Event Schedule
Friday, November 6, 2026 (Symposium)
| 10:00 AM | Dr. Willie Redmond: Dr. Nickell Dissertation Review – “Grants Lieutenants” (1972) |
| 11:00 AM | Curt Fields: “To Resign or Not to Resign: Grant at Corinth, Mississippi” |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch Break |
| 1:30 PM | Gallery Tour w/ Gregory Wolk |
| 2:00 PM | John Samson – “The Battle of Belmont” |
| 3:00 PM | Q&A w/ Gregory Wolk* and Lyle Randolph – *author of John Fremont’s 100 days (click here for review and purchase) |
| 4:00 PM | Break |
| 5:00 PM | Interactive Fort Tour of Downtown Cape Girardeau (OPTIONAL) |
Saturday, November 7, 2026 (Battlefield Tour)
| 9:30 AM | Charleston, MO – Meet at Day 3 Seeds at 101, 101 N. Main Street, Charleston, MO 63845. Enjoy biscuits & coffee (in lieu of hardtack) while learning about Charleston’s rich Civil War history – presented by Mike and Jean Mueller. |
| 10:30 AM | Registered guests depart Charleston and carpool to Belmont (seating is limited; call 573-427-3050 for registration and more information). |
| 11:00 AM | Brief memorial service to honor all the fallen soldiers. |
| 11:30 AM | Depart to Fort Defiance. |
| 12:00 PM | Arrive at Fort Defiance – box lunches available to registered guests. |
| 12:15 PM | Witness a meeting between Brigadier Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Benjamin Franklin Cheatham as they negotiate a prisoner exchange in the aftermath of the Battle of Belmont. Both men had fought at Monterey during the Mexican-American War fifteen years earlier, and as old memories surface, the formal tension between enemy commanders gives way to the familiarity of former comrades. |
| Friendly Fire cannon demonstration – L.T. Black, Col. Charles A. Wickliffe, SCV Camp 2337, Wickliffe, Kentucky. | |
| 1:30 PM | Depart Fort Defiance, Illinois, to Mound City National Cemetery, 141 State Highway 37, Mound City, Illinois 62963 |
| 1:45 PM | Arrive at Mound City National Cemetery – (click here to review their website) |
| 2:45 PM | Tour Bus Departs Cemetary – Return to Cape Girardeau. |
Those wishing to support future programs may make a donation.
We certainly hope you will join us for the U.S. Grant Symposium. To help us prepare, we kindly ask that you register to attend. If you are unable to attend but would like more information, or if you would like to be added to our contact list for future updates, please complete the registration form using the link below.