News in Brief…

Camp Nelson genealogical research library
opens Sept. 21 with ribbon cutting, reception

Camp Nelson opened its genealogical research library Sept. 21 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception at its recently constructed barracks.

Most of the library’s resources are a collection of more than 3,000 Civil War era books that are on CD. The books are available for viewing on three separate computer work stations with internet access. Information is available on political, historical and military figures of the Civil War  in addition to maps, photos and stories of the 1860s that provide new insights into the lives of the men, women and political activities of the period. The library is staffed by volunteers and is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For further information, contact 859-881-5716 or visit www.campnelson.org.

BORA August attendance sets record

Some 8,600 people were on hand for Battle of Richmond Association (BORA) events during August, making it one of the most heavily attended periods in the history of the Association. In addition to the Aug. 25-26 re-enactment weekend, attendance at the Mt. Zion Civil War church service, Blue Grass Army Depot skirmish, the Service of Remembrance and golf tournament swelled the crowd total to the overall count. A record 8,000 attended the re-enactment weekend, with approximately 3,000 attending the Saturday re-enactment and another 2,500 present for the Sunday afternoon “battle.” Another 2,500 attended weekend living history events.

Mt. Zion Christian Church drew 200 for its Sunday morning service and 100 attended the initial Army Depot skirmish Sunday morning. The Service of Remembrance Aug. 30 attracted 200 visitors and some 100 participants were enrolled in the Preservation Classic Golf Tournament Aug. 17. The attendance at re-enactment weekend easily surpassed the record attendance total of 7,800 set in 2011.

Columbus-Belmont observes Civil War Days Oct. 12-14

Columbus-Belmont State Park will observe its annual Civil War Days Oct. 12-14 with battle re-enactments, living history and encampments.

Opening day is “education day” with schools, scouts, groups and clubs encouraged to schedule field trips. A Ghost Walk is scheduled Friday evening (Oct. 12) with re-enactments set for 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Sunday morning services and a memorial service are planned for the Columbus Cemetery.

More information is available by calling the park office at 270-677-2317 or via e-mail at cindy.lynch@ky.gov.

KHS launches new Civil War smartphone app

The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) is expanding its offerings to connect communities with local history through a new smartphone application, “ExploreKYHistory.”

The initial app, which is Civil War related, connects Kentucky communities by combining the history behind each community-driven historical marker, related items in the KHS collections and user-submitted images and stories into mapped points of interest. Related historical markers across the Commonwealth are then grouped together into tours.

“This first app takes the state’s Historical Markers Program and ties it to a much larger story about the Civil War,” Jody Blankenship, KHS education director, said.   “These are local pieces of history that communities consider most important and the app makes these available to everyone, in the palm of their hands.”

KHS hopes to connect communities further by eliciting participation from local historical societies and Kentucky citizens. Users will be able to submit images and stories for inclusion in the app.

Additional information is available at www.history.ky.gov.

Civil War art on display at EKU

Reverberations of the Civil War Juried Exhibition will be open through Oct. 26 in Eastern Kentucky University’s Giles Gallery.

The exhibit includes paintings, photos, sculpture and drawings by 18 students, faculty members and alumni.

Mary Todd, Flora exceeded mourning conventions

It was accepted during the Civil War that a woman mourn her child’s death for one year. A distraught Mary Todd Lincoln, however, mourned the death of son, Willie, for more than a year, wearing black jewelry and dressing in black veils and black crepe.

Flora Stuart, the widow of Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, probably mourned for a greater time than anyone else – remaining in heavy mourning for 95 years after the 1864 death of her husband at Yellow Tavern, Va.

Wartime convention decreed that a woman mourn a brother’s death for six months, and a husband’s death for two and a half years. She progressed through prescribed stages of heavy, full, and half mourning, gradually loosening requirements of dress and behavior.

By contrast, a widower was expected to mourn for only three months, simply by displaying black crepe on his hat or armband.

Confederate manpower bill too little, too late

By 1864, the Confederate Army was so depleted that some Southern leaders began talking publicly about a “Negro Soldier Bill,” according to Civil War historian Thomas R. Flagel.

The Southern press and slave owners didn’t want any part of the plan, but Gen. Robert E. Lee, commander of the Southern armies, endorsed the idea. However, the bill died in the Confederate Senate by one vote, Flagel said.

Virginia, however, passed a bill authorizing slave regiments, but, in the end, the effect was minimal, Flagel noted. The Old Dominion managed only to form a few poorly armed companies and Richmond fell before they could be sent into action.

By winning Kentucky, South could have won war

President Abraham Lincoln claimed he couldn’t afford to lose Kentucky as such a loss would cost him the war. According to Civil War authority James McPherson, the South also could make that claim. And, by not winning Kentucky, THEY did lose the war.

McPherson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, summarized Kentucky’s role during the American Civil War this way:

“It is scarcely an exaggeration to say that the Confederacy would have won the war if it could have gained Kentucky, and, conversely, that the Union’s success in retaining Kentucky as a base for invasions of the Confederate heartland brought eventual Union victory.”