Williamsburg Civil War Roundtable

Williamsburg Civil War

Roundtable

 

  Meeting Place:

WILLIAMSBURG

Williamsburg Regional Library Theatre

Volume LV Number 9                                   May 27, 2025

MONTHLY ORGANIZATION NEWSLETTER
May 27, 2025 at 6:30 PM

Jonathan S. Jones  

“Opium Slavery”

Join us on Tuesday, May 27th, for the meeting of the Williamsburg Civil War Roundtable, commencing at 6:30 PM in the Williamsburg Regional Library Theatre. The library is located at 515 Scotland Street in Williamsburg.

The program will also be presented online via a Zoom link for our members and friends near and far. The details for the Zoom link will be provided in a follow-up announcement several days prior to the meeting date.

On Tuesday, May 27th, Jonathan Jones will present "Opium Slavery". In the wake of the Civil War, many veterans struggled with lingering pain, disabling illnesses, and mental illness. To cope, former soldiers often turned to opioids, which were ubiquitous in the Civil War era. Thousands of veterans became addicted. Jonathan S. Jones, Assistant Professor of History at James Madison University and author of Opium Slavery: Civil War Veterans and America’s First Opioid Crisis (UNC Press, forthcoming October 2025) will discuss how the Civil War era’s opioid crisis began, how the addiction epidemic affected veterans’ lives, and what this crisis can teach us about the war’s traumatic aftershocks.

Jonathan S. Jones is an assistant professor of history at James Madison University. His first book, Opium Slavery: Civil War Veterans and America’s First Opioid Crisis, is forthcoming from UNC Press in October 2025. Jones’s research has appeared in The Journal of the Civil War Era, North Carolina Historical Review, the Washington Post, Vice, NPR, BBC, History, and other outlets. Jones received his PhD from Binghamton University in 2020. In 2020-21, he was a Postdoctoral Scholar at Penn State’s George and Ann Richards Civil War Era Center and from 2021-23 he was an assistant professor of history at Virginia Military Institute.

Last Month
On Tuesday, April 22nd, Edward W. Gantt, Captain, U. S. Navy (Retired) presented “The Evolution of the U. S. Colored Troops”. The 1989 Hollywood movie, “Glory,” drew the nation’s attention to the 54th Massachusetts Voluntary Infantry, the African American Civil War unit that fought for the United States Army from 1863 until just after the war’s end. For so many Americans, there was little knowledge of the nearly 200,000 African American soldiers who fought during the Civil War. Perhaps before the movie’s release, and in some sectors, there was no knowledge of the African Americans who served in the Federal Army during the Civil War.

Ed’s presentation discussed some significant events in American history that led to the creation of the United States Colored Troops. They were officially named USCT units and served throughout the various theaters of the war. Their entry into the Federal Army provided a significant source of manpower, many of whom were more than willing to take up arms to secure their freedom from the institution of slavery. By late 1864, the USCT made up ten percent of the Federal Army. After the war’s end, some of the USCT units continued to serve in the U. S. Army and would become known as “Buffalo Soldiers.”

Officers of WCWRT
President: Bill Miller               Vice-President: Lee Underwood
Secretary                               Treasurer: 

The Executive Committee consists of the elected officers, the immediate past president and other members appointed by the incoming president. Those members include Debbie Bedosti, Tom Lamb, and Terri Teopke.

Upcoming Meetings and Speakers

• Next Meeting September 23, 2025

Upcoming Outside Events

• Petersburg Battlefield Foundation announces sunset tours (view)

Other Notes:  

Meeting the Challenge: Bill Miller discusses WCWRT video Membership Dues for the 2024-2025 sessions are due. Please help support our remaining schedule for this season.

Support our Book Raffle:  This is an important secondary source of revenue to support our programming. It’s a wonderful way to supplement your Civil War library with great books at bargain basement prices.

Help our effort increase our membership:  The best method of recruitment is by word of mouth. Help our effort to grow your Roundtable by inviting your friends and neighbors to accompany you to our meeting.

Visit the Williamsburg Battlefield Association
(http://www.williamsburgbattlefieldassociation.org/) (https://www.facebook.com/WilliamsburgBattlefieldAssociation)
 
WEBSITE: Be sure to frequently visit the site for newsletter info, announcements, future and past speakers, and an up to date calendar of events in the Civil War world.  It’s available anytime you need the info. https://www.wcwrt.org/news/2024 Newsletter archive.pdf.

The purpose of this organization shall be to promote discussion and study of the Civil War and to further stimulate interest in all aspects and phases of the Civil War period.