Thunder in the West: The Civil War in the Western Theater
3 Parts

Title: Thunder in the West: The Civil War in the Western Theater, 3 Parts
Date: 7/15/2009; 7/16/2009; 7/17/2009
Time: 8:30 am—4:15 pm
Location: Southwest Center
Audience: Grades 3-12 Educators
Facilitator: Dr. Rich Loosbrock
Member Fee: $100 for all 3 sessions
Non-Member Fee: $150 for all 3 sessions
Description: While the Civil War left a deep impact on the entire nation, it left a unique and deep impact on the Kansas-Missouri region. While the war officially began with the firing on Ft. Sumter in 1861, it effectively started with the violence in Kansas in 1854. In this three-day workshop we will examine the causes of the war, paying particular attention to this area, and study the events in the western theater where the Union effectively ruined the Confederacy even as Robert E. Lee emerged as nearly invincible in the east. We will also consider the messy aftermath of the war and the dubious achievements of Reconstruction. Like the armies of old we will spend one day waging our own campaign in the field; traveling to the Pea Ridge battlefield for a first-hand experience to learn about how Civil War armies lived, moved, and fought. This workshop will cover the ABCs of the Civil War but also offer detailed material to broaden the understanding of both the novice and the more serious students of the war. New.