Everyone is welcome at our monthly meetings

November 8, 2019
Ethan Rafuse:
'Back to the Chivalric Days of Yore': The Valley Campaign of 1862.

In 1862, Union armies took the offensive throughout Virginia in an effort to win battlefield victories that, it was hoped, in conjunction with a policy of conciliation toward the people of the South, would bring the rebellion to an end by the end of the year. In the Shenandoah Valley, Federal forces initially seized the upper hand, driving Confederate forces from Winchester to Harrisonburg. In May, however, Confederate forces commanded by Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson took the offensive, taking advantage of Federal errors to win battlefield victories that turned the tide in the valley. In the process, Jackson's efforts helped dash Federal hopes for a quick end to the rebellion, which led to a fundamental recasting of Union strategy. This talk will provide an account of Union and Confederate efforts in the Shenandoah Valley during the first half of 1862 and the strategic and operational context that shaped and was shaped by these operations.

Ethan S. Rafuse is professor of military history at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS. His publications include Stonewall Jackson: A Biography and McClellan's War. In 2018-19 he was the Charles Boal Ewing Distinguished Visiting Professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

For our 2019-20 program year, we proudly welcome these outstanding speakers:

Sept. 13th: Janet Croon on The War Outside My Window
Oct. 11th: Jim Lighthizer on Battlefield Preservation
Nov. 8th: Ethan Rafuse on Back to the Chivalric Days of Yore: The Valley Campaign of 1862
Dec. 13th: Daniel Weinberg on Musings of a Collecting Voyeur
Jan. 10th: Pam Toler on Heroines of Mercy Street: Nurses in the Civil War
Feb. 14th: Connie Langum on Wilson's Creek
Mar. 13th: David Sutherland on VMI's Civil War Legacy
Apr. 17th: Michael Shaffer on Recollections of the 1st Virginia Cavalry
May 8th: Wil Greene on The Petersburg Campaign
June 12th: Brian Wills on George Henry Thomas

Copies of recorded meetings are available for a small charge. Click here for a printable list of recorded meetings. More current meetings can be viewed on Youtube.

Our meetings are held at:

Holiday Inn O'Hare
5615 N. Cumberland, Chicago, IL 60631
Parking at the Holiday Inn is FREE
Map and Directions

Dinner $40.00 Members and Non- Members
Cocktails at 5:30, Dinner at 6:30

Presentation only is $10 per person.
Payable at the door, cash or check. Be there by 7:15. For those attending the presentation only, your reservation is appreciated but not required.
Dinner reservations should be received by Sunday evening prior to the meeting.
Please make your reservation in advance by emailing DinnerReservations@ChicagoCWRT.org with the names of your party or by calling (630) 460-1865
Cancellations: email us at DinnerReservations@ChicagoCWRT.org  or call (630) 460-1865

Dinner choices. The CWRT has gone to a buffet style dinner. The buffet will include caeser salad, pasta, garlic bread, two meats (grilled chicken, meat balls, or Italian sausage) and dessert.

Copyright 2009, The Civil War Round Table of Chicago.