JOIN US ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2024, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
(MEETING IS ONE WEEK EARLIER THAN USUAL AND WILL BE ZOOM-ONLY)
FOR OUR ANNUAL "SHOW AND TELL" PRESENTATION
SPEAKERS - OUR MEMBERS!
We will host our annual "Show and Tell" program where our members are the speakers. You can spend up to five minutes sharing a Civil War story, film or book review, travelogue or share a Civil War artifact that you might have. We will use the Zoom online format to share your photos, books, artifacts or antiques with the rest of the viewing audience.
This special meeting will be hosted by our Honorary Lifetime Members, David Richardson and Stephanie Hagiwara of History in Full Color. David faithfully hosted and recorded our meetings on Zoom for two years during the Pandemic so that we could continue to provide online programs for our members. Now they are back to host this special annual meeting for us. (And if you haven't found the perfect holiday gift for your favorite Civil War historian, check out the images at History in Full Color.)
If you have something to share, make sure your computer camera and microphone are enabled prior to the call. When you are ready to share, just raise your hand and President Nick Smith will call on you.
This program is an annual tradition, and has proven to be a fan favorite.
You never know what new story you might hear, or what treasure you might see. In the past our members have shared Civil War swords, artwork, and travel to Civil War sites. Plan on joining us -- you don't know what surprises we will have.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2024, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PRESENTATION ON:
"LINCOLN'S SUPREME COURT"
WITH Ed Pearson, Attorney at Law and VP of the Pasadena CWRT
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/5sAta-g61W8
First photograph of the U.S. Supreme Court - 1867 (by Alexander Gardner) - Public Domain
The Chase Court - June 1865 to July 1867. Left to Right: Daniel Wesley Middleton (Clerk of the Supreme Court of the United States), Justices David Davis, Noah Haynes Swayne, Robert Cooper Grier, James Moore Wayne, Salmon P. Chase (Chief Justice of the United States), Samuel Nelson, Nathan Clifford, Samuel Freeman Miller, Stephen Johnson Field.
As a presidential election nears, the power of a president to appoint members of the Supreme Court is cited as a major factor in a citizen’s voting choice.
Abraham Lincoln assumed the Presidency with the Civil War looming on the horizon. That war would again reveal a facet of American political life – one that we still face as a nation – in the tension between national security and individual liberty. Often, that conflict plays out in the decisions of the Supreme Court.
Within a very short time after his inauguration, the Court was down to six justices, and there was not a Republican among them. At the helm was aging Chief Justice Roger Taney, the author of the Dred Scott decision, a decidedly pro-slavery opinion. How would Lincoln’s war measures fare in the face of a potentially hostile Court?
In his time in office, Lincoln appointed five justices, including a new Chief Justice, and these men collectively gave Lincoln wide latitude to conduct the war with the harsh measures that restricted individual freedoms and for which he was condemned by a wide swath of the public.
This talk will focus on the role of the Court in the time of the Civil War, including the way in the which the Court vacancies were filled, the “packing” of the Court with a tenth justice in 1863, the ascendancy of Samuel Chase to the position of Chief Justice, and how the Court handled the constitutional issues facing the country.
Edward Pearson was born in San Diego to a Naval officer father. He bounced around the U.S., including two years spent at the Naval base at Guantanamo. He went to high school back in San Diego, then came up to LA to go to USC, then to USC Law School. Ed has been an attorney since 1978, practicing the field of Estate and Trust Law. He is currently with the firm of Overton, Lyman & Prince, whose claim is it is the oldest firm in Los Angeles. Ed has always been a student of history generally, U.S. history particularly, and Civil War history even more particularly. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Pasadena CWRT, holds the office of Vice President, and serves as our "Trivia Master" at each meeting.
Last year, Ed began what has turned into a triumvirate of presentations with his talk on the executive branch of our government during the Civil War. This talk will cover the judicial branch, and continue next year with a presentation about the legislative branch. Attend all three presentations, and you'll collect the whole set!
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2024 AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PRESENTATION ON:
"A JUST CAUSE: VOICES OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR"
WITH Olga Tsapina, Huntington Library's Curator of American History
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/7IVeGWUDqnQ
And now with a brave army and a just cause, may God sustain you.
— Abraham Lincoln, April 30, 1864
President Abraham Lincoln - January 8, 1864
Photo by Matthew Brady Studios
(courtesy of Library of Congress)
These were the parting words that the president of the United States addressed to Ulysses S. Grant as the general-in-chief embarked on what turned out to be the deadliest campaign of the Civil War.
Three years earlier, the president of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis, had also invoked the blessings of Providence on a just cause.
But what was this just cause? Both Northerners and Southerners believed that they were fighting a just war against an enemy ‘s unholy crusade. Both fought with equal tenacity and spurned compromise with equal determination. Both believed that God and the Founding Fathers were on their side.
In 1865, as the war neared its end, Abraham Lincoln pointed out that the opposing sides “read the same Bible and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other.” He mused: “The prayers of both could not be answered; that of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes.”
The talk highlights The Huntington Library’s famous Civil War collections to explore the great soul-searching, which made the Civil War, in the words of one war veteran, “a battle of ideas interrupted by artillery.”
From September 22, 2012 to January 8, 2013, the Huntington Library in San Marino hosted the exhibit, "A Just Cause: Voices of the American Civil War." View the original announcement on the exhibit HERE.
Olga Tsapina, Ph.D., has been at The Huntington since 1998, and currently serves as the Norris Foundation Curator of American History. Prior to coming to the Huntington, she was the curator of the collection of Russian 18th-century printed and manuscript materials at the Division of Rare Books and Manuscripts at Moscow University Library. She holds her Ph.D. in history from the Moscow Lomonosov University; and her scholarly interests include comparative studies of religious Enlightenment, the history of autograph manuscript collecting in the United States, and correspondence networks in British America. Tsapina’s most recent exhibition at The Huntington was “The U.S. Constitution and the End of American Slavery.”
Prior to our meeting, we invite you to view a PDF of the layout of the 2012 exhibition.
Click HERE to view.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2024, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PROGRAM ON "THE CIVIL WAR AND THE AMERICAN WEST:
THE TIES THAT BIND"
WITH William Deverell, Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/jwNbk24WBA4
Emmanuel Leutze's 1860 mural study Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way
which celebrates the idea of Manifest Destiny just when the Civil War threatened the republic.
Courtesy of Architect of the Capitol
This talk will explore both the history of the relationship between the West and the coming, and aftermath, of the Civil War, as well as the ways in which scholars increasingly see important connections between the two that earlier eras of scholarly writing ignored.
Bill Deverell is Co-Director of the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West, which he founded twenty years ago. He is Professor of History at USC and Divisional Dean for the Social Sciences. His undergraduate degree, in American Studies, is from Stanford, and he earned his MA and PhD in History at Princeton.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2024, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PROGRAM ON "THE BATTLE OF TREVILIAN STATION"
WITH Civil War Cavalry Reenactor Bruce Smith
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/f4S1ryNx1sA
Charge of the Confederate Cavalry at Trevilian Station, Virginia
by James E. Taylor - published in 1891
This presentation starts during the American Civil War, but continues onto the infamous plains of Montana of 1876. The presentation will be a study on Custer’s leadership at the Battle of Trevilian Station, June 11-12, 1864 compared to his leadership at the Battle of Little Big Horn, June 25, 1876, twelve years later. The Battle of Trevilian Station is often referred to by historians as Custer’s First Last Stand. We will examine both battles by looking at tactics, leadership, the participants, landscape and weapons. This will be an exciting and hopefully insightful talk looking at a snapshot of the life of George Armstrong Custer, one of the most colorful and written about characters in the history of the American west. Our speaker has visited both battlefields, including riding the Little Big Horn on horseback, and looks forward to bringing this presentation to you.
Major General George Armstrong Custer - 1865
colorized photo courtesy of Shenandoah Battlefields Foundation
Bruce Smith has had an active interest in the American Civil War since grade school. This interest was turned into a passion by a highly motivated college history professor. In 1997 he was tasked to start a mounted patrol unit at Arcadia Police Department. While selecting appropriate gear for the horses, he researched cavalry gear. This started a continuing study of the evolution of the United States Cavalry. He has read extensively on this topic both on cavalry equipment and tactics along with cavalry engagements and the men who led those engagements.
Bruce served 33 years with the Arcadia Police Department, and retired in 2013. For 16 years, he supervised the Arcadia Mounted Enforcement Team. He also served three years as the Barn Manager for Mt. San Antonio College, where he oversaw the care and training of the college’s quarter horse herd. Since 1990 Bruce, along with his wife, has owned and managed Cornerstone Equestrian Center in Norco, CA, where he trains and competes Hunter-Jumper and equitation horses. Bruce is a member of the “Spirit of the West Riders” who participate in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, where he portrays a Civil War cavalryman. Bruce also serves as a docent at the Lincoln Shrine Civil War Museum in Redlands CA. He has been a Civil War reenactor since 2004, portraying a mounted cavalry trooper. Bruce is also the owner of On-Site Living History, where he lectures on various cavalry topics.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2024, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PROGRAM ON "JOHN GIBBON: IRON MAN OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC!"
WITH Los Angeles CWRT's George Melrod
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/D89BgEDB0cs
Brigadier General John Gibbon
Courtesy of Library of Congress
Not all of the most remarkable generals in the Civil War were famous or commanded armies. Raised in North Carolina in a family of slave-owners, John Gibbon stayed loyal to the Union as the rest of his family sided with the South. During the Civil War, he trained and led the celebrated Iron Brigade, held the center of the Union line during Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg, and was prominent at Appomattox. After the war, he was an Indian fighter who rescued the survivors of Little Bighorn and advocated for justice for Native Americans. In many ways, he was a contradiction: a Southerner who chose loyalty to his country over state and family, and whose coolness in the field earned him the deep respect of his peers, while his penchant for finding flaws in both underlings and superiors caused numerous disputes – and nearly derailed his career. A complex figure with an epic life story emerges through a presentation filled with evocative visual imagery and human detail.
George Melrod graduated Harvard University, but has been a student of the Civil War all of his life. Over the last 30 years he has written numerous screenplays and has published extensively about art and visual culture. From 2006–2017, he was the editor of the largest contemporary art magazine in California and the Western US. As a fiction writer of the Civil War era, he remains fascinated by the lesser-known characters who played a significant role in the Civil War, whose stories remain largely forgotten. His other recent presentations have included “John F. Reynolds and James B. McPherson and the Loves They Left Behind,” and “Ormsby Mitchel: Astronomer – General – Visionary.”
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2024, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PROGRAM ON "PLAYING DIXIE IN EGYPT:
CIVIL WAR VETERANS IN THE ARMY OF THE KHEDIVE"
WITH Dr. Thavolia Glymph, Author and Historian - Duke University
(There is no recording of this presentation)
Charles Iverson Graves, Confederate Veteran in Egypt
The talk explores the decision of some 50 white veterans of the Union and Confederate armies to join the army of the Khedive Isma’il after the Civil War, the part they played in the khedive’s efforts to expand the territorial boundaries of Egypt, and how their experience in Egypt was shaped by and shaped their ideas about race, nation, and belonging.
Thavolia Glymph is Peabody Family Distinguished Professor of History, Professor of Law, and Faculty Research Scholar at the Duke Population Research Institute at Duke University. She is an historian of the U.S. South specializing in the history of slavery, the Civil War, emancipation, and Reconstruction. Glymph is president of the American Historical Association and past president of the Southern Historical Association. She is an Organization of American Historians Distinguished Lecturer, and an elected member of the American Antiquarian Society, the Gettysburg Foundation Board of Directors, and the Society of American Historians and a member of its Board. She holds the 2023-2024 Rogers Distinguished Fellowship in Nineteenth Century History at the Huntington Library and has twice held the John Hope Franklin Visiting Professor of American Legal History at Duke Law School. She is a recipient of Duke University’s Thomas Langford Lectureship Award and an “Award for Outstanding Scholarship Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War" from the National Park Service.
Glymph has authored and edited numerous books, essays, and articles. Her 2008 book, Out of the House of Bondage: The Transformation of the Plantation Household won the 2009 Philip Taft Book Prize and was a finalist for the Frederick Douglass Prize. Her 2020 book, The Women's Fight: The Civil War's Battles for Home, Freedom, and Nation, won multiple honors from the American Historical Association, the Southern Association for Women Historians, the Society of Civil War Historians, the Watson-Brown Foundation, the John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History, the Civil War and Reconstruction Book Award, the Organization of American Historians, and was a finalist for the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize. She is co-editor of two volumes of the documentary history series, Freedom: A Documentary History of Emancipation, 1861-1867. She serves on several editorial boards and has worked as an historical consultant for the National Constitution Center, the National Museum of African American History & Culture, the National Park Service, the New-York Historical Society, and the International African American Museum; and on films and documentaries such as Harriet, Mercy Street; and “The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross,” PBS Series with Henry Louis Gates.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PROGRAM ON "GET SQUARE WITH THE REBS:"
THE CIVIL WAR DIARY OF CHARLES M. JENKINS
WITH Paul R. Spitzzeri, Author and Historian
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/RclBi3_4GVM
A tintype portrait of Union Army Corporal Charles M. Jenkins during his Civil War service,
courtesy of Wayne and Pamela Sherman.
The only Los Angeles resident to serve on the battlefield for the Union Army during the Civil War, Charles M. Jenkins, newly paroled from Confederate prisoner of war camps, rejoined his Massachusetts volunteer cavalry unit in Virginia early in 1865. For most of that year, he kept a diary recording his experiences on the battlefield, the end of the conflict, his mustering out, and his return home. This presentation shares excerpts from the diary, as well as some of Jenkins' life history, in what is truly a unique local element to the history of the war.
Paul Spitzzeri is the Museum Director at the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum, where he has worked since 1988. He has a B. A. and M. A. in History from California State University, Fullerton and has written on California history for such journals as California History, Southern California Quarterly, California Legal History and Journal of the West, and in the anthologies Law in the Western United States, Encyclopedia of Immigration and Migration in the American West, and Icons of the American West. His biography on the Workman and Temple families is an Award of Merit winner from the American Association for State and Local History and he writes nearly daily on regional history on The Homestead Museum Blog.
For our members who may be interested in purchasing it, Mr. Spitzzeri will be bringing copies of his award-winning book on the Workman and Temple families. The price is only $20, and he will be able to sign your copy.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2024, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PROGRAM ON "ON GREAT FIELDS: THE LIFE AND UNLIKELY HEROISM OF
JOSHUA LAWRENCE CHAMBERLAIN"
WITH Dr. Ronald C. White, Author and Historian
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/jiMXOtKP0HA
What makes a hero “unlikely”? Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was often called such by his neighbors. They had been surprised when Chamberlain, a bookish child who became a minister and professor, volunteered for the Union Army. They were outright shocked when newspapers proclaimed the news of Chamberlain’s leadership at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. On the second day of fighting, after running low on ammunition at Little Round Top, he ordered his men to wield their bayonets in a desperate charge down a rocky slope that routed the Confederate attackers. His character tested and affirmed; Chamberlain dedicated himself to a lifetime of public service.
Before 1862, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain had rarely left his home state of Maine, where he was a trained minister and mild-mannered professor at Bowdoin College. His colleagues were shocked when he volunteered for the Union army, but he was undeterred and later became known as one of the North’s greatest heroes.
Chamberlain is familiar to millions from Michael Shaara’s classic novel of the Civil War, The Killer Angels, Ken Burns’s miniseries, The Civil War, and Jeff Daniels' portrayal of Chamberlain in the movie Gettysburg. In On Great Fields, White captures the complex and inspiring man behind the hero.
Ronald C. White is the author of a new biography, On Great Fields: The Life and Unlikely Heroism of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. He is the author of two New York Times bestselling presidential biographies: A. Lincoln: A Biography, and American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant. He has also written Lincoln’s Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural, a New York Times Notable Book; The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Words, a Los Angeles Times bestseller; and Lincoln in Private: What His Most Personal Reflections Tell Us About Our Greatest President, recipient of the 2021 Barondess/Lincoln award.
White is a graduate of UCLA and Princeton Theological Seminary, receiving a Ph.D. from Princeton University. He has taught at UCLA, Whitworth University, Colorado College, and Princeton Seminary. Ron and his wife Cynthia reside in Pasadena, California.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2024, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PROGRAM ON "THE GREATEST ESCAPE, A TRUE CIVIL WAR ADVENTURE"
WITH Doug Miller, Author, Historian and Pasadena CWRT Member
Link to recording of presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vERU2M3RShQ&t=1s
The Greatest Escape: A True American Civil War Adventure tells the amazing story of the largest prison breakout in U.S. history. It took place during the Civil War, when more than 1200 Yankee officers were jammed into Libby, a special prison considered escape-proof, in the Confederate capitol of Richmond, Virginia.
A small group of men, obsessed with escape, mapped out an elaborate plan and one cold and clear night, 109 men dug their way to freedom. Freezing, starving, clad in rags, they had to still travel 40 miles to Yankee lines and safety. They were pursued by all the white people in the area, but every Black person they encountered was their friend. In every instance, slaves risked their lives to help these Yankees, and their journey was aided by a female-led Union spy network. All these diverse heroes worked together, risking everything, united in their hatred of slavery.
Since all the escapees were officers, they all could read and write well. Over 50 of them would publish riveting accounts of their adventures. This is the first book to weave together these contemporary accounts into a true-to-life narrative. Much like a Ken Burns documentary, this book uses the actual words the prisoners recorded more than 150 years ago, as found in their many diaries and journals.
Douglas Miller is a writer, filmmaker, and photographer based in Los Angeles. He is best known for producing and writing the popular independent documentary “When Stand Up Stood Out,” about the “gold rush” of the 70s and 80s Boston Comedy scene, and for writing and editing the documentary “Bettie Page Reveals All,” which won “Best Feature Documentary” at the 2013 Garden State Film Festival.
Miller’s recent writing, producing and editing work includes programs for IFC and The History Channel (notably the series “The Color of War,” “Modern Marvels,” and “Boneyards”). His film work has taken him all over the world and his photography has been exhibited in galleries from Paris, to New York, to Los Angeles.
Mr. Miller grew up in the steel and coal town of Steubenville, Ohio. He had to drop out of high school but went on to become a finalist for a National Merit Scholarship, and graduated with a BFA in filmmaking from the State University of New York at Purchase. There he studied under documentary filmmaker Willard Van Dyke, head of the Museum of Modern Art’s Film Dept. and a founding member of the famed Group F64.
He spent the 80s in Boston, writing and shooting documentaries, commercials, industrials, and music videos, including directing and producing the popular sports special “Fenway Park, Home of the Red Sox.”
Mr. Miller lives in Studio City, California with his wife of 45 years, Hollywood costume designer Carol Ramsey. Their daughter Maren is a graphic designer and artist in New York City.
For more info on Doug Miller, please visit www.DougAMiller.com for a list of his film work and two dozen of his unique photo essays.
Our speaker will bring copies of his book for sale and signing for only $20. For more about his book, check out www.thegreatestescapebook.com.
He will also bring stories of his attendance at the February 10 event to commemorate the 160th Anniversary of the Libby Prison Escape of 1864, being held in Richmond, Virginia.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2024, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PROGRAM ON "THE CIVIL WAR IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA"
WITH Zach Foster, Author, Historian and Pasadena CWRT Member
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/rd2R8hitG3M
Junior Officers’ Quarters building at the 1862 Drum Barracks in Wilmington, CA,
which served as the main staging, training and supply base for Union military operations in the Southwest.
This presentation shatters the myth that the Civil War wasn't fought in California. It may not have been Gettysburg, but counterinsurgency operations were critical for keeping California in the Union. From San Pedro to San Bernardino to San Diego, Southern California in particular was teeming with activity that impacted the war in the Pacific and Trans-Mississippi theaters.
Zach Foster is an historian with an endless passion for local history and lore. He earned his BA in Political Science from Cal Poly Pomona, currently works as a cultural interpreter and linguist, and is a former reserve soldier. Zach is the author of the upcoming book "The Confederate Territory of Arizona." For the past two years, he's also the man behind the YouTube channel 'The Civil War: Wild West Edition', which follows the War Between the States and Territories from Oregon to Texas.
JOIN US FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION (VIA ZOOM) ON
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2023, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR OUR ANNUAL "SHOW & TELL PROGRAM"
WHERE OUR MEMBERS ARE THE SPEAKERS!
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/zQ-divye3UU
We will host our annual "Show and Tell" program where our members are the speakers. You can spend up to five minutes sharing a Civil War story, film or book review, travelogue or share a Civil War artifact that you might have. We will use the Zoom online format to share your photos, books, artifacts or antiques with the rest of the viewing audience.
This month's special meeting will be hosted by our Honorary Lifetime Members, David Richardson and Stephanie Hagiwara of History in Full Color. David faithfully hosted our meetings on Zoom for two years during the Pandemic so that we could continue to provide online programs for our members. Now they are back to host this special annual meeting for us. (And if you haven't found the perfect holiday gift for your favorite Civil War historian, check out the images at History in Full Color.)
If you have something to share, make sure your computer camera and microphone are enabled prior to the call. When you are ready to share, just raise your hand and President Nick Smith will call on you.
This program is an annual tradition, and has proven to be a fan favorite.
You never know what new story you might hear, or what treasure you might see. In the past our members have shared Civil War swords, artwork, and travel to Civil War sites. Plan on joining us -- you don't know what surprises we will have.
If you are not on our monthly email meeting notice list, please contact us at
PasadenaCWRT@gmail.com
to request the Zoom link for this month's meeting.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2023, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PROGRAM ON "FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE WHITE HOUSE"
WITH Ed Pearson, Pasadena CWRT Vice President
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/EsAEf7pppdM
The White House during the Civil War
(Courtesy of the Library of Congress)
The Civil War convulsed the nation for four years, and its effect on the office of the Presidency was felt for years after. With one exception, all presidents who followed Lincoln, from Andrew Johnson in 1865 to William McKinley in 1901, held military rank.
Of the eight men who served as president in these years, seven were soldiers, and five of those saw the elephant of battle. One of those, of course, was Ulysses Grant, the most famous soldier of them all, a general who was so popular that some saw him as a potential candidate to replace Lincoln in 1865. His time came in 1869. And he was followed by a succession of combat soldiers – Hayes, Garfield, Harrison, McKinley.
In this talk, we will recall the wartime careers of these eight U.S. presidents and speculate about the influence of their war experience on their post-war careers that led them to the nation’s highest office. In addition to the five who fought, time will be devoted to two generals who were wartime administrators – Johnson and Arthur – and the one president who avoided war service, Grover Cleveland, our 22nd and 24th president.
And there might be some trivia too!
Edward Pearson was born in San Diego to a Naval officer father. He bounced around the U.S., including two years spent at the Naval base at Guantanamo. He went to high school back in San Diego, then came up to LA to go to USC, then to USC Law School. Ed has been an attorney since 1978, practicing the field of Estate and Trust Law. He is currently with the firm of Overton, Lyman & Prince, whose claim is it is the oldest firm in Los Angeles. Ed has always been a student of history generally, U.S. history particularly, and Civil War history even more particularly. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Pasadena CWRT, holds the office of Vice President, and serves as our "Trivia Master" at each meeting.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2023, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PROGRAM ON "THE GRAND REVIEW: ITS MEANING AND MEMORY"
WITH Professsor Gary Gallagher (in a rare West Coast, in-person appearance)
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/iwHnC1f9yUo?si=mELqOeWxU0F1hyod
The grand review at Washington May 23, 1865.
The glorious Army of the Potomac passing the head stand
Lithograph by E. Sachse & Company, Boston
(Courtesy of the Library of Congress)
The Grand Review of the Army of the Potomac and William Tecumseh Sherman's armies on May 23-24, 1865, afforded an opportunity for thousands of spectators in the nation's capital to see more than 150,000 U.S. soldiers march down Pennsylvania Avenue. This lecture will examine the background, make-up, and reception of the event, as well some of the conflicting ways it has been interpreted by historians.
Gary W. Gallagher is the John L. Nau III Professor in the History of the American Civil War Emeritus and former Director of the John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History at the University of Virginia. A native of Los Angeles, he received his B.A. from Adams State College of Colorado and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. An archivist at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library for ten years, he began his academic career in 1986 at Penn State University, where he taught for twelve years and headed the Department of History for five. He joined the faculty of the University of Virginia in 1998. He is the author or editor of more than forty books, including The American War: A History of the Civil War Era (co-authored with Joan Waugh), and his latest title, The Enduring Civil War. He has served as editor of two book series at the University of North Carolina Press - "Civil War America," with more than 115 titles date, and “Military Campaigns of the Civil War,” with 10 titles. He has appeared regularly on the A&E Network's series "Civil War Journal" as well as participating in more than five dozen other television projects in the field. In 2001-2002 he was the Times-Mirror Foundation Distinguished Fellow at the Huntington Library. Many of our members have also attended the more than half dozen Civil War Conferences he and his co-moderator, Joan Waugh, have convened at the Huntington Library, bringing a star-studded cast of preeminent Civil War scholars, authors and historians to the West Coast for our enjoyment and edification. Active in the field of historic preservation, he was president from 1987 to mid-1994 of the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites, the organization that merged to become the Civil War Trust and is now known as the American Battlefield Trust. He also served as a member of the Board of the Civil War Trust and has given testimony about preservation before Congressional committees on several occasions.
Professor Gallagher's latest book, The Enduring Civil War, can be purchased at our local independent bookstore, Vroman's, in Pasadena or ordered via their online site at: Vroman's Bookstore. He will be happy to sign your copy at the meeting.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2023, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PROGRAM ON "BLACK JACK LOGAN -- THE POLITICIAN AND MAJOR GENERAL"
WITH Dean Smith
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/4c4PgCHr7-Q?si=415JrfHuTtsVbUZS
General John A. Logan
(Brady-Handy photograph collection, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
How did John Logan get nicknamed, “Black Jack,” and how did he earn the derogatory title, “Dirty Works Logan?” Was he really from Egypt? What caused him to become a Republican, after being a Democrat, raised by a slave-owning father? Why did he call his 31st Illinois Regiment the “Dirty-first?” What were the rewards for his part in the sieges of Vicksburg and Atlanta? How did he help Lincoln get reelected? After the Civil War, why were his speeches called “bloody shirt” oratory? Why is a man, who was so popular that he: could have been President; was honored with statues in five states; had a fort, and a mountain, in Colorado, named after him; was just the seventh person to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda; has a museum, and a college named after him; and his is one of only three surnames in the Illinois state song, best known today for his role in founding Memorial Day? To learn the answers to these questions, and more, come to our next meeting, to hear Dean Smith’s new talk on a Union hero, whose fame in the 19th century has not carried over into the 20th and 21st centuries.
Our speaker will also be sharing some items from his personal collection of Logan images, CDV's, cabinet cards, trade cards and a coin.
Dean Smith is a third generation Los Angeles native. He earned his B.A, (1968), and M.A. (1970), degrees in Political Science, from the University of California, at Riverside. He had a 34-year career in public service, with Los Angeles County, and has been retired since 2004. Dean is a member of the Civil War Trust; Commander of the Gen. W. S. Rosecrans Camp No. 2 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War; a Charter Member of Logan’s Brigade, an affiliate of the National Women’s Relief Corps; a former member of the Board of Directors for the Drum Barracks Museum; and, President and Program Chair of the Los Angeles Civil War Round Table. He has given presentations to all five Southern California Round Tables, as well as to a number of other organizations, on a variety of Civil War topics.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, JULY 25, 2023, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PROGRAM ON "LOVE HIM OR HATE HIM? GENERAL BENJAMIN 'BEAST' BUTLER"
WITH Dr. Dave Schrader
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/tPZlqoTTXes
Benjamin Franklin Butler, circa 1870-1880
(image courtesy Library of Congress)
Most CWRT fans know that Benjamin Butler was the most controversial political general. But he lived a rich and complex life – before, during, and after the Civil War - and this talk aims to provide some nuance to the interpretation of his contributions to the Union, while not ignoring some of the questionable tactics he used. Love him or hate him, you’ll walk away with a richer understanding of his life, his goals, his downfalls, his supporters and his many, many detractors.
At least his dog loved him.
Benjamin Butler, circa 1845-1847
(Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society)
Dr. Dave Schrader has been giving CWRT talks to Los Angeles audiences since 2013. He is particularly fascinated by “the rest of the story” – for example, the activities of support organizations such as the Signal Corps, the Commissary Corps and the Quartermaster Corps, who often played major but behind-the scenes roles in the abilities of generals and presidents to achieve their goals. Or people like Lincoln’s Secretaries or his Ambassadors who played pivotal roles in supporting the President and his policies. Or the Fire-Eaters who drummed up support for secession in the south while the Abolitionists were busy motivating people in the North.
Most of his talks are interactive so be prepared for audience participation!
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2023, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PROGRAM ON "PORTRAYING ELY PARKER"
WITH Living Historian Max Harsha
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/BwwbikRkUBw
General U.S. Grant with his staff (left to right)
Brigadier General Ely Samuel Parker, Colonel Adam Badeau, Major Orville Elias Babcock, and Colonel Horace Porter
(image courtesy Library of Congress)
Hasanoanda (Ely Parker) was a Native American peace chief or Sachem of the Seneca Iroquois during the 19th century. He also rose to the rank of Brigadier General, the highest rank of any Native American in the Union Army during the Civil War. Parker served on the staff of General U.S. Grant and was a key participant at the surrender at Appomattox. Our speaker, Max Harsha, will be discussing the life of Ely Parker and the numerous resources attained throughout his research. On display will be pieces of Max's collection related to Ely Parker's portrayal.
Max Harsha is a four-year scholar of Ely Parker and the Haudenosaunee, known to most as the Iroquois. He has studied numerous accounts, stories, biographies, and personal writings relating to the Native American way of life in the 18th and 19th centuries. As a certified descendant of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, he personally takes on the responsibility of retelling the stories of not only his tribe but of others to keep their memories alive. With the counsel of tribal members, leaders, and historians, Max has defined the saying “Seek peace through understanding” as the fundamental purpose for his presentations. He has also portrayed Ely Parker and other Native American leaders for public events and video documentaries.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2023, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PROGRAM ON "LINCOLN'S SCOUT -- THE DIARY OF HORATIO COOKE, SOLDIER, SPY, ESCAPE ARTIST"
WITH Author Mark Cannon
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/1g0CizTgV2I
This presentation will recount the remarkable exploits of Civil War Union soldier Horatio (Harry) Cooke, who was commissioned as a “Lincoln Special Scout – 1863” by President Lincoln. Cooke, who was also a professional magician, personally performed a rope escape trick for Lincoln, which would lead Lincoln to state “The Johnnies would have to go some to hold you if you should fall into their hands." These words would prove prophetic, as the young Cooke would later indeed be taken prisoner by Mosby’s Guerillas, leading Cooke to have to attempt the most dangerous escape of his life in order to save his own life as well as his men’s. After the war Cooke would personally witness the assassination of President Lincoln. Cooke himself would later survive being shot by a lunatic, and then go on to become America’s first performing escape artist, lead a “Spiritualism De-Bunking” campaign, and much later become a mentor to a young guy named Harry Houdini. Then fast-forward to 1981, when the author, a young magician himself, would meet Cooke’s only surviving daughter, Clara Louise Wasem while he was performing a magic show! Clara would then hand over her dad’s scrapbook and diary and ask that his story one day be told.
M.R. Cannon is a husband and father of two. Professionally, he has been a cruise ship magician, and an escape artist consultant for numerous television programs, and for many of the famous magicians of the world. He served as an airborne law enforcement sergeant-pilot for 36 years. An avid adventurer, he has travelled to over 70 countries including all seven continents. His interests include back-country flying, baseball, magic, the "Great Outdoors," and American history. He is the recipient of the 2006 Leslie P. Guest M-U-M Award of Excellence, presented by the Society of American Magician’s for his literary work on “Harry Cooke, American Wizard."
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 2023, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PROGRAM ON "IN ALTADENA, OWEN BROWN'S BODY LIES A-MOULDERING IN THE GRAVE"
WITH Huntington Library Fellow Michele Zack
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/qIJKRZzZRSU
Owen Brown Gravesite in Altadena, California
Historian and Huntington Library Alan Jutzi Fellow Michele Zack will share the story of Owen Brown, son of the famed Abolitionist John Brown. After surviving Harpers Ferry and a life on the lam for 20 years, in the 1880s Owen moved to Altadena where his siblings lived, and where Pasadena Union supporters and Temperance folks welcomed him. Owen died in 1889 and was buried in the foothills. Michele Zack, chair of LA County's Owen Brown Gravesite Committee, will talk about Owen’s life, his legacy, and the civic battles over establishing access, restoring his gravesite, and creating a well-funded education program that will be launched in local schools next year.
Pasadena CWRT Member Michele Zack is a writer and historian interested in the intersections of local and national history, ideas, and social movements. She is the current Alan Jutzi Fellow at the Huntington Library researching Los Angeles in the run up to the Civil War and the author of Altadena: Between Wilderness and City, Seeking the Better Life in Sierra Madre, and The Lisu: Far from the Ruler.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2023 AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PROGRAM ON "AN EVENING WITH MR. LINCOLN"
WITH Living Historian Robert Broski
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/zylckDBUNb0
Please join us for a special evening in the presence of our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln.
During his visit, he will touch upon his upbringing and his time as President and dealing with the Rebellion. He will even treat us to a recitation of the famous address he delivered on November 19, 1863 on the battlefield near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Best of all, Mr. Lincoln will be open to questions from the audience. So please bring your inquiries to pose to the President, and he will endeavor to respond with the folksy wisdom for which he is so well known.
Robert Broski is a living historian who has been presenting President Lincoln for about 15 years. He has spoken to preschoolers to college students at social events and Civil War reenactments, and has also worked in TV and movies. He is honored and blessed to present Mr. Lincoln anywhere people may want to know more about this great President. Mr. Broski will also be sharing some of his display items with us at our meeting.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2023, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PRESENTATION BY HISTORIAN AUSTIN KRAUSE ON: "CHANCELLORSVILLE: THE CAMPAIGN, CONSEQUENCES, AND LEGACY OF AN EPIC BATTLE"
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/URRNZjSE4-Q
Set in the wilderness of central Virginia during the blooming spring of 1863, the Chancellorsville Campaign is widely considered to be Robert E. Lee’s masterpiece victory. Outnumbered nearly two-to-one in terms of manpower, R. E. Lee immortalized his military legacy with his Army of Northern Virginia by turning the tide of fortune against Joseph Hooker’s Army of the Potomac in dramatic fashion and carrying the Civil War into the North for a second time. The brilliance surrounding Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s attack against the Army of the Potomac’s right flank has been countlessly scrutinized in the annals of military history. The remarkable organization and initiative on display from Hooker’s officers foreshadowed the maturation of Union leadership and its relentless fighting spirit in the months to come.
However, these facts only tell part of this extraordinary chapter of America’s Civil War; the Chancellorsville Campaign created heroes and villains, raised hopes, crushed reputations, and established a legacy that endures. The campaign, its leaders, soldiers and civilians, as well as post-war memorialization and battlefield preservation efforts will be discussed in-depth.
The Last Meeting Between Gen. Lee and Jackson -- J.G. Fay, 1877
(Library of Congress)
Austin Krause has been a member of the Pasadena Civil War Round Table since 2015, and currently serves on the Board of Directors. He is a member of the Ramona Parlor #109 of the Native Sons of the Golden West, and has been re-enacting the Civil War as a member of the 8th Louisiana Infantry Regiment for fifteen years. Austin earned his degree in Sociology, Criminology and Justice Studies from California State University, Northridge in 2018 and is a proud member of the International Sociology Honor Society, Alpha Kappa Delta. He also earned a certificate from Columbia University in 2020 for completing Dr. Eric Foner’s “The Civil War and Reconstruction 1850 - 1877” professorship course. He is currently researching the Lost Cause of the Confederacy in anticipation for a project to be published in the future.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2023, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PRESENTATION BY AUTHOR MEG GROELING ON: "WHAT DID THEY DO WITH THE BODIES? THE AFTERMATH OF BATTLE: THE BURIAL OF THE CIVIL WAR DEAD"
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/w0weAPUUUPw
Savas Beatie published Meg’s first book, The Aftermath of Battle: The Burial of the Civil War Dead, in the fall of 2015. This is a volume in the Emerging Civil War Series, although it differs from the others in that it takes on a much broader range of subject. The book has received excellent reviews and has already gone into its third printing.
It has a story arc. It begins with the death of Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, the first Union officer killed in the Civil War and ends with a chapter on Albert Woolson, the very last Civil War veteran. Unlike battle narratives, Aftermath picks up the story at the end of the battle. But battles had many different aftermaths. Not only are burials, hasty and otherwise, examined, but the National Cemetery movement, the writing of Taps, and the dedication of the horses and mules—themselves often casualties of battle—are discussed.
Always with respect for the sacrifices made during war, Meg will present her book, richly enhanced with a presentation of images from the book itself. She will answer questions and hopefully encourage discussion.
Meg retired in June, 2017 from teaching. Her undergraduate degree in Liberal Studies with a minor in American History was from California State University, Long Beach, and she received her master’s degree in military history, with a Civil War emphasis, in 2016, from American Public University.
She has also written First Fallen: The Life of Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, the North’s First Civil War Hero. the only biography written about Ellsworth since Ruth Painter Randall’s, published in 1960. In it, she challenges some of the assumptions made about Ellsworth and uses his life as a lens through which to view the attitudes and events of the urban North prior to the Civil War. Savas Beatie published it in 2021, and Meg gave a virtual presentation on this book to our round table in March, 2022.
She is a regular contributor to the blog Emerging Civil War, exploring subjects beyond the battlefield such as personalities, politics, and practices that affected the men who did the fighting.
She will bring copies of both of her books to sell and sign -- Aftermath of Battle at $10, and First Fallen for $20. This is a chance to get a personal inscription and excellent pricing.
JOIN US FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION (VIA ZOOM) ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2022, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR OUR ANNUAL "SHOW & TELL PROGRAM"
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/jhbLjkMt5ds
We will host our annual "Show and Tell" program where our members are the speakers. You can spend up to 5 minutes sharing a Civil War story, film or book review, travelogue or share a Civil War artifact that you might have. We will use the online format to share your photos, books, artifacts or antiques with the rest of the viewing audience.
This month's special meeting will be hosted by our Honorary Lifetime Members, David Richardson and Stephanie Hagiwara of History in Full Color. David faithfully hosted our meetings for the last two years on Zoom so that we could continue to provide online programs for our members. Now they are back to host this special annual meeting for us. (And if you haven't found the perfect holiday gift for your favorite Civil War historian, check out the images at History in Full Color.)
If you have something to share, make sure your computer camera and microphone are enabled prior to the call. When you are ready to share, just raise your hand and President Nick Smith will call on you.
This program is an annual tradition, and has proven to be a fan favorite.
You never know what new story you might hear, or what treasure you might see. In the past our members have shared Civil War swords, artwork, and travel to Civil War sites. Plan on joining us -- you don't know what surprises we will have.
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JOIN US ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2022, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PRESENTATION BY MARSHAL OLDMAN OF THE AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD TRUST ON:
"BATTLEFIELD PRESERVATION AND THE 'BIG BOOK BONANZA'"
(There is no recording of this presentation)
Since 2004, the Pasadena CWRT has been raising money for battlefield preservation at every meeting. Over the course of those 18 years, we have raised and donated over $11,000 to various battlefield preservation organizations. The most frequent recipient of these donations has been the American Battlefield Trust (previously known as the Civil War Trust).
This month’s meeting our featured speaker will be Marshal Oldman, who is on the Board of Trustees of the American Battlefield Trust (ABT). Mr. Oldman makes SoCal proud, having earned his BA from USC, and his JD from UCLA. He has served as President of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association and on the Board of Trustees for the San Fernando Valley Bar Association, as well as Chair of the Probate Section for the Los Angeles County Bar Association. While practicing law with an Encino firm, Oldman was tapped to join the Board of Trustees of the American Battlefield Trust in February 2020, and currently serves as the Chair of their Audit Committee.
Marshal Oldman will be speaking to us about how the ABT finds battlefields to preserve, and how they utilize the donations the public sends them for preservation projects. Part of their success story has been the way they leverage federal, state and local funding to make our donor dollars stretch even further.
In conjunction with this presentation, we will be having our “Big Book Bonanza.” During the Pandemic, we received LOTS of donations of books and Civil War art prints. We will be selling these items at “fire sale” prices to continue our mission to raise funds for battlefield preservation.
In addition to the books and prints, we will have several “live auction” items that will go to the highest bidder. These treasures include:
Collector’s Editions of the
“Photographic History of the Civil War”
Original 1912 edition – 10 volumes – starting bid $100
1987 reprint edition – 5 volumes – starting bid $50
(Not pictured) 1995 Easton Press reprint edition – 10 volumes – starting bid $100
Bring your cash, check or credit card because you will not want to miss out on the opportunity to get some great items and support battlefield preservation at the same time!
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JOIN US ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PRESENTATION BY AUTHOR WALTER STAHR ON: "SALMON P. CHASE: LINCOLN'S VITAL RIVAL"
(There is no recording of this presentation)
Salmon P. Chase is best remembered as a rival of Lincoln’s for the Republican nomination in 1860—but there would not have been a national Republican Party, and Lincoln could not have won the presidency, were it not for the groundwork Chase laid over the previous two decades. Starting in the early 1840s, long before Lincoln was speaking out against slavery, Chase was forming and leading antislavery parties. He represented fugitive slaves so often in his law practice that he was known as the attorney general for runaway negroes.
Tapped by Lincoln to become Secretary of the Treasury, Chase would soon prove vital to the Civil War effort, raising the billions of dollars that allowed the Union to win the war while also pressing the president to recognize black rights. When Lincoln had the chance to appoint a chief justice in 1864, he chose his faithful rival because he was sure Chase would make the right decisions on the difficult racial, political, and economic issues the Supreme Court would confront during Reconstruction.
Author Walter Stahr will speak about his new biography of Salmon Chase, Lincoln’s rival for the 1860 presidential nomination and then a key member of Lincoln’s cabinet. Walter will focus on the Civil War years, when Chase not only handled the nation’s finances, but worked with Lincoln on political and military issues.
Walter grew up in Arcadia, California, and attended Stanford University and Harvard Law School. After a twenty-year legal career, he turned to writing biographies. Stahr is the New York Times bestselling author of Seward: Lincoln’s Indispensable Man, Stanton: Lincoln’s War Secretary, and John Jay: Founding Father, and a two-time winner of the Seward Award for Excellence in Civil War Biography. The Wall Street Journal called the new Chase biography "eloquently written, impeccably researched and intensely moving.”
You can purchase a copy of this book (which Mr. Stahr will be happy to sign) at this link:
Amazon Books - CLICK HERE
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JOIN US ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2022, AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PRESENTATION BY DEAN SMITH ON: "HARRISON GRAY OTIS: UNHERALDED UNION SOLDIER -- L.A. TYCOON"
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/KdXlClak9Lg
Do you know the story of a poor, uneducated boy from Ohio, who bought a one-quarter interest in the “Los Angeles Daily Times,” for $6,000, in 1882, became its editor, and wrote its editorials and local news, for a weekly salary of $15? Then you might know about his becoming one of the most influential men of his time, in Los Angeles, and about the financial empire he built; but, do you know why he may be best known for the bombing of the “L.A. Times” building in 1910; or, why he has a college of art and design named after him? More importantly, have you ever read about this man’s service in the 12th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in the Civil War, where he enlisted as a private, and rose to captain; or, about his service in the Spanish American War, where he successfully commanded a brigade, in 1899, at the age of 62? Attend our meeting, and learn the answers to these questions, and more, as our speaker, Dean Smith, tells the fascinating story of Harrison Gray Otis. Dean tells us, "I rely heavily on quotes from Otis' journal, and his wife's diary, from 1862. I love to hear the voices of the people themselves."
Dean Smith is a third generation Los Angeles native. He earned his B.A, (1968), and M.A. (1970) degrees in Political Science, from the University of California, at Riverside.
He had a 34-year career in public service, with Los Angeles County, and has been retired since 2004. Dean is a member of the Civil War Trust; Commander of the Gen. W. S. Rosecrans Camp No. 2, of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War; a former member of the Board of Directors for the Drum Barracks Museum; and, President and Program Chair, of the Los Angeles Civil War Round Table. He has given presentations to all five Southern California Round Tables, as well as to a number of other organizations, on a variety of Civil War topics.
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JOIN US ON TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2022 AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PRESENTATION BY DR. STEPHEN CUSHMAN ON: "THE GENERALS' CIVIL WAR"
(There is no recording of this presentation)
In December 1885, under the watchful eye of Mark Twain, the publishing firm of Charles L. Webster and Company released the first volume of the Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant. With a second volume published in March 1886, Grant’s memoirs became a popular sensation. Seeking to capitalize on Grant’s success and interest in earlier reminiscences by Joseph E. Johnston, William T. Sherman, and Richard Taylor, other Civil War generals such as George B. McClellan and Philip H. Sheridan soon followed suit. Some hewed more closely to Grant’s model than others, and their points of similarity and divergence left readers increasingly fascinated with the history and meaning of the nation’s great conflict. The writings also dovetailed with a rising desire to see the full sweep of American history chronicled, as its citizens looked to the start of a new century. Professional historians engaged with the memoirs as an important foundation for this work.
In this insightful book, Stephen Cushman considers Civil War generals’ memoirs as both historical and literary works, revealing how they remain vital to understanding the interaction of memory, imagination, and the writing of American history. Cushman shows how market forces shaped the production of the memoirs and, therefore, memories of the war itself; how audiences have engaged with the works to create ideas of history that fit with time and circumstance; and what these texts tell us about current conflicts over the history and meanings of the Civil War.
To purchase a copy of this book, go to: UNC Press
Stephen Cushman is Robert C. Taylor Professor of English at the University of Virginia, where he has taught for forty years. He is the author of The Generals’ Civil War: What Their Memoirs Can Teach Us Today (University of North Carolina Press, 2021), Belligerent Muse: Five Northern Writers and How They Shaped Our Understanding of the Civil War (University of North Carolina Press, 2014), and Bloody Promenade: Reflections on a Civil War Battle (University Press of Virginia, 1999). Cushman has been a fellow of the American Council of Learned Societies and a Fulbright Teaching Fellow in Greece. In 2014 he was named UVA Cavalier Distinguished Professor, and in 2015 he won a State Council of Higher Education for Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award. During 2019-20 he was Rogers Distinguished Fellow in Nineteenth-Century American History at the Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2022 AT 7:15 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PRESENTATION BY BRIAN CIESLAK ON:
"SEARCHING FOR SERGEANT NOBLE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ALBERT NOBLE, FROM CUSTER'S WOLVERINES TO ANDERSONVILLE"
(There is no recording of this presentation)
Albert Utley Noble
Served with Custer, Survived Andersonville Prison
“Come on you Wolverines” by artist Don Troiani
Albert Noble served as a sergeant in Co. L, 5th Michigan Cavalry from 1862-1865. His regiment was brigaded under Maj. General George A. Custer— part of Custer’s Wolverines, which saw action at virtually every major engagement in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, including Gettysburg, Brandy Station, the Wilderness, Yellow Tavern, Cold Harbor and many more.
On June 11, 1864, Noble was captured by Confederate forces at Trevilian Station — the largest all-cavalry engagement of the entire war.
As a prisoner of war, Noble briefly passed through Pemberton and Libby prisons in Richmond before being sent by railroad to the infamous prison camp Andersonville, near Macon Georgia.
During his time at Andersonville, Sgt. Noble kept a diary detailing the horrific conditions endured by Union prisoners. Noble himself suffered from scurvy and dysentery and watched as many of his comrades died of starvation and disease. Andersonville prison eventually claimed the lives of 12,000 soldiers — over a third of all inmates there. (Conditions in all Civil War-era prisons, North and South, were terrible and a total of 56,000 Federal and Confederate soldiers died in such prisons during the war.)
Near death, Noble was sent to Camp Lawton, another Confederate prison, before finally being released. It took him many months to convalesce, but he survived and was honorably discharged in the Spring of 1865, just as the war was ending.
Noble returned to his home state of Michigan, married, and had two children. In the autumn of 1908, he settled in Riverside, California. He died in 1912 at the age of 81.
Today, Albert Noble’s diary is on display at The Lincoln Memorial Shrine in Redlands, CA. It was our speaker's privilege and honor to have transcribed his diary for the museum for the first time ever.
Brian Cieslak is a 27-year veteran of the fire service, and soon-to-be-retired Fire Captain for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
He is also the president and program chair for the Inland Empire Civil War Round Table. He serves as a volunteer docent for the Lincoln Memorial Shrine in Redlands, CA.
He holds a master's degree in English, a minor in history, and taught freshman composition at California State University, Northridge.
JOIN US ON FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2022 AT 7:15 P.M (Pacific Time)
FOR A PRESENTATION BY LAURA VOISIN GEORGE AND DR. DAN LYNCH ON
THE CHIVALRY IN ANTEBELLUM AND CIVIL WAR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/R3cs5H8olUs
This presentation highlights different perspectives by two scholars working on the Chivalry in antebellum and Civil War-era California. Laura Voisin George’s research toward her UCSB Ph.D. in History questions who and what was the Chivalry, which is usually portrayed in the literature as a pro-slavery cadre of migrants from the Southern states that formed a faction within the state’s Democratic Party. Her close examination considers the Chivalry in relation to significant events in California’s and the nation’s antebellum period, including the Compromise of 1850, the mid-1850s interruption of the Know-Nothing Party, and the 1860 split in which the new Southern Democratic Party’s candidate captured the majority of Southern California’s presidential votes. By tracking the individuals associated with the Chivalry, her work identifies unstudied discontinuities and connections that point to a new context for the California Democratic Party’s return to power only two years after the war’s end, enabling it to obstruct the state’s ratification of the Fourteenth and Fifteen Amendments.
Dan Lynch’s 2015 UCLA dissertation, “Southern California Chivalry: The Convergence of Southerners and Californios in the Far Southwest, 1846-1866,” discusses the Chivalry in the Borderlands context of post-Conquest California. While at first glance an unlikely alliance, Dan demonstrates the similarity of their seigneurial notions of social hierarchy and masculine honor, and the ways they worked together as vigilantes in Southern California in the turbulence following the Mexican-American War and the Gold Rush. He discusses how together they stimulated a military build-up in the region during the Civil War, which included some Californios joining the pro-Union California Native Cavalry Battalion. Such changes closed a window of opportunity to establish a hybrid seigneurial society that would have benefitted land-owning rancheros and white Southerners while expanding slavery and other forms of unfree labor. In bringing to light this overlooked example of intercultural cooperation, Dan situates it within the incorporation of the Southwest into the United States and the more comprehensive scope of the Greater Reconstruction.
The presentation will conclude with an invitation for members of the Pasadena Civil War Round Table to participate in this research.
Laura Voisin George is a Pasadena CWRT member and an architectural historian based in Pasadena. She has recently completed the UCSB coursework for a PhD in History, and is in the early stage of dissertating. She is interested in the political, social, and economic development of the nineteenth century U.S., and the overlay of these values onto the racial and cultural landscape of Southern California following the U.S. Conquest.
Daniel Lynch is an Instructor of History and Social Science at Marlborough School in Los Angeles and an historian with a PhD from UCLA. His research focuses on the intersection of masculinity, race and politics in nineteenth-century Southern California.
JOIN US ON FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2022 AT 7:00 P.M. (Pacific Time)
FOR A PRESENTATION BY AUTHOR MELANIE KIRKPATRICK ON:
LADY EDITOR: SARAH JOSEPHA HALE AND THE MAKING OF THE MODERN AMERICAN WOMAN
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/b9zc9Bzi5cs
Join author Melanie Kirkpatrick as she discusses her new biography of Sarah Josepha Hale, the famous editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, women’s advocate, and godmother of our Thanksgiving holiday.
As the powerful editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, “Mrs. Hale” was the most influential woman of the 19th century. Women turned to her for advice on what to read, what to cook, how to behave, and – most important – what to think. Twenty years before the declaration of women’s rights in Seneca Falls, N.Y., Hale used her position to help change the national conversation on women’s rights to an education, to work as teachers and doctors, and to manage their own money. She helped shape a common aesthetic for the growing nation with her all-American approach to her magazine – publishing American authors writing on American topics, American fashions, American recipes. In 1863, Lincoln took up her proposal for a shared, national holiday of Thanksgiving, proclaiming the first in a still-unbroken series of Thanksgiving Days. Edgar Allan Poe called Hale “a woman of fine genius.” Historian Nathaniel Philbrick says: “Thanks to Melanie Kirkpatrick, Hale finally has the biography she deserves – richly detailed and marvelously written.”
Melanie Kirkpatrick is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a former deputy editor of the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal. She is the author of Thanksgiving: The Holiday at the Heart of American Experience and Escape from North Korea. Visit her at www.MelanieKirkpatrick.com.
The book can be purchased through all major booksellers, as well as at this link: AMAZON
Ms. Kirkpatrick has generously offered to provide author signed bookplates, and personalize them if you wish. Simply send an email to us at PasadenaCWRT@gmail.com and give us the address you'd like it mailed to.
JOIN US ON FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022 AT 7:15 P.M (Pacific Time)
FOR A PRESENTATION BY MEG GROELING ON:
FIRST FALLEN: THE LIFE OF COLONEL ELMER ELLSWORTH, THE NORTH'S FIRST CIVIL WAR HERO
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/HflPGJajNLM
Colonel Elmer Ellsworth was the first Union officer killed in the American Civil War. When it happened, on May 24, 1861, the entire North was aghast. Ellsworth was a celebrity and had just finished traveling with his famed and entertaining U. S. Zouave Cadets drill team. They had performed at West Point, in New York City, and for President Buchanan before returning home to Chicago. Ellsworth then joined his friend and law mentor Abraham Lincoln in his quest for the presidency. When Lincoln put out the call for troops after Fort Sumter was fired upon, Ellsworth responded. Within days he was able to organize over a thousand New York firefighters into a regiment of volunteers.
Was it youthful enthusiasm or a lack of formal training that resulted in his death? There is evidence on both sides. What is definite is that the Lincolns rushed to the Navy Yard to view the body of the young man they had loved as a son. Mary Lincoln insisted that he lie in state in the East Room of their home. The elite of New York brought flowers to the Astor House en memoriam. Six members of the 11th New York accompanied their commander’s coffin. When the young colonel’s remains were finally interred in the Hudson View Cemetery, the skies opened up. A late May afternoon thunderstorm broke out in the middle of the procession, referred to as “tears from God himself.” Only eight weeks later, the results of the battle of First Bull Run knocked Ellsworth out of the headlines. The trickle of blood had now become a torrent, not to end for four more years of war.
Author Meg Groeling has spent years examining archival resources, diaries, personal letters, newspapers, and other accounts in order to tell Ellsworth’s story. In the sixty intervening years since the last portrait of Ellsworth was written, new information has arisen that gives readers and historians a better understanding of the Ellsworth phenomenon. Her book, "First Fallen," includes accounts of John Hay, George Nicolay, Abraham Lincoln, and the Lincoln family which put Ellsworth clearly at the forefront of the excitement that led up to the 1860 election of a president.
The story of Ellsworth’s life is complex, and fascinating; but it is also the story of many young men who fought and died for the Union. Elmer, however, was the first and, according to those who remember him, perhaps the best. Join us and REMEMBER ELLSWORTH!
Meg Groeling is a regular contributor to the blog Emerging Civil War, exploring subjects beyond the battlefield such as personalities, politics, and practices that affected the men who did the fighting. A writer, teacher, and curriculum developer since 1987, she has taught at both the elementary and middle school levels for more than thirty years. She graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a B.A. in liberal studies and has been involved in continuing education for her entire career. Meg received a master’s degree from American Public University, majoring in military history with a Civil War emphasis. Savas Beatie published her first book, "The Aftermath of Battle: The Burial of the Civil War Dead," in the fall of 2015. This is a volume in the Emerging Civil War Series, although it differs from the others in that it takes on a much broader range of subject. The book has received excellent reviews and has already gone into its second printing. She lives in Hollister, California, in a lovely 1928 bungalow covered with roses outside and books inside.
Our members may receive a 20% discount off our speaker's new book, "First Fallen: The Life of Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, the North's First Civil War Hero." Thanks to the generosity of publisher Savas Beatie, you can use this coupon code for 20% off your entire purchase, including "First Fallen."
Click HERE to be directed to Savas Beatie's website.
Use coupon code "VIRTUAL" to receive 20% off your entire purchase.
Purchases made directly through Savas Beatie always come with an author-signed bookplate.
JOIN US ON FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2022 AT 7:15 P.M (Pacific Time)
FOR A PRESENTATION BY TODD KISLAK ON: ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOUTHERN ECONOMY
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/-FtM_aa9jTs
For this presentation we'll give our soldiers a rest, and we will take an in-depth look at the economic model of the former Confederate states. We will examine the key elements of the Southern economy before and after the war, and the ways in which those elements were (and were not) transformed by the war experience. Looking at economic data starting in the antebellum period, we will trace the development of the Southern economy, noting a deeply rooted cohesiveness and ongoing consistency in approach that in some ways is discernible even to this day.
A long-time student of Civil War history, Todd Kislak has a particular interest in exploring aspects and themes of the war that have continuing relevance. He is a member of the CWRTs in both the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles. Last year, Todd spoke to these groups about the legacy and image of Robert E. Lee and how his impact is still felt today. Recently retired from the healthcare industry, Todd has held senior positions in marketing and strategic consulting. Todd holds a BA in political science from Wesleyan, and he received his MBA from Harvard.
JOIN US ON FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022 AT 7:15 P.M (Pacific Time)
FOR A PRESENTATION BY DR. DAVID SCHRADER ON Lincoln's Secretaries
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/ZWUM8gB_iVg
Who were these two – John Hay and John Nicolay? Where did they come from? Why did they become Lincoln’s right-hand guys (even living in the White House)? What were their responsibilities and how well did they execute them? And after the assassination, how did they mold public opinion about Lincoln? And what happened to them afterwards?
This talk will walk you through the lives of two remarkable young men who not only assisted in the incredible amount of logistics involved in managing Lincoln’s daily calendar and time, but were also instrumental in preserving his legacy accurately.
Dr. Dave Schrader has been giving CWRT talks to Los Angeles audiences since 2013. He is particularly fascinated by “the rest of the story” – for example, the activities of support organizations such as the Signal Corps, the Commissary Corps and the Quartermaster Corps, which often played major but behind-the-scenes roles in the abilities of generals and presidents to achieve their goals. Or the Fire-Eaters who drummed up support for secession in the south while the Abolitionists were busy motivating people in the North. Or people like Lincoln’s Secretaries or his Ambassadors who played a pivotal role in supporting the President and his policies. Most of his talks are interactive so be prepared for audience participation!
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JOIN US ON FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2021, AT 7:15 P.M (Pacific Time)
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/KGXL-xCbcCM
We will host our annual "Show and Tell" where members can spend up to 5 minutes each sharing a Civil War story or Civil War artifact that they might have. Use the online format to share your photos, books, artifacts or antiques; and share your part of the Civil War with the rest of the viewing audience.
If you have something to share, make sure your computer cameras and microphone are enabled prior to the call. When you are ready to share, just type your name in the Chat Box at the start of the call and the President of the Pasadena CWRT, Nick Smith, will call on you one at a time so that you can insure your camera is on.
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/gv5nWEal_VY
Historian David S. Reynolds aptly noted that the “bonding between the president” and both Martin Delany and Frederick Douglass “puts to rest any doubts about Lincoln’s underlying radicalism on race.” The “combination of interracial respect and black centered militancy that Lincoln displayed in his dealings with Douglass and Delany suggests that there was validity in pro-slavery comparisons between Lincoln and John Brown, one of the least racist white people in American history.”
Lincoln’s claim to be considered a “radical antiracist” and a “leftist abolitionist who loathed racism” rests on more than his relationship with Douglass and Delany. His unfailing cordiality to African Americans in general, his willingness to meet with them in the White House, to honor their requests, to invite them to consult on public policy, to treat them with respect and kindness whether they were kitchen servants or leaders of the Black community, to invite them to attend receptions and tea, to sing and pray with them on their turf, to authorize them to hold events on the White House grounds—all those manifestations of an egalitarian spirit fully justified the tributes paid to him by Frederick Douglass, Rosetta Wells, Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Keckly, and other African Americans. He richly deserves the sobriquet Douglass coined: “emphatically the black man’s president.”
Michael Burlingame holds the Chancellor Naomi B. Lynn Distinguished Chair in Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois Springfield. He has written and edited several Lincoln books, most notably a comprehensive, two-volume biography, Abraham Lincoln: A Life, which won several prizes and was listed as one of the five best books of the year by The Atlantic. In the New York Review of Books, James McPherson said that Burlingame "knows more about Lincoln than any other living person." His most recent book is An American Marriage: The Untold Story of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd. On November 2, Pegasus Books will release his latest work, "The Black Man's President:" Abraham Lincoln, African Americans, and the Pursuit of Racial Equality.
JOIN US FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021, AT 7:15 P.M. PACIFIC TIME
BY DR. BRIAN JORDAN ON THE COMMON SOLDIER IN THE CIVIL WAR
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/wkUCUNH0OfU
How did ordinary soldiers navigate the extremes of war? How did they make sense of their service and sacrifices? These are the questions at the heart of Brian Matthew Jordan's A Thousand May Fall, an intimate chronicle of the Civil War from the common soldier's perspective. At the heart of the tale is the 107th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, an ethnically German Union regiment caught in the crosshairs of Stonewall Jacksons flank attack at Chancellorsville--and decimated again two months later atop Blocher's Knoll at Gettysburg. Demonstrating how soldiers from a politically divided region weathered two devastating battles, the scourge of nativism, inconsistent support from home, and the ordeal of life on picket, this talk reveals the Civil War--and its long aftermath--anew.
Join us for the fascinating insights into the trenches of the U.S. Civil War and how the common soldier dealt with the daily challenges of that war.
Dr. Brian Matthew Jordan is Associate Professor of Civil War History and Chair of the Department of History at Sam Houston State University. He is the author or editor of four books, including Marching Home: Union Veterans and Their Unending Civil War, which was a finalist (one of three runners-up) for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in History. His most recent book is A Thousand May Fall: Life, Death, and Survival in the Union Army, which was a Main Selection of the Military History Book Club and earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Jordan earned his Ph.D. at Yale University and for the last eight years has served as the Book Review Editor for The Civil War Monitor. His more than one-hundred reviews and essays have appeared in the New York Times, the Daily Beast, Civil War History, The Journal of the Civil War Era, and The Civil War Monitor. Dr. Jordan is a native of northeastern Ohio and now lives north of Houston.
JOIN US FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2021, AT 7:15 P.M. PACIFIC TIME
FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION BY KEVIN WAITE ON
"West of Slavery"
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/1RCKgQdC_xQ
Beginning in the 1840s, Southern slaveholders launched a series of campaigns to extend their political power across the American West. They passed slave codes in New Mexico and Utah, sponsored separatist movements in Southern California and Arizona, orchestrated a territorial purchase from Mexico, monopolized patronage networks to empower proslavery allies, and even killed antislavery rivals. California, despite its constitutional prohibition on slavery, was the linchpin of their western program. Until the eve of the Civil War, white Southerners largely controlled the political fortunes of California, with a powerful base of support in Los Angeles.
Confederate grand strategy in the Far West evolved naturally from this antebellum political campaign. That campaign culminated with the Confederate invasion of New Mexico, coupled with a vocal secessionist threat in Southern California. Although Union forces beat back the rebel invasion in spring 1862, secessionist scares continued to roil the Far West for the duration of the war. Kevin Waite brings to light what contemporaries recognized but historians have described only in part: The struggle over slavery played out on a transcontinental stage.
Kevin Waite is an assistant professor of history at Durham University in the UK and the author of West of Slavery: The Southern Dream of a Transcontinental Empire (UNC Press, 2021). He’s currently writing a history of the life and times of Biddy Mason, a Georgia slave turned California real estate entrepreneur. Research for that book is funded by a Collaborative Research Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, a grant he co-directs. The project has created a website on Biddy Mason and her "Long Road to Freedom" -- https://biddymasoncollaborative.com/. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, National Geographic, The Los Angeles Times, HuffPost, Slate, The New Republic, and The Washington Post.
To purchase this book directly from University of North Carolina Press - CLICK HERE
Use this coupon code to obtain 40% off your purchase: 01DAH40
JOIN US FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2021, AT 7:15 P.M. PACIFIC TIME
FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION BY DR. EDWARD J. BLUM ON
"Demons of War: The Evil Experiences of Civil War Soldiers"
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/m4L7vyY7xyw
According to General William Tecumseh Sherman, war "is all hell." The individuals who experienced that most vividly were the men Sherman commanded, everyday soldiers from the Union and the Confederacy. As Professor Edward J. Blum will discuss in his examination of the letters and diaries of various Civil War soldiers, the Civil War became hellish for several reasons - some obvious, some quite surprising. Even more, Blum will show how many of the men themselves embraced the hellishness of war and, in efforts to prevail or survive, transformed themselves into demons of war.
Dr. Edward J. Blum is professor in the History Department at San Diego State University. He received his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky. He is the author and co-author of several books on religion and race throughout United States history, including Reforging the White Republic: Race, Religion, and American Nationalism, 1865-1898 (2005; reissued 2015), The Color of Christ: The Son of God and the Saga of Race in America (2012), and most recently War is All Hell: Evil and the Shaping of the Civil War. Blum is the winner of numerous awards including the Peter Seaborg Award for Civil War Scholarship, the Gustave O. Arlt Award in the Humanities, and the John T. Hubbell Prize for best article published in Civil War History in 2015.
Dr. Blum can be found on Twitter @edwardjblum1
His book can be purchased at: https://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/16204.html
Use this coupon code to obtain 30% off your purchase: CWRTPAS30-FM
JOIN US FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 2021, AT 7:15 P.M. PACIFIC TIME
FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION BY HISTORIAN JEFF HUNT ON:
Meade and Lee at Rappahannock Station
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/pynSuzrMV8A
On November 7, 1863 Major General George Meade ordered his Army of the Potomac to undertake its first offensive campaign since Gettysburg. The Federals' objective was to fight their way across the upper Rappahannock River into Culpeper County. True to form, General Robert E. Lee had deployed his Army of Northern Virginia to aggressively meet the Union thrust, utilizing a fortified bridgehead at Rappahannock Station north of the river, Lee intended to force Meade to divide his army and lure part of it south of the river into a trap.
Meade foresaw Lee's snare and wished to avoid it by moving his Army of the Potomac to Fredericksburg instead, but when Lincoln and Halleck vetoed that plan, Meade was forced to play Lee's game. The resulting bitter fighting at Kelly's Ford and Rappahannock Station produced a surprising Union success that threatened to wreck Lee's army; that is, if Meade could take advantage of his unexpected triumph by forcing the Rebels into battle near Culpeper Court House. Listen to this presentation to find out what happened. Though somewhat famous, this campaign has never been the subject of a thorough book-length study until Jeffrey Hunt's recently released Meade and Lee at Rappahannock Station. At our next meeting the author of this important work will discuss the strategic, operational and tactical aspects of this remarkable story and share with us the many secrets of the campaign that have gone unreported until now.
CLICK HERE to order this book. Use this DISCOUNT CODE VIRTUAL to get a 20% discount for Pasadena CWRT on any book by Jeff Hunt from Savas Beatie publishers, and links to those books are on this page.
Jeffrey William Hunt is the Director of the Texas Military Forces Museum at Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas, which is the official museum of the Texas National Guard, and an Adjunct Professor of History at Austin Community College, where he has taught since 1988. Prior to taking the post at the Texas Military Forces Museum in 2007, he was the Curator of Collections and Director of the Living History Program at the Admiral Nimitz National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas for 11 years. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Government and a Masters Degree in History, both from the University of Texas at Austin. In 2013, Mr. Hunt was appointed an honorary Admiral in the Texas Navy by Governor Rick Perry, in recognition of his efforts to tell the story the Texas Navy during the period of the Texas Revolution and Republic.
He is a veteran reenactor, with 35 years of experience conducting, participating in and hosting a wide variety of events ranging from the War of 1812 through the Vietnam War.
Mr. Hunt is the author of
Meade and Lee After Gettysburg: The Forgotten Final Stage of the Gettysburg Campaign: From Falling Waters to Culpeper Court House (Savas Beatie, 2017, named Eastern Theater Book of the Year by Civil War Books & Authors; Winner of the Gettysburg Civil War Round Table Distinguished Book Award 2018)
Meade and Lee at Bristoe Station: The Problems of Command and Strategy After Gettysburg: From Brandy Station to the Buckland Races, August 1 to October 31, 1863 (Savas Beatie 2019)
Meade and Lee at Rappahannock Station: The Army of the Potomac’s First Post-Gettysburg Offensive: From Kelly’s Ford to the Rapidan, October 21 to November 21, 1863 (Savas Beatie 2021)
The Last Battle of the Civil War: Palmetto Ranch (University of Texas Press, 2002)
He is also a contributor to the Essential Civil War Curriculum, The Revised Handbook of Texas, The Gale Library of Daily Life: American Civil War, and North & South Magazine
The final book in his post-Gettysburg Series, Meade and Lee at Mine Run is forthcoming from Savas & Beatie in 2022.
JOIN US FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, MAY 25, 2021, AT 7:15 P.M. PACIFIC TIME
A World Away: Asian and Pacific Islanders and the Civil War
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/KxwqJ92oYUE
To commemorate the Civil War Sesquicentennial (2011-2015), the National Park Service created handbooks that featured the stories, accounts, and narratives of people largely included from the traditional scholarship related to the conflict. Asian and Pacific Islanders and the Civil War, published in late 2014, highlighted the forgotten service of dozens of soldiers who served in the Union and Confederate armies and navies during the Civil War. Historian Steve T. Phan, who was featured in the publication, will present a lecture on the unknown citizen soldiers of Asian descent who participated in some of the war’s largest battles. Their fight continued long after the guns fell silent in 1865. The struggle for citizenship and equality endured well into the 20th Century and the vestiges are still keenly felt today.
Steve T. Phan is a Park Ranger and Historian at the Civil War Defenses of Washington. He served as the acting Chief of Interpretation at Camp Nelson National Monument and Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument. He has worked at Richmond National Battlefield Park, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Stones River National Battlefield, and Rock Creek Park. A military history scholar of the Civil War era, Phan’s research focuses on military occupation, operational command, and fortifications during the Civil War. He is the author of articles about Asians and Pacific Islanders in the Civil War and the Defenses of Washington for numerous publications. He was nominated for the National Park Service Tilden Award for Excellence in Interpretation (2019). He holds a master's degree in American History from Middle Tennessee State University.
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JOIN US FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021, AT 7:15 P.M. PACIFIC TIME
SLAVERY IN AMERICA by THOMAS JEFFERSON
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/cV8ke_4ClUg
Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declarattion of Independence, third President of the United States and a list of other accomplishments too numerous to detail here, will address the Pasadena Civil War Round Table on Tuesday April 27 at 7:15 p.m. in a special online presentation.
Mr. Jefferson, as portrayed by Bill Barker, will be sharing his insights on slavery in America and will touch on many important issues related to that topic. With slavery being the prime cause of the U.S. Civil War, you will gain tremendous insight into how this "peculiar institution" came to hold such a grip on America.
Bill Barker portrays Thomas Jefferson to crowds mesmerized by his performances at Monticello, Mr. Jefferson's home. See Monticello's website: https://www.monticello.org/
This is a rare opportunity for us in California to hear Bill Barker's amazing historical interpretation of a Founding Father of our country.
You will be transported back in time as Mr. Jefferson shares his considerable insights into the events that transpired in America as related to slavery. You will also be able to ask Mr. Jefferson questions about the events of those days and it is certain that you will be edified and entertained by what you learn.
There is no doubt that you will be talking about this performance for many years after you see it. Invite your family and friends as they will thank you later.
JOIN US FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2021, AT 7:15 P.M.
"The Lifeblood of the Confederate War Machine: George Washington Rains, the Augusta Powder Works, and the Failures of the Union High Command"
A New and Uniquie Insight into the Civil War
By Theodore P. Savas
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/zPlWQqXtOV8
What did the Lincoln administration know, and when did it know it? The Confederacy fought for four years and never lost a battle because of a want of gunpowder. How was it possible to keep armies in the field when every functioning gunpowder mill was in the North when the war started? Making it was complex, and one man alone was responsible for keeping the Southern armies in the field. Discover who this fascinating man was, how and where he did it, and just how vulnerable the Confederacy really was for the first year of the war. This is the story you have never heard, and I promise you that you will never look at the Civil War again the same way.
Theodore P. Savas is the Managing Director of Savas Beatie, a leading independent trade publisher specializing in military and general history titles.
He graduated from The University of Iowa College of Law in 1986 (With Distinction), and practiced law in Silicon Valley for many years. Realizing one day he would have to face St. Peter, he decided to go into honest work. Ted taught business and history classes at the college level for about 20 years, and has written or edited a dozen books (published in seven languages), including A Guide to the Battles of the American Revolution, Hunt and Kill: U-505 and the U-Boat War in the Atlantic, and Nazi Millionaires: The Allied Search for Hidden SS Gold.
His hobbies include scuba diving, smoking good cigars, drinking expensive gin, and playing bass and keyboards in the hard rock band Arminius. For a taste of Arminius, click here.
JOIN US FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2021, AT 7:15 P.M.
"Camp Nelson and 'This Practical Recognition': The Story of a Training Camp for the United States Colored Troops."
A talk by Nick Smith
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/aML_PDGLuNQ
Camp Nelson, created as a training camp for new recruits to the United States Colored Troops, was unusual in many ways. Its size alone would have made it distinctive, but its location and overall purpose were what made it memorable. This was a camp to train African American men to become soldiers, but it was built in the heart of a slave state that had not seceded from the Union.
In addition, its troops were to be used in the Western theater of the war, an area in which many of the commanders had no desire to command dark-skinned soldiers, but the need for new troops was often desperate. This led to some disastrous command decisions involving the use of the troops, and to three horrific incidents, two involving the troops and one involving the families they left behind under the care of the Union Army.
Our speaker, Nick Smith, has been involved with our Roundtable for many years, faithfully serving as our President during much of that time. Nick has also been a researcher into the history of Civil War veterans who came to California after the war, and co-curated a museum exhibit on that at the Pasadena Museum of History. He has given talks at Roundtables and historical gatherings over the years on a variety of topics, most recently on Civil War prisons. Nick's talks always receive great praise for combining excellent oratorical skills with fascinating insights into history.
JOIN US FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2021, AT 7:15 P.M.
PROFESSOR GARY W. GALLAGHER WILL PRESENT ON "THE ENDURING CIVIL WAR. EXPLORING THE GREAT AMERICAN CRISIS."
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/uyL8mVQOs9Q
For more than a decade, Gary W. Gallagher, the John L. Nau III Professor of History Emeritus of the University of Virginia, has written a 1,000-word essay for every issue of Civil War Times.
As a group, these essays have afforded an opportunity to bridge the gap between the academic and popular worlds of Civil War interest. Writing the essays allowed Professor Gallagher to place our contemporary understanding of the Civil War in conversation with testimony from people in the United States and the Confederacy who experienced and described it. Put another way, he investigated how mid-19th-Century perceptions align with, or deviate from, some of those we now hold regarding the origins, conduct, and aftermath of the war.
A number of his essays proved controversial, challenging, among other things, commonly held notions about Gettysburg and Vicksburg as decisive turning points, U. S. Grant as a general who profligately wasted Union manpower, the Gettysburg Address as a watershed that turned the war from a fight for Union into one for Union and emancipation, and Robert E. Lee as an old-fashioned general ill-suited to waging a modern mid-19th-Century war.
The tension between history and memory forms a theme throughout the essays that highlights the importance of what actually happened, while also showing that successive generations remember historical events and personalities in starkly different ways. I also argue that only by coming to terms with the Civil War, as well as with how people have remembered and used it in politics and popular culture, can anyone understand the broader arc of United States history. Finally, writing the essays allowed me to share my enthusiasm for studying the war with an audience I knew held similar interests.
Gary W. Gallagher, a third-generation Californian born in Glendale, is the John L. Nau III Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Virginia. He has written or edited more than forty books about the era of the Civil War and its memory, including The Confederate War (1997), Causes Won, Lost, and Forgotten: How Hollywood and Popular Art Shape What We Know about the Civil War (2008), The Union War (2011), The American War: A History of the Civil War Era (2nd ed., 2019; co-authored with Joan Waugh), and The Enduring Civil War: Exploring the Great American Crisis (2020). He also edited the first ten volumes of the "Military Campaigns of the Civil War" series at the University of North Carolina Press.
ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2020, AT 7:15 P.M.
We will host our annual "Show and Tell" where members can spend up to 5 minutes each sharing a Civil War story or Civil War artifact that they might have. Use the online format to share your photos, books, artifacts or antiques; and share your part of the Civil War with the rest of the viewing audience.
If you have something to share, make sure your computer cameras and microphone are enabled prior to the call. When you are ready to share, just type your name in the Q&A box at the start of the call and the President of the Pasadena CWRT, Nick Smith, will call on you one at a time so that you can insure your camera is on.
JOIN US FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2020, AT 7:15 P.M.
FOR A TALK BY BRIAN CHAVEZ ON:
Ranchos, Regiments, and Reconnections:
The Transformation of Californio Identity in Civil War-Era California
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/2nhGBAGXXqo
The Civil War Era transformed the lives of many Americans. But for the Californios—the former Hispanic residents of Spanish and Mexican California—the Civil War was a formative period by which Californios challenged the terms of their continued conquest in California and in the process shaped the state’s early-American future. This lecture will examine the following: What did it mean for Californios to fight under Union, Confederate, and Mexican military forces and even in some cases find themselves fighting alongside a former enemy of the Mexican-American War? Why did Californios increasingly promote patriotic assemblies celebrating Mexican and American nationalism while both nations were in the midst of their own civil wars, is this the beginning of California’s transnational Mexican-American identity that is still present in California today? In answering the call of the recent historiographic shift in Californio scholarship, this analysis will demonstrate the agency of California’s earliest Hispanic Americans against the age of increasing Anglo-American dominance. It will show how Californios modified their identity to survive the rapid changes that occurred during the Civil War-Era both in human and non-human control that pushed them to seek new ways of asserting their role in the shaping of nineteenth-century American California.
OUR SPEAKER:
Brian Chavez has over a decade of experience in historic sites and institutions in the Los Angeles area with an emphasis on museum education and collection management. He has most notably served as a museum guide at the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum. It is there where he fell in love with local history and the greater American Civil War
narrative since first volunteering in 2010 at the age of 15. Since then he has not only had the honor to volunteer his time to the museum, but also work for the City of LA Department of Recreation and Parks at the site to educate the general public on Los Angeles’ Civil War past through tours, exhibits and lectures. Today, Brian continues to volunteer at local historic sites such as Rancho Los Cerritos, and work as a gallery and collections coordinator at his local historical society. He received an A.A. in history from Long Beach City College (2015), a B.A. in history from the University of California, Los Angeles (2017), and is currently completing an M.A. in history with an emphasis on early Mexican American communities in the borderlands of the American Southwest from California State University, Long Beach.
JOIN US FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2020, AT 7:15 P.M.
FOR A TALK BY DAVID DIXON ON - The American Civil War: A Radical, International Revolution
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/QxjOjLOAA_Y
Radical Warrior: August Willich’s Journey from German Revolutionary to Union General (University of Tennessee Press 2020) is the biography of a Prussian army officer who renounced his nobility and joined in the failed European revolutions of 1848. He emigrated to America, edited a daily labor newspaper in Cincinnati, and became one of the most accomplished generals in the Union Army. This story sheds new light on the contributions of 200,000 German-Americans who fought for the Union in the Civil War.
In an age of global social, economic, and political upheaval, transatlantic radicals helped affect America’s second great revolution. For many recent immigrants, the nature and implications of that revolution turned not on Lincoln’s conservative goal of maintaining the national Union, but on issues of social justice, including slavery, free labor, and popular self-government. The Civil War was not simply a war to end sectional divides, but to restore the soul of the nation, revive the hopes of democrats worldwide, and defend human rights.
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David Dixon earned his M.A. in history from the University of Massachusetts in 2003. His first book, The Lost Gettysburg Address, told the unusual life story of Texas slaveholder Charles Anderson, whose speech followed Lincoln’s at Gettysburg, but was never published. It turned up 140 years later in a cardboard box in Wyoming.
David has given nearly 100 talks to audiences across the country. He appeared on Civil War Talk Radio and other podcasts. He hosts B-List History, a website that features obscure characters and their compelling stories. You may download free pdf versions of his published articles on that website at www.davidtdixon.com.
David’s new book, published by the University of Tennessee Press, is the biography of German revolutionary and Union General August Willich. His work highlights the contributions of approximately 200,000 German-American immigrants to the Union effort in the Civil War. Transatlantic radicals like Willich viewed the war as part of a much larger, global revolution for social justice and republican government.
JOIN US FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020, AT 7:15 P.M.
FOR A TALK BY PROFESSOR JIM STANBERY ON: JEFFERSON DAVIS
The Confederacy had two opportunities to select a president – first, at the meeting of its provisional congress, during balloting on February 9, 1861; next, through one of the last acts of the provisional congress, the election of a permanent president on November 14, after four ‘border states’ had joined the Confederacy.
What strengths and weaknesses did the man chosen, Jefferson Davis, show? How did any of the other men actually considered for the presidency by the provisional congress compare with Davis?
Then the balloting nine months after the first election could have included contenders from the border states seceding after Ft. Sumter and not belonging to the Confederacy back in February. Were there any such possibilities?
Jim Stanbery was a history professor at Los Angeles Harbor College, where he also served as faculty president and won many outstanding teaching awards. Jim is past assistant editor of Civil War Regiments and is active in the Civil War Round Tables of San Gabriel Valley and Orange County, as well as the San Pedro Bay Historical Society. He has published articles on western theater Civil War strategy and has spoken widely on Civil War topics in and outside California. Jim is the author of The California 2000 Campaign: The Populist Movement with a Meaning for all America. Jim holds a B.A. (UC Berkeley) and M.A. (CSU, Long Beach). He also served two years in the Peace Corps.
AUGUST 25, 2020, AT 7:15 P.M.
FOR A TALK BY PROFESSOR STEVEN WOODWORTH ON:
VICKSBURG NIGHTS - WHAT REALLY HAPPENED DURING THE SIEGE
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/K13Le9oaT7M
The talk will focus on Steven Woodworth's new book Vicksburg Besieged
The nights of the Vicksburg siege were the most fluid and dynamic part of that six-week conflict. Whereas the daylight hours were static and predictably deadly thanks to the constant activity of each side's sharpshooters, the periods between dusk and dawn found soldiers venturing beyond their trenches and experiencing a variety of situations ranging from the natural immunity of darkness to an unnatural immunity due to the foe's indifference, even as siege works were pressed closer and closer to the defenders' fortifications. Yet there was always the possibility that a small but deadly battle might break out on the darkened slopes of no-man's land. Once night fell, a man never knew just what to expect.
Professor Steven E. Woodworth received his B.A. in 1982 from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and his Ph.D. in 1987 from Rice University in Houston, Texas. After teaching at small colleges in Oklahoma and Georgia, he came to Texas Christian University in 1997 and is now a professor of history there. Over the years he has authored, co-authored, or edited thirty-three books, including The Tennessee Campaign of 1864 (2016), This Great Struggle, America's Civil War (2012), Manifest Destinies: America's Westward Expansion and the Road to Civil War (2010), Nothing but Victory: The Army of the Tennessee, 1861-1865 (2006), While God Is Marching On: The Religious World of Civil War Soldiers(2001), and Jefferson Davis and His Generals: The Failure of Confederate Command in the West (1990).
JOIN US FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2020, AT 7:15 P.M.
FOR A TALK BY ERIC WITTENBERG ON:
SECEDING FROM SECESSION - THE WEST VIRGINIA STORY
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/36oxRKMm4Uo
The state of West Virginia seceding from Virginia will be discussed in exciting and informative detail. There were (and still are) real questions about the constitutionality of the steps taken in the creation of West Virginia that make this a fascinating story. The issue eventually made its way to the United States Supreme Court, which heard the case in 1871. The Chief Justice, Salmon P. Chase, had participated in Lincoln’s decision to sign the bill establishing the state of West Virginia, setting up a very interesting conflict of interest that was not addressed by the court.
Eric J. Wittenberg is an award-winning Civil War author. A native of southeastern Pennsylvania, Eric was educated at Dickinson College, after graduating from Dickinson, Eric attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. He is a partner in the Columbus, Ohio law firm of Cook, Sladoje & Wittenberg Co., L.P.A., where he manages the firm’s litigation practice. Wittenberg is the author of 22 critically acclaimed books on the American Civil War, several of which have won awards, as well as more than three dozen articles published in national magazines. He is in regular demand as a speaker and tour guide, and travels the country regularly doing both. He serves on the boards of trustees of the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust and the Little Big Horn Associates, and often works with the American Battlefields Trust on battlefield preservation initiatives. He is also the program coordinator for the Chambersburg Civil War Seminars. His specialty is cavalry operations in the Civil War. He and his wife Susan reside in Columbus, Ohio.
JOIN US ON FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020, AT 7:15 P.M.
FOR A TALK BY MARK McGUIRE ON:
THE LIMITS OF EXECUTIVE DISCRETION IN TIMES OF CRISIS
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/mSozNvBEeZI
The Civil War brought about a time of crisis which tested the limits of the President’s executive powers. This talk will lay out the unusual circumstances which prompted President Lincoln to suspend the writ of habeas corpus. It will examine the authority under the Constitution, viewed through the lens of the 1861 case, Ex Parte Merryman. Can laws be ignored to preserve the Union? Our speaker will discuss Lincoln’s actions, and those taken by subsequent U.S. Presidents Roosevelt, Truman and Trump.
This month’s speaker is Mark H. McGuire, an associate with the law firm of Fullerton, Lehman, Schaefer and Dominick, LLP. He focuses his practice areas on trust and estate litigation, probate conservatorship and guardianship law. He received his JD from Western State University College of Law, and earned his B.A. in Philosophy and a minor in Psychology from Sonoma State University.
He presented this talk as one of the featured speakers at February’s Southwest Civil War Symposium in Redlands.
JOIN US ON FOR AN ONLINE PRESENTATION ON TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2020, AT 7:15 P.M.
FOR A PRESENTATION BY DAVID RICHARDSON ON:
THE CIVIL WAR IN COLOR!
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/1wkoUVl80e4
This month, Pasadena CWRT member, David Richardson will present “The Civil War In Color.” David has been restoring and colorizing Civil War images for over twelve years. During that time his work has appeared on the History Channel, Discovery Channel, on book covers for Random House, Penguin books and his images are part of the exhibits in the American Civil War Museum in Richmond, in the collection of the Gettysburg Heritage Center, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and others. Each month his images are seen in Civil War News and he has been a featured speaker for the Center For Civil War Photography as well as the Surratt House.
Colorizing images is something that has taken place since the very beginning of Civil War photography. This month David will share not only his colorizations but also original hand colorized images from the Civil War. And there will be more to learn, just logon to the participate in the presentation. Please join us for our second virtual meeting of the Pasadena Civil War Roundtable, May 26, 2020.
We hope you will take the opportunity to check out David's web site:
http://historyinfullcolor.com/home/civil-war-in-3d/
You'll find some marvelous products that will certainly be of interest to our members. Let's help support them for supporting us! |
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We look forward to you joining us on May 26 for our new experiment in hosting a virtual meeting.
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JOIN US ON TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2020, AT 7:15 P.M.
FOR A PRESENTATION BY DR. BEN DAVIDSON ON:
Children’s Perspectives on the Civil War
and the End of Slavery
Link to recording of presentation: https://youtu.be/C1uydsoV_kc
COVID-19 may have interrupted our monthly in-person meetings; but it will not prevent us from hearing a wonderful presentation this month!
Many thanks to the generosity of our CWRT members, David Richardson and Stephanie Hagiwara of the firm Civil War in 3D and History in Full Color, who are allowing us to use their account with the virtual meeting service "Go To Meeting." Full instructions on how to access the lecture on April 28 are listed in the block below.
We hope you will take the opportunity to check out their web site:
http://historyinfullcolor.com/home/civil-war-in-3d/
You'll find some marvelous products that will certainly be of interest to our members. Let's help support them for supporting us!
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Here is more information about our upcoming presentation, which you won't have to wear a mask for:
This month Dr. Ben Davidson will be sharing with us his research on "Children's Perspectives on the Civil War and the End of Slavery."
This talk explores the stories of the generation of children from across the United States who grew up during the Civil War. Drawing on research in family papers, government documents, material culture, and memoirs, among other sources, he will consider the lives of figures both well-known and obscure. Children composed nearly half the population of the United States in 1860. It is therefore vitally important that we ask how this generation experienced the war and its most important result: the end of slavery. By investigating young people’s experiences during the war, as well as the ways in which these young people became key figures in fights over Civil War memory, we can see clearly that this generation powerfully shaped the meanings of the conflict into the early twentieth century. |
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Ben Davidson received his PhD in United States history from New York University in 2018, and he is the Mellon Fellow at The Huntington Library for the 2019-2020 academic year. He is currently completing research and revisions for his book manuscript, Freedom’s Generation: Coming of Age in the Era of Emancipation. This project traces the lives of the generation of black and white children, in the North, South, and West, who grew up during the Civil War era, exploring how young people across the nation learned about and experienced emancipation. In support of research for this project, Davidson has received long-term fellowships from the Smithsonian Institution, the U.S. Department of Education, and New York University, and short-term fellowships from institutions including the American Historical Association, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, and the Virginia Historical Society. He has taught high school English, worked as a researcher for a children’s book publisher, and taught History 101 at NYU, among other courses.We are most lucky to have Dr. Davidson come speak to us about his research as he finishes up his fellowship at the Huntington Library.
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We look forward to you joining us on April 28 for our new experiment in hosting a virtual meeting.
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THE PASADENA CWRT MEETING TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2020, AT 7:15 P.M., IS CANCELED.
THE BELOW PRESENTATION WILL BE GIVEN AT A DATE IN THE FUTURE.
Could the Confederacy have done any better than Jefferson Davis?
The Confederacy had two opportunities to select a president – first, at the meeting of its provisional congress, during balloting on February 9, 1861; next, through one of the last acts of the provisional congress, the election of a permanent president on November 14, after four ‘border states’ had joined the Confederacy.
What strengths and weaknesses did the man chosen, Jefferson Davis, show? How did any of the other men actually considered for the presidency by the provisional congress compare with Davis?
Then the balloting nine months after the first election could have included contenders from the border states seceding after Fort Sumter and not belonging to the Confederacy back in February. Were there any such possibilities?
Come find the answers to all these questions and more on March 24 at the Pasadena Central Library.
Professor James Stanbery earned his B.A. at University of California, Berkeley, Phi Beta Kappa, and his M.A. at California State University, Long Beach. He also served two years in the Peace Corps. During his many years teaching at Los Angeles Harbor College, he has served as Faculty President, won many outstanding teaching awards, and served in numerous organizations. Recently, Professor Stanbery retired from Los Angeles Harbor College.
Professor Stanbery is past Assistant Editor of Civil War Regiments and remains active in Civil War Round Tables of San Gabriel Valley and Orange County, the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum, and the San Pedro Bay Historical Society. He is the author of The California 200 Campaign: the Populist Movement with a Meaning for all America and several student workbooks on American Institutions. Professor Stanbery is an emeritus participant in West Coast Civil War Conferences, having attended all but one. He is a frequent speaker and is particularly effective in explaining strategic pictures of the Civil War, as well as an expert panel moderator:
Jim Stanbery is a fast friend and strong supporter of continuing the tradition of West Coast Civil War Conferences. We encourage all who have not heard him to take this opportunity to be entertained and enlightened.
DATE: Fourth Tuesday of Every Month.
TIME: 7:15 p.m.
PLACE: Pasadena Central Library
285 E Walnut Street - Pasadena, CA 91101
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020, AT 7:15 P.M., FOR A PRESENTATION BY PROFESSOR STEPHEN CUSHMAN OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA ON:
"THE RIVER CHANGES COURSE: MARK TWAIN'S MISSISSIPPI AND HIS CIVIL WAR"
Mark Twain's connections to the Civil War are many. For two weeks in mid-1861 he served as a second lieutenant in the Marion Rangers, a partisan band aligned with the Confederacy. In 1885 he published PERSONAL MEMOIRS OF U.S. GRANT, which remains the bestselling Civil War memoir.
In April and May 1882, Twain returned to the Mississippi River, on which he had started out as a steamboat cub pilot more than twenty years before. On this trip he gathered material for what became his book LIFE ON THE MISSISSIPPI (1883). This book has much to say about the Civil War, how it is remembered by people who witnessed it and how it is imagined by people who did not. These will be the subjects of this talk.
Also, Professor Cushman will be discussing a particular image which is linked here, so come to the presentation and see how this image fits into the presentation. CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE
Stephen Cushman is Robert C. Taylor Professor of English at the University of Virginia and the author of Bloody Promenade: Reflections on a Civil War Battle (University Press of Virginia, 1999) and Belligerent Muse: Five Northern Writers and How They Shaped Our Understanding of the Civil War (University of North Carolina Press, 2014), as well as recent essays about Alexander Gardner’s photography at Gettysburg; the Battle of the Crater in fiction; Philip Sheridan’s memoirs; Joseph E. Johnston’s surrender to William T. Sherman; and Richard Taylor’s Destruction and Reconstruction. He has published six volumes of poems and two critical studies of American poetry, and he is the general editor of the 2012 edition of the Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Cushman has been a fellow of the American Council of Learned Societies and a Fulbright Teaching Fellow in Greece. In 2014 he was named Cavalier Distinguished Professor, and in 2015 he won a State Council of Higher Education for Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award. A frequent speaker at Huntington Library Civil War conferences, he looks forward to joining the 2019-2020 community of scholars in San Marino, where he will be focusing on the emerging market for Civil War memoirs at the end of the nineteenth century and the influence of those memoirs on public imagination.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020, AT 7:15 P.M., FOR A PRESENTATION BY ERNST F. TONSING ON COL MARTIN AND THE BATTLE OF MISSIONARY RIDGE
The Civil War was already raging in the Territory of Kansas six years before it erupted in 1861. Into this "Bleeding Kansas" came a seventeen year-old John Alexander Martin who purchased a vehement pro-slavery newspaper, the "Squattor Sovereign," and transformed its name to "The Freedom's Champion" and its editorial stance to Abolitionist. When war broke out, he enlisted in the 8th Kansas Volunteer Infantry and led it through every major engagement in the West--Perryville, Tullahoma, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga, Missionary (Mission) Ridge, and Atlanta. After the war, Martin served as mayor of Atchison, Kansas, as secretary of the National Republican Party, and in two terms as governor of Kansas .
Throughout the war, with a keen, reporter's eye and a concern that those at home knew what soldiers in the war were experiencing, Martin fulfilled his pledge to write his younger sister as often as he could. Ninety-nine of these letters have survived. Dr. Tonsing will speak on the content of these letters, especially those concerning the pivotal battles of Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge.
Dr. Ernst F. (“Fred”) Tonsing was born and raised in Kansas, and after serving as an officer in the United States Navy, attended the Lutheran seminary in Berkeley, served as a pastor in Portland, Oregon, and returned to graduate studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, earning a second Master's Degree and Ph.D. in Religious Studies. He came to California Lutheran University (then college) in Thousand Oaks, and taught New Testament and Greek for 29 years before retiring in 2003. He then taught Greek at St. John's Roman Catholic Seminary in Camarillo, California for seven years.
He has lectured widely around the Southland on the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Nag Hammadi Coptic Gnostic documents, Scandinavian archaeology, and other topics. He is a second cousin of the famous aviatrix, Amelia Earhart, and has lectured frequently on her family and career. He has authored or edited some 40 books on history, Scandinavian archaeology and traditions, and the letters and papers of his father from World War II, his uncle and great uncle from World War I, and now those of his great grandfather, Colonel John A. Martin, from the Civil War.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2019, AT 7:15 P.M., FOR A PRESENTATION BY NICK SMITH ON:
The Prisoner’s Dilemma: The Problems of Civil War Prisons
Round table president Nick Smith will present a talk on how personalities, economics, medicine and even international law combined to cost thousands of lives of prisoners on both sides of the Civil War. Charges were hurled from both sides that the deaths were due to deliberate action, or at best dangerous incompetence, even though both sides claimed to be following the law and the rules of civilized warfare. Only one man, Confederate Henry Wirz, was ever charged with war crimes in relation to the management of the POW camps run badly by both sides. The real story is how and why they were apparently run so badly, and why that led to so many deaths.
Don't miss this presentation to better understand a very real part of the Civil War that, other than Andersonville, is too often neglected. You will walk away with many new insights after hearing Nick Smith make this exciting presentation.
Nick Smith has been a member of this Round Table for over 30 years, and has given numerous talks here and at other Round Tables and conferences. His co-curation of a museum exhibit about the local Civil War veterans was well-received at the Pasadena Museum of History, and he has spent more than a decade researching those veterans and their stories. He has also been involved in the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and their projects to document Civil War graves and monuments.
His interest in this part of the Civil War came from his research into local Civil War veterans, with the discovery that two of them had important roles in the history of Andersonville Prison as prisoners, and that a third was one of the guards there.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019, AT 7:15 P.M., FOR A PRESENTATIONBY MICHAEL L. ODDENINO:
The Emancipation Proclamation, the U.S. Civil War, and the end of slavery! Or was it?
What did the Emancipation Proclamation really do?
Were slaves actually freed by the Emancipation Proclamation?
When did Lincoln decide to draft the Emancipation Proclamation?
When did Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation?
What legal authority did Lincoln rely on to issue the Emancipation Proclamation?
Was it legal what Lincoln did?
How did the Emancipation Proclamation change the war?
What is the legacy of the Emancipation Proclamation today?
Attend this presentation and get the answers to these questions and
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2019, AT 7:15 P.M., FOR A PRESENTATION BY FRANK MITCHELL:
Montreal, Canada and the U.S. Civil War!
Montreal is a great city to visit. It is a gem of Canada. Apparently, many people during the Civil War thought the same thing. Montreal quickly became a popular place to visit. Some cities would not welcome the number of spies and conspirators to their city but Montreal seemed to embrace them. Montreal citizens walking down the street ran the risk of brushing shoulders with Confederate spies and sympathizers as well as some Union supporters. In this talk we will share some interesting stories of the people that came to Montreal and the city that embraced them.
CLICK HERE for an article on Montreal in the Civil War from a Canadian newspaper.
Frank Mitchell is an amateur historian and collector of historic memorabilia. He has a collection of autographs of all of Lincoln’s cabinet and almost all Davis’ cabinet and letters and other documents from many generals. He has camp stoves, parts of uniforms, camp medical kits, bullets and cannonballs. He collects material from the Revolutionary War as well. The Civil War era is his most requested era. He has a library of roughly 3,000 books.
TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2019 FOR A PRESENTATION BY DR. DAVE SCHRADER:
Meet the Abolitionists! From Slavery to Celebration!
Ever wonder how a typical Northerner was led to support abolition?
Long before the war, numerous Northern opinion leaders shaped the news, attitudes, and meetings to get Northerners behind the cause.
Who were these men and women?
What messages did they use?
What events before the war helped drive opinions towards abolition?
How did they manage to persuade so many people to give up their peaceful lives and go to war?
In this talk, Dr. Dave Schrader answers these questions and more, describing the lives and activities of the top 5 anti-slavery movement leaders.
Dr. Dave Schrader has been giving CWRT talks to Los Angeles audiences since 2013. He is particularly fascinated by “the rest of the story” – for example, the activities of support organizations such as the Signal Corps, the Quartermaster, and Commissary Corps, who often played major but behind-the-scene roles in the abilities of generals and presidents to achieve their goals. Or people like Lincoln’s Secretaries or his Ambassadors that played a pivotal role in supporting the President and his policies. Or the Fire-Eaters who drummed up support for secession in the south, or their counterparts in the North who drove the anti-slavery movements. Most of his talks are interactive so be prepared for audience participation!
TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2019 FOR A PRESENTATION BY PROFESSOR STEWART DAVENPORT ON: "Before the Shooting Started -The Causes of the Civil War"
Professor Stewart Davenport of Pepperdine University will provide a fascinating look at the lead up to the Civil War. Some of the topics he will address include Anti-slavery forces, Abolitionism, and Pro-slavery forces. You will be treated to new insights into what triggered the greatest loss of American life in the history of our country. Was the Civil War inevitable? Could it have been avoided? Or was the Civil War a consequence of irreconcilable differences that led to an irrepressible conflict.? You could also say that there were irreconcilable Ideas that led to the irrepressible conflict.
Professor Davenport will reveal how the economic, social, and religious differences in the North and the South all played a role in the defining event of American history.
Don't miss out on getting these insights from one of the most popular Round Table speakers and highly rated professor of history at Pepperdine University.
This presentation will explain the origin of anti-slavery thought in the Anglo-American world, how anti-slavery morphed into Abolitionism in America after 1830, and how Southerners responded with a Pro-slavery ideology of their own. It will also cover the rising tensions as the two sides dug in over the course of the 1840s and 1850s, making compromise impossible and civil war increasingly likely.
Every student of the Civil War will be edified by Professor Davenport's insights.
Stewart Davenport received his Ph.D. in History from Yale University in 2001. He is currently an associate professor of History at Pepperdine University, teaching courses in American Religious History, and American History more generally from the colonial era through Reconstruction. His first book, “Friends of the Unrighteous Mammon”: Northern Christians and Market Capitalism, 1815-1860, was published in 2008 by the University of Chicago Press. He is currently working on his second book, tentatively titled Sex and Sects: The Story of Mormon Polygamy, Shaker Celibacy, and Oneida Complex Marriage. He and his wife Mary live in Southern California.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2019 FOR A PRESENTATION BY JANE SINGER ON HER NEW BOOK: "The War Criminal's Son" - Hidden stories of the Civil War.
THE WAR CRIMINAL’S SON
The Civil War Saga of William A. Winder
BY JANE SINGER
“A must-read for those who enjoy the hidden stories behind American history. Singer has captured a tumultuous family history as she traces the life and trials of William Andrew Winder, the only Union man in an otherwise Confederate family.”—Laurie Verge, director of the Surratt House Museum in Clinton, Maryland
“Jane Singer is a passionate storyteller and indefatigable researcher. In William A. Winder’s compelling saga she has met a subject worthy of her talents. It’s a rattling good tale of shame and redemption, a metaphor, as the author demonstrates, for the ‘recovery and reinvention of a fractured nation and her people’ at the time of the Civil War. It’s great to see Singer in action again!”—Richard Willing, intelligence officer and historian
“A movie mogul once opined that there are thousands of stories from the Civil War that are worthy of a book or movie. Jane Singer identifies one in The War Criminal’s Son. . . . Capt. William A. Winder led a long, peripatetic life, splendidly told here. The author confronts us with the excitement and detritus that filled his days. . . . This is a great read.”—Frank J. Williams, founding chair of the Lincoln Forum and president of the Ulysses S. Grant Association and Presidential Library
The War Criminal’s Son brings to life hidden aspects of the Civil War through the sweeping saga of the firstborn son in the infamous Confederate Winder family, who shattered family ties to stand with the Union. Gen. John H. Winder was the commandant of most prison camps in the Confederacy, including Andersonville. When Winder gave his son William Andrew Winder the order to come south and fight, desert, or commit suicide, William went to the White House and swore his allegiance to President Lincoln and the Union. Despite his pleas to remain at the front, it was not enough. Winder was ordered to command Alcatraz, a fortress that became a Civil War prison, where he treated his prisoners humanely despite repeated accusations of disloyalty and treason because the Winder name had become shorthand for brutality during an already brutal war.
John Winder died before he could be brought to justice as a war criminal. Haunted by his father’s villainy, William went into a self-imposed exile for twenty years and eventually ended up at the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, to fulfill his longstanding desire to better the lot of Native Americans.
In The War Criminal’s Son Jane Singer evokes the universal themes of loyalty, shame, and redemption in the face of unspeakable cruelty.
Jane Singer is a Civil War author, researcher, and lecturer. She is the author of Lincoln’s Secret Spy: The Civil War Case That Changed the Future of Espionage and The Confederate Dirty War: Arson, Bombings, Assassination and Plots for Chemical and Germ Attacks on the Union. Singer’s work has been featured in the Washington Post, the Washington Times, and the Chicago Sun-Times. A popular lecturer and Civil War research consultant, she lives in Venice, California.
TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019 FOR A PRESENTATION BY MICHAEL L. ODDENINO ON "The Origins of Slavery in America."
The U.S. Civil War was the culmination of long-simmering disputes over slavery in the United States.
How did slavery become so entrenched in America that it took a civil war to finally eliminate it in our country?
Come learn the history of slavery in America and how this insidious practice grew into an American cancer.
1619 was significant as marking the first time African slaves arrived at the first permanent English settlement in the New World – Jamestown, Virginia.
Spain became the richest country in the 16th and 17th centuries as they reaped the riches of conquests in Mexico and Peru. Other European countries aspired to emulate the wealth gathering that made Spain the envy of the world at that time.
The Virginia Company of London, in financing the new settlement in Virginia, specifically advised the settlers to establish themselves sufficiently upstream to better guard against Spanish attack.
The Jamestown settlement suffered from Indian attacks, food scarcity, and rampant illness. It also suffered from a shortage of human beings to do the necessary work of building a community in a new world.
The first Africans arrived in Jamestown in 1619. African slaves were in other parts of the world at that time. The Arabs had been taking Africans as slaves since the seventh century all the up to the 19th century. Blacks had been enslaving other Blacks in Africa for some time by 1619. Slavery was a common practice in 1619.
So how did slavery develop and thrive in America?
This presentation will provide the historical backdrop to the practice that triggered the U.S. Civil War.
How did slavery coexist with the more lofty aspirations underlying American democracy?
Join us on April 23, 2019, for this fascinating discussion.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019 FOR A PRESENTATION BY SARAH K. BIERLE ON "From Virginia to California: VMI, the Battle of New Market, and the Post-War Lives of Eight Cadets."
The Battle of New Market, fought May 15, 1864, was the only time in American military history when college student body fought as a independent unit in a full battle. For the young men from Virginia Military Institute (VMI), life would never be the same after their participation in a decisive victory for Confederate General John Breckinridge's gathered army in the Shenandoah Valley. But what happened to the cadets after the battle? This new presentation traces the lives and experiences of several cadets through their days at VMI to the battlefield, and to their later careers as successful citizens who moved to California.
Sarah Kay Bierle is the managing editor for Emerging Civil War’s blog and owner and conference coordinator at Gazette665, a California-based business focused on advancing history discussion and education. A graduate from Thomas Edison State University with a B.A. in History, she has spent the last few years researching, writing, and speaking about the American Civil War. Her fourth book "Call Out The Cadets" - a nonfiction study on the Battle of New Market - will be released this spring from Savas Beatie.
JOIN US ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019 FOR A PRESENTATION BY AUTHOR JAY WERTZ ON "JUBAL EARLY'S 1864 RAID THAT THREATENED WASHINGTON, D.C."
In order to relieve pressure on the line at Petersburg, in July 1864 General Robert E. Lee dispatched Lieutenant General Jubal Early, already in the
Shenandoah Valley, to invade the North.
For Early, one of Lee’s most reliable subordinates, and others in his Army of the Valley, this foray was becoming familiar; crossing the Potomac, marching through Western Maryland and into Pennsylvania’s Cumberland Valley. Attrition in the Rebel Army limited the scale of this invasion and it was simply known as Jubal Early’s 1864 Raid.
But the campaign had quite a few notable features, including the initial combat test for the Washington fort system and giving President Lincoln his first eyewitness view of a Civil War battle in progress.
JAY WERTZ is the author of :
He is also co-author with Ed Bearss of
Jay Wertz, the author of six books including two award-winning volumes in the War Stories: World War II Firsthand series, D-Day: The Campaign Across France; and The Pacific: Volume One – Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal, as well as the recently released The Pacific: Volume Two – The Solomons to Saipan. He is also the author of The Civil War Experience 1861-1865; and with Edwin C. Bearss, the co-author of the Smithsonian’s series, Great Battles and Battlefields of the Civil War. And he is the author/editor of The Native American Experience.
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 -
“A Civil War Watershed? Assessing the Military, Political, and Social Impact of Antietam"
The Battle of Antietam, by Kurz & Allison (1878), depicting the scene of action at Burnside's Bridge
By far the most discussed turning point of the Civil War is Gettysburg, the great battle in July 1863. Probably the conflict’s second most popular turning point is Antietam—a contest that turned back Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the United States and opened the way for emancipation. But was Antietam viewed at the time as a turning point? This lecture will suggest that few northerners counted Antietam as the type of watershed that so many modern historians describe. For many Confederates, it represented a different kind of watershed than we might imagine. One thing is certain: In the grim summer of 1864, when everything seemed to tremble in the balance as Robert E. Lee and U. S. Grant faced off in Virginia and William Tecumseh Sherman tried to achieve victory in Georgia, few, if any, people North or South would have said that Antietam had ordained Union victory. By then, Antietam was little more than a receding memory. The Antietam campaign affords a perfect example of the very different meanings that events can have for those who experience them first hand and those who later try to make sense of them.
Gary W. Gallagher recently retired as the John L. Nau III Professor in the History of the American Civil War and Director of the John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History at the University of Virginia. He is currently the Rogers Distinguished Fellow in 19th-Century American History at the Henry E. Huntington Library in San Marino, California.
A native of Los Angeles, California, he received his B.A. from Adams State College of Colorado (1972) and his M.A. (1977) and Ph.D. (1982) from the University of Texas at Austin. An archivist at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library for ten years, he began his academic career in 1986 at Penn State University, where he taught for twelve years and headed the Department of History for five. He joined the faculty of the University of Virginia in 1998.
He is the author or editor of more than thirty-five books, including The Confederate War (Harvard University Press, 1997), Lee and His Generals in War and Memory (Louisiana State University Press, 1998), The Myth of the Lost Cause and Civil War History (co-edited with Alan T. Nolan, Indiana University Press, 2000), Causes Won, Lost, and Forgotten: How Hollywood and Popular Art Shape What We Know About the Civil War(University of North Carolina Press, 2008), The Union War (Harvard University Press, 2011), Becoming Confederates: Paths to a New National Loyalty (University of Georgia Press, 2013), and The American War: A History of the Civil War Era (co-authored with Joan Waugh, Spielvogel Books, 2015). He has served as editor of two book series at the University of North Carolina Press ("Civil War America," with more than 110 titles date, and “Military Campaigns of the Civil War,” with 10 titles) and appeared regularly on the Arts and Entertainment Network's series "Civil War Journal" as well as participating in more than four dozen other television projects in the field.
Active in the field of historic preservation, he was president from 1987 to mid-1994 of the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites (an organization with a membership of more than 12,500 representing all 50 states). He also served as a member of the Board of the Civil War Trust and has given testimony about preservation before Congressional committees on several occasions.
Due to the holidays, we will meet one week earlier on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 at 7:15 p.m. We will host our annual "Show and Tell" where members can spend up to 5 minutes each sharing a Civil War story or Civil War artifact that they might have. Bring your photos, books, artifacts or antiques; and share your part of the Civil War with the rest of the membership.
Regular talks begin anew on January 22, 2019 with an exciting presentation on Antietam by Gary Gallagher. Stay tuned for more information.
On Tuesday October 23, 2018 at 7:15 p.m. at the Pasadena Central Library – New York Times Bestselling Author, Ronald C. White, will give a presentation titled: Ulysses S. Grant: A New Vision of American Leadership
Ronald C. White's biography of Ulysses S. Grant garnered rave reviews, such as this one:
White, author of the award-winning bestseller, A. Lincoln: A Biography, first redresses criticisms of his martial prowess—primarily that he exploited a huge numbers advantage by needlessly sacrificing troops in exchange for victory—with detailed accounts, maps, and illustrations of his conflicts, limning a battlefield acumen previously diminished through ad hominem barbs. White resuscitates Grant’s career as a public servant through his presidency and beyond—he was a defender of equal rights and an enemy of the Ku Klux Klan--by placing in the context of the complex postbellum landscape, where the war may have been won but the country was hardly whole. Serious, exhaustive, and likely definitive, American Ulysses, is a tricky meld of comprehensive research and readable narrative, worthy of the pantheon of monumental presidential biographies. - Jon Foro,The Amazon Book Review
And Ronald C. White's work on Grant found almost universal praise among critics:
“White delineates Grant’s virtues better than any author before. . . . By the end, readers will see how fortunate the nation was that Grant went into the world—to save the Union, to lead it and, on his deathbed, to write one of the finest memoirs in all of American letters.”—T.J. Stiles, The New York Times Book Review
“Ronald White has restored Ulysses S. Grant to his proper place in history with a biography whose breadth and tone suit the man perfectly. Like Grant himself, this book will have staying power.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Superb . . . illuminating, inspiring and deeply moving . . . The Grant we meet in American Ulysses is richly deserving of a fuller understanding and of celebration for the man he was and the legacy he left us.”—Chicago Tribune
“American political thinking has a way of coalescing around concepts that hold the public’s attention for a time, then fade. ‘Temperament,’ for example, is on many tongues this election season, after years of not being much on anyone’s mind. That may be why [American Ulysses] seems especially relevant. . . . [Ronald C. White] portrays a deeply introspective man of ideals, a man of measured thought and careful action who found himself in the crosshairs of American history at its most crucial moment.”—USA Today
“Magisterial . . . Grant’s esteem in the eyes of historians has increased significantly in the last generation. . . .[American Ulysses] is the newest heavyweight champion in this movement.”—The Boston Globe
“A game-changing biography . . . of one of the most consequential figures in American history.”—The Christian Science Monitor
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The Pasadena CWRT is honored to have fellow Pasadenan, Ronald C. White, make this presentation to us.
Ronald C. White is the author of American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant (2016). It won the William Henry Seward Award for Excellence in Civil War Biography awarded by the Civil War Forum of Metropolitan New York. The biography was a finalist for the Gilder-Lehrman Military History Book Prize. General David H. Petraeus (Ret.) wrote, “Certain to be recognized as the classic work on Ulysses S. Grant.”
White is also the author of three books on Abraham Lincoln. A. Lincoln: A Biography [2009], was a New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times bestseller. USA Today said, “If you read one book about Lincoln, make it A. LINCOLN.” The book was honored as one of the best books of 2009 by the Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, History Book Club, and Barnes & Noble. It won a Christopher Award which salutes books “that affirm the highest values of the human spirit.” Lincoln’s Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural was honored as a New York Times Notable Book of 2002, and a Washington Post and San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Words [2005], was a Los Angeles Times bestseller, and a selection of the History Book Club.
White’s op-ed essays have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, and New York Daily News. He has lectured at the White House and been interviewed on the PBS News Hour. He attended Northwestern University and is a graduate of UCLA and Princeton Theological Seminary, earning a Ph.D. in Religion and History from Princeton University. He has taught at UCLA, Princeton Theological Seminary, Whitworth University, Colorado College, Rider University, and San Francisco Theological Seminary. He is a Fellow at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California, and a Senior Fellow of the Trinity Forum in Washington, D.C. He lives with his wife, Cynthia, in Pasadena, California.
Ronald C. White is presently writing two books: Abraham Lincoln’s Diary [2020], and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain: A Biography [2021], both to be published by Random House.
VISIT RONALD C. WHITE'S WEBSITE - CLICK HERE
On Tuesday September 25, 2018 – Learn all about the Peninsula Campaign
This presentation will explore the famous Peninsula Campaign of 1862 which saw George
McClellan go head-to-head with Robert E. Lee. The massive Union effort to get troops to
the Virginia peninsula between the York and James rivers is one of the true turning points
of the Civil War.
Learn about:
- Abraham Lincoln’s interactions with George McClellan
- The connection of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Peninsula Campaign
How Robert E. Lee came to head the Army of Northern Virginia for the Confederacy
- Why did McClellan fail
- Assessment of Robert E. Lee’s performance
- J.E.B. Stuart’s famous ride
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- And more
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about a crucial campaign and the facts behind that campaign.
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Michael L. Oddenino will give this exciting presentation providing new perspectives on this 1862 turning point in the Civil War. Michael is the Program Chair for the Pasadena CWRT and a regular speaker on Civil War topics. You will enjoy this presentation on the Peninsula Campaign. One of his presentations is on the Gettysburg Address providedascinating insights into the Lincoln - Douglas Debates of 1858. This will be Michael's first presentation on these debates. Below are some of the reviews his Gettysburg Address presentation received:
Even for an audience that has read Lincoln's Gettysburg Address a dozen times, Michael Oddenino's thoughtful deconstruction of Lincoln's remarks provide illuminating context that helps a modern audience see and understand the speech anew. – Dr. Craig Symonds, Professor Emeritus, U.S. Naval Academy and winner of the Lincoln Prize
Using his skills as a great orator and historian, Michael Oddenino brings the Gettysburg Address to life with insight, humor, and even a personal connection. Whether you are well-versed in Civil War history or new to the field, Michael’s captivating presentation will reinvigorate your enthusiasm for this important moment in American history. – Maria Carrillo, Associate Archivist, Lincoln Memorial Shrine, Redlands, California
Michael Oddenino introduces you to the people, places and politics that led up to the Gettysburg Address. I was amazed at how much I didn't know about this famous American historical event. Photographs, facts, anecdotes and unique music combine to provide a moving, emotional review of President Abraham Lincoln's two minute speech at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery. It’s a highly entertaining and historical look at an iconic piece of American history we all think we know well. Don’t miss a chance to hear this one! – Susan Ogle, Director, Drum Barracks Civil War Museum
Michael L. Oddenino's Gettysburg address is a captivating presentation full of stunning revelations, photos and music. It is a fascinating historical experience I'd recommend to all followers of Americana. Michael presented his multimedia show at the Los Angeles Adventurers' Club and was showered with enthusiastic questions afterward. A must-see experience. – Chuck Jonkey, Los Angeles Adventurers' Club
When you think you have heard all that has to be said on a high profile topic, you await to be amazed or very disappointed. No one listening to Michael Oddenino’s story of the unfolding of the events which led up to the memorable Gettysburg Address and to the address itself will consider themselves disappointed. It was historically accurate and set into motion by his captivating style. You could feel the buildup to Everett’s speech, and understand the quiet that settled over the crowd after Lincoln performed his 2 minute statement. All of us listening to Michael repeat those now immortal words shared in that moment what our forefathers felt 150 years ago. And we could understand. - Dr. Brian Clague, West Coast Civil War Conference organizer
Those fortunate enough to experience Michael L. Oddenino's Gettysburg Address presentation will gain an entirely new perspective of this snapshot of history. Michael sets the stage with colorful anecdotes which convey the country's mood in November 1863. He brings the listener to the moment with descriptions of sights, smells and the compelling music, some of which has not been recreated in the 150 years since the actual event. Michael leaves his audience wanting more. This is a compelling presentation. – Gary Burnett, Las Vegas
If you thought you knew everything there was to know about Lincoln ’s famous Gettysburg Address, you will come away from Michael Oddenino’s presentation with a fresh appreciation and newfound knowledge about this iconic piece of American history. Michael Oddenino combines history, context and little-known facts to bring Lincoln’s prose and the event surrounding its historic debut to life. His presentation to the Pasadena Civil War Round Table packed the house, and left our members wanting more. It’s a “don’t miss” event. – Janet Whaley, Pasadena CWRT, Treasurer
Let’s just say that if you have Michael Oddenino make a presentation to your group, you will be in for a wonderful presentation filled with information that many of you may never have heard before. While you’re at it, ask Michael about his Balls Bluff program. It, too, is excellent. - Michael Green, President, San Joaquin Valley Civil War Round Table
On Tuesday, August 28, 2018 at 7:15 p.m. the Pasadena Civil War Round Table is offering a presentation by Theodore P. Savas of Savas Beatie Publishing on the exciting new book, The War Outside My Window!
Rave reviews are coming in for the new book, The War Outside My Window.
Don't miss this presentation by publisher Theodore P. Savas on this ground breakng new book.
A Dying Prodigy, Fake News, and the Fall of the Old South. The War Outside My Window: The Civil War Diary of LeRoy Gresham, 1860-1865
An in-depth discussion about how one of the most important Civil War diaries was found, how it came to be published, the genius of the young teenager who wrote it, and the amazing insights we gain from it.
SPEAKER
Theodore P. Savas is the Managing Director of Savas Beatie, a leading independent trade publisher specializing in military and general history titles.
His hobbies include scuba diving, smoking good cigars, drinking expensive gin, and playing bass and keyboards in the hard rock band Arminius. For a taste of Arminius, click here.
On Tuesday, July 24, 2018 at 7:15 p.m. the Pasadena Civil War Round Table is offering a presentation on Lesser Known Union Women of the Civil War and Their Big Contributions by Susan Sweet.
Lesser Known---- Union Women in the Civil War
We know the name Clara Barton but many would not known much except she founded the Red Cross.
On Tuesday July 24, Susan Sweet will be speaking on seven women who took part in the Union cause during the Civil War. Some you may know . Some you may not.
Come learn about the important contributions of these women and get answers to many questions.
What women were known as "camp followers" and what did they do?
Did women fight as soldiers during the Civil War?
Did women make the Union victory possible? If so, how?
Come find out who the woman is on the right and what did she do during the Civil War.
Susan Sweet is a retired teacher who is a well-known Civil War expert in southern California. Susan's Civil War book collection is the envy of many a library. Join us on Tuesday July 24 at 7:15 p.m. to learn about women who made a contribution during the Civil War.
On Tuesday, June 26, 2018 at 7:15 p.m. the Pasadena Civil War Round Table is offering a presentation on Civil War innovator Thaddeus Lowe, Pasadena resident, and his amazing inventions.
Steve and Patrice Demory, long time Thaddeus Lowe researchers and presenters, will talk about the innovations and technologies developed by Professor T.S.C. Lowe.
Professor Thaddeus Lowe is locally known for his development of the Mount Lowe Incline Railway. Some also know him for his founding of the United States Balloon Corps, the precursor of military aviation here in America.
What is less known is Professor Lowe's truly significant inventions that impacted the world, and benefit us, even today! The Demory's weave these historical events together, using a highly illustrated Powerpoint presentation in a comprehensive review of Lowe's diverse accomplishments, and his commitment to improving the lives of all of us!"
Tuesday, May 22, 2018 at 7:15 p.m. at the Pasadena Central Library
The Amazing Men of the 55th Massachusetts by Nick Smith - Tuesday May 22 - 7:15 p.m. at the Pasadena Central Library
Nick Smith, President of the Pasadena Civil War Round Table, stumbled across the regiment's story of the Amazing Men of the 55th Massachusetts in two odd places: Mountain View Cemetery in Altadena and the museum at the Shiloh battlefield. That struck Nick as very odd at the time, since the regiment wasn't formed until a year after Shiloh, but that's part of the story. Don't miss the fascinating Civil War story by master storyteller, Nick Smith
On the left is Thomas Ellsworth. On the right is Andrew Jackson Smith. Both were eventually awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in battle as part of the 55th.
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Nick Smith, co-curator of “When Johnny Came Marching West” at the Pasadena Museum of History and longtime member and President of the Pasadena Civil War Round Table, will tell you the amazing stories of the men of the 55th Massachusetts. Nick is widely recognized as one of the top California experts on the Civil War and every month people in attendance at the Pasadena Civil War Round Table marvel at Nick's knowledge and insights into the many books that get auctioned off for support of Civil War preservation. Nick is also a popular speaker at many Civil War conferences.
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Tuesday, April 24, 2018 at 7:15 p.m. at the Pasadena Central Library - LINCOLN'S SECRETARY OF WAR, EDWIN STANTON by award-winning author, Walter Stahr!
Of the crucial men close to President Lincoln, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton (1814–1869) was the most powerful and controversial. Stanton raised, armed, and supervised the army of a million men who won the Civil War. He organized the war effort. He directed military movements from his telegraph office, where Lincoln literally hung out with him. He arrested and imprisoned thousands for “war crimes,” such as resisting the draft or calling for an armistice. Stanton was so controversial that some accused him at that time of complicity in Lincoln’s assassination. He was a stubborn genius who was both reviled and revered in his time.
Stanton was a Democrat before the war and a prominent trial lawyer. He opposed slavery, but only in private. He served briefly as President Buchanan’s Attorney General and then as Lincoln’s aggressive Secretary of War. On the night of April 14, 1865, Stanton rushed to Lincoln’s deathbed and took over the government since Secretary of State William Seward had been critically wounded the same evening. He informed the nation of the President’s death, summoned General Grant to protect the Capitol, and started collecting the evidence from those who had been with the Lincolns at the theater in order to prepare a murder trial.
Now with this worthy complement to the enduring library of biographical accounts of those who helped Lincoln preserve the Union, Stanton honors the indispensable partner of the sixteenth president. Walter Stahr’s essential book is the first major biography of Stanton in fifty years, restoring this underexplored figure to his proper place in American history.
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Walter Stahr is the prize-winning best-selling author of biographies of William Henry Seward and Edwin Stanton. The Stanton book just won the Seward prize for best civil war biography published last year. Walter was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, grew up in Arcadia, California, and went away for high school, to the Phillips Exeter Academy. Then it was back west, to Stanford University, then back east, to Harvard, where he studied law and public policy.
After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1982, he joined the Washington office of an international law firm, Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton. In 1986, the firm posted Walter to Hong Kong, where he lived and worked for three exciting years, mainly on international litigations. In 1990, he joined the Securities & Exchange Commission, working for several years in the chairman’s office, writing speeches and congressional testimony, advising on enforcement cases.
In 1995, he was hired by Fidelity Investments to be their first internal lawyer based in Hong Kong; his work and travels took him throughout Asia, especially to Japan and Taiwan. He returned to Washington in 1999, joining Emerging Markets Partnership as an internal lawyer, focused on Asia, eventually rising to be the general counsel of EMP Global, as the firm is now known.
In the summer of 2008, his family moved to Exeter, New Hampshire, where they lived for six school years while his wife taught mathematics and Walter worked on his books and coached the Exeter mock trial team, and his children attended and graduated from the Phillips Exeter Academy. In the summer of 2014 Walter and his family moved to southern California.
Walter's first book, on John Jay, was published in 2005; his second book, on Seward, in 2012; his third book, on Stanton, in early August 2017.
Walter's wife, Dr. Masami Miyauchi Stahr, is a mathematics teacher at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School; his son, Clancey Stahr, is a partner at a small venture capital firm in Menlo Park; and his daughter, Lydia Stahr, is a senior at Scripps College, in Claremont, California. You can find more about Walter at walterstahr.com |
On Tuesday, March 27, 2018 at 7:15 p.m. the Pasadena Civil War Round Table is offering a presentation on JAMES GARFIELD—UNSUNG HERO AND MARTYRED PRESIDENT - by Dean Smith
Tuesday, March 27, 2018 at 7:15 p.m. at the Pasadena Central Library -
“JAMES GARFIELD—UNSUNG HERO AND MARTYRED PRESIDENT’
Come and hear Dean Smith tell us why he chose to do a talk on James Garfield. It was not simply because Garfield is his relative. Here are some questions he believes most of us do not know the answers to:
-- Who was the last President born in a log cabin?
-- Why was Garfield called, “The Kentucky Hero?”
-- Who was the youngest brigadier general in the Union Army?
-- Who was famous for both a heroic river run in a steamboat, and a courageous horseback ride at Chickamauga Creek?
-- Who was Gen. Rosecrans’ Chief of Staff in 1863, and the probable author of his successful strategies?
-- Who never sought political office, and was nominated for President, against his objections?
-- How was Garfield’s character different from other politicians of his day?
-- Why was Garfield assassinated?
-- Finally, did you know that there is a Garfield connection to Pasadena?
Come to our March meeting and learn the answers to these questions, and more. If you liked Dean’s talk on Gen. Rosecrans, he says that you will like this one better.
Dean Smith is a third generation Los Angeles native. He graduated from George Washington High School in 1964, and earned Bachelor of Arts (1968), and Master of Arts (1970), degrees in Political Science, from the University of California, at Riverside.
His career in public service, with Los Angeles County, began in 1970. Over his 34 years with the County, Dean managed a variety of administrative functions in five different departments. After retiring, Dean held several part-time jobs, including consulting, and working on the 2010 Census.
Dean’s interest in the Civil War began on a trip to Virginia, in 1999, where he visited the Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville battlefields. Since then, he has visited battlefields at Antietam, Harper’s Ferry, Gettysburg, and Spotsylvania Courthouse, as well as Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, and Port Hudson, in Louisiana. He is a member of the Civil War Trust; he holds three offices in the Gen. W. S. Rosecrans Camp No. 2, of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War; and, he has been the President of the Los Angeles Civil War Round Table, for the past five years. In 2017, he was elected to the Board of Directors, of the Drum Barracks Garrison and Society, as their Secretary.
He has given presentations to the Los Angeles, the West Valley Civil Warriors, the Orange County, and the Pasadena Civil War Round Tables; his SUVCW Camp; the Sons of the American Revolution; audiences at the “Battle Drum” play, at the Sierra Madre Playhouse; and, to P.E.O. Chapter E. His topics include: The Largest Unknown Battle of the Civil War—Pleasant Hill, LA, April 9, 1864; Gen. W.S Rosecrans—Forgotten Hero; James Garfield—Unsung Hero and Martyred President; and, The U.S. Sanitary Commission.
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On Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at 7:15 p.m. the Pasadena Civil War Round Table is offering a presentation on the Lincoln - Douglas Debates of 1858 - Prelude to the Civil War by Michael L. Oddenino
The Lincoln - Douglas Debates of 1858 - Prelude to the Civil War
by Michael L. Oddenino
In 1858 Abraham Lincoln challenged Stephen Douglas for the Senate seat from Illinois. The two men engaged in seven debates which generated national attention as each debate was transcribed by reporters from newspapers of that time.
The debates thrilled the Illinois population as well as the national population.
The debates witnessed the historic clash of views on the issue of slavery, foreshadowing the coming conflagration we know as the Civil War.
The Lincoln-Douglas debates are a fascinating part of our national fabric, and this presentation will highlight the key arguments of each man as they related to issues which triggered war between North and South.
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Michael L. Oddenino will give this exciting presentation providing his insights as a lawyer to the various arguments presented during these celebrated debates. Michael is the Program Chair for the Pasadena CWRT and a regular speaker on Civil War topics. No stranger to Abraham Lincoln, Michael's presentation on the Gettysburg Address betokens fascinating insights into the Lincoln - Douglas Debates of 1858. This will be Michael's first presentation on these debates. Below are some of the reviews his Gettysburg Address presentation received:
Even for an audience that has read Lincoln's Gettysburg Address a dozen times, Michael Oddenino's thoughtful deconstruction of Lincoln's remarks provide illuminating context that helps a modern audience see and understand the speech anew. – Dr. Craig Symonds, Professor Emeritus, U.S. Naval Academy and winner of the Lincoln Prize
Using his skills as a great orator and historian, Michael Oddenino brings the Gettysburg Address to life with insight, humor, and even a personal connection. Whether you are well-versed in Civil War history or new to the field, Michael’s captivating presentation will reinvigorate your enthusiasm for this important moment in American history. – Maria Carrillo, Associate Archivist, Lincoln Memorial Shrine, Redlands, California
Michael Oddenino introduces you to the people, places and politics that led up to the Gettysburg Address. I was amazed at how much I didn't know about this famous American historical event. Photographs, facts, anecdotes and unique music combine to provide a moving, emotional review of President Abraham Lincoln's two minute speech at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery. It’s a highly entertaining and historical look at an iconic piece of American history we all think we know well. Don’t miss a chance to hear this one! – Susan Ogle, Director, Drum Barracks Civil War Museum
Michael L. Oddenino's Gettysburg address is a captivating presentation full of stunning revelations, photos and music. It is a fascinating historical experience I'd recommend to all followers of Americana. Michael presented his multimedia show at the Los Angeles Adventurers' Club and was showered with enthusiastic questions afterward. A must-see experience. – Chuck Jonkey, Los Angeles Adventurers' Club
When you think you have heard all that has to be said on a high profile topic, you await to be amazed or very disappointed. No one listening to Michael Oddenino’s story of the unfolding of the events which led up to the memorable Gettysburg Address and to the address itself will consider themselves disappointed. It was historically accurate and set into motion by his captivating style. You could feel the buildup to Everett’s speech, and understand the quiet that settled over the crowd after Lincoln performed his 2 minute statement. All of us listening to Michael repeat those now immortal words shared in that moment what our forefathers felt 150 years ago. And we could understand. - Dr. Brian Clague, West Coast Civil War Conference organizer
Those fortunate enough to experience Michael L. Oddenino's Gettysburg Address presentation will gain an entirely new perspective of this snapshot of history. Michael sets the stage with colorful anecdotes which convey the country's mood in November 1863. He brings the listener to the moment with descriptions of sights, smells and the compelling music, some of which has not been recreated in the 150 years since the actual event. Michael leaves his audience wanting more. This is a compelling presentation. – Gary Burnett, Las Vegas
If you thought you knew everything there was to know about Lincoln ’s famous Gettysburg Address, you will come away from Michael Oddenino’s presentation with a fresh appreciation and newfound knowledge about this iconic piece of American history. Michael Oddenino combines history, context and little-known facts to bring Lincoln’s prose and the event surrounding its historic debut to life. His presentation to the Pasadena Civil War Round Table packed the house, and left our members wanting more. It’s a “don’t miss” event. – Janet Whaley, Pasadena CWRT, Treasurer
Let’s just say that if you have Michael Oddenino make a presentation to your group, you will be in for a wonderful presentation filled with information that many of you may never have heard before. While you’re at it, ask Michael about his Balls Bluff program. It, too, is excellent. - Michael Green, President, San Joaquin Valley Civil War Round Table
On Tuesday, January 23, 2018 at 7:15 p.m. the Pasadena Civil War Round Table is offering a presentation by Professor Stewart Davenport of Pepperdine University on "What Caused the Civil War?"
"What Caused the Civil War?" The question is as old as the war itself. Slavery is the obvious and accurate (although general) answer, but not the only answer. This talk will delve into the specifics of westward expansion after 1815 and then again after 1845, and the problems such expansion created for the two-party political system, destroying first the Federalists and later the Whigs.
The country witnessed events that led to the creation of a Northern-only Republican party, anti-slavery party. What about the rise of the abolitionists after 1831?
What happened and why? Abolitionists went from uncompromisingly radical voices in the wilderness, to a robust social movement, to savvy political operatives. How did that happen and what is the evidence?
The social and political forces that swirled around the country before the guns fired at Fort Sumter offer fascinating and illuminating insights as to what caused the Civil War. They might even offer some advice for us today.
Stewart Davenport will answer these and other questions on Tuesday, January 23, 2018 at 7:15 p.m.
Don't miss this presentation!
Stewart Davenport received his Ph.D. in History from Yale University in 2001. He is currently an associate professor of History at Pepperdine University, teaching courses in American Religious History, and American History more generally from the colonial era through Reconstruction. His first book, “Friends of the Unrighteous Mammon”: Northern Christians and Market Capitalism, 1815-1860, was published in 2008 by the University of Chicago Press. He is currently working on his second book, tentatively titled Sex and Sects: The Story of Mormon Polygamy, Shaker Celibacy, and Oneida Complex Marriage. He and his wife Mary live in downtown Los Angeles.
On Tuesday, December 26, 2017 at 7:15 p.m. the Pasadena Civil War Round Table is offering you the chance to share your stuff at our annual "Show & Tell" meeting.
At our annual "show and tell" meeting, YOU are the program! Our members and attendees will be allowed 5 minutes each to discuss an artifact or interesting item. Bring a book, antique, photos of your travels, ancestor history, or anything you might like to share about the Civil War (or you can feel free to just listen to everyone else share).
This is a fun meeting for our members each year; and you never know what you're going to see, hear about or learn. We hope you will join us.
On Tuesday November 28, 2017 at 7:15 p.m. - After Thanksgiving the Pasadena Civil War Round Table will offer the exciting look at "Catalina Island Outpost: Military Possession of Catalina Island, January - September 1864" by Tara Fansler, Director of the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum and Brian Chavez, Museum Guide at the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum.
It will be given by Tara Fansler, Director of Drum Barracks Civil War Museum and Brian Chavez, Museum Guide at Drum Barracks Civil War Museum.
This presentation is based on the Drum Barracks exhibition, "Catalina Outpost: Military Possession of Catalina Island, January - September 1864," of which Tara Fansler was Curator, and Brian was Assistant Curator.
Using maps, archival photographs and official reports, the presentation will look at the history of Catalina Island, actions and key players leading up to the occupation, and theories about the causes of the occupation, which are still much debated today.
The presentation will look at the Isthmus Barracks building up to the present day, and will include never before published archival photos of the building from the late 19th and early 20th century.
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October will see the Pasadena CWRT sponsor a true Round Table of discussion in which all members and guests can participate. Topics will include, but not be limited to, Confederate Monuments and their role in today's society, as well as other issues important to the history of the Civil War and the role that the Pasadena Civil War Round Table can and should play. Every member is invited to join in this discussion.
This special meeting will not be held in the auditorium but rather we’re using the Studio on the 4th level of the library. That is a very nice meeting room space, with lots of chairs and even tables.
Tuesday September 26, 2017 at 7:15 p.m. - Robert E. Lee After The War!
At the Pasadena Central Library!
Robert E Lee's exploits during the Civil War are well known. What is not so well known is what Robert E. Lee did after the war. We will explore Lee's life as a post-war civilian and his contributions to the country as well as the controversies that marked his life
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Was Robert E. Lee a traitor? Was Robert E. Lee for or against slavery? What did Robert E. Lee do after the Civil War to help or hinder reunification? Come get the answers to these questions, and more, on Tuesday September 26 at
7:15 p.m. at the Pasadena Central Library!
Presentation will be given by Michael L. Oddenino, the Program Chair for the Pasadena CWRT. A regular speaker on historical topics, Michael will share his insights on an individual who is much in the news today.
Tuesday August 22, 2017 at 7:15 p.m John Beckendorf on the Civil War and the Origins of the KKK:
"The Klu Klux Klan" - The Klu Klux Klan was and is a racist, white supremacist group, first and foremost. It began in a small town in Pulaski, TN in the middle of 1866 as a secret, social club by several ex-Confederate soldiers, very much like a fraternity. But it quickly morphed into a loose organization, spanning many similar groups to redress the loss of white southern superiority over blacks, the ills of the Freedman's Bureau, carpetbaggers and the Reconstruction.
The Klan pretty much died down after 1872 but the lingering racism continued. In 1905 Thomas Dixon published "The Clansman", which became a blockbuster movie in 1915 by D.W. Griffith titled "The Birth of a Nation". It feed into the "myth of the lost cause" and help to create the 2nd Klan, a vertical marketing scheme, which became a national political powerhouse of violence and bigotry in the 1920s.
Come learn more about the origins of this tragic legacy of the Civil War from John Beckendorf, a leading expert on the matter.
John Beckendorf is a retired commercial insurance broker and is the program chair for the Los Angeles Civil War Round Table. He has been an avid student of history all his life and of the Civil War since the early 1990s. During this time he has amassed a substantial collection of Civil War artifacts, which along with his lecturing, writing he enjoys sharing with other collectors, museums and the National Parks.
Tuesday, July 25, 2017 at 7:15 p.m. at the Pasadena Central Library - Dean Smith on General W.S. Rosecrans - Forgotten Hero of the Civil War
"GENERAL W.S. ROSECRANS—FORGOTTEN HERO”
You may know that one of the longest streets in Los Angeles County is named “Rosecrans Avenue,” but you probably do not know who Rosecrans was, or why a street this far from his home, in Ohio, is named after him.
You may think you know about General Rosecrans, but you will learn things you had not known, and hear stories that will seem hard to believe. Come and learn about William S. Rosecrans—his life before the Civil War; his remarkable, yet overlooked record during the war; his inventions; his public service after the war; his life, and death, in Southern California; and, the way he has been completely overlooked by historians, despite his successes, that lead to the Union victory, and his astounding popularity.
Dean Smith is a third generation Los Angeles native. He graduated from George Washington High School in 1964, and earned Bachelor of Arts (1968), and Master of Arts (1970), degrees in Political Science, from the University of California, at Riverside.
His career in public service, with Los Angeles County, began in 1970. Over his 34 years with the County, Dean managed a variety of administrative functions in five different departments. After retiring, Dean held several part-time jobs, including consulting, and working on the 2010 Census.
Dean’s interest in the Civil War began on a trip to Virginia, in 1999, where he visited the Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville battlefields. Since then, he has visited battlefields at Antietam, Harper’s Ferry, Gettysburg, and Spotsylvania Courthouse, as well as Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, and Port Hudson, in Louisiana. He is a member of the Civil War Trust; he holds three offices in the Gen. W. S. Rosecrans Camp No. 2, of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War; and, he has been the President of the Los Angeles Civil War Round Table, for the past four years. Most recently, he was elected to the Board of Directors, of the Drum Barracks Garrison and Society, as their Secretary.
He has given presentations to the LACWRT; the Civil Warriors Round Table; his SUVCW Camp; the Sons of the American Revolution; audiences at the “Battle Drum” play, at the Sierra Madre Playhouse; and, to P.E.O. Chapter E. His topics include: The Largest Unknown Battle of the Civil War—Pleasant Hill, LA, April 9, 1864; Gen. W.S Rosecrans—Forgotten Hero; James Garfield—Unsung Hero and Martyred President; and, The U.S. Sanitary Commission.
Tuesday, June 27, 2017 at 7:15 p.m. at the Pasadena Central Library - Michael Sorenson on Technology Advances During the Civil War!
Michael Sorenson, an expert on Civil War artifacts, will be presenting a fascinating look at the many technological advances that were advanced during the Civil War.
During the years immediately preceding the Civil War, and through the period of the conflict, significant advancements in firearms technology occurred which would forever change how battles were conducted. The Federal Government had the ability to produce anything they wanted, and the Confederacy did a remarkable job of making do with what they had. But a few seemingly minor factors would ultimately have real impact on the outcome of the war.
This discussion will center on how technology of firearms was changing during the dizzying influx of new ideas and inventions. Several original arms will be on hand for study and learning.
Michael Sorenson is a nationally known collector of Civil War artifacts and is a member of the West Coast Civil War Collectors (WestCoastCWC.com). He has been a collector and student of the war for nearly three decades. His written works have been published on a variety of Civil War topics, and he has given numerous presentations at universities, symposiums and educational groups on Civil War subjects. Holdings from his collection have been exhibited at national shows and museums including an original uniform exhibit at the recent West Coast Civil War Roundtable Conference in Costa Mesa.
Michael is active in religious and civic affairs in his community, but his greatest happiness comes from his own family. Married for forty-two years, he and his wife Nancy have four children and four grandchildren.
Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declarattion of Independence, third President of the United States and a list of other accomplishments too numerous to detail here, will be in Pasadena to address the Pasadena Civil War Round Table on Tuesday May 23, 2017 at 7:15 p.m. at the Pasadena Central Library.
Mr. Jefferson, as portrayed by Bill Barker, will be sharing his insights on slavery in America and will touch on many important issues related to that topic. With slavery being the prime cause of the U.S. Civil War, you will gain tremendous insight into how this "peculiar institution" came to hold such a grip on America.
Bill Barker is the star of Colonial Williamsburg where he regularly portrays Thomas Jefferson to crowds mesmerized by his performances. See Mr. Jefferson's website: CLICK HERE
This is a rare opportunity for us in California to see Bill Barker's amazing historical interpretation of a Founding Father of our country.
You will be transported back in time as Mr. Jefferson shares his considerable insights into the events that transpired in America as related to slavery. You will also be able to ask Mr. Jefferson questions about the events of those days and it is certain that you will be edified and entertained by what you learn.
There is no doubt that you will be talking about this performance for many years after you see it. Invite your family and friends as they will thank you later.
Tuesday April 25, 2017 at 7:15 p.m. at the Pasadena Central Library - Robert D'Amato - Believe it Or Not, Civil War veterans goes from the battlefields to the Leper Colony, to possible sainthood.
Robert D'Amato brings a fascinating story about a Civil War veteran that defies belief, but it is all true.
Believe it or not: A Civil War veteran goes from the battlefields, to the Leper Colony on Molokai'i,on to possible sainthood.
See & hear the illustrated history of a remarkable Civil War veteran who would gain international fame and glory for his dedication and work with the lepers in the colony on Molokai'i, HI. And more . . .
Tuesday March 28, 2017 at 7:15 p.m. at the Pasadena Central Library - Professor Steven Woodworth of TCU will speak on "Zouaves on Little Round Top: The 44th New York and the Battle of Gettysburg"
Professor Steven Woodworth of TCU will share his considerable insights on a fascinating part of the Battle of Gettysburg: "Zouaves on Little Round Top: The 44th New York and the Battle of Gettysburg"
The 44th New York was originally recruited as a Zouave regiment in honor of Elmer Ellsworth. Ellsworth was the popularizer of the Zouave fad in the years before the war . He also became the Union's first martyr when he was shot after hauling down a Confederate flag in Alexandria, Virginia.
By July 1863 the 44th New York, also known as the Ellsworth Avengers, no longer wore Zouave uniforms, but it was in that month that the regiment had its greatest moment--and its bloodiest battle--as part Strong Vincent's brigade with the mission of holding Little Round Top on the second day at Gettysburg.
Professor Woodworth was a huge hit when he spoke to the Pasadena CWRT in 2015. We are fortunate to have him back with us for this exciting presentation. Don't miss it!
Steven E. Woodworth received his B.A. in 1982 from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and his Ph.D. in 1987 from Rice University in Houston, Texas. After teaching at small colleges in Oklahoma and Georgia, he came to Texas Christian University in 1997 and is now a professor of history there. Over the years he has authored, co-authored, or edited thirty-two books, including The Tennessee Campaign of 1864 (2016), This Great Struggle, America's Civil War (2012), Manifest Destinies: America's Westward Expansion and the Road to Civil War (2010), Nothing but Victory: The Army of the Tennessee, 1861-1865 (2006), While God Is Marching On: The Religious World of Civil War Soldiers(2001), and Jefferson Davis and His Generals: The Failure of Confederate Command in the West (1990).
Tuesday, February 28, 2017 at 7:15 p.m. at the Pasadena Central Library.
“Land, Sea and Air: The Civil War Battles of Pasadenans”
There were many Civil War veterans whose lives interacted with what we now know as Pasadena.
What did they actuallydo during the war? What did they experience, and how did that shape the community here?
Our view of Civil War history too often focuses on the commanders and political leaders, but there are many more stories. Some have been told in various forms, at local museums and round table talks, but far from all.
Nick Smith, co-curator of “When Johnny Came Marching West” at the Pasadena Museum of History and longtime member of our round table, will tell you some of the stories that didn’t fit into the exhibit, or that have been skipped over in the accounts of history.
He will be presenting the stories of several men which highlight the widely varying experiences of these men, along with what they meant, both to history and in our local context.
Tuesday, January 24, 2017 at 7:15 p.m. at the Pasadena Central Library.
Michael L. Oddenino, Pasadena CWRT Program Chair presentation on: Appomattox - America Begins Anew
Tuesday, October 25, 2016 at 7:15 p.m. at the Pasadena Central Library.
Mark Marshall producer of Remember the Sultana shared his insights on this tragedy.
Tuesday, September 27, 2016 - Dr. Dave Schrader will tell all the secrets about the Commissary and Quartermaster Corps in the Civil War
“An army marches on its stomach” wrote Napoleon Bonaparte. It also marches when it has mules and horses, artillery and munitions, uniforms, medical supplies, and paychecks!
Two key units in the Civil War, both North and South, were the Commissary Corps and the Quartermaster Corps. Facing overwhelming obstacles, you’ll meet the Corps leaders and understand their frustrations.
We’ll cover leadership, supply chains, procurement and fraud, plus typical supply chain processes involved in moving an army and making sure it’s ready for battles.
Come get the answers to the questions below and more:
• What are the responsibilities of the Commissary Corps and Quartermaster Corps? What were they like before the War started?
• Who led the both Corps for the North and the South?
• What exactly were their responsibilities?
• How many people were involved?
• What levels of coordination were needed with Generals?
• Which battles were impacted by supply problems?
• What were the problems of procurement?
• Length of supply lines?
• Fraud? What did the Presidents and Congresses do about it?
• Who did the best job of supplying their troops?
This talk will be presented by Dr. Dave Schrader. Many Civil War Round Tables have given Dave's presentations rave reviews, so don't miss this one. This will be his first time speaking to the CWRT Pasadena group.
Tuesday, August 23, 2016 - Sarah Kay Bierle presents: "Awakened Hearts: The Power & Patriotism of Civilians"
In 1861, America was going to war. Citizen armies were formed and a frenzy of patriotism influenced both the civilian men going to war and those left at home. Following the history of the 1st Minnesota Regiment and the 2nd Virginia Regiment, this presentation explores multiple aspects of the civilian response at the beginning of the war and how they dealt with the realities of war.
Sarah Kay Bierle (last name pronounced "buy-early") graduated from Thomas Edison State College with a BA in History and has spent the last few years exploring ways to share quality historical research in way that will inform and inspire modern audiences.
Sarah's interest in history began at a young age, and, through the years, she has helped to prepare teaching activities and planning historical events for private school students. She has been involved in Civil War re-enacting for four years and more recently has enjoyed giving historical presentations for history groups and roundtables.
In 2015 - after years of research and preparation - Sarah's first historical novel Blue, Gray & Crimson: A Story of Civilian Courage at Gettysburg was published, and it has won an award for young adult fiction.
Currently, Sarah is working on several Civil War research projects involving civilians, the conflict's effects on American maritime industry, and the citizens of the Virginian Shenandoah Valley. She is a historian and blog editor with Emerging Civil War and frequently writes articles for their website. Sarah maintains her own history blog and website at www.Gazette665.com
Tuesday, July 26, 2016 - "The Battle of the Crater"
There are two ways to win a siege, methods that have changed little since the Middle Ages:
1) By starving out your opponent, which means cutting off your opponent from supplies and waiting him out, as in the siege of Vicksburg, or
2) Maneuvering slowly, pressing your lines closer to the fortifications or the city which is your actual objective. Eventually, you get close enough to break through the defenses. That was the siege of Petersburg.
Both of these ways to win involve some of the same actions, as the attacker wants to speed things up and the defender wants to slow things down.
The Battle of the Crater was the result of an innovative use of modern technologies to try to speed up the Siege of Petersburg and create a dramatic breakthrough…or was it?
Misunderstandings and confusion abound about the nature and results of this battle, because the battle was so tied up with political decisions, military blunders and racial beliefs. Drawing from a variety of sources from outside the usual box used to define the battle, our speaker, Nick Smith, will outline what happened, why it happened, and some of the real results of the battle, in the larger context of the war.
Nick is our Round Table president, and also the commander of the Rosecrans Camp, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. He is a longtime researcher on the postwar lives of Civil War veterans and on topics related to African-American troops during the Civil War. He also co-curated the exhibit “When Johnny Came Marching West” at the Pasadena Museum of History last year.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016 - "Coincidence vs. Providence"
Earl Robinson, West Coast Civil War Collectors
Personal experiences in Civil War collecting that defy probability and imply unseen forces are explored.
Earl Robinson is a lifelong Civil War enthusiast whose Civil War memories go back to visiting "John Brown's lookout" as a small boy and celebrating the War's centennial as a teen. He is a founding member of West Coast Civil War Collectors (www.westcoastcwc.com), owner of Reunion Civil War Antiques (www.reunioncivilwar.com), and a Director of the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum (www.drumbarracks.org). His wife, Cathy is a Virginian whose great-grandfather was General George Pickett's orderly. Earl has authored articles in North South Trader's Civil War and Military Images magazines.
Tuesday, May 24, 2016 - Meet General Ulysses S. Grant!
General Ulysses S. Grant portrayed by Edward Headington
"Although a soldier by profession, I have never felt any sort of fondness for war, and I have never advocated it, except as a means of peace." - U.S.Grant, Born in 1822 in Point Pleasant, Ohio
Ulysses S. Grant graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, spent time in Gold Rush era California and served as the Commanding General who led the Union Army to victory in the American Civil War.
At 46, Grant would go on to serve as our 18th President of the United States— the youngest ever elected at that time. Just days before his death in 1885, he would finish his Personal Memoirs— the gold standard by which all presidential autobiographies are judged.
Edward Headington, 42, is a California native who grew up in America's suburb, the San Fernando Valley. He graduated from the University of Southern California and received his Master's degree from George Washington University. Edward runs a twelve year-old government relations and public affairs firm he foundedin Los Angeles. Edward has portrayed General Grant at Civil War reenactments, History Days, Presidential programs, parades, private and corporate events, school talks and ACW roundtables. He has also appeared at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Learning Center and is a lifetime member of the Ulysses S. Grant Association. Edward is a member of SAG-AFTRA.