What Were Robert E. Lee’s Options on January 10, 1865? A Chat with Ed Bearss

National Park Service Chief Historian Emeritus Ed Bearss will  discuss what Confederate general Robert E. Lee considered as his options during the last months of the Civil War. Lee was headquartered on the western outskirts of Petersburg at Edge Hill, aware of defeats in Movile, Atlanta, Savannah, Franklin and Nashville, and we know which military actions Lee chose. But we do not know what options he may have considered.

Ed Bearss grew up in Montana as the son of a WWI Marine officer. He joined the Marines following Pearl Harbor, just 18 years old, and was severely wounded at New Britain Island in 1944. During his recovery, as he spent two years in the hospital, he read avidly on Civil War topics and after his discharge, earned degrees before joining Vicksburg Battlefield Park as a historian. He rose through the ranks to become the Chief Historian of the National Park Service, and was honored after his retirement with the title of Emeritus. Bearss, called the Father of American Battlefield Preservation, History’s Pied Piper and Tour Leader without Peer,  has been to North Carolina for speaking tours for a number of years. He has made many visits to the Historical Museum, but this talk will be the first in a Fireside Chat format, when he will be ably joined by Dr. Eugene Adcock of the NC Civil War Roundtable.

This partnership event with the NC Civil War Roundtable begins at 6 p.m. with light refreshments, followed by the program at 7. Silent auction of framed Robert E. Lee print by Mort Kuntsler. Donations of $15 per person requested. Reservations also requested, and may be made by contacting Dick Whitaker at dwbiz53@gmail.com or 336.293.2980. Funds support preservation of NC Civil War battlefields.