UPCOMING PROGRAM

"The Elections of 1860 and 1864"

Program:  We all know that Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860 and reelected president in 1864.  But who were the five other men who ran against him, and who were their running mates?  Were there other possible leaders who might have been presidential candidates if it had not been for some backroom politics?  We know that slavery was an issue in 1860, but were there other issues?  In 1864, was Lincoln the best man to lead the nation at a time of war?  Who else would the Republicans consider?

This presentation will answer these questions while showing the issues, platforms, politics and candidates who were involved in the 1860 and 1864 presidential campaigns.  There is more to the story than the fact that Lincoln won both elections!

Presenter:   Phillip Whiteman, a native of Atlanta, Ga., moved to Summerville, S.C. three years ago.  He received a degree in history from the University of Alabama, and has been involved with Civil War living history for the past 30 years.  Whiteman has provided educational presentations at historical society meetings, civil group meetings and Civil War Round Tables.

Between 2016 and 2022, he taught senior adult education classes on Civil War civilians.  For 29 years, Whiteman was a volunteer at Kennesaw National Battlefield Park, which included serving on its cannon crew, and in infantry and civilian programs.  He also worked part-time digitalizing and cataloguing historical documents for the park's library.

He and his wife, Janine, started the PNJW Collections Civilian Exhibit in 1997.  This collection of Civil War era clothing and artifacts was used to crate a traveling exhibit, shown at national parks and historic sites.  It was mostly seen at Old Santee Canal Park during this past Christmas season.

PREVIOUS PROGRAM

"Civil War Prisons"

Libby Prison, Richmond, Va., c. 1863

Dr. Mary Beth Allison

Dr. Mary Beth Allison presented an excellent talk on "Civil War Prisons" at the January meeting of the Fort Sumter Civil War Round Table.  She explained how Civil War prisoners of war suffered extreme cruelty from a combined effort of failures throughout the Civil War.  Their suffering occurred not from one person or one event, but a combination of people and events.  It was not about the North or South, Union or Confederacy, as both sides face blame and fault for the dreadful conditions of Civil War prisoner of war camps.

Dr. Allison received her Ph.D. in History from Liberty University in 2024.  She is currently an adjunct instructor at Grand Canyon University and a freelance editor for Sava Beatie. 

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