Program focuses on women’s work during the Civil War

LITCHFIELD — The League of Women Voters of Litchfield County and the Litchfield Historical Society will welcome teacher, historian and author Peter Vermilyea for a virtual lecture on the work of women during the Civil War.

The lecture will be held on Zoom at 3 p.m. Jan. 23. Register at www.litchfield historicalsociety.org, or email registration@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org.

According to Vermilyea, the coming of the Civil War posed unprecedented challenges for Northern society. The federal government had no experience and little authority to meet the logistical demands of sending armies to war. Consequently, much of this task fell to local communities. At the forefront of the efforts to support Connecticut soldiers were Ladies' Aid Societies. This talk will explore how these organizations provided for Union soldiers while also providing women with opportunities to exercise political agency and gain leadership and organizational experience that would prove instrumental in post-war reform movements.

Vermilyea teaches history at Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village. A graduate of Gettysburg College, he is the scholarship director at his alma mater's Civil War Institute. He is currently completing a book on Litchfield County and the coming of the Civil War.

The lecture is part of a partnership series between the Litchfield Historical Society and the League of Women Voters of Litchfield County.

To register visit www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org or, email registration@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org.

Vermilyea