Join us at Maple Shade Barn for the NYCHAPS Speaker Series featuring Steve Runkle’s presentation of The Gettysburg Campaign to the Susquehanna River on Thursday, March 5th, at 6pm. This event is free for Members and $5 for nonmembers at the door.

The presentation covers the June 1863 Confederate Campaign (Invasion) into Pennsylvania prior to the Battle of Gettysburg. This campaign stalled at the Susquehanna River with the Confederates attempting to cross the River to take Harrisburg, sever the Pennsylvania Railroad and Canal, and threaten Philadelphia. Presentation pictures depict Harrisburg at the time of the invasion and analyze the bridges crossing the lower Susquehanna in 1863. The efforts of the Union militia to stop the advance of the Confederates are outlined. Local landmarks significant to the campaign are discussed. (Note: A Susquehanna River Basin Commission Civil War Trivia Quiz with Answer Key is available as a handout with this presentation. Also, an audio recording of Civil War music is played as an introduction to this presentation.)

Meet Stephen A. Runkle
Steve is a retired Hydraulic Engineer and Engineering Supervisor formerly with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. He also has served as an independent contractor with the Susquehanna River Basin Commission in the field of water resources engineering. Steve’s engineering career spanned over 36 years.

Steve and his wife, Janeann, have been married 49 years, and reside in Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. They have two grown children and four grandchildren. Steve is active in his church and in local historical groups.

Steve has a keen interest in local history, the Revolutionary and Civil War, area canals, coal mining, lumbering and lumber rafting, and Indian tribes that once lived in the Susquehanna Basin. He is here as a volunteer with the Susquehanna River Basin Commission to discuss today’s topic.