Internship News

Well, yesterday I received an envelope with the Department of the Interior emblem on it. I knew right away that it contained information on my upcoming internship. The three page letter included additional details on intern life and expectations, including info on housing, interpretive training, and Gettysburg orientation. I have to be settled into my new home near the visitor center before May 26, for that is the first day of my training. In the meantime, I have much reading to complete. Included in this three page document was a short bibliography of suggested reading to better prepare myself for the experience. These works include:

For the campaign and battle:
Gettysburg by Stephen Sears
Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage by Noah A. Trudeau
The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study of Command by Edwin Coddington

Soldier Experience:
For Cause and Comrades by James M. McPherson
The Life of Billy Yank by Bell Irvin Wiley
The Life of Johnny Reb by Bell Irvin Wiley

Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address:
The Gettysburg Gospel by Gabor Boritt
Lincoln at Gettysburg by Gary Wills
Lincoln by David Donald

The Aftermath:
A Strange and Blighted Land by Greg Coco

Gettysburg in the context of the war:
Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. McPherson

Now, I know what you are thinking. "That is a lot of reading in a short amount of time, especially in addition to college reading." Well, luckily for me, I've read over half of these books already and own some as well. Hopefully the other interns have read many of these as well. (I don't know who they are or where they are from yet, but look forward to finding out!)

The remainder of the packet included some common questions asked by interns, including ones concerning housing, uniforms, days off, supervisors, etc. (It didn't say if we get to wear ranger hats or not.) Do you the park has a welcome picnic lunch for us interns on our first day? How cool! This letter told me much but there are more packets with further detail arriving in the coming weeks. More to come soon!