History Commons^™

“Borne Back Ceaselessly Into The Past”: Fitzgerald’S Forgotten Civil War Literature, Cameron T. Sauers

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

“So, we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” These are the brilliant last lines of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, lines that speak to the fallibility of Gatsby’s American Dream and his inescapable, yet simultaneously unreachable, past. The legendary ending sentence in The Great Gatsby has captured me since I first read the book as a freshman in high school and made me want to read every Fitzgerald book I could find. The more I read, the more I realized the unique implications this famous last line had for Fitzgerald’s own …

Ms-236: Bernard Peace Wwi Photograph Album, Kelly A. Murphy

All Finding Aids

The album contains 200 photographs that depict everyday life and people in Baghdad and northeast India, including entire pages dedicated to “Arabs” and pictures of men and women in bazaars and drawing water. Other photographs are of notable events, including the “Dedication of British [Army] Cemetery” or the arrival of the “First Aeroplane from England to India.” There are also pictures of various landmarks, such as mosques, religious pilgrimage sites, historic cities and palaces, and natural wonders, from Iraq, India, and France. Included on the front cover is two photos pasted together to create a panorama of the “Signing of …

Interview With Erica Uszak: Scholarship Recipient For 2018 Cwi Summer Conference, Civil War Institute

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Recently, the CWI reached out to Erica Uszak ’22 to reflect on her experience at the 2018 CWI Summer Conference. Uszak, currently a freshman at Gettysburg College studying History and the Civil War, was one of ten high school students to receive a scholarship to attend the conference. Any high school student with an interest in history is eligible to apply for the High School Scholarship. [excerpt]

Overpriced Stamps And Mystery Pies: The Complicated Legacy Of Civil War Sutlers, Savannah Labbe

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

In every story, including ones about historical events, there are people who inevitably end up in the background. These people are ever-present but deemed unimportant to the story, like the Union Army sutler depicted next to his makeshift store above. Sutlers were merchants who would follow the Army around, selling the soldiers things they were not issued but might have wanted, such as paper and envelopes for writing home. The reason why the sutler is often left out of history is not just because they were only indirectly related to the fighting, but also because they were greatly disliked by …

A Complete Transformation Of Medicine: John Letterman’S Ambulance Corps, Savannah Labbe

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Looking back on the practices of Civil War Americans, many people tend to believe the Civil War was a particularly dark time in medical history, a time when doctors sawed off limbs to solve any problems and often did it with dirty instruments and no anesthesia. This idea of Civil War medicine is a misconception because most amputations were, in fact, done with anesthesia and the Civil War did introduce many improvements in the medical field. In fact, the Civil War can be seen as a turning point from more ancient practices of medicine to more modern practices. [excerpt …

25 Years Of Gettysburg, Olivia Ortman

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Amongst the Civil War community here at Gettysburg College, the movie Gettysburg is very much a part of our daily lives. Quotes are thrown back and forth in witty banter, the music is played for dramatic effect, and history professors are badgered to show clips in class. Since the movie fits so seamlessly into our experience here in Gettysburg, we often take it for granted. However, Gettysburg recently celebrated its 25th anniversary with a special showing at the Majestic Theater, with remarks from the director preceding the viewing. Although none of the Fellows attended, it got a lot of us …

Thirty Two Days In The Argonne Offensive, Grover C. Maus

Adams County History

It is manifestly impossible for one man, without access to official records, to write anything like a comprehensive history of the great Meuse-Argonne conflict. So no attempt will be made to write a history, but simply to describe some events, experiences, feelings, and hardships from the standpoint of a personal observer in the hope that they will provide to be typical of the experiences of the average Adams County boy who book part in that battle. [excerpt]

Bringing To Life The Grandfather I Never Knew, Valerie J. Young

Adams County History

My grandfather, Chester Allen Bower, was born in New Oxford, Pennsylvania on August 30, 1894 and died near there in Hanover on December 30, 1939. He was my mother's father, and she was just 12 years old when he died. I never had the chance to meet him.

Chester served in the Great War in the U.S. Army's 79th Division, which took part in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive from September to November 1918. This Offensive was the largest military operation ever undertaken by the U.S. Army at that time and its success led, in part, to the end of the war. …