McHenry County CWRT Presentation June 11, 2024: John Brown: Hero or Terrorist, Martyr or Mad Man?

 The McHenry County Civil War Round Table met June 11, 2024, at the Woodstock Public Library in Woodstock, Illinois, and were treated to an presentation on none other than John Brown by Bob Pressman of the Rock River Valley CWRT.  I wrote about Bob Pressman and his Round Table earlier this month in this blog.

 At the end of his talk, he had us vote as to which of the four descriptions of him were most appropriate:  Hero or Terrorist, Martyr or Mad Man.  I voted all but hero.  I am Southern and there was no way he was a hero.  But I did agree on the other three cases.  He fit them all. And, yes, I can see why he is a hero to some, just not me.

Bob Pressman opened saying that John Brown was a "bundle of contradictions."  He was probably the single biggest solo reason why the Civil War was fought.  Some say the Civil War actually began at Harpers Ferry on October 16, 1859.

I agree.  

What John Brown was trying to do was the biggest Southern fear of them all.  The fear of a slave insurrection, armed and killing owners went to the deepest part of the Southern heart.  And, it would have been one thing for John Brown and a small band of followers doing what they did.

But what really got the Southerners was how the North regarded John Brown as a hero and/or martyr.

How can you live in a country where a lot of the people want you dead?

--Old Secesh

'Talks' at the McHenry County Civil War Round Table 2024: 'Last Man Standing'

Earlier this month I listed the presentations that have been and will be given to the Rock River Valley CWRT.

I decided to list the ones at my Civil War Round Table.

JANUARY:  Morgan's Great Raid:  Taking the War to the North--  Dave Mowery

FEBRUARY:  "Last Man Standing" the 20th Indiana--  Chuck Rebesco

MARCH:  Confederate Railroads--  Charlie Banks

APRIL:  Central Florida's Civil War Veterans--  Bob Grenier

MAY:   Charles River Ellet, the Queen of the West and USS Indianola--  Ed Urban

JUNE:  John Brown:  Hero or Terrorist?  Martyr or Madman?--  Bob Pressman

--Old Secesh

Rock River Valley CWRT 'Talks' 2024-- Part 2

JULY 1:  Bjorn Skeptason  "Battery H in the Atlanta Campaign"

AUGUST 5:  Bob Girardi  "Civil War Engineers"

SEPTEMBER  9:  Dwight Hughes  "Battle of Hampton Roads"  Okay, about time they had a talk on the naval side of the war!!

OCTOBER 7:  TBA

NOVEMBER Douglas Egerton  "Thunder at the Gates"

DECEMBER 2:  Daniel Weinberg  "Dealing in Historical Artifacts"

So, That's What They Talk About.  --Old Secesh

In Case You're Wondering About the 'Talks' at CWRTs: Rock Valley CWRT Speakers for 2024

JANUARY 8:  Steve Acker "Life in the Trenches at Petersburg"

FEBRUARY 5:  Dave Powell  "Joseph Johnston and the Atlanta Campaign"

MARCH 4:  George Dammon  "Civil War Medicine"

APRIL 1:  Stanley Campbell  "Money & Banking in the Civil War"

MAY 6:  Dave Oberg  "History of Battery H, 1st Illinois Light Artillery"

JUNE 3.  Bob Pressman  "Religion in the Civil War"

Six More Months to Go.  --Old Secesh

Veterans Memorial Hall and Museum in Rockford

Also from The Cabin fever Quarterly Magazine, 2024.

The Rock River Valley Civil War Round Table is just one of several regional military-related organizations to find a home at Veterans Memorial Hall.  At least eight other veterans groups have offices or hold meetings there, and the magnificent edifice is often used as a venue for many municipal events.

Designed in a Classical Greek Revival style, the Hall is one of only three such buildings to survive in Illinois to honor veterans.  It's also the only building in Rockford, maybe even the state, that was dedicated by a sitting U.S.  President Theodore Roosevelt did that in 1903, soon after construction was completed.

The top floor contains an auditorium with a raised stage and a curved balcony.  A wide wooden staircase leads down to the Great Hall where names of Civil War battles adorn the tops of walls.  Two tablet rooms contain bronze plaques which list the names all veterans from Winnebago County who served in the Civil War and the Spanish-American War and were buried by 1903.

--Old Secesh

Bruce Allardice and the Northern Illinois CWRT

Bruce Allardice is a recently retired history professor from South Suburban College in South Holland, Illinois.  He is the author of five books on the Civil War and a frequent presenter at CWRTs (Civil War Round Table) throughout the northern Illinois area.

"I've tried to visit all Illinois round tables," says Allardice.  "I finally spoke at Rock River Valley (CWRT) in July 2022 and again in August 2023."

Allardice's great-grandfather served as a lieutenant in the 113th Illinois Infantry during the Civil War, and he frequently saw his presentation sword when visiting his grandparents as a child.

"He was overage and sickly the whole time," says Allardice, "and his regimental commander called him the worst officer in his command."

Nice Guy.  --Old Secesh

Robert Girardi: Author and Presenter

The author of nine books, Robert Girardi says he is primarily interested in the Western Theater, railroads, logistics and engineers.  He will discuss Civil War engineers with the RRVCWRT on August 5.

"I am currently working on a biography of Gen. G.K. Warren, the 'Savior of Little Round Top' [at the Battle of Gettysburg].  There is a monument to him there," Girardi says.  

"He was later sacked by Sheridan after the Battle of Five Forks, allegedly for moving too slow.  I don't think he's been given his due."

Had Warren not realized the importance of the Little Round Top, the outcome of the battle might have been different.

Girardi understands the convenience of having CWRT programs on Zoom, but he prefers to make his presentations in person.

"I enjoy the fellowship of people who share a love f history, he says.  "W can talk about divisive issues but still go home as friends."

--Old Secesh

CWRT-- Part 11: One Speaker on Confederate Monuments

Ron Lee, associate professor of political science at Rockford University spoke at the RRVCWRT in early November on the controversy surrounding the removal of Confederate monuments to the Civil War.

"The argument over these  monuments is part of a larger debate about how we want to remember our past," says Lee.  Both sides have staked out extreme opposing positions and seem unwilling to admit that their opponents have something to contribute to a fuller understanding of America's past."

He describes these positions as  represented by  the "1619 Project," which was produced by writers at the New York Times, and the 1776 Commission, an advisory committee appointed by then-president Trump in response to the "1619 Project."

According to Lee, the "1619 Project," sees American history mostly as a story of racism and oppression, whereas the 1776 Commission wants to promote "patriotic education" but dos so at the expense of "acknowledging significant political, social and economic injustices of the past in its insistence on the uniqueness of our founding in 1776 on principles of equality and liberty."

--Old Secesh

CWRT-- Part 10: Significance of the Civil War Today

While they are aware of the popular image of CWRTs as a bunch of guys  sitting around and rehashing old battles, they are keenly aware of the relevance of studying the events of a war that ended almost 160 years ago.

"Most of us have an interest in military history, but many of the issues still facing us today had their roots in the outcome of the Civil War, according to David Byrnes.  "The consolidation and growth of the central government, the 'culture wars' and diversity, equality and inclusion, interpretations of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution -- these were all raised and not necessarily settled during that conflict.  

"It's more than just retelling battles."

--Old Secesh

CWRT-- Part 9: Rock River Valley CWRT

Before he resigned as vice president in 2023 for health reasons, Pete Thomas had all but completed a schedule of speakers for 2024.  In addition to members of the RRVCWRT, speakers include members of nearby CWRTs and authors from various sources (some self-published), including Savas Beatie, a history publishing house from El Dorado Hills, California.

David Byrnes, current president of the RRVCWRT, is the retired executive director of Midway Village Museum in Rockford and past president of the Rockford Rotary.

"We currently have more than 80 members on the rolls, and a fourth are women," says Byrnes.  "Our average in-person attendance is about 30 to 40, with eight to ten others on Zoom.  We also share our Zoom links with other CWRTs, so some attendees are from other groups.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Round Tables-- Part 7: Rock River Valley CWRT

Bob Pressman and other officers decided it was time to look for another venue to hold their meetings.  This search eventually brought them to Veterans Memorial Hall, which they describe as "a perfect fit."  Hall manager Scott Levandowski was already providing hybrid meetings for the Rotary of Rockford and other organization.  (This would be in-person meetings and Zoom.)

Meetings are held the first Monday of the month.  Lunch begins at 11:30 a.m. and the presentation starts at noon.

Currently, lunches can be pre-ordered from a nearby Jimmy Johns or attendees can pack their own brown bags.  Annual dues are now $35, which covers hall rental ($50 per month), Zoom fees and honoraria for out-of-town speakers ($100).

--Old Secesh

Civil War Round Tables-- Part 6: Rock River Valley CWRT

When Wesley Willows shut down their facilities during the pandemic, Don Barrett and Ed Kuehl kept the meetings going on by presenting them online via Zoom.

Bob Pressman was elected president  in 2021, and with the help of other officers, went to work reorganizing the Round Table and putting it on solid financial footing.  "We formed a committee to rewrite the bylaws, based  on those of other round tables," said Pressman.

"Prior to the pandemic, attendees paid Wesley Willows for the meal, but paid only $1 for expenses.  Jerry Paris volunteered to be treasurer and we raised dues to $25 a year, opened a bank account, and started paying for our Zoom subscription."

Zoom meetings were a mixed blessing.  "It allowed us to use speakers from all over the country, since we didn't have to pay travel expenses, so the pool of presenters became very large.  It also kept us in contact with each other, but we missed the face-to-face interaction, the camaraderie of in-person meetings.

By 2022, things were starting to reopen, and Wesley Willows said they would allow us to meet there again, but without meals."

--Old Secesh

Civil War Round Tables-- Part 5: Rock River Valley CWRT

Bob Ash, Dick Wolff, Mary Webber, Ray Schoenfeld, Ed Rounds and others were instrumental in maintaining and growing the organization.  Meeting locations changed a bit, but eventually they moved to the new facilities at Wesley Willows, where an optional lunch preceded each meeting presentation.

By the time COVID -19 closed down all such public gatherings in 2020, the average attendance was over 50.

"I've been a member of the Rock River Valley Round Table for about 15 years, retired Rockford radio and TV journalist Bob Pressman says.  "At my first meeting, I was impressed with the number of people and surprised by how many I already knew-- none of whom had ever mentioned [the group] to me."

Pressman, like others in the group, has presented several programs, including ones on Reconstruction and myths and facts about the Civil War.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Round Tables-- Part 4: Rock River Civil War Round Table

In November 1998, Ed Hunt and Tony Tobak offered a class on Civil War battles through the Center for Learning in Retirement at Rock Valley College.  At the conclusion, several members expressed an interest in continuing meetings on the subject.  Eventually, about ten people agreed to meet monthly at the Wesley Willows retirement community, where several of them already lived.

Early meetings were informal, and topics or presentations were provided by members of the group.  They called themselves the "Rock River Irregulars" or "Rockiregs" for short.  As time went on, more people joined the monthly meetings and the name was changed to the Rock River Valley Civil War Round Table (RRVCWRT).

A formal organization developed, complete with bylaws and officers, modeled after similar groups in the area.  By 2006, monthly attendance averaged around 30.

--Old Secesh

Seven Illinois Civil War Round Tables Listed

The Civil War.com site lists seven CWRTs in Illinois:

Champaign County CWRT

Chicago CWRT

Decatur CWRT

Joliet Area CWRT

McHenry County CWRT

Northern Illinois CWRT

Salt Creek CWRT

There is also a Rock River Valley CWRT

--Old Secesh