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Attention One and All

The Hagerstown Civil War Round Table is a group of men and women who are interested in the study of the American Civil War. All persons interested in good company, good food, field trips, learning about the American Civil War, and sharing your knowledge with others, enlist now in the Hagerstown Civil War Round Table. Yanks and Rebs welcomed with equal pleasure. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

No prior knowledge of the Civil War is necessary. Come and learn!

September Speaker

Victor Vignola is a lifelong Civil War student. His first book, Contrasts in Command: The Battle of Fair Oaks, May 31 – June 1, 1862, received the prestigious 2024 Fletcher Pratt Award. It was also named one of the top 10 Civil War books of 2023 by Civil War Books and Authors and was a finalist for the American Battlefield Trust’s 2023 Best Military History Book Award.

Vic’s research for the book helped preserve a 12-acre parcel of hallowed ground where the fighting at Fair Oaks took place. It remains the only preserved land on the Seven Pines (Fair Oaks) battlefield. His work continues as he completes a book on the Battle of Seven Pines.

Vic has also authored magazine articles for Civil War publications and conducts Civil War history programs and tours of various sites. He retired from executive level management for New York State’s Office of Mental Health. He resides with his family in Orange County, New York, home of the 124th New York “Orange Blossoms” Regiment.

Hagerstown Civil War Round Table, Inc.

P. O. Box 637

Funkstown, MD 21734-0637

Our Email Address is: hagerstowncwrt1956@gmail.com

Please click on one of the tabs in the menu bar above to learn more about our group.

Who We Are

The Hagerstown Civil War Round Table was founded in 1956 and has held eight meetings a year ever since. Currently the Round Table has close to 100 members from several states. We study battles, leaders, issues, personalities, politics, logistics, strategy, tactics, blunders and all of the facets that made up the Civil War.

We demonstrate an interest in public service through support of battlefield preservation, the presentation of needed books to the Washington County Free Library's Western Maryland Room, and donations to funds for historic preservation. Each May we present The E. Russell Hicks/Louis Tuckerman Merit Scholarship to an outstanding student of American History from among the high school seniors in Washington County.

Periodically, the Round Table sponsors a field trip to a Civil War battlefield or site. The field trips are led by a person, usually from the National Park Service, who is an expert in the area of the trip.

Meeting Times and Place

The Hagerstown Civil War Round Table meets from September through May at the Homewood Suites located at 1650 Pullman Lane (near Wesel Blvd), in Hagerstown, MD. The meetings start at 6:30 pm with optional dinner (cost $30) followed by a presentation at 7:30 pm by a nationally or regionally recognized authority in a field of Civil War history, and may be from the National Park Service, a college or university, or from another round table. Dues are currently $30 per year which entitles you to a name tag and a year's subscription to The Bugle Call.

A membership application can be found on the tab above.

Meeting dates are :

0/22/2026 Joe Geiger Union Militia and Home Guards in West Virginia

12/10/2026 Carolyn Ivanoff Cornelia Hancock’s Civil War: A Heart Touched by Fire from Gettysburg to the Grand Review

01/28/2027 Tim Snyder The Most Terrible Experience during the War: Stonewall Jackson’s Winter Campaign to Bath, Hancock and Romney

02/25/2027 Steve French McCausland’s Brigade and the Battle of North Mountain Depot July 3, 1864

03/25/2027 Kevin Pawlak Professed Friends: The Command Relationship of George B. McClellan, Ambrose Burnside and Fitz John Porter during the Maryland Campaign

04/22/2027 Ted Savas The Indispensable Man: George Washington Rains, the Confederate Powder Works and the Civil War You Never Knew

05/27/2027 Chris Hartley Confederate General D. H. Hill: A Military Life

Our cancellation policy is that of the Washington County Public Schools. If the schools are closed, we will not meet. If the schools open late, we will meet.