Waterloo: June 18, 1815, A Fateful Day (with Hints of Gettysburg)

Course | Registration opens 8/12/2024 8:00 AM EDT

Penn State York, 1031 Edgecomb Avenue York, PA 17403-3398 United States

Main Classroom Bldg, Conference Center, 31 B and C

Members and nonmembers

10/30/2024-11/6/2024

3:00 PM-5:00 PM EDT on Wed

$40.00

$16.00

The Gettysburg Battlefield attracts one million visitors a year. Viewed from the Bloody Angle, many of them think that Pickett’s Charge was hopeless from the start. General Lee didn’t think so. Why not? My attempt to answer that question led me to Lee’s alma mater, the West Point Military Academy and to the famous Battle of Waterloo. After years of research, I created a presentation of the battle and the circumstances leading up to it. I will explain some of the how’s and why’s of Napoleonic warfare to better understand what happened. The story unfolds in two two-hour slide presentation. Bring your curiosity and questions, especially if you have seen a Civil War or Napoleonic movie.

 

Michael Schmotzer was raised in an Army family spending several years in Europe. After serving in the Marine Corps, he worked in the Defense Contract Management Agency for thirty years. Schmotzer embarked on an extensive investigation of all things Waterloo (and Gettysburg) and would like to share it with like-minded students of history. He has a B.A. in European History from the College of William and Mary and a M.A. in the History of Science from Montana State University.