South Carolina – Antietam Institute

Slaughter along a Stone Wall: Gregg’s South Carolina Brigade during the Maryland Campaign – Benjamin L. Cwayna

As Lee’s victorious army pivoted away from the bloody field at Manassas and crossed over the Potomac, a simmering feud between Stonewall Jackson and his staff on one side and A.P. Hill and his South Carolina Brigade on the other, took center stage. Multiple arrests, accusations, innuendo, and other high drama played out as the army approached its most critical fight of the war along the banks of the Antietam. With so much on the line that Fall, egos and critical decisions both on and off the field would help define a campaign and set in motion a series of events that saved Lee’s army in an obscure 40-acre cornfield. Join us on August 3, as Benjamin L. Cwayna presents – “Slaughter along a Stone Wall: Gregg’s South Carolina Brigade during the Maryland Campaign.“

Benjamin L. Cwayna is an attorney in private practice and a prominent leader in the Civil War reenacting and living history community. For many years, Ben commanded the 12th South Carolina/4th Michigan Volunteer Infantry, Inc., a nationally recognized reenacting organization. He has been featured on the “Addressing Gettysburg Podcast” with Matt Callery. He has dedicated his life to preserving the memory of the Civil War through living history demonstrations, presentations, and tours on numerous battlefields. A graduate of Michigan State University and Michigan State University College of Law, Benjamin resides with his son, Grant, in Grand Ledge, Michigan. An active member of the community, Cwayna is a member and past president of the Grand Ledge Rotary Club, a volunteer coach, and participant in numerous other civic organizations. Ben is the author of The Invincible Twelfth: The 12th South Carolina Infantry of the Gregg-McGowan Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia. published by Savas Beatie in 2025.

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 2026 schedule.

These indoor 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 are 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.

Drawing on decades of research in original letters, diaries, and archival records, this presentation tells the story of Lieutenant Samuel McBride Pringle, set within the decisive stand of Captain Hugh R. Garden’s Palmetto Light Artillery during the Final Assault at Antietam. Under devastating Union fire across Antietam Creek, Garden’s Battery held Cemetery Hill until A. P. Hill’s arrival turned the tide. Mortally wounded, Pringle—great-great-uncle of the presenter—attempted to rise three times before being carried from the field, calling to his men, “They have killed me, boys, but stand by your guns!” Join us Saturday, June 6, as Institute member, Susie Ingles shares the story of her ancestor during her talk called, “They have killed me boys but stand by your guns!” Lt. Samuel McBride Pringle and Garden’s Battery in the Final Assault at Antietam

Susie Ingles is a legal aid lawyer in Greenville, South Carolina, practicing consumer protection law. She obtained a B.A. in History from Clemson University and her law degree from the University of South Carolina. She has spent many years researching and eventually writing the story of her great, great uncle, Confederate 1st Lieutenant Samuel McBride Pringle, the namesake of her father and brother, who was mortally wounded at the Battle of Antietam. She has traced his life through his original letters preserved by her family from his college years at Furman University in Greenville, through the 1st and 2nd Battles of Bull Run, and finally Antietam, where he was mortally wounded, then on to Winchester, Virginia, where he ultimately died and was laid to rest.

These monthly “Ancestors at Antietam” 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.