April 19, 7pm. The Rhode Island Civil War Round Table invites you a lively talk on General Ambrose E. Burnside, RI Civil War Hero at the Governor Sprague Mansion Museum, 1353 Cranston St. (grand ballroom entrance).
After about 100 years of bad press and misguided thinking by many historians and others, the April 19th RI Civil War Roundtable talk will focus on a ‘positive’ and a more ‘correct’ look at the life and times of Rhode Island’s Civil War General Ambrose E. Burnside, at the Governor Sprague Mansion Museum located at 1353 Cranston Street Cranston RI at 7 pm. The talk will be a more proper look at the legacy of Burnside and why his legacy was incorrectly told by several historians in the past who did not conduct more complete and appropriate research and those against Burnside who were primarily motivated by politics and self-service. Several years ago, Mr. Mierka sat for quite some time with Pulitzer Prize author/historian David McCullough when he was working on his book titled, ‘1776’, discussing the life of Nathanael Greene and Ambrose Burnside. He told Mr. McCullough that in his opinion, based on all his research, Nathanael Greene was the greatest ‘forgotten’ hero in American history, and Ambrose Burnside was the most ‘maligned’ hero in American history, and that is not just a Rhode Island tragedy, it is an American tragedy. Without hesitation McCullough agreed completely about both men. The main human-social trait that Greene, Burnside and Grant all had in common was, they trusted those around them implicitly, without question. Loyalty and trust became, at times, their most troubling and seemingly insurmountable problems.
There is far more about Burnside than meets the eye. The talk will include a Power Point presentation and question and answer sessions in the great historic Ball Room of the Sprague Mansion. Freedom, Liberty and Equality were the nucleus of Burnside’s moral character. Although he was born in ‘Liberty’ Indiana, he was a true ‘Rhodey’ with a similar social and moral DNA that drove Rev. Roger Williams. Discussions will also explain the connection between Burnside and the Providence Journal, the opinion of RI Civil War Veterans, Burnside’s talent of diplomacy, his wartime greatness, how Burnside was undermined, the founding of the ‘original’ NRA and the importance of the monuments in Kennedy Plaza, down town Providence. Some people ask why is the Burnside Monument a part of the Plaza? He has been portrayed in Hollywood movies as a bungling idiot. Answer: There is a very clear-cut reason why the monument of Burnside is an important part of what Kennedy Square represents to the people of Rhode Island and all of its veterans, past and present. However, there should be ‘4’ monuments in the square, so the people will understand the importance of Rhode Island history more clearly and with pride. There is no doubt that David McCullough would agree. The intention of the talk about Burnside will hopefully get everyone to think twice about all the past rhetoric about the legacy of Burnside, a Great Rhode Islander. In the end, perhaps we should NOT try to learn our history via Hollywood and all those with hidden agendas and poor research. Maybe even the author of, ‘Burnside’, William Marvel, might also agree. Benjamin Perley Poore and Marvel to date have written the most detailed story about Burnside, but they both came to somewhat different conclusions. Hopefully everyone in attendance will agree with perhaps the most well-respected Rhode Island Civil War historian of the Post Civil War Period, Rev. Augustus Woodbury, and simply state, Burnside was truly a great Rhode Islander, and that is why his monument sits proudly in Kennedy Square.
If you are interested in the Civil War, why not join the Rhode Island Civil War Round Table. The Rhode Island Civil War Round Table was founded in 1992 to form a community of people who share a deep and abiding interest in the era of the American Civil War. We meet monthly at the Sprague Mansion, 1351 Cranston Street, Cranston, RI 02920. Programs feature lectures by authors of Civil War books, presentations by RICWRT members, and a variety of other features. Our newsletter, the Monthly Return, announces meetings and offers a diverse selection of articles and other features on various aspects of Civil War. Visit RICWRT www.http://ricwrt.com/ Contact President Mark Dunkleman NYVI154th@aol.com
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