The estimated total monetary cost of the Civil War was 6.19 billion dollars.
On May 25, 1862, the Confederates prevailed at the First Battle of Winchester at the entrance of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's troops attacked the men of Union General Nathaniel P. Banks, pushing them across the Potomac River and further north. Winchester changed hands dozens of times (some reports say 73 times) during the war and was a major battle site twice more: June 13-15, 1863, and September 19, 1864.
The volume of postal mail increased dramatically during the war. To help handle the high number of letters, the Federal Postal Service divided posted material into first-, second-, and third-class mail. They also started providing free delivery in cities.
The Confederates were the first to use landmines in the war, employing them in 1862. Brigadier General Gabriel J. Rains ordered his men to prepare artillery shells to be exploded either by pulling trip wires or by being stepped on. In May of that year, a Union soldier riding a horse became the first to be killed by such a mine as he pursued retreating Confederates from Yorktown to Williamsburg, Virginia.
The Grand Rapids Civil War Round Table welcomes a new speaker, Brian Jaeschke, and his presentation, "Mackinac Island’s Influence on the Civil War."
In 1861, the people of Mackinac Island in northern Lake Huron lived in a community whose economy depended upon fishing and summer visitors. Fort Mackinac, a United States Army post, sitting high on the bluff was no longer of great strategic value. The soldiers who were stationed here received orders from Washington D.C. and many of the town’s residents enlisted. During the summer of 1862, three political prisoners arrived from Tennessee and were incarcerated at Fort Mackinac. By September, the prisoners and their company of guards were gone. One lone ordnance sergeant was the caretaker of the fort until the soldiers returned in 1865. After the war, fishing continued but tourism boomed as the historic island became a popular tourism destination.
This presentation will look at the military post of Fort Mackinac and the officers who served at the fort prior to the Civil War. It will discuss the three political prisoners sent north by Tennessee Governor Andrew Johnson and the company of men formed to provide guards. Sergeant William Marshall, longest serving soldier at the fort, will be introduced as the caretaker of the post and his family's influence on the Straits of Mackinac. The lives of Mackinac Island residents who served in the war and the families they left behind will be a focus along with the post war army and Grand Army of the Republic post on the island.
Brian S. Jaeschke was born in Illinois and graduated high school in Wyoming, Michigan. He graduated from Lake Superior State University with a B.S. in Sociology and from East Carolina University with a M.S. in Maritime History and Underwater Archaeology. He worked on Great Lakes freighters for nine years before accepting the position of Registrar at Mackinac State Historic Parks in 2006. Currently, he is Curator of Collections and a captain with the Mackinaw City Volunteer Fire Department. He has had an interest in the Civil War since the 4th grade, has visited several battlefields and related sites, and his great-great grandfather served in the 169th Ohio Infantry. His vignette, titled "Where Shall They Be Sent? Confederate Political Prisoners at Fort Mackinac", will be available the evening of the presentation.
Membership fees for the 2025-2026 season are $30.00.
Checks can be made out to GRCWRT.
Get your membership/renewal form on our website
membership page or at one of our meetings.
Dues are based on the meeting year, September - June.
We are always looking for new speakers. If you would like to give a presentation to the GRCWRT, or can recommend someone, please contact our program director.
Wednesday
May 20, 2026
Brian Jaeschke
Mackinac Island’s Influence on
the Civil War
We Meet At:
Orchard View Church of God
2777 Leffingwell Ave. NE
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Located at the southwest corner of
3 Mile Road NE and Leffingwell Avenue NE
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Program begins at 7:00 pm
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Map of Mackinac Island
Post Civil War - 1877
