CWRTDC's APRIL 2026 MEETING

co-hosted with
PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S COTTAGE
IN-PERSON ONLY

A Cottage Conversation: Jeffrey Boutwell and Sidney Blumenthal:

"George Boutwell - Lincoln's Tax Collector and Emancipation Ally"


                                           Wednesday, April 22, 2025
At President Lincoln's Cottage
140 Rock Creek Church Rd, NW
Washington, DC  20011
Use the address above in your GPS to take you to the Eagle Guard Gate entrance, where the guard will ask for an ID.  Please let the guard know you are there for a meeting at Lincoln's Cottage.  If driving, there is free parking to which the guard will direct you. The Visitor Center is just beyond the gate.


Agenda:
5:30 pm:  Social Period with light appetizers and refreshments at Visitor Center
6:15 pm:  Short walk to President Lincoln's Cottage for the Program
6:30 pm:  Moderated Discussion with Jeffrey Boutwell and Sidney Blumenthal
8:00 pm:  Meeting Adjourned and Book-Signing
                 (Books will be available for sale on-site)                

THE PROGRAM IS OPEN TO ALL

FREE TO MEMBERS OF THE 

CWRTDC AND PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S COTTAGE.

(NON-MEMBERS MAY PAY $10 

OR BECOME MEMBERS AND THEN GET IN FOR FREE)


PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED BY CLICKING HERE

https://www.lincolncottage.org/event/cottage-conversation-jeffrey-boutwell-and-sidney-blumenthal/

Members will receive an email about how to register for free.


YOU MUST HAVE A VALID ID TO ENTER THE PREMISES.


About the Topic:

On Wednesday, April 22, 2026, we will partner with President Lincoln’s Cottage in northwest Washington, D.C., to hear from Jeffrey Boutwell discuss his new book, "Boutwell: Radical Republican and Champion of Democracy" in conversation with Lincoln scholar Sidney Blumenthal. This in-person only program promises to be a stimulating evening in a charming, historic venue! 

George Boutwell was an important if little known figure in American politics from the 1840s to the early years of the 20th century and a key political ally and friend of both Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. Working with Lincoln, Boutwell organized the country’s first Internal Revenue Bureau, raising vitally needed funds for the Union war effort. Boutwell also conferred often with the president on the need for the abolition of slavery and helped prepare public opinion for Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Above all, in this 250th anniversary year of the Declaration of Independence, Boutwell and Lincoln shared the conviction that the ideals of the Declaration needed to be instilled in the U.S. Constitution to achieve true equality in America.

The program will begin with a reception in the Robert H. Smith Visitor Education Center followed by a moderated discussion in the Cottage, the historic house where President Lincoln and his family lived for over a quarter of his Presidency, and where President Lincoln developed the Emancipation Proclamation. Following the discussion and Q&A, there will be a book-signing.  Books will be available for sale on-site.


About the Speakers:

Jeffrey Boutwell is a writer, historian, and science policy specialist and a board member of the Lincoln Group of Washington, D.C. During his career, he wrote widely on issues ranging from nuclear weapons arms control to Middle East peace to environmental degradation and conflict. Jeffrey and George share a common ancestor, the indentured servant James Boutwell who emigrated in 1632 from England to Salem, Mass.   https://www.jeffreyboutwell.com/

Sidney Blumenthal is the acclaimed author of "A Self-Made Man," "Wrestling with His Angel," and "All the Powers of Earth," the first three volumes in his five-volume biography, "The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln." He is the former assistant and senior adviser to President Bill Clinton and senior adviser to Hillary Clinton. He has been a national staff reporter for The Washington Post and Washington editor and writer for The New Yorker. His books include the bestselling "The Clinton Wars," "The Rise of the Counter-Establishment," and "The Permanent Campaign." 


Born and raised in Illinois, Mr. Blumenthal lives in Washington, DC.





Sources: 

/ https://www.lincolncottage.org/event/cottage-conversation-jeffrey-boutwell-and-sidney-blumenthal

  https://www.amazon.com/Boutwell-Radical-Republican-Champion-Democracy/dp/1324074264


CWRTDC'S UPCOMING MEETING


"Rowser's Ford: Where the South Lost Gettysburg" 

presentation by

JIM JOHNSTON

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

AT A NEW LOCATION

Clara Barton's Missing Soldiers Office Museum

437 7th Street NW

Washington D.C.

Clara Barton's Missing Soldiers Office is a unique historical gem where Clara Barton and a small team of assistants corresponded with thousands of families and tracked down missing soldiers from 1865-1868 -- with no internet or modern devices. The space was scheduled to be torn down for a new office building when a GSA employee discovered Barton's sign in the ceiling and saved it from demolition. You can feel her presence in these walls -- we are fortunate to hold our meeting here!     

The museum is located in the thriving Penn Quarter neighborhood, a short walk from the Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter Metro (yellow/green line) or Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro (red/yellow/green line)


(See Below for Schedule for Zoom Attendees)
5:30 pm ET: Social Period in lobby with light refreshments
6:10 pm ET: Move Upstairs to 3rd Floor (elevator available)
6:30 pm ET: Meeting Starts (Announcements, Speaker Presentation, Q&A)
8:00/8:15 pm ET: Meeting concludes

This is a hybrid program -- in person and via Zoom


Cost:  $10 members, $15 non-members, free for zoom attendees

TO MAKE AND PAY FOR RESERVATIONS,

USE THE MODULE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THIS WEBPAGE

https://cwrtdc-meetings.blogspot.com/ 


 

If you have any problems making reservations online or would like to know about alternatives to making reservations or payments online, please email admin@cwrtdc.org. Non-CWRTDC members must make reservations and remit payment online

 

Unfortunately, cancellations after the due date are non-refundable, as the CWRTDC must pay for the number of dinners ordered regardless of the actual attendance)

 


OR JOIN US VIA ZOOM

Schedule for Zoom/Remote Attendees:
6:00 pm ET: Social Period (optional)
6:30 pm ET: Meeting Starts (Announcements, Speaker Presentation, Q&A)
8:00/8:15 pm ET: Meeting concludes

Any questions or problems, contact paul.mazzuca@gmail.com    

Zoom Meeting URL: 
Or point your browser to the following link and use the Meeting ID and passcode shown below:
Zoom "Join A Meeting" Page: https://zoom.us/join
Zoom Meeting ID: 834 1270 9960
Zoom Passcode: Zoom1861

Or dial in by your location:
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
Phone Meeting ID: 834 1270 9960
Phone Passcode: 81302104

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdSroe6qvY
For a cheat sheet on how to use Zoom's control features click HERE


About the Topic:

Robert E. Lee could not believe it. As he led his army out of the Cashtown gap, there were Yankees in force in front of him at Gettysburg. How could this be?  He had specifically ordered cavalry commander J.E.B. Stuart to keep him informed of the Federals’ movements, but the last time Lee heard from Stuart was a week earlier on June 23. 

Lee had ordered Stuart to get to the head of General Ewell’s column at Frederick, Maryland, as soon as possible but allowed him to choose the route. The Confederate commander intended to avoid a major battle in Pennsylvania and, hearing nothing from Stuart, felt safe to rest his army in Chambersburg until June 28. But learning  the Federals had crossed the Potomac and were in Maryland, he immediately ordered his army, which was dispersed as far north as Carlisle and as far east as York, to concentrate at Gettysburg.

Stuart’s flamboyant “rides” around Union armies had earned him a fan club and the second star of a major general. He interpreted Lee’s order to permit another such ride. But first, he had to cross the Potomac River, and for this, he chose a ford too far. What he called “Rowsers Ford” was 22-miles upriver from Georgetown. As a result, Lee didn’t see or hear from his “eyes and ears” until late on the second day of the battle.

Stuart wrote such a self-aggrandizing after-action report that the historical markers of where he crossed the Potomac are miles away from where he actually crossed and historians have tended to consider his role in the Battle of Gettysburg quite differently from how the Confederate high command did.

About The Speaker:

Jim Johnston is a retired lawyer and a prolific writer with four books, including one on a woman in the Civil War, and more than 150 articles in major publications including the New York Times, Washington Post, White House History, and, importantly for this presentation, Gettysburg Magazine.

               


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