Today is the 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War. I heard on the news yesterday that only 17 million Americans have family that fought in the Civil War. That is about 5% of the US population, which I find amazing. Although our family is an immigrant family (and we trace one branch back to the Mayflower), we had several great-great relatives who fought in the Civil War.
My Dada was 94 when he died in 1963. One of my earliest memories is of sitting on Dada's lap, smelling the pipe smoke and feeling like all was safe in the world. Dada was Walter Bennett (http://www.konvalinka.com.benhome.htm/). His Dad was Michael Bennett, who immigrated from Ireland in the 1830's and raised a regiment for the Civil War. Michael must of been quite some guy; fell off his horse and broke his leg on the way out of Brooklyn whilst leading his regiment to war. He did eventually make it to the War.
The Robertsons also sent some of their sons to the War. None of them died, but I don't think they had happy memories of the war. The library in Leyden Massachussettes was the result of one of the boys refusing the government pension for participation in the Civil War. When the Robertson's were young men (17 - 21), they joined a regiment that ended up in Louisiana, not a happy place to be.
When Joseph left for college, I could not sleep. I was so worried about him I would wake up at 3 am and not fall back to sleep. I kept telling myself this was a ridiculous emotional reaction. When his great-great uncles and grandfathers were his age (and in the 1860's) they were off fighting battles and in the malarial swamps of Louisiana; they managed to make it home. Being sent off to Amherst College was a picnic compared to that experience. And then Joseph decided to go to Africa!
The picture is: 1. The Robertson Library in Leyden Mass. and 2. The Mbinga Library in Tanzania that has the reading room named in honor of Joseph Lawrence Chow.
