Presented by Dr. Jay Knarr, Historian
Dinner: 6:00 PM Menu: Lasagna, Italian Sausage and Beef, Breadsticks, Caesar Salad, Desserts – $20, RSVP to jimrosenthal5757@aol.com or by calling or texting 817-307-9263.
Program: 7 PM
Location: UNT Health Science Center, MET Building, 1000 Montgomery, Fort Worth 76109, Room 109-111
The Susquehanna Union Volunteers, or Company H of the 4th Pennsylvania Reserve Infantry, was the first company raised from Pennsylvania in 1861. It served with the Army of the Potomac through 1862 and saw action at Gaines’ Mill, Glendale, Second Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, and Fredericksburg. In 1863, it guarded Camp Convalescent outside Washington, DC, before resuming fighting in the Shenandoah Valley in 1864 and 1865.
In 1885, a company member, Marshall Van Scoten, published a company memoir. Despite being the best account of this unit, few copies remain. Earlier this year, Dr. Knarr took it upon himself to republish a new edition, aptly titled The Susquehanna Union Volunteers, with a new introduction, foreword and appendices that reprint letters the men of this company wrote home as well as detail the biographies of the ninety-nine men who served with the company.
This talk will cover the history of the company and the book. The speaker will also offer selected vignettes from the book that help us understand the motivations and actions of Union soldiers from rural Pennsylvania. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event.
James (Jay) Knarr holds a PhD in History from TCU. Today, he works as a back-of-the-book indexer and academic translator. He has worked on many books on Texas history including 6 from prior Pate Award winners including Rick McCaslin, who recommended him as a speaker. He lives in Weatherford, Texas, with his wife, daughter, and enough house pets to qualify his domicile as a zoo in many jurisdictions.
This should be a very interesting talk with plenty of insights into the lives of common soldiers. Don’t miss it!