Name: Rockets, Tanks, and Submarines
Start: 2026-01-06T11:30:00-06:00
End: 2026-01-06T13:00:00-06:00
Location: 1859 Ashton Villa

The Ingenuity of Civil War Texans
About this Event

Few topics have fascinated American readers more than the Civil War. Occurring as it did at the beginning of a new industrial age, it fostered a wide variety of strange and innovative contraptions that shaped the course of the conflict. Texans were among the most creative in their designs, and added their talents to the mix, creating a variety of war machines and devices that are remarkable for their ingenuity. Ed Cotham is a veteran Civil War author, and his list of publications continues to grow. This latest offering takes the reader through a remarkable ride complete with all sorts of schemers, spies, tinkerers, and dreamers, trying to harness technology to help them win the war. In an age where innovation happens in real time, and new weapons like drones and cellphones are changing the nature of the battlefield, Cotham’s Rockets, Tanks, and Submarines reminds us that this process has been going on for a very long time! And Texans and Galvestonians were there all along, adding their imaginations to solve the problems their comrades facedunder fire.

ABOUT EDWARD T. COTHAM JR.

Edward T. Cotham Jr., now retired, was the chief investment officer at the Terry Foundation in Houston. He is the author of Battle on the Bay: The Civil War Struggle for Galveston; Sabine Pass: The Confederacy’s Thermopylae; The Southern Journey of a Civil War Marine; Juneteenth: The Story Behind the Celebration; and A Busy Week in Texas: Ulysses S. Grant’s 1880 Visit to the Lone Star State.

You are welcome to bring your own lunch to enjoy. Lunch will not be provided.

This presentation will also be streamed free of charge for all Galveston Historical Foundation members as part of their #GalvestonHistory+ account. Access will start at 11:15 a.m. on January 6th.

Virtual tickets are available for guests who would like to view the livestream but who are not members. A link will be sent prior to the event with instructions on viewing.