TO MAKE AND PAY FOR RESERVATIONS,

USE THE MODULE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THIS WEBPAGE

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

RESERVATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED; 

CONTACT ADMIN@CWRTDC.ORG TO SEE IF WE HAVE ANY CANCELLATIONS

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

About the Topic:

In August 1862, after suffering decades of hardship, broken treaties, and relentless encroachment on their land, the Dakota leader Little Crow reluctantly agreed that his people must go to war. After six weeks of fighting, the uprising was smashed, thousands of Indians were taken prisoner by the US army, and 303 Dakotas were sentenced to death. President Lincoln, embroiled in the most devastating period of the Civil War, personally intervened to save the lives of 265 of the condemned men, but in the end, 38 Dakota men would be hanged in the largest government-sanctioned execution in U.S. history.

Scott W. Berg will discuss his book, 38 Nooses: Lincoln, Little Crow, and the Beginning of the Frontier’s End, which focuses on the events leading up to the December 1962 hanging of 38 Dakota Indians—still the largest mass execution in American history. The story of the causes, progress, and aftermath of the U.S.-Dakota War features a cast of hundreds but focuses on four people: Little Crow, the reluctant leader of the Dakotas; Henry Benjamin Whipple, Episcopal bishop of Minnesota; Sarah Wakefield, captive of the Dakota and author of Six Weeks in the Sioux Tepees; and Abraham Lincoln, who signed an order that stopped 265 executions but allowed 38 to go forward. 

Professor Berg will place this true American tragedy in its Civil War context, showing how events that seemed far-flung and separate were in reality parts of one nationwide eruption of violence.  He will also cover the history of the Dakota people and the subsequent United States–Indian wars, to bring life to this overlooked but seminal moment in American history.

Scott W. Berg is a professor of English at George Mason University, where he teaches publishing, nonfiction writing and literature, and acts as publisher of Stillhouse Press.  He is the recipient of the Library of Virginia Literary Award for Nonfiction and the Midland Authors Award for History.

His other books include The Burning of the World: The Great Chicago Fire and the War for a City's Soul (2023) and Grand Avenues: The Story of Pierre Charles L'Enfant, the French Visionary Who Designed Washington, D.C. (2007).

Born and raised in Minnesota's Twin Cities, Scott received a BA in Architecture from the University of Minnesota, an MA in English from Miami University of Ohio, and an MFA in Creative Writing from George Mason University, where he now teaches nonfiction writing and literature. Since 1999, he has also been a contributor to The Washington Post and other publications.

Scott's principal research interests include place origins, architectural history, urban history, and the intersections of lesser-known individuals with history's more famous figures. His feature writing for The Washington Post has ranged widely, covering topics as diverse as civil rights history, classical theater, the sport of cricket, the digitization of history, the role of monuments and museums in Washington, DC, and airplane restoration efforts at the Smithsonian Institution, to name just a few. He regularly speaks to media outlets and to groups large and small in the Washington metro area and around the country about his books and related topics. A list of his upcoming and previous speaking engagements can be found on the "Events & Media" link of his website, www.scottwberg.net.

Scott lives in Reston, Virginia, with his wife Cory; their two sons play collegiate soccer for the University of Mary Washington. He can be reached via his website or by using his e-mail address directly: scottwberg@scottwberg.com

Source: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001IOFAS4/about  

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CWRTDC'S PREVIOUS MEETING

 A WALKING TOUR

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:  

 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 , a tech/science writer/editor/manager, and a biotech writer ().  Ed MoserTime-Life Bookswww.meetup.com/Lafayette-Sq-Tours-of-Scandal-Assassination-Spies-Meetup/

 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 ().Paul Mazzucawww.DCPermanentTourist.com

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About the Topic:

On Robert Lee Hodge’s first tour with Ed Bearss in February 1992, he learned that the true “High Tide” of the Southern Confederacy was not Gettysburg, but the year before in the summer and fall of 1862 when more than seven Southern armies were on the move. Never before, or after, would the Rebels be so aggressive.

In 1994, Robert Lee’s mentor, Brian Pohanka, met him at Chinn Ridge at the 2nd Manassas battlefield (part of the 1862 Confederate offensive) to show him a stunning unpublished account by a Rebel soldier from Alexandria, Virginia, that Brian found while doing research on his book about his beloved 5th New York Zouaves. The soldier was Alexander Hunter, a self-proclaimed “High Private” of the 17th Virginia Infantry.

Robert Lee Hodge will share these soon-to-be published accounts of Alexander Hunter at 2nd Manassas and the recently published writings on Hunter at Sharpsburg in America’s Civil War magazine.  He will also briefly discuss his recent trip to follow Hunter’s footsteps on the anniversary at Sharpsburg, and experiences with Ed Bearss, Brian Pohanka, preservation, and memory.

About the Speaker:

Born on Stonewall Jackson’s 143rd birthday and being named after the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, it was logical for Robert Lee Hodge to have an addiction towards learning about "The War Between The States."

It wasn’t until Robert Lee was 24 that he realized he had ancestors that fought for the South when researching for the first time in the National Archives.

Mr. Hodge has always been drawn to “visual-history” – to the photos, art, and artifacts – wanting to know what the past looked like. When he received his first library card at 5, he quickly looked for books on the War; not knowing how to read yet, he memorized the Dewey decimal numbers on the spines of the books to remember for future use.

Mr. Hodge's obsession with the War led him to reenacting in 1981 – something he still does and values today. In 1985, he won a Congressional art award for a painting of Confederate soldiers, which hung in the Longworth building on Capitol Hill for a year.

In 1991, Mr. Hodge became an intern in Washington DC for the National Park Service’s Civil War Sites Advisory Commission (where he met Ed Bearss), a group chosen by Congress to investigate the preservation crisis of our Civil War battlefields. Because of that experience, Mr. Hodge has written numerous articles on Civil War battlefield preservation and has organized preservation fundraisers that have generated over $200,000 for the purchase of endangered battlefield land. In addition, Mr. Hodge has been on the Board of The Central Virginia Battlefields Trust (CVBT) for over 20 years, which has saved more than 2,000 acres in the Fredericksburg-Spotsylvania area.

Since 1985, Mr. Hodge has worked on several “Hollywood” productions related to the War. From ABC’s North and South, to TNT’s Gettysburg and Andersonville, to many episodes of Civil War Journal on The History Channel.  In 1999, Mr. Hodge started making his own films, principally about Spotsylvania Court House, Franklin (an Emmy Award winner shown on PBS) and Perryville (commissioned by the Commonwealth of Kentucky), which have received numerous awards and accolades from experts and buffs alike.

Mr. Hodge has been a professional researcher since 1991, working with the United States Army, many authors and historians, and Time-Life Books as a principal researcher for the 18-volume series “Voices of the Civil War” and “The Illustrated History of the Civil War.” Mr. Hodge has written for Civil War Times, North and South magazine, and America’s Civil War magazine.

Mr. Hodge has also been featured in (or on) The Washington Post, New York Times, The Late Late Show, NPR’s Talk of The Nation, The New Yorker, The Economist, The Huffington Post, Time magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The BBC, C-SPAN, C-SPAN 2 Book TV, National Geographic, PBS, The Australian Broadcast Company, Preservation Magazine, The Arts and Entertainment Channel, Alabama Public Television, and The History Channel.

Mr. Hodge has been transcribing Alexander Hunter’s 1866 manuscript, accounts from the 2017 Charlottesville protests, and his father’s World War Two accounts from 25-hours of recordings detailing his service with the First Cavalry Division in the Admiralty Islands and The Philippines.

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