2011 Spring Programs at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum to Commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2011

2011 Spring Programs at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum to Commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War   

(MADISON) – The Wisconsin Veterans Museum has a number of interesting programs planned this spring to kick off the commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War. All programs are free, and open to the public. They are hosted in the Wisconsin Veterans Museum’s 2nd Floor Education Center, unless otherwise noted.

When: Wednesday, March 23, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
Topic: “What Caused the Civil War?” Lecture and Discussion
Location: Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, 1 John Nolen Drive, Madison
Speaker: Stephen Kantrowitz, Professor of History, University of Wisconsin

The latest version of the U.S. citizenship test, administered by the government to immigrants seeking naturalization, accepts three “right” answers to its question about what led to the Civil War: “slavery,” “economic reasons,” and “states’ rights.” In this lecture, Dr. Stephen Kantrowitz considers these and other possible answers, offering an interpretation of the conflicts, anxieties, and ideologies that led to America’s bloodiest war.

Presented in partnership with the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center
When: Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
Topic: The Raising of the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry Lecture and Book Signing
Location: Wisconsin Veterans Museum, 30 West Mifflin Street, Madison
Speaker: Lance Herdegen, author and chair, Wisconsin Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission

The 2nd Wisconsin Regiment, Active Militia, left for Washington, D.C. on June 20, 1861. Outfitted in state made uniforms of militia grey, it was the first of the state’s regiments forwarded from the new Camp Randall. Fort Sumter and the call for volunteers in April sent Wisconsin officials scrambling to provide uniforms, shoes, belts, canteens, and the many things needed to outfit a regiment of 1,000 volunteers. This is the story how “one thousand of the sturdiest and bravest of our Wisconsin boys” went off to the Civil War.

A Civil War 150 Event – www.civilwarwisconsin.com
When: Friday, April 15, 2011 at 12:00 noon
Topic: The Spur and the Sash Lecture and Book Signing
Location: Wisconsin Veterans Museum, 30 West Mifflin Street, Madison
Speaker: Robert Grede, author

Sergeant George Van Norman, a Yankee, was wounded at Nashville in one of the last battles of the American Civil War. Left behind to recuperate as the Union Army moved on, he was assigned to guard a Southern plantation from January to August, 1865, where he fell in love with the owner’s daughter. That much is fact. The fiction begins with his wounding at the battle, and follows him to the plantation where he meets the woman, her family, and the people living there, former slaves who have been freed but have no place to go. Meticulously researched using letters, diaries, and official records, the novel offers compelling insights into the last days of the Civil War and early efforts at Reconstruction. It is a story of passion and betrayal amid the anarchy of post-war Tennessee.

To schedule interviews with speakers or museum staff, contact Jeff Kollath, Curator of Programs, at (608) 261-0541. Where book signings are mentioned, books will be available for purchase both before and after the events specified. The Wisconsin Veterans Museum is a free public educational activity of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs and is located at 30 W. Mifflin St., Madison, across the street from the State Capitol. For more information go to www.WisVetsMuseum.com.

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201 West Washington Avenue | Madison, Wisconsin 53707
1-800-WIS-VETS | WisVets@dva.wisconsin.gov | WisVets.com