Where Education and History are one!

Chamber’s Civil War seminars raise funds for battlefield preservation

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. January 2010 -- Seminars to focus on Civil War commanders, battles

Some of the nation’s top historians will come to Chambersburg in 2010 to participate in the Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce’s three Civil War seminars:

     May 7-8, “Meade and the Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg”
    A bus tour with famed Civil War historian Ed Bearss covers the Union defense of the high ground – Culp’s Hill and Cemetery Hill, Cemetery Ridge and Little Round Top; Andy Waskie provides a first-person portrayal of Gen. George Meade; discussions include Meade’s lieutenants, the Meade Sickles controversy, the Pipe Creek Line, the Union cavalry and more. Seminar includes buffet lunch, period-style dinner and reception.
     

July 21-24, “From Cedar Mountain to Antietam.”
    Join Ed Bearss and others for an in-depth look at events in Virginia and Maryland leading to the Battle of Antietam. Includes two days of bus tours covering Cedar Mountain (special access to many sites on private property not open to the public), Second Manassas and South Mountain; talks and panels, preservation auction.

     Sept. 24-26, “Lee: An Examination of One of America’s Great Commanders”
    Join Ed Bearss and others for a full weekend devoted to the life and military career of Robert E. Lee. Includes bus tour, “In the Footsteps of Lee and His Lieutenants,” panels, talks, reception, buffet lunch and dinner.

The Chamber has offered seminars focusing on the history of the region for more than 20 years. The seminars, coordinated by historian Ted Alexander, have raised more than $125,000 for battlefield preservation since their inception in 1989. “Since the seminars began, more than 6,000 men and women from 38 states and four foreign countries have trekked to our area to take part in these educational seminars,” Alexander said. Three Civil War seminars in 2009 attracted 154 people to Chambersburg from throughout the United States and Canada.
 

Educator brings Gen. Meade to life

Andy Waskie, an educator at Temple University in Philadelphia, will return to Chambersburg in May to be a presenter at the first Chamber of Commerce Civil War seminar of the year. He will portray Gen. George Meade, commander of the Union Army at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, a turning point of the war. Meade was named commander just three days before the Battle of Gettysburg began.

Waskie said he discovered long ago that people became more interested in history when he presented a first-person account. “It made a tremendous difference – it really brought the history alive. As an educator, I could see that.” Since his first talk as Meade in 1986, Waskie has spoken to hundreds of organizations and colleges, including the Smithsonian and West Point.  “It was imperative that we confront (Confederate Gen. Robert E.) Lee and drive him out of the North, at the very least. We knew there was going to be a battle. The only question was where,” Waskie said. Meade’s best decision at Gettysburg, Waskie said, was “to stay and fight it out. … Lee had never been defeated in the war.”

For more information on the Civil War seminars, call 717-264-7101 or view the Web site, http://chambersburgcivilwarseminars.org.

Chambersburg Civil War Seminars & Tours, 100 Lincoln Way East, Chambersburg PA 17201. 717- 264-7101. chaden@chambersburg.org.