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The February 21st meeting of the San Francisco Round Table was privileged to hear Ray Bisio present his insightful take on "Lee's Retreat from Gettysburg." Ray kept an enthusiastic crowd hanging on every word as he highlighted the difficulties faced by General George Meade in the aftermath of Gettysburg. Meade's biggest problem was that Lee had planned and carried out a brilliant retreat, one that it made it next to impossible for Meade to press any advantage he might have gained from his victory in the battle. As Ray so eloquently pointed out, Meade's perceived "failure" to pursue the retreating Confederates long outlived and overshadowed his brief triumph at Gettysburg.
Ray Bisio himself should someday be the subject of a Round Table presentation. A former marine, Ray is a veteran of Guadalcanal, Qing Dao, and Mongolia in WWII, and later served eighteen months in Korea during that conflict. He became addicted to the Civil War in 1963 and has been a reenactor and commentator ever since. He spent six summers as program interpreter and battlefield guide at Gettysburg. Anyone who has heard Ray's stirring battle commentaries at reenactments in California will not soon forget his knowledge of the subject and his superb oratory. |
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