December Meeting Photos and Summary

What an amazing night! Between seeing the sword of Jonathan Taylor and hearing Mike Jesberger talk about Christmas during the Civil War years, it was an awesome adventure!

Ed Root brought the Tatylor sword and congratulated the Round Table for helping to raise the $9,000.00 needed to buy this historical artifact and bring it back to the Valley. Also on display were other items related to Taylor, and amazingly - a newly discovered recruiting poster from Taylor.

If that wasn’t enough - then we had our presentation.,

Before the Civil War, Christmas was not an official holiday in the United States. By the end of the war in 1865, Christmas had gone from a relatively unimportant holiday to the opposite – a day rooted in an idealized vision of home.

The way Americans observed the holiday changed too, setting the stage for the more modern Christmas holiday we know today. Though individual traditions still varied, the upheaval of the Civil War made the holiday season seem more and more important to separated families. The Christmas season reminded mid-19th century Americans of the importance of the home and the institution of new Christmas traditions.

Harpers Bazaar and artist Thomas Nast became major influences during these years and for a long time to come.

Finally our preservation raffle treated six lucky winners with signed books.

From the Brigade Commander ~ December 2023

Captain Taylor’s sword arrived safely in the Lehigh Valley, and we expect to have it on display at our December meeting. I hope you agree that the effort and financial support needed to return the sword to the hometown of its original owner was worth it. Many thanks to the many of you who played a role in this great success. The sword will be “unveiled” during a December 13th ceremony at Nitschmann Middle School. You’ll find details the the December Newsletter, including how to sign up to attend the ceremony.

A recent review of our Round Table’s website visits showed an almost 30 percent increase since the previous review. It’s sometimes hard to know exactly what causes a boost in visitor interest. But I’m guessing that at least some of it has to do with the Taylor sword and, especially, the article written by our own Frank Whalen, which was published in late October on WFMZ.com. You’ll find the second installment of that article in the December Newsletter.

Speaking of our website, let me bring to your attention to two recently posted items: “Restoration Victories: Bulldozers on Battlefields” and “GAR Museum and Archive: Connecting the Public Campaign.” You can access the first item in the Preservation Updates page on our website. You’ll find a summary of the latter news item, sent to us from our friends at the GAR Museum & Library in Philadelphia, in the December Newsletter on page 4.

Barry

December 5th Meeting Details Announced

A CIVIL WAR CHRISTMAS

Before the Civil War, Christmas was not an official holiday in the United States. By the end of the war in 1865, Christmas had gone from a relatively unimportant holiday to the opposite – a day rooted in an idealized vision of home. The way Americans observed the holiday changed too, setting the stage for the more modern Christmas holiday we know today. Though individual traditions still varied, the upheaval of the Civil War made the holiday season seem more and more important to separated families. The Christmas season reminded mid-19th century Americans of the importance of the home and the institution of new Christmas traditions. Come join historical reenactor, lecturer, and tour guide Michael Jesberger for a discussion on one of our favorite holidays.

Mr. Michael Jesberger is an independent military historian who specializes in the American Revolution and Civil War time periods. He is renowned for his depth and breadth of knowledge, as well as his engaging and passionate presentation style, whether providing formal lectures, living history presentations, or tours of historic sites in the Tri-State area.

A member of numerous history based organizations and active in the reenactment community, he participates in numerous battle reenactments, living history programs, and ceremonies to honor our first and current veterans. A lifelong resident of the Philadelphia region, Mr. Jesberger is a native of Northeast Philadelphia and has relocated to Bucks and Montgomery County, PA and currently resides in Lansdale, PA with his wife, Amy, son Erik and two daughters, Erin and Emma.

November Meeting Summary and Photos

Linda Clark presented ~ Walk a Mile with Lincoln as she spoke about the citizens Lincoln would have passed after his arrival at the train station in Gettysburg and his brief remarks at the cemetery on November 19, 1863.

Photos below of Linda and the presentation of the check.

Ed Root announced that Jonathan Taylor’sd sword is on its way to the Lehigh Valley. He extended an invitation to Round Table members to attend the dedication ceremonies at the Nitschmann Middle School in Bethlehem on December 13th at 11:00am. Please let Ed know if you would like to attend.

As usual, we also held our preservation book raffle with winners pictured below.

From the Brigade Commander - November 2023

Great news bears repeating:

We’ve raised the money needed to acquire the sword of 20-year-old Bethlehem native, Captain Jonathan Taylor!

It's often said that preserving history happens one story at a time. And now Captain Taylor’s story, recently preserved in print by our own Round Table member, Frank Whalen, together with the upcoming, local display of the sword that Taylor carried into his last battle, to can do what stories do best: influence, teach, and inspire. Congratulations, and many thanks.

Of the $9,000 needed to purchase the sword, more than 80 percent of that sum came either from Round Table members or friends of Round Table members. Inside, you can read more about the sword and what will happen in the November Brigade Call newsletter. You’ll also see a reprint of the first installment of Frank Walen’s article.

At our upcoming November meeting, we’re heading back to one of our favorite places: Gettysburg. This time, we’ll hear from someone who dedicated more than 40 years of her life to learning and teaching others about what happened at this place and why it mattered—and still matters. She is also a retired school teacher. And teachers often make the best storytellers. You can read more in the November Newsletter about Linda Clark and the upcoming presentation she will share with us on Tuesday, November 7.

Hope to see you there.

BARRY

November 7th Program Information Announced

Linda Clark presents ~

Walk a Mile with Lincoln: Nov 19, 1863
Much has been written about President Lincoln and his Gettysburg Address. But little has been written about the residents of 1863 who actually had Gettysburg addresses, those local citizens who witnessed the battle and its aftermath.

This Power Point presentation follows Lincoln’s journey as he traveled from the train station, where he arrived on November 18, 1863, to the cemetery where he delivered his “few appropriate remarks” on November 19 th .

If President Lincoln had the time to meet the residents who lived in the houses he passed, he would have found it very interesting how similar their lives were to his own. Photographs of those same buildings, with their present-day facades, will be included.

Although Linda was not able to interview any of the people of 1863, she has researched them using a variety of primary sources. Some would be surprised to learn what assortment of businesses their homes now house!

Linda Clark
As a Gettysburg native, Linda Clark found her passion for books, and the Civil War, through a juvenile fiction book presented by her third grade teacher at Eisenhower Elementary School.

A now retired school librarian and an emeritus Licensed Battlefield Guide, Linda enjoys researching her hometown citizens, and telling their personal stories of the Battle of Gettysburg. 

She and her husband have a Gettysburg address, with a view of the sun setting over the Blue Ridge.

Photos from "Beyond the Gatehouse" Tour of Evergreen Cemetery

Members of the CWRT of Eastern Pa were treated to a tour of Evergreen Cemetery in Gettysburg.

Among the photos are:
The group; the Gatehouse; Brian Kennel; from the Bedroom of the Gatehouse; the Gatehouse basement where the Thorn family stayed during the fighting and where wounded were brought; wreath from the top of the gatehouse taken down during refurbishment; Jenny Wade’s grave gatehouse sketch.

Oct 3 Program Information Announced - Seven Pines

Victor Vignola presents, “The Battle of Seven Pines (Fair Oaks) VA; The Turning Points of the Civil War”

     Surprisingly little has been written about the important Battle of Fair Oaks (and the simultaneous Seven Pines). The bloody two day affair (May 31-June 1, 1862), fought on the doorstep of the Confederate capital, was the first major battle in the Eastern Theater since Bull Run/Manassas the previous summer.

     It left more than 11,000 casualties in its wake and the primary Southern army without its commander. The possession of Richmond hung in the balance. Victor Vignola’s Contrasts in Command, which is centered around the Fair Oaks fighting, rectifies this gap in the literature.

     Major General George B. McClellan marched his Army of the Potomac up the Virginia Peninsula during the spring weeks of 1862 before committing a near-fatal error by placing his inexperienced IV Corps at the tip of the spear south of the flood-prone Chickahominy River.  Opposing McClellan at the head of the Virgina army was General Joseph E. Johnston, who had fallen back without offering much opposition.

     When the opportunity to strike beckoned, Johnston crafted an overly complex attack plan to crush the exposed IV Corps. A series of bungled Confederate marches, piecemeal assaults, and a lack of assertive leadership doomed the Southern plan. One of the wounded late in the day of May 31 was General Johnston, whose injury led to the appointment of General Robert E. Lee to take his place – a decision that changed the course of the entire Civil War.

     Sandwiched between Shiloh and the Seven Days’ Battles, the combat at Fair Oaks, and Seven Pines, has been mostly overlooked or forgotten. Although tactically inconclusive, the ramifications were far reaching in ways no one could have foreseen. And like Shiloh, the battle provided a clear warning that the war would be long and bloody.

Biography – Victor Vignola

      Historian Victor Vignola, a lifelong student of the Civil War, has written articles for publication in North and South Magazine and other forums. He delivers historical programs, conducts tours, and regularly visits various Civil War sites. He is the author of “Contrasts in Command”, which is centered around the Fair Oaks fighting.

     Vic graduated from SUNY-New Paltz with a degree in economics and business. His career included executive level labor and inter-agency relations for the Office of Mental Health in New York State. He lives with his family in Orange County, New York, home of the 124 th New York “Orange Blossoms” Regiment, which served as part of the III and V Corps from September 1862-April 1865. They fought at Gettysburg on July 2 nd at Devil’s Den as part of Ward’s Brigade.

From the Brigade Commander ~ October 2023

Our first field trip of Campaign 46 will have us heading to Gettysburg’s Evergreen Cemetery (on Saturday, October 7). The carpool will leave from the Marriott at Delta parking lot at 10:30 a.m. and arrive just in time for a barbeque lunch. Afterwards, participants will be treated to a two-hour tour of the cemetery and the Gatehouse Museum. A few spots have recently opened up, and so, if you’d like to join the trip, please contact Claire Kukielka at clkuk@ptd.net as soon as you can.

Our October lecture will feature the Battle of Seven Pines/ Fair Oaks. I hope you’ll be able to join us. Guest speaker Victor Vignola, whose book on the subject is scheduled for a November, 2023, release, has collected from some never-before published sources to create what he says is “an original tactical and leadership study that directly challenges convention accounts.” You can read more about the lecture in the October newsletter. Sounds like it could be an interesting one! I hope to see you there!

In other news, our quest to bring home Captain Taylor’s sword continues to inch closer to reality—you’ll find an update inside the October Newsletter.

BARRY

September Meeting ~ Summary and Photos

The 46th Campaign got off to the great start as Commander Barry Arnold opened the meeting, and turned it over to Laura Kleinsmith who introduced our speaker.

Rev. Dr Nancy Hale gave a thorough presentation on “Chaplains of Gettysburg.” She spoke of some of the chaplains present during the battle and how they experienced the war.

She noted that some of the chaplains gave accounts of the action to newspapers “back home.” These accounts, written at the time of the battle, tended to give accurate descriptions, and as opposed to those written months and sometimes years later.

We also held our monthly Preservation Raffle with winner pictured below.