A truly authentic sound…
Lincoln’s watch may have taken licking,
but it kept on ticking through the film

There’s a scene in the film “Lincoln” where the 16th president is contemplative and fingering his pocket watch that’s hanging before him.

If those viewing the film listen closely, they can hear the watch ticking. That sound is authentic. Read more

Long, Woodward had no bullets
that contained their names

You’ve  probably heard it in B-movie dialogue when the hero avoided a near miss.

“Guess that bullet didn’t have my name on it,” he’d comment.

There are at least two instances in the Civil War when combatants could have uttered that cliché in the plural. Read more

Perryville entertains big turnout
at 150th re-enactment weekend

The signature battle of the Civil War in Kentucky attracted nearly 200 re-enactors, thousands of spectators and many more who crowded living history exhibits to learn what life was like in the 1860s.

The turnout at the Oct. 6 re-enactment of the Battle of Perryville attracted more spectators as it was the 150th anniversary of the Oct. 8, 1862 battle, according to spokesmen for the state’s Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet. Some 5,000 tickets were sold for the Saturday (Oct. 6) events. Read more

Capt. Williams’ rapid fire cannon
first machine-gun used for combat

CSA Capt. D.R. Williams, like many Civil War artillery commanders, was looking for the perfect combat cannon.

In 1861, the Covington native thought he may have developed a weapon that would fill the bill. Read more

Kentucky’s Civil War leaders…
Brave, gallant Tilghman was local hero
to those in his adopted city of Paducah

Although not a native Kentuckian, Lloyd Tilghman will forever be remembered in Paducah as a devoted, brave and gallant Confederate and staunch supporter of the McCracken County community. Read more

Missouri woman claims her father
fought in Civil War – and, he really did

People give Juanita Tudor Lowery a questioning look when she tells them, “My father fought in the Civil War.”

Lowery, 86, really never knew her father, Hugh Tudor, an infantry private in the Union army from 1864-65. Juanita was only age two when her father died in 1928 at age 81. And, he was 40 years older than his daughter’s mother, Mary Morgan. Read more

U of L music professor learned first hand
about filmmaking, appearing in ‘Lincoln’

Michael Tunnell, a University of Louisville music professor, knows first hand about the blue-collar job of filmmaking.

In a flag-raising ceremony filmed in Petersburg, Va., Tunnell appears with three other members of an ensemble called “The Kentucky Baroque Trumpets” in the film “Lincoln.” They perform with other musicians from the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., region and play the Civil War piece, “We are Coming Father Abraham.” Read more

Mitchell wanted hardtack remembered,
all the way to his grave and even beyond

Joseph (Dudley) Mitchell’s tombstone in the Greensburg (Ill.) Fairview Cemetery is at least unique.

In the top corner of the granite headstone is a small glass box. Inside the box is a piece of authentic Civil War hardtack.
Read more

Railroads came of age during Civil War,
particularly so for Kentucky’s L&N line

Railroads were new and relatively untried prior to the Civil War. But rail travel came of age during the conflict, particularly so with the Louisville and Nashville (L&N) line in Kentucky.

The L&N was the lifeline for the Union armies of Gens. Don Carlos Buell, William Rosecrans, William T. Sherman and George Thomas and a frequent target of Gen. John Hunt Morgan’s Confederate cavalry. Read more

One tree to be planted for each soldier
who died during Civil War, Wyatt says

“You can’t erase our past,” emphasizes Cate Magennis Wyatt, founder and president of a new Civil War legacy project. “We can’t just take for granted that the stories of those who came before us will be remembered,” she affirms. “And if you lose the beginning of your story, you certainly have a much more difficult time bringing the original ideals of America to fruition.” Read more

News in Brief…
Bus association estimates 30 percent increase in tourism visits to Gettysburg

An estimated fifteen thousand motor coaches bring visitors to Gettysburg, Pa., each year, making it one of the American Bus Association’s leading event attractions. And, officials estimate that, because of the events in the summer of 2013, a 30 percent increase in tourism-related business is anticipated.
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Trust sets record for acreage saved
during its 25th anniversary year

The Civil War Trust, in its 25th anniversary year, has completed the most successful year in its history, permanently protecting 3,735 acres of hallowed ground in 2012. Overall, the group and its predecessor organizations have now helped save in excess of 35,700 acres at 120 historic sites in 20 states.
Read more