As historians, researchers and interested readers of Civil War lore will confirm, Cobb County has a wealth of connections to the conflict. For members of the local Civil War Round Table, the battles and skirmishes that took place in the area are a subject of ongoing fascination.
The year-old group of about 140 enthusiasts convene on the first Thursday of each month to explore the area’s connection to the conflict. The group is modeled after existing round tables in Atlanta and Gwinnett County that meet regularly to discuss a myriad of topics associated with those dark days of the early 1860s.
“Cobb is so rich in Civil War history that we decided we needed to start our own group here,” said founder David Brannan who lives in Kennesaw. “It grew from my interest in getting together with other people to discuss Civil War history. I started talking to people at the Marietta Museum of History and the Kennesaw Mountain (National Battlefield Park) center. Then I found out that Kennesaw State has a Civil War center.”
Brannan partnered with the university to host the round table’s meetings at the KSU Center on Busbee Drive. At the very first session last year, he expected about 60 attendees; 110 showed up.
“It does tend to be an older group, but my goal is to get younger people involved,” said Brannan.
Even though the group meets in the South and many members are Southerners, Brannan said no one takes any sides.
“We don’t play favorites,” he said. “A lot of us do have ancestors who fought in the war, but many people are just interested in it and want to talk about it. And the more you learn, the more intriguing it becomes.”
A meeting might cover any number of topics, from individual war stories to the music of the period. The group’s September session featured period tunes played on dulcimers by costumed members of the Allatoona Dulcimer Ensemble. It also included an address by Steve Davis, an author and historian from East Cobb who has written and lectured on the topic that first captivated him in the fourth grade.
“You can’t be in Atlanta without brushing up against the war,” said Davis.
Brian Wills, director of KSU’s Civil War Center and a professor of history at the university, said the goal of the round table is to be educational and a bit entertaining at the same time.
“We talk about issues like nursing, bravery, cowardice and the home front as well,” he said. “There’s something from everybody.”
The next meeting of the Round Table is 7 p.m. Oct. 4 at the KSU Center, 3333 Busbee Drive. The evening’s speaker will be Richard Coker, author of “To Make Men Free: A Novel of the Battle of Antietam.” Information: www.cobbcrwt.org. Details about the Civil War Center at KSU can be found at www.kennesaw.edu/civilwarera; 678-797-2966.
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