The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War’s Camp Calhoun will be hosting its winter meeting at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the McLean County History Museum & Regional Family Research Center.
Highlights of the meeting, which will be open to the public, will include member Derrick Lindow previewing his new book, “We Shall Conquer or Die: Partisan Warfare in 1862 Western Kentucky,” and the replica display of the 17th Kentucky Infantry Regiment’s flag made by Spencer Brewer, the senior vice commander’s, wife Linda Brewer.
The infantry served the Union Army during the Civil War from September 1861 to January 1865.
“The 17th Kentucky was at Camp Calhoun, and you couldn’t get a more western Kentucky unit than this,” Brewer said. “These were people from Calhoun that originally started recruiting in Hartford, but they were not able to get up to regimental mustering strength, so they came over here.
“Camp Calhoun was very important to the Union Civil War effort. They were right on the river, so when they sent troops over here to be trained; it was easy to ship them out (by) going down the Green River, to the Ohio River (and) down to the Mississippi.”
Brewer said it was not a unit “just along for the ride.”
According to the National Parks Service, some of the unit’s engagements included the Battle of Shiloh, Battle of Fort Donelson and the Battle of Jonesborough among others.
“This was a fighting unit,” he said. “They were in these major, major battles. As a matter of fact, their numbers were depleted to such a low number that they had to be consolidated with a regimental unit to continue to be a regiment.”
Brewer said the 17th Regiment wasn’t the only group to come through, but “they were the Kentucky group that started here.”
“I think it’s something that the people of Calhoun and McLean County should be proud of,” he said.
The SUVCW’s Camp Calhoun, or local chapter, was chartered in 2017 after Alan Bivens, camp chaplain, wasn’t able to make it to meetings at the closest camp at the time, which was located in Louisville.
According to a 2017 McLean County News interview with Bivens, the first meeting saw a total of 10 people in attendance.
Brewer said the group has seen some growth with 15 people involved currently.
To join SUVCW, members must prove a link to their ancestors who fought as Union soldiers in the Civil War.
For more information about SUVCW or joining the local chapter, call Brewer at 270-754-9317 or 270-543-5326.
