March Meeting

Name: March Meeting
Start: 2026-03-18T19:00:00-05:00
Location: Clarksville Cumberland Presbyterian Church

Schedule

Wed, 18 Mar, 2026 at 07:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Clarksville Cumberland Presbyterian Church | Clarksville, TN

The next meeting of the Clarksville (TN) Civil War Roundtable will be on Wednesday, March 18th, 2026 at our new home Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1410 Golf Club Lane just off Madison Street. This is next to Mericourt Park Baseball Complex just east of the Montgomery County Government Complex. The meeting room is just inside the covered entry way.
The meeting begins at 7:00 pm and is always open to the public. Members, please bring a friend or two – new recruits are always welcomed.
Do not go to Fort Defiance as we no longer meet there! We very much appreciate them hosting us for so long! Our NEW home is terrific!
This month’s program – “Thaddeus Lowe, Civil War Balloonist”
Born in August 1832, in New Hampshire, Thaddeus Lowe would emerge as one of America’s best scientists and inventors. By the time of the Civil War, Lowe worked deeply in meteorology but retained a growing interest in aeronautics or ballooning. Derided by many, Lowe foresaw the use of balloons in aerial reconnaissance thus allowing for viewing Confederate troop positions without needed high hills or even mountains to do the same. Ballons could be moved around and Lowe offered his services in July 1861 when he was given the title of Chief Aeronaut of the Union Army Baloon Corps by President Lincoln. Lowe had experimented with balloons before the war and thus was the perfect choice to run this new command. He included in these the concepts of trans-Atlantic flight using the high altitude winds that had been discovered (now called the Trade Winds).
Most famous for doing recon for George McClellan’s Army of the Potomac during the Peninsula Campaign of 1862, Lowe soon left the service in 1863 in a dispute over how his unit was to operate as well as pay issues. He returned to civilian life and invented a number of patented items that would make him a millionaire and find him relocating to California where he passed away in January 1913.
This month’s presentation highlights Lowe’s unique inventions during and after the Civil War. His vision for a Balloon Corps in the Union Army was received enthusiastically by some and rejected by others. His creativity and perseverance were admirable traits, and an inspiration to many.
Cheryl McAuley is the past president of the Tennessee Valley Civil War Round Table in Huntsville, Alabama. Cheryl holds an undergraduate degree in piano performance from West Chester University (1975), a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in public management from George Mason University (1996), a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College (2005), and a Doctorate of Management in Organizational Leadership from University of Phoenix (2016).
In her civilian career, she served as an intelligence analyst and later led civilians and military members assigned to the Department of Defense (War) at the Pentagon and Washington Navy Yard. As an Army National Guard soldier and Army Reservist of 30 yrs, Cheryl served in the enlisted, commissioned and warrant ranks, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel, Military Intelligence Branch. After 9-11, she was deployed to the Horn of Africa (2004) and later volunteered for a one-year tour in Baghdad, Iraq (2009-2010). She retired from government and military in 2010.
Cheryl is a published author who chronicled her 2017 journey of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa with her husband, John of 40 years. She also wrote two books which contain her memoirs and lessons learned (2019, 2025). All three of them are on Amazon and available in paperback and Kindle. The royalties from each book go to three different charities. During COVID, she developed a program about Professor Thaddeus Lowe, an Aeronaut in the American Civil War. She enjoys presenting the information to adult continuing education groups, history groups, and Civil War Round Tables.
She was honored to be invited to join the Board of Directors of the Civil War Round Table Congress, a nationwide nonprofit of volunteers who are focused on helping CWRTs grow, while achieving and maintaining sustainability.
Please make plans to join us for this fascinating program.