Announcements

2025 Battlefield Tour - Shiloh/Corinth. April 23-27 See our Battlefield Tour page for more information.
2026 Battlefield Tour - Charleston. April 29-May 2, 2026. More info to come.

Grapeshot

People should check whether the event will be broadcast on Zoom.

Apr. 19th, Salt Creek CWRT: Bob Grenier on "General Edmund Kirby-Smith"
Apr. 24th, South Suburban CWRT: Phil Angelo on "The Lost Cause and Confederate Defeat"
Apr. 26th, DuPage Civil War and Militaria Show
May 2nd, Northern Illinois CWRT: David Powell on "The Union Assaults of Kennesaw Mountain, June 27, 1864"
May 9th, Chicago CWRT: Steve Phan on "Asian and Pacific Islanders During the Civil War"
May 13th, McHenry County CWRT: Dennis Doyle on "Illinois Regiments at Gettysburg"
May 13th, Southwest Michigan CWRT: Evan Kutzler on "A Corutship on Johnson's Island and Beyond"
May 17th, Salt Creek CWRT: Rob Girardi on "General John Logan"
May 20th, Lincoln-Davis CWRT: John Horn on "The Wilson-Kautz Raid"
May 22nd, South Suburban CWRT: Charlie Rebesco, topic TBA
June 2nd, Rock Valley CWRT: Bob Presman on "Was Lincoln a White Supremecist?"
June 6th, Northern Illinois CWRT: Bob Presman on "Could the Suoth Have Won the Civil War?"
June 10th, McHenry County CWRT: Bob Presman on "Could the South Have Won the Civil War?"
June 13th, Chicago CWRT: Dave Powell (Nevins-Freeman Award) on "Lost Opportunities in the Atlanta Campaign"
June 17th, Lincoln-Davis CWRT: Dave Powell on "Atlanta to Tullahoma"
June 20th, Salt Creek CWRT: Banquet. Mark Flotow on "Illinois Civil War Soldiers Write About U.S. Grant"
July 7th, Rock Valley CWRT: Dorothy Page Turner on "Songs and Stories of the Underground Railroad"
July 8th, McHenry County CWRT: Mary Rose Filip on "Rockford's Camp Fuller and the 74th Illinois"
July 15th, Lincoln-Davis CWRT: Alex Rossini on "Calamity at Fredericksburg"
Aug. 4th, Rock Valley CWRT: Amanda Becker on "Turn the Other Cheek: Jefferson Davis' Invitation to Speak at the Winnebago County Fair"
Aug. 12th, McHenry County CWRT: Steve Alban on "The Real Story of Foreign Affairs in the Civil War"
Aug. 19th, Lincoln-Davis CWRT: Scott Norrick on "Immigrant Soldiers in the Civil War"
Aug. 28th, South Suburban CWRT: Bruce Allardice on "Aloha Oe: Hawaii and the Civil War"
Sept. 1st, Rock Valley CWRT: Steve Leonard on "The Battle of Wilson's Creek"
Sept. 5th, Northern Illinois CWRT: Chuck Rebesco on TBA
Sept. 9th, Southwest Michigan CWRT: Curt Fields on "President Grant: On the Job Training"
Sept. 9th, McHenry County CWRT: TBA
Sept. 12th, Chicago CWRT:James Pula on "General Dan Butterfield"
Sept. 16th, Lincoln-Davis CWRT: TBA
Sept. 20th, DuPage Civil War and Militaria Show
Sept. 25th, South Suburban CWRT: Ron Kirkwood on "Soldier Stories from Gettysburg"
Sept. 27th, Salt Creek CWRT: Jerry Allen on "General John Stedman"
Oct. 6th, Rock Valley CWRT: TBA
Oct. 8th, McHenry County CWRT: TBA
Oct. 10th, Chicago CWRT: Kim Harris as "Libby Custer"
Oct. 14th, Southwest Michigan CWRT: Brian Dirck on "Abraham Lincoln and Death"
Oct. 18th, Salt Creek CWRT: Annual Book Sale. Father Bob Miller on "From Rome to Appomattox: Military Chaplains Throughout History"
Oct. 21st, Lincoln-Davis CWRT: Frank Garmon on "A Civil War Con Artist"
Oct. 25th, South Suburban CWRT: Kevin Connelly on "Civil War Ghost Stories:
Nov. 3rd, Rock Valley CWRT: TBA
Nov. 11th, Southwest Michigan CWRT: Mollie Watson on "Niles in the Civil War"
Nov. 11th, McHenry County CWRT: TBA
Nov. 14th, Chicago CWRT: Chris Kolakowski, TBA
Nov. 15th, Salt Creek CWRT: Terry Arliskas on "Fort Donelson"
Nov. 21st, South Suburban CWRT: No Meeting
Dec. 1st, Rock Valley CWRT: Tentatively "The Legacy of the Civil War"
Dec. 9th, McHenry County CWRT: Dave Mowery on "Cincinnati in the Civil War" (zoon only)
Dec. 12th, Chicago CWRT: Brian Jordan, TBA
Dec. 20th, Salt Creek CWRT: Memorabilia Show and Tell
Dec. __, South Suburban CWRT: Holiday Party
Jan. 9th, 2026, Chicago CWRT: TBA
Jan. 22nd, South Suburban CWRT: Bjorn Skaptason, TBA
Feb. 13th, Chicago CWRT: Keith Bohannon on TBA
Feb. 26th, South Suburban CWRT: Chuck Rebesco on "The Gibraltar Brigade of the Army of the Potomac"
Mar. 13th, Chicago CWRT: Clifford Roberts on "Castle Pinckney"
Mar. 26th, South Suburban CWRT: Dan Wykes on "Illinois Underground Railroad"
Apr. 10th, Chicago CWRT: Wayne Motts, TBA
Apr. 23rd, South Suburban CWRT: Eric Benjaminson on "82nd Illinois Infantry at Gettsyburg"
May 12th, Chicago CWRT: Chris Mackowski on TBA
May 22nd, South Suburban CWRT: Dennis Doyle on "Battle of North Anna"
June 12th, Chicago CWRT: Alex Rossino, TBA

Speakers Bureau
Looking for a good presentation on the Civil War for your library, school, historical society, or civic group? The Coalition of CWRTs of Northern Illinois has put together a Speakers Bureau to help you find one.

Best of all, most presentations are FREE!! Click here for a Speaker Registry printable list, with details and contact information.

House Divided Series
Bjorn Skaptason at the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop reminds us of their series of Civil War talks. For more information on these and upcoming events, visit Abraham Lincoln Bookshop.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please Contact Us