Join us, June 9-14, 2023, for an exciting lineup of CWI speakers! We are excited to feature leading Civil War scholars, Harold Holzer, Catherine Clinton, Craig Symonds, Caroline Janney, Lorien Foote, and more within our line-up of over 35 distinguished speakers and tour guides.
For nearly 40 years, the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College has hosted a premiere annual summer conference bringing leading historians and public audiences together for lectures, battlefield tours, small group discussions, and roundtable conversations about the Civil War era. Sessions, lodging, and meals are held on the 200-acre college campus.
The 2023 CWI Conference will feature a wide range of topics, including Lincoln as Commander in Chief, the Civil War in Appalachia, Harriet Tubman, John Singleton Mosby, Confederate widowhood, retaliation in the American Civil War, the Army of Tennessee, and more.
In addition to touring the Gettysburg battlefield, participants will have the opportunity to visit a variety of other nearby battlefields and historic sites on tours that will explore Antietam and Harpers Ferry, or to combine a half-day of focused class work with a half-day out on the battlefield, exploring, in-depth, the actions on the 1stor 3rd day of battle at Gettysburg. Participants who may prefer a shorter, more physically active conference experience can also choose to sign up for our new “active track” package, featuring a combination of Friday and Saturday morning lectures and a day and a half of walking-intensive tours of the Gettysburg battlefield on Saturday and Sunday with historian Garry Adelman, exploring the First Day’s battlefield and the Union Fishhook, off the beaten path!
This conference will also continue the recently added Saturday evening tours of the Gettysburg battlefield discussing instances of surrender, the intersection of soldiers and civilians at a historic farm field hospital, and more; half-day Tuesday tours following in the footsteps of fallen commanders, as well as both “lunch-in” and “dine-in” discussions with CWI faculty.
The 2023 conference will offer something for everyone, from longtime students of the Civil War to those who are new to Civil War history.
Schedule
Time
Event
12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Check-in
3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Welcome, Peter Carmichael (Gettysburg College)
3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
"The Famous Duo Revisited: Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson," Christian Keller (United States Army War College)
4:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Break
4:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
"Weathering the Civil War: An Environmental History," Kenneth Noe (Auburn University)
5:45 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
Dinner
6:45 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
"Reflecting on the Work of Harold Holzer," Catherine Clinton (University of Texas San Antonio), Matthew Pinsker (Dickinson College), Craig Symonds (United States Naval Academy), Harold Holzer (Hunter College). Moderator: Peter Carmichael (Gettysburg College)
8:00 p.m.
Ice Cream Social
Mr. G’s Ice Cream
Time
Event
7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Breakfast
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions
(Attendees pick 1, no reservations required)
(1) "Robert Gould Shaw," Kevin Levin (Independent Scholar)
(2) "Generalship in the Army of Tennessee: A Roundtable Discussion," Keith Bohannon (University of West Georgia) and Drew Bledsoe (Lee University). Moderator: Jennifer Murray (Oklahoma State University)
(3) "Interpreting Emancipation at National Park Service Sites," Beth Parnicza (Appomattox Court House National Historical Park), Steve Phan (Camp Nelson National Monument), Chris Barr (Reconstruction Era National Historical Park). Moderator: Ashley Whitehead Luskey (Gettysburg College)
9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Break
9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
"Hearing the Written Words of Illiterate Confederates," Peter Carmichael (Gettysburg College)
10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Break
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
"Lincoln and His Generals: A Debate," Craig Symonds (United States Naval Academy), Lorien Foote (Texas A&M University), Andrew Lang (Mississippi State University), Harold Holzer (Hunter College), Kenneth Noe (Auburn University). Moderator: Glenn LaFantasie
12:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch
DINE-IN DISCUSSIONS (pre-assigned)
(1) "Until Death Do Us Part: Civil War Widowhood," Angela Esco Elder (Converse College)
(2) "Playing Hell in Tennessee: John Bell Hood and the Challenges of Command," Drew Bledsoe (Lee University)
(3) "Honoring the Fallen: An Analysis of Civil War Soldiers' Obituaries," James Scythes (West Chester University)
(4) "Animals and the Civil War," Lorien Foote (Texas A&M University)
(5) "Battle in the Bluegrass Borderlands: The Uncharted Road to Emancipation in Civil War Kentucky," Steve Phan (Camp Nelson National Monument)
1:45 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.
Active Track tour, part 1 (walking-intensive tour, reservations required): "The First Day at Gettysburg, off the Beaten Path," Garry Adelman (American Battlefield Trust)
1:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions (Attendees pick 1, no reservations required)
2) "Love and Duty: Confederate Widows and the Emotional Politics of Loss," Angela Esco Elder (Converse College)
3) "The Battle of New Market Heights," Tim Talbott (Pamplin Historical Park)
3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Break
3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions (Attendees pick 1, no reservations required)
3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
1) "The Civil War in Appalachia," Bruce Stewart (Appalachian State University). Commenting: Steve Nash (East Tennessee State University), Cecily Zander (Southern Methodist University). Moderator: Peter Carmichael (Gettysburg College)
2)“Weather and the Battle of Gettysburg,” Jeffrey Harding (Licensed Battlefield Guide) & Jon Nese (Penn State University)
4:30 – 4:45 p.m.
Break
4:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Dinner
(1) "Surrender at Gettysburg: Politics, Manhood, and Honor Under the White Flag," Ashley Whitehead Luskey (Gettysburg College)
(2) "An Evening at the George Spangler Farm," Carol Reardon (Gettysburg College)
(3) "O’Neal’s Alabamians and the July 1 Struggle for Oak Ridge," Keith Bohannon (West Georgia University)
(4) "Redemption at Gettysburg: The 11th Corps Makes a Stand - July 2, 1863," Jennifer Murray (Oklahoma State University)
(5) "Gettysburg and Eisenhower: A Five-Star General’s Connection to America’s Most Famous Battlefield," Dan Vermilya (Eisenhower National Historic Site)
(6) Youth Tour & Group Discussion: Soldiers’ Letters and the Battlefield, Peter Carmichael (Civil War Institute) (For children and teens under 18 years of age and their families)
Time
Event
7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Breakfast
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
"Slavery and the Environment in the American South," David Silkenat (University of Edinburgh)
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Active Track tour, part 2 (walking-intensive tour, reservations required): "The Union Fishhook, off the Beaten Path," Garry Adelman (American Battlefield Trust)
9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Break
9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
"Exploring the Environmental History of the Civil War: A Round Table Discussion," Kenneth Noe (Auburn University), Timothy Silver (Appalachian State University), David Silkenat (University of Edinburgh), Megan Kate Nelson (Independent Scholar). Moderator: Caroline Janney (University of Virginia)
10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Break
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
"Saving Yellowstone: Exploration and Preservation in Reconstruction America," Megan Kate Nelson (Independent Scholar)
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch
12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Faculty Book Signing
1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
ROBERT L. BLOOM LECTURE:
"Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom," Catherine Clinton (University of Texas San Antonio)
2:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
Break
2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions
(Attendees pick 1, no reservations required)
1) "Debating Joseph Johnston," Drew Bledsoe (Lee University), Cecily Zander (Southern Methodist University), Craig Symonds (United States Naval Academy). Moderator: Keith Bohannon (West Georgia University)
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2) "Abraham Lincoln and American Exceptionalism During the Civil War," Andrew Lang (Mississippi State University)
3:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Break
4:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.
"The Gray Ghost: John Singleton Mosby," Caroline Janney (University of Virginia)
5:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
Dinner
DINE-IN DISCUSSIONS (pre-assigned)
(1) “'Power Always Compels Respect': Late 19th/Early 20th- Century Monumentation at Gettysburg," Jill Ogline Titus (Gettysburg College)
(2) "Political Generals: John Pope and George McClellan," Cecily Zander (Southern Methodist University)
(3) "American Exceptionalism in the Civil War Era," Andrew Lang (Mississippi State University)
(4) "The Debate Over Confederate Emancipation," Keith Bohannon (West Georgia University)
(5) "Union Command Decisions at Chancellorsville," Beth Parnicza (Appomattox Court House National Historical Park)
7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
THE GABOR S. BORITT LECTURE:
"Rites of Retaliation: Civilization, Soldiers, and Campaigns in the American Civil War," Lorien Foote (Texas A&M University)
Time
Event
7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Breakfast
Times vary by tour
Full Day Bus Tours
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
(1) "At the Confluence of War: Harpers Ferry from John Brown to Stonewall Jackson," Dennis Frye (Independent Scholar)
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
(2) "Antietam in History and Memory," Jim Broomall (Shepherd University) and Keith Bohannon (University of West Georgia)
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
(3) "The Battle That Made America: An Overview Tour of the Battle of Gettysburg," Joe Mieczkowski (Licensed Battlefield Guide)
(2) "The Union First Corps at Gettysburg on July 1," Jennifer Murray (Oklahoma State University)
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Dinner
6: 45 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.
"An Interview with Jeffry Wert," Jeffry Wert (Independent Scholar) & Peter Carmichael (Gettysburg College)
Time
Event
7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
Breakfast
8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Tours: Gettysburg
“Following in the Footsteps of Gettysburg’s Fallen Commanders”
(1) "General John F. Reynolds," Chuck Burkell (Licensed Battlefield Guide)
(2) "Colonel George Willard," Christopher Gwinn (Gettysburg National Military Park)
(3) "General Lewis Armistead," Jim Hessler (Licensed Battlefield Guide)
(4) "General Elon Farnsworth," Matthew Atkinson (Gettysburg National Military Park)
Alternative tour option: "Enslaved Persons at Gettysburg in History and Memory," Peter Carmichael (Gettysburg College), Jill Ogline Titus (Gettysburg College), Kevin Levin (Independent Scholar)
9 a.m. - 10: 15 a.m.
Non-Tour Option: Small group lecture & discussion
"The New Market Campaign," Sarah Kay Bierle (American Battlefield Trust)
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch
1:45 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
"Reflecting on Lincoln in the 21st Century," Gerry Prokopowicz (East Carolina University)
2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Break
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 pm
"Abraham Lincoln and the American Military Tradition," Glenn LaFantasie (Western Kentucky University)
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m
Break
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Dinner and Farewell Social
Time
Event
7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Breakfast
7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Check-out
Dine-Ins
Saturday, June 10 Dine-Ins, 12:15-1:30 pm
Battle in the Bluegrass Borderlands: The Unchartered Road to Emancipation in Civil War Kentucky (Steve Phan)
This dine-in conversation will examine the complexities of emancipation and conditional Unionism in Kentucky during the Civil War. A wide variety of documents will be featured including newspaper accounts, official military orders/messages/correspondents, congressional legislation, diary, memoirs, and regimental histories.
Playing Hell in Tennessee: John Bell Hood and the Challenge of Command in the 1864 Tennessee Campaign (Drew Bledsoe)
Few Civil War commanders have been as vilified as Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood. Blamed for the failure of the disastrous 1864 Confederate invasion of Tennessee, misconceptions and distortions concerning Hood’s performance and legacy in that campaign continue to influence our understanding of the last major offensive operation in the Western theater. This discussion will assess Hood’s actions and efforts to shape his legacy through post-war writings and memoir.
Animals in the Civil War (Lorien Foote)
This dine-in will explore how animals, especially dogs, contributed to military life. We will consider Confederate officers’ use of dogs to counter raids by the 1st and 2nd South Carolina (Union), the use of dogs to guard prisoners at Andersonville, the thriving trade in mocking birds among Union soldiers, and the presence of a variety of companion animals in camp and battle. Participants will read reports from official military records, excerpts from the trial of Henry Wirz, and letters and diaries.
Until Death Do Us Part: Civil War Widowhood (Angela Esco Elder)
“Now I’m a widow. Ah! That mournful word. Little the world think of the agony it contains!” wrote Sally Randle Perry in her diary, after losing her husband at Antietam. In doing so, she received a label she would share with more than 200,000 women across the nation. In this dine-in session, we will be discussing condolence letters, political speeches, newspapers, and more, to explore the experiences of women widowed during the Civil War.
Honoring the Fallen: An Analysis of Civil War Soldiers’ Obituaries (James M. Scythes)
A study of Civil War soldiers’ obituaries demonstrates that the press gave loved ones an opportunity to commemorate the life, and death, of a man who made the ultimate sacrifice for his nation during the war. Written by journalists or the deceased’s family or friends and drawing upon information written in condolence letters, obituaries typically included basic information about the fallen soldier, but the thematic elements found in soldier obituaries also reflected the religious values of the era and reinforced notions of patriotism and sacrifice. Oftentimes, obituary writers focused on subtopics within these broader themes, such as aspects of the Good Death or describing the soldier as a Christian Gentleman or “soldier of the Cross,” to assure readers that the deceased gained entrance into heaven and depict the ideal soldier and man. An analysis of these subtopics gives us a more detailed understanding of what these larger themes meant to the people of the Civil War generation and how their authors used an obituary to commemorate the life of a fallen soldier, while also attempting to explain the meaning of his death. Their passing represented the sacrifice made by thousands of families in the North and South and came to symbolize something larger, as obituary writers attempted to place the individual soldier’s death in a national context by focusing on the human price of victory. By printing many thousands of obituaries for fallen soldiers, therefore, the press played an important role in enabling all Americans to commemorate those who died during the Civil War and provided a forum to preserve these written memorials to the common soldier.
Sunday, June 11 Dine-Ins, 5:30-6:45 pm
The Debate Over Confederate Emancipation (Keith Bohannon)
This dine-in discussion will focus on the debate over Confederate emancipation. In the closing months of the Civil War, white Southerners engaged in a national debate over whether to arm and enlist slaves in the Confederate Army. This discussion will explore both sides of the debate, analyzing primary documents that include petitions by Confederate officers and soldiers in support of African-American enlistment, and public and private statements written by Robert E. Lee and other influential military and political Southern leaders. Participants looking for background information on the topic are encouraged to read Bruce Levine, Confederate Emancipation (Oxford University Press, 2007).
“Power Always Compels Respect”: Late 19th/Early 20th-Century Monumentation at Gettysburg (Jill Ogline Titus)
Despite a surface veneer of sectional reconciliation, fierce debates over whose experiences and interpretations of the battle deserved memorialization on Gettysburg’s commemorative landscape raged throughout the late 19th and early 20th century. Drawing on a range of letters, memos, newspaper articles, and dedication addresses, participants in this dine-in will explore the complex backstories and “loaded symbolism” of many of the battlefield’s most controversial early monuments, including, among others, the 72nd and 84th Pennsylvania Monuments; the 2nd Maryland Infantry, CSA Monument; and the Virginia Monument.
American Exceptionalism in the Civil War Era (Andrew Lang)
Diverse casts of nineteenth-century Americans regarded the United States as a unique and exceptional democratic republic that resided within an oppressive, revolutionary, monarchical world. While the concept of American exceptionalism may seem problematic to some modern audiences, it is important to take seriously how and why Americans of a prior era considered their nation, its founding, and its democracy the zenith of modern political enterprises. But the commanding place of slavery within a republic of liberty imposed irreconcilable understandings of American nationhood, informing the causes, conduct, and consequences of the Civil War. Referencing documents from Unionists and Confederates, black and white Americans, statesmen and common people, the dine-in interrogates the complex reasons why Americans waged a bloody civil war over the very existence, meaning, and fate of their self-proclaimed exceptional republic.
Political Generals: John Pope and George McClellan (Cecily Zander)
John Pope and George McClellan stood at opposite ends of the Civil War’s political spectrum. McClellan believed in a conservative and limited war to save the Union and nothing more, while Pope sought to wage the war for Union and emancipation—a radical and transformative vision for the conflict that placed him in the minority of army officers. In the summer of 1862, Pope and McClellan were asked to work together to defeat the surging Army of Northern Virginia, which had turned McClellan back at the gates of Richmond and marched for the Potomac frontier. Politics and personal resentments in the Union officer corps struck another blow at Second Manassas and laid bare the challenge facing the Lincoln administration if it hoped to win the war. For our luncheon, we look at what John Pope and George McClellan said to each other in the summer of 1862, what they said about each other to their friends and allies, and how they each explained their failures after their signature defeats at the hands of Robert E. Lee. We will discuss not only the Union disasters of the summer of 1862, but also look more broadly at the phenomenon of “political generals” and their influence on the Civil War’s conduct and outcomes.
Union Command Decisions at Chancellorsville (Beth Parnicza)
Although the Battle of Chancellorsville has long been famous for the decisions of Confederate leadership, Union high command played an equal--if not greater--role in the battle's development. Examine the battle through the eyes of Abraham Lincoln, Joseph Hooker, and Union corps commanders! This dine-in will consider key turning points of the battle, what influenced Union officers in making decisions, and the often-sassy reactions of officers and soldiers alike. We will read the contemporary thoughts and reactions of major players, followed by an analysis of Joseph Hooker's own reflections on what history remembers as his great defeat.
Battlefield Tours
The First Day and the Union Fishhook at Gettysburg (Garry Adelman), Sat. 6/10, 1:45-8:45 & Sun. 6/11, 9 am – 5 pm
This rigorous trek will endeavor to cover as much of the Gettysburg battlefield as possible over the course of two days. From the first day’s field to a lengthy hike of the Union Fishhook, all of the main battlefield icons plus numerous sites rarely seen will be included as we highlight various aspects of the fighting that took place, July 1-3. This tour will serve the casual visitor as well as students of the battle and battlefield of Gettysburg.
This hike is not for the faint of heart and is designed for people who can walk at a good clip, on paved surfaces, grassy paths, and dirt trails for one mile or more every hour for 7 hours per day. The roughly 14 miles to be covered over the two days will include inclines up and down Gettysburg’s many ridges plus Culp’s Hill, Cemetery Hill, Devil’s Den and possibly others. If you sign up but can’t keep up, you’ll miss most of the tour!
Surrender at Gettysburg: Politics, Manhood, and Honor Under the White Flag (Ashley Whitehead Luskey)
Modern-day perceptions of “surrender” often focus on notions of “weakness,” failure, and a one-way power structure that forces the permanent capitulation of one party to another. However, Civil War soldiers viewed the action of surrender through a vastly different prism—one which allowed for the possibility of capitulation without dishonoring one’s self or country, one which often rested upon the careful negotiation between captor and the captured, and one in which one’s fate was hardly sealed at the moment of surrender. Perhaps most importantly of all, the ritual of military surrender made possible what many Americans believed to be a vastly more civil approach to warfare which Americans insisted set themselves apart from other countries. On this tour, we will explore various instances of surrender at Gettysburg: In which instances was surrender (and the acceptance of surrender) possible, and why? How did soldiers’ varying notions about honor and humanity intersect with cultural conceptions of surrender? In what ways did former experiences with capture (and captors) shape soldiers’ choices and how they fought at Gettysburg? How did soldiers seek to make sense of their experiences at Gettysburg through the prism of surrender? And, how did surrender at Gettysburg and its aftermath fit into the evolving politics, policies, and cultural notions surrounding both captors and the captured? This tour will involve less than one mile of walking on mostly flat, grassy ground.
"Five Weeks of Hell: The George Spangler Farm Hospital, July 1- August 5, 1863" (Carol Reardon)
Little did George and Elizabeth Spangler realize what the visit of several medical officers from the Army of the Potomac's Eleventh Corps on the morning of July 1, 1863 portended for their prosperous Gettysburg farm. Over the next five weeks, approximately 1900 wounded soldiers--both Union and Confederate, private through brigadier general--received medical treatment in the field hospital hastily organized there. The most fortunate patients returned to ranks, while those who succumbed to their wounds found temporary graves in the Spanglers' orchards. This carefully restored property, now owned and operated by the Gettysburg Foundation, offers an unparalleled opportunity to consider the challenges of mass-casualty care during the Civil War. This tour will involve moderate walking over lawns with slight slopes and uneven paved and unpaved walkways.
Gettysburg and Eisenhower: A Five-Star General's Connection to America's most famous Battlefield (Dan Vermilya)
The life and times of Dwight David Eisenhower were inextricably linked to the Gettysburg battlefield. During WWI, Eisenhower prepared soldiers for tank warfare on the fields of Pickett’s Charge. During his presidency, Ike used Gettysburg to conduct diplomacy amidst the Cold War. During his retirement, he shaped the memory of the Civil War’s most famous battle during the Civil War centennial. Eisenhower’s connection with Gettysburg ran throughout his life, and it mirrors the story of the battlefield itself during the 20th century.
This tour will explore the Gettysburg battlefield through Ike’s eyes. Stops will include the grounds of Camp Colt, a view of Eisenhower’s Gettysburg farm from Warfield Ridge, and the Soldiers National Cemetery, where we will explore Eisenhower’s speech on the centennial of the Gettysburg Address.
Redemption at Gettysburg: The Eleventh Corps Makes a Stand on Cemetery Hill, July 2, 1863 (Jennifer Murray)
This tour will focus on one of the more controversial corps in the Army of the Potomac, Major General Oliver Otis Howard’s Eleventh Corps. Often referred to as the “Flying Dutchman” and criticized for breaking at Chancellorsville, the Eleventh Corps carried a particular reputation to Gettysburg. This program will explore the role of the Eleventh Corps on July 1, in the fighting north of town, and will pay particular attention to their stand on Cemetery Hill on July 2, 1863. Minimal walking required over relatively even terrain.
O’Neal’s Alabamians and the Struggle for Oak Ridge, July 1 (Keith Bohannon)
This walking tour will cover the ground fought over by the regiments of Colonel Edward O'Neal's Alabama Brigade on the first day of the battle of Gettysburg. After sustaining a costly repulse in their initial attacks, O'Neal's men participated in the successful attacks made by Rodes's Division that drove Federal troops back into and through the town of Gettysburg. The walk will also include a discussion of the poor performances at Gettysburg of Colonel O'Neal and his division commander, General Robert Rodes. The tour will include a moderate amount of walking from the area of the Peace Light Monument on Oak Hill to the McClean Barn and Union positions on Oak Ridge.
Monday, June 12, 8:00 am- 4:30 pm:
Gettysburg: The Battle That Made America (Joe Mieczkowski)
This all day tour of the Gettysburg battlefield will provide a comprehensive orientation to the Gettysburg Campaign, the 3 days of battle, and its aftermath. We will include stops in the town of Gettysburg to understand the impact on the civilians. This tour will involve moderate walking on paved or mowed paths. A stool to sit on is encouraged, but optional.
Eyewitness to Battle: Antietam in History and Memory (Jim Broomall & Keith Bohannon)
From Alexander Gardner’s photograph of Confederate dead along the Hagerstown Turnpike to James Hope’s haunting painting of the Bloody Lane, imagery has defined our understanding of the battle of Antietam. This all-day tour of the battlefield will examine the contested grounds of the West Woods, Dunker Church, and Sunken Road, among other areas, through an array of first-hand accounts from the rank-and-file of Confederate and United States soldiers. Audiences will then be invited to consider the fighting and its memory through a rich record of visual and material culture. The walking will be moderate-to-intensive.
Confluence: Harpers Ferry from John Brown to Stonewall Jackson (Dennis Frye)
Seldom are John Brown and Stonewall Jackson combined in the same breath. But Harpers Ferry unites their stories into tales of contrasting visions, missions and leadership. Site visits will include John Brown's Fort and old town Harpers Ferry and Jackson's 1862 battlefield on Bolivar Heights and School House Ridge. Total walking about 2 miles, intermittent throughout the day, over moderate terrain.
Monday, June 12: Gettysburg Combo. Mini-Tours & Classroom Work (Times Vary by Tour)
The Spirit of the Staff Ride: A Study of the July 3 Fighting (Carol Reardon)
This tour will spend the morning visiting five key stops related to the July 3 fighting. Reardon will introduce an approach used during staff rides to analyze a particular command decision. In the afternoon, the group will head to the classroom where participants will be divided into smaller briefing teams. It will be the job of each team to do what is asked of real staff riders: Present a comprehensive analysis of their assigned decision or commander. Participation in discussions is strongly encouraged in order to provide for the most enriching experience for the entire group! Minimal walking required.
The Union First Corps at Gettysburg on July 1 (Jennifer Murray)
This tour will spend the morning in the classroom for a combination of lecture and discussion about the Union First Corps’s actions on July 1. Murray will provide first-person accounts and maps for group conversation; after lunch, the group will travel to the key sites related to the actions of the First Corps. Moderate walking required.
“In the Footsteps of Gettysburg’s Fallen Commanders,” 8:30 – 12:30
In the Footsteps of Major General John F. Reynolds (U.S.) (Chuck Burkell)
The death of Major General John Reynolds had profound consequences on the Army of the Potomac following the morning hours of July 1, 1863. His end may be regarded as one of either heroic role responsibility, or simply “misfortune”. Reynolds will become a tragic Army of the Potomac representative of the battle, and there is no other soldier who has more monuments on the field today at Gettysburg, than General Reynolds. Why?
Are there other perspectives regarding his death? Can this loss of Reynolds be interpreted and understood by other incidents, existing military doctrine, and early American culture, with their colliding intersections of consequence? This presentation will consist of a battlefield and Gettysburg regional tour to include historiography, interpretation, and discussions with CWI participants, and will require minimal walking.
In the Footsteps of General Lewis Armistead (C.S.A) (Jim Hessler)
Brigadier General Lewis Armistead’s memory is unique at Gettysburg. The image of General Armistead leading his men over the wall into the Union defenses with his hat raised on his sword during “Pickett’s Charge” remains among the battle of Gettysburg’s most iconic moments. A highly visible monument on Cemetery Ridge commemorates Armistead’s actions, as do several other nearby monuments and markers. No individual Confederate soldier, not even Robert E. Lee himself, is more celebrated at Gettysburg than is Lewis Armistead. Yet popular literature has also enshrouded Armistead in a mixture of fact and fiction. What did he and his men really experience on July 3, 1863?
Join Licensed Battlefield Guide and author James Hessler as we walk in Armistead’s footsteps from his July 3 starting point near Seminary Ridge to his climatic conclusion on Cemetery Ridge. Along the way, we will discuss eyewitness accounts as we examine and experience Armistead’s role in the battle. Walking will be over approximately one mile of open and sometimes uneven ground.
In the Footsteps of Colonel George Willard (U.S.A.), (Chris Gwinn)
Colonel George Willard and the fifteen hundred men of the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 2nd Corps arrived in Gettysburg under a cloud of shame. Just one year previous, the brigade, untested in battle, had been captured at Harper's Ferry by Stonewall Jackson's command on the eve of the Battle of Antietam. Paroled and now part of the Army of the Potomac, they carried the humiliation of their capture with them into Pennsylvania. For Willard and his New Yorkers, the Battle of Gettysburg would be an opportunity to redeem themselves and restore their honor, but at what cost? This walking-intensive program will follow in their footsteps during that critical afternoon on July 2, 1863. Who were the men that fought under Willard at Gettysburg and how did their experience at Harper's Ferry shape their notions of heroism and cowardice? What did they experience along the grassy slopes of Cemetery Ridge that bloody and fateful July afternoon?
Total length will be approximately two miles over occasionally rough terrain. Limited shade exists along the tour route. Comfortable shoes, insect repellent, and water are strongly encouraged.
Following in the Footsteps of General Elon Farnsworth, Matthew Atkinson, Gettysburg NMP
On July 3, 1863, Elon J. Farnsworth launched an ill-fated cavalry charge against the Confederate right flank. "Brave and daring to a fault," Farnsworth led the attack against his best judgement at the insistence of his superior, the impetuous Judson Kilpatrick. Historians have debated the merits of the assault ever since. The walking tour will focus on the decision making process of Kilpatrick and Farnsworth. In particular, we will follow in the hoof prints of the 1st Vermont Cavalry on their long and fateful journey. This walking tour is very arduous (and the word is not used lightly). Potential attendees should engage in serious self-reflection on whether they are up to the hike.
Alternative tour:
Enslaved Persons at Gettysburg in History and Memory (Peter Carmichael, Kevin Levin, Jill Ogline Titus)
When the Army of Northern Virginia invaded Pennsylvania in June of 1863 and converged upon Gettysburg on July 1, they brought with them scores of African American camp servants, cooks, manual laborers, and body servants—slaves who would spend weeks treading upon free soil while forced to assist a war effort waged by the Confederate government to ensure the perpetual bondage of millions of black men and women across the South and within the border states. What were those individuals’ experiences of the three-day cataclysm at Gettysburg and throughout the campaign that preceded and followed it? What roles did they serve, how many took advantage of the opportunity to flee, and why did so many ultimately cast their lot with their masters or the Confederate army over a shot at freedom? This minimal-walking tour will explore these and other critical questions related to the fortunes of those whose Gettysburg experiences consisted primarily of life behind Confederate lines, and not in the midst of the battlefield proper. The tour will also explore how slavery and the issue of race factored into post-war memory, monumentation, and long-term preservation and interpretive choices that continue to shape the way in which visitors encounter the battlefield today.
Tuition, Meal Plan, & On-Campus Family Lodging Suite (3-5 individuals, Single Bedroom, Shared Bathroom): $1,985
Part Time
Tuition, Meal Plan, & On-Campus Family Lodging Suite (3-5 individuals, Single Bedroom, Shared Bathroom): $1,385
**New: “Active Track” Package** (June 9-11, 2023)
(Friday and Saturday morning lectures, plus walking-intensive tours of the Gettysburg battlefield both Saturday afternoon and evening and all day Sunday)
“The First Day and the Union Fishhook at Gettysburg, off the Beaten Path”
Tuition, Meal Plan, & On-Campus Family Lodging Suite (3-5 individuals, Single Bedroom, Shared Bathroom): $1,435.00
Discounts & Official Partner Package Deals
Discounts are available for K-12 teachers, students age 18+, public historians, veterans/active duty members of the US Armed Forces, and Gettysburg College alumni. All individuals under 18 years of age qualify for half-price tuition. (Minors must be accompanied by an adult. Please see registration page for more details about this package).
**NEW THIS YEAR** We are excited to offer a 50% discount on your tuition if you bring along a first-time CWI-conference-goer to the June, 2023 conference! (May not be used in conjunction with any other discount; discount is void if new guest cancels. Please call CWI at 717-337-6590 for details).
We are also pleased to offer discounts to members of numerous partnering institutions, including:
If you think you may qualify for any of the above discounts, please contact the CWI office at 717-337-6590 or civilwar@gettysburg.edu for the appropriate discount code. Discount codes may change yearly, so please be sure to call for the most up-to-date codes!