Kent Courtney Interviews Dale Gallon

This is an interview with Historical Artist, Dale Gallon. We discuss his latest print, "Lee" which shows Lee on 1 July 1863 near widow Mary Thompson's house. This house, owned by Thaddeus Stevens, became his field headquarters for the Battle of Gettysburg. Thaddeus Stevens was a Republican leader and as Congressman from Pennsylvania, one of the most powerful members of Congress. Stevens iron works (between Chambersburg and Gettysburg) were burned by Confederates in 1864.

The video features music composed specifically for this project by Kent Courtney.
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This is a direct link to the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs2J2KpaKGs

John Brown House, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

Kent Courtney and tour group in a bedroom in John Brown House
Photograph courtesy Randolph Harris

Kent Courtney examines early print of Thaddeus Stevens in Ritner Parlor

Photograph courtesy Randolph Harris

Kent Courtney in the girl's room of John Brown House
Photograph courtesy Randolph Harris

Exterior View of John Brown House, Chambersburg, PA
Mary Ritner Boardinghouse, 224 East King Street
Photo by Kent Courtney

From the Pennsylvania Humanities Council Brochure:

The John Brown House

Largely unnoticed on a side street in the quiet town of Chambersburg is a small house that played a critical role in the history of our nation. In 1859 it was a boardinghouse owned by the widow, Mary Ritner, whose late husband had been sympathetic to the abolitionist cause and who, it was said, had been a conductor on the Underground Railroad.

That may have been what drew John Brown and several of his accomplices to stay at the house when he was looking for a secure site from which to plan his raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry.

Uncertain Ground for Abolitionists

Chambersburg, which lies only eleven miles north of the Mason-Dixon line, was uncertain ground for those with abolitionist sentiments. In the summer of 1859, there appeared in the streets an old gentleman sporting a white beard and driving a canvas-covered wagon.

He was known to the townspeople as Isaac Smith. John Brown (alias Isaac Smith), and his Secretary of War, John Henri Kagi, were able to travel about freely moving stocks of weapons through Franklin County to the Kennedy Farmhouse that John Brown rented four miles north of Harpers Ferry.

Price on John Brown's Head

A wanted murderer in Kansas for hacking pro-slavery sympathizers to death, John Brown had vowed to consecrate his life to the destruction of slavery. The Ritner boardinghouse provided the link between the beginning of his war against slavery in Kansas and the end of it in Harpers Ferry.

Frederick Douglass

In the middle of August, 1859, John Brown summoned Frederick Douglass to Chambersburg where they met at a local quarry for two days. Douglass wrote, "Brown was always well armed and regarded strangers with suspicioun." Brown spoke of his plans, and asked Douglass for his help. But, Douglass refused calling it "sheer madness", and "treason", and said that slavery must be abolished in other ways.

Kent Courtney Performs with Past Players for Civil War Trails Inauguration

Kent Courtney (on guitar) and members of the Past Players in Chambersburg, PA
Photograph courtesy Randolph Harris

Kent Courtney performed for the opening of Pennsylvania's Civil War Trails program on 28 April 2009, in Chambersburg, PA. According to a press release from the Commonwealth, the Civil War Trails experience tells the story of the Civil War from a northern state's perspective and shares the experiences of participants who did not wear a uniform.

"We are stepping off of the battlefield to tell the untold stories of citizens and the communities who were forever changed by the Civil War," said Mickey Rowley, the Department of Community and Economic Development's deputy secretary of tourism. "In doing this, we are fulfilling our responsibility to present Pennsylvania's rich Civil War heritage in an easy and accessible way for future generations to explore."

The Pennsylvania Civil War Trails program educates people about the women and children under siege; African-American contributions in the defense of the state; and the endurance of ordinary citizens during a time of great unrest.

The stories are told through 40 new "story stops," which are living history presentations, and at more than 25 historic sites in and between communities of Gettysburg, York, Hanover, Chambersburg, Carlisle, Harrisburg, and Wrightsville.

"By following the trails throughout the Dutch Country Roads region, visitors will finally get to hear the stories that have been passed on from generation to generation," Rowley said. "In addition to a greater understanding of the effect the Civil War had on the people of Pennsylvania, visitors will see a different side of the communities embroiled in the conflict."

Two distinct trails were developed in a partnership among the Pennsylvania Tourism Office, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission:

• The Road to Gettysburg: Defending the Commonwealth tells of the Union effort to hold off approaching Confederate forces from overtaking the northern state.
• The Road to Harrisburg: The Pennsylvania Breadbasket looks at the Civil War from the Confederate side, detailing General Lee's strategy and attempt to capture Pennsylvania's capital city and the detour that led both sides to meet at Gettysburg.

The companion brochure, which is available at the state's Welcome Centers and at destinations featured along the trail, includes additional stories and a map to guide visitors along the trail route.

For more information, visit: www.visitPA.com/civilwar.

The Pennsylvania Civil War Trails program is lead by the Pennsylvania Tourism Office and includes participation by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, tourism and promotion agencies, county historical societies, Civil War heritage attractions, park service interpreters and area colleges and universities.

For five years, Kent Courtney has been a part of the Civil War Trails Program and has been an evangelist for the benefits of heritage tourism. His message has been, "The Civil War was the pivotal experience that shaped our country - politically, militarily, industrially and culturally."

In the words of Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War truly "brought a new birth of freedom.". Shelby Foote said, "We are what we are, today, both good and bad, because of the Civil War".

The Civil War Trails program is a fun way to explore our cultural heritage in Pennsylvania.

Here are links that go to some of the coverage associated with the Civil War Trails program:

NBC25, Hagarstown, Maryland video:
http://your4state.com/content/fulltext/?cid=62692

WGAL, Channel 8, Lancaster, PA slideshow:
http://www.wgal.com/slideshow/hotlinks/19320914/detail.html

Article on Civil War Trails Partner Program:
http://tinyurl.com/cw295v

Kent Courtney at the reenactment at Neshaminy State Park, PA

Lenwood Sloan, Director of the Cultural and Heritage Tourism Program, has invited Kent Courtney to perform for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to officially inaugurate its Pennsylvania Civil War Trails on Tuesday, April 28th 2009 at the Chambersburg Heritage Center, starting at 9:30am.

Kent Courtney with Dale Gallon

Kent Courtney and Dale Gallon

Kent Courtney made a personal appearance at Dale Gallon's Art Gallery as part of History Meets the Arts in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on 17 April 2009. The meticulously researched historical art of Dale Gallon has driven the Civil War Art market for over 28 years. The Gettysburg Times, Mr. Gallon's hometown newspaper, said, "Dale Gallon continues to provide collectors of limited edition prints with the reality of the Civil War that is unmatched by other artists." Each of Dale's paintings is an historical lesson on canvas. He is known for his attention to detail & historical accuracy. Kent Courtney is an art collector, as well as historian, author, lecturer and producer.

Plans for John Brown Farm - Location and Site Plan

Site Plan for John Brown's Farm in North Elba, NY, near Lake Placid
Click on this image for an easily-read, large view.

John Brown Farm is the last home and burial site of abolitionist John Brown, who was hanged for treason in 1859 after an attempt to raid the arsenal at Harper's Ferry Virginia to obtain weapons with which to liberate the slaves. This modest mid-nineteenth century Adirondack Farm became a New York Historic site in 1893.

Civil War Media Addresses Needs of the 150th Anniversary Series

With the approach of the 150th Anniversary of John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry, there will be an increasing need for traditional and multi-media examinations of Civil War history.

With this in mind, Kent Courtney has organized an information series that will cover most aspects of the American Civil War.

Film, Television and Video Producers have used Kent Courtney's talent and capabilities in a variety of ways, including the PBS documentary, Slavery in the Making of America, with Morgan Freeman as Narrator, A&E's In the Shadow of Cold Mountain, The History Channel, The Travel Channel and many others.

One of the most important aspects of information dissemination is the Internet. Kent Courtney continues to explore such leading areas of technology, such as downloads, twitter, podcasts, YouTube, and internet radio.

John Brown (May 9, 1800 – December 2, 1859) was an American abolitionist who advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to end all slavery. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas and made his name in the unsuccessful raid at Harpers Ferry in 1859.

President Abraham Lincoln said he was a "misguided fanatic" and Brown has been called "the most controversial of all 19th-century Americans."^[1] His attempt in 1859 to start a liberation movement among enslaved African Americans in Harpers Ferry, Virginia electrified the nation. He was tried for treason against the state of Virginia, the murder of five proslavery Southerners, and inciting a slave insurrection and was subsequently hanged. Southerners alleged that his rebellion was the tip of the abolitionist iceberg and represented the wishes of the Republican Party. Historians agree that the Harpers Ferry raid in 1859 escalated tensions that a year later led to secession and the American Civil War.

Brown first gained attention when he led small groups of volunteers during the Bleeding Kansas crisis. Unlike most other Northerners, who still advocated peaceful resistance to the pro-slavery faction, Brown demanded violent action in response to Southern aggression. Dissatisfied with the pacifism encouraged by the organized abolitionist movement, he reportedly said "These men are all talk. What we need is action - action!" ^[2] During the Kansas campaign he and his supporters killed five pro-slavery southerners in what became known as the Pottawatomie Massacre in May 1856, in response to the raid of the "free soil" city of Lawrence. In 1859 he led a raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (in modern-day West Virginia). During the raid, he seized the armory; seven people (including a free black) were killed, and ten or more were injured. He intended to arm slaves with weapons from the arsenal, but the attack failed. Within 36 hours, Brown's men had fled or been killed or captured by local farmers, militiamen, and U.S. Marines led by Robert E. Lee. Brown's subsequent capture by federal forces, his trial for treason to the state of Virginia, and his execution by hanging in Charles Town, Virginia were an important part of the origins of the American Civil War, which followed sixteen months later.

When Brown was hanged after his attempt to start a slave rebellion in 1859, church bells rang, minute guns were fired, large memorial meetings took place throughout the North, and famous writers such as Emerson and Thoreau joined many Northerners in praising Brown.^[3]

Historians agree John Brown played a major role in starting the Civil War.^[4] His role and actions prior to the Civil War, as an abolitionist, and the tactics he chose still make him a controversial figure today. He is sometimes memorialized as a heroic martyr and a visionary and sometimes vilified as a madman and a terrorist. While some writers, such as Bruce Olds, describe him as a monomaniacal zealot, others, such as Stephen B. Oates, regard him as "one of the most perceptive human beings of his generation." David S. Reynolds hails the man who "killed slavery, sparked the civil war, and seeded civil rights" and Richard Owen Boyer emphasizes that Brown was "an American who gave his life that millions of other Americans might be free." For Ken Chowder he is "at certain times, a great man", but also "the father of American terrorism."^[5]

Brown's nicknames were Osawatomie Brown, Old Man Brown, Captain Brown and Old Brown of Kansas. His aliases were Nelson Hawkins, Shubel Morgan, and Isaac Smith. Later the song "John Brown's Body" (the original title of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic") became a Union marching song during the Civil War.

1. 1. Frederick J. Blue in American Historical Review (April 2006) v. 111 p 481-2.
2. 2. Rhodes, James Ford (1892). History of the United States from the Compromise of 1850. Original from Harvard University: Harper & Brothers. pp. 385.
3. 3. David Potter, The Impending Crisis, pages 378-379
4. 4. David Potter, The Impending Crisis, pages 356-384 - Potter said the emotional effect of Brown's raid was greater than the philosophical effect of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, and that his raid revealed a deep division between North and South.
5. 5. David S. Reynolds, John Brown, Abolitionist: The Man Who Killed Slavery, Sparked the Civil War, and Seeded Civil Rights (2005); Ken Chowder, "The Father of American Terrorism." American Heritage (2000) 51(1): 81+ online at [1] and Stephen Oates quoted at [2]