On Sunday, September 11th at 3 P.M., the Franklin Civil War Round Table will present historian and living historian Rhea Cole, who will present “The Union Signal Corps.”

In the Western Theatre of the Civil War, Union General William S. Rosecrans’ innovative use of signaling across long distances resulted in a huge tactical advantage for Federal forces in Middle Tennessee in 1863. All army command, control, intelligence, and logistics were enhanced by the newly organized Signal Corps, which created a radical change in the way the Civil War would be fought from that point forward. Cole will share years of research in his program on the beginnings of what became the U.S. Signal Corps.

Besides his historical research, Cole holds certification as a National Park gunner for Civil War artillery, and a period blacksmith, store worker and carpenter. In 1996, he was a crewman on the trans-Atlantic voyage of the Tall Ship Rose, a reproduction of a British twenty-eight-gun frigate. Cole has been a Stones River National Battlefield volunteer for over twenty years.

At 2:00 P.M., before the presentation, Cole will hold a hands-on session for attendees to experience first-hand the techniques of signaling, using reproduction flags and signaling protocols of the day.

The event is free to the public. The Franklin Civil War Round Table is an educational program of Franklin’s Charge, and meets each month at Carnton Plantation's Fleming Center, 1345 Eastern Flank Circle. For more information, email gregwade55@yahoo.com, or visit http://www.franklinscharge.org/the-round-table.