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Battle of Gettysburg 159th Anniversary on the Ridge
July 3, 2022
10 a.m. – Seminary Ridge: Confederate Nerve Center (Walking Tour)
From the evening of July 1 through the morning of July 5, 1863, the Confederate army controlled the Lutheran Seminary. Gen. Robert E. Lee established his headquarters just north of the campus and made some of the most important decisions in American military history from this point. Join a guide for a walking tour of the Confederate-occupied grounds. Approximately 60 minutes. Meet on the west side of the Museum.
11:30 a.m. – The 21st Pennsylvania Cavalry (Book Talk and Signing by Britt Isenberg)
Join historian Britt Isenberg, author of the new book, The 21st Pennsylvania Cavalry: From Gettysburg to Appomattox, for the history of a regiment forged amid the Gettysburg Campaign that remained in United States service for the remainder of the Civil War. Approximately 45 minutes plus Q&A. Meet at Hill-Unger Performance Pavilion, near intersection of Springs Avenue and Seminary Ridge. Chair recommended.
12:30 p.m. – York County, Pennsylvania, in the Gettysburg Campaign (Book Talk and Signing by James McClure and Scott Mingus)
Join historians James McClure and Scott Mingus, authors of the new book, ‘The Dogs of War in Our Midst’: Civil War Perspectives from York County, Pa., for an overview of the integral role of Adams County’s neighbor to the east throughout the Gettysburg Campaign. Approximately 45 minutes plus Q&A. Meet at Hill-Unger Performance Pavilion, near intersection of Springs Avenue and Seminary Ridge. Chair recommended.
2:30 p.m. – The Hospital on Seminary Ridge (Walking Tour)
Between July 1 and September 16, 1863, hundreds of wounded soldiers were treated in and around the Seminary. Dozens of civilians came to the hospital complex to help care for these men broken in body and spirit. Discover how soldiers received initial care after wounding and the structures there were put in place to care for them after the battle. Approximately 60 minutes. Meet on the west side of the Museum.
4 p.m. – Planning the Confederate Retreat (Real-Time Program)
Though the Battle of Gettysburg effectively ended on July 3, 1863, the logistics of getting Robert E. Lee’s Confederate army out of Pennsylvania had only just begun. Stand on the ground where Lee made his plans as the retreat commenced, leading to the massive withdrawal of the defeated army from Seminary Ridge, to Maryland, and eventually Virginia. Approximately 30 minutes. Meet on the west side of the Museum.
5 p.m. – Reunions, Monuments, and Memory on Seminary Ridge (Walking Tour)
Though it was Gettysburg’s longest-occupied space by either army in the summer of 1863, until rather recently the Seminary campus was relatively unmarked as a battlefield. Still, the grounds remained a common place for veterans’ returns. Trek the ground where old soldiers held reunions, dedicated memorials, and shaped the tourism of today. Approximately 60 minutes. Meet on the west side of the Museum.