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, July 8. We are pleased to be hosting a presentation by living historian Dr. Curt Fields entitled:

"Unconditional Surrender"

Friends called him “Sam.” His wife called him “Ulyss.” His initials inspired a nickname tied to one of his greatest battlefield triumphs: “Unconditional Surrender Grant.” Ulysses S. Grant never expected to play a role in the Civil War, yet he commanded the US Army. He secured impressive victories, learned from critical mistakes, broke the Confederacy’s resolve, overcame the criticism of his immediate superior, and earned the steadfast support of the president.

 Born in a modest clapboard house along the Ohio River, Grant first made his military mark near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. He later used “the Father of Waters” to split the Confederacy in two. This success propelled him to Chattanooga, the Overland Campaign and finally Appomattox Court House—some of the war’s most intense battles. In under three years, the unassuming colonel of an Illinois volunteer regiment rose to become the army’s highest-ranking officer and the first permanent lieutenant general since Washington. His ultimate victory paved the way for two terms in the White House.  His meteoric rise from obscurity made him a figure of profound irony: unassuming, unpretentious, yet resolute.

Curt Fields is a living historian portraying Ulysses S. Grant. Since February 2010, Fields has portrayed Grant in first-person reenactments. He has appeared on the porch of the McLean house at Appomattox, the Grant home at White Haven as Captain Grant, in Chattanooga as General Grant and at the McGregor Cottage as former President Grant, where the dying hero spent his last days. Fields holds a Ph.D. in educational administration and is a retired secondary school principal and adjunct college instructor. He was also a Memphis, Tennessee, police officer and hostage negotiator.

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 Documeouglas 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 (7/8/26). 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