Gettysburg CWI Summer Conference 2023- Hearing the Written Words of Illiterate Confederates- Dr. Peter Carmichael

Early on in the life of Addressing Gettysburg, Dr. Peter Carmichael became a friend and supporter of the show. Patrons, you might already know that the vast majority of the authors we have on the show are due to Pete's assistance. He got us on UNC Press's book reviewer list and that has enable us to bring these guests to you each month. Pete also invited AG to cover the conference in 2022 and 2023 and again in 2024 so we can bring the events and guests to you, wherever you are. He also loves to wear scarves. I do urge you to try your best to attend a conference ASAP. Thanks to Pete for all the work he does to spread the history of the deifining moment in American history, the Civil War and for his friendship to AG. 

Peter S. Carmichael received his Ph.D. in History from Penn State University in 1996. His academic interests include 19th-century US history, Civil War and Reconstruction, southern history, public history and cultural history. Carmichael’s most recent book, The War for the Common Soldier, was published by University of North Carolina Press in November 2018 as part of the Littlefield History of the Civil War Era series. The culmination of nearly ten years' work, this cultural history of soldiering in Civil War armies explores how soldiers endured the brutal and unpredictable existence of army life during the war years, drawing heavily on close examination of the letters and records left behind by individual soldiers from both the North and the South.

His previous books include The Last Generation: Young Virginians in Peace, War, and Reunion (UNC, 2005) and Lee's Young Artillerist: William R. J. Pegram (Virginia, 1995). In addition to his books, he has also published a number of articles for both scholarly and popular journals, and he speaks frequently to general and scholarly audiences. Carmichael has recently appeared on the PBS Robert E. Lee documentary for the American Experience series and on the popular TV show “Who Do You Think You Are.” View Professor Carmichael's talks on C-SPAN.

After completing his doctorate at Penn State University under Dr. Gary W. Gallagher, Professor Carmichael went on to teach at Western Carolina University, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and West Virginia University, before coming to Gettysburg College. 

In addition to holding seasonal interpretive positions at several National Park Service sites, Carmichael served as Gettysburg National Military Park’s first Scholar-in-Residence in 1999, and has developed a lasting relationship with the NPS. In addition to overseeing multiple interpretive workshops for National Park Service staff, he directed a 2010 seminar at Gettysburg NMP to discuss new interpretive approaches to the Civil War sesquicentennial and co-directed (with Jill Ogline Titus) the joint GC/GNMP conference, The Future of Civil War History: Looking Beyond the 150th in 2013.