The Road to Gettysburg: A Civil War Symposium

The Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall is pleased to announce our ninth annual Civil War Symposium, scheduled for April 2 - 3, 2027. Though often overlooked in favor of the penultimate three day battle at Gettysburg, June 1863 was a pivotal month as the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia maneuvered northward from central Virginia, through Maryland, and into south central Pennsylvania. In June 1863: The Road to Gettysburg, nine dynamic historians will unpack the movements, battles, personalities, and decisions that shaped how the battle of Gettysburg came to be fought when and where it happened. 

Tickets are available for $125.00 until March 29, or sold out. Seating is limited, and previous years have sold out, so please don't wait to reserve your seat. The ticket price includes hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar on Friday evening, breakfast refreshments, a boxed lunch, and light snacks on Saturday. 

In celebration of our 125th anniversary, for those who purchase a ticket prior to October 1, a portion of the proceeds will be counted towards our goal of a $125,000 matching milestone campaign. 

Representatives from Arsenal Cider - Pittsburgh's Civil War-themed hard cider distillery - will be on hand Friday evening for tastings and bottle sales. Ongoing tours of the Captain Thomas Espy Grand Army of the Republic Post will be available, as well as raffles, a Civil War book sale, and author book signings. 

Symposium proceeds help to preserve the priceless artifacts in the Captain Thomas Espy Grand Army of the Republic Post, and supports our monthly Civil War programming at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall. 

ACFL&MH is grateful to Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, So Nobly Advanced, Civil War Trails, Civil War Roundtable Congress, Military Images, and Addressing Gettysburg for their sponsorship and ongoing support of our annual Civil War Symposium! 

Please contact Espy Post curator, Jon-Erik Gilot, at [email protected] with any questions. 

Speakers:

James Hessler - June 30: The Eve of Battle 

James Hessler has been a licensed battlefield guide at Gettysburg National Military Park since 2003 and is the author or co-author of four acclaimed books on the Gettysburg campaign. His published work has received distinguished book awards and appeared in outlets such as Gettysburg Magazine. Jim co-hosts the popular Battle of Gettysburg Podcast and has been featured on the History Channel, CSPAN, Travel Channel, NPR, PCN-TV, and with the American Battlefield Trust. A frequent lecturer at Civil War roundtables nationwide, he has also taught adult education courses at the college level and held leadership positions with the Little Big Horn Associates and Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides.

In this lecture, Jim will take a deep dive on the events and decisions of June 30, 1863, and the impact they had on what unfolded over the following three days of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Jennifer Murray - Meade Takes Command

Dr. Jennifer M. Murray serves as the Dennis E. Frye Endowed Chair in Civil War Studies and director of the Civil War Center at Shepherd University. She received her Ph.D. in 19^th century American History at Auburn University, her master’s degree from James Madison University, and her bachelor’s from Frostburg State University. She previously taught at Oklahoma State University. Her first book, On A Great Battlefield: The Making, Management, and Memory of Gettysburg National Military Park, 1933 – 2013, was published by the University of Tennessee Pree in 2014.

In this lecture, Dr. Murray will explore the career of Union Gen. George Meade prior to his appointment to command of the Army of the Potomac just three days before the battle of Gettysburg. Dr. Murray is currently working on a full-length biography of Meade.

Wayne Motts - For Want of a Nail: Logistics, Supply, and the Infrastructure of the Union Army in the Gettysburg Campaign

Wayne E. Motts is the CEO of the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and a licensed guide at the Gettysburg National Military Park for the past 38 years. He is the author of two works relating to the American Civil War including Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg: The Most Famous Attack in American History (Co-Authored with James A. Hessler)

Did you know on the eve of the Battle of Gettysburg, the Union Army of the Potomac contained over 93,000 troops, 4,000 wagons, and some 51,000 horses and mules. A typical army ration for 1,000 soldiers weighed more than 3,000lbs, and the army needed over 600 tons of animal forage to feed its animals every single day. Join history Wayne Motts as he explores just how the Army of the Potomac managed, maintained, and sustained itself in the field to face Robert E. Lee in the Greatest battle of the American Civil War.

Matt Callery - Live recording of the Addressing Gettysburg Podcast

Addressing Gettysburg brings the historic reality of the battle of Gettysburg and the experiences of the soldiers and civilians to the masses in a comprehensive, immersive, and entertaining way. With millions of downloads and a Today Show showcase to their credit, Addressing Gettysburg offers a fresh, engaging, and exciting approach to a defining moment in American history. With raw enthusiasm, a knack for making interesting conversation, and a makeshift studio, host Matt Callery launched Addressing Gettysburg in 2019.

In this lively and freewheeling conversation, Matt Callery will lead a live podcast recording of Addressing Gettysburg, engaging presenters and attendees in a wide-ranging discussion of the Gettysburg Campaign. 

Ron Coddington - Faces of the Gettysburg Campaign

Ron Coddington began collecting Civil War–era portrait photography as a teenager, launching a lifelong pursuit to uncover images of men and women and tell their stories. His research has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and a series of books published by Johns Hopkins University Press. His most recent book is Gettysburg Faces (Gettysburg Publishing). Ron is the editor and publisher of Military Images, a quarterly magazine founded in 1979 and dedicated to the study and preservation of historic photographs.

Ron’s lecture will follow his book Gettysburg Faces, exploring Civil War photography and the stories of soldiers north and south during the Gettysburg Campaign.

Jared Peatman - A Hell of a Regiment: The 20th Maine on the Road to Gettysburg

Jared Peatman is a historian and educator who provides leadership development events through a wide range of historic sites and metaphors. A graduate of Gettysburg College and Virginia Tech, Peatman earned his PhD from Texas A&M. His first book, The Long Shadow of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, was released in November 2013 and received the Hay-Nicolay Dissertation Prize for the best work on Abraham Lincoln or the Civil War. Today, he serves as president and founder of Four Score Consulting.

Jared’s lecture will follow his new book, A Hell of a Regiment: To Gettysburg and Beyond With the Twentieth Maine, focusing on the regiment’s experience during the Gettysburg Campaign. 

Robert F. O'Neill - Small But Important Riots: The Cavalry Battles of Aldie, Middleburg, and Upperville

Robert F. O’Neill is a retired police officer and current instructor at Moser Training Solutions. His published works include Chasing Jeb Stuart and John Mosby: The Union Cavalry in Northern Virginia from Second Manassas to Gettysburg, and Small but Important Riots: The Cavalry Battles of Aldie, Middleburg, and Upperville.

Robert’s talk will explore his book Small but Important Riots, following the Loudoun Valley cavalry battles in June 1863.

Pete Miele - 'Towards the Susquehanna': Pennsylvania's River in the Gettysburg Campaign

Pete Miele is a senior project leader at Susquehanna National Heritage Area, overseeing the Susquehanna Discovery Center project at the historic Mifflin farm site. He previously spent more than eleven years at Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center in Gettysburg, PA, including four years as president and executive director. He most recently completed coursework towards a PhD in American Studies at Penn State, Harrisburg. 

Pete's talk will examine the importance of the Susquehanna River, and its crossings, to the Gettysburg Campaign. General Robert E. Lee's army needed to cross the river to achieve the goals of the invasion, while Gen. Darius Couch, commanding the Department of the Susquehanna, recognized the river as a key defensive line.

Evan Portman - Gettysburg: Before the Battle 

Evan Portman holds a BA in history and secondary education from Saint Vincent College and received a master's degree in history and minor in public history at Duquesne University. He is currently pursuing a PhD in history at West Virginia University and is a Copie Hill Civil War Fellow with the American Battlefield Trust. He has written for Emerging Civil War, Emerging Revolutionary War, the Westmoreland County Historical Society, Civil War Monitor, the Catholic History Society of Western Pennsylvania, Antietam Institute, and the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust. 

Evan will discuss the history of Gettysburg prior to the battle, with an emphasis on the civilian experience living in a border community during the Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania in June 1863. 

Schedule of Events:

Friday, April 2:

Doors Open, Registration - 2:00 - 3:00pm
Espy Post Tours, Book Sale, Raffle, Exhibits - 2:00 - 8:45pm
Opening Remarks - 3:00 - 3:15pm
Evan Portman - 3:15 - 4:15
BREAK - 4:15 - 4:30pm
Pete Miele - 4:30 - 5:30pm
Refreshments, Cash Bar, Arsenal Cider - 5:30pm - 6:45pm
Jim Hessler - 6:45 - 7:45pm
BREAK - 7:45 - 8:00pm
Matt Callery/Addressing Gettysburg - 8:00 - 9:00pm

Saturday, April 3:

Registration & Refreshments - 8:15 - 9:15am
Espy Post Tours, Book Sale, Raffle, Exhibits - 8:15 - 4:15pm
Ron Coddington - 9:15 - 10:15am
BREAK - 10:15 - 10:30am
Robert O'Neill - 10:30 - 11:30am
LUNCH - 11:30 - 12:45pm
Wayne Motts - 12:45 - 1:45pm
BREAK - 1:45 - 2:00pm
Jen Murray - 2:00pm - 3:00pm
BREAK - 3:00pm - 3:15pm
Jared Peatman - 3:15 - 4:15pm