Misconceptions about entering war topic of Civil War Round Table meeting

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Emory Thomas

Few Civil War historians can boast credentials like those of the next guest speaker at the Tuesday, Feb. 5, meeting of the Brunswick Civil War Round Table.

Emory M. Thomas, Regents Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Georgia, a long-time member of the history department faculty and author of eight books, primarily concerning the Civil War, will be the guest speaker, according to a press release from the Civil War Round Table.

The title of his presentation is “The Dogs of War: The Martial Moment, 1861.”

Thomas will delve into the delusions that dominated each side’s thinking and their subsequent decision to enter the Civil War. In 1861, Americans thought the war would be brief.

No one foresaw they would be embarking on our nation’s worst calamity, a four-year bloodbath that cost the lives of what is now estimated to be more than 600,000, according to the Round Table press release.

President Abraham Lincoln believed most southerners loved the Union, and would be dragged unwillingly into secession by the planter class. Confederate President Jefferson Davis could not quite believe that Northern resolve would survive the first battle. Both leaders reflected widely held myths.

Both lacked military experience to understand what they were in for. These circumstances will set the stage for a most interesting and thought-provoking presentation, the press release states.

The Round Table presentation will highlight facts, incidents and theories excerpted from his most recent book entitled, “The Dogs of War: 1861.” In addition, Thomas has authored, “The Confederate Nation: 1861 – 1865,” “Robert E. Lee: A Biography,” “Bold Dragoon: The Life of J.E.B. Stuart,” and other books which have been widely published, receiving high praise from his critics and peers for his vivid writing and solid research.

The Feb. 5 meeting will be at Trinity United Methodist Church, 209 East Nash St., Southport. Registration begins at 6:30 p.m. The guest admission fee for this meeting will be $5, which can be applied toward the $25 annual membership dues.

For more information about the Round Table or the meeting, contact Round Table president Wally Rueckel at (910) 253-7382, or wrueckel@questor.com or visit their website.

Posted by Staff report on February 1, 2013. Filed under Brunswick County,Local News,Southport. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry