Three Gettysburg Monuments Moved and Preserved Thanks to Eastern PA CWRT

The following was a post from Emerging Civil War on December 7, 2021…

By the end of 1863, the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association began to preserve the sacred soil of the Gettysburg battlefield. As time passed, veterans returned to the field in order to dedicate monuments to permanently tell their stories. Some of the first monuments around the Angle are for Massachusetts regiments that advanced to the copse of trees near the Angle to help contain Confederate breakthroughs during Pickett’s Charge on July 3. Specifically, the 15th, 19th, and 20th Massachusetts Infantry Regiments staked a claim on the memory of the battle by placing their monuments directly on the south end of the copse. However, visitors who have seen the modern landscape may immediately notice this historic image does not look the same today, and that the monuments are no longer in their original context. What happened, and why were their monuments moved?

CLICK HERE TO READ WHY (And how our CWRT became involved!)

December 7 Meeting Summary and Photos

Members and guests were treated to an interesting presentation by returning guest speaker Tom McMillan on Tuesday December 7th. McMillan talked about his latest book, Armistead and Hancock - Behind the Gettysburg Legend of Two Friends at the Turning Point of the Civil War.

His premise was that Lewis Armistead and Winfield Scott Hancock, the opposing Civil War generals, were acquaintances but hardly best friends. Yet after the book Killer Angels and the movie “Gettysburg” their friendship was embellished to symbolize how the Civil War divided our nation and pitted “brother against brother.’’ McMillan touched on the famous “Friend to Friend” statue in the Cemetery Annex at Gettysburg. After being wounded Armistead was taken off the field to the George Samngler Farm - one of the sites of our Spring 2021 field trip to Gettysburg.

As usual, Laura arranged and introduced the program, and we had our monthly book raffle winners for Preservation.

Photos below:

Field Trip to Harper's Ferry on June 4, 2022 Led by Retired Chief Ranger Dennis Frye

A Fantastic experience awaits members and friend of the CWRT, as we head to Harper’s Ferry on Saturday June 4th.
A deposit is needed.
See the details below.

From the Brigade Commander - December 2021

From the Brigade Commander

With several brigade meetings now under our belt, it’s starting to feel like the old days again. And that feels really good!

We’ve got another, terrific presentation lined up for our December 7th meeting. Tom McMillan will return to the CWRT of Eastern Pa. stage to share the true story of the relationship between C.S.A. general Lewis Armistead and U.S. general Winfield Scott Hancock. You’ll find details on page 2.

Inside this issue, you’ll also get a sneak peek at the June, 2022, field trip to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Our guide for the day will be none other than Dennis Frye, former chief historian at Harper’s Ferry and recipient of the Distinguished Service Award—the Department of the Interior’s highest honor. Hearing Dennis speak is an almost incomparable treat, and we hope you’ll be able to join us. We’ll share more details about the trip as soon as we can.

In the meantime, I offer best wishes to you and yours for a safe and joyous holiday season.

Barry

P.S. ‘Tis the season, in case you’re thinking about year-end charitable giving. You need only to glance at our brigade’s credentials (at the bottom of this page) or visit page 5 of this newsletter to appreciate the huge impact of individual giving when matched by challenge grants. Also, remember that the CARES Act was extended to the end of 2021, which means that even non- itemizers can deduct up to $300 of charitable donations on their tax returns ($600 for married couples filing jointly).

November 2 Meeting Summary and Photos

Mike Jesberger was our presenter at the November 2 meeting. He fascinated us with details of the 50th Anniversary Reunion of the Battle of Gettysburg.

He spoke of how the reunion commission managed to stage a massive gathering of 53,000 Veterans, including 45,000 Union and 8,000 Confederate soldiers.

With financial contribution from state and federal government, and planning as if was a war itself, the reunion featured President Woodrow Wilson and lasted 6 days (June 29 to July 6), under the theme of Remembrance, Reflection, and Resolution.

The 280 acres hosted tents for housing, mess, latrines, medical, and many more practical functions. Water supplies were established, surgeries prepared, train schedules altered, and the town prepped.

Jesberger noted that the %3,000 number includes only veterans, not family, press or other visitors. An amazing accomplishment for a town that in the 50 years since the battle only had grown from 2,500 to 5,000 residents.

Preservation Raffle Winner for November

From the Brigade Commander - November 2021

We had a nice turnout for last month’s meeting and more lecture walk-ins than we’ve seen in a while—a trend I hope to see continue. You can help make this possible by sharing news of our lectures with your friends, coworkers, neighbors and family members. You’ll find a partial listing of Campaign 44 lectures inside and a complete listing on our website.

Our lectures are less than half the cost of a movie theater ticket ($5) and enlighten, inspire and fire the imagination with examples of heroism, cowardice, faith and fearlessness—enough to leave anyone feeling more than satisfied. (Your friends are also welcome to join us for dinner, by the way.) Plus, don’t forget that we’ve got an incentive program in place right now for the member who brings in the highest number of new members. You’ll find program details inside.

Last month’s speaker, Bert Dunkerly, treated attendees to an excellent lecture about all of the Civil War surrenders that occurred after Appomattox. (Inside, you’ll find a story about the very last of the Confederate generals to surrender.) This month, historian and reenactor Mike Jesberger will present a lecture about the 1913 Reunion at Gettysburg, an event now almost forgotten. Touted as the “Great Reunion,” it turned out to be more about men seeking deeply personal interactions and a desire to bury the hatchet and heal.

We continue with a Confederate theme in this month’s newsletter, which showcases several officers— one who behaved badly, one honorably, and one insisting they were just following orders. Enjoy!

Barry

October 5th Meeting Summary and Photos

October 5th was our second in-person meeting of this campaign year and it was great to see each other face-to-face. After a good meal and our book raffle, we were treated to a fascinating account of the surrenders which took place after Appomattox, but which never receive the media attention of the one between Lee and Grant.

Robert M. (Bert) Dunkerly spoke of the differences between the Appomattox event and those which followed. Grant had the army issue certificates of parole, which allowed Confederate soldiers to use Union transportation to surrender weapons and return home.

Of Lee’s much larger force, only 28,231 actually surrendered   Many others escaped or left.  over an mumber of days there were a series of surrender ceremonies, including the April 10 Calvary surrender; the April 11 artillery surrender, and the April 12 Infantry surrender..

Appomattox was the only one to have a ceremony, with Confederate soldiers passing through lines of Union troops.

In North Carolina, Johnston heard Lee’s surrender, and asked for terms. Initially generous terms were given, but rejected by the new DC government after Lincoln’s assassination. Even though ordered to resume fighting by Jefferson Davis, Johnston refused, and on April 26, Sherman and Johnston signed a new surrender agreement, similar to the one Grant and Lee’s Appomattox pact. This became the largest surrender of the war, involving 88,000 soldiers.

In Alabama, Richard Taylor, the son of President Zachary Taylor, petitioned for terms from Union Gen Canby and on May 4, surrendered almost 40,000 troops at the Magee house near the railroad.

Meanwhile in Mississippi, Buckner Smith and Canby concluded an agreement at the Charles hotel in New Orleans, and signed in Galveston harbor on June 2, involving 55,000 troops.

Further West in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) another pact was entered into at Fort Townsend in June. Finally by end of June all Confederate troops had surrendered.

Photos from the September 7, 2021 Meeting

We were finally able to meet once again in person.

We held the delayed print raffle from last year, as well as the monthly book raffle. All proceeds go to Historic Preservation!

Nancy Jill Hale and Tom Fontana treated us to a fine presentation via Power Point, Audio files, and Live Music concerning Union Civil War Chaplains at Gettysburg.

From the Brigade Commander - September 2021

Great news! The American Battlefield Trust (ABT) has once again named the CWRT of Eastern Pa., Inc. as a Color Bearer. This honor is limited to 1,400 groups/individuals which, together, raise 50 percent of funds used by the ABT for battlefield preservation. Inside this issue, we also share several examples of how individual CWRT members, past and present, are making/have made important contributions in the areas of battlefield preservation and the continued study of American history.

We are fortunate to have found an able replacement for Dennis Frye, our planned-for September speaker. Unfortunately, a pressing family matter has compelled him to cancel all of his fall speaking engagements, including his visit to the Lehigh Valley. Dr. Rev. Nancy Hill who, in her spare time, is a Civil War reenactor and novelist, will, instead, be joining us on September 7. Read more about Nancy and a summary of her presentation on the Upcoming Events page. Although Dennis will not join us as a speaker this campaign year, we hope to be able to reschedule last year’s planned field trip to Harpers Ferry, which would be led by Dennis.

The hotel has made minor changes to its pandemic protocol, most of which have nothing more to do with us than a change in how our meeting space will be configured. The good news is that, as of now, the hotel is able to accommodate more than four people per dining table. We’ll soon learn whether the meal will be plated or made available in buffet format. Masks are still required in public spaces but are optional in our meeting room space.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone again, and hope you— and possibly a friend or two—will join us in September.

BARRY

New Program Announced for September - Faith & Duty - Presented by Nancy Jill Hale

When the Civil War erupts in 1861 and drags the nation into a bloody contest, it threatens not only the lives of the men of the Third Northern New York Regiment, but also the faith of their chaplain, Rev. John Wesley Sanders. At the war’s outset, John is a pastor in a bucolic town in the far northern reaches of New York, where he believes he and his neighbors will be sheltered from the horrors that lie ahead. But his cocoon of tranquility is shattered when his good friend James Barnett is asked to serve as the colonel for a new Union regiment. James recruits soldiers from among the local residents and invites John to serve as the regiment’s chaplain, but John hesitates. Even though he strongly supports abolition, he struggles to reconcile warfare with a faith that teaches love for enemies. 

 Rev. Dr. Nancy Jill Hale is a United Methodist Pastor and Civil War reenactor, serving as the chaplain for the 118th NY Volunteer Infantry Adirondack Regiment. She is interested in the role of chaplains during the Civil War and has authored a work of historical fiction about a chaplain's struggle to reconcile his faith with his duty to nation and its cause. She is doing research into the stories of actual chaplains, who are in many ways unsung heroes of the war.