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York County Heritage Trust Sanctioned Civil War guide Scott L. Mingus Sr. will present a PowerPoint presentation on the Confederate occupation of Wrightsville during the Gettysburg Campaign, with special focus on the Union defense of the town and the subsequent burning of the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge. It was the longest covered bridge in the world, stretching nearly a mile and a quarter across the Susquehanna River.

The dinner and talk is sponsored by Historic Wrightsville Inc. and will be at 6:30 PM on Friday November 20, 2009 in the fellowship hall of the Locust Street United Methodist Church (314 Locust Street, Wrightsville, PA). It's a turkey dinner with all the trimmings for $11. For reservations call Carol Byers at 717-252-3319.

The talk is based upon Mr. Mingus's recent book, Flames Beyond Gettysburg: The Gordon Expedition, June 1863 (Columbus, Ohio: Ironclad Publishing, 2009).

Twice a year Gettysburg's All-Star Sports Complex on Emmitsburg Road hosts the Gettysburg Militaria, Relics, and Book Show, an event that usually is packed with all sorts of interesting Civil War artifacts. As usual, I perused the tables looking for a dealer might have one of the Knights of the Golden Circle membership tickets that so many Confederates wrote about after their invasion of southern Pennsylvania.

For $1, con artists from New York sold these worthless certificates to unsuspecting farmers who were told that the papers and a series of strange hand gestures would notify any Rebel invaders that the farmer was a friend of the Confederacy whose personal property would be protected. Quite the opposite actually occurred, as the Rebels mocked the farmers who performed the hand gesticulations and waved the KGC golden tickets. Their horses were taken with far higher frequency than Unionist neighbors who headed for the hills when Jubal Early's and J.E.B. Stuart's Southern soldiers came calling.

For more photos of the Gettysburg relics sale, please continue reading. Click on the pictures to enlarge them for better viewing of the artifacts.

The York Civil War Round Table will feature James A. Hessler at its monthly meeting on October 21, 2009. The topic of the evening will be "Sickles At Gettysburg: The Controversial Civil War General Who Committed Murder, Abandoned Little Round Top, and Declared Himself the Hero of Gettysburg."

No individual who fought at Gettysburg was more controversial, both personally and professionally, than Major General Daniel E. Sickles. By 1863, Sickles was notorious as a disgraced former Congressman who murdered his wife's lover on the streets of Washington and used America's first temporary insanity defense to escape justice. With his political career in ruins, Sickles used his connections with President Lincoln to obtain a prominent command in the Army of the Potomac's Third Corps despite having no military experience. At Gettysburg, he disobeyed orders in one of the most controversial decisions in military history.

Licensed Battlefield Guide James Hessler has written the first balanced, deeply researched, and eminently readable biography of this colorful and wholly unique American icon. Civil War enthusiasts who want to understand General Sickles' tarnished life, Gettysburg's battlefield strategies, the in-fighting within the Army of the Potomac, and the development of today's National Park will find " Sickles at Gettysburg" a must read.

James A. Hessler works in financial services for Bill Me Later, Inc., is a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg National Military Park, and has taught Sickles and Gettysburg-related courses at college level. He has published Civil War-related articles, and speaks regularly at Civil War Round Tables. A native of Buffalo, NY, Jim resides in Gettysburg with his wife and children.

The meeting will be held at 7:00 PM on Wednesday evening in the auditorium of the York County Heritage Trust at 250 E. Market Street in downtown York, Pennsylvania. There is no charge for admission and the public is welcome ! Parking is also free.

Historian Roger S. Durham will speak on Sherman's capture of Savannah, Georgia, at the Friday, October 23, meeting of the Harrisburg Civil War Round Table. Entitled "A Great Lion at By: William T. Sherman Storms Fort McAllister," the talk focuses on the final phase of the general's legendary and controversial "March to the Sea" in late 1864. The program will include a "then-and-now" examination of twenty-four historic photographs taken of Sherman's army shortly after the fort's capture.

Mr. Durham is the former director of the Army Heritage Museum in Carlisle. He is the author of six books, including two on Fort McAllister. His latest effort is entitled Carlisle Barracks: A Pictorial History. A Viet Nam veteran, he earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin and his master's degree from Georgia Southern University

The Harrisburg Civil War Round Table meets at the Radisson Penn Harris Hotel & Convention Center, Camp Hill, PA, Camp Hill Bypass @ Routes 11&15. An informal reception starts at 6:00 PM, followed by dinner at 6:30. The cost of dinner is $20.00 and reservations must be made by no later than Tuesday, October 20, by calling 717-938-3706. The program begins at 8:00 PM and is free to the public.

Contact Douglas Gibboney, Publicity Chairperson, for further information @ 717-243-1738.

The York Civil War Round Table will feature Edward H. Bonekemper, III at its monthly meeting on September 16, 2009. The topic of the evening will be "Antietam: A Calamity of Mistakes by Lee and McClellan". The talk will commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Antietam which occurred on September 17, 1862, an engagement often described as the single bloodiest day of the Civil War. The author of books on both opposing generals, Bonekemper will examine how each officer in turn lost what could have been major opportunities for success, and will argue that in reality neither man could be considered a victor.

The meeting will be held at 7:00 PM on Wednesday evening in the auditorium of the York County Heritage Trust at 250 E. Market Street in downtown York, Pennsylvania. There is no charge for admission and the public is welcome! Parking is also free.

Edward H. Bonekemper, III is the author of four Civil War books: How Robert E. Lee Lost the Civil War, A Victor, Not a Butcher : Ulysses S. Grant's Overlooked Military Genius, McClellan and Failure: A Study of Civil War Fear, Incompetence and Worse and Grant and Lee: Victorious American and Vanquished Virginian. He is a dynamic, controversial, and informative speaker who will both inform you and challenge you to dig deeper into the always interesting subject of the Battle of Antietam. He will be available to autograph copies of his books.

Ed Bonekemper. author of four controversial Civil War books, will discuss his views on calamitous Union and Confederate generalship leading up to and at the Battle of Antietam.

Ed's views:

In the Maryland or Antietam Campaign,Robert E. Lee and George B. McClellan demonstrated the weaknesses that characterized their Civil War careers. Lee launched an unapproved strategic offensive that may have lost the war, placed his army in what should have been a death-trap, failed to entrench, allowed fatal counter-attacks that decimated his force, and risked his weakened army by leaving it on the battlefield for an extra day for no explicable military reason.

On the Union side, McClellan's performance was probably even worse. He failed to aggressively pursue Lee in Maryland, allowed a large Union force to be captured by Stonewall Jackson at Harper's Ferry, squandered his massive manpower advantage for days at Antietam, attacked in piecemeal fashion, failed to use his cavalry effectively, left a huge reserve force unused, and failed to destroy the Rebel army Lee had left so vulnerable for an extra day at Antietam.

Friday, October 16, 2009 - Presentation: "Flames Beyond Gettysburg: The Gordon Expedition" Civil War Round Table of New Hampshire, Epping, New Hampshire, 6:45 PM

Saturday, October 24, 2009 - Book signing - Gettysburg Civil War, Antique Gun and Militaria Show, Eisenhower Inn, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 10 AM - 2 PM

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 - Presentation: "Flames Beyond Gettysburg: The Gordon Expedition" Butler Civil War Round Table, Butler, Pennsylvania, 7:00 PM

Saturday, November 14, 2009 - Book signing - "The Louisiana Tigers in the Gettysburg Campaign," Gettysburg Visitors Center Museum Bookstore, Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 10 AM - 3 PM

Thursday, November 19, 2009 - Presentation: "The Civil War in West Manchester Township" West Manchester Township Historical Society, York, Pennsylvania, 7:00 PM

Friday, November 20, 2009 - Presentation: "Flames Beyond Gettysburg: The Gordon Expedition" Historic Wrightsville, Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, 7 PM

Friday, December 11, 2009 - Presentation: "The Louisiana Tigers in the Gettysburg Campaign" Harrisburg Civil War Round Table, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, 7 PM

Thursday, February 18, 2010 - Presentation: "The Louisiana Tigers in the Gettysburg Campaign", Lancaster Civil War Round Table, Lititz, Pennsylvania, 7 PM

TBD - Presentation: "The Louisiana Tigers in the Gettysburg Campaign," York Civil War Round Table, York, Pennsylvania, 7 PM

Monday, March 22, 2010 - Presentation: "The Louisiana Tigers in the Gettysburg Campaign," Pittsburgh Civil War Round Table, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 7 PM

Thursday, May 27, 2010 - Presentation: "The Louisiana Tigers in the Gettysburg Campaign" Gettysburg Civil War Round Table, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 7 PM

Tuesday, September 14, 2010 - Presentation: "The Louisiana Tigers in the Gettysburg Campaign" Northeastern Ohio Civil War Round Table, Mentor, Ohio, 7 PM

Wednesday, November 17, 2010 - Presentation: "Flames Beyond Gettysburg: The Gordon Expedition" - Phil Kearny Civil War Round Table, New Jersey, 7 PM

Dr. Richard J. Sommers will discuss "Petersburg: the Strategic Siege," at the Friday, September 25, meeting of the Harrisburg Civil War Round Table. Sommers, a nationally recognized expert on the American Civil War, is the author of Richmond Redeemed: The Siege at Petersburg which won the National Historical Society's Bell Wiley Prize. Sommers' talk will act as a prelude for the round table's field trip to Petersburg on October 3 and 4.

Dr. Sommers serves as senior historian at the U.S. Army Military History Institute in Carlisle, where he has worked for nearly four decades. Since 1971, he has been an active member of the Harrisburg Round Table, having served as president, on the board of directors and program chairman. Dr. Sommers is a life member of the Civil War Preservation Trust and frequent speaker before history-minded groups around the country. A graduate of Carleton College, he earned his doctorate from Rice University.

The Harrisburg Civil War Round Table meets at the Radisson Penn Harris Hotel & Convention Center, Camp Hill, PA, Camp Hill Bypass @ Routes 11&15. An informal reception starts at 6:00 PM, followed by dinner at 6:30. The cost of dinner is $20.00 and reservations must be made by no later than Tuesday, September 22, by calling 717-938-3706. The program begins at 8:00 PM and is free to the public.

Contact Douglas Gibboney, Publicity Chairperson, for further information @ 717-243-1738.

Author Janet L. Bucklew will be speaking about her new book on Dr. Henry Janes at the York Emporium at 7:00 PM on Friday, September 4.

For the September "First Friday" celebration in downtown York, the York Emporium is hosting a talk/book signing by Janet L. Bucklew, historian and former seasonal ranger at the battlefield in Gettysburg. She has just completed research into primary sources and published a new work on Dr. Henry Janes, a surgeon/volunteer who was at the battle. Her talk is scheduled to take place on Friday, September 4 at 7:00 PM. It is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served.

Details and a little more info can be found on the York Emporium's webpage for the event.

The York Emporium is one of the finest used book stores in the region, and is located at 343 W. Market Street (the old Lincoln Highway) in York, Pennsylvania.

I have signed a contract with Ten Roads Publishing to reprint Gettysburg Glimpses: True Stories for the Battlefield and make it more widely available than the previous self-published edition through Xlibris, which will be out-of-print and unavailable shortly. Ten Roads, a new company based in Gettysburg, will handle the distribution and sales of the reissued book. I am quite pleased that the co-owners have seen fit to offer to republish my book, as well as the follow up Gettysburg Glimpses 2: More True Stories from the Battlefield. I look forward to working with them over the years on other projects.

York, Pennsylvania, photographer, historian, and architectural expert Scott D. Butcher is one of the four history bloggers for the York Daily Record. His WIndows into York blog offers interesting insights into the history of the individual buildings in York and around the area. The author of several interesting books, his latest effort is perhaps my favorite. Gettysburg Perspectives is one of the best, if not the best, photographic anthologies of Gettysburg. Filled with stunning photographs that are artistic and informative at the same time, this new release from Schiffer Books is well worth adding to your Civil War collection, especially at only $9.99. Soft bound and printed on high quality, clay-coated semigloss paper, the book is well done.

Butcher's battlefield photographs are excellent, and are wide in their scope and variety. But, perhaps the real charm of the book is his unique interpretation of the buildings of Gettysburg. His architectural background obviously shining through, Scott examines the historic town through his well trained eye for the unusual, the interesting, and the visually appealing. Many of the photos are of scenes that the casual photography would never have captured (or even noted). The people, the buildings, the scenery, the battlefield - it's all there in this wonderful new book.

I had the privilege of signing copies of my books this past Thursday evening at the American History Store in Gettysburg, and I was speaking with a family from the western U.S. I recommended Scott's book as a great memory of their visit to Gettysburg, and, after glancing through it, they agreed. One person called it "a great way to share their memories with their family." I agree - this one is a must have as long after the vacation to Gettysburg is over, Scott Butcher's fabulous photos will live on.

Scott Butcher's website with 225 photos of Gettysburg, York County PA, and the Atlantic Coast (as well as Arizona and other places he and his camera have visited) can be viewed by clicking HERE.