Gettysburg’s Remembrance Day 2019

I had the privilege today to join the American Battlefield Trust for a series of Facebook Live programs from the annual Remembrance Day festivities in Gettysburg. Garry Adelman, Tim Smith, Doug Dowds, and my ECW co-founder Kris White spent the morning exploring, going behind the scenes, and talking with reenactors. (ECW’s Terry Rensel made a cameo, too!) Kris, Garry, Tim, and I also provided commentary during the parade, which we got to watch from the roof of the world-famous Farnsworth House. I’ll provide links to those videos below so you can watch along.

I figured I’d also grab some photos and show off some of the cool scenes from the parade prep….

Here are the links to the Facebook Live episodes (which you can watch even if you’re not on Facebook):

Cemetery Hill and Soldiers and Sailors National Cemetery—We start on Cemetery Hill and talk about the beginnings of preservation at Gettysburg, then move into the national cemetery where we visit the most recent burial, the grave of Amos Humiston, and several monuments before wrapping up with an overview of the Gettysburg Address. (Wait until you see Doug talk about the Gburg Address–wow!)

Behind the scenes at Gettysburg’s Presbyterian Church—Tim Smith leads us in Lincoln’s footsteps during the president’s visit to Gettysburg, including a trip into the Presbyterian Church where Lincoln sat with John Burns. We also tied in other presidential history from the church with Ike and Nixon, including a wicked cool artifact from Ike’s last days in the White House (with a poignant tie back to Lincoln).

Parade Prep Walkabout—Kris and Garry walk through the throngs preparing for the parade, offering a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to pull the event together.

The Remembrance Day Parade—From the roof of the Farnsworth House, Kris provides play-by-play narration of the parade, with additional commentary by Garry, Tim, and me.

Take a look: