Announcements

2026 Battlefield Tour - Charleston. April 29-May 2, 2026. See our Battlefield Tour page for more information.

Grapeshot

People should check whether the event will be broadcast on Zoom.

Mar. 21st, Salt Creek CWRT: Ed Urban on "The Murder of General Earl Van Dorn"
Mar. 26th, South Suburban CWRT: Bruce Allardice on "Damn the Torpedoes! Hi-Tech Rebs and their Infernal Machines"
Apr. 1st, Kankakee Valley CWRT: Gordon Ramsey on "Hot Air Balloons at the Beginning of the Civil War"
Apr. 3rd, Northern Illinois CWRT: Laurie Schiller on "U.S. Cavalry"
Apr. 6th, Rock Valley CWRT: Laura Keyes on "Mary Lincoln's Photo Album"
Apr. 10th, Chicago CWRT: Wayne Motts, Nevins-Freeman Address, "Illinois Civil War Artifacts in the Collection of the National Civil War Museum"
Apr. 13th, Gail Borden Library in Elgin: Armchair General Discussion Group
Apr. 14th, Southwest Michigan CWRT: Ben Bever on "If This Desirable Station Could Talk"
Apr. 14th, McHenry County CWRT: Bob Grenier on "General Edmund Kirby Smith"
Apr. 18th, Du Page Annual Civil War and Militaria Show
Apr. 21st, Lincoln-Davis CWRT: Bob Grenier on "The Swamp Fox of the Confederacy"
Apr. 23rd, South Suburban CWRT: Dennis Doyle on "Plainfield and Will County During the Civil War"
Apr. 25th, Salt Creek CWRT: Charlie Banks on "General Nathaniel P. Banks"
May 1st, Northern Illinois CWRT: Pat McCormick on "General John Logan"
May 4th, Rock Valley CWRT: Steve Alban on "Frank Vitzelly"
May 8th, Chicago CWRT: Chris Mackowski on "The Battle of Spotsylvania"
May 11th, Gail Borden Library in Elgin: Armchair General Discussion Group
May 12th, Southwest Michigan CWRT: Mark Laubacher on "Dr. George B. Todd"
May 12th, McHenry County CWRT: Kathy Springhorn on "Kinston Hangings: Civil War North Carolina 1864"
May 15th, Salt Creek CWRT: Brian Seiter on "Wilson's Creek"
May 17th, Kankakee Valley CWRT: Christina Smith on "Food of the Civil War Era"
May 19th, Lincoln-Davis CWRT: Bruce Allardice on "Aloha Oe! Hawaii and the American Civil War"
May 22nd, South Suburban CWRT: Dennis Doyle on "Battle of North Anna"
May 28th, South Suburban CWRT: Zack Nunamaker on "Jesse James and the Civil War"
June 1st, Rock Valley CWRT: Bob Presman on "How Movies and Television Shape Our Perception of the Civil War"
June 3rd, Kankakee Valley CWRT: Annual Dinner
June 5th, Northern Illinois CWRT: TBA
June 9th, McHenry County CWRT: Steve Alban on "The Confederacy's Secret Weapon"
June 12th, Chicago CWRT: Alex Rossino on "The Maryland Campaign of 1862"
June 16th, Lincoln-Davis CWRT: Valerie Gugula on "The Life of Mary Lincoln"
June 19th, Salt Creek CWRT: Annual Banquet: Mark Pohlad on "Abraham Lincoln and Chicago"
July 13th, Gail Borden Library in Elgin: Armchair General Discussion Group
July 14th, McHenry County CWRT: Bruce Allardice on "Aloha Oe! Hawaii and the American Civil War"
July 21st, Lincoln-Davis CWRT: John Horn on "Lee Besieged"
Aug. 11th, McHenry County CWRT: TBA
Aug. 16th, Lincoln-Davis CWRT: Serena Ald on "The Underground Railroad in Illinois"
Aug. 27th, South Suburban CWRT: John Horn on "The Battle of Petersburg"
Sept. 8th, McHenry County CWRT: TBA
Sept. 11th, Chicago CWRT: James Marten on "The Sixth Wisconsin"
Sept. 15th, Lincoln-Davis CWRT: Rob Girardi on "General John Logan"
Sept. 24th, South Suburban CWRT: Rachel Mellen on "55th Illinois Regiment"
Oct. 9th, Chicago CWRT: Ron White on "Joshua Chamberlain"
Oct. 13th, McHenry County CWRT: TBA
Oct. 20th, Lincoln-Davis CWRT: Ed Urban on "The Queen of the West"
Oct. 22nd, South Suburban CWRT: Ron Kirkwood on "Soldier's Stories from Gettsyburg"
Nov. 13th, Chicago CWRT: Bob Miller,topic TBA
Nov. 10th, McHenry County CWRT: TBA
Nov. 17th, Lincoln-Davis CWRT: Andrea Nolen on "Lincoln's Counterfeiters"
Nov. 19th, South Suburban CWRT: Eric Benjaminson on "The 82nd Illiois at Gettysburg"
Dec. 8th, McHenry County CWRT: TBA
Dec. 11th, Chicago CWRT: Stuart Dempsey, topic TBA
Dec. 15th, Lincoln-Davis CWRT: John Beatty on "Shiloh"
Jan. 8th, 2027, Chicago CWRT: Dan Masters, topic TBA
Jan. 28th, South Suburban CWRT: Brian Seiter on "The Battle of Wilson's Creek"
Feb. 12th, Chicago CWRT: Rob Girardi, topic TBA
Feb. 25th, South Suburban CWRT: Debate Meeting: Election of 1864; Grant vs. Lee
March 12th, Chicago CWRT: Doug Dammann, Nevins-Freeman Address
March 25th, South Suburban CWRT: Ed Urban on "The Battle of Pea Ridge"
April 9th, Chicago CWRT: Dave Powell, topic TBA
April 22nd, South Suburban CWRT: Mark Laubacher, "Dr. George B. Todd: Medical Officer on Land, River, Sea"
May 14th, Chicago CWRT: Caroline Janney, topic TBA
May 22nd, South Suburban CWRT: Jon Sebastian, Topic TBA
June 11th, Chicago CWRT: Kevin Donovan, topic TBA

Speakers Bureau
Looking for a good presentation on the Civil War for your library, school, historical society, or civic group? The Coalition of CWRTs of Northern Illinois has put together a Speakers Bureau to help you find one.

Best of all, most presentations are FREE!! Click here for a Speaker Registry printable list, with details and contact information.

House Divided Series
Bjorn Skaptason at the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop reminds us of their series of Civil War talks. For more information on these and upcoming events, visit Abraham Lincoln Bookshop.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please Contact Us