Alice Mansell on “The First Lincoln-Douglas Debate”

Who made the Lincoln-Douglas Debates happen and how did the Debates quickly become known coast to coast? Meet two people who sat on the debates’ first podium in Ottawa, Illinois. Judge Caton, the first lawyer in Chicago, the “King of the Telegraph” in the Midwest and an Illinois Supreme Court justice with a country home/deer park close to Ottawa; and Mr. Hossack who shipped the first wheat from Ottawa to Chicago on the new I&M canal he helped to build, and was convicted the next year for harboring a runaway slave after many years of his Ottawa home being a stop on the Underground Railway.

Alice Mansell is a business owner and lawyer who majored in physical sciences and history in college.

Mark Costin on “Price’s Raid: 1864 Confederate Campaign in Missouri”

By 1864 Missouri had been in Union control for two years. Believing that Missourians wanted liberation from Union forces, the Confederates made a desperate attempt to divert Union forces from other war theatres and retake Missouri. The campaign, often referred to as a raid but much larger in actuality, was led by former Missouri Governor General Stirling Price and consisted of 11 major and minor engagements including the battles of Pilot Knob, Westport, and Mine Creek. The campaign was ultimately a disaster for the Confederacy. This talk will outline the strategic situation in Missouri in 1864 as well describe the personalities and battles of the campaign.

Mark Costin is a retired engineer living in Sunnyvale, CA, who previously worked on functional safety for automated and autonomous vehicles. A long time history buff, this is Mark’s second presentation to the the Peninsula CWRT. He holds a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, an M.Eng from McMaster University and B.Eng from McGill University.

Nick Marinaro on “The Battle of Mobile Bay”

The battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, was arguably the most consequential naval battle of the Civil War, which pitted Confederate naval forces commanded by Admiral Franklin Buchanan against the Union naval forces commanded by his arch-nemesis Admiral David Farragut. The chaotic battle resulted in a Union victory that effectively neutralized any further Confederate naval activities in the Southern theater. Following this battle, the Union commanded total control of the seas and inland waterways, which negated the Confederate navy’s ability to move troops on the water and to import needed supplies and resources.

Nick Marinaro was born and raised in Fresno, California, and has had an interest in the Civil War since elementary school. He graduated from Clovis High School and Stanford University with a degree in Human Biology. His 38 year professional career was with the Stanford University/City of Palo Alto Fire Departments, retiring as Fire Chief. Nick has been a member of the Lions Club for 23 years and is the President of the Peninsula Council of Lions Clubs and Treasurer for the Lions Veterans Charities. He is a Board Member of the Palo Alto/Stanford Historical Association (PAST) and the Treasurer of the Peninsula Civil War Roundtable.

Ken Habeeb on “California’s Role in the American Civil War”

Ken is a history researcher and writer with an interest in US exploration and culture including the Civil War and represented maps, books, and early photography. Ken likes research that brings to life personalities and events that often converge to form fascinating connections.

Nick Marinaro on “The Naval and Maritime Environment of the Civil War”

Nick Marinaro will speak about the naval and maritime environment at the beginning and during the American Civil War and the impact on the Southern States as a result of the Union’s “Anaconda Plan.” The execution of the plan significantly blockaded the major southern ports and significantly restricted commerce in and out of the South.

Nick Marinaro was born and raised in Fresno, California, and has had an interest in the Civil War since elementary school. He graduated from Clovis High School and Stanford University with a degree in Human Biology. His 38 year professional career was with the Stanford University/City of Palo Alto Fire Departments, retiring as Fire Chief. Nick has been a member of the Lions Club for 23 years and is the President of the Peninsula Council of Lions Clubs and Treasurer for the Lions Veterans Charities. He is a Board Member of the Palo Alto/Stanford Historical Association (PAST) and the Treasurer of the Peninsula Civil War Roundtable.

Magnus Akerblom will lead the Discussion Question of the Month: “Which Civil War Era Woman Do You Admire the Most and Why?”

Mark Costin on “The Battle of Fort Fisher”

By late 1864 virtually every Southern port on the Atlantic seaboard besides Wilmington, NC, had been closed by the Federal blockade. As long as Wilmington remained open, blockade runners could continue to supply the Confederate forces in the eastern theater. South of Wilmington the Confederate army constructed some of the world’s most sophisticated fortifications for the time. A key fortress was Fort Fisher. This talk discusses the two two joint army-navy combined operations to take Fort Fisher and close the port of Wilmington. The first unsuccessful one in December 1864 and the second successful attack in January 1865.

As an added note, the presentation will include a brief biography of Robley Dunglison Evans, who was at Fort Fisher and later became a prominent admiral in the US Navy and participated in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba in the Spanish American War.

Mark Costin is an engineer living in Sunnyvale, CA, recently retired from working on functional safety for automated and autonomous vehicles. A long time history buff, Mark now has more time to devote to his hoppy. He holds a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, an M.Eng from McMaster University, and B.Eng from McGill University.

Abby Eller on “The Grand Army of the Republic: Fraternity, Charity, Loyalty”

The largest and most powerful Civil War veterans’ organization, the Grand Army of the Republic as one of many fraternal orders that flourished throughout America in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The GAR shaped American nationhood in many ways still with us today.

Abby Eller is fascinated by the enormous impact the Civil War had, not only on our own country’s history, but many other parts of the world as well. Abby keeps in mind what her favorite Civil War historian Bruce Catton had to say about Civil War history: “It deserves all the attention we can give it.”

Dana Lombardy on “An Alternative Look at Gettysburg”

The Battle of Gettysburg, together with the capture of Vicksburg in July 1863, became the major turning point of the Civil War. How Gettysburg was fought and why it turned out as it did, is widely discussed and debated to this day, and likely will be for years to come. Historian Dana Lombardy will present his viewpoint, then address our questions and comments.

Starting with The American Heritage History of the Civil War, Dana has been interested in Civil War history since 1962. Dana has also been a wargame and model builder enthusiast since his teen years. While in college, he and his friends formed a wargame and military history magazine publishing company. By now Dana has published scores of games, magazines and videos; some of these have been award winners. He is also the published author of several books including Historic Photos of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Grant Rising, and Waterloo: Napoleon’s Last Army. He is currently researching and documenting the war in the Ukraine.

A selection of Dana’s games, books and magazines will be available for sale at the October meeting.

Joan Larrabee on “John Singleton Mosby”

Colonel John Singleton Mosby, CSA, was a colorful and effective leader of Confederate Partisan Rangers during the United States Civil War. Operating in Northern Virginia, his independent guerrilla regiment waged war on Federal troops, wagon trains, and railroads. He wrote his Memoirs near the end of a long life, even spending years as an attorney in San Francisco and Washington, DC.

Joan Larrabee grew up in a military family; one great-grandfather served in a New York regiment as a teenager at the end of the Civil War. She earned a degree in history at Stanford University and a Master of Urban Planning at San Jose State. She worked for the City of San Jose in the fields of community services, public works, and transportation.

Ken Habeeb on “Civil War Guns, Artillery, Ammunition, and Their Accuracy”

Ken Habeeb is a history researcher and writer with an interest in US exploration and culture, including the Civil War as represented in maps, books, early photography, and various ephemera. Ken likes research that brings to life personalities and events that often converge to form fascinating connections.