Connecticut Civil War Expert to Headline Fundraiser for the Middlesex County Historical Society

As part of a weekend long tribute to the men from Middletown who made the ultimate sacrifice at the Battle of  Antietam 150 years ago, the Middlesex County Historical Society is pleased to announce that Matthew Warshauer, Professor of History at Central Connecticut State University, will lecture at a reception being held to raise funds to maintain the General Joseph Mansfield House and the Society’s extensive Civil War collection of manuscripts and artifacts. 

The event will be held on Friday, September 14 at 7:00 pm at the Inn at Middletown.

The author of three books, Dr. Warshauer is a specialist on 19th century political and constitutional history.  He currently serves as co-chair of the Connecticut Civil War Commemoration Commission and is helping to coordinate activities across the state to focus on the importance and lasting legacies of the American Civil War and Connecticut’s involvement in it. 

He will discuss his most recent book, Connecticut in the American Civil War: Slavery Sacrifice and Survival. The book tells the story of the varied attitudes toward slavery and race before, during, and after the war;  the dissent in the state over whether or not the sword and musket should be raised against the South; the raising of troops; the sacrifice of those who served on the front and at home; and the need for closure after the war.

Mark E. Neely, Jr., author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Fate of Liberty: Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties noted, “Warshauer’s account puts political parties and questions about racial policy at the heart of Connecticut’s wartime history. I hope that every state’s commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War produces a study as good as this one.”

The price for the event is $35.00 per person, which includes the lecture and dessert reception following the talk.  A cash bar will be available in addition to the coffee, tea, and various pastries and desserts.  Opportunities for sponsorship are also available. 

All sponsors will receive a listing in the program and will be able to meet Professor Warshauer and tour the Society's exhibits, "Hard & Stirring Times: Middletown and the Civil War," and “Within These Walls: One House, One Family, Two Centuries,” the story of the General Mansfield House, at 6:15 p.m. prior to the talk.

Sponsorship Categories are as follows: (Middletown men who died of wounds incurred at the Battle of Antietam)

General Joseph King Fenno Mansfield - $1000.00 - Sponsor receives 8 tickets

2nd Lieut. George H.D. Crosby - $750.00 – Sponsor receives 6 tickets

Private John K. Doolittle - $500.00 – Sponsor receives 4 tickets

Private Robert Hubbard - $250.00 – Sponsor receives 2 tickets

Professor Warshauer’s book will be available for purchase and inscription.  To purchase tickets or become a sponsor, call the Society at 860-346-0746.  Join the Society as it pays tribute to the men who gave “the last full measure of devotion.”