George Rable: God's Amost Chosen People

Speaker: George Rable

Last night, the LCWRT was pleased to welcome George C. Rable as its speaker. Dr. Rable is the Charles G. Summersell Chair in Southern History at the University of Alabama. A native of Lima, Ohio, he received his B.A from Bluffton College (1972), his M.A from Louisiana State University (1973), and his Ph.D. from Louisiana State University (1978). From 2004-2008, he served as the President of the Society of Civil War Historians.

His many books include: Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg! (University of North Carolina Press, 2002), which won the Lincoln Prize, the Society for Military History Distinguished Book Award in American Military History, the Jefferson Davis Award, the Douglas Southall Freeman History Award and was a History Book Club selection; The Confederate Republic: A Revolution Against Politics (University of North Carolina Press, 1994), which was a History Book Club selection; Civil Wars: Women and the Crisis of Southern Nationalism (University of Illinois Press, 1989), which won the Julia Cherry Spruill Prize and the Jefferson Davis Award; and But There Was No Peace: The Role of Violence in the Politics of Reconstruction. (University of Georgia Press, 1984). His latest book is God’s Almost Chosen Peoples: A Religious History Summary. This talk examines how Americans--Union and Confederate alike--used their religious faith to interpret the causes, course, and consequences of the American Civil War.

Follow the Civil War Sesquicentennial On-line

If you have access to the Internet, you can follow the events each day of what happened 150 years ago in both the New York Times and the Washington Post. The New York Times web site is Nytimes.com and just click on Opinion then Opinionator and Disunion and you will find a listing of the articles. The Washington Post address is washingtonpost.com and then go to house-divided.

Kentucky Sesquicentennial Events

Here is a brief list of upcoming Sesquicentennial happenings in the Bluegrass:
April 8-9: Civil War seminar, Winchester.
April 10: Gravestone dedication, United States Colored Troops, Simpsonville.

Suggested Reading for the Gettysburg Field Trip

Here are some suggested readings to prepare you for the Gettysburg Field Trip. The best book on Gettysburg is Edwin Coddington's The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in Command. The three books of essays edited by Gary Gallagher are excellent as is Gettysburg, A Journey in Time by William Fascinato. A shorter book written by Shelby Foote, Stars in Their Courses is a great read. Stephen Sears, Andre Trudeau, and Harry Phanz all have great books out on the battle. Earl Hess has the latest book out on Pickett's Charge and not to be forgotten is the Time Life book on Gettysburg with excellent maps and pictures.