Civil War

Howard Frank Mosher discusses his new book Walking to Gatlinburg: A Novel on Tuesday, March 30, at 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St. The story begins with 17-year-old Morgan Kinneson...

Author Marc Wortman discusses his new book The Bonfire: The Siege and Burning of Atlanta on Wednesday, February 17, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St. The Bonfire rec...

Historian Ron Smith discusses his new book Thomas Ewing Jr.: Frontier Lawyer and Civil War General. Smith takes readers back to Bleeding Kansas, with its border ruffians and land speculators, to show how Thomas Ewing Jr. and his family played pivotal roles in th...

Meet the Past features Library Director Crosby Kemper III interviewing prominent historical figures (as portrayed by actors and veteran Chautauqua performers) with Kansas City-area connections. Kerry Altenbernd portrays John Brown, the famous (and infamo...

Comprised largely of free-state sympathizers, the German community of Concordia was located in Lafayette County, which contained more slaves than any other Missouri county. During the Civil War, the settlement became a target of a guerilla band led by "Bloody Bill" Anderson. Despite wartime travails, Concordia...

A panel of military historians will discuss the significance of the Battle of Gettysburg on Wednesday, July 1, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St. Moderator Wilburn E. Meador Jr., an inst...

On Friday, May 1, at 7 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St., local author Andrea Warren presents her recently released nonfiction book for young adults Under Siege! Three Children at the Civil War Battle for Vicksburg....

Jennifer Weber, an assistant professor of history at the University of Kansas, discusses her new book Copperheads: The Rise and Fall of Lincoln’s Opponents in the North on Wednesday, February 18, at 6:30 p.m. at the...

A panel of military historians from the United States Army’s Command and General Staff College discusses Lincoln’s leadership traits as commander in chief on Thursday, February 5, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th...

In the aftermath of Quantrill's Raid on Lawrence, Kansas, Union General Thomas Ewing, Jr., became suspicious of local support for Confederate sympathizers and issued the infamous General Order No. 11 “ the enforced evacuation of rural communities in four Missouri counties surrounding Kansas City....