Stepping Into History - RMU's Civil War Study Tour

My wife took me to Gettysburg for my birthday once. Once. Since then, she has ignored my pleas to return to the historic town, which was the site of one of the most influential battles of the Civil War. You see, my wife doesn’t share my enthusiasm for American history. For that reason, I never thought I’d have the opportunity to visit Gettysburg again, or for that matter, any of the other major battlefields of the “War of Northern Aggression,” as many Southerners call it.

That’s all about to change.

This Sunday, May 2, I will be joining 16 RMU students as we embark on a five-day tour of some of the most influential and important sites of the Civil War. Led by Associate Professor of History Daniel P. Barr, Ph.D., the Civil War Study Tour class is a mostly online course that includes a tour of Harpers Ferry, W. Va.; Richmond, Cold Harbor, Chancellorsville, and Fredericksburg in Virginia; Sharpsburg, Md., and Gettysburg, Pa. I’ll be tagging along to document the trip and get some photos and video of our students as they get a close-up look at American history.

Beginning this Sunday night, I’ll be writing a daily post here on the RMU News Blog, where you can follow our progress and read about our experiences as we step into history.

Please feel free to comment on the posts and share any thoughts or stories you have on the locations we visit. You can also follow us via the Robert Morris University Facebook page, as well as on Twitter by following “@RMUNews”.

– Valentine J. Brkich