Three Funded Interns Serve Society Through Policy Research, Preservation, and Public Safety

Grace Campbell '27, Preserving and Interpreting History

Long before she arrived at Gettysburg National Military Park this summer, the rising senior was telling the stories about the Civil War battle to audiences at Bowdoin and elsewhere.

This past semester, she helped create an exhibit about Joshua Chamberlain in Hawthorne-Longfellow Library with the Bowdoin Preservation Collective, a club she cofounded and leads.

As a high school student in Boothbay, Maine, she put together an exhibit about soldiers from her hometown who fought at Gettysburg, including her ancestor Lorenzo Webster of the 19th Maine Infantry Regiment.

"Gettysburg has always been a passion of mine," Campbell said, especially the stories of "the little guys"-the ordinary soldiers history often forgets. "I have wanted to do this internship for a while and was so excited that I could do it this summer with the help of CXD."

So far this summer, Campbell-a history and Classics major-has used her knowledge and drive to create a forty-five-minute tour in the National Cemetery highlighting the Maine soldiers buried there. This includes nineteen-year-old Sgt. William S. Jordan from Bangor who fought with Chamberlain's 20th Maine at the Battle of Gettysburg.

"While I love Chamberlain, especially as a Bowdoin student and Mainer, I think it's also important to remember the men who served under him," she said. "When Colonel Strong Vincent put Chamberlain on Little Round Top on July 2, 1863, and told him to 'hold at all costs,' the costs were Maine men like Sgt. Jordan."

In her tour, she also tells the story of the 16th Maine, a regiment that suffered 80 percent casualties. The ones who lived were forced to stay behind to save time for their retreating comrades. Before they were captured, they tore up their flags and broke flag poles to prevent the Confederates from claiming them as trophies. "It's truly an inspiring story," Campbell said.

Campbell's goal after Bowdoin is to work in cultural heritage, museum curatorship, or historical interpretation. "This internship allows me to do this while getting outside, getting on the ground, and doing important work. I love also the hands-on teaching I can facilitate," she said. "It really has been a life-changing experience and I'm eternally grateful for the support from the Bowdoin community."