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Category Archives: Veterans
The Mears Party and the Medal of Honor, Part 1
Extraordinary incidents occur in the whirlwind of battle and the Battle of Gettysburg certainly has its share- heroism, cowardice, curiosity, gallantry and even humor. Few incidents are more enthralling than those which earned an individual the cherished Medal of Honor … Continue reading
“The enemy were on the gun and limber…” Private John Norwood’s narrow escape at Gettysburg.
One of most harrowing stories of the battle of Gettysburg is the experience of the 9th Massachusetts Battery. Told again and again through publications and by the monuments that mark the battery’s position at the park, it’s near destruction adjacent … Continue reading
Side by Side: Two Civil War Paintings
The painting on the left is “The Armed Slave” by William Spang, painted in 1870. Officially known as “A Virginia Slave – A Hero of Harpers Ferry,” it is now on display in a new exhibit at Gettysburg National Military Park. … Continue reading
Veteran J. Thompson Brown, the Virginia Monument and General Lee
The 76 year-old Confederate veteran could hardly contain himself as he answered a letter from his Union friend Henry Moyer of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Moyer had been corresponding with the man for several years and his latest letter included a very troubling clipping … Continue reading
Down Memory Lane at Gettysburg
On February 11, 1895, federal legislation created Gettysburg National Military Park. Yes, the park was created before there even was a “National Park Service”(created 21 years later in 1916). In fact one of the reasons I think the Gettysburg battlefield … Continue reading
Sergeant Stouch Returns to Gettysburg
We at Gettysburg National Military Park are fortunate to have so many visitors who come to the park with unique documents and photos handed down through their families. Last week was no exception when a visitor from Texas walked through the … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Memory, Photography, Veterans
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Joshua Chamberlain, Little Round Top, and the Memorial That Never Was
A few months ago, prior to the arrival of the frigid weather we are now enjoying, I had the pleasure of bringing a group of visitors around Little Round Top. It was a fairly predictable tour. We visited the requisite … Continue reading
Ghosts
October is a big month for the ghost industry in Gettysburg. Capitalizing on people’s fascination with the paranormal is a thriving business here and at other historical sites across the country. But this week’s post is about a different … Continue reading
The Last Veteran
One of the most fascinating monuments on the Gettysburg battlefield is one of the last most visitors pass. Just beyond the Brian Farm on North Hancock Avenue is the bronze likeness of an elderly man. He rests on a stone … Continue reading
Posted in Monuments at Gettysburg, Veterans
Tagged Albert Woolson, James Marion Lurvey, Last Gettysburg Veteran
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Sergeant Duckett’s Hat
There is a gleam in his eye; the slight smile partially obscured by his goatee reveals a certain smugness under that old weather beaten, bullet-torn hat, a relic of his service in a war fought fifty years before when he … Continue reading
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