The Civil War Roundtable of St. Charles, Missouri is an informal group that invites you to join us in the Kathryn Linnemann Library at 2323 Elm Street in St. Charles, at 6 pm on the first Tuesday of each month. Each month has a program and a discussion topic. Everyone is welcome
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OUR NEXT MEETINGS
MARCH 2026
On Tuesday, March 3, authors Vicki and Jim Erwin will present a program based on their new book, Ulysses & Julia Grant’s Missouri Love Story. The couple will discuss the early lives of Julia and Ulysses Grant, their courtship, their years in Missouri, and how that time shaped their future together. When a young officer newly graduated from West Point met the eldest daughter of a gruff Missouri slaveowner, farmer, and land speculator, it was love at first sight. Ulysses Grant and Julia Dent courted at her family farm, White Haven, until he was called away to fight in the Mexican-American War. Secretly engaged, Ulysses wrote tender letters to Julia between daring exploits in battle. Upon his return, they were married. Ulysses’s military career soon stagnated, and after a difficult period of separation while he was stationed on the West Coast, he resigned his commission to join Julia at White Haven—before returning to service during the Civil War. Hopefully the Erwins will bring copies of their books for purchase, so please bring cash.
APRIL 2026
On Tuesday, April 7, author Tom Raifner will present a program on General Orders No. 11, one of the most controversial directives of the Civil War. Following the guerrilla attack on Lawrence, Kansas, in August 1863—led by William Quantrill—Brigadier General Thomas Ewing, of Pilot Knob fame, ordered the depopulation of several counties along the Missouri–Kansas border. Ewing’s objective was to deny guerrillas support from the pro-Southern civilian population that aided the bushwhackers.
The severity of General Orders No. 11 and the manner of its enforcement alienated vast numbers of civilians and caused tremendous hardship. The region soon became known as the “Burnt District,” and many families never returned to their destroyed farms. Ewing emerged as one of the most hated Union officers in Missouri.
PAST PROGRAMS
IF YOU MISSED OUR MEETING YOU CAN ALSO FIND US ON YOU TUBE AT https://www.youtube.com/@CWRTSCC
The video from our January 2026 meeting has received 160 views and is available on our YouTube channel NOW! https://www.youtube.com/@CWRTSCC
Our channel continues to grow, and several additional presentations are now available. If you missed a meeting or would like to revisit a program, I encourage you to explore the full selection of videos on our page. Please remember to Like and Subscribe, as this greatly improves our visibility in search results. Feel free to share the link to our YouTube channel and website with anyone who may be interested. Special thanks to Greg and Daniel Waters for managing and updating our channel. Civil War Round Table of St. Charles County – YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@CWRTSCC
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PAST MEETINGS ARE ON YOU TUBE
Our next meeting is this coming Tuesday, December 2, at 7:00 p.m.
This month marks our second a On Tuesday, March 3, authors Vicki and Jim Erwin will present a program based on their new book, Ulysses & Julia Grant’s Missouri Love Story. The couple will discuss the early lives of Julia and Ulysses Grant, their courtship, their years in Missouri, and how that time shaped their future together. When a young officer newly graduated from West Point met the eldest daughter of a gruff Missouri slaveowner, farmer, and land speculator, it was love at first sight. Ulysses Grant and Julia Dent courted at her family farm, White Haven, until he was called away to fight in the Mexican-American War. Secretly engaged, Ulysses wrote tender letters to Julia between daring exploits in battle. Upon his return, they were married. Ulysses’s military career soon stagnated, and after a difficult period of separation while he was stationed on the West Coast, he resigned his commission to join Julia at White Haven—before returning to service during the Civil War. Hopefully the Erwins will bring copies of their books for purchase, so please bring cash.
2026 MEETINGS
January 6: The Missouri State Guard-Doug Gifford
February 3: General John A. Logan of Illinois-Greg Waters
March 3: The Romance of Julia and Ulysses Grant in St. Louis-Jim Irwin
March 28-29: Outing-Wilson’s Creek and The Battle of Springfield Tours
April 7: General Orders #11-Tom Raifner
May 5: Peruque Fort and the Underground Railroad – Dorris Keeven-Franke
May 9: Outing-Civil War Weapons Firing
June 2: The Prairie Grove Campaign-Doug Gifford
July 7: A Civil War Confederate Soldier-Layne Chartrand
August 4: The Civil War in Northern Missouri-Doug Gifford
September 1:The Vicksburg Campaign Part 1-Doug Gifford
October 6: The Vicksburg Campaign Part 2-Doug Gifford
October 17: Outing-Tour of Jefferson Barracks and the MO Civil War Museum
November 3: The Battle of Perryville, Kentucky-Greg Waters
December 1: Cookies, Cocoa, and a Documentary
We also need to add a workday to move headstones at Peruque Creek Fort
Want to learn more about us or contact us? – ABOUT
Wilson’s Creek tour (POSTPONED)
First, we will visit the museum and watch a short documentary about the battle to set the stage for the tour. Then we will head out onto the battlefield. The tour will consist of a series of stops at important sites associated with the battle. At each stop, Kent Fujiwara will describe the action in that area and lead a discussion. We expect the tour to last several hours.
There are no facilities on the battlefield, so we will likely stop by the visitor center during the tour for a restroom break. Also, please make sure you have water. Although this is primarily a driving tour, there will be some walking at two or three stops, so wear comfortable shoes. The walking is over smooth, mostly level surfaces, so hiking boots are not necessary. The tour will last several hours over lunchtime, so we suggest a hearty breakfast. Those interested will be able to meet for a late lunch after the tour; however, you are welcome to bring sandwiches or a snack in case you get hungry during the tour.
After the tour, we hope everyone will join us at Flat Creek Republic restaurant, a seven-minute drive from the battlefield, for a late lunch/early supper.
On Sunday morning, we will have a driving tour of the January 9, 1863, Battle of Springfield, which was part of John S. Marmaduke’s southwest Missouri raid. We’ll meet at Park Central Square at 10:00 a.m. There is a free parking lot on Boonville Street just north of the square. The driving tour will last less than two hours. Those interested can have lunch together on our way out of town.
We finish a three-month study of the Union winter offensive of 1862 in March. We’ll study the Fort Henry and Fort Donelson Campaign, where General Ulysses S. Grant began the first successful Union offensive of the war and shattered the Confederate defensive line in the West. After the fall of Fort Donelson, Confederate commander in West, General Albert Sidney Johnston, assembled all available troops to launch a surprise attack against the Union army encamped at Shiloh Meeting House. The subsequent Battle of Shiloh will be our April topic. Then, in May, we will examine the actions of the Confederate and Union armies after the Battle of Shiloh, as a massive Union army slowly advanced on the strategically important railroad crossroads of Corinth, Mississippi.
LOCAL TOUR WE GAVE IN ST. CHARLES
A free self-driving caravan tour on Sunday, May 18, 2025, will be led by author and historian Dorris Keeven-Franke. She will lead the participants through St. Charles County sharing seven important sites that reflect the enslaved experience prior to, during and following the Civil War. Learn about the life and death of Preacher Absolom White, a free black who lived in St. Charles and began the AME Churches. Visit Sage Chapel Cemetery listed on the National Register of Historic Places and one of the oldest black cemeteries in the county. Learn about Captain Campbell’s icehouse, where Archer Alexander learned Confederates were planning an attack on the local bridge and storing guns. Visit the Hopewell community where 43 men would join the Union’s U.S. Colored Troops. Then visit the site of the Peruque Creek Fort manned by the Missouri’s home Guards, where there was a Contraband camp nearby for the enslaved. Then visit the Smith Chapel Cemetery, listed on the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom which is currently being restored by students from the St. Charles Community College. Finally end at St. Charles County Parks, also listed on the Network to Freedom, the site now of the Douglass Schoolhouse, reconstructed on the farm of freedom seeker Benjamin Oglesby. There the tour will end with an opportunity to discuss the afternoon’s events and ask questions. The tour is free and will begin at 1:00 pm at 550 Madison Street in St. Charles and will take approximately three hours and is being hosted by the Civil War Roundtable of St. Charles. The entire tour is via your personal cars and there is no entry to private homes. For more information or questions call 636-221-1524.
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Everyone is welcome to join us for an informal gathering and interesting discussion about the Civil War…
- MEETING: July: 1: History of the Missouri State Militia and the Enrolled Missouri Militia
- MEETING: August: 5: The Common Soldier in the Civil War
- MEETING: September 2: Opening Hostilities: South Carolina, Maryland, and Missouri
- MEETING: October 7: The Battle of Wilson’s Creek
- TOUR: OCTOBER 18-19, WILSON’S CREEK BATTLEFIELD
- MEETING: November 4: Joseph Shelby’s 1863 Missouri Raid
- MEETING: December 2: Movie TBD, cookies and hot chocolate
Civil War Roundtable of St. Charles County 