The Saga of Cyrus Hamlin with Civil War Historian Brian Swartz
Tue, Aug 26
|Orono
Married in autumn 1862, Maine born Cyrus Hamlin and his wife Sarah lived in New York, Tasked by President Abraham Lincoln to recruit black regiments in Louisiana, Cyrus went there and Sarah went, too, despite her mother’s protests. Cyrus should have listened to his mother-in-law.
Time & Location
Aug 26, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Orono, 14 Goodridge Dr, Orono, ME 04473, USA
About the event
Civil War Historian and author Brian Swartz will join us to share a tale of Cyrus Hamlin --son of Vice President Hannibal Hamlin--and his wife, Sarah.
Apparently unable to focus his life’s goals, Cyrus Hamlin failed to meet the expectations of his famous father, Hannibal Hamlin; at least that’s what older brother Charles Hamlin, the self-styled apple of their father’s eye, claimed in later years.
But the Civil War changed Cyrus Hamlin. Serving with distinction in western Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley, he corresponded frequently with his father, the vice president. A particular name started appearing in Cyrus’ letters: that of Sarah Sanborn, a Maine woman with whom he had fallen in love.
Married in autumn 1862, Cyrus and Sarah lived in New York, he an aide to General Daniel Ullman, she a happy young bride. Tasked by President Abraham Lincoln to recruit black regiments in Louisiana, Ullmann went there…