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Civil War lecture series continues Thursday

June 14, 2006

Civil War historian Betty Jane Gorin will lecture Thursday at the Boyle County Public Library as part of the Gen. Lovell H. Rousseau Civil War Lecture Series. The talk will begin at 6:30 p.m. and is free.

Gorin's talk is titled "The Battle of Tebbs Bend on the Green River."

The Battle of Tebbs Bend is a part of Confederate Gen. John Hunt Morgan's legendary 1863 raid through Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. Morgan, of Lexington, moved northward in July of 1863, and fought a Federal garrison under Col. Orlando Moore at Tebbs Bend in Taylor County. The outcome of the battle played a role in the subsequent course of the raid. Gorin's talk will cover the battle and the context in which it was fought.

Gorin is a native of Taylor County, and received bachelor and master degrees in history from the University of Kentucky. She taught history at the secondary and college levels for 35 years. Since leaving the classroom, Gorin has dedicated herself to preserving Kentucky's historic legacy and has been instrumental in saving the Tebbs Bend Battlefield and several related structures.

Gorin was a member of the Kentucky Bicentennial Commission and has served on the boards of the Kentucky Historical Society and the Friends of Kentucky Public Archives. She received the Sullivan Award from Campbellsville University for her service on the John Hunt Morgan Trail.

Future speakers for the monthly series include: Kentucky's State Historian James Klotter, July 20; and Stuart Sanders of the Kentucky Historical Society, Aug. 17. On Sept. 21, the Rousseau Series will host a panel discussion on the 1862 Kentucky Campaign that included the battles of Munfordville, Richmond and Perryville.

Sanders will moderate the panel and participants will include Kolakowski, Tres Seymour of Munfordville and Paul Rominger of Richmond. Other speakers throughout the year include Jim Prichard from the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives on Oct. 19, nationally-recognized Civil War historian Charles Roland on Nov. 16, and Don Rightmyer from the Boyle County Public Library on Dec. 14.

Rousseau, the officer for whom the series is named, had local connections. Born in Lincoln County on Aug. 4, 1818, Rousseau was a prominent politician and attorney in Louisville before the Civil War. Perhaps his greatest impact on the Danville area was the role that he played at the Oct. 8, 1862, Battle of Perryville.

Rousseau, commanding a division of Union troops, displayed gallant leadership on that Boyle County battleground and helped prevent an overwhelming Confederate victory. In several instances, Rousseau was seen on his horse in front of the Union battle lines, twirling his hat on the tip of his sword and encouraging his troops.

The Rousseau Civil War Lecture Series is co-sponsored by the Perryville Battlefield Preservation Association, the Kentucky Historical Society, and the Boyle County Public Library. For more information, call (859) 332-1862.

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