Carol Reardon Explores the Battle of Gettysburg in History and Memory

There are two books that set me on a course to becoming a historian of Civil War memory. The first is David Blight’s groundbreaking book, Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory (2002). The other is Carol Reardon’s Pickett’s Charge in History and Memory (1997).

This year marks the 25th anniversary of its release.

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In 1997 I was just beginning my study of the Civil War era. At the time I was working at a very large Borders Books in Rockville, MD. The history section was enormous and I devoured Civil War books while working there. I even ran a Civil War book club that met once a month.

Reardon’s book was a game changer for me. It was the first study of Civil War memory that I read and it remains one of my favorite books. The narrow focus on the third day’s fighting helped me to focus on the many distinctions between history and memory that Reardon explores throughout the book.

The book served as a model for my MA thesis on the battle of the Crater in history and memory that I completed in 2005 and which was eventually published in 2012. It’s one of the few books that I own, which is held together by a rubber band.

I am thrilled that Carol Reardon was asked to deliver the 2022 Fortenbaugh Lecture at Gettysburg College to mark the book’s 25th anniversary and even more pleased to see that it has been made available for viewing.

Do take the time to watch it if you have a free moment. It offers a wonderful overview of the debates surrounding Civil War memory and Reardon is a dynamite public speaker.