The Confederacy’s first ironclad ship, began as the USS MERRIMACK. How ironic it is that in her first engagement with ships of the U.S. Navy, she was commanded by the only admiral the South ever had, Admiral Franklin Buchanan, who also began his service with the U.S. Navy. And it seems that Buchanan had roots here in Kent County where many people displayed divided loyalties during the Civil War.
John V. Quarstein is an award-winning historian, preservationist, lecturer and author. He is the author of fifteen books including CSS VIRGINIA: SINK BEFORE SURRENDER. After thirty years as director of the Virginia War Museum and as a consultant to the Mariners’ Museum’s MONITOR Center, he now serves as historian for the City of Newport News. John Quarstein is uniquely qualified to lead us to a better understanding of events in what for Kent County was a local war in so many ways.
Join us for History Happy Hour, at 4 PM Friday, October 3, at the Bordley History Center, 301 High Street in Chestertown and learn more about our early history. All are invited to attend.
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.