The next meeting of the Middle Tennessee Civil War Round Table is scheduled for Tuesday, July 17, 2007 (7:00 P.M.) at Bradley Academy. Anyone interested in open discussion of the Civil War topics with a local flavor are welcome to attend.

This month's meeting will feature Kent Wright of the Tennessee Valley CWRT. He will present Naval Warfare on the Western Waters.

Kent's talk covers several aspects of river warfare such as:
-The great importance of rivers to the lives and livelihoods of Western Americans in the pre-war years of the 19th Century
-Rivers as the primary means of mobilization of the western armies
-The need for naval warfare on the rivers.

Subtopics include the birth of river gunboats, including ironclads, tinclads and rams.

Also covered are:
-The role of gunboats in the reduction of the Confederacy's main defenses in the Western Theatre;
-The role of the army¡¦s navy, that is, Ellet¡¦s Rams and Marine Brigade
-The role in river warfare of the tall-masted sloops from Farragut's Western Gulf Blockading Squadron.

The Confederacy¡¦s river navy is covered as well, including ironclads, rams and underwater torpedoes (mines). The overall river strategies of both sides are examined and the reasons are given for the total dominance of the Union forces.

The Middle Tennessee Civil War Round Table meets every third Tuesday of the month at Bradley Academy, located on Academy Street in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Membership applications are available at each meeting. Membership costs $10 per year for individuals and $15 for families. All meetings are open to the public regardless of membership status. Each meeting will include time for interested parties to share stories and memorabilia from the Civil War era with the membership.

For more information, visit our web site at http://www.mtcwrt.org or contact Jim Lewis at 615-890-1926 (before 8 PM) or by e-mail at mtcwrt@comcast.net.