(Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

MARIETTA — The executive director of the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Pa., will be the keynote speaker at the next meeting of the Civil War Round Table of the Mid-Ohio Valley at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, at the Knights of Columbus, 312 Franklin St., Marietta.

Wayne Motts, also an author and historian, will present “Buckeyes and Mountaineers at Gettysburg.”

Motts is among the most popular and recognized historians of the American Civil War and, in particular, the Battle of Gettysburg. His presentation will include accounts of notable contributions made by regiments from both Ohio and West Virginia in the outcome of one of the Civil War’s largest and most important battles.

The National Civil War Museum opened in 2001 and operates in more than 65,000 square feet of space with more than 21,000 square feet dedicated to exhibit and education space. The museum owns more than 25,000 artifacts from both sides in the conflict.

Motts also was the executive director and historian of the Gettysburg Foundation. He was one of the youngest people ever to pass the rigorous written and oral examinations required to become a licensed battlefield guide at Gettysburg National Military Park and has led groups throughout the famous battlefield for more than 27 years.

He has spoken to numerous historical organizations throughout the U.S. on topics related to Gettysburg and the Civil War, including at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

Motts also is an authority on Confederate Gen. Lewis Armistead of Pickett’s Charge fame and has published the only biography on the general, “Trust in God and Fear Nothing: Lewis A. Armistead, C.S.A.”

Other writings by Motts include “Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg: A Guide to the Most Famous Attack in American History” (2022) and the “Gettysburg Field Guide Illustrated Guidebook & Self-Guided Auto Tour’ (2010). He also was a research historian for renowned Civil War artist Dale Gallon and supported the development of more than 40 pieces of Gallon’s art.

While serving as executive director of the Adams County, Pa., Historical Society in Gettysburg, Motts led the development and restoration of the Lutheran Theological Seminary and Schmucker Hall on the Gettysburg battlefield. The seminary is regarded as one of the nation’s most significant standing Civil War structures.

Motts is a native of central Ohio, graduated from Ohio State University with a bachelor’s of arts in military history and earned a master’s in American history from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania.

The public presentation is free, but donations will be collected to defray a portion of the cost of the event. The presentation also is financed by a matching grant from the Ohio Arts Council.

For more information, email cwrtmor@gmail.com or call 740 525 7470.