| San Francisco Civil War Round Table Meeting Thursday 15th October 2009 at the United Irish Cultural Center 2700 45th Avenue, San Francisco =========== |
Entree Choices Roast Cross Ribs of Beef @ $33.00 or Grilled Filet of Sole Amandine @ $31.00 Entrees are accompanied by salad, fresh vegetables, potatoes, rolls and butter, dessert, coffee (regular or decaffeinated), or tea. Please mail a check, with your choice of entree, to Joan Keller, 515 42nd Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94121-2530 to arrive before Monday, October 12th. (Phone: 415 752 4156) 6:00pm no-host cocktails 6:45pm dinner 7:45pm program |
The Path of Patriotism: Civil War Letters of George Edwin Dolton
presented by Ted Dolton
What were the feelings of one Union soldier during the height of battle in the Civil War? How did he
express pride he felt when meeting his personal battle conduct standards? What did he observe in
the reactions of the impoverished and disheveled residents to a Union unit marching through their
town? What were his reactions to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln? How did he maintain his
strong faith in God in the midst of the extreme conditions of war? George Edwin Dolton ("GED"),
1840-1906, a corporal with Battery M of the 1st Illinois Light Artillery, wrote of his struggles to find
the answers to these and other questions. Many of the issues he faced are as relevant today as they
were in the 1860's, in the Civil War. These letters, written to his newly-wed wife, are set apart from
those of other soldiers by his vivid prose in which he articulates observations and feelings, with
almost faultless grammar and spelling. Ted will also provide descriptive information about Dolton's
and Battery M's role in the war, and Dolton's post-war contributions to the nation.
Ted Dolton is a retired mechanical and systems engineer. After ROTC in college he was a
lieutenant in the Army Ordnance Corps, testing development versions of artillery weapons. His
subsequent career was in the aerospace industry, mainly in the Bay Area and also in southern
California . He was involved in heat protection systems for the re-entry vehicles in the Navy’s fleet
ballistic missile program and for NASA vehicles. Ted also worked on the Hubble Space Telescope
and the International Space Station.
___________________________________________________________________________
presented by Ted Dolton
What were the feelings of one Union soldier during the height of battle in the Civil War? How did he
express pride he felt when meeting his personal battle conduct standards? What did he observe in
the reactions of the impoverished and disheveled residents to a Union unit marching through their
town? What were his reactions to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln? How did he maintain his
strong faith in God in the midst of the extreme conditions of war? George Edwin Dolton ("GED"),
1840-1906, a corporal with Battery M of the 1st Illinois Light Artillery, wrote of his struggles to find
the answers to these and other questions. Many of the issues he faced are as relevant today as they
were in the 1860's, in the Civil War. These letters, written to his newly-wed wife, are set apart from
those of other soldiers by his vivid prose in which he articulates observations and feelings, with
almost faultless grammar and spelling. Ted will also provide descriptive information about Dolton's
and Battery M's role in the war, and Dolton's post-war contributions to the nation.
Ted Dolton is a retired mechanical and systems engineer. After ROTC in college he was a
lieutenant in the Army Ordnance Corps, testing development versions of artillery weapons. His
subsequent career was in the aerospace industry, mainly in the Bay Area and also in southern
California . He was involved in heat protection systems for the re-entry vehicles in the Navy’s fleet
ballistic missile program and for NASA vehicles. Ted also worked on the Hubble Space Telescope
and the International Space Station.
___________________________________________________________________________