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Our Guiding Principles

Education — studying and learning about the American Civil War
Fellowship — constituted as a private men and women’s organization
Quality — selective and limited membership
 
Motto:  “Quality, Education, and Fellowship in all our Endeavors!”

Next Presentation

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Subject: One More Big Fight – Shiloh

Presenter: Dr. Curt Fields

I have heard Dr. Curt Fields speak on two different occasions. They were two of the best talks by a living historian I have experienced. His presentations seem relaxed and sprinkled with Grant-like humor. His knowledge of Grant extensive. His ability to handle questions and respond with aplomb seems to come from personal memory rather a reference book. An evening with Dr. Fields is an enjoyable evening with Grant. He gives many different presentations. This evening he will speak on Shiloh, a critical two day battle that could easily have turned into a rout of the Union army. Instead, Grant turned it into a resounding victory.

If you have not had the pleasure and priveledge of hearing Dr. Fields speak, you you should definitely attend our next meeting. If you have heard him, you need no further encouagement.

In fact, there are three opportunities to hear Dr. Fields. The Civil War Round Tables in Cleveland, Lorain County (Quincy Gilmore), and our own Northeast Ohio group, have brought Dr. Fields in for three different talks on three consecutive nights. On October 9th, Dr. Fields will be at the Quincy Gilmore CWRT to present Getting in the War through Fort Donelson; on October 10th at Northeast Ohio CWRT to present One More Big Fight – Shiloh; and on October 11th at Cleveland to present Vicksburg. Members and guests are invited to all three presentations. See the individual Round Table web sites for details.

  • 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 Meeting   

Subject: 9/11 Experiences

Presenter: Gregory Truhan

2023 Summer Activities

Memorial Day Ceremony

On Monday, May 29, 2023 at the Willoughby Cemetery on Sharpe Street, members of our organization placed a wreath on the memorial marker honoring the Civil War veterans, both Union and Confederate, who are buried there. This marked the twentieth anniversary of the dedication of the memorial marker – designed, researched, executed, and funded by our organization. (See the full story of the project on the Legacy Proect tab.)

Members of our organization, as is our tradition, met afterwards at nearby Fiona’s Coffe Bar and Bakery on Erie Street.

2nd Annual Sip and Relax

Our initial gathering at Debonne Winery in 2022 was so successful that we met for a second evening of wine and relaxation, once again at Debonne Winery. Members and their guests gathered for an enjoyable evening of food, drink, and conversation.

Schedule of Speakers for 2023

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 Schmiel
  • June 13,2023
    • Special meeting honoring our founders
    • MC: Dale Fellows, Charter Member
  • September 12, 2023
    • 9/11 Experiences
    • Presenter: Gregory Truhan
  • October 10, 2023
    • Ulysses S. Grant
    • Presenter: Dr. Curt Fields
  • November 14, 2023
    • Dr. Mary Edwards Walker
    • Presenter: Anne McEvoy
  • December 12, 2023
    • Growing Up Garfield
    • Presenters: Tim Garfield and Debbie Weinkamer

2024

  • January 9, 2024
    • They Fought, Too
    • Presenters: Louise Watson-Mills and Pam Fraser
  • February 13, 2024
    • TBA
    • Presenter: Dr. Christopher Eddy, Author & Brigadier General, ret.
  • March 12, 2024
    • Voices from the Attic
    • Presenter: Carlton Young, Author
  • April 9, 2024
    • Mark Twain and General Grant
    • Presenter: Mark Perry, Author
  • May 14, 2024
    • Custer: From Gettysburg to Little Bighorn
    • Presenter: James Hessler

Lunchtime Series:  Leaders and Legacies of the Civil War

These talks normally take place on the second Wednesday of the month. The October program will take place on Wednesday, October 11, at 12 noon in the Village Room of the Main Mentor Library building and is an encore presentation of The Wounds of War: Mental, Physical, and Emotional .

As with all wars, soldiers returning from Civil War combat brought home wounds both seen and unseen.  Many endured physical pain from war wounds for the rest of their lives, but just as many or more came home with mental and emotional scars that affected them until their dying days.  Learn more about the physical, mental, and emotional tolls the Civil War took on its veterans. 

Speaker:  Allison Powell, James A. Garfield NHS.

 Other Web Sites of Interest


Western Reserve Historical Society:  Our club has acquired a group membership in the Western Reserve Historical Society.  Located in University Circle, the Civil War archive of books and photographs has been toured and admired by many of our guest speakers.  It is one of the best collections in the country.  They also own and run Hale Farm and Village.  Their web site is:  www.wrhs.org.
 
The James A. Garfield National Historic Site (Lawnfield) is sponsoring a lunchtime series on Leaders and Legacies of the Civil War at the Mentor Public Library.  Their web site, a portion of the National Park System site, is http://www.nps.gov/jaga.

6 thoughts on “Home

  1. 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.

  2. 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

  3. I’m very interested in your group. May non-members attend meetings?

    Many thanks,
    George Richards

  4. 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.

  5. 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

  6. 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.

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