Cleveland Civil War Roundtable

Cleveland Civil War Roundtable Website's Summer Series: Second Installment (June 7, 2026)

The Cleveland Civil War Roundtable typically has its season of meetings from September through May. Meetings are normally not held during the summer months of June, July, and August. In order to fill the summer months of 2026, some articles that were published during the 2025-2026 season in the Roundtable’s newsletter, The Charger, will be posted on the Roundtable's website during the summer months of 2026. Articles, all of which were written by members of the Roundtable, will be posted every week or so during the summer. The second installment of the Roundtable website’s summer series is Lines Drawn in War: Cartographers, Cameras, and the Civil War Landscape by Don Iannone. Don's article discusses the essential contributions of cartographers to the Civil War, which, as Don discusses in his article, involved more than simply recording geography. Don's article can be found on the Roundtable's website (https://www.clevelandcivilwarroundtable.com/lines-drawn-in-war-cartographers-cameras-and-the-civil-war-landscape/).

Meeting Summary: May 2026 – "General Winfield Scott Hancock, Commander of the U.S. Second Corps"

The May 2026 meeting of the Cleveland Civil War Roundtable featured a living historian presentation by Brian Burtka, who appeared in character as Winfield Scott Hancock. Brian, who looks like a young General Hancock, gave his presentation in the first person in period uniform with no notes. Brian's excellent and very informative presentation was like an evening listening to Winfield Scott Hancock speak about his experiences during the Civil War followed by questions from Roundtable members.

Brian, in the persona of Hancock, began by describing Hancock's pre-Civil War life. Hancock discussed that among these experiences, he served in the Mexican-American War in the army commanded by Winfield Scott, the person after whom he was named. It was during this war that Hancock met two men who became close friends, but who fought for the Confederacy: Lewis Armistead and Henry Heth. Hancock noted that after the war Heth played a role in Hancock meeting his wife.

Hancock related that he spent several years prior to the Civil War stationed in California and that he was in California when he heard about the firing on Fort Sumter, after which he immediately returned east to serve in the war. Given command of a brigade in the Army of the Potomac, Hancock and his brigade took part in the Peninsula Campaign, where he performed so well that George McClellan said in a letter that Hancock was superb, which led to the nickname Hancock the Superb.

Hancock then spent some time discussing his role in the Battle of Gettysburg, the battle for which he is best known. He discussed how George Meade, who had only recently been given command of the Army of the Potomac, met with Hancock and told him that he wanted Hancock to go to Gettysburg, where reports indicated that military action was taking place. Hancock related that Meade wanted Hancock to evaluate the situation and that Meade chose Hancock to do this because he had a great deal of trust in Hancock. Together they stabilized the situation and decided on a location to establish a defensive line, which became the famous Union line at Gettysburg.

Hancock discussed other facets of that battle and said that he was wounded during Pickett's Charge, the military action in which Hancock's good friend Lewis Armistead was mortally wounded. Hancock related that the wound he received at Gettysburg took a very long time to heal, and the lingering pain and trauma from the wound forced Hancock to give up field command in November 1864, which was exceedingly difficult for him to do. Hancock noted that after the war he became active in politics and eventually ran for president in 1880 as the Democratic candidate, but he lost the election to James Garfield.

The Roundtable is extremely grateful to Brian for his exemplary presentation. Brian's first-person presentation as Winfield Scott Hancock was very informative and thoroughly engrossing. Thanks to Brian, the members of the Roundtable have much more knowledge and a much better understanding of Winfield Scott Hancock as well as a much greater appreciation for this Union general who played such an important role in the Civil War. A more detailed summary of Brian's presentation is on the home page of the Roundtable's website (https://www.clevelandcivilwarroundtable.com/).

After Brian's presentation, incoming Roundtable President John Syroney presented outgoing President Charles Patton with a sword as an appreciation gift for all that Charles did during his highly successful presidency. The Roundtable is very grateful to Charles for making 2025-2026 an exceptional year.

The Charger: May 2026 Special Supplement

Outgoing Roundtable President Charles Patton presents his thoughts on three of the meetings from the 2025-2026 season in a President's Message about the presentations made by Ed Gantt on United States Colored Troops, Professor Brian Mitchell on Louisiana Reconstruction Governor Oscar Dunn, and Brian Burtka on General Winfield Scott Hancock. The May 2026 Special Supplement of The Charger can be found on the Roundtable's website (https://www.clevelandcivilwarroundtable.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/charger-may_2026-suppl.pdf).

Cleveland Civil War Roundtable Website's Summer Series

The Cleveland Civil War Roundtable typically has its season of meetings from September through May. Meetings are normally not held during the summer months of June, July, and August. In order to fill the summer months of 2026, some articles that were published during the 2025-2026 season in the Roundtable’s newsletter, The Charger, will be posted on the Roundtable's website during the summer months of 2026. Articles, all of which were written by members of the Roundtable, will be posted every week or so during the summer. The first installment of the Roundtable website’s summer series is Edwin Cole Bearss, 1923-2020 by Brian D. Kowell. Brian's article is a biography of Ed Bearss, who unquestionably was one of the greatest Civil War historians ever. In addition to this, Ed Bearss lived an incredible life, and Brian's article is an excellent way for Civil War enthusiasts to learn about this illustrious historian and extraordinary person. Brian's article can be found on the Roundtable's website (https://www.clevelandcivilwarroundtable.com/edwin-cole-bearss-1923-2020/).

May 2026 Charger Uploaded

The May 2026 issue of The Charger has been uploaded onto the Roundtable's website (https://www.clevelandcivilwarroundtable.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/charger-may_2026.pdf).

2026 Roundtable Field Trip – Updated Information Document (4/23/2026)

The Roundtable’s 2026 field trip is scheduled for September 17-20, 2026 to the Shenandoah Valley to study the 1862 Valley Campaign. A downloadable PDF containing information about the hotel, the tentative itinerary, and information about signing up for the field trip can be found on the Roundtable's website. This document was recently updated to include the order form for the box lunches. This order form should be completed and returned by September 1, 2026 as indicated in the instructions on the form. Further information about the field trip and about accessing the downloadable PDF can be found on the home page of the Roundtable's website (www.clevelandcivilwarroundtable.com).

Latest History Brief (April 2026) Posted

Roundtable Historian Dan Ursu’s April 2026 history brief has been posted. Dan’s latest history brief is Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign, Part 5, The Fall of Atlanta. Dan’s history brief finishes his discussion of William Tecumseh Sherman’s pivotal Atlanta Campaign, and it can be found on the Roundtable's website (https://www.clevelandcivilwarroundtable.com/shermans-atlanta-campaign-part-5/).

May 2026 Roundtable Meeting: "General Winfield Scott Hancock, Commander of the U.S. Second Corps"

The May 2026 meeting of the Cleveland Civil War Roundtable will take place on May 13, 2026 beginning at 6:00 p.m. This will be an in-person meeting. The speaker will be Brian Burtka, and the title of Brian's presentation is "General Winfield Scott Hancock, Commander of the U.S. Second Corps." Details, including information about making a reservation and the dinner choices for the meeting, can be found on the home page of the Roundtable's website (www.clevelandcivilwarroundtable.com).

Winfield Scott Hancock was a household name in the nineteenth century. Today, this presidential candidate is barely remembered outside of Gettysburg discussions. Born in 1824 just outside Philadelphia, Hancock was a career officer in the U.S. Army. During the Civil War, Hancock rose through the ranks and became one of the best Corps commanders in the Union Army. He is known as "Hancock the Superb." After the Civil War, Hancock continued his military career. In 1880, the Democratic Party nominated Hancock for President. He lost in one of the closest popular votes in U.S. history. Hancock died in 1886 on active duty in New York City. This first-person portrayal brings his story to life and shows why Hancock was a household name.

Brian Burtka, S.J., is a high school teacher at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland. A native of Detroit, he completed his M.A. in Public History from Loyola University Chicago in the spring of 2024. During this time, he interned at Manassas National Battlefield Park. Brian began reenacting in 2013 and has portrayed multiple impressions and people over the years. Brian's interest in Winfield Scott Hancock began during his first trip to Gettysburg. Brian began portraying Hancock in 2023 and portrays him at reenactments across the Midwest. Brian can be found at many local events in Ohio, and he is frequently found with his political rival at the James A. Garfield Civil War Roundtable. For more information about Winfield Scott Hancock, please see Hancock the Superb (https://hancockthesuperb.com/), which is the digital biography that Brian created during Hancock's bicentennial in 2024.

Meeting Summary: April 2026 – "Civil War Medicine"

The April 2026 meeting of the Cleveland Civil War Roundtable featured an exceptional presentation by Dr. Fred Marquinez. Fred's presentation focused on medical treatment of soldiers during the Civil War. His presentation was extremely informative, very thorough, and truly engrossing. Fred covered a wide range of topics related to Civil War medicine and did so in a detailed and engaging way.

Fred noted that the Civil War occurred at a time of transition in medical thinking from an ancient point of view to a more modern perspective. The more modern thinking was not yet widely accepted in the U.S. at the time of the Civil War, which resulted in antiquated medical treatments for soldiers. Fred explained that at the beginning of the Civil War, the procedures that were in place for handling the wounded were appalling. He stated that after both the First and Second Battles of Bull Run, some wounded soldiers remained on the battlefield for as long as a week. Fred went on to discuss that two men, William Hammond and Jonathan Letterman, were chiefly responsible for implementing innovative and improved procedures for treating the wounded.

As Fred described, Letterman devised a protocol for handling the wounded that provided rapid removal from the battlefield, initial medical treatment soon thereafter, and long-term treatment until recovery. Letterman's implementation of rapid removal from the battlefield soon became evident when at the Battles of Antietam and Fredericksburg the wounded were removed within a day. Hammond, as surgeon general of the Union Army, mandated extensive record-keeping of the treatment of wounded soldiers. This facilitated the collection of large amounts of information regarding outcomes, which gave rise to informed revisions of procedures to effect better results in the future. Hammond also mandated an improved layout for larger hospitals, such as pavilion hospitals, which had high ceilings for greater openness, better air flow, and more light. This provided a better environment for long-term recovery.

Fred noted that by far the vast majority of Civil War wounds resulted from bullets rather than swords or artillery. Fred explained that Civil War bullets caused extensive tissue damage when they entered a human body. As Fred discussed, head and abdominal bullet wounds were almost always fatal, but he presented the stories of a few Civil War soldiers who made incredible recoveries from severe head or abdominal wounds that were pronounced mortal by the surgeons. Bullet wounds to an arm or a leg typically resulted in extensive bone damage, because when the bullets impacted a bone, the bone was often shattered beyond the capacity for repair. This is why amputations were so widespread in the Civil War, because no other treatment was possible for survival of the wounded soldier. Fred also described the advancements in prostheses for amputees.

Fred discussed that the most serious problem impacting survival after amputation was disease, such as gangrene. This led Fred into an overall discussion of diseases among Civil War soldiers, which, as Fred pointed out, caused more deaths than combat. Some of the diseases contracted by Civil war soldiers were typhoid fever, smallpox, dysentery, and malaria. Treatment of diseases was inadequate, primarily because of the lack of knowledge about the causative agents, that is, germs. Without antibiotics, disease medicines were mostly ineffective and included such things as opiates, turpentine, bromine, and calomel. Calomel (mercurous chloride) was widely used, but had very deleterious side effects, such as facial bone erosion.

Fred ended his detailed discussion of Civil War medicine with the astounding experiences of a Union soldier named Henry Barnum. Barnum was shot through the pelvis at the Battle of Malvern Hill, and his wound was considered fatal, but Barnum survived. Months later, his still open wound was examined by doctors, who cleaned the wound and covered it with a fabric tent to keep the wound open and draining. Fred showed a famous photograph of a wide-awake and standing Barnum with a rod inserted completely through his pelvis from the entrance wound to the exit wound. Astonishingly, the wound did not become infected. Even more astonishingly, Barnum returned to active service and was twice wounded during subsequent battles. He survived the war and had a post-war career, including some time in elected office.

Fred concluded his excellent presentation by indicating that current medical practices in the military can be viewed as Civil War medical procedures onto which have been overlaid technological advancements that have occurred since then, such as medical evacuation (but with contemporary vehicles), rapid treatment of the wounded (but with better medicines and treatments), hospital trains and ships (but with modern trains and vessels), and prostheses (but with modern designs and materials). The Roundtable is extremely grateful to Fred for his outstanding, exceptionally thorough, and very engrossing presentation.

A more detailed summary of Fred's superb presentation can be found on the home page of the Roundtable's website (www.clevelandcivilwarroundtable.com).

April 2026 Charger Uploaded

The April 2026 issue of The Charger has been uploaded onto the Roundtable's website (https://www.clevelandcivilwarroundtable.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/charger-apr_2026.pdf).