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A “National
Treasure” To Speak At The
Brunswick Civil War Round Table
A “National Treasure” is how
Round Table director and senior advisor Tom O’Donnell and many noted
historians describe this exceptional guest speaker, Ed Bearss. He
will speak on Wednesday evening, January 12th. His topic will be
“The Vicksburg Campaign.” This special meeting replaces the
regularly scheduled Tuesday, January 4th meeting featuring guest
speaker Don Johnson which has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 5.
Few historians have captured
the drama, excitement and tragedy of the War Between the States
quite like Ed Bearss. As Wally Rueckel, Round Table president
recalls, “When you walk a battlefield with Ed, with his photographic
memory of details of regimental units, the officers involved, and
his knowledge of battlefield tactics employed on both sides, you
actually feel you are back in time and in the midst of the battle.”
Currently in his eighties, and as sharp as ever, he continues to
lead numerous Civil War site tours and presentations, traveling as
many as 200 days per year throughout the United States, Europe and
the Pacific.
His career with the National
Park Service began in 1954, and he has been recognized by them as
“more knowledgeable on battlefields than virtually any other
historian.” After his retirement in 1995, he received the title
Chief Historian Emeritus. O’Donnell recalls a conversation with Ed
when a Congresswoman during a Congressional Committee asked if his
extensive knowledge of history could be confirmed at the National
Archives, Ed’s reply was, “Madam, I am the National Archives!”
Ed is the recipient of
numerous awards and honors in the field of history and preservation,
including the Harry S. Truman Award for Meritorious Service in the
field of Civil War History; “Man of the Year” at Vicksburg in 1963;
a commendation from the Secretary of the Army in 1985; the Civil War
Preservation Trust who created the “Ed Bearss Award” for
achievements in historic preservation, and made him the first
recipient in 2001; and, a portrait bust of Ed was unveiled near the
USS Cairo in the Vicksburg National Military Park on October 3,
2009.
He is a prolific writer,
editor and author of numerous history and Civil War-related books
and articles. He has provided television commentary for the “Civil
War Journal” on the A&E Network, “Civil War Combat” on the History
Channel, “Smithsonian’s Great Battles of the Civil War” on the TLC
Channel, and the Ken Burns PBS series on “The Civil War.”
This special meeting
presentation is open to the public. The admission fee for guests is
$10. However, if an individual or family wishes to become a member
of the
Brunswick Civil War Round Table that evening, the $10 fee will
be applied toward the $25 annual membership fee. Visiting students
will automatically become Round Table members with their $10
admission fee.
The meeting will be held at
the new St. James Community Center, Rt. #211 in Southport, across
from the St. James main entrance. Registration begins at 6:30.
Anyone interested in the Civil War is encouraged to attend, whether
you are a Civil War buff or simply interested in knowing more about
this important period in our country’s history. The Round Table
directors and officers are certain Ed’s presentation will be a most
informative, entertaining and memorable one.
For additional information,
please contact Wally Rueckel, Brunswick Civil War Round Table
president at (910) 253-7382, or
wrueckel@questor.com.
To learn more about this
renowned historian, simply go to any search engine and enter “Ed
Bearss” to access a number of web sites about him, or go to
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Bearss.
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