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Enjoy getting to know Mike Peters - pictured below at the Badlands.

 

Where you live: Pickerington, OH

 

I have been reading about the Civil War: Off and on since centennial. More off than on. Exclusively though for about 20-25 years.

 

My favorite area of the Civil War to study is: Zouaves, Ninth Corps, Lew Wallace

 

My favorite battlefield to visit and why: Pea Ridge. It's so pristine. Not much has changed since 1862. Few markers/monuments on the field.

 

My favorite Savas Beatie book (if I had to choose just 1): This is a tough question. It's like choosing a favorite child. I have a Will Rogers approach here. But if you put a gun to my head, my vote would be cast for Tim Smith's study of Champion Hill. (It was my first.) But I could make a case for many others.

 

My favorite non-Civil War book: That would be a toss up, either To Kill a Mockingbird or Old Man and the Sea.

 

If I could eat just one kind of food, it would be: Mexican.

 

Dogs or cats: Dogs of course!

 

Oceans or mountains: Mountains. 

 

If I could go back in time and speak with any historical figure, it would be: JFK.

 

My favorite movie: Godfather.

 

If there was one book I wish Savas Beatie would publish it would be about: Burnside Expedition. (Or I would like someone to finish Cap Beatie's study of the AOP. Or maybe a Union perspective at Antietam to partner with Joe Harsh's trilogy.)

 

Final Comment: Make time to read. For as John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

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For many years after the founding of the first Civil War Round Table (CWRT) in Chicago in the 1940's, similar groups sprouted around the United States, and, indeed, the world. Sadly, the past couple of decades have seen a decline in the number and vibrancy of CWRTs. In fact, it is estimated that 64 round tables have ceased operation in just the past six years.

 

Is this decline in CWRT attendance the "new normal?" Fortunately, a few resolute CWRT leaders from around the nation are determined to reverse that trend.

 

Two years ago this group, led by Mike Movius of the Puget Sound CWRT, gathered over 100 CWRT representatives at the Centreville Public Library. Just minutes from Manassas, the site of the first major battle of the American Civil War, this gathering was designed to start a rebirth of the round table experience.

 

Attendees heard from several speakers about the "best practices" that help round tables not only survive but thrive. Better governance, improved communication and marketing, fundraising, attracting new members while keeping the current ones, effective use of social media, partnering with local government, and many other topics, all designed to help round tables succeed.

 

Attendees also had ample opportunity to network with other CWRT leaders, exchange contact information and share their own stories of success with each other. Afterward, attendees rated the sessions as extremely helpful to their groups' success.

 

Determined to reach as wide an audience as possible, Movius led a second Congress; this one hosted by the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, near the Gettysburg battlefield. Repeat attendees were joined by many newcomers who experienced the same discussions as at Centreville, along with the opportunity to explore the Museum's fascinating exhibits, hear a presentation from Chris Mackowski of Emerging Civil War and interact with several Civil War authors at a book signing. Once again, attendee surveys revealed a great appreciation for the information-sharing and networking that occurred.

 

Now Movius plans to expand the Congress' geographic reach. "We plan to hold our 2019 Congress in the Midwest," he notes, adding, "We are currently reviewing potential locations, along with finding a local round table to help host us, just as we had with the Bull Run CWRT in Centreville and then with the Harrisburg CWRT."

 

Regardless of the location and host, the 2019 CWRT Congress promises to once again provide struggling (and those not quite struggling) round tables with the secrets to success. Sharing best practices and developing new friends who share a common interest make attending the CWRT Congress a "must-do" for any round table leader who wishes to avoid the fate of those 64 round tables.