May 8 meeting featured expert’s portrayal of Union General Ulysses S. Grant

CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE

William Dyess, a retired attorney, has lived in Granbury since 2007, and has had an interest in the American Civil War since childhood. He is a member of the steering committee of the North Central Texas Civil War Round Table.

The North Central Texas Civil War Round Table enjoyed a tremendous program on May 8. It was presented by Dr. Curt Fields, an expert on the life and times of Union General Ulysses S. Grant.

Dr. Fields, who holds a Ph.D. from Michigan State University, portrayed General Grant at the 150^th anniversary of Lee’s surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, in 2015, and was featured as the General in a three-part documentary series on the Discovery Channel. In presenting our program, he appeared in uniform as the general, and assumed the general’s persona. He spoke on the Vicksburg campaign.

The Round Table does not meet during the months of June, July, and August. Watch for our August calendar notice and column for news about our September meeting.

JUNE IN THE CIVIL WAR: While there was minor skirmishing between Union and Confederate forces in northern and western Virginia in the first few days of June 1861, the first actual engagement of the war was fought in southeastern Virginia, near the end of the peninsula between the James River, on the south, and the York River, on the north. There, despite Virginia’s secession, the Union continued to hold — and in fact had greatly re-enforced — Ft. Monroe, the most important military installation on the Atlantic seaboard. Not only did Union troops conduct raids out of the fort, capturing and destroying material deemed important to the Confederate war effort, but the fort lay only 90 miles from Richmond, and thus was an obvious “jumping off” point for an attack on the Confederate capitol.

With this in mind, the Confederacy sent General John Magruder to prepare defenses across the peninsula. General Magruder’s advance force, about 1,400 men and several pieces of artillery, under Colonel D.H. Hill, entrenched on a high point dominated by a church, known as Big Bethel, about 10 miles north of Fort Monroe. On June 10, approximately 4,000 Union troops, led by General Ebenezer Pierce, attacked Hill’s forces at Big Bethel. In the ensuing battle, the Union forces were decisively defeated and routed, losing 18 killed, 53 wounded, and 5 missing. Confederate losses were one killed and 7 wounded.

DID YOU KNOW?: When the Civil War began the State of West Virginia did not exist — the area was simply a part of Virginia. Unlike the rest of the state, however, it was staunchly anti-secession, and, after Virginia seceded, it sought to establish its own government and become a state. In early 1862, already primarily controlled by the Union, it petitioned to become a state of the United States, and on June 20, 1963, it became the state of West Virginia.

MEETINGS

The North Central Texas Civil War Round Table meets on the second Monday of each month except June, July, and August, at 6:30 p.m., at Spring Creek Bar-B-Que, 317 Hwy 377 E. in Granbury, and guests are always welcome. There is no charge for first-time attendees. For more information, please refer to our website: WWW.ncentexcwrt.com, or call either David Wells, at 817-579-5769, or Bill Dyess, at 817-326-8216.

Civil War Round Tables exist in cities and communities worldwide. All are independent and share a common objective in promoting and expanding interest in the study of the American Civil War.