The Epic Battle of Gettysburg
Gettysburg, August 10–11
Gettysburg National Military Park
To mark the 150th anniversary of a key turning point in American history, two Dartmouth professors will revisit this monumental American battle that began on July 1, 1863. Letters from Dartmouth alumni experiencing the Civil War, the moving oratory in Lincoln’s seven-sentence Gettysburg Address, and the battle's legacy for American patriotism are among the topics covered. (See details of the three lectures below.)
The program includes a tour of the battlefields with licensed Gettysburg National Military Park guides and a Saturday evening visit to the park’s museum (following its closing to the public). At the museum, there will be a reception, dinner, lecture, and a viewing of the cyclorama and film, A New Birth of Freedom.
Professors Robert Bonner and Leslie Butler are members of the Dartmouth history department, where they each regularly offer classes in United States history. Professor Bonner’s research focuses on the sectional crisis and on the politics and culture of the slaveholding South. He has also written a book that features the writing of Civil War infantrymen. Professor Butler has written on a variety of issues related to Anglo-American Victorian thought and culture. Her most extensive work is a study of Union publicists who pursued post-Civil War “liberal reform” as a transnational initiative. Professors Bonner and Butler met while in graduate school at Yale, married, and now live in Hanover with their three sons.
Program:
Saturday, August 10 12:30–1:30 pm: Lunch and registration 1:30–2:45 pm: Welcome and lecture, “Witnessing Gettysburg: Dartmouth Vistas of 1863” 3:15–5:30 pm: Motorcoach tour of the battlefields with Professors Bonner and Butler 5:30–10 pm: Visit to the Gettysburg National Military Park museum and visitor center, including a reception and dinner; lecture, “Gettysburg as the Taproot of Modern American Patriotism”; and viewing of the cyclorama and film
Sunday, August 11
7–9:30 am: Breakfast 9:30–11 am: Lecture, “Abraham Lincoln, Communicator-in-Chief” 11 am Farewell
We invite you to explore the battlefields and the park on your own.
Registration
An all-inclusive ticket for this program includes:
- all lectures and the guided coach tour of the battlefields with licensed guides
- exclusive access to the museum and visitor center, including the cyclorama and film
- lunch, reception, and dinner on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday
Alumni and guests: $200
Young alumni (classes 2002–2012): $150
Child (12 and under): $75
Lodging Reservations
We have negotiated a discounted room rate at the Comfort Suites hotel, located in the heart of historic Gettysburg and just minutes from the battlefields. Please indicate if you would like Dartmouth to reserve a room for you. If you are interested in additional nights, please contact us directly.
Friday, August 9: $173 (includes tax)
Saturday, August 10: $173 (includes tax)
“Witnessing Gettysburg: Dartmouth Vistas of 1863”
Professor Robert Bonner will discuss a series of Dartmouth connections to Gettysburg. In a letter to his brother, Frank Haskell, Class of 1854, wrote the first comprehensive account of the battle. Civilian perspectives include commentary by Gettysburg resident Thaddeus Stevens, Class of 1814 (then serving in the House of Representatives); U.S. Treasury Secretary Salmon Chase, Class of 1826; and embattled Dartmouth President Nathan Lord.
“Gettysburg as the Taproot of Modern American Patriotism”
In the wake of the three-day battle, Gettysburg transformed itself from a sleepy college town into one of American’s most resonant historical sites. Professor Bonner will explore how Gettysburg and recognition of the battle’s importance helped to shift American patriotic practices. Themes for this lecture include the rise of military cemeteries, mass soldier organizations, flag-centered rituals of allegiance, and the adoption of a “Memorial Day” to honor those who gave their lives for their country.
“Abraham Lincoln, Communicator-in-Chief”
The historian Gary Wills says that Lincoln’s November 19, 1863, remarks at the Gettysburg cemetery “remade America.” Professor Leslie Butler will revisit the seven-sentence masterpiece and relate it to the 16th president’s broader struggle to articulate—and to elevate—Union war aims. Butler will address Lincoln’s sophisticated understanding of public opinion and oratory, his commanding presence as a wordsmith, and the way that his presidency set a new model for democratic leadership.
This Dartmouth on Location event is organized by the Office of Alumni Relations. For more information about Dartmouth on Location programs, please contact us at (603) 646-9159 or ar.ace@dartmouth.edu.
