Ed Bearss, a former chief historian for the National Park Service, has passed at 97.
Ed Bearss, a former National Park Service chief historian with a penchant for Civil War history, has passed away at the age of 97.
Bearss passed away Tuesday, peacefully and surrounded by family.
The Montana native's Park Service career began in 1955 at Vicksburg National Military Park, where he served as the park historian. While there he was instrumental in locating the resting place of the Union gunboat Cairo.
A decorated U.S. Marine veteran of the Pacific Theater of World War II, he attended college and graduate school on the GI Bill before pursuing a distinguished career in the Park Service. In 1981, Bearss became the chief historian for the Park Service, a position he held until he retired in 1995. During his career Bearss completed several detailed studies for the agency and has authored many books. In 1990, he was a featured commentator on the Ken Burns' The Civil War.
As one of the powerful voices in that documentary, Bearrs brought history alive for millions of Americans with his deep voice and evocative descriptions, a style once described by the Washington Post as nearly “Homeric monologues.” Although a prolific author on topics in military history, including a three-volume history of the Vicksburg Campaign, Bearss was particularly dedicated to the importance of preserved landscapes and how they enhance the understanding of the past. He was among the originators of the modern battlefield preservation movement and a devoted tour guide, travelling up to 200 days per year into his 90s.
“For those of us who value the preservation and perpetuation of American history, few figures are more revered than Ed Bearss. His knowledge, passion and energy were without equal, and he will be missed tremendously by so many,” said American Battlefield Trust President James Lighthizer. “Ed’s decades-long commitment to protecting special places and making the stories of our past come to life laid the groundwork for organizations like ours, which will embody his legacy for generations to come. The Trust — our board and staff, as well as our members and supporters — send deepest condolences to the entire Bearss family.”
Although he gravitated toward history at an early age, his passion was the Civil War – he even called his favorite milk cow “Antietam,” a release from the Battlefield Trust said.
After graduating from high school in 1941, Bearss spent the summer hitchhiking across the country to visit battlefields. Bearss returned home and, after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, followed in the footsteps of his father and Medal of Honor–recipient older cousin to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps. He left for the South Pacific in mid-July 1942 but was severely wounded on January 2, 1944, during the Battle of Suicide Creek on the island of New Britain, injuries that limited his dexterity for the remainder of his life.
Bearss was perhaps the greatest battlefield guide to ever walk a historic landscape, the release added. Writing in Smithsonian Magazine in 2005, author Adam Goodheart described his presentation style as being a “battlefield voice, a kind of booming growl, like an ancient wax-cylinder record amplified to full volume—about the way you'd imagine William Tecumseh Sherman sounding the day he burned Atlanta, with a touch of Teddy Roosevelt charging up San Juan Hill.”
At the request of the Bearss Family, in lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Ed Bearss may be made to the American Battlefield Trust. Recognizing the special place that these battlefields held in his heart, such gifts will be used to secure additional lands associated with the Vicksburg Campaign. Please visit www.battlefields.org/RememberingBearss for more information.
Comments
I recall one CW enthusiast in having heard Ed, for the first time, on a Gettysburg tour say to me, "it's as if when Ed looks up into the sky he is reading Civil War scripture from the undersides of passing white clouds - all so poetically expressed". Indeed, Ed was very much our poet laurate of Civil War history. A great American treasure for us all.
I am among the many who cherished Ed as colorful character, advocate for American history, and a teacher with passion, humility, brightness, and absolute gravitas.
Ed was advocating the preservation of battlefield landscapes before there was a Cultural Landscape Program in the National Park Service. He understood how the physical landscape was not just a place where something happened, but more, he encouraged us to look deeper and actually "read" the landscape as a way to understand any event in a larger environmental context. He gave support (and credibility) to the preservation of cultural landscapes as a fundamental component of America's history and heritage.
Ed was cherished by all who had the privilege to work with him, take a road trip with him or, of course, walk a battlefield with him (if you could keep up). I feel like one of the lucky ones.
I feel so fortunate to have been able to take perhaps a dozen different tours with Ed. Every single one brought history to life and made even obscure battles meaningful. I will truly miss his stentorian voice that even at 95 really didn't need an amplifier to reach his audience on all but the bitterest, windiest days. Semper Fi, Ed!
I was fortunate to go on many of Ed's tours, as he brought to life places where my great-great-grandfather John Carmody served. John was an orderly for a succession of generals, and books tell you where various units were, seldom where the generals were. Ed knew, which helped me a lot. He was also great at describing the role topography played in battles, something books often don't do. I was very sorry to hear of his death, but so glad I was able to learn from him.
Once you met Ed you knew he was the real deal. Marine to his core!
Ed Bearass was responsible for doing the primary source research and field recon in 1969, forming the crucial historical argument in the creation of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (1976). His 1970 NPS report (which went to Congress for their consideration) is considered essential reading for Skagway, Alaska historians, and "The Bearss Report" is a cherished fixture on my bookshelf. Realizing it's value, I finally re-bound my copy of his full report in leather to survive its constant use as a reference. Though I never met him, I consider him to be a close personal friend. His clarity with words and his writing style always make me smile. And as the years tick by, his work only becomes more firmly grounded. I just wanted to thank you, Ed. There are lots of us who know that you did more than just the Civil War. You lead the way with your professional research on the Klondike Gold Rush, too. Millions of future Americans will benefit from your work. God Bless you, Ed Bearass. Steve Hites, Skagway, Alaska.
I WENT ON THREE DOZEN DAY TRIPS AND THREE OVERNIGHT TRIPS WITH ED. i LEARNED THINGS ABOUT THE CIVIL WAR THAT i NEVER COULD HAVE LEARNED FROM
BOOKS (UNLESS OF COURSE BOOKS ED HAD WRITTEN). i ALWAYS LOOKED FORWARD TO TRAVELING BACK IN TIME WITH ED, HE REALLY COULD FOR ONE DAY MAKE YOU BELIEVE IT WAS 1864. i WAS A PROUD MEMBER OF THE BEARSS BRIGADE.