Home>
Community News & Events>
Civil War Round Table
Cattle Rustling To Be Discussed At
November 6th Brunswick Civil War Round Table Meeting
October
17, 2012
- Southport, NC – One of the strangest actions of the
Civil War took place during September, 1864 as part of
the Siege of Petersburg. This daring event will be
presented by popular historian and author, Horace
Mewborn at the Round Table meeting on Tuesday, November
6th. The title of his presentation is, "Hampton's Cattle
Raid."
Short on food supplies,
Confederate Maj. Gen. Wade Hampton led a force of 3,000
troops, including "several certified Texas cattle
thieves," to acquire cattle that were intended for the
consumption of the Union Army which was laying siege to
Richmond and Petersburg, Va. With only light opposition,
the raid captured almost 2,500 cattle. It was one of the
largest cattle rustling operations in American history.
President Lincoln called the raid "the slickest piece of
cattle-stealing" he ever heard of. And, soon thereafter,
when Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was asked by a reporter when
he thought he would take Petersburg, "never," said the
Union Commander, "if our armies continue to supply Lee's
troops with beef cattle."
Horace
Mewborn is a prolific writer and author whose specialty
is the Confederate cavalry in northern Virginia. He will
provide details and interesting observations about this
unusual raid, which while a blow to the Union Army, the
Confederates lacked the grain to feed the cattle, so
they soon had to revert to their previous dismal food
situation.
The meeting will be held at Trinity United Methodist
Church, 209 E. Nash St., Southport. Registration begins
at 6:30. Everyone is welcome. The fee for guests is $5
which can be applied toward the $25 annual membership
dues. There is no fee for students.
For more information, contact BCWRT president Wally
Rueckel at (910) 253-7382, or
wruckel@questor.com.
|
Southport, NC Hotel
Deals!!!
|