Civil War Round Table of MOVs to meet Sept. 19 | News, Sports, Jobs

PARKERSBURG — The next regular meeting of the Civil War Round Table of the Mid-Ohio Valley will be 7 pm Sept. 19 at the Blennerhassett Museum of Regional History, 137 Juliana St., Parkersburg.

The presentation will be “Ohioans and West Virginians at the Second Battle of Winchester” presented by author and historian Scott Mingus.

The Second Battle of Winchester was contested between June 13 and June 15, 1863, near Winchester and Berryville, Virginia. It followed the stunning Confederate victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville as General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia pushed north through the Shenandoah Valley on their way to Pennsylvania. Only one significant force stood in their path: Maj. Gen. Robert H. Milroy’s Union division of the Eighth Army.

Although heavily outnumbered, Milroy challenged repeated orders to withdraw. The Indiana politician-turned-soldier was convinced that opposing Confederate forces were primarily composed of cavalry. His controversial decision to stand and fight pitted his outnumbered and largely inexperienced command against some of Lee’s finest veterans under General Richard Ewell’s command.

The fighting that followed cost Milroy hundreds of killed and wounded, and nearly half of his force was captured. The battle cleared the way for Lee to enter Pennsylvania with little resistance and is considered the beginning of The Gettysburg Campaign.

Mingus is a retired scientist and consultant in the global pulp and paper products industry. He holds patents for self-adhesive postage stamps and bar code labels. More importantly, he is a multiple award-winning author who authored or co-authored three dozen books on the Civil War and Underground Railroad.

His biography of Confederate General William “Extra Billy” Smith won multiple awards, including the Dr. James I. Robertson Jr. Literary Prize for Confederate History. He has also written numerous articles for Gettysburg Magazine and several historical journals.

Mingus and his wife, Debi, reside in York, Pa., where he also writes a blog entitled Cannonball that is dedicated to the Civil War history of York County, Pennsylvania. His great-great-grandfather was a 15-year-old drummer and rifleman in the 51st Ohio Infantry under General George “Pap” Thomas. Other family members fought at Antietam and Gettysburg in the 7th West Virginia Infantry.

The public is welcome and there is no cost to attend. Small donations will be accepted to defray a portion of the cost of the event. The presentation is made possible by a matching grant from the Ohio Arts Council.

The round table and Ohio Arts Council are committed to engaging diverse audiences and providing accessibility for those with disabilities. The meeting venue is handicapped accessible. Accommodation for other disabilities will be considered upon request. Contact [email protected] or 740-525-7470 for more information.

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