Our January meeting presents us with the tales of two prisoners of the Civil War - one Union and one Confederate. They never met on the field of battle, and both spent time separately in opposing garrisons of the Civil War. While they never met, they both ended up living and being active in the development of the city of Orange, California.

Douglas Westfall is publisher of these two veterans' first-person historical accounts, now available in a new book, "Prisoners of the Civil War: The Story of Two Americans." The book contains a compilation of rare letters from Capt. William T. Glassell (Confederate States Navy) and Sgt. William H. H. Clayton (United States Army).

Capt. Glassell spent time in one of the most dreaded prisons of the North: Fort Warren at Boston, Mass. After his release, he became the first officer to pilot a submarine in an act of war - six months before the H. L. Hunley.

Sergeant Clayton, an Iowa farmer, was captured after the Union victory at Vicksburg, Miss. He survived imprisonment at Camp Ford, Texas - an open stockade not unlike that at Andersonville.

In addition to traditional hardback, Mr. Westfall's book is also available as a free e-book. The web site for download is http://www.SpecialBooks.com. Books will also be available the evening of our meeting at a discount for those attending.

Please join us as we discover how these two veterans' experiences merged together in the founding and development of one of our Southern California communities.

 

Janet Whaley
Program Chair

 

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