I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2059 
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 
APRIL 28, 2015 
Mr. CONNOLLY (for himself, Mr. MEADOWS, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Mr. GOSAR, 
Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. WITTMAN, Ms. 
MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico, Mr. HURT of Virginia, Ms. 
DUCKWORTH, Mr. WELCH, Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, 
Mr. VARGAS, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. CROWLEY, 
Mr. KIND, Ms. HAHN, Mr. KENNEDY, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. 
COOPER, Mr. TED LIEU of California, Mr. GOWDY, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. 
DESAULNIER, Mr. CARTER of Georgia, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of 
New York, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. BERA, 
Ms. GABBARD, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. ROYCE, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. YOHO, Mr. 
PERRY, Ms. FRANKEL of Florida, Mr. HIMES, Mr. FOSTER, Mrs. DAVIS 
of California, Ms. SINEMA, Mr. UPTON, Mr. PIERLUISI, Mrs. KIRK-
PATRICK, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Ms. ESTY, Mr. AGUILAR, Mrs. CAPPS, 
Mr. PETERS, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. COURTNEY, 
Mr. HECK of Washington, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. ASHFORD, Mr. BECERRA, 
Mr. SCHRADER, Mr. SIRES, Ms. GRAHAM, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. CARNEY, 
Mr. TURNER, Mrs. BUSTOS, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. HANNA, Mr. 
LOEBSACK, Mr. WALBERG, Ms. TSONGAS, Mr. SMITH of Nebraska, Mr. 
SCHIFF, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. HOYER, Mr. RENACCI, Ms. KAPTUR, 
Mr. FORBES, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. ROONEY of Florida, Ms. CLARKE of New 
York, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. COSTA, Mr. KILMER, Mr. QUIGLEY, Ms. PIN-
GREE, Mr. ROGERS of Alabama, Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. HURD 
of Texas, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. BEYER, Mr. SCOTT of Vir-
ginia, and Mrs. COMSTOCK) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Financial Services 
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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. 
(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) His own family traces its genealogy to the 
Mayflower on his mother’s side and to 1636 on his 
father’s side. 
(4) Mr. Bearss’ lifelong love affair with the 
Civil War was kindled during his youth when he 
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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. 
(5) 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. 
(6) Upon returning home, Mr. Bearss attended 
Georgetown University, obtaining a bachelor’s de-
gree in Foreign Service studies, and later attended 
Indiana University, earning a master’s degree in his-
tory. 
(7) 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. 
(8) 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 
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pieces of Civil War history. None were more signifi-
cant than the discovery of the U.S.S. 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. 
(9) It was during his tenure at Shiloh that he 
met his wife, Margie, a teacher who shared Mr. 
Bearss’ love of history. They had three children, 
Sara, Cole, and Jenny. 
(10) Mr. Bearss became the National Park 
Service’s chief historian in 1981. Following his re-
tirement in 1994, he was recognized with the title 
Chief Historian Emeritus, a fitting title as his re-
search and recounting of our nation’s history con-
tinues to this day. 
(11) He still travels throughout the year to our 
nation’s Civil War battlefields. He once said, ‘‘You 
can’t describe a battlefield unless you walk it.’’. Any-
one who has spent time with Mr. Bearss touring a 
battlefield, sometimes braving the elements, en-
thralled by his prodigious tales regards him as a Na-
tional Treasure. His unique chronicling of our na-
tion’s history has been described as a ‘‘transcen-
dental experience’’ of ‘‘Homeric monologues’’ punc-
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tuated by ‘‘colorful, vivid images’’. Mr. Bearss him-
self has been described as a cross between ‘‘a good- 
natured platoon sergeant and Walter Cronkite’’. He 
lectures with his eye closed, so he can ‘‘see’’ the his-
tory better, he once said. 
(12) 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 
Chicago Civil War Roundtable in 1980, the Depart-
ment of the Interior’s Distinguished Service Award 
in 1983, and a commendation from the Secretary of 
the Army in 1985. The Secretary of the Interior at 
the time, James Watt, called Mr. Bearss ‘‘unques-
tionably the most productive historian in the history 
of the National Park Service’’. 
(13) To this day, Mr. Bearss continues to tour 
the country visiting battlefields and Civil War orga-
nizations, keeping America’s history fresh in the 
minds of future generations. 
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SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 
(a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of 
the House of Representatives and the President pro tem-
pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements 
for the presentation, on behalf of the Congress, of a gold 
medal of appropriate design 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. 
(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For purposes of the 
presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 
of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the 
‘‘Secretary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable em-
blems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the 
Secretary. 
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 
bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 2 
under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at 
a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, 
materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, 
and the cost of the gold medal. 
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SEC. 4. STATUS OF MEDALS. 
The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national 
medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United 
States Code. 
Æ 
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