Ed Bearss’ History All Time Favorite Commun Civil War Books The Loss of By Dorothy Partridge Special Correspondent to

(Originally published in the November 2018 issue of Civil War News.) Edwin Cole Bearss was the Chief Historian Emeritus of the National Park Service. He remarked on his favorite Civil War books. First, he listed tho written on the Southern side of the war, and then those on the Northern side. He ended with hi choice for best autobiography. Douglas Southall Freeman (1886–1953), whose fath served four years in Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, wrote a 4-volume series in 1934–1935. It was titled Robert E. Lee: A Biography. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1935. Freeman walked down Monument Avenue in

America’s Monthly N reservation ourns: ndary Historian

Richmond, Va., on his way to work as the editor of the newsp per, the Richmond News Leader. When he arrived at the statue o

Robert E. Lee, he would stop an salute General Lee. He did this daily. There was some criticism of this Freeman series. Bearss recalled the comments were about the supposed feud between Rober E. Lee and James Longstreet, an other things. As a result, he s Freeman wrote three volumes called Lee’s Lieutenants. The three volumes are:

Manassas to Malvern Hill (1942) Cedar Mountain to Chancellorsville (1943) Gettysburg to Appomattox (1944)

H Bearss Books . . . . . . . . . . . . see pag

Trust. WASHINGTON, D.C.— Legendary military historian and preservationist Edwin Cole Bearss passed away Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, peacefully and surrounded by family, at the age of 97. A decorated U.S. Marine veteran of World War II’s Pacific Theater, he attended college and graduate school on the GI Bill be fore pursuing a distinguished career in the National Park Service ultimately rising to be chief his torian of that agency in 1981. As one of the powerful voices in the Ken Burns documentary, The Civil War, he brought history alive for millions of Americans with his deep voice and evocative descriptions, a style once d scribed by the Washington Post as nearly “Homeric monologues.” Although a prolific author on military history topics, Bearss w particularly dedicated to the importance of preserved landscapes enhancing our understanding of

the past. He was among the originators of the modern battlefiel preservation movement and a devoted tour guide, travelling up 200 days per year into his 90s. “For those of us who value the preservation and perpetuation of American history, few figures ar more revered than Ed Bearss. His knowledge, passion and energy were without equal, and he will be missed tremendously by so many,” said American Battlefield Trust President James Lighthizer “Ed’s decades-long commitment to protecting special places and making the stories of our past come to life laid the groundwork for organizations like ours, whi will embody his legacy for generations to come. The Trust, our board and staff, as well as our members and supporters, send deepest condolences to the entir Bearss family.” Bearss, born on June 26, 1923, grew up on a Montana Inside this issue: 44 – Emerging Civil War

cattle ranch just outside the Cr Indian Reservation that includes the Little Bighorn Battlefield. Although he gravitated toward history at an early age, his pas sion was the Civil War; he even called his favorite milk cow “Antietam.” After graduating from high school in 1941, he spent the summer hitchhiking across the country to visit batt fields. Bearss returned home and after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, followed in the footstep of his father and Medal of Honor recipient older cousin to enlist the U.S. Marine Corps. He left for the South Pacific in mid-Jul 1942 and was severely wounded on January 2, 1944, during the Battle of Suicide Creek on the i land of New Britain, injuries th limited his dexterity for the re mainder of his life.