Our Guiding Principles
Next Meeting: Tuesday, April 11, 2023
Subject: Civil War Soldiers in Cuyahoga County
Presenter: W. Dennis Keating
Cuyahoga County sent more than 9,000 men to fight in the Civil War. More than 1,700 never returned home. Those raw numbers tell only a small fraction of the story. Mr. Keating will tell us more of that story.
W. Dennis Keating is an Emeritus Professor who taught in the Levin College of Urban Affairs and the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University. He has written widely about urban planning, urban policy, neighborhoods and housing. His publications about Cleveland include the 2016 History Press book A Brief History of Tremont: Cleveland’s Neighborhood on a Hill.
He is a past president of the Cleveland Civil War Roundtable and has written numerous articles for its newsletter, The Charger. Last year he published the book Cleveland and the Civil War, which is the basis for this talk. His interest in the Civil War is personal, as two of his ancestors served in the 168th and the 206th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry regiments.
- 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 $30.00 for an excellent family-style dinner and speaker. Cash bar.
- Reservations are required. Email Franco Sperrazzo at francomichael2414@yahoo.com.
Last Presentation
Subject: Blood in the Streets: The New York City Draft Riots
Presenter: Judge William Vodrey
2022 Summer Actvities
Memorial Day Ceremony
Another Memorial Day
It was a Glorious morning, the sun was in full display, and the Willoughby sky was azure and deep.
The American Legion speaker hit all the requisite chords to touch a patriot’s soul.
The Band from Willoughby South hit all their notes with precision and grace,
“America the Beautiful” and the “Star-Spangled Banner” echoed through the trees and among the headstones.
Squirrels take pause to note the proceedings while Bluejays and Blackbirds reconnoiter the sod,
searching for a discarded candy wrapper or the last of the maple seeds.
The Honor Guard raise their M14s to fire three volleys that crack the stillness, and send a young Black Lab into panic!
Two lads from the band play the all too familiar Tattoo that follows every last call to the gravesite of the fallen.
Two F35s thunder above in the traditional “broken formation” before a cup of ice coffee with my comrades at Fiona’s.
— John Sandy
Summer Symposium
- Friday, July 8, 2022
- James A. Garfield NHS, Carriage House Auditorium
- Social time at 6 PM
- Presentations:
- The Garfield Trail
- Presenter: Tim Garfield
- Black War
- Presenter: John Fazio
- The Garfield Trail
Schedule of Speakers for 2022 and 2023
2022
- September 13, 2022
- 25th Anniversary Celebration
- Presenter: Dale Fellows
- October 11, 2022
- Confederate Memorials Debate
- Presenters: John C. Fazio and Mel Maurer
- November 8, 2022
- Life and Times of George McClellan
- Presenter: John Sandy
- December 13, 2022
- U.S. Grant
- Presenter: Dr. Curt Fields
2023
- January 10, 2023
- Notables Buried at Woodland Cemetery
- Presenter: Michelle A. Day
- February 14, 2023
- Meanings and Origins of Juneteenth
- Presenter: Judge Charles Patton
- March 14, 2023
- The New York City Draft Riots
- Presenter: Judge William Vodrey
- April 11, 2023
- Civil War Soldiers in Cuyahoga County
- Presenter: W. Dennis Keating
- May 9, 2023
- Gen. Irvin McDowell
- Presenter: Gene Schmeil
Lunchtime Series: Leaders and Legacies of the Civil War
These talks normally take place on the second Wednesday of the month. The April program will take place on Wednesday, April 11, at 12 noon in the Village Room of the Main Mentor Library building and is titled Saving Letters: Creating a Library and a Legacy.
Join Widow Lucretia Rudolph Garfield as she shares the backstory of creating the nation’s first presidential memorial library. Though recognized as having historical significance before the mid-twentieth century, presidential papers and effects were generally understood to be the private property of the president. By preserving James Garfield’s papers-including Civil War correspondence-in her “memory room,” Mrs. Garfield set the precedent for the modern presidential library system as well as safeguarded her husband’s reputation and legacy.
Speaker: Mrs. Lucretia Rudolph Garfield (portrayed by our own Debbie Weinkamer, Lead Volunteer, James A. Garfield NHS).
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.