Unfit for Service: Solving the Mystery of a Gettysburg Photo

Learn how a former ranger found the location of an iconic Gettysburg photograph.

Join us at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine on Saturday, July 6 at 2:00PM as John Heiser, a longtime and highly regarded NPS ranger at Gettysburg, discusses how he located the site and the story of an image by photographer Alexander Gardner taken just days after the epic battle. The heartbreaking photo shows a dead horse still attached to its artillery limber, and is a somber reminder that animals were also victims of war.

This event is included with admission to the Museum. 

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John S. Heiser, a native of Raleigh, North Carolina, graduated from Western Carolina University in 1978 with a degree in American History. Heiser began his career with the National Park Service in 1976 as a seasonal employee at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park then transferred to Gettysburg National Military Park in 1980, where he held positions in several of the park’s divisions including the Division of Interpretation and Visitor Services, the Chief Historian’s Office and in the Structures Preservation Division in park maintenance. In 1997, he developed the first park web site for Gettysburg National Military Park and presented annual battle walk programs. He is probably best known as a mapmaker for numerous Civil War publications, including Gettysburg Magazine. He and his wife Carmen reside near Gettysburg with Annabelle, their very happy Scottish Terrier. They enjoy antiques, music, and faithfully follow the trials and tribulations of the Baltimore Orioles Baseball Club.