Antietam & Gettysburg

Since the birth of the United States in the American Revolution of 1776, the Civil War has been the only conflict in which the very survival of the nation was at stake. The issue of life or death for two nations lay at the heart of the war, and there was no middle ground for either side. Abraham Lincoln's great dream of freedom for all could be realized only with Union victory. If the Confederacy won, the precedent would be set for further divisions, and there would no longer be a country worthy of the name "United States."

The pendulum of victory and defeat swung back and forth during the four years of the war. Two of the most important swings from Confederate triumph to Union success took place at Antietam and Gettysburg. The 23,000 men killed, wounded, and missing at Antietam constituted the largest toll for any single day in all of American history. The 50,000 casualties of both sides in three days at Gettysburg were the largest for any battle in the Civil War. If either had turned out differently, the United States as we know it today might not exist.

Historian Guides:

Due to a scheduling conflict, Ed Bearss is not able to be the historian guide for this tour. Instead, the tour will be conducted by two of our country's most highly acclaimed historians, James McPherson and Dennis Frye.

Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History at Princeton University, Dr. James McPherson received his PhD at Johns Hopkins University. In a career as America's preeminent Civil War historian that has spanned more than four decades, he has garnered many of the historical profession's top accolades. He has written many books on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War and countless articles for historical publications. Dr. McPherson's most famous work Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era won the Pulitzer Prize for History and is considered to be the finest and most definitive comprehensive treatment of the Civil War period.

Dennis Frye is the Chief Historian at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. He is a prominent Civil War historian with numerous appearances on PBS, The History Channel, The Discovery Channel, and A&E. He helped produce award-winning television features on the Battle of Antietam and abolitionist John Brown and served as an Associate Producer for the Civil War movie "Gods and Generals." Dennis is a well-known author of 88 articles and eight books, including Harpers Ferry Under Fire and September Suspense: Lincoln's Union in Peril.

An unprecedented presentation, this HistoryAmerica tour will become the opportunity of a lifetime to recapture all the excitement of the great events at the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg