The Union Army’s medical corps at the start of the war was completely unprepared and had extremely low morale. The Medical Department Chief, War of 1812 veteran Thomas Lawson, was more than eighty years old and dying of cancer. He had continually pared down the department, cutting its budget and making available only a minimal stock of medicine, bandages, and medical tools. Given those conditions, many were unwilling to remain in the medical corps and when the war began, a quarter of the surgeons and assistant surgeons resigned either to go with the Confederates or into private practice. The Union Army was left with just ninety-eight medical officers. However, when General Lawson left his position, 116 new surgeon candidates volunteered and sixty-two received appointments.
On January 15, 1865, the last major Confederate seaport fell to the Union. Fort Fisher, in Wilmington, North Carolina, was a vital port for blockade-runners. It was well protected with high walls, large cannons, mines, and palisades. But after a three-day naval bombardment, Union infantry led by General Alfred Terry came ashore and attacked the fort. The Confederates could not hold.
On January 19, 1862, the Battle of Logan’s Cross Roads (a.k.a. the Battle of Fishing Creek) near Mill Springs, Kentucky, marked the first significant Union victory of the war. With the win, part of the Confederate defensive line was broken, forging an opening for the Union into middle Tennessee.
!!! We are changing our meeting facility !!!
We are now meeting at:
Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary
2965 Leonard Street NE
Grand Rapids, Michigan
The Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary is located on the north side of Leonard Street just west of the East Beltline.
We will be meeting in the Chapel of the Seminary.
There is no food or drink allowed in the Chapel.
Our snacks will be in a separate room, near the Chapel.
Wednesday
January 19, 2022
GRCWRT
Membership
Open Round Table
!!! We Have Moved !!!
Puritan Reformed
Theological Seminary
2965 Leonard Street NE
Grand Rapids, Michigan
We will meet in the Chapel
(See Details Below)
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Program begins at 7:00 pm
Our program this month will be a true Civil War round table. We need you, and your fellow members, to bring Civil War related artifacts, pictures, documents, and stories to our January meeting to share them with the rest of the group. You say you have your great-great-grandmother’s letters that she received from her husband during the war? Bring them and tell us about them. You say you have some artifacts that you’ve collected and know something about their history? We want to see them and hear about them. You say you went to Petersburg on vacation this past summer? Bring the pictures and tell us about it. We really do want to see and hear about your Civil War antiques, histories, and vacations. No item or story is too big or too small. Please remember, no firearms are allowed on the Seminary campus.
Special Announcements:
Our Next Meeting
Membership fees for the 2021-2022 season will be $20.00.
Checks can be made out to GRCWRT.
Get your membership/renewal form on our
Membership page or at the meeting.
Dues are based on the meeting year, September - June.
Civil War Notes
Civil War Artifacts
