Mike Kennedy 
“Oh, the sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home.” That enduring lyric holds particular meaning for BGES member Dan Rush. His family roots reach deep into the fertile soil of the Bluegrass State, quite literally. His ancestors settled in Kentucky in the 1700s and farmed the land from the time they arrived. As an … Read more
In the game of baseball, an error by the first baseman is scored an E-3. In the world of BGES, a tour hosted by Dennis Frye is identified in the opposite way, 3-E, as in educational, entertaining, and energizing. This summer, Frye will be back at it with “A Weekend with Historian Dennis Frye, John … Read more
In August 2021, Darryl Smith will host his first tour for BGES, “Civil War on the Ohio.” Relatively new to the group, Smith is decidedly excited for the opportunity. “We will cover a few different topics, such as Cincinnati’s Civil War importance, along with some fights involving John H. Morgan’s men in northern Kentucky,” he … Read more
There are two sides to every story. Sounds like a cliché, right? Don’t tell that to historian, archivist, and BGES member Tim Mulligan. He built his entire career—34 years at the National Archives and Records Administration, plus three books on World War II—on this belief. And it continues to guide him in his retirement. “As … Read more
The life of Nathan Bedford Forrest has been the purview of many talented historians over the years. But no one has offered greater insight into the subject than Brian Steel Wills, a professor of history at Kennesaw State University and the director of the Center for the Study of the Civil War Era. Wills has … Read more
It might surprise you to learn that one of the more robust Civil War tour companies on the planet is run by a British national and operates out of England. But Peter Gascoyne-Lockwood, the son of a British Naval Officer, considers himself a citizen of the world, and his company, Old Country Military & History … Read more
When Dave Collins and BGES Executive Director Len Riedel present the new tour, Civil War 101: Gettysburg, on June 11-13 this year, they will be making a bit of BGES history. Indeed, for this first time, BGES is offering a tour aimed at Civil War “rookies,” as Collins, a big-time baseball fan, likes to call … Read more
Bob Plumb didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming a famous Civil War author. A versatile writer whose works include Your Brother in Arms: A Union Soldier’s Odyssey and The Better Angels: Five Women Who Changed Civil War America, Plumb was born and raised in upstate New York, and his geographic borders shaped him in many … Read more
As a proud son of Mississippi, Jim Woodrick has long wondered if it was unavoidable that he would become a Civil War buff. “I have always asked myself that question,” he says. “Looking back, it almost does seem that my fascination with the war was inevitable. Very early on I was somehow drawn to it.” … Read more
For a kid growing up on the outskirts of St. Louis in the 1960s, Americana was everywhere. You just had to decide which slice of it you wanted to grab. BGES member Greg Mertz, who is set to host “Shiloh, Bloody April” from April 8 to 11, 2021, made the most of the opportunity. For … Read more
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