Iowans Who Fought Against the Union

Presented by David Connon

Most Iowans think that the state was solidly pro-Union during the Civil War. After all, some 75,000 residents fought for the North. In reality, many Iowa Democrats formed a spectrum of dissent. The majority of Democrats opposed abolishing slavery (and yet favored the Union war effort); the minority sympathized with the Confederacy. Of this group, at least 25 Iowa residents served the Confederacy. This talk will focus on five of them. Connon will explore their motivations and describe their pre-war, war-time, and post-war experiences. He will also explore why their stories have been largely unknown for the past 150 years.

This program is free and open to the public