Georgian Court Offers Free Forum on the Battle of Gettysburg

The Georgian Court University Department of History, Geography, Political Science and Law will host a free forum marking the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg which was fought in July 1863. This event will be held in the Little Theatre on GCU's Lakewood campus on Tuesday, September 10, at 4:00 p.m.

The forum will explore the Battle of Gettysburg and its significance. Gettysburg was the Civil War's bloodiest battle, with 51,000 casualties, as well as a turning point in the war.

"[The Army of the Potomac] had won a victory. It might be less of a victory than Mr. Lincoln had hoped for, but it was nevertheless a victory--and, because of that, it was no longer possible for the Confederacy to win the war," wrote historian Bruce Catton in his 1952 book, Glory Road, about the Battle of Gettysburg. "The North might still lose it, to be sure, if the soldiers or the people should lose heart, but outright defeat was no longer in the cards."

Scott Bennett, Ph.D., Claribel Young, Ph.D., GCU professors of history; William Bishop, GCU assistant professor of geography, and Robin Gower, J.D., Ph.D., GCU associate professor of history, will give short talks on the historical geography of 1863 Gettysburg, military strategy at Gettysburg, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, and the battle's impact on Union and Confederate diplomacy with European powers.

Join GCU for the presentations and the following Q&A and discussion on this important anniversary in American history. This event is cosponsored by Phi Alpha Theta--the National History Honor Society--and the Clionaes History Club. While the forum is free, reservations are required due to limited space.