The Grand Rapids Civil War Round Table welcomes Dave Wege and his presentation: "When Johnny Came Marching Home." Past and present are often connected in ways we can't begin to imagine. This presentation will share how the Civil War's first amputation and subsequent advances in medical practices and technology changed veterans’ lives. Then we will investigate how today's veterans, who underwent battlefield trauma, responded to their injuries. We will conclude with the story of how one group of today's amputees continue to serve beyond the uniform.
Dave Wege is a retired educator and now teaches part-time. In 2017 he was honored by the American Battlefield Trust as its Teacher of the Year and Abroe-Carter Award Recipient. Dave and his wife Kay run a Civil War tour group they call the Civil War Time Travelers, which has been in existence since 2016. Their motto: Traveling Where Heroes Trod.
Membership fees for the 2024-2025 season are $30.00.
Checks can be made out to GRCWRT.
Get your membership/renewal form on our website
membership page or at one of our meetings.
Dues are based on the meeting year, September - June.
We are always looking for new speakers. If you would like to give a presentation to the GRCWRT, or can recommend someone, please contact our program director.
Union forces thwarted a Confederate invasion of New Mexico Territory at Glorieta Pass on March 28, 1862. This strategic location, situated at the southern tip of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Santa Fe Trail, could have been the gateway for Confederate occupation of the Southwest. But the Yankees forced the Rebels to retreat to Santa Fe -- the first stop on the long road back to San Antonio, Texas.
Confederate General Robert E. Lee made Fort Stedman his last attack of the war in a desperate attempt to break out of Petersburg, Virginia on March 25, 1865. The attack went well at first; Lee's army easily captured the fort and about a thousand yards of trenches. But as Union reinforcements arrived, the Rebels were unable to hold the captured ground and were driven back to their original position. By 07:45, the battle was over.
"I have served my country under the flag of the Union for more than fifty years, and as long as God permits me to live, I will defend that flag with my sword; even if my own native State assails it."
~ Union General and Virginian Winfield Scott
In 1864, Congress authorized the first use of the phrase "In God We Trust" on U.S. currency. It was printed on a two-cent bronze coin.
Wednesday
March 19, 2025
Dave Wege
When Johnny Came
Marching Home
We Meet At:
Orchard View Church of God
2777 Leffingwell Ave. NE
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Located at the southwest corner of
3 Mile Road NE and Leffingwell Avenue NE
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Program begins at 7:00 pm
Civil War Notes
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Special Announcements:
When Johnny Comes Marching Home
Sketched by Andrew McCallem
