The Bucks County Civil War Roundtable Museum and Library invites you to join us on Tuesday, February 4th for the third installation of our Women Speaker Series. We are excited to welcome Dr. Angela Zombek to present her lecture entitled, "Treated Worse Than Felons Before Prisons Were Reformed": The Civil War's Crisis of Imprisonment. This is sure to be a fascinating topic. Please be sure to tune in early at 6:45PM to join in on our chat with Becky Sawyer who is the Collections Manager at Fort Fisher National Park. Please rsvp to Mike Campbell at mkcc419@gmail.com for the Zoom link.
Please consider contributing to The Reynolds Project
Please consider contributing to this very worthy cause. John Fulton Reynolds was a general in the Civil War for the Army of the Potomac. The Pennsylvania native was killed on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. https://www.reynoldsrestoration.org/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3DZKCMto8Ug9HM8cMTJUHF5lDd9r8ceeshrxoaJl7W-1WQI6tw2DCQEMQ_aem_DPB-4hlq8Rn9tgxXJ7PDiA
Speaker Kyle Purchase December 14th at the Museum
Join us Saturday, December 14th at the museum to hear a lecture from Mr. Kyle Purchase. The topic is, "From Soldier to Governor: Pennsylvania Governors Who Served in the Civil War. From Soldier to Governor: Pennsylvania Governors Who Served in the Civil War."
After the Civil War, soldiers returned to their families and communities to live their normal lives to the best of their ability. Some, however, decided to enter public life by running for office. Examples of such individuals include Confederates such as Joseph E. Johnston (became U.S. Congressman), John B. Gordon (became Governor of Georgia), William M. Robbins (became U.S. Congressman and one of the first commissioners of the Gettysburg Park Commission), William C. Oates (became Governor of Alabama), and Wade Hampton (became U.S. Senator) and Union figures such as John A. Logan (became U.S. Congressman and Senator), George B. McClellan (became Governor of New Jersey), Joshua L. Chamberlain (became Governor of Maine), Benjamin Butler (became Governor of Massachusetts), Daniel Sickles (retuned to Congress), Carl Schurz (became U.S. Secretary of the Interior), Matthew Quay (became U.S. Senator), and Ulysses S. Grant (became President of the United States).
This presentation will look at some of the soldiers who were elected to the highest position in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania – the office of Governor. The presentation will highlight their years of Civil War service as well as provide an overview of their term(s) of service while in the Governor’s office in Harrisburg.
This is a free and family friendly event starting promptly at 11:30.
Dr. Maria Angela Diaz Zoom~ December 3rd
We are thrilled to host Professor Maria Angela Diaz as the second contributor in our Women's Speaker Series. The Zoom meeting will be on Tuesday, December 3rd. Dr. Diaz's talk will focus on the impact of westward expansion and the U.S. Civil War on the communities of the Gulf Coast. We are opening the room at 6:30 to talk with Mr. Chris Brown from Civil War Trails. Request the link at civilwarmuseumdoylestown@gmail.com
Zoom- November, 12th- Dominish Miller- Women at War , Female Soldiers in the Civil War
he Bucks County Civil War Roundtable Museum and Library is absolutely thrilled to kick off our Special Zoom Speaker Series next Tuesday, November 12th, at 7pm (room opens at 6:30.)
Our speaker will be Dominish Marie Miller. She is the Third Circuit Court of Appeals Librarian for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the founder of Preserving the History of Newberrytown and runs the Lewisberry Area History Lovers group.
She has authored three books, Preserving the History of Newberrytown: A Community Cookbook From the Cooks of Newberrytown, Pennsylvania 2021, volumes 1 and 2 and Then and Now: A Pictorial View Of A Changing Town.
Dominish is also a reenactor with the 87th Regiment, PVI. She portrays a private in the 87th PA Co C.
The topic of the presentation will be,
Women At War: The Female Soldiers of the American Civil War and Those That Wished They Were
Contrary to popular belief, women did in fact fight in the American Civil War. They also infiltrated the United States Army in earlier wars. Deborah Sampson served for 17 months in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War as Robert Shurtliff and Lucy Brewer served with the Marines aboard Old Ironsides as George Baker during the War of 1812. Once a taboo topic, modern historians are finally shedding light on the role that female soldiers played in the Civil War and the women who made a living off of lying about their military service.
Please request the Zoom invite link at civilwarmuseumdoylestown@gmail.com
Haunted Tour 2024
The Bucks County Civil War Museum and Library looks forward to partnering with the James-Lorah House every year to let guests enjoy our Haunted Tour and Victorian Wake. It was a HUGE success. Thank you to all who were involved and for the visitors who made this a sold out event for the fourth year in a row!
Candlelight Cemetery Tours
The Bucks County Civil War Museum is hosting two candlelight tours of the Doylestown Cemetery on Friday OCT 18th and OCT 25th. Both tours begin at 7:00 PM. No reservation is required, tickets will be sold at the event, $10 per person, children under 12 are free.
Come and meet Doylestown's Civil War soldiers, scoundrels and forgotten heroes, and enjoy a candlelight tour of the historic Doylestown Cemetery. Any questions please contact Mike Campbell at mkcc419@gmail.com.
Tune in
Please set your radio dials to 89.7 WDVR this Monday, October 7th at 3:00 PM. Mike Campbell from the Civil War Museum and Chris Lemmo from the James-Lorah Memorial Home will join Andy Kin and the crew live in studio to talk Halloween and History. Also streaming at wdvr.org
Speaker Bradley Gottfried October 1st
Join us on Tuesday, October 1st at Doylestown Borough Hall to welcome our first Speaker of the fall. The Bucks County Civil War Roundtable is elated to host renowned Civil War author Bradley Gottfried. The topic will be, "Lincoln Comes to Gettysburg." This is sure to be an enlightening presentation. Doors are at 7pm, we hope to see you there!
Last soldier ceremony
On Saturday, September 14th, 2024, Baker-Fisher Camp #101, of the Pennsylvania Department, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) conducted the Last Soldier Ceremony for Bucks County’s last surviving Civil War veteran in Newtown Cemetery in Bristol. The ceremony was attended by many individuals and organizations including numerous SUVCW camps, the great-great granddaughter, the great granddaughter, and a few great-great nephews of the deceased, the Bucks County Civil War Roundtable, Newtown Historic Association, Bucks County Commissioners, State Senator Steve Santarsiero, and a representative for U.S. Senator Bob Casey. Governor Josh Shapiro also sent his greetings.
The purpose of the Last Soldier ceremony is to recognize the last surviving veteran of each respective county. The Last Soldier project has been a project of the SUVCW since 2003, and the counties’ respective camps conduct ceremonies to honor the last surviving boys in blue.
The honoree at Newtown Cemetery was Sgt. Charles Duckworth, serving with the 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry, where they saw action in the 1864 Overland campaign which included the battles of the Wilderness, North Anna River, Cold Harbor, Yellow Tavern, and the siege of Petersburg. He was eventually transferred to the 3rd Provisional Pennsylvania Cavalry, a regiment comprised of veterans of the 18th and 22nd Pennsylvania Cavalries.
Duckworth also served as the last Post Commander of H. Clay Beatty Post #73, Pennsylvania Department, Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.), with the post being headquartered in Bristol. Duckworth lived to the age of 102, passing away in early 1949. The descendants brought to the ceremony photos of Duckworth and a scrapbook full of newspaper clippings documenting Duckworth’s involvement with his post. They also had his commemorative medallion from the 75th anniversary reunion (1938) of the battle of Gettysburg.
Sgt. Duckworth not only marks Bucks County’s last veteran, but he is also the last surviving veteran for the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a state that had sent thousands of men into the nation’s bloodiest conflict. The commonwealth at that time was under the leadership of Governor Andrew Gregg Curtin, who answered President Abraham Lincoln’s call for troops and attended the dedication of the National Soldiers Cemetery in Gettysburg. Governor Curtin also had multiple cousins and nephews who served in the war with numerous regiments.
With Duckworth’s passing in 1949 and with the presence of multiple descendants of Sgt. Duckworth in attendance, it gives us a reminder that the Civil War was not too long ago as we think, and that patriotic education about American values, holidays, civics and history, especially about the Civil War, is more important now than ever.
By Kyle Purchase
