SCHEDULED PROGRAMS FOR 2024 – 2025
Figure 1. Lincoln’s Address at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery. Courtesy Library of Congress.
September 12, 2024 – Tom Huntington, Maine Roads to Gettysburg.
October 10, 2024 – Victor Vignola, The Battle of Seven Pines: May 31, 1862.
November 14, 2024 – Brian Swartz, Louisiana’s Lost Love: The Saga of Cyrus Hamlin.
December 12, 2024 – Tess Chakkalakal, Telling the True Story of Reconstruction through Fiction.
January 9, 2025 – The Fourth Annual Civil War Challenge.
February 13, 2025 – Dan Cunningham, My experience as a reenactor with the 3rd Maine Regiment.
March 13, 2025 – Mike Bell, True Blue Virginian: George H. Thomas and America’s Civil War.
April 10, 2025 – Jim Silvia, The Battle of Harpers Ferry: Prelude to Antietam.
May 8, 2025 – Cooper Wingert, The Confederate Approach on Harrisburg: The Gettysburg Campaign’s Northern Most Reaches.
June 12, 2025 – Drew Gruber, The “Siege” of Yorktown 1862.
Note: If the Curtis Memorial Library is closed due to a winter storm or other unforeseen reason the scheduled round table meeting will be cancelled.
ABOUT US
Figure 2. President Lincoln and his cabinet, with Lieut. Gen. Scott. Courtesy Library of Congress.
The Chamberlain Round Table is administered by a board of trustees consisting of four elected officers (president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer), two officers appointed by the president (program director and information director), and four elected at-large members. The officers and members-at-large are elected annually at the regularly scheduled meeting held in June. The duties of the officers and the board at large and other administrative details are spelled out in our by-laws. A copy of the round table by-laws by be obtained by request to the secretary. The board of trustees meets three times per year (August, November, and April) and otherwise as necessary. The Joshua L. Chamberlain Civil War Round Table is an incorporated non-profit in the State of Maine under Title 13-B and is a tax-exempt organization under federal Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3).
The board of trustees for 2024 – 2025 are: President, Mike Bell; Vice-President, Linda Schlegel; Secretary, John Wagner; Treasurer, Jim Sanborn; Program Director, Bill Attick; Information Director, Phil Schlegel; At-Large Members, Carol Manchester, Bill St. Louis, Tyler Ayotte, and Steve Garrett. Round table members are encouraged to join the leadership team. Your input and support are important to leading our CWRT into the future!
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Figure 3. JLC CWRT President Mike Bell.
Here we go! Let me begin by saying that Steve Garrett’s leadership over the past several years has been truly appreciated. Without his strong leadership we may not have survived some very difficult challenges. I am grateful that Steve will stay on as a board member as we move forward into the next program season.
And now we turn the page! I look forward to seeing what we accomplish in the near future. We have some challenges ahead of us but we can, I believe, not only survive them but flourish. Thanks to our program director, Bill Attick, we have a great schedule of programs for the 2024 – 2025 season and our web presence remains active, but we will need to think outside the box a bit to move forward. Recruiting and welcoming new members must remain a top priority for all of us. As our round table evolves, and with leadership changes on the horizon, it is imperative that members take on leadership positions. Thanks to our secretary and treasurer, John Wagner and Jim Sanborn, we have new possibilities for sponsorship and greater financial stability. So, we have many possibilities to explore and put into place. This is your group and our survival in the long run depends on you.
Mike Bell
MEMBERSHIP AND DUES
Figure 4. “Greenback.” Courtesy Federal Reserve Board.
Membership with the Joshua L. Chamberlain Civil War Round Table is open to all interested persons. An active membership is vital to maintain quality programming, to bring in new ideas as to how we move into the future, to provide leadership, and to maintain overall financial viability so that we may continue to provide the level of activity that we now enjoy. Perspective members may complete the membership form [MEMBERSHIP FORM] and submit it with the appropriate dues for one year to the treasurer by mail or in person at any scheduled meeting of the round table. Effective July 1, 2024, dues for new members and renewals for current members are: Individual Member $35, Family Membership $45, Student Membership $15. Annual renewals are due on the anniversary of your joining the round table.
THE BOOK RAFFLE
The monthly book raffle is an important round table activity. The raffle is more than a good fund raiser! Picking up a “new to you” Civil War-related book feeds a desire to learn more and hopefully, will spark new interest among our members and any guests who may join us. If there are any books in your Civil War library that you want to donate to the raffle, please give them to one of the greeters at the table as you arrive. Your support of the round table is much appreciated.
THE BOOK CLUB
Figure 5. Josiah Burnham Kinsman, Aide-de-Camp. Courtesy Library of Congress.
For many years the round table has sponsored a book club. Everyone is invited to join and participate in our discussions and debates. The book club meets at 7:00 p.m. at People Plus on Union Street in Brunswick. We know you will enjoy the reads and the lively discussion. Anyone interested in participating in the discussions should contact the book club coordinator by email at JLCCWRTmembership@gmail.com. Book selections and dates are subject to change as determined by the book club.
CONTACT US
Figure 6. Signal telegraph machine and operator. Courtesy Library of Congress.
To contact the Joshua L. Chamberlain Round Table by mail:
Chamberlain CWRT
P.O. Box 1046
Brunswick, Maine 04011-1046
For more information regarding membership:
JLCCWRTmembership@gmail.com
Image Credits
Figure 1. Lincoln’s address at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery, November 19, 1863. Sherwood Lithograph Co., c1905. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, reproduction number LC-DIG-ppmsca-19926. (Cropped for presentation.)
Figure 2. President Lincoln and his cabinet, with Lieut. Genl. Scott. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, reproduction number LC-DIG-pga-01778. (Cropped for presentation.)
Figure 3. Photo provided by Mike Bell.
Figure 4. “1862 United States Notes,” The History of U.S. Currency, U.S. Currency Education Program, Federal Reserve Board, https://www.uscurrency.gov/history.
Figure 5. Major General Josiah Burnham Kinsman, Aide-de-Camp, U.S. Volunteers Infantry Regiment, on the staff of General Benjamin Butler, in uniform seated behind desk with open book. George Kendall Warren, photographer. Liljenquist Family collection. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, reproduction number LC-DIG-ppmsca-96365. (Cropped for presentation.)
Figure 6. Signal Telegraph Machine and operator – Fredericksburg. Alfred R. Waud, artist. Morgan collection of Civil War drawings. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, reproduction number LC-DIG-ppmsca-21043. (Cropped for presentation.)