I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1225 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Edwin Cole ‘‘Ed’’ Bearss, in recogni-
tion of his contributions to preservation of American Civil War history 
and continued efforts to bring our nation’s history alive for new genera-
tions through his interpretive storytelling. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 27, 2017 
Mr. CONNOLLY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Edwin Cole ‘‘Ed’’ 
Bearss, in recognition of his contributions to preservation 
of American Civil War history and continued efforts to 
bring our nation’s history alive for new generations 
through his interpretive storytelling. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Edwin Cole ‘‘Ed’’ Bearss was born June 
26, 1923, in Billings, Montana, to Omar and Vir-
ginia Bearss. 
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(2) During a 40-year career with the National 
Park Service, Mr. Bearss distinguished himself as 
one of America’s preeminent historians, particularly 
in the field of the Civil War, not only through his 
work to preserve the places in which our nation’s 
history was forged but also through his captivating 
interpretive storytelling about the people and events 
that shaped those places. 
(3) Mr. Bearss’ lifelong love affair with the 
Civil War was kindled during his youth when he 
read a biography of Confederate cavalry commander 
J.E.B. Stuart. Even at an early age, Mr. Bearss 
demonstrated a knack for committing facts to mem-
ory, a skill that helped him win school contests in 
history, current events, and geography. 
(4) He graduated high school in May 1941 and 
the following year joined the U.S. Marine Corps, 
serving with the 3rd Marine Raider Battalion during 
the invasion of Guadalcanal and the Russell Islands. 
He was badly wounded in gunfire at ‘‘Suicide 
Creek’’, Cape Gloucester, New Britain, while serving 
with the 7th Regiment, 1st Marine Division. 
(5) Upon returning home, Mr. Bearss attended 
Georgetown University, obtaining a bachelor’s de-
gree in Foreign Service studies, and later attended 
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Indiana University, earning a master’s degree in his-
tory. 
(6) It was during a fortuitous visit to the Shi-
loh National Military Park in Tennessee, on a tour 
with the park historian, where the seeds were plant-
ed for Mr. Bearss’ future career with the National 
Park Service. 
(7) In 1955, he landed a job as park historian 
at the National Battlefield Park in Vicksburg, Mis-
sissippi, where his research helped fill in missing 
pieces of Civil War history. None were more signifi-
cant than the discovery of the USS Cairo, a long- 
lost Union ironclad gunboat sunk by Confederate 
submarine torpedoes in 1862 that was buried in the 
mud of the Yazoo River. Mr. Bearss later authored 
a book on the ‘‘sinking and salvage’’ of the ironclad. 
(8) It was during his tenure at Vicksburg that 
he met his wife, Margie, a teacher who shared Mr. 
Bearss’ love of history. They had three children, 
Sara, Cole, and Jenny. 
(9) Mr. Bearss became the National Park Serv-
ice’s chief historian in 1981. Following his retire-
ment in 1994, he was recognized with the title Chief 
Historian Emeritus, a fitting title as his research 
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and recounting of our nation’s history continues to 
this day. 
(10) He still travels throughout the year to our 
nation’s Civil War battlefields, helping to preserve 
the places where history happened and make those 
places come alive as a public historian. He once said, 
‘‘You can’t describe a battlefield unless you walk 
it.’’. Anyone who has spent time with Mr. Bearss 
touring a battlefield, sometimes braving the ele-
ments, enthralled by his prodigious tales regards 
him as a National Treasure. His unique chronicling 
of our nation’s history has been described as a 
‘‘transcendental experience’’ of ‘‘Homeric mono-
logues’’ punctuated by ‘‘colorful, vivid images’’. Mr. 
Bearss himself has been described as a cross be-
tween ‘‘a good-natured platoon sergeant and Walter 
Cronkite’’. He lectures with his eye closed, so he can 
‘‘see’’ the history better, he once said. 
(11) Mr. Bearss has received multiple honors 
for his contributions to the preservation of our na-
tion’s history: the Harry S. Truman Award in 1961 
for Meritorious Service in the field of Civil War his-
tory, Man of the Year at Vicksburg in 1963, in-
ducted a member of the Company of Military Histo-
rians in 1964, the Nevins-Freeman Award from the 
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