Video
Brian C. Pohanka Intern Graham Chandler - 2024
Transcript
My name is Graham Chandler, I go to Gettysburg College. I'm a rising senior. I am a history and business major.
I chose an internship here because I saw this as a unique opportunity where I could pursue history outside of the classroom, which is something I've never done before. The chance to work with history hands-on on the very ground where these battles took place intrigued me. I chose the Chickamauga/Chattanooga National Military Park because I did not know much about this region or the battles that happened here. I wanted to experience life in the South and the opportunity to live on the battlefields drew me to this place.
I did not know much about the Western Theater before coming down here. My understanding of the Civil War and its battles revolved primarily around those of the Eastern Theater. After spending the summer down here, I've come to realize the importance of the Western Theater and how critical victories and defeats were for both armies fighting in this theater.
A story from the battle that touched me is the fighting here on Horseshoe Ridge. Both the Union army's will and determination to hold their line and the bravery of the Confederate soldiers who stormed up this hill, I think that makes the fighting here powerful. George Thomas - his actions and his role in the Union ability to hold their line also intrigued me and that drew me to who Thomas was as a person. In exploring Thomas, I came across an event of his youth, a traumatic event. In 1831, when Thomas was 14 years old, he was living in Hampton County, Virginia, and this is where Nat Turner's Rebellion took place, and in 1831, in Hampton County, Nat Turner led a band of armed slaves, attacking white women and children and Thomas' [not Turner's] home was on the path of this Rebellion. Thomas fled with his sisters and mother, and this would have been a traumatic experience for him, a defining moment in his youth. Now what interests me and fascinates me most is Thomas' decision to remain loyal to the Union, as a Virginian, despite living through Nat Turner's Rebellion and still fighting to end slavery. Nat Turner's Rebellion is also important to me because this is something Professor Carmichael focused on heavily in in his classes. We spent a lot of time discussing Nat Turner's Rebellion and the discourses created around this event. Being able to combine Professor Carmichael's teachings with my work here on the battlefield, has allowed me to make better connections with the visitors and also allowed me to continue Professor Carmichael's teachings in my programs here every day.
Description
During the Summer of 2024, Gettysburg College student and Brian C. Pohanka Intern Graham Chandler worked at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park providing interpretive programming and assisting visitors with questions at the Chickamauga Battlefield and the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Centers.
Duration
3 minutes, 38 seconds
Date Created
12/13/2024
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