Captain Jim Bloom will detail the Union's efforts in the Civil War to gain control of the Mississippi River. This course details campaigns in the Upper Mississippi from Cairo to Plum Point.This includes overviews of the battles and colorful anecdotes about the conflicts and such notables as Ulysses S. Grant, David Farragut, and David Porter. Modern markers and traces of the events are identified. Jim will continue this lecture series in the spring with “Part 3,” which discusses the fall of the river from Memphis to Vicksburg. 

Instructor: Capt. Bloom retired from a 31-year career as a U.S. Navy officer and physician in 2011 and returned to his childhood home in central Pennsylvania. A 1975 undergraduate of Penn State, Capt. Bloom attended the University of Pittsburgh medical school, then entered active duty with the Navy. In addition to clinical duties, Capt. Bloom served as deputy chief of the Medical Corps, 6th Fleet surgeon, and commanding officer of Naval Hospital Sigonella, Sicily. He is a popular OLLI instructor and is currently the vice president of the Central PA Civil War Roundtable.