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UPCOMING PROGRAM

"The Invincible 12th South Carolina Infantry,
Army of Northern Virginia

Monday, June 8, 2026

Presenter:  Ben Cwayna

Duckett Hall Auditorium, The Citadel
Sponsored by The Citadel's Department of History

PREVIOUS PROGRAM

"Conflict and Controversy in the Confederate High Command:  Davis, Johnston, Hood and the
Atlanta Campaign of 1864"

Monday, May 11, 2026

Presenter:  Dennis B. Conklin II
Winner of the 4th Annual Roberts Foundation Book Award

Great Issues Room, Mark Clark hall, The Citadel
Sponsored by The Citadel's Department of History
4th Annual Fort Sumter
Civil War Round Table
Book Award Banquet

A big success!

See photos below ..


Dennis B. Conklin II
Program Speaker

FSCWRT President Cliff Roberts recognizes Jill Powell, Director of Market Hall Museum, Charleston, for the role she played in the installation of the new "UNION IS DISSOLVED!" marker.

FSCWRT President Roberts
talks about Dennis Conklin's award-winning book, Conflict and Controversy in the Confederate High Command.

Dennis B. Conklin II, program speaker, delivers
his presentation.

FSCWRT President Roberts announces one of many award-winning raffle tickets at the banquet.

Savas Beatie of Savas Beatie Publishing talks about Dennis Conklin's award-winning book before introducing him as the evening's speaker.

Dennis Conklin receives the 2025 Roberts
Foundation Book Award.

Dennis B. Conklin II delivers his presentation,
"Conflict and Controversy in the
High Command."

FSCWRT President Roberts congratuates
Conklin after his presentation.

4th Annual  Fort Sumter Civil War Round Table Book Award Banquet, Great Issues Room, Mark Clark Hall, The Citadel, May 11, 2026

Fall Field Trip to be held Oct. 16 & 17 in Wilmington,  N.C.
More information to be provided soon!


Chris E. Fonvielle, Jr., author of The Wilmington Campaign, Last Rays of Departing Hope (1997), will
conduct the fall tour.  Shown above is a painting of the second Battle of Fort Fisher (Jan. 13 - 16, 1865),
a Union victory and part of of the Wilmington Campaign (Dec. 7, 1864 - Feb. 22, 1865).

Unveiling Ceremony for the New Secession Hall
Marker Held on May 9

The unveiling ceremony for the new Secession Hall Marker was held 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 9 at 134 Meeting St. (opposite Gibbes Museum), the site where Institute Hall once stood in Charleston.

The Democratic Party held its unsuccessful 1860 party convention at Institute Hall.  After the South Carolina Convention of the People voted to secede from the Union, and the Ordinance of Secession was signed in the building's great hall on Dec. 20, 1860, Institute Hall became known as "Secession Hall."  Constructed in 1854 to host fairs, exhibits, concerts and conventions, the building burned in the "Great Fire" of December 1861.

The Ordinance of Secession was the pivotal act that marked the beginning of the South's secession from the Union and the start of a series of events that led to the Civil War, and it is one of the most significant documents in American history.  It is the moment South Carolina officially declared its intent to leave the Union, igniting a chain of events that culminated in the Civil War.  Maintaining the marker at the very site where this decision was made ensures that future generations will understand not only the gravity of this moment but the lasting impact it had on our nation.

The S.C. Historical Marker, "UNION IS DISSOLVED," was erected in 2010 by the Fort Sumter-Fort Moultrie Historical Trust, but knocked down and stolen several years ago.  Fortunately, the Fort Sumter Civil War Round Table (FSCWRT), supported by  Professor Kyle Sinisi, raised $3,000 through donations to replace the S.C. Historical Marker. 

The FSCWRT will be credited on the new marker for its successful effort.

  Cliff Roberts, President of the Fort Sumter
Civil War Round Table, describes Institute Hall, the Ordinance of Secession of Dec. 20, 1860, and the marker's significance.
 
Members of the Fort Sumter Civil War Round Table (above) participate in the unveiling of "THE UNION IS DISSOLVED!" marker before standing for a group photo (below).

Click here to view photos of
past presentations.

Support Friends of the National Parks

As some of you may know, several of the Fort Sumter Civil War Round Table members also are associated with what, until recently, was called Fort Sumter-Fort Moultrie Historical Trust. Not long ago, the Trust "rebranded,", i.e., changed its name to better represent what it does. The Trust is now Friends of Charleston National Parks. Its mission is to help the National Park Service protect and preserve Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie, the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site (Snee Farm Plantation), and the U.S. Coast Guard Historic District on Sullivan's Island (the lighthouse and the old life-saving station that are next to each other). With that in mind, Round Table board members are passing along this information knowing that those who are interested in one aspect of history often are interested in others. We encourage anyone who wishes to do so to support Friends of Charleston National Parks.
   

For more information, visit:   https://friendofscnp.org


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