Our First Saturday programs are back, and this year’s theme is “Ancestors at Antietam”. We’ve invited several Institute members who had ancestors who fought at Antietam, or have unique connections with Sharpsburg, to tell us a little about their ancestor and/or their experiences. Join us on April 4, to hear Laurie Buckler Mack share the story of her ancestor called, “Rediscovering William” Lt. William Alden Horton and the 16th Connecticut at Antietam“
Laurie is a native of Maryland and lived in the Boston area before moving back to Maryland and settling in Annapolis. Laurie has a BA in English and AA in Veterinary Technology and has enjoyed a second career as a RVT at a Veterinary Surgical Referral practice for the last 25 years. She grew up in the suburbs of Washington DC surrounded by references to the American Civil War: Attending Walt Whitman High School, learning to drive on the Clara Barton Parkway and taking endless trips across the Potomac River on the Jubal Early at White’s Ferry are just a few. Her father Don was a huge history buff and loved to talk about family history, reminding Laurie that she had an ancestor who was killed at Antietam. Laurie was finally able to visit Antietam during Covid in August of 2020, sparking an interest in the Maryland Campaign, Lt. William Alden Horton, and the 16th Connecticut. Laurie is currently a member of the Jamestowne Society, the Maryland Mayflower Society, Society of New England Women, Daughters of the American Revolution, National Society United States Daughters of 1812, Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War and the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Hobbies include fulfilling Find-a-Grave requests, exploring historical sites, and reading.
These monthly talks are free and open to the public – anyone may attend – and you do not need to register. The talks will be held at the Institute’s Education Center at 101W Main Street, Sharpsburg, beginning at 2 pm.
We are pleased to announce that our Membership Incentive Book for 2026 will be McClellan in Command: The Maryland and Virginia Campaigns of September to November 1862 by Marion V. Armstrong, Jr.
What did George B. McClellan truly know—and when did he know it?
Drawing on a career that began in a Vietnam-era tactical operations center and matured in the archives of the Civil War, Marion V. Armstrong offers a groundbreaking reexamination of the Army of the Potomac’s leadership during the tumultuous months of the Maryland Campaign and afterwards. Inspired by the “Commander’s Reading File” system used in modern military headquarters—and echoed in Abraham Lincoln’s own hours spent poring over dispatches in the War Department Telegraph Office—McClellan in Command reconstructs, day by day, hour by hour, the flow of messages into and out of McClellan’s Army of the Potomac field headquarters.
By reassembling telegrams, dispatches, and other communications from the Official Records, McClellan’s Papers, and other primary sources into strict chronological order, Armstrong places readers beside the general himself, seeing each operational dilemma as he saw it. This innovative method reveals not only McClellan’s campaign and battlefield decision-making but also the increasingly political character of his command in the weeks during and following the Maryland Campaign.
Unlike most accounts, McClellan in Command does not end at Antietam. Instead, Armstrong follows McClellan through the quiet but consequential interlude before the Virginia Campaign of late October—and to his final removal on November 7, 1862. Periodic “Reality Check” sections illuminate Confederate actions across the lines, providing essential context without shifting focus from McClellan as army commander.
Comprehensive, original, and meticulously researched, McClellan in Command adds new depth to the story of the autumn of 1862 and offers a fresh lens through which to understand one of the Civil War’s most controversial leaders.
Marion V. Armstrong Jr. (Vince) is a Civil War author, particularly known for his detailed studies on the Battle of Antietam. He is the author of Unfurl Those Colors!: McClellan, Sumner, and the Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign and Opposing the Second Corps at Antietam: The Fight for the Confederate Left and Center on America’s Bloodiest Day. His books offer an in-depth operational analysis of Union and Confederate leadership and tactics at the battle, and provide fresh reappraisals of commanders like Edwin Vose Sumner.
A retired U.S. Army Reserve officer and Vietnam veteran, Vince brings a valuable military perspective to his historical writing. He resides in Lewisburg, TN, and teaches history as an adjunct professor at Middle Tennessee State University.
For several years, the Antietam Institute has been committed to supporting the Town of Sharpsburg in its efforts to develop an interpretive plaza in the green space at the corner of Main and Church Streets. Each year, we have made a $2,000 annual contribution for this project.
This year, construction on the park began in earnest, and by Memorial Day, 75% had been completed. The final piece of the park was the installation of interpretive waysides to tell the story of Sharpsburg and the people who have lived there.
Before the installation could begin, the waysides had to be developed. Because of our staunch support of the project since the beginning, the Sharpsburg Mayor and Town Council asked the Institute to help with this undertaking. After an initial concept meeting to develop some themes, we formed a committee of several members to begin formulating these themes and ideas into six distinctive waysides.
The committee included: John Schildt, Steve Cowie, Timothy Snyder, Robert Nill, Jim Buchanan, and Chris Vincent. The committee did an excellent job gathering stories, first-hand accounts, and photos for each panel. By July, the town approved the six draft panels, and they were off to Chris Brown, the Executive Director of Civil War Trails (CWT) for review and development. Civil War Trails, Inc. also collaborates with small parks, museums, and communities to share their history, topics, and sites by providing unique research and development expertise, along with high-quality materials.
To help draw interest to the historical park through the marketing of CWT, one of the six waysides was selected to be a Civil War Trails sign and the Antietam Institute took on the sponsorship and annual membership of that sign. This is the second CWT sign the Institute has sponsored in the Town of Sharpsburg.
Despite the frigid, wet weather, Chris Brown and his CWT crew installed the six waysides at the park the first week of December, just in time for the 35th Memorial Illumination.
The six waysides at the park are:
1- The Piper House: A Historic Connection to the Antietam Battlefield. Refers to the Piper house across the street, the Piper family, and the connection to the battlefield that so many Sharpsburg families had.
2- Canals and Turnpikes Fuel the Economic Growth. Discusses the C&O Canal and the turnpikes that intersect at Sharpsburg, which spurred economic growth of the town.
3- Sharpsburg Architecture and Prominent Citizens. Talks about some of the unique buildings in town and residents like Dr. A. A. Biggs, O.T. Reilly, and Dr. Hal Shealy.
4- Returning Veterans and Remembrance. Shows the connection between veterans returning to Sharpsburg after the war and the tradition of the Sharpsburg Memorial Day parade.
5- Sharpsburg and the Battle. Focuses on the civilians in town, specifically the Adam Michael family, whose house is across the street from the park, and the hardships caused. (Civil War Trails wayside)
6- Sharpsburg and the Civil War. Shares stories of several residents who were caught up in the war, like Barney Houser, Thomas Grove, Judge David Smith, and Jacob Rohrbach.
One final vertical interpretive panel will be added in the spring that will include the founding of the town in 1763 by Joseph Chapline, a timeline of key events, and a map of Sharpsburg. The Sharpsburg Historical Park is a much-needed resource to tell the amazing story of Sharpsburg and its residents and will help interpret this chapter of the Maryland Campaign and the Civil War.
We want to thank the committee members for sharing their time, effort, and knowledge on this project. Thanks to Chris Brown and Civil War Trails for their hard work and commitment in sharing the stories of civilians, soldiers, and communities. More importantly, we would like to thank the Town of Sharpsburg, Mayor Russ Weaver, and Vice Mayor Jacob Martz for the opportunity to support this project and promote the town’s history. We look forward to our continuing partnership with Civil War Trails and the Town of Sharpsburg.
The 2025 Antietam Institute Fall Conference is in the books, and this year is one to remember. Taking place from October 3rd to the 5th, over 100 Institute members came out to learn, share knowledge, and network.
On Day One, we all came together at Shepherd University to hear four different lectures from some of the most sought-after and insightful voices from the Maryland Campaign community.
This year’s theme was “Beyond the Battle: Civilians, Casualties, and Remembering the Bloodiest Day in American History”.
Tracey McIntyre, Lead Educator with the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, kicked off the event with her presentation “One Vast Hospital”: The Advances of Medical Care Before and During the Maryland Campaign. (Click here or photo to watch the talk)
Next, author and historian Steven Stotelmyer discussed the casualties of the battle and how the army’s proximity in the following months affected the local community. Steve’s talk was called, “A Most Disagreeable Task: Burial of the Dead” (Click here or photo to watch the talk)
Due to a last-minute cancellation, renowned historian John Schildt was asked to fill in for the scheduled speaker. With less than two days to prepare, John thrilled the audience with a first-person account of Abraham Lincoln’s visit to Sharpsburg after the battle of Antietam. What a legend. Thank you for stepping up to help John by presenting “Lincoln’s visits Antietam”. (Click here or the photo to watch the talk)
After dinner, it was time for the keynote speaker of the event. Author and historian Steve Cowie presented a point of view of the battle from the perspective of the families who lived on what would become the battlefield of Antietam. These stories of hardship, loss, and terror really summed up the overall theme of the event and brought home to all of those who were in attendance the cost of war for not only the soldiers who fought and died, but the American families who hosted these battles and lost everything in the process. (Click here or photo to watch the talk)
DAY 2 The speakers from Day One left everyone excited for the next two days of traveling the battlefield and surrounding areas. With the theme of the event being casualties and civilians, Days Two and Three focused on hospitals, homesteads, and headquarters. Members were split into three groups, with Chris Vincent, Dr. Tom Clemens, and Dana Shoaf taking turns to show each group various places in and around Sharpsburg.
“Courage Under Fire: The Impact of Antietam on the Civilians of Sharpsburg” – Dr. Tom Clemens, president of the Save Historic Antietam Foundation (SHAF) walked the group around Sharpsburg, giving insightful information on some of the important buildings in town and discussing SHAF and their preservation efforts. This included a walkthrough of historic structures that the general public does not have access to.
One of the highlights of the Sharpsburg tour for me personally was the Kretzer cellar, where at least 75 people hid during the battle for safety. Theresa Kretzer hid in this cellar with her family and other members of the community, and more importantly, she wrote about the experience so we could all have a record of events on the day of the battle from a non-military perspective.
This was a wonderful opportunity for Institute members to see what they are helping to preserve. Thank you to Tom and the wonderful people at SHAF for their support.
“Ravages of War: Farmsteads of Antietam” – Next, Antietam Institute Executive Director Chris Vincent took the groups on a tour of the homesteads that dot the battlefield. These stops included the Joseph Poffenberger Farm, the Roulette Farm, the Piper Farm, and the Mumma Farm. Chris provided insight into the history and hardships that these families had to endure during and after the battle. It was a real eye-opener. Thank you, Chris,
“”Thousands of poor, suffering dying men”: Hospitals of Antietam” – Last but not least, Dana Shoaf, Director of Interpretation at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, led the groups to the various Union hospitals that popped up all around the area in the wake of this terrible battle. Starting with Locust Spring Hospital, which was a Ninth Corps Hospital after the battle, and a rare treat for most of the group, since this location is on private property.
Next, we were off to the Samuel Pry Mill, which served as one of the earliest field hospitals during the battle.
Our last stop of the day was a real treat as the Institute was granted access to the Jacob Cost Farm. This is quite possibly the first field hospital during the battle where the first amputation of the battle is said to have happened. The owner of this private property was generous enough to allow us access to the inside of his home, which was a wonderful example of preservation. Even the old smokehouse is preserved along with the turnstile used to rotate the smoked meats.
Both the Pry Mill and the Cost Farm are north of the battlefield near the Upper Bridge, where the First and Twelfth Corps crossed the Antietam on the 16th of September 1862.
After meeting for dinner back at Shepherd, the group had a special presentation as retired Park Ranger Keith Snyder gave our members an exciting behind-the-scenes look at the making of the new Antietam Visitor Center film that he helped to create. Thanks Keith.
DAY 3 Day Three saw more gorgeous weather in western Maryland and more field excursions. The group met at Ferry Hill, the childhood home of Henry Kidd Douglas, and was split in half and divided our time between Dennis Fry and Kevin Pawlak.
“Following Lincoln’s Footsteps” – Dennis Frye, retire NPS historian took the group on a tour of the army headquarters for the Army of the Potomac in Maryland after the battle, and discussed President Abraham Lincoln’s visit to the area days after signing the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. Starting at the Grove Farm. This was the headquarters of Fritz John Porter, of the Fifth Corps after the battle. The famous photo showing Lincoln with his officers was taken here.
Next, we were off to General Burnside’s Headquarters immediately following the battle. President Lincoln paid a visit to General Burnside at this house in early October 1862.
If you are going to visit General Burnside’s Headquarters, you have to see General McClellan’s Headquarters while you are in the area, so Dennis took us to the site where the famous photo of Lincoln and McClellan in the General’s tent was photographed.
“Shepherdstown: One Vast Hospital” – After touring around with Dennis, the groups swapped guides, and Kevin Pawlak took us on a tour of Shepherdstown. This tour took the group on a walking trail around Shepherdstown, where Kevin pointed out all of the buildings in town that were temporarily used as Confederate hospitals following the battle.
After three days of fantastic presentations, guided tours under amazing weather, and access to buildings rarely seen by the public, it was time to say goodbye and end the Fall Conference.
We did have a chance to talk to a few of the members to get their thoughts on the conference and what they enjoyed about it. Thanks to members William Brian, Paige Troiano, Will Blaney, Michael Diener and Ricardo Valdez for a quick interview.
Everyone was tired, but happy, with smiles all around. With the exchange of hugs, handshakes, and promises to see each other again soon, we departed the event with a new understanding and appreciation for Sharpsburg and its citizens during the Bloodiest Day in American History. Thank you to the Antietam Institute for letting me tag along.
All the locations visited off the Antietam National Battlefield are privately owned. We want to thank each of the property owners for allowing the Antietam Institute to share the story of the civilians and the hardships they faced after the bloodiest day in American history.
This review, the photos, and the videos of the Fall Conference were provided by Institute member Ernie Chase.
Ernest Chase (Ernie) is a commercial trainer in the heating and cooling industry, having travelled to 49 states and three countries over his 31-year career. He continues to instruct technicians in Maryland and the surrounding area, having moved to Sharpsburg in 2024. Ernie is an amateur historian and is actively learning from those who know the Maryland campaign inside and out. He joined the institute in 2024 and volunteers his spare time as a filmographer, helping to bring what we do to remote audiences who could not personally attend our events.
We are pleased to announce that the recipient of the Antietam Institute 2025-26 Scholarship is William Faith. William is a senior at Shepherd University completing a degree in Historic Preservation/Public History, with a minor in Business Administration.
Born and raised in Hagerstown, Maryland, William spent a great deal of time growing up surrounded by history, whether that was family trips to historic sites and museums or simply taking in the local history through local culture.
William has an Associates in History from Hagerstown Community College, where he was able to spend time as an intern and a volunteer for the Washington County Historical Society. William says, “This pivotal moment in my educational journey helped me not only hone my skills and understanding of public history, but also solidified a love for the American Civil War, Reconstruction, and its deep ties to local culture and identity. This love for the period has inspired me to continue working with the wonderful resources it provides locally.” He has also been an intern at the Byrd Center at Shepherd University through the Public History program. William believes, “experiences like these have continued to sharpen the tools necessary to be an effective historian and further grow my love for it”.
William is on track to graduate in the winter of 2026 and is thrilled to see where this journey will take him over the next few years. He hopes to be a longstanding part of historic education and public history no matter where he ends up. Outside of his love for history, William’s enthusiasm spills into a love for film and music, and is happiest when all three of those joys converge.
We wish William all the best as he completes his degree and strives to obtain his goals. We also want to thank Dr. Jennifer Murray and the Shepherd Foundation for the opportunity to support one of the many outstanding students of Shepherd University.
(Institute President, Jim Rosebrock, William Faith, and Exec. Director, Chris Vincent)
The Institute is extremely excited to announce the opening of our new Education Center! Over the last few weeks, institute volunteers have been busy painting and organizing the education center which is located at the square in Sharpsburg on the first floor at 101 W. Main Street.
The center will be used to host small events and hold our research library of Maryland Campaign material and books. The center will be open once a month from 1:00 – 3:30pm or by appointment. Institute staff will be on hand to answer questions about the Maryland Campaign, help with membership and event registrations.
We will have a grand opening on Saturday, April 5 at 1:30pm with light refreshments. At 2pm, Institute president and author of Artillery of Antietam, Jim Rosebrock will give a presentation on “Civil War Artillery 101: A basic understanding of Field Artillery at Antietam”. Institute publications will be available to purchase.
Each month the center will be open with a featured presentation beginning at 2pm.
April 5: Jim Rosebrock – Artillery 101
May 3: Matt Borders – Life of a Civil War Soldier
June 7: Justin Mayhue – Small Arms Weapons at Antietam
July 12: Meet the Authors of Commanders of Antietam
August 2: Kevin Boyer – Artifacts of the Maryland Campaign
September 6: Joe Stahl – CVDs and Identification Disks of Soldiers from the Maryland Campaign
October we will be closed due to our fall conference
November 1: TBA
December 6: TBA
(Details of the programs and speakers will be post here at a later date and on our Facebook page)
We sat down with some of the contributors of the Commanders of Antietam to give us a little insight in to they commanders the wrote about. We asked the contributors several questions during these interviews. One – what got them particularly interested in the commander they choose to write about. We asked about the commanders background before the Maryland Campaign, how important was this commander’s role in the Maryland Campaign or the Battle of Antietam, and finally to summarize this commander’s career after the battle and his life after the Civil War.
We want to thank institute members, Ernie Chase and Will Blaney (Chase History) for volunteering to conduct the interviews and for turning them into these first-rate video productions providing us with a behind the scenes look at the Commanders of Antietam.
We kicked off the interviews with Institute President and author of Artillery at Antietam, James Rosebrock. Jim wrote about the artillery commanders for the book and choose to provide a little more insight on Captain Dunbar Ransom.
Historian and author, Matthew Borders talks about Confederate commander Robert Ransom, Jr. and his role at Antietam and the Civil War.
Author and guide, Joe Stahl talks about Colonel William Christian and what happened to him at the Battle of Antietam.
Historian and author, Steven Stotelmyer discusses the life of Major General Jesse Lee Reno.
Historian and author, Sharon Murray talks about Confederate commander Colonel Thomas Munford.
Historian and author, Matthew Borders talks about Union commander George Sears Greene and his role during the Civil War and extortionary engineering career before and after.
Historian and author, James Rosebrock discusses the role of Colonel Stephen D. Lee at Antietam and his career.
Author and guide, Joe Stahl talks about Confederate Colonel Alfred Colquitt.
More contributor interview videos will be add both here and our YouTube channel as they are completed
We are pleased to announce that Trevor Huff from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland is a recipient of our Student Symposium Scholarships.
Trevor is a 27-year-old Hood College third-year student and United States Army veteran. He is originally from Houston, TX, where he attended his first two years of college and completed an associate’s degree.
From December 2021 to June 2024, Trevor served as an Infantryman in the 1st Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, “The Old Guard,” where he participated in hundreds of funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. Since leaving the Army, Trevor enrolled at Hood College to complete a Bachelors Degree in History. He intends to further his education beyond a bachelor’s. Trevor is a proud Phi Theta Kappa member and has recently been invited to join Phi Theta Alpha, the Honors Society for History.
Last fall, Trevor volunteered at Antietam National Battlefield under the NPS volunteer program. During that period, he had the unique opportunity to inform park guests about the park’s programs and speak to the public about the Civil War. This experience furthered his passion for studying the war and its legacy. Trevor said, “For all of my life, History, specifically military history, has been my principal area of study.”
We look forward to seeing Trevor at the symposium and talking more about his love for history.
We’ll be wrapping up the Summer Lecture Series on August 25 with local historian, John Schildt presenting Frederick: the Crossroads of the Civil War
Frederick, MD in 1862, (Crossroads of War)
Just south of the Mason-Dixon Line, Frederick, Maryland, was poised at the crossroads of the Civil War. Here, Confederate troops passed west to the Battles of Antietam and South Monocacy, while Union troops marched north to Gettysburg and south to raid the resources of the Shenandoah Valley. Both heroes and villains were made in the spired city, such as Dame Barbara Fritchie, who is said to defied General Jackson; General Jubal Early, who threatened to put the town to the torch; and the local doctors and nurses who cared for thousands of wounded soldiers. Join local historian John Schildt as he recounts the fascinating history of Frederick in the Civil War.
Rev. John Schildt
Reverend John Schildt graduated from Shepherd College, Wesley Theological Seminary and has studied at Western Maryland College, Gettysburg Seminary and West Virginia University. John’s first book, September Echoes, published in 1960, was the first on Antietam since Francis Palfrey in 1887. This led to an appointment to the Maryland Centennial Committee. He wrote the account of the battle for the Official Centennial Program and was the guest speaker for the 125h anniversary. John has been a lecturer and guide for several Civil War organizations, Round Tables, and many other groups. John led his first tour of Antietam in 1958. Since then, 2,000 additional tours have followed. John has written over thirty-five books relating the various aspects of the Maryland Campaign of 1862 and local history. This list includes Drums along the Antietam, Roads to Antietam, Four Days in October, Islands of Mercy, and Roads to Gettysburg. He and his wife and daughter live in Sharpsburg.
Come join leading historians and scholars as they discuss intriguing topics about their latest works and research on the Maryland Campaign and the Civil War during our Civil War Summer Lecture Series. See the complete 2025 schedule.
These indoors programs are held in McKinley Hall at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Monday evenings at 7:00 p.m. The church is located at 209W Main Street with a small parking area off the alley. More parking is available on Main and Hall Streets. These lectures free and open to the public. Each week we hold a drawing in which the proceeds support the Save Historic Antietam Foundation. Be sure to check our Facebook page for updates and changes to the schedule.
Once prominently defined as the “Hero of Gettysburg,” General George G. Meade is often obscured by generals deeply embedded into the Civil War narrative–Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan or Lee and Jackson. This program will explore Meade’s role in the Civil War, starting with his appointment as a brigade commander in the Pennsylvania Reserves to his rise as commander of the Army of the Potomac, the North’s principal instrument of war. We will discuss Meade’s leadership during the Gettysburg Campaign, how Grant’s arrival to the Eastern Theater in March 1864 impacted Meade’s place in the army’s hierarchy, and some of the challenges that Meade faced as commander of the Army of the Potomac. Be sure to join us on August 18, as Dr. Jen Murray presents – Meade at War: General George Meade and the Army of the Potomac, 1861-1865
Dr. Jen Murray
Dr. Jennifer M. Murray is an Assistant Professor of History at Shepherd University and the Director of the George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War. Her most recent publication is On A Great Battlefield: The Making, Management, and Memory of Gettysburg National Military Park, 1933-2023, published by the University of Tennessee Press in 2014 and printed as a second edition in 2023. Murray is currently working on a full-length biography of General George Meade, tentatively titled Meade at War. She is the co-editor of the forthcoming, “They Are Dead, And Yet They Live”: Civil War Memories in a Polarized America to be published by the University of Nebraska Press in February 2026. Prior to joining the faculty at Shepherd, Murray taught at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. A native of Maryland, Murray worked as a seasonal interpretive park ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park for nine summers.
Come join leading historians and scholars as they discuss intriguing topics about their latest works and research on the Maryland Campaign and the Civil War during our Civil War Summer Lecture Series. See the complete 2025 schedule.
These indoors programs are held in McKinley Hall at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Monday evenings at 7:00 p.m. The church is located at 209W Main Street with a small parking area off the alley. More parking is available on Main and Hall Streets. These lectures free and open to the public. Each week we hold a drawing in which the proceeds support the Save Historic Antietam Foundation. Be sure to check our Facebook page for updates and changes to the schedule.
