From the Brigade Commander
Earlier this month, we hosted the second meeting of our 43rd Campaign. Ron Kirkwood, a retired journalist and Gettysburg Foundation guide at the George Spangle Farm Civil War Hospital, revealed the many critical roles that the Spangler Farm played during the Battle of Gettysburg: A Union command center, a communications hub, an artillery reserve and a field hospital. Knowing most CWRT members hail from the greater Lehigh Valley area, he also incorporated stories about members of the 153rd PVI who fought at Gettysburg—something that greatly touched my heart. Attendance for the December meeting was 26, a slight increase over November. My thanks to those who joined us.
Thanks also to Bob McHugh and Laura Kleinschmidt for their efforts to find speakers that share interesting, informative Civil War tales from varied perspectives.
We began Campaign 43 by hosting a preeminent authority on Philadelphia history who spoke about a little-known document of great historic importance—and the man who wrote it. We then followed with a speaker whose talk strongly hinted at his journalism background. On January 5th, we’ll hear from a former U.S. Department of State officer who began his adult life as a student of 19th century history. Look inside for details about our January lecturer, his lecture topic, and meeting signup instructions.
If you’re like me, you’re more than ready to move to a new year but, unfortunately, the pandemic is going to follow us. And so, for the foreseeable future, we’ll continue meeting virtually.
With the holiday season now here, and from all of us here at the Round Table, best wishes for a wonderful holiday season. Stay safe. Be smart. Happy New Year!
Barry Arnold