Edwin Cole Bearss When He Arrived at the Statue of (Originally Published in the Robert E
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Expanded November Book Issue Vol. 46, No. 11 $3.50 America’s Monthly Newspaper For Civil War Enthusiasts 56 Pages, November 2020 Ed Bearss’ History and Preservation All Time Favorite Community Mourns: Civil War Books The Loss of Legendary Historian By Dorothy Partridge Richmond, Va., on his way to Special Correspondent to work as the editor of the newspa- Civil War News per, the Richmond News Leader. Edwin Cole Bearss When he arrived at the statue of (Originally published in the Robert E. Lee, he would stop and November 2018 issue of Civil salute General Lee. He did this War News.) daily. Edwin Cole Bearss was the There was some criticism of Chief Historian Emeritus of the this Freeman series. Bearss re- National Park Service. He re- called the comments were about marked on his favorite Civil the supposed feud between Robert War books. First, he listed those E. Lee and James Longstreet, and written on the Southern side of other things. As a result, he said the war, and then those on the Freeman wrote three volumes Northern side. He ended with his called Lee’s Lieutenants. The choice for best autobiography. three volumes are: Douglas Southall Freeman (1886–1953), whose father Manassas to Malvern Hill (1942) served four years in Lee’s Army Cedar Mountain to of Northern Virginia, wrote a Chancellorsville (1943) 4-volume series in 1934–1935. Gettysburg to Appomattox (1944) It was titled Robert E. Lee: A Edwin C. Bearss is seen at his desk at his home in Virginia. Buddy Secor / American Battlefield Biography. It won the Pulitzer Trust. Prize in 1935. Freeman walked H Bearss Books down Monument Avenue in . see page 5 WASHINGTON, D.C.— the past. He was among the orig- cattle ranch just outside the Crow Legendary military historian inators of the modern battlefield Indian Reservation that includes and preservationist Edwin Cole preservation movement and a de- the Little Bighorn Battlefield. Bearss passed away Tuesday, voted tour guide, travelling up to Although he gravitated toward Sept. 15, 2020, peacefully and 200 days per year into his 90s. history at an early age, his pas- surrounded by family, at the age “For those of us who value the sion was the Civil War; he even of 97. A decorated U.S. Marine preservation and perpetuation of called his favorite milk cow veteran of World War II’s Pacific American history, few figures are “Antietam.” After graduating Theater, he attended college and more revered than Ed Bearss. His from high school in 1941, he graduate school on the GI Bill be- knowledge, passion and energy spent the summer hitchhiking fore pursuing a distinguished ca- were without equal, and he will across the country to visit battle- reer in the National Park Service, be missed tremendously by so fields. Bearss returned home and, ultimately rising to be chief his- many,” said American Battlefield after the Japanese bombed Pearl torian of that agency in 1981. Trust President James Lighthizer, Harbor, followed in the footsteps As one of the powerful voices “Ed’s decades-long commitment of his father and Medal of Honor in the Ken Burns documentary, to protecting special places and recipient older cousin to enlist in The Civil War, he brought history making the stories of our past the U.S. Marine Corps. He left alive for millions of Americans come to life laid the groundwork for the South Pacific in mid-July with his deep voice and evoca- for organizations like ours, which 1942 and was severely wounded tive descriptions, a style once de- will embody his legacy for gen- on January 2, 1944, during the scribed by the Washington Post as erations to come. The Trust, our Battle of Suicide Creek on the is- nearly “Homeric monologues.” board and staff, as well as our land of New Britain, injuries that Although a prolific author on members and supporters, send limited his dexterity for the re- military history topics, Bearss was deepest condolences to the entire mainder of his life. particularly dedicated to the im- Bearss family.” portance of preserved landscapes Bearss, born on June 26, H Bearss enhancing our understanding of 1923, grew up on a Montana . see page 4 Inside this issue: 35 – American Battlefield Trust 44 – Emerging Civil War 7 – The Unfinished Fight 55 – Advertiser Index 36 – The Graphic War 42 – This And That Ed Bearss’ favorite photo of himself. He was enlisted and 6 – Ask the Appraiser 38 – Inspection, ARMS! 33 – Through The Lens sworn into the Marines in Butte, Mont., on April 28, 1942, and 46 – Book Reviews 2 – Letters to the Editor 5 – Trivia discharged at USMC Base in San Diego, Calif., on March 15, 34 – Central Virginia BTrust 32 – The Source 1946..