Vol. 4, No. 3
Richmond, Ky.
Booming reception
Union re-enactors (above) unleash a sizable battery at Confederate troops at the Battle of Sacramento while others reposition a howitzer (below). Some
30 cannons were used in the re-enactments. The May 21-23 Re-enactment Weekend was attended by nearly 9,000. – Allen Freeman photos See story
| In this issue ... Sacramento explodes in size with 9,000 at re-enactment For those interested in how volunteerism works, they should start first at the tiny community of Sacramento. The southern McLean County town has a population of slightly more than 500. But virtually every resident pitches in for its single most important event – a Civil War re-enactment weekend. And what those volunteers accomplish is mindboggling. Read more ‘Battle for Bluegrass’ attended by 350 Civil War enthusiasts Nearly 350 Civil War buffs from 35 states, the District of Columbia and Mexico discovered what Kentucky has to offer where War-between-the-States history is concerned. These were the enthusiasts who attended the Civil War Preservation Trust’s annual conference in Lexington June 3-6. The “Battle for the Bluegrass” event was the first CWPT conference held in Kentucky. Read more BORA-Graves Civil War experience attracts 720 students Nine years ago, some 100 students, mostly from Madison County schools, attended the initial Civil War Living History program sponsored by the Battle of Richmond Association (BORA). The Association’s leadership hoped the event would provide elementary school students with first-hand exposure to Civil War history in general and the Aug. 29-30, 1862 Battle of Richmond in particular. It would be a learning experience about a conflict that turned out to be the one of the most overwhelming Confederate victories of the entire war and the second largest Civil War battle in Kentucky. Read more Second Kentucky monument dedicated at Vicksburg Park Kentucky recently dedicated its second Confederate monument at the Vicksburg (Miss.) National Military Park. The May 8 dedication service was hosted by the National Park System and was attended by several state dignitaries and members of the Kentucky Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) and the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC). Read more African American named manager of Davis historic site Ron Sydnor – a former Marine, student of history and native of Russellville – is likely the first Black-American to manage the Jefferson Davis State Historic Site in Fairview. Sydnor, who’s among only a handful of African-American park managers in Kentucky’s state parks system, assumed his new post May 17 and said he plans to expand offerings at the park, which honors Davis, Confederate President and Kentucky native. Read more 54 Perryville acres transferred to state of Ky. by CWPT The Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) has donated 54 acres associated with the Battle of Perryville to the Commonwealth of Kentucky for integration into the Perryville state historic site. The transfer occurred June 1 as CWPT President James Lighthizer made the presentation to Tourism, Arts and Heritage Secretary Marchetta Sparrow. The CWPT purchased the property in 2006 at a cost of $156,679, which was partly offset by a federal matching grant for historic landscape protection. Read more Ky. Historical Society named preservation group of year The Kentucky Historical Society was named recipient of the Brian Pohanka Preservation Organization of the Year award and three Kentuckians were preservation winners at the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) annual conference in Lexington. The awards were made at the conference banquet that concluded the June 3-6 event. Read more Book review: Kentuckians cared for their own “My Old Kentucky Confederate Home: A Respectable Place for Civil War Veterans,” by Rusty Williams, 352 pages with notes and index, The University Press of Kentucky, 2010, $34.95. Read more Churchill was Richmond’s last surviving general In 1905 at age 81, Thomas J. Churchill died as the last surviving general of the 1862 Battle of Richmond. The Jefferson County native became a resident of Little Rock, Ark., in 1857 after making a name for himself as a first lieutenant with the Kentucky Rifles during the Mexican War. Read more Civil War enabled photography to quickly reach maturity Photography was only 21 years old when the Civil War started. And, four years later, the conflict became the most visually recorded event in history. In the process, photography made leaps and bounds as an important craft. Read more Clay rushed to protect Washington, president The newly appointed minister to Russia was preparing to leave for St. Petersburg just when the nation was cast into the Civil War. With the first shots fired at Fort Sumter April 12, 1861, Cassius Clay’s first thought was who’s going to protect Washington and President Abraham Lincoln. Read more 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.” Read more |
Clay’s battalion
The District of Columbia and President Lincoln
were foremost on Cassius Clay’s mind as the
Civil War opened at Fort Sumter. The newly
appointed minister to Russia quickly enlisted
volunteers and established a defense at the
capitol to protect the city and the president
from Southern sympathizers. See story
Vicksburg honor guard
Members of the Princeton Camp of the Kentucky
Sons of Confederate Veterans, the 3rd Kentucky
Infantry and re-enactors from Tennessee and
Mississippi led the honor guard for the May 8
dedication of the Kentucky memorial at
Vicksburg National Military Park. See story
Brown on Kentucky
Lexington attorney and Civil War author
Kent Masterson Brown was a principal speaker
at the Civil War Preservation Trust annual
conference in June. His feature presentation
was “The Civil War in Kentucky,” which was
followed by a panel discussion. See story
Graves leads it
Middle school teacher Sharon Graves (left)
has turned a Living History program for fourth-
and fifth-grade students into a major event for
the Battle of Richmond Association. The
program has become one of the best student
attended Civil War living history events in the
Commonwealth. Graves and BORA President
Linda Ashley examine the .44-caliber percussion
revolver worn by living history re-enactor
Wayne Peters. – JK Photography photo
See story
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