Welcome to the after action episode for the 2025Hardscrabble Invitational. The Johnny Reb III group gathered in White House, TN the last weekend in April and played out multiple scenarios that evoked lots of excitement and emotion among the participants.

Our guest this week is gaming aficionado and long-time play tester Patrick "PJ" O'Neill. We talk to PJ about engaging in close combat with the "enemy" and the characteristics of the charge. It's an opportunity for enjoyment and education this week as we discuss Johnny Reb III on The Mess.

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A battlefield is a self-cleaning organism. Time and elements will eventually erase all trace of what occurred in the maelstrom on hallowed ground. Unfortunately, war doesn't occur in a vacuum. Conflict displaces, spoils, and scars the living in the area where it happens. After the Battle of Antietam in September, 1862 efforts to remove the fallen were undertaken by the US Army and the citizens of Western Maryland so that life could attempt to resume a semblance of what was considered "normal".

The lost at Antietam were buried in place, in singular or mass graves, depending on side and circumstance. A need to identify and locate the remains of those left behind was undertaken by map makers who made an effort to mark as many burial plots and identify as many soldiers as possible. The most famous of these map makers, S.G. Elliott, produced burial maps of both Antietam and Gettysburg, one of which has recently been uncovered and placed on display in the collection in the Visitor's Center at Antietam National Battlefield. Hear the revealing story of battlefield grave maps and the S.G. Elliott map on this episode with our guests Brian Baracz of the National Park Service and Tom Clemens of The Save Historic Antietam Foundation.

Plan your visit to Antietam with:

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

Support preservation efforts at Antietam by joining SHAF:

https://shaf.org/

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It's no secret that The Men of the Mess are Western Theater guys. So it's only natural that we take time to recognize one of our favorite listens, The Department Number 2 podcast, which focuses on the developments in the west during the American Civil War.

The hosts, Darryl Smith and Derrick Lindow, join Wade and Norris for an hour of conversation sharing their passion and their vision to inform and educate their listeners on developments in the western southern states from 1861-1865. We hope that you will give them your time and your support to make sure that this important program reaches the maximum number of listeners!

Find The Department Number 2 Podcast at:

https://www.westerntheatercivilwar.com/podcast

Follow Darryl and Derrick at:

https://www.westerntheatercivilwar.com/

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[email protected]

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On The Mess this week, we take a look at the immediate and long-term effects of the Battle on Antietam on the civilian residents of Western Maryland, particularly those in the picturesque little village of Sharpsburg.

Through extensive research, Steven was able to piece together the story of that awful day in September and it's aftermath, which he presents to us in his 2023 book release "When Hell Came To Sharpsburg". Students of the war understand that scars left behind were far more than just physical, and Steven traces the horror and trauma of the 1862 Maryland Campaign as it plays out in the lives of several families within Sharpsburg and the surrounding area.

You can pick up a copy of "When Hell Came To Sharpsburg" at:

https://www.savasbeatie.com/when-hell-came-to-sharpsburg-the-battle-of-antietam-and-its-impact-on-the-civilians-who-called-it-home/?searchid=0

Keep up with Steven via his website at:

www.stevencowie.com

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Re-enacting comes front and center this week on The Mess as we feature the 160th Anniversary Event of The Siege and Battle of Fort Blakely at Blakely State Park in Spanish Fort, Alabama.

Our guest is the park's interpretive ranger Brian DesRochers who gives us all of the details you need to know to attend this event, either as a participant or a spectator. We hope that our listeners who are able will take advantage of this opportunity will take advantage of one of the last opportunities to be involved in 160th Anniversary commemorations as 2025 sees them come to a close.

Information on the event and Fort Blakely can be found at:

https://www.blakeleypark.com/

Battle and Battlefield information is available from the American Battlefield Trust at:

https://www.battlefields.org/visit/heritage-sites/historic-blakeley-state-park

Visit The Wabash Inn Mess's newly updated website at:

wabashinnmess.com

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Have you ever heard of a single battle where both sides were victorious (aside from Seven Pines and Fair Oaks, which were considered one battle but were obviously very different and distinct fights)? On this episode of The Wabash Inn Mess, author Marc Leepson tells us about the July 1864 Battle of Monocacy in which Confederate General Jubal Early won a military victory on the field, but the more overbearing result of the day was a successful delaying action brought to bear by Union General Lew Wallace which helped steal Early's opportunity to invade the nation's capitol.

Marc published "Desperate Engagement" in 2007, detailing General Early's move north and his campaign to sweep Federal invaders from the Shenandoah Valley and his move to demonstrate against Washington DC in an effort to force US forces to relieve some of the pressure on General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia in Petersburg and Richmond. Marc, a Vietnam veteran, has written ten other books covering stories of American History from various eras, as well as been a contributor to many periodicals. His most recent and most frequent work has been writing for The VVA Veteran, a publication of The Vietnam Veterans of America.

We hope that this special episode of The Mess finds a special place in your listening day!

Check out Marc at:

marcleepson.com

Pick up Mark's books here:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marc-Leepson/author/B001HCXCSW?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1743011355&sr=8-2&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

And don't forget to support The Vietnam Veterans of America:

https://vva.org/

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Topography has often been a determining factor in combat. Especially in the days of foot armies such as were assembled during the American Civil War. It is virtually impossible to understand the circumstances of a battle without fist grasping the terrain and directional flow of the ground involved. This week's guest on The Mess, Brad Gottfried, is an author who has come to be known for his narrated map studies.

Brad has authored or collaborated on over twenty books related to the Eastern theater in the Civil War. His long-term goal is to offer a complete pathway of volumes mapping all major eastern campaigns from the first flashes at Manassas to the dying embers at Appomattox.

Spending an hour with Brad Gottfried this week was a highlight of our season, and we trust that this will become one of your favorite episodes as well!

Find Brad's books, available from Savas-Beattie at:

https://www.savasbeatie.com/search.php?search_query=bradley+m.+gottfried

Follow Brad's blog at:

https://bradleygottfried.com/

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During the Civil War, Hoosiers showed a strong commitment to the Union cause, reflected in Governor Oliver P. Morton's rallying cry "The Constitution as it is, the Union as it was". On this episode, historian and writer Phil Spaugy joins The Wabash Inn Mess to talk about one group of men from Indiana who rose to meet Governor Morton's challenge, the 19th Indiana Volunteer Infantry. 

A regiment assigned to what would become the First Brigade of the First Division of the First Corps of the Federal Army, also known as "The Black Hats" and most famously "The Iron Brigade", the Hoosier regiment under the command of Colonel Solomon Meredith would travel east and join the Army of the Potomac. The Indianans would first be bloodied at The Battle of Groveton (Brawner's Farm) and remain locked in recurrent struggle with Lee's Army of Northern Virginia through The Battle of Gettysburg. Heavily engaged during the three days of mayhem in Pennsylvania, The Iron Brigade would breathe it's dying breath as an effective fighting force, continuing on in piecemeal fashion through Appomattox as men and regiments were mustered, reassigned, and replaced in 1864 and 1865.

Phil contributes many articles to various Civil War specific and other general history publications, and also devotes time to providing battlefield tours.

We hope that you will immerse yourself in this conversation and enjoy Phil's knowledge as much as we did.

Follow Phil's blog "Buckeyes, Blackhats, and the Boys of '61" at:

https://pspaugy.wordpress.com/author/pspaugy/Connect with The Wabash Inn Mes at:

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Thank you for joining us for the premier episode of season four of The Wabash Inn Mess!

Who better to kick off the new season than the man who turned an interest in a genealogical connection with the Stone's River Campaign into one of the most anticipated and most popular books of 2024, Daniel A. Masters.

Dan's new volume "Hell By The Acre" is already filling space on the shelves of those with a deep thirst for the complete story of the late 1862 campaign in middle Tennessee which culminated with the bloody encounter between William S. Rosecrans and Braxton Bragg near Murfreesboro.

We hope you enjoy this inauguration to season four, as we again attempt to expand our knowledge utilizing the three pillars of Civil War experience (research, re-enacting, and gaming) this time through the lens of the Stone's River Campaign.

You can find Dan Masters at:

https://dan-masters-civil-war.blogspot.com/

You can get your copy of "Hell By The Acre at:

https://www.savasbeatie.com/copy-of-hell-by-the-acre-a-narrative-history-of-the-stones-river-campaign-november-1862-january-1863-1/

Listeners can follow The Wabash Inn Mess at:

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"We will make the fight". - John Bell Hood

The Confederate army allowed to Federal forces to slip away at Spring Hill, which directly led to the cataclysm to follow at Franklin on November 30, 1864. Nearly 10,000 American men and boys became casualties of the last great battle in the West as the Army of Tennessee returned home one last time with the courage of a dying eagle to attempt once again to rip the first Confederate capitol city to fall from the hands of the U.S. Army. November 30, 2024 marks the 160th Anniversary of The Battle of Franklin.

Our guest this week on The Mess is Joseph Ricci, Historian in Residence of The Battle of Franklin Trust. Joe gives us his insight on the lead up to the battle, especially as regards the change in command of the Western Confederate Army in Georgia after the fall of Atlanta; as well as taking individual looks at subordinate commanders in both armies during the campaign.

Special events are planned this week to mark the anniversary, and we hope you will make every effort to join The Battle of Franklin Trust as they observe this somber occasion in memory of the heroes of the fight for North Central Tennessee.

See a list of events at:

www.boft.org/commemoration

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[email protected]

www.wabashinnmess.com