Featuring some of the best Rangers, historians, and authors from across the country, this popular eight-week Winter Lecture Series will once again return to the Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP) Museum and Visitor Center in 2026! The Winter Lecture Series is held at 1:30 p.m. on weekends in the Gettysburg NMP Museum and Visitor Center from January 10 through March 8, 2026. Seating is available on a first come – first serve basis. Free tickets are available day of at the Gettysburg NMP Museum and Visitor Center. Schedule is subject to change.
This week:
Ranger Dan Welch, Gettysburg National Military Park Although much is known about the creation of the National Cemetery and the reburial of the Union dead thereof, little has been written or remembered about the Confederate remains left behind on the battlefield. One of several important figures to this story, Dr. John W.C. O'Neal, worked diligently to record the locations of these dead and their identities. He further worked with families across vast distances and periods of time to locate their loved ones remains and have them shipped back to their hometown and family cemeteries. Learn more about Dr. O'Neal, his work with the Confederate dead, and the stories of closure he brought many southern families.

2026 Winter Lecture Series: "My heart yearns to have his remains" Dr. J.W.C. O'Neal and the Repatriation of the Confederate Dead at Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War, the Union victory that ended General Robert E. Lee's second and most ambitious invasion of the North. Often referred to as the "High Water Mark of the Rebellion", Gettysburg was the Civil War's bloodiest battle and was also the inspiration for President Abraham Lincoln's immortal "Gettysburg Address".

A canon sits in front of an equestrian statue.

The Henry Slocum Monument

The Mississippi Monument at sunrise

The Irish Brigade Monument

The Soldiers' National Cemetery during special illumination event

A ranger-led interpretive program

A rainbow over the Abraham Brian Farm on Cemetery Ridge

The Cyclorama painting

The view from Little Round Top

Gettysburg

The battlefield and roads are open thirty minutes before sunrise to thirty minutes after sunset.
Visitors can plan their visit and obtain a listing of sunrise and sunset times by day in Gettysburg, PA at: https://sunrise-sunset.org/us/gettysburg-pa.

2026 Winter Lecture Series: "My heart yearns to have his remains" Dr. J.W.C. O'Neal and the Repatriation of the Confederate Dead at Gettysburg

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