Curator Lecture Series Preview: Ft. Sumter Copy Book

UPDATE: Watch Video of the lecture or Listen to the Podcast of the lecture

In preview of our Curator Lecture Series: Very Respectfully: Letters from the Ft. Sumter Copy Book archivist Jennifer Scheetz gives us a preview of the Ft. Sumter copy book.

Event Info

Curator Lecture Series: Very Respectfully:
Letters from the Ft. Sumter Copy Book

On the eve of the Civil War, all eyes turned to Charleston and an
unfinished fortification called Ft. Sumter. Please join us for this
second presentation in our curator lecture series on the Civil War for a
snapshot of this critical time in our local and national history.
Russell Horres, a volunteer researcher at the Charleston Museum and
guide for the National Park Service, will discuss the thoughts and
actions of U.S. soldiers stationed at the fort just days before the
bombardment, as well as new information on the construction of Fort
Sumter. The Museum’s archivist, Jennifer Scheetz, will discuss and have
on display the Fort Sumter copy-letter book (a Charleston Museum
Archives collection piece) upon which much of this information is based.

Russell Horres spent several years studying and transcribing this
U.S. Army Engineers letter book, which was kept from July 1857 to April
9, 1861. It has provided a wealth of data on the construction of Fort
Sumter, including details of its design, as well as, daily life and
conditions at the fort up to the start of the Civil War. By tracing the
correspondence back to the National Archives, Dr. Horres uncovered even
more information, including the involvement of African American slaves
at the installation and sources of brick for the fort.  Please join us
in rediscovering Ft. Sumter’s history!

Other lectures in the Series:
Confederate Uniforms – February 23
Advancements in Small Arms Technology, 1860-1865 – April 27

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