Past Programs – Des Moines Civil War Round Table
Spring Campaign – 2026
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| January 21 | David Connon, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | Even the Darkness Cannot Hide Thee: The Newest Iowa Confederates |
| February 18 | Daniel Smith, Kansas City Civil War Round Table | The Battle of Westport: Largest Civil War Battle West of the Mississippi |
| March 18 | Professor Dennis Doyle, Joliet Junior College | Irish-Americans During the Civil War |
| April 15 | Carolyn Richards, Hazel Green, Wisconsin | Women on the Civil War Battlefields |
| May 27 | John Liepa, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | An Exploration of Baseball’s History in Iowa |
| June 17 | Randee Fieselmann, Iowa City, Iowa | The Union First: Community and Commitment in the 1st Iowa Infantry |
Fall Campaign – 2025
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| September 3 | Brian Jordan, Professor, Sam Houston State University | Marching Home: Union Veterans and Their Unending Civil War |
| October 1 | Jim Epperson, Retired Math Editor, Ann Arbor, Michigan | The Great Slave Hunt of 1863: The Little-Known Story of What Lee’s Army Did in Pennsylvania |
| November 5 | John Pregler, Dubuque Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War | William Vandever: Iowa’s Congressman-Colonel |
Spring Campaign – 2025
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| January 15 | John Busbee, Des Moines KFMG 98.9 RM, The Culture Buzz | The Littleton Brothers: All Six Lost to the Civil War |
| February 19 | Michael Swanger, Iowa History Journal | Soldiers’ & Sailors’ Monument: A Stunning Commemoration of Iowans Who Fought in the Civil War |
| March 19 | Mike Rowley, Des Moines, ‘Cemetery Preservation Hero’ | Keeping the Boys in Blue (and Gray) ‘Alive’ in Iowa Cemeteries |
| April 16 | Leo Landis, Curator, State Historical Society of Iowa | The U.S. 60th Colored Troops: A Demographic Overview |
| May 21 | Diane Mutti Burke, Professor, University of Missouri Kansas City | The First Morning of Their Freedom: The End of Enslavement in Missouri |
| June 18 | Jeff Bremer, Professor, Iowa State University | Samuel H.M. Byers and Iowa’s Civil War |
Fall Campaign – 2024
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| September 4 | Jeff Kluever, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | Freedom will be Theirs by the Sword: U.S. Colored Troops at New Market Heights |
| October 2 | Robert Warren, CEO, Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines | Major Hoyt Sherman: A Pennywise Paymaster |
| October 12 | Jeff Kluever, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | Civil War Tour of Woodland Cemetery, Des Moines, Iowa |
| November 6 | Don Doxie, Davenport, Iowa | Iowns at Shiloh |
Spring Campaign – 2024
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| January 17 | Kevin Braafladt, Command Historian, Rock Island, Illinois | Life and Death at Rock Island’s Prison Barracks |
| February 21 | Professor Lawrence McDonnell, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa | Food, Power, and Victory in the Civil War |
| March 20 | Dick Titterington, Kansas City Civil War Roundtable | The Story of a Cavalryman: Edward F. Winslow, 4th Iowa Cavalry |
| April 17 | Andrew Versani, Ph.D. student, University of Nebraska | Unity Beyond Uniform: Civil War Veterans in the Agrarian Revolt |
| May 15 | Ranney Ramsey, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | Lincoln’s New Birth of Freedom and the Reconstruction Amendments |
| June 19 | Professor Sarah Purcell, Grinnell College, Grinnel, Iowa | Spectacle of Grief: The Politics of Mourning and the Civil War |
Fall Campaign – 2023
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| September 6 | Dr. Harry Laver, Fort Leavenworth, KS | Learning the Art of Joint Operations: Ulysses S. Grant and the U.S. Navy |
| October 4 | Chris Edwards, Kansas City Civil War Roundtable | Quantrill’s Raid on Lawrence, Kansas: What Really Happened |
| November 1 | Dr. Lee Wymore, Ames, Iowa | Wilder’s Brigade of Mounted Infantry at Chickamauga |
Spring Campaign – 2023
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| January 18 | MEETING CANCELLED | |
| February 15 | Dr. William Feis, Buena Vista University, Storm Lake, Iowa | Civil War Intelligence and Grenville Dodge’s Role |
| March 15 | Dr. Tom Schwartz, Director, Hoover Museum and Library, West Branch, Iowa | Lincoln’s Fire in the Rear: Civil Unrest on the Home Front |
| April 19 | Dr. Tim Wolters, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa | Damn the Torpedoes … and Mobile Bay |
| May 16 | Bruce Allardice, Chicago Civil War Round Table | Poltroons, Patriots and Politicians: America’s Civil War Generals |
| June 21 | Leslie Goddard, Hinsdale, Illinois | An Evening with Clara Barton |
Fall Campaign – 2022
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| September 7 | Tamara Thayer, Rochester, Minnesota | The Mystery of Barbara Fritchie, a True Patriot |
| October 5 | Pete Grady, Marshalltown, Iowa | Unconditional Surrender: A Visit with Ulysses S. Grant |
| November 2 | Lane Smith, Kansas City Civil War Round Table | The Trial of Jefferson Davis |
Spring Campaign – 2022
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| January 19 | Dr. Thomas Lecaque, Grandview University, Des Moines, Iowa | The Lost Cause: A Medival Comparison Note: Zoom Meeting |
| February 16 | Susan Howell, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | Espionage Cloaked in Lace Note: Zoom Meeting |
| March 16 | Tom Baker, University of Iowa, Iowa City | Iowa Militia in Missouri 1862 |
| April 20 | Kate Lavasseur, Des Moines, Iowa | Fraternity, Charity, and Loyalty: Stories of the Grand Army of the Republic |
| May 18 | Michael Huston, Wellman, Iowa | Iowa Civil War Images |
| June 15 | Brad Miller, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | The Brothers at Andersonville |
Fall Campaign – 2021
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| September 1 | Dr. Wayne Richenbacher, Retired Cardiac Surgeon, University of Iowa Medical Center, Iowa City | ‘Stonewall’ Jackson and Civil War Medicine Note: Zoom Meeting |
| October 6 | David Dixon, Santa Barbara, CA | Once Lost and Now Found: The Long-Lost Gettysburg Address Note: Rec Plex Multi-Purpose Room, 6500 Grand Avenue; bring own refreshments |
| November 3 | Mike Morell, Moline, Illinois | The Sultana Disaster Note: Zoom Meeting |
Fall Campaign – 2020
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| September 2 | David T. Dixon, Santa Barbara, CA | CANCELLED: The Lost Gettysburg Address |
| October 7 | Professor Terry Lindell, Wartburg College, Waverly, IA | CANCELLED: The Vacant Chair in Bremer County |
| November 4 | TBA | MEETING CANCELLED |
Spring Campaign – 2020
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| January 15 | Dr. Steven Gates, Morningside College | How to Read a Civil War Soldier’s Letter |
| February 19 | Dr. Maura Lyons, Drake University | Science & Art History: A New Interpretation of a Civil War Painting |
| March 18 | Dr. Wayne Richenbacher, University of Iowa Hospitals, Iowa City | CANCELLED: Stonewall Jackson and Civil War Medicine |
| April 15 | Susan Howell, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | CANCELLED: Espionage Cloaked in Lace |
| May 20 | Mike Morrell, Moline, IL | CANCELLED: The Sultana Disaster |
| June 17 | Dr. Thomas Lacaque, Grandview University | CANCELLED: The Lost Cause: A Medieval Comparison |
Fall Campaign – 2019
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| September 4 | Professor Todd Pettys, University of Iowa Law School | Race, Dred Scott and the Iowa Constitution |
| October 2 | Judy Cook, Berlin, Ohio | Civil War Hijinks (Camp Music) |
| November 6 | Patrick Hoehner, University of Nebraska, Lincoln | Mapping the Causes and Violence of the New York City Draft Riots of 1863 |
Spring Campaign – 2019
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| January 16 | Sarah McDougall, Iowa City/DMCWRT | The Secret of Albert Cashier |
| February 20 | Dr. Sarah Purcell, Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa | Elmer Ellsworth and Stonewall Jackson: Civil War Funerals and Sectional Nationalism |
| March 20 | Dr. David Surdam, UNI, Cedar Fall, Iowa | Business Ethics Aspects of the Civil War |
| April 17 | Ken Allers, UNI, Cedar Falls, Iowa | The Most Magnificent Charge at Gettysburg |
| May 15 | Dr. Wallace Hettle, UNI, Cedar Falls, Iowa | The Confederate Home Front |
| June 19 | Danny Krock, Cambridge, Iowa SUVCW Reenactor | The Last Great Encampment |
Fall Campaign – 2018
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| September 5 | Jo Porter, Denver/Cedar Vally CWRT | An Afternoon with Hannah Porter – October 23, 1864 |
| October 3 | Todd Wilkinson, Springfield, MO/Ozarks Technical Community College | Fire on the Prairie: The Dakota War of 1862 |
| November 7 | Dr Tim Wolters, Iowa State University | Beyond the C.S.S Hunley: Lesser-Known Underwater Weapons of the Civil War |
Spring Campaign – 2018
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| January 17 | Cheryl Mullenbach, Panora | Let’s Take a Moment |
| February 21 | Dr. Wallace Hettle, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls | The Confederate Home Front |
| March 21 | Will Thomson, Iowa City | He Walked Home From Appomattox: The Family History of a Confederate Soldier |
| April 18 | Greg Biggs, Clarksville, Tennessee | The Question Was One of Supplies: The Logistics for William T. Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign |
| May 16 | Dr. Ethan Rafuse, Platte City, Missouri | Robert E. Lee and the Fall of the Confederacy |
| June 20 | Harry Bulkeley, Galesburg, Illinois | General Grant Portrayal |
Fall Campaign – 2017
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| September 6 | Thomas Baker, Iowa City | Raise the Iowa Shout! Grading the Performance of Hawkeye Combat Unit |
| October 4 | Victoria Webb, Guthrie Center and Jeff Kluever, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | War at Our Doorstep: The Effect of the Civil War on Southern Women |
| Tuesday, November 14 | Richard McMurry, Dalton, Georgia | A New Framework for Civil War ‘Military’ History |
Spring Campaign – 2017
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| January 18 | Alan Kirshen, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | Lincoln Must Die |
| February 15 | Roberta and Lydon Swartzendruber, Des Moines Civil War Round Table | Rafael Semmes and the ‘Alabama’: Pirates or Patriots? |
| March 15 | John Duggan, Mason City, Iowa, and John Bonner, Vincent, Iowa, Re-enactors | Civil War Medicine |
| April 19 | John Liepa, Des Moines Civil War Round Table | Baseball’s Origins: Reaching Iowa, and the Role of the Civil War Note: Collection viewing, dinner and program to be held at the Cub Club, Principal Park, Des Moines |
| May 17 | Pippa White, Storyteller, Lincoln, Nebraska | Women in the Civil War |
| June 21 | Patricia Essick, Ottumwa Civil War Roundtable | Silent Witnesses: The Story of the Civil War Told by 25 Objects |
Fall Campaign – 2016
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| September 7 | Sandi Swift, St. Charles, Missouri Re-Enactor | Varina Davis |
| October 5 | George Maxwell, Minneapolis, Minnesota | Agent of Mercy: The Untold Story of Dr. Archibald S. Maxwell, Civil War Surgeon |
| November 2 | David Connon, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | Juggernaut: How Iowa Republicans Used Confederates from Iowa to Win the Propaganda War |
Spring Campaign – 2016
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| January 20 | Miles A. Browne, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | Abraham Lincoln and America’s Unfinished Business |
| February 17 | Pete Taggart, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | American Righteousness: Slavery, Racism and the Civil War |
| March 16 | Lane Smith and Randal Durbin, Kansas City Civil War Re-enactors | Lee and Grant: The Road to and from Appomattox |
| April 20 | Anthony Ziebol, Minneapolis, Minnesota | The Angel of Marye’s Heights: Hero to North and South |
| May 18 | Jeff Kluever, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | Altogether This has been One of the Greatest Victories of the War: The Forgotten Breakthrough of April 2, 1865 |
| June 21 | A. Wilson “Will” Greene, Petersburg, Virginia | The Bermuda 100 Campaign |
Fall Campaign – 2015
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| September 2 | Prof. Lawrence McDonnell, Iowa State University | Bringing Battle Back In: Civil War Soldiers and the Class Politics of Combat |
| October 7 | Kenneth Lyftogt, Cedar Falls, Iowa | Roll on Shenandoah: Iowa’s Role with Sheridan, 1864 |
| November 4 | Prof. Kathy Hilliard, Iowa State University | Masters, Slaves, and Exchange: Power’s Purchase in the Old South |
Spring Campaign – 2015
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| January 21 | Chet Culver, West Des Moines | Affectionately Yours: The Civil War Letters of Joseph Franklin Culver |
| February 18 | Anthony Gaughan, Drake University Law School | The Arlington Cemetery Case: The Supreme Court Battle Between the U.S. Government and the Family of Robert E. Lee |
| March 18 | Richard “Dick” Pohorsky, Cedar Rapids, as William Yancy, Esq. of Alabama | Secession: Right or Act of Treason? |
| April 4 | Speakers include Dr./Lt. Col. Richard Kiper, Timothy Smith, Brian K. McCutchen; | Iowa and the Western Theatre Note: Des Moines Civil War Roundtable 50th Anniversary Gala at the Iowa Historical Museum Note: Keynote Speaker: Michael Kauffman, Author of American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies Note: Dinner and Civil War Entertainment Note: 50th Anniversary Gala Pictures by Jim Rasmussen Note: Des Moines Register Article About Gala Speaker Mike Kauffman |
| May 18 | Shelby Harriel, Steep Hollow, Mississippi | Forbidden, Hidden and Forgotten — Women Soldiers During the Civil War |
| Tuesday June 23 | John Stauffer, Harvard University | The Battle Hymn of the Republic: The Song That Marches On Note: Program at Des Moines Public Library |
Fall Campaign – 2014
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| August 27 | Betty Carlson Kay, Re-Enactor, Jacksonville, Illinois | Three Women During the Civil War: Jennie Hodgers, Mother Bickerdyke and Julia Dent Grant Note: Held at Camp Dodge Gold Star Museum |
| October 1 | Dr. Keven Weddle, US Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania | Lincoln’s Tragic Admiral The Life of Samuel Francis DuPont |
| November 12 | David Hirsch, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | And the War Came |
Spring Campaign – 2014
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| January 15 | Judge Roberta and Lydon Swartzendruber, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | General Benjamin Butler: Lincoln’s Enigma |
| February 19 | George Eaton, Command Historian, Rock Island Arsenal | The Life of Confederate POWs at Rock Island |
| March 19 | Jack Lufkin, Former SHSI Curator, Des Moines | Alexander Clark and Iowa’s First Volunteers of African-American Descent; Later 60th Infantry Regiment U.S. Colored Troops (U.S.C.T) |
| April 16 | Ken Allers, Cedar Rapids | Where’s Waldo? — I Mean A.P.Hill |
| May 21 | Heath Hardage Lee, Des Moines | Winnie Davis: Daughter of the Confederacy and Last Casualty of the Lost Cause |
| June 18 | Tim McNeese, York College, York, Nebraska | ‘I Must Have Some Relief Or It Will Kill Me:’ Abraham Lincoln’s Reliance on Shakespeare |
Fall Campaign – 2013
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| September 4 | Tom Woodruff of Davenport and Ed Bayne of Wapello | Littleton Brothers at War |
| October 2 | Dr. Maura Lyons, Drake University | Draw Your Weapons: Civil War Cartoons from Harpers Weekly |
| November 6 | Pete Grady, Marshalltown | Unconditional Surrender: An Evening with President Grant |
| November 19 | Special Meeting and Dinner at Drake University |
Spring Campaign – 2013
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| January 16 | Bill Bartine, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | Iowa Learns to Wage War |
| February 20 | David Connon, Earlham | Iowans Who Fought Against the Union |
| March 20 | Dave Jackson, North English/Hinkletown | The Tally War: A Different Perspective |
| April 17 | Dr. Wallace Hettle, University of North Iowa, Cedar Falls | Inventing Stonewall Jackson: A Southern Hero in History and Memory |
| May 15 | Edy Fudge, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | The Life and Songs of Stephen Foster: A Real Yankee Doodle Dandy |
| June 19 | Reenacted by Jessica Michna, Racine, Wisconsin | Mary Ann Bickerdyke: Civil War Nurse |
Fall Campaign – 2012
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| September 5 | David Wildman, Watsonville, California | Iowa’s Martyr Regiment: The Story of the 38th Iowa Infantry |
| October 3 | Dennis Bresson, Waterloo | Civil War Cannons of Iowa |
| November 7 | Dr. Tim Walch, Iowa City; Former Director, Hoover Museum & Birthplace | Captured in Dixie! Iowans and Their Experiences as Prisoners of War |
Spring Campaign – 2012
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| January 18 | Roberta and Dr. Lydon Swartzendruber, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | The Supreme Court and the Civil War |
| February 15 | Roger Raines, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | The Civil War on Canvas |
| March 21 | Kendall Gott, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas | The Fort Henry/Fort Donelson Campaign – February 1862: The Decisive Point |
| April 18 | Dr. Lisa Ossian, Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny, Iowa | Iowa’s Youth on the Civil War Homefront |
| May 16 | Dr. Tom Schwartz, Director of the Hoover Museum and Library, West Branch, Iowa | How to Distinguish Deserving Men from the Drones: Lincoln and Political Patronage |
| May 30 | Special Meeting at the State Historical Building with Dinner, Live Civil War Entertainment, Civil War Exhibit Viewing, Battle Flag Preservation Lab Tours | |
| June 20 | Dr. Scott Muntefering, Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa | The Role of the Civil War Bugler and A History of Taps |
Fall Campaign – 2011
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| September 7 | Lt. Col. Harold Knudsen, St. Louis, Missouri | Modern War Methods of General James Longstreet |
| October 5 | Dr. Terry Beckengbaugh, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas | Pragmatic Abolitionists: Contrabands, Samuel Ryan Curtis and the Army of the Southwest in the White River Campaign in Arkansas in 1862 |
| November 2 | Prof. Joe Danielson, Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny, Iowa | Union Occupation of Northern Alabama |
Spring Campaign – 2011
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| January 19 | Glenn Kappelmann, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | Jens Ritend: A Personal Story (Co.K, 32nd Iowa Vol. Inf.) |
| February 16 | William G. Thomas, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska | The Civil War, Railroads, and the Making of Modern America |
| March 16 | Ranney Ramsey, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | Witnesses: 19th Century Feminist Antislavery Rhetoric |
| April 20 | Tod Wilkinson, Ozarks Technical Community College, Springfield, Missouri | The 14th Iowa Infantry at the Battle of Pilot Knob, Missouri |
| May 18 | Prof. Terry Lindell, Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa | Iowa Troops in Dakota Territory 1861 – 65 |
| June 15 | Brad Lookingbill, Columbia College, Columbia, Missouri | The Union Wages ‘Total War’ on the Confederacy |
Fall Campaign – 2010
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| September 1 | Rich Kiper, Leavenworth, Kansas | Major General John McClernand: Politician in Uniform |
| October 6 | Bruce Allardice, Chicago, Illinois, with John Liepa’s baseball card/memorabilia collection on display | Baseball and the Civil War |
| November 3 | Dr. William Feis, Buena Vista University, Storm Lake, Iowa | Civil War Guerrilla Warefare |
Spring Campaign – 2010
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| January 20 | Cancelled because of weather conditions | |
| February 17 | Tanya Zanish-Belcher, Iowa State University Archivist | Civil War Diaries |
| March 17 | Music by Bob Welch, Dubuque, Iowa | Lincoln and Liberty Too |
| April 7 | Evening at the State Historical Building, Des Moines, Iowa, with viewing of Lincoln and Iowa exhibit, dinner by Cafe Baratta’s, and performance by Old Creamery Theatre of Young Abe Lincoln | |
| April 21 | Robert Miller of the Chicago Civil War Roundtable | Religion and the Civil War |
| May 19 | Grant Veeder, Waterloo, Iowa | Lincoln as a War Leader |
Fall Campaign – 2009
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| September 2 | George Buss, Freeport, Illinois | An Evening with Abraham Lincoln |
| October 7 | Jeffry Burden, Richmond, Virginia | Sheridan’s Hawkeyes: the 22nd, 24th and 28th Iowa in the Shenandoah Valley, 1864 |
| November 4 | Susan Kuecker, African-American Museum, Cedar Rapids, Iowa | Alexander Clark: The Most Prominent Negro in the Civil War Iowa Era |
| December 3 | Mark Warren, Bloomfield, Iowa | A Civil War ‘Manual of Arms’ |
Spring Campaign – 2009
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| January 21 | Professor Bradley Dyke, Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny, Iowa | Bushwhackers as Terrorists |
| February 18 | Lowell Sneller, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | An Illustrated Story of Civil War Submarines |
| March 18 | Rhoda Sneller, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | Iowans at Lincoln’s Inaugurations |
| April 15 | Glen Kappelmann, Des Moines Civil War Roundtable | The Civil War in Meter |
| April 29 | William Morris, Des Moines | Iowa, African Americans, and the Civil War |
| May 20 | Tim Good, Bellevue, Nebraska | Epiphany at Alton: Lincoln’s Last Debate |
Fall Campaign – 2008
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| September 3 | Judy Cook, Laurel, Maryland | Tenting Tonight: Songs of the Civil War |
| October 1 | Kirk Brandenberger/Hank Hustus, Keokuk, Iowa | Battle of Pea Ridge |
| November 5 | Dr. Blaine Houmes, Cedar Rapids, Iowa | The Lincoln Assassination: Myths and New Perspectives |
| December 3 | James Patrick Morgan, Council Bluffs, Iowa | The Underground Railroad on the Western Frontier |
Spring Campaign – 2008
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| January 16 | Dr. Nicholas Proctor, Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa | How the Civil War is Taught in High Schools, Colleges and Universities |
| February 20 | Professor Dennis Kellogg, Des Moines Area Community College | First Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment (1861) and First Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Colored) — A Contrast in Glory |
| March 19 | Michael Hayes & John Keller, Grinnell, Iowa | Bringing Civil War History Alive |
| April 16 | Bob Welch, Dubuque, Iowa | Songs and Stories of the Civil War |
| May 21 | Kenneth Lyftogt, Cedar Falls, Iowa | Iowa Stories of the Civil War |
Fall Campaign – 2007
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| September 5 | Jessica Michna, Racine, Wisconsin | An Evening with Mary Todd Lincoln |
| October 3 | Dr. Brian Roberts, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa | Music and Musicians of the Civil War |
| November 7 | Senator Dennis Black, Grinnell, Iowa | Iowa’s Civil War Medal of Honor Winners |
| December 5 | Thomas Flagel, Cedar Rapids, Iowa | The Myths of Gettysburg |
Spring Campaign – 2007
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| January 17 | William Johnson, Iowa Historical Society, Des Moines, Iowa | Iowa Flags Update |
| February 21 | Robert Parker, Des Moines Civil War Round Table | Iowa Boys Go to War |
| March 21 | Dr. Dave Salvaterra, Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa | Changing Nations: Confederate Nationalism and Confederate Identity |
| April 18 | John Liepa, Des Moines Civil War Round Table | An Evening with Cal McVey: Iowa, Baseball, and the Civil War |
| May 16 | Elaine Estes, Former Director, Public Library of Des Moines | Slavery, Abolition, and My Civil War Memorabilia |
Fall Campaign – 2006
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| September 6 | Dr. William Feis, Buena Vista College, Storm Lake, Iowa | Civil War Intelligence |
| October 4 | Miles Browne, Des Moines Civil War Round Table | Abraham Lincoln and the Great Sioux Uprising |
| November 1 | Kelly Schott, Cedar Falls, Iowa | Qua Yarns: Women in the Civil War |
| December 6 | Dr. Tom Colbert, Iowa Valley Community College, Marshalltown, Iowa | ‘He had more than held the Fort’: General John Murray Corse |
Spring Campaign – 2006
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| January 18 | Dr. Kevin Gannon, Grand View College, Des Moines, Iowa | Northern Reactions to Southern Secession |
| February 15 | Brian McCutchen, National Park Service, Omaha, Nebraska | Commemorating Our Heroes: The Evolution of Civil War Commemoratives in the U.S. |
| March 15 | Gary Huxford, Marengo, Iowa | Andersonville: Up Close and Personal |
| March 29 | Mike Vogt, Gold Star Museum, Camp Dodge | Tour of the Collection — Weapons of the Civil War — Roger Raines, Des Moines Civil War Round Table Note: Gold Star Museum Evening at Camp Dodge |
| April 19 | Jerry Wetzel, Des Moines Civil War Round Table | The Life Experiences of Pvt. Jeremiah Wetzel |
| May 17 | Carl Boas and Rusty Corder, Davis County Civil War Reenactors | Confederate Invasion of Iowa |
Fall Campaign – 2005
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| September 6 | Rhoda Sneller, Des Moines Civil War Round Table | Death Comes to the Lincoln White House: The Fall of Elmer Ellsworth |
| October 5 | Judy Cook, Folksinger, Laurel, Maryland | Tenting Tonight and Songs and Stories of the Civil War |
| November 2 | Dr. Ronald Rietveld, California State University, Fullerton | Lincoln Triumphant: From Crisis to Victory 1864-1865 |
| December 7 | Edy Fudge, Des Moines Civil War Round Table | Elizabeth Van Lew: Crazy Bet |
Spring Campaign – 2005
| Date | Speaker / Affiliation | Program Title |
| January 19 | Tim Smith, Park Ranger, Shiloh National Military Park, Tennessee | The Battle of Champion Hill and Civil War Battlefield Preservation |
| February 16 | Donald C. Elder III, East New Mexico University, Portales, New Mexico | Campaign to Break Vicksburg |
| March 16 | Ron Rockenback, Lincoln, Nebraska | Ron Rockenback, Civil War Reenactor, Lincoln, Nebraska |
| March 30 | Up Close and Personal with the Civil War Exhibit — Bill Johnson, Iowa State Historical Society Battle Flag Restoration — Sheila Hanke, Iowa State Historical Society Note: Iowa State Historical Building Evening | |
| April 20 | Pete Taggert, Simpson College/Des Moines Civil War Round Table | The Philosophical Positions of the North and South |
| May 18 | Mike Vogt, Gold Star Museum, Camp Dodge, Johnston, Iowa | Iowans and the Battle of Columbus, Georgia |