The U. S. Marine Corps at First Bull Run by Harry Smeltzer
It’s well known that a battalion of U. S. Marines accompanied Irvin McDowell’s army at the First Battle of Bull Run. What’s less known is who they were and what they did there. We’ll discuss that as well as the antebellum makeup and role of the Corps and follow in the footsteps of this band of 350 “regular” marines on the Plains of Manassas, much of it described in their own words.
Harry Smeltzer is the host of Bull Runnings (bullrunnings.wordpress.com), a website dedicated to the digitization of primary resources and original content related to the First Battle of Bull Run. He lives just outside Pittsburgh, and was born and raised in Southwestern PA. He has earned degrees at The Pennsylvania State University and the Katz School of the University of Pittsburgh. He’s also been published in print media including in the journal Civil War History, The Civil War Monitor, Civil War Times, and America’s Civil War. He is a Digital History Advisor for The Civil War Monitor and a former Contributing Editor for America’s Civil War. He sits on the board of directors of the Save Historic Antietam Foundation. He has presented programs to organizations in eight states and the District of Columbia and organizes and leads tours at Manassas National Battlefield Park. Groups with which he’s worked include Civil War round tables, libraries, historical societies, universities, preservation groups, and the United States Marine Corps. He’s been hosting Bull Runnings since November 2006.
Meeting will be at 7:00 pm at the Suncrest United Methodist Church, Old Drummond Chapel, 479 Van Voorhis Road, Morgantown, WV.