Civil Warriors Round Table in West Hills, California - January debriefing

[caption id="attachment_300" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Historian Adam Arenson speaks with Civil Warriors"][/caption]

Greetings Cosmic Americans!

Last night I made my first journey out to the far reaches of the West San Fernando Valley (at least it seems far when you are driving from Hollywood during rush hour) to attend the Civil Warriors monthly round table. This is a great group of people who offer a lively discussion. Civil War historians, buffs, enthusiasts and all the rest should visit one of these meetings when at all possible. My guess is you won't be let down. And here's the really good news - I have the honor of speaking at at this meeting in March - so stay tuned for that one.

This month, the Civil Warriors hosted historian Adam Arenson, author of The Great Heart of the Republic. He spoke about the Civil War in St. Louis, Missouri. On May 10, 1861, federal troops in St. Louis surrounded the Confederate-leaning State militia, who then surrendered. A riot followed - beginning four years in which the Civil War in St. Louis was a battle not fought openly, but in accusations and loyalty oaths, rumors and provost-marshal investigations. Dr. Arenson spoke of the war years in the context of the broader cultural civil war, the transformation of the entire country in debates over Manifest Destiny and slavery - and how these conversations savagely divided St. Louis, making it a Civil War battlefield far from the cannon's roar.

[caption id="attachment_303" align="alignright" width="122" caption="Adam Arenson is Author of The Great Heart of the Rebublic"][/caption]

It goes without saying that a question and answer period followed, with discussion of topics ranging from military history to reconciliation (my question...what else would you expect) to the future of teaching the Civil War in the classroom.

Thanks to Dave and Tom of the Civil Warriors for having me as a guest - I look forward to many more meetings!

Peace,

Keith