May 29, 2000

Subject: Gratitude!
My Dear Mrs. Johnson,

I am just returned from the Ceremonies at Forest Hill Cemetery to mark this
Memorial Day, and wish to express my commendation to the fine men of the
2nd there represented.  As always, they were sterling, and it does fill
one's bosom with pride to see them.  The bugler was quite exceptional,
holding the last shimmering note of Taps until it faded quite away.

As has been the custom of late, the gentlemen then marched (following the
service at the Confederate Rest) to the resting place of my cousin, Lucius
Fairchild, where a volley was fired which I am sure was heard and rang true
in heart of Lucius, his brothers and his men now gathered together at the
Throne of God.

I am pleased to report that today saw another visitor to our small
remembrance:  Mrs. Sally Reuter, in answer to a note I'd written, came to
observe.  Mrs. Reuter is in fact the great-great granddaughter of Lucius
and Frances Fairchild!

In conclusion may I say that it was a delight to see you at Camp Randall on
the occasion of the arrival of the prisoners.  My only regret was that I
was unable to remain for the whole of the day.  I look forward to meeting
again one day.

Sincerely yours,
Cousin Hattie Fairchild
(Dale-Harriet Rogovich)

Please help us save Fort Pillow
Pepper Petersen <pepperpetersen@yahoo.com>
5/23/00
Hi, my name is Pepper Petersen. I am a senior at the university of Memphis in Memphis Tennessee, and the treasurer of the Friends of Fort Pillow. Fort Pillow is one of Tennessee's most important and yet under protected civil war battle sites. Fort Pillow now exists as a state park, but if the Governor, Don Sundquist were to have his way it would disappear. Tennessee is currently in one of the tightest fiscal situations it has seen in many years. Fort Pillow was slated to be eliminated from the state park system as part of the Governor's proposed cuts in state park funds. This proposal by the governor is a slap in the face to all who fought for what they believed to be right at Fort Pillow.  You may not know much about Fort Pillow as it has been so poorly managed and represented by the Tennessee state park system.  I knew very little about one of the Civil War's most controversial battle sites, even though I live very near the battlefield and have visited it almost monthly since I was 5 years old. This sounds ridiculous right, I have been visiting the Fort for some fifteen years and still didn't learn of its amazing and controversial historic significance until earlier this year. While the Park is nice to visit simply because of its setting, virtually no information is provided on the real story of Fort Pillow.I was forced to look somewhere besides the park to find out the story.  Well, enough babbling, here's the gist: Fort Pillow was one of the first battlesites in America where African American and whites fought side by side. Although Union forces were strong, Confederate snipers cut down the Union's commanding officers and chaos began. What followed is one of the most debated battles in America's Civil War.
The Union forces attempted a surrender, but this was botched severely and the battle was later decreed a massacre, and Remember Fort Pillow became the rallying cry which led the Union forces into battle, and compelled thousands of freed blacks to join the Union army. I find this story absolutely amazing, but I never heard it.  Why? I don't know the answer to this question. All I know is that the park is deteriorating, and that this story may disappear along with the fort if someone doesn't do something. Fort Pillow remains one of the least archaeologically explored, least appreciated, and most endangered civil war battlesite in America today. There are roads covering actual encampment sites; erosion is slowly taking much of the actual battlefield. And the state of Tennessee still does nothing. We have gathered thousands of signatures, made hundreds of phone calls, and spent countless hours of research and lobbying to gain funds for the project, and still little has come of this. We need help now. We face danger from erosion, cutbacks in funding, and perhaps worst of all we face dangers from those who would be most helpful to us, Civil War History buffs. The danger I am referring to is robbery of precious artifacts that because of poor archaeological surveys that have left most of what is thought to be existent at Fort Pillow in the Ground. Please help us!! If there are any further cutbacks at the Fort we fear we will lose the Rangers needed to stop these history thieves, we need attention, all the attention we can get to stop the destruction of one of our nations greatest treasures. We need to, at least try to get the archaelogical treasures collected and cataloged before others take them away forever. Please help us, and please respond quickly as time is of the greatest importance to the salvation of the Fort. Thank you again, Pepper Petersen
Treasurer, Friends of Fort Pillow

May 20, 2000
2000 West Coast Civil War Conference
In 1984, Civil War Round Table Associates established the West Coast Civil
War Conference, and produced it for five years.

After five years, when it was "up and running," the conference was turned
over to the West Coast Civil War Round Tables, and various RTs have hosted
the conference since, under the continuing sponsorship of Civil War Round
Table Associates.

The meetings are held annually, on the weekend after the elections, which
are on the Tuesday after the first Monday of each November, to accommodate
my political consultant schedule.  (One year, the host RT scheduled the
meeting for the *first* weekend in November--which was NOT the weekend
after the elections--so I had to miss it.)

This year, for only the second time in 16 years, I will once again miss
the conference.  I have been invited to be a participant in the 60th annual
Commemoration of The Civil War Round Table in Chicago, and receive an award
on Saturday night, November 12.  (I was the only non-historian on the
program at the 50th anniversary Commemoration in 1990, and this offer to
return was an offer I couldn't refuse.)

Having said all that, let me encourage as many of you as possible to
consider attending the 2000 West Coast Civil War Conference (details below).

It'll be a great meeting with an excellent "cast of characters," focusing
on the Battle of Shiloh.  Fred Bohmfalk and the crew at the Sacramento CWRT
have been working for more than a year already, and really have assembled
an outstanding agenda for you to enjoy.


The 16th Annual West Coast Civil War Round Table Conference will be held in
Sacramento on November 10-12, 2000 at the Double Tree Inn, 2001 Point West
Way.  The conference theme will be "The Events Surrounding the Battle of
Shiloh," including the impact on California soldiers.

  Participants and speakers include Wiley Sword, historian and Civil War
author;
Dr. Charles Roland, professor emeritus at the University of Kentucky and
author of many Civil War books; Dr. Brian Wills, biographer of Nathan
Bedford Forrest and author of several other Civil War histories; Stacy
Allen, Chief Park Ranger at Shiloh NMP; and historian Blaine Lamb, of
Sacramento.

Entertainment will be provided by the 5th California Volunteer Infantry
Regimental Band.

Conference fees until October 15, 2000 are $150.00.  Fees will increase to
$170.00 after that date.  Accommodations extra.

The conference is being hosted by the Sacramento Civil War Round Table and
is sponsored by Civil War Round Table Associates of Little Rock.

Contact Fred Bohmfalk, (916) 965-4776, for further information.
<jbohmfalk@aol.com>