Everyone is welcome at our monthly meetings.

Attend the dinner and presentation, or just the presentation.

Recordings of many of the meetings are available for a small charge, click here for a printable list of Recorded Meetings

We meet September through June, generally on the second Friday evening of each month. See list of meeting dates and speakers below for our 2013-2014 program year.

Our meetings take place at the Mart Plaza Holiday Inn, 350 N. Orleans Street, Chicago, IL 60654
Validated hotel parking is $12
Click here for a map and directions

5:30 pm Cash Bar, 6:30 pm Dinner, 7:30 pm Presentation

Dinner/Presentation is $47 per person – There is always a choice of entrée. (Entrée options are listed below.) Make checks payable to "The Civil War Round Table".
Presentation only is $10 per person. Payable at the door, cash or check. Be there by 7:15.
Please make your reservation in advance by contacting us at (630)460-1865 or DinnerReservations@ChicagoCWRT.org.

Note:
Dinner reservations should be received by Wednesday evening prior to the meeting. When you make your dinner reservation, please be sure to indicate your entrée choice.
Presentation only reservations are appreciated but not required to attend.

March 14, 2014

Aaron Barnhart and Diane Eickhoff on:
“Price's 1864 Raid“

Arguably, the Civil War started in Missouri in the years before Secession, with the fighting in Bloody Kansas. Here John Brown, William Quantrill and Jesse James carved their names into the history books. And here was the scene of one of the last major offensives of the Confederate army, the 1864 Confederate raid into Missouri led by Confederate General (and former Missouri governor) Sterling Price.

Price’s raid was the last major action west of the Mississippi River. The Confederates launched the raid for purposes they were not entirely certain of. For Price, it was a blow to liberate his beloved Missouri from Yankee rule. For Price’s superior, Department commander E. Kirby Smith, the raid was a chance to bring in new recruits and keep the army busy. For Confederate President Jefferson Davis, thinking of the larger implications, the raid might divert Union troops who might otherwise put added pressure on Atlanta.

The raid certainly didn’t accomplish what Price intended. Missouri didn’t rise up en masse, and Union forces chased Price’s mounted men out of the state. But the raid—which included a battle at Westport that was the largest conflict fought in the Trans-Mississippi—did temporarily divert Union troops from reinforcing Sherman’s advance.

On March 14th, Aaron Barnhart and Diane Eickhoff will examine that raid.

Former Chicagoans, the speakers moved to Missouri from Chicago 16 years ago so Aaron Barnhart could take a job as television and media critic for the Kansas City Star. Diane Eickhoff is an author and historian According to the Civil War Trust, the speakers’ book, The Big Divide: A Travel Guide to the Historic and Civil War Sites in the Missouri-Kansas Border Region, “explores the history, differences and cultural resources of the Missouri-Kansas borderlands. Their offering provides a portrait of this area though insightful reviews, thoughts and interesting facts about historic sites in the region. From the “Border War” to Fort Scott, readers will discover the immense and intricate history in America’s heartland, along with the long history of animosity between these two states, their peoples and struggle for identity.”

Entrée choices are:
Roast Turkey
Baked Salmon
Vegetarian or Fruit Plate

For the remainder of our 2013-14 program year, we proudly welcome these outstanding speakers:

Apr. 11th, 2014
Scott Bowden
Last Chance for Victory

May 9th, 2014
Dave Bastian
Grant's Canal

June 13th, 2014
Kenneth Noe
The War in Appalachia

Aug. 15th, 2014
Lance Herdegen
The Iron Brigade

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