Category: ARTICLES
An organization is only as vibrant and healthy as its committed members and the leadership that is drawn from among them.
Soon our program director (Bill Attick) will begin his search for speakers and program ideas for 2022-2023. Moreover, sometime in March/April nominations for board positions are required. For the last several years the current board of trustees has shepherded the round table through financial challenges and the current pandemic with diligence and determination.
Through it all, First Call on the website brought you history, features, news of the organization, and announcements. During the pandemic, programs via Zoom were arranged. Bills still were paid, banking went on, and many of you continued to submit membership dues. Thank you.
Now that we are back at Curtis Library, doors need to be unlocked and later locked; chairs need to be set up beforehand. It is important to have several board members know how set up and operate the audio-visual system for speakers. Newspapers need to be contacted for upcoming programs. Someone must staff the table for donations and raffle tickets. Bills still need to be paid and features still need to be written. The organization is fortunate to have a dedicated group and much appreciation is offered to all those members, who generously have given of their time and talents. But it is now time for others to fill some of the board member roles and to offer fresh ideas for continued growth and development of the round table. I am sharing my thoughts with you this month because my position of JLCCWRT secretary will be open as of June 2022. Perhaps there will be others. It is necessary for other round table members to step up. Please consider a candidacy for any of the board member positions by contacting our president (Steve Garrett), any of the board members, or by email to websiteadministrator@joshuachamberlainroundtable.com.
The future of the organization rests with you, our members.
Sincerely,
Carol Manchester
12/23/2021
We are looking forward to “An Evening with Frederick Douglass,” featuring Dr. Robert Bartlett, for our round table meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 9, 2021. The program will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Morrell Room, Curtis Memorial Library, in Brunswick. “Mr. Douglass” is looking forward to audience participation so you are encouraged to bring questions for the discussion. See you there!
11/30/2021
VETERAN’S DAY
Corporal Calvin Titcomb – 22nd Maine Infantry
Photo provided by Peter Tompkins.
During a recent foray into a relatively remote part of Maine, Peter Tompkins, one of our round table’s cemetery sleuths, photographed the gravestone of Calvin Titcomb, a corporal serving with Company H, 22nd Maine Infantry. On March 28, 1863, Cpl. Titcomb succumbed to disease*—a fate that befell many Maine soldiers and sailors during military operations on and near the Mississippi River. The much-weathered stone is located in Titcomb Cemetery, a secluded burial ground located off Rt. 16, near Kingsbury Pond, in Piscataquis County.
Intrigued by the find, Peter soon discovered that Cpl. Titcomb wrote a letter to his mother from Baton Rouge on March 1, 1863, just 27 days before his death. Cpl. Titcomb’s letter frankly reflected the thoughts and concerns of a soldier serving far from home. The letter (with a transcription) is posted on the Maine Memory Network website (contributed by the Maine Historical Society) and can be viewed at https://www.mainememory.net/media/pdf/79280.pdf.
Many thanks to Peter for sharing the photo and the experience.
* Cpl. Titcomb’s cause of death appears to be listed as erysipelas on the original muster-out rolls of the 22nd Maine Infantry. “Maine, State Archive Collections, 1718-1957,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939J-9YLB-5?cc=1877829&wc=9Y85-SPB%3A174548501%2C174548502%2C175047601 : 20 May 2014), Maine > Military Records-Civil War > 22nd Infantry and muster-out rolls page 5500-5513 > image 19 of 29; State Archives, Augusta.
On October 14 our in-person meetings continued with Robert Girardi presenting an insightful and well-illustrated program considering “Railroad Defense in the Atlanta Campaign.” It is noteworthy that the Curtis Library has significantly improved the audio-visual capabilities of the Morrell Room, which also contributed to a memorable evening for all thirty-six members and guests.