Civil War Round Table to discuss ‘Statesman and Socialite’ book tonight

Newton /
| 18 Apr 2023 | 05:17

A presentation on the new book, “The Statesman and the Socialite: Union General Carl Schurz and Fanny Chapman,” will highlight the meeting Tuesday, April 18 of the Colonel Henry Ryerson Civil War Round Table.

The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Sussex County Community College’s Performing Arts Center, College Hill Road, Newton. It will be in the second-floor Atrium Room. An elevator is available.

Admission is free; donations are appreciated.

Peter Lubrecht, president of the Colonel Henry Ryerson Civil War Round Table, will discuss his book about Union Gen. Carl Schurz, a larger-than-life public figure whose exploits appeared in newspapers nationwide during the 19th century.

Schurz’s letters to Fanny Chapman, his secret love, leave a picture of an age of turmoil, corruption, social graces and artistic explosion.

He was a renaissance man, traveling among the greats in the literary, artistic and political arenas. The tragedy of his life is that he is nearly forgotten in the modern world.

He was a fighter for human rights, including all races and creeds, and a pioneer muckraker in a corrupt city of a Gilded Age.

Lubrecht was awarded the George Hartleb Memorial Award for Excellence in German American Studies by the National Steuben Society in 2018. He is an avid researcher, with an interest in the Civil War history and German and American history.

He has lectured on German-American contributions to American culture locally and nationally. He is an adjunct professor at SCCC and has also taught at Lehman University, Jersey City University, and Bergen, Morris and Passaic community colleges.

He earned a doctorate at New York University.

Lubrect will sign books after his talk.

Upcoming Meetings:

May 6: Spring Tour, Eric Lindblade, Licensed Gettysburg Guide, “General James Longstreet at Gettysburg”

May 16: Patrick Falci, “The Making of the Movie Gettysburg” (dinner meeting)

For information, call Jennifer at 201-320-5989 during the day.