BGES Members Making a Difference: Richard Britton

When Len Riedel asked Richard (“Rick”) Britton three years ago to conduct a BGES tour of the original grounds of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, it was hardly unexpected that he said yes. A native of Richmond, Rick has an abiding love of the Old Dominion and is an acknowledged expert on its history. … Read more

Tour Talk: The Texas Two Step, with Neil Mangum

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

BGES Members Making a Difference: Vinney DiMattina

When you’re the proud owner of a basset hound named Monty—after the “Spartan General” Bernard Montgomery—it’s easier to establish your bona fides as a war historian. But longtime BGES member Vinney DiMattina doesn’t need man’s best friend to prove his chops. As a kid growing up in Flushing, New York, he dreamed of a career … Read more

A BGES Veteran Reveals How to Approach a Civil War Tour

Gary Wilson has joined many BGES tours over the years, and his discipline in tour participation has been consistent and interesting. Armed with a book of maps, he moves meticulously through the tour, orienting himself to the field and placing the combatants in relation to each other. We asked him to share his insights into … Read more

A Peek into BGES’ Novice Tours, with Len Riedel

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

An Interview With Sam Hood

As an award-winning author and the collateral descendant of a much-maligned Civil War figure, Sam Hood knows that retelling our nation’s history accurately often requires digging a little deeper. In fact, part of his impetus for writing John Bell Hood: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of a Confederate General was to set the record straight … Read more

Life of a Civil War Reenactor

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

Five Questions: The Battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga, with Norm Dasinger, Jr.

In the midst of Civil War, both armies sought to control Chattanooga, the gateway to the Confederacy, and so they came to clash in the summer of 1863 at a nearby creek called Chickamauga. The Confederates won, and so they met again, this time at Chattanooga. The Confederates nearly dominated again … and then entered … Read more

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates: An Interview with Winston Groom

American originals come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and textures. Some are flesh and blood, and walk among us. Others are the product of a vivid and boundless imagination. Bestselling author and BGES member Winston Groom is undoubtedly one of the former. His most famous character, Forrest Gump, is one of the latter. Fortunately for … Read more