Scottsdale Civil War Roundtable Monthly Meeting

On Tuesday, September 15, 2026, the Scottsdale Civil War Roundtable will host Cecily Zander, speaking on “Second Bull Run: Pope’s Blunder, Politics, and Partisans”. The presentation deconstructs the dramatic August 1862 Second Battle of Bull Run, focusing on the operational failures of Union Major General John Pope, the toxic political infighting within the Union high command, and how harsh policies toward Southern partisans reshaped the nature of the American Civil War.
Dr. Cecily Zander is an assistant professor of history at the University of Wyoming. She also serves as a Senior Fellow at the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University. Her first book The Army under Fire: The Politics of Antimilitarism in the Civil War Era, won the 2024 Wiley-Silver Prize for the best first book in Civil War History. Her next book, a history of Abraham Lincoln and the American West, will be published by Liveright. She is also working on a short history of the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868. In addition to teaching and writing, she edits the History in an Afternoon series at Louisiana State University Press.
The lecture will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the Copper Auditorium located on the lower level of the Civic Center branch of the Scottsdale Public Library, 3839 N Drinkwater Blvd., Scottsdale. The doors will open at 5:00 p.m., providing an opportunity to meet the speaker, browse our book sale, and view Civil War videos. Parking is free at the adjacent sub-level covered parking garage accessible off Northbound Drinkwater Blvd.
The public is welcome, free of charge, to attend the monthly meeting of the Scottsdale Civil War Roundtable. To view our upcoming schedule, visit our website: scottsdalecwrt.org. The Roundtable presents speakers monthly from September through May.