Civil War 1860s Gathering Knowledge Event 2021

Submitted by Sandra Root

Once again, I would like to thank the Grand Valley Cap N Ballers Club for allowing me to use the high rifle range to hold the Civil War 1860s Gathering Knowledge event. This year we changed the dates of the weekend due to some conflicts. Unfortunately, the dates of October 8010 also conflicted with other fall activities.

We had 20 participants this year, which was only down by 5 people. There were a few new faces including 5 Confederate soldiers. All were very excited to attend and would like to attend next year.

We camp in canvas tents with period correct furnishings. We try to dress and learn everything we can about the time period. Five teams of 4 walked the woods walk this year, which was up by one team from last year. Each team stopped at a station and asked a question related to the 1860s or given a challenge to complete. Their answers were scored and the winners were awarded prizes off a blank, as if it was a shoot. Other activities this year included a swap-and-sell, puppet show, and harvest dinner on Saturday night. Everyone contributed an 1860s seasonal dish to the harvest dinner.

During the puppet show, shots were heard from the woods. Loud screams and hollers along with more gunfire. All of a sudden, a few Frenchmen along with an Indian were raiding our camps! Clothes were gone through, food was eaten. Once we realized they were not there to hurt us but were just hungry, we invited them to join us in our harvest dinner.

These new additions, Drew Harrington and a few friends, were asked by me to join us this weekend. I wanted the crowd to be a little started but also to learn more about Native Americans in Michigan in the mid-19th century. He set up his bard and cattail lodge. When the darkness of night was upon us, we all took a tour of Drew’s lodge. With a fire lit in the middle, we were able to squeeze 15 of us in the lodge. Stories were told and information shared. What a wonderful experience for all! It reminded me that we have so much to learn from other time periods and different reenactors.

Rain kept us from much activity on Sunday morning We did manage to get ready for a church service given by Rev. Guy Purdue in 1860s style. To conclude the weekend, everyone enjoyed leftovers from the harvest dinner the night before. We continued to have fun with parlor games, laughing together until it was finally time to break camp and go home.

Beyond Jane Austen: Books Written in the Early to Mid-nineteenth Century

Any re-enactor or living history worth their salt is always asking the question: “How do I get into the minds of the people I’m representing and understand them, their thought processes, their lives, their choices, etc better?” Reading period books is a fundamental piece of that puzzle.

It seems as though the “go to” period books, especially for the women in our hobby, are the ever-popular Jane Austen novels. Admittedly, they are truly wonderful and I have enjoyed them myself; however, there’s a whole world of incredible 19th century literature beyond Jane Austen that is well-worth exploring and sinking our teeth into. 

Here’s a somewhat short list of books I’ve compiled and organized by the decade in which they were published. Yes, I am including Jane Austen for those who have not yet read her works or for those who may want to re-read her works; however, I strongly encourage everyone to explore new worlds by authors you are not yet familiar with. 

1800

• Lyrical Ballads and Other Poems - William Wordsworth, 1800

• Poems in Two Volumes - William Wordsworth, 1807

• Letters of Jonathan Oldstyle - Washington Irving, 1802

• Salmagundi - Washington Irving, 1807-1808

• A History of New York - Washington Irving, 1809

1810

• Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen, 1811

• Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen, 1813

• Mansfield Park - Jane Austen, 1814

• Emma - Jane Austen, 1815

• Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen, 1817

• Persuasion - Jane Austen, 1817

• French Revolution - William Wordsworth, 1810

• Guide to the Lakes - William Wordsworth, 1810

• The Excursion - William Wordsworth, 1810

• Laodamia - William Wordsworth, 1815, 1845

• The White Doe of Rylstone - William Wordsworth, 1815

• Peter Bell - William Wordsworth, 1819

• Ivanhoe - Sir Walter Scott, 1819 (three volumes)

1820

• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Washington Irving, 1820

• Ecclesiastical Sonnets - William Wordsworth, 1822

• Fanshawe - Nathaniel Hawthorn, 1828

• The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. - Washington Irving, 1819-1820

• Bracebridge Hall - Washington Irving, 1822

• Tales of a Traveller - Washington Irving, 1824

• A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus - Washington Irving, 1828

• Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada - Washington Irving, 1829

• Tamerlane and Other Poems - Edgar Allen Poe, 1827

• The Happiest Day - Edgar Allan Poe, 1827

• Al Aaraat, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems - Edgar Allan Poe 1829

1830

• Twice-Told Tales - Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1837

• Voyages and Discoveries of the Companions of Columbus - Washington Irving, 1831

• Tales of the Alhambra - Washington Irving, 1832

• The Crayon Miscellany - Washington Irving, 1835

• Astoria - Washington Irving, 1836

• The Adventures of Captain Bonneville - Washington Irving, 1837

• The Pickwick Papers - Charles Dickens, April 1836-November 1837 (monthly serial)

• Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens, February 1837-April 1839 (monthly serial)

• Nicholas Nickleby - Charles Dickens, April 1838-October 1839 (monthly serial)

• Poems by Edgar A Poe - Edgar Allan Poe, 1831

• Poems - Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr, 1836

1840

• Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass - Frederick Douglass, 1845

• Grandfather’s Chair - Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1840

• Mosses from an Old Manse - Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1846

• The Life of Oliver Goldsmith - Washington Irving, 1840 (revised 1849)

• Biography and Poetical Remains of the Late Margaret Miller Davidson - Washington Irving, 1841

• The Old Curiosity Shop - Charles Dickens, April 1840-November 1841 (weekly serial)

• Barnaby Rudge - Charles Dickens, February to November 1841 (weekly serial)

• A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens, 1843

• Martin Chuzzlewit - Charles Dickens, Jan 1843-July 1844 (monthly serial)

• The Chimes - Charles Dickens, 1844

• The Cricket on the Hearth - Charles Dickens, 1845

• The Battle of Life - Charles Dickens, 1846

• Dombey and Son - Charles Dickens, October 1846 - April 1848 (monthly serial)

• The Haunted Man - Charles Dickens, 1848

• Franklin Evans - Walt Whitman, 1842

• The Half-Breed; A Tale of the Western Frontier - Walt Whitman, 1846

• Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë, 1847

• Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackery, 1847

• Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë, 1847

• The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas, 1844-1845

• The Luck of Barry Lyndon - William Makepeace Thackery, 1844

1850

• The Scarlet Letter  - Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1850

• Moby-Dick - Herman Melville, 1851

• Uncle Tom’s Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1852

• The Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1853

• Walden - Henry David Thoreau, 1854

• Leaves of Grass - Walt Whitman, 1855

• The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins, 1859

• The Prelude - William Wordsworth, 1850

• The House of the Seven Gables - Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1851

• The Blithedale Romance - Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1852

• A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys - Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1851

• The Snow-Image, and Other Twice-Told Tales - Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1852

• Tanglewood Tales - Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1853

• Mahomet and His Successors - Washington Irving, 1850

• Wolfert’s Roost - Washington Irving, 1855

• The Life of George Washington (5 volumes) - Washington Irving, 1855-1859

• David Copperfield - Charles Dickens, May 1849-November 1850 (monthly serial)

• Bleak House - Charles Dickens, March 1852-September 1853 (monthly serial)

• Hard Times - Charles Dickens, 01 April 1859 - 26 November 1859 (weekly serial)

• Little Dorrit - Charles Dickens, December 1855 - June 1857 (monthly serial)

• A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens, 30 April 1859 - 26 November 1859 (weekly serial)

• Life and Adventures of Jack Engle - Walt Whitman, serialized in 1852

• Manly Health and Training - Walt Whitman, 1858

• The Autocrat of the Breakfast-table - Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr, 1858

• Tom Brown’s School Days - Thomas Hughes, 1857

1860

• Les Misérables - Victor Hugo, 1862

• Journey to the Center of the Earth - Jules Verne, 1864

• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll, 1862

• The Mill on the Floss - George Eliot, 1860

• Lady Audley’s Secret - Mary Elizabeth Braddon, 1862

• Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Harriet Ann Jacobs, 1861

• Five Weeks in a Balloon - Jules Verne, 1863

• No Name - Wilkie Collins, 1862

• The Marble Faun - Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1860

• Great Expectations - Charles Dickens 01 December 1860 - 03 August 1861 (weekly serial)

• Our Mutual Friend - Charles Dickens, May 1864-November 1865 (monthly serial)

• The Professor at the Breakfast-Table - Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr, 1860

• Elsie Venner - Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr, 1861

• Songs in Many Keys - Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr, 1862

Have you read any of these books? If so, which one(s) and what did you think of it/them? Did you like it/them? Did you find the style of prose to be challenging to read? What’s next on your reading list?

My challenge to you is to pick one or more from the list above or do some research on your own and choose a book or two or several that were published prior to the end of the Civil War and read them over the winter. 

Happy reading!

Erin Jones

Charlton Park 2021

On July 16-18th, members of the 24th participated in the Civil War Muster at Charlton Park in Hastings, Michigan. After our “lost year,” it was wonderful to bring history to life for the public once again. 

24th Michigan President Guy Purdue

Despite the missing pieces that we have been used to enjoying in previous years (i.e. lantern tours, barn dance, etc), it was a lovely weekend. We had a fairly steady stream of spectators come through camp and had some good chats with them. We had some nice opportunities to dust off our social skills and tell a piece of our nation’s story.

The 24th’s civilian camp was quite close to the action during the skirmish on Saturday

The battles on Saturday and Sunday raged through the “tent town” as well as through the historic village, giving those of us in civilian camp a chance to be in the midst of the action and observe the military’s maneuvers at close range, which I always find to be an intriguing and thought-provoking experience. 

Under the fly

Visiting town

Now that we’re all back home again, the thing I find myself thinking about the most is how wonderful it was to reunite and gather under the fly with friends whom I hadn’t seen since pre-pandemic. Although the group was small, many laughs were shared and good times were had by all. 

- Erin Jones

Elmwood Cemetery Tour 2021

With the Civil War Remembrance event at Greenfield Village cancelled for a second year in a row due to the Covid-19 pandemic, members of the 24th Michigan Volunteer Infantry gathered at Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit on May 29, 2021 to tour the grounds and honor the Civil War veterans who are interred there.

Elmwood Cemetery was established in 1846 by leading citizens in Detroit, Michigan and is the oldest continuously operating non-denominational cemetery in the city. Over the years, it has expanded from its original 42 acres to the current size of 86 acres. Elmwood Cemetery is the final resting place for citizens from all walks of life. There’s more to learn about the cemetery than can be summed up in one paragraph or even one tour. More about the history of the cemetery can be found on its website. The touring members of the 24th focused on veterans of the Civil War as well as notable Michigan historical figures from that era.

Henry Porter Baldwin

Henry Porter Baldwin was the 15th governor of Michigan (1869-1873) and a United States Senator (1879-1881). Photo by Erin Jones.

Benjamin B. DeBaptiste

Benjamin B. DeBaptiste was a private in Company K of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, the first colored regiment in Union army. This regiment was portrayed in the movie Glory. Photo by Erin Jones.

James F. Joy

James F. Joy was a Michigan railroad magnate and a member of the Michigan House of Representatives (1861-1862). Photo by Erin Jones.

Henry Bourne Joy

Henry Bourne Joy, son of James F. Joy, was a social activist and the president of Packard Motor Company. Photo by Erin Jones.

Mark Flanigan

Born in Ireland, Mr. Flanigan emigrated to Detroit by way of Canada in 1845. He joined the 24th Michigan at its organization and was made Lt. Col. of the Iron Brigade. Photo by Erin Jones.

Samuel Zug

Samuel Zug was a devout Presbyterian with a keen interest in human rights and abolitionism. Mr. Zug worked as part of the Underground Railroad and assisted countless people to freedom in Canada. Photo by Erin Jones.

William A. Throop

Brevet Brigadier General William A Throop fought for the Union with the 1st Michigan.Photo by Erin Jones.

Zachariah Chandler

Zachariah Chandler was Detroit’s mayor from 1851-1852, a founding member of the Republican party, an abolitionist, the United States Secretary of the Interior, and a four-term US Senator. Photo by Erin Jones.

Decorated gravestones. May 29, 2021. Photo by Erin Jones.

Sharing Civil War Era Life with 60 Fourth Graders

It felt so great getting dressed again and seeing faces lighting up and asking questions. On March 5th, I had the opportunity to speak for an hour with 60 fourth graders, a few parents and some teachers, IN PERSON!! The school used me as a test case to show it can be done and it was an honor to be trusted with this experiment. This was the first in person, interactive program these kids have had in over a year, and they were so engaged and excited.

Thank you to all of you that shared your ideas with me on Facebook. My challenge was narrowing down all the ideas to share in 1 hour. I still didn’t narrow it enough. The kids were asking so many, truly fabulous questions I didn’t cover about a third of what I had planned. Their teacher said to me afterward, “You could have gone on for 4 hours.” She has already invited me to come back and share with the fourth graders next year. How I got the opportunity this year was because my son, Conrad, is in her class.

I put together just 11 PowerPoint slides with images from our reenactments and actual CDVs. I focused on names they would know and then expanded to the stuff they wouldn’t know. The images included children so they could really identify with the stories. We talked about the 24th Michigan and their part in the Iron Brigade, escorting Lincoln’s body home, and their connection to Henry Ford. Seriously, this was enough to get the kids so excited. I talked about women in the Civil War, spies, nurses, and lobbyists/activists. I used their recent study of percentages by having 20% of them stand up to show how many of them surveyed day 1 of Gettysburg based on how many were in the gym. I wish you could have heard their exclamations of surprise on how many of them would have died. It really helped them to understand the gravity. I also took many reproduction artifacts and actual artifacts I have from my family (including original Harper’s Weekly after Antietam and telegrams to my relatives fighting in the war). They were so inquisitive and in awww to see things so old and actually from the war.

They had so many wonderful questions I had to stop taking them cause we were running out of time. When the kids got to take a closer look at everything I brought I think some future reenactors came up to me asking more questions! I brought period appropriate candy thinking it would help create engagement, but boy that wasn’t needed. The kids did love that treat though. It helped that I had portions of the presentations that got the kids standing up, like teaching them the proper way to stand and walk (they thought this was pretty funny). I had planned to do more activities with them, but we went over the time allotment as it was.

If you can’t sense the joy and enthusiasm I feel coming from this article, please know I was floating on clouds. This is why I do this hobby! We make history come alive and help people experience history, not just read about it. Hopefully we all are back in a situation we get to share this love and joy with others again soon.

Stay well, keep sewing, and I hope to see you all in 2021!

Warm regards,

Samantha Joseph

1860s Gathering Knowledge 2020 Event Report

A Re-enactors Only Event
By: Debbie L. Jones
With Pictures by Ken Giorlando

On a chilly weekend in September, approximately twenty re-enactors gathered for a private event in Dorr, MI. Held at the Grand Valley Cap N Baller Gun Club, and hosted by our own Mrs. Sandy Root, participants experienced a weekend full of fun and friendship while adding to their knowledge of mid-19th century life.

We made the best of the colder temperatures. Many of us brought extra blankets, and along with fire pits, a couple of people had wood stoves, so those of us without were able to warm up nicely when needed. This naturally led to lots of socializing, and it was great to get to know several people I had never spent much time with, as well as meet new friends.

The Camp by Ken Giorlando

The weekend was full of opportunities to learn. On Saturday morning, many participated in a Woods Walk, with questions and challenges concerning life in rural Michigan during the Civil War. Put together by Sandy, with myself and Angela Morgan acting as additional guides, great fun was had by the participants, with plenty of good-natured competition. Our own 24th MI team- comprised of Sheri Giffin, Samantha Joseph, and Guy Purdue- came in third place. There were prizes for everyone, donated by some of the other participants.

Mayanne Greketis gave a presentation on the history and types of pockets for women’s clothing, and participants received patterns that they could use for their own outfits. There was also a presentation given by Ken Giorlando and Larissa Fleishman on farm life and how the types of farm activities changed throughout the year. Both presentations were highly informative, and the presenters were engaging and fun.

Mayanne Greketis gave a presentation on the history and types of pockets for women’s clothing (photo courtesy of of Ken Giorlando)

Ken Giorlando and Larissa Fleishman present about farm life (photo courtesy of Ken Giorlando)

On Sunday, we had a Coffee Hour at the Root’s very cozy residence. Sandy had prepared several period drinks, including hot chocolate, various teas, coffee, and hot cider (my personal favorite!). This was followed by a church service, led by our own Rev. Purdue. The service was short, with a couple of hymns, a sermon, and prayers, but well done. Everyone gathered afterwards for a community picnic.

Throughout the weekend, Susan Hanson sold woolen items from her suttlery. Her warm mittens, hats, and scarves came in very handy! Linda Smith also had items for sale. Mr. Beech, a well-known wet plate photographer, was available for tintypes all weekend. He generously offered to have people pay by donation, with all proceeds going back to the event. There was also a re-enactor Garage Sale, where anyone could bring items they were looking to sell, and everyone had a good time perusing what was available.

Shopping at Susan Hanson’s suttlery (photo courtesy of Ken Giorlando)

Of course, the “after hours” parties were as much fun as they always are, with much laughter and catching up after so many months of being deprived of these moments.

Though the site was a bit of a challenge to get to in the dark (I personally had to be rescued when I missed the signs multiple times), the setting itself was beautiful, and perfect for this smaller gathering. There was plenty of room for more, however, and all agreed that it would be nice to see the event grow and continue for many years to come. Should it return next year, I would highly recommend participation in this fun weekend.

Photo courtesy of Ken Giorlando

24th members (L to R): Rev. Guy Purdue, Ms. Debbie Jones, Mrs. Sheri Giffin, and Mrs. Samantha Joseph

Book Review: When It Was Grand: The Radical Republican History of the Civil War by LeeAnna Keith

“There is a war because there was a Republican Party. There was a Republican Party because there was an Abolition Party. There was an Abolition Party because there was slavery.” So stated the famous abolitionist, William Lloyd Garrison.

LeeAnna Keith's recently released book, When It Was Grand: The Radical Republican History of the Civil War, is about the exciting (for me, as a political junkie, at least!) founding of the Republican Party and the role played by the Radical Republicans before, during, and after the Civil War.

On these pages, we meet names we know well: Abraham Lincoln; William Seward; John Brown, Thaddeus Stevens, Zechariah Chandler, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and others. We're also introduced to little-known Abolitionist heroes, like James H. Lane, the “Bleeding Kansas” Jayhawker and future Senator; Sherman Booth, an Abolitionist from Wisconsin who unfortunately destroyed his reputation with a serious crime; the Oberlin College Rescuers from Ohio, led by Charles Langston and Orindatus Simon Bolivar Wall; and others. We march in parades with the Wide Awakes. We cheer for courageous women, early feminists like Jessie Benton Fremont, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucy Stone.

Keith's thesis is that “[Radical Republicans] would make America great by restoring the original course of slavery toward its ultimate extinction” (p. 5).

Professor Keith leaves us to ponder on our own how the Republican Party has changed since those founding years, when the Party supported universal suffrage; equal rights; and voting rights for all. She concludes: “The Radicals excelled at envisioning an alternative America, even in the darkest days. Their example instructs the present, illuminating a path to a better world. By commitment, organizing, and relentless activism, they made themselves into the greatest generation of American progressives, despite their reverses. To commemorate their trials and triumphs is to move at last in the direction of a truly post-Confederate United States” (p. 292).

I heartily recommend this book!

Guy Purdue

*LeeAnna Keith is a professor of history at the Collegiate School in New York City. She is also the author of “The Colfax Massacre: The Untold Story of Black Power, White Terror, and the Death of Reconstruction” (2009). She is a recipient of a Gilder Lehrman Institute fellowship. Her articles have appeared in “The Dictionary of American History” and “The Journal of Southern History.”

Book Review: Harriet Tubman by M.W. Taylor

Recently I read “Harriet Tubman” written by M.W. Taylor. This book was an easy read; it outlined the life of Harriet. There are a few highlights I would like to share about this book.

Harriet was born into slavery as Harriet Ross around 1820 “on the Eastern shore, a peninsula shared by the state of Delaware and parts of Maryland and Virginia.” No one officially recorded her exact birth because few slaves could read and write. Slave owners did not keep accurate record of slaves born to them. Her parents, Harriet Green and Benjamin Ross who were slaves belonging to Maryland planter Edward Brodas. Harriet’s mother was known as “Old Rit” and named her daughter Araminta. I found it interesting that her parents were both “full-blooded Africans” brought over in chains from Ashanti, in West Africa (according to legend). 

When Harriet was 5 she was rented to a family, but ended up getting sick. She was sent back to get well, then off to another family. She ended up running away for stealing some sugar, came back and was beaten. She was sent back to the Brodas to get well again. When she was well, she was sent out again. This time to work outside splitting fence rails. She liked this type of work. She had a rough childhood, but she continued on, becoming strong and aware of what it is like to be mistreated. As she came into her teenage years, she was introduced to runaway slaves and what could happen to them. One such incident happened when she was about 15, in the fall of 1835. She followed a “black man sneaking away from the group” and she decided to follow him. She ended up helping this man escape, in the process she was hit on the head with a two-pound lead weight. It hit her square in the head, knocked her to the floor with blood pouring out from the gash in her head. She was sent back to her mother who nursed her back to health, but she was never quite the same after that. She ended up being forgetful and would have “sleeping fits” at random. 

Later, she was hired out with her father to John Stewart. She eventually worked outside alongside her father. All the while, she dreamed of freedom.  In 1839, they heard of a slave ship where the slaves won their freedom and were returned back to Africa. This sparked a dream she told about later, seeing a line. On one side were green fields and on the other side, lovely flowers. The line really did exist, it is the Mason/Dixon line named after two surveyors in 1767. 

There is so much more to the story, as many of us know. I wanted to share some history about her, before she became the leader of the Underground Railroad. Her history helped me understand her later decision to help free slaves. I encourage you to read this book for a simple understanding of this great woman. 

Respectfully,
Alisha Turner

Join in supporting Historic Fort Wayne

Historic Fort Wayne is Detroit's “hidden historical gem.” While some believe that some of the first shots of the War of 1812 were fired near there, we do know with certainty that the Treaty of Springwells was signed on September 8, 1815 at the site of Fort Wayne, Detroit. This treaty ended the war between the United States and a confederation of Native Americans that included the Wyandot, Delaware, Seneca, Shawnee, Miami, Chippewa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi nations. Fort Wayne was used as a camp of instruction for every major US conflict, including the Civil War; World Wars I and II; Korea, and Vietnam. Thousands of soldiers shipped out for Vietnam from Fort Wayne. Italian POWs were held there during World War II. Fort Wayne was a major hub of the “Arsenal of Democracy” that contributed to the Allied victory in World War II.

For several years in the 1990s, Fort Wayne was an “orphan.” Buildings and grounds were allowed to fall into disrepair. In more recent years, a dedicated group of volunteers – the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition – has done much hard work to give the Fort some TLC.

But, like many other events this year, the five major fundraisers on which the Coalition relies were canceled because of Coronavirus concerns. This has put the Coalition in a difficult financial situation.

Here's where we can help! For $20 per individual ($35 for a family) for an entire year, each of us can consider becoming a member of the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition. Your membership dues will go directly to supporting the Fort but they will also give you access to the Fort for all events. Fort Wayne is a perfect spot for watching the Freedom Festival fireworks or seeing the lake freighters pass down the Detroit River.

The 24th Michigan may also have the ability to use Fort Wayne for a weekend event; our annual social; our “work on your impression” Saturdays; and other events.

You can read more about the Fort, the Coalition, and opportunities to help out on the Fort’s website.

Your obedient servant,

Guy Purdue