If you are interested in genealogy and the Civil War, join the Penobscot County Genealogical Society and Maine at War at 6 p.m., Wednesday, November 20 at the Bangor Public Library, 145 Harlow Street, Bangor.
To be held in the Lecture Hall on the third floor (press “3” on the elevator buttons), the event marks the Penobscot County Genealogical Society’s November meeting, according to President Elizabeth Stevens. After the PCGS concludes its business meeting, I will present a well-illustrated PowerPoint program.
Titled Patriotic Mainers Help Save the Union in 1861-1862, my program will examine the vital role that Maine played early in the war, when repetitive defeats in the Eastern Theater left many loyal Americans wondering if the United States could prevail. More than 17,000 Mainers joined the war effort in 1861; their presence helped hold the Union line, literally and figuratively, and we will meet some unique Mainers who made the difference.
Copies of Maine at War Volume 1: Bladensburg to Sharpsburg will be available for purchase and signing. The first of three volumes covering Maine’s involvement in the Civil War, this book makes a great Christmas present for your favorite Civil War buff.
If you enjoy reading the adventures of Mainers caught up in the Civil War, be sure to like Maine at War on Facebook and get a copy of the new Maine at War Volume 1: Bladensburg to Sharpsburg, available online at Amazon and all major book retailers, including Books-A-Million and Barnes & Noble. —————————————————————————————————————–
Brian Swartz can be reached at visionsofmaine@tds.net. He enjoys hearing from Civil War buffs interested in Maine’s involvement in the war.