david.stewart-5-10-2023

CWRTDC'S PREVIOUS 

ZOOM-ONLY MEETING

with


DAVID O. STEWART

who will discuss his latest book
"The Burning Land"
(Book Two of the Overstreet saga) 

Wednesday, May 10, 2023


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

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
Meeting ID: 737 7733 3091
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)
Meeting ID: 828 9304 8523
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


About the Topic:

The Burning Land, Book 2 of the Overstreet Saga brings the reader back to the Civil War and its aftermath, when Americans fought to determine what the nation would become—a time of excitement, opportunity, and agonizing loss, when history played havoc with the lives of ordinary people like Henry Overstreet and Katie Nash. 

In 1861, Henry and Katie have found love on the rugged Maine coast. He builds boats. She wants to teach school whenever her family duties relent. Their hearts are light and the future looks bright. Then America explodes in civil war.

At first surprised by Katie’s anti-slavery feelings, then persuaded, Henry enlists in the 20th Maine Infantry, fated to become a legendary regiment in the Union Army. Staggering through a dozen brutal battles, including the desperate defense of Little Round Top at Gettysburg, he rises to sergeant. Katie, working on short-term teaching contracts, organizes neighbor women to make warm items for Maine’s men in uniform. Quiet letters between Henry in army camps and Katie at home strengthen their love. Finally receiving a brief furlough, he hurries home for a rushed wedding and precious hours as man and wife.

But history’s grip is fierce. 

A ghastly battlefield wound ends Henry’s war. Katie nurses him through a long recuperation, but they cannot agree—should they return to Maine or join America’s mad flight westward? Ultimately transplanted to booming Chicago, little goes right for them in that overnight metropolis, which will test their strength and commitment as never before.


About the Speaker:

After many years as a trial and appellate lawyer, David O. Stewart became a bestselling writer of history and historical fiction. His first novel, The Lincoln Deception, was about the John Wilkes Booth Conspiracy. Sequels include The Paris Deception, set at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, and The Babe Ruth Deception, which follows Babe’s early years with the Yankees. Released in November 2021, The New Land began the Overstreet Saga.

David’s histories explore the writing of the Constitution, the gifts of James Madison, the western expedition and treason trial of Aaron Burr, and the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson. In February 2021, Dutton published his George Washington: The Political Rise of America’s Founding Father.

For more information visit www.davidostewart.com.


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CWRTDC'S NEXT HYBRID MEETING

AT FORT MYER AND VIA ZOOM

ERIC J. WITTENBERG

presents

"Holding the Line on the River of Death: Union Mounted Forces at Chickamauga, September 18, 1863"


Thursday, June 14, 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)


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). 


TO MAKE AND PAY FOR RESERVATIONS, USE THE MODULE TO THE RIGHT OF THIS POST

RESERVATIONS 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:


6:00 pm ET: Zoom Platform Opens for Remote Attendee 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 at paul.mazzuca@gmail.com    

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
Meeting ID: 737 7733 3091
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)
Meeting ID: 828 9304 8523
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


About the Topic:

On September 18, 1863, the first day of the Battle of Chickamauga, two brigades of Union mounted forces commanded by Cols. Robert H. G. Minty and John T. Wilder held off nearly 20,000 Confederates for nearly an entire day, buying sufficient time for Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans to shift forces to meet the threat posed by Gen. Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee. 

Those two brigades conducted a brilliant delaying action that does not get either the credit or the attention that it deserves. Eric J. Wittenberg will address those delaying actions.



About the Speaker:

Eric J. Wittenberg is an award-winning Civil War author. A native of southeastern Pennsylvania, Eric was educated at Dickinson College, 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 Dublin, Ohio law firm of Cook, Sladoje & Wittenberg Co., L.P.A., where he manages the firm’s litigation practice. 

Mr. Wittenberg is the author of 24 critically acclaimed books on the American Civil War, several of which have won awards.  He has also written more than three dozen articles published in national magazines. 

Mr. Wittenberg is in regular demand as a speaker and tour guide, and he 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.  Mr. Wittenberg often works with the American Battlefields Trust on battlefield preservation initiatives and is the program coordinator for the Chambersburg Civil War Seminars. His specialty is cavalry operations in the Civil War. 

Mr. Wittenberg and his wife Susan reside in Columbus, Ohio.

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NOTICE OF CWRTDC ANNUAL MEETING: 6:30PM ET ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28


Hello U.S. Civil War History Enthusiasts!  And Hello CWRTDC Officers, Directors, Members, and Prospective Members!

To meet the requirements under the Bylaws of the Civil War Round Table of the District of Columbia, this is to notify you that we plan to hold our next Annual Business Meeting (both in-person and via Zoom) at 6:30pm on Wednesday, June 28, 2023.  All are welcome to attend!

Please use the same Meeting ID credentials and pass codes we use for our regular meetings, copied below. 

The focus of the meeting will be to report on the financial status of the organization, discuss business matters and hold an election for the Directors and Officers to serve during the next operational year, which begins July 1, 2023 and runs through June 30, 2024. We are interested in receiving comments and feedback about how we may improve our dinner meetings and other activities.  

 

In addition, we would welcome finding out if you would like to volunteer to help with any of our activities.  We have truly appreciated the help of everyone involved to date, and we would be delighted with any assistance you would like to offer.

 

Please mark your calendars to join us on Wednesday, June 28, at 6:30 pm ET.  We hope to see you at the meeting!  Our presentation by Professor Maurice Jackson of Georgetown University will follow the businbess meeting




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
Meeting ID: 737 7733 3091
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)
Meeting ID:  737 7733 3091
Passcode: 575 773 84
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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CWRTDC'S PREVIOUS MEETING

VIA ZOOM

"THE OPIUM-ADDICTED, PISTOL-TOTING PREACHER 
AND THE FIRST FEDERAL USCTS"

presentation by
BILL & DONNA BURTCH

Wednesday, March 8, 2023


About the Topic:

Donna and William Burtch (sister and brother) are the authors of W.G. - the Opium-Addicted Pistol Toting Preacher Who Raised the First Federal African-American Union Troops, which is the story of William Gould Raymond, a little-known history of the Civil War that is well worth telling.  W.G. was appointed by Lincoln as chaplain of the U.S. Hospital in Washington, DC in 1862, and he is one of the original advocates of enlisting African-American troops into the Union Army.

About the Speakers:

Donna Burtch is an author and a poet.  She settled in Central Ohio in 1976, where she graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University and completed graduate studies at The Methodist Theological School.  Donna's career was in marketing and fund-raising for firms, non-profits, and universities.  She and her family reside in Columbus, Ohio.

 

Donna's brother, William Burtch, is also a published author of fiction and essays.  After graduate school at Miami University of Ohio, he worked for many years in the investment business, but now devotes his time to writing.  Bill also lives in Columbus  


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CWRTDC'S PREVIOUS MEETING

VIA ZOOM

​
"BENJAMIN FRANKLIN BUTLER
A NOISY, FEARLESS LIFE"

presentation by
ELIZABETH LEONARD
Wednesday, March 22, 2023


 

About the Topic:
Benjamin Franklin Butler was one of the most important and controversial military and political leaders of the Civil War and Reconstruction eras. Remembered most often for his uncompromising administration of the Federal occupation of New Orleans during the war, Butler reemerges in this lively narrative as a man whose journey took him from childhood destitution to wealth and profound influence in state and national halls of power. Prize-winning biographer Elizabeth D. Leonard chronicles Butler's successful career in the law defending the rights of the Lowell Mill girls and other workers, his achievements as one of Abraham Lincoln's premier civilian generals, and his role in developing wartime policy in support of slavery's fugitives as the nation advanced toward emancipation. Leonard also highlights Butler's personal and political evolution, revealing how his limited understanding of racism and the horrors of slavery transformed over time, leading him into a postwar role as one of the nation's foremost advocates for Black freedom and civil rights, and one of its notable opponents of white supremacy and neo-Confederate resurgence.

Butler himself claimed he was "always with the underdog in the fight." Leonard's nuanced portrait will help readers assess such claims, peeling away generations of previous assumptions and characterizations to provide a definitive life of a consequential man.



​


About the Speaker: 

Elizabeth D. Leonard is Colby College's Gibson Professor of History, Emerita. She earned her Ph.D. in U.S. history from the University of California, Riverside, in 1992, and is the author of several articles and seven books on the Civil War-era including: Yankee Women: Gender Battles in the Civil War; All the Daring of the Soldier: Women of the Civil War Armies; and Lincoln’s Forgotten Ally: Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt of Kentucky, which was named co-winner of the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize in 2012. Her most recent book, Benjamin Franklin Butler: A Noisy, Fearless Life, was also named a finalist for the 2023 Lincoln Prize.


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CWRTDC'S PREVIOUS

HYBRID (IN-PERSON AND ON-LINE) MEETING

AT FORT MYER AND VIA ZOOM

with

TIMOTHY B. SMITH

who discussed

"The Real Horse Soldiers: Grierson's Raid"



About the Topic:

Benjamin Grierson’s Union cavalry thrust through Mississippi is one of the most well-known operations of the Civil War. There were other simultaneous operations to distract Confederate attention from the real threat to Vicksburg posed by U.S. Grant’s Army of the Tennessee, but Grierson’s operation -- mainly conducted with two Illinois cavalry regiments -- has become the most famous . . . and for good reason. For 16 days (April 17 to May 2), Grierson led Confederate pursuers on a high-stakes chase through the entire state of Mississippi, entering the northern border with Tennessee and exiting its southern border with Louisiana. The daily rides were long, the rest stops short, and the tension high. 


Ironically, the man who led the raid was a former music teacher who some say disliked horses. Throughout the raid, he displayed outstanding leadership and cunning; destroyed railroad tracks; burned trestles and bridges; freed slaves; and created as much damage and chaos as possible. Grierson’s Raid broke a vital Confederate rail line at Newton Station that supplied Vicksburg and, perhaps most importantly, consumed the attention of the Confederate high command. While Confederate Lt. Gen. John Pemberton at Vicksburg and other Southern leaders looked in the wrong directions, Grant moved his entire Army of the Tennessee across the Mississippi River below Vicksburg, spelling the doom of that city, the Confederate chances of holding the river, and perhaps the Confederacy itself. 


Novelists have attempted to capture the larger-than-life cavalry raid in the popular imagination, and Hollywood reproduced the daring cavalry action in , a 1959 major motion picture starring John Wayne and William Holden. Although the film replicates the raid’s drama and high-stakes gamble, cinematic license chipped away at its accuracy. Based upon years of research and presented in gripping, fast-paced prose, Timothy B. Smith’s  captures the high drama and tension of the 1863 horse soldiers in a modern, comprehensive, academic study. 


Dr. Smith's talk, based on the book, will bring you along for the ride.

  


 

About the Speaker:

Timothy B. Smith (Ph.D. Mississippi State University, 2001) is a veteran of the National Park Service and currently teaches history at the University of Tennessee at Martin. In addition to numerous articles and essays, he is the author, editor, or co-editor of more than twenty books with several university and commercial presses. His books have won numerous book awards, his trilogy on the American Civil War’s Tennessee River campaign (Forts Henry and Donelson, Shiloh, and Corinth) winning a total of nine book awards. He is currently finishing a five-volume study of the Vicksburg Campaign for the University Press of Kansas and a new study of Albert Sidney Johnston for LSU Press. He lives with his wife Kelly and daughters Mary Kate and Leah Grace in Adamsville, Tennessee.


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CWRTDC'S PREVIOUS ZOOM-ONLY MEETING

with


JEFFRY D. WERT 

on his topic 

"General, They Are Coming"

(The Battle of Spotsylvania)


      
Wednesday, April 26, 2023



About the Topic:


The struggle over the fortified Confederate position known as Spotsylvania's Mule Shoe was without parallel during the Civil War in terms of its duration and the proximity of opposing forces.  A Union assault that began at 4:30am on May 12, 1864, sparked brutal combat that lasted nearly twenty-four hours amid downpours and thunderstorms. 
By the time Grant's forces withdrew, some 55,000 men from Union and Confederate armies had been drawn into the fury, battling in torrential rain along the fieldworks at distances often less than the length of a rifle barrel. One Union private recalled the fighting as a "seething, bubbling, soaring hell of hate and murder." By the time Lee's troops established a new fortified line in the predawn hours of May 13, some 17,500 officers and men from both sides had been killed, wounded, or captured when the fighting ceased.  The site of the most intense clashes became forever known as the "Bloody Angle."

Renowned military historian Jeffry D. Wert draws on the personal narratives of Union and Confederate troops who survived the fight to offer a gripping story of Civil War combat at its most difficult. Wert's harrowing tale reminds us that the war's story, often told through its commanders and campaigns, truly belonged to the common soldier.

Source: Amazon and speaker.

About the Speaker:

 is an American historian and author specializing in the American Civil War. He has written several books on the subject, including the one he will discuss on April 26, entitled The Heart of Hell: The Soldiers' Struggle for Spotsylvania's Bloody Angle, published in 2022.  Mr. Wert's interest in history first began after an eighth grade school field trip to the Gettysburg battlefield. After high school he graduated with a B.A. from Lock Haven University, and a M.A. from The Pennsylvania State University, both in History.  He worked for many years as a history teacher at Penns Valley Area High School in Spring Mills, PA.

Source: Wikipedia and speaker.


wert book..webp

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