The April 2nd CWRT meeting featured an interesting presentation by Leon Reed about the preparation and the responses to the attack on Fort Sumter. Reed noted that with rumblings for months, the attack was not unexpected, and some positions around the nation had been strengthened, while others left undermanned on purpose. He noted that the entire country only had a 16,000 man army prior to the split.
Reed, a former US Senate aide, defense consultant, and US History teacher, lives in Gettysburg and is the author of several books on Gettysburg monuments and two on the secession crisis and transition to Civil war, including the soon to be published, “Fort Sumter’s Long Shadow: Mr. Lincoln Calls for an Army, the Northern States Respond, and the Border States Rethink Their Status”.
Claire updated us on the GAR Museum tour coming up on April 27th - see upcoming. events for info.
We also had our usual book raffle for preservation. Winners pictured below.
