Sunny Days Ahead! BGES 2022 Schedule Released

Even as 2021 winds down, we look optimistically at the 2022 Schedule of Field University Tours, which will start in early January. IF YOU WOULD LIKE INFORMATION ON ANY OF THEM, PLEASE SEND US AN EMAIL AT bgesexecutivedirector@yahoo.com with your name, snail mail address (for confirmation) and a listing of the programs you would like to … Read more

Fundraisers Boost BGES Bottom Line

Three fundraisers supported by 100 individual donors raised over $36,000 to assist BGES in several critical areas and further strengthened our financial position as the 2021 fiscal year winds down. The calls for support were quickly and generously responded to, displaying the widespread and loyal devotion to the BGES from its members and friends. No … Read more

Book Review: Meade at Gettysburg, A Study in Command

Meade at Gettysburg, A Study in Command By Kent Masterson Brown (UNC Press, 2021) Check out this interview with Brown on BGES’s YouTube channel: A Conversation with Kent Masterson Brown on his book, Meade at Gettysburg.“ This came close to being my first 5-star review, but It fell short as I will explain in a … Read more

Tour Talk: Fortress Vicksburg, with Tim Smith

From the start of the Civil War, the Union knew its fortunes relied heavily on control of the Mississippi River. That, in turn, made Vicksburg of great strategic importance. As Federal forces descended on the city in 1863, there was a sense that the war was about to enter a new phase, one that would … Read more

Field Report: Civil War on the Ohio

A field report from Diane Hartmann:   A friend asked me what I liked about BGES’s “Civil War on the Ohio” tour. I was honestly able to reply, “Everything.” Darryl Smith gave an outstanding presentation, not only of information related to the Civil War but of the importance of Cincinnati to the nation. He brought … Read more

Tour Talk: The Civil War in and Around New Orleans, with Len Riedel

[Editor’s Note: The tour has been postponed until 2023, but it’s never too soon to start getting excited about this amazing tour!] Throughout its history, New Orleans has experienced its fair share of struggle and hardship. Recent events, including Hurricane Ida, underscore this undeniable truth. Fortunately, resiliency is also part of the city’s legacy. As … Read more

BGES Member Spearheading Effort to Honor Navy Commander Ernest Evans

“American hero” is a term thrown around all too casually these days, especially in this era of endless political cycles and over-zealous media personalities who believe they’re the purveyors of patriotism. But that’s not the case with the late Ernest Evans, a U.S. Navy commander during World War II. He was the real McCoy. BGES … Read more

BGES Members Making a Difference: Fergus Bordewich

  What do a roustabout in Alaska’s Arctic oilfields, a deckhand on a Norwegian freighter, and a New York City cabbie have in common? Besides the need for hazard pay, all were jobs held at one time or another by BGES member Fergus Bordewich during a lifetime defined by a hunger to experience the human … Read more