Dan Welch

Dan Welch is a park ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park. He previously worked in the field of education with a public school district in northeast Ohio, as well as with the Gettysburg Foundation. Dan is the Editor of the long-running Gettysburg Magazine. He has received his BA in Instrumental Music Education from Youngstown State University, an MA in Military History with a Civil War Era concentration at American Military University, and completed Gettysburg College’s rigorous Gettysburg Semester program under the tutelage of Dr. Allen C. Guelzo.

A lifelong student to the Civil War era, Dan has been a contributing member at Emerging Civil War for over seven years and is the co-author of two works in the Emerging Civil War Series: The Last Road North: A Guide to the Gettysburg Campaign, 1863 and Never Such A Campaign: The Battle of Second Manassas, August 28-30, 1862. Welch has also co-edited several volumes in the Emerging Civil War’s Tenth Anniversary Series, including: Grant Vs. Lee, The Summer of ‘63: Vicksburg & Tullahoma, and The Summer of ‘63: Gettysburg. Dan is also the co-author of Ohio at Antietam: The Buckeye State’s Sacrifice on America’s Bloodiest Day. He has published numerous essays, articles, and book reviews.  Dan resides with his wife, Sarah, and labrador retrievers near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

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Dan is also a member of the Emerging Civil War Speakers Bureau. His available presentations are listed below:

“Acting as an Agent for Governor Curtin”: David Wills and His Mark on Gettysburg
Find out how one man, more than any other, ensured that the Federal dead after the battle of Gettysburg received “a final resting place for those who here gave their lives.”

“A Fitting Tribute”: Memorial Tributes to Abraham Lincoln
Explore how citizens, North and South, reacted to the Lincoln assassination through written words, speeches, associations, monuments, and music in the wake of his April 1865 death.

“Boys, give them rocks”: Jackson’s Defensive Stand at Second Manassas
One of the great defensive stands during the war was made by Stonewall Jackson and his men at the battle of Second Manassas. Although bent, swayed, punctured, and at times lacking ammunition, the line never gave way under countless assaults made by Federal forces. Examine how Jackson and his men were able to hold on against all odds in August 1862 on the plains of Manassas in this dramatic program.

How Did They Get Here? The Gettysburg Campaign
Follow the Union and Confederate armies northward across Virginia, Maryland, and into Pennsylvania during the weeks leading up to the battle of Gettysburg and examine the many battles and events that impacted both before the first shot on July 1, 1863.

John Mosby in the Gettysburg Campaign
John Mosby is famous for the work he and his battalion of cavalry accomplished during the war in Virginia. But, did you know he played a crucial role in the Gettysburg Campaign? Find out what Mosby and his men were doing in June and July 1863 in this program.

A MacArthur Relative at Gettysburg
Douglas MacArthur left an undeniable imprint on the history of the American military during World War II and our success over the axis powers. His leadership, military prowess, and service to his country came from a long line of veterans in his family, including several from the Civil War. See the role of one MacArthur relative during the climactic battle of Gettysburg.

Martyrs of the Race Course: The Forgotten Decoration Day
How were the dead of the Civil War, upwards of 750,000 memorialized in the first weeks and months following the war’s conclusion? Discover the earliest roots of Decoration Day, today Memorial Day, in this presentation.

Ohio At Antietam
Among the thousands who fought in the pivotal Battle of Antietam were scored of Ohioans. Sending eleven regiments and two batteries to the fight, the buckeye State lost hundreds during the Maryland Campaign’s first engagement, South Mountain, and hundreds more “gave their last full measure of devotion: at the Cornfield, the Bloody Lane, and Burnside’s Bridge. Many of these brave men are buried at the Antietam National Cemetery. Aged veterans who survived the ferocious contest returned to Antietam in the early 1900s to fight for and preserve the memory of their sacrifices all those years earlier. Join Dan Welch as he explores Ohio’s role during those crucial hours on September 17, 1862.

“Rally ‘Round the Flag”: Color Bearers at Gettysburg
Discover the role color bearers played in nineteenth century armies and the numerous heroic stories of those who carried these powerful symbols in combat at Gettysburg in July 1863.

The Reluctant Rise and Unavoidable Fall of General John Pope
John Pope is best known for his dramatic defeat by Robert E. Lee at the battle of Second Manassas. Did Pope even want that command in the first place? Did the rest of Pope’s career see the same results? How did Pope come east in 1862 anyway? Discover the answers to these questions and many more in this presentation.

Secessionville: A Forgotten Battle of the Civil War
In this enlightening talk, learn about the forgotten battle that took place on June 16, 1862, near Charleston, South Carolina. Discover how this forgotten battle shaped Union policy towards this front of the war following its conclusion.

The Seven Days Campaign: The Rise of Robert E. Lee
Follow the day-by-day actions between both armies during this campaign, and witness the rise of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. See how these battles and Lee’s role in them, shaped the remainder of the 1862 campaign season and the rest of the war.

“Where all so well did their duty …”: George Sears Greene’s Brigade at Gettysburg
Against overwhelming odds, this lone Union brigade held Culp’s Hill in a climactic action on July 2, 1863. Learn about Greene, his men, and their gallant service on the slope of Culp’s Hill in this exciting program.

Where Did They Go? The Gettysburg Campaign
Follow the Union and Confederate armies southward from the battlefield across Maryland and Virginia during the weeks following the battle of Gettysburg and examine the many battles and events that impacted both after the guns fell silent in Pennsylvania.

William Child, the Smoketown Hospital, and the Aftermath at Antietam
Antietam remains the single-bloodiest day in American military history, with nearly 23,000 casualties in just 9 hours of combat. Hear the stories and challenges of the longest-operated field hospital at Antietam, the Smoketown Hospital. Through the letters and diary entries of William Child, Assistant Surgeon of the 5th New Hampshire, you can hear of the next fight for many wounded left in the battle’s wake: survival.

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Publications:

    • The Last Road North: A Guide to the Gettysburg Campaign. Savas Beatie, 2016. (Co-authored with Robert Orrison)
    • The Summer of ’63: Gettysburg: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspectives from the Historians at Emerging Civil War (Emerging Civil War Anniversary Series). Savas Beatie, 2021. (Co-edited with Chris Mackowski)
    • The Summer of ’63: Vicksburg and Tullahoma: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspectives from the Historians at Emerging Civil War (Emerging Civil War Anniversary Series). Savas Beatie, 2021. (Co-edited with Chris Mackowski)
    • Ohio at Antietam: The Buckeye State’s Sacrifice on America’s Bloodiest Day. History Press, 2021. (Co-authored with Kevin Pawlak)
    • Grant vs Lee: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspectives from the Historians at Emerging Civil War (Emerging Civil War Anniversary Series). Savas Beatie, 2022. (Co-edited with Chris Mackowski)
    • Never Such A Campaign: The Battle of Second Manassas, August 28-30, 1862. Savas Beatie, 2022. (Co-authored with Robert Orrison)

To view some of Dan’s work:

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