Calendar of Events
All events take place at the Fort Taber Military Museum unless otherwise noted. Talks are free and open to all.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Dec 12, 2023, 6:00pm
Annual Holiday Dinner
at the Century House

Buffet menu to include baked honey ham, New England baked scrod, grilled chicken caprese, vegetables, five cheese tortellini, sweet bell pepper rice, mixed salad greens, focaccia herb bread, ice cream with chocolate sauce, coffee and tea. A cash bar will be available.
Century House will provide special meals by request (vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, special allergies).
Tickets are $37 and you are encouraged to bring a guest, or more!
Reservations required. Please order your tickets using the form provided in our newsletter, The Flagbearer.
Century House 107 Main Street, Acushnet, MA | Directions
PAST EVENTS:
Nov 28, 2023, 6:00pm
Michael S. Murphy
Company H of the 12th Massachusetts
Volunteer Regiment


Tonight’s presentation will tell the story of Company H of the 12th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment, based on Michael S. Murphy's book Webster’s Regiment: The Twelfth Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment.
This regiment fought in every major battle in the Eastern Theater of Operations. The 12th Massachusetts suffered more than many regiments, but continued to demonstrate their bravery and valor right up to when they were pulled off the line in 1864. Murphy’s book details their exploits and their leaders, Fletcher Webster, son of Daniel Webster, killed in his first big action, and James L. Bates, who took up the mantle of leadership and led the regiment through the balance of the war.
Michael S. Murphy is a resident of Weymouth, MA and teaches history, American Civil War, and Political Affairs at Weymouth High School. He has worked as an Adjunct Professor of History and Education at the University of Phoenix and American International College. He has a B.A. in History with minors in Social Studies and Education, an MAT in Secondary Education with minors in History and geography, a MA in History with a concentration in Curriculum Development.
The New Bedford Civil War Round Table is moving to a new and permanent meeting location.
Beginning with the January 2022 meeting, we will meet at the Low Tide Yacht Club. This location is next door to our previous meeting space at the Fort Tabor Military Museum. The Yacht Club room offers us a larger facility, and you will feel comfortably spaced, not jammed together.
Ample, free parking. Directions
Masks are required even if you are fully vaccinated and boosted. This is City of New Bedford policy in city-owned buildings.
Oct 24, 2023, 6:00pm
David Prentiss
Catton’s Grant:
Understanding His Generalship and Greatness

Ulysses S. Grant’s reputation as a general has never been without controversy. From his earliest days of command to the present day, there has been an abundance of both praise and blame for his generalship. The eminent Civil War historian, Bruce Catton, was on the praise side of this debate and made the case for Grant’s greatness in three books: Grant Moves South, Grant Takes Command, and U.S. Grant and the American Military Tradition. This talk will examine Catton’s arguments in favor of Grant and elaborate the key points Catton makes about Grant’s generalship from Fort Henry to Appomattox.
Doors open at 5:15PM for social hour.
Meeting begins at 6:00PM.
The New Bedford Civil War Round Table is moving to a new and permanent meeting location.
Beginning with the January 2022 meeting, we will meet at the Low Tide Yacht Club. This location is next door to our previous meeting space at the Fort Tabor Military Museum. The Yacht Club room offers us a larger facility, and you will feel comfortably spaced, not jammed together.
Ample, free parking. Directions
Masks are required even if you are fully vaccinated and boosted. This is City of New Bedford policy in city-owned buildings.
Sep 26, 2023, 6:00pm
Aaron Bolis
Clothing and Equipment issued to
the Army of Northern Virginia

Aaron will speak about the clothing and equipment issued to the Army of Northern Virginia throughout the war.
Doors open at 5:15PM for social hour.
Meeting begins at 6:00PM.
The New Bedford Civil War Round Table is moving to a new and permanent meeting location.
Beginning with the January 2022 meeting, we will meet at the Low Tide Yacht Club. This location is next door to our previous meeting space at the Fort Tabor Military Museum. The Yacht Club room offers us a larger facility, and you will feel comfortably spaced, not jammed together.
Ample, free parking. Directions
Masks are required even if you are fully vaccinated and boosted. This is City of New Bedford policy in city-owned buildings.
Jun 27, 2023, 6:00pm
Annual Picnic
Annual Picnic and Business Meeting to elect officers, at the Low Tide Yacht Club

- Cost $20 per person donation at the door.
- This will be a catered event with hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, tossed salad, corn on the cob, watermelon, chips, and drinks.
- Please bring a dessert to share with everyone.
- Guests and family are welcome!
- The Joseph Langlois Book Award recipients will be special guests.
- Larry Roy will have music for us to enjoy.
- Peter Rioux will once again conduct a table vs. table Civil War Trivia Pursuit contest.
- There will be a short business meeting; a vote on a new slate of officers for the 2022-2023 season.
Send us an email to RSVP with number of guests.
Low Tide Yacht Club, 1000 Rodney French Blvd.
Fort Taber Park, New Bedford
May 27, 2023, 9:00pm
Memorial Day Service
New Bedford Civil War Roundtable
Annual Remembrance Service

Remembrance Service in the New Bedford Rural Cemetery. Keynote speaker is scheduled to be New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell.
Rural Cemetery, 149 Dartmouth St, New Bedford
(directions)
Drive to the Civil War section in the back of the cemetery.
May 23, 2023, 6:00pm
Patrick Donovan 2023
Varnum Memorial Armory Museum


Patrick Donovan will explain recent efforts to restore the historic armory, professionalize the care of the museum collection, and add professional conservation services to the Varnum Continentals, a historic, non-profit organization. He will also bring some of the museum’s latest and most special Civil War relic acquisitions and will share their amazing stories with the group.
Patrick is Vice President of the Varnum Continentals, Inc., an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that owns and manages two museum properties: the James Mitchell Varnum Estate and the Varnum Memorial Armory Museum. As Armory Vice President, Patrick is responsible for the Varnum Armory facility and is executive director of the Varnum Armory museum which houses the largest collection of Rhode Island military history on display. The Varnum Continentals’ mission since 1907 has been to preserve and share Rhode Island military history with the ultimate aim to educate and encourage patriotism and service – of all kinds – to our state and country.
The New Bedford Civil War Round Table is moving to a new and permanent meeting location.
Beginning with the January 2022 meeting, we will meet at the Low Tide Yacht Club. This location is next door to our previous meeting space at the Fort Tabor Military Museum. The Yacht Club room offers us a larger facility, and you will feel comfortably spaced, not jammed together.
Ample, free parking. Directions
Masks are required even if you are fully vaccinated and boosted. This is City of New Bedford policy in city-owned buildings.
Apr 25, 2023, 6:00pm
Paul Bourget
Portraying General George Sears Greene


Paul Bourget is an avid American Civil War enthusiast. As a member of the federal Generals Corps, based in Pennsylvania, Bourget has been an active living historian, portraying Bvt. Major General George Sears Greene for the past thirteen years at many major reenactments.
While portraying General Greene, Bourget has given presentations on various aspects of the Civil War at schools, colleges, museums, and historical societies.
Paul Bourget, as General Greene, will discuss the impact that the battle of Chancellorsville (April 30-May 6, 1863) had on union and confederate commanders, officers, and men who fought at the Battle of Gettysburg two months later.
After an incredible start to the Chancellorsville Campaign, where Fighting Joe Hooker got behind Gen’l Robert E. Lee’s forces at Fredericksburg, VA, Hooker’s plan fell apart. Outnumbered over two to one, Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia overwhelmed Union forces at Chancellorsville, giving Lee his best victory of the war.
The Union Army of the Potomac was ready to avenge the defeat and were eager for a fight … even at great cost. General Greene and the XLL Corps were looking for payback.
The New Bedford Civil War Round Table is moving to a new and permanent meeting location.
Beginning with the January 2022 meeting, we will meet at the Low Tide Yacht Club. This location is next door to our previous meeting space at the Fort Tabor Military Museum. The Yacht Club room offers us a larger facility, and you will feel comfortably spaced, not jammed together.
Ample, free parking. Directions
Masks are required even if you are fully vaccinated and boosted. This is City of New Bedford policy in city-owned buildings.
Mar 28, 2023, 6:00pm
Patrick H. Breen
The Land Shall Be Deluged in Blood


Patrick H. Breen will talk about his book The Land Shall Be Deluged in Blood.
“[A] fascinating account of the 1831 Nat Turner rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, and its aftermath. The book provides both an excellent narrative history of the events and an analytic framework to examine important issues in southern historiography....The Land Shall Be Deluged in Blood is a significant contribution to the literature on Turner and the 1831 uprising. It is highly recommended to those interested in the Turner rebellion, slave resistance, and the coming of the Civil War.”
—Michael W. Coffey, The North Carolina Historical Review
Patrick H. Breen is Associate Professor of History at Providence College. He holds a Ph.D. from University of Georgia.
The New Bedford Civil War Round Table is moving to a new and permanent meeting location.
Beginning with the January 2022 meeting, we will meet at the Low Tide Yacht Club. This location is next door to our previous meeting space at the Fort Tabor Military Museum. The Yacht Club room offers us a larger facility, and you will feel comfortably spaced, not jammed together.
Ample, free parking. Directions
Masks are required even if you are fully vaccinated and boosted. This is City of New Bedford policy in city-owned buildings.
Jan 23, 2023, 7:00pm
Steven R. Stotelmyer
McClellan and His Generalship
(ZOOM Talk)


A native of Hagerstown, Maryland, Steven Stotelmyer has a B.S. from Frostburg State College, and a Master of Arts from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. He is a Navy veteran. He has taught in the Washington County Public Schools for 10 years. He has walked the Antietam battlefield since he was a young child growing up nearby.
Steven's talk will be based on his book Too Useful To Sacrifice: Reconsidering the Generalship of George B. McClellan during the Maryland Campaign.
Zoom Talks Registration: To register please contact us so we can send a Zoom request/invite to your email address. Let us know which talk you would like to join.
New to Zoom? Here's a good Zoom tutorial video (opens on YouTube). Be sure you have an audio hook up if you are using your computer.