protect and enhance more than 280 battlefields with project funding ranging from $5,000 - $75,000. The ABPP encourages, but does not require, matching funds or in-kind services for these projects.
Application form, deadline and complete guidelines are available online at www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/. Contact Kristen McMaster at 202-354-2037 for additional information.
Fort Duffield anniversary program conducted Nov. 11
A special commemoration program featuring two afternoon skirmishes were conducted Nov. 11 at Fort Duffield, identified as Kentucky’s largest and best-preserved Civil War earthen fort.
The 150th anniversary activity began with opening ceremonies at noon with a special commemorative program at 1:30 p.m. between skirmishes scheduled at 1 and 3 p.m.
The Union fort at West Point was constructed in 1861 to protect Gen. William Sherman’s supply base at the confluence of the Salt and Ohio Rivers.
Peterson House, where Lincoln died, reopened to public
The house where President Abraham Lincoln died across the street from Ford’s Theatre has reopened to the public after a yearlong renovation project.
The National Park Service reported that the rehabilitation of the Petersen House included repairs to the exterior, a new climate control system, repairs to the historic windows, doors and shutters and other improvements. The house is part of the Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site, which the park service acquired in 1933 and recreated the scene from the time of Lincoln’s death.
The house was closed for repairs in September 2010 and was scheduled to reopen in spring 2011, but renovation took longer than expected.
The Petersen House will be connected to the new Ford’s Theatre Society Center for Education and Leadership that’s scheduled to open in February.
Kentucky Military History Museum now open to public
A renovated Kentucky Military History Museum at the State Arsenal in Frankfort was opened to the public Nov. 11.
The museum, at 125 East Main Street, was constructed in 1850 and has been used as a storage facility and warehouse for the Kentucky State Guard’s military equipment and munitions. During the Civil War, it housed a cartridge factory and was a point of defense for the capital city. It became the Kentucky Military History Museum in 1974.
Renovations, which began in November 2007, include a heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrade, masonry repair, iron bars from the 1920s removed, window trim returned to its original color and a restored wood floor.
Some $1.5 million has been allocated for the project and is funded by the Kentucky Department of Military Affairs, the Kentucky Historical Society Foundation and the Kentucky Veterans Program Trust Fund. All restoration is expected to be completed by 2013 at a cost in excess of $2 million.
The State Arsenal is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Kentucky Historical Society, co-operator of the Arsenal with the Kentucky Department of Military Affairs, has an exhibit – “Kentucky Military Treasures” – currently on display. In addition to artifacts, the exhibit features stories of Kentuckians who fought in battles spanning nearly 200 years of conflicts – from the War of 1812 to engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The State Arsenal originally was painted gray and will be returned to that color. Shutters will be returned to the building as will a large flagpole that was once situated on the roof.
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