More than a decade ago, Peter Carmichael, former Robert C. Fluhrer Professor of Civil War Studies and Director of the Civil War Institute, led Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tony Horwitz on a private tour of the nearby Gettysburg Battlefield. Standing in a snowy field overlooking rolling ridgelines once occupied by thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers, two passionate scholars stood together, reliving one of the most important moments in American history.
Even though both Carmichael and Horwitz have been taken from us—the former succumbing to a sudden illness this past summer and the latter to a sudden heart attack in 2019—their legacies will continue to impact future generations of scholars through a collection of books and publications housed in Gettysburg College’s Civil War Institute and Special Collections in Musselman Library.
This past summer, Horwitz’s wife, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks, worked with Carmichael on the donation to Gettysburg. The almost 200-volume collection includes some editions dating back to the Civil War period.
“Tony had deep affection and respect for Gettysburg College, and I know he would be delighted that his beloved books have found a home in the lovely historic precincts of the Civil War Institute and also in the Special Collections,” Brooks said. “Both Tony and Pete shared a deep love of history and understood how its study is essential to illuminating our current predicaments.”
The majority of the publications have been placed in the CWI’s second-floor library and conference room, filling a tier of shelves marked by a special plaque dedicated to Horwitz. Additionally, 37 titles related to John Brown and 18 other Civil War related titles were sent over to Special Collections in Musselman Library.
Many of the selected books sent to Special Collections include handwritten notations and marginalia by Horwitz as he composed such best-selling books as Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid that Sparked the Civil War and the New York Times bestseller Confederates in the Attic. One of the oldest books in the collection, Soldiers’ Letters from Camp, Battle-field, and Prison, was published in 1865.
Said Jill Ogline Titus, interim director of the Civil War Institute about the Horwitz collection, “Having Tony’s Civil War library at Gettysburg College not only keeps his memory alive amongst the next generation of Civil War scholars, but also undergirds our efforts to encourage students to think broadly about the war’s legacy and upholds our longstanding commitment to fostering thoughtful public conversation about the history and legacy of the Civil War era.”
Since arriving in the fall of 2010, Carmichael worked tirelessly in collaboration with faculty colleagues and campus partners to create opportunities for students to gain historical knowledge and professional development. With the help of his staff, he created the highly successful public history minor and exponentially expanded CWI’s Funded Internship Program, connecting Gettysburg students with national parks, museums, and historical landmarks across the country.
“Peter delighted in working with donors, identifying interesting collections for the College and finding the right match between a benefactor’s desire and the institution’s need,” said Robin Wagner, dean of Musselman Library. “He hit a homerun with the Horwitz collection, trusting his initial intuition that this would be a collection that would benefit both students and scholars.”
Horwitz and Carmichael were both energetic spirits, throwing themselves into their work and enlivening the world around them. They helped people see through the complexities of contemporary issues by providing historical insight, opening the door to figuring out how we can move forward together as a society. Through this expansive and unique collection of books, their legacies will remain forever intertwined at Gettysburg College.
“Both Tony and Pete were giants in this field whose voices are gone far too soon, yet both live on, in their books, in those they inspired, and in the stories of their humor and generosity,” Titus said.
In honor of Carmichael’s legacy, an anonymous donor established the Peter S. Carmichael Endowed Scholarship. For additional information and ways to donate, visit http://gettysburg.edu/carmichael.
-Story by Corey Jewert