Case Shot & Canister
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A Publication of the Delaware Valley Civil War Round Table
Partners with Manor College and the Civil War Institute
Our 21st Year
September 2013
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Volume 23 Number 9
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Editor Patricia Caldwell
Contributors Hugh Boyle,
Book Nook Editor
Rose Boyle Nancy Caldwell,
Artistic Adviser
Jerry Carrier Paula Gidjunis Bernice Kaplan Jack Lieberman Larry Vogel
The War’s Second Front: Women
Andy Waskie
and the U.S. Civil War
Presenter:
Villanova Professor & Author
Dr. Judith Giesberg
Original Photos
Patricia Caldwell (unless otherwise noted)
3BU
Officers
President
Hugh Boyle
Our September Meeting
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
7:30 pm
Vice President
Jerry Carrier
Treasurer
Herb Kaufman
Secretary
6:15 pm for dinner
Radisson Hotel
Patricia Caldwell
Route 1 @ Old Lincoln Highway
Trevose, PA
e-mail: phone: (215)638-4244 website: www.dvcwrt.org
HU
U
- HU
- U
U
mailing addresses:
Dinner Menu – Grilled Pork Loin with burgundy braised button mushrooms. Soup, rolls, iced tea, diet soda and dessert.
Substitute: Pasta (chef’s selection).
for membership: 2601 Bonnie Lane Huntingdon Valley PA 19006
for newsletter items: 3201 Longshore Avenue Philadelphia PA 19149-2025
Call Rose Boyle at 215-638-4244 for reservations by September 12. Dinner Price $24.00
You are responsible for dinners not cancelled by Monday morning September 16.
Wilson James Award for Research in Women's History at Boston College in 1994.
In This Issue
Local events to help close out the 2013
Dr. Giesberg’s presentation will survey recent studies
that have expanded the theater of war to consider how the Civil War was fought in everyday life, on the war’s home fronts. She reports that a number of scholars are actively remapping the geography of war in exciting new ways, giving us a Civil War with greater depth and new surprises. By using examples of women engaging the war in their communities and in their homes, Dr. Giesberg will show how women’s historians and social historians are revitalizing Civil War studies as they push scholars to recognize the
war’s second front.
sesquicentennial year
Paula Gidjunis with the latest in Preservation
News
Our August presentation is reviewed by Larry
Vogel
In keeping with the court-martial theme from our August meeting, the Civil War Vignette highlights an eyebrow-raising court-martial
Book Nook, and Larry Vogel reviews a classic by Edward Longacre
Hugh Boyle asks for our readers’ input in The
Marines & Gettysburg? Bernice Kaplan with a feature on the National Museum of the Marine Corps, and its surprising connection to the town
For our TV viewers, we have notice of a returning C-SPAN program
The Fall schedule of classes at the Civil War
Institute at Manor College
Commemoration of the Sesquicentennial with events of September 1863
Some people have asked me why we hold meetings in the summer and such. Years ago we asked ourselves that same question. We were meeting because we believed that there were enough people to attend summer meetings. That decision held true. Yes, there are sometimes fewer people in the summer who attend our meetings, yes it is a high vacation time, but the big yes is because there are many people who attend our summer meetings. The Delaware Valley Civil War Round Table meetings do just fine. The reason? – good presentations, and good topics. Those same reasons are good any time of year. So thank you all for making the Delaware Valley Civil War Round Table the great organization it is!!
The Other Side of War
For our September meeting, we will welcome Dr. Judith A. Giesberg, a professor in the History Department and Director of the Graduate Program at Villanova University. Dr. Giesberg received her BA in History from Trinity University, her MA from Boston College, and was awarded her PhD from Boston University in 1997. She is the author of
several books, including Civil War Sisterhood: The
United States Sanitary Commission and Women’s
Politics in Transition (2000), “Army at Home”: Women and the Northern Civil War on the Home Front (2009), Keystone State in Crisis: Pennsylvania in the Civil War (2013), and the soon to be published Memorable Days: Emilie Davis' Civil War Diary,
1863-1865, the diary of an African American woman living in Civil War-era Philadelphia. Dr. Giesberg has also written numerous articles for scholarly
publications such as Journal of the Civil War Era, Civil War History, and Opinionator: Disunion Blog,
New York Times. She was the recipient of the Janet
Hugh Boyle
President
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On August 28, Andy Waskie led a Civil War Trolley Car Tour for the Union League Round Table, with stories on the many CW sites in the city. Thanks to Jack Lieberman for sharing the photo below.
SEPTEMBER BRAIN TEASERS
1 – When Abraham Lincoln came to Washington as a young congressman he stayed at a boarding house run by Mrs. Spriggs. The Congressman gave it a special name. What was that name?
2 – That boarding house was finally torn down. What building was built in its place?
3 – On the Washington Mall there is a body of water. What was the name of that body of water?
(Answers in next month’s newsletter!)
Congrats to Alan and Donna Shaw on the birth of
their 3rd grandchild and 1st granddaughter.
ANSWERS TO THE AUGUST BRAIN TEASERS
Daughter Jen Shaw Choudhry and husband Tony
welcomed daughter Skylar Lynn on August 13. Sky weighed 6 lbs 3.5 oz, and measured 19.5 in long. She joins big brothers Chase and Cayden in the beautiful Choudhry family. Miss you, Jen!
1 – Who led the Irish Brigade at Antietam? – Thomas Francis Meagher 2 – What U.S. Senator [from Kentucky] had two sons become major generals in the Confederate Army? – John C. Crittenden
3 – What was Robert E. Lee’s first field command
as a full general in the Confederate Army? – Command of the Southeastern Coastal Defenses
Congratulations to our August book raffle winners,
Jerry Carrier (dinner book), Jerry Rosenthal, John Shivo, Pat Corey, Joe McCullough, Ann Kauffman and guest Mike Wiener.
Jen, Cayden, Sky, Chase and Tony Choudhry
Bernice Kaplan spent August 25 to September 5
visiting a friend in Peterborough, UK, with whom she struck up a friendship as a pen-pal in 1958. They have stayed in touch for 55 years.
Tom Stewart sent us his August trivia question –
What was known as the “old soldier’s disease”?
After several plausible but incorrect answers
from audience members, Herb Kaufman – our
resident medical reenactor – to no one’s surprise, provided the correct answer – “addiction”.
Paula Gidjunis will be doing double duty on
September 21, speaking at the Cycles and Cemeteries Ride, where she will be speaking on
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General Hancock at Montgomery Cemetery from 8-11 am, and then at the Camp William Penn event in the La Mott Community Room (either 1:30 or 2:00 pm) speaking on African American Women in the Civil War.
September 15, 2013 – Sunday – 10:00 am to 5:00 – WWII Seminar featuring veterans from the Battle of the Bulge, the Pacific Theater, and others. West Laurel Hill Cemetery –
Sponsored by GAR Museum & Library. Lunch at the Conservatory. Free to WWII vets, $15 fee for nonWWII vets to help defray costs. Seating is limited. Contact Hugh Boyle for additional info
Joan & John Burke – Jamison, PA
September 21, 2013 – Saturday – 8:00 am (start of check-in) – Schuylkill River Trail Bike Tour Series: Cycles and Cemeteries Ride – Schuylkill River Heritage Area – Ride
on the Schuylkill River Trail from Norristown to Philadelphia and visit two historic cemeteries where Civil War notables, including Generals Hancock and Meade, are buried. Enjoy a unique mix of cycling and history on the second ride in our Schuylkill River Trail Bike Tour Series. Fee and registration required. For full details see
OCTOBER 15
Local Historian Dan Cashin
st
The 71 PA at the Angle
NOVEMBER 19
Author Greg Urwin
www.eventbrite.com/event/7035941691?ref=elink
Gettysburg – History & Hype
September 21, 2013 – Saturday – 10:00 am to 4:00 pm – Celebrate Historic La Mott and Honor the United States Colored Troops 150th Anniversary and the founding of Camp William Penn - Historical La Mott Regimental
USCT Re-enactors - Portrayals of Civil War Figures - Rain or Shine. Events will take place inside and outside. Visit www.usct.org for information as the program is developed - Phone: 215 885-2258 Volunteers needed for help in all aspects of this event; some starting now and some the day of the event. Ideas and suggestions are also welcome. If you are able to help or participate, please contact: Citizens for the Restoration of Historical La Mott (CROHL), 1618 Willow Avenue, La Mott, PA 19027, Phone: 215 885-2258, Email: [email protected] . Contributions appreciated (CROHL is a 501c3 nonprofit).
DECEMBER 10
Annual Holiday Dinner
Austrian Village, Rockledge
JANUARY 21
Del Val Member Tom Davis United States Colored Troops
FEBRUARY 18
Member & Author Mike Burkhimer
The Mary Lincoln Enigma
MARCH 18
Annual Discussion Night
October 4, 2013 – Friday – 7:00 pm – Ninth Annual Gravediggers Ball – Crystal Tea Room – 100 Penn Square East – To benefit the
Friends of Laurel Hill Cemetery Historic Preservation Efforts. The Friends of the Laurel Hill Cemetery will
again ‘resurrect’ the Gravediggers’ Ball. This black-tie
or costumed event will be held at the Crystal Tea
Room at Wanamaker’s and will include cocktails,
APRIL 15
Carol Neumann Waskie
st
1 Person Clara Barton
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dinner, dancing and musical entertainment by a dynamic 11-piece dance band. All proceeds go towards the continued restoration and preservation of historic Laurel Hill Cemetery (burial site of General Meade and many Civil War veterans!). Cost: $175 donation per person, At Meade Society Table: $150 per person! For info call 215.228.8200, or visit
theundergroundmuseum.org Ticket reservations are
requested by September 20.
November 16, 2013 – Saturday – 10:00 am – Remembrance Day in Gettysburg – Generals
Reynolds and Meade & the veterans of the Battle of Gettysburg Honor/Dedication Ceremonies during the Remembrance Day Observance. Please meet at the Reynolds Monument in the National Cemetery at 10:00 am; then proceed to the Meade Equestrian Monument at 10:30 am for traditional honor ceremonies and wreath layings. Contact Jerry McCormick at [email protected] or (215) 848- 7753 for info.
October 17-19, 2013 –Thursday to Saturday – 7:00 pm – Spirits on Stage: Our Residents Speak – Laurel Hill Cemetery, 3822 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia – The “Not Ready for
Afterlife Players” have portrayed Laurel Hill’s most restless spirits in the cemetery’s annual Halloween
tours for the past twelve years. In 2013, however, the Players will move to center stage for separate theatrical performances. From a founder of the cemetery whose reputation was stained by scandal; to a murderer and his victim buried just yards apart; to a general who deserted his country for love, Spirits on Stage will feature nearly a dozen of the
cemetery’s most provocative and memorable
permanent residents, as they return from the dead to tell their stories. The evening performances will be staged deep amid the storied stones and haunting
histories of Laurel Hill Cemetery’s grounds, and will
be punctuated by poignant period music. Please
bring your own blankets, beach chairs, snacks, and/or beverages. The cost is $20/person general
admission. Reservations are requested by phone (215) 228-8200 or email
December 31, 2013 – Tuesday – 11:30 am - Annual General Meade Birthday Celebration – Laurel Hill Cemetery, 3822 Ridge Avenue,
Philadelphia – Military parade and ceremony will commence at 12 noon. Visitors and participants are asked to gather at the Gatehouse of Laurel Hill at 11:30AM.The parade of Civil War reenactment units, civilians in period attire, heritage groups, and participants will process to the final resting place of the Victor of Gettysburg and memorialize his services to the nation. A champagne toast and reception will follow the program. A tour of the historic cemetery will be offered (weather permitting). This year marks the 23rd anniversary of the Meade birthday celebration by the General Meade Society. For directions, call: 215-228-8200 Laurel Hill Cemetery. For information and registration call Dr. Andy Waskie at 215-204- 5452.
[email protected]. Tickets can be purchased at the door, or online. Upon arrival,
register at Laurel Hill Cemetery’s Gatehouse
entrance, 3822 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19132. Free parking is located in the lot directly across the street from the Gatehouse.
October 26, 2013 – Saturday – 7:45 am to 8:30 pm (approx.) – Del Val Day Trip to
Baltimore – Bus leaves Whitman Square Shopping Center, Route 1, Roosevelt Blvd. – North of Grant Avenue, promptly at 7:45 AM and will return to Whitman Square approximately 8:30 pm Fort McHenry with program on the history of the American Flag, private tour of B&O Railroad Museum “The
War Came by Train”, lunch and shopping on your
own at the Inner Harbor, full course dinner at
Chiapparelli’s Restaurant in Little Italy. All fees, bus,
tips, dinner included. Cost $89 pp. Snacks, drinks, prizes, fun events on the bus.
By Paula Gidjunis,
Preservation Committee Chair
FALL CLEAN-UP AT GETTYSBURG
Our fall cleanup date is set for November 2nd. If you want to enjoy a fun day in Gettysburg with fellow CWRT members, with a little work added in, please consider joining us. We meet at 10:00 am at the 27th PA monument on East Cemetery Hill – right on the other side of the stone wall separating the battlefield from the Gettysburg Battlefield Tour Center on Baltimore Street.
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battle tours, these apps are great tools on the
battlefield. http://www.civilwar.org/battleapps/
There are also great lesson plans for teachers.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
The Citizens for the Restoration of Historic LaMott (CROHL) will be sponsoring an event to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the opening of Camp William Penn, the largest training facility for African Americans during the Civil War. Camp William Penn is in the LaMott section of Cheltenham Township. It will be held on September 21st, from 10 to 4. CROHL is seeking volunteers to help with the event in a variety of activities such as setting up, parking or museum monitors and tour guides. The CWRT will have an information table at the event. There will also be a parade in the morning and speakers in the afternoon. If you would like to volunteer, a signup sheet will be passed around at the next meeting, or you can contact me at
CENTRAL VIRGINIA BATTLEFIELD TRUST
The nonprofit Central Virginia Battlefields Trust (CVBT) was established with a two-fold mission: To purchase significant Civil War battlefields and landmarks, both in fee and in easement, and to preserve them in perpetuity and to serve as a facilitator and advocate for battlefield preservation on a local, state and federal level. Recently, CVBT received two grants: $77,000 for a 9.2 acre tract on
Jackson’s Flank Attack during the Battle of
Chancellorsville and $700,000 to assist the Civil War Trust in a 56 acre acquisition of Fleetwood Hill on the Brandy Station Battlefield. To learn more check out
their website at http://www.cvbt.org
[email protected]. Free event.
HEADSTONES FOR VETERANS
From Charlie Kelly of the Montgomery County Civil War Round Table. Please take the time to sign the
petition at www.marktheirgraves.org
“For those not aware the Federal Government has
changed its application process for headstones. Prior to the change ANYONE could apply for a stone for a deceased veteran whose grave was unmarked. If there were a family marker in place then a marker would not be provided. The plan was simply to assure that anyone who served our country would be recognized for their service. We have placed about 50 such markers in Montgomery Cemetery. There are other cemeteries throughout the country where the same has taken place. Well now they have changed the program. Only related persons can give consent for a stone and this has in effect wiped out the program. There is a group seeking signatures to support a change in the rule. Go to www.marktheirgraves.org and sign the petition also write your congressman and urge them to
change the regulation.”
Talking in Your Sleep??
By Larry Vogel
The August Meeting of the Delaware Valley Civil War Round Table featured Jim Heenehan as speaker. Jim has been a member of Old Baldy Civil War Round Table for years and he has been an attorney for the United States Environmental Protection Agency since 1978. He has written several articles for various Civil War publications including The Gettysburg Magazine. Jim gave the lecture wearing a red kepi that was worn by the 84th New York Infantry also called the 14th Brooklyn. The 14th Brooklyn was in the same brigade at the battle of Gettysburg with the 7th Indiana Regiment, the subject of the talk.
CIVIL WAR TRUST WEBSITE
Specifically the topic was, “The 7th Indiana at
Culp’s Hill & Colonel Ira Grover’s Court-Martial.”
