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Historian Chris Czopek will be giving a series of programs in 2018 intended to spread the word about the success of Company K in the Civil War. 
His talks will focus on individual men, telling where they came from, what happened to them during the war, and what life was like for the survivors who made it home to Michigan. 
        CALENDAR of PROGRAMS










Tuesday, MARCH 13, 2018 
ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN

CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE of
SOUTHWESTERN MICHIGAN
at Fellowship Hall of the
First Congreational Church, 
2001 Niles Ave, St. Joseph MI
Program starts 6:30 pm

In the past, not much has been said about the Potawatomi involvement in the Civil War. And this is a shame!          For on the battlefields of Virginia, the Potawatomi volunteers were in the thickest fighting!                        The time has come for their story to be told.                  The Civil War Round Table of Southwest Michigan has invited me to speak on the story of Company K, 1st Michigan Sharpshooters regiment. I accepted, on one condition - they allow me to focus on the Potawatomi volunteers. They graciously agreed. So on Tuesday, March 13, I will drive to St. Joseph Michigan to display my Rare Photographs and tell the stories of these remarkable men. The time is 6:30 PM, the place is the First Congregational Church / Fellowship Hall on Niles Avenue. For complete information, see their website: http://www.cwrtswmi.org/2017-2018-season.html

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 WHAT WAS COMPANY K?
   During the Civil War, a regiment of Sharpshooters was being recruited to fight for the Union, but there was a problem – 
Few men could pass the marksmanship test. Since Michigan's Native Americans were famous as skilled hunters, it was decided to recruit one company - Company K - from among the tribes in Michigan. Nearly140 men volunteered for Company K in the 1st Michigan Sharpshooters regiment. Each man passed the test, hitting a 5 inch circle from a distance of 220 yards. For Basic Training, they were sent to Dearborn, Michigan.  The soldiers of Company K wore the same uniform and received the same pay as the rest of the Regiment. 
Company K was sent to Virginia in 1864, and there fought in some of the fiercest battles of the Civil War: The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and the terrible Siege of Petersburg. During an attack against the enemy lines on June 17, 1864, a group of 15 men were captured and sent to the infamous Andersonville Prison. 
Lansing Historian Chris Czopek has spent almost 25 years gathering information. And now, he is ready to tell story!  Don't miss the chance to attend one of his informative programs !