Symposium

Sorry my posts of late have been a bit sporadic. Lately the time I'd normally devote to blogging has been devoted to the symposium. Everything is doing well, in fact so much seems taken care of that it has freed me to find other opportunities of promoting the event and selling more tickets.

Today I posted an updated book sale blog on the round table's blog. There are some fantastic book deals available to symposium attendees. You can buy your tickets online, using paypal, or you can email me and I'll give you my address so you can mail me a check. Its going to be a wonderful time.

Here's a portion of the symposium committee. From left to right its Mike (round table president), me, Ned, Len, Ron (who made our program and flyer), and Dave. Ian took the picture, you'll be able to see him behind the book counter at the symposium.

Symposium Hotels

Lately there has been a bit of buzz from people who are planning to come to the symposium but don't live in the Denver area. I thought they might like some information on area hotels.

The presenters are being put up at the DIA Hyatt, 16250 East 40th Avenue 80011. It is about 5 miles nearly directly north of the Community College of Aurora. We did not reserve a block of rooms for out of town guests as this was not an issue last year. I guess as we grow this is something we may need to look into in future years. There are quite a few other chain hotels right there as this is a main area for airport travelers to stay, the airport isn't close enough that jets will keep you awake, nothing is near the airport. There are also some cheaper chain options closer to the college.

There is a La Quinta (1011 S Abilene St), Best Western (800 S Abilene St) and Holiday Inn Express (1500 S Abilene St) all about 3 miles to the southwest of the college. If you do a google search for hotels in the 80011 zip code you will many others. There are quite a few chain hotels along I-225 just west of the college and many others near I-70 north of the college as you will then be close to the airport.

Symposium Book Sale

No the roundtable did not actually buy a moving truck, but with all the books we ordered for the symposium it feels like we need one. The book selection will be much bigger than last year. There are no pre-orders, this post is just a teaser so you can plan your purchases the day of the event.


The size of pictures varies as I got them from a variety of sources. Some pictures were taken of books in my own library, and the rest were copied from publisher websites and Barnes and Noble.com. Some publishers only provide little pictures while some provide a nice image of the cover. Symposium attendees will get a nice discount on these books. In some cases the final symposium price has not been determined but that will be cleared up in a week or so. I will report this blog with final prices closer to the event day.

Brigades of Gettysburg by Bradley M Gottfried (cloth) - Symposium Price $30.00, Retail Price $50.00

Artillery of Gettysburg - Gottfried by Bradley M Gottfried (cloth) - Symposium Price $20.00, Retail Price $24.95

Maps of Gettysburg: The Gettysburg Campaign June 3 – July 13 by Bradley M Gottfried (cloth) - Symposium Price $29.00, Retail Price $39.95

Maps of First Bull Run by Bradley M Gottfried (cloth) - Symposium Price $27.00, Retail Price $34.95


Kearny's Own: The History of the 1st New Jersey Brigade by Bradley M Gottfried (cloth) - Symposium Price Not Yet Determined, Retail Price $36.95


Men Stood Like Iron: How the Iron Brigade Won Its Name by Lance J. Herdegen (paper) - Symposium Price $16.00, Retail Price $19.95


Those Damned Black Hats! by Lance J. Herdegen (cloth) - Symposium Price Not Yet Determined, Retail Price $32.95


McClellan's First Campaign, March - May 1862 by Russel H Beatie (cloth) - Symposium Price Not Yet Determined, Retail Price $45.00


Shiloh and the Western Campaign of 1862 by Timothy B Smith (cloth) - Symposium Price $20.00, Retail Price $32.95


Battle of Shiloh and the Organizations Engaged by Timothy B Smith (cloth) - Symposium Price $26.00, Retail Price $33.00

Golden Age of Battlefield Preservation by Timothy B Smith (paper) - Symposium Price $31.00, Retail Price $38.95


This Great Battlefield of Shiloh by Timothy B Smith (paper) - Symposium Price $16.00, Retail Price $19.95


Untold Story of Shiloh: The Battle and the Battlefield by Timothy B Smith (paper) - Symposium Price $18.00, Retail Price $21.95

Chickamauga Memorial by Timothy B Smith (cloth). This new release might not actually be printed in time for the event but if its been printed we'll have some copies for sale.



On Many a Bloody Field: Four Years in the Iron Brigade by Alan D. Gaff (paper), Retail Price $10.00, Retail Price $17.95


Iron Brigade: A Military History by Alan Nolan (paper) - Symposium Price $15.00, Retail Price $19.95

Lee Considered by Alan Nolan (paper) - Symposium Price $18.00, Retail Price $22.50

Giants in Their Tall Black Hats: Essays on the Iron Brigade by Alan Nolan & Sharon Vipond (cloth) - Symposium Price $18.00, Retail Price $29.95


Pickett's Charge in History and Memory by Carol Reardon (paper) - Symposium Price Not Yet Determined, Retail Price $19.95


Dear Sarah: Letters Home from a Soldier of the Iron Brigade by Coralou Peel Lassen (cloth) - Symposium Price $10.00, Retail Price $24.95


Major General Robert E. Rodes of the Army of Northern Virginia by Darrell L. Collins (cloth) - Symposium Price Not Yet Determined, Retail Price $32.95


Sherman's Horsemen by David Evans (paper) - Symposium Price $16.00, Retail Price $27.95

Fighting for the Confederacy: Recollections of Gen Alexander by Edward Porter Alexander (paper) - Symposium Price Not Yet Determined, Retail Price $26.00


One Continuous Fight: Retreat from Gettysburg by Eric Wittenberg & JD Petruzzi (cloth) - Symposium Price Not Yet Determined, Retail Price $34.95


Plenty of Blame to Go Around by Eric Wittenberg & JD Petruzzi (cloth) - Symposium Price Not Yet Determined, Retail Price $32.95


McClellan's War by Etahn Rafuse (cloth) - Symposium Price $23.00, Retail Price $35.00


Myth of the Lost Cause by Gary Gallagher & Alan Nolan (cloth) - Symposium Price $13.00, Retail Price $19.95

Lee and His Army in Confederate History by Gary W Gallagher (paper) - Symposium Price Not Yet Determined, Retail Price $20.95

Lee and His Generals in War and Memory by Gary W. Gallagher (paper) - Symposium Price $18.00, Retail Price $21.95


Complete Gettysburg Guide by J. David Petruzzi (cloth) - Symposium Price Not Yet Determined, Retail Price $39.95


Sickles at Gettysburg by James A. Hessler (cloth) - Symposium Price Not Yet Determined, Retail Price $32.95

Gleam of Bayonets by James V. Murfin (paper) - Symposium Price Not Yet Determined, Retail Price $24.95


Stand of the US Army at Gettysburg by Jeffrey Hall (cloth) - Symposium Price $25.00, Retail Price $34.95

General George E Pickett in Life and Legend by Lesley J Gordon (paper) - Symposium Price Not Yet Determined, Retail Price $20.95


Marble Man: Robert E. Lee and His Image in American Society by Thomas L. Connelly (paper) - Symposium Price Not Yet Determined, Retail Price $19.95


Ninety-eight Days: Geographer’s View of Vicksburg Campaign by Warren Grabau (cloth) - Symposium Price $38.00, Retail Price $48.00


Colonel John Pelham: Lee's Boy Artillerist by William Woods Hassler (paper) - Symposium Price Not Yet Determined, Retail Price $20.95

Symposium countdown

The Rocky Mountain Civil War symposium is about 5 weeks away. Down to crunch time. Right now we've got most things done and are just waiting for some time to tick by before we start other projects. That last week will be nuts but right now we have time to tie up final projects and don't really have to run around like a headless chicken.

I've been especially happy this week to learn that we are on track to spend less than we did last year. This is amazing news because this year we're paying for 5 flights instead of 4, paying for 10 nights of hotel rooms (5 speakers for two nights each) and we ordered many more books (182 this time compared to 135 the first time). We also added a Friday night event. If we end up with the same number of attendees and the same amount of book sales we will make a profit. And if everything is up from last year we stand to make a significant profit that will help fund future symposiums and donations to the Civil War Preservation Trust.

I've mentioned many time before our speakers and the books they have done. This time I thought I'd provide a little more commentary on the books.

Bradley Gottfried:

Books by Gottfried include:
The Artillery of Gettysburg
Brigades of Gettysburg: The Union and Confederate Brigades at the Battle of Gettysburg
The Maps of Gettysburg: The Gettysburg Campaign June 3 – July 13
The Maps of First Bull Run
Roads to Gettysburg: Lee's Invasion of the North, 1863
Kearny's Own: The History of the First New Jersey Brigade in the Civil War
Stopping Pickett: The History of the Philadelphia Brigade
The Battle of Gettysburg: A Guided Tour with Edward J. Stackpole, and Wilbur Sturtevant Nye.

As you can see I own the first four books on that list. There will be copies of those books for sale at the event, as well as Kearny's Own. I briefly looked through Kearny's Own when it shipped in and it looks good. The Maps books series is fantastic and I will buy the next volume without question. I think the Brigades book is a must have for study as well as it is essentially an encyclopedia by brigade, with a ton of nice maps. I recently picked up the Artillery book and have not read it yet but I heard that it was a fantastic resource.

Tim Smith:

Smith’s books are:

The Golden Age of Battlefield Preservation: The Decade of the 1890's and the Establishment of America's First Five Military Parks

This Great Battlefield of Shiloh: History, Memory, and the Establishment of a Civil War National Military Park

The Untold Story of Shiloh: The Battle and the Battlefield

Shiloh and the Western Campaign of 1862

Champion Hill: Decisive Battle for Vicksburg

The Battle of Shiloh and the Organizations Engaged by D. W. Reed

I also own Champion Hill but my copy is in my other library so I did not have it for a picture last night. The only one I don't own is Golden Age of Battlefield Preservation. Smith also has a book coming out very soon on the history of the Chickamauga-Chattanooga park. We might have it in time for the symposium, or we might just miss the release. If its there I'll probably buy that one as Chickamauga-Chattanooga is my favorite campaign to study next to Shiloh. I'm a big fan of Smith's work, his Shiloh books are great and I really enjoyed his Champion Hill book. I cannot imagine being interested in Shiloh and not having any of these books in your library, it just seems impossible.

Lance Herdegen:

Books by Herdegen are:

The Men Stood Like Iron: How the Iron Brigade Won Its Name

Four Years with the Iron Brigade: The Civil War Journal of William Ray, Seventh Wisconsin Volunteers with Sherry Murphy

In the Bloody Railroad Cut at Gettysburg with William J.K. Beaudot

"Those Damned Black Hats!" The Iron Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign

An Irishman in the Iron Brigade: The Civil War Memoirs of James P. Sullivan, Sixth Wisconsin

I'm only missing one of Herdegen's books, his new volume on the Iron Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign. I intend to get my copy at the symposium. I'm a big Iron Brigade fan and have quite a few books on the brigade. The only reason I don't have his new book yet is because I knew he was coming to the symposium and I could get it then, plus it would help the roundtable's bottom line.

Russel Beatie:

Amazingly I don't have any books by Beatie. My focus has been on the Western theater so I have not picked up his multi volume history of the Army of the Potomac. But I know that the first volumes will be for sale at a great price at the symposium, so I might just end up starting the series.

Books by Beatie include:
The Army of the Potomac: Birth of Command, November 1860-September 1861
Army of the Potomac, Volume II: McClellan Takes Command, September 1861-February 1862
Army of the Potomac: McClellan's First Campaign, March - May 1862

Stephen Recker:

I also don't have anything by Recker, but in this case it is because he has not produced books but rather CDs. There will be copies of Recker’s Virtual Gettysburg ($99), Antietam Artifacts - Postcards of the Maryland Campaign of 1862 ($19.95) and The Tipton Collection of Gettysburg Images ($19.95) available for sale at the symposium. I might have to get the postcard or Tipton CDs. I know there will be a computer there to show some of the images so I'll be able to figure out if I need both or not.

The Rocky Mountain Civil War Roundtable will hold its annual symposium on October 2-3, 2009 at the Community College of Aurora, Colorado. The theme is “Lee invades the North,” covering the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg.

Speaking at the main event on Saturday, October 3rd, will be Russel Beatie, Stephen Recker, Bradley Gottfried, Lance Herdegen and Timothy B. Smith. After the individual presentations there will be a panel discussion, followed by an author-signing event. The exhibit hall will have many of the presenters’ books for sale as well as Trailhead Graphics maps and an information booth from the Civil War Preservation Trust.

There will also be a Friday night, October 2nd, social event. This extra event will be limited to about 25 people to keep the atmosphere casual and intimate.

Tickets for Saturday only are $50, while tickets for both events are $57.

To order tickets, please visit www.RockyMtnCivilWarRT.com/OrderTickets.htm. You can also reach the Round Table for tickets at 303-249-4336.

Corinth

I've always liked Corinth. Maybe its because its so close to Shiloh, but I've always enjoyed my time in Corinth. In recent years they've built a Visitor's Center that while I'm not a huge fan of, it is still very nice and well overdue.

The new visitor's center sits near the site of Battery Robinette. How close exactly? I'm not anyone really knows for sure. There used to be a recreation of the battery on the high ground here and when the visitor's center was built it seemed like it was put nearly on top of the recreation. When I first saw it being done I didn't realize the battery was a recreation, apparently the real site is 50-100 yards farther away.

They built a fake Battery Robinette just outside of the visitor's center which I'm sure provides a great location to show how the battery would have operated during battle.

As you can see, it was rainy that day.

They also had this water garden memorial area depicting the war. There is loads of symbolism in the artwork. The water starts at the far end of the picture in 13 small streams for the 13 original colonies (or I guess one could say for the 13 Confederate states). Each of the red blocks is a battle and they differ in size based on the men involved in the battle. The water goes around the red blocks in two streams, for the two main theaters of the war. And at the end the water joins up again in one big pool, much like the country (eventually) was reunited. I'm not much for that sort of thing but it was neat to see.

My only complaint about the visitor's center is that there seemed to be way more room than exhibits. I was there a few months after it opened so maybe they have filled it in more by now, or plan to do so over the coming years. I did like that they had exhibits on Corinth's role as a contraband camp and how the newly freed slaves were taught how to read, write and generally lead productive lives. This is an area that tends to be ignored so it was nice to see something about it.

This is Battery Robinette before the visitor's center was built nearly on it.

Battery Williams was near Battery Robinette. It would have been on the high ground where there is now a building. Preservation in the Corinth area is a mixed bag. Some sites, like this one, have been completely lost while others remained largely intact.

Battery F is one of the forts that is relatively well preserved. Its farther away from the city than Robinett is (Battery Robinett is really in the city now) and while there are some newer homes out here there is also a park that preserves the fort.

My shots of the fort are not that great because the trees have grown all over it .....

... but you can make out the outer walls here. You can't get too good of a feel for its size except that its not large. Too many trees but I'd rather that trees are on the fort than a warehouse.

I'm just guessing here but this shot might be Battery E. Its in about the right spot, the terrain looks a bit out of place. Unfortunately this is a pre-digital shot so clicking on the picture does not bring up a fantastic image. But if you do click on it in the center of the photo you will see a green wall that is nearly perfectly level, which wouldn't be remarkable except that the rest of the hill has quite a bit of slope. I might be completely wrong but every time I passed it I thought it looked wrong for the landscape. And placing it on a map put it in the vicinity of where Battery E was. Can I say 100% this is Battery E? Nope, but too much about it seems like it might be. Maybe someone from Corinth will read this and can point out if I'm totally wrong (which I might be).

The old visitor's center was an outbuilding at the Curlee House. The Curlee House was used as headquarters by General Halleck, Bragg and Hood.

There is a nice walking/driving tour of town that takes you past several homes that served as headquarters, including some that are no longer standing.

This one was Albert Sidney Johnston's headquarters.

This is Oak Home, which was used by Leonidas Polk.

And Fish Pond House, used by one of my favorite generals, Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard. I have a weird dream of one day owning four dogs (at the same time) named Pierre, Gustave, Toutant and Beauregard. I know its a weird dream but I know my wife will never let me use one of those names for a child.

As always I visited the National Cemetery in town.

It has quite a few Civil War era graves, including this one that I found particularly interesting.