This Month's Headlines:

Editor's Letter

It has been a hot and stormy summer, and August promises more of the same. To usher in the continuance of summertime in Gettysburg, we at The Gettysburg Experience offer another issue of articles of historical interest, delicious summer recipes, and our updated Calendar of Events. The Calendar begins on page 11, and promises many popular events for all. Read More >

The Forgotten General

On February 19, 1897, a solemn crowd assembled at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington D.C. Many aging, prominent members of the former Army of the Potomac were among the guests, although the funeral was not a military one.

The deceased, 72-year-old Alfred Pleasonton, had requested a civilian funeral for personal rea sons, although there was “a conspicuous show of respect” shown to the old soldier on that day. One might wonder what happened to cause the man who had served his country for so many years and with “distinguished bravery” to become so bitter at the end of his life, but the rancor he held for the government he had so faith fully served had been evident for many years. Read More >

"That Was Awful": A Gettysburg Youth Remembers

While many Gettysburg civilians left town during the three-day battle, some stayed. One family who lived on a hill that still bears their name braved the elements and the bullets when the men in blue and gray clashed at Gettysburg. 

             

Christian Benner and his wife, Susannah, were farmers who lived on what is still known as Benner’s Hill, located south and east of town. Their property included a part of Wolf’s Hill, and their house was located “just across the creek from Culp’s Hill.” Christian and his wife were both well into middle age by the time of the battle, and two of their five children were already grown and not at home. Sarah Anna Maria was twenty-eight and married; Henry was a Union officer in the 101st Pennsylvania Infantry. Having been wounded in the Peninsular Campaign in 1862, Henry was in North Carolina with the Union Fourth Corps during the summer of 1863. Read More >

General William Barksdale: "Game to the Last"

During the Civil War, many commanding generals often rode to the front of their troops during battle. It was one of the outdated tactics that cost the lives of many commanders. One of them who fell at Gettysburg while riding into the storm of lead in the Peach Orchard on July 2, 1863 was a fiery man who wore the gray. His name was William Barksdale.

William Barksdale was born in Rutherford County, Tennessee on August 21, 1821. He was named for his father, who was a veteran of the War of 1812 and had fought with Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans. The younger William’s paternal grandfather was Nathan Barksdale from Virginia, a veteran of the American Revolution. It was only natural that the martial spirit was part of young William Barksdale – a spirit that would shape his life. Read More >

Editor's Corner: The Cost of War

Do we really know the cost of war? Can we begin to fathom it?

Estimates from historians and statisticians list the numbers of those killed in the Civil War, but they are only estimates. The numbers of killed vary from 620,000 to 820,000. The global deaths from World Wars I and II number in the tens of millions. 

We will never really know how many were killed in any of the wars, how many were terribly wounded and died early deaths because of it, how many died of illnesses contracted from prisoner of war camps who died during the conflict and shortly afterward. Read More >

Recipes