President Jimmy Carter at Gettysburg Part 3: Licensed Battlefield Guide Bob Prosperi

The last stop on President Jimmy Carter’s July 6, 1978 tour of Getthysburg was the Virginia State Monument. From left are Park Tech Bob Prosperi, President Jimmy Carter, First Lady Rosalynn Carter, and author Shelby Foote. This view was taken facing west on Thursday, July 6, 1978.

Bob Prosperi was a young National Park Service Technician (Park Tech) on July 5, 1978 when he received a phone call to take President Jimmy Carter, First Lady Rosalynn Carter, and author Shelby Foote on a tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield the next day July 6, 1978.

The tour went well, and Prosperi was requested by President Carter to give another tour on September 9, 1978. This tour was held in the midst of Carter’s Camp David Summit, and the participants included not only the Carter family, but President of Egypt Anwar Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan.

Bob Prosperi worked over 17 years for the National Park Service before working for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC). He is now a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg National Military Park.

In our first post, Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Bob Prosperi gave some general background about himself, how he received the call to take President Carter on the July 6, 1978 tour, and explained how he met the Carter party at the West End Guide Station.

In our second Carter post, the Carter Tour went from being led by Shelby Foote to being led by Bob Prosperi. The tour continued to the Peace Light, Culp’s Hill, and the Angle.

In today’s post, we end the July 6, 1978 tour with visits at “the Angle,” Little Round Top, and the Virginia State Monument.

We would like to thank National Park Service Archivist Greg Goodell for allowing us to take pictures of the Carter visits photographs.

See our posts on President John F. Kennedy’s March 31, 1963 visit to Gettysburg by clicking here.

This map shows us the locations taken of videos for our Carter at Gettysburg series. Videos #1-#6 were shown in our previous Carter posts. Video #7 was taken at “the Angle.” Video #8 was taken on Little Round Top. Video #9 was taken at the Virginia State Memorial. This map was created facing north at approximately 5:30 PM on Monday, October 26, 2009.

As the Carter party was leaving the area of “the Angle,” a question came up over the area where Wright’s Georgia Brigade broke through the Union lines on July 2, 1863. This view was taken facing south on Thursday, July 6, 1978.

In Video #7 (Videos #1-#6 were shown in our previous Carter post) Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Bob Prosperi is standing near “the Angle” on Cemetery Ridge. He describes his and Shelby Foote’s answer to President Carter’s Wright’s Brigade breakthrough question. This view was taken facing south at approximately 3:30 PM on Sunday, October 18, 2009.

Licensed Battlefield Guide Bob Prosperi is revisiting the boulder on Little Round Top where he and President Carter stood on July 6, 1978. The statue to Gouverneur K. Warren is on the left. This view was taken facing west at approximately 3:30 PM on Sunday, October 18, 2009.

In Video #8 Licensed Battlefield Guide Bob Prosperi is standing on Little Round top atop the rock on which he and President Carter stood on July 6, 1978. The Secret Service was nervous about this spot after hearing descriptions of sharpshooter activity during the battle in this area. This view was taken facing north to northwest to southwest to northwest at approximately 3:30 PM on Sunday, October 18, 2009.

Bob Prosperi and President Jimmy Carter on the Little Round Top boulder. This view was taken facing northwest on Thursday, July 6, 1978.

Bob Prosperi has now moved to the Virginia State Memorial on Seminary Ridge. This was the final stop for the Carter tour on July 6, 1978. This view was taken facing west at approximately 3:30 PM on Sunday, October 18, 2009.

In Video #9 Bob Prosperi is standing on Seminary Ridge at the Virginia State Monument. Bob gives his final thoughts about the July 6, 1978 tour. This view was taken facing northwest to north to east to northwest at approximately 3:30 PM on Sunday, October 18, 2009.

Following the tour, President Carter waded into the crowd and the press in the area southeast of the Virginia State Monument. Carter must have thought the tour went well because two months later, he requested Bob Prosperi to take Carter and the Camp David participants on a tour of the field. This view was taken facing northwest on Thursday, July 6, 1978.

To see other posts by Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guides, click here.