The Barons
The North was already becoming an industrialized economy by 1860 but the Civil War gave production techniques a power boost. In this talk, we’ll survey various fields like transportation, arms manufacturing, medicine and food production to understand how factory owners adapted to the massive requirements the war presented, as well as how the government innovated to pay them. As usual, this talk goes behind the scenes to describe the Good Barons involved, some of whom are now household names like Borden, Armour, and Squibb.  Some like Parrott and Cooke are well known to Civil War buffs, but several lesser-known entrepreneurs like Burden and Eads will also get some limelight.  We’ll wrap with some stories about the Bad Barons, including fraudsters.

Dave Schrader
Dr. Dave Schrader has been giving CWRT talks to Los Angeles audiences since 2013. He is particularly fascinated by “the rest of the story” – for example, the activities of support organizations such as the Signal Corps, the Quartermaster, and Commissary Corps, who often played major, but behind-the-scenes, roles in the abilities of generals and presidents to achieve their goals.  Or, people like Lincoln’s Secretaries, or his Ambassadors, that played a pivotal role in supporting the President and his policies. Or, the Fire-Eaters, who drummed up support for secession in the south.  Most of Dave’s talks are interactive so be prepared for audience participation!