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Civil War Seminar 2008
Reaping the Whirlwind:
The Battle of Gettysburg

“The Day is Ours” By Dale Gallon
Image courtesy of Gallon Historical Art, Gettysburg, PA  www.gallon.com

 

Schedule of Events

March 28 - 30, 2008


Friday Night

6:30 pm   Banquet/Welcome

7:45 pm    Drs. Darlene and Michael Graves:  The Gettysburg Address (A Short Dramatic Reading)

8:00 pm    Dr. Steven Woodworth--The Decision to Go North

8:45 pm    Dr. Ethan Rafuse --Meade at Gettysburg  
 
Saturday
8:15 am    Troy Harmon--Lee's Command Structure on the 2nd and 3rd Day

9:05 am    Eric Wittenberg--Calvary Actions at Gettysburg:  Stuart's Ride
10:00 am   David Rider--Berdan's Sharpshooters at Gettysburg
                    Dr. Brad Gottfried--The Artillery Battle at Gettysburg

11:00 am   Dr. Brian Melton--Gen. Slocum at Gettysburg
                    Ben Maryniak--Union Chaplains at Gettysburg

12:00 noon Period Luncheon

1:00 pm    Tom Desjardin--Chamberlain and Little Round Top

2:00 pm     Richard Williams--The Spiritual Lives of the Commanders at Gettysburg
                    Dr. Brenda Ayres--Persephone in the River Phlegethon or The Women of Gettysburg

2:50 pm    Jerry Markham--11th VA, Company G at the Battle of Gettysburg
                   Delanie Stephenson--A Brief and Shining Moment: The Life and Death of Jenny Wade

3:45 pm    Dr. Steven Woodworth--Pettigrew's & Pickett's Charge

4:30 pm    Kent Masterson Brown--Lee's Retreat From Gettysburg 

We are also trying to have a special art exhibit by either Dale Gallon or the paintings of Don Troiani.  More about this as it develops.
 
Saturday Night
7:30 pm     Period Ball Reenactment
The ball will be held at the Kirkley Hotel in Lynchburg (www.kirkleyhotel.com). Our band will be the 2nd South Carolina String Band.  They have played all over the nation and were featured in the motion picture Gods and Generals. Please take a moment and look at their web site: http://www.civilwarband.com/
 
Sunday Morning
 9:00 am    Period Worship Service

Rev. Alan Farley will be speaking in the Whorley Prayer Chapel.

 

 

 

 

  

 

Our Special Guest Speakers:       

 

 

Brad Gottfried

Dr. Brad Gottfried has had a long career in higher education, beginning as a faculty member and currently serving as the President of the College of Southern Maryland. He holds a Ph.D. in Zoology from Miami University.

 
His interest in the Civil War began at an early age, and he has been actively researching and writing about various aspects of it since the late 1990’s.   Except for two Federal brigade-level histories and an article on 1861, all of his writing has centered around the Gettysburg Campaign. Most of his works rely heavily on the use of first person accounts. As a result of his book, The Maps of Gettysburg, Dr. Gottfried has become an accomplished cartographer and he intends to incorporate this skill into future projects.

Books:
The Maps of Gettysburg, Savas Beatie Publishing Company, 2007.
Kearny's Own: The History of the First New Jersey Brigade in the Civil War, Rutgers University Press, 2005.
Brigades of Gettysburg, DaCapo Press, 2002.
The Roads to Gettysburg, White Mane Publishing Company, 2002.
The Philadelphia Brigade, White Mane Publishing Company, 1999.
The Battle of Gettysburg: A Guided Tour, Stackpole, Incorporated.

 Articles:
"The Story of Henry's Battalion at Gettysburg." Gettysburg Magazine, number 34 (January 2006), 30 - 40.
"Friendly Fire at Gettysburg." Gettysburg Magazine, number 27 (July 2002), 78 - 84.
"Baldy's 'Excursions'." Civil War Times Illustrated, volume XL, 4 (August 2001), 48 - 54.
"To Fail Twice: Brockenbrough's Brigade at Gettysburg." Gettysburg Magazine, number 23 (July 2000), 66 - 75.
"Fisher's Brigade at Gettysburg: The Big Round Top Controversy." Gettysburg Magazine, number 19 (July 1998), 90 - 91.
"Mahone's Brigade: Insubordination or Miscommunication?" Gettysburg Magazine, Issue 18 (January 1998), 67 - 76.
"Wright's Charge at Gettysburg: Piercing the Union Line or Inflated Glory?" Gettysburg Magazine, Issue 17 (July 1997), 70 - 82.

Troy D. Harman

Troy D. Harman has been a National Park Service Ranger since 1984. His assignments have included historical interpretation at Appomattox Court House National Historic Park (NHP), Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park (NMP), Independence NHP, Valley Forge NMP, Eisenhower National Historic Site (NHS), and, since 1989 Gettysburg NMP. He also teaches in the history department at the Gettysburg campus of Harrisburg Area Community College and is working on a Ph.D. in history at Lehigh University.  He has presented his book, Lee’s Real Plan at Gettysburg, in fourteen states, and it is in its third printing. Troy, his wife Lisa, and 5 year old son Daniel live near Gettysburg.

Jerald Markham

Jerald (Jerry) Markham is a native of Botetourt County, Virginia. He graduated from James River High School and attended the University of North Dakota while serving in the U. S. Air Force. He is a Viet Nam veteran.
 
He was long time resident of Lynchburg having worked for Babcock & Wilcox and Frametome for 30 years.
 
His interest in the War Between the States dates back to his early youth. Several of his Virginia ancestors served in the Confederate Army, including his great-grandfather, John Owen Markham that served in the Botetourt Artillery. Jerry has been an active member of the Civil War reenacting unit, 11th Virginia Infantry, Company G since 1986. He currently serves as the unit’s Captain.
 
Jerry has three publications; Confederate Veterans Buried in Hollywood Cemetery from Camp Lee Soldiers Home 1894 – 1946, published privately; The Botetourt Artillery, a part of the Virginia Regiment History Series, published by H.E. Howard of Lynchburg; His most recent release is, The Diuguid Records 1861 – 1865 and Biographical Sketches, published by Heritage Books Inc. of Westminster, Maryland.
 
Jerry and his wife, Mary Jo, live in Salem, Virginia. He is an employee of Accellent Cardiology in Salem and works in the Research and Development Department.

Brian Melton

Dr. Melton is the author of Sherman’s Forgotten General:  Henry W. Slocum and a number of scholarly articles and reviews that have appeared in professional journals and magazines.  He had presented his research a various conferences, including the prestigious Southern Historical Association.  In addition to Civil War History, he maintains an active interested in worldview issues, particularly the philosophy of history.   He is happily married to Kami and has one lovely daughter, Annora Hope.  When not indulging in things historical, Dr. Melton enjoys working outside, hiking, writing fiction, and studying various martial arts.

 Ethan S. Rafuse

Ethan S. Rafuse received his B.A. and M.A. degrees in history at George Mason University, and his Ph.D. in history and political science at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.  A former park ranger at Manassas National Battlefield and the Harry S Truman National Historic Site, in 2001-03 he taught military history at the United States Military Academy and since 2004 has been a member of the Department of Military History at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.  His publications include George Gordon Meade and the War in the East, McClellan’s War: The Failure of Moderation in the Struggle for the Union, and over a hundred essays, articles, and book reviews.  He is also the author of two books that will appear later this year: Antietam: A Battlefield Guide and Robert E. Lee and the Fall of the Confederacy, 1863-1865.

David Rider

David Rider of Bethlehem, PA has followed his long love of History, portraying a U.S. Sharpshooter (Berdan’s) for the past 7 years. He is a member of Company “C” 2nd Regt U.S. Sharpshooters, based out of Gettysburg PA. His Unit celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2007. Of those 30 years, they have been volunteers for the National Park Service for over 20 years. David has been involved in Volunteer Living History programs at Yorktown, Malvern Hill, Manassas, Antietam and Gettysburg.
 
After doing extensive study and Research on the Berdan’s, David finds himself at home on the battlefield at Gettysburg, he can be found on Little Round Top at least once a month from April thru October with his comrades doing volunteer work for the NPS at Gettysburg. As well as doing living history programs, David is also involved in the business side of his unit and maintains the Company’s Website at: www.BerdanSharpshooters.com.
 
The men of Berdan's United States Sharpshooters were an elite force during the Civil War.
 
They were one of the only Federal Units to wear dark green uniforms; their weapons included heavy target rifles, Colt 5-shot revolving rifles and Sharps breech-loaded rifles. Each man had to pass a shooting test to be mustered into this unit. He had to put 10 shots inside a 10-inch circle from 200 yards at rest. The combined total of the shots could not exceed a string of 50 inches, which meant each shot could not average more than 5 inches from the center of the target.
 
The Berdan Sharpshooters saw extensive action during the Gettysburg Campaign; they have more monuments and markers on the battlefield than any other unit.

From the history of the unit to modern-day reenactments, to tutorials on the weapons and men of that time, a visit to the Berdan’s Sharpshooters website will provide you with a great deal of information about a relatively small group of men whose tactics influenced United States military development into the 20th century.

Richard G. Williams, Jr.

Richard G. Williams, Jr. is an award winning author and a regular contributor to the Washington Times's Civil War column. He has also contributed articles to a number of other publications. He co-produced the video series, Institute on the Constitution, which won a national award from The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. Williams has been interviewed on a number of radio programs and has also appeared on C-Span's Book TV and CBN.

Williams is the descendant of three Confederate soldiers and a 9th generation great-grandson of the Reverend Roger Williams—the founder of the colony of Rhode Island and of the First Baptist church in America. His latest book is the basis for a new documentary about Stonewall Jackson's life before the war. The film (Still Standing - The Stonewall Jackson Story) was released in October 2007 and Williams served as co-producer and consultant for the project. Williams lives with his wife and children in Virginia’s historic Shenandoah Valley.

He is the author of 3 books:
Christian Business Legends, Business Reform Foundation, 2004.
The Maxims of Robert E. Lee for Young Gentlemen, Pelican Publishing Company, 2005 (Now in its 3rd printing)
Stonewall Jackson ~ The Black Man's Friend, (Foreword by James I. Robertson, Jr.), Cumberland House Publishing, 2006.

Williams is currently in the final stages of researching a book about the history of the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetary in Lexington, Virginia.  A documentary on the same subject is in the planning stages as well.
 

Eric J. Wittenberg

Eric J. Wittenberg is a practicing attorney from Columbus, Ohio who is a student of cavalry operations in the Gettysburg Campaign.  A native of southeastern Pennsylvania who was educated at Dickinson College and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Wittenberg has devoted most of his adult life to the study of the exploits of the horse soldiers of the Civil War.  He is the author of thirteen published books, dozens of articles, and regularly lectures and leads tours for different organizations around the country.
 
Books: 
 
Gettysburg’s Forgotten Cavalry Actions (Gettysburg, Pa.: Thomas Publications, 1998)
“We Have It Damn Hard Out Here”: The Civil War Letters of Sergeant Thomas W. Smith, Sixth Pennsylvania Cavalry (Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 1999)
One of Custer’s Wolverines: The Civil War Letters of Brevet Brig. Gen. James H. Kidd, 6th Michigan Cavalry (Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 2000)
Under Custer’s Command: The Civil War Journal of James Henry Avery (Washington, D. C.: Brassey's, 2000)
Glory Enough for All: Sheridan’s Second Raid and the Battle of Trevilian Station (Washington, D. C.: Brassey's, 2001)
At Custer’s Side: The Civil War Writings of James Harvey Kidd (Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 2001)
With Sheridan in the Final Campaign Against Lee (Baton Rouge: Louisiana Sate University Press, 2002)
Protecting the Flank: The Battles for Brinkerhoff’s Ridge and East Cavalry Field, Battle of Gettysburg, July 2-3, 1863 (Cincinnati, Ohio: Ironclad Publishing, 2002)
 Little Phil: A Reassessment of the Civil War Leadership of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan (Washington, D. C.: Brassey's, 2003)
The Union Cavalry Comes of Age: Hartwood Church to Brandy Station, 1863 (Dulles, Va.: Potomac Books, 2003)
The Battle of Monroe’s Crossroads and the Civil War’s Final Campaign (New York: Savas-Beatie, 2006)
Plenty of Blame to Go Around: Jeb Stuart’s Controversial Ride to Gettysburg (with J. David Petruzzi) (New York: Savas-Beatie, 2006)
Rush’s Lancers: The Sixth Pennsylvania Cavalry in the Civil War (Yardley, Pa.: Westholme Publishing, 2006)
One Continuous Fight: The Retreat from Gettysburg and the Pursuit of Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, July 4-13, 1863 (with J. David Petruzzi and Michael F. Nugent) (New York: Savas-Beatie, 2008)

  

 

Seminar Admission Info:
In addition the Friday night Banquet and the Saturday Luncheon, both which feature antebellum menus and entertainment, there will be special door prizes and an exhibit of paintings depicting scenes from the Battle of Gettysburg.
 
On Saturday there will be a Period Ball, featuring the music of the 2nd South Carolina String Band, in the Grand Lobby of DeMoss Hall, and on Sunday morning there will be a Period Church Service held in the Whorley Prayer Chapel with special speaker, Rev. Alan Farley.
 
The event will be held in Arthur S. DeMoss Learning Center on the campus of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.   Everyone is encouraged to secure reservations for this seminar by Wednesday, March 26.  Admission to the seminar is $55 (which includes all of the seminar sessions, the Friday night banquet, and Saturday’s luncheon).  After March 26, 2008, the price for both days is $65. Admission to the Seminar for Friday only is $25; admission for Saturday only is $30. 
 
Admission to the ball is $25/couple and $15/single. (Please note that boots or shoes with heel plates will not be permitted. This will be checked at the door. Please plan accordingly.)
 

Lodging Info:
Special lodging rates at the Days Inn of Lynchburg are available for those who will be attending the seminar. For pricing and location of lodging, call  434-847-8655.  

For special group pricing for the seminar or more information, call 434-592-4366 or email or klburdeaux@liberty.edu.  



 For more information, please call the LU History Department at 434-592-4366
or email Kristina Burdeaux at klburdeaux@liberty.edu.
To register, click here:  Civil War Registration Form then, print, fill out and mail to
Liberty University History Dept. Civil War Seminar, 1971 University Blvd., Lynchburg, VA 24502
For a map of Lynchburg, click here:  Lynchburg City Map 
CEU credits are available for this seminar. For more information,
please call Janie Harrison at 434-582-2408, or email at jharrison@liberty.edu.