Links to the 150th Anniversary

Thursday, October 16, 2014

General Meade Society battle report



As someone who is new to Civil War lore and legend, I have only been reading and exploring this momentous time in US history in depth since April when I began to  read books, troll websites, take a course at the Civil War Institute at Manor College, attend reenactments, and plan dates to visit battle sites. By October, this had already generated eye opening conversations with re-enactors, Civil War historians and enthusiasts and inspired me to write a song about the story of Antietam.  In addition, old and new friends surfaced as knowledgeable and engaged resources for my self study.

In my life have been inspired by this quote of W.H. Murray from the Scottish Himalayan Expedition
 [With committment] All sorts of things occur that help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamt would come his way.

And so it was that on a visit to Ft. Delaware one Union soldier who learned I was from Philadelphia exclaimed “You must check out the General Meade Society”.  The breadcrumbs of curiosity led directly to the Meade Society’s October trip to explore the Overland Campaign, which was exactly the next step in my understanding of the struggles in the war.

From the first email from Jerry, I felt welcomed and encouraged. No, I didn’t have to be a member; yes, there was a space. Frankly, I didn’t know if I was about to enter an experience way over my head with arcane discussions about the nuances of battles and personalities. Yes, there were discussions about personalities, but they were so like family it was as if General Meade and Humphreys and the whole corps was on the bus with us kibitzing, laughing, planning.  We managed to strategize the battle plan for ordering lunch, though, like some of the Generals, we took a few wrong turns in the process. But this too seemed like part of the fun and enjoyment that this group made possible.