President’s message: March 2020
Hello all RCWRT members and friends! Best Wishes!
It is my hope that everyone is doing well and staying sane during this crazy time we are all experiencing.
As you probably realized there will be NO March RCWRT Meeting, and we will wait and see as far as our scheduled April 15 goes.
Virtually ALL of our other CW events, including the Lincoln Dinner and Lincoln Museum Opening Weekend have also been cancelled as have other events at least through the end of April. I hope and pray that things will be back to normal for May and June and beyond.
I will keep you informed via email, but will also continue to maintain and update or FB page and website.
Please stay safe and I know we will all get through this together. "United We Stand, Divided We Fall" John Dickinson, 1768.
Thanks,
God Bless YOU ALL!
God Bless our first responders, medical professionals and anyone out there maintaining vital services.
God Bless our troops and God Bless America!
Paul R. Martin III
President
Paul R. Martin III President 914-245-8903 914-980-5267 Cell
WEBSITE! http://www.rocklandcivilwar.org/ AND Like us on FACEBOOK: Rockland Civil War RT
Upcoming meetings and events.
SCHEDULE: RCWRT
March 2020 NO MEETING
April 15, 2020 Jon Fiorella TENTATIVE
May 20, 2020 Rob Buccheri TENTATIVE
June 17, 2020 TBA
Hello all RCWRT members and friends! Best Wishes!
It is my hope that everyone is doing well and staying sane during this crazy time we are all experiencing.
As you probably realized there will be NO March RCWRT Meeting, and we will wait and see as far as our scheduled April 15 goes.
Virtually ALL of our other CW events, including the Lincoln Dinner and Lincoln Museum Opening Weekend have also been cancelled as have other events at least through the end of April. I hope and pray that things will be back to normal for May and June and beyond.
I will keep you informed via email, but will also continue to maintain and update or FB page and website.
Please stay safe and I know we will all get through this together. "United We Stand, Divided We Fall" John Dickinson, 1768.
Thanks,
God Bless YOU ALL!
God Bless our first responders, medical professionals and anyone out there maintaining vital services.
God Bless our troops and God Bless America!
Paul R. Martin III
President
Paul R. Martin III President 914-245-8903 914-980-5267 Cell
WEBSITE! http://www.rocklandcivilwar.org/ AND Like us on FACEBOOK: Rockland Civil War RT
Upcoming meetings and events.
SCHEDULE: RCWRT
March 2020 NO MEETING
April 15, 2020 Jon Fiorella TENTATIVE
May 20, 2020 Rob Buccheri TENTATIVE
June 17, 2020 TBA
The Rockland Civil War Round Table:
7:30 PM at the Pirate Cove at Pearl River High School on Tuesday February 18, 2020.
Observing Hancock at Gettysburg: The General's Leadership Through Eyewitness Accounts
by Paul E. Bretzger
7:30 PM at the Pirate Cove at Pearl River High School on Tuesday February 18, 2020.
Observing Hancock at Gettysburg: The General's Leadership Through Eyewitness Accounts
by Paul E. Bretzger
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Observing Hancock at Gettysburg: The General's Leadership Through Eyewitness Accounts By Paul E. Bretzger (Author) General Winfield Scott Hancock was perhaps the most influential officer in the federal lines, though he commanded only one of seven Union corps at Gettysburg. On day one, he rallied fleeing troops and placed them in the formidable position the Union army occupied for the remainder of the battle. In a frantic few minutes on day two, he masterfully conducted reinforcements into a yawning gap in his defensive line, securing the position just moments before the Confederates advanced to try to take it. On the third day, he led the successful defense against the massive frontal assault known as Pickett’s Charge. Learn the story of General Hancock at Gettysburg in this fascinating presentation by Paul Bretzger. This ensures be an outstanding meeting, so bring your friends and family to the Pirate Cove at Pearl River HS on Wednesday, February 18, 2020 at 7:30 PM. Paul’s book, Observing Hancock at Gettysburg: will be available for purchase and signing: Cash preferred. 
Paul Bretzger was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, and grew up in nearby Eatontown and currently lives in Springfield, NJ. In 1987, Mr. Bretzger earned a B.A. in Historical Studies from Stockton University in Pomona, New Jersey. He also received, that year, the History Award for Outstanding Senior Thesis. He moved on to receive a Master of Architecture degree from New Jersey Institute of Technology in 1992.
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Mr. Bretzger thereafter lived and worked as an architect from the mid-1990s until 2016 in New York City. Meanwhile, he used his free time to study General Winfield Scott Hancock’s actions at the battle of Gettysburg and develop what became his book Observing Hancock at Gettysburg: The General’s Leadership through Eyewitness Accounts. He has written articles relating to Hancock at Gettysburg, published in Civil War News, HistoryNet, and Gettysburg Magazine. |
The Rockland Civil War Round Table Will meet at:
7:30 PM at the Pirate Cove at Pearl River High School on Wednesday January 15, 2020.
Brothers in Arms: From the Bixbys to the Sullivans
The story of the USS Juneau (CL-52) “The Sullivan Brothers Ship”
by John Fiorella
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Brothers in Arms: From the Bixbys to the Sullivans The story of the USS Juneau (CL-52) “The Sullivan Brothers Ship” The USS Juneau (CL-52) was a United States Navy Atlanta-class light cruiser sunk at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal 13 November 1942. In total, 687 men, including the five Sullivan brothers, were killed in action as a result of its sinking. The Sullivans enlisted in the US Navy on January 3, 1942, with the stipulation that they serve together. The Navy had a policy of separating siblings, but this was not strictly enforced. George and Frank had served in the Navy before, but their brothers had not. All five were assigned to the light cruiser USS Juneau. Juneau participated in a number of naval engagements during the months-long Guadalcanal Campaign beginning in August 1942. Early in the morning of November 13, 1942, during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, Juneau was struck by a Japanese torpedo and forced to withdraw. Later that day, as it was leaving the Solomon Islands' area for an Allied rear-area base with other surviving US warships from battle, the Juneau was struck again by a torpedo at or near the ammunition magazines and the ship exploded and quickly sank. Security required that the Navy not reveal the loss of Juneau or the other ships so as not to provide information to the enemy. When letters from the Sullivan sons stopped arriving at the home, the parents grew worried, prompting Alleta Sullivan to write to the Bureau of Naval Personnel in January 1943. Their letter was answered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 13, 1943, who acknowledged that the Sullivans were missing in action. That morning, the boys' father, Tom, was preparing for work when three officers approached his door. "I have some news for you about your boys," the naval officer said. "Which one?" asked Tom. "I'm sorry," the officer replied. "All five." As a direct result of the Sullivans' the U.S. War Department adopted the Sole Survivor Policy. The story is often compared to The Bixby letter: a brief, consoling message sent by President Abraham Lincoln in November 1864 to Lydia Parker Bixby, a widow living in Boston, Massachusetts, who was thought to have lost five sons in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Learn the story of the Juneau and the Sullivan brothers and the military repercussions of their loss in this fascinating presentation by Jon Fiorella. With an ironic connection to the Civil War and a small departure from our usual Civil War topics, this ensures be an outstanding meeting, so bring your friends and family to the Pirate Cove at Pearl River HS on Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at 7:30 PM. 
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Jon Fiorella lives in Carmel, New York and taught science for 43 years at both the high school and college levels. Along the way he garnered five national awards related to his teaching. In retirement he likes to research topics in both science and history and then enjoys presenting them to interested audiences. Recently, Jon has presented in New York, New Jersey and Florida including at the New Jersey Maritime Museum and the West Point Museum.
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Previous Meetings and Programs:
The Rockland Civil War Round Table Will meet at:
7:30 PM at the Pirate Cove at Pearl River High School on Wednesday November 13, 2019.
The Whys and Hows of Civil War Re-enacting and Living History
By Edwin Torres
7:30 PM at the Pirate Cove at Pearl River High School on Wednesday November 13, 2019.
The Whys and Hows of Civil War Re-enacting and Living History
By Edwin Torres
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The Whys and Hows of Civil War Re-enacting and Living History By Edwin Torres For over 25 years, RCWRT Member Ed Torres has been participating in Civil War re-enactments and living history exhibits. As a member of the 5th NY Volunteer Infantry Co A "Duryees Zouaves" he has been questioned many times as to why he he chooses to do so. He will discuss his motivation for his participation, why he has continued throughout the years, and how anyone who is interested can get involved too. Ed is a resident of Rockland County for the past 8 years where he lives with his wife and son. This ensures to be a fascinating program and evening with the RCWRT. Bring some friends and family on Wednesday, November 13, at 7:30 PM at the Pirate Cove at Pearl River High School 
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7:30 PM at the Pirate Cove at Pearl River High School on Wednesday October 23, 2019.
(Contemporanious) ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE CIVIL WAR
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ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE CIVIL WAR by Cynthia Andersen ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE CIVIL WAR will focus on the effects of the Civil War on American landscape and genre painting, and on the new (at the time) medium of photography. We will look at the large range of works created before (slavery, racism), during (lives of soldiers, battles), and following the Civil War war (Negro struggles, reconstruction). We will look at work by some of America’s finest artists including Hudson River School painters like Frederick Church (metaphorical paintings of the War) and Sanford Gifford (a soldier during the Civil War – lives of the soldiers); genre painters, William Sidney Mount and Eastman Johnson (lives and struggles of slaves); journalists like Winslow Homer whose works relating to the lives of soldiers were published in Harper’s Weekly; and finally the photographs bringing Abraham Lincoln to vivid life as well as the horrors of war by famed photographers Mathew Brady, Alexander Gardner and George Barnard. We will address how these works of art not only unleashed historical events of a great historical moment, but also wrought great changes in the nation’s visual culture and character. This ensures to be a fascinating program and evening with the RCWRT. Bring some friends and family on Wednesday, October 23, at 7:30 PM at the Pirate Cove at Pearl River High School 
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Cynthia Andersen was a New York City school teacher and special education supervisor. She earned her B.A. from Hunter College, majoring in History with a concentration in Early American Culture. She also earned a Master’s degree in Education and Art History and a School Administration Degree from Queens College. Cynthia, an amateur painter, has been researching, writing and lecturing about the Hudson River School of Painting for more than ten years. She expanded her Hudson River School of Painting to 19th Century American Art which includes Luminism, Art and Photography of the Civil War and American Impressionism. Her lectures have been seen by the various Sloop Clubs; affiliates of the Clearwater, up and down the Hudson River, as well as MALFA (Material Archives and Laboratory for Archaeology), the Scarsdale Women’s’ Organization, the Scarsdale Adult School, the UFT (United Federation of Teachers in NYC) and Westchester Community College’s Mainstream Program. Most recently Westchester Community College made Cynthia an adjunct teacher of art history.
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7:30 PM at the Pirate Cove at Pearl River High School on Wednesday September 18, 2019.
Spotsylvania Courthouse: The Clash of Grant and Lee at the Crossroads:Discussion to follow:
To commemorate the 155th Anniversary of the furious battles in the Wilderness and Spotsylvania County, Virginia, we will have a special video presentation of: Spotsylvania Courthouse: The Clash of Grant and Lee at the Crossroads:
For nearly two weeks in 1864, the titans of the Civil War, Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant -- clashed violently, for the first time, at the crossroads of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia. Recorded during the 140th anniversary reenactment of Spotsylvania, this film highlights thousands of re-enactors in a variety of media formats, from the ultra-high resolution of high-definition video to the authenticity of archival looking film. Utilizing Wide Awake Films signature Civil War Combat Cameraman footage, Spotsylvania Courthouse is the first documentary of its kind. Winner of 2006 Telly Award.
ALSO included is a brief battlefield tour with the great civil war historian Ed Bearss.
This ensures to be a fascinating program and evening with the RCWRT. Bring some friends and family on Wednesday, September 18, at 7:30 PM at the Pirate Cove at Pearl River High School
Our Annual Summer Field Trip
Saturday August 10, 2019
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On Saturday, August 10, 2019 the Rockland Civil War Round Table will be going on a summer field trip to the Civil War Weekend in Historic Richmondtown, Staten Island. The reenactment will be sponsored by the professional Liberty Rifles and will include demonstrations, encampment and presentations. The event will run from 10 am to 5 pm and will be an opportunity to interact with long time Civil War reenactors. The RCWRT members who want to join us will meet at 10 am on August 10th at the main parking lot of Pearl River High School and we will car pool together. It is recommended that everyone bring a bottle of water with them. Please contact us via email to confirm your plan to attend. |
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Wednesday June 26, 2019.
PRESIDENCY OF ULYSSES S. GRANT by Paul Kahan In “The Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant: Preserving the Civil War’s Legacy”, historian Paul Kahan focuses on the unique political, economic, and cultural forces unleashed by the Civil War and how Grant addressed these issues during his tumultuous two terms as chief executive. A timely reassessment, The Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant sheds new light on the business of politics in the decade after the Civil War and portrays an energetic and even progressive executive whose legacy has been overshadowed by both his wartime service and his administration’s many scandals. Dr. Kahan earned a Ph.D. in U.S. history from Temple University where he worked with William W. Cutler, III. Prior to that, Dr. Kahan earned his M.A. in Modern American History & Literature from Drew University and B.A.s in history and English (with minors in medieval/Renaissance studies and music) from Alfred University. In 2008, Dr. Kahan published his first book, Eastern State Penitentiary: A History. This book explores the penitentiary's history and is written for a popular audience. In February 2012, Peter Lang published Dr. Kahan's second book, Seminary of Virtue: The Ideology and Practice of Inmate Reform at Eastern State Penitentiary, 1829-1971. His third book, The Homestead Strike: Labor, Violence, and American Industry, was published by Routledge in late 2013. In 2016, Dr. Kahan published The Bank War: Andrew Jackson, Nicholas Biddle, and the Fight for American Finance, the first narrative overview of this turning point in American political history in more than half a century as well as Amiable Scoundrel: Simon Cameron, Lincoln's Scandalous Secretary of War. His most recent book is The Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant: Preserving the Civil War's Legacy. This ensures to be a fascinating program and evening with the RCWRT. Bring some friends and family on Wednesday, June 26, at 7:30 PM at the Pirate Cove at Pearl River High School |
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Wednesday May 15, 2019.
Spotsylvania Courthouse: The Clash of Grant and Lee at the Crossroads: Discussion to follow: To commemorate the 155th Anniversary of the furious battles in the Wilderness and Spotsylvania County, Virginia, we will have a special video presentation of: Spotsylvania Courthouse: The Clash of Grant and Lee at the Crossroads: For nearly two weeks in 1864, the titans of the Civil War, Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant -- clashed violently, for the first time, at the crossroads of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia. Recorded during the 140th anniversary reenactment of Spotsylvania, this film highlights thousands of reenactors in a variety of media formats, from the ultra-high resolution of high-definition video to the authenticity of archival looking film. Utilizing Wide Awake Films signature Civil War Combat Cameraman footage, Spotsylvania Courthouse is the first documentary of its kind. Winner of 2006 Telly Award. ALSO included is a brief battlefield tour with the great civil war historian Ed Bearss. This ensures to be a fascinating program and evening with the RCWRT. Bring some friends and family on Wednesday, May 15, at 7:30 PM at the Pirate Cove at Pearl River High School 
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April 17, 2019
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New Jersey in the Civil War: Fiction vs. Fact, did New Jersey back the Confederates?
By Bill Gillette Did New Jersey support the southern cause of slavery and state’s rights? The role of New Jersey in the Civil War will be considered. The traditional view that New Jersey was a copperhead stronghold will be rebutted. Bill Gillette graduated from Georgetown University, received a M.A. from Columbia, and earned a Ph.D. from Princeton. His first book, The Right to Vote: Politics and the Passage of the Fifteenth Amendment, explored the efforts of the Congress to grant voting rights to African Americans in the border-states and northern states. His second book, Retreat from Reconstruction, 1869-1879, traced how the federal government under Presidents Ulysses Grant and Rutherford Hayes and most northerners gave up on the northern effort to reform the South. His third book, Jersey Blue: Civil War Politics in New Jersey, 1854-1865, examined the role of New Jerseyans in coping with the challenges of the Civil War. Gillette received several prizes for various publications and was a Fulbright exchange professor in Austria, Japan and Russia. He taught at Rutgers University for forty-eight years and is now retired. This ensures to be a fascinating program and evening with the RCWRT. Bring some friends and family on Wednesday, April 17, at 7:30 PM at the Pirate Cove at Pearl River High School |
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March 27, 2019
“The John Cipollina Collection” Before being loaned to the Lincoln Depot Museum in Peekskill, CW collector John Cippolina will bring part of his exclusive collection of Civil War artifacts to share with the RCWRT. Included in John’s extensive collection are soldier ID’d dominoes, Union and Confederate canteens, artillery shells, Minnie ball molds, rare documents, a field drum and a NY Doctor ID’d Medical Kit. John will show, explain and tell the story and history of each artifact in his collection and their connection to the soldiers who carried them over 150 years ago. John Cipollina is a longtime military collector who specializes in Civil War and WWII artifacts. He volunteers with several veterans organizations including Hudson Valley Honor Flight, Living History Weekends and drives his 1944 WWII Jeep in numerous Veterans Day Parades and other history events throughout the Westchester area. A graduate of St. Francis Xavier High School in NYC, John has an Orthodontist practice in Westchester and lives with his wife in Briarcliff Manor. This ensures to be a fascinating program and evening with the RCWRT. Bring some friends and family on........... Wednesday, March 27, at 7:30 PM at the Pirate Cove at Pearl River High School |
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February 2019“Remembering Lincoln” As we celebrate President Lincoln’s birthday this month, and commemorate his historic stop and speech in Peekskill NY, we will have a Roundtable Forum and Discussion to share our thoughts and musings on our 16th President. I will show a short video of the Speech Commemoration at the Lincoln Depot Museum last week. I will bring with me the two life masks of Lincoln made in 1860 and 1865 by Leonard Volk and Clark Mills, respectively. (EXACT replicas of those on display in the Smithsonian) I will discuss the history and significance of these two important historic and memorable artifacts. A short slide presentation of various Lincoln Sculptures will also be viewed. PLEASE feel free to bring and Lincoln Artifacts you may have, or particular Lincoln books you may have read, to share with the group. Wednesday, February 27, at 7:30 PM at the Pirate Cove at Pearl River High School |
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January 2019 Civil War Postcards” by Paul R. Martin III. A detailed history of the Civil War in postcards from their evolution from patriotic covers and 1860 period cards, through the turn of the century to the golden age of linen cards of the 1930’s and 40’s and beyond. The power-point presentation culled from Mr. Martin’s personal postcard collection will trace the history of the Civil War through the different periods of vintage Souvenir American Postcards. Mr. Martin will also explain how to decipher different manufacturer’s markings and codes for identifying and dating postcards. |
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Annual Christmas, Chanukah and holiday Extravaganza!
Pirate Cove at Pearl River High School on Wednesday December, 2018.
To celebrate another successful Rockland Civil War Round Table year, our annual Christmas, Chanukah and holiday meeting will start at 7:00PM at the Pirate Cove at Pearl River High School on Wednesday December 5, 2018. Our Annual Holiday Extravaganza and Show and Tell is a great way to reflect on our past year’s, events and speakers. It gives us a chance to get to know each other a little better and it allows each member to present to the group a little piece of history from their area of interest or share an artifact from their personal collection.
Bring a show and tell item and a desert or appetizer to share with the group, or just come for the camaraderie, good food and holiday cheer. It is always the highlight of the year for me as members get a chance to share an interesting piece of Civil War history with the rest of the group, and we get to relax and socialize for a while. Bring friends and family as well; the meeting is sure to be a lot of fun! Remember we are starting the meeting a little earlier than usual, at 7:00 PM. .
Annual Holiday Extravaganza and Show and Tell. Wednesday, December 5, at 7:00 PM at the Pirate Cove at Pearl River High School
God Bless our troops and God Bless America!
Paul R. Martin III
President
Bring a show and tell item and a desert or appetizer to share with the group, or just come for the camaraderie, good food and holiday cheer. It is always the highlight of the year for me as members get a chance to share an interesting piece of Civil War history with the rest of the group, and we get to relax and socialize for a while. Bring friends and family as well; the meeting is sure to be a lot of fun! Remember we are starting the meeting a little earlier than usual, at 7:00 PM. .
Annual Holiday Extravaganza and Show and Tell. Wednesday, December 5, at 7:00 PM at the Pirate Cove at Pearl River High School
God Bless our troops and God Bless America!
Paul R. Martin III
President
Thursday, November 8, 2018
"Anaconda Plan: How the North Won the War in 12 Months" by Joel Craig
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"Anaconda Plan: How the North Won the War in 12 Months" by Joel Craig
This visual presentation explores the Gen. Winfield Scott's "Anaconda Plan" as well as Union strategy and successes in the first year of war. Mr. Craig will examine the actions - political, economic and military, taken by the North in the first 12 months of the Civil War that would ultimately lead to Union victory. Largely ignored by Civil War authors and historians, these crucial early actions were the basis of the strategy of constriction that eventually squeezed the Confederacy into submission. The presentation highlights the enormous advantages that the northern states held over their southern counterparts and explains the importance of denying the border-states (Maryland, western Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri) to the Confederacy. Finally the presentation reviews the large number of successful military actions along the southern coastline that both denied the Confederacy the use of it's coast, and provided the Union forces the ability to impose the blockade, and discusses some of the misinterpretations surrounding early war events and introduces some early-war heroes who faded into obscurity later in the war. The presentation stresses the advantages of the northern states over the southern states and reevaluates the tactical situation after 12 months of war. 
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ALL Meetings will be held in the PRHS Pirate Cove. 7:30 PM
Pearl River High School Pirate Cove. 275 East Central Ave, Pearl River, NY, 109
Pearl River High School Pirate Cove. 275 East Central Ave, Pearl River, NY, 109
Monthly Meetings are held at the Pirate Cove at Pearl River High School
275 East Central Ave. Pearl River, NY 10965 7:30 PM
Photo Gallery from past program meetings.
Jeff Cook displayed and discussed his collection of Connecticut Officer (Identified) presentation swords in 2015. (more photos below)
Jeff Cook displayed and discussed his collection of Connecticut Officer (Identified) presentation swords in 2015.
Historian John Muranelli gave a presentation on the Abraham Lincoln Assassination Conspirators in April of 2015. His presentation was a brief overview and history of the assassination plot and the men and women who conspired to kill Lincoln.
November 15, 2017:
Jay Jorgensen: |
June 7, 2017: Pat Schroeder:
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March 8, 2017: William Schuber:
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April 19, 2017: Ron Coddington
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