Tuesday, November 20 -- Sussex County
Come and enjoy the November Meeting of the Colonel Henry Ryerson Civil War Round Table on November 20, 2018, 7:30 pm, at the Bristol Glen facility, 200 Bristol Glen Drive, Newton, New Jersey, in the Town Hall room. Admission is free, donations appreciated.
Presentation – “Muskets and Applejack: Spirits, Soldiers, and the Civil War” by Mark Will-Weber.
Blood, gunfire, and whiskey: they are the three things that defined Civil War battlefields. In this fascinating history of the war that almost tore America apart, our speaker historian Mark Will-Weber weaves together lighthearted stories of drunken generals and out-of-control soldiers with the gritty reality of battlefields where whiskey was the only medicine - and sometimes the only food. His story will paint a full, complex picture of the surprisingly large role alcohol played in the Civil War: how it helped heal physical and emotional wounds, form friendships, and cause strife.
Mark's talk will chronicle the influence of alcohol on the Civil War. Although the use of alcohol was a welcomed necessity for wounded soldiers, there were also a slew of negatives due to "Demon Alcohol"...As one of officers on the famed USS Monitor wrote to his wife: "There are three problems with our army and navy...The first is whiskey...The second is whiskey...and the third is whiskey!" As Mark said, "One of the fun explorations for me as I researched my book "Muskets & Applejack" was working on the trials and tribulations of my great grandfather --- Civil War General J.K. Robison of the 16th Pennsylvania Cavalry. It seems one of the on-going problems my great grandfather faced was the futile attempt to prevent his men from securing and consuming powerful applejack and whiskey."
Mark Will-Weber is a seasoned journalist, author, and magazine editor as well as an aficionado of both military and presidential history. Mark has published a noted historical feature on the Battle of Antietam. His grandfather, Colonel Charles Isiah Faddis, served in three wars (Mexican Border, World War I, and World War II) and served as a United States congressman from 1933 to 1942. Published in 2017, "Muskets & Applejack" followed Mark's successful book titled "Mint Juleps with Teddy Roosevelt: The Complete History of Presidential Drinking" (2014). Mark previously worked for the Morning Call newspapers as a reporter and also as a senior editor of Runner's World Magazine. He lives with his family in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
The Colonel Henry Ryerson Civil War Round Table provides educational programs, tours, and fellowship for individuals interested in the Civil War Era. Meetings are free and open to the public. For more information please call Jennifer at 973-948-4724 during the day, or check out the Round Table’s website at www.ryersoncwrt.com 
