Didn't think there was a Gettysburg connection to the Battle of Fort McHenry besides that of the fort's commender? Well, you'll be surprised when you find out just how connected Fort McHenry was to Gettysburg. 

Our Flag Was Still There details the improbable two-hundred-year journey of the original Star-Spangled Banner -- from Fort McHenry in 1814, when Francis Scott Key first saw it, to the Smithsonian in 2023 -- and the enduring family who defended, kept, hid, and ultimately donated the most famous flag in American history.

Francis Scott Key saw the original Star-Spangled Banner flying over Baltimore's Fort McHenry on September 14, 1814, following a twenty-five-hour bombardment by the British Navy, inspiring him to write the words to our national anthem. Torn and tattered over the years, reduced in size to appease souvenir-hunters, stuffed away in a New York City vault for the last two decades of the nineteenth century, the flag's mere existence after two hundred years is an improbable story of dedication, perseverance, patriotism, angst, inner-family squabbles, and, yes, more than a little luck.

For this unlikely feat, we have the Armistead family to thank -- led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armistead, commander of Fort McHenry, who took it home after the battle in clear defiance of U.S. Army regulations. It is only because of that quiet indiscretion that the flag survives to this day. Armistead's descendants kept and protected their family heirloom for ninety years. The flag's first photo was not taken until 1873, almost sixty years after Key saw it waving, and most Americans did not even know of its existence until Armistead's grandson loaned it to the Smithsonian in 1907.

Tom McMillan tells a story as no one has before. Digging deep into the archives of Fort McHenry and the Smithsonian, accessing never-before-published letters and documents, and presenting rare photos from the private collections of Armistead descendants and other sources, McMillan follows the flag on an often-perilous journey through three centuries. Our Flag Was Still There provides new insight into an intriguing period of U.S. history, offering a "story behind the story" account of one of the country's most treasured relics.

For the last three years, Steve Sims has been the superintendent at GNMP. Now, he leaves us for Independence in Philadelphia. I sat down with Steve for the last time on AG to talk about his life inside and outside of his role at GNMP. I hope you enjoy this interview. 

Addressing Gettysburg is dedicated to bringing you the history of the Battle of Gettysburg and the town through myriad experts, as well as a peek into what it's like to live here in the modern era. If you like and appreciate that, please consider becoming a patron so that we can continue to do it and expand into other mediums. Go to www.patreon.com/addressinggettysburg

Our pal Brad Gottfried is back to continue an earlier discussion about when Lincoln came to Gettysburg as described in his book "Lincoln Comes to Gettysburg".  Grab your copy here.

While freeing up space on the AG hard drive, I came acorss this long-lost episode, recorded in 2022, while Eric the Producer was still here, featuring Jim Pangburn sharing with us his top five Gettysburg book recommendations. So, here it is. You can even hear the birds chirping and other background sounds associated with us recording at the Gettysbike shed. 

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Kevin MacLeod www.incompetech.com 

John-Michael Self is a Patron, Marine and civilian security conractor during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. John contacted me back in April about a completely unrelated episode we had put out. We had a phone call and the discussion gave me the idea to invite John-Michael on to talk about his experiences in combat. We recorded this episode in August. The full interview is available on Patreon right now. 

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“The work was about to commence in earnest”

As the tide broke upon Cemetery Ridge in the late afternoon of July 3, 1863, the name Pickett was immortalized even in defeat. Join us as we walk the path of Garnett’s Brigade and discuss the actions of these men on that fateful day.

During the festivities for the 30th Anniversary of the movie "GETTYSBURG", actor John Rothman (General John F Reynolds) stopped by the studio to talk about the current actors' strike, making "Gettysburg" and more. He is joined by new fan-favorite Dale Fetzer, the Military Choreographer for the film. 

John has been in a TON of TV Shows and movies. Check out his fimography here https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0745232/

Get your download of Marching Through Georgia by Billy Webster at www.billysongs.com 

Usually long-form interviews like these are reserved for Patreon, but we really want your support so we can grow and continue to bring you the history of Gettysburg in new ways. We're releasing this for free to you as a way to celebrate this movie which we all love and which sparked the interest in the Battle of Gettysburg for many of us. Join our community! Not only are there hundreds more episodes for you to listen to and learn from, but you can also receive other perks, depending on your level of support. Go to www.patreon.com/addressinggettysburg and make an act of a "thank you" to us turn into something you will thank yourself for! 

Dr. Rick Schroeder is a retired orthopedic surgeon and Licensed Battlefield Guide who you know from many of our medical episodes, most often appearing alongside of his pal and fellow LBG Fran Feyock. Rick came in with his son who is also a doctor to talk about his life. This was a fun one to record.

30 years ago, Dale Fetzer was the military choreographer during the shooting of the movie "Gettysburg". Last October, while in town to shoot a special video for the ABT, Dale agreed to come on the show and talk about the daunting task of choreographing a battle for a major motion picture.  Check out his book "Unlikely Allies" here.

Normally, this would live on our Patreon account, but, in honor of the anniversary, we are releasing this for free for its premiere. If you appreicate that, head on over to Patreon and join our community. There are hundreds more episodes there full of history you never knew existed! Go to www.patreon.com/addressinggettysburg