August 29 2018
Campaign 22 Begins on September 11th

The 22nd Campaign of the First Defenders Civil War Round Table is set to begin with its first program on Tuesday September 11th.  Check out “Events” for program details featuring one of our most popular speakers, Chris Mackowski. The First Defenders will be returning to the Inn at Reading again this year, and the Inn...

August 11 2018
“A Stroll Through History” – Charles Evans Cemetery Tours Announced

The First Defenders Civil War Round Table and the Berks History Center are excited to announce their joint “Stroll Through History” tours of the historic Charles Evans Cemetery on Saturday, September 15th. Charles Evans Cemetery was founded in 1846 by its namesake, Charles Evans, a prominent local lawyer and philanthropist who desired to establish a...

June 04 2018
First Defenders at Gettysburg!

On Thursday morning, May 31st, an eager group of First Defenders and guests met at the Reynolds/Buford monuments along the Chambersburg Pike to begin a day of monument maintenance for the Adopt-a-Position initiative sponsored by the Gettysburg Military Park.  First Defenders have regularly participated in this effort for many years (as often as not in...

May 13 2018
The Green Mountain State Weighs In on Camp Letterman

The Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association (GBPA) passed along an interesting tidbit: the Vermont legislature has unanimously passed a joint resolution supporting the preservation efforts for Camp Letterman in Gettysburg. What makes this interesting is the joint resolution boasted 30 co-sponsors, which just happens to be the number of senators in the legislature.  Of even more...

May 04 2018
Joe’s Jaunts II – Montgomery Cemetery

April 28th dawned as a cool, promising spring day for Past President Joe Schaeffer leading 23 First Defenders on the second “Joe’s Jaunt.”  The destination was the Montgomery Cemetery in nearby Norristown, the final resting place of four Union generals. The cemetery, located on a bluff above the Schuylkill River, had fallen into disrepair and...

April 24 2018
May 8th Program Announced: Daniel Edgar Sickles

Scoundrel or hero?  Like the Slim-Jim commercial, no one is neutral about Daniel Edgar Sickles, his mercurial life or his role in the Battle of Gettysburg.  Probably no one knows more about Sickles and can discuss the man in more objective terms than our guest, Jim Hessler. Making his encore appearance to close out the...

April 03 2018
April Program Update!

The First Defenders have learned that perennial April guest Ed Bearss recently suffered a fall at his home.  Although not seriously injured, Ed will be off his feet for a week or two and will be unable to present his “Evening with Ed” program on the Battle of Shiloh. While wishing Ed a speedy return...

March 27 2018
Official Records Set to be Auctioned on April 2nd

Word has been passed along to the Round Table about an state auction at the Green Hills Auction Center in Mohnton on Monday, April 2nd.  Auctioneer Sam Ferraro has a consignment of  the estate’s books, almost all of which are classic editions.  They will be up for auction at 2:00 pm. There is a beautiful set...

March 27 2018
April Program- “Evening with Ed” on April 10th

It’s that time of the year again when the First Defenders will hold its annual “Evening with Ed” featuring the one and only Ed Bearss.  On Tuesday April 10th the historian emeritus of the National Park Service will tell the story of the Battle of Shiloh, the battle that swept away any notion of a...

March 20 2018
“Joe’s Jaunts” Set for April 28th

A springtime “Joe’s Jaunts” has been set for Saturday April 28th, and the destination will be the Montgomery Cemetery in nearby Norristown.  The final resting place for no less than a half-dozen Union generals (including Winfield Scott Hancock), the cemetery had long been in poor condition before the Montgomery County Historical Society began restoring it...