I spent much of the day yesterday, November 5, getting a personal guided tour of the many “I didn’t know that” sites of the Gettysburg battlefield and environs from Civil War maven and author, Scott Mingus. Many thanks, Scott!
I had visited Gettysburg several times before, but getting “off the beaten path” under the leadership of this skilled and knowledgeable historian has significantly enhanced my understanding of the whys and wherefores of this epic battle. I even have a (slightly) better appreciation of why Dan Sickles acted as he did when disobeying orders on July 2, 1863!
Scott and I are planning a reverse voyage to Antietam, where I will lead him “off the beaten track.” It will be a major struggle to match yesterday’s great experience, though I hope that at least a few times Scott too will say, “I didn’t know that.”
Here’s a picture of the two historians at the end of the day.
GENE SCHMIEL, CIVIL WAR HISTORIAN, AUTHOR, AND LECTURER 