Kyle Thompson: News

My friend and violinist Tad Korn recently lost his battle with cancer at the age of 69.

Tad whole heartedly volunteered his musical talents for the making of From The Fields, for which I will always be indebted to him.

He was born in a Jewish refugee camp in Russia during WWII. Eventually immigrating to Canada before coming to the U.S.

Tad was a graduate of Columbia University, had a couple of Phd's, and was a Juilliard trained violinist that played in well respected symphonies in both Canada and the U.S.

He had a good sense of humor, a liberal mind and he loved to talk!

One special memory I have of Tad was at our first recording session in the Illinois Monument at Vicksburg National Military Park.

We were recording there after hours, a full moon was on the rise and an erie fog had rolled in low across the battlefield. After recording several songs for the CD, I recorded one just for Tad. He broke into a classical piece that was simply unreal! I think it was Bach. Even the Park Ranger that was sitting outside on the steps of the Monument got up to stand in the entrance to listen. That was when I realized how talented Tad was. The simple little takes he played for me on the CD were childs play for him.

The beauty of that special moment I will always carry in my heart...the sound of his violin reverberating off the marble walls of the Monument and carrying out over the fog and battlefield.

Tad accompanied me to every recording site for the CD, from Mississippi to Virginia...whether he was recording or not...in show of support.

It's just the type of guy he was...always happy to help.

I was fortunate to know him and have him as a friend.

I shall miss him...and always remember him.

In early May of 1864 over 160,000 Northern and Southern American's fought each other in what was to become known as The Battle Of The Wilderness. 25,000 of them were killed or wounded.

The Orange County Virginia Board of Supervisors have decided to honor their memory and the "Hallowed Ground" on which they fought by building a 138,000 square foot Wal-Mart directly across the road from the National Military Park. Preservationists and Historians alike advised against the decision...but the Board decided that the placement and building of the store was more important to the local community than preserving the historical significance of the location where Robert E. Lee and U.S. Grant fought one of the most important battles of the Civil War.

There are many locations suitable for building a Wal-Mart in Orange County Virginia...but on Hallowed Ground? What will be next? A Walmart in Arlington National Cemetery?

Below I have listed the names and emails of the Board members who authorized the desecration of the Wilderness Battlefield...please, take the time to contact them and let them know they have dishonored the memory of the men who fought and gave their lives there...and that it is NOT OKAY to develope sacred ground just to pad their pockets with sales tax revenue. They are a shame on the great state of Virginia...and they lack the ethical compass to make decisions of such importance and magnitude.

Chairman R. Mark Johnson
rmj@yahoo.com

Supervisor Zack Burkett
zburkett@orangecountyva.gov

Supervisor Teel Goodwin
Teel.Goodwin@vabb.com

Vice Chairman Teri Pace
tpace4@aol.com

Supervisor Lee Frame
leeframe@orangecountyva.gov

http://orangecountyva.gov/OCBOS/members.asp

may their names live on in infamy...

I encourage you to purchase a copy of Appomattox County ("Images of America" series, Arcadia Publishing) by Patrick Schroeder and Scott Frantel.

The Images of America series celebrates the history of local cities, towns and neighborhoods throughout the United States. Using archival photos that recant the past and shape the character of the community today.

Appomattox County was formed in 1845 and was known for growing tobacco. That changed in 1865, when it became the site of one of the most important events in American history.

Scott, a fellow Civil War Battlefield preservationist and National Parks volunteer, and Patrick, historian at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, put together a collection of photos that tell the story of this sleepy Virginia local's extraordinary date with destiny that's worth taking a look at!

(especially page 64)

I would like to thank the authors for including me in their historical glance at Appomattox County. I am honored.

Please use the link I provided in my links to others to purchase a copy of Appomattox County from Arcadia Publishing (click on the Images of America series and then on Appomattox County). The book is also available at Barnes & Noble and select National Parks gift stores.

A portion of proceeds benefit Civil War Battlefield preservation.

This is a short diddy about Shelby Foote and I write this for no other reason than I am thinking of him at this moment.

My brush with Shelby was shortly after writing the song “Glory Road” and some time before I had even contemplated putting together a music CD about the Civil War.

Like so many, my Civil War engine was put into gear by Ken Burns’ PBS film The Civil War, and as a result I began devouring books on the subject. One of the first authors that painted the bloody picture (for me) was Bruce Catton. His Civil War trilogy ( Mr. Lincoln’s Army, Glory Road, A Stillness at Appomattox) was the inspiration for my song Glory Road.

Being quite proud of myself and my poetic gift I decided to have Shelby Foote give the lyrics a once over and the song a listen to after I had a decent demo recorded.

I was at first a bit hesitant to contact him, thinking he would probably think I am some sort of knuckle head. But after a quick search there he was in the phone book. It had to be him…after all how many Shelby Foote’s are there in Memphis? I decided not to call. I wanted to sleep on the idea first.

Then the next day my wife says “I spoke to Shelby Foote yesterday, and he said he would love to take a look at the song” my jaw dropped a little before I smiled. She said she talked with him for about five or ten minutes and that he was very nice. So much for pondering what to say to him…

Along with the copy of the song I wrote Shelby a short note telling him (like a schmuck) about how Bruce Catton inspired the song. Little did I know that Bruce was Shelby’s Northern nemesis. It was not until a few months later as I began reading Shelby’s Civil War trilogy that I realized my error. What Bruce was to the North, Shelby was to the South.

He has a small portion of the forward dedicated to explaining his envy for the Pulitzer winning Catton. I nearly fell over! If my mouth was big enough, both feet would have been stuffed into it along with a mess of crow feathers!

I didn’t bother asking him what he thought of the song…I have sand but not that much sand. After reading my note about Catton inspiring the song, he probably threw the tape into the fire.

I have since that fatal day read almost all of Shelby Foote’s books and stories.

When he passed away I saw a great quote attributed to the author. Shelby who shunned the Memphis Society crowd was asked why he never liked to attend those types of events.
The quote may not be exact but it was somewhere along the lines of “Well, to tell you the truth, most people are perfectly boring” …if not uninformed knuckleheads I might add.

A short montage of Civil War images and music that represents what "From the Fields" is all about! Check it out and at http://www.youtube.com/kylethompson4 and click on "From the Fields"

One of my latest lyrical efforts put to combat photography of the South Pacific "Welcome to Iwo Jima" is available for viewing at http://youtube.com/kylethompson4

Click on "Welcome to Iwo Jima"

This one is dedicated to the men who turned 1945 into victory! The lyrics are tough...but so is what American soldiers faced in the South Pacific.

From The Fields is now on sale for under $10 at CD Baby! At that price even a private in the Confederate Army can afford one. They ship within 24 hours...which means you can be listening to sweet music in the time it takes to fight a battle at Gettysburg! What are you waiting for?

Now you can load up your ipod or MP3 player with songs "From The Fields" to enjoy where ever you go. The perfect musical companion as you tromp around the battlefields! I provided links to both iTunes and Sony Connect, but the songs from the CD will be soon be available through dozens of online music stores and clubs. Download one song or the entire CD...and tell a friend to do the same!

A quick moment to point a finger of shame at Johnson Utilities of Charles Town, West Virginia and Housing Developer Lee Snyder who recently, and reportedly without the proper authorization and permits, brought in heavy equipment to the historic "School House Ridge" area of the Harpers Ferry Battlefield and National Historic Site, and proceeded to dig two 1,900 foot trenches for sewer and water lines across the property to supply a new "Housing Development" being constructed adjacent to the battlefield. Claiming to have obtained an easement from the NPS for the digging, the scoundrels came in early on the morning of August 19th to do the dirty work. Apparently, while the impact of the proposed work was still being studied, they took it upon themselves to go ahead and fire up the heavy machines and complete the job before anyone could say yes or no. You can see pictures of their handywork at the Civil War Preservation Trust web site, as well as more information covering this blunder in judgement! Hard working presevationists spend years protecting these places for the benefit of us all, only to have greedy, impatient and careless developers destroy their hard work and efforts with bulldozer and backhoe. Are our battlefields and historic sites under siege? Take a look at the pictures and decide for yourself! Hopefully the irresponsible parties will be ordered by the court to repair their mistake...and fined enough to make them think twice before tearing up another historical site for the sake of "Sewer Lines."

For those who care about such things...I recorded "From The Fields" on a Boss BR-1180 portable digital studio. Thank god for the digital age! The BR-1180 is a small 8-track digital recorder that is so easy to use that even a self proclaimed electronics bone head like myself could figure out the basics of operation without having to have a degree in sound engineering. I bought it for it's size and portability for this project. Recording on the battlefields presented various challenges. Setting up and breaking down the recording equipment wasn't one of them however. The BR-1180 only draws 4 amps of power...and with an inverter plugged into the lighter of my van...the BR performed without flaw. I used a Rode condenser mic for the majority of the recordings.

You can check out the details of the BR-1180 and other like portable studios at the Boss website if you get the hankerin'...If you are a singer/songwriter, working on demo's of your music or just looking to start a home recording studio I would recommend it!

All of my Great-Great-Grandfathers on my father’s side of the family fought or served in the Confederate Army during the war. My Great-Great-Grandpa Thompson (Robert B. Thompson) was born in Indian Territory, now Oklahoma, on March 7th, 1845. He died in 1907 and is buried in Hartshorne, Oklahoma. Robert enlisted as a boy early in the war with the 1st Arkansas Infantry Regiment, a group of 30 day Volunteers assigned to guard forts along the Arkansas River. This unit was disbanded and I believe he was reassigned to another unit in Indian Territory...but I haven't been able to find out which one and where. Robert was 1/4 Choctaw Indian, and is listed on the Choctaw Tribal Rolls of Kiamita County, Oklahoma.

My Great-Great-Grandpa Gammon (James Harrison Gammon) was born on April 4th, 1829, in Roane County, Tennessee. He must have moved to Georgia at some point prior to the war. He enlisted with the 20th Georgia Volunteers Company A, and is listed on the muster rolls as a private. The 20th Georgia Infantry was raised in the spring of 1861 but saw no action until the following year. But when they got into it...well, they saw the worst of the worst. The 20th was attached to General Early's Brigade under command of General Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia. Major battles that the 20th Georgia engaged in include The Siege at Yorktown, The Seven Days Battle, Malvern Hill, 2nd Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, The Wilderness, Cold Harbor, Fort Harrison, The Siege at Petersburg and finally ending at ‘Appomattox.
He married my Great-Great Grandmother in Gordon, Georgia (just north of Atlanta) in 1864. He survived the war, and died in 1892 and is buried in Coalgate, Oklahoma (then, Indian Territory).

On my Dad's Mother's side my Great-Great Grandpa Cogburn (James Polk Cogburn) was born in Georgia, June 10, 1845. I am told he was in the Texas Cavalry during the Civil War and rode in Capt. Gano's Battalion. The unit primarily served in the western theater and saw some action at several locations, mostly damaging or protecting supply lines. He had several brothers who also fought for the South, one was said to be the inspiration for the character "Rooster" Cogburn...portrayed by John Wayne in True Grit. The Cogburns' are a well known name in North East Texas...and indeed, most of the Cogburns' that live in that area are distant kin of mine.

Lastly is my Great-Great Grandpa Lee (Robert E. Lee) born somewhere in Texas or Georgia between 1835 and 1848, who either enlisted with an Arkansas Regiment or served in the Texas ranks. I am still trying to pin down the info on him. I have a picture of him in his Civil War uniform. His date of death is unknown...but some time after 1878.

Some of my Great-Greats’ fathers also fought in the war as well as their wives fathers (in-laws). One that I know of was Cyrus Ward (aka Shirous Ward) Robert Thompson’s father in law, who served in the 4th Tennessee Cavalry and was attached to General Nathan Bedford Forest’s troops.

I was able to track down some distant cousins as well that served in the Arkansas ranks. One died of illness after the battle of Pea Ridge.

And that is just on my fathers’ side of the family.

I am sure that I have plenty of other kin that served in the war on my mothers’ side. There is a lot of Indian Blood there...Osage and Cherokee, so records are harder to come by.

Much thanks to the boys in Company F, 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry (Washington) and Shane Colglazier aka. Cpl William Hodgdon, for awarding me their 2005 Color Bearer Award for outstanding service to the Civil War Living History Communtity. A check for $100 was sent to the CWPT on my behalf and the 2005 Color Bearer Award now hangs proudly on my wall at home!

I had the pleasure to be an honored guest at the Civil War Preservation Trust's 2005 National Conference held in Chantilly, Virginia.

The staff at the CWPT did a wonderful job staging the event. It was nice to meet the faces and names that make the CWPT a success.

My appologies to anyone that sat near me on the Monocacy tour bus. I should have known that pain medication and twisting country backroads on a bus don't mix! That lesson landed me in my bed for two days. A special kind hearted thanks to the Rangers at Monocacy Battlefield...who let me "Fall-out" on a cot in their office, while the tour went on without me (They did return for me an hour or so later...but probably not by vote).
The ride back to the hotel was even worse! Good thing I had that water bottle to puke into...and I challenge anyone to do that...it's like blowing your nose with a straw.

Being the last one off the bus...I warbled back to my room like a sick sailor.

I did recover enough to attend the final evenings dinner and awards presentation, albeit, on shakey legs.

Glad I made it. There were many distinguished guests of honor recognized by the CWPT for their efforts and contributions to the "Great Task" of battlefield preservation. I was given a special recognition at the evenings end and presented with the CWPT 250 award, as one of the top 250 contributors to battlefield preservation. To recieve the award in the company of so many who share a devotion to a common cause, was truely a very special honor for me.

So, thanks are in line to everyone who supported From The Fields in making it a success. You know who you are and you share this 250 award with me.