Presented by Peter C. Miele - On June 28, 1863, General George Meade inherited command of the Army of the Potomac.  Since Chancellorsville, thousands of men had departed the army for home. Among the regiments still with Meade's Army on that day was the 151st Pennsylvania Volunteers, who were due to muster out in four weeks. On July 1, these farmers, teachers, and laborers from across the Commonwealth engaged in some of the hottest fighting of the Battle of Gettysburg. This talk explores the religious, political ad ethnic makeup of these men, their motivation to go to war, and their heroic actions on Seminary grounds during the first day of battle.

Peter C. Miele is executive director, Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center and President, Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation Foundation, Pennsylvania.  Funding for this program is presented as a public service by the North Jersey Civil War Round Table.