The Hagerstown Civil War Round Table will feature a talk by Brad Gottfried entitled "Lincoln Comes to Gettysburg: The story of the creation of the Soldiers National Cemetery and its Dedication." Gettysburg National Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 3,500 Union soldiers killed in the Battle of Gettysburg, a Union victory often cited as a turning point in the Civil War. Numerous monuments stand in both the cemetery and battlefield to commemorate the Union and Confederate troops who fought there. At the cemetery’s dedication on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln rose to deliver “a few appropriate remarks,” now known as the Gettysburg Address. His two-minute speech served as a reminder of the sacrifices of war and the necessity of holding the Union together. Today, the battlefield and national cemetery form the Gettysburg National Military Park, a National Park Service unit dedicated to preserving and interpreting the battle, its aftermath, and the repercussions of Lincoln’s famous words
The event is at 7:30 pm on Thursday, April 27, 2023 at Homewood Suites, 1650 Pullman Lane Hagerstown, MD. Dinner at 6:30 pm, open to non-members as well as members, is $30 (reservations required by April 20) and the talk at 7:30 pm is $5 for non-members, both payable at the meeting. For more information visit https://sites.google.com/view/hagerstowncwrt/home, search for: Hagerstown Civil War Round Table, email hagerstowncwrt1956@gmail.com, or call Dennis Graham at 240 625 4216.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Brad graduated from West Chester University and went on to receive a Ph.D. in Zoology from Miami University. He retired in 2017 after a 40 year career in higher education, beginning as a full-time faculty member, and ending as the President of the College of Southern Maryland. Brad has written 17 books on the Civil War, including two brigade-level histories, four on Gettysburg, one on the creation of the Gettysburg National Cemetery and Lincoln’s visit, a book on the Point Lookout Civil War Prisoner of War Camp and eight map studies of Eastern Theater Campaigns. His most recent book is the Maps of Spotsylvania Through Cold Harbor. Other books in the map series cover the following campaigns: First Bull Run, Maryland Campaign, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg Campaign, Cavalry in the Gettysburg Campaign, Bristoe Station/Mine Run, and the Wilderness. Two other recent books are: Lee Invades the North: A Comparison of the Antietam and Gettysburg Campaigns and James B. Hope’s Antietam Paintings.
In addition to writing, Brad is an Antietam Certified Battlefield Guide and a Gettysburg Licensed Town Guide. He lives in Fayetteville, PA with his wife and sometime co-author, Linda Gottfried.
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