The Civil War Round Table of St. Louis

Our next meeting is April 22. Doors open at 5:30 and dinner starts at 6:00. The program starts about 7:00. We're beginning a little earlier, so take note, especially if you are coming just for the presentation. Our speaker is Matthew Ward, who will talk about Garden of Ruins: Occupied Louisiana in the Civil War. Partially occupied by Union forces starting in the spring of 1862, the Confederate state experienced the initial attempts of the U.S. Army to create a comprehensive occupation structure through military actions, social regulations, the destabilization of slavery, and the formation of a complex bureaucracy. Skirmishes between Union soldiers and white civilians supportive of the Confederate cause multiplied throughout this period, eventually turning occupation into a war on local households and culture. In unoccupied regions of the state, Confederate forces and their noncombatant allies likewise sought to patrol allegiance, leading to widespread conflict with those they deemed disloyal.

We will have renowned historian A. Wilson Greene, author of The Campaign of Giants, to speak about the opening moves of the Petersburg Campaign at our meeting on March 25. Doors open at 5:30, dinner starts at around 6:15, and the program begins about 7:15. We meet at the Affton Elks Club, 6330 Heege. If you are coming for the dinner, please be sure to sign up by this Friday via the website at https://civilwarstlmo.org/, If coming for the presentation only, we suggest arriving a few minutes before 7:15 to make sure you miss nothing,

Want to know where the Civil War sites are in St. Louis? We have the guy who wrote the book--Peter Downs, who will speak at our meeting February 22. We meet at the Affton Elks Club, 6330 Heege. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., dinner about 6:00 p.m., and the program will start around 7:15 p.m. (approx.). Details for registration at https://civilwarstlmo.org/event/civil-war-sites-in-st-louis-by-peter-downs/.

Join us Wednesday, January 28, for a very special guest speaker--the distinguished Civil War historian Dr. Gary Gallagher. Gary's topic is "How Should Americans Understand Gettysburg in 2026?" He will explore the battle of Gettysburg and its place in American historical memory. It is divided into three parts, the first of which addresses why the battle looms so large in popular culture as the war’s great moment of truth. The second part makes a case against Gettysburg as the decisive turning point of the war, and the third explains why visits to the battlefield remain very rewarding and important for anyone interested in the history of our nation.

Gary will appear via Zoom. If you are coming for the presentation only, please note that it will begin promptly at 7:15 p.m. Be sure to arrive a little earlier than usual so you don't miss any of it. For those coming for dinner, the doors at the Affton Elks Club, 6330 Heege Road, open at 5:30 and dinner begins about 6:00-6:15. Details at https://civilwarstlmo.org/.

See you there!

Join us Wednesday, October 22 for a program about Walker's Texas ("Greyhound") Division, often considered the most important body of Confederate troops in the Trans-Mississippi, during the Red River Campaign of 1864. [Battle flag below] Jane Johannson, retired professor, author and guide at Wilson's Creek Battlefield, will tell us all about this storied unit. Doors open at 5:30 pm. dinner about 6:00 pm, and the program begins about 7:15-7:30 pm. If you want a meal, you must register, via email for members and at our website, https://civilwarstlmo.org/, if you aren't a member. If you are coming for the program (no meal), you don't have to register, but it would be nice if you did (and try to get there a little early--times are approximate).

Our 2025-2026 season kicks off September 24 with Timothy Smith who will speak about the Champion Hill: The Decisive Battle in the Vicksburg Campaign. We meet at the Affton Elks Club, 6330 Heege Road. Doors open at 5:30, dinner at about 6:00, and program begins about 7:30. For details and to sign up for the dinner, go to https://civilwarstlmo.org/.

Professor Amy Fluker will present a program entitled "We . . . drank from the same canteen": How Missouri's Civil War veterans healed a Border State" at our next (and last meeting of the 2024-2025 Campaign). We meet at the Affton Elks Lodge, 6330 Heege. doors open at 5:30; program begins around 7:15-7:30.

You know all about Quantrill and Anderson, but--quick!--who were the principal counterguerrilla forces in Missouri? Don't know? Come to the meeting on April 23 and Jim Erwin will talk about the Missouri State Militia and the Enrolled Missouri Militia (the answer to the question). These guys look scruffy, but they were ultimately effective. Details at https://civilwarstlmo.org/.
NOTE: The food and the fellowship will be the same, but the program will be presented virtually--an experiment to see how it works and to facilitate a wider range of speakers in the future.

Our speaker at the March 26 meeting is Dr. Christian Keller, from the Army War College. His topic is "Southern Strategies: Why the Confederacy Failed" based on an analysis of its diplomacy, informational, military and economic mistakes. For details see our website at https://civilwarstlmo.org/event/southern-strategies-by-dr-christian-keller/.

Living in the Border States during the Civil War was a chancy business. Join us Wednesday, February 26 for Jeremy Neely's program about one family's experiences: “Terrors and Trials: Lucy and Henry Fike’s Civil War.” We meet at the Affton Elks Club, 6330 Heege Road. Details at

Home - The Civil War Roundtable of St. Louis WELCOME The Civil War Round Table of St. Louis The Civil War Round Table of St Louis is a not-for-profit organization for anyone interested in the factual history of the American Civil War era (1861 – 1865). We are located in St Louis, Mo. Our meetings about the Civil War include dinner, experts o...