Tennessee Valley Civil War Round Table

A Civil War Round Table Quiz Book; by Dave Smith,Dulles

I could not pass this book up, for reasons easily guessed from its title.  And the book is exactly as described by that title.  It is a compilation of 75 questions spread over 8 subjects pertaining to various aspects of the Civil War.  Its purpose and format is much the same as our Tennessee Valley Civil War Round Table uses to set up our monthly Little Round Table discussion groups: a series of topical questions to stimulate thought, each with a substantive answer.  The questions cover the gamut of the war:  causes, trends, casualties, leaders, battles, events, and its end.  The answers provided are concise and informative.  A great challenge for readers will be to take the quizzes and see how well you do before you turn to the answers.  The book’s format lends itself to that approach.  Of course, if you just want to casually troll for information, you can do that, too.  In either case, this makes for a great coffee table book or a book for the “throne room”.

Dave Smith, the grandson and great-grandson of Civil War soldiers, earned a degree in journalism from Boston University after serving with the Marines Corps in Korea during the Korean War.  After working for several years as a newspaper writer and editor, he spent 28 years with a major insurance company as a division director of communications. He lives in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.  Along the way, he joined the Harford Civil War Round Table.  Wanting to contribute to the Round Table members’ experience, he offered to produce a monthly quiz.  It would go out with the monthly bulleting, and answers would be discussed at the next meeting.  It caught on quickly and became a popular feature of the meetings.  (Again, reminiscent of our Little Round Tables.)  This book is a compilation of those quizzes.

The book serves its purpose well.  Many questions deal with lesser-known aspects of the war rather than the best known topics, so they can pose a challenge even to the most seasoned Civil War buff.  It is a valuable read for anyone, seasoned or novice, interested in the Civil War, and is one easily passed on to other family members to get them interested in learning about the Civil War.  I highly recommend it.

   Your reviewer is Emil L. Posey, TVCWRT Vice President. His work history spans almost 45 years of military and civilian service to our country.  He retired from NASA/George C. Marshall Space Flight Center on December 27, 2014.  He has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Hood College, Frederick, Maryland; is a former president of the Huntsville chapter of the National Contract Management Association, and is a life member of the Special Forces Association.  He is also a member of Elks Lodge 1648 (Huntsville, AL) and the Tennessee Valley Genealogical Society.  He is happily married and has three children and (so far) two grandchildren.  He is a dedicated bibliophile, and is a (very) armchair political analyst and military enthusiast.