The Civil War era—and all of American history, for that matter—has had its fair share of colorful characters. For BGES member Bryan Hagen, this undeniable fact is one of the things that makes the study of our nation’s past so fascinating. And it’s even more fun for him when he gets to be “in character.” … Read more
This lesser known private park, celebrating its twentieth anniversary in 2019, occupies the spot where the battle that ended the nine-month-long Petersburg Campaign took place on April 2, 1865, resulting in the Confederate’s evacuation of their capital at Richmond. Here you’ll find four antebellum homes, four museums, daily living-history demonstrations, hiking trails winding past important … Read more
The Revolutionary War wrapped up in Virginia, with the French assisting the Colonists in defeating the British at Yorktown. The final steps leading up to this final American/French victory—including why British Gen. Charles, Lord Cornwallis was there in the first place—are explored on an upcoming BGES tour, The Virginia Campaign of 1781, slated for November … Read more
Perhaps no one has done more to interpret and preserve Mississippi’s complicated Civil War past than Magnolia State native Parker Hills. A military veteran, Hills served for more than three decades in active and reserve roles, retiring as a brigadier general, Mississippi Army National Guard. Fittingly, it was during a military staff ride more than thirty … Read more
BGES’ tour schedule for 2020 has been released! Next year we have some twenty-five different tours to look forward to, as well as several new historians. Of particular interest is the long-awaited Gordon Rhea “Overland Campaign” series, in which the acclaimed historian begins a two-year, ten-day presentation of the famous 1864 Campaign between Grant and … Read more
September 14, 2019, will be a special day as we renew an annual tradition. We will be having a community luncheon in Sharpsburg for the cohort of Wounded Warriors and their families that participate in our series of Wounded Warrior tours. For about eight years, the good folks of Keedysville and Sharpsburg have prepared lunch for … Read more
After a nearly thirteen-year break, BGES Executive Director Len Riedel is editing the twentieth monograph in The Papers of the BGES series. Historian Parker Hills drafted the tome, his second in the series—the last one being the second in the series back in 1995. It is slated to be released later this fall. The monograph details … Read more
Between July 10 and 13, 2019, Felix Losco joined six intrepid BGES travelers, Len, and the resident expert, Kyle Sinisi, on BGES’ “An Uncivil War: St. Louis and Southeast Missouri: 1858–1865” tour, which extended from St. Louis to Cape Girardeau. Here is his field report. Day One We met at a convenient hotel near Lambert … Read more
In September 2019, the Blue & Gray Education Society will host an intriguing new tour focused on the Petersburg Campaign, A Campaign of Giants: The Battle for Petersburg.The host is none other than Wilson Greene, a world traveler and well-known Civil War historian. Greene has written some two-dozen articles on the topic, plus six books, … Read more
Most of the time, BGES Executive Director Len Riedel is tirelessly working to plan and execute BGES’ large and diverse organization and programs. This time, he took the back seat—literally—on a recent Field University program—A Test of Loyalties: East Tennessee Raids, Railroads, and Rebellion, which took place July 24–27, 2019, with military historian Jim Ogden … Read more