I was very sorry to hear that Peter S. Carmichael, Professor of History at Gettysburg College, died on July 21, 2024. He received his Ph.D from Penn State University where he studied under Gary Gallagher. His published works include:
- The Purcell, Crenshaw & Letcher Artillery. Lynchburg: H. E. Howard, Inc., 1991.
- Lee’s Young Artillerist: William R.J. Pegram. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1995.
- Audacity Personified: The Generalship of Robert E. Lee (editor). Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2004.
- The Last Generation: Young Virginians in Peace, War, and Reunion. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2009.
- The War for the Common Soldier: How Men Thought, Fought, and Survived in Civil War Armies. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2018.
The War for the Common Soldier is one of the most remarked upon books by any Civil War historian over the last half-decade.
Carmichael was known to thousands as the head of the Civil War Institute held each summer at Gettysburg College. I met him for the first time in person there just a month and a half ago with my colleague Arnoldo Vasquez. After greeting us and finding out that we both studied immigration, he took photos out of his wallet to show us his family from Ecuador. I did not know that he was Latinx and that his family was connected to today’s modern immigration.
Carmichael’s work focused on the Civil War, but he expanded the outreach he did to incorporate elementary and high school teachers in his work so that scholarship could be shared with the coming generations in our schools. He was a scholar and a teacher and I am so sorry that I will never get to talk with him a second time.
On Sunday, Gettysburg College President Bob Iuliano said: “Pete’s impact on this community and in the community of Civil War scholars has been immeasurable, He has helped us to see the Civil War through a broader and more nuanced lens and along the way guided legions of Gettysburg College students into the field of public history.”
Local published sources said he died due to a respiratory illness.
Pete Carmichael’s reflections on the July 4, 2020 occupation of Gettysburg by Alt Right militias.
Follow Reconstruction Blog on Social Media:
That’s very sad and unfortunate news.
I agree with you.
Did he die on the 21st or the 20th? Your lead is confusing.
Published reports said he died on July 20th, but subsequently that was corrected to say he died on July 21. I corrected that in the text but left the headline alone.
Cause of death?
Such a Great loss. May His Memory Be A Blessing!!!Prayer’s for PEACE
I will miss Pete. I always loved listening to his dissertations. So ironic that he was known for his scarves yet he died of a respiratory illness. Rest in peace. You will be missed.