Bruce Mowday’s talks and tours receive highly favorable reviews

Let Freedom Ring and National Park Service's Teachers Institute

July 27th, 2017

July 27, 2017

            This week I’ve received two e-mails with comments from my recent talks at the Let Freedom Ring event on July 4 and my tour and talk on the Brandywine battlefield in connection with the National Park Service’s Summer Teachers Institute.

I enjoy talking about our nation’s history and I was pleased with such positive feedback.

Some of the comments include:

∙ Dear Bruce:  I just ran into someone today who attended the “Let Freedom Ring” event.  She told me how much she enjoyed your presentation.  Thanks again for making our first event so successful!

∙ I want to thank you for your tour of Brandywine Battlefield on July 10 for our Summer Teachers Institute.  I wanted to get the teacher’s comments to you, so you would know how pleased they were with your work. They were asked to name the most memorable thing from each day’s activities.

∙I got a lot out of being able to picture the landscape of the war and where things actually occurred.

∙ Speaking and learning about Brandywine from Bruce.  He was very articulate and I learned a lot from him.

∙ Touring with Bruce & listening to his stories about people.

∙ To be able to walk on part of the battlefield and walk in a small part of what the soldier’s did left an impact on me.

∙ The best part was meeting Bruce Mowday and Justin Clement.  It was very nice to hear them speak directly about their work.  Also Bruce going with us on the bus and sharing his knowledge of the battle and the time period.

∙ Driving around Brandywine Battlefield and Bruce’s presentation.

∙ Having Bruce talk to us and then take us over parts of the battle area was most helpful in understanding the battle.  The best stop was the township park.

∙ In the case of Brandywine I think driving around to various locations was helpful 1) the battlefield park is so small one might erroneously assume that all there is and 2) it really puts into perspective how history can be “forgotten” when everything gets developed (housing, etc.)  The session at Sandy hollow was helpful – Nathanael Greene is one of my favorites and I didn’t realize what a major role he played at warding off the British at the end of the battle.

∙ Standing on the Sandy Hollow Battlefield and understanding better the logistics of Sept. 11, 1777.

 ∙ Discussion of troop movements of battlefield sites by Bruce Mowday.

∙ Understanding the movement of troops along the Brandywine as explained by Bruce.  The Birmingham Cemetery and its monuments dedicated to Sept. 11, 1777 conveyed the significance of the battle.

∙ Touring the battlefield w/the guide’s stories.  Helped to make it more personal & relatable, rather than simply formation and tactics.  I appreciated how he would admit when he wasn’t sure of something, and gave us ideas for primary sources.

∙ Hearing about the significance of the battle – that though the battle was lost, it was significant in winning the war.

∙ Bruce was a good speaker and very knowledgeable about the topic.