VOLUME XXI                      MARCH 15, 2004                       NO. 3
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www.chattanoogacwrt.org

M A R C H    R O U N D    T A B L E    M E E T I N G

V I S I T O R S   &   G U E S T S   W E L C O M E

DATE:   MONDAY,  MARCH 15, 2004         TIME:  7:00 PM
TOPIC: "The Bull of the Woods at Chickamauga: 
        James Longstreet in the Valley of the River
        of Death"

SPEAKER:  DR. WILLIAM GLENN ROBERTSON
          United States Army Command & General Staff
          College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

PLACE:  MILLIS-EVANS ROOM
        CALDWELL HALL, ACADEMIC QUADRANGLE
        THE MCCALLIE SCHOOL, HISTORIC MISSIONARY RIDGE  
(Directions to Caldwell Hall-Enter the McCallie School campus off of 
Dodds Avenue opposite the end of Bailey Avenue. Take the main drive into the 
campus and follow the signs for the Academic Quadrangle. There is a parking 
area there beside the Chapel and you will have passed Caldwell Hall on the 
right as you approach the parking area. Find a place and park. Caldwell Hall 
will be behind you as you park. Come in either the first or second floor 
doors and follow the signs to the Millis-Evans Room (on the second floor).
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MARCH MEETING
"...The enemy broke up in great confusion along my front, and about the same
time the Right Wing made a gallant dash and gained the line that had been
held so long and obstinately against it. A simultaneous and continuous shout
from the two wings announced our success complete. The enemy had fought
every man that he had, and everyone had been in turn beaten..."

     So Lieutenant General James Longstreet described the closing action of
September 20, 1863, in his official report. For "Old Pete," Robert E. Lee's
usually trusted subordinate, that late summer day in the valley of West
Chickamauga Creek was seemingly a great triumph. Not yet on the field
twenty-four hours, Longstreet's newly created Left Wing had driven much of
the Union Army of the Cumberland's right from the battlefield in disorder.
The signs of the Union rout were all around. The last of the Union troops
had withdrawn from positions in front of him as darkness closed on the
battlefield. Chickamauga was a great Southern victory and James Longstreet
and his men were a big part of the reason why. If his image was any
tarnished from Gettysburg two months before, here was a victory to
refurbish and expand his reputation. He was "The Bull of the Woods."
     But, is there more to consider about "Old Pete" at Chickamauga? For
twenty years now, Dr. William Glenn Robertson has investigated this bloody
battle in ever greater detail. What insights has he gained? Is there more
to Longstreet at Chickamauga than what meets the eye? That's what Dr.
Robertson will discuss in his talk this evening.
    Dr. William Glenn Robertson is a native of Southampton County, Virginia,
the same county in which Union General George H. Thomas was born. He is a
graduate of the University of Richmond and holds both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees
in history from the University of Virginia. As an instructor at the
United States Army's Command and General Staff College (CGSC), Dr. Robertson
was one of the people instrumental in reviving the "Staff Ride" as a
military instructional tool. For the last twenty years, he has taught a
course on conducting Staff Rides and has used the Chickamauga Campaign as
the example. This focus on Chickamauga has led him to amass the single
largest collection of material on the battle ever for the use of his
students and it has made him the foremost expert on the campaign. However,
under his direction, the Staff Ride team at CGSC has also developed,
and regularly conducts, Staff Rides relative to many other battles
including Wilson's Creek, Chancellorsville, Vicksburg, Shiloh, the
Atlanta Campaign, operations around Charleston, Little Big Horn, and
World War II operations in Europe. Presently, Dr. Robertson is Deputy
Director of the Combat Studies Institite of the Command and General Staff
College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and is also the Combined Arms
Center Historian.
     Dr. Robertson is the author of several books including Back Door
to Richmond: The Bermuda Hundred Campaign, April-June, 1864 (1987;
paperback, Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1991) and
The Petersburg Campaign: The Battle of Old Men and Young Boys, June 9,
1864 (Lynchburg, VA: H. E. Howard, 1989). He has authored several
army publications including The Staff Ride and Counterattack on
the Naktong, 1950. He is the co-author of Staff Ride Handbook for
the Battle of Chickamauga, 18-20 September 1863 available online at
(http://cgsc.leavenworth.army.mil/csi/staff_ride/). Essays he has
authored appear in America's First Battles (Dr. Robertson addesses
Bull Run) and most recently one on the role of United States Colored Troops
in the Siege of Petersburg in Black Soldiers in Blue: African American
Troops in the Civil War Era edited by Dr. John David Smith (Chapel Hill,
North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press, 2004).
    Dr. Robertson, his wife, and son, live in Leavenworth, Kansas.
    Come out and learn about an aspect of Chickamauga from the real expert
on the battle!
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SPEAKER'S FUND SUPPORT OF THE MONTH
      There are four items this month. The first two are copies of two of
our speaker's books, Back Door to Richmond: The Bermuda Hundred Campaign,
April-June, 1864 and The Petersburg Campaign: The Battle of Old Men and
Young Boys, June 9, 1864. The third item is a copy of Glenn Tucker's Lee
& Longstreet at Gettysburg. The fourth item is a framed miniature of a
Mort Kuntzler's print "The Fairfax Raid." The latter two items were
donations to the Round Table and to their doners go our thanks. Proceeds
from the Speaker's Fund go toward bringing speakers in from outside the
area. Your support of the Speaker's Fund is appreciated.
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DAVID H. GRAY HISTORY FAIR
      Brent Lambert served as the Round Table's judge for the History Fair.
He reports that overall there were thirty or so entries present, with
several that were Civil War related or at least of the Civil War era. A
couple more were supposed to be there but weren't that dealt with particular
battles or generals. Brent awarded one of our $20.00 prizes to Adam Anderson
of the Junior High Division for an entry on the Underground Railroad. Brent
said it was clear the student had put a lot of work into the project. The
other prize went to Brittney Ramos-Janeway for an Open or Elementary
Division entry on Harriet Tubman.
      Did anyone else make it by the History Fair and have any observations?
      Thanks Brent for being our judge!
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SPECIAL MEETING DATE THIS MONTH
      As noted above and elsewhere, our March meeting is being held on a 
different day of the week instead of our normal third Tuesday of the month. 
We are doing this this month so that we can have Dr. Robertson as our 
speaker. THIS IS NOT A CHANGE IN THE REGULAR DATE OF OUR MEETING. We will 
return to the normal third Tuesday date for our April meeting, April 20, 2004.
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FUTURE ROUND TABLE MEETINGS
April 20, 2004---
May 18, 2004---
June 15, 2004 - John Evans, "Bishop-General Leonidas Polk: His Death & 
Commemoration," see Mr. Evans's website, www.leonidaspolk.org
July 20, 2004-"The Battle of LaFayette," Field Trip and Off-site Meeting, 
Walker County Historical Society's Marsh-Warthen House, LaFayette, Georgia; 
we'll arrange a car-pool convoy for this special trip to learn about one of 
the smaller local battles from 140 years ago; more details later.
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UP-COMING LOCAL CIVIL WAR EVENTS OF NOTE
May 8, 2004 - "Bragg Lies in Wait" a bus tour of Confederate movements 
leading up to the Battle of Chickamauga, September 6 to 18, 1863, sponsored 
by the Friends of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, tour 
led by Jim Ogden, fee, more details next month.
November 11-13, 2004--12th Annual Symposium on the 19th Century Press, 
the Civil War, and Free Expression, sponsored by the University of Tennessee 
at Chattanooga's Department of Communications, more details later.
February 5-6, 2005--Northwest Georgia Trade & Convention Center, I-75 Exit 333,
Walnut Avenue, Dalton, Georgia, 9-5 Saturday, 9-3 Sunday; more details later.
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[The following was a separate insert inside the March 2004 issue:]






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