In 1861, the U.S. Army had no standard ambulance and no efficient way to get wounded men off of the battlefield. But as the war raged, misery bred progress and accelerated the development of both, saving countless lives. Join us on Monday, July 29th for “Gutbusters”: The Evolution of Civil War Ambulances with historian Dana Shoaf.

Dana Shoaf is the Director of Interpretation at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. Prior to joining the museum in November 2023, he served for 15 years as the editor of Civil War Times magazine. He has spent his life pursuing his historical passions. After graduate school, he began his career working for Time-Life, Inc., as a writer and researcher on the Voices of the Civil War Series and has published articles and essays on Civil War topics. His most recent essay, “Let the Son of a Bitch Die”: An Abandoned Graveyard Reveals a Sad Story of Murder, was published in Final Resting Places: Reflections on the Meaning of Civil War Graves by the University of Georgia Press. A frequent speaker at conferences and seminars, Shoaf has been interviewed on National Public Radio and appeared on C-Span. He also gives battlefield tours and has led tours for Gettysburg College’s Civil War Institute. He and his wife are currently restoring a stone house built in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, where they reside with three indulged cats and a doted-upon dog. Dana received his B.A and M.A. in history from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania and undertook Ph.D. work at Kent State University.

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.

These indoors programs are sponsored by the Jacob Rohrbach Inn and will be 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.