CIVIL WAR HISTORIAN AND RE-ENACTOR
(INDIAN WARS RE-ENACTOR)

        I have been a Civil War "Nut" for over thirty years.  Through time I have found that re-enacting Civil War battles is the most fun way of studying this fascinating period of American history.  I have been involved in Civil War round tables and study groups, to supplement my extensive reading on the subject.  I have visited most, if not all, major battlefield parks (local, state, and National Park Service) in the Eastern, Western, and Trans-Mississippi Theaters.  Lastly, I have devoted great deal of time, energy, and money towards historic preservation of Civil War sites and other "hallowed ground." 

        Recently, I have included the Indian Wars in the West, to my interests and efforts.  Through the last 10 years I have reenacted Indian Wars battles at the Little Big Horn, and near Pompey’s Pillar in Montana.  Since then I have worked with the 10th U.S. Cavalry (The Buffalo Soldiers).  I am a Captain in the 10th U.S. Cavalry, and help train our troopers in saber drill and skirmish tactics.  Though I have already seen many, I still intend to visit Western cavalry forts from the Indian Wars era.

Memberships in Civil War Organizations and Historic Preservation Groups:

  • Civil War Preservation Trust (Life Member)
  • Louisville Civil War Round Table
  • Civil War Sites Association (Kentucky Heritage Council)
  • Perryville Battlefield Association
  • Mill Springs Battlefield Association
  • Cumberland Valley Civil War Heritage Association (Board Member)
  • Tebb’s Bend Battlefield Association
  • Friends of Camp Nelson
  • Battle of Nashville Preservation Society and Round Table
  • Friends of Riverview (Hobson House Association)
  • Bowling Green Landmark Association
  • Friends of Lost River
  • Sixth Tennessee Cavalry, Company C (Civil War Re-enacting Group)
  • Seventh Tennessee Cavalry, Company D (Civil War Re-enacting Group)
  • Second U.S. Cavalry, H Company  (Indian Wars Re-enacting Group)
  • Tenth U.S. Cavalry (Buffalo Soldiers) Indian Wars Re-enacting Group (Company Captain)
  • South Platte Valley Historical Society


Experiences:

  • Historical Advisor for the Bowling Green/Warren County Civil War Driving Tour (Sponsored by the Kentucky Heritage Council, The Bowling Green/Warren County Tourism Commission, and the Kentucky Library)
  • Participated in the "Orphan Brigade Living History" (Sponsored by the Kentucky Library)
  • Participated in over 50 Civil War Re-enactments since 1992
  • Participated in several Indian Wars Re-enactments in Montana
  • Participated as a Panelist in the Civil War Symposium, Gallatin, TN 2000
  • Participated as a Speaker and Living Historian at the Hobson House 2002 and 2003
  • Participated as a Speaker in Civil War History for Teachers Workshops (Sponsored by the Kentucky Library)
  • Participated in the Grand Opening of the Civil War Exhibit (Sponsored by the Kentucky Library)
  • Participated as a Speaker for the Civil War Living History and Reenactment, for the Friends of Dumont Hill, Scottsville, Kentucky
  • Participated as an Instructor in the Camp of the Soldier (Sponsored by 10th U.S. Cavalry)


Publications:

  • Trapasso, L. Michael, 1987, Fortress City:  Bowling Green, Kentucky, Back Home in Kentucky, Sept./Oct., pp. 27.
  • Trapasso, L. Michael, Book Review written concerning, "The Civil War in Kentucky," by Kent Masterson Brown, Ed., for  Blue and Gray Magazine, December 2000 Issue.
  • Trapasso, L. Michael, 2003, Defenses Around the Confederate Capital:  The Civil War in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Kentucky's Civil War (1860-1865):  A Comprehensive Guide to Major Battles and Historic Sites 2003-2004 Edition, Back Home in Kentucky.
  • Reviewed and amended, Fact Sheet:  Kentucky Climate During the Civil War by Glen Conner, On-line publication with the Kentucky Climate Center.
  • Helped to research and edit, The Civil War in the Cumberland Valley: A Survey and National Register Project, by Joseph E. Brent, 2004
  • Chapter 12, Defenses Around the Confederate Capital: The Civil War in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Kentucky’s Civil War 1861-1865, Back Home in Kentucky Press, 2005.
  • Trapasso, L. Michael, 2008, The Rise and Fall of a Confederate State Capital:  Bowling Green, Kentucky, Focus on Geography, Vol. 50, No. 4, pp.1-9.

 

Other Civil War Writing Projects:

  • Researched the images, and wrote the text, for six Civil War Historical Interpretation Markers for Bowling Green, Kentucky, 2003-2009.
  • Researched and wrote the brochure to accompany the Bowling Green Civil War Discovery Trail.
  • Researched and wrote the script for the hour-long audio tour to accompany the Bowling Green Civil War Discovery Trail.

 


Presentations:  My slide show presentation, "Defenses Around the Confederate Capital:  The Civil War in Bowling Green, Kentucky" has been presented to the following Groups and Organizations:

  • Western Kentucky University Classes and Seminars (in the Departments of History, Journalism, and Geography/Geology)
  • Louisville Civil War Round Table
  • Perryville Civil War Round Table
  • Civil War Fortifications Study Group
  • Kentucky Heritage Council
  • Allen County Historical Society (Scottsville, KY)
  • Simpson County Historical Society (Octagon House Museum, in Franklin, KY)
  • Kentucky Pastfinders Association (Russellville, KY)
  • Kentucky Museum and Library (WKU Campus, Bowling Green, KY)
  • Living History Day at Riverview (Hobson House in Bowling Green, KY)
  • Teacher Workshops (Sponsored by the Kentucky Museum and Library)
  • Barnes and Noble Book Store (Bowling Green, KY) [Twice!]
  • Several Literary/Book Clubs (In and Around South central Kentucky)
  • Sons of the American Revolution (in conjunction with the DAR)
  • Madison County Civil War Round Table (Berea, KY)
  • Departmental Seminar for Geography and Geology, Western Kentucky University
  • Several Journalism and History Classes at Western Kentucky University
  • History Seminar at the State Street Presbyterian Church, Bowling Green, Kentucky
  • Battle of Nashville Preservation Society and Round Table
  • I have also visited area schools to do a "First Person Impression" of a Union cavalryman stationed in Bowling Green, in 1863.

 

 

Indian Wars Re-enactor:

  • Official Little Big Horn Re-enactment in Hardin, Montana, 25 June 1997 (as a Corporal in the 7th. U.S. Cavalry)
  • Re-enactment of the Little Big Horn Battle near Bozeman, Montana early August 1998 (as a First Lieutenant in the 7th. U.S. Cavalry, C Company)
  • Re-enactment of Indian Battles near Billings, Montana 1999 through 2003 (as a First Lieutenant in the 2nd. U.S. Cavalry, H Company)
  • Participated as an Honor Guard for the Montana State Governor, at the Dedication of the Indian Memorial at the Little Big Horn Battlefield, 25 July 2003
  • Participated in Cavalry Demonstrations for the Wien’s Ranch “Denver Children’s Hospital Fundraiser,” Denver Colorado with the 10th US Cavalry 2004 and 2005
  • Participated in a Cavalry demonstrations at Central City, Colorado with the 10th U.S. Cavalry

 


 
 
 

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