‘The Sun Shone in all its Splendor’: 
The Impact of Environment on the First Day at Gettysburg

Throughout human history, nature and environment has impacted the way that people make war on each other. While the United States and Confederate armies clashed with each other at Gettysburg, they both had to contend with this oft-overlooked foe. Join Pete Miele for an overview of how weather and landscape impacted the fighting at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863.

Pete Miele is Senior Project Leader at Susquehanna National Heritage Area, overseeing the Susquehanna Discovery Center project at the historic Mifflin farm site. He began his career as a public school educator in New Jersey before shifting towards public history and museum work. He spent more than eleven years at Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center in Gettysburg, PA, including four years as President and Executive Director. Miele recently completed coursework towards a Ph.D. in American Studies at Penn State, Harrisburg, where his academic interests include the social and cultural history of the mid-Atlantic, nature and environment, and historical memory. In his spare time, he enjoys exploring the region’s cultural and culinary offerings, camping, hiking, and kayaking, all with his wife.

*Please note this program is accessible via Zoom only.