Soldiers National Cemetery at Gettysburg is a class that will meet at the Cemetery on Steinwehr Avenue on Wednesday, April 21, from 6-8 p.m. Participants will learn how this cemetery was created to meet the need to bury the Union dead after the Battle of Gettysburg. Today, the Soldiers National Cemetery holds nearly 7,000 veterans up through the Vietnam war years, as well as interesting monuments and memorials. This tour will cover the cemetery's history and the men who are buried there.
George Armstrong Custer - From Gettysburg to Little Bighorn is a two-session class that will be held Monday and Tuesday, May 3 and 4, from 6-9 p.m. Custer participated in two of America's most famous battles - Gettysburg and Little Bighorn.
Yet, despite his name recognition, many people possess little accurate knowledge of his life and career. The primary focus of this course will be on his post-Civil War career and his final battle. Participants will learn how one of the Civil War's most famous generals suffered the most one-sided defeat of the U.S. frontier army.
Songs and Stories of the Civil War will be offered on Thursday, June 3, from 7-9 p.m. Dressed in period soldier's clothing, Matthew Dodd will take participants back in time to feel what it was like to be a soldier, civilian, loved one at home, or escaped slave in the Civil War era.
Through period songs, excerpts from actual letters, and anecdotes both humorous and poignant, Dodd evokes the feelings and passions of that pivotal era of American history. He will sing and play acoustic guitar, harmonica, banjo and mandolin in an informal campfire or story circle setting.
Sickles and Longstreet at Gettysburg will be held Wednesday and Thursday, June 9 and 10, from 6-9 p.m. The second day at Gettysburg was not fought according to the plans of either Meade or Lee. Participants will learn how two subordinate generals and controversial enemies, Sickles and Longstreet, helped determine the day's outcome and then became friends after the war. First class will meet at the intersection of Crawford Avenue and Wheatfield Road. The second class will meet in a classroom at the Gettysburg Campus of HACC.
An Introduction to Civil War Research will be held on three Mondays, July 12-26, from 7-9 p.m. Are you interested in the American Civil War? Want to learn about an ancestor that fought in the war? Are you interested in learning more about a particular battle or some other aspect of the war? This course will introduce participants to some of the key institutions to find original records, as well as other primary sources such as the Official Records (ORs).
For computer aficionados, some of the top and most informative websites and databases in the field will be introduced. For those looking to be published, this course will examine how to begin their project, how to footnote, and where to submit their work.
The Battle of Gettysburg through the Eyes of Local Photographers will be offered on Tuesday, July 13, from 6-9 p.m. Although not as well known as national photographers such as Matthew Brady and Alexander Gardner, local photographers also captured glimpses of the town and battlefield in the months and years following the fighting.
The firms of Tyson, Tipton, Mumpes, as well as many private cameramen, recorded views of the battlefield during the years it was being transformed into a national shrine. Local photographers also recorded portraits of the people of the town who were caught in the whirlwind of battle.
Information and registration for these classes as well as sundown walking tours about the Civil War can be obtained by calling 338-1010 or by visiting the Web site below.