Ranger and Chief of Interpretation at Gettysburg National Military Park is back with an update for you on what programs you can expect during the Winter of 2023, including the Winter Lecture topics. The list is below.
Gettysburg National Military Park
Winter Lecture Series 2023
Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m.
January 7 th through February 26 th , 2023
Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center
Featuring some of the best Rangers, historians, and authors from across the country, the 9-week
Winter Lecture Series will once again return to the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and
Visitor Center in 2023!
The Winter Lecture Series is held at 1:30 p.m. on weekends in the Gettysburg National Military Park
Museum and Visitor Center from January 7 through February 26, 2023. Free tickets will be available
day of at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center.
Sat. Jan. 7 - Intelligence Gathering at Culp's Hill
Troy Harman, Gettysburg National Military Park
Did the Southern Army investigate Culp's Hill before attacking it? It is imagined the Southern Army attacked
Culp's Hill for two days without knowing what they were walking into, or how impossible the task. It is generally
presumed that if some forethought and investigation of the ground and circumstances had been carried out
earlier, the 12 hours of combat there may never have occurred. How much truth is there to hastily attacking the
hill without prior knowledge of Union strength, location, and morale? Troy Harman will explore and explain
through multiple vivid accounts, illustrations, and maps.
Sun. Jan. 8 – George Dewey and the American Civil War
Karlton Smith, Gettysburg National Military Park
This program will explore the Civil War career of future admiral and victor of Manila Bay George Dewey. Join
Ranger Karlton Smith and track Dewey’s experiences from his time at Annapolis to the end of the Civil War,
and uncover how that pivotal period would shape his post-war activities.
Sat. Jan. 14 – John Hunt Morgan: Thunderbolt of the Confederacy
Matthew Atkinson, Gettysburg National Military Park
Known today as one of the great cavalry raiders, Morgan struck fear among the Northern population wherever
his command roamed. His swift and daring raids across Kentucky and Ohio are some of the most daring
undertakings during the Civil War. Join us for a lecture featuring romance, battle, prison escape, and even
bank robberies.
Sun. Jan. 15 – If These Things Could Talk: Artifacts from the Collection of Gettysburg National
Military Park
Tom Holbrook, Gettysburg National Military ParkExplore the museum collection at Gettysburg National
Military Park with Ranger Tom Holbrook and discover some of the fascinating stories each object tells. From
the simple to the extraordinary, each piece offers a window into the story of the American Civil War.
Sat. Jan. 21 – Little Round Top: The Vision Place of Souls
Christopher Gwinn, Gettysburg National Military Park
It is the most famous hill in American history. For 160 years Americans have been captivated by the story of
Little Round Top and the desperate fighting that took place there on the afternoon of July 2, 1863. Ranger
Christopher Gwinn will examine the story of the battle, the myths and legends that still hover over its rocky
slopes, and detail how Little Round Top became a “vision place of souls.”
Sun. Jan. 22 - The Great Reunion of 1913
John Heiser, Historian
In the summer of 1913, Pennsylvania invited thousands of Union and Confederate veterans to come to
Gettysburg to observe and celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, what many considered
to be the "High Water Mark the Rebellion". The response from veterans of the Blue and Gray was
overwhelming - over 54,000 old soldiers journeyed to a battlefield skillfully transformed by a government
commission into a memorial park, where the armies of both North and South would forever be memorialized.
Critics scoffed that old enemies could never get along, the divisions that caused the war in 1861 having not
been forgotten. But America was changing at home and abroad and those who chose to ignore this
commemoration were surprised at its outcome. Was this "Great Reunion" finally the signal of national
reunification so many had hoped for fifty years after the final shot had been fired?
Sat. Jan. 28 – From Second Manassas to Gettysburg: - The True Story of a Texas Brigade
Officer and a Union Artillerist
Wayne Motts, Gettysburg Foundation
Join historian, author, and battlefield guide Wayne Motts as he explores the true and unique story of Benjamin
F. Carter of the 4th Texas Infantry and Captain Mark Kerns of Battery G, 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery and
how these two men, fighting on opposite sides during the war, are connected through kind acts. From the
battlefields of Virginia to the fighting on July 2, 1863 at Gettysburg, Wayne will present some new information
about this moving story.
Sun. Jan. 29 - From the Iron Brigade to Chief Joseph: John Gibbon's Military Career
Karlton Smith, Gettysburg National Military Park
This program will look at the military career of Brig. Gen. John Gibbon, focusing on his Civil War service,
especially Gettysburg. It will also look at Gibbon's post war service on the frontier and his attitude concerning
the Native Americans he encountered.
Sat. Feb. 4 - Reading Between the Lines: Soldier Accounts from the Gettysburg Battle
Troy Harman, Gettysburg National Military Park
Several solider letters and accounts will be examined from the battle, not only for surface level descriptions,
but also for patterns to soldier observations, underlying clues to soldier psychology, and deeper cultural
messages. This lecture will draw attention to the hidden meanings below the surface.
Sun. Feb. 5 – What the Ground Lay Bare: Archeology at Little Round Top and Devils Den
Erik Kreusch, Gettysburg National Miliary Park
Gettysburg National Military Park has been rehabilitating both the Devil's Den as well as the Little Round Top.
Archeologists have been conducting metal detector sweeps of areas where ground disturbance was
anticipated. The archeological findings have the potential to shed light on the activities of individuals during and
immediately following the fight. The program will highlight some of the current findings. This coupled with
firsthand narrative accounts allows the park to enhance our understanding and interpretation.
Sat. Feb. 11 – “First in '61:" Nicholas "Nick" Biddle and Pennsylvania's Forgotten First
Defenders
John Hoptak, Gettysburg National Military Park
On the evening of April 18, 1861, less than 72 hours after the surrender of Fort Sumter and President Abraham
Lincoln's subsequent call-to-arms, the very first Northern volunteer soldiers arrived in the nation's beleaguered
capital. Although long overshadowed in history by the more famous 6th Massachusetts Infantry, these soldiers
composed the ranks of five companies of Pennsylvania militia who later became known as the "First
Defenders." Attacked by a pro-secessionist/pro-Confederate mob in Baltimore on their journey south to
Washington, these First Defenders shed some of the very first blood of what would become the country's
bloodiest conflict. Included among those injured was Nicholas "Nick" Biddle, a sixty-five-year-old African
American man who had escaped from slavery, and who now wore the uniform of one of the Pennsylvaniacompanies. Join John Hoptak for a look at the fascinating life and story of Biddle, and the history of these
lesser-known companies, their prompt response, and their place in American Civil War history.
Sun. Feb. 12 (Superbowl Sunday) – No Program
Sat. Feb. 18 – Robert E. Lee - The Antebellum Years
Matthew Atkinson, Gettysburg National Military Park
Lee stands today as one of the most influential military leaders in world history. But what were his upbringing,
education and experiences that molded the man? Join Ranger Matt Atkinson and explore Lee's life before the
Civil War.
Sun. Feb. 19 – Placing the Platform: Using 3D Technology to Pinpoint Lincoln at Gettysburg
Christopher Oakley, Associate Professor, UNC- Asheville
Associate Professor Christopher Oakley is a former Disney and DreamWorks animator who teaches Animation
in New Media at University of North Carolina Asheville. Since 2013, Christopher has been leading an
undergraduate research endeavor called "The Virtual Lincoln Project," in which he and his students are
creating a digital photo-real Abraham Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address. His lecture Placing the
Platform: Using 3D Technology to Pinpoint Lincoln at Gettysburg explores Christopher's digital research that
has led him to determine where Lincoln was actually standing when he delivered the Gettysburg Address.
Sat. Feb. 25 – A Crusade for Peace--Eisenhower and the Korean War
Daniel Vermilya, Eisenhower National Historic Site
70 Years ago, Dwight D. Eisenhower ascended to the presidency at a time of great unrest and conflict.
Nowhere was that conflict greater than in the Korean peninsula, where Americans had been fighting and dying
by the thousands for several years. Join Eisenhower NHS Ranger Dan Vermilya to explore Eisenhower's
crusade for peace in Korea, America's forgotten war. This program will provide special Gettysburg connections
to the Korean War by highlighting stories in Gettysburg National Cemetery, and will also feature the newest
addition to the Eisenhower NHS museum collection, the parka that President-Elect Eisenhower wore during his
visit to Korea in December 1952.
Sun. Feb 26 – Gettysburg and the Civil War: From County Seat to National Symbol
Barbara Sanders, Gettysburg National Military Park
Residents of Gettysburg and Adams County were not just passive observers of the 1863 battle. Its citizens
included men who fought on both sides of the conflict, women who took in or traveled to the wounded after the
battle, African Americans who dug the graves for the dead, and generations who worked to support the
community from its modest time as county seat of government, to the site of a major battle, host of veterans'
reunions, and creation of a National Park. Stories of its most noteworthy townspeople will illuminate this ever-
changing community as a microcosm of a nation moving forward from immense conflict to create a universal
symbol of freedom, sacrifice, equality and democracy.
Sat. Mar. 4 – Rain Date if Needed
Sun. Mar. 5 – Rain Date if Needed
Seating is available on a first come – first served basis. Free tickets at available day of at the Gettysburg
National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center. Schedule is subject to change.
Gettysburg National Military Park is a unit of the National Park Service that preserves and protects the
resources associated with the Battle of Gettysburg and the Gettysburg National Cemetery and provides an
understanding of the events that occurred there within the context of American history. For a complete listing of
all of the free ranger programs, please visit our website at www.nps.gov/gett.
For additional information visit www.nps.gov/gett
