How Weather Affected the Gettysburg Campaign | Jon Nese & Jeffrey Harding | Gettysburg163
Addressing GettysburgShow Notes
Gettysburg history is HOT this week. Once you dig deep into the Battle of Gettysburg, one thing leads to another. Today, we are led to WEATHER! ***A brief departure from Ask A Gettysburg Guide for the 163rd Anniversary week*** Was the Battle of Gettysburg even more miserable than we've been led to believe? In this episode of Addressing Gettysburg, we're joined by Jeffrey J. Harding, licensed battlefield guide, and Jon M. Nese, meteorologist, co-authors of The Weather Gods Curse the Gettysburg Campaign. Their book takes a fresh look at the Gettysburg Campaign through something every soldier experienced but most battlefield narratives don't fully explore: the weather. Heat, humidity, storms, mud, swollen rivers, brutal marches, and suffocating battlefield conditions all shaped what happened before, during, and after the fighting at Gettysburg. Using historic accounts, 19th-century weather observations, and modern meteorological reconstruction, Harding and Nese reveal how extreme conditions affected strategy, endurance, movement, morale, and survival during the campaign. From heat indexes that may have reached staggering levels to the torrential July 4th rains that complicated Lee's retreat, this conversation shows that Gettysburg's weather was not just background scenery. It was an active force in the campaign. Was Gettysburg hot as hell? Yes. But the real story is even more interesting. 📖 Book featured in this episode: The Weather Gods Curse the Gettysburg Campaign by Jon M. Nese and Jeffrey J. Harding 🔴 163 Gettysburg Anniversary: The Weather Gods Curse the Gettysburg Campaign - Jeffrey Harding & Jon Nese June 29 2026 Topics Discussed: The study of weather in 1863 Finding the source documents for weather observers in 1863 Instruments used by weather observers Rebuilding weather maps What is Sun Temperature? How cloudy was it during the battle Using soldiers accounts to help determine the weather June heatwave Previous interest in history for Jon and Jeff Purpose of studying weather in 19th century How did the rain on July 4th and 5th effect the weather? Have weather patterns changed from 19th century? The reliability of the Farmer's Almanac Show References: The Weather Gods Curse the Gettysburg Campaign - Jeffrey J Harding & Jon M Nese Civil War Weather in Virginia - Robert K Krick The Weather at Gettysburg - Weatherwise Magazine 1960 Vol 13 Issue 3 - David Leedlum Philadelphia Area Weather Book - Jon M Nese & Glenn Schwartz National oceanic and atmospheric administration https://www.noaa.gov An Environmental History of the Civil War - Judkin Browning & Timothy Silver The Medical And Surgical History Of The War Of The Rebellion (1861-65) Support the Show: For the Historian https://forthehistorian.webstoreplace.com - Mention Addressing Gettysburg to get 20% off JOIN OUR COMMUNITY! www.patreon.com/addressinggettysburg HELP PRODUCE CREATIVE HISTORY VIDEOS www.dhpioneers.com Addressing Gettysburg: Little Ground Top Coffee https://www.addressinggettysburg.com/cafe/ Sincerely, Jeffrey Pasnik AG LOTY 2025 Subscribe for more conversations about Gettysburg, the Civil War, battlefield history, and the stories you don't always hear in the textbooks.
More from Addressing Gettysburg
9th Corps with Steve Phan Camp Nelson National Monument National Park Service (.gov)https://www.nps.govCamp Nelson National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) Camp Nelson National Monument Facebook Page Facebook · Camp Nelson National Monument6.9K+ followersCamp Nelson National Monument | Nicholasville KY Gettysburg Museum of History Gettysburg Museum Of Historyhttps://www.gettysburgmuseumofhistory.comGettysburg Museum Of History Gettysburg National Military Park Winter Lecture Series - GettysburgFoundation.orghttps://www.gettysburgfoundation.orgWinter Lecture Series Camp Nelson Miller map https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery-item.htm?id=402c4813-d05b-477f-833c-4cc31307fea2&gid=63230005-6C61-4B28-A427-CF11C805CB5C Burnside - William Marvel The Knoxville Campaign: Burnside and Longstreet in East Tennessee - Earl J. Hess Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park National Park Service (.gov)https://www.nps.govAbraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park (U.S. ... Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant - Ulysses S. Grant & Mark Twain The Civil War - 1990 Ken Burns Documentary Meade at Gettysburg: A Study in Command - Kent Masterson Brown (Upcoming Book) Meade at War: The Military Life of George Gordon Meade - Dr Jennifer Murray Dirty Billy's Hats www.dirtybillyshats.com Patreon: Addressing Gettysburg https://www.patreon.comAddressingGettysburg
Sign up to become a patron of Addressing Gettysburg from October 7th through November 6th, and recieve 15% off when you become an annual 2nd Lieutenant member. Go to https://www.patreon.com/AddressingGettysburg and use promo code: 2LT15 at checkout. Reminder, the discount only applies to annual 2nd Lieutenant memberships. We look forward to seeing you there! In this episode, Bill Styple and Matt discuss a different perspective on the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln
Mike Rupert returns as he takes Matt and Court on an exploration/overview of The Wheatfield. If ever you found this particular part of the battle too vast to wrap your head around, Mike does a pretty good job of breaking everything down, if we do say so ourselves. Not convinced? After this episode you just might be! SuperChats of $10 or more are read on the air. Call in at 717-420-1978. It's free! Support the Show: Addressing Gettysburg Patreon: Join Today! www.patreon.comAddressingGettysburg Get 15% off an ANNUAL 2nd Lieutenant membership with promo code 2LT15 at checkout Grab some merch: Addressing Gettysburg Heritage Depot Shop Get yer Little Ground Top and start your day the Gettysburg way: www.addressinggettysburg.com/cafe Donate to The Digital History Pioneers Foundation: https://dhpioneers.com Get all your Gettysburg and Civil War books at For the Historian - Mention Addressing Gettysburg to get 20% off www.forthehistorian.webstoreplace.com Addressing Gettysburg is recorded at the Gettysburg Museum of History Studios www.gettysburgmuseumofhistory.com
🔴Raising the White Flag with David Silkenat Raising the White Flag: How Surrender Defined the American Civil War - David Silkenat https://uncpress.org/9781469672519/raising-the-white-flag/ Lincoln's Code: The Laws of War in American History - John Fabian Witt Lieber Code: Instructions for the Government of Armies of the United States in the field https://www.loc.gov/item/2011525467/ The 1863 Laws Of War: Articles of War, General Orders 100, General Orders 49 and Extracts of Revised Army Regulations of 1861 - US War Department Sincerely, Jeffrey Pasnik AG LOTY 2025
Sign up to become a patron of Addressing Gettysburg from October 7th through November 6th, and recieve 15% off when you become an annual 2nd Lieutenant member. Go to https://www.patreon.com/AddressingGettysburg and use promo code: 2LT15 at checkout. Reminder, the discount only applies to annual 2nd Lieutenant memberships. We look forward to seeing you there! In this episode, Matt is joined by James Marten on a discussion about the 6th Wisconsin at Gettysburg