Ronald C. White Contributed photo via Pejepscot History Center

Author Ronald C. White, whose New York Times-bestselling books include American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant and A. Lincoln: A Biography, delivers the presentation “Joshua L. Chamberlain: Pieces of the Puzzle” on Wednesday, July 28, at 5 p.m., as part of his ongoing research for a comprehensive Chamberlain biography to be published by Random House in 2023.

Hosted by Pejepscot History Center, the owner of the Joshua L. Chamberlain Museum, the talk takes place at the Brunswick Hotel and includes light refreshments and a cash bar. Tickets, which are $8 for PHC members and $12 for the general public, are available online at pejepscothistorical.org/events.

“This is the first major biography of Chamberlain to be undertaken in years,” Larissa Vigue Picard, executive director of Pejepscot History Center, said. “Perhaps since the posthumously-published In the Hands of Providence by Alice Rains Trulock. We are really excited that Ron has chosen General Chamberlain as his next subject.”

The talk comes during White’s second research trip to the area from California. He spent several days in 2018 in the center’s archives, Bowdoin College’s Special Collections and at other Chamberlain-related sites.

White is a graduate of UCLA, Princeton Theological Seminary, and received his Ph.D. in Religion and History from Princeton University. He has lectured at the White House, been interviewed on the PBS NewsHour and is a Senior Fellow at The Trinity Forum in Washington.

His other books include “Lincoln’s Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural,” a New York Times Notable Book, and “The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Words,” a Los Angeles Times bestseller.

Pejepscot History Center will  follow up this event with the first annual Chamberlain Legacy Lecture on Friday, Sept. 10, with keynote speaker Kanisorn “Kid” Wongsrichanalai, director of Research at Massachusetts Historical Society, Bowdoin College graduate and author of “Northern Character: College-educated New Englanders, Honor, Nationalism, and Leadership in the Civil War Era.” A special, recorded welcome from documentarian Ken Burns precedes the keynote address.

The Legacy Lecture examines and honors how the experiences, events, disciplines, and ideas of Joshua Chamberlain continue to resonate in the world and is held near General Chamberlain’s birthdate of Sept. 8. Tickets for that event are also available at pejepscothistorical.org/events.

Pejepscot History Center preserves, interprets, and promotes the rich history of Brunswick, Topsham, and Harpswell, Maine, through its collections, programs, and historic house museums. For more information, call 207-729-6606 or visit pejepscothistorical.org.

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