The World War II Memorial was dedicated in 2004 on Washington, D.C.’s National Mall, honoring the 16 million people who served as part of the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II, including more than 400,000 who died. It’s a spell-binding structure, with a splashing fountain surrounded by concrete pillars and pavilions. And it’s filled … Read more
While we’re featuring Gettysburg this month in our “Tour Talk,” one of the Civil War’s most famous battles, there are plenty of other sites in Pennsylvania that aren’t as well known—but all have fascinating stories to tell. So if you’re heading out to Gettysburg, don’t forget to visit some of the state’s “other” sites as … Read more
As any good writer knows, you’re never really sure what you’re getting into when starting a new project … until you’re ready to submit it. Even then, there are always more surprises awaiting you, and the final product often looks different from how you originally envisioned it. Paul Magid learned this lesson first-hand when he … 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
Fort Blakeley, in Spanish Fort, Alabama, may not be as famous as Shiloh or Gettysburg, but it remains one of the Civil War’s best preserved battlefields with important stories to tell. “Rarely do stories of national importance happen entirely ‘somewhere else,’” says Mike Bunn, director of operations of the 2,000-acre site. “By learning the specifics … Read more
When it comes to dynamic duos, BGES has one that ranks with the all-time greats: Bert Dunkerly and Wade Sokolosky. On March 25–28, 2020, the pair will team up to host “To the Bitter End: North Carolina in 1865,” a four-day tour detailing the fierce fighting from Averasboro to Bentonville that took place as the … Read more
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
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
Tour: Jeb’s Ride Around McClellan Date: September 29 2019 Tour Leader: Len Riedel Reported By: Dave Downing As a member of the Blue Gray Education Society, I closely follow upcoming tours/events published in the BGES Newsletter, and one such event (“Jeb’s Ride Around McClellan”) caught my attention. I have long admired Stuart and was … Read more
BGES member Jo Roberts recently joined Neil Mangum and a group of history enthusiasts on BGES’ tour “Death in Montana: The Last Stand of George Armstrong Custer.” Here’s what she has to say about her experience, with photos to boot! In the summer of 1998, I drove up to the Little Bighorn Battlefield on my … Read more
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