Battle of Gettysburg is focus of Bridgewater College Civil War Institute

The one-day institute, which is free and open to the public, will be held Saturday, April 20 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the Spoerlein Lecture Hall (Room 100) of the college’s McKinney Center for Science and Mathematics. Ample parking is available in the rear of the building.

Exploring topics relating to the battle of Gettysburg are:

·     George Wunderlich, executive director of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, Md. Wunderlich will speak on “Union Medical Challenges at Gettysburg: Military Expediency vs. Medical Necessity.”

·     Wayne Motts, chief executive officer of The National Museum of Civil War History in Harrisburg, Pa. The topic of his address is “Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg.”

·     Dr. Stephen Longenecker, professor of history and political science at Bridgewater College and the author of several books including The Brethren During the Age of World War: The Church of the Brethren Encounter With Modernization, 1914-1950. Longenecker’s presentation will focus on “Gettysburg: Community and Battle.”

·     David Smith, a Civil War historian and author who also is a defense and homeland security consultant at the Pentagon’s Operational Energy Plans and Program Office. The topic of Smith’s presentation is “The Capture of African Americans During the Gettysburg Campaign:  Race, Retaliation, and the Pressures of the Confederate Home Front.”

“Gettysburg is considered by many historians as the turning point of the American Civil War,” said Nick Picerno, the institute’s co-founder and Bridgewater College chief of police. “It was a decisive battle in a decisive war”

For further information regarding the 2013 Bridgewater College Civil War Institute, contact Nick Picerno at 540-828-5761, or send him an email at [email protected].

Bridgewater College is a private, four-year liberal arts college located in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Founded in 1880, it was the state’s first private, coeducational college. Today, Bridgewater College is home to approximately 1,750 undergraduate students.