BGES 
After the Civil War, southerners were faced the challenge of reintegrating back into and moving forward to help rebuild their nation. Award-winning author Stephen M. “Sam” Hood, in his new book Patriots Twice: Former Confederates and the Building of America after the Civil War, dives into the contributions of more than 300 Confederate soldiers, sailors, … Read more
A native son of Virginia, born in Richmond “right in the shadow of Jeb Stuart,” Art Taylor was drawn to Confederate lore from an early age. “The Seven Days’ Battle culminated at my ancestor Watt’s house, with third grandmother Sally Watt being carried out as battle began,” he says. A former V-Dot employee, he’s a … Read more
On April 25, 2019, BGES celebrates 25 fantastic years of fronting Civil War education and preservation. In that time, we’ve scoured related sites both large and small with our premier study tours, and branched off into other important areas of American history as well. We’ve launched some important legacy preservation projects, grown our Wounded Warrior … Read more
One of the most famous ideas in history – “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights” – begins the preamble of the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. This idea informs all … Read more
For the past several years, members of the Rosecrans Headquarters Unit and the Big Walnut Area Historical Society in Sunbury, Ohio have been raising funds to place an equestrian bronze statue of Major General William Starke Rosecrans on the northwest quadrant of Town Square. Rosecrans was born in Kingston Township near Sunbury. Two weeks ago, … Read more
Some moments in life remind you with perfect clarity why you do what you do. During our most recent tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield for wounded warriors, such moments were plentiful.
The day after concluding the “Hancock at Gettysburg” tour, BGES Executive Director Len Riedel and BGES volunteers were ready to repeat the experience – this time with our Yellow Ribbon Fund partners and 25 service members undergoing treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
America’s premier battlefield storyteller was born on June 26, 1923, in Billings, Montana. He grew up on a ranch where he caught the Civil War bug early and – true story – named the animals after Civil War generals and battles. Like his father in World War I, Ed also served as a Marine. He … Read more
A true staff ride rests on preliminary background study of a battle or campaign before stepping foot onto the field itself. We provide carefully selected materials – such as maps and biographical and personality information on significant leaders – to get you started.
April 25, 1994 is Founder’s Day at BGES. That’s when Executive Director Len Riedel, then a soon to be 40-year-old Air Force retiree, fulfilled his dream to help preserve some of America’s most important history by incorporating the BGES as a non-profit tax exempt organization. The mission then as today was “Revealing Our Past for Our Future.”
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