Raleigh Civil War Round Table

The Mission of the Raleigh Civil War Round Table is to study the history of the American Civil War, to stimulate interest and promote education in a broad range of topics related to that war, and to aid in the preservation and enhancement of its battlefields, cemeteries, relics, and other historic sites and landmarks.

• The Raleigh Civil War Round Table’s April 14^th, 2025, in person meeting features award-winning author and historian Michael C. Hardy speaking on the topic Feeding Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.   NOTE:   our meeting venue is the Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community at 1500 Sawmill Road in north Raleigh.   Springmoor residents are invited to attend for free.   See the associated map and directions below.

  PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO BYLAWS OF THE RALEIGH CWRT

  At a Feb. 9^th, 2025, meeting of the Raleigh CWRT Board of Directors, and having a quorum present, in a motion to amend the By-laws of the Raleigh CWRT, President Ted Kunstling moved that Section 5.1 should drop the words “once a month” and be reworded to read as follows:

  “Section 5.1 – Regular meetings: Regular meetings of the Round Table shall be convened at dates, time and location to be determined by the Board of Directors. The Board will be guided by the need for consistency to the degree that circumstances permit.”

  V.P. Jeff Palmer seconded the motion. Upon a vote of the Board members, the motion carried unanimously.

  Per the Bylaws, proposed amendments need to be "...provided to the membership in the newsletter and on the website one month prior to vote. Amendments are approved by a majority vote of the Round Table members present at the next regular meeting."

• Access from within this website to the video-recorded episodes of Fridays with U.S. Grant, by living historian Dr. Curt Fields, Ph.D., and sponsored by the Civil War Round Table Congress, is now up-to-date.   Links to an additional 30 episodes recorded by Dr. Fields have been added, bringing the total to 75!   The entire suite of compelling, always interesting, episodes can be accessed by clicking on the link Fridays with U.S. Grant, located in the Navigation panel to the left.   It is truly amazing how Dr. Fields is able to disappear into the role of U.S. Grant!

• Available now for your listening enjoyment are twenty additional Civil War podcasts from Civil War lecturer Freddie Kiger, numbered 058 to 077 (Jan. 2023 to Aug. 2024).   These can be accessed from the Navigation Column to the Left by clicking on the link Freddie Kiger's CW Podcast.

• A reminder that the podcast Addressing Gettysburg provides "great experiences, quality programs, and a welcoming community for those who love Gettysburg."

• New Third Member-Produced Civil War Documentary Blu-ray Film The Civil War in North Carolina:   Taking the Offensive, 1864.    Available at our April 14^th, 2025, meeting.

• Andrew Ballard, Raleigh Civil War Round Table's The Knapsack newsletter editor emeritus, has created and curates a new YouTube channel showcasing an archive of videos of interest to the Raleigh CWRT's members and friends.   To access it, click on the link Raleigh CWRT YouTube Channel in the Navigation panel on the left.

• The American Battlefield Trust is offering free educational materials on the American Revolution and American Civil War.

• The American Battlefield Trust Needs Your Help.

Upcoming meeting of the Raleigh CWRT

Our April meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 14^th, 2025, in the beautiful and well-equipped auditorium of Raleigh's Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community.

The gathering commences at 6:30 p.m. with socializing and light refreshments.   The program, which begins at 7:00 p.m., features award-winning author and historian Michael C. Hardy speaking on the topic Feeding Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.

Hardy based his unique study on more than 300 sets of letters and diaries in order to closely examine the importance of sustenance in the day-to-day life of the soldiers in the Army of Northern Virginia. Various chapters examine food issued by the army, food sent from home, and food carried, collected, and eaten during campaigns. These accounts dispel many misconceptions and assumptions about food during the war and provide a rich and complex picture of the arduous journey that various meats, grains, and other foodstuffs underwent to reach the hungry soldiers in the field.

In addition to the common soldier, Feeding Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia examines what the Confederate high command ate and also explores the relationship between hospitals and food, demonstrating the importance of proper nutrition in the recovery and care of the wounded. The vital role of camp servants is also studied, as is the critical connection between proper nutrition and morale. The voices of the men themselves provide a multi-faceted examination of this critical, but often overlooked, field of history.

Prior to Feeding Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, Hardy’s most-recently published work on the Civil War was Lee’s Body Guards: the 39^th Battalion Virginia Cavalry, History Press (July 19^th, 2019).

Michael last spoke to the Raleigh CWRT at our July 2018 meeting. His topic then was The Branch-Lane Brigade, based on his book General Lee’s Immortals: The Battles and Campaigns of the Branch-Lane Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia, 1861-1865, Savas Beatie (Jan. 12^th, 2018).

Michael C. Hardy was born in Orlando, FL, in 1972 and is a graduate of the Univ. of Alabama's New College Life Track, with honors in Community Studies, focusing on Civil War history. He was first captivated by the Civil War in the early 1980s, when an uncle brought him to a re-enactment and he was allowed to carry a flag. He became very involved in re-enacting, through which he gained a deeper understanding of the events, tactics, firearms, equipment, and clothing of the Civil War period.

In 1995, Michael moved with his wife to Boone, NC, where he researched NC units. His book on the 37^th NC Troops (2003) was the result of countless hours of research at the Appalachian State library. Overall, he has written twenty-nine books, fifteen of which concern the Civil War, and is currently working on a new one about the April 1864 battle of Plymouth, NC.

Michael Hardy's Oeuvre within the Civil War Genre (in hardcover unless noted otherwise):

• Feeding Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia (Savas Beatie, April 3^rd, 2025)

• Lee’s Body Guard: The 39^th Battalion Virginia Cavalry (The History Press, July 29^th, 2019)

• Kirk's Civil War Raids Along the Blue Ridge (The History Press, Mar. 5^th, 2018)

• General Lee's Immortals: The Battles and Campaigns of the Branch-Lane Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia, 1861-1865 (Savas Beatie, Jan. 12^th, 2018)

• The Capitals of the Confederacy: A History (The History Press, April 20^th, 2015)

• Watauga County, North Carolina, in the Civil War (The History Press, Oct. 1^st, 2013)

• North Carolina Remembers Chancellorsville: A Collection of First-Hand Accounts Written by North Carolina Soldiers (Ten Roads Press [paperback], Mar. 24^th, 2013)

• Civil War Charlotte: The Last Capital of the Confederacy (The History Press, June 5^th, 2012)

• North Carolina in the Civil War (The History Press, Aug. 4^th, 2011)

• North Carolina Remembers Gettysburg (Ten Roads Publishing [paperback], Jan. 10^th, 2018)

• The Fifty-Eighth North Carolina Troops: Tar Heels in the Army of Tennessee (McFarland and Co. [paperback], Oct. 13^th, 2010)

• Co-authored with Robert M. Hardy: “A Heinous Sin": The 1864 Brooksville-Bayport Raid (Lulu [paperback], Dec. 23^rd, 2008)

• Remembering North Carolina’s Confederates (Arcadia Publishing, Sept. 13^th, 2006)

• The Battles of Hanover Court House and Slash Church (McFarland and Co., June 2006) (out-of-print)

• The Thirty-Seventh North Carolina Troops: Tar Heels in the Army of Northern Virginia (McFarland & Co., July 1^st, 2003)

Hardy teaches writing and history continuing education classes at Mayland Community College in Spruce Pine, NC. In 2013, he became a Roads Scholar for the NC Humanities Council, remaining with the program until its demise. His articles have appeared in America's Civil War, Carolina Mountain Life, Civil War Times, North & South, Gettysburg Magazine, Tar Heel Junior Historians, and Camp Chase Gazette.

In 2010, Michael was named the NC Historian of the Year by the NC Society of Historians. That organization has also honored him with several other awards, as has the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. In 2015, Michael and his family were honored as the Volunteers of the Year for the Pisgah District, Blue Ridge Parkway, National Park Service. In 2012, he penned the foreword to New York Times-best-selling author Sharyn McCrumb's re-released historical novel, Ghost Riders (Blair, Mar. 1^st, 2012), a novel of the Blalocks and Western North Carolina during the Civil War. Also in 2012, his alma mater, the University of Alabama, honored him with the Alice Parker Award for Outstanding Literature and Arts.

A popular speaker, he frequently visits historical sites, museums, and libraries, and he is a member of numerous historical groups. He speaks on local radio and television broadcasts, e.g., the April 25^th, 2018, edition of East Carolina University's Dr. Gerry Prokopowicz's The Civil War Talk Radio Companion, where Michael discussed his book on the Branch-Lane Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia. In 2016, he appeared in the American Heroes Channel program Blood and Fury: America's Civil War. He hosts a popular weekly chat program on social media and has published a history blog for nearly twenty years entitled Looking for the Confederate War. When he is not researching and writing, Michael and his family volunteer as interpreters at several historic sites in western NC and east TN.

If Michael had time for a hobby, it would be photography, as he does get to capture a fair number of images of historic sites, battlefields, cemeteries, and old houses. Just like the words he writes, those images help to capture the past, one fragment at the time.

Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community

The Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community is located at 1500 Sawmill Rd., Raleigh, NC.   This is the NE quadrant of the intersection of Sawmill Road and Creedmoor Road, aka NC Hwy 50.   Their phone number is (919) 848-7080.

As shown circled in red on the map, monthly meetings take place in the Administrative/Activity Center Building at North Village, adjacent to the main parking lot.   Enter the right side of building into the lobby and check in with the receptionist.   Then take the stairs or elevator to the 2nd floor, where the auditorium is located.

The Podcast Addressing Gettysburg

The podcast Addressing Gettysburg was founded, and is hosted, by Matt Callery.   Its name is a clever wordplay on Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.   Its motto is "Great experiences, quality programs, and a welcoming community for those who love Gettysburg."   Matt is supported by his team consisting of Veronica Brestensky (Co-Host), and regular contributors and Licensed Battlefield Guides Bob Steenstra and Tim Smith.

Following are two endorsements of Addressing Gettysburg:

"Matt Callery and his Addressing Gettysburg podcast sets out with the idea that history is not boring and succeeds admirably.   The podcasts explore fascinating aspects of the Gettysburg and the American Civil War and Matt asks penetrating, interesting questions that draw the best from his guests.   If you have any interest in Gettysburg or how people endured and responded to extreme circumstances and conditions, you will find this podcast well worth your time investment."

— Scott Hartwig - Author, To Antietam Creek:   The Maryland Campaign of 1862

"Anyone interested in learning more about the events of July 1863, and their place in history and memory, can find something to enjoy in Addressing Gettysburg.   Through engaging interviews with historians, guides, experts, and other informed guests, each episode provides thorough, educational, entertaining, and informative historical content.   From military tactics, to civilian and human interest stories, to the battle's lasting legacy locally and across the nation, when it comes to Gettysburg, this podcast covers it all.

— Codie Eash - Author, Historian, Visitor Services Coordinator at Gettysburg Seminary Ridge Museum

Third Member-Produced Civil War Documentary Film Now Available

Andrew Ballard, editor emeritus of The Knapsack newsletter, has just produced a companion Blu-ray film to two earlier documentaries that the Raleigh Civil War Round Table previously released.

This latest documentary film, The Civil War in North Carolina:   Taking the Offensive, 1864, covers events that took place in our state that year including efforts by Maj. Gen. George Pickett to retake New Bern.   The film features the following:

• James E. White III (Batchelor’s Creek / New Bern and USS Underwriter)
• Philip Gerard (Kinston Hangings)
• Alex Christopher Meekins (Battle of Plymouth)
• Andrew Duppstadt (CSS Albemarle and Battle of Albemarle Sound), and
• Chris Fonvielle (Fort Fisher).

It is narrated by S.N. Burkholder of Middletown, CT and filmed on site.   It includes re-enactment footage along with historical maps and illustrations and period music.

Blu-ray discs of this film will be offered at our August 14^th, 2023, meeting for donations of $10 or more.   Copies of The Civil War in North Carolina:   Battles for the Coast, 1862 and The Civil War in North Carolina:   The Final Campaigns, 1865 are also still available.   As we have done with donations for the first two films, net proceeds from the third film will be used for preservation and conservation efforts related to the Civil War in North Carolina.   Checks should be made out to Raleigh CWRT.

The first film, The Civil War in North Carolina:   The Final Campaigns, 1865, features historians and authors speaking on the major events of 1865, including the following:

• Ed Bearss (Overview/Monroe's Crossroads)
• Chris Fonvielle (Fort Fisher / Fort Anderson / Wilmington)
• David Waller (Wyse Fork)
• Andrew Duppstadt (CSS Neuse)
• Wade Sokolosky (Averasboro)
• Mark Bradley (Bentonville)
• Chris Hartley (Stoneman's Raid)
• Ernest Dollar (Raleigh / Morrisville)
• Bob Farrell (Logan), and
• John Guss (Bennett Place)

The experts were all filmed at the applicable historical sites and re-enactment footage from the sesquicentennial events at Fort Fisher, Fort Anderson, and Bentonville is included.

Music by the Liberty Hall Drum & Fife Corps and the 26th North Carolina Field Music/Carolina Fifes and Drums, artwork by Stephen McCall, Martin Pate, and Darrell Combs, and maps by Mark A. Moore and Hal Jesperson are also in the documentary.

The second film, The Civil War in North Carolina:   Battles for the Coast, 1862, covers events that took place in our state that year including the Burnside Expedition and Foster's Raid.   The film features the following:

• Former National Park Service Ranger Michael Zatarga (Roanoke Island, South Mills)
• Author James E. White III (New Bern)
• N.C. State Park Ranger Paul R. Branch Jr. (Fort Macon)
• Military Curator for the NC Museum of History Charles R. Knight (Tranter's Creek), and
• Founder of the Goldsborough Bridge Association Randy Sauls (Foster's Raid / Kinston, White Hall, and Goldsborough Bridge).

The American Battlefield Trust is Offering Free Educational Materials on the American Revolution and American Civil War

The American Battlefield Trust "wants to share a sample of the digital resources that might be helpful to you right now.   We hope that they can help bring history to life at home, whether you are a parent, educator, lifelong student of history, or anywhere in between."

Click here to be taken to The American Battlefield Trust's Facebook page where you can find links to free on-line educational materials covering both the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War.

The American Battlefield Trust Needs Your Help

The American Battlefield Trust asks for your help in saving two acres of irreplaceable Civil War history on small, but vital, tracts of land of three Civil War battlefields:   East Cemetery Hill at Gettysburg, PA (one-half acre), Parker’s Cross Roads, TN (one-half acre), and Sailor’s Creek, VA (one acre).   The goal is to raise $193,000. Donations are matched at a ratio of $4.00-to-$1.00.

For more information, click the following link: Save Central Land at 3 Battlefields Including Gettysburg.

The Trust’s website has a web page devoted to a wonderful interactive tool.   Displayed is a map of the U.S. that can be toggled between topographical and satellite views.   In either case, an Interstate highway system is superimposed for reference.

For each State in which Civil War battles were fought, one can zoom in on that State and then drill down to show a specific battle.   Clicking on the battle location brings up a webpage with details about the battle.

The map can be filtered by State, by Civil War year, and by victor.   One can toggle a depiction of any land within the battlefield that is part of the current campaign for preservation.   For each battle, the number of acres already saved as well as the number of additional acres available for saving is displayed.   The interactive map can be found by clicking the following link: Saved Land.