In the News

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) has introduced legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to nationally-celebrated Civil War historian and Northern Virginian, Ed Bearss. Bearss served as the chief historian for the National Park Service from 1981 to 1994, and currently serves as the Chief Historian Emeritus. The legislation is endorsed by Civil War historian and filmaker Ken Burns, the Civil War Trust, historian and author James McPherson, the Virginia VFW and the Bull Run Civil War Round Table Executive Committee.

“Anyone who has accompanied Ed Bearss on one of his famous walking tours knows he is nothing short of a national treasure and deserving of the Congressional Gold Medal,” said Congressman Gerry Connolly. “His contributions to the preservation of American Civil War history and his unique storytelling will leave a lasting legacy for future generations.”

“The Civil War Trust wholeheartedly supports H.R. 1225, proposing that the Congressional Gold Medal be awarded to Ed Bearss in recognition of his many contributions to this nation, including his tireless efforts to bring history alive for countless Americans who visit our nation’s battlefields,” said Jim Lighthizer, president of the Civil War Trust.

Upon graduating from high school, Mr. Bearss joined the U.S. Marine Corps, serving with the 3rd Marine Raider Battalion during the invasion of Guadalcanal and the Russell Islands. He was badly wounded in gunfire at “Suicide Creek,” Cape Gloucester, New Britain, while serving with the 7th Regiment, 1st Marine Division.

After returning home, Mr. Bearss furthered his education and pursued a career with the National Park Service, where he was able to follow his true passion in life, the history of the Civil War. He has a lifetime of accomplishments bringing the lessons of our nation’s darkest hour alive for new generations. These include his discovery of the U.S.S. Cairo, a long-lost Union ironclad gunboat sunk by Confederate submarine torpedoes in 1862 that was buried in the mud of the Yazoo River, during his tenure as park historian at the National Battlefield Park in Vicksburg, Mississippi. At the age of 91, Mr. Bearss continues to lead interpretive tours of Civil War battlefields throughout Virginia rain, snow or shine, recounting astonishing details of the battles from memory and captivating audiences with his vivid imagery and “Homeric monologues.”

The legislation is available here.