A Couple of Upcoming Events

I’ve already told you about the Monterey Pass Battlefield Association, and I’ve previously mentioned the upcoming November 8 event. However, I want to give it another shout out for a couple of reasons. First, I really believe in the organization and what it’s trying to accomplish. Second, it’s going to be a terrific program.

It’s called the Thunder on the Mountain and the Retreat from Gettysburg Seminar. Here’s the agenda for the day:

Schedule of Events

8:30: Registration

9:00: Welcome

9:15-10:30: First Presentation includes Eric Wittenberg and J. David Pertruzzi

10:30-10:45: Break

10:45-11:45: Second Presentation will given by Ted Alexander

11:45-1:00: Lunch

1:00-2:00: Third Presentation will be given by John A. Miller

2:00-2:15: Break

2:15-3:15: Final Presentation will be given by Troy Harman

3:15-3:30: Conclusion and Final Remarks

Blue Ridge Summit to Host Seminar, November 8th, 2008

Blue Ridge Summit, Pa. – The One Mountain Foundation will host a special Civil War seminar “Thunder on the Mountain & the Retreat from Gettysburg”. This seminar will explain the Pennsylvania Campaign and why it is important to preserve various sites along the retreat from Gettysburg.

Speakers will include Eric Wittenberg and J. David Pertruzzi discussing their new book entitled “One Continuous Fight”. Kent Masterson Brown author of the book “Retreat from Gettysburg”, Ted Alexander author and Chief Historian at Antietam National Battlefield and John A. Miller Civil War Historian of the area and author will also be presenting. Speakers will discuss their areas of expertise. Display setups by local organizations will be promoting area history.

Pre-registration post marked by October 10th is $45.00 and will include a lunch, refreshments and snacks. Registration at the door the day of the event will be $60.00, so register early. The seminar will be held at the Blue Ridge Summit Fire Hall just off of Route 16 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on November 8th, 2008. For more information contact the One Mountain Foundation through their website at www.onemountainfoundation.org or the Monterey Pass Battlefield Association by logging onto www.emmitsburg.net/montereypass. All proceeds from the event will go back into preservation and other interpretational events of the mountaintop.

Our Speakers

Eric Wittenberg, J. David Petruzzi and Michael Nugent: A talk about key points of their new book “One Continuous Fight”. This book is their latest release about the battles during the Confederate retreat from Gettysburg as well as General Meade’s pursuit of the Confederate Army.

Ted Alexander: Chief Historian at Antietam National Battlefield. Ted will discuss the aftermath of the battle of Gettysburg. The battles of Smithsburg and Hagerstown and how they played a major role during the Pennsylvania Campaign.

John A. Miller: Historian of the Emmitsburg and Monterey Areas and author. An informal talk about the battle and the Confederate Retreat through Monterey Pass. John will discuss the first hand accounts by those who fought and marched through Monterey Pass “The Gateway of Agony”.

Troy D. Harman: 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 Harrisburg Area Community College and is working on a Ph.D. in history at Lehigh University. Troy received an M.A. from Shippensburg University, and a B.A. from Lynchburg College, both in history. He has presented his book, Lee’s Real Plan at Gettysburg, in seventeen states, and it is in its fourth printing. Troy, his wife Lisa, and 6 year old son Daniel live near Gettysburg.

Unfortunately, a scheduling conflict forced Kent Masterson Brown to pull out, but Troy Harman has agreed to step up and take his place. The same problem–uncooperative schedules–also forced our co-author Mike Nugent to pull out of the event, and he will be missed there. Nevertheless, it should be an excellent program for a really worthy cause.

Also, on December 13, I will be doing a presentation on the Battle of Trevilian Station for the Louisa County Historical Society as one of its monthly programs. I will be at the Historical Society from 10:30-12:00 that Saturday, giving a talk and then signing books. The Society and I are going to use the opportunity to promote the preservation of the battlefield and to give credit to the Trevilian Station Battlefield Foundation for the extraordinary job it has done in preserving the Civil War’s largest all-cavalry battlefield. If you’re in the area, please come by and say hello.

These are my last two events for 2008, which has been a VERY busy year. However, they’re both worthy causes, and I’m looking forward to both. I hope to see some of you there.