February 7th Presentation Announced ~ An Evening with Devil Dan

Major General Dan Sickles: An Evening with Devil Dan; the American Scoundrel and Sickles the incredible presented by John Griffiths III

Devil’s Den a Long Time Ago JWG, Rob, Amy, Sue

John Griffiths III has been portraying General Daniel E. Sickles since 2015.  Raised in a family that appreciated history, he has been involved in historical presentations from an early age.  He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in History (cum laude) from Norwich University (the Military college of Vermont) and holds a Master’s degree in Colonial American and Military History from the University of South Carolina.

Brendan Erin JW at Sharpshooter 2 Den May 2011

He retired from the U.S. Army as a Major in the Infantry and attended the U.S. Airborne and Ranger School, as well as British Airborne School. His grandfather John W. Griffiths served in WWII as the First Sergeant in the 88th Infantry Division Reconnaissance Platoon in Italy in 1944-45.  His Grand Uncle served in the Navy during WWII and participated in the Allied invasion of Southern France in 1944. His father was drafted during the Korean War era and served in a Mobile Petroleum Pipeline unit.  John Griffiths‘ two sons are also serving in the military. His son John William Griffiths IV is currently on active duty at Fort Bragg and his youngest son Brendan is attending the United States Merchant Marine Academy where he will be commissioned in the U.S. Navy as an Ensign upon graduation.

John Griffiths has been a member of the Confederation of Union Generals since 2013 and is currently the chairman of the organization’s Historic Preservation Committee.   He is featured in two television presentations for PCN television in Pennsylvania and the U.S. Customs Service and regularly gives presentations to local school groups.

From the Brigade Commander - February 2023

Great news!

The Winter, 2023, issue of “Hallowed Grounds” is out and, once again, the CWRT of Eastern Pennsylvania, Inc. is listed among the American Battlefield Trust’s Top 300 Donors at the $75,000 mark. We are making a real and lasting impact in the ongoing effort to honor our nation’s past by saving historical landscapes and open spaces. Our efforts represent a legacy that we and the Round Table members who came before us have left, and are leaving, for present and future generations. Congratulations ... and many thanks!

Look inside the February Newsletter for information about a February 7th visit by none other than the controversial “Devil Dan” Major General Daniel Sickles, who the New York Times once referred to as “the man who got away with everything.”

You’ll also find news about upcoming several Civil War events and more.

Barry

Feb 7th - An Evening with Devil Dan; the American Scoundrel and Sickles the incredible.

Join us on Tuesday February 7th for an Evening with Devil Dan; the American Scoundrel and Sickles the incredible. A night to remember!

January Meeting - Summary and Photos

On Tuesday January 3, 2023, author and historian Eric Buckland gave a fascinating presentation called “Mosby’s Rangers, A Fiery Fall” on some of the operations of Mosby’s Rangers, a group of “partisan” fighters for the Confederacy. “Partisan Rangers” were those authorized by the CSA to engage the enemy but also allowed to keep or sell plunder from their activities against the enemy.

Speaking without notes, Buckland, told of a number of raids, including the surprise attack on the Berryville Wagon Train, where the rangers captured 500 mules, 30 horses, 200 cattle, 200 prisoners, and destroyed 75 wagons. They suffered 2 fatalities and 3 wounded.

During the “Greenback Raid” Mosby’s Rangers captured $176,000 Yankee greenbacks, which were divided among the men.

Buckland spoke of the execution of 6 Rangers in Front Royal and the subsequent “Death Lottery” conducted on November 6, 1864 by the Rangers, where 29 captured union troops which told to draw slips of paper out of a hat and the 7 marked with an X were to be executed in retaliation.

  Buckland has written several books about the lives of some of the men who rode with the 43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry – Mosby’s Rangers and  has given over 100 presentations about the stories in his books. He has  appeared on C-Span and had two articles published in America’s Civil War magazine.  

<——- In addition to the presentation we also held the usual book raffle for preservation, and a special print raffle featuring Mosby’s Rangers. (below)

From the Brigade Commander ~ January 2023

The new year is a fresh start on the calendar, full of hope and potential. We’ve got six more Campaign 45 dinner meetings and lectures lined up, and the variety of lecture topics offer something for just about everyone. See page 4 of the newsletter for a listing or our Upcoming Events page for details.

Our January guest speaker, Eric Buckland, has spent the last 15 years researching Mosby and is currently regarded as one of the two “most knowledgeable” historians when it comes to Mosby and his battalion. You’ll find details about our January 3 lecture and dinner meeting on page 2 of the newsletter.

Just a reminder that our upcoming January 3 meeting is also your last chance to purchase raffle tickets for the “Ranger Mosby” print. The unexpected and generous donation of this print provides us with a wonderful opportunity to generate additional funds for Civil War preservation and conservation efforts. In the resale market, numbered and signed Don Troiani prints have sold for as high as $700!! See the newsletter page 5 for more details.

I hope you’ll be able to come out and join us on the 3rd. In the meantime, let me be the first to wish you all a Happy New Year!

BARRY

January 3rd Presentation Details Announced

“A Fiery Fall” – Author and historian Eric Buckland will speak about some of the operations of Mosby’s Rangers in the Shenandoah Valley during the Fall of 1864. Included in his presentation will be descriptions of the Berryville Wagon Train Raid, the fight at Morgan’s Lane, the “Greenback Raid”. Eric will also discuss the execution of 6 Rangers in Front Royal and the subsequent “Death Lottery” conducted by the Rangers.

Eric Buckland has written several books about the lives of some of the men who rode with the 43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry – Mosby’s Rangers and  has given over 100 presentations about the stories in his books. He has  appeared on C-Span and had two articles published in America’s Civil War magazine.  

         Eric graduated from the University of Kansas and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. The majority of his 22-year military career was spent in Special Forces. He retired in 1999 as a Lieutenant Colonel.

  Some of his awards include the Ranger Tab, Special Forces Tab, Master Parachutist Badge, Special Operations Combat Diver Badge, and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge.

  He retired at the end of 2021 from his second career as a Policy Analyst in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

  He is currently in his third term as President of The Stuart-Mosby Historical Society.

  Eric and his wife, Maureen, have been married for over 43 years and reside in Centreville, VA. They have three sons and three grandsons.    

December Meeting ~ Summary and Photos

Tom Fontana gave an interesting and lively presentation on Lincoln’s little known private side, called “Lincoln Lite.” Fontana led us in songs, and informed us that Lincoln loved to tell stories about clergy and lawyers. Most recollections about the President were written in the years following his tragic death.

Among the insights were that Lincoln could quote Shakespeare especially Macbeth, and that he had a special love for music and opera. 

It was Lincoln’s love of laughter that brought him to see “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater the night of his assassination. Both, himself an actor, kew the play well and was waiting for the line he knew would bring uproarious laughter from the house: “…you SOCKDOLOGIZING old man-trap.” Many of us never having actually heard much of that play, Fontana used four round table members to act out that final fateful scene.

As usual, we also had the December book raffle with abundant winners! —->

See below for a slide show of some of the presentation.

History's Headlines: A young man at Gettysburg

History's Headlines: A young man at Gettysburg

Gettysburg

Frank Whelan. Dec 3, 2022

WFMZ.com

On March 15, 1900, Allentown was in mourning. Outside St. John’s Lutheran Church, a crowd had gathered to witness the funeral of 60- year-old Dr. Orlando Leaser Fegley, the city’s most beloved physician. Ever since he arrived in Allentown in 1867 Fegley had taken care of the health of the community. At times he would see 60 patients a day. Others recalled at least one day when he saw 100. Fegley treated rich and poor alike. If a poor farmer came to his door with nothing but potatoes to pay his bill, he accepted that. If a poor worker at one of the city’s iron furnaces had been hurt in an industrial accident, he would treat him free of charge. With his brother William he ran a pharmacy at Front and Allen Streets. He also invested in West End, Allentown real estate and supported his wife Annie and a family of 6 children.

About a year before his death, Fegley had fallen ill. It was said that he had what his era called “nervous prostration,” what today might be called stress or a nervous breakdown or perhaps a series of strokes. Its victims were usually men who were high-powered leaders in their professions or businesses who would suddenly feel overcome with sensations that made them unable to concentrate or work. It was so common in the U.S. in the late 19th century that it was nicknamed in medical journals of the day the “American disease.”

Conducting the funeral service was St. John’s pastor, the Rev. Stephen Repass. Along with being Fegley’s pastor, the men shared something else. In the eventful summer of 1863, they were both at a small Pennsylvania town called Gettysburg. Repass wore Confederate gray and Fegley wore Union blue.

Saturday, November 19, 2022 marked the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Recent research has claimed to have discovered where Lincoln stood when he gave that address, a subject of dispute for some time.

It is not known if Fegley and Repass ever talked about their widely different experiences at the battle. Repass was in the thick of the fight and was one of few southern soldiers of Pickett’s Charge to make it over the famous wall only to collapse into the arms of the waiting Union Army and became a prisoner of war. Fegley’s story was less known but no less a part of history. As a student at Gettysburg College in June 1863 he was one of the 740 members of the 26th Pennsylvania Emergency Infantry Militia Regiment called into existence by Governor Andrew Curtain as General Lee’s army was headed north. With little training and almost no experience, this mixture of students, middle aged shopkeepers and aging towns people was expected to at least delay if not stem the southern tide until the Army of the Potomac arrived.

Fegley, then 22, was a native of Boyertown. Born in 1841 to Daniel and Sarah Fegley, his father was a shoemaker who owned a small farm and raised cattle and mined iron ore. His iron ore property was later purchased by Robert M. Lewis of the Lewis ironmaking family of Allentown. Fegley had one….

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE STORTY FROM WFMZ.COM

Sad News About Future Work Days at Gettysburg NMP

Gettysburg National Military Park Adopt-A-Position Program
Thanks you for your prior years of dedication and service. We sincerely appreciate the work of our park volunteers and the contribution they make to keeping the park beautiful and protecting resources.  Unfortunately, at this time the AAP program as it has been known for the past several years will no longer be available.  The park has evaluated all the park volunteer programs in terms of how we can better manage them, as well as evaluating the work they do to ensure that these programs are focused on our highest priorities and most urgent needs. The result of our evaluations has directed the park to focus more on volunteering opportunities that correspond with national efforts like “Park Day” and “Lands Day”, etc. in lieu of smaller individual efforts focused on specific locations.  The park will keep you updated as to the next volunteer opportunities in the spring.

Editorial Comment from Ed Root of our CWRT:

Sad news. I was told over a year ago that they were headed in this direction. 

I guess a combination of lack of staff to deal with multiple volunteer groups along with bureaucratic governance that undervalues maintenance wrecked a 25+ year program. Big needs might be met but the little things will fall through the cracks. Little things add up unfortunately and the Park will suffer. 

ed

From the Brigade Commander ~ December 2022

The Fall, 2022, issue of Hallowed Ground includes a listing of the members of the Color Bearer Society of the American Battlefield Trust (ABT). Among them (once again): The CWRT of Eastern Pa., Inc. (in the $2,500 - $4,900 category). Calling its Color Bearers “extremely generous,” the ABT thanks these individuals, organizations and families, which represent just three percent of ABT’s total membership, for their “extraordinary commitment to the mission of saving our nation’s most hallowed ground.” Nearly 50 percent of all gifts received by the ABT come from members of the Color Bearer Society.

In the midst of the current turbulence that we are all living through, we can take heart in knowing that Round Table members, past and present, have and are making an important and lasting, positive contribution to America and Americans. Congratulations to us all!

Look inside the December Newsletter for news about future volunteering opportunities at Gettysburg National Military Park, information about our December 6 lecture/speaker and a local Civil War learning opportunity, plus coming releases of Civil War books, including a few written especially for kids, releasing just in time for the soon-to-arrive season of gift giving.

Wishing you and yours all of the hope, joy and wonder that the Season can bring!

BARRY