CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – On Wednesday, March 22, 2017, Nashville State Community College student Jack Simpson spoke about Civil War topics and presented several Civil War era replicas to his fellow students. Mr. Simpson was invited to speak by Mr. Robert Ross, adjunct history professor at the Clarksville Campus.
Mr. Simpson discussed various topics ranging from what Civil War soldiers wore to stories about some of the soldiers who fought during the war. He began his presentation dressed in a Confederate uniform with a replica of General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s battle saber. With this striking visual aid, he began his discussion with what the soldiers wore during the Civil War, pointing out that many of the soldiers’ uniforms were not always the blue and the gray that we think of today. During the early stages of the war many soldiers wore what uniforms they already owned or made them from what they had on hand which resulted in many different shades of blues, browns, and grays.
Among the many stories that he shared, Mr. Simpson recounted a story about the Battle of Franklin near Nashville.
One young soldier, by the name of Carter, was returning home on furlough when he came across the Battle of Franklin which was occurring near his home. He discovered that one of the Tennessee units had lost all of their officers during the battle and, since he was a lieutenant, he decided to lead the unit. As he was rallying the troops he was shot in several places. He lay wounded on the ground until his father and sister, who were attempting to help wounded soldiers, found him and took him home where he later died.
Mr. Simpson also spoke about some of the people that were involved in the war. He shared stories such as the fact that George Custer was only a Lieutenant Colonel when he died. However, since he had held the rank of brevet major general during the Civil War, Custer was buried using the higher rank. Mr. Simpson also discussed briefly the troops buried in mass graves at Stones’ River. The regular Union troops that fought and died were buried with a highly decorated headstone to mark their grave while the colored troops who fought just as bravely and died were buried in a nondescript grave.
At the end of his presentation, Mr. Simpson invited students to look at his collection of Civil War memorabilia. In addition to the saber he wore, Mr. Simpson had replicas of confederate paper money and coins as well as pictures portraying Robert E. Lee and others who fought during the war.
With his presentation, Mr. Simpson was able to bring the Civil War to life for his fellow students enabling them to put visual information with what they have learned in their history classes. He not only presented about a topic which he loves, he also helped the learning process of all of those who attended.