2013 U.S. Civil War Study Tour Sold Out

Antietam, Gettysburg & Washington D.C.
October 20–26, 2013

We are pleased with the positive response to this study tour opportunity. This trip is now sold out. Please contact the President's Office at 507-933-7538 if you wish to be placed on a waiting list.President Lincoln at Gettysburg

Overview

Experience Antietam, Gettysburg and Washington D.C. with Gustavus Alumnus and Pulitzer Prize-winning Civil War Historian Dr. James McPherson from October 20 to 26, 2013.  This 7-day Gustavus study tour combines learning, exploring, leisure, lecture, and food with special touches, all led by a distinguished alum.

This seven day experience begins in our nation's capital, Washington D.C. From there, the group will travel to some of the most famous and most infamous battlefields and inns of the Civil War including Shepherdstown, Harper's Ferry, Antietam, and Gettysburg, where President Lincoln gave his famous Address. From Gettysburg, we loop back to Washington D.C. where you can depart at your leisure.

Dr. McPherson’s vast and insightful knowledge will bring to life all the drama of events at Antietam and Gettysburg. With unquestionable authority and skillful narrative, he will explain the momentous issues of the time and why the Civil War still resonates today as a “second American Revolution.”

Dr. James McPhersonProgram Leader

A native of Saint Peter, Minnesota, Dr. McPherson graduated magna cum laude from Gustavus in 1958. From there, McPherson went on to earn his Ph.D. in 1963 from Johns Hopkins University. He eventually earned the title of George Henry Davis 1886 Professor of American History at Princeton University, where he taught for 42 years. Upon his retirement, he was granted professor emeritus status. While he wrote and published seven books from 1964 to 1985 on topics including the abolition of slavery and Abraham Lincoln, he is best known for his 1988 book Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. The book broke ground in combining the complexities of the war while maintaining the narrative that made it appealing to the American public. It helped launch an unprecedented national renaissance of interest in the Civil War and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1989. Several of McPherson’s other works have received special recognition as well. He has received the Lincoln Prize twice in his career – in 1998 with For Cause and Comrades and in 2009 for Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief. In 2007, he received the first-ever $100,000 Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for lifetime achievement in military history.

Activity Level

Moderately active. This tour will require a lot of walking, often over uneven ground. Elevators are not always available so there will be stairs to climb. Sometimes stairs and pathways will not have handrails. You should be ready to keep pace with an active group of traveling companions.

Cost and Inclusions

Cost of the tour is $2,295 per person, based on double occupancy. For more information, go to costs and inclusions.

Pricing may vary depending on final travel numbers.

For more information

For more information, view a more detailed trip itinerary or contact Sharon McDermott at sharon@historyamerica.com or by calling the President's Office at 507-933-7538.

Trip arrangement provided by History America Tours.