Monthly Archives: March 2025

Meeting of April 29, 2025

Join us at 6:30 PM, April 29, at Jack’s Restaurant & Bar, located at the Northwest corner of the Westgate Shopping Mall in San Jose, near Campbell (1502 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, CA 95129) and via ZOOM. This month’s topic is

Alan Sissenwein on “William B. Franklin, One of the Union’s Worst Generals”

William B. Franklin is a largely forgotten figure today, but he contributed to three of the worst defeats the Union army suffered. His military career began on a stellar note, graduating first in West Point’s 39-man Class of 1843, but the Civil War was to show he was no combat general. Appointed by George McClellan to command the 6th Corps, Franklin’s worst moment came during the Antietam campaign when he was charged with relieving the besieged Federal garrison at Harpers Ferry. Through his own timidity, Franklin failed in his mission, resulting in the surrender of over 10,000 Union troops. He continued to display poor generalship at the Battle of Fredericksburg, for which he became a political scapegoat. Transferred to Louisiana, Franklin committed an error that worsened Union losses at the Battle of Sabine Crossroads, a Federal defeat that led to the collapse of Nathaniel Banks’ Red River campaign.

Alan Sissenwein has been a member of the South Bay Civil War Round Table since 1997 and currently serves as its vice president. A professional writer, he holds a bachelor’s degree in history from UC Berkeley and a master’s in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He is currently writing the second draft of a book on the Battle of Fredericksburg.

Quiz for April 29, 2025

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About the Fugitive Slave Act?

Q#1 – Was the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act the first law of its kind in the United States?

Q#2 – What actions did the States identified as “Free States” take regarding what actions to take when runaway slaves were discovered in their State?

Q#3 – Before the passage of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act, what rulings by the Missouri Supreme Court circumvented Federal laws regarding the return of enslaved people?

Q#4 – Why were the rulings by the Missouri Supreme Court regarding the return of enslaved ruled as being Constitutional?

Q#5 – Why in 1847 and 1849 did planters from Bourbon and Boone counties, Kentucky, lead raids into Cass County in the state of Michigan?

Q#6 – What was the general reaction by Southerners regarding how the “Free States” were dealing with slaves in their states?

Q#7 – What was the name of the politician who drafted the language for Fugitive Slave Act of 1850,?

Q#8 – What penalties were imposed on those found guilty of not arresting a suspected runaway slave?

Q#9 – What were the penalties imposed by the Act on any one who aided a slave in escaping slavery?

Q#10 – In 1850, what legislative action did the State of Vermont implement that rendered the federal 1850 Fugitive Slave Act effectively unenforceable in Vermont?

Q#11 – What is “Jury Nullification” and how was it used regarding criminal cases related to the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act?

Q#12 – What was the first state to declare the Fugitive Slave Act unconstitutional and how did the US Supreme court rule?

Q#13 – In 1855, what law did the Michigan legislature pass that dealt with the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act?

Q#14 – Why did many Northern businessmen support the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act?

Q#15 – When was the Fugitive Slave Act formally repealed?