Brown Bag Lecture by Terrence J. Winschel, retired historian, Vicksburg National Military Park
Wednesday, July 10, 2013, East Tennessee History Center
As a part of our continuing series commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the East Tennessee Historical Society on July 10 will host a brown bag lecture, “Unvexed to the Sea,” the story of the Siege and Battle of Vicksburg, presented by Terrence J. Winschel, retired historian of Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi.
From the beginning of the Civil War, the Confederate bastion at Vicksburg thwarted Federal hopes to gain control of the all-important Mississippi River by cutting the Confederacy in half and disrupting the flow of supplies from the Trans-Mississippi West to the major Confederate armies in the East. By 1863, despite Federal successes at New Orleans and Memphis, Vicksburg still stood defiant. An unlikely hero emerged that year–a scruffy, cigar-smoking Ulysses S. Grant–who dared to launch a highly risky campaign to force the Rebels from their Mississippi stronghold. As Grant closed in on the great prize of Vicksburg, hard-pressed Confederate forces held on desperately, expecting relief that never came. Terrence Winschel will tell this story of one of the war’s longest and most decisive campaigns,
Winschel is a 35-year veteran of the National Park Service, having served at Gettysburg National Military Park, Fredericksburg National Military Park, and Valley Forge National Historical Park, as well as Vicksburg. The author of numerous articles and book reviews on the Civil War, Winschel’s books include “The Civil War Diary of a Common Soldier,” and “Vicksburg: Fall of the Confederate Gibraltar.” He is the recipient of several awards, including the 2007 National Park Service Preservationist of the Year, presented by the Civil War Preservation Trust.
The program is sponsored by 21st Mortgage, and free and open to the public. The lecture will begin at noon at the East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville. Guests are invited to bring a “Brown Bag” lunch and enjoy the lecture. Soft drinks will be available. For more information on the lecture, exhibitions, or museum hours, call 865-215-8824 or visit the website at www.EastTNHistory.org.
