NORTHUMBERLAND - In a special event sponsored by the Northumberland County Historical Society, Civil War author and historian Patrick A. Schroeder will present a living history program at 7 p.m. Thursday in the public meeting rooms of Nottingham Village, Strawbridge Road, Northumberland.
Schroeder, the historian at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park in Virginia, will offer a costumed presentation on the experiences of a Union enlisted man, Cpl. James Cook of the 85th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, focusing primarily on Petersburg and the final campaign leading up to Appomattox.
The 85th Pennsylvania was organized in November 1861. Following a stint of duty in defense of Washington, the unit participated in the Peninsula campaign. Ordered to the Carolinas in the winter of 1862, they returned to Virginia after the assault on Fort Wagner in July 1863 and were engaged at Drewy's Bluff, Bermuda Hundred and the siege of Petersburg. During its service from 1861 to 1864, the unit lost 247 men-97 in battle and 150 to disease.
Schroeder's first-person presentation about the war from the perspective of a common soldier is expected to be highly informative and entertaining and will last about an hour.
Born at Fort Belvoir, Va., Schroeder has been full-time historian at Appomattox since 2002. He holds a B.S. in historical park administration from Shepherd College in West Virginia and a M.A. in Civil War history from Virginia Tech. He worked as a seasonal living history interpreter at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park from 1986 to 1993 and was employed at Red Hill, the Patrick Henry National Memorial, from 1994 to 1999.
He has written, edited or published some 20 Civil War titles. He lives in Lynchburg, Va., where he and his wife operate Schroeder Publications. In an effort to protect sites relevant to the Appomattox Campaign, he has set up the "Appomattox Fund" with the Civil War Preservation Trust, to save land important to the climactic events of April 1865.
Arrangements for the program were made by Christopher Ciummei, a historical society board member who served an internship at Appomattox with Schroeder. Scott Heintzelman, president of the Northumberland County Historical Society, said there is no charge for the program and refreshments will be provided.