Barbara Noe Kennedy 
Perched at the confluence of the Maury and James Rivers in the Shenandoah Valley, Lexington has tons of history that precedes it. Before the Civil War, Stonewall Jackson lived on East Washington Street with his wife, Anna, while he taught at VMI; he’s buried at Oak Grove Cemetery. After the war, Robert E. Lee helped … Read more
The Civil War wasn’t just a man’s war. For the first time in American history, women played a significant role in the wartime effort. Women took on jobs beyond their society-mandated ones inside the home, including spy, nurse, and soldier. Clara Barton once claimed that the four-year war advanced the social position of women by … Read more
A picture is worth a thousand words, so the saying goes. If that’s the case, then the General Samuel C. Lawrence’s Civil War Photo Collection has a lot to say. This vast collection of beautifully preserved large-format battle site landscapes, carte-de-visite studio portraits, and “half stereographs” (unmounted and cut into two images) was donated to … Read more
For those who don’t know much about the Civil War, or are looking for an entrée into this expansive topic, these are the cities of the South that played hugely important roles. Within them you’ll find all kinds of museums, historic sites, national battlefields, monuments, and more that will be sure to whet your appetite … Read more
Texas has long intrigued us with raucous tales of its fiercely independent past: The Wild West, shoot-’em-up battles, the Alamo defiance, cattle round-ups, the legendary Texas Rangers … and that only touches on a tiny bit of this fascinating state’s story. Kicking off a new year of BGES touring, historian Neil Mangum is leading two tours in … Read more
Legendary abolitionist Harriet Tubman (ca 1821–1913) escaped from slavery in 1849, going on to help many others find their way to freedom along the Underground Railroad. She grew up and worked on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where many Underground Railroad sites have been connected by a scenic highway, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Scenic Byway. … Read more
In spring 1863, as Gen. U.S. Grant plotted his attack on Vicksburg, he traveled into Mississippi’s interior, knowing he needed to sever the Confederate’s railroad connection between Vicksburg and Jackson. During that time, he transported reinforcements and supplies along the rural road between Grand Gulf and Raymond. “The genius of the campaign is out there … Read more
BGES Blog: In 2020 you are offering two novice tours, Civil War 101: The Gettysburg Campaign; and Revolutionary War 101: Boston/Lexington/Concord. Normally your tours take deep dives into little known aspects of history. What is the thinking behind these novice offerings? LR: Well, hi Barbara, you sure cut right to the point, don’t you? The … Read more
Sometimes a connection to the past hits you in such a personal way that it catches you completely off-guard. BGES member Nancy Crago understands that phenomenon as well as anyone. As a kid growing up in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County, Crago barely gave the Civil War a passing thought, even though she lived less than an … Read more
BGES Treasurer Laurence Schiller retired in 2016 from his “real-life” profession at Northwestern University as history professor and the second winningest fencing coach in NCAA history. Interestingly, those jobs fit nicely into the broader scope of what Laurie loves to do—and continues to do: Reenact. He’s been a full-blown Civil War reenactor since 1994, typically … Read more
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