One Family’s Civil War

Join us in the Courtyard at Children of Gettysburg 1863 for a Courtyard Chat.

Carolyn Ivanoff will present One Family’s Civil War. Ivanoff will tell the amazing story of the Civil War and a family that lived through it and survived those difficult and extraordinary years.

Based on letters of Captain Wilson French, Company G, 17th Connecticut Volunteers and his beloved wife Martha Bouton French, you’ll learn the remarkable journey of their letters through the generations.

Captain French was wounded at Gettysburg, captured and then paroled. With the 17th Connecticut in service in Florida, he served as the Provost Marshal of St. Augustine. On Feb. 5, 1865, he was captured at Dunn’s Lake and sent to Andersonviille where he was incarcerated at the officers’ stockade in Castle Reed. In the summer of 1865, he was subsequently summoned to testify at the Wirz Trial in Washington DC. Through his letters to his beloved wife, and hers to him, his strong character as a good officer and a good man shine through all his trials and hard service.

This is the final program in the Courtyard for the fall season. Courtyard Chats are free and open to the public.

Guests have the opportunity to enjoy the Children of Gettysburg 1863 experience before the free presentation in the Courtyard. Currently open daily, 10am-7pm, timed tickets for the children’s history museum are available in advance online, by calling 877-874-2478 or at the door. Children and youth ages 12 and younger receive free admission with a ticketed adult.