Leon Reed presents: Fort Sumter’s Long Shadow: Mr. Lincoln Calls for an Army, and the States Respond

In response to the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter, President Lincoln made a speech requesting a 75,000 man army to suppress the rebellion. This talk discusses the two things that happened in direct response to Lincoln’s speech.  First of all, a country with a 16,000 man army that was in the process of splitting in two, an atrophied militia system, and no general staff or mobilization plan actually produced that army, in very short order.  He describes the pivotal role of the New York Militia and the under appreciated contributions of individuals such as Joseph Holt, General John Wool, and John Dix.

Secondly, seven slave states that, until then, had remained loyal, reconsidered their commitment to the Union. In the end, four of these states (VA, NC, AR, TN) departed while three (MO, KY, MD) remained under varying degrees of duress. This is a high stakes drama with larger than life characters, dirty tricks, and some questionably legal actions by the Lincoln administration. Arguably, the outcome of the war hinged on these decisions.

  Leon Reed is a former US Senate aide, defense consultant, and US History teacher. He lives in Gettysburg and is the author of several books on Gettysburg monuments and two on the secession crisis and transition to Civil war, including, most recently, “Fort Sumter’s Long Shadow: Mr. Lincoln Calls for an Army, the Northern States Respond, and the Border States Rethink Their Status”. He is a regular contributor to Civil War News and is the editor of the quarterly magazine of the Battle of the Bulge Association.

Mr. Reed has been studying these topics for five years. If interested, his book will be available for sale or preorder.  

Women Combat Soldiers in the Civil War

Presented by James R. Hedtke, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, History and Political Science, Cabrini University

In the Civil War, over 2,100,000 men fought for the Union, but you never hear of any women, other than that they were nurses or maintained their homes. In the Victorian era of prudery, these women discussed in this lecture pretended to be men, took a male name, enlisted in the army and then fought like demons!!  The question of participation has been argued by historians; Prof. Hedtke will answer these questions head on in his forceful analysis of what the reality is. This program is especially relevant today.

Prof. James R. Hedtke earned a B.S.  from Saint Joseph's University, a MA in from Villanova University, and a Ph.D.  from Temple University. He has taught history and political science at Cabrini University for 50 years.

Steve Knowlton presents: "Thirteen Months in Dixie, or the Adventures of a Federal Prisoner in Texas"

Steve Knowlton will share the wartime plight of Oscar Federhen, who was captured by the Confederates as a relatively new recruit and sent to—and later escaped from— POW Camp Ford, the largest Confederate-run prison west of the Mississippi.

Steve is a Librarian for History and African American Studies at Princeton University.  His historical research has been published in many peer-reviewed journals. He is the recipient of the annual William Marshall Wingfield Award from the West Tennessee Historical Society and has twice won the Justin Winsor Library History Essay Award. This is his first book.

Cedar Mountain Presented by M Chris Bryan

The II Corps, Army of Virginia suffered a bloody and demoralizing defeat at the Battle of Cedar Mountain on August 9th, 1862, after initial success where it nearly defeated Stonewall Jackson’s command. This talk will describe the fighting at Cedar Mountain in detail and will also briefly describe the aftermath for the II Corps that summer. These events and conditions would later shape the conspicuous success of the future XII Corps, Army of the Potomac at Antietam.

M. Chris Bryan earned a Bachelor of Science in History from the United States Naval Academy; a Master of Arts in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College, Annapolis; and a Master of Historic Preservation from the University of Maryland, College Park. A former naval aviator, Bryan works as a project manager and lives in southern Maryland with his wife and two children. Cedar Mountain to Antietam is his first book.

Mike Jesberger presents “A Soldier’s Civil War Christmas”

A CIVIL WAR CHRISTMAS

Before the Civil War, Christmas was not an official holiday in the United States. By the end of the war in 1865, Christmas had gone from a relatively unimportant holiday to the opposite – a day rooted in an idealized vision of home. The way Americans observed the holiday changed too, setting the stage for the more modern Christmas holiday we know today. Though individual traditions still varied, the upheaval of the Civil War made the holiday season seem more and more important to separated families. The Christmas season reminded mid-19th century Americans of the importance of the home and the institution of new Christmas traditions. Come join historical reenactor, lecturer, and tour guide Michael Jesberger for a discussion on one of our favorite holidays.

Mr. Michael Jesberger is an independent military historian who specializes in the American Revolution and Civil War time periods. He is renowned for his depth and breadth of knowledge, as well as his engaging and passionate presentation style, whether providing formal lectures, living history presentations, or tours of historic sites in the Tri-State area.

A member of numerous history based organizations and active in the reenactment community, he participates in numerous battle reenactments, living history programs, and ceremonies to honor our first and current veterans. A lifelong resident of the Philadelphia region, Mr. Jesberger is a native of Northeast Philadelphia and has relocated to Bucks and Montgomery County, PA and currently resides in Lansdale, PA with his wife, Amy, son Erik and two daughters, Erin and Emma.

Linda Clark presents ~ Walk a Mile with Lincoln: November 19, 1863
Much has been written about President Lincoln and his Gettysburg Address. But little has been written about the residents of 1863 who actually had Gettysburg addresses, those local citizens who witnessed the battle and its aftermath.

This Power Point presentation follows Lincoln’s journey as he traveled from the train station, where he arrived on November 18, 1863, to the cemetery where he delivered his “few appropriate remarks” on November 19 th .

If President Lincoln had the time to meet the residents who lived in the houses he passed, he would have found it very interesting how similar their lives were to his own. Photographs of those same buildings, with their present-day facades, will be included.

Although Linda was not able to interview any of the people of 1863, she has researched them using a variety of primary sources. Some would be surprised to learn what assortment of businesses their homes now house!

Linda Clark
As a Gettysburg native, Linda Clark found her passion for books, and the Civil War, through a juvenile fiction book presented by her third grade teacher at Eisenhower Elementary School.

A now retired school librarian and an emeritus Licensed Battlefield Guide, Linda enjoys researching her hometown citizens, and telling their personal stories of the Battle of Gettysburg. 

She and her husband have a Gettysburg address, with a view of the sun setting over the Blue Ridge.

Victor Vignola presents, “The Battle of Seven Pines (Fair Oaks) VA; The Turning Points of the Civil War”

     Surprisingly little has been written about the important Battle of Fair Oaks (and the simultaneous Seven Pines). The bloody two day affair (May 31-June 1, 1862), fought on the doorstep of the Confederate capital, was the first major battle in the Eastern Theater since Bull Run/Manassas the previous summer.

     It left more than 11,000 casualties in its wake and the primary Southern army without its commander. The possession of Richmond hung in the balance. Victor Vignola’s Contrasts in Command, which is centered around the Fair Oaks fighting, rectifies this gap in the literature.

     Major General George B. McClellan marched his Army of the Potomac up the Virginia Peninsula during the spring weeks of 1862 before committing a near-fatal error by placing his inexperienced IV Corps at the tip of the spear south of the flood-prone Chickahominy River.  Opposing McClellan at the head of the Virgina army was General Joseph E. Johnston, who had fallen back without offering much opposition.

     When the opportunity to strike beckoned, Johnston crafted an overly complex attack plan to crush the exposed IV Corps. A series of bungled Confederate marches, piecemeal assaults, and a lack of assertive leadership doomed the Southern plan. One of the wounded late in the day of May 31 was General Johnston, whose injury led to the appointment of General Robert E. Lee to take his place – a decision that changed the course of the entire Civil War.

     Sandwiched between Shiloh and the Seven Days’ Battles, the combat at Fair Oaks, and Seven Pines, has been mostly overlooked or forgotten. Although tactically inconclusive, the ramifications were far reaching in ways no one could have foreseen. And like Shiloh, the battle provided a clear warning that the war would be long and bloody.

Biography – Victor Vignola

      Historian Victor Vignola, a lifelong student of the Civil War, has written articles for publication in North and South Magazine and other forums. He delivers historical programs, conducts tours, and regularly visits various Civil War sites. He is the author of “Contrasts in Command”, which is centered around the Fair Oaks fighting.

     Vic graduated from SUNY-New Paltz with a degree in economics and business. His career included executive level labor and inter-agency relations for the Office of Mental Health in New York State. He lives with his family in Orange County, New York, home of the 124 th New York “Orange Blossoms” Regiment, which served as part of the III and V Corps from September 1862-April 1865. They fought at Gettysburg on July 2 nd at Devil’s Den as part of Ward’s Brigade.

Rev Dr Nancy Hale presents “Gettysburg Chaplains to start off our new Campaign year!

The Reverend Doctor Nancy Hale’s presentation centers on stories of several chaplains who were present at the battle of Gettysburg. Through letters, Regimental histories, and newspaper articles, we will learn about how these chaplains experienced the battle and its aftermath while also doing their best to care for the men in their regiments. We will also discover the sacrifices made by some of these heroes of the faith.   

Nancy Hale Short Bio Information

Reverend Doctor Nancy Hale is a United Methodist minister, currently in Sunbury PA. She is also a Civil War re-enactor who spends as much time as she can in Gettysburg. She participates in the 100 Nights of Taps program at the National Cemetery in Gettysburg in the summer. Nancy has also authored a book, Faith and Duty, a novel of Civil War chaplains and their conflict between duty to God and duty to the men and their cause.  Her two sons both served in the military; three of her ancestors fought at Gettysburg.

Save June 10th for a Field Trip to Monocacy Battlefield and the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. See latest update directly below

Gretchen and James Kennedy present “Mourning Customs and History”

TIL DEATH DO US PART:

• Victorian Mourning Customs

• Victorian Mourning Jewelry and Stationery

• Post-Mortem Photography

• Dr. Thomas Holmes, the Father of Embalming

• Early Embalming Equipment and Civil War Coffin

• David John Kennedy, Private, 148 th PA, Company H

Biographies for Jim and Gretchen:

Jim was born and raised in Altoona, Blair County, Pennsylvania, and lives there still with his wife of 26 years, Gretchen, and their three children. His love of history began early, at 14, when he was a docent at Baker Mansion History Museum, home to the Blair County Historical Society. Jim’s thirst for history continues to grow, and he enjoys learning and teaching when given the opportunity. He is also a Home Healthcare Aide for special needs children.

Gretchen is also a native of Altoona. Her love of history was spawned when Jim asked her to join him for a Civil War Re-enactment many moons ago. Her interest grew from there, and the Kennedys continue to enjoy learning together.

Ron Kirkwood returns to the Civil War Round Table of Eastern Pennsylvania with a talk called “Women to the Rescue at the Battle of Gettysburg’s George Spangler Farm.” Some women worked as nurses at the XI Corps hospital and listened to the dying men talk of their families, gave them water, treated their wounds, wrote letters home for them, held their hands and sang to them as they took their final breath. Others cooked and baked bread and washed filthy and bloody clothes and hospital linens. Most of these women helped save lives, and every single one made a difference.   

Ron Kirkwood is the author of “Too Much for Human Endurance: The George Spangler Farm Hospitals and the Battle of Gettysburg,” which was published in June 2019. The book is in its second paperback edition after its two hardcover editions and first paperback printing sold out. It also is available in audio and E-reader, and he is working on a sequel, which will be published in 2024.

Kirkwood is retired after a 40-year career as an editor and writer in newspapers and magazines including USA TODAY, where he edited national magazines for USA TODAY Sports and was National Football League editor for USA TODAY Sports Weekly. He also worked for newspapers in Baltimore, Harrisburg, York and Wilkes-Barre. He won numerous state, regional and national writing and editing awards during his career and managed the 32-person copy desk in Harrisburg when the newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize in 2012. Kirkwood is a Michigan native and graduate of Central Michigan University, where he has returned as guest speaker to journalism classes as part of the school’s Hearst Visiting Professionals series.

Kirkwood has been a Gettysburg Foundation guide at the George Spangler Farm Civil War Field Hospital Site since it opened in 2013. He lives in York with his wife of 46 years, Barbara.

 Historian Adam Shefts, AKA “The Victorian Historian”, presents his program of unique insights into the obscure history of America’s  19th and early 20th century.

Mr.Shefts, a Gettysburg area resident, has been an avid researcher of all things Victorian for as long as he can remember.  He created “The Victorian Historian” program in 2018, combining his interest in history and the unusual into an entertaining and educational multimedia program featuring short stories, rare images, audio, and live demonstrations.

He leads his audience through a blast to the past, working his way chronologically to reveal the origin of barbershop quartets, the story of Abraham Lincoln’s beard, the date of the very first camera selfie, and much more.

Adam has presented his program to a variety of organizations over the last several years, including The Gettysburg Heritage Center, The Fairfield Area (PA) Historical Society, the CWRT of South Central Connecticut, The Victorian Society at Falls Church, Virginia, The East Berlin (PA) Historical Preservation Society, and the North Haven (CT) Historical Society.

Also, Adam is the author of three books: “Games That Time Forgot” and “History’s Haunted Headlines”, parts one and two. Another book, “Dear Santa Claus” is on the way.

Partake in a one-of-a-kind journey into the unique, fascinating, and sometimes shocking facts, stories, and happenings to come out of the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

Join us for: “The History of the Grand Army of the Republic” (G.A.R.)
Guest Speaker: Dr. Andy Waskie

Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Soon after the American Civil War ended, many who had served began missing the comrades with whom they’d forged friendships in the fellowship of suffering and the trials and dangers they had faced together.

A few of the veterans’ clubs that soon sprang up around the county grew to became national organizations. Of these, the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) became the nation’s preeminent veterans’ organization and the most powerful single-issue political lobby of the late 19th century.

Professor Waskie was born in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, and pursued a Languages/History major at Bloomsburg University. He studied abroad at Salzburg, Austria, and Marburg, Germany; and received a scholarship to study Slavic Languages at Charles University, Prague. He received an M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from New York University. He performed duty with the Army in Germany and Army Reserves as an Army linguist. He became a teacher of languages and history at Pennsbury School District in Bucks County for 30 years, retiring in 1999 to accept a professorship at Temple University. Waskie was an Associate Professor of Languages and History at Temple University. He retired after 20 years of service in July 2019.

He is a co-founder of the “Civil War & Emancipation Studies” Program at Temple (CWEST) in 2003. As a Civil War historian, author and researcher specializing in Philadelphia, and historian of the life and career of Gen. George G. Meade, he seeks to promote the history of the Civil War Era and of the city. 
He is a member of the Union League of Philadelphia. Waskie serves as president of the General Meade Society of Philadelphia, and as a Board member of several history related institutions and organizations.

Join us as retired Univ. of Temple professor and historian Andy Waskie shares his extensive knowledge about Civil War era veterans’ organizations and, specifically, the G.A.R.

Major General Dan Sickles: An Evening with Devil Dan; the American Scoundrel and Sickles the incredible presented by John Griffiths III

John Griffiths III has been portraying General Daniel E. Sickles since 2015.  Raised in a family that appreciated history, he has been involved in historical presentations from an early age.  He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in History (cum laude) from Norwich University (the Military college of Vermont) and holds a Master’s degree in Colonial American and Military History from the University of South Carolina.

He retired from the U.S. Army as a Major in the Infantry and attended the U.S. Airborne and Ranger School, as well as British Airborne School. His grandfather John W. Griffiths served in WWII as the First Sergeant in the 88th Infantry Division Reconnaissance Platoon in Italy in 1944-45.  His Grand Uncle served in the Navy during WWII and participated in the Allied invasion of Southern France in 1944. His father was drafted during the Korean War era and served in a Mobile Petroleum Pipeline unit.  John Griffiths‘ two sons are also serving in the military. His son John William Griffiths IV is currently on active duty at Fort Bragg and his youngest son Brendan is attending the United States Merchant Marine Academy where he will be commissioned in the U.S. Navy as an Ensign upon graduation.

John Griffiths has been a member of the Confederation of Union Generals since 2013 and is currently the chairman of the organization’s Historic Preservation Committee.   He is featured in two television presentations for PCN television in Pennsylvania and the U.S. Customs Service and regularly gives presentations to local school groups.

A Fiery Fall:  Mosby in the Shenandoah

“A Fiery Fall” – Author and historian Eric Buckland will speak about some of the operations of Mosby’s Rangers in the Shenandoah Valley during the Fall of 1864. Included in his presentation will be descriptions of the Berryville Wagon Train Raid, the fight at Morgan’s Lane, the “Greenback Raid”. Eric will also discuss the execution of 6 Rangers in Front Royal and the subsequent “Death Lottery” conducted by the Rangers.

Eric Buckland has written several books about the lives of some of the men who rode with the 43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry – Mosby’s Rangers and  has given over 100 presentations about the stories in his books. He has  appeared on C-Span and had two articles published in America’s Civil War magazine.  

         Eric graduated from the University of Kansas and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. The majority of his 22-year military career was spent in Special Forces. He retired in 1999 as a Lieutenant Colonel.

  Some of his awards include the Ranger Tab, Special Forces Tab, Master Parachutist Badge, Special Operations Combat Diver Badge, and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge.

  He retired at the end of 2021 from his second career as a Policy Analyst in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

  He is currently in his third term as President of The Stuart-Mosby Historical Society.

  Eric and his wife, Maureen, have been married for over 43 years and reside in Centreville, VA. They have three sons and three grandsons.    

Tom Fontana presents:
“Lincoln Lite'
Tuesday, December 6, 2022

Although best known and admired for his character, political skills, leadership qualities, and accomplishments, President Abraham Lincoln also had a humorous side. December’s speaker, Tom Fontana, will share stories about Lincoln’s “lighter side” (as remembered by those who knew him). He’ll also share other recollections, including some of the songs Lincoln enjoyed, which Tom will perform and, sometimes, invite the audience to join in.

Musician, local living history presenter, photographer and writer Tom Fontana is a resident of Gettysburg, where he presents musical programs and participates with re-enactor bands in and around the Gettysburg National Military Park. 

RICH ROSENTHAL – NOVEMBER 1, 2022 SPEAKER; A TWO PART PROGRAM

PART ONE – GENERAL GRANT’S INFAMOUS ORDER #11, THE EXPULSION OF THE JEWS

Intending to enforce the Lincoln administration’s blockade against the Confederacy to cut off the Confederacy from all trade with the North, on December 17,1862, General Grant issued General Order #11, which stated: “The Jews, as a class, violating every regulation of trade established by the Treasury Department, and also Department orders, are hereby expelled from the Department.”

PART 2 – JUDAH P. BENJAMIN: THE BRAINS OF THE CONFEDERACY, AND A JEW

As Jefferson Davis’s right-hand man, Judah P. Benjamin was the most important Jew of the 19th century – he was also the most widely hated one in the North and portions of the South. Yet, he was a United States Senator and served the Confederacy as Attorney General, Secretary of War, and Secretary of State.

BIOGRAPHY

Rich Rosenthal is the President of the North Jersey Civil War Round Table and worked closely with the pre-eminent historian and author, John T. Cunningham, one of the founders of the North Jersey American Revolution Round Table. Rich has presented numerous lectures on a wide variety of historical subjects and is making a return to the Civil War Round Table of Eastern PA. He resides in Parsippany, New Jersey with his wife, Harriet.

Andy Waskie will guide us on our trip to Laurel Hill Cemetery. Laurel Hill Cemetery is the cemetery with many Civil War heroes including Major General George G. Meade. After touring the cemetery from 10:00 - 12:30, we will go to McGillin’s Old Ale Pub for lunch. The restaurant has provided food and drinks for many US soldiers and the infamous, John Wilkes Booth. After our lunch, we will go to the Union League. A private tour will be provided by Andy. We will leave the Union League and return home that same day.

Andy Waskie is a retired History professor at Temple University. He is an author of the book, “Philadelphia and the Civil War: Arsenal of the Union”. He is a 40-year member of the Board of the Friends of Laurel Hill Cemetery. He has written a history of Laurel Hill and conducted tours at this cemetery for 40 years. While Andy will not take a payment, he requests a donation to the Laurel Hill Cemetery for $20.00. So the more folks who go, the less the price will be. The price for the Union League will be a donation of $100.00 to the friends of the Union League. Again, the more that go, the lower the price. Naturally, our lunch will be on us and the parking when we are downtown. Andy estimates the buffet to be approximately $16.00. The only add-on is I would like to collect just a little more than the cost of admission in order to treat our guide to lunch.

I will request a $10.00 non-refundable deposit. We will also place the flyer on the website and in the newsletter.  However, you must sign up with me (Claire).  If you have any questions, concerns, please contact me at clkuk@ptd.net

John Zinn presents Baseball During the Civil War Era

John’s talk is tailored toward early Pennsylvania baseball history, with a special focus on the 1866 season, where a Philadelphia team was one of two championship contenders.  One of John’s five books is entitled “A Cradle of the National Pastime: New Jersey Baseball.”

John Zinn is an independent historian with a special interest in the history of baseball. He is the Chairman of the Board of the New Jersey Historical Society and was the Chair of New Jersey’s Committee on the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War. John is the author of five books, including The Mutinous Regiment: the 33d New Jersey and the Civil War.  He also writes a blog on baseball history entitled “A Manly Pastime”.  He is the tally keeper/score keeper for the Flemington Neshanock vintage base ball (2 words in the 19th century) team that plays barehanded. John holds BA and MBA degrees from Rutgers University, and he is a Vietnam veteran.

Rev. Dr. Nancy Hale -
Artillery at Gettysburg: The guns, the artillerists, and the Medal of honor

Tonight’s program is a look not only at the types and numbers of guns at Gettysburg, and he technical side of artillery, but also human interest stories of some of the artillerists, including those who were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions.

Reverend Doctor Nancy Hale opened our last campaign year in September with a wonderful talk regarding Civil War chaplains. In a total change of pace, this year finds her in Gettysburg with artillery units. Nancy, a United Methodist minister, moved last year from upstate New York to Central Pennsylvania, and spends as much time as she can in Gettysburg. She is participating for the second year in 100 Nights of Taps, sounding Taps in the National Cemetery during an early evening program held every night through Labor Day. She is also currently working towards becoming a Licensed Battlefield Guide in Gettysburg National Military Park.

Tom Fontana will also be joining us for this first meeting of the year, once again providing period music for the evening. He returns in December with his own program, “Lincoln Lite: The Humorous Side of Mr. Lincoln, as Remembered by Those Who Knew Him.” Tom is a resident of Gettysburg, where he presents musical programs for varied events, as well as participating in re-enactor bands in and around the National Military Park.

Blackberry Raid During Gettysburg Campaign presented by Hampton Newsome

Early in July, 1863, on the same day the Union left held against Gen. Longstreet at Gettysburg, Union Maj. Gen. Erasmus Darwin Keyes advanced from White House Landing, Virginia, site of a major Union Army supply base, to demonstrate against Bottom's Bridge on the Chickahominy river.

The action was a diversionary tactic to cover a planned move against Richmond. Had Keyes been successful, he and the 6,000 men of the IV Corps would have prevented Confederate reinforcements from intercepting Lieut. Col. George Washington Getty's march to the South Anna Railroad bridge—a key component of General Lee's line of communication with Richmond.

Cautious and ineffective, Keyes seemed to spend most of his energy during July manufacturing excuses for his failure. The campaign would mark the abolitionist's last field command; he would later fade into obscurity.

Harry’s Ferry Field Trip led by Retired Chief Ranger Dennis Frye.

Tour starts at 10:00 a.m. sharp so 9:30-9:45 would be as late as we should meet up.
Everyone will have pottied, parked, and paid prior to that.

See details below.

Vivandieres - This program tells the stories of women who served as Vivandieres with the armies.  Many people are surprised to learn that a number of women actually shared the dangers of the battlefield in order to aid the men in their regiments.  Two of these women received medals for “bravery under fire.”  

Jane Peters Estes

Jane is a beloved figure in historical circles and has researched and written about many topics in her areas of interest, including: Christmas Past (Holiday Customs of the Victorian Era); Civil War Nurses; Fashions of the 1860’s; Grave Matters (Victorian Mourning Customs); Wedding Customs and Traditions; Vivandieres; Pets of the Past; The Battle of Gettysburg: Where Were the Women?; Lest We Forget: The Origin & Traditions of Memorial Day; and many others.

For her outstanding efforts, she has been given awards by a number of institutions and organizations, including the Samuel P. Town, ‘Grand Army Award’ by the GAR Museum & Library, the Union League, American Legion Post 405; etc.

“His Record Lives: William P. Randall and the Battle of Hampton Roads” presented by Gordon Calhoun

Join us as the National Museum of the United States Navy’s historian and curator, Gordon Calhoun, presents his recent project, “His Record Lives: William P. Randall and the Battle of Hampton Roads.”

Gordon Calhoun has 25 plus years working for the Navy Museum system, including 20 years at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum. He specializes in 19th Century Naval history, the history of animals in the Navy, and the US Navy Museum exhibits. He is also currently working on a book regarding this month’s subject: “His Record Lives! William P Randal and the Battle of Hampton Roads”.

TOPIC:

In 1861, a whaleman out of New Bedford, Massachusetts, the whaling capital of the world, returned to port after another long voyage. Once home again, he joined the Union Navy, as did many of his peers. In March 1862, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Randal found himself aboard the USS Cumberland at the Battle of Hampton Roads. Gordon tells us Randal’s story, from Hampton Roads and beyond.

Myths and Meanings of the Civil War presented by Randall Miller

In an illustrated lecture on “Myths and Meanings of the Civil War” Dr. Randall Miller, Professor of History at Saint Joseph’s University and author of many works on the Civil War era, will discuss how the experience of the war shaped ideas of America as “a nation” not just a Union, affected the way people remembered the war in memorials and monuments, and expanded the scope of what it meant to be a democracy and who belonged as a citizen.

Randall M. Miller is the William Dirk Warren `50 Sesquicentennial Chair and Professor of History at Saint Joseph’s University. He is the author or editor of numerous books, which treat such various topics as African-American culture and life, slavery, religion, social reform, popular culture, politics, regional cultures (especially the American South and the Mid-Atlantic), colonial life, the American Revolution, Civil War and Reconstruction, urban affairs, mass media, and ethnic and immigrant history.

“We Fight for Our Rights, Liberty, Justice, and Union: The Battle of New Market Heights” (US Colored Troops) presented by Tim Talbott

On September 29, 1864, the soldiers of United States Colored Troops 3rd Division, XVIII Corps, Army of the James, stepped off to do battle and stepped into history. During this engagement 14 African American soldiers and two white officers performed heroic acts that earned the Medal of Honor. This presentation will provide both an overview of the battle and share stories of some of the soldiers who fought there.

Presented by Tim Talbott. Tim is the Director of Education, Interpretation, Visitor Services and Collections at Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier in Petersburg, Virginia. He is President of the Battle of New Market Heights Memorial and Education Association. He maintains the Random Thoughts on History blog and has published articles in both book and scholarly journal formats.

“BACK FROM BATTLE” – The Forgotten Story of Pennsylvania’s Camp Discharge and the Weary Civil War Soldiers It Served” – A new book by co-authors Jim Remsen and Brad Upp

Historian Jim Remsen will give an illustrated presentation about this brand new book, released in September 2021. The book has been nominated for a Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History award. 

Camp Discharge was erected in 1864 in Lower Merion, on a slope above the Schuylkill River. It had a special mission – to muster out hundreds of individual soldiers from Eastern Pennsylvania who had been cut off from their regiments in the field. Some of the men had been waylaid by battle wounds or illness, others by detached duty. A few were deserters, while nearly half were POWs who had been held at Andersonville and elsewhere. By 1866, the post was gone, and the men had gone on to their uncertain futures in post Civil War America.

Jim Remsen is a retired Inquirer journalist, author of three prior books, and a past presenter at the GAR Museum.

Brad Upp, who is unavailable for this program, is the book’s co-author, a re-enactor with the 69th Pennsylvania Infantry, and a board member of the Lower Merion Historical Society, which supported the development of the book. 

Armistead and Hancock

presented by Tom McMillan

Heroes aren’t born. They are manufactured, made up, invented.

Heroes are social constructs, embedded in popular folklore and passed down from generation to generation to help us process cataclysmic events.

Case in point: Lewis Armistead and Winfield Scott Hancock. The opposing Civil War generals were acquaintances but hardly BFFs, at least by today’s definition. Yet pop culture embellished and promoted their fractured friendship to symbolize how the Civil War divided our nation and pitted “brother against brother.’’

Author and Civil War buff Tom McMillan deconstructs the Armistead-Hancock myth in his excellent new book, “Armistead and Hancock: Behind the Gettysburg Legend of Two Friends at the Turning Point of the Civil War.’’

About the Author

Tom McMillan, a lifelong student of the Civil War, has served on the board of trustees of Pittsburgh’s Heinz History Center, the board of directors of the Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial, and the marketing committee of the Gettysburg Foundation. His previous books are Flight 93: The Story, The Aftermath and The Legacy of American Courage on 9/11 (2014) and Gettysburg Rebels: Five Native Sons Who Came Home to Fight as Confederate Soldiers (2017), which won the Bachelder-Coddington Literary Award. He retired after a forty-three-year career in sports media and communications. McMillan lives in Pittsburgh. On Tom’s previous visit to us, on March 6, 2018, he spoke regarding his "Gettysburg Rebels" book.

Veterans Reunion of 1913 at Gettysburg presented by Michael Jesberger

They Meet Again - The 1913 Reunion of the Battle of Gettysburg

The 1913 Gettysburg reunion was a Gettysburg Battlefield encampment of American Civil War veterans for the Battle of Gettysburg's 50th anniversary. The June 29–July 4 gathering of 53,407 veterans was the largest ever Civil War veteran reunion. The lecture will discuss the planning, logistics and personal stories from the event including original photos. Join historical reenactor, lecturer and tour guide Michael Jesberger for a discussion on this story of Pennsylvania Civil War history.

Mr. Jesberger is an independent military historian who specializes in the American Revolution and Civil War time periods. He is renowned for his depth and breadth of knowledge , as well as his engaging and passionate presentation style, whether providing formal lectures, living history presentations or tours of historic sites in the Tri-state area.

A member of numerous history based organizations and active in the reenactment community, he participates in numerous battle reenactments, living history programs and ceremonies to honor our first and current veterans. A lifelong resident of the Philadelphia region, Mr. is a native of Northeast Philadelphia and has relocated to Bucks and Montgomery County, PA and currently resides in Lansdale, PA with his wife, Amy, Son, Erik and two daughters, Erin and Emma.