Thursday October 11, 2012 at 5:30pm
Colony House, Washington Square
$5 per person, $1 NHS members
RSVP to 401-841-8770
Author Frank Grzyb will offer a slide presentation about a little known Civil War army general hospital formerly located at the northwestern tip of Aquidneck Island in Portsmouth Grove. A post-Civil War accounting ranked the establishment the 12th largest in occupancy out of more than 185 hospitals in existence at that time. With the aid of numerous illustrations, engravings and rare photographs, attendees will learn about the hospital’s creation including overwhelming trials and tribulations during its first months. Mr. Grzyb will examine the hospital’s inner workings as it continued to provide convalescent care over the following three years. At the program’s conclusion, attendees will learn what happened to the staff and patients who survived, and discover the current resting place of nearly 300 forgotten souls laid to rest in the hospital’s burial yard. A Q&A session and book signing will follow the lecture.
A decorated combat veteran, Frank Grzyb has authored two books about the Vietnam War: Touched by the Dragon, the personal narratives published in trade paperback as A Story For All Americans, and Ain’t Much of War, a collection of short story fiction. His lifelong passion for American history has cumulated in featured articles for newspapers and magazines such as America’s Civil War and the Civil War Monitor. Retired from government service, he and his wife live in Portsmouth, RI.