Civil War Revisited Highlights Week Ahead

150 years ago, America was torn in half by a Civil War that threatened the foundation of our emerging nation. 

Now, the History and Genealogy Center of the Morristown and Morris Township Library is putting on a series of lectures and an exhibit tied into the anniversary and Morris County's role in it.  

The exhibition is titled “Their Memory Shall Never Fade: Morris County and the Civil War” and will be on display in the second level F.M. Kirby Gallery from March 10-May 11.  The exhibit showcases items from the History Center’s collection of papers, photographs and other primary sources tied into the American conflict as well as items borrowed from collectors and enthusiasts.  

In conjunction, the History Center is hosting two lectures on Civil War history on Jan. 30 and Feb. 13. An exhibition reception, including a meet and greet with the exhibition’s curators, will be held on March 13. Special previews of the exhibit will be available on the program dates.

Series Schedule:

Thursday, Jan. 30, 7:00 p.m.

“The Firsthand Account of Heyward Emmell: Witness to Battles and Treachery”

Featuring Jim Malcom

On Oct. 1, 1861, nineteen-year-old Heyward Emmell joined the Civil War where he became an infantryman and later a stretcher bearer in the Ambulance Corps, where he witnessed and recorded virtually all the major events and battles of the Army of the Potomac from the Peninsula Campaign to Gettysburg to the Siege of Petersburg.  Emmell’s account often documents aspects that are not reported in other Civil War diaries. He describes events such as attempts by Southern sympathizers to poison Union solders with arsenic laden cake, technologies employed such as observation balloons and trip-wire mines, and the wedding of a young lady to her Captain in the woods of northern Virginia.

Thursday, Feb. 13, 7:00 p.m.

“General Joseph Warren Revere: The Gothic Saga of Paul Revere's Grandson”

Featuring William Chemerka

Joseph Warren Revere, a grandson of the legendary Paul Revere, served in the U.S. Navy; circumnavigated the globe; raised the first American flag in Sonoma, California during the Mexican War; battled pirates, sharks, and Indians; searched for gold; had a scandalous affair; joined the Union Army and received a court-martial for his actions at the Battle of Chancellorsville during the Civil War. And then he began the fight of his life.

Thursday, March 13, 7:00 p.m.

Exhibition Reception

Meet and greet with the exhibition curators. 

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Morristown & Morris Township Library. Refreshments will be served.