Monthly Archives: June 2016
“I Threw Down My Sword!”
I’m a fan of the movie Gettysburg. There, I said it. Why? Well, it’s a long treatment of the battle, many parts were filmed on the battlefield, and in some cases it’s fun to critique its treatment of the Civil War and the battle. One thing we need to remember, though, is that it’s awful history, […]
Pennsylvania Cable Network Announces Gettysburg Schedule
PCN, the Pennsylvania Cable Network, has the schedule for this year’s Gettysburg Anniversary posted online. You can see it here. Coverage begins Thursday, June 30, at 9AM EDT with an interview with Bradley Gottfried on his book, The Maps of Gettysburg. On Friday, July 1, things begin in earnest with an 8AM interview with J. D. […]
On-the-Job Training: The Army of the Potomac at the Start of the Gettysburg Campaign
War can be very unforgiving. It doesn’t stop just because you’re new, and the more experience one has, generally speaking, the better one performs. Yet, war also leads to attrition. Officers are killed and wounded and have to be replaced. Some officers lack the competence to be successful at a particular level and have to […]
Self-Pity of the Defeated & ‘Lies Agreed Upon’: The Lost Cause and Memory of the American Civil War
This is a pretty good presentation on the lost cause and its development by Professor John Barr of Lone Star College–Kingwood. The video’s description reads, “Lone Star College-Kingwood, in association with the Center for Civic Engagement, provides thought provoking discussions on the campus common read “Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me)” by Carol Tavris […]
Lunch and Learn: Why Didn’t the North Hang Jeff Davis?
Here’s Brianna Kirk (Gettysburg College, Class of 2015) speaking on why Jefferson Davis wasn’t hanged after the Civil War. I can’t say I agree with all she says, but she makes a good argument. The video’s description reads, “Jefferson Davis led an effort to break up the United States, yet he never faced punishment or […]
CWI 2017: A Look Ahead
This year’s conference is in the books, and Pete Carmichael and his staff have hit another home run. It was a great conference filled with learning, and I can’t wait for more. I’ve already registered for next year’s Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. The lineup looks awesome. You can see the current schedule here. […]
CWI 2016 Day Five
We kicked off the last day of the conference with battlefield tours. This day we followed “Gettysburg Through the Eyes of a Soldier.” I was in the group following William T. Livermore of the 20th Maine, led by Jared Peatman. We followed the 20th Maine’s entrance into the area and their march to Little Round […]
CWI 2016 Day Four
Monday, June 20 started with battlefield tours. I was on the “Training & Education: The Gettysburg Battlefield and Its Uses for the Military Professional” excursion with Chris Stowe of the U.S. Marine Corps University at Quantico. This was an excellent tour. We talked about how the U.S. military used the battlefield over the years, including […]
CWI 2016 Day Three
Sunday, June 19, 2016 began with a conversation on “The Return of the Union Veteran” with Lesley Gordon of the University of Akron, James Marten of Marquette University, and Barbara Gannon of the University of Central Florida. In her opening remarks, Professor Gordon made the point the veterans had a spectrum of experiences ranging from […]
“The Lost Cause, Confederate Memory, and the Southern Way of War”
Here’s Professor Susannah Ural of Southern Mississippi University giving a terrific lecture on the Lost Cause and Memory of the War. She punctures a few myths that made their way into the conventional wisdom along the way.
Student of the American Civil War 
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