One of the hidden gems of Civil War history lies on the Kentucky-Tennessee border: the thriving town of Clarksville.

Clarksville holds a special place in the lore of Middle Tennessee and the Western Theater, and on this episode of The Wabash Inn Mess, we unfold the tale with Mr. William Parker, Historical Interpreter with the City of Clarksville Parks and Recreation Department. William serves as the host and historical interpreter at the Ft. Defiance (Ft. Sevier) Interpretive Center on the banks of the Cumberland River. The Cumberland played a vital role in the movement and maintenance of the Federal Army during the Civil War, making Clarksville a vital lifeline for the Union and an important target for the Confederacy.

Clarksville has been blessed in the post-war years with development and investment making it an important business hub in Middle Tennessee as well as a fantastic destination for visits of any duration.

We hope you enjoy the story of our neighbor, Clarksville, TN on this episode of The Wabash Inn Mess.

Visit the Ft. Defiance Interpretive Center year-round at 120 Duncan Street in Clarksville, TN.

Find more information about what Clarksville has to offer at:

www.cityofclarksville.com

Visit The Wabash Inn Mess on the information superhighway at:

www.wabashinnmess.com

You may communicate with the Mend of The Mess via email:

[email protected]

This week, we welcome Derrick Lindow back to The Mess to share with us a portion of his work "We Shall Conquer Or Die" concerning the 10the Kentucky Partisan Rangers and their incursion into the largest town in Western Kentucky, Owensboro, and the ensuing fight at Panther Creek that sapped the strength and quieted the legend of Adam Rankin Johnson's feared raiders.

You will enjoy Derrick's telling of the tale relating his research and his boots on the ground observations from the site of one of the largest skirmishes in our end of the battleground state of Kentucky between the Rangers and the Indiana Legion from across the Ohio River in Spencer County. Bravery abounded on both sides, and many a gallant combatant fought for the last time that day.

If you haven't already, be sure to pick up your copy of "We Shall Conquer or Die" and immerse yourself in this chapter of Kentucky and Civil War history. AND - don't forget to add the "Department Number II" podcast to your favorites and listen to Derrick and his co-host Darrell Smith discuss the war in the western theater at length on your favorite podcast platform.

Find Derrick's work at Savas-Beatie...

https://www.savasbeatie.com/www.savasbeatie.com/we-shall-conquer-or-die-partisan-warfare-in-1862-western-kentucky/?searchid=0&search_query=derrick+lindow

Find the Department No. 2 Podcast and many other Western Theater tidbits here...

https://www.westerntheatercivilwar.com/

Connect with the men of The Mess at:

[email protected]

Visit The Wabash Inn Mess on the web at:

www.wabashinnmess.com

The Wabash Inn Mess returns from the holiday hiatus with a true Civil War renaissance man - author, licensed battlefield guide, sought after speaker, and podcast host - Mr. James Hessler.

James comes to us fresh off the release of his latest Civil War book available from Casemate publishing, The First Day At Gettysburg, part of the Casemate Illustrated Series.

James is also co-host of The Battle of Gettysburg podcast, audio archived on your favorite podcast platform with recent and new episodes available to view on YouTube.

Our continued delve into Civil War biography continues with this episode as we look deeper into the life and role of the complex Major General Dan Sickles through the lens of James' book "Sickles at Gettysburg".

Mr. Hessler also shares with us from his decades of experience as a Licensed Battlefield Guide at the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. No first time visit to Gettysburg can fully be appreciated without the company of a licensed guide to transport you back to July 1863.

We hope you enjoy as we begin the second half of season 5 of The Wabash Inn Mess.

Connect with James Hessler on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/p/James-Hesslers-Gettysburg-History-Books-Travel-Podcasts-Speaking-100057577212759/

Enjoy The Battle of Gettysburg Podcast on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@battleofgettysburgpodcast

Pick-up James' latest work, The First Day at Gettysburg, from Casemate Publishing by going to:

www.casematepublishers.com

And the rest of the James Hessler library by visiting Savas Beatie:

www.savasbeatie.com⁠

You can communicate with The Wabash Inn Mess via email at:

[email protected]

And find The Mess on the web at :

www.wabashinnmess.com

This week, The Wabash Inn Mess meets up with North Carolina-based author Michael Hardy to discuss his latest book release, "Feeding Lee's Army of Northern Virginia", available now from Savas Beatie.

In his book, and touched on briefly in our episode, Michael looks into the political and logistical machine that attempted to sustain the Confederate fighting man. Focused primarily on the Eastern theater, our discussion also extends to logistical issues facing the Armies of Tennessee and the Trans-Mississippi as well.

We hope you enjoy this episode of The Wabash Inn Mess. Don't forget to like, follow, and share our content.

Find Michael Hardy's books at Savas Beatie:

https://www.savasbeatie.com/copy-of-feeding-lee-s-army-of-

northernvirginia/?searchid=0&search_query=michael+hardy

Visit Michael Hardy's website at:

www.michaelchardy.com

Connect with The Wabash Inn Mess at:

[email protected]

Find The Mess on the web at:

www.wabashinnmess.com

Visiting American Civil War sites is a large part of life for our listeners, and we are please to be able in this episode to to introduce you to Aaron Sievers, principal representative of Aaron's Civil War Travels based out of New Market, VA.

Aside from his captivating social media content, Aaron offers guide interpretation for nearly all Eastern Theater battlefields as well as professionally developed presentations for organizations and groups. You will hear some of his stories and his opportunities for engagement in this episode.

Thank you for taking time to listen to our podcast, and we hope that you will explore what Aaron Sievers has to offer for your next Civil War-centered trip or meeting by engaging with his social media accounts or his website.

Also, take time to vote on SPOTIFY about our AI generated theme music. Let us know if you want us to KEEP it or CAN it.

Visit Aaron's Civil War Travels online at:

https://sites.google.com/view/aaronscivilwartravels/home

You can message the men of The Mess at:

[email protected]

Find The Mess on the web:

www.wabashinnmess.com

Welcome to Season 5 of The Wabash Inn Mess.

Starting off our fifth series of twelve episodes, the men of The Mess welcome back author and historian Scott Mingus to share the story of his biographical sketch of Confederate general William "Extra Billy" Smith and to remember our friend and esteemed author of many fine works on the American Civil War, Eric J. Wittenberg, who passed earlier this summer after a determined battle with cancer.

"Extra Billy" as a man, a general, and a politician would be considered just as scandalous today as he was in the era of the War Between the States. Yet his leadership record on the field of battle is still a matter of interpretation to the rearward observer. Scott's work will help the reader unravel some of the shadows intertwined around this complex character.

We also revisit the most recent JohnnyCon, a popular part of NashCon, that was held at the Sheraton Music City in Nashville, TN in mid-August. JohnnyCon features exclusively the games designed by respected creator John Hill, focusing primarily on his Johnny Reb rule set.

We hope this episode brings you up to date with Scott and his work, and that you will seek out well-researched and meticulously crafted volumes for your Civil War library.

You can pick up most books by Scott Mingus and Eric Wittenberg on Amazon or Barnes & Noble, but we highly recommend buying directly from their publisher when possible at:

www.savasbeatie.com

Contributions in memory of Eric Wittenberg can be made to your favorite Civil War centered institution, or to help with his mountainous medical and final expenses you can contribute at:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-consider-helping-eric-and-susan-wittenberg

Feel free to contact the men of The Mess with suggestions, criticisms, or questions at:

[email protected]

And finally, find The Wabash Inn Mess on the web at:

www.wabashinnmess.com

We hope everyone is having a great Summer - enjoying beautiful weather, maybe taking a little time off with family, and possibly even doing a little Civil War study or visiting a Civil War related site!

This special hiatus episode of The Mess focuses on pillar #3 of creating your personal relationship with the War Between The States - gaming. We are joined this week by two additional members of our Hardscrabble Invitational gaming group, Brad Butkovich and Cory Ring to talk about developing your own gaming scenarios. We examine the different types of scenarios available: historical battle, campaign, "what if" (or as we like to say "history plus") and fictional scenarios.

We hope that you will find the conversation interesting and helpful as you develop your gaming habits and invite your friends to gather around the table and enjoy the rule set and time period of your choice.

Find The Wabash Inn Mess on the web at:

www.wabashinnmess.com

Reach out with any comments or gaming-related questions for the men of The Mess at:

[email protected]

Andrew Miller from Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument joins the men of The Mess for the season four finale.

Andrew delivers a brilliant narrative of the fall 1861 incursion of Confederate troops under Brigadier General Felix Zollicoffer of Tennessee into the Cumberland River basin of south central Kentucky. Zollicoffer and his men were met by federal forces under the command of General George H. Thomas in what would become known as The Battle of Mill Springs, also known as the Battle of Logan's Crossroads.

We hope you will enjoy this final episode of our fourth season as we close out this series of twelve looking at one of many Southern efforts to capture and utilize the resources and manpower of the neutral Bluegrass State.

Thank you for your time and we hope you enjoy each and every session around the battery wagon with The Wabash Inn Mess!

Find Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument online at:

https://www.nps.gov/misp/index.htm

Visit The Wabash Inn Mess online:

www.wabashinnmess.com

Contact The Mess via email at:

[email protected]

The convergence of two smaller-scale Civil War Commemorations the third weekend in May (Sacramento, KY and Resaca, GA) lead the hosts to reminisce on the memories of participating in smaller, local, public events.

"Community events". as they can be called, offer great opportunities for interaction and higher levels in intimacy with the public. The generosity of the hosts can also be a great drawing card for participants and attendees alike. On this episode, the men of The Mess share their stories of days spent under canvas at these and other smaller Civil War re-enactments.

Visit The Wabash Inn Mess on the web:

www.wabashinnmess.com

Message The Mess at:

[email protected]

With living history season full on us and many public observances drawing close on the Sumner calendar, we wanted to begin focusing more in-depth on our second pillar of understanding, replicating or "re-enacting".

Many of you will be attending events, both public and living history experience based, and you are either looking to create an impression or fine-tune an existing work in progress. This week we bring in long-time living historian Will Eichler to share some insight into developing the finer points of the kit into both an accurate and serviceable collection of items.

We also discuss important resources available to all of us as students and practitioners of historical interpretation through Civil War Digital Digest and the HistoryFix App. Offering everything from how to's and when to's to documentaries and full length historical films, no period research is complete without using these two well-developed tools. And within this episode, you'll find out how to get a 30% discount (that's nearly half!) on an annual HistoryFix subscription, so listen closely!

We hope you find this episode both enjoyable and informative.

View Civil War Digital Digest content for free on YouTube at:

https://www.youtube.com/c/CivilWarDigitalDigest

Once you have evaluated the content, we at The Wabash Inn Mess strongly encourage you to become a subscriber.

You can sign up for the HistoryFix platform by visiting:

https://www.historyfix.com/

Reach out to the Messmates at:

[email protected]

Find The Mess on the web at:

www.wabashinnmess.com