Round Table: ‘War Means Fighting and Fighting Means Killing’

Heidi Amelia-Anne Weber will present “War Means Fighting and Fighting Means Killing: The Story of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest” at the next Colonel Henry Ryerson Civil War Round Table to be held at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the Performing Arts Center atrium at Sussex County Community College, College Hill Road, Newton.

Forrest made his fortune in the barbaric job of slave trading, his command is associated with the massacre at Fort Pillow, and he is connected with the establishment of the Ku Klux Klan. On the field of battle, Forrest was a natural born cavalry leader who was often disregarded because he was not an academy graduate.

Many of his actions contradict what is generally associated with General Forrest. Weber will discuss this controversial general and the conundrum he presents.

The atrium is on the second floor of the Performing Arts Center, with both a staircase and elevator available for access. The college requires Covid safety regulations be followed, including chairs set at appropriate distances and mask wearing.

About Dr. Weber

Weber is a full professor of military history/history at the State University of New York: Orange. She earned her Ph.D. in 19th-century American history from Kent State University.

Her specialty is the Antebellum South and the application of total warfare in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina in 1864-1865. She was selected as a Fellow in the U.S. Military Academy Summer Seminar in Military History.

Weber has published articles, chapters, and made contributions in numerous publications and encyclopedias. She is currently working with Mercer University Press on the publication of her manuscript in 2021 “Like a Great Feudal Landlord: How Architecture and Slavery Created the World of the Upcountry Planter.” She has also conducted book reviews for various publications and has served as the editor of the Journal of America’s Military Past. In 2019, she was appointed as the chair of The Sally & Morris Laskey Prize for the best book in the field of American political history

Weber is active in presenting her scholarship at many historical groups, including the U.S. Army Center of Military History Conference of Military Historians, the Council on America’s Past conferences, the Society of Military History Annual Conference, as well as locally for the Sons of the American Revolution, the Sussex County Center of Lifelong Learning, various Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis Clubs, Civil War Roundtable groups, and many State University of New York sponsored events.

In addition, she is an active member of the community: a member of the Newton Rotary Club, secretary of the SCARC Foundation Board, and member of the Women of the Moose. In June, she was appointed to the Newton Cemetery Board and was elected as secretary. She was a previous chair of the Sussex County Community College Board of Trustees Search Committee.

Weber will be honored in 2021 as a Boy Scouts of America Tribute to Women honoree (which was postponed due to Covid). She was also invited to deliver the keynote address for the 100 Women celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, but that event was postponed as well.

About the Round Table

The Colonel Henry Ryerson Civil War Roundtable provides educational programs, tours, and fellowship for individuals interested in the Civil War Era. Meetings are free and open to the public. Donations are appreciated.

For more information call Jennifer at 201-320-5989 during the day, or check out the Round Table’s website at ryersoncwrt.com.