The Museum at Southwestern Michigan College presents its last in its Spring Lecture Series on Wednesday titled “Gone a ‘Sogerine:’ The Civil War Experience of Samuel Chase Hodgman of the 7th Michigan Infantry.”

Guest speaker is Rick Cahow, a retired Kalamazoo educator who has a master’s degree in history from Western Michigan University. The lecture, which is free, begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Frederick S. Upton Foundation Education Center.

The story of Samuel Hodgman is told through the 96 letters he wrote describing his experiences during the Civil War.

Hodgman could be considered as being in the wrong place at the wrong time as he witnessed major destruction at every turn. At Antietam he witnessed the total destruction of his company in the space of less than 20 minutes.

At Gettysburg, his regiment, 150 strong, is one of the regiments that met Pickett’s Charge head-on.

His letters contain first-hand accounts of Antietam, Gettysburg, the New York Draft Riots and the trials and tribulations of soldiering that were faced by those young men who answered Abraham Lincoln’s call to save the Union.

Light refreshments will be served after the lecture.

The Museum at SMC, located on the college’s Dowagiac campus, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Admission to the museum is free. For more information, call (800) 456-8675 ext. 1374.