Monthly Meeting
January 29, 2008
7:30 pm

Monthly Meeting
February 26, 2008
7:30 pm

Monthly Meeting
March 25, 2008
7:30 pm

Monthly Meeting
April 29, 2008
7:30 pm

Monthly Meeting
May 27, 2008
7:30 pm

Monthly Meeting
June 24, 2008
7:30 pm

Monthly Meeting
September 30, 2008
7:30 pm

Newsletter

APRIL 2008

April was always a busy month during the Civil War;
1861 – The firing on Fort Sumpter and the Battle of Bull Run
1862 – The Battle of Shiloh and the start of the Peninsular Campaign
1863 – Hooker preparing to move against Lee (Chancellorsville) and Col. Benjamin Grierson’s Mississippi raid
1864 – The start of Overland Campaign
1865- The surrender at Appomattox Court House, the fall of Richmond and the capture of Jefferson Davis
While these actions and events can certainly hold our attention on their own, they were often just the opening volleys in summers full of battles, campaigns and skirmishes.

WAS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE?
A special thank you to our March speaker, Dr. Carl Becker for his presentation on Civil War medicine. The many causes of death including bullets, germs and lack of sanitary practices showed us what a dangerous and dirty business war can be. Sometimes those who were killed instantly were the “lucky” ones. He will be presenting an encore presentation on this topic at the Macomb Community College Civil War lecture series this month if you would like to hear more. Again, thank you Dr. Becker, for an interesting and informative talk.

GO WEST YOUNG MAN
Our speaker for April is an old friend who always entertains and educates us. Mr. Jerry Maxwell will join us to discuss a battle that took place in the Western theater (an area we do not visit that often). The title of the talk is “A Terrible & Useless Waste of Life: Six Dead Generals at Franklin.” This is the battle that signaled the end of the Army of Tennessee. (Do you know the names of the six Confederate Generals that were killed at the Battle of Franklin?) Jerry’s talks are always full of interesting asides about the people who were involved in the story. Join us and I can assure you of an entertaining and informative evening.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR
The speakers for the rest of the year promise to provide an excellent wrap up. In May, Mr. Doug Casamer will discuss his new book on the 22nd Michigan Infantry. Research into family relatives led to this history of this famous regiment.

We will end the year with a most intriguing “what if.” What if President Abraham Lincoln and President Jefferson Davis had met for a debate on the issues of slavery and succession? We will be privileged to have these two men join us on a special day. Because of a scheduling conflict for these two excellent presenters, we will move the day of June meeting UP ONE WEEK to Tuesday, June 17th. More on this later.

Join us Tuesday, April 29th at the Barnes & Noble in Rochester Hills at 7:30PM.