Garry Adelman Speaks to the Atlanta Civil War Round Table

Originally published March 2020 · p. 37

Officers of 3d Regiment Massachusetts Heavy Artillery pose with a 100-pounder Parrott rifle at

ATLANTA, Ga.—On Tuesday, January 14, 2020, historian Garry Adelman gave a presentation to the Atlanta Civil War Round Table at the Capital City Club downtown to a packed house of some 110 members and guests. His original title was “Civil War Artillery – the Long Arm of the Army,” but he changed it to “A Civil War Artillery Extravaganza.” Both titles were accurate, but an “Extravaganza” it was! A graduate of Michigan State University and Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, Garry Adelman is the award-winning author, co-author, or editor of 20 Civil War books and 50 related articles. He is vice president of the Center for Civil War Photography, and has been a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg for 25 years. He has appeared on numerous productions shown on the BBC, C-Span, Pennsylvania Cable Network, and on HISTORY, and works full time as chief historian at the American Battlefield Trust.

Garry Adelman’s PowerPoint presentation contained rarely viewed artillery images.

From the first shots in Charleston Harbor to the massive salutes that signaled the Civil War’s end, artillery played a crucial role throughout the conflict; the “long arm” continues to fascinate students, buffs, and engineers alike. Adelman offered a wide-ranging presentation that endeavored to cover the people, places, and technology that render artillery a topic of endless fascination. He broke down the main categories of cannon, what they fired, and showed numerous photos of each. From massed and masked battalions, to river and fortress batteries, to the terrible human consequence of cannon fire, and the tubes seen on battlefields today, Adelman covered it all for novices and experts alike. He covered the practical and the emotional sides in a manner you are unlikely to see anywhere else.

John Dietrichs, Atlanta Civil War Round Table President, presents Garry Adelman with a personalized wooden box with the round table’s logo.

Officers of 3d Regiment Massachusetts Heavy Artillery pose with a 100-pounder Parrott rifle at Garry’s energy is boundless… Fort Totten, Washington, D.C. (Library of Congress) he used slides (148 in the space of 40 minutes this evening) to trigger his fount of knowledge on the subject, and zoomed in on period photographs rarely seen by the general public. The Atlanta Round Table was fortunate to have Garry visit us and offer this presentation. He received an engraved box with our logo, his name, the date, and an