Sesquicentennial Civil War Discussion scheduled for August

One hundred fifty years ago -- in the summer of 1862 -- the American Civil War was well into its second year. The first year of the war had seen larger and bloodier battles than both sides had originally anticipated. These struggles brought hope, anticipation, victory, and defeat to both sides.  

As the war dragged on, Union general George McClellan had failed to capture the Confederate capital, Richmond, in the Peninsula Campaign while in the western theater, Ulysses S. Grant had won a significant but narrow victory along the Tennessee River at Shiloh.
In the Confederacy, hopes remained high that Britain and France would intervene and push Lincoln's government in Washington to grant independence to the South.

In the North, abolitionists repeatedly urged Lincoln to free the slaves and widen the purpose of the war. Both sides faced a broad range of choices and multiple possibilities existed regarding the war's outcome.  

Come to Decorah Public Library on Monday August 20 at 7 pm for the inaugural event in a series of programs planned to celebrate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War with an evening devoted to reading and discussion of how the war looked to Americans from both the North and the South in the summer of 1862.  

To stimulate your interest, remind you of your history and to encourage discussion, please read the highly acclaimed narrative history by Shelby Foote, "The Civil War, A Narrative Volume One: From Fort Sumter to Perryville." Anyone interested in additional reading should pick up "1861: The Civil War Awakening" by Adam Goodheart. Both titles are available for check-out at the front desk of the Library and are widely available for purchase.

Discussion facilitator Dr. Edward Tebbenhoff received his Ph.D in American history from the University of Minnesota and has taught at Luther College since 1994.   

Contact Kristin at Decorah Public Library for more information: 382-3717.