Inland Empire

Civil War Round Table

A 501(c)3 registered non-profit organization.

EIN: 36-5074542. Donations are tax-deductible

Winner of the First International CWRT Congress PHOENIX AWARD

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Inland Empire Civil War Round Table Patron Recognition

We sincerely thank our Dedicated Patron Donors. The continued support of individuals who have contributed $50 or more is invaluable to the Inland Empire Civil War Round Table and the advancement of our educational and preservation efforts.

2025 Patrons

Heather St. Clair - Loma Linda

James Shuttleworth - Rowland Heights

Elizabeth Courtney - San Dimas

Frank Sheridan - Redlands

Mike Hoover * - Grand Terrace

Jim & Emily Bueermann * - Redlands

* Donation given for the acquisition of historical artifacts for the Lincoln Memorial Shrine in Redlands, CA

To become a Inland Empire Civil War Round Table Patron click here.

On Sunday, Jan. 18th, Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg John J. Fitzpatrick will present "There is No Fail Here: The Real Back-Story to Lincoln's Leadership Challenges / The Gettysburg Address at Gettysburg."

This free program will be in the Assembly Room at the A.K. Smiley Public Library in Redlands.

The program starts at 2 P.M.

The Program

Why did President Lincoln, a concerned, caring, conflicted, and careworn Commander-in-Chief/President come to Gettysburg for only 25 hours on November 18 and 19, 1863? The President was not invited as the keynote speaker -- indeed, he was asked to make only “a few appropriate remarks." Yet he accepted that “secondary” role in the midst of the American Civil War with no end in sight – Why? Gain a greater appreciation of the immortal Gettysburg Address and President Lincoln’s Leadership challenges in light of the enormous personal, political and policy pressures impacting the President, how this leader overcame them, his purposes [gratitude, equality, Union] and how the President achieved those objectives in his short, masterful presentation. Each of those pressures are particularly described/connected herein.

John J. Fitzpatrick

John Fitzpatrick is an Honors Graduate of both Villanova University and the University of Georgia School of Law. He is a Licensed Battlefield Guide Emeritus at Gettysburg now guiding in his 21st year there. In his life he has been an Attorney, Arbitrator, Aviator, Veteran. John was a Senior Corporate Counsel in the Chevron Corporation Law Department for 32 years.

Prior to entering Law School, John served on Active Duty as a United States Marine Corps Officer--Tank Platoon Commander, then earning the Designation “Naval Aviator”/ Pilot, including a Vietnam tour of duty where he flew 140 combat missions.

His decorations include eight Air Medals, three Meritorious Service Decorations, one USAF Commendation, and one Presidential Unit Citation. served as an Active Reservist Pilot with the Pennsylvania Air National Guard earning the Rating of “Command Pilot”. Colonel Fitzpatrick is now transferred to the Retired Reserve.

He now divides his time amongst Guiding at Gettysburg, volunteer Veterans’ Activities and his national and international Commercial, Construction, Securities and Securities Employment Arbitration practice.

On Monday, Jan. 26th, Author & Historian Jeffrey Boutwell, Ph.D., will present "BOUTWELL: Radical Republican and Champion of Democracy."

6:30 P.M. Pacific Time on Zoom. You can use the link below to join. The Zoom room opens at 6:15.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88473850602?pwd=HLNxvspCNjzSpJuHMcWbRKWr1jXLtU.1

Meeting ID: 884 7385 0602

Passcode: 468740

Jeffrey Boutwell, Ph.D.

During his seven-decade career in public life, George Sewall Boutwell sought to "redeem America's promise" of racial equality, economic equity, and the principled use of American power abroad. From 1840 to 1905, Boutwell was at the center of efforts to abolish slavery, establish the Republican Party, assist President Lincoln in funding the Union war effort, facilitate Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, impeach President Andrew Johnson, and frame and enact the Fourteenth and Fifteenth civil rights amendments.

Jeffrey Boutwell is a writer, historian, and public policy specialist whose forty-year career spanned journalism, government, and international scientific cooperation. He has written widely on issues relating to nuclear weapons arms control, European politics, and Middle East security issues. He has a Ph.D. in political science from MIT, a B.A. in history from Yale University, and he worked for many years at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Cambridge, Mass. He is the author most recently of BOUTWELL: Radical Republican and Champion of Democracy (W.W. Norton, 2025), a biography of family member George Boutwell, political ally of Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War and Reconstruction eras who helped frame the 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution and promoted equality of rights for all Americans. Jeffrey grew up in Concord, Mass., and now lives in Columbia, Maryland with his wife, Buthaina Shukri.