Tour Talk: “Custer’s Trail” with Neil Mangum

The life of a career National Park Service professional, seasonal or full-time, is a transient one, nomadic in nature. The novelist Nevada Barr, herself a former Park Service ranger, has made an alternative career of fictionally documenting the rootless odysseys of rangers, historians, and superintendents. Neil Mangum is one such Park Service denizen, who has … Read more

BGES Members Making A Difference: Tim Muilligan

There are two sides to every story. Sounds like a cliché, right? Don’t tell that to historian, archivist, and BGES member Tim Mulligan. He built his entire career—34 years at the National Archives and Records Administration, plus three books on World War II—on this belief. And it continues to guide him in his retirement. “As … Read more

Spring Civil War Wildflower Hikes

Long after the battles raged, Civil War battlefields have taken on a peaceful mode, providing serene places to stroll among preserved landscapes. Any time of year, the woodlands, meadows, rivers, and streams are beautiful places to walk, but springtime is especially special as wildflowers put on a colorful show, moving from one dazzling species to … Read more

Book Review: Dee Brown’s Civil War Anthology

Dee Brown’s Civil War Anthology By Dee Brown, edited by Stan Banah (Clear Light Publishers, Santa Fe, 1998) Like many of you, the name Dee Brown is somewhat familiar to me. If you collect books, you have seen many of his books in a reprint edition by Konecky Press or some other secondary publisher, oftentimes … Read more

Tour Talk: All’s Fair in War, Streight’s Raid and Forrest’s Bluff, with Brian Steel Wills and Norm Dasinger

The life of Nathan Bedford Forrest has been the purview of many talented historians over the years. But no one has offered greater insight into the subject than Brian Steel Wills, a professor of history at Kennesaw State University and the director of the Center for the Study of the Civil War Era. Wills has … Read more

BGES Members Making A Difference: Peter Gascoyne-Lockwood

It might surprise you to learn that one of the more robust Civil War tour companies on the planet is run by a British national and operates out of England. But Peter Gascoyne-Lockwood, the son of a British Naval Officer, considers himself a citizen of the world, and his company, Old Country Military & History … Read more

Pennsylvania’s Other Civil War Sites

While we’re featuring Gettysburg this month in our “Tour Talk,” one of the Civil War’s most famous battles, there are plenty of other sites in Pennsylvania that aren’t as well known—but all have fascinating stories to tell. So if you’re heading out to Gettysburg, don’t forget to visit some of the state’s “other” sites as … Read more

Paul Magid’s Fascinating Three-Book Fixation on Gen. George Crook

As any good writer knows, you’re never really sure what you’re getting into when starting a new project … until you’re ready to submit it. Even then, there are always more surprises awaiting you, and the final product often looks different from how you originally envisioned it. Paul Magid learned this lesson first-hand when he … Read more

Tour Talk: Civil War 101 with Dave Collins and Len Riedel

When Dave Collins and BGES Executive Director Len Riedel present the new tour, Civil War 101: Gettysburg, on June 11-13 this year, they will be making a bit of BGES history. Indeed, for this first time, BGES is offering a tour aimed at Civil War “rookies,” as Collins, a big-time baseball fan, likes to call … Read more