CWRTDC'S NEXT MEETING

AT FORT MYER AND VIA ZOOM


"THE 17th CONNECTICUT AT GETTYSBURG"

presentation by
CAROLYN IVANOFF

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

in the Abrams/Chaffee Room

at Patton Hall Officers' Club / Community Club at Fort Myer,

214 Buffalo Soldier Avenue

(formerly at 214 Jackson Avenue)

Arlington, VA  22211

(take the elevator to the right as you enter the building and press Floor 2 or

take the stairs to up two levels) 


Schedule for In-Person Meeting (See Below for Schedule for Zoom Attendees)

5:45 pm ET: Social Period at Club for In-Person Attendees (cash bar)
6:30 pm ET: Start of Meeting/Introductions
6:45 pm ET: Start of Mini-Presentation with John Anderson
7:00 pm ET: Start of Speaker Presentation and Q&A
8:30 pm ET: Meeting Adjourned

THE MODULE TO MAKE IN-PERSON DINNER RESERVATIONS HAS NOW CLOSED,

CONTACT ADMIN@CWRTDC.ORG TO SEE IF WE HAVE LATE AVAILABILITY

 

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)

 

Attendees will need to enter For Myer by following the instructions  available by clicking HERE

(also see directions here) or (download them in pdf here)

Interactive Public Transportation Options are HERE


OR JOIN US VIA ZOOM

Schedule for Zoom/Remote Attendees:
6:00 pm ET: Zoom Platform Opens for Remote Social Period (Optional)
6:30 pm ET: Start of Meeting/Introductions
6:45 pm ET: Start of Mini-Presentation with John Anderson
7:00 pm ET: Start of Speaker Presentation and Q&A
8:30 pm ET: Meeting Adjourned

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:

Carolyn Ivanoff will discuss her recent book, We Fought At Gettysburg, which follows the 17th Connecticut Regiment through the Gettysburg Campaign and beyond in June and July of 1863. 

Her presentation follows twelve members of the 17th Connecticut Regiment through the three-day Battle of Gettysburg and beyond in July 1863. It focuses on the stories of the wounded, the caregivers, and the honored dead.  These men fought for their lives, lost friends, and suffered themselves at Gettysburg. Their sacrifices are still with us today and from them we inherited great social and medical advances.  

Because of their sacrifices we understand the hidden costs of war, and that not all wounds are visible. The stories of these twelve citizen soldiers highlight the meaning that their lives and experiences have for our generation today:  socially, medically, and psychologically.  These are their stories.



Ms. Ivanoff has also mentioned that members may be interested in a tour based on her book. This specialty tour will be offered by the Gettysburg Tour Center on a date TBD.  Check for updates at www.gettysburgbattlefieldtours.com/c/battlefield-bus-tour/



About the Speaker:

Carolyn Ivanoff is a retired high school administrator, an educator, and an historian.  She writes and speaks frequently on American history at local, state, and national venues. In 2003, Carolyn was named Civil War Trust's  "Teacher of the Year."  In 2010 and 2011, her education programs received Awards of Merit from the Connecticut League of History Organizations (CLHO). In 2016, Carolyn was honored by the Connecticut Council of Social Studies with the Bruce Fraser Friend of the Social Studies Award. In 2018-19, Carolyn served as project coordinator for the 17th Connecticut Flagpole preservation and re-dedication ceremony on Barlow’s Knoll at Gettysburg National Military Park. This project was honored with a 2019 Award of Merit from the CHLO for preservation. 

Carolyn will have books for sale and signing at her presentation.


________________________



The Civil War Round Table of the District of Columbia, 
and the Nativo Coffee Shop

invite you to a

Walking Tour of the Civil War Era
White House Neighborhood

with

Ed Moser and Paul Mazzuca

November 9, 2024, from 12-3pm ET

 

Meet at the Nativo Coffee Shop,

at International Square, 1825 Eye Street, N.W.      

Near the Farragut West Orange/Blue/Silver Line Metro Station (18th Street Exit) and near Farragut North Red Line Metro Station (K Street Exit)

Register to attend at https://cwrtdc-meetings.blogspot.com/

(A trivia quiz with prizes will be held after the tour)


The Tour will cover the Civil War Era-related stories in Ed Moser’s book, “The White House's Unruly Neighborhood.”  Chronicling the sometimes outlandish, often tragic history of the environs of the White House, the guides will discuss assassinations, escapes of enslaved persons, deadly duels, sex scandals, battles, brawls, and spy intrigues that took place in the presidential neighborhood, Lafayette Square. They will recount the triumphs and catastrophes of heroes and villains both famous and unsung, placing them in the context of contemporary world events of the day.  Ed’s books will be available for purchase and signing.


About the guides:  

Ed Moser is a former writer for Jay Leno's "Tonight Show," an operator of a history tours group, a speechwriter for President of the United States, a former editor for Time-Life Books, a tech/science writer/editor/manager, and a biotech writer (www.meetup.com/Lafayette-Sq-Tours-of-Scandal-Assassination-Spies-Meetup/).  

Paul Mazzuca is a former Capitol Hill staffer and lobbyist. He is now a licensed professional tour guide and tour director in the DC area as well as a member of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, the Historical Society of Washington, the Guild of Professional Tour Guides of DC, the Smithsonian Associates, and the Civil War Round Table of DC (www.DCPermanentTourist.com).



CWRTDC'S PREVIOUS MEETING
AT FORT MYER AND VIA ZOOM

with
DAN DAVIS

who will speak on the topic:

"The Hottest Fire I Was Ever In: 

The Battle of Brandy Station"


Thursday, June 13, 2024

Please note date change from June 12 to 13

to avoid Twilight Tattoo event at Fort Myer

in the Abrams/Chaffee Room

at Patton Hall Officers' Club / Community Club at Fort Myer,

214 Buffalo Soldier Avenue

(formerly at 214 Jackson Avenue),

Arlington, VA  22211

(take the elevator to the right as you enter the building and press Floor 2 or

take the stairs to up two levels) 

 


About the Topic:


The Civil War Round Table of the District of Columbia is pleased to announce the last speaker of this operational year's program by welcoming Mr. Daniel Davis, co-author of “Out Flew The Sabres” The Battle of Brandy Station, June 9, 1863."

 

In the Spring of 1863, General Robert E. Lee was poised to launch a second Northern invasion to follow up his twin victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville.  A key element of moving his Army of Northern Virginia from the Rappahannock to the Potomac was to screen the infantry march from the Union cavalry. To that end, Lee directed his cavalry commander, Maj. Gen. Jeb Stuart, to assemble his force in Culpeper County. 


It was not long before this concentration was discovered by the Federals, however. With fears that Stuart was about to launch one of his famous raids, the Union high command planned an expedition of itsa own to destroy Stuart’s force. The ensuing battle at Brandy Station between Stuart and the Union cavalry under Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton lasted 14 hours, swirled across surrounding hills and farms, and became the largest cavalry battle ever fought in North America.  It also served as the opening fight in the Gettysburg Campaign.


Dan Davis will discuss the Battle and its implications.



About the Speaker:


Daniel T. Davis has worked as a historian at Appomattox Court House National Historic Site and the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. He has spoken at many Civil War Round Tables in the Mid-Atlantic Region.


Mr. Davis is the co-author of several books in the Emerging Civil War Series, including: 

(with Phillip S. Greenwalt):

  • Bloody Autumn: The Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864 
  • Hurricane from the Heavens: The Battle of Cold Harbor 
  • Calamity in Carolina: The Battles Averasboro and Bentonville  

(with Chris Mackowski and Kristopher D. White) 

  • Fight Like the Devil: The First Day at Gettysburg July 1, 1863,
  • Don't Give An Inch: The Second Day at Gettysburg, July 2, 1863-From Little Round Top to Cemetery Ridge 

(with Eric J. Wittenberg):

  • Out Flew the Sabres: The Battle of Brandy Station, June 9, 1863

 

Mr. Davis is the currently the Senior Education Manager with the American Battlefield Trust (www.battlefields.org).  He preciously served as the Managing Editor of the Emerging Civil War Blog, which can be found at www.emergingcivilwar.com 

Mr. Davis resides in Fredericksburg, VA, with his wife Katy and their Beagles mix, Bayla and Britta.


Sources:

https://emergingcivilwar.com/contributor/daniel-davis/

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00G4P6UFO/about 

https://somdcwrt.org/tag/daniel-davis/ 



Schedule for In-Person Meeting 

(See Below for Schedule for Remote Attendees)

5:00 pm ET: Social Period at Club for In-Person Attendees (cash bar)
6:00 pm ET: Presentation of the Ed Bearss Awards
6:30 pm ET: Reminances of Ed Bearss
6:45 pm ET: Start of Meeting/Introductions
7:00 pm ET: Start of Speaker Presentation and Q&A

TO MAKE AND PAY FOR RESERVATIONS,

USE THE MODULE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THIS WEBPAGE

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

RESERVATIONS ARE DUE JUNE 1

 

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)

 

Attendees will need to enter For Myer by following the instructions  available by clicking HERE

(also see directions here) or (download them in pdf here)

Interactive Public Transportation Options are HERE


 


OR JOIN US VIA ZOOM

Schedule for Zoom/Remote Attendees:
5:00 pm ET: Zoom Platform Opens for Remote Social Period (Optional)
6:00 pm ET: Remote Attendees Connected to In-Person Meeting
6:00 pm ET: Presentation of the Ed Bearss Awards
6:30 pm ET: Reminances of Ed Bearss
6:45 pm ET: Start of Meeting/Introductions
7:00 pm ET: Start of Speaker Presentation and Q&A

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: 737 7733 3091
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: 828 9304 8523
Phone Passcode: 24641769

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcZG7EOkvV
For a cheat sheet on how to use Zoom's control features click HERE


_________________________

CWRTDC'S PREVIOUS MEETING
(In Person and via Zoom)
To Be Held on this Occasion at a New Location:
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library
in Washington, D.C.

with

DR. FRANK SMITH

who will present

"Abraham Lincoln: Then and Now"


Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at 6:00 pm ET

at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library

in Room 401F on the floor with the People's Archive

901 G Street, N.W, Washington, DC  20001


The event is free to attend and all are welcome!


AT A NEW LOCATION.

Please join us for our first attempt in many years to meet in a new venue 

that we hope will help us to reach a new audience of CW history enthusiasts


(NOTE: Parking is available but we recommend taking Metro;

The Library is near a Metro stations for ALL lines. Use the 9th & G Street Exit at Gallery Place or the 11th & G Street Exit at Metro Center)


(DINNER WILL NOT BE SERVED, SO REGISTRATION/PAYMENT IS NOT REQUIRED TO ATTEND IN-PERSON)

More to follow if we plan to meet a nearby location for pre-meeting drinks/dinner


Meeting Schedule

5:30 pm ET: Social Period (Optional)
6:00 pm ET: Start of Meeting/Introductions
6:45 pm ET: Start of Mini-Presentation with John Anderson
7:00 pm ET: Start of Speaker Presentation and Q&A
8:30 pm ET: Meeting Adjourned


OR JOIN US VIA ZOOM
(REGISTRATION/PAYMENT IS NOT REQUIRED TO ATTEND VIA ZOOM)
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: 737 7733 3091
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: 828 9304 8523
Phone Passcode: 24641769

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcZG7EOkvV

For a cheat sheet on how to use Zoom's control features click HERE

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


About the Topic:

In 1998, Frank Smith, Jr., became chairman of the board and chief executive officer for the organization which worked to establish the African American Civil War Memorial and an accompanying museum (AACWM). It is the only national memorial to the colored troops who fought in the Civil War and one of the most unique memorials in Washington, D.C.  

Dr. Smith will discuss the status of Abraham Lincoln not only during the Civil War, but also today, and not only in history, but also in bronze, to be installed at the AACWM.


About the Speaker:

Commentator, civil rights activist, politician, and speaker Frank Smith, Jr. was born on September 17, 1942, in Newnan, Georgia. His mother was a homemaker and his father was a farmer and truck driver. In 1959, Smith earned his high school diploma from Central High School, where he was a member of the New Farmers of America as well as the debate team, choir and drama club.

From 1959 until 1962, Smith attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, where he was a founding member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He left Morehouse during his senior year to play a role in the Civil Rights Movement, and from 1962 until 1968 worked with SNCC organizing and registering African Americans voters in Mississippi and Alabama. He is noted for his involvement and leadership role in planning and executing protests and marches in Greenwood, Mississippi, during the Freedom Summer of 1964. 

In 1968, Smith moved to Washington, D.C., when he accepted a job as a researcher for the Institute for Policy Studies, focusing on education and planning issues. He became involved in local community issues and was elected to serve as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC). In 1978, he unsuccessfully ran for the District of Columbia City Council, but the following year was elected to public office and served one term on the D.C. Board of Education. In 1980, he earned his Ph.D. degree from the Union Institute in Ohio.

In 1982, Dr. Smith was elected to the District of Columbia City Council where he represented one of the most racially, ethnically and economically diverse wards in the city. He was subsequently elected to serve four terms on the Council, remaining there until 1998. During his tenure on the Council, Dr. Smith supported legislation creating subsidies for housing down payments, a lottery system for disposing of condemned and surplus housing and establishing tax incentives for new business development. 

In 1998, Dr. Smith became chairman of the board and chief executive officer for the organization that worked to establish the African American Civil War Memorial and an accompanying museum (i.e., the AACWM). It is the only national memorial to the colored troops who fought in the Civil War and one of the most unique memorials in Washington, D.C.  

Dr. Smith has received numerous awards for his civic, community and political leadership.

Source: https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/frank-smith-40

For more information about Dr. Smith and the AACWM, visit https://afroamcivilwar.org/

Photo of Lincoln statue credit: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/local-opinions/a-new-statue-of-lincoln-will-adequately-honor-him-alongside-black-americans/2020/08/06/92e1fece-d682-11ea-aff6-220dd3a14741_story.html 



_________________________
CWRTDC'S PREVIOUS DAY TOUR AND TALK AT THE 

HISTORIC BLEINHEIM HOUSE

(IN-PERSON MEETING ONLY)

ANDREA LOEWENWARTER
presents
"Historic Bleinheim: 
Discovery and Preservation"

Saturday, March 23, 2024
in the Interpretive Center Meeting Room
3610 Bleinheim Blvd., Fairfax City, VA  22030

The event is free to attend and all are welcome!



About the Talk and Tour:

Blenheim  is c.1859 brick farmhouse perched atop a grassy hill and was first known as Willcoxon Place. Captain Rezin Willcoxon was a veteran of the War of 1812 and a prominent landholder, ultimately owning upwards of 1,000 acres in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties - including what is now the Blenheim property. His son, Albert T. Rezin, began buying his land in the late 1840s, purchasing the main tract and home in 1854. This home was destroyed in a fire in early 1855, and Albert built the dwelling that survives today, completing the Greek Revival-style structure sometime between 1856 and 1860. It may have been built using slave labor.

Captain Willcoxon's son Albert and his wife, Mary, were staunch secessionists. They sold supplies to Confederate troops early in the war. As the conflict progressed, however, the region was both devastated and made increasingly dangerous for rebel sympathizers, especially in the vicinity of Union-occupied, strategically important locations like Fairfax Court House.

By October 1862, the Willcoxons had left and the property was serving as a Reserve Hospital for the 11th (Union) Army Corps. The existence of this hospital is not only supported by official records, but also by evidence left in the home itself: over 120 signatures, drawings, and messages, connected to at least 15 different regiments, survive on the walls. Leaving such inscriptions in buildings was common during the war; however, Willcoxon Place is one of the most extensive and best preserved examples.

 The “diary on the walls” provides insight into typical soldier life during the Civil War. 

Historic Bleinhem and the modern, companion Civil War Interpretive Center are also a model of a successful preservation of historic and cultural resources.  

Andrea Loewenwarter will discuss the history of the Blenheim House as well as the City's preservation efforts, which involved coordinating not only historians, but also community leaders, scientists, and neighbors. Indeed, Historic Blenheim is the anchor site for what has become Northern Virginia's "Civil War Graffitti Trail" of other similar locations.  A brochure about the Trail is available at https://www.fairfaxva.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/19372/637909771116130000 


For more information about the Blenheim House, visit:

https://www.fairfaxva.gov/government/historic-resources/historic-blenheim

https://www.fairfaxva.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/15167/637568635015770000

Source https://theclio.com/entry/22368


About the Speaker:

Andrea Loewenwarter is the Historic Resources Specialist with the City of Fairfax, Office of Historic Resources.  She manages daily interpretive and volunteer activities at Historic Blenheim and coordinates and trains volunteers for visitor services and historic tours, including for special adult and childrens programs.   Ms. Loewenwarter is responsible for creating interpretive materials for the gallery, the historic house, and the grounds.  She also develops and schedules the Center's monthly program series and special events and activities, such as the annual Fairfax History Day. Ms. Loewenwarter also conducts and supervises research on soldiers, the site's family, and local history.  

 

About the Event:

This program, co-sponsored with the the City of Fairfax Office of Historic Resources, was developed to honor the memory of Burrus "Buzz" Carnahan, who passed away lin 2022.  See https://cwrtdc-newsletters.blogspot.com/p/in-memoriam.html.  Mr. Carnahan was a long-time member of the CWRTDC and a docent at Historic Bleinheim.  He was a Lincoln Scholar and well-versed on the legal codes of war developed during the Civil War.  He shared his knowledge and insight generously with other scholars and the public alike.  We hope to expand this effort into an annual event to honor the life and legacy of Buzz.

The Round Table recently approved the expansion of its annual Legacy Award to be given to persons who exemplify and emulate the mission of another long-time member and historian, Edwin C. Bearss, to preserve U.S. Civil War historic sites, landmarks, and education.  More information about Ed Bearss and the awards is posted at https://cwrtdc-calendar.blogspot.com.  The Round Table announced that the recipient of the 2022 Legacy Award was Mr. Carnahan.



Mr. Carnahan served our Nation, for 20 years as an Air Force Judge Advocate, specializing in international law, and for 17 years as a Foreign Affairs Officer at the State Department in the Office of Nuclear Energy, specializing in nuclear energy, safety and security. As a Senior Analyst at SAIC for 11 years, Mr Carnahan focused on arms control and nonproliferation.  He also taught a course entitled "Law of War" for 25 years as a Professorial Lecturer at the George Washington School of Law.


On the Civil War, he wrote two books: Act of Justice: Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and the Law of War (2007) and Lincoln on Trial: Southern Civilians and the Law of War (2010).


Over the years, several organizations invited Mr. Carnahan to talk to them about Lincoln and his era. At a National Archives symposium in 2010 (“The Civil War: Fresh Perspectives”) and at one in 2011 (“The Latest in Lincoln Scholarship”), Mr. Carnahan discussed Lincoln and his era.  And, for the Lincoln Cottage, at the Soldier’s Home in DC, he talked about the Emancipation Proclamation at one of its first “Cottage Conversations.”


Mr. Carnahan was a past president of the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia (www.lincolnian.org), spoke to the Group, and regularly participated in its book study forum. He was also a member of the CWRTDC and made presentations on Lincoln at its meetings.  Recordings of Mr. Carnahan's presentations to the CWRTDC are available at https://cwrtdc-audio.blogspot.com/p/carnahan-zoom.html and https://cwrtdc-audio.blogspot.com/p/carnahan-audio.html


In Gettysburg, Mr. Carnahan joined the Lincoln Forum and served on its Advisory Board. In Fairfax, VA, he was a speaker and a docent at the “Historic Blenheim and the Civil War Interpretative Center” (https://www.fairfaxva.gov/government/historic-resources/historic-blenheim). This site is on the Northern Virginia Graffiti Trail and consists of a c.1859 brick farm house and grounds where Union soldiers were encamped during part of the Civil War.  Mr. Carnahan greatly enjoyed talking to visitors about the background of the soldiers who stayed on the property.  He was a valued docent because of his extensive knowledge that provided context for the individual stories of each soldier that wrote or drew on the walls of the farmhouse.


In addition, for Cultural Tourism DC, Mr. Carnahan developed a walking tour, “Lincoln and the Civil War in Foggy Bottom.”  He was also the author of A Guide to Lincoln Sites In and Around Washington, DC, a pamphlet he published in 2009 for the Lincoln Group of DC.  These two projects underscore his love of teaching and educating.


A copy of the News Release for the awards ceremony is available HERE (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ypqMpmEKwu0Ff-UuK_2rCRV7xIXYsAMb/view) 


More information about Ed Bearss and the awards is posted at https://cwrtdc-calendar.blogspot.com




_________________________

CWRTDC'S PREVIOUS MEETING
NOTE CHANGE IN SPEAKER
VIA ZOOM ONLY
with

BARRY CROMPTON
who will speak about 

"The U.S. Civil War From Down Under"

Wednesday, March 13, 2024
6:00pm ET

About the Topic:

Our scheduled speaker Tim Good was called out of the country unexpectedly, and Barry Crompton from down under has agreed to cover for him and be our first international Zoom presenter, providing an Aussie perspective on the U.S. Civil War.  Thank you, Barry!   He will discuss one or more of the following Civil War history-related topics:

Australia and the Civil War:  Due to the gold rush in the 1850s, Melbourne was the largest city in the southern hemisphere and attracted much interest from Americans who came down under before the war; after the war there were visits from military and naval commanders, plus members of the theatre and lecture tours; United States consuls with civil war experience and over 300 veterans are buried in Australia. Added to that are several Australians who participated in the war. 

The Monitor & Merrimac Cyclorama:  For the three-hundredth anniversary of the Jamestown settlement, a cyclorama was created of the naval engagement and spent the next 10 years touring the United States and England before the cyclorama craze became a spent force. Like the famous cylcoramas of Gettysburg and Atlanta, the story has a life of its own. 

The 50th Anniversary of the Civil War 1911-1915:  Like the centennial, the 125th and the 150th as well as the 75th anniversaries, the United States had its own tensions during this series of events to remember the war. Behind the scenes the war was still a part of everyday life, but the war still had stirring reminders to the survivors and their families.


About the Speaker:

Barry J. Crompton was born in Melbourne, Australia, and became interested in the Civil War during the centennial when he received a book, Bruce Catton's American Heritage History of the Civil War. He joined a re-enactment group in Melbourne which had been formed during the centennial and in 1972 was a founding member and original secretary of the American Civil War Round Table of Australia (https://www.americancivilwar.asn.au/).

in 1977, Mr. Crompton attended his first trip with the Civil War Round Table Associates based in Manassas, Virginia (click HERE or click chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.cwrtcongress.org/PDF/CWRTA%201st%20Congress%201975.pdf ), a precursor to the current CWRT Congress (https://www.cwrtcongress.org). 

Mr. Crompton has since been on seven trips to the United States to travel over battlefields, attend conferences, and give lectures to various groups on the role of Australia and the Civil War. In the mid-1980s, he was involved with research on American Civil War veterans who came to Australia, and he has been assisting in the installation of veterans’ grave markers with help from Veterans Affairs. In 2015, Mr. Crompton was involved with an exhibition commemorating the 150th anniversary of the visit by the CSS Shenandoah to Melbourne in January-February 1865. 

Mr. Crompton has an extensive book collection, and he is also interested in Civil War philately, veterans and soldiers’ homes.  Now retired, he had been a financial manager in payroll and credit control, which affords him ample opportunity to use the office photocopier and computers for Civil War history research.

JOIN US VIA ZOOM
(registration not required)

Schedule for Zoom-Only Meeting:
6:00 pm ET: Zoom Platform Opens for Social Period (Optional)
6:30 pm ET: Start of Meeting/Introductions
6:45 pm ET: Start of Mini-Presentation with John Anderson
7:00 pm ET: Start of Speaker Presentation and Q&A
8:30 pm ET: Meeting Adjourned

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: 737 7733 3091
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: 828 9304 8523
Phone Passcode: 24641769

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcZG7EOkvV
For a cheat sheet on how to use Zoom's control features click HERE


_________________________

CWRTDC'S AND LGDC'S JOINT MEETING
AT FORT MYER AND VIA ZOOM

INTHE GRAND BALLROOM
OF THE FORT MYER OFFICERS' CLUB

 The CWRTDC and LGDC are delighted to jointly host an in-person/hybrid meeting to celebrate Lincoln's Birthday week with the following activities: 

  • An extended social period in the elegant ballroom at Ft. Myer Officers' Club; 
  • A presentation by renowned historian and author Harold Holzer about "Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration;" 
  • The presentation of the Ed Bearss Preservation and Legacy Awards; Additional Information About the Awards is available by clicking HERE (https://cwrtdc-calendar.blogspot.com/2024/01/awards-to-honor-life-and-legacy-of.html); 
  • An opportunity to tell your favorite Ed Bearss stories at the meeting; if you would like to share your reminmances of Ed or your favorite photograph of Ed with you, please send them to admin@cwrtdc.org
  • An expanded book raffle that guarantees you will be a winner!


A COPY OF THE PROGRAM FOR TONIGHT'S MEETING IS AVAILABLE 

BY CLICKING 

HERE

(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YFaSVqqzROZFFb220H8pIuKwpC5U-_Hn/view)


HAROLD HOLZER

presents

"Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration"


Wednesday, February 21, 2024

in the Grand Ballroom (The Koran Room)

at Patton Hall Officers' Club / Community Club at Fort Myer,

214 Buffalo Soldier Avenue

(formerly at 214 Jackson Avenue),

Arlington, VA  22211

(take the elevator to the right as you enter the building and press Floor 2 or

take the stairs to up two levels) 

 


About the Topic:


Mr. Holzer will speak on the topic of “Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration,” based on his just released book, Brought Forth on This Continent: Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration.  


In the three decades before the Civil War, some ten million foreign-born people settled in the United States, forever altering the nation’s demographics, culture, and—perhaps most significantly—voting patterns. America’s newest residents fueled the national economy, but they also wrought enormous changes in the political landscape and exposed an ugly, at times violent, vein of nativist bigotry. 

Abraham Lincoln’s rise ran parallel to this turmoil; even Lincoln himself did not always rise above it. Tensions over immigration would split and ultimately destroy Lincoln’s Whig Party years before the Civil War. Yet the war made clear just how important immigrants were, and how interwoven they had become in American society. 

Mr. Holzer charts Lincoln’s political career through the lens of immigration, from his role as a member of an increasingly nativist political party to his evolution into an immigration champion, a progression that would come at the same time as he refined his views on abolition and Black citizenship. As Holzer writes, 

The Civil War could not have been won without Lincoln’s leadership; but it could not have been fought without the immigrant soldiers who served and, by the tens of thousands, died that the ‘nation might live.’

An utterly captivating and illuminating work, Brought Forth on This Continent assesses Lincoln's life and legacy in a wholly original way, unveiling remarkable similarities between the nineteenth century and the twenty-first.


Source https://www.amazon.com/Brought-Forth-This-Continent-Immigration/dp/0451489012  


About the Speaker:

Mr. Holzer is the winner of The 2015 Gilder-Lehrman Lincoln Prize and is one of the country's leading authorities on Abraham Lincoln and the political culture of the Civil War era. A prolific writer and lecturer, as ell as a frequent guest on television, Mr. Holzer served for six years (2010–2016) as Chairman of The Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation. During the previous 10 years, he co-chaired the U.S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (ALBC), appointed by President Clinton. President Bush awarded Mr. Holzer the National Humanities Medal in 2008. And in 2013, Mr. Holzer wrote an essay on Lincoln for the official program at the re-inauguration of President Obama. 

Harold Holzer is The Jonathan F. Fanton Director of Hunter College's Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute.  He is also currently the chairman of The Lincoln Forum. 

For more information about Mr. Holzer and for a list of his numerous books and articles, visit his website at www.haroldholzer.com 


GORDON BERG'S SPECIAL GIVEAWAY 

If you did not get that Civil War history book you wanted this holiday season, this is your chance to make up for lost time. Gordon Berg will be holding a BOGO at the meeting for in-person attendees only.  A $5.00 raffle ticket guarantees you not just one book, but also a free book (and maybe two free books)!  The collection of books Gordon has brought to our past meetings has been expansive, and at this meeting he plans on bringing books that are Lincoln-related. Come early to socialize and to get the first picks!  The money collected supports our speaker program! 


PRESENTATION OF THE EDWIN C. BEARSS AWARDS

The CWRTDC will also present the awards to honor the extraordinary life and legacy of Civil War historian Edwin Cole Bearss. The recipient of the “2023 CWRTDC Edwin C. Bearss Preservation Award” is the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust (www.cvbt.org), and the recipient of the “2023 CWRTDC Edwin C. Bears Legacy Award” is Susan K. Claffey.

For additional information about Ed and the awards, see CWRTDC's New Release available HERE (https://cwrtdc-calendar.blogspot.com/2024/01/awards-to-honor-life-and-legacy-of.html) or visit its website at www.cwrtdc.org.  


Schedule for In-Person Meeting 

(See Below for Schedule for Remote Attendees)

5:00 pm ET: Social Period at Club for In-Person Attendees (cash bar)
6:00 pm ET: Presentation of the Ed Bearss Awards
6:30 pm ET: Reminances of Ed Bearss
6:45 pm ET: Start of Meeting/Introductions
7:00 pm ET: Start of Speaker Presentation and Q&A



Reservations Are Now Closed
Contact admin@cwrtdc.org to be placed on a waiting list
(cancellations after the due date are non-refundable, as we must pay for the dinners regardless of the actual attendance)
TO SUPPORT THE ED BEARSS AWARDS FUND, RESERVE A DISCOUNTED BOOK, AT  http://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).

Attendees will need to enter For Myer by following the instructions  available by clicking HERE (also see directions here) or (download them in pdf here)
Interactive Public Transportation Options are HERE 


OR JOIN US VIA ZOOM

Schedule for Zoom/Remote Attendees:
5:00 pm ET: Zoom Platform Opens for Remote Social Period (Optional)
6:00 pm ET: Remote Attendees Connected to In-Person Meeting
6:00 pm ET: Presentation of the Ed Bearss Awards
6:30 pm ET: Reminances of Ed Bearss
6:45 pm ET: Start of Meeting/Introductions
7:00 pm ET: Start of Speaker Presentation and Q&A

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: 737 7733 3091
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: 828 9304 8523
Phone Passcode: 24641769

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcZG7EOkvV
For a cheat sheet on how to use Zoom's control features click HERE

_________________________

CWRTDC'S CANCELLED MEETING
VIA ZOOM ONLY
with

TIMOTHY GOOD
who will speak about 

"Witnesses to an Assassination"

Wednesday, March 13, 2024
6:00pm ET

About the Topic:

On the evening of April 14,1865, when President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in Ford's Theatre, an entire audience was witness to the tragedy. From diaries, letters, depositions, affidavits, and periodicals, this program is based on a collection of accounts from a variety of theatergoers―who by chance saw one of the truly pivotal events in US history.

About the Speaker:

Timothy S. Good, a 34-year National Park Service veteran, is currently the superintendent at Lincoln Home National Historic Site. Mr. Good has served at over a dozen assignments including: Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, Ford’s Theatre, the National Mall, Cuyahoga Valley, Dayton Aviation, Ulysses S. Grant, Agate Fossil Beds, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, Pictured Rocks and Acadia.

Mr. Good received a Bachelor of Arts from Valparaiso University, a Master of Arts from the University of Durham, England, and a diploma from the United States Naval War College.

He has authored six published books: The Allied Air Campaign against Hitler’s U-Boats (2022),The American Eagle Squadrons of the Royal Air Force (2020), American Privateers in the War of 1812: The Vessels and Their Prizes as Recorded in Niles’ Weekly Register (2012), Lincoln for President: An Underdog’s Path to the 1860 Republican Nomination (2009), The Lincoln-Douglas Debates and the Making of a President (2007) and We Saw Lincoln Shot: One Hundred Eyewitness Accounts  (1996).  


JOIN US VIA ZOOM
(registration not required)

Schedule for Zoom-Only Meeting:
6:00 pm ET: Zoom Platform Opens for Social Period (Optional)
6:30 pm ET: Start of Meeting/Introductions
6:45 pm ET: Start of Mini-Presentation with John Anderson
7:00 pm ET: Start of Speaker Presentation and Q&A
8:30 pm ET: Meeting Adjourned

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: 737 7733 3091
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: 828 9304 8523
Phone Passcode: 24641769

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcZG7EOkvV
For a cheat sheet on how to use Zoom's control features click HERE

_________________________

CWRTDC'S PREVIOUS MEETING
IN-PERSON AT FORT MYER OR VIA ZOOM
with

JIM ANDERSON
who discussed

"The Impact of Technology on Civil War Intelligence: From Aerial Reconnaisance to Cryptology"

Wednesday, January 10, 2024


About the Topic:

At the outset of the American Civil War, neither side had any organized intelligence structure.  The two warring governments quickly recognized the importance of creating effective intelligence capabilities.  The efforts – both successful and unsuccessful – of the Confederacy’s “Secret Service Bureau” and the Union’s “Bureau of Military Information” included age-old intelligence tradecraft techniques, such as disguise, deception and covert surveillance.  

The two sides also experimented with technologies, including telegraphy, cryptology and aerial reconnaissance. We will examine the various technical means used to gather and exploit both tactical and strategic information to influence events on the battlefield and in Washington and Richmond.  

About Speaker:

Jim Anderson holds history degrees from Rhodes College (BA) and the University of Memphis (MA).  He also has done post-graduate work at the University of Oklahoma and the University of Virginia. 

After college, Jim served for 3 years in the Air Force as Chief of Air Intelligence Operations for a squadron of F-111D fighter-bombers. Upon leaving the service, he was “recruited” by the CIA, where he spent the next 27 years. His career included a variety of operational and management positions; and six overseas duty tours in the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia.    

Jim's interest in the Civil War grew out of his experiences growing up on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line, and it was enhanced by his discovery that some of his ancestors wore “blue” and others wore the “gray.”

After retiring from the CIA Senior Intelligence Service in 2005, Jim started his own leadership training business.  He has conducted over 200 seminars for corporate and government management teams, which featured day-long tours of Civil War battlefields as part of the curriculum.

In retirement, Jim teaches classes and leads tours focusing on the Civil War and the American Frontier at the George Mason University Osher Life-Long Learning Institute (GW/OLLI).  He also leads church group tours to Israel and Palestine, and he volunteers with local youth and non-profit organizations.

Jim is a member and past Board Chairman of the Friends of Ball’s Bluff Battlefield, and he belongs to the Loudoun Country Civil War Roundtable and the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association.



_________________________
CWRTDC'S MEETING 
CANCELLED
IN-PERSON AT FORT MYER OR VIA ZOOM
with
JOHN HENNESSY
and a Special Presentation entitled

"Revisiting 'Return to Bull Run'"

Wednesday, January 10, 2024
in the Abrams/Chafee Room 
at Patton Hall Officers' Club
214 Jackson Avenue, Ft. Myer, VA  22211
(take the elevator to the right as you enter the building and press Floor 2
or take the stairs to up two levels)

About the Topic and Speaker:

We are delighted to welcome back John J. Hennessy to present to our Round Table.  An audio recording of his 2019 presentation to our group (before Covid) is posted on our website at https://cwrtdc-audio.blogspot.com/p/hennessy-audio.html

Mr. Hennessy is the immediate past, retired chief historian and chief of interpretation at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.  He began his career in the 1980s with the National Park Service at Manassas National Battlefield Park and is the author of dozens of articles and essays and of three books, including “Return to Bull Run: The Campaign and Battle of Second Manassas” and “An End to Innocence: The First Battle of Manassas." Mr. Hennessy has also contributed essays and editorial comments to many other publications.

Mr. Hennessy’s presentation “Revisiting 'Return to Bull Run'" is a reflection on his book on Second Manassas after 30 years.  He explains that it will be a telling, self-review: among other things, what he likes, what he wishes he had done better, and what major ideas from the book he considers the most important.  

For background about his presentation, read his article, “The Books That Built Me,” posted HERE.

Schedule for In-Person Meeting 

(See Below for Schedule for Remote Attendees)

5:30 pm ET: Social Period at Club for In-Person Attendees (cash bar)
6:30 pm ET: Dinner Served
6:30 pm ET: Start of Meeting/Introductions
6:45 pm ET: Start of Mini-Presentation with John Anderson
7:00 pm ET: Start of Speaker Presentation and Q&A
8:30 pm ET: Meeting Adjourned

Please note our Covid policies and requirements before registering, available by clicking HERE or downloading it from HERE (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1c-94whtjSI721WjwMN4aJ6j21ZWI6jcW/view). 

Reservations Due By Dec. 30, 9pm ET 
(cancellations after the due date are non-refundable, as we must pay for the dinners regardless of the actual attendance)
SEE THE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE RIGHT OF THIS POST TO MAKE AND PAY FOR RESERVATIONS OR VISIT http://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).

Attendees will need to enter For Myer by following the instructions  available by clicking HERE (also see directions here) or (download them in pdf here)
Interactive Public Transportation Options are HERE 


OR JOIN US VIA ZOOM

Schedule for Zoom/Remote Attendees:
6:00 pm ET: Zoom Platform Opens for Remote Social Period (Optional)
6:30 pm ET: Remote Attendees Connected to In-Person Meeting
6:30 pm ET: Start of Meeting/Introductions
6:45 pm ET: Start of Mini-Presentation with John Anderson
7:00 pm ET: Start of Speaker Presentation and Q&A
8:30 pm ET: Meeting Adjourned

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: 737 7733 3091
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: 828 9304 8523
Phone Passcode: 24641769

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcZG7EOkvV
For a cheat sheet on how to use Zoom's control features click HERE

_________________

CWRTDC'S PREVIOUS MEETING
VIA ZOOM ONLY
with

GORDON GIDLUND
who will speak about 

"Perspectives on the Trent Affair"

Wednesday, December 13, 2023
6:00pm ET

About the Topic:

This presentation will describe the diplomatic crisis caused by the seizure of Confederate envoys from the British mail packet Trent in 1861 with particular reference to the relevant international law and certain geopolitical factors.

About the Speaker:

Gordon L. Gidlund, originally from Wisconsin, is a tax attorney who has practiced for 36 years and who taught for 17 years as an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego School of Law. He first became fascinated by the Civil War as a lad during the centennial of 1961-1965. He has given talks on a range of subjects related to the "Late Unpleasantness", including Johnston’s surrender, McClellan’s rehabilitation, pre-war politics, the Lincoln-Douglas debates, sectarian causes, soldiers’ motivations, monetary policies, peace negotiations, the Lieber Code, prisoner exchanges, and Shakespeare’s influence.


JOIN US VIA ZOOM
(registration not required)

Schedule for Zoom-Only Meeting:
6:00 pm ET: Zoom Platform Opens for Social Period (Optional)
6:30 pm ET: Start of Meeting/Introductions
6:45 pm ET: Start of Mini-Presentation with John Anderson
7:00 pm ET: Start of Speaker Presentation and Q&A
8:30 pm ET: Meeting Adjourned

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: 737 7733 3091
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: 828 9304 8523
Phone Passcode: 24641769

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcZG7EOkvV
For a cheat sheet on how to use Zoom's control features click HERE

____________________


CWRTDC'S PREVIOUS MEETING
VIA ZOOM
with

JANET McCABE
who will present 

"A Debt of Sacred Honor: 
Rufus Weaver and the Ladies of the 
Hollywood Memorial Association"

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

About the Topic:

For three hot summers after the Battle of Gettysburg, Rufus Weaver toiled to retrieve Confederate soldiers’ remains from crude battlefield graves. His efforts to get paid for his hard work proved to be nearly as difficult. 

In 1889, Weaver wrote to his friend, Ada Egerton: “Over 16 years have now passed away and today over twelve thousand dollars (including interest) is due me without a line from any of those interested in the debt—debt which you have often truly said is one of ‘Sacred honor.’” 

Weaver certainly had a right to be aggrieved, for $12,000 in 1889 is the equivalent of more than $350,000 today. 

How did this happen? How could an obligation of this size have been created? Weaver was not some Wall Street financier or speculator in land or railroad stocks. He was a physician and a lecturer in human anatomy at a medical school in Philadelphia. Who could possibly owe him a sum of that size? 

The original obligation was created in the decade following the end of the Civil War, when Southern women sought to provide proper resting places for their fallen husbands, sons, and fathers. At the end of the war, tens of thousands of soldiers’ graves dotted battlefields from Pennsylvania to Louisiana. Soldiers were generally buried where they fell, and any farmer’s field was likely to contain a grave.

Janet McCabe will discuss Rufus Weaver's efforts and the practices associated with the removal of Confederate dead in her presentation to our Round Table.

Source https://www.historynet.com/hundreds-of-confederates-were-buried-in-gettysburgs-fields-this-mans-task-was-to-send-them-home/


About the Speaker:

Janet McCabe earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College.  Although she spent her professional career in the financial services industry, she has been fascinated by the American Civil War since her father took her to her first battlefield when she was eight years old.  

Ms. McCabe currently serves as a docent at the George Spangler Farm and Field Hospital outside Gettysburg, and her retirement goal is to become a Licensed Battlefield Guide there.  Her recent article on removing the Confederate dead from Gettysburg was published in the April 2022 issue of Civil War Times magazine.  Since that article was published, she has researched and written two additional articles which she hopes will be published soon.



Schedule for Zoom/Remote Attendees:
6:00 pm ET: Zoom Platform Opens for Remote Social Period (Optional)
6:30 pm ET: Remote Attendees Connected to In-Person Meeting
6:30 pm ET: Start of Meeting/Introductions
6:45 pm ET: Start of Mini-Presentation with John Anderson
7:00 pm ET: Start of Speaker Presentation and Q&A
8:30 pm ET: Meeting Adjourned

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: 737 7733 3091
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: 828 9304 8523
Phone Passcode: 24641769

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcZG7EOkvV
For a cheat sheet on how to use Zoom's control features click HERE

____________________

CWRTDC'S PREVIOUS MEETING
VIA ZOOM ONLY
with
JULIAN SHER
who will speak about 

"The Role of Canada in the Civil War Plots Against Lincoln"

Wednesday, October 11, 2023
6:00pm ET

About the Topic:

Canadians take pride in being on the “good side” of the American Civil War, serving as a haven for 30,000 escaped slaves on the Underground Railroad. But dwelling in history's shadow is the much darker role Canada played in supporting the slave South and in fomenting the many plots against Lincoln. 

Julian Sher's book, The North Star: Canada and the Civil War Plots Against Lincoln, weaves together the different strands of several Canadians and a handful of Confederate agents in Canada as they all made their separate, fateful journeys into history. 

The book shines a spotlight on the stories of such intrepid figures as Anderson Abbott, Canada’s first Black doctor, who joined the Union Army; Emma Edmonds, the New Brunswick woman who disguised herself as a man to enlist as a Union nurse; and Edward P. Doherty, the Quebec man who led the hunt to track down Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth. 

At the same time, the Canadian political and business elite were aiding the slave states. Toronto aristocrat George Taylor Denison III bankrolled Confederate operations and opened his mansion to their agents. The Catholic Church helped one of Booth’s accused accomplices hide out for months in the Quebec countryside. A leading financier in Montreal let Confederates launder money through his bank.   

Mr. Sher creates vivid portraits of places we thought we knew. Montreal was a sort of nineteenth-century Casablanca of the North: a hub for assassins, money-men, mercenaries and soldiers on the run. Toronto was a headquarters for Confederate plotters and gun-runners. The two largest hotels in the country became nests of Confederate spies. 

Meticulously researched and richly illustrated, The North Star is a sweeping tale that makes long-ago events leap off the page with a relevance to the present day.


About the Speaker:

Julian Sher is an award-winning investigative journalist -- a veteran TV documentary writer and director as well as an accomplished newsroom trainer and the author of seven books. 

Aside from his latest book, The North Star: Canada and the Civil War Plots Against Lincoln, Mr. Sher wrote the award-winning national bestseller Until You Are Dead: The Wrongful Conviction of Steven Truscott about Canada's most famous murder trial, which led to an official re-opening a 40-year-old case. The best-selling book has been re-issued with an updated afterword in 2023 and was made into a movie. 

Mr. Sher has also written two books on child safety. Somebody's Daughter: The Hidden Story of America's Prostituted Children was hailed by Publisher’s Weekly as "a thorough, deeply affecting study … [that] strikes a rare balance between revealing trauma and hope."  Reviewers called One Child at a Time: The Global Fight to Rescue Children from Online Predators "riveting" "eye-opening and "gripping." His writings on child abuse have appeared on the front page of the New York Times, the cover of Maclean's magazine and the OpEd page of USA Today. 

A recognized expert on the justice system and organized crime, Julian Sher has been widely interviewed on TV and radio. He co-authored two books on outlaw motorcycle gangs, The Road to Hell and Angels of Death: Inside the Biker's Global Crime Empire, the later called "a devastating indictment of the gangs' drug-running and racketeering across three continents" and has been translated into several languages and sold in seven countries. 

Mr. Sher's first book White Hoods: Canada's Ku Klux Klan is an expose of racism in Canada which is still cited as the main source of the subject in the encyclopedias. 

Mr. Sher has also filmed, written and produced major documentaries across the globe, covering wars, corruption and human rights in Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, Russia, Europe and the Middle East. His 2021 film Ghosts of Afghanistan won the top Canadian Screen Award for Best Documentary. He was also the Senior Producer of CBC's the fifth estate, Canada's premier investigative TV program for five years. In 2006, he directed a New York Times-CBC TV investigation called Nuclear Jihad, which won the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award, the broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. 

Mr. Sher has been an investigative journalist for Canada's two leading newspapers, the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail.  He has long been active in media and human rights issues, and is a Senior Fellow with the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto’s Metropolitan University and works with Journalists for Human Rights. He is the former president of the Canadian Association of Journalists. 

For more information, see www.juliansher.com  

Follow Julian on Facebook at www.facebook.com/juliansher

And on Twitter @juliansher

Source: https://www.amazon.com/North-Star-Canada-Against-Lincoln-ebook/dp/B0B7L2P8PB 


JOIN US VIA ZOOM
(registration not required)

Schedule for Zoom-Only Meeting:
6:00 pm ET: Zoom Platform Opens for Social Period (Optional)
6:30 pm ET: Start of Meeting/Introductions
6:45 pm ET: Start of Mini-Presentation with John Anderson
7:00 pm ET: Start of Speaker Presentation and Q&A
8:30 pm ET: Meeting Adjourned

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: 737 7733 3091
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: 828 9304 8523
Phone Passcode: 24641769

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcZG7EOkvV
For a cheat sheet on how to use Zoom's control features click HERE

____________________

CWRTDC'S PREVIOUS MEETING
IN-PERSON AT FORT MYER AND VIA ZOOM
with

KEVIN PAWLAK
who will speak about 

"Lincoln and the Battle of Antietam"

Wednesday, September 20, 2023
in the Abrams/Chafee Room 
at Patton Hall Officers' Club
214 Jackson Avenue, Ft. Myer, VA  22211
(take the elevator to the right as you enter the building and press Floor 2
or take the stairs to up two levels)

About the Topic:

Mr. Pawlak's presentation, "Lincoln and A Changing War: The Summer of 1862" describes how the Battle of Antietam was a turning point in the Civil War. A Union Army led by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan defeated Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Confederate force and ended his Maryland invasion of the North.  Lee and McClellan were not the only leaders who had a significant role during — and after — the 1862 battle. President Lincoln also played a noteworthy part in the campaign and politics that followed.  Historian Kevin Pawlak discusses Lincoln’s military involvement with the Union Army, and the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. 


About the Speaker:

Kevin Pawlak is a historic site manager for the Prince William County Office of Historic Preservation. He also is a licensed battlefield guide at Antietam National Battlefield and at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.  

Mr. Pawlak is the author of six books and numerous articles about the Civil War. His most recent book, Such a Clash of Arms: The Maryland Campaign, September 1862 was published by Casemate Publishers in 2023.


Schedule for In-Person Meeting 
(See Below for Schedule for Remote Attendees)

5:30 pm ET: Social Period at Club for In-Person Attendees (cash bar)
6:30 pm ET: Dinner Served
6:30 pm ET: Start of Meeting/Introductions
6:45 pm ET: Start of Mini-Presentation with John Anderson
7:00 pm ET: Start of Speaker Presentation and Q&A
8:30 pm ET: Meeting Adjourned

Please note our Covid policies and requirements before registering, available by clicking HERE or downloading it from HERE (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1c-94whtjSI721WjwMN4aJ6j21ZWI6jcW/view). 

Reservations Due By Sept 8, 9pm ET 
(cancellations after the due date are non-refundable, as we must pay for the dinners regardless of the actual attendance)
SEE THE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE RIGHT OF THIS POST TO MAKE AND PAY FOR RESERVATIONS OR VISIT http://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).

Attendees will need to enter For Myer by following the instructions  available by clicking HERE (also see directions here) or (download them in pdf here)
Interactive Public Transportation Options are HERE 


OR JOIN US VIA ZOOM

Schedule for Zoom/Remote Attendees:
6:00 pm ET: Zoom Platform Opens for Remote Social Period (Optional)
6:30 pm ET: Remote Attendees Connected to In-Person Meeting
6:30 pm ET: Start of Meeting/Introductions
6:45 pm ET: Start of Mini-Presentation with John Anderson
7:00 pm ET: Start of Speaker Presentation and Q&A
8:30 pm ET: Meeting Adjourned

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: 737 7733 3091
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: 828 9304 8523
Phone Passcode: 24641769

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcZG7EOkvV
For a cheat sheet on how to use Zoom's control features click HERE

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