April 12, 2011 marked the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the U.S. Civil War, or The War Between the States. On April 12, 1861 at 4:30 A.M. the first shots of the war were fired by Confederate forces on Fort Sumter in South Carolina. And so began a terrible conflict between the North and South that lasted four years. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the onset of the Civil War, many events and exhibits will be held in Connecticut and throughout the United States.

As part of this sesquicentennial commemoration of the Civil War, One Book One Lake 2011 chose The Killer Angels, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about the Battle of Gettysburg. In addition to book discussions, a variety of events were designed in our five communities to enhance the reading of The Killer Angels. All events were free and open to the public.