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"The legend of
the lost cause has served the entire country very well. The things that were
done during the War have not been forgotten but we now see them through a
veil. The conflict is a part of American legend, a part of American history, a
part of American romance."
-Bruce Catton,
Reflections on the Civil War
Recent Round
Table Activities
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On 9 April 2008, our Zouave fully-uniformed speakers
were Scott
Harrington, shown on the right, and Tim Huebner, on the left. Scott
led off the program with "The History of Zouaves and their Actions in
the American Civil War". We were then treated to a discourse by Tim
on the martyred Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, father of the 'Zouave Craze'
in the United States, and his short but valiant life. Tim is related
to Elmer Ellsworth. The presentations were very well received and
thoroughly enjoyed.
Scott Harrington has been Civil War reenacting since 1976, when he
enlisted with the 5th New York Volunteer Infantry, Duryee's Zouaves.
Tim Huebner has been a member of the 5th New York Zouaves, Company C,
since 1999. (Photo by Sharron Keesee)
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Several of our Civil Warriors participated in the Massing
of the
Colors ceremonies (17 February 08) at beautiful Forest Lawn
Cemetery. Representing the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) C.S.S.
Virginia Camp 2062, the Honor Guard participated in honoring
Confederate Veterans. Immediately behind them are camp
representatives of the Sons of Union Veterans (SUV)
The SCV members (from the left) are Johnny Holland, Jerry Engelberg,
both active CWRT members, and Bryan and Timothy Walls.
(Photo by Mimi Feigenson)
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10 -11 November
2007, Moorpark Civil War Battle Reenactments
On the left we find CWRT club member Dr Jon F. Willen, in Pickett's
field hospital, where he discussed Civil War medical practices with
reenactment visitors (Photo by Dave Goracke).
On the right is a night time photo of a Union artillery unit (Photo
by Danielle Keesee).
Here we find CWRT club member Mimi Feigenson, dressed in her
reenactment Civil War-era finery. (Photo by Danielle Keesee)
Be
sure to visit the following websites for collections of excellent
photographs of this year's reenactments which also includes a
Ventura County Star video with an interview clip of Dr Jon H. Willen:
19 August 2007,
Civil War Battle Reenactments at Fort Tejon State Historical Park
On the
left we see a gunnery crew of
the Richmond Howitzers Confederate
Artillery spring into action.
The gunnery sergeant in the red shirt is none other than Mike Presswood, a
frequent attendee of and recent speaker at our Round Table as well as the San
Gabriel Valley CWRT.
Mike also
serves on the board of the Ft. Tejon Historical Association.
On the right we see the
hospitality booth of Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV), CSS Virginia, Camp 2062
while being hosted by Mimi Feigenson (in the right background), a member of our
Round Table. The Confederate Third National Flag, on the left rear side of the
tent, is one of the flags that SCV Camp 2062 places in the rear of the room, as
well as the USA 36 star flag, at all of our meetings.
23 June 2007, Civil
War Memorial Services for Civil War Veterans and Internment Services of
Kathryn Ballou Strachan, granddaughter of Union Major Sullivan Ballou, at San
Gabriel Cemetery
The Memorial was
organized by the Ladies Memorial Association with participation by a number of
Civil War Round Tables and other Civil War organizations to honor Civil War
veterans, hold internment services for Kathryn Ballou Strachan (granddaughter of
Union Major Sullivan Ballou), lay tributes on nearby grave sites of Civil War
veterans, and the laying of a wreath at the statue of General George Patton,
member of this parish. Robin Young, author and speaker, wrote the biography
"For Love and Liberty,
the Untold Story of Sullivan Ballou"
and spoke at our Round
Table on 13 September 2006. In her research in writing of the biography she
discovered that Major Ballou had a granddaughter that had moved to California
and died about 45 years ago. Her body was cremated and her ashes unclaimed and
stored in a county facility in San Jose. She worked relentlessly through various
organizations for several years and was finally able to secure the release of
the granddaughter's remains so that they could be interred with her family
members in the San Gabriel Cemetery. Several organizations, including our Round
Table, contributed to the internment costs of burial.
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In the left photo, after
making her presentation on Kathryn Ballou Strachan, Robin Young listens intently
to an inquiry from the audience of participants. In the photo on the right,
Johnny Holland, in his full Civil War CSA Marine officer's uniform, stands next
to the cemetery's life-size statue of General George S. Patton. Patton was born
in San Gabriel and was a member of the adjacent Church of Our Savior which has a
long and illustrious history.
It was the first
protestant church in the San Gabriel Valley, founded in 1867, and the family
church of the World War II hero.
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Left:
Internment services for Kathryn Ballou Strachan were held in the
Ballou family plot following Robin Young's presentation and Civil War
memorial services. Right: Preceding
our November 14th Roundtable presentation, Robin Young presents
internment CWRT representatives Johnny Holland and Tom Keesee a
Certificate of Recognition from the City of San Gabriel for our support
in placing the ashes of Kathryn Strachan in her final resting place in
her uncle's burial plot.
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16 April 2007, Ed
Bearss Speaks at Glendale Public Library Auditorium
Nationally known author
and historian Edwin C. Bearss spoke 16 April 2007 at the Glendale Public Library
Auditorium. Bearss is the Chief Historian Emeritus of the National Park Service
and one of America's most renowned Civil War historians. He was featured by
Smithsonian Magazine in 2006 as an American who made a difference and has
received numerous awards in the field of history and preservation. Mr. Bearss,
right center, is shown here (from the left) with Civil Warriors Mike Presswood,
Kelly Cromer, Jerry Engelberg, Dr. Jon F. Willen, and Johnny Holland following
his lecture.
30 May 2007, Dave
Gorache Walked the Ruins of
Thaddeous Lowe's Lodge at Echo Mountain
Thaddeus Lowe a renowned
aeronautic scientist, was appointed chief of army aeronautics by President
Lincoln which quickly led to the ground-breaking US Balloon Corps during the
Civil War. Post-war, he moved to Los Angeles and built a famous railway that
took vacationers from Altadena to Mt. Lowe in the San Gabriel Mountains. The
railway and its vacation spots operated from the 1880s until 1936. Here, Civil
Warrior Dave Goracke walks the ruins of Lowe's lodge at Echo Mountain on 30 May
2007.
Please consider a
membership in the Civil War Preservation Trust.
Your contribution will help battlefield preservation efforts.
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