Our Next Presentation

TThe Civil Warriors Civil War Round Table of the San Fernando Valley/Los Angeles will hold its next meeting of 2026 via Zoom at 7:00PM Pacific Daylight Time on Wednesday, June 10. We are pleased to be hosting a presentation by author Rachael Mellen entitled:

"From Camp Douglas to Vicksburg""

William J. Kennedy was a second-generation Irish-American born in New York in1827. By 1861 he was a harness-maker running his own business in Illinois. When Governor Yates called for volunteers, Kennedy jumped at the chance. He enlisted in the 55th Illinois Infantry in Chicago. Kennedy had ambitions to become a captain and, like most men his age, dreamed of battlefield heroics. With a sharp eye and an even sharper wit, Kennedy played the role of embedded reporter during momentous events in the West. His letters home to his family are often as detailed as newspaper accounts. His observations span the gamut, from corruption in the army and the alien culture in the South, to his unyielding confidence in President Lincoln. Students of the War will treasure his descriptions of the fighting at Shiloh, the siege of Corinth, the triumphal entry into Memphis, the disaster of Chickasaw Bayou, and the misery of digging canals around Vicksburg. Sadly, it was there, during the final fatal assault against that fortress, that William lost his life. His original letters reside in the Lincoln Presidential Library.

Rachael E. Mellen graduated from the University of London with a BA in education and history and a postgraduate degree in humanities from California State University Dominguez Hills. She is the author of two books on English genealogy and numerous articles. Rachael lives with her daughter Alice in Peru, Illinois, just one mile from the former home of William J. Kennedy.

Miller is a writer, filmmaker, and photographer based in Los Angeles. He is best known for writing and producing the popular independent documentary “When Stand Up Stood Out,” about the “gold rush” of the 70s and 80s Boston Comedy scene, and for writing and editing the documentary “Bettie Page Reveals All,” which won “Best Feature Documentary” at thDouglas Miller is ale President of The Center for Military 

We will be meeting via the Zoom meeting app. We will send out the meeting on-line connection information shortly before our meeting day (6/10/26). Please plan on beginning your hookup a few minutes before the 7:00PM Pacific meeting time. If you are a first-time visitor to the Civil Warriors, please contact us at cwrtsfv@gmail.com for information regarding the hookup. Guests, new members and returning members are always welcome to join us for this and future meetings! If you can’t make this meeting, please consider one of our exciting upcoming meetings noted on our Future Presentations page. 

Future Presentations