Politics & Government
State Rep. Rory Ellinger Turns History Professor for a Night
The lecture was given at Subterranean Books in University City to help commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.
State Representative Rory Ellinger is a longtime aficionado and scholar on the Civil War in Missouri. On Tuesday night, about 10 people gathered in the back of to hear the Democrat from University City give a .
The lecture focused on Grant's involvement with the Civil War, as this year marks the 150th anniversary of its start.
Ellinger has a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Missouri - Kansas City, and before getting his law degree from UMKC, he got his master's degree in American history from the University of Missouri - Columbia.
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"We're lucky to have a Civil War expert here during this 150-year anniversary," said Kelly von Plonski, owner of Subterranean Books. "Book stores are hubs of knowledge and community, and a lecture on an important, intriguing and relevant piece of history fits our raison d'etre perfectly."
Ellinger specifically detailed Grant's ties to Missouri, starting with his wife, Julia, who was from the Carondelet neighborhood in St. Louis, where Grant lived for a time.
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"Carondelet was filled with dignitaries caught up in both sides of the Civil War," Ellinger said.
Of course, the lecture also included details on the Missouri battles Grant was involved in during the Civil War, which included his involvement in the development of gun boats that were used in battles on the Mississippi, Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. One boat was called "Carondolet," and another "St. Louis."
The attendees seemed to be enthralled by Ellinger's lecture, which included several tidbits of information that you won't necessarily find in history books.
"It was informative," Brandon Wilson, a student at Washington University, said of Ellinger's lecture. "It filled in a lot of gaps for me - I learned a lot of little details."
"If my wife says I did okay, then it went okay," Ellinger said as his wife, Linda Locke, gave him a thumbs-up.
If you're interested in reading more about Grant, Ellinger suggested a couple of books to the attendees: Grant by Jean Edward Smith and Grant's autobiography, Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant. For more on the Civil War, Ellinger suggested "anything by James McPherson."