April 15, 2008

Society member Dr. Joel Citron was the Guest Speaker. He discussed his research findings relative to "Prisoner Rations and Death Rates at Fort Delaware" during the last two years of the war. Dr. Citron's conclusions regarding this highly controversial topic [still !!] is that the Confederate military prisoners received the rations that they were authorized, that these reduced rations did not correlate with the reported deaths at the prison, and that Fort Delaware did not deserve its reputation as the "Andersonville of the North."

Dr. Citroen is a Living History volunteer at Fort Delaware State Park portraying Captain Gilbert S. Clark who was the Post Commissary Officer from July 1862 until October 1865. A Pennsylvania volunteer, Captain Gilbert was promoted to Major three days before his discharge from service in October 1865.

The presentation was made at the new Society Headquarters building at 33 Staff Lane on the Fort DuPont State Park property.