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History students travel to Gettysburg

The Ursinus History Department students did some “field work” with a trip to the battlefields and historic sites of Gettysburg in autumn 2014.

Jordan Allie, a first-year student from Delran, N.J., offers his perspective: “The battle of Gettysburg is considered one of, if not, the most important battles of the Civil War. Over the duration of the Civil War course, taught by Dr. (Dallett) Hemphill, we spent a significant amount of time on the battle of Gettysburg. We studied the commanders and soldiers involved along with the importance of several sites throughout the battlefield. I enjoyed the trip because I was finally able to visualize the battle from the field. I didn’t have to rely on my imagination. I could visualize where the soldiers marched, fought, and even where they lost their lives. I could take everything Dr. Hemphill taught us about the battle in class, and project it onto the battlefield. The most memorable site we visited was the hill of Little Round Top. At the top of this hill, you can see a beautiful landscape that stretches across Gettysburg. But the beautiful landscape was overshadowed by my imagination of Joshua Chamberlain defending the hill with a handful of men, out of ammunition, and only armed with bayonets. As Chamberlain charged with his men with only bayonets, they ended up defeating the Confederate forces. As I stood atop the hill and on the grounds of Gettysburg, I wasn’t just standing in history; I felt a part of the history.” Faculty members Hemphill, Ross Doughty and Edward Onaci accompanied the group. 

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