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When CIA employees walk into their headquarters in suburban Virginia, they are now greeted by a young Black woman. She’s holding a lantern and armed with a pistol in her belt, looking fearless.
The woman is Harriet Tubman, a hero of the Underground Railroad, portrayed in a striking bronze statue recently unveiled at the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley.
The idea for the statue came from CIA officers who studied Tubman in a leadership class, including her time spying for the Union Army during the Civil War.
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“This is very meaningful,” said Cobbs, who wrote a historical novel about Tubman’s role gathering intelligence for the Union Army, "The Tubman Command."
“She was a kick-ass spy operating in extremely difficult circumstances with extremely high stakes,” said Cobbs, a professor at Texas A&M University.
Although school children are familiar with Tubman’s work helping rescue slaves and bring them to freedom in the North, when she was dubbed “Moses,” her time as a Union Army nurse and spy is often overlooked, Cobbs said.
In June 1863, Tubman played a crucial role in the planning and execution of a daring raid into Confederate territory in South Carolina, leading a team of eight scouts who gathered intelligence on enemy positions on the Combahee river.
Through her intelligence gathering, she learned that some Confederate gun emplacements had been removed and that defensive positions were lightly manned, according to Cobbs.
Tubman then took part in the raid, leading Union gunboats to strategic points near the shore where fleeing slaves were waiting.
The operation came off without a hitch and with no Union Army losses. More than 750 slaves were liberated, a pontoon bridge destroyed and troops disembarked to torch valuable Confederate property, including plantations, fields, mills, warehouses and mansions.
Newspaper accounts in the North hailed the raid and credited an unnamed Black woman as the mastermind of the effort, a “she Moses.” Her role in the operation made her the first American woman to command an armed military raid, and last year, Tubman was accepted into the U.S. Army Military Intelligence Corps Hall.
After the war, Tubman had financial struggles and was denied repeated requests for a Union Army pension, which was awarded to Black soldiers who took part in the same raid. After 30 years, she was granted a pension for her work as a nurse, not as a soldier and an intelligence officer.
Devil's Den circa 1909. NPS Photo
GETTYSBURG, PA. – Gettysburg National Military Park announces that Devil’s Den will reopen to visitors on Friday, September 30.
A six-month rehabilitation project was necessary to address significant erosion along walkways and unauthorized social trails that created safety hazards. The project reestablished the features that make up this segment of the battlefield and will allow visitors to better immerse themselves into the historic landscape that is essential to understanding the three-day Battle of Gettysburg.
Numerous safety measures were included in this project.
· The project provided a major increase in ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) trail surface by 214%, from 700 square feet to 2,200 square feet.
· The project decreased the overall hardscape (trail surface) by 70 square feet. The increase to overall greenspace, and additional water runoff mitigation efforts, will better absorb, deflect, and slow water runoff and decrease the chances for future landscape erosion.
· Slip resistant granite steps replaced uneven and worn stone steps throughout the project area. The slip resistant steps provide a consistent, rough surface (even when wet) that will provide a safer walking surface for visitors throughout the year.
Although the area will reopen to visitors, one central area will remain fenced to allow more time for further vegetation growth. The fencing in this area will remain until native grasses have fully established. This process may take up to two growing seasons – up to 2024. In the interim, all non-native vegetation will continue to be treated within the entire project area.
For more information about this project, including project timeline, photos, and maps, please visit our website at https://go.nps.gov/DevilsDenRehab.
Jason Martz, Communications Specialist
Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site will conduct lethal removal of white-tailed deer as part of the White-tailed Deer Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement between October 2022 through March 2023.
This action addresses over-browsing of native vegetation and agricultural crops and is a management strategy that supports long- term protection, preservation, and restoration of critical elements of the cultural landscape and other natural and cultural resources while maintaining a deer population at both park units. The cultural landscapes of both park units are fundamental resources and critical to the interpretation of the events that took place at each park.
Hunting is not permitted inside the two parks--only qualified federal employees will take part in the effort to manage the deer populations affecting the parks. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services will be doing the work under an inter-agency agreement with the National Park Service (NPS). NPS closely coordinates all activities associated with implementation of the plan with the Borough of Gettysburg, surrounding Townships including Cumberland, Mount Joy and Straban, state law enforcement officials and with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
In June of 2017 the Pennsylvania Game Commission designated a new Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Management Area which includes a portion of Gettysburg National Military Park and all of Eisenhower National Historic Site. For this culling season all culled deer will be tested for CWD regardless of which area they are taken from.
Once negative CWD tests are confirmed, all venison will be donated to local area food banks and non-profits via United Way of Adams County.
Jason Martz, Communications Specialist
Gettysburg National Military Park & Eisenhower National Historic Site
THE GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC (G.A.R.) CIVIL WAR MUSEUM & ARCHIVE
Presents a New Program via ZOOM Sunday, October 2, 2022 at 1:00pm
“Philadelphia’s Civil War Military Hospitals: Then and Now”
Presented by Walt Lafty
By the beginning of the Civil War, Philadelphia had already become the leading center of medical education and practice in the country. It would also become one of the largest and most influential military hospital departments in the Union.
This program will discuss many of the two dozen military hospitals that treated over 157,000 soldiers from 1861 thru 1865. Some military hospitals were known for their specialties, some known for other reasons. We will look at the locations of where they provided services then and what those locations look like today. We will also look at the organization and transportation system which helped provide support to those military hospitals.
Walt Lafty BIO
Walt Lafty has been active in various Civil War groups for many years. Those include the Delaware Valley CWRT where he is a board member as well as a member of the preservation committee. He also is a member of Baker-Fisher Camp 101 Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War in Hatboro and currently serves as the camp secretary. In addition, he is an active member of the Old Baldy CWRT, and at the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Museum Walt serves as the research administrator and volunteer.
Please send a request to reserve a virtual seat for this outstanding presentation by replying to this e-mail at garmuslib1866@gmail.com
You will be sent a link with a password that will enable you to access the program within 24 hours of the start of the presentation.
We will make every effort to reply, but G-Mail may be slow and our volunteer may be called away during the day before or the morning October 2.
As a lover of history, you know how critical it is to keep history alive, especially today! We very much appreciate your continued support for the Museum.
A FREE virtual program online
GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC MUSEUM & ARCHIVE
8110 Frankford Ave. (Holmesburg Neighborhood - N.E. Philadelphia)
• www.garmuslib.org
From the Gettysburg Connection
September 17, 2022 by Alex J. Hayes
The story of the three-day battle of Gettysburg, its aftermath, and President Abraham Lincoln’s immortal Gettysburg Address has been told thousands of times in hundreds of ways.
But the people who have lived in Gettysburg and the other 33 Adams County municipalities for hundred of years, and even the dinosaurs who once roamed here, have stories too. And the Adams County Historical Society is excited to tell them at its new 5,000-square-foot museum on Biglerville Road, Cumberland Township.
“There has never been a museum or historic site that truly paid tribute to the story of Gettysburg and Adams County,” said the society’s Executive Director Andrew Dalton. “This is a museum about the people of our community and how they dealt with events of national significance. They were ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events.”
The museum is part of a 29,000-square-foot facility that, when complete, will include a cafe, reading room, library, climate-controlled archive storage, event space, and conference room. It is currently an active construction site and the realization of a dream the society has had almost the entire time 25-year-old Dalton has been alive. Dalton and Education Director Tim Smith live and breathe the museum’s progress and can describe every detail without notes.
“Sometimes I come in here and stop to think this facility could be here in 100 years,” Dalton said. “It’s exciting to think about how many millions of people will come through here.”
Construction is expected to be complete in November and a soft opening is planned for February, in conjunction with filmmaker Ken Burn’s Film Festival at the Majestic Theater Feb 10-12.
The museum will be an interactive experience featuring videos by filmmaker and Gettysburg native Jake Boritt. Visitors will stand in a recreation of Samuel Gettys’ Tavern on Race Horse Alley, highlighted with audio recreating early 1800s tavern talk.
The Battle of Gettysburg is not ignored, but the focus is on how thousands of soldiers descending on the town affected the people who lived here. A 360-degree immersive experience will give museum goers an understanding of what it was like to stand in a home as bullets and cannon balls flew around it.
“We sunk the floor so we could have audio of a family hiding in the basement. You are basically in there and experiencing the battle with them,” Dalton said.
Adams County life after the battle is highlighted with stories about the apple industry, World Wars I and II, President Dwight David Eisenhower’s Gettysburg home, battlefield preservation, the evolution of tourism, and immigration. One wall is dedicated to people who made a large impact on this town, including former director of South Central Community Action Programs Jean Odom and teacher and battlefield guide Colonel Jacob Sheads.
The second floor will house archives, a library, offices, and the Battlefield Overlook Event Center. The event center will be available to rent for special events such as weddings, reunions and other parties. Giant windows present a beautiful view of Barlow Knoll, where fighting occurred on July 1, 1863.
“You need to make some means of making museum money besides museum admission,” Smith said.
Smith is most excited about expanding educational programming so he can share his love for Adams County history.
Dalton and Smith said the construction process has been going smoothly, mostly thanks to the support of many donors. The entire $10.5 million project is almost completely funded, but donations are still being accepted. The society must raise another $1 million by February 2023 to receive a $1 million “all or nothing” match from local philanthropists David and Pauline LeVan.
Loring and Jean Schultz, owners of the Farnsworth Inn in Gettysburg, excitedly presented a $5,000 check to Dalton on Sept. 15.
“We hope this inspires other people and other local businesses to step forward,” Schultz said.
More information on the Adams County Historical Society, including how to support the campaign, can be found at https://www.achs-pa.org.
Saturday, September 17 - Sunday, September 18 from 10:00am to 3:30pm
All for the Union: How Society Wove Itself into the Fabric of the Civil War
The Civil War comes to the Peter Wentz Farmstead September 17th and 18th!
Come and experience how the War affected society from both a military and civilian perspective. Witness artillery demonstrations from Battery F, First Pennsylvania Light Artillery and learn how soldiers camped in the field.
Meet members of the U.S. Sanitary Commission to understand how civilians aided the war effort.
Learn stories of enslaved Freedom Seekers from UGR3Day Underground Railroad Experiences, Inc.
Visit the Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center’s exhibit on Montgomery County’s own General John Hartranft.
Enjoy rousing music from the Fort Delaware Cornet Band.
All ages, free.
No registration required.
Address: 2030 Shearer Road. Lansdale, PA 19446
The Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center in Pennsburg PA announces the opening of J. F. Hartranft and the Schwenkfelder Experience in the Civil War!
Come learn about Medal of Honor recipient Hartranft’s role in the war, his post-war position as special provost marshal of Washington and warden of the Washington Arsenal holding the Lincoln assassination conspirators, and of course, his time as governor of Pennsylvania.
They kick off on Saturday, September 24, with a public program. Living historian Mark Grim will do first-person portrayal of Hartranft in “Imprisonment, Trial and Execution of the Lincoln Conspirators—an Overview” at 2:00. Descendants of Schwenkfelder immigrant Tobias Hartranft are invited to the Hartranft Homecoming that day.
The public also is welcome Sunday, October 30, at 2:00 pm to hear historian Craig Bird on John F. Hartranft’s Masonic connections.
Other fall activities for the exhibit include offsite opportunities to share more about the exhibit September 17 at the Peter Wentz Farmstead in Worcester and October 29 at the Montgomery Cemetery in Norristown.
See the complete schedule below and at www.schwenkfelder.org
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The Opportunity
We need your help in saving pieces of three battlefields at three separate sites: Chancellorsville in Virginia, Gilgal Church in Georgia, and Corinth in Mississippi.
These three tracts total 52 acres in size and have a combined transaction value of more than $1.6 million— a sizeable amount because they are highly sought-after sites for new development.
Thanks to landowner donations plus expected government grants, we need to raise less than 10% of that amount — $160,680 — which means that for every dollar you donate today, it will be multiplied by $10.30!
American Battlefield Trust
The History
Three Acres in Chancellorsville
The first is a three-acres piece of battlefield land that factored into the Battle of Chancellorsville. The tract has been squarely in the bullseye of residential developers eager to cash in on the explosive growth taking place outside the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Bolstered by your generosity, we intend to stitch the property together with other previously preserved tracts to complete the preservation of the Flank Attack portion of the Chancellorsville Battlefield and add to the interpretation of General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s renowned and daring maneuver.
18 Acres at Gilgal Church
The second property is an 18-acre parcel from the Battle of Gilgal Church, which saw fighting June 15-17, 1864 and is located just southwest of the town of Kennesaw, Georgia. This will be the Trust’s very first preservation action at the battlefield if we can secure it.
The 18 acres has been under threat of residential development for several years and holds some of the last remnants of Civil War entrenchments to be found anywhere along the route of Sherman’s Atlanta campaign.
After raising the money needed to purchase the land, we will place a conservation easement on the property for use as a historic park. Because it’s located just outside of downtown Atlanta, you can imagine how highly attractive this property is to developers. And thanks to the landowner’s willingness to sell to us — and hopefully your willingness to help us raise the needed funds — we’ll be able to protect this land forever!
32 Acres in Corinth
The third and largest tract is a 32-acre parcel that includes the once-extensive, seven-mile line of earthworks commonly known as the Beauregard Line. It was built in 1862 by Confederate forces using slave labor to defend the strategic transportation hub of Corinth, Mississippi.
This tract later became part of the Corinth Contraband Camp, established for thousands of ex-slaves. A security company comprised of those slaves eventually formed the nucleus for the 1st Alabama Infantry of Colored Descent — later the 55th U.S. Colored Infantry.
The tract’s owner seriously considered developing the land, long sought after by residential builders, before signing a purchase contract with the Trust. This is why we can’t hesitate a second.
Take Action
These three tracts totaling 52 acres are key pieces in advancing the Trust’s preservation efforts at three different and historic Civil War battlefields.
Please join in saving this hallowed ground and taking advantage of an amazing $10.30-to-$1 match. Make a gift now before more hallowed ground is lost forever.
Virginia Memorial in the early 1900s. NPS Photo.
GETTYSBURG, PA. – Preservation work on the Virginia Memorial at Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP) will begin by Tuesday, September 6 and will conclude by September 30. The current ferric patination, applied in the early 1980’s, has failed in many areas and has left the bronze with a very flat, dull finish that provides little to no depth when viewed. National Park Service preservation professionals from the Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC) in Frederick, Maryland will conduct this vital preservation work. This project will ensure a lasting professional patination closely approximating the original patination, in recipe, color, depth, and longevity.
The existing brown patina is not original to the work. The current patina also shows areas of wear from decades of exposure to the elements. Preservation professionals from HPTC will correct these issues by removing the current sealer, patina, and corrosion. When reduced to a bare metal surface, a patina of sulphurated potash will be applied, and this surface will be sealed with clear microcrystalline paste wax. The use of a sulphurated potash patina has been historically documented on work at Gettysburg NMP and is very stable for outdoor exposure. The new patina will result in a darker finish that is historically correct and is the primary sealer in use for bronze elements throughout the park’s monument collection.
The immediate grass circle around the memorial will be closed during this project. The circle drive around the memorial is expected to remain open with intermittent closures to facilitate the work and visitor safety. West Confederate Avenue will remain open at all times. The Virginia Memorial was dedicated in 1917.
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Jason Martz
Communications Specialist
Gettysburg National Military Park & Eisenhower National Historic Site
Office - 717.338.4423
