Vol. 45, No. 10 $ Chambersburg Civil War Seminars & Tours Announces
Ted Alexander, retired chief historian at Antietam National Battlefield, recently announced his retirement as program coordinator of Chambersburg Civil War Seminars & Tours; Eric Wittenberg has been named as his successor. Ted, along with the Greater Chambersbur Chamber of Commerce, hosted the first Chambersburg Civil War Conference in 1989 to support the local business community, attract tourism to the area, raise funds for battlefield pres vation. To date, the organizatio
that has been donated to many nonprofit organizations supporting the interpretation and prese vation of our Civil War heritage Ted has authored, edited, and or contributed to 10 books on th Civil War and other aspects of American history. He has written more than 200 book reviews and articles for publications su as the Civil War Times and The Washington Times. He retired in 2016 as the chief historian a Antietam National Battlefield after serving 35 years with the
National Park Service. Ted’s work and legacy was recently recognized at the Antieta The Bloodiest Day Conference
held this past summer with more than 100 history enthusiasts in attendance. A special retirement celebration was held in Ted’s honor with talks given by Lark Kennedy of the Chambersburg Chamber; Scott Anderson, head of conference logistics; Dennis Frye, retired chief historian at Harpers Ferry National Park, and Dr. Tom Clemens, historian and interpreter at Antietam National Battlefield. “Ted’s vision and collaborati with the Chambersburg Chamber has been critical to the success the program, and we are grateful for his many years of service,” said Lark Kennedy. “We wish him good health, good luck, and great success in his retirement. Chambersburg Civil War Seminars & Tours will continue under the umbrella of the Chambersburg Chamber with Eric Wittenberg as the new program coordinator. “2019 marks the 31st year for Chambersburg Civil War Seminars,” said Eric Wittenberg. “It’s been a remarkable run of success, with hundreds of thousands of dollars raised for battlefield preservation. Without Ted Alexander, there would be no Chambersburg Civil War Seminars; it’s that simple. Thes programs are the result of Ted’s vision, and since 1988, they hav been the gold standard for programming of its type. We owe all of that to Ted.” Eric Wittenberg is award-winning American Civil War historian and one of the country’s foremost experts on Civil War cavalry. He is the author or co-author of 21 publishe books including the best-selling Plenty of Blame to Go Around: Jeb Stuart’s Controversial Ride to Gettysburg. Eric has written more than 30 articles published in national magazines and is an avid Civil War battlefield prese vationist. He is a practicing at ney who resides in Ohio with his
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Battlefield observes the 155th Anniversaries of the Battles of the Crater and Weldon Railroad/ Second Ream’s Station
By Professor Earnest Veritas Special Correspondent -Western TheaterPetersburg National Battlefi held observations of the 155th anniversaries of the savage bat tles of the Crater and the batt for Weldon Railroad and Second Ream’s Station on July 27-28 an August 17-18 respectively. To explain to visitors about Crater and the resulting battle General’s Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee (Curt Fields and Thomas Jessee) were on hand to talk about what they were doing before and during the battle it They explained their efforts to and, conversely, find the Feder tunnel; to press or defeat, any vantage that might be gained by
Grant and staff (L to R) Greg E as General E. O. C. Ord, Grant,
47 – Advertiser Index 8 – Black Powder, White Smok 36 – Book Reviews 40 – Critic’s Corner 34 – Emerging Civil War
Fields portrays G versary of Petersb explosion. They he of scheduled talks and spoke to the er-led tours, as w nger Aaron Rowland there were more t tors to the park’s t visitor center f He said that ther
Inside this issue: – Events Section – The Graphic War – Inspection, ARMS – News Briefs – Small Talk-Trivi
s S. Grant at the 155th l photos by Jeff Seymour) than 1,100 visitors for the bat tlefield talks and demonstratio over the two days. Those programs were: The Battle of the Crater extended walking tour, Mahone’s counter attack walk and demonstration, author discussion about “Behind the rifle: Women Soldiers of Civil War Mississippi” by autho Shelby Harriel, “United States Colored Troops during the Civil War” by Morris Lockhart, and “The Life of William Mahone” by Earl Blythe. Reenactors who brought the War to life for weekend visitor were:12th Virginia, 44th Virgin Pegram’s Battery (Confederate), Cooper’s Battery (Federal), and the Ladies of the 12th Virginia in ongoing demonstrations at th Eastern Front visitor Center. T Aide-de-Camp to General Grant was Captain Gene Smallwood. The 155th anniversary of the Battles for Weldon Railroad and Second Ream’s Station was held during the weekend of August 17 18. General Grant (Curt Fields)
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16 – The Source 10 – The Unfinished Fight 26 – This And That 14 – Through The Lens