Inland Empire January schedule
On Monday, Jan. 26th, Author & Historian Jeffrey Boutwell, Ph.D., will present "BOUTWELL: Radical Republican and Champion of Democracy."
6:30 P.M. Pacific Time on Zoom. You can use the link below to join. The Zoom room opens at 6:15.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88473850602?pwd=HLNxvspCNjzSpJuHMcWbRKWr1jXLtU.1
Meeting ID: 884 7385 0602
Passcode: 468740
Inland Empire CWRT Feature Events.
On Sunday, Jan. 18th, In-person only. Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg John J. Fitzpatrick will present "There is No Fail Here: The Real Back-Story to Lincoln's Leadership Challenges / The Gettysburg Address at Gettysburg."
This free program will be in the Assembly Room at the A.K. Smiley Public Library in Redlands.
The program starts at 2 P.M.
The Program
Why did President Lincoln, a concerned, caring, conflicted, and careworn Commander-in-Chief/President come to Gettysburg for only 25 hours on November 18 and 19, 1863? The President was not invited as the keynote speaker -- indeed, he was asked to make only “a few appropriate remarks." Yet he accepted that “secondary” role in the midst of the American Civil War with no end in sight – Why? Gain a greater appreciation of the immortal Gettysburg Address and President Lincoln’s Leadership challenges in light of the enormous personal, political and policy pressures impacting the President, how this leader overcame them, his purposes [gratitude, equality, Union] and how the President achieved those objectives in his short, masterful presentation. Each of those pressures are particularly described/connected herein.
John J. Fitzpatrick
John Fitzpatrick is an Honors Graduate of both Villanova University and the University of Georgia School of Law. He is a Licensed Battlefield Guide Emeritus at Gettysburg now guiding in his 21st year there. In his life he has been an Attorney, Arbitrator, Aviator, Veteran. John was a Senior Corporate Counsel in the Chevron Corporation Law Department for 32 years.
Prior to entering Law School, John served on Active Duty as a United States Marine Corps Officer--Tank Platoon Commander, then earning the Designation “Naval Aviator”/ Pilot, including a Vietnam tour of duty where he flew 140 combat missions.
His decorations include eight Air Medals, three Meritorious Service Decorations, one USAF Commendation, and one Presidential Unit Citation. served as an Active Reservist Pilot with the Pennsylvania Air National Guard earning the Rating of “Command Pilot”. Colonel Fitzpatrick is now transferred to the Retired Reserve.
He now divides his time amongst Guiding at Gettysburg, volunteer Veterans’ Activities and his national and international Commercial, Construction, Securities and Securities Employment Arbitration practice.
On Monday, Jan. 26th, Author & Historian Jeffrey Boutwell, Ph.D., will present "BOUTWELL: Radical Republican and Champion of Democracy."
6:30 P.M. Pacific Time on Zoom. You can use the link below to join. The Zoom room opens at 6:15.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88473850602?pwd=HLNxvspCNjzSpJuHMcWbRKWr1jXLtU.1
Meeting ID: 884 7385 0602
Passcode: 468740
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During his seven-decade career in public life, George Sewall Boutwell sought to "redeem America's promise" of racial equality, economic equity, and the principled use of American power abroad. From 1840 to 1905, Boutwell was at the center of efforts to abolish slavery, establish the Republican Party, assist President Lincoln in funding the Union war effort, facilitate Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, impeach President Andrew Johnson, and frame and enact the Fourteenth and Fifteenth civil rights amendments.
Jeffrey Boutwell is a writer, historian, and public policy specialist whose forty-year career spanned journalism, government, and international scientific cooperation. He has written widely on issues relating to nuclear weapons arms control, European politics, and Middle East security issues. He has a Ph.D. in political science from MIT, a B.A. in history from Yale University, and he worked for many years at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Cambridge, Mass. He is the author most recently of BOUTWELL: Radical Republican and Champion of Democracy (W.W. Norton, 2025), a biography of family member George Boutwell, political ally of Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War and Reconstruction eras who helped frame the 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution and promoted equality of rights for all Americans. Jeffrey grew up in Concord, Mass., and now lives in Columbia, Maryland with his wife, Buthaina Shukri.
Wednesday, Jan. 14th, 6:45 p.m. Eastern Time
Civil War Round Table of the District of Columbia
A Civil War Road Trip of a Lifetime:
Antietam, Gettysburg and Beyond"
presentation by
JOHN BANKS
and with a "Show & Tell" by
Lisa Samia
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
6:00 pm ET
About the Topic:
Over more than a year, John Banks crisscrossed the country, exploring battlefields, historic houses, forts, and more. He rode on the back of an ATV with his “psychotic connection” in Mississippi, went under the spell of an amateur hypnotist at a U.S. Army fort in Tennessee, admired a sunset from the grounds of the notorious Andersonville prison camp in Georgia, prayed during a tense boat ride in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina, and briefly interviewed Louie the wild boar in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.
Join Mr. Banks on a road trip like no other. He plans on discussing interesting bits from his book, "A Civil War Road Trip of a Lifetime: Antietam, Gettysburg and Beyond." (Gettysburg Publishing, 2023).
About the Speaker:
John Banks has enjoyed several distinguished careers — from small-town newspaper reporter to senior editor at The Dallas Morning News and ESPN, and most recently as a contributor to Civil War Monitor magazine. Raised in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, he eventually drifted south along life’s rivers to study journalism at West Virginia University.
Mr. Banks has built a devoted following for his Civil War blog (https://john-banks.blogspot.com/), which highlights the deep thinkers, odd characters, and overlooked voices that populate Civil War history. He continues to carry the torch in search of the wise, the peculiar, the hilarious, and the insightful stories that keep so many of us passionate about the Civil War.
In doing so, he carries on the great tradition of wandering battlefields and interpreting their significance — a lineage that stretches from Twain to Bearss to Horwitz.
Sources:
Mr. Banks and Amazon.com
JOIN US VIA ZOOM
Schedule for Zoom/Remote Attendees:
6:00 pm ET: Zoom Platform Opens for Remote Social Period (Optional)
6:30 pm ET: Start of Meeting/Introductions
6:45 pm ET: Start of Mini-Presentation Hosted by John Anderson
7:00 pm ET: Start of Speaker Presentation and Q&A
8:30 pm ET: Meeting Adjourned
Any questions or problems, contact paul.mazzuca@gmail.com
The Internet Zoom Meeting URL to use
on your PC, mobile phone. or other device is:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83412709960?pwd=Om8aL5ta4RZEwFgw3dgxAwXa3xSXQA.1
Or type https://zoom.us/join into your browser to link to Zoom's "Join A Meeting" page
and use the Meeting ID and passcode shown below:
Zoom Meeting ID: 834 1270 9960
Zoom Passcode: Zoom1861
Wednesday, Jan 14th, 7 p.m. Pacific TIme
The Civil Warriors CWRT of the San Fernando Valley/Los Angeles will hold its first meeting of 2026 on Wednesday, January 14, at 7PM Pacific Time via the Zoom app.
We are pleased to host a presentation by Sarah Kay Bierle, who will be returning to speak to the Warriors about:
"Glorious Courage: John Pelham"
John Pelham’s Fall & The Rise of a Confederate Legend On March 17, 1863, Major John Pelham—commander of the Stuart Horse Artillery—fell off his horse, mortally wounded. That day at Kelly’s Ford marked the end of his short life and the beginning of his memory and influential legends. This presentation explores the experiences of the twenty-four-year-old officer, his battlefield tactics and innovations, and how he rose to fame during his life and even more after his death.
Sarah Kay Bierle graduated from Thomas Edison State University with a BA in History and works in the Education Department at American Battlefield Trust. She has spent years exploring ways to share quality historical research in ways that will inform and inspire modern audiences, including school presentations, writing, battlefield tours, and speaking engagements. She has published six books, including a biography "Glorious Courage: John Pelham in the Civil War." She has a forthcoming book later this year about military decisions at Chancellorsville with the University of Tennessee Press.
For the Zoom link, go to the Civil Warriors website, https://www.civilwarriors.org/home
Tuesday, Jan. 20th at 7 p.m. Pacific time.
Los Angeles Civil War Round Table
A Near Death Experience—the Battle of Stones River, and a Turning Point in the War
Do you know which battle was the last of 1862 and the first of 1863? Why it was considered one of the best defensive battles fought during the Civil War? Given the heroics on both sides, how did it still end in a strategic victory for the Union Army? Did you know that this battle ranks number one in percentage of casualties to troops engaged—actually slightly higher than the Battle of Gettysburg? Get the answers to these questions, and more, at our January meeting, where you will hear the story of the Battle of Stones River. Learn why, months after the battle, President Lincoln wrote that “…had there been a defeat instead, the nation could scarcely have lived over,” and why it has been considered one of the most important political turning points of the war.
Walt Lafty
Walt Lafty is a historian with a focus on the American Civil War (1861–1865), as well as World War II and the history of Ireland. He has been active in various Civil War groups for more than 20 years, including the Delaware Valley CWRT, where he is a Board Member and a member of the Preservation Committee; the Baker-Fisher Camp No. 101 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War in Hatboro, PA, where he serves as Camp Secretary; the Old Baldy CWRT; the General Meade Society; and the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Civil War Museum, where he serves as research administrator and volunteer.
The Los Angeles Civil War Round Table will send out the Zoom link on Monday, Jan. 19.
Tuesday, Jan. 27th. 7:15 Pacific Time
Pasadena Civil War Round Table
In-person only program.
David Dixon, Author & Historian, presents
"The Wealthiest Slave in Savannah: The Black Experience in CW Georgia"
JOIN US IN OUR MEETING LOCATION AT THE HISTORIC BLINN HOUSE, HEADQUARTERS OF PASADENA HERITAGE:
160 North Oakland Avenue - Pasadena
Our evening meetings enjoy free parking in the rear (enter parking lot at 165 North Madison Avenue, second driveway south of Walnut Street)
Entrance through rear door.
John J. Fitzpatrick
John Fitzpatrick is an Honors Graduate of both Villanova University and the University of Georgia School of Law. He is a Licensed Battlefield Guide Emeritus at Gettysburg now guiding in his 21st year there. In his life he has been an Attorney, Arbitrator, Aviator, Veteran. John was a Senior Corporate Counsel in the Chevron Corporation Law Department for 32 years.
Prior to entering Law School, John served on Active Duty as a United States Marine Corps Officer--Tank Platoon Commander, then earning the Designation “Naval Aviator”/ Pilot, including a Vietnam tour of duty where he flew 140 combat missions.
His decorations include eight Air Medals, three Meritorious Service Decorations, one USAF Commendation, and one Presidential Unit Citation. served as an Active Reservist Pilot with the Pennsylvania Air National Guard earning the Rating of “Command Pilot”. Colonel Fitzpatrick is now transferred to the Retired Reserve.
He now divides his time amongst Guiding at Gettysburg, volunteer Veterans’ Activities and his national and international Commercial, Construction, Securities and Securities Employment Arbitration practice.
John J. Fitzpatrick
John Fitzpatrick is an Honors Graduate of both Villanova University and the University of Georgia School of Law. He is a Licensed Battlefield Guide Emeritus at Gettysburg now guiding in his 21st year there. In his life he has been an Attorney, Arbitrator, Aviator, Veteran. John was a Senior Corporate Counsel in the Chevron Corporation Law Department for 32 years.
Prior to entering Law School, John served on Active Duty as a United States Marine Corps Officer--Tank Platoon Commander, then earning the Designation “Naval Aviator”/ Pilot, including a Vietnam tour of duty where he flew 140 combat missions.
His decorations include eight Air Medals, three Meritorious Service Decorations, one USAF Commendation, and one Presidential Unit Citation. served as an Active Reservist Pilot with the Pennsylvania Air National Guard earning the Rating of “Command Pilot”. Colonel Fitzpatrick is now transferred to the Retired Reserve.
He now divides his time amongst Guiding at Gettysburg, volunteer Veterans’ Activities and his national and international Commercial, Construction, Securities and Securities Employment Arbitration practice