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May 1 - The incomparable Ed Bearss will lead us on a series of five one-day tours later this month:
- Manassas - on Monday, Memorial Day, May 26
- Antietam - on Tuesday, May 27
- The Third Day of the Battle of Gettysburg - on Wednesday, May 28
- John Wilkes Booth’s Attempted Escape Route – on Thursday, May 29, and
- Chancellorsville – on Friday, May 30
You can enroll for individual days or for the entire program. Our bus will leave daily from Leesburg, Virginia, however registrants can meet us at Manassas, Antietam, Gettysburg and Chancellorsville on the days of those tours if desired.
Click Here for full details.
April 5 – Arrangements are complete for the 3rd Annual All-Star Tour of Gettysburg – June 13-15. Please Click Here to review. You can enroll for individual days only if you like
February 8 – We are back from Sarasota, buoyed up and enthusiastic from the fine presentations at the Civil War symposium and the World War II conference. The first-person accounts offered by our four battle veterans during the World War II conference were especially enthralling. And the 3 day tour of the Second Seminole Indian War, led by Ed Bearss, sandwiched in between the two meetings, was also a great success. In all, 150 attended the Civil War symposium, 100 attended the World War II conference and 25 folks were aboard for the Seminole Indian tour.
Because things went so well, we’ve decided to again do some touring between the Sarasota meetings with Ed Bearss. Please see the 2009 Calendar section for the basic info. Details will follow soon.
We’re back in the field at the end of this month, on the Kilpatrick/Dahlgren Raid tour, led by Bruce Venter, the master of this theme. And as a bonus, three of our other tour leaders will be aboard as attendees – Eric Wittenberg, Horace Mewborn and Craig Howell. That’s a lot of talent on one bus! Please join us!
December 29 - Happy New Year! And may your football team win its bowl game. If you don’t have a favorite team, how about pulling for Ohio State, as there is a beleaguered Buckeye here in the office, and we don’t want to place him on suicide watch for a second straight year.
December 11: (Drum Roll) – Click Here for our 2007 Year-End Review.
October 24 – By popular demand, we’re going back to Normandy with Hal Baumgarten!!! Read all about it Here.
A set of pictures from last month’s tour with Hal, and a collection of testimonials about the tour by those who participated in it will be posted up in a few days.
September 24 - If you’d like to see some pictures taken during our recently completed Normandy tour, Click Here. Then use CWEA1944 as your password to open and view. The pictures were taken by Hal Baumgarten, son of Dr. Hal Baumgarten, who was the featured person on our tour, having been wounded five times on Omaha Beach.
September 19 - The Normandy tour was one for the ages. Will post some pictures soon.
We had an "embedded reporter" aboard for a while. Click Here to read the article she wrote following the tour.
September 4 - Our 2008 Early Bird Discounted Seats are Going Fast!
Click on our 2008 Calendar and the various individual program posts to learn how you can achieve Maximum Savings Now and to See How Many Discounted Seats Remain for Each Program.
August 25 - We are thrilled to have James Megellas sign on for our June, 2008 World War II in Sicily and Italy tour. Please go to our Homepage and click on the article to learn about the amazing exploits of “Maggie”.
August 8 - After previously intending to wait until 2009 to present our tour of The Italian Campaign, we have decided to offer it next June (just ten months away).
We expect this tour of the enchanting villages, beaches, mountainous regions, ancient cities and hallowed battlefields of Sicily and Italy to be one of our most popular ever. Soon, we will have the OK to announce our tour leaders, but please be assured that they will be excellent choices for this particular adventure.
Please click Here for a tour outline and to learn of the substantial savings available for the next eight registrants.
August 2 - An Insider’s Tour of New Orleans is ready to go! Click Here to take a look - and plan now to join Charlie Roland,
Dale Phillips and Bill Hyland and have some fun!
August 1 - We have now completed arrangements for the following tours:
Lodging information for our New Orleans end-of-year adventure will follow shortly.
July 6 - For several of our 2008 tours, only a few discounted seats remain. The Seminole Indian War tour (January) led by Ed Bearss has five remaining discounted seats, the Chancellorsville tour (May) led by Bob Krick has two left and Gettysburg’s Wheatfield tour (May) led by Jay Jorgensen and Gary Kross has three. Act now if you wish to Save 20% on these or any of the other 2008 tours.
June 20 - Carlo W. D’Este will headline the 3rd Annual Sarasota World War II Conference, presenting two talks during the program:
- D-Day: A Remembrance, on Friday, February 1, and
- Patton: Genius for War, on Saturday, February 2.
Mr. D'Este served in the United States Army from 1958-1978, including overseas tours of duty in Vietnam, Germany and England and retired as a lieutenant colonel. He graduated magna cum laude from Norwich University in 1958, was an Honor Graduate of the US Army Command & General Staff College in 1974 and earned a Master's degree from the University of Richmond in 1974. In 1992 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by his alma mater, Norwich University.
Since 1978, his second career has been that of a military historian, biographer, lecturer, consultant and book reviewer for the New York Times, Washington Post and other publications.
His books include Decision in Normandy (1983); Bitter Victory: 'The Battle for Sicily, 1943 (1988); World War II in the Mediterranean, (1990) and Fatal Decision: Anzio and the Battle for Rome (1991); and two biographies: Patton: A Genius For War (1995), and Eisenhower: A Soldier’s Life (2002).
In addition to a number of television appearances on C-Span, Fox News Channel and the History Channel, he has lectured at the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College, the National War College, and is an annual visitor to the U.S. Army War College military history program. He served as an advisor to President Clinton upon the occasion of his 1994 visit to Italy, England and Normandy to commemorate the 50th anniversary of World War II events; and from 1994-1997 was a member of the Department of the Army Historical Advisory Committee.
Mr. D’Este is the co-founder and annual co-host of the William E. Colby Military Writers’ Symposium at Norwich University where he also serves on the Board of Fellows. He was a member of Legacy Committee of the Eisenhower Memorial Commission in 2002-2003 under the late General Andrew Goodpaster, and is a consulting historian, internet columnist and member of the Advisory Board of Armchair General magazine.
He is presently writing Warlord, the military life of Sir Winston Churchill, which will be published in the USA by HarperCollins and in UK by Penguin in June 2008.
Click Here for complete program and registration information for the 3rd Annual Sarasota World War II Conference.
June 13 – Our 2008 Calendar of Events is now complete. We hope you’ll like it and will make plans now to join us “on the trail.” For those of you who have been watching for the World War II tour of The Italian Campaign, we will present it in 2009 – we just couldn’t get it sculpted out in time for early release. However, we will launch the Gettysburg Conference on World War II in the summer of 2008, and it’s going to be a “doozy.”
Also, we have decided to wait until 2009 for the next presentation of the Drums Along the Mohawk tour. Earlier, we had it posted for May, 2008.
If you would like to attend a program that has not been scheduled for this year or in 2008, let us know and we’ll consider it for 2009. Send an e-mail to cwea@earthlink.net
June 13 – The 2008 Early Bird Discount Offering is in high gear. The first ten registrants for each eligible 2008 program will Save 20%!
Go to the 2008 Calendar section of this site, review the Savings available as indicated in Red, and the number of remaining discounted seats as indicated in Green.
June 1 - We’ve posted up a slew more of 2008 programs. Rather than list them here, we’d prefer that you go through the 2008 Calendar fastidiously – as though you have nothing better to do – and familiarize yourself with each and every offering. And then enroll for 15 or 20 of them! After all, the Early Bird Discount Offer is now in high gear.
Forgive the babble – we’ve been staring at the computers too long but soon will hit the road again – Dave Hinze and Josh Scott will manage the Ed Bearss-led Nathan Bedford Forrest tour that begins on Monday night. Bob will trek up to Valley Forge with Rich Bellamy and Bill Welsch for the Philadelphia Campaign tour.
How about LeBron James!
May 31 – Our 2008 Early Bird Discount Offer has begun. Click on our 2008 Calendar and then the various individual program posts to learn how you can achieve Maximum Savings Now!
May 31 - We’ll soon be listing all of the talk and panel titles for the two Sarasota programs next year. For the moment, here is some of that information.
At the Sarasota Civil War Symposium, January 23-26, 2008:
- John Y. Simon will present The Missing Man at Appomattox: George G. Meade
- Ed Bearss will present The Attempted Escape of John Wilkes Booth
- Robert K. Krick will present The Reverend General William Nelson Granny Pendleton: Lee’s Controversial Chief of Artillery
- Charles P. Roland will present Lee and Jackson: An Indomitable Team
- Panel Discussion #1 will ask the faculty members to reveal My (their) All Time Favorite Civil War Books and Why
- Panel # 2 will focus on Freeman, Catton, Foote and Nevins: Pros and Cons of the Grand Old Men of Civil War History
Topics of presentation for William C. “Jack” Davis, Chris Fonvielle, Gary Gallagher, Joe Glatthaar and Scott Patchan will follow soon.
At the Sarasota World War II Conference, January 30-February 2
- Hal Baumgarten, wounded 5 times at Omaha Beach, will present The Invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944 - D-Day
- Robert J. Dalessandro will present The 81st Mortar Battalion on Omaha Beach
- Craig Symonds will present The Ghost of Mahan: Spruance, Halsey, and the Primary Objective
- Ed Bearss and Charlie Roland have described their World War II experiences in formal presentations during the past two annual Sarasota conferences and so, this time, they will be interviewed, in two sessions, by Robert K. Krick. The interviews will focus on specific aspects of their World War II service, both in combat and between battles. Bob will ask for their reactions to a wide array of questions. Between the Friday session and the Saturday session, audience participants will have a chance to submit topics of interest for possible inclusion in the second interview. Here are the titles of the two interviews:
Part I - Eyewitnesses to World War II Combat - Cpl. Edwin C. Bearss, 7th Marines, and Capt. Charles P. Roland, battalion operations officer, 99th Infantry Division, interviewed by Robert K. Krick, and
Part II - Jungle Juice, Dear John Letters, and V-Mail: Military Life in Europe and the Pacific, 1942-1945
Topics of presentation for Joe Alexander, Carlo D’Este, Richard Frank and Mark Stoler will follow soon.
May 25 – Happy Memorial Day weekend to all of you. Click Here for information about the origins of Memorial Day.
May 14 - Registration for October’s The Best of Bearss: Part VI – A Field & Walking Tour is now open. From our base in Richmond, Ed will lead tours, over six consecutive days, of Fort Monroe, Big Bethel, the Siege of Yorktown, Stuart’s Ride around McClellan, the Seven Days and Cold Harbor. Participants may attend all or any part. Click Here for full details.
May 14 - Lodging is now in place for September’s tour of Yellow Tavern, North Anna and Cold Harbor led by noted Richmond historian, Robert E. L. Krick. See details Here.
May 14 - New Orleans: An Insider’s Tour promises to be one of this year’s most exciting adventures. Read about it Here.
May 4 - Enrollment is now open for the American Revolution in the Hudson River Valley tour, October 11-13, led by Dave Hinze and Bruce Venter. This tour should be one of the most popular of the year. Click Here for info.
April 26 - We have put up three more 2008 tours – one each in April, June and September.
April 25 - Earlier this year our tours, The Irish at Gettysburg and Historic Taverns of Adams County & Gettysburg, were snowed out. We have now rescheduled them for September 29 and 30. Click through below to review and enroll:
None Fought Harder: The Irish at Gettysburg - A Walking Tour, September 29
Historic Taverns of Adams County & Gettysburg – A Field Tour, September 30
April 12 – We’re added some new tours to the 2008 Calendar – in February, May, July and September
April 10 - Lodging is in place for our upcoming Revolutionary War tour – The Philadelphia Campaign – The River War to Valley Forge, June 7-9. Please Click Here for full details
April 6 - Lodging arrangements are now in place for our Atlanta Campaign tour, July 26-28. Click Here for tour and lodging information
April 4 - We have scheduled a tour across Florida, sandwiched between the 16th Annual Sarasota Civil War Symposium, January 23-26 and the 3rd Annual Sarasota World War II Conference, January 30 - February 2 . Edwin C. Bearss will lead The Second Seminole Indian War – A Field Tour, departing on Monday morning, January 28 from Sarasota and continuing through Wednesday afternoon, January 30, when the tour will return to Sarasota .
This travel adventure will chronicle the struggles between the Seminoles, led by the great Chief Osceola, and the United States, and will include overnight stays in St. Augustine on Monday night, January 28, and Melbourne on Tuesday night, January 29.
Visits will include Fort Foster, Dade Battlefield, Fort Cooper, Paynes Prairie, Castillo de San Marcus, Fort Matanzas, Bulow Plantation ruins, Addison Blockhouse, New Smyrna Sugar Mill, Okeechobee Battlefield, Highlands Hammock and Paynes Creek.
The full tour description will be posted soon. In the meantime, please begin to formulate your plans for an extended stay in Florida – for the Sarasota Civil War Symposium, the Second Seminole Indian War tour, and the Sarasota World War II Conference!
March 13 - Gary Kross, Rich Bellamy, Sue Boardman, Jim Clouse, Andie Custer and Mike Vallone will headline our 2nd Annual All-Star Tour of Gettysburg, June 15-17.
This tour has been designed for those of you who already have a sound overall understanding of the battle but seek an in-depth focus on certain aspects of it.
Attend all three days or individual days only as you like. Click Here for full details of the specialty tours within the overall three day program. And whereas it is not alluded to it the write-up, rest assured that this program will feature plenty of camaraderie – both day and eve - as the more spirited members of the CWEA are fast enrolling
March 9 – Richard B. Frank has joined the faculty of the 3rd Annual Sarasota World War II Conference, January 30-February 2, 2008. He is the author of two highly acclaimed books: Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle and Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire. His latest book, MacArthur, should be available in bookstores this summer. For information about the Sarasota World War II Conference, please Click Here.
February 23 – Registration for the 2008 Sarasota Civil War Symposium and the 2008 Sarasota World War II Conference is now open. If you review the lineups of historians who will participate, you will see why we expect full houses. You can hold your place at either with a $50 deposit.
February 22 – We’ve listed some of the events and their dates in the 2008 Calendar section. Please take a look. More will follow on a regular basis.
February 19 - Happy President's Day! Appropriately today, we post up full details of our first ever tour of a U. S. President - Harry S. Truman. This intriguing exploration of Truman sites in Independence and Kansas City, Missouri and environs has been artfully conceived by Dave Hinze and young phenom, Josh Scott. Click Here for a complete read - and note that the hotel rate, normally $149 & $164 per night is a super buy at $79 per night.
January 22 – We have everything set up now for our premier adventure of the year – our Normandy tour, September 6-13. We have a great team to lead us, with Hal Baumgarten at the helm.
Click Here and take a look. Then make your plans now to join us. The tour is filling up fast!
January 22 – We have our hotel arrangements in place for The New Mexico Campaign of 1862: A Field Tour. Click Here.
December 12 Dr. Harold Baumgarten, who was wounded five times on June 6, 1944 at Omaha Beach, will headline the faculty on our Normandy tour, September 6-13. Attendees will be able to hear first hand of what Hal experienced as he landed on the beach that fateful day.
In the meantime, Hal and his wife Rita will visit us at the upcoming Sarasota World War II Conference, January 31-February 3. If you will be attending the conference or wish to stop by, you will be able to acquire a personalized signed copy of Hal’s new book, D-Day Survivor: An Autobiography.
Please review this article about Hal that was posted on the Time Magazine website in May, 2004.
November 22 - Please see our new Advance-Pay discounts. They are shown in red on the 2007 Calendar page.
November 11 – To all who have served our country in the Armed Forces of the United States, we salute you, especially on this Veterans Day weekend.
Click here for a link to a site that outlines the long history of Veterans Day.
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