Ed Bearss: A Tribute
by Diana Loski
On September 15, 2020 we lost one of the great historians of our time. Ed Bearss, age 97, passed away in Mississippi of natural causes. He had recently moved there to be with family after living for decades in Arlington, Virginia.
Born in Billings, Montana, Edwin Cole Bearss nurtured a keen interest in history from his earliest years. Shortly after his graduation from high school, America became embroiled in World War II – and Ed promptly joined the Marines. He served in the Pacific, and was severely wounded in the arm at the ongoing Battle of New Britain. Although the surgeons managed to save his arm, he often had to endure an occasional cleaning of recurring infection for the rest of his life.
Having earned a Master's Degree in History, Ed served as the Park Historian at Vicksburg National Military Park from 1955 to 1958. During that time, he began courting Margie Riddle, whom he married in 1958. Two daughters and a son were born to the couple.
Ed raised the USS Cairo, an ironclad that sank in December 1862 in the Yazoo River near Vicksburg. He was named the Chief Historian of the National Park Service in 1981, and was featured in Ken Burns’s acclaimed documentary The Civil War. He authored twenty-five books and spent his retirement years giving in-depth tours of various battlefields. Crowds were enthralled with his amazing memory and unique flair for bringing the battles and their combatants to life. He continued to give his popular tours as late as 2019, when he was approaching 96 years of age.
We interviewed Mr. Bearss in July 2017 for an article in The Gettysburg Experience. Visiting his Arlington home, we only asked a few questions, then let him talk. He enjoyed people, and asked us how things were at Gettysburg – easily his favorite battlefield. He was proud to be named an honorary Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide. He also received honorary degrees from various colleges, including Gettysburg College.
With his advanced age, Ed grew hard of hearing. At one point, as he spoke of preparing the Eisenhower National Historic Site after Mamie’s death, I asked him, “Did you ever meet [President] Eisenhower?”
He looked at me, perplexed, then said in a booming voice, “No! I did not like the Tower! I was glad it was torn down!” (He was speaking about the Cemetery Hill Tower, which no longer stands.) The tone of my voice was apparently too soft for him. From that point, I relayed the questions to my husband, and he asked them instead. (We learned that Ed had never met Ike. He met Mamie, though.)
Ed liked eating breakfast out, at any time of the day, so we took him to a diner in Arlington after the interview. On the way, he pointed out the corner where he stood on the sunny morning of September 11, 2001. He saw the plane that crashed into the Pentagon. He didn’t see the crash; the buildings obscured his view. He felt the reverberation of the impact, however, and saw the copious smoke. He said it was an unforgettable moment.
It was on a rather stormy September day, nineteen years later, that Ed quietly left us. He was buried in Brandon, Mississippi – not too far from the place where he worked, courted, and made history. The impact of his loss is keen, and he will be missed.
