Civil War Speaker Series

Posted by Notch

April 6, 2011

There has already been some outstanding speakers appear in this series since the beginning of 2011. Here are what I consider some highlights of the ones that are yet to come. Unless otherwise noted, programs will be held at the Missouri State Archives, located at 600 W. Main Street in Jefferson City.

April 28, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
Through American and Irish Wars: The Life and Times of Thomas W. Sweeny, 1820-1892
Jack Morgan will trace the life of Civil War General Thomas W. Sweeny. “Fighting Tom” played a critical role in defending the St. Louis Arsenal before being sent by General Nathaniel Lyon to command the southern Union flank at Springfield. Critically wounded at Wilson’s Creek, Sweeny later served with distinction at Shiloh and in the eastern theater.

May 19, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
Harry S Truman Building, 301 W. High St., Rooms 490/492
Guerrillas, Partisans, and Bushwhackers: Rethinking the American Civil War
Daniel Sutherland will demonstrate the pervasiveness of guerrilla warfare in Missouri and the South, arguing that it took a toll on the Confederate war effort by weakening support for government and diminishing the trust citizens had that their officials would protect them. He will discuss the driving forces behind guerilla warfare and the forms it took.

June 16, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
Portraits of Conflict: A Photographic History of Missouri in the Civil War
William Garrett Piston and Thomas P. Sweeney will tie period photographs and their stories into an overall narrative of the Civil War in Missouri. Through the lens of a camera, they are able to share the basic humanity of the Civil War experience – its people, its places, and its horror.

July 14, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
General Sterling Price and the Confederacy
Sterling Price, commander of the Missouri State Guard and then Confederate major general, was never fully trusted by Missouri’s Confederate Governor Thomas C. Reynolds. After the Civil War, Reynolds penned a manuscript about Price’s service. Robert G. Schultz has annotated that manuscript, which not only reveals details about Price, but also Reynolds’s view of the Confederate government.

September 22, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
What Archaeology Can Reveal About General Order No. 11
General Order No.11 mandated the depopulation of four Missouri counties, which led to the destruction of private property without hearing or compensation. Ann Raab’s excavation in the Bates County area offers great potential for understanding the events which led to the order, its destructiveness, and how survivors were able to recover.

October 20, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
“Bloody Bill“ Anderson’s Raids on the Lafayette County Germans
“Bloody Bill” Anderson was one of Missouri’s most infamous Civil War guerillas. However, his raids against a German farming settlement in southeastern Lafayette County were little known until recently, when key source material was translated from German to English. Robert W. Frizzell will share the story of these raids and their impact.

November 10, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
Lincoln and Citizens’ Rights in Civil War Missouri: Balancing Freedom and Security
Dennis Boman will discuss the difficulties that President Abraham Lincoln, state officials and military authorities faced in trying to defeat Missouri’s guerrillas. He will present the rationale for the establishment of military tribunals and other controversial policies meant to repress acts of subversion, while simultaneously protecting Constitutional rights.

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