BGES Makes Contingency Plans for 2020-2021 Tours

The arrival of Coronavirus in the midst of a great 2020 program flared up as we were doing the final registration forms for 2020 and had just agreed with historians and received approval for our 2021 program. With the rolling cancellations on 2020 and leaving the possibility of doing some of the schedule later in 2020, we are presenting two schedules with caveats. For the current BGES schedule for 2020 and 2021, click here. For the revised 2021 schedule, assuming the cancellation of all 2020 programs, click here.

I know everyone is disappointed at the delays and uncertainties in the current year schedule—none more than us. We were moving toward record enrollment and an excellent year with about 130 individual registrations for coming programs when the plague hit. Uggh. Let’s address the status of those programs in 2020 that were directly affected with registrations:

• March 2020: “North Carolina in the Civil War,” with Bert Dunkerly and Wade Sokolosky. Rescheduled to March 2-7, 2021, in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
• April 2020: “Atlanta on the Weekend—Part 1 Dalton,” with Robert Jenkins. Rescheduled for November 4-6, 2020, and combined to be back-to-back with “Raseca, Part 2,” November 6-8, 2020. If lost in November, it will be moved to April 21-25, 2021.
• May 2020: “A Historian’s Reflections on the First Day at Gettysburg,” with Scott Hartwig. Moved to September 18-20, 2020. If lost in September, it will be moved to April 30-May 2, 2021.
• May 2020: “The Overland Campaign Part I,” with Gordon Rhea. It was moved to October 26-31, 2020, and now it has been moved to May 16-21, 2021, with Part 2 moved to May 2022.
• June 2020: “On Sacred Grounds,” with Neil Mangum. It was moved to August 13-18, 2020, and is now cancelled and will not be rescheduled.
• June 2020: “Any Victory Not Bathed in Blood: William Rosecrans’s Tullahoma Advance,” with Jim Ogden. It has been moved to August 17-20, 2021.
• June 2020: “All’s Fair in War, Streight’s Raid and Forrest’s Bluff,” with Brian Wills and Norm Dasinger. It has been moved to October 2-4, 2020, and if lost in October, it moves to August 21-23, 2021.
• July 2020: “Sheridan in the Valley, Fall 1864” with Scott Patchan and Gary Ecelbarger. It moves to September 7-11, 2021.
• July 2020: “Civil War 101: Gettysburg: The Greatest Battle of War,” with Dave Collins and Len Riedel. It moves to June 11-13, 2021,
• July 2020: “Grant Moves South: A Star Ascends to the West.” It has been moved to 2022.
• August 2020: “Lincoln Assassination and Trial of the Conspirators,” with Paul Severance. Canceled.
• We will make a call on September programs by July 1, and we will announce it similar to this in the July Newsletter. We have rescheduled the rest of the year, but until firm we will hold onto the drafted list.

We will reach out to all the people affected by the schedule changes and work with them to mitigate and if necessary refund the money they have paid. We appreciate your forbearance as we eat this elephant one bite at a time. I hope the rescheduled dates will meet your needs. I know airlines are being very forgiving right now, as are hotels, so hopefully this is just “Til we meet again on the field of battle.”

Thanks for your patience.

Len Riedel