There are four items this month for the Speaker’s Fund. The first is a copy of Jottings from Dixie: The Civil War Dispatches of Sergeant Major Stephen F. Fleharty, USA published by Louisiana State University Press. Sergeant Major Fleharty was a member of the 102nd Illinois, a regiment that saw its first real fighting in the Atlanta Campaign. It, like most of the rest of Sherman's army, had a few days rest in Cass County in that latter part of May, 1864, a rest that allowed it to absorb its bloody experience at Resaca a few days earlier. The second item is a copy of History Channel's Civil War Journal: The Battles edited by William C. Davis, Brian C. Pohanka, and Don Troiani. The third item is a paperback copy of With Malice Toward None: The Life of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen B. Oates since this month is the anniversary of his birth and we're meeting just one day after President's Day. The fourth item is all six issues of Civil War Times Illustrated for 2003 with articles on such subjects as the common soldier on both sides (this is a special issue complete with a fantastic image of a Tennessee soldier on the cover), the Battle of Bentonville, Irish revolutionaries who gained experience in the Civil War, and Confederate raider Tallahassee. Three of the four items this month were donated to the Round Table to support the Speaker’s Fund. To those donors 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.

There are two programs about the Battle of Lookout Mountain and the Lookout Mountain Battlefield this Saturday, February 17, 2007.

"Civil War History of the Reflection Riding Area," presente by Archaeologist Lawrence ALexander, will occur at 10:00 AM at Reflection Riding. The program starts at the Humphreys House within the Riding. Reflection Riding is at the end of Garden Road off Cummings Highway on the west side of Lookout Mountain; for more information, call 423-821-9582 or see www.reflectionriding.org. Lawrence ALexander lead an archeological survey of the Reflection Riding portion of the Lookout Mountain Battlefield a couple of years ago and he will talk about that work in his findings in the program.

At 1:00 PM, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Historian Jim Ogden will lead a tour of some of the ground of the Lookout Mountain Battlefield that has recently been acquired, mostly in the area of the Wauhatchie Pike and Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad bridges across Lookout Creek, Tyndale Hill, Smith Hill and Bald Hill. This two hour program will begin at the little park-like area where Garden Road intersects with Cummings Highway on the west side of Lookout Mountain just before where Cummings Highway crosses Lookout Creek. We will drive to several points and then get out and walk so come prepared for the weather and wear comfortable, supportie footwear. There will be a couple of hills to climb.

The new staff at the At the January meeting, the members present decided to again support the Chattanooga Regional History Museum's David Gray History Fair. The Museum is trying to revitalize the History Fair and had asked the Round Table to again participate as we used to, that is sponsor a prize or two to recognize the best entry or two related to the Civil War. The History Fair is March 3rd, and is held this year at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Since I'll be there as judge any way, I'll take care of judging for the Round Table.........unless someone else really wants to do it.

On March 3, 2007, join the Friends of Moccasin Bend National Park and Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Historian Jim Ogden for a Saturday afternoon's examination of the Union artillery earthwork complex on Stringer's Ridge on Moccasin Bend. This two hour, two mile walking tour begins at 2 PM in the "Search Exempt" parking lot just to the left of the Moccasin Bend State Mental Health Institute guard station at the end of Moccasin Bend Road. Come dressed appropriately for the weather and wear comfortable, supportive footwear. Most of the walking will be on trails, but there will be some cross country as well. Winter is a great time for this walk, fewer ticks and a lot less vegetation, so come out and step back in time.

Travellers Rest Plantation and Museum will host the Third Annual Nashville Civil War Symposium on Saturday, March 10, 2007. The all day affair will begin at 9 AM and end at 4 PM. A lunch is included with the conference fee of $38. All events will be held onsite and a tour of the ante-bellum home is also included. The theme is Cavalry Operations of the Western Theater and speakers include Eric Wittenberg, noted cavalry author/historian, on "Union Cavalry in the West;" Myers Brown, Tennessee State Museum, on "Joe Wheeler and Confederate Cavalry in the West;" Brian Wills, author/historian and biographer of Nathan Bedford Forrest, on "Nathan Bedford Forrest;" and Greg Biggs, Clarksville CWRT and author/historian, "Turning The Tide: The Union Cavalry At the Battle of Shelbyville." An afternoon panel discussion concludes the day. For an outline registration and more information, please visit www.travellersrestplantation.org.

Last month, January, was the eighth month in the experiment of distributing the Canister by email. I’m still working on learning how to do some things, like inserting graphics and imported text, and last month proved again I’ve still got a few hurdles to overcome since my promised scanning help again didn’t pan out. Harvey gets those non-eletronic items on the website once he gets the paper copy. So, if you get the Canister in the mail and think something is missing, check the website and anything missing will probably be there.

Last month, when one of the Speaker's Fund books was Dr. Hughes' I'll Sting IF I Can: The Life and Prison Letters of Major N. F. Cheairs, C. S. A., I said I offered it that month because we were on the eve of the 145th anniversary of the Battle of Fort Donelson in which Major Cheairs played an important role and where he was captured the first time. I also said that maybe I'd challenge the winner of the book to report back this month on what that important role was. Any takers to answer that question?