DES MOINES CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE

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Civil War Monument, Iowa Capitol Grounds

Past Programs Over the years the Des Moines Civil War Roundtable has offered a wide variety of educational programs. Some previous programs shown here offer a glimpse of this diversity. Our speakers are drawn from the Roundtable and from many locations around the country.

Fall 2022 Campaign

September 7 -- 7:00 p.m.
"The Mystery of Barbara Fritchie, a True Patriot" -- Tamara Thayer, Rochester, Minnesota
In-Person Meeting

October 5 -- 7:00 p.m.
"Unconditional Surrender: A Visit with Ulysses S. Grant" -- Pete Grady, Marshalltown, Iowa
In-Person Meeting

November 2 -- 7:00 p.m.
"The Trial of Jefferson Davis" -- Lane Smith, Kansas City Civil War Round Table
In-Person Meeting

December -- No Meeting

Spring 2023 Campaign

January 18 -- 7:00 p.m.l MEETING CANCELLED

February 15 -- 7:00 p.m.
"Civil War Intelligence and Grenville Dodge's Role" -- Dr. William Feis, Buena Vista University, Storm Lake, Iowa
In-Person Meeting

March 15 -- 7:00 p.m.
"Lincoln's Fire in the Rear: Civil Unrest on the Home Front" -- Dr. Tom Schwartz, Director, Hoover Museum and Library, West Branch, Iowa
In-Person Meeting

April 19 -- 7:00 p.m.
"Damn the Torpedoes ... and Mobile Bay" -- Dr. Tim Wolters, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
In-Person Meeting

May 16 -- 7:00 p.m.
"Poltroons, Patriots and Politicians: America's Civil War Generals" -- Bruce Allardice, Chicago Civil War Round Table
In-Person Meeting

June 21 -- 7:00 p.m.
"An Evening with Clara Barton" -- Leslie Goddard, Hinsdale, Illinois
In-Person Meeting at Iowa Gold Star Museum, Camp Dodge

Spring 2022 Campaign

January 19 -- 7:00 p.m.
"The Lost Cause: A Medival Comparison" -- Dr. Thomas Lecaque, Grandview University, Des Moines, Iowa
Zoom Meeting

February 16 -- 7:00 p.m.
"Espionage Cloaked in Lace" -- Susan Howell, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable
Zoom Meeting

March 16 -- 7:00 p.m.
"Iowa Militia in Missouri 1862" -- Tom Baker, University of Iowa, Iowa City
In-Person Meeting

April 20 -- 7:00 p.m.
"Fraternity, Charity, and Loyalty: Stories of the Grand Army of the Republic" -- Kate Lavasseur, Des Moines, Iowa
In-Person Meeting

May 18 -- 7:00 p.m.
"Iowa Civil War Images" -- Michael Huston, Wellman, Iowa
In-Person Meeting

June 15 -- 7:00 p.m.
"The Brothers at Andersonville" -- Brad Miller, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable
In-Person Meeting

Fall 2021 Campaign

September 1 -- 6:30 p.m.
"'Stonewall' Jackson and Civil War Medicine" -- Dr. Wayne Richenbacher, Retired Cardiac Surgeon, University of Iowa Medical Center, Iowa City
Zoom Meeting

October 6 -- 6:30 p.m.
"Once Lost and Now Found: The Long-Lost Gettysburg Address" -- David Dixon, Santa Barbara, CA
Rec Plex Multi-Purpose Room, 6500 Grand Avenue; bring own refreshments

November 3 -- 7:00 p.m.
"The Sultana Disaster" -- Mike Morell, Moline, Illinois
Zoom Meeting

Fall 2020 Campaign

CANCELLED: September 2
"The Lost Gettysburg Address" -- David T. Dixon, Santa Barbara, CA

CANCELLED: October 7
"The Vacant Chair in Bremer County" -- Professor Terry Lindell, Wartburg College, Waverly, IA

CANCELLED: November 4
TBA

Spring 2020 Campaign

January 15
"How to Read a Civil War Soldier's Letter" -- Dr. Steven Gates, Morningside College

February 19
"Science & Art History: A New Interpretation of a Civil War Painting" -- Dr. Maura Lyons, Drake University

CANCELLED: March 18
"Stonewall Jackson and Civil War Medicine" -- Dr. Wayne Richenbacher, University of Iowa Hospitals, Iowa City

CANCELLED: April 15
"Espionage Cloaked in Lace" -- Susan Howell, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable

CANCELLED: May 20
"The Sultana Disaster" -- Mike Morrell, Moline, IL

CANCELLED: June 17
"The Lost Cause: A Medieval Comparison" -- Dr. Thomas Lacaque, Grandview University

Fall 2019 Campaign

September 4
"Race, Dred Scott and the Iowa Constitution" -- Professor Todd Pettys, University of Iowa Law School

October 2
"Civil War Hijinks (Camp Music)" -- Judy Cook, Berlin, Ohio

November 6
"Mapping the Causes and Violence of the New York City Draft Riots of 1863" -- Patrick Hoehner, University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Spring 2019 Campaign

January 16
"The Secret of Albert Cashier" -- Sarah McDougall, Iowa City/DMCWRT

February 20
"Elmer Ellsworth and Stonewall Jackson: Civil War Funerals and Sectional Nationalism" -- Dr. Sarah Purcell, Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa

March 20
"Business Ethics Aspects of the Civil War" -- Dr. David Surdam, UNI, Cedar Fall, Iowa

April 17
"The Most Magnificent Charge at Gettysburg" -- Ken Allers, UNI, Cedar Falls, Iowa

May 15
"The Confederate Home Front" -- Dr. Wallace Hettle, UNI, Cedar Falls, Iowa

June 19
"The Last Great Encampment" -- Danny Krock, Cambridge, Iowa SUVCW Reenactor

Fall 2018 Campaign

September 5
"An Afternoon with Hannah Porter - October 23, 1864" -- Jo Porter, Denver/Cedar Vally CWRT

October 3
"Fire on the Prairie: The Dakota War of 1862" -- Todd Wilkinson, Springfield, MO/Ozarks Technical Community College

November 7
"Beyond the C.S.S Hunley: Lesser-Known Underwater Weapons of the Civil War" -- Dr Tim Wolters, Iowa State University

Spring 2018 Campaign

January 17
"Let's Take a Moment" -- Cheryl Mullenbach, Panora

February 21
"The Confederate Home Front" -- Dr. Wallace Hettle, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls

March 21
"He Walked Home From Appomattox: The Family History of a Confederate Soldier" -- Will Thomson, Iowa City

April 18
"The Question Was One of Supplies: The Logistics for William T. Sherman's Atlanta Campaign" -- Greg Biggs, Clarksville, Tennessee

May 16
"Robert E. Lee and the Fall of the Confederacy" -- Dr. Ethan Rafuse, Platte City, Missouri

June 20
General Grant Portrayal -- Harry Bulkeley, Galesburg, Illinois

Fall 2017 Campaign

September 6
"Raise the Iowa Shout! Grading the Performance of Hawkeye Combat Unit" -- Thomas Baker, Iowa City

October 4
"War at Our Doorstep: The Effect of the Civil War on Southern Women" -- Victoria Webb, Guthrie Center and Jeff Kluever, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable

Tuesday, November 14
"A New Framework for Civil War 'Military' History" -- Richard McMurry, Dalton, Georgia

Spring 2017 Campaign

January 18
"Lincoln Must Die," Alan Kirshen, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable

February 15
"Rafael Semmes and the 'Alabama': Pirates or Patriots?" -- Roberta and Lydon Swartzendruber, Des Moines Civil War Round Table

March 15
"Civil War Medicine" -- John Duggan, Mason City, Iowa, and John Bonner, Vincent, Iowa, Re-enactors

April 19
"Baseball's Origins: Reaching Iowa, and the Role of the Civil War" -- John Liepa, Des Moines Civil War Round Table
NOTE: Collection viewing, dinner and program to be held at the Cub Club, Principal Park, Des Moines

May 17
"Women in the Civil War" -- Pippa White, Storyteller, Lincoln, Nebraska

June 21
"Silent Witnesses: The Story of the Civil War Told by 25 Objects" -- Patricia Essick, Ottumwa Civil War Roundtable

Fall 2016 Campaign

September 7
"Varina Davis" -- Sandi Swift, St. Charles, Missouri Re-Enactor

October 5
"Agent of Mercy: The Untold Story of Dr. Archibald S. Maxwell, Civil War Surgeon" -- George Maxwell, Minneapolis, Minnesota

November 2
"Juggernaut: How Iowa Republicans Used Confederates from Iowa to Win the Propaganda War" -- David Connon, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable

Spring 2016 Campaign

January 20
"Abraham Lincoln and America's Unfinished Business" -- Miles A. Browne, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable

February 17
"American Righteousness: Slavery, Racism and the Civil War" -- Pete Taggart, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable

March 16
"Lee and Grant: The Road to and from Appomattox" -- Lane Smith and Randal Durbin, Kansas City Civil War Re-enactors

April 20
"The Angel of Marye's Heights: Hero to North and South" -- Anthony Ziebol, Minneapolis, Minnesota

May 18
"Altogether This has been One of the Greatest Victories of the War: The Forgotten Breakthrough of April 2, 1865" -- Jeff Kluever, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable

June 21
"The Bermuda 100 Campaign" -- A. Wilson "Will" Greene, Petersburg, Virginia

Fall 2015 Campaign

September 2
"Bringing Battle Back In: Civil War Soldiers and the Class Politics of Combat" -- Prof. Lawrence McDonnell, Iowa State University

October 7
"Roll on Shenandoah: Iowa's Role with Sheridan, 1864" -- Kenneth Lyftogt, Cedar Falls, Iowa

November 4
"Masters, Slaves, and Exchange: Power's Purchase in the Old South" -- Prof. Kathy Hilliard, Iowa State University

Spring 2015 Campaign

January 21
"Affectionately Yours: The Civil War Letters of Joseph Franklin Culver" -- Chet Culver, West Des Moines

February 18
"The Arlington Cemetery Case: The Supreme Court Battle Between the U.S. Government and the Family of Robert E. Lee" -- Anthony Gaughan, Drake University Law School

March 18
"Secession: Right or Act of Treason?" -- Richard "Dick" Pohorsky, Cedar Rapids, as William Yancy, Esq. of Alabama

April 4
Des Moines Civil War Roundtable 50th Anniversary Gala at the Iowa Historical Museum
Keynote Speaker: Michael Kauffman, Author of American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies
"Iowa and the Western Theatre" -- Speakers include Dr./Lt. Col. Richard Kiper, Timothy Smith, Brian K. McCutchen;
Dinner and Civil War Entertainment
50th Anniversary Gala Pictures by Jim Rasmussen
Des Moines Register Article About Gala Speaker Mike Kauffman

May 18
"Forbidden, Hidden and Forgotten -- Women Soldiers During the Civil War" -- Shelby Harriel, Steep Hollow, Mississippi

Tuesday June 23
"The Battle Hymn of the Republic: The Song That Marches On" -- John Stauffer, Harvard University
Program at Des Moines Public Library

Fall 2014 Campaign

August 27
"Three Women During the Civil War: Jennie Hodgers, Mother Bickerdyke and Julia Dent Grant" -- Betty Carlson Kay, Re-Enactor, Jacksonville, Illinois
Held at Camp Dodge Gold Star Museum

October 1
"Lincoln's Tragic Admiral The Life of Samuel Francis DuPont" -- Dr. Keven Weddle, US Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania

November 12
"And the War Came" -- David Hirsch, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable

Spring 2014 Campaign

January 15
"General Benjamin Butler: Lincoln's Enigma" -- Judge Roberta and Lydon Swartzendruber, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable

February 19
"The Life of Confederate POWs at Rock Island" -- George Eaton, Command Historian, Rock Island Arsenal

March 19
"Alexander Clark and Iowa's First Volunteers of African-American Descent; Later 60th Infantry Regiment U.S. Colored Troops (U.S.C.T)" -- Jack Lufkin, Former SHSI Curator, Des Moines

April 16
"Where's Waldo? -- I Mean A.P.Hill" -- Ken Allers, Cedar Rapids

May 21
"Winnie Davis: Daughter of the Confederacy and Last Casualty of the Lost Cause" -- Heath Hardage Lee, Des Moines

June 18
"'I Must Have Some Relief Or It Will Kill Me:' Abraham Lincoln's Reliance on Shakespeare" -- Tim McNeese, York College, York, Nebraska

Fall 2013 Campaign

September 4
"Littleton Brothers at War" -- Tom Woodruff of Davenport and Ed Bayne of Wapello

October 2
"Draw Your Weapons: Civil War Cartoons from Harpers Weekly" -- Dr. Maura Lyons, Drake University

November 6
"Unconditional Surrender: An Evening with President Grant" -- Pete Grady, Marshalltown

November 19
Special Meeting and Dinner at Drake University

Spring 2013 Campaign

January 16
"Iowa Learns to Wage War" -- Bill Bartine, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable

February 20
"Iowans Who Fought Against the Union" -- David Connon, Earlham

March 20
"The Tally War: A Different Perspective" -- Dave Jackson, North English/Hinkletown

April 17
"Inventing Stonewall Jackson: A Southern Hero in History and Memory" -- Dr. Wallace Hettle, University of North Iowa, Cedar Falls

May 15
"The Life and Songs of Stephen Foster: A Real Yankee Doodle Dandy" -- Edy Fudge, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable

June 19
"Mary Ann Bickerdyke: Civil War Nurse" -- Reenacted by Jessica Michna, Racine, Wisconsin

Fall 2012 Campaign

September 5
"Iowa's Martyr Regiment: The Story of the 38th Iowa Infantry" -- David Wildman, Watsonville, California

October 3
"Civil War Cannons of Iowa" -- Dennis Bresson, Waterloo

November 7
"Captured in Dixie! Iowans and Their Experiences as Prisoners of War" -- Dr. Tim Walch, Iowa City; Former Director, Hoover Museum & Birthplace

Spring 2012 Campaign

January 18
"The Supreme Court and the Civil War" -- Roberta and Dr. Lydon Swartzendruber, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable

February 15
"The Civil War on Canvas" -- Roger Raines, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable

March 21
"The Fort Henry/Fort Donelson Campaign - February 1862: The Decisive Point" -- Kendall Gott, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

April 18
"Iowa's Youth on the Civil War Homefront" -- Dr. Lisa Ossian, Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny, Iowa

May 16
"How to Distinguish Deserving Men from the Drones: Lincoln and Political Patronage" -- Dr. Tom Schwartz, Director of the Hoover Museum and Library, West Branch, Iowa

May 30
Special Meeting at the State Historical Building with Dinner, Live Civil War Entertainment, Civil War Exhibit Viewing, Battle Flag Preservation Lab Tours

June 20
"The Role of the Civil War Bugler" and "A History of Taps" -- Dr. Scott Muntefering, Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa

Fall 2011 Campaign

September 7
"Modern War Methods of General James Longstreet" -- Lt. Col. Harold Knudsen, St. Louis, Missouri

October 5
"Pragmatic Abolitionists: Contrabands, Samuel Ryan Curtis and the Army of the Southwest in the White River Campaign in Arkansas in 1862" -- Dr. Terry Beckengbaugh, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

November 2
"Union Occupation of Northern Alabama" -- Prof. Joe Danielson, Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny, Iowa

Spring 2011 Campaign

January 19
"Jens Ritend: A Personal Story" (Co.K, 32nd Iowa Vol. Inf.) -- Glenn Kappelmann, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable

February 16
"The Civil War, Railroads, and the Making of Modern America" -- William G. Thomas, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska

March 16
"Witnesses: 19th Century Feminist Antislavery Rhetoric" -- Ranney Ramsey, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable

April 20
"The 14th Iowa Infantry at the Battle of Pilot Knob, Missouri" -- Tod Wilkinson, Ozarks Technical Community College, Springfield, Missouri

May 18
"Iowa Troops in Dakota Territory 1861 - 65" -- Prof. Terry Lindell, Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa

June 15
"The Union Wages 'Total War' on the Confederacy" -- Brad Lookingbill, Columbia College, Columbia, Missouri

Fall 2010 Campaign

September 1
"Major General John McClernand: Politician in Uniform" -- Rich Kiper, Leavenworth, Kansas

October 6
"Baseball and the Civil War " -- Bruce Allardice, Chicago, Illinois, with John Liepa's baseball card/memorabilia collection on display

November 3
"Civil War Guerrilla Warefare" -- Dr. William Feis, Buena Vista University, Storm Lake, Iowa

Spring 2010 Campaign

January 20
Cancelled because of weather conditions

February 17
"Civil War Diaries" -- Tanya Zanish-Belcher, Iowa State University Archivist

March 17
"Lincoln and Liberty Too" -- Music by Bob Welch, Dubuque, Iowa

April 7
Evening at the State Historical Building, Des Moines, Iowa, with viewing of Lincoln and Iowa exhibit, dinner by Cafe Baratta's, and performance by Old Creamery Theatre of "Young Abe Lincoln"

April 21
"Religion and the Civil War" -- Robert Miller of the Chicago Civil War Roundtable

May 19
"Lincoln as a War Leader" -- Grant Veeder, Waterloo, Iowa

Fall 2009 Campaign

September 2
"An Evening with Abraham Lincoln" -- George Buss, Freeport, Illinois

October 7
"Sheridan's Hawkeyes: the 22nd, 24th and 28th Iowa in the Shenandoah Valley, 1864" -- Jeffry Burden, Richmond, Virginia

November 4
"Alexander Clark: The Most Prominent Negro in the Civil War Iowa Era" -- Susan Kuecker, African-American Museum, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

December 3
"A Civil War 'Manual of Arms'" -- Mark Warren, Bloomfield, Iowa

Spring 2009 Campaign

January 21
"Bushwhackers as Terrorists" -- Professor Bradley Dyke, Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny, Iowa

February 18
"An Illustrated Story of Civil War Submarines" -- Lowell Sneller, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable

March 18
"Iowans at Lincoln's Inaugurations" -- Rhoda Sneller, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable

April 15
"The Civil War in Meter" -- Glen Kappelmann, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable

April 29
"Iowa, African Americans, and the Civil War" -- William Morris, Des Moines

May 20
"Epiphany at Alton: Lincoln's Last Debate" -- Tim Good, Bellevue, Nebraska

Fall 2008 Campaign

September 3
"Tenting Tonight: Songs of the Civil War" -- Judy Cook, Laurel, Maryland

October 1
"Battle of Pea Ridge" -- Kirk Brandenberger/Hank Hustus, Keokuk, Iowa

November 5
"The Lincoln Assassination: Myths and New Perspectives" -- Dr. Blaine Houmes, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

December 3
"The Underground Railroad on the Western Frontier" -- James Patrick Morgan, Council Bluffs, Iowa

Spring 2008 Campaign

January 16
"How the Civil War is Taught in High Schools, Colleges and Universities" -- Dr. Nicholas Proctor, Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa

February 20
"First Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment (1861) and First Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Colored) -- A Contrast in Glory" -- Professor Dennis Kellogg, Des Moines Area Community College

March 19
"Bringing Civil War History Alive" -- Michael Hayes & John Keller, Grinnell, Iowa

April 16
"Songs and Stories of the Civil War" -- Bob Welch, Dubuque, Iowa

May 21
"Iowa Stories of the Civil War" -- Kenneth Lyftogt, Cedar Falls, Iowa

Fall 2007 Campaign

September 5
"An Evening with Mary Todd Lincoln" -- Jessica Michna, Racine, Wisconsin

October 3
"Music and Musicians of the Civil War" -- Dr. Brian Roberts, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa

November 7
"Iowa's Civil War Medal of Honor Winners" -- Senator Dennis Black, Grinnell, Iowa

December 5
"The Myths of Gettysburg" -- Thomas Flagel, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Spring 2007 Campaign

January 17
"Iowa Flags Update" -- William Johnson, Iowa Historical Society, Des Moines, Iowa

February 21
"Iowa Boys Go to War" -- Robert Parker, Des Moines Civil War Round Table

March 21
"Changing Nations: Confederate Nationalism and Confederate Identity" -- Dr. Dave Salvaterra, Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa

April 18
"An Evening with Cal McVey: Iowa, Baseball, and the Civil War" -- John Liepa, Des Moines Civil War Round Table

May 16
"Slavery, Abolition, and My Civil War Memorabilia" -- Elaine Estes, Former Director, Public Library of Des Moines

Fall 2006 Campaign

September 6
"Civil War Intelligence" -- Dr. William Feis, Buena Vista College, Storm Lake, Iowa

October 4
"Abraham Lincoln and the Great Sioux Uprising" -- Miles Browne, Des Moines Civil War Round Table

November 1
"Qua Yarns: Women in the Civil War" -- Kelly Schott, Cedar Falls, Iowa

December 6
"'He had more than held the Fort': General John Murray Corse" -- Dr. Tom Colbert, Iowa Valley Community College, Marshalltown, Iowa

Spring 2006 Campaign

January 18
"Northern Reactions to Southern Secession" -- Dr. Kevin Gannon, Grand View College, Des Moines, Iowa

February 15
"Commemorating Our Heroes: The Evolution of Civil War Commemoratives in the U.S." -- Brian McCutchen, National Park Service, Omaha, Nebraska

March 15
"Andersonville: Up Close and Personal" -- Gary Huxford, Marengo, Iowa

March 29 -- Gold Star Museum Evening at Camp Dodge
"Tour of the Collection" -- Mike Vogt, Gold Star Museum, Camp Dodge
"Weapons of the Civil War" -- Roger Raines, Des Moines Civil War Round Table

April 19
"The Life Experiences of Pvt. Jeremiah Wetzel" -- Jerry Wetzel, Des Moines Civil War Round Table

May 17
"Confederate Invasion of Iowa" -- Carl Boas and Rusty Corder, Davis County Civil War Reenactors

Fall 2005 Campaign

September 6
"Death Comes to the Lincoln White House: The Fall of Elmer Ellsworth" -- Rhoda Sneller, Des Moines Civil War Round Table

October 5
"Tenting Tonight and Songs and Stories of the Civil War" -- Judy Cook, Folksinger, Laurel, Maryland

November 2
"Lincoln Triumphant: From Crisis to Victory 1864-1865" -- Dr. Ronald Rietveld, California State University, Fullerton

December 7
"Elizabeth Van Lew: Crazy Bet" -- Edy Fudge, Des Moines Civil War Round Table

Spring 2005 Campaign

January 19
"The Battle of Champion Hill" and "Civil War Battlefield Preservation" -- Tim Smith, Park Ranger, Shiloh National Military Park, Tennessee

February 16
"Campaign to Break Vicksburg" -- Donald C. Elder III, East New Mexico University, Portales, New Mexico

March 16
Ron Rockenback, Civil War Reenactor, Lincoln, Nebraska

March 30 -- Iowa State Historical Building Evening
"Up Close and Personal with the Civil War Exhibit" -- Bill Johnson, Iowa State Historical Society
"Battle Flag Restoration" -- Sheila Hanke, Iowa State Historical Society

April 20
"The Philosophical Positions of the North and South" -- Pete Taggert, Simpson College/Des Moines Civil War Round Table

May 18
"Iowans and the Battle of Columbus, Georgia" -- Mike Vogt, Gold Star Museum, Camp Dodge, Johnston, Iowa

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