MONROE - Tom Howe will present "The Last Act: Green County Men and the End of the Civil War" at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Monroe Theatre Guild, 910 16th Ave. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Of the more than 2,000 Green County men who served in the Union army, many joined the war in its early years, flushed with patriotic fervor and the desire to save the Union. As the war dragged on and casualty lists lengthened, enthusiasm waned and recruiting slowed. Some Green County citizens showed either lukewarm support for the war effort or actively opposed the war itself, working to elect peace candidates. Howe will talk about the soldiers who joined later in the war, and how their participation in General Ulysses S. Grant's final campaigns secured victory and saved the Union.

Howe was born and raised in Monroe. He holds a bachelor degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and a master's degree from Virginia Tech. He taught in Monroe and for many years at Monona Grove High School in Monona.

His career in education continues as a mentor teacher for the Monona Grove School District; chair, Dane County New Teacher Project; senior program consultant, New Teacher Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz; and consultant, Advanced Placement United States History.

Historian and author Duane Freitag will speak briefly before Howe on his recently released book titled "Civil War Years: A Look at Life in the Swiss Colony of New Glarus 1860-1865."

The program is a part of a series on the American Civil War, which will conclude on June 6 with "Healing the Heart of Democracy: A Gathering of Spirits for the Common Good" by Parker J. Palmer, Carrie Newcomer and Gary Walters at the Monroe Arts Center.

The planning committee for this program series includes members of the Green County Historical Society, Monroe Theater Guild, Monroe Public Library, Monroe Arts Center and others. Ron Spielman chairs the committee.