William Connery:
Mr Connery covers the history of General Lee's time as President of Washington College (now Washington & Lee University) from October 1965 until his death in October 1870. As General Lee spent his time rebuilding the smaill colege, he worked to bring a divided nation together as well. "I have two books in the Sesquicentennial Series of The History Press - 'Civil War Northern Virginia 1861' & 'Mosby's Raids in Civil War Northern Virginia.' My books are available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and The History Press. I also write articles for the Civil War Courier newspaper. I am also the docent (on Fridays & Saturdays) at the Mosby House Museum in Warrenton, Virginia."
March Meeting - Bob Sheridan
Round table member Bob Sheridan talked about the Irish American generals under whom his and his wife Karen's (another round table member) Irish immigrant great grandfathers served in the Union Army. Details of the lives of Irish American Union generals Corcoran, Meagher (Marr), and Sheridan, the most important Irish American generals, will be discussed.
February Meeting: Jeff Munn
Jeff presented a program on African-Americans
and medicien including African-American doctors
and nurses.
Jeff's great grandfather was Captain George Cady
who served in the 6th Massachusetts Company G.
He was a 9 month enlistment serving 1862-1863 mainly in and around the Virginia peninsula. His great great great uncles from Virgina who were block-ade runners and would run supplies from the Eastern Shore of Virginia to the mainland of Virginia.
Anoth uncle was killed at second Petersburg age 21. His interest in the Civil War came about as a child with the sword, canteen, and muster sheet hanging on the wall belonged to his great grandfather.
He recalls his first trip to Gettysburg at age 11.
Our December Meeting featured Charlie Zahm, who is one of the most popular singers at Celtic and maritime music events in the Eastern United States. Several years ago he developed an interest in the great collection of music from the War Between the States. With his wide array of Scottish, Irish and otherwise traditional American songs, he was well on his way to a strong Civil War repertoire. He learned that he has many family connections to the war.
Nov. - Fred Seth - "Delaware's Ironclads, the monitors built in the first state, 1862 -1863."
The mid-ninteenth century was a time of incredible growth and change. The industrial revolution was in full force in England and was in its initial stages in America. Development of the steam engine in England led to its use in ships. Robert Fulton was an important, if not the first, inventor to build such a ship in the U.S. In addition, roads and canals led to improved transportaion and communication between the states. Meanwhile, in Wilmington, Delaware a revolution in shipbuilding was underway. In 1843, a railroad car company accepted a job to do machine work on a transport ship's cracked cylinder. This led the directors of the company to embark on building quality steamships. By the beginning of the Civil War, Harlan and Hollingsworth was one of the U.S. leaders in shipbuilding. Wilmington produced more ships than New York, Boston or Baltimore. Over the past six years, I have given talks on ships that were built by Harlan prior to the Civil War; and converted to blackade runners, gunboats, transports and ships of the blockade. The year my talk is about ships built for war. During 1862 and 1863, the government contracted with Harlan to produce three different class monitors. This year's talk will focus on these three ships, how they were built and what they achieved during the war. I look forward to seeing you on November 20th, sharing a Thanksgiving feast and talking about Delaware's contribution to the Union Navy.
Oct. -Dr. Terry Bryan
The Civl War caused a terrible ecomic crisis for both sides and for all levles of society. For gobernments or households, even in Delaware, finding the cash for war finance or merely buying needles and thread was a problem. Dr. Bryan will exhibit and twll about financial relics of the time.
Our May Speaker
Eugene D. Schmiel is a retired U.S. Department of State Foreign Service officer. He was an assistant professor of history at St. Francis University (PAP and has taught at Marymount, Shenandoah, and Penn State universities. He holds tha ph.D. degree from The Ohio State University and coauthored, with his wife Dathryn, a Book on life in the Foreign Service.
Topic:
Citizen-General
Jacob Dolson Cox and the Civil War Era
"Jacob Dolson Cox, a former divinity student with no formal military training, was
among those who rose to the challenge. In a conflict in which "political generals"
often proved less than competent, Cox, the consummate citizen general, emerged as one of the best commanders in
the Union army.
THIS MONTH'S SPEAKER
David R. Craig
GREETINGS FROM GETTYSBURG
Mr. Craig has showcased 160 beautiful historic postcards, memorializing important and noteworthy scenes as though browsing a family picture album.
His book is as much about the visitors to Gettysburg as it is about the soldiers and the battle struggles.
PREVIOUS SPEAKERS
Welcome!
May 21, 2018
Dr. Ray Glick: Care of the Dead
UPCOMING SPEAKERS
Sept. - Kathryn Canavan
"Lincoln's Last Days"
What else was going on inside Pertersen's Boardinghouse on the night President Abraham Lincoln died there?
Kathryn Canavan who became a first-time author at 65, will bring us the stories about the ordinary people who surrounded the dying president during his last nine hours.
It is natural that she writes about the Lincoln assassination, the most consequential crime in American history, because Canavan began her journalism career as a crime reporter. To get a story, she has reported at gunpoint, lived with the Moonies, negotiated with a killer and joined Tug McGraw in the Phillies dugout.
She eventually worked as reporter or editor in four states. Her freelance writing has been published in USA Today, the Philadelphia Inquirer and History News Network among others. Named a National Health Journalism Fellow at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Communications and Journalism in 2011, Kathryn is a 2017 Individual Artist Fellow of Delaware Division of the Arts, awarded the Established Professional Award for Creative Nonfiction.
She is a former dinosaur docent at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia and former long-time volunteer with Cub Pack 506, the nation's first Cub Scout pack exclusively for boys living in shelters or on the streets.
Aug. - Paul Bretzger
"Gen. Hancock on First Day of Gettysburg"
Paul E. Bretzger received the 1987 History Award at Stockton University for outstand senior theis and is an architect living and working in New York City.
General Winfield Scott Hancock was perhaps the most influential officer in the federal lines, though he command only one of seven Union corps at gettyburg.
Understanding Hancock's pivotal actions at Gettysburg is essential to understanding the battle itself.