HistErie Week: 3 Mini Civil War Talks at Rice Avenue Library

Local historian George Deutsch of the Civil War Roundtable will give three short talks, each around 15-20 minutes (with some time for questions in between):

The Troubled Story of Girard's First Volunteers- At the beginning of the Civil War, Girard and other West County communities raised a 100 man company of volunteers to fight for the Union cause. These first volunteers were mustered in as part of the 90-day Erie Regiment under Col. John McLane. But after that short service, only a few men re-enlisted for its 3-year successor, the famous 83rd Pennsylvania Regiment. Why did that happen? Rare documents and photos of some of these men will be displayed.

The Origins of Taps and Its Connection to the West County- Young Oliver W. Norton was a school teacher in Springfield and a member of Girard's pre-war militia unit. When the war began, he joined the Erie Regiment and later the 83rd Pennsylvania as the regimental bugler. After the devastating Seven Days Campaign, Norton collaborated with his commanding general to create the iconic bugle call, TAPS.

A Brief History of Girard's Civil War Monument- Dan Rice was arguably Girard's most famous citizen in the 19th century. Right after the end of the Civil War, Rice erected the first monument to memorialize the soldiers who fought for the Union. He set the example for hundreds of other communities both north and south who followed by putting up monuments over the next half-century.

Location: Rice Avenue Library, Girard
For more HistERIE Week events: https://eriecounty-pa.libguides.com/HistERIE2023