SUNBURY — “President Rosecrans? Hometown Hero – What Might Have Been!” is the topic for the August meeting of the Big Walnut Area Historical Society.

Beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 13, in the Myers Inn Museum, Mike Wise will portray his second great uncle, Capt. and Adjutant George M. Wise of the 43rd Ohio Veteran Volunteer Regiment who served under Gen.l Rosecrans’ Department of the Ohio. Capt. Wise will join us when he is returning from the reunion of his regiment, which was assembled in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, some 20 years after the Civil War.

Using the original letters sent home during the war, Wise will tell what the men who fought under Gen. Rosecrans thought of him and the relationship with Gen. Grant. The offer from President Lincoln for him to be his 1864 running mate, and Grant’s role in destroying his reputation and military career. Wise will assess our hometown hero’s life: his character, flaws, and accomplishments. Learn why history is constantly being rewritten.

Terry Michael Wise, known as Mike Wise, grew up in southeastern Ohio and moved to Trenton Township in 1978 after marrying his bride, Velda DeWitt. Mike and Velda have a son and three grandchildren.

After completing a corporate administration and then operations career, he became a licensed funeral director for DeVore-Snyder Funeral Home.

Currently, Wise serves as BWAHS’ vice president of Trustees and is a docent in the Myers Inn Museum. A member of Genoa Church and former Trenton Township trustee, he is a past master of Sparrow Lodge #400. Wise is completing his Ph.D. in Historical and Theological Studies at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, focusing on 19th century American Society, particularly the Civil War era. He is a member of the Society of Civil War Historians, the American Society of Church History, and the Evangelical Theological Society.

Admission is free for the program in the historic building, which includes the 1816 home of the founder of the town. It faces Sunbury Square on South Columbus Street. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

Submitted by the Big Walnut Area Historical Society.