In 1861 Benjamin Hall of Elizabethtown in Essex County was one among many young men who enlisted to fight against the South in the Union Army.

His wartime experiences took him to some of the major battlefields of the American Civil War, and finally to the notorious Confederate prisoner of war camp at Andersonville, Georgia.

The Ticonderoga Historical Society is set to present a free public program entitled “Through the Gates of Hell: The Civil War Odyssey of Benjamin Hall,” on Friday, May 17 at 7 pm at the Hancock House, 6 Moses Circle, Ticonderoga.

Thomas McGrath, who will present the program, teaches at North Country Community College in Ticonderoga. He holds a Ph.D. in History from the State University of New York at Albany, a Master’s Degree in Civil War Studies from American Military University, and a Bachelors Degree in History from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He is the author of two books and numerous historical articles.

Reservations are not necessary to attend the free program, but seats may be reserved by calling (518) 585-7868 or via e-mail to tihistory@bridgepoint1com. Refreshments will be served.

Illustration of Andersonville Prison by John L. Ransom courtesy United States Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs division.