2006
September 14, 2006 Mr. and Mrs. Hannibal Hamlin (portrayed by Richard and Susan Newcomb of Hampden) will talk about the life of Hannibal Hamlin and his years as a
State Representative, Senator, and Lincoln’s first Vice-President. This meeting will be held in the Morrell Room of the Brunswick Public Library.
October 12, 2006 Mark Dunkelman of Providence, RI, will speak about his 30+ year study of the 154th New York Volunteer Infantry, as featured in his book,
"War’s Relentless Hand: Twelve Tales of Civil War Soldiers." Mark has published many articles in the popular Civil War magazines, and is author of 4 Civil War books.
November 14, 2006 (TUESDAY)
December 14, 2006 Jean Antrim-Erickson of Exeter, NH,, will talk about her personal journey when she discovered and published the letters of her great-grandfather, George Stilwell, to his brother, James. Mrs. Antrim-Erickson is a professional flutist, and has played in Carnegie Hall many times.
January 11, 2007 Bill Hallett, president of the NH CWRT, will make a presentation on
the role of news media in the Civil War, detailing the status of newspapers
and weeklies, and their artists and correspondents.
February 8, 2007 Dick Adams, of the Portsmouth (NH) Athenaeum, will speak on the role of Portsmouth during the war. Portsmouth was Fitz John Porter’s hometown, and the USS Kearsarge (which sank the CSS Alabama) was built in the local shipyard.
March 8, 2007 Elizabeth Leonard of Colby College, veteran speaker at our Round Table, returns to speak about the role of the Federal Army as the war ended, and during the years of reconstruction.
April 12, 2007 Les Rolston, RI CWRT member and author, will regale us with the story of finding the only grave site of a Confederate soldier in RI, and then researching
the life and times of Samuel Postelthwaite, a private in the 21st Mississippi Infantry. His book is entitled, "Lost Soul: The Confederate Soldier in New England."
May 10, 2007 Join us for our annual Round Table discussion. We'll select a controversial topic, and with the assistance of a moderator or two, we'll engage in a
lively discussion and give everyone a chance to voice their opinion!!
June 14, 2007 The renowned Gabor Boritt, Professor of History at Gettysburg College and Director of the Civil War Institute, will speak at our annual awards banquet about his new book, "Gettysburg Gospel: The Lincoln Speech that Nobody Knows," which will be published the Fall.
2007
September 13, 2007 Meeting location: Curtis Memorial (Brunswick) Library, Morrell Room
October 18, 2007
Meeting at the Brunswick Junior High School Note: 3rd Thursday
November 8, 2007
Meeting at the Brunswick Junior High School
December 13, 2007
Meeting at the Curtis Memorial (Brunswick) Library, Morrell Room
January 10, 2008
Meeting at the Brunswick Junior High School
February 7, 2008
Meeting at the Curtis Memorial (Brunswick) Library, Morrell Room Note: 1st Thursday of February
March 13, 2008
Meeting at the Highland Green Community Center in Topsham
April 10, 2008
Meeting at the Brunswick Junior High School
May 15, 2008
Meeting at the Brunswick Junior High School
June 12, 2008
4th Annual Awards Meeting
August 14, 2008
Special meeting
This talk was not held due to the weather. But Les was invited back to speak at our Annual Awards Banquet.
Due to medical problems Professor Gabor could not give this talk.
Our season opens with a presentation by Dennis Sweetser of Auburn entitled "William Merrill and Wilbur Mower: Two Maine boys off to the War." Mr. Sweetser will tell us about William Merrill of Freeport who enlisted in the 20th Maine and Wilbur Mower of Greene who enlisted in the 16th Maine. Both boys reached the apex of their military service at Gettysburg in July, 1863.
Michael Werner is touring New England Round Tables this week and will tell the story of "Black Confederates: The Forgotten Men in Gray." Mr. Werner is from Yardley, PA, and is Transportation Manager for the US Postal Service and a Chief Warrant Officer in the US Army Reserve.
Dr. Margaret Creighton, History Professor at Bates College and veteran speaker at our Round Table, will discuss the role of (either immigration or residents) at Gettysburg. She will lead an interactive discussion after her presentation.
Topic TBD
We welcome back CWRT member, Marius Peladeau, who will speak on "Oliver Otis Howard: Hero or Scapegoat?" O.O. Howard was Maine’s senior Major General, a West Point graduate, and praised by Sherman during the Georgia campaign. What really happened at Chancellorsville?
Kerck Kelsey of Freeport, a CWRT member and g-g-grandson of Cadwallader Washburn, will tell the story of "Major General Cadwallader Washburn's War Behind the Lines." General Washburn served in Vicksburg, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. While in Memphis he alternately fought against Nathan Bedford Forrest and an army of Union cotton smugglers. After the war C.C. Washburn was Governor of Wisconsin and founder of the Gold Medal Flour Co. now known as General Mills. Mr. Kelsey's new book, "Remarkable American's: The Washburn Family" will be published just before this meeting date!
What were Maine's soldiers thinking about as they wrote letters to friends and family, and inscribed entries in their diaries? How did they feel about their commanders, Lincoln, slavery, camp life, etc.? CWRT member Curt Mildner has studied diaries and letters of Maine soldiers, and will answer the question, "Maine's Civil War Soldiers: What Was On Their Minds?"
Bud Warren of Topsham is an expert on Thomas W. Hyde, a Bath resident who first served in the 7th Maine Regiment as Captain, and later became Colonel of the 1st Maine Veteran Infantry Regiment. After the war, Thomas Hyde started an iron foundry in Bath, known today as Bath Iron Works, and also established an orphanage in Bath, known today as the renowned Hyde School. Mr. Warren will speak on "Thomas W. Hyde's Civil War Experiences and Post-War Career."
President of the Adams County Historical Society, located in the old Seminary building on the Gettysburg battlefield, Wayne Motts works in a treasure trove of old documents and artifacts related to Gettysburg history. Mr. Motts will present "The History of the Old Seminary Building and its Role in the Battle of Gettysburg." Mr. Motts last visited our Round Table in September, 1998.
Our Annual Round Table discussion! We never discussed some of the questions posed last May, so we're going to continue the discussion, along with a few new questions, some regarding Abraham Lincoln, who's bicentennial birthday is in 2009.
We are pleased to announce that William G. Piston, History Professor at Missouri State University in Springfield, will be speaking on "The Civil War in Missouri." We’ll learn about the political and military turmoil in a border state during the war.
A special meeting will be held to hear Joseph A. Whitehorne of Front Royal, VA speak about the battle of Cedar Creek.