Sussex County Genealogical Society to meet Jan. 21
The Sussex County Genealogical Society will meet at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 21, at Lewes Public Library. Dan Pritchett will present "The Civil War in History and Memory." Many members are interested in finding records concerning their ancestor's possible involvement in this war that tore apart the nation and families. Brothers fought brothers, and in some cases fathers fought against sons.
The history and memory of the U.S. Civil War still haunt citizens today, over 150 years after America's bloodiest conflict began. Starting with John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859, and concluding with a critical look at the aftermath of the war, this illustrated talk will examine the scope, devastation and horrible human toll of this "first modern war." Initiated in order to preserve and protect slavery, the Civil War wound up destroying it, thus making possible 'a new birth of freedom' for the U.S. However, the legacy of the war turned out very different from what both the victors and the vanquished expected in 1865.
Pritchett has been teaching American history since 1969, when he moved from West Virginia to Dover to take a position with the Capital School District. After 34 years, he retired, but subsequently worked for five years as an adjunct professor at Delaware State University. He teaches at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. He is a member of the Lincoln Forum, one of the foremost national organizations dedicated to the study of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War.
One SCGS member has been researching his family's involvement in the war. One day he was looking over his tree and concentrating on ancestors who were of age to have fought in the war. He noticed a new leaf in his Ancestry program and clicked on the hint. To his delight, he saw a photo of his great- great-grandfather and a story posted about his involvement in the Civil War. He read that his ancestor, Sgt. Vincent Goad, was involved in the three-day battle at Gettysburg.
Goad was assigned to the 14th Virginia Infantry. His company lined up on that fateful day at the bottom of a long hill awaiting orders to attach the Union Army waiting at the top of the hill. His company began their approach to the high ground and soon came under musket and cannon fire. As he charged up that hill he saw many of his friends fall from the rain of metal objects coming down on them. Goad made it to the top of the hill but was shot once in the left leg and once in the right shoulder. Goad was part of one of the most famous battles of all time, Pickett's Charge. He was taken prisoner from the battlefield and taken to a Union hospital which was probably nothing more than a house or tent for treatment. He was very fortunate to survive his wounds and was exchanged with other Confederate soldiers for Union soldiers about two months later. He would recover from his wounds and return to farming following the war. He was just one of the few who survived the assault on Union defenses that day.
All are welcome, and there is plenty of free parking. For more information, go to www.scgsdelaware.org.
