UPPER LAKE >> In the late fall of 2010, a group of amateur historians got to together to discuss the possibility of forming a group to honor the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. The Redwood Empire Civil War Roundtable was the result, and the Jan. 5 meeting will mark the fourth anniversary of the group”s existence.
“We decided to follow the war chronologically month by month, with each month”s meeting being a review of what happened that month 150 years prior,” said co-founder Phil Smoley. “Some months have had much more going on than others, but that has allowed us to discuss some biographies, technologies and politics related to the war on the slow months.”
Two or more presentations per meeting are generally the rule, with different attendees volunteering to put on a presentation. Thus far, 16 different people have put on more than 100 presentations, with co-founder Zane Jensen putting on the most, at 28.
“I teach history to eighth graders, so for me, it has been great to do presentations for a more mature audience of history buffs,” Jensen said. “We have all learned a great deal from each other about that tragic time in our history by being involved in this roundtable.” Jensen was also originator of the roundtable idea.
The next meeting is scheduled to be held at 6:15 p.m. at the Tallman Hotel located in historic downtown Upper Lake. The first part of the meeting will be a review of the group”s four-year history and acknowledging the efforts of the many contributors and regular attendees.
“Attendance has ranged from 15 to 40, with about 30 attending fairly regularly and well over 100 coming to one or more meetings,” Smoley stated. “These folks are passionate about their history, and we are still debating the unresolved issues from that war 150 years later.”
After the anniversary acknowledgment, Smoley will do a presentation on the Battle of Fort Fisher, which fell to the Union 150 years ago, closing the last open sea port of the Confederacy and speeding up the end of the war. “At this point the war was lost. But the dedication and heroism of the men defending the fort defies description,” Smoley said. “They gave their all for a cause already lost.”
Attendance to the Civil War Roundtable is free and everyone is welcome. The presentations are designed to appeal to the novice and the expert, with plenty of opportunity to ask questions. For information, contact Jensen at 349-6390 or Smoley at 349-1008.
