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On Tuesday, January 14, 2025, the Kent Civil War Society will hold its regular monthly meeting, beginning at 7:30 PM. The program part of the meeting will be provided by society member Mark Perkins. Mark will present The Battle of Scary Creek.

Before the shock of Manassas and the carnage of Shiloh the Civil War warmed up with a series of engagements between Union and Confederate forces in western Virginia. The area was important for transportation and resources, but also for hearts, minds and manpower. Loyalty to the Union verses the Southern Way of Life divided the populace. And in neighboring Ohio. there was a distinct sense of being on the front line of the coming strife.

In June and July, 1861, Union troops Union troops under General George McClellan fought several times against Confederate forces in the northwestern part of the state. To the south, General Jacob Cox assembled forces representing Ohio and Kentucky and led an expedition up the Kanawha River, destination Charleston. Before he got there he was met by Virginia troops at Scary Creek. Mark Perkins will present The Battle of Scary Creek, the story of this small battle with no shortage of courage, hard fighting, confusion and recriminations that brought the cost of war home to Portage County.

Mark Perkins grew up in Stow, Ohio, where he developed a life-long interest in history. After earning degrees in psychology and library science from the the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a degree in computer science from the University of Akron, he worked for 33 years as a programmer/analyst with Wolff Bros. Supply. His long time interest in the Civil War included four years reenacting with the Fifth Texas Infantry, Company A out of Akron, Ohio, and co-editing, with George Skoch, the book Lone Star Confederate: A Gallant and Good Soldier of the Fifth Texas Infantry. Published by Texas A&M University Press, the book won the 2004 "Best Book on Texas in the Confederacy" presented by the Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans. Mark is a member of the Kent Civil War Society, for whom he is a frequent speaker. He lives in Copley, Ohio with his wife, Frances, and cat, Cassie.

The public is welcome. The optional pre-meeting dinner will be at Eddy's Deli & Restaurant in Stow, beginning at 5:30 PM.

The meeting will be held in the Roy Smith Shelter at Fred Fuller Park
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***** Society News & Information *****

Society members and guests enjoyed a plentiful bounty of food and fellowship, along with a lively auction of books and other items at our annual holiday pot luck in December.

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Speakers from within the society will be needed to fill out the 2025 schedule, so if you have something you can give a presentation on, or you want a reason to do some research, please let the society president Brian Conrad know or email us at info@kentcivilwar.org

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For last minute information on the Kent Civil War Society meetings, call the society's meeting information hotline at (330) 474-9362 for a recorded message