ELLIS SPEAR
Desjardins will tell the story of Maine native Ellis Spear, the Bowdoin graduate and Wiscasset school teacher who became Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain’s friend and second in command at Gettysburg. The lecture will take place at 3 p.m. in the Nickels-Sortwell House barn.
Advance registration is suggested. Admission is $5 for members of Historic New England, $10 for nonmembers. To register, call 882-7169 or visit www.Historic- NewEngland.org. The Nickels Sortwell House is located at 121 Main St. The entrance to the barn is on Federal Street.
Spear recruited members of the 20th Maine from Wiscasset and surrounding towns. His personal connections to these men made the scars of their loss even deeper. His relationship with his commander and friend, Gen. Chamberlain, was complicated.
After their deep trust and friendship during the Civil War, each man chose to deal with those experiences in a very different way. Chamberlain saw the war in grand heroic terms, processing and writing about his war in a spiritual and philosophical voice. Spear saw no value in glossing over the true horrors of the war, and disagreed with some of Chamberlain’s accounts of the war. He voiced his objections in writing, opening a conflict between the two former friends.
Historic New England’s next Wiscasset lecture will be held on Sept. 15, when Earle Shettleworth — director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and Maine state historian — will tell the story of local artist and historic preservationist Mildred G. Burrage.
For a full program calendar and more information on Historic New England’s collection, visit www.Historic- NewEngland.org.
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