Please join us on Thursday, June 5 for our annual membership meeting, at which Harrisburg CWRT member Carolyn Ivanoff will discuss the role that the 17th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry played in the battle of Gettysburg, and the effects that combat had on the regiment’s survivors.
Often individual encounters with history, experienced by common people caught in the maelstrom of events, hold larger truths. Sometimes these experiences have meaning not only for those who experience them but for us in today’s world. This presentation follows twelve members of the 17th Connecticut through the three-day Battle of Gettysburg and its aftermath. It focuses on the stories of the wounded, the caregivers, and the honored dead. These men fought for their lives, lost friends, and suffered at Gettysburg. Their sacrifices resulted in great social and medical advances, and help us better understand the hidden costs of war. The stories of these citizen soldiers remain poignant and relevant today, 161 years after the epic battle.
Carolyn Ivanoff is a retired high school administrator, author, and independent historian. She writes and speaks frequently on American history in a variety of formats and venues. In 2003 she was named American Battlefield Trust Teacher of the Year, and has received numerous other awards for her writing, teaching, and preservation efforts. In 2018-19 Carolyn served as project coordinator for the 17th Connecticut flagpole preservation and rededication on Barlow’s Knoll at Gettysburg National Military Park. She has been a guest on “Grating the Nutmeg,” the podcast of Connecticut history, the popular “Addressing Gettysburg” podcast, and national “Civil War Talk Radio.” Her book, We Fought at Gettysburg, published in 2023, follows the 17th Connecticut (the Fairfield County Regiment) through the Gettysburg campaign and beyond. It contains many previously-unpublished personal accounts and photographs of the survivors of the regiment.
Those who are unable to attend this engagement in person are invited to tune in to the lecture and Q&A session via Zoom. Click on the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88287212695. No password in required. To dial in by phone, call 1-301-715-8592 or click on the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kypiDDTP6. The meeting ID # is 882 8721 2695. Zoom participants should join the meeting by 7:00 pm.
