WELCOME TO THE CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE OF DALLAS

 

No event in our history fascinates Americans as much as the Civil War.  Our interest in the war is only natural for "it was the crossroads of our being," as author Shelby Foote said, "It defines us."

 

The Civil War Round Table of Dallas is a diverse group of men and woman of all ages and from varying backgrounds who enjoy learning about the American Civil War.  It includes history enthusiasts as well as individuals who are just beginning to develop an interest in the Civil War.  It is neither pro-Confederate nor pro-Union in its views, but rather presents topics from both viewpoints of the war.

We meet on the second Wednesday of each month to hear guest speakers, many of whom are nationally known historians, and to discuss a wide range of topics.  Membership is open to anyone at the cost of $25 per year.

 

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MEETING LOCATION

Our meetings are held at the Divine Coffee Shop in the Northlake Shopping Center, located at 10233 East Northwest Highway, Suite 434.  This is on the northeast corner of Ferndale Road and Northwest Highway (Mapsco 27Z) (click here for map to restaurant).  The meal is a buffet at a cost of $15 per person.  It is served shortly after 6:00 and the speaker begins about 7:00.  There is usually a question and answer period following the presentation, time permitting.  Meetings are generally end around 8:15.  Dress is casual.

 

 

PLEASE MAKE RESERVATIONS – WE HAVE TO GIVE A GUARANTEE

To make your reservation, email Gerry York at Gygolf@charter.net or call Pax Glenn at 214-352-8138 or Scott Robson at 214-348-7703 by noon on the Tuesday before the Wednesday meeting.  DON’T BE A NO-SHOW.  If you have made reservations and then learn you cannot attend, we ask you to cancel by noon on the Tuesday before the meeting so we can inform the restaurant.  If we are charged for the no-show meal by the restaurant, we will have to charge you for it.

 

 

NEXT MEETING – WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2010

RICHARD B. McCASLIN, Ph.D.

 

A VOICE OF REASON:

SAM HOUSTON AND THE SECESSION CRISIS IN TEXAS

 

Our Presenter

We welcome back Richard B. McCaslin, Ph.D., Chair of the History Department of the University of North Texas for his fifth visit to our Round Table.  Rick received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas in Austin, his M.A. from LSU and his B.A. from Delta State University.  He has written many papers and books, among which are: Tainted Breeze: The Great Hanging at Gainesville, Texas, October 1862 (LSU Press 1994), Lee In The Shadow of Washington (LSU Press 2001), and The Last Stronghold: The Battles for Fort Fisher  (McWhiney Foundation, 2003).  His latest book is Fighting for Texas: Rip Ford in the Civil War.  For his work, he is currently listed in Contemporary Authors and Who’s Who in America.  Rick is also the recipient of our 2009 Grady McWiney Award of Merit.

 

Featured Presentation

During the 1850s, Texans became increasingly committed to the Southern way of life, exemplified by cotton production and slavery.  This led many Texans to endorse the Democrats’ push for secession as a proper way to protect their investments and their lives, especially in the wake of the insurrectionist scare in North Texas.  Only a few Texas leaders stood firm against secession, the most notable of which was Governor Sam Houston.  He was a committed Jacksonian Unionist, and he had dedicated his life since 1836 to doing what he thought was right for Texas.  In 1861, rather than support secession, Houston allowed himself to be removed from office, and he declined to lead a Unionist revolt against the democratic majority.  In the end, he could not abandon his Jacksonian principles, but he would not shed the blood of Texans in a futile effort to promote his own agenda.

 

 

UPCOMING MEETINGS

 

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

  Ed Bearss - The Founding of Two Civil War Military Parks: The Stories of Pea Ridge and Wilson’s Creek

 

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

  Anne J. Bailey Ph.D.  TBA

 

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

  TBA

 

Quick Links

Monthly News • Membership Form

 

Grady McWhiney Award of Merit

The Grady McWhiney Award, named in honor of Dr. Grady McWhiney, is presented annually to an individual or organization that has contributed significantly to the scholarship or preservation of Civil War history.  Winners of the Grady McWhiney Award of Merit have been:

 

1998 Grady McWhiney, Ph.D.

 

1999 Charles and Peggy Pearce – Pearce Collection of Civil War Letters and Documents

 

2000 John C. Waugh: Author of The Class of 1846 and Reelecting Lincoln: The Battle of the 1864 Presidency

 

2001 Scott Bowden and Bill Ward – Authors of Last Chance for Victory: Robert E. Lee and the Gettysburg Campaign

 

2002 Steve Woodworth, Ph.D. – Author of numerous books on the Civil War and Professor of History at TCU

 

2003 Donald S. Frazier, Ph.D. – Civil War historian and Executive Director of the Grady McWhiney Research Foundation

 

2004 B.D. Patterson, D.D.S. – Dean of the Harold B. Simpson Hill College History Complex and Conference Research

 

2005 Anne J. Bailey, Ph.D. – Professor of History at Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville, Georgia

 

2006 Glenn Linden, Ph.D. – Professor of History at SMU

 

2007 Edwin C. Bearss – Civil War Historian and Chairman Emeritus of the U.S. National Parks

 

2008 Richard F. Selcer, Ph.D. – Northlake College

 

2009 Rick McCaslin, Ph.D. – University of North Texas