This Month's Headlines:

Editor's Letter

As summer comes to a close and students go back to school, at The Gettysburg Experience we bring you another issue with articles of historical interest, autumn recipes, and our updated Calendar of Events – all beginning on page 11.

We offer a biographical glimpse at a man not often remembered for his role in the Battle of Gettysburg. Read about John Newton: The Eminent Engineer, beginning on page 21. Our annual look back at the last century culminates in Decade by Decade: 100 Years of History, beginning on page 31. While Gettysburg was the definite turning point of the war, another turning point came in September 1864. Learn about what transpired in that pivotal month, beginning on page 45.

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John Newton: The Eminent Engineer

When the Union First Corps lost their esteemed and beloved commander, John Reynolds, during Gettysburg’s first day, General Abner Doubleday replaced him. Doubleday was not able to secure a victory for the Federals that day; in fact, he was driven from the field, and his troops fell back to Cemetery Hill. When General Meade, the commander of the Union army at Gettysburg, arrived, he did not trust Doubleday to continue leading the famed First Corps. He selected another, a man from another corps in fact, to lead the First Corps at Gettysburg. The man he chose was John Newton.

John Newton is one of those Civil War commanders who is almost forgotten in the annals of history – and he should not be in that position. >Read More

Decade by Decade: 100 Years of History

In reviewing the past, an interesting pattern appears – one that shows parallels to modern times. Here are the events of the past century, of the years that end in the number 5, decade by decade:

The year 1925 arrived on a Thursday, one hundred years ago. It was the middle of a prosperous decade known to history as The Roaring Twenties. Economic prosperity reigned, as a terrible world war and a world-wide influenza pandemic were finally over. President Calvin Coolidge and Vice President Charles Dawes were popular, largely due to the good economy and the fact that the pair were personally scandal-free.

The previous President, Warren G. Harding, had died in August 1923, and the scandals of which he had been a part, especially the Teapot Dome Scandal, caused shock and suspicion among members of the populace. That same year, well-meaning citizens in Ohio had begun raising funds for a memorial to the late President. Because of the widening knowledge of the nefarious schemes done by Harding's Cabinet, many refused to donate to the project, and it fell through.¹ >Read More

September 1864:  A Turning Point

Just as Gettysburg had been a significant turning point of the war in July of 1863, so was the month of September in 1864. After a scorching August, as the deaths of both Union and Confederate soldiers continued to increase, the month of September became a welcome respite – at least for the Union. The weather turned temperate, and Union victories began to consistently take place. On September 2, 1864, Atlanta officially fell into Union hands, although it took John Bell Hood’s broken troops a few more days to evacuate the Georgia capital. 

As Hood’s army vacated Atlanta, General Sherman followed the Confederates briefly, then turned southward, beginning his infamous March to the Sea, where his army burned and pillaged almost everything in their path. On September 3, Sherman sent a telegram to President Lincoln, with the words, “Atlanta is ours, and fairly won.”¹ >Read More

Editor's Corner: Kangaroo Words

Who would have thought that there is such a thing as a kangaroo word? And yet we have such words, aptly named, in our vernacular.

A kangaroo word is a word within a word (noun, verb, adjective, or adverb) that proves to be a synonym of the word in which it is found.

Like the pouch of the kangaroo that holds a smaller version of itself inside, so are these kangaroo words. >Read More

Recipes