Perhaps one of the best “citizen generals” who served the Union army during the Civil War, Jacob Dolson Cox was seemingly positioned to be the sixth Ohioan who would ascend to the presidency in the post-bellum years. Yet this man who had done so much for the Northern cause would remain a back-bencher in the...
Our next program is scheduled for November 14th, and will feature a discussion of Jacob Dolson Cox, one of the most exceptional leaders of the Union Civil War effort who is almost unknown. Author Gene Schmiel has turned a spotlight on Cox in an effort to give him his long deserved recognition. Cox would be the tactical commander...
The Civil War Trust has recently distributed a two-issue survey seeking input from folks interested in history. The first issue concerns war monuments in America, and focuses largely on the contemporary issue that targets Confederate memorials. The second issue concerns our nation’s history and shifts in Civil War interpretation. The survey can be accessed and...
The Civil War in what is today (and for the last half of the War) West Virginia often takes a back seat to the more glorious events in the eastern part of Virginia, Maryland and even into central Pennsylvania. But, to the men who spent much of their time on garrison and foraging duties in...
Mustering Officer (and Membership Chair) Dave Sweigert reports the roles of the First Defenders has now reached 80 recruits. New members may still enlist! Our goal is to reach “Company’ strength by December. Please contact Dave or download your membership application from our site. We look forward to seeing you at our next muster!
Mustering Officer (and Membership Chair) Dave Sweigert reports the roles of the First Defenders have swelled to 67, including several new recruits. Everyone is reminded that renewing your Round Table membership must be done by the October 10th program and meeting. Download your application from the “Newsletters” page and return it to Dave either by...
The second engagement of our 21st Campaign is a little less than two weeks away! Our October 10th program will feature author and educator Steve French and his rendering of “The Kidnapping of the Generals.” This program will relate McNeill’s Rangers successful February 1865 capture of Generals Crook and Kelley from their Cumberland, Maryland hotel rooms and...
Harper’s Ferry Chief Historian Dennis Frye made his third trip to the First Defenders Civil War Round Table in fine style by questioning mainstream historians and logic itself by asking whether George McClellan out-thought Robert E. Lee during the first invasion of the North in 1862. Frye outlined four instances in the first two weeks...
On April 14, 1861, the Stars and Stripes were lowered over Fort Sumter. The next day, President Abraham Lincoln, with an iron will to “preserve the Union”, issued a proclamation calling for 75,000 volunteers to put down the rebellion. Thousands of Northern men left cities, farms, and towns to answer the call. The first to arrive in...
