The Lancaster Civil War Roundtable will present "Weapons of Mass Destruction Considered During the Civil War" on Thursday, Aug. 8, at 6:30 p.m. at the Lititz Public Library, 651 Kissel Hill Road, Lititz. Mark Laubacher will present the program.
In an effort to bring about resolution to the Civil War, creative suggestions and research were offered by individuals, many of whom were civilians. Suggestions involved the use of chemical and biological agents as unconventional weapons. Both sides considered weaponizing numerous chemicals and biological agents, including poison gas from a balloon, fuse-activated sulfur smoke cartridges, Chinese stink balls, and smallpox-contaminated clothing for Union forces.
Laubacher is a registered nurse and paramedic working as a Certified Specialist in Poison Information since 1992 at the Central Ohio Poison Center located at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio. In 2013, Laubacher presented a paper at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine Conference; his topic was snake bites received by Union and Confederate soldiers. A review of unconventional weapons that were considered during the Civil War was given in New Orleans in September 2014 to the North American Congress of Clinical Toxicology.
The program is free and open to the public. For more information, readers may email lancastercivilwarroundtable@gmail.com, visit http://www.lancastercivilwarroundtable.org, or call Micky at 717-940-7411.
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