UPCOMING PROGRAM

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

4^th Annual Fort Sumter
Civil War Round Table
Book Award Banquet

For an evening of history, comaraderie and delicious food, please join us from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, May 11 at Mark Clark Hall, The Citadel, for the 4^th Annual Fort Sumter Civil War Round Table Banquet.

Sign-up here.

Dennis B. Conklin II
Program Speaker

PREVIOUS PROGRAM

"Antietam Endgame: The Conclusion of Lee's Maryland Invasion, Sept. 18 - 20, 1862"

Monday, Apr. 13, 2026

Presenter: Kevin Pawlak

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

Kevin Pawlak
Speaker

Kevin Pawlak presented an outstanding talk, "Antietan Endgame: The Conclusion of Lee's Maryland Invasion," at the Fort Sumter Civil War Round Table's meeting in April. He explained why the Maryland Campaign did not conclude with the Battle of Antietam on Sept. 17, 1862. Three days of fighting and maneuvering after the bloodiest single day in American history ended Confederate hopes for a victory on Northern soil. The outcome of the campaign still hung much in the balance and sharp fighting at Shepherdstown and Williamsport proved to be the final events that turned one of this nation's most crucial campaigns into a victory for the United States.

Presenter: Kevin Pawlak is a Historic Site Manager for the Prince William County Office of Historic Preservation, Dumfries, Va. He is also a licensed Battlefield Guide at Antietam National Battlefield, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, and South Mountain State Battlefield.

Pawlak serves on the Board of Directors of the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association, the Save Historic Antietam Foundation, and the Antietam Institute, where he serves as the editor of The Antietam Journal. Previously, he has worked at the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and Mosby Heritage Area Association. He had an internship working on the Papers of Abraham Lincoln at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. Pawlak is also the author of eight books on the Civil War, including three books in the Emerging Civil War Series.

Jim Morgan Immediate Past President, FSCWRT	Kevin Pawlak, speaker, talks with a member of the Fort Sumter Civil War Round Table.	Cliff Roberts President, FSCWRT
	FSCWRT members check out books and other items for sale at the meeting. All purchases support the Round Table. (Photos by Phil Cathcart and Stuart Morgan)

Fort Sumter Civil War Round Table Meeting, Apr. 13, 2026, Duckett Hall, The Citadel

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 to be Held on May 9

The unveiling ceremony for the new Secession Hall Marker is scheduled to be held 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 9 at 134 Meeting St. (opposite Gibbs Museum), the site where Institute Hall once stood in Charleston. Institute Hall, built in 1854, hosted fairs, exhibits, concerts and conventions before it burned in the "Great Fire" of December 1861.

The Democratic Party held its unsuccessful 1860 party convention at Institute Hall, which was located next to St. Michael's Church. 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."

This pivotal act 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. The Ordinance of Secession 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.

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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