Tag: Antietam

Behind the Commanders of Antietam

Post author By Chris Vincent
Post date March 10, 2025
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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.

More contributor interview videos will be add both here and our YouTube channel as they are completed

Tags Antietam, Commanders of Antietam, Maryland Campaign, Publications

Programs

Meade at War: General George Meade and the Army of the Potomac, 1861-1865 Dr. Jen Murray

Post author By Chris Vincent
Post date January 14, 2025
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Dr. Jen Murray

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. 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.

Tags Antietam, George G. Meade, Programs, Summer Lecture Series

Programs

Little Mac at the Front – Steve Stotelmyer

Post author By Chris Vincent
Post date January 14, 2025
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“A Fateful Turn” by Captain James Hope

“A Fateful Turn” by Captain James Hope (McClellan and staff riding on field)

On August 11, battlefield guide and author, Steve Stotelmyer will discuss some of his latest research in his presentation – Little Mac at the Front. The accepted historical consensus of the Battle of Antietam portrays a sedentary McClellan at Antietam. The notion persists that, unlike his counterpart, Gen. Robert E. Lee, who visited several locations at the front during the battle, the allegedly timid and cowardly McClellan remained at his headquarters at the Pry House. Some authors would have their readers believe that Little Mac never led or observed from the front or was even on the battlefield when his army went into a major action. Using primary eyewitness accounts, Steve’s talk demonstrates conclusively that the accepted consensus does not reflect the historical record.

Steven R. Stotelmyer is a native of Hagerstown, Maryland. He first visited Antietam National Battlefield as a child and has been fascinated with it ever since. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Frostburg State College and a Master of Arts from Hood College in Frederick, MD. Before retirement, he was employed as a teacher, surveyor, and civil engineer. In 1989 Stotelmyer was a founding member of the Central Maryland Heritage League, a non-profit land trust which helped preserve some of the South Mountain Battlefield. During his tenure with CMHL he discovered significant information regarding the Battle of South Mountain and the Legend of Wise’s Well. This led to the publication of The Bivouacs of the Dead: The Story of Those Who Died at Antietam and South Mountain (Toomey Press, 1992). In 2019 Stotelmyer authored Too Useful To Sacrifice, Reconsidering George B. McClellan’s Generalship in the Maryland Campaign from South Mountain to Antietam (Savas Beatie, 2019). Recently Steve wrote From Frederick To Sharpsburg; People, Places, and Events of the Maryland Campaign before Antietam (Antietam Institute, 2023). Currently, Steve is a National Park Service Volunteer as well as a NPS Certified Antietam and South Mountain Battlefield Tour Guide.

Tags Antietam, George B. McClellan, Leadership, Programs, Summer Lecture Series

Programs

“Little-Known Antietam: Henry Winters and ‘Mystery and Murder at the Lodge'” – Tom McMillan

Post author By Chris Vincent
Post date January 10, 2025
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Dunker Church window sill - HENRY WINTERS

On July 21, author Tom McMillan will present – “Little-Know Antietam: Henry Winters and ‘Mystery and Murder at the Lodge‘” Tom we’ll take a look at two of the intriguing but lesser-known stories at Antietam. Henry Winters of the 89th New York Infantry carved his name on a windowsill at the Dunker Church — a piece of Civil War graffiti that still is visible to visitors today. But who was Henry? Why did he leave his mark? When did he come back? The second story involves two Antietam-related murder mysteries, one of which took place at the National Cemetery lodge, the other targeting a battlefield superintendent.

Tom McMillan has spent a lifetime in sports media and communications – including 25 years as VP of Communications of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL – but his heartfelt passion is history. The author of four books on American history, he has served on the board of trustees of Pittsburgh’s Heinz History Center, the board of directors of the Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial, the marketing committee of the Gettysburg Foundation, and as a docent at the Thomas Espy GAR Post in Carnegie, PA.. Tom and his wife, Colleen, are also volunteer ambassadors at Antietam. A former newspaper sports writer and radio talk-show host who has covered the Olympics, the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup Finals and the NCAA Final Four, he earned a journalism degree from Point Park University in Pittsburgh.

Tags Antietam, Dunker Church, National Cemetery, Programs, Summer Lecture Series

Programs

The Texas Brigade at Antietam – Dr. Brad Gottfried

Post author By Chris Vincent
Post date January 10, 2025
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1st Texas at the Battle of Antietam (Don Troiani)

The storied Texas Brigade had already gained fame as a result of its actions at Elthan’s Landing, Gaines’ Mill, and Second Manassas, but it became legendary as a result of its fight at Antietam. This presentation covers the brigade’s actions before, during, and after the battle, using first hand accounts and maps to describe its actions in the blood-soaked Cornfield. Join us on July 14 for “The Texas Brigade at Antietam” presented by Dr. Brad Gottfried.

Dr. Brad Gottfried received his Ph.D. in Zoology and worked at seven colleges over a span of 40 years. He retired in 2017 as the President of the College of Southern Maryland. Brad became an Antietam Certified Battlefield Guide in 2019. He is the author of over 20 books, including his most recent, The Maps of Second Bull Run.

Tags Antietam, Programs, Summer Lecture Series, Texas Brigade

Programs

“I Am Bullet Proof:” The Last Four Months of a Fifth Corps Soldier – Darin Wipperman

Post author By Chris Vincent
Post date January 10, 2025
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Captain Joseph Collingwood (Find a Grave)

On June 30, author Darin Wipperman will discuss a unique individual he came across during his research in his presentation – “I Am Bullet Proof:” The Last Four Months of a Fifth Corps Soldier.

A tremendous resource for students of the Civil War, the Huntington Library, San Marino, California, houses an array of excellent manuscripts. One of the library’s many highly impressive collections includes more than 200 letters from Captain Joseph Collingwood, who joined the 18^th Massachusetts Infantry in August 1861. Collingwood and soldiers in his Company H became original member of the Fifth Corps the following May. This presentation discusses the Bay State warrior in the last four months of his life, from the catastrophe at Second Bull Run to Collingwood’s sad destiny below the stone wall at Fredericksburg. His perspectives from ten September letters – before and after the battle of Antietam – offer especially interesting thoughts from a frazzled yet resolute American warrior.

Darin Wipperman’s first two books on the Civil War discussed the histories of the First and Ninth Corps. His most recent book, Thunderbolt to the Rebels: The United States Sharpshooters in the Civil War, was released in February 2025. Darin completed nearly 17 years of service in the federal government, then moved to northern New Hampshire, where he was a reporter and editor for weekly newspapers. Continuing his lifetime of studying the Civil War, Darin’s fourth book on the conflict is currently entitled, A Dangerous Man: Major General Joseph Hooker and the Civil War. Darin plans to complete his manuscript on “Fighting Joe” by the end of 2025.

Tags Antietam, Programs, soldiers, Summer Lecture Series

Programs

From The Brazos To The Antietam & Beyond: The Story of the Fifth Texas Volunteer Infantry Regiment – Michael S. Lang

Post author By Chris Vincent
Post date January 10, 2025
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Regimental flag of the Fifth Texas Infantry (Texas State Library and Archives)

Texas’s history often has deep roots in lore and tall tales. The author John Steinbeck once said of The Lone Star State, “Texas has its own private history, based on but not limited to the facts.” Sometimes, the truth about Texas and Texans feels torn from a tragic Greek legend. Such is the case of Hood’s Texas Brigade and the Fifth Texas Infantry, a regiment that left an indelible mark on history. These young men from Texas left their homes in 1861 and were everywhere. The odds are excellent if you can name a famous battle in the East; the “Bloody 5th,” as they were sometimes called, were there, charging headlong into a storm of enemy fire.

In this narrative, we will follow this regiment from its formation near Houston in 1861 to the surrender at Appomattox four years later. Of course, no retelling would be complete without recounting its historic counterattack across a blood-strewn cornfield in western Maryland on September 17, 1862. Be sure to join us on June 23 to hear author, Michael S. Lang present – From The Brazos To The Antietam & Beyond: The Story of the Fifth Texas Volunteer Infantry Regiment.

Michael S. Lang has worked as a manager for Federal Express for 38 years and is also a successful photographer. Capturing images of Civil War battlefields is one of his favorite subjects.

Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, Michael moved to Frisco, Texas, in 2017. As relative newcomers to the great state of Texas, he and his wife, Rebecca, have spent the last seven years exploring the state and learning about its unique and rich history, including sites related to the Civil War. Michael has loved history since a young boy and has been a student of the Civil War for just as long.

Michael is the author of three books, Decisions at Antietam and Decisions of the Maryland Campaign, and Decisions of the Red River Campaign. These books are all part of the Command Decisions of America’s Civil War series published by the University of Tennessee Press.

Tags Antietam, Programs, Summer Lecture Series, Texas Brigade

Programs

“Directed to Take Command”: Winfield S. Hancock & Antietam’s Sunken Road – Sarah Kay Bierle

Post author By Chris Vincent
Post date January 10, 2025
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Gen. Winfield S. Hancock

On June 16, Civil War historian and author, Sarah Kay Bierle will be discussing the subject of her up coming book during her talk – “Directed to Take Command”: Winfield S. Hancock & Antietam’s Sunken Road.

In the midst of the Federal attacks toward the Sunken Road on September 17, 1862, during the Battle of Antietam, the First Division of the Second Corps lost their commander, Major General Israel B. Richardson, at a critical point of their battle hopes and carnage. General McClellan personally directed Brigadier General Winfield S. Hancock to take command of the division. He rode into a tenuous battlefield situation and took charge of the largest command he had led up to that time. Hancock’s previous military experiences—both in peacetime and war—had been shaping his leadership style. As events unfolded at the heart of Antietam battlefield that day, Hancock met the challenges and dangers in ways that surprised the troops now under his command and yet obeyed the orders he had been given. This program will take a deeper look at Hancock’s life and leadership, the situation he inherited at Antietam, and his report of the actions and decisions in the aftermath of the capture of the Sunken Road.

Sarah Kay Bierle graduated from Thomas Edison State University with a BA in History and works in the Education Department at American Battlefield Trust. She has spent years exploring ways to share quality historical research in ways that will inform and inspire modern audiences, including school presentations, writing, battlefield tours, and speaking engagements. She has published five books, and her forthcoming books in 2025 are a biography of John Pelham published by Savas Beatie and a book about military decisions at Chancellorsville with the University of Tennessee Press. She is currently drafting a biography and leadership study about Winfield S. Hancock.

Tags Antietam, Programs, Summer Lecture Series, Winfield S. Hancock

Programs

Soldiers from the 29th Massachusetts, the forgotten Irish Brigade Regiment – Joe Stahl and Matt Borders

Post author By Chris Vincent
Post date January 9, 2025
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Sgt. Samuel C. Wright, 29th Massachusetts, earned the Medal of Honor for his actions at Antietam (LoC)

Who were the 29th Massachusetts? How did they end up with the Irish Brigade at Antietam? We will look into several of the individual soldiers and their stories. Who were these men fighting alongside the New York Irish? How did they do at Antietam? What impacted their fight? Looking at the images of these soldiers you will see the faces of men who were there on September 17, 1862. Join us on June 9 to hear author and battlefield guides, Joe Stahl and Matt Borders present – Soldiers from the 29th Massachusetts, the forgotten Irish Brigade Regiment.

A graduate of Michigan State and Eastern Michigan University, Matthew Borders holds a BA in United States History with a focus in the American Civil War and a MS in Historic Preservation. Following graduation he taught at Kalamazoo Valley Community College before accepting a position with the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program. He worked as the historian for the ABPP for six years, during which time he became a certified battlefield guide at Antietam National Battlefield and Harpers Ferry National Historic Site. He is also the President of the Frederick County Civil War Round Table and a founding member of the Antietam Institute.

Joseph W. Stahl grew up in St. Louis and received BS, MS, and MBA degrees from Missouri University of Science and Technology and Washington University. After retiring from the Institute for Defense Analyses, he became a volunteer and NPS Licensed Battlefield Guide at Antietam and Harpers Ferry. Joe has authored more than two dozen articles and is co-author of several books, including: Identification Discs of Union Soldiers in the Civil War, Faces of Union Soldiers at Antietam, Faces of Union Soldiers at South Mountain and Harpers Ferry and the Faces of Union Soldiers at Fredericksburg.

Tags Antietam, Irish Brigade, Programs, Summer Lecture Series

Programs

“The Final Attack at Antietam” – Robert M. Dunkerly

Post author By Chris Vincent
Post date January 6, 2025
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We are kicking off the 10th season of the Civil War Lecture Series on June 2nd with first-time speaker – Robert M. Dunkley speaking on “The Final Attack at Antietam”. The fighting at the lower part of the Antietam battlefield has long been neglected by historians and preservationists. This program explores how the final attack and counterattack unfolded, using eyewitness accounts and terrain analysis. We will also discuss the area’s preservation history, and why it has been overlooked.

Robert M. (Bert) Dunkerly is a historian, award-winning author, and speaker who is actively involved in historic preservation and research. He holds a degree in History from St. Vincent College and a Masters in Historic Preservation from Middle Tennessee State University. He has worked at fourteen historic sites, written over a dozen books, and numerous scholarly articles. His research includes archaeology, colonial life, military history, and historic commemoration. He is a past President of the Richmond Civil War Round Table, and serves on the Preservation Commission for the American Revolution Round Table-Richmond. He has taught courses at Central Virginia Community College, the University of Richmond, and the Virginia Historical Society. Dunkerly is currently a Park Ranger at Richmond National Battlefield Park. He has visited over 500 battlefields and over 1000 historic sites worldwide. He enjoys exploring local bookstores, battlefields, and breweries, not necessarily in that order. Bert’s upcoming book is “The Lower Battlefield of Antietam: The Final Attack” published by History Press.

Tags Antietam, Final Attack, Programs, Summer Lecture Series