"High-Bounty Men in the Army of the Potomac," w/ Edwin Rutan

Join us for the May 16, 2025 meeting of the Civil War Roundtable of New Hampshire!

We meet at the Harvey-Mitchell Library, 151 Main St, Epping, at 7:15pm, with doors open at 6:45pm.

This month we welcome Edwin Rutan who'll present a talk about his book, which he'll have available for sale and signing, "High-Bounty Men in the Army of the Potomac - Reclaiming Their Honor."

For over one hundred years, historians have disparaged the men who joined the Union army later in the war, when higher bounties and the conditional draft were in effect, as unpatriotic mercenaries who made poor soldiers and contributed little to the Union victory. Historians have relied heavily on anecdotal evidence from the volunteers of 1861 and 1862 whom they regard as true patriots. However, the early-war volunteers carried not just the traditional enmity of veterans toward new recruits who have not yet suffered the hardships of war, but also the jealously caused by the higher bounties the new recruits received. The result is a long-standing mischaracterization of the service of three-quarters of a million Union soldiers which needs to be corrected.

Mr. Rutan will be selling and signing books at the meting!

About Ed:

Edwin Rutan served as the City Attorney for Salt Lake City from 2002 to 2013. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the Utah Chapter of The American Society for Public Administration in 2013.

He previously worked in AT&T's law department, including assignments in Brussels as regional counsel and Dallas as a regional Law and Government Affairs Vice President. He began his legal career at a major New York law firm after graduating cum laude from Harvard Law School.

Rocky Mountain CWRT (Denver), Twin Cities CWRT (Minneapolis/St. Paul), Las Vegas CWRT and Buffalo CWRT have high praise for Ed and we should be in for a treat!

Ed and his wife Lynne live in Park City, Utah, where they enjoy skiing, hiking and traveling. 

Guests are welcome! Bring a friend!