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Next Meeting: Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Subject: West Virginia in the Early Years of the War
Presenter: Tom Horvath, Jr.
This will be the first presentation of member Tom Horvath, Jr.. A teacher by trade, Tom will be well-prepared and comfortable in front of a crowd.
The Western theater in general, and West Virginia, in particular, usually receive less attention than, but a good case can be made that they were more important than the east. The opening of the Mississippi River was hugely important; and keeping the western part of Virginia free so it could rejoin the Union as a separate state was politically important. The early battles in western Virginia were critical to keeping it in the Union camp.
Join us for a look at these important, yet often overlooked battles.
- Canteen at 6:00 PM — Dinner at 6:45 PM
- Pine Ridge Country Club, 30601 Ridge Road (Ohio 84), Wickliffe, OH (1/2 mile west of Ohio 91)
- Cost $25.00 for an excellent family-style dinner and speaker. Cash bar.
- Reservations are required. Contact Mike Sears at 440-257-3956 or email mikeanddonnas@roadrunner.com.
Last Meeting:
Subject: The Sheppard Case
Presenter: Steve Dever
Forty-five years after Marilyn Sheppard was murdered, her son brought suit to try and clear his father’s name. Steve Dever was the lead attorney for Cuyahoga County, defending Dr. Sam’s original conviction. In order to try the case, Attorney Dever and his crew had to learn as much about the crime and the evidence as they could. They were also able to apply 45 years of improved science to the old evidence. The result of their efforts was (effectively) an affirmation of the original verdict.
Probably more important to us, it provided a fascinating look at the judicial process from their perspective. The circus (and there is no better way to describe it) that surrounded the first trial is cited to this day as a primary example of how a trial should not be run. The decision to overturn the first verdict was surely correct. Nonetheless, Mr. Dever makes a good case that the jury came to the correct conclusion: that Sam Sheppard was guilty of the second degree murder of his wife.
Rarely do we get a chance to review a notorious case with a person intimately connected with it. Here, we were able to and the result was a truly fascinating presentation.
Spring Outing
Our Spring Outing is scheduled for Saturday, May 21. We will convene at 10:45 at Merwin’s Landing, a small Metropark on the east bank of the Cuyahoga River in the flats, home of Merwin’s Wharf . At 11:00 AM we will take a three hour tour of Cleveland’s Civil War connections, created and led by our own Paul Siedel. Lunch will follow at 2 PM at Merwin’s Wharf. Cost of the tour is $20 per person. (Make checks payable to NEOCWRT, with a memo indicating payment of the spring outing. Lunch is on your own.)
Merwin’s Wharf is a relatively new restaurant right on the Cuyahoga River in the midst of the small metropark. My wife and I visited recently and were very impressed with the food. In addition, it is one of the too few restaurants in Cleveland right on the water. You are almost certain to experience a lake freighter passing an easy throw away.
Summer Symposium
Saturday, July 17 and Sunday, July 18 are the dates for this year’s Civil War encampment at James A. Garfield National Historical Site and the accompanying Civil War Symposium. Once again, we will provide speakers for the symposium. However, rather than hold the symposium on the Friday before the encampment, there will be presentations on Saturday and Sunday. Details will follow as they become available.
Lunchtime Series: Leaders and Legacies of the Civil War
This series of talks has been so successful that the Mentor Public Library and James A. Garfield Historical Site have decided to continue the talks into 2016. Rather than relying on battles, this year the emphasis has been switched and the title of the series changed to Leaders and Legacies of the Civil War.
May’s presentation is on Wednesday, June 8: Trying to Be a Radical and Not a Fool: James A. Garfield in the Civil War and Reconstruction.
All presentations are held the second Wednesday of each month at noon in the James A. Garfield Community Room of the Mentor Public Library. Talks are scheduled to last about one hour. Attendees are invited to bring their bag lunches.
New Series of Talks at the Mentor Library
Dave Lintern and Scott Longert, both frequent speakers at the Mentor Library Lunchtime Civil War series and members of our round table, have begun another series of talks, this time in the evening. Initially, the talks are reprises of presentations Dave or Scott gave at the lunchtime series, but at a time more people can attend. They are taking the next two summer months off, so the next presentation is Thursday, August 11 and the presentation is The Battle of Cold Harbor, June 1864. The talks are held in the Garfield Room on the lower level of the Mentor Library, on the Thursday after the lunchtime series at 6:30 (usually the second Thursday), and are free and open to the public.
Dave and Scott are excellent presenters and the later time provides an opportunity for those who cannot attend the lunchtime series or who missed some of the talks to hear them. Members of our group who have a talk they would like to present at this series are encouraged to contact Dave or Scott.
Themocracy
I came across your Civil War Round Table and thought you might be interested in a true story about an 82nd Ohio soldier told in the first person in dramatic form. The ebook is written with a discussion guide for Civil War Round Tables and you may want to check it out.
Hiram’s Honor: Reliving
Private Terman’s Civil War, ISBN 978-0615-27812-4.
Hiram’s Honor can be examined at http://www.amazon.com/Hirams-Honor-Reliving-Private-Termans/dp/0615278124/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239221935&sr=8-1
Ebook
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/50674
The unique thing about this book is that I assume the identity of my ancestor in all of his battles and prison misery. It was quite a challenge to match every detail that actually happened (dairies, letters, first-hand accounts) with a first person dramatized and riveting story of how I would have reacted in his situation. Best wishes in your work.
Greetings from Delafield, Wisconsin, Birthplace of Lt. Alonzo Cushing. Just a quick update on the Medal of Honor. Although it was widely reported that the Secretary of the Army had approved the nomination, the process is still ongoing. The Secretary of Defense has not yet made his recommendation. Additionally, the President would still have to sign off. I would be happy to keep you updated if the situation changes.
Best Regards
Dave Krueger
Delafield, WI
I’m very interested in your group. May non-members attend meetings?
Many thanks,
George Richards
George — yes, non-members may attend. Because we take the summer off, our next meeting is not until Sepetember 11. Closer to the meeting date, make a reservation (see above) and look me, Tom Horvath, up at the meeting. I’ll be glad to introduce you to some of our members. Meanwhile, you may be interested in the symposium being held at Lawnfield on July 13, also described above.
Hello NEOCWRT. My name is Jonathan Hennessey. I am author of a new Civil War nonfiction graphic novel from HarperCollins. I would like to let members of your group know I will be doing a reading from my book at 6 pm Thursday, August 8 at the Barnes & Noble bookstore on Medina Road in Akron.
THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS: A GRAPHIC ADAPTATION (www.graphicgettysburg.com) is a bold and innovative use of the comics medium. It uses the words from Lincoln’s iconic speech to tell the “whole story of the Civil War, 1776 – The Present.” I will be presenting a chapter of the book mostly examining the Confederacy’s legal case for secession, Lincoln’s counterargument, and how both the language of both the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence informed those two different positions. I will be projecting still and animated segments of the book on a movie screen.
Kirkus Reviews called the book, “Engaging, provocative and deftly nuanced. … This second collaboration by Hennessey and McConnell again finds them probing the implications of history through incisive analysis and compelling art.”
Library Journal hailed it as, “An excellent work. … Not a simplification but a detailed and nuanced analysis of Lincoln’s famous speech.”
Thank you for your consideration!
All best,
Jonathan Hennessey
Thanks for the invitation to speak at the CWRT again. My topic this year will be Confederate General William “Extra Billy” Smith: From Virginia’s Statehouse to Gettysburg Scapegoat.