Maine’s Involvement in the Civil War with Brian Swartz

Civil War historian and blogger Brian Swartz will talk about Maine’s Involvement in the Civil War . Author of the recently released book Maine at War Volume 1: Bladensburg to Sharpsburg, Swartz will discuss how Maine transitioned rapidly from peace to war, with 17,000 Mainers enlisting in 1861 and the state ultimately sending more than 11 percent of its population into the military.
Weaving personalities and stories from Maine at War Volume 1 into his well-illustrated talk, Swartz will introduce some interesting Mainers, men and women, who volunteered to help save the Union — including Belfast’s own “balloon handler,” Private Joe Wilson of the 4th Maine Infantry.
Maine at War Volume 1 draws on diaries, letters, newspaper articles, eyewitness accounts, the Official Records and regimental histories to detail Maine’s involvement in the first 18 months of the Civil War, as experienced by soldiers, civilians, nurses, and politicians from the far corners of the Pine Tree State.