Musters – Events

The First Defenders meet at 6:30 PM on the second Tuesday of each month from September through May. Meetings include dinner and a speaker who may be a guest or a member. Meetings are held at Giannotti’s Country Restaurant on Pricetown Road in Alsace Manor, and will also be provided virtually for members who are unable to attend due to COVID-19 concerns.

A book raffle is held each month with all proceeds donated to battlefield preservation, and members who attend virtually will have the opportunity to participate even if they cannot attend a program.

Guests and new members are welcome. Space is limited in the restaurant, so please contact a board member or the First Defenders by email (see the Regimental Staff page).

 

MEMBERS ONLY! Sign up to attend the upcoming event!

 

~Duties of a Civil War Chaplain:

In Camp & on the Battlefield~

featuring Dr. Warren Abbott

The work of chaplains during the Civil War has been given short shrift by many historians and scholars.  While the more general topic of religion’s role during the war has been researched and documented, the men (and one woman) involved in the work of ministering to soldiers has not received quite as much attention.

Religion was the great comfort for an overwhelming number of Union and Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.  For many, it was their first time away from home for an extended period, away from the influence and support of their families.  Temptations were many, and chaplains looked after the spiritual well-being of the armies.  One Union soldier stated plainly, “Our chaplain is a father to me and keeps me straight.”

But the work of chaplains often went beyond the spiritual needs of their soldiers, and they would fulfill a host of other duties including courier, postmaster, carpenter, nurse and, sometime, combat soldier.  They would bless their flocks, and, sometimes, die for them.

 

Dr. Warren Abbott is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and the Concordia Theological Seminary.  A member of the Independent Lutheran Diocese, Dr. Abbott is also a living historian.  

In the Shadow of the Round Tops

featuring Allen Thompson

Samuel Johnston’s July 2nd morning reconnaissance is of the most enigmatic events of the Battle of Gettysburg.  Though not well understood, it has remained one of the major factors in the Confederacy’s loss of the battle.  Despite being one of the most well-documented events in history, the vast majority of our knowledge comes from the words of the veterans and civilians who experienced it.  In short, the story of the Battle of Gettysburg is simply the compilation of the memories of those who fought it, but memory is anything but objective.  A variety of factors affect individual memory, and this presentation will explore how individual soldiers' memories have created a cloud over Johnston's infamous reconnaissance.  In short, many people saw part of the puzzle, but no one saw all of it.  By comparing and sifting through those memories, a much clearer picture of the reconnaissance, its impact on the actions of July 2nd and the battle itself comes into focus.

 

Allen R. Thompson is a practicing attorney in New Jersey, where he lives with his wife and three kids. His writing focuses on reevaluating primary source materials to examine the standard interpretations of historical subjects, from legal doctrines to historical events. His articles have appeared in the St. Thomas Law Review and Gettysburg Magazine. His book, In the Shadow of the Round Tops, can be found anywhere books are sold.

Civil War Jeopardy - Round Two

moderated by Ev Binns

This team participation event based on the fan-favorite game show is the second installment of a First Defenders original.  Test your Civil War knowledge and compete against other First Defenders for a chance to win a cool grand prize!

Colonel Edward Cross & the "Fighting 5th"

featuring Wally Heimbach

Edward Cross did not aspire to be a soldier, but at the outset of the Civil War he would receive a commission as colonel of the Fifth New Hampshire volunteers which, under two years of his leadership, would see action on the Peninsula, at Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville.  The "Fighting 5th" was considered one of the best combat regiments in the Army of the Potomac, and Cross would be one of the best colonels who never wore a general's star.  Twice wounded, Cross was known to wear a red bandana on his head when going into battle so his men would recognize him.  With a premonition of his own death on the afternoon of July 2nd at Gettysburg, Cross would sport a black bandana while on his way to action in the Wheatfield.  He would be mortally wounded early in the fight, and succumb the following day in a field hospital.  This program traces the recruitment and reputation of the "Fighting 5th" and its beloved colonel, Edward Cross.

Wally Heimbach is a long-time First Defender who has previously presented programs on Winfield Scott Hancock and Philip Kearney.  Once the youngest ever Gettysburg licensed battlefield guide, Wally is known to almost every modern-day Civil War historian and researcher.

~Title Not Yet Determined~

featuring Chris Heisey

Race to the Potomac

featuring Brad Gottfried

~Program To Be Determined~