Hello,

The March, 2007 meeting of the Clarksville Civil War Roundtable will be held Wednesday, March 21st, 2007 at 7 PM in the cafe of Borders Books store in Governor's Square Mall. This is located on Wilma Rudolph Highway (US 79) just south of Exit 4 off I-24 in Clarksville, TN. The meeting is always open to interested members of the public and you do not need to be an expert to attend!.

This month we welcome Dale Phillips of George Rogers Clark National Historic Park in Vincennes, IN. He was former historian at Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park and his program will be entitled, "The Real First Day of Chickamauga."

Most Civil War students consider the Battle of Chickamauga to be a two day fight on September 19-20, 1863, when, in reality, it was three days of heavy action. The all-but forgotten first day, the 18th, happened when two Union cavalry brigades under Cols. Robert Minty and John Wilder, commanding the famous Lightning Brigade, delayed for most of the day the Confederate advance towards Reed's and Alexander's Bridges on Chickamauga Creek. This delay allowed Union Gen. William S. Rosecrans to muster more of his forces onsite to deal with the Confederate threat and set up the battle for the next two days. Had the Confederates been able to cross the creek a day sooner, Rosecrans, for once outnumbered by the Confederates, would not have been able to mass his army successfully or in sufficient numbers to hold his position.

The delaying action of these two Union cavalry brigades is certainly on a par with the famous delaying action of Union Gen. John Buford's Cavalry Division on the first day of Gettysburg, and yet it is almost forgotten, especially compared to the latter action. However, both heavily influenced the outcome of their respective battles and even though Rosecrans was defeated at Chickamauga, he was able to withdraw his army intact from the field. That might not have happened if not for his cavalry. Dale's program will examine the leadership of these Union units, in particular Wilder's men and Lilly's Battery, as well as the somewhat chaotic situation then ensuing in North Georgia.

Dale Phillips is Superintendent of George Rogers Clark National Historic Park in Vincennes, IN. He holds a BA Degree in American History from York College in Pennsylvania. He has worked for the National Park Service since 1976 at such sites as Ft. Sumter; the Chalmette (Battle of New Orleans) and Acadian units of Jean Lafitte National Historic Park as well as Chickamauga-Chattanooga, where he is the former historian. He has written a number of articles on Civil War and earlier military history and is a known speaker for Civil War Roundtables across the country as well as a tour guide for the Delta Queen Steamboat Company. His wife Carol is administrator for the William Henry Harrison Home in Vicennes.

Please join us as Dale Phillips of George Rogers National Historic Park, speaks on "The Real First Day of Chickamauga."

Greg Biggs
Clarksville CWRT