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On Tuesday, January 13, 2026, the Kent Civil War Society will hold its regular monthly meeting, beginning at 7:30 PM. The program part of the meeting will feature society member Dr. Fred Marquinez presenting Medical Advances During the Civil War .

At the beginning of the Civil War, the U.S. Army Medical Department was ill-prepared to handle the thousands of battle-related casualties and medically ill soldiers. It is said that the Civil War was fought at the "end of the Medical Middle Ages" - a time of transition in medical knowledge. Papers on antisepsis and "germ theory" wouldn't be published until years later. Medical Staff members were forced to quickly adapt to the ongoing crisis. Throughout the course of the war, the surgeons gained experience, Dr. Letterman developed a system to deal with mass casualties, improvements in public health, nursing, and other innovations were made. As a result, care of the wounded and ill improved dramatically and new standards in trauma and military medicine were established, some of which are still in use today.

Kent native Dr. Fred Marquinez is a medical oncologist and a Clinical Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University. He is also a flight surgeon and the Commander of the 179th Medical Group in the 179th Cyberspace Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard and United States Air Force.

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
map & directions

Click on the Bivouac newsletter icon or the telegraph press release icon below for more details as they become available.


***** See the News & Events page for other items of interest. *****

***** Society News & Information *****

Attendees at the traditional December holiday pot luck and book (and other stuff) auction enjoyed a tasty meal, friendly conversation and a varied collection of auction items. We also discussed and voted on desires that have been voiced to change the starting time and/or day of the week for meetings. Reasons for making a change revolved around difficulties some members have with driving in the dark or attending meetings late in the day, with some general preference for weekend meetings also stated. Reasons for keeping the existing schedule included general satisfaction with the status quo and concerns over possibly having to find a different meeting site. At the end of the discussion the vote was met with more abstaining than voting and options to change the meeting were voted down comparing the votes for a change against the total attendance. It was left open to reconsider in the future. Feedback during this process was open to all and responded to by just a few. Members are encouraged to make their views known on this topic in future discussions.

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Presentations have been scheduled through May, 2026. There are openings for the remainder of 2026 and members are encouraged to give a presentation. It's a good way to focus on a Civil War topic of personal interest and contribute to the society.

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If you have suggestions for worthy Civil War preservation or education related causes we should consider donating to, please let Mark Perkins know or email us at info@kentcivilwar.org .

We have collected over $100 for preservation again, so a vote on a target for a donation will be held at the January, 2026, meeting. There will be a change in the method of voting. The ballot box with multiple choices used in recent years will be replaced by an up or down vote on a single suggestion for each $100 available to donate.

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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