Greetings to all...
...Members and Friends of the Civil War Roundtable of Gettysburg,

When I retired in 2018, the congregation I was serving in Omaha was gracious enough to give me early leave, so I could be settled into Gettysburg in time for the 155th battle anniversary. That year’s reenactment was north of town and I was wowed by the experience. The day was sweltering, disabusing any notion I might enlist as a reenactor. Wearing a wool uniform in this kind of heat and humidity looked to be unbearable. But it was a magnificent spectacle and I had a grand time exploring the camp. It’s well that I did, as this year’s anniversary is shaping up quite differently. Happily, as a resident of Gettysburg, I’ll still be able to experience the field in real time, at the approximate positions of the respective armies over the three days of battle, capped off by walking Pickett’s Charge. I’ll make this year’s charge with the Hessler/Motts account in hand, and hope not to drip too much sweat on the pages.

Like pretty much every other organization in the age of Coronavirus, the Roundtable is trying to make the best of a less than optimal situation. I am disappointed to settle for a virtual Summer on the Battlefield, but it’s far from a total loss. I made it a point to visit Culp’s Hill yesterday. I’m at Culp’s Hill regular and this latest excursion was informed by Richard Goedkoop’s wonderful June 25 online presentation, What Mean These Stones? It would have been even better, I suppose, to have walked the ground with the Licensed Battlefield Guide; on the other hand, his virtual tour included photos of monument dedications that might have been more difficult to appreciate in the normative pass-arounds. Dr. Goedkoop surely had to do some serious revisiting of his planned presentation for online purposes and we are deeply appreciative of his effort. Richard’s program, like those of Mary Turk-Meena and James Broomall in April and May, are archived on our website and Facebook page. And this is cool: In August, we’ll virtually revisit Culp’s Hill, this time with Charlie Fennell. Rich focused on the stones; Dr. Fennell will walk us through the battle action.

We are very much hoping to be back inside in September. As the GAR is about the worst possible place for social distancing, we’re currently exploring other temporary options that would afford larger space to spread out. We’ll keep you posted on that, of course.

We have not hit “pause” on preservation. In a June Zoom meeting, the Board of Directors voted to approve a request of support from Civil War Trails. The excellent organization is needing some new sponsors, and we will be taking responsibility for the marker at the Littlestown History Plaza. There was quite a trail of Federals coming through Littlestown up the Baltimore Pike. The cavalry of Kilpatrick and Custer rode into town on June 29, Custer is said to have stayed in a hotel across the street from the History Plaza. The XII Corps was cheered by residents on the 30th of June, followed two days later by VI Corps in their epic march. All told, some 30,000 Federals came to Gettysburg on this Civil War Trail. We’re talking with the organization about partnering in future projects.

Please continue to check for updates on the website www.cwrtgettysburg.org and Facebook page. This is not how I saw my second year in office going, but I remain enormously thankful for the opportunity to serve as president of the Civil War Roundtable of Gettysburg.