The pesky COVID-19 bug has proven sufficiently resilient to preclude public gatherings into the merry month of May. Sadly, this has led to a cancellation of our regular May 12th program, “Joe’s Jaunt” on May 16th and the Adopt-A-Position initiative on May 28th. Check the May Newsletter for additional details!
More than two months early, the Gettysburg Battlefield Walks have returned to PCN. A mainstay of the July battle anniversary and holiday, these walks have featured National Park Service historians and rangers along with a wide variety of Licensed Battlefield Guides for many years. On occasion, PCN will dip into its archives to broadcast a...
The Civil War Round Table Congress has been working to fill in program gaps for Round Tables that have been unable to meet on their regular schedules. A number of presentations have already been scheduled, and more are to be announced in the coming weeks. Pre-registration is required; “seating” is limited, so if you see...
By Norman Dasinger Jr. In 1836, William T Sherman was a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York and his roommate that year was Marcellus Stovall from Augusta, Georgia. The Stovall family was well known for their entrepreneurial spirit and owned several successful businesses in Augusta and other towns in...
The Paymaster By Chuck Veit If “sheltering in place” is developing into “stir crazy” for you, here’s something new to pique your historical interest: The Paymaster: Being the Wartime Exploits of John H. Stevenson of the US Navy. This is Veit’s sixth book of unique and original naval/nautical history. It’s now available on his website at:...
The raging impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in the need to CANCEL the April 14th First Defenders Civil War Round Table program. Given the emphasis on avoiding group activities, the potential health effects on those over 61 or with existing medical conditions and the uncertainty of businesses even being able to operate, the...
Governor Wise at Harper’s Ferry By Bert Dunkerly When violence broke out at Harper’s Ferry on October 16, 1859, Henry A. Wise was governor of Virginia (today the village is in West Virginia). In the aftermath of the raid, Virginians were on edge: fears of slave revolt were everywhere and the feeling grew that the...
Several stalwart members of the First Defenders journey semi-annually to Gettysburg to participate in the Gettysburg National Military Park “Adopt-A-Position” program. This volunteer initiative is intended to help the overstretched Park Service care for the many monuments, tablets and other appurtenances on the battlefield. Check out our new “Adopt-A-Position” page by navigating from the title...
The Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College (CWI) is offering the members of First Defenders Civil War Roundtable of Berks County a 15% discount to attend the CWI Summer Conference from June 12-17, 2020. You can find registration details about our conference on the CWI website and the full schedule of events. CWI believes in...
Anyone who studies the Civil War knows that many veterans, North and South, would go on to political careers as the country transition from the antebellum years to the Gilded Age. Pennsylvania was no exception, and no less than six Union soldiers would find themselves in the Keystone State Governor’s mansion as the 19th Century...
