Dione Longley and
Buck Zaidel will give an illustrated lecture at a reception being held Friday June 19 at 7 p.m. in The Inn at Middletown, 70 Main Street. The purpose of the event is both educational and practical as the admission will go to to raise
funds for the maintenance of the Middlesex County Historical Society’s headquarters, the General Joseph
Mansfield House. As for the educational component, Longley and Zaidel are the co-authors of "Heroes for All Time: Connecticut Civil War Soldiers Tell Their Stories", recently published by Wesleyan University Press. The book presents the war
straight from the minds and pens of its participants: rich passages from
soldiers’ letters and diaries complement hundreds of outstanding period
photographs, some from the Historical Society’s collection. Rare war artifacts
pictured make a connection to the men and boys who once owned them. While so
many books written about the Civil War feature the activities of generals and politicians,
Heroes for All Time tells the stories
of the men in the trenches and the families waiting at home for news of their
loved ones.
Dione
Longley is an independent historian and writer. For two decades, she served as
the director of the Historical Society and curated a number of exhibits
chronicling the history of Middletown, including the award winning Civil War
exhibit, "Hard-tack, Salt Pork, and Faith." Buck Zaidel, a dentist and longtime Civil War enthusiast, collects objects and
images related to Union soldiers’ daily lives. He has exhibited at Civil War
and antique arms shows across the country and contributed items to museum
exhibitions, including "Photography and
the American Civil War" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The price
for the event, including a dessert reception following the talk, is $35.00 per
person. The book will be available for purchase and inscription. Those wishing
to purchase the book in advance and having it inscribed prior to the event for
pick-up at the event may do so by purchasing a ticket for $80.00. To purchase
tickets, call the Historical Society at
860-346-0746. Join us as we commemorate the end of the bloody conflict that
took roughly 6000 Connecticut lives in the struggle to save the union and
abolish slavery.
