Confederate Heritage Dinner to feature author of books about Quantrill

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Herald-Tribune

Osceola, Mo. -- The Colonel John T. Coffee Camp No. 1934 will be holding its 11th annual Confederate Heritage Dinner on April 30, at the Assembly of God church in Osceola, Mo.

This year's guest speaker will be Master Sgt. Paul R. Petersen, an award-winning author and educator who lectures on the Missouri-Kansas Border War. He is a member of the William Clarke Quantrill Society, the National James-Younger Gang Association, and the Sons of the American Revolution.

A highly decorated retired master sergeant with the United States Marine Corps, Petersen is an infantry combat veteran of Vietnam, Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. His combat experience brings insight into the character of William Clarke Quantrill, the man who was responsible for developing modern guerrilla warfare.

As author of three books, "Quantrill of Missouri," "Quantrill in Texas" and "Quantrill at Lawrence," Petersen's insights bring complex patterns of events into clear focus, identifies the personalities involved along the border and quotes memorably from firsthand accounts giving a clear understanding of the temper of the times.

"Quantrill at Lawrence" is the only account explaining the causes, reasoning and justification for the 1863 Lawrence raid. It is the first time a complete story has been written using accounts by both the victims and the raiders. Researched facts that earlier historians have intentionally omitted have been included.

"Quantrill of Missouri" received the distinguished Perry Award for Best Book in 2004 and "Quantrill in Texas" received the 2009 Milton F. Perry Best Non-Fiction Award.

The event (which includes dinner) is free and open to the public. Fellowship will be from 5 to 6 p.m., and the meal will be served at 6 o'clock with Petersen speaking at 7. All interested parties must RSVP no later than April 26.

For more information contact Gary Ayres at (417) 754-8397 or by e-mail at garyayres@centurytel.net or by mail to Gary Ayres, 3615 S. 70th Rd., Humansville, MO 65674.

Comments

View 2 comments

Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.

Sounds like a wonderful event. I hope to be there. Thanks for the article letting your readers know about this.

-- Posted by aneighbor on Sat, Mar 5, 2011, at 9:17 PM
Great to hear! The Colonel John T. Coffee Camp #1934 wanted to make this a free event as a way to thank the public for all of the support it has given us in our effort to preserve, protect and educate the public about our Southern heritage.

-- Posted by mobushwhacker on Thu, Mar 10, 2011, at 2:36 AM

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration:

If you already have an account, follow this link to login
Otherwise, follow this link to register