Musters – Events
The First Defenders meet at 6:30 PM on the second Tuesday of each month from April through December. 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.
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!
The Year That Made America: From Rebellion to Independence 1775-1776
Presented by Tom McMillan
The untold story of how America's Declaration of Independence hinged on seven critical months in 1776 and the courageous votes that changed the world forever. The precarious path to American independence wound through a series of pivotal dates that history has nearly forgotten. 
While July 4th claims the glory, the actual vote for independence came on July 2nd—and even that historic moment almost didn't happen. From January's publication of Common Sense to December's darkest hours of the Revolution, it was these seven dramatic months when rebellious colonies transformed into a new nation. The story includes pivotal events of May 15, June 7, and July 2 that shaped America's destiny, why Congress's bold January declaration triggered a chain of unstoppable events, the behind-the-scenes feud between Adams and Jefferson on their views of government after independence was won, and how the Declaration's influence extended from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address to modern times. Raw political courage launched a revolution resulting in heated Congressional debates and the dangerous aftermath of declaring independence from Great Britain.
Tom McMillan, a retired sports PR executive and lifelong student of history, has served on the board of trustees of Pittsburgh’s Heinz Histo
ry Center, the board of directors of Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial, the board of directors of the Antietam Institute, and the marketing committee of the Gettysburg Foundation. McMillan has written six books on U.S. history ranging from September 11th to the Battle of Gettysburg to the Star-Spangled Banner. Tom and his wife, Colleen, reside in Pittsburgh and Gettysburg, and also volunteer as ambassadors at Antietam National Battlefield.
The Big Dogs Of Europe Watching Our American Civil War
Presented by Mike Rupert
" The Big Dogs of Europe watching our American Civil War".
As students of the civil war we are usually hyper-focused on battles and personalities between the North and South. However, what is going on in Europe? How do their self-interests play a part or not, in the bloody conflict across the Atlantic? The world powers are more than curious to see if this young “United States” can survive.
The “American Question” of a lasting self-government is on trial.
Michael Rupert has worked in automotive service and management south of Pittsburgh, PA for almost 40 years. The past had become the present while on a family trip to the Gettysburg battlefield in 2001. Since then, countless seminars, lectures, conferences, and battle walks made “it as real as something that happened last week”. A self-taught student with an unending quest to keep the memory alive for future generations.
Contributed essays for Jay Jorgensen's book TOP TEN AT GETTYSBURG in 2017. Successfully completed all testing to become a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg National Military Park in 2018. Leads all types of battlefield tours - large and small groups including specialty tours. Recently joined faculty of two Gettysburg Battlefield Leadership Development companies. Appeared multiple times on the Addressing Gettysburg podcast. Produced Gettysburg Battle walks for the Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides since 2019.
Michael was born and raised in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA. Married for 36 years to his wife, Susan, and has two grown children. In the colder months lives in hometown of Pittsburgh, PA - and Littlestown, PA during the Guide season.
Lincoln Treasures at the Library of Congress
Presented by Michelle Krowl
Michelle Krowl is a Civil War and Reconstruction specialist in the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress who manages and highlights the extensive Lincoln collection.
Krowl highlights this 1864 document in which Lincoln, doubting his reelection, pledged to work with the Democratic president-elect to save the Union before inauguration. She has documented the items in Lincoln's pockets on the night of his assassination, which included eyeglasses, a pocketknife, and a handkerchief and discuss items such as a lock of Lincoln's hair and various, often deeply personal, documents from the The Library of Congress.
1913 Gettysburg Reunion
Presented by Michael Jesberger
The Battle of Gettysburg, July 1st to July 3rd, 1863, turned the tide of the American Civil War, but not before 50,000 Union and Confederate soldiers became casualties from the ferocious three days of fighting. 50 years later, from June 29-July 4, 1913, To commemorate the anniversary of The Battle of Gettysburg, more than 50,000 Civil War veterans ranging in age from 60 to 112 years old descended on the rolling hills and the town of Gettysburg. They traveled back to the site where half a century earlier they engaged in combat and would now host an occasion of healing that was known as the Grand Reunion. Abraham Lincoln had incorrectly stated in his endearing Gettysburg Address that "the world will little note nor long remember what we say here" in November of 1863, those same words could also be said about the Grand Reunion. Although the 1913 gathering was a widely anticipated, momentous event with over 50,000 spectators joining the 50,000 veterans, this largest of all reunions of Civil War veterans has been all but forgotten in the 100 years since that occasion. Join historical reenactor, lecturer and tour guide, Michael Jesberger for a discussion on this often overlooked story of the American Civil War.
TBA
Presented by Joe Schaeffer
Battle of Paoli
Presented by Michael Harris
The Battle of Paoli (September 1777). On the night of September 20th, 1777, one of the most infamous events of the American Revolution took place: the Battle of Paoli sometimes referred to as the Paoli Massacre. While only 53 Americans perished in the nighttime British surprise attack, Patriot propagandists were able to vilify the tactics employed by the British, who cut men down with bayonets.
After the American defeat on September 11th at Brandywine Creek, British General Sir William Howe’s forces occupied the American capital at Philadelphia. Washington needed to keep his army close to Philadelphia to monitor British activity. Because the Continental Army was chronically short on provisions and supplies, Washington also needed access to the supplies stored at Reading, Pennsylvania. Because of this, Washington positioned his army between Philadelphia and Reading, fifty miles to the Northwest, dividing his forces and posting units on both sides of the Schuylkill River just north of Philadelphia. He gave orders to General “Mad” Anthony Wayne, encamped near Chester, Pennsylvania, to keep pressure on the British by harassing them at every opportunity and to attempt to capture their supplies. Wayne made the mistake of believing his forces were undetected by the British, an oversight that would cost him dearly.
Michael C. Harris is a graduate of the University of Mary Washington and the American Military University. He worked for the National Park Service at Fredericksburg, Virginia, Fort Mott State Park in New Jersey, and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission at Brandywine Battlefield.
