Sunday, February 26, 4pm
Wilton Library
Speaker: Dione Longley
In this second lecture of the annual collaboration between the Wilton Library and the Wilton Historical Society focusing on the American Civil War, Part II, Dione Longley will discuss the role of women in the Civil War, accompanied by multiple images in PowerPoint. She includes many quotations from the women themselves--their letters and diaries--as well as from the soldiers. She prefers to use real stories about specific people to illustrate the points she is emphasizing, and as she puts it, ''And boy, are there a lot of great stories.''
Ms. Longley graduated from Wesleyan in 1982. She worked in the curatorial department of the Connecticut Historical Society and for two decades was the director of the Middlesex County Historical Society in Middletown. She recently annotated The Old Leather Man (Wesleyan University Press), and she is writing a book on Connecticut in the Civil War with Peter A. "Buck" Zaidel.
This lecture is sponsored by Nancy Pantoliano. The moderator is Max Gabrielson.
Please click here to register for the February 26th session.
Connecticut's African-American Soldiers in the Civil War
Sunday, March 4, 4pm
Wilton Historical Society
Speaker: David Koch
In this third lecture of the series, David Koch will discuss the role of Connecticut's African-American soldiers in the Civil War.
Connecticut, known as "the land of steady habits," saw profound change occur as a result of the war in almost every aspect of its politics, economy, and society. Many of these changes were brought on unwillingly - one of these was the decision to raise two regiments of African-American soldiers. This talk will center on the 29th and 30th Connecticut regiments, who saw valuable service in the War. However, on a larger level, these and other volunteer units ushered into an era of sweeping change in the State's treatment of its African-American citizens. The experience of these men, who served in the war with little more to anticipate from its ending than the chance to create future opportunities for others, is an inspiring story of courage and sacrifice.
Dave Koch is an Assistant Professor of History at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Though a wide-ranging historian, Koch's specialty areas are the Civil War and Native American History. He has worked for national historical and natural sites, promoting the nation's physical and historical heritage. He has also lectured for organizations across the country and in Europe on such topics as Civil War Battles, Politics in the Civil War, Medicine in the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln's life and political activities, and Slavery and the American Experience, as well as made specialized presentations on the Gettysburg National Cemetery, the Battle of Gettysburg, and Connecticut in the Civil War.
This lecture is sponsored by Bill and Kathleen Brennan. The moderator is Max Gabrielson.
The Artist in the Civil War
Sunday, March 18, 4pm
Wilton Library
Speaker: Don Troiani
This last program in the American Civil War Series, Part II features artist Don Troiani, who vividly captures on canvas the many battle scenes of the Civil War, along with paintings of arms, uniforms - everything that can be documented pictorially and in well-researched detail. He will talk about his art along with the role that the artist played in the Civil War.
Advance registration is highly recommended for each session, as is prompt arrival. Registrants will be seated immediately upon arrival, and those wait-listed or without reservations will be seated as space allows starting at 3:50 pm. Overflow attendance will be accommodated with a simulcast presentation in the Rimer Room upstairs at the Library sessions and in the Barn at the Historical Society sessions.
Lectures in this outstanding series are all on Sundays starting at 4 pm. Note that the location alternates between Wilton Library at 137 Old Ridgefield Road and Wilton Historical Society at 224 Danbury Road. Donations to support future programs will be accepted at the door. Visit the Library's website for more information.
