Civil War presentations Aug. 6
GUILFORD — The S.E. Palmer Tent #23, Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War will be hosting two guest speakers on Wednesday, Aug. 6 from 6-7:30 p.m., free to the public.
The event will be held at the Guilford Bed & Breakfast Inn located at 24 Elm St. The inn is on Route 15 just past Davis Brothers Furniture on the left going towards Abbot. It is a beautiful building located on a slight hill.
The program will begin with James Mentzer, who lives in New Hampshire, and his presentation concerns his great-grandfather who served with the 39th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment from the summer of 1863 until the end of the Civil War. His story deals with what happened when his great-grandfather attended the national convention of the G.A.R. at the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, where he finally let his anger go after meeting a Confederate veteran from Virginia. His program will last only 15-20 minutes, we will then take a break and the owners of the Guilford Bed & Breakfast will be offering the sale of wine and beer.
The next speaker will be Don Schultz. Schultz has a bachelors in history and a masters in social science and a second masters in education. He spent four years in the Navy as a first lieutenant on a guided missile destroyer out of San Diego. Schultz lives in Thorndike and has taught Civil War history, its causes and effects for 26 years and he has studied the Civil War for over 50 years.
Schultz will be speaking about his book “One-Armed Devil” and will be bringing copies for sale. The topic is Philip Kearny who lost his left arm in the Mexican War and served again during the Civil War from 1861 until his death at the Battle of Chantilly in 1862. He was known as “One Armed Devil” to his Confederate foes. Kearny’s experience during the war highlights the external and internal tensions that threatened the nation at the time, and which still echo today.
We feel fortunate to have these two Civil War historians and hope you can attend. For more more information contact Estella and Wayne Bennett at 207-876-3073 or swedegirl1966@gmail.com.