John Horn — Wilson-Kautz Raid June-July 1, 1864
2024-09-12 17:30 - 21:30 (America/Chicago) | The Wisconsin Club, 900 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53233
EVENT DETAILS:
John Horn — Wilson-Kautz Raid June-July 1, 1864
5:30 p.m. – Registration/Social Hour
6:30 p.m. – Dinner
7:30 p.m. – Program
Cost: $35 by reservation, please
(Note: Jackets required for the dining room)
RSVP:
Please contact Paul Eilbes at 262.376.0568 or peilbes@gmail.com to RSVP. We hope to see you there!
ABOUT THE EVENT:
The Wilson-Kautz Raid covered some 350 miles and destroyed railroad tracks but at the cost of 1,445 casualties. The Confederates repaired their damaged railroads in short order, demonstrating to Grant that more than cavalry would be needed to isolate Petersburg.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
A native of Illinois, John Horn received a B.A. in English and Latin from New College (Sarasota, Florida) in 1973 and a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1976. He has practiced law in the Chicago area since graduation, occasionally holding local public office, and living in Oak Forest with his wife and law partner, H. Elizabeth Kelley, a native of Richmond, Virginia.

Dr. Jen Murray — The Victor of Gettysburg: General George Gordon Meade & the Civil War
2024-10-10 17:30 - 21:30 | The Wisconsin Club, 900 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53233
EVENT DETAILS:
Dr. Jen Murray — The Victor of Gettysburg: General George Gordon Meade & the Civil War
5:30 p.m. – Registration/Social Hour
6:30 p.m. – Dinner
7:30 p.m. – Program
Cost: $35 by reservation, please
(Note: Jackets required for the dining room)
RSVP:
Please contact Paul Eilbes at 262.376.0568 or peilbes@gmail.com to RSVP. We hope to see you there!
ABOUT THE EVENT:
Once prominently defined as the “Hero of Gettysburg,” General George G. Meade is now commonly obscured by generals deeply embedded into the Civil War narrative–Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan or Lee and Jackson. Indeed, Meade commanded the Army of the Potomac, the North’s principle instrument of war, longer than any other commander and assumed a prominent role in the course of the Civil War. Together, we will explore George Meade’s role and influence in the Civil War from his command of a brigade in the Pennsylvania Reserves to the commanding general of the Army of the Potomac.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Dr. Jennifer M. Murray is a military historian, with a specialization in the American Civil War, in the Department of History at Oklahoma State University.

Allen Ottens — The Grant-Rawlins Relationship During the Civil War
2024-11-07 17:30 - 21:30 | The Wisconsin Club, 900 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53233
EVENT DETAILS:
Allen Ottens — The Grant-Rawlins Relationship During the Civil War
5:30 p.m. – Registration/Social Hour
6:30 p.m. – Dinner
7:30 p.m. – Program
Cost: $35 by reservation, please
(Note: Jackets required for the dining room)
RSVP:
Please contact Paul Eilbes at 262.376.0568 or peilbes@gmail.com to RSVP. We hope to see you there!
ABOUT THE EVENT:
TBD
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
TBD

Jon Sebastian — We Are All in This War – The Northern Homefront
2024-12-12 17:30 - 21:30 | WI
EVENT DETAILS:
Jon Sebastian — We Are All in This War – The Northern Homefront
5:30 p.m. – Registration/Social Hour
6:30 p.m. – Dinner
7:30 p.m. – Program
Cost: $35 by reservation, please RSVP by 12/2
(Note: Jackets required for the dining room)
RSVP:
Please contact Paul Eilbes at 262.376.0568 or peilbes@gmail.com to RSVP by 12/2. NOTE: this meeting will take place at the Bavarian Bierhaus (700 W. Lexington Blvd, Glendale, WI).
ABOUT THE EVENT:
While the battles were mostly fought in the South, the people of the North were directly impacted and affected by the Civil War. Many aspects of life, even mundane daily tasks, were different. What were the experiences of those on the home front? How were they changed? And who were the Victorians? (Not the Steampunk variety) Where did they fit in? What about industrialization, transportation, and technology? And, of course, there were times when the Northern home front did become the battle front. Perhaps this side of the war deserves a closer look.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Jonathan Sebastian earned his B.A. in history from Judson College (now University) and his M.A. in Public History from Loyola University Chicago. He has been an adjunct professor of history at Judson University teaching World History 1500 to the Present and U.S. History. More recently, he was a social studies teacher at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart. He was a tour guide at Jubilee College State Historic site outside of Peoria, Illinois, a projectbased researcher at the Pritzker Military Library, and was the curator of the Fischer Farm historic site in Bensenville, Illinois. Currently, he is an experience facilitator at the Arlington Heights Historical Museum and the education and programs assistant at the Elmhurst History Museum. He is also the author of Bensenville in the Arcadia Press Images of America Series.

Bjorn Skaptason — Shiloh
2025-01-09 17:30 - 21:30 | The Wisconsin Club, 900 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53233
EVENT DETAILS:
Bjorn Skaptason — Shiloh
5:30 p.m. – Registration/Social Hour
6:30 p.m. – Dinner
7:30 p.m. – Program
Cost: $35 by reservation, please
(Note: Jackets required for the dining room)
RSVP:
Please contact Paul Eilbes at 262.376.0568 or peilbes@gmail.com to RSVP. We hope to see you there!
ABOUT THE EVENT:
TBD
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
TBD

Hampton Newsome — Gettysburg’s Southern Front
2025-02-13 17:30 - 21:30 | The Wisconsin Club, 900 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53233
EVENT DETAILS:
Hampton Newsome — Gettysburg’s Southern Front
5:30 p.m. – Registration/Social Hour
6:30 p.m. – Dinner
7:30 p.m. – Program
Cost: $35 by reservation, please
(Note: Jackets required for the dining room)
RSVP:
Please contact Paul Eilbes at 262.376.0568 or peilbes@gmail.com to RSVP. We hope to see you there!
ABOUT THE EVENT:
TBD
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
TBD

Gerry Prokopowicz — TBD
2025-03-13 17:30 - 21:30 | The Wisconsin Club, 900 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53233
EVENT DETAILS:
Gerry Prokopowicz — TBD
5:30 p.m. – Registration/Social Hour
6:30 p.m. – Dinner
7:30 p.m. – Program
Cost: $35 by reservation, please
(Note: Jackets required for the dining room)
RSVP:
Please contact Paul Eilbes at 262.376.0568 or peilbes@gmail.com to RSVP. We hope to see you there!
ABOUT THE EVENT:
TBD
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
TBD

Phil Spaugy — The 19th Indiana of the Iron Brigade
2025-04-10 17:30 - 21:30 | The Wisconsin Club, 900 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53233
EVENT DETAILS:
Phil Spaugy — The 19th Indiana of the Iron Brigade
5:30 p.m. – Registration/Social Hour
6:30 p.m. – Dinner
7:30 p.m. – Program
Cost: $35 by reservation, please
(Note: Jackets required for the dining room)
RSVP:
Please contact Paul Eilbes at 262.376.0568 or peilbes@gmail.com to RSVP. We hope to see you there!
ABOUT THE EVENT:
TBD
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
TBD

Steven Phan — Asian and Pacific Islanders During the Civil War
2025-05-08 17:30 - 21:30 | The Wisconsin Club, 900 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53233
EVENT DETAILS:
Asian and Pacific Islanders During the Civil War
5:30 p.m. – Registration/Social Hour
6:30 p.m. – Dinner
7:30 p.m. – Program
Cost: $35 by reservation, please
(Note: Jackets required for the dining room)
RSVP:
Please contact Paul Eilbes at 262.376.0568 or peilbes@gmail.com to RSVP. We hope to see you there!
ABOUT THE EVENT:
TBD
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
TBD

Dave Powell — Nevins-Freeman Award Winner Lost Opportunities in the Atlanta Campaign
2025-06-12 17:30 - 21:30 | The Wisconsin Club, 900 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53233
EVENT DETAILS:
Dave Powell — Nevins-Freeman Award Winner Lost Opportunities in the Atlanta Campaign
5:30 p.m. – Registration/Social Hour
6:30 p.m. – Dinner
7:30 p.m. – Program
Cost: $35 by reservation, please
(Note: Jackets required for the dining room)
RSVP:
Please contact Paul Eilbes at 262.376.0568 or peilbes@gmail.com to RSVP. We hope to see you there!
ABOUT THE EVENT:
TBD
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
TBD

Dr. James Pula — Overlooked and Underappreciated: Dan Butterfield
2025-09-11 17:30 - 21:30 | The Wisconsin Club, 900 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53233
EVENT DETAILS:
Dr. James Pula — Overlooked and Underappreciated: Dan Butterfield
5:30 p.m. – Registration/Social Hour
6:30 p.m. – Dinner
7:30 p.m. – Program
Cost: $35 by reservation, please
(Note: Jackets required for the dining room)
RSVP:
Please contact Paul Eilbes at 262.376.0568 or peilbes@gmail.com to RSVP. We hope to see you there!
ABOUT THE EVENT:
Although Medal of Honor recipient Daniel Butterfield played key roles in major Civil War campaigns—from the Peninsula to Atlanta—and served as chief of staff at Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Chattanooga, he remains one of the war’s most overlooked generals. Too often remembered only for controversies, his contributions to combat leadership and American military tradition deserve recognition.
In this richly illustrated presentation, historian Dr. James S. Pula will shed light on Butterfield’s career, lasting influence, and overlooked legacy.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Dr. Pula is Professor of History Emeritus at Purdue University, former editor of Gettysburg Magazine, and author of numerous award-winning Civil War studies, including Union General Daniel Butterfield: A Civil War Biography. His scholarship has been recognized by the U.S. Army Historical Foundation, the Milwaukee County Historical Society, and the Republic of Poland.

Kim Harris — Libbie Bacon Custer
2025-10-09 17:30 - 21:30 | The Wisconsin Club, 900 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53233
EVENT DETAILS:
Kim Harris — Libbie Bacon Custer
5:30 p.m. – Registration/Social Hour
6:30 p.m. – Dinner
7:30 p.m. – Program
Cost: $35 by reservation, please
(Note: Jackets required for the dining room)
RSVP:
Please contact Paul Eilbes at 262.376.0568 or peilbes@gmail.com to RSVP. We hope to see you there!
ABOUT THE EVENT:
Elizabeth Bacon Custer, wife of General George Armstrong Custer, was an American author and public speaker who spent much of her marriage near her husband during his Civil War service and postings on the Great Plains. After his death, she was left nearly destitute but dedicated her life to preserving his legacy through books and lectures, helping cement his image as a heroic figure of American history.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Our October meeting will feature Kim Harris—an accomplished presenter with over 15 years of experience presenting on historical figures across the country and the owner of Western History ALIVE!—as she brings to life the fascinating story of Libbie Bacon Custer.

Chris Kolakowski — Civil War to World War: Simon Bolivar Buckner Sr. and Jr.
2025-11-13 17:30 - 21:30 | The Wisconsin Club, 900 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53233
EVENT DETAILS:
Chris Kolakowski — Civil War to World War: Simon Bolivar Buckner Sr. and Jr.
5:30 p.m. – Registration/Social Hour
6:30 p.m. – Dinner
7:30 p.m. – Program
Cost: $35 by reservation, please
(Note: Jackets required for the dining room)
RSVP:
Please contact Paul Eilbes at 262.376.0568 or peilbes@gmail.com to RSVP. We hope to see you there!
ABOUT THE EVENT:
Join us for an engaging presentation on the extraordinary lives of Simon Bolivar Buckner Sr. and Jr., a father and son whose military service spanned from the Civil War to World War II. Buckner Sr. is remembered for surrendering the Confederate army at Fort Donelson to Ulysses S. Grant in 1862, while Buckner Jr. went on to command the Tenth Army and became the senior American officer killed in battle during World War II. This presentation will explore their legacies and how one generation’s experience helped shape the next.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Christopher L. Kolakowski is Director of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and an expert in American military history. He has written six books on the Civil War and World War II, including Tenth Army Commander about General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. Chris has worked with the National Park Service, the U.S. Army, and the MacArthur Memorial, and is a Senior Fellow at the Consortium of Indo-Pacific Researchers.
