Next Speaker Today is one of the newest faces at emerging civil war one of our emerging voices if you will John Tracy has worked both at Fredericksburg And Spotsylvania national Military Park as well as gettysburg national Military Park. Hes done some fantastic work on the Website Forest this year particularly focusing on gettysburg, but spreading his wings hes going to talk today. You can find a Rabbit Hole and really fall in and thats what todays topic is today. Hes coming to us from the university of West Virginia where he is just finishing up his Masters Degree in public history. Ladies and gentlemen, John Tracy. All right. Hi so today were going to be spending just a little bit of time on the experiences and in the head of John Rankin who you see up on the screen there. Weve got a picture of him straight out of the regimental history taken when hes a sergeant because hes going to hold a couple different positions that well get to alongside a really nice period image again from the
We are going to introduce vanessa smiley who is a historian and interpreter. Those roots began at the national parks. Her Revoir Park Experience includes the southern campaign of the american revolution Parks Group Guilford courthouse, nasa, Military Park and morristown national historic site. Vanessa is currently the Project Manager of interpretive Media Development for the national Capital Area at harpers ferry center. She received their Bachelors Degree in historic preservation from the university of mary, washington in fredericksburg, virginia, and our Masters Degree and Resources Interpretation from stephen F Austin State university in texas. She enjoys researching family histories drinking Craft Beer and helping animals of all kinds we welcome vanessa as she presents american revolutionary war from the bottom up southern theater misconceptions. Thank you so much phil. Alright everyone. Hi. Thank you so much for having me today. I am hopefully gonna be talking to you guys a little
If you will John Tracy has worked both at Fredericksburg And Spotsylvania national Military Park as well as gettysburg national Military Park. Hes done some fantastic work on the Website Forest this year particularly focusing on gettysburg, but spreading his wings hes going to talk today. You can find a Rabbit Hole and really fall in and thats what todays topic is today. Hes coming to us from the university of West Virginia where he is just finishing up his Masters Degree in public history. Ladies and gentlemen, John Tracy. All right. Hi so today were going to be spending just a little bit of time on the experiences and in the head of John Rankin who you see up on the screen there. Weve got a picture of him straight out of the regimental history taken when hes a sergeant because hes going to hold a couple different positions that well get to alongside a really nice period image again from the regimental history of their monument on the gettysburg battlefield, which again is going to be
Since forever we. Started out as volunteers in the national Park Service 16 years ago. They give guided tours on all of the battlefields, but his real passion is telling the story of the united States Colored troops. He has made this a passion project, helped to cofounder group of reenactor is that tell the story of the 23rd united States Colored troops, the unit that first encountered leads army here in the eastern theater in the summer of 1864, and has also done work well with massachusetts guys who have done some work in the Movie Glory. Who are those folks . He is tireless and telling the story of the united States Colored troops, men who founded the inspiration to fight for their own freedom, and in a very literal sense, and gave new birth of Reading And Meaning to the civil war. Its my Delight And Pleasure to introduce my friend, steward henderson. Thank you, chris. Good morning. Chris makes everything seem like it was such a long time, but i will tell you if you saw a picture of
The head of John Rankin who you see up on the screen there. Weve got a picture of him straight out of the regimental history taken when hes a sergeant because hes going to hold a couple different positions that well get to alongside a really nice period image again from the regimental history of their monument on the gettysburg battlefield, which again is going to become pretty important as we move along. So John Rankin is serving with the 27th, indiana during the american civil war. Hes one of the few of his regiment to get through the bloody fighting in antietams cornfield without being wounded though. He will be badly wounded in the thigh at the battle of gettysburg during that disastrous charge near Spangler Spring on the morning of July 3rd 1863, but what were really focusing on here. That after the war he later writes a couple short accounts of his service and these recolate recollections of combat often very much brutally honest about his experiences offer a lot of insight into