Civil War Saturday March 8, 2008

Earthen Walls, Iron Men and Desperate Engagement, the Union Army and the Confederacy: it’s time for another great Civil War Saturday at the Pritzker Military Library.

On March 8th, 2008, authors Steven M. Mayeux and Marc Leepson will appear at the Pritzker Military Library for Civil War Saturday, a special weekend event. This program is free and open to the public. Mayeux’s presentation will begin at 9:30 a.m., followed by Leepson at 11:00 a.m. Both events will be webcast live on the Internet and recorded for broadcast on WYCC/PBS Channel 20. A complimentary reception will precede the first event, beginning at 8:30 a.m.

Steven Mayeux’s Earthen Walls, Iron Men takes a footnote of history and imbues it with a rich sense of human drama. Fort DeRussy was the key to the Confederate defense of the Red River in central Louisiana, and its fall came at a high cost to Union command. Though rich in military strategy and tactics, Earthen Walls, Iron Men also ventures outside the walls of the fort to explore the lives of the people who lived around it, providing a vivid, memorable portrait of life in Louisiana during the Civil War.

Mayeux is the president of Friends of Fort DeRussy, Inc., dedicated to the restoration of the historic fort, and has worked in Louisiana for more than thirty years as an agricultural consultant.

Another overlooked corner of American history receives its due in Marc Leepson’s Desperate Engagement. In 1864, Ulysses S. Grant was closing in on the Confederate capital of Richmond, unaware that a determined Rebel force was preparing to move on Washington, D.C. A small Union army stood in their way, suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of more than 12,000 Confederate soldiers, but held out long enough for Grant’s armies to rush back and protect Washington. Desperate Engagement traces the complex interplay of possibilities and personalities before, during and after the battle – and how unforeseen events can change the course of history.

Leepson is the author of six books, a widely-published journalist, and a frequent guest on radio and television. He teaches U.S. history at Lord Fairfax Community College in Virginia.

Civil War Saturday is held twice annually at the Pritzker Military Library. Past authors include Doris Kearns-Goodwin, Edward G. Longacre, James S. Robbins, and many more of today’s foremost Civil War historians. Seating is limited, so reservations are recommended. Call 312.587.0234 or email [email protected].

Official Website: http://www.pritzkermilitarylibrary.org/events