We hope you had a great summer and are prepared for a great season of speakers! Kicking off our season will be Jeff Bockert. Mr. Bockert’s topic will be Civil War Generals and the Mexican War. Mr. Bockert, presently a resident of Goldsboro, is a California native who currently serves as the Civil War Specialist for the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources and as Chairman of the North Carolina Civil War Tourism Council. Mr. Bockert has worked in the historic site and museum management field for over fifteen years. Prior to arriving in Goldsboro, he was the manager of the President James K. Polk Birthplace near Charlotte, N.C. He has worked for the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and also as Associate Curator of the Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington. He has taught history at Brunswick Community College and at Wingate University. He is the author of several works on presidential and military history and has been published in works such as White House Studies. Mr. Bockert received both his undergraduate degree in American History and his master’s degree from UNC-Wilmington.

His talk will center on the history of the Mexican War- “delving into aspects of that war that served as precursors to the Civil War. Included in this will be overviews of military tactics, advances and uses in weaponry, battlefield experience of future Civil War commanders, the relationship between the military and the civilian government, the integration of joint Navy-Army campaigns and cooperation, and the relationship between the volunteers and the regular army.”

Please join us at our September meeting (and bring a friend) for what promises to be a great talk.

Just who was John Summerfield Staples and what was his Civil War “claim to fame”? The answer lies below, read on! (Click here for the answer)

We have compiled a great slate of speakers for this season. (Click here)!
Please note that the meeting date in February is the THIRD Thursday of that month. It was necessary to change the date due to a conflict. Also, a date for the March meeting has not yet been determined.

General Pierre G.T. Beauregard?

Beauregard was involved in many pivotal events during the war, which began at Fort Sumter. Davis blamed him for the defeat at Shiloh. He was relieved of command. He was later sent to Charleston, S.C. where he was given the responsibility of protecting the coasts. After the war he returned to New Orleans, refused high command in the Egyptian as well as the Rumanian armies and went into railroading. His reputation was tarnished when he was associated with the Louisiana Lottery and he died in 1893 in New Orleans.

Major General Daniel Harvey Hill?

He was Stonewall Jackson’s brother-in-law. He became embroiled in a controversy with Bragg claiming Bragg was incompetent. He served the rest of the war in command of Volunteers in North Carolina. In 1877, Hill became president of the University of Arkansas, later headed the Georgia Military Academy and died in 1889. (From website- http://dburgin.tripod.com)

Finally: Ed Bearss, the rock star of Civil War tour guides will lead the fifth annual “Best of Bearss”, expedition with a seven-day look at the 1863 East Tennessee Campaign, beginning in Chattanooga....Tour participants know they must do their to keep up with Bearss. Even in his 80's. he still can out walk just about anybody....This tour is sponsored by History America Tours and if you are interested, they can be reached at 800-628-8542 or www.historyamerica.com.

A note from your president ...................

I've reserved our usual meeting room at St. Andrew's for next year. It's the usual "second Thursday" except for February, when we meet on the 21st so as to avoid conflicting with Valentine's Day.

One of St. Andrew's charitable programs is a monthly collection of food for their Inner City Ministries. We could just leave some cans, packages, etc. of non-perishables in a carton with a note when we meet, and they'll distribute them. I thought it would be a nice way to give the church a little extra thanks besides our usual annual check.

Sincerely,

David Norris