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150th Commemoration of the Civil War

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150th Commemoration of the Civil War

The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the American Civil War. Many historians agree that it was on these hallowed grounds that our nation was saved.

The Battle of Gettysburg changed the direction of the war and the morale of the nation. For three hot days in July 1863, this small Pennsylvania town was the scene of hard-fought battles, esteemed bravery and the bloodshed of 51,000 men. The Battle of Gettysburg swept through the campus and Pennsylvania Hall served as a hospital for both the North and South.

Five months later, David Wills, an 1851 graduate of Pennsylvania (now Gettysburg) College invited President Lincoln to deliver "a few appropriate remarks." On Nov. 19, 1863 townspeople, students and faculty marched to hear Abraham Lincoln hallow the National Cemetery with his immortal Gettysburg Address. Each year, students recreate the procession to hear an honored guest read the Address.

Events
Admission is free to all events unless otherwise denoted.

2012 Events

2012 Gettysburg College Civil War Institute Conference - "The Civil War in 1862"

June 22 - 26, 2012 Full-Time
June 22 - 24, 2012 Part-Time option

For more information, please see: http://www.gettysburg.edu/cwi/conference/

Emancipation Proclamation Weekend September 20-23, 2012

PA Civil War Road Show
September 20-23, 2012
Location and hours: TBA

Forever Free: An Evening with Princeton University Professor Emeritus James McPherson and Gettysburg College Professor Allen Guelzo, Henry R. Luce Professor of Civil War Era Studies
Friday, September 21, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.
Majestic Theater
Admission is free although tickets are required and can be obtained at the Box Office.
Sponsored by the Eisenhower Institute and the Sesquicentennial Planning Committee.

"Glory" starring Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, and Matthew Broderick
Saturday, September 22, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.
Majestic Theater
Admission is free although tickets are required and can be obtained at the Box Office.
Sponsored by the Sesquicentennial Planning Committee.

Lecture with Adam Mendelsohn, Professor of American Jewish and Southern Jewish History
at the College of Charleston
"Beyond the Battlefield: Reevaluating Jews and the Civil War"
Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 7:30 p.m.
Location: CUB 260
Sponsored by Judaic Studies in partnership with the Civil War Institute, the Civil War Era Studies Program, German Studies Department, History Department, Hillel, and the Sesquicentennial Planning Committee.

Upcoming 2013 Events

Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War
A traveling exhibit that examines five themes: The Civil War as a Constitutional Crisis, Secession, Slavery, Civil Liberties, and Legacy.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 through Friday, April 5, 2013
Presented on the main floor of Musselman Library in the Apse
Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War, a traveling exhibition for libraries, was organized by the National Constitution Center and the American Library Association Public Programs Office. The traveling exhibition has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War is based on an exhibition of the same name developed by the National Constitution Center.

Gettysburg College Civil War Institute and Gettysburg National Military Park Conference
Thursday, March 14 - Saturday, March 16, 2013
The conference will be held at Gettysburg College and the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center.
The Society of Civil War Historians and the Gettysburg Foundation are contributors.
(Registration information will be posted in the fall)

Commissioned sesquicentennial choral concert by Prof. Avner Dorman
Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 8:00 p.m.
Christ Chapel

75th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg Photo Exhibit
Black and white photographs of the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg and the Peace Light dedication
July to December, 2013
Majestic Theater Art Gallery

Past Sesquicentennial Events

Gallery Talk and Art Exhibit with Lisa Blas
"Meet Me at the Mason Dixon"
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Exhibit remained on display through Friday, October 7, 2011

9-11 Remembrance
Sunday, September 11, 2011

Performance of "The Rivalry"
Sunday, November 6, 2011

ADA/History Lecture with Brian Jordan '09
"When Billy Came Marching Home: Union Veterans and the Trial of Homecoming
Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Art Lecture with Dr. Joan Stack
"Picturing a State Divided: Missouri Artist George Caleb Bingham and the American Civil War"
Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Lincoln Lyceum Lecture with Dr. Eric Foner
"The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery"
Thursday, April 12, 2012

Thaddeus Stevens Wayside Marker dedication
Monday, April 16, 2012