UPPER LAKE — The Redwood Empire Civil War Roundtable will discuss the Battle of Cold Harbor at 6:15 p.m. on Monday at the Tallman Hotel.
The Battle of Cold Harbor took place 150 years ago in Cold Harbor, Va. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had ordered a charge against the entrenched Confederate Army of Robert E. Lee. Within minutes, upwards of 7,000 Union soldiers lay dead or wounded in what would be the worst defeat Grant ever experienced, according to Phil Smoley. However, Grant insisted on not asking for a truce to gather up his wounded, leaving thousands of men to suffer for more than three days between the lines in the sweltering heat. When he finally asked for the truce, many of the wounded men had died from exposure, lack of water and lack of medical attention.
Historian and school teacher Zane Jensen will lead the discussion and provide background about “Grant”s Overland Campaign,” which was ultimately successful in bringing Lee to bay. Jensen has visited numerous battlefields and has done exhaustive research on Civil War battles and its participants, Smoley stated. He combines personal photos with archived pictures, animated maps and video to give a full multi-media presentation.
Smoley will open the meeting with a review of other events that occurred across the county in June, 150 years ago during the Civil War.
There will be a short presentation given by first-time presenter Sarah Seago, a 17-year-old high school junior from Lakeport. Seago”s topic will be on morphine and how its use in the Civil War changed history. Her research has revealed a viable theory to explain some Gen.s” odd behavior during major battles, according to Smoley.
The Redwood Empire Civil War Roundtable was formed to honor the sesquicentennial of the Civil War and typically meets on the first Monday of each month to review the events of that month 150 years ago. Admission is free-of-charge and all are welcome.
For information, contact Jensen at 349-6390 or Smoley at 264-4905.
The Tallman Hotel is located at 9550 Main St. in Upper Lake.
