April 2011 Meeting
By Travis Fuqua with Photographs by Travis Fuqua
On April 20, 2011, Joshua A. Weiselberg presented “An Introduction to the Western Theatre of the Civil War: 1862 Mill Springs and Shiloh”. Mr. Weiselberg is an author who is currently working on getting his book published. His book is about a hunt for treasure in Louisiana and while in the process of researching for writing this book, he became engrossed in the Civil War. The Battles of Mill Springs and Shiloh are central events in his novel as they were the first major Federal victories in the Civil War. In addition, the Battle of Mill Springs showed the strengths and weaknesses of many famous Civil War commanders.
Mr. Weiselberg Showing Manœuvres at the Battle of Mill Springs
Mr. Weiselberg began with outlining the structure of the Federal Army and a map of the Civil War as well as the Federal and Confederate officers involved in the Battle of Mill Springs. He then began by explaining the events at the Battle of Mill Springs. Confederate Brigadier General Felix Zollicoffer charged uphill against Federal General, and the Federal commander at Mill Springs, George Thomas. In addition, the terrain and weather, being January 19, 1862, made fighting very difficult. The soldiers who could fight had trouble differentiating between the two sides as the Confederacy had not yet adopted gray and both sides were wearing blue. Later, Federal Colonel Speed S. Fry met General Zollicoffer in the confusion and shot him, making Zollicoffer the first Confederate general to die in the war. Later Confederate General George Crittenden, the Confederate leader in the battle, ordered a brigade to charge, but poor equipment and materiel hampered their advance and they were repelled. In the end, the Federal Army won and Kentucky remained neutral.