Bob Garrett, processing archivist of the State Archives of Michigan, center, meets with Dee Dee Wacksman, re-enactor, and Ray Herek, Saginaw, author, at recent meeting of the 7th Michigan Cavalry Civil War Roundtable.
Civil War Roundtable Meets Wednesday for Lincoln Cronies Presentation
State Archivist Advises Group on Access to Historic Information in Lansing
November 7, 2010
By: Dave Rogers
The 7th Michigan Cavalry Civil War Roundtable meets Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Stein Haus to hear Jerry Maxwell of the Michigan Regimental Roundtable speak on "Lincoln and His Cronies."
Mr. Maxwell is a member and officer of the Detroit area group and is a frequent presenter on Civil War topics around the state.
State Archives official Bob Garrett told members of the group last month that the archives are more accessible than ever before due to the Internet.
His presentation was entitled "Digital Dust: Archives of Michigan Civil War Sources and the Information Age."
He recommended a new site for history researchers, http://seekingmichigan.org, as well as the traditional state archives site, www.michigan.gov/archivesofmi.
Future programs, held on the second Wednesday of each month through April, will include Dr. Weldon Petz, of Kalamazoo, speaking on "From Swamp to Glory: Building of the Lincoln Memorial," and "Michigan in the Civil War" DVD, and a show and tell by members and guests.
Another future program will present Dave Jordan of Kalamazoo and his presentation on "Civil War Cycloramas." Mr. Jordan is president of the Kalamazoo Civil War Roundtable.
Cycloramas are massive circular paintings created after the war to highlight a battle or other important event.
One of several massive cycloramas depicting Civil War battles painted during the 1880s, the Battle of Atlanta painting was created by the American Panorama Company in Milwaukee by a team led by Germans Friedrich Wilhelm Heine and August Lohr. They also consulted Civil War artist and witness Theodore Davis, whom they painted into the work. It opened to display in Detroit, Michigan, in 1887. It is now housed in a special building in Atlanta, Georgia.
A unique set of Henry Hamilton Bennett photographs recorded two Civil War cycloramas created in the 1880s. They feature the Battle of Gettysburg (specifically Pickett's Charge) and the Battle of Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The cyclorama was a primitive precursor to today's IMAX, giving the feeling of being in the middle of a scene. It was a panoramic display of massive oil-on-canvas paintings mounted on the inside walls of a large, round building built especially for it. A viewing platform was located in the center.
The colossal paintings were given a more realistic quality by placing the actual objects, landscaping, and life-size figures in front of them. This was a popular form of entertainment at the turn of the 20th century.