The Gettysburg Compiler is written and edited by students and staff of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. Established in 2012, it serves as a virtual bridge between our students and the public.
Most entries are researched and written by a Gettysburg College student during their time in the Civil War Institute Fellows Program. Participants in our Brian C. Pohanka Internship Program also contribute reflections on their summer experiences at historical sites across the East Coast in roles as varied as interpretation, curation, and education.
The research discussed on the Gettysburg Compiler interrogates important original sources, much of it housed in Special Collections at Musselman Library. Over the years, our scope has expanded to cover battlefield news and Civil War events in the local area, analyze contemporary issues through the lens of the Civil War, and examine how the war manifests itself in popular culture. Our authors also reflect frequently on the learning experiences offered by the CWI and how thinking historically informs their worldviews. At times, our coverage also includes reviews of exhibits, books, and more, as well as interviews with prominent voices in the Civil War community–many of whom speak at our annual summer conference.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Thank you. I find the current blog both encouraging and awakening. It made me aware of how important every voice-and it’s’ right to be heard- is.
The article on jellybeans and other 1860’s inventions contained one problem — for jellybeans the author relied only on secondary sources. I currently have a challenge on a facebook group offering $100 for a patent for jelly beans before 1865 and a copy of the ad suggesting they be purchased and sent to the soldiers (neither of which were provided in the article). So far, the money has remained in my pocket. My wife had researched that topic extensively and had not been able to find jellybeans mentioned any earlier than late 19th century. Unfortunately, I feel the Schrafft patent and Boston newspaper ad are both myths that keep getting perpetuated by people who only rely on secondary information. This could turn into a useful demonstration of the value of primary sources vs secondary.