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Gettysburg College

United States History

2017

Commemoration

Articles 1 - 5 of 5

Full-Text Articles in History

Marching In Step: Usct Veterans And The Grand Army Of The Republic, Ryan Bilger May 2017

Marching In Step: Usct Veterans And The Grand Army Of The Republic, Ryan Bilger

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

For many United States Colored Troops, remembering the Civil War and their comrades who fell in it became an important part of their post-war life. One of the primary opportunities for public expression of remembrance was Decoration Day, now known as Memorial Day. African Americans played a critical part in the creation of this holiday. On May 1, 1865, the newly-freed black residents of Charleston asserted their place in Civil War memory by leading a parade to a recently constructed cemetery for Union prisoners at the city’s horseracing course. The procession heaped flowers upon the graves of the honored dead, …


Bearing The Battle, Binding The Wounds, Kaylyn L. Sawyer May 2017

Bearing The Battle, Binding The Wounds, Kaylyn L. Sawyer

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

When I arrived at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park for my summer 2016 internship orientation, I introduced myself as being from Yorktown, VA. The ranger quipped “you must have a thing for surrender towns.” I hadn’t really thought about it, but I suppose I do. I’ve lived in and around historic towns my entire life. I was born in Richmond, graduated high school in Yorktown, attended college in Gettysburg, and completed internships in New Market, Appomattox, and in the Hampton Roads area. I never seem to be far from a battlefield or a battle town, physically or emotionally. I …


Confederate Memory, Olivia Ortman May 2017

Confederate Memory, Olivia Ortman

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

This year as a CWI Fellow, I’ve been doing a lot of research and thinking on Civil War memory, specifically that of Confederate memory. When doing this work, the question at the back of my mind is always: How should monuments, symbols, and other examples of Confederate memory be handled? This is a very difficult question, so up until now, I’ve left it alone, knowing that there would come a time in the future that I would sit down and wrestle with my conflicting opinions on the matter. A couple days ago, the Civil War Era Studies Department here at …


The Conflicting Conflict: Memorialization And Memory Of The Great War, Danielle E. Jones Apr 2017

The Conflicting Conflict: Memorialization And Memory Of The Great War, Danielle E. Jones

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

July 1st through 3rd, 2013 marked the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. There were an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 visitors to the national park, including as many as 10,000 reenactors. The Civil War sesquicentennial was commemorated from the very beginning, and ended with a reenactment in Appomattox that saw over 6,000 people visit to re-live the end of the American Civil War. On April 9th, bells across the nation, including at Gettysburg College, tolled for 4 minutes to honor the four years the war raged on. Plans were started for the anniversary almost a decade in advance and …


Appomattox: 152 Years Later, Jonathan Tracey Apr 2017

Appomattox: 152 Years Later, Jonathan Tracey

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Just over a week ago was the 152nd anniversary of General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House. Although that number may not be as big a deal as the 150th anniversary a few years ago, there was something else special about this year. For only the seventh time since 1865, April 9th fell on Palm Sunday, just as it did on the day that Grant and Lee met in the McLean House. Not only was I lucky enough to attend this commemoration, but I was able to revisit the job I held over the summer by volunteering that weekend. Arriving …