About the Topic:

In her new book from Cambridge University Press, “Dread Danger: Cowardice and Combat in the American Civil War," Dr. Lesley Gordon expands her examinations of soldiers’ experiences from combat by looking at the Union’s initially highly regarded and drilled Ellsworth’s Fire Zouaves and the CSA’s Second Texas Infantry. Both went to War in high spirits only to fail and rout in first battles. 

How did this happen? How did the Regiments and survivors recover, if ever?  Dr. Gordon will discuss this topic with our Round Table.

Dr. Gordon's book was a 2025 “Finalist” for Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize bestowed annually to a work that enhances the general public’s understanding of Abraham Lincoln, the American Civil War soldier, or the American Civil War era. See https://history.ua.edu/professor-lesley-gordons-dread-danger-named-a-lincoln-prize-finalist/

 About the Speaker:

PRESENTATION OF THE EDWIN C. BEARSS AWARDS

At this meeting, the CWRTDC will also present the awards to honor the extraordinary life and legacy of Civil War historian Edwin Cole Bearss. The recipients of the 2026 CWRTDC Edwin C. Bearss Awards are: [TBD].  

For more information about the Awards, including last year's Legacy Award recipient, visit: https://cwrtdc-calendar.blogspot.com/

________________________________

 CWRTDC'S APRIL 2026 MEETING

co-hosted with

PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S COTTAGE

IN-PERSON ONLY

"Cottage Conversation: 

Jeffrey Boutwell and Sidney Blumenthal"

                                           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 Program.

6:40 pm:  Start of Meeting with 

                Callie Hawkins, Cottage CEO & Eileen Bradner, CWRTDC Pres.

6:50 pm:  Presentation by Jeffrey Boutwellwith Sidney Blumenthal

8:00 pm:  Meeting Adjourned

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:

For our April 22, 2026 meeting, we are partnering with President Lincoln’s Cottage in northwest Washington, D.C., to hear from Jeffrey Boutwell discuss his new book, "" in conversation with Lincoln scholar Sidney Blumenthal.Boutwell: Radical Republican and Champion of Democracy,

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 meeting will take place in 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 Mr. Boutwell's presentation, there will be a moderated discussion and questions. The meeting will begin with a reception in the Visitor Education Center. 

About the Speaker:

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. 

Sidney Blumenthal is the acclaimed author of A Self-Made Man and Wrestling with His Angel, the first two 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, he 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