Monthly Archives: August 2024

Meeting of August 27, 2024

Alan Sissenwein on “George Armstrong Custer – Part 2”

Custer is mainly remembered for his defeat and death at the Battle of Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876. Custer’s disastrous end, however, has eclipsed his very credible career in the Civil War, where he initially won the celebrity that made his final defeat a shock to the nation. This talk is intended to present a more three-dimensional view of Custer as both a man and a soldier, examining his conduct in both the Civil War and the Indian Wars.

Alan Sissenwein has been a member of the South Bay Civil War Round Table since 1997 and currently serves as its vice president. A professional writer, he holds a bachelor’s degree in history from UC Berkeley and a master’s in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He is currently writing the second draft of a book on the Battle of Fredericksburg.

Quiz for August 27, 2024

Civil War Quiz: What Do You Know About Civil War Prisons?

Q#1 – At the start of the Civil War, what system was in place between the Union and Confederate forces regarding prisoners?

Q#2 – What event in 1863 caused a momentous change in the way prisoners were treated?

Q#3 – Approximately how many Union soldiers became prisoners?

Q#4 – Approximately how many Confederate soldiers became prisoners?

Q#5 – Approximately how many Union soldiers died in captivity?

Q#6 – Approximately how many Confederate soldiers died in captivity?

Q#7 – What were the major causes of deaths in Confederate prisons?

Q#8 – During a period of 14 months at Camp Sumter (aka Andersonville) how many Union prisoners were confined there?

Q#9 – During the winter month of January 1865, at Camp Douglas in Chicago, Illinois, what percentage of the Confederate prisoners confined there died?

Q#10 – At the Elmira Prison in New York state, what percentage of the Confederate prisoners confined there died?

Q#11 – What did prisoners eat during the Civil War?

Q#12 – Where was Libby Prison located?

Q#13 – What prisoners were incarcerated at Libby Prison?

Q#14 – What was Castle Morgan?

Q#15 – Who was executed because of Andersonville?