March 14, 2023

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that its next meeting will be held Tuesday, March 14, 2023 at 7:00pm at The Maryland Veterans Museum, 11000 Crain Highway North, Newburg, MD 20664.

Guest Speaker:  Ron Kirkwood

We welcome our friend Ron Kirkwood back to share with us more stories from the historic George Spangler Farm and Hospital site in Gettysburg, PA.  Tonight, Ron delves into the women on site and the  various roles they played during and after the battle!

Women worked as nurses at the XI Corps hospital at the George Spangler farm during and after the Battle of Gettysburg. They listened to the dying men talk of their families, gave them water, treated their wounds, wrote letters home for them, held their hands and sang to them as they took their final breath. Others cooked and baked bread and washed filthy and bloody clothes and hospital linens. Most of these women helped save lives, and every single one made a difference.

Ron Kirkwood is retired after a 40-year career as an editor and writer in newspapers and magazines including USA TODAY, the Baltimore Sun, the Harrisburg Patriot-News and the York (PA) Daily Record. He edited national magazines for USA TODAY Sports and was National Football League editor for USA TODAY Sports Weekly. He managed the copy desk in Harrisburg when the newspaper won the Pulitzer Prize in 2012. Kirkwood is a Michigan native and graduate of Central Michigan University, where he has returned as guest speaker to journalism classes as part of the school’s Hearst Visiting Professionals series.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns at bsunderland@somdcwrt.org or at 443-975-9142. We look forward to seeing you!