2026 Civil War Institute Summer Conference

CWI Summer Conference

JUNE 12-17, 2026

With Dennis Frye, Jennifer Murray, Jonathan White, Andrew Lawler, Jim Broomall, Lesley Gordon, Timothy Orr, Jim Hessler, and more!

Union and Confederate soldiers shake hands over a grave marked 'In memory of Union heroes in a useless war.'

Featuring lectures and interactive small-group discussions on:

The American Revolution and the Civil War Generation
Antietam Re-Assessed
The 1869 Gettysburg Reunion
The Battle of Chickamauga
The Civil War in Indian Country
Cowardice and Courage on Civil War Battlefields
The Post-War Lives of 20^th Maine Veterans
Lincoln, the Declaration of Independence, and the Gettysburg Address
U.S. Grant and the Ku Klux Klan
The Emmancipations of 1775 and 1863

…and more!

and interactive battlefield experiences exploring:

Medical Aid Stations and Nursing at Gettysburg
The Battle of Cedar Creek
Gettysburg’s Lost Avenue
The Photographic Footsteps of Alexander Gardner
The 9^th Corps Attack at Antietam
The Philadelphia Brigade at Gettysburg
George Armstrong Custer, East Cavalry Field, and the Road to Little Bighorn
The July 2^nd Actions of the Union 5^th Corps (*Active Track tour option!)

…and more!

Customizable packages and paid livestream access available!

Be sure to inquire about our numerous discounts for military veterans, Gettysburg College alums, members of local partnering institutions, current K-12 educators, full-time students, public historians, youths, and “new attendee recruiters!”

Questions? Contact civilwar@gettysburg.edu or

717-337-6590

Schedule

Friday, June 12

Time	Event
12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.	Check-in, College Union Building (CUB)
3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.	Welcome, Ian Isherwood (Gettysburg College)
3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.	The Summer of 1869: Gettysburg's First Blue-Gray Reunion, Codie Eash (Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center)
4:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	Break
4:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.	The Civil War Generation and the Spirit of '76, Michael Hattem (Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute)
5:45 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.	Dinner Dining Center
6:15 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.	Gettysburg for Educators: An Overview Tour for K-12 Teachers, Peter Vermilyea (Housatonic Valley Regional High School) & Jared Peatman (Four Score Consulting & the George Washington University Center for Excellence in Public Leadership) Pre-registration required; this program will meet at Musselman Stadium bus loop
7:15 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.	Writing the Wars: Revolutionary War and Civil War History for the Public--A Conversation with Jeff Shaara Moderator: Ian Isherwood (Gettysburg College)
8:15 p.m.	Ice Cream Social Mr. G's ice cream College Union Bullet Hole Patio

Saturday, June 13

Time	Event
7:15 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.	Breakfast Dining Center
8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.	Concurrent Sessions (Attendees pick 1, no reservations required)
	1) Comparative Commemorations: The Civil War, World War I, and World War II, Pete Miele (Susquehanna National Heritage Area), Ian Isherwood (Gettysburg College), Doug Douds (U.S. Army War College), and Susan Eisenhower (Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College)
	2) Dread Danger: Cowardice and Combat in the American Civil War, Lesley Gordon (University of Alabama)
	3) Forever Silenced: The Story of the Gettysburg Gun and Battery B First Rhode Island Light Artillery, Stephen Evangelista (United States Social Security Administration & Independent Historian)
9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.	Break
9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.	America at 250: The Revolution, the Civil War, and the Shaping of Modern America, Andrew Lawler (Journalist and Author), Michael Hattem (Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute), James Taub (Museum of the American Revolution) Moderator: Jill Ogline Titus (Gettysburg College)
10:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.	Break
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.	Gettysburg Treasures from the Library of Congress, Michelle Krowl (Library of Congress)
12:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.	Lunch Dining Center
	*DINE-IN DISCUSSIONS* (pre-assigned) (1) The War Followed Him Home: A Walk Through the Pension File of Hugh Auman (10th PA Reserves), Jill Ogline Titus (Gettysburg College) (2) Chasing the 1st Kansas: Enslavement to The Battle of Poison Spring, Molly Hutchins (Honey Springs Battlefield) (3) Arming the Enslaved: CSA General Patrick Cleburne's 1864 Proposal, Keith Bohannon (West Georgia University)
12:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.	Growing up with Gettysburg: A Conversation with Local Historian, Dean Shultz Moderator: Jennifer Murray (Shepherd University) The Atrium (Dining Center) Pre-registration required
2:00 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.	Active Track Tour, Part 1 The Union First Corps at Gettysburg, Timothy Orr (Old Dominion University) *Pre-registration required; Attendees meet bus at Musselman Stadium bus loop*
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.	Concurrent Sessions (Attendees pick 1, no reservations required) The Gabor Boritt Lecture: 1) From Soldier to Klansmen: A Georgian in the Army of Northern Virginia and the Ku Klux Klan, Keith Bohannon (West Georgia University) 2) Stronghold of the Union: Key West in the Civil War, Angela Zombek (University of North Carolina—Wilmington) 3) Letting the War Slip Through our Hands: Material Culture and the Civil War, Michael deGruccio (St. Peter’s University) 4) Using Material Culture in the Classroom: An Interactive Workshop for K-12 Educators, Sarah Jones Weicksel (American Historical Association)
3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.	Break
3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.	Concurrent Sessions (Attendees pick 1, no reservations required) 1) It Would Be Injurious to the Army to Have Two Heads: Meade, Grant, and the Overland Campaign, Jennifer Murray (Shepherd University) 2) Reimagining the Reality of War: A Consideration of “Pictures of the Dead at Antietam,” Jim Broomall (University of Richmond) 3) Revolutionary Redux: How Enslaved Americans Spurred the Emancipations of 1775 and 1863, Andrew Lawler (Journalist and Author)
4:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.	Dinner Dining Center
5:45 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.	Evening Gettysburg Battlefield & Town Tours *Pre-registration required; Attendees meet buses at Musselman Stadium bus loop* (1) General John B. Gordon’s Brigade and the Gordon-Barlow Incident of July 1, Keith Bohannon (West Georgia University) (2) In the Footsteps of a Regiment: The 27th Connecticut at the Wheatfield, Peter Vermilyea (Housatonic Valley Regional High School) & Michael Rupert (Licensed Battlefield Guide) (3) The Philadelphia Brigade at Gettysburg, Mary Turk-Meena (Licensed Battlefield Guide) (4) Saving Private Ryan: Recovering one Soldier’s Journey Through Gettysburg, PA to Brockport, NY, Ashley Luskey (Gettysburg College) (5) Gettysburg and the World Wars, Daniel Vermilya (Eisenhower National Historic Site)

Sunday, June 14

Time	Event
7:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.	Breakfast Dining Center
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.	Concurrent Sessions (Attendees pick 1, no reservations required)
	1) Grant Versus the KKK: The War After the Civil War, Fergus Bordewich (Independent Historian)
	2) “Our Fathers Brought Forth: Lincoln’s Gratitude in the Gettysburg Address,” Andrew Lang (Mississippi State University)
	3) The Strange Case of Dr. Beckwith: Malingerers, Medical Exams, and Mobilization, Peter Vermilyea (Housatonic Valley Regional High School)
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.	Active Track Tour, Part 2 The Union 5th Corps at Gettysburg, Timothy Orr (Old Dominion University) Pre-registration required; attendees meet buses at Musselman Stadium bus loop
9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.	Break
9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.	Concurrent Sessions (Attendees pick 1, no reservations required)
	1) Falling into the Purpose of Interpreting Enslavement, Nicole Moore (National Center for Civil and Human Rights)
	2) “Taken From a Rebel’s House”: Material Cultures of War, Sarah Jones Weicksel (American Historical Association)
	3) The Forgotten Front: Civil War and Plantation life in Indian Territory, Molly Hutchins (Honey Springs Battlefield)
10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.	Break
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.	Concurrent Sessions (Attendees pick 1, no reservations required)
	1) Professed Friends: The Command Relationship of George B. McClellan, Ambrose Burnside, and Fitz John Porter during the Maryland Campaign, Kevin Pawlak (Prince William County Office of Historic Preservation & Antietam Licensed Battlefield Guide)
	2) Opium Slavery: Drug Use and Civil War Veterans, Jonathan Jones (James Madison University)
	3) The Dead Letter Office Images: The Civil War’s Lost Sentiments, Melissa Winn (National Museum of Civil War Medicine)
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.	Lunch Dining Center
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.	Concurrent Sessions (Attendees pick 1; no pre-registration required)
	ROBERT L. BLOOM LECTURE: 1) Abraham Lincoln and the Power of the Emancipation Proclamation, Jonathan White (Christopher Newport University)
	2) Commanding Bragg’s Army: Confederate Staff Officers in the Chickamauga Campaign, Andrew Bledsoe (Lee University)
	3) Almost Worn Out: The Post-War Lives of the 20th Maine Veterans, Jared Peatman (Four Score Consulting & the George Washington University Center for Excellence in Public Leadership)
2:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.	Break
2:45 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.	Faculty Book Signing & Coffee/Cookie Social CUB Lobby
4:00 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.	Concurrent Sessions (Attendees pick 1, no reservations required)
	1) Reflections on the Writings of Tony Horwitz, Mike Kwolek (The Gettysburg Foundation), Rich Condon (Catoctin Mountain National Park), Nicole Moore (National Center for Civil and Human Rights), Jim Broomall (University of Richmond) Moderator: Ian Isherwood (Gettysburg College) 2) The Mason-Dixon Borderland: Movement, Imagination, and the Spaces between Slavery and Freedom, Rachael Nicholas (Gettysburg National Military Park)
5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.	Dinner Dining Center
	*DINE-IN DISCUSSIONS* (pre-assigned) (1) Has the Lincoln Theme Been Exhausted?, Jonathan White (Christopher Newport University) (2) The Civil War on Drugs, Jonathan Jones (James Madison University) (3) Selected Documents From the Civil War and Reconstruction Governors of Alabama, Lesley Gordon (University of Alabama) (4) What if Lincoln Lived?, Andrew Lang (Mississippi State University) (5) “In the Midst of Life We are in Death:” Soldiers’ Experiences on Garrison Duty at Key West, Florida, Angela Zombek (University of North Carolina—Wilmington) The Grille and The Atrium (Dining Center)
7:15 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.	Antietam (Re)-Assessed, Dennis Frye (Chief Historian Emeritus, Harpers Ferry National Park)

Monday, June 15

Time	Event
7:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.	Breakfast Dining Center
8:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.	Full-Day Battlefield Tour: The Battle of Cedar Creek, Jonathan Tracey (Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park) (Attendees must pre-register; this tour will include a boxed breakfast, boxed lunch, and dinner on the road. Attendees meet bus at Musselman Stadium bus loop)
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.	Hybrid Tours (3 hours of classroom work, breaking for lunch from 12:00–1:00, followed by 4 hours of touring) (Attendees pre-register for one) 1) From Gettysburg to Little Bighorn: George Armstrong Custer in History and Memory, Jim Hessler (Licensed Battlefield Guide & Author) This program will meet at Musselman Stadium bus loop 2) Military Innovations at Gettysburg, Doug Douds (United States Army War College) This program will begin in the classroom
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.	Hybrid Tours (4 hours of touring, breaking for lunch from 1:00–2:00, followed by 3 hours of classwork) (Attendees pre-register for one) 3) Treating the Wounded: Gettysburg Medical Sites and Stories (Melissa Winn and Dana Shoaf) Pre-registration required; This program will begin in the classroom 4) Vincent’s Brigade at Gettysburg and Beyond, Zack Fry (U.S. Army Command and General Staff College) Pre-registration required; this program will meet at Musselman Stadium bus loop
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.	Dinner Dining Center
7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.	Writing the Civil War for Children: A Discussion with Christopher Oakley (UNC—Asheville) and Brian Kennell (Evergreen Cemetery & Gatehouse) Moderator: Ashley Luskey (Gettysburg College) The Junction (College Union Building); cash bar available

Tuesday, June 16

Time	Event
7:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.	Breakfast Dining Center
7:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.	Ideas to Chew On: A Breakfast Discussion and Pedagogical Reflection on Teaching History to K–12 Students, Peter Vermilyea (Housatonic Valley Regional High School) and Jared Peatman (Four Score Consulting & the George Washington University Center for Excellence in Public Leadership) The Grille (no reservation required)
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.	Gettysburg Full Day Tour A Golden Opportunity?: Meade’s Pursuit from Gettysburg, Jennifer Murray (Shepherd University) Pre-registration required; this program will meet at Musselman Stadium bus loop
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.	Half-Day Tours (Morning): 1) Gettysburg’s Lost Avenue, Dean Shultz (Local Historian) Pre-registration required; attendees meet bus at Musselman Stadium bus loop
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.	Partial Hybrid Tour (1.5 hours of classwork, followed by 6 hours on the battlefield) Antietam’s Final Attack: Conflict and Commemoration South of Sharpsburg, Bert Dunkerly (Richmond National Battlefield Park) & Kevin Pawlak (Prince William County Office of Historic Preservation & Antietam Licensed Battlefield Guide)
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.	Gettysburg Hybrid Tours (2.5–3 hours of classwork, break for lunch from 12–1 p.m., followed by 5 hours on the battlefield) 1) In the Footsteps of Alexander Gardner, John Heiser (Historian Emeritus, Gettysburg National Military Park) This program will begin in the classroom 2) From Basil Biggs to John Bachelder: The Transformation of Gettysburg’s Battlefield, Jim Broomall (Shepherd University) & Dana Shoaf (National Museum of Civil War Medicine) Pre-registration required; attendees meet bus at Musselman Stadium bus loop
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.	Half-Day Tour (Afternoon): From Iron Plantation to Underground Railroad: Catoctin Furnace, Catoctin Mountain, and the Liminality of Freedom in Borderland Maryland, Rich Condon (Catoctin Mountain National Park) & Elizabeth Comer (Catoctin Furnace Historical Society & EAC Archaeology) Pre-registration required; this program will meet at Musselman Stadium bus loop
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.	Dinner Dining Center
6:30 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.	Partial Screening and Discussion of The Gettysburg Book: A Father, Son, and The Killer Angels, by Jake Boritt (Director & Producer), Ian Isherwood (Gettysburg College), Jeff Shaara (Author), Jake Boritt The Atrium
7:15 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.	Closing Social: Drinks and Desserts Atrium Patio

Wednesday, June 17

Time	Event
7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.	Breakfast Dining Center
7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.	Check-out CUB 126

Dine-Ins

Saturday, June 13, 12:15 – 1:45 p.m.

Chasing the 1st Kansas: Enslavement to Poison Spring (Molly Hutchins)

This dine-in discussion explores how historians use firsthand accounts, slave schedules, WPA Narratives, census records, and more to uncover the stories of formerly enslaved individuals who served in the Civil War. Using the life of LaFayette Murrell, who was enslaved at Hunter’s Home in the Cherokee Nation and fought with the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry; participants will walk through the process of tracing his life from bondage to military service. Together, we’ll examine how to interpret complex historical documents, connect fragmented records, and bring forgotten stories like LaFayette’s to light.

Arming the Enslaved: CSA General Patrick Cleburne’s 1864 Proposal (Keith Bohannon)

The War Followed Him Home: A Walk Through the Pension File of Hugh Auman (10th PA Reserves) (Jill Ogline Titus)

Sunday June 14 5:30p.m - 7:00 p.m.

What If Lincoln Lived?" (Andrew Lang)

When reflecting on Reconstruction’s failures, Americans often ask the haunting question: “What if Lincoln had lived?” This dine-in explores Lincoln’s political philosophy and postwar vision, and how his assassination reshaped national reunion.

The Civil War on Drugs (Jonathan Jones)

Selected Documents From the Civil War and Reconstruction Governors of Alabama (Lesley Gordon)

“In the Midst of Life We are in Death:” Soldiers’ Experiences on Garrison Duty a Key West, Florida (Angela Zombek)

Has the Lincoln Theme Been Exhausted? (Jonathan White)

Tour descriptions

Active Track Tour: The Union Fifth Corps at Gettysburg, with Tim Orr

Saturday, June 13, 2:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. and Sunday, June 14, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

“Fix Bayonets!” Gettysburg enthusiasts, it’s time again to fall in for inspection and join Dr. Timothy J. Orr (Associate Professor of Military History at Old Dominion University and former GNMP ranger) for the Active Track Package: a sixteen-hour walking tour that will focus on the history of the Army of the Potomac’s Fifth Corps. This two-day tour will cover the exciting tale of the Fifth Corps and its defense of the Union left flank. We will follow in the footsteps of such famous figures as Joshua Chamberlain, Strong Vincent, Patrick O’Rorke, Harrison Jeffords, George Sykes, and more. This tour will tell the story of the Fifth Corps’ march to Gettysburg; its combat action on Little Round Top, in the Rose wheat field, and in the Plum Run valley; as well as the fate of its casualties. This tour will involve moderate- to advanced-level hiking, conducted on foot. It will primarily follow roads and trails, but some of these trails will traverse rocky areas. Expect to ascend and descend the slopes of Little Round Top. Most stops will be in the shade, but a few will be in the sun. Please prepare accordingly. Wear appropriate clothing, bring water, bring sun protection, and bring insect repellent. So, if you’re ready to deliver your loudest Yankee “huzzah!” then please don your finest Maltese Cross or your best-looking buck tail and come join us on the field for the CWI’s 2026 “active track” package: The Fifth Corps at Gettysburg.

Saturday, June 13, 5:45 – 8:45 p.m.

"General Gordon sais he has got the Best Brig of men in the world": General John B. Gordon's Brigade and the Gordon-Barlow Incident of July 1 (Keith Bohannon)

This tour will cover the role of General John B. Gordon's Brigade on July 1st, 1863. It will include a moderate climb up the northern slope of Barlow's Knoll to the crest and then proceed south to the site of the Alms House and northern outskirts of Gettysburg. In addition to discussing the battle, we will also explore debates regarding the famous Barlow-Gordon incident and Gordon's postwar claims to have advocated for an advance on Cemetery Hill on July 1st.

The Philadelphia Brigade at Gettysburg (Mary Turk-Meena)

“I venture to say, on no field at no time during the war was more individual gallantry shown than on this occasion.” Capt. Andrew Cowan, 1 NY Independent Battery, describing the actions of the Phila. Brigade on July 3 at Gettysburg. The service of the Philadelphia Brigade, from the beginning of the Civil War to its end is a distinguished record of courage, valor and sacrifice. After the War was over, regiments in the Philadelphia Brigade continued to be watchful over their war-time reputation. Squabbles with the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association and with a member of General John Gibbon’s staff come to mind. But they were also healers of sectional animosity after the war. They led the way toward reconciliation, holding joint reunions with veterans of George Pickett’s Division. This program explores the formation and service of the Philadelphia Brigade, including their stout defense of Cemetery Ridge on July 2 and 3 at Gettysburg.

In the Footsteps of the 27th Connecticut at the Wheatfield (Pete Vermilyea and Mike Rupert)

Follow in the footsteps of the 27th Connecticut, the smallest regiment at Gettysburg. This tour retraces the path of the unit’s seventy-five men through the Wheatfield, scene of some of the battle’s most confused and vicious fighting. The tour will place the regiment’s movements and actions within the context of the larger action at the Wheatfield, while exploring what individual soldiers saw, heard, and felt amid the smoke and confusion. With so few in their ranks, the 27th Connecticut offers a rare, personal glimpse into the human experience of the Wheatfield at Gettysburg.

Saving Private Ryan: Recovering one Soldier’s Journey through Gettysburg, PA to Brockport, NY (Ashley Luskey)

This program will follow in the footsteps of the 147th New York Infantry, from their arrival into Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, through their fateful encounter with Confederates near the famed railroad cut that morning, through the lens of one of its common soldiers—Private Thomas Ryan. Using discussions of the regiment’s unique cultural makeup, initial formation, and its demoralizing winter of 1862; a re-tracing of the regiment’s entry into Gettysburg on July 1st; as well as first-hand accounts of the regiment’s brutal fighting at Gettysburg (its first major engagement of the war), we will unpack how the motivations of these men, their community background, and perceptions of combat shaped their actions on the first day at Gettysburg—an engagement which would inflict a staggering 79% casualty rate upon the regiment. We will then take a deep dive into the lived realities of the 147th’s veterans, following in the archival footsteps of one of the wounded, Private Ryan. In unpacking the long-term implications of his (immediate) salvation from the Gettysburg battlefield upon his family, community, and his own body within the broader context of the contours of Civil War veteranhood, we will collectively recover the story of an iconically “common” soldier, and in doing so, help to showcase how we might further save the stories of other common soldiers from the murky shadows of the past.

Gettysburg and the World Wars (Daniel Vermilya)

Full day tour: Monday, June 15, 8 am – 8:30 pm

The Battle of Cedar Creek (Jon Tracey)

The October 19, 1864 battle of Cedar Creek was the culmination of years of Union efforts to secure the Shenandoah Valley. Visit the site to hear about the significance of the battle in the soldiers' own words, learn its impact on the 1864 presidential election, and discuss brand new research at recently protected properties. This tour will involve minimal walking, almost entirely on mowed, flat areas.

Hybrid tours, Monday, June 15, 9 am – 5 pm

Treating the Wounded: Gettysburg Medical Sites and Stories (Melissa Winn and Dana Shoaf)

This hybrid tour will consist of a three-hour outdoor tour and a three-hour classroom session. The tour will examine how 33,000 wounded soldiers turned Gettysburg and its nearby farmsteads into a vast hospital. Participants will explore aide stations and hospitals on the battlefield and its environs. Human interest stories of female nurses, surgeons, and patients will bring life to the struggle to survive injuries sustained in the war’s biggest battle. The classroom portion will also discuss Gettysburg’s healthcare crisis, and detail the overlooked story of how the medical departments of both sides adapted and innovated to deal with the war’s massive human cost.

From Gettysburg to Little Bighorn: George Armstrong Custer in History and Memory, (Jim Hessler)

Military Innovations at Gettysburg, (Doug Douds)

Vincent’s Brigade at Gettysburg and Beyond (Zack Fry)

Hybrid tours, Tuesday, June 16, 9 am – 5 pm

“The Blank Horror and Reality of War”. Alexander Gardner and his Photographic Mission at Gettysburg (John Heiser)

The armies were still in the process of leaving Gettysburg when photographers employed by Alexander Gardner undertook the daunting task of preserving on glass plates, symbolic features of the battlefield and the gruesome scenes left in the wake of one of the nation’s most costly battles. The mute testimony offered by his photographs of the battle’s aftermath was later interpreted by Gardner in his Photographic Sketchbook of the Civil War, though little did he offer to the public of his journey to and over the battlefield to capture the images we know so well today. What was Gardner’s objective in reaching Gettysburg and once here, how did he navigate the battlefield to capture some of the war’s most memorable photographic work in July 1863?

PROGRAM PROPOSAL: My PowerPoint presentation will discuss the historiography of battlefield photography in the Civil War specifically focusing on Gettysburg and Alexander Gardner’s activities here July 5-9, 1863. I plan to briefly discuss the process of photography at this period, Gardner’s background, his credentials, detail the most likely route he took to Gettysburg and day to day activities on the field. The program will also address Gardner’s use of the Gettysburg photographs for his 1866 Photographic Sketchbook of the Civil War and the differing interpretations of his descriptive notes.

FIELD TOUR: The exact route is yet to be worked out but it may have a starting location in Emmitsburg, MD, where Gardner’s story actually begins, then to Gettysburg and the meeting with his photographers. Sites in the park to visit will be the first day’s battlefield, the Trostle and Rose Farms, Devil’s Den, Little Round Top, and Meade’s HQ.

From Basil Biggs to John Bachelder: The Transformation of the Gettysburg Battlefield (Jim Broomall and Dana Shoaf)

In the late fall of 1863, Basil Biggs and other Black men from Gettysburg began the onerous task of disinterring the Federal dead. The bodies were then transported to the Soldiers’ National Cemetery for reburial. That same fall John Badger Bachelder completed his isometric map of the battle of Gettysburg, thus beginning his life-long obsession with the fight, which reached its apotheosis during his tenure at the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association. In their own distinct ways, Biggs and Bachelder transformed the Gettysburg battlefield making the space at once commemorative and interpretive.

This hybrid tour will engage Gettysburg’s landscape as a cultural artifact. We will consider historic sites such as the Crawford Farm where Biggs and his family lived; the Copse of Trees and associated monumentation; the earthworks as well as artillery lunettes between Cemetery and Culp’s Hill; and the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. Bachelder’s communications with veterans will be used to indicate how he influenced the layout of the battlefield and how visitors still interpret the engagement. The tour will also explore material culture and public history interpretation; accordingly, the group will visit museum sites in Gettysburg. Please note, tour time in the museum is the “classroom” portion of this hybrid experience. We will create additional interactive experiences and facilitate discussions throughout the day.

Partial Hybrid tours, Tuesday, June 16, 9 am – 5 pm

Antietam’s Final Attack: Conflict and Commemoration South of Sharpsburg, (Bert Dunkerly & Kevin Pawlak)

Full day tour: Tuesday, June 16, 9 am – 5 pm

A Golden Opportunity?: Meade’s Pursuit from Gettysburg (Jennifer Murray)

Half-Day Tour, Tuesday, June 16, 9 am - 1pm

Gettysburg’s Lost Avenue, (Dean Shultz)

Half-Day Tour, Tuesday, June 16, 1 pm – 5 pm

From Iron Plantation to Underground Railroad: Catoctin Furnace, Catoctin Mountain, and the Liminality of Freedom in Borderland Maryland, (Rich Condon & Elizabeth Comer)

Tuition

2026 Civil War Institute Summer Conference Tuition
Package	Description	Price
FULL TIME NO ACTIVE TRACK (June 12–17, 2026)
Package A	Full Time (No Active Track Included): Tuition, Meal Plan, & On-Campus Lodging (Single Bedroom, Shared Suite)	$1,075.00
Package B	Full Time (No Active Track Included): Tuition, Meal Plan, & On-Campus Lodging (Shared Bedroom, Suite-Style Residence Hall)	$972.00
Package C	Full Time (No Active Track Included): Tuition with Meal Plan	$833.00
Package D	Full Time (No Active Track Included): Tuition Only	$693.00
Package I	Full Time (No Active Track Included): Family Lodging: Tuition, Meal Plan, & On-Campus Family Lodging Suite (3–5 individuals, Single Bedroom, Shared Bathroom)	$975.00
PART TIME NO ACTIVE TRACK (June 12–14, 2026)
Package E	Part Time (No Active Track Included): Tuition, Meal Plan, & On-Campus Lodging (Single Bedroom, Suite-Style Residence Hall)	$718.00
Package F	Part Time (No Active Track Included): Meal Plan & On-Campus Lodging (Shared Bedroom, Suite-Style Residence Hall)	$668.00
Package G	Part Time (No Active Track Included): Tuition with Meal Plan	$513.00
Package H	Part Time (No Active Track Included): Tuition Only	$441.00
Package J	Part Time (No Active Track Included): Family Lodging: Tuition, Meal Plan, & On-Campus Family Lodging Suite (3–5 individuals, Single Bedroom, Shared Bathroom)	$618.00
FULL TIME ACTIVE TRACK (June 12–17, 2026)
Package P	Full Time Active Track: Tuition, Meal Plan, & On-Campus Lodging (Single Bedroom, Shared Suite)	$1,100.00
Package Q	Full Time Active Track: Tuition, Meal Plan, & On-Campus Lodging (Shared Bedroom, Suite-Style Residence Hall)	$997.00
Package R	Full Time Active Track: Tuition with Meal Plan	$858.00
Package S	Full Time Active Track: Tuition Only	$718.00
Package T	Full Time Active Track: Tuition, Meal Plan, & On-Campus Family Lodging Suite (3–5 individuals, Single Bedroom, Shared Bathroom)	$1,000.00
PART TIME ACTIVE TRACK (June 12–14, 2026)
Package K	Part Time Active Track: Tuition, Meal Plan, & On-Campus Lodging (Single Bedroom, Shared Suite)	$803.00
Package L	Part Time Active Track: Tuition, Meal Plan, & On-Campus Lodging (Shared Bedroom, Suite-Style Residence Hall)	$743.00
Package M	Part Time Active Track: Tuition with Meal Plan	$588.00
Package N	Part Time Active Track: Tuition Only	$516.00
Package O	Part Time Active Track: Tuition, Meal Plan, & On-Campus Family Lodging Suite (3–5 individuals, Single Bedroom, Shared Bathroom)	$643.00

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Discounts

Discounts are available for K-12 teachers, students age 18+, public historians, veterans/active duty members of the US Armed Forces, Adams County residents, 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).

We are also pleased to offer discounts to members of numerous partnering institutions, including Civil War Round Tables, local museums, historical societies, and Civil War periodicals. Please see our listing of official partners for further details!

**For all previous CWI attendees, We are excited to offer a 50% discount on your tuition if you bring along a first-time CWI-conference-goer to the June 2026 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).**

Are you an Adams County, PA History or Social Studies teacher? We are pleased to offer you full complimentary attendance! Please call our office for details!

We are pleased to offer discounts to members of numerous partnering institutions, including:

Civil War Round Tables
Adams County Historical Society
American Battlefield Trust
Gettysburg Foundation
Gettysburg Heritage Center
Land Conservancy of Adams County
National Museum of Civil War Medicine
Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center
The Lincoln Forum
The National Civil War Museum
Subscribers to Civil War Times Magazine and Civil War Monitor magazine
Listeners of Civil War Talk Radio or Addressing Gettysburg podcasts
Readers of Regarp Book Blog or Civil War Memory

Be sure to also check out our NEW bundled registration package deals in conjunction with CWI’s official conference partners!

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!