Jon-Erik Gilot
Jon-Erik has been an ECW fan since its beginnings, carefully following the blog and eventually writing guest posts for a few years. His interest in the Civil War goes back to childhood, growing up in a small historic town in eastern Ohio steeped in Civil War history. The local historical society encouraged him from an early age, sparking an interest in working hands-on with historical records and artifacts.
He studied History as an undergraduate at Bethany College and for the past fifteen years has made a career in the field of archives, earning a Masters at Kent State in 2011. Jon-Erik currently works as an archivist and records manager in Wheeling, West Virginia, where he lives with his wife and two daughters.
Jon-Erik also works closely with local and regional history organizations. A longtime interest in historic buildings preservation led to a role as a Historic Landmarks Commissioner for the city of Wheeling, West Virginia, and as a former board member with the West Virginia Independence Hall Foundation, an organization instrumental in the restoration of the original custom house in Wheeling.
His research has been published in numerous books, magazines, journals, and websites. His first book in the Emerging Civil War Series, John Brown’s Raid, was published in 2023.
A full listing of Jon-Erik’s Emerging Civil War articles can be found here.
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Jon-Erik is also a member of the Emerging Civil War Speakers Bureau. His available presentations are listed below:
The Meteor of the War: John Brown’s Raid
John Brown’s 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry is widely acknowledged as a cataclysmic event that catapulted the country towards civil war. This talk offers an overview of the planning, the events of the raid, and the resulting fallout.
Dangerfield Newby’s Fight for Freedom
Next to John Brown himself, perhaps the most recognizable and evocative image of John Brown’s raid is the haunting portrait of raider Dangerfield Newby. This talk follows Newby from his childhood in Virginia and his life in Ohio, his death at Harpers Ferry, his legacy in popular culture, and how the Newby family continued Dangerfield’s fight for freedom after his death.
“The Hardest Campaign Ever Inaugurated”: Hunter’s Retreat from Lynchburg
This talk examines Maj. Gen. David Hunter’s raid up the Shenandoah Valley in the context of a busy summer of 1864, and considers the circumstances of his subsequent retreat through West Virginia, effectively taking an entire Union army out of the Civil War for a period of nearly a month. In comparing how Hunter, his superiors, and his men viewed these events, we will explore the fallout and impact of this retreat on both the broader war, and on David Hunter’s own legacy.
To Reclaim a Western Frontier: Jenkins’s 1862 & 1863 Trans-Allegheny Raids
The Autumn of 1862 was a busy time with no less than seven Confederate counteroffensives across six states. Often overlooked amongst these campaigns was the Kanawha Valley Campaign and Brigadier General Albert Gallatin Jenkins’s Trans-Allegheny Raid. During this raid, Jenkins penetrated more than 500 miles behind Union lines, crossed the Ohio River, and became the first Confederate force to plant their flag on Union soil. This talk will trace the movements, personalities, and outcomes of the 1862 and 1863 Trans-Allegheny raids, where Jenkins and his raiders sought to reclaim Virginia’s western frontier.
“Hardships & Dangers Will Bind Men as Brothers”: The Ohio National Guard in 1864
This presentation focuses on the Ohio National Guard battalions that were called up for one hundred days service in the summer of 1864. While these troops were to be used for duty behind the lines – guarding bridges, railroads, blockhouses, forts and prisons, thereby freeing up veteran regiments for front-line duty – many were instead thrown into battle in both the eastern and western theaters. The talk follows two National Guard regiments raised in neighboring counties and compares their vastly different experiences during their terms of service, and how history has remembered (or forgotten) the wartime contributions of the Ohio National Guard.
“An Army Marching Tonight Must be Made up a Damned Set of Fools”: The Battle of Philippi
This talk examines the June 3, 1861, Battle of Philippi, (West) Virginia, the first significant land “battle” of the Civil War and the opening stages of George B. McClellan’s Western Virginia campaign.
