“The American Civil War and the World” – Nigel Wainwright
June 25, 2020 by jacobrohrbach
Britain’s shortage of cotton was partially made up by imports from India and Egypt; Punch cartoon 16 November 1861.
On Wednesday, July 29, Antietam Battlefield Ambassador, Nigel Wainwright will provide an overview of the American Civil Wars’ impact on international relations and trade. He will also discuss how a global political war got dangerously close to being a global shooting war by identifying some of the main characters involved.
Nigel Wainwright
Nigel Wainwright was a Police Officer in England for 30 years qualified as an instructor in criminal law and advanced motorcycle riding. He also worked on road accident investigation /reconstruction. As a hobby Nigel spent 37 years setting up and running a program teaching motorcycle riding safety mainly new to young riders. The program later became adopted by the British government and is now legal requirement. Nigel was awarded the British Empire Medal by the Queen for services to the community. In 2008, he retired and moved to Martinsburg, WV with his American born wife. Since first visiting Gettysburg in 2004 Nigel has had a keen interest in American history generally and civil war history in particular. In 2017, he decided to channel his interest into a more practical use and became a Battlefield Ambassador at Antietam National Battlefield which has given him a much larger understanding of the whys and wherefores of the Civil War and great satisfaction in sharing that understanding with visitors to the park.
Come join leading historians and Antietam Battlefield Guides as they discuss intriguing topics of the Maryland Campaign of 1862 and the Civil War during our Civil War Summer Lecture Series.
These outdoors programs will be held at the Jacob Rohrbach Inn on Wednesday evenings at 7:oo p.m. Even though those programs are outdoors, we require attending guests to wear face coverings and to social distance as much as possible. To ensure adequate seating, please bring a chair. In case of inclement weather, lectures will be held at 101 W. Main Street at Town Square. Parking is available on Main and Hall Streets. For updates and a full schedule of presenters & topics check our Facebook page.
“Baseball in the American Civil War” – Richard P. D’Ambrisi
June 25, 2020 by jacobrohrbach
Baseball during the Civil War
They say that the American Civil War helped transform the game of baseball from a regional pastime in America’s northeast into a national obsession that endures to this day. Found out how on Wednesday, July 15 when baseball historian, Richard D’Ambrisi presents “Baseball in the American Civil War“. Richard will explore the style of civilian baseball played in the mid-19th Century, baseball in the Union and Confederate armies, how baseball was presented in the media of the day and modern examples of Civil War baseball art.
Richard P. D’Ambrisi
Richard D’Ambrisi has been a Civil War civilian reenactor and living historian since 1986. He has developed characterizations for a pharmacist apothecary, optical emporium proprietor, professor of phrenology, railroad worker and vintage 19th Century baseball player and umpire. He has been active for many years at the B&O railroad museums in Baltimore and Ellicott City, Hampton Mansion in Towson and Sport legends at Camden Yards in Baltimore where he was the 19th Century baseball historian for five years.
Richard has participated in and presented at numerous civil war reenactments and roundtables, historical site events and vintage baseball tournaments. In August of 2019 he became tour guide and interpretive manager at the Hagerstown Railroad Hub Museum where he redesigned and updated the entire visitor experience. In December of 2019 he completed the Certified Interpretive Guide training program with the National Association of Interpretation.
Come join leading historians and Antietam Battlefield Guides as they discuss intriguing topics of the Maryland Campaign of 1862 and the Civil War during our Civil War Summer Lecture Series.
These outdoors programs will be held at the Jacob Rohrbach Inn on Wednesday evenings at 7:oo p.m. Even though those programs are outdoors, we require attending guests to wear face coverings and to social distance as much as possible. To ensure adequate seating, please bring a chair. In case of inclement weather, lectures will be held at 101 W. Main Street at Town Square. Parking is available on Main and Hall Streets. For updates and a full schedule of presenters & topics check our Facebook page.
Longstreet’s Attack on French’s Right – Laura Marfut
June 24, 2020 by jacobrohrbach
According to Antietam veteran and historian Ezra Carman, confusion ‘reigned supreme’ among the Confederates after they were dislodged from the Sunken Road, with several desperate attempts to turn the flanks of Union Generals French and Richardson and save Lee’s center. In the midst of the confusion came James Longstreet’s hastily prepared counter-attack that bent back French’s line and nearly reached the Roulette farm. The audacity of the attackers and the independent maneuvers of the Union regiments that repulsed them are worth a closer look. Join us on Wednesday, July 22 to hear Antietam Battlefield Guide Laura Marfut present “Longstreet’s Attack on French’s Right”.
Laura Marfut
Laura Marfut is a retired U.S. Army colonel and graduate of the U.S. Army War College with a life-long interest in military history. Following her military retirement, she taught high school Homeland Security courses in Washington County, MD. Laura is an Antietam Battlefield Guide, certified to include Harper’s Ferry. She lives in Hagerstown, MD with her husband, Ed. They have two grown sons and four grandchildren.
Come join leading historians and Antietam Battlefield Guides as they discuss intriguing topics of the Maryland Campaign of 1862 and the Civil War during our Civil War Summer Lecture Series.
These outdoors programs will be held at the Jacob Rohrbach Inn on Wednesday evenings at 7:oo p.m. Even though those programs are outdoors, we require attending guests to wear face coverings and to social distance as much as possible. To ensure adequate seating, please bring a chair. In case of inclement weather, lectures will be held at 101 W. Main Street at Town Square. Parking is available on Main and Hall Streets. For updates and a full schedule of presenters & topics check our Facebook page.
“The Long Gray Line of ’54” – Sharon Murray
June 24, 2020 by jacobrohrbach
West Point Class of 1854
On Wednesday, July 8 Antietam Battlefield Guide Sharon Murray will discuss “The Long Gray Line of ’54”. During recent research Sharon discover some fascinating stories of the the West Point Class of 1854. During her presentation Sharon will discuss seven members of the West Point Class of 1854 who fought at Antietam or were involved in the Maryland Campaign. One, a turn back from the Class of 1853, earned the Medal of Honor at Antietam.
Sharon Murray
I am a native Idahoan who moved east in 2010 to volunteer at Antietam National Battlefield. I have multiple degrees in mining engineering and history from the University of Idaho. I have published a number of articles on Idaho mining history and won awards for photographs from the International California Mining Journal and the American Battlefield Trust and am currently working on a book about a career army officer Colonel Benjamin Franklin Davis. I have been a guide at Antietam since 2014.
Come join leading historians and Antietam Battlefield Guides as they discuss intriguing topics of the Maryland Campaign of 1862 and the Civil War during our Civil War Summer Lecture Series.
These outdoors programs will be held at the Jacob Rohrbach Inn on Wednesday evenings at 7:oo p.m. Even though those programs are outdoors, we require attending guests to wear face coverings and to social distance as much as possible. To ensure adequate seating, please bring a chair. In case of inclement weather, lectures will be held at 101 W. Main Street at Town Square. Parking is available on Main and Hall Streets. For updates and a full schedule of presenters & topics check our Facebook page.
“Goodbye Captain” Artillery at the Burnside Bridge and Final Attack – Jim Rosebrock
June 17, 2020 by jacobrohrbach
Jim Rosebrock
Jim Rosebrock is the former Chief of the Antietam Battlefield Guides. Jim currently serves as a volunteer and tour guide at the Antietam National Battlefield. Jim is a retired army officer and currently works for the Department of Justice. He is currently conducting research for a book that will tell the story of the regular artillery companies during the Civil War. Jim also discusses interesting topics about the Maryland Campaign on his blog South From the North Woods.
On Wednesday, July 1st, Jim will present his Summer Lecture Series talk – “Goodbye Captain” Artillery at the Burnside Bridge and Final Attack
Jim will cover the often overlooked artillery action on the southern end of the battlefield between Ambrose Burnside’s Ninth Corps and the batteries of David Jones and A.P. Hill’s artillery. Union Artillery played a much more important role in Burnside’s capture of the bridge than normally understood. Likewise Confederate artillery played a key role in slowing the advance of the Ninth Corps after Burnside successfully crossed the Antietam until the arrival of A.P. Hill’s division late in the afternoon.
Join leading historians and Antietam Battlefield Guides as they discuss intriguing topics of the Maryland Campaign of 1862 and the Civil War during our Civil War Summer Lecture Series.
These outdoors programs will be held at the Jacob Rohrbach Inn on Wednesday evenings at 7:oo p.m. Even though those programs are outdoors, we require attending guests to wear face coverings and to social distance as much as possible. To ensure adequate seating, please bring a chair. In case of inclement weather, lectures will be held at 101 W. Main Street at Town Square. Parking is available on Main and Hall Streets. For updates and a full schedule of presenters & topics check our Facebook page.
Immortal Respect: Post and the 2nd USSS in the Antietam Campaign – Darin Wipperman
May 17, 2020 by jacobrohrbach
Col. Henry Post
This is Darin Wipperman’s second consecutive summer presenting at the Civil War Lecture Series. On Wednesday, June 17 Darin will discussion is entitled, “Immortal Respect: Col. Henry Post and the 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters in the Antietam Campaign”. Post’s men had to meet an extremely difficult target shooting test before joining the command. The unit’s eight companies were recruited from six states, including five companies from the three states of Northern New England. The sharpshooters suffered severely in the Summer of 1862. Darin will examine Post’s life, as well as detail the actions of the outfit at South Mountain and Antietam. Even after a serious wound south of the Cornfield, the colonel would live for more than half a century. The presentation concludes with a few tidbits about the colonel’s interesting family. Post was very well liked by his excellent soldiers, with a Vermonter writing, “The respect which he won is immortal.”
Darin Wipperman
Darin Wipperman’s study of the Civil War has occupied much of his adult life. Growing up in Iowa, he earned degrees in Political Science from the University of Northern Iowa in the mid-1990s. A federal employee for nearly 17 years, Darin and his wife moved to northern New Hampshire in 2012, where he was a reporter and editor at New Hampshire weekly newspapers for more than four years. This autumn, Stackpole Books will publish Darin’s history of the First Corps, entitled First for the Union: Life and Death in a Civil War Army Corps from Antietam to Gettysburg. For his next research and writing project, Darin continues his interest in telling the stories of Union corps in what will be a multi-volume history of the 9th Corps. When not geeking out on the Civil War, Darin enjoys managing the forested parcel he shares with his wife in the Great North Woods.
Join leading historians and Antietam Battlefield Guides as they discuss intriguing topics of the Maryland Campaign of 1862 and the Civil War during our Civil War Summer Lecture Series.
UPDATE: In light of social distancing recommendations, the talks will be conducted via Zoom video conferencing until the guidelines and safety allow for public gatherings. The Zoom sessions will begin at 7:00 p.m. The Zoom meeting link will be sent out to those signed up on our SLS Member list each week. For those that can’t attend live, the presentation will be recorded and posted on our Facebook page.
To sign up for the SLS Member list email us at: info@jacob-rohrbach-inn.com. For updates and a full schedule of presenters & topics check our Facebook page. The lecture schedule is subject to change.
“Lee Invades the North: A Comparison of 1862 & 1863” – Brad Gottfried
May 17, 2020 by jacobrohrbach
Lee crossing the Potomac into Maryland, 1863
On Wednesday, June 10th, Antietam Battlefield Guide and renowned author, Brad Gottfried will present his Summer Lecture Series talk – “Lee Invades the North: A Comparison of 1862 & 1863”.
Robert E. Lee’s invaded Northern soil twice during the Civil War. He was turned back both times, but the invasion left a lasting impact on the United States. This presentation will explore how the two campaigns were similar and dissimilar. Spoiler alert: There is more similarities than most realize.
Brad Gottfried
After receiving his doctorate in 1976, Brad Gottfried worked in higher education for over 40, retiring as the President of the College of Southern Maryland in 2017. He has written 13 books on the Civil War, including the Maps of Antietam. Brad became an Antietam Battlefield Guide in 2019 and also serves as a Gettysburg Town Guide. He is married and has four children and six grandchildren.
Join leading historians and Antietam Battlefield Guides as they discuss intriguing topics of the Maryland Campaign of 1862 and the Civil War during our Civil War Summer Lecture Series.
UPDATE: In light of social distancing recommendations, the talks will be conducted via Zoom video conferencing until the guidelines and safety allow for public gatherings. The Zoom sessions will begin at 7:00 p.m. The Zoom meeting link will be sent out to those signed up on our SLS Member list each week. For those that can’t attend live, the presentation will be recorded and posted on our Facebook page.
To sign up for the SLS Member list email us at: info@jacob-rohrbach-inn.com. For updates and a full schedule of presenters & topics check our Facebook page. The lecture schedule is subject to change.
2020 Civil War Lecture Series
January 19, 2020 by jacobrohrbach
UPDATE: As of July 1st, our lecture series has moved back to the Inn. The schedule is subject to change.
Email Us to Sign up for the SLS Member List
Wow! This will be our fifth year of hosting the Civil War Lecture Series. Since we started, we’ve raised over $1500 for the Save Historic Antietam Foundation through our summer fundraiser. We have seven new guest speakers presenting and another outstanding slate of lectures scheduled at the Jacob Rohrbach Inn. Come learn from Antietam Battlefield Guides and other leading historians as they discuss intriguing topics of the Maryland Campaign and the Civil War during our summer lecture series.
June 3 – Gordon Dammann – “The Wounding of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr”
June 10 – Brad Gottfried – “Lee Invades the North: A Comparison of 1862 & 1863”
June 17 – Darin Wipperman – “Immortal Respect: Col. Henry Post and the 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters in the Antietam Campaign”
June 24 – Alann Schimdt – “The Dunker Church”
July 1 – Jim Rosebrock – “Goodbye Captain” Artillery at the Burnside Bridge and Final Attack
July 8 – Sharon Murray – “The Long Gray Line of ’54”
July 15 – Richard P. D’Ambrisi – “Baseball in the Civil War”
July 22 – Laura Marfut – “Longstreet’s Attack on French’s Right.”
July 29 – Nigel Wainwright – “The Civil War and The World”
Aug 5 – Matt Borders – “The Loudoun Valley Campaign of 1862: McClellan’s Final Advance”
Aug 12 – Justin Mayhue – “Small Arms Weapons at Antietam”
Aug 19 – Alex Rossino – “A Very Personal Fight: Robert E. Lee’s Role on the Field at Sharpsburg, September 17, 1862”
Aug 26 – John Schildt – “The ‘What Ifs’ of the Maryland Campaign”
These outdoors programs will be held at the Jacob Rohrbach Inn on Wednesday evenings at 7:oo p.m. Even though those programs are outdoors, we require attending guests to wear face coverings and to social distance as much as possible. To ensure adequate seating, please bring a chair. In case of inclement weather, lectures will be held at 101 W. Main Street at Town Square. Parking is available on Main and Hall Streets. For updates and a full schedule of presenters & topics check our Facebook page.
The Farmsteads of Antietam Tour
October 29, 2019 by jacobrohrbach
The Dunker Church and debris after the battle
For those that remember the PBS series “The Civil War” by Ken Burns, the opening scenes begin with this statement:
“The Civil War was fought in 10,000 places, from Valverde, New Mexico, and Tullahoma, Tennessee, to St. Albans, Vermont, and Fernandina on the Florida coast. More than 3 million Americans fought in it, and over 600,000 men—2 percent of the population—died in it. American homes became headquarters, American churches and schoolhouses sheltered the dying, and huge foraging armies swept across American farms and burned American towns. Americans slaughtered one another wholesale, right here in America in their own cornfields and peach orchards, along familiar roads and by waters with old American names.”
Lutheran Church in Sharpsburg after the battle
No where was this more true than here at Sharpsburg. The Battle of Antietam had effected everyone living in and around Sharpsburg. The battle only lasted one day but for the civilians living in the wake of this man-made disaster, the effects of the battle were felt for weeks’, months’, and even years.
Sharpsburg was the first organized community in the United States to suffer widespread damage from both the combat and the sheer presence of two opposing armies of more than 120,000 Rebel and Yankee soldiers and some 50,000 horses & mules.
The debris of battle
This would led to a tremendous threat of disease from the thousands of dead men and animals rotting in the warm September sun and the thousands of wounded left to be cared for in the field hospitals.
Combat and disease were not the only threats posed by the large battle. Economic devastation loomed as an all-too-real possibility. At Sharpsburg soldiers from both sides raided farms and homes, carrying off valuables, destroying property, and confiscating livestock and crops as provender for the armies.
Joseph Poffenberger Farm
The Antietam National Battlefield is said to be one of the most pristine and well restored Civil War battlefields. When you look across the landscape little has changed since that fateful day of September 17, 1862. The preserved fence lines, fields and woodlots help us understand the ebb and flow of the battle. The details of the Battle of Antietam are well known to students of the Civil War, but as you survey the battlefield, you see scattered across the countryside the proof that battles are not fought in a vacuum. Several farmsteads dot the landscape as well. We tend to forget about the civilians that were caught up in the events swirling around the homes where for generations families lived, worked, played, and died.
Now you can join the Antietam Battlefield Guides for a Specialty Tour of “The Farmsteads of Antietam”. Chief Guide, Chris Vincent has formatted a 3-hour guided tour of the historic Farmsteads of Antietam to learn about the families, their history, the farmsteads and how they recovered from the battle.
The tour will take you to each of the eleven farmsteads across the battlefield to discuss:
Who lived on the farmsteads at the time of the battle?
David R. and Margaret Miller
What did the farm look like?
What did the families do during the battle?
Fighting around Roulette Farm
What happened to the families and farms after the battle?
Otho Poffenberger family, c. 1880
For more information about this tour and other Specialty Tours offered by the Antietam battlefield Guides, contact the Antietam Museum Store at 301-432-4329.
The Antietam Battlefield Guides
August 1, 2019 by jacobrohrbach
The carnage of the battle by the Dunker Church.
September 17, 1862 was the bloodiest day in American history. In twelve hours of horrific combat, soldiers from the North and the South fought the Battle of Antietam that would claim over 23,000 casualties. Some historians believe that the Battle of Antietam was one of the key turning points of the American Civil War. The battle ended Robert E. Lee’s first Confederate invasion into the north and it led to President Abraham Lincoln announcing the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
The Henry Piper Farm at Antietam National Battlefield
But the Battle of Antietam and the Maryland Campaign of 1862 is more than statistics and facts. According to our esteemed local historian, John Schildt, “History is about people and places”. Even though Antietam is one of the most pristine battlefields in the United States it is very difficult to understand the ebb and flow of the battle as you’re standing at one of the park stops. Looking at the fields, the wood lots and the roads, it can be very confusing and you cannot begin to put yourself into the shoes of the soldiers that stood on the very same ground without the assistance of a licensed Antietam Battlefield Guide.
The Antietam Battlefield Guides
Antietam Battlefield Guides
The Antietam Guides are a group of historians dedicated to providing outstanding interpretive tours of the Antietam Battlefield, as well as other sites related to the Maryland Campaign of 1862. This is a group of incredibly talented and gifted professionals. Many of the guides are published authors and have written articles for renowned Civil War magazines. They are frequent lecturers at Civil War Roundtables and Historical Societies, as well as historical seminars and on forums, sharing their knowledge about Antietam and the American Civil War. When not giving tours, many guides serve as volunteers at Antietam Battlefield. You may find them at the Visitor Center desk, out on the field as Battlefield Ambassadors, on the Battery B, 4th US Artillery, (Antietam’s living history interpreters), or behind the scenes helping out with park maintenance during the off season. The Guides also support the Save Historic Antietam Foundation, the local organization that works to promote the preservation and restoration of the scenic area in and around the Antietam Battlefield. Guides are frequently out helping clearing brush or restoring a fence line during their work days.
The First Guide and the start of the guide service
O.T. Reilley, the first battlefield guide.
The Antietam Battlefield Guides trace their start back to the first battlefield guide at Antietam, Oliver T. Reilly. O.T. Reilly was just five years old at the time of the battle and is said to have witnessed it from a hill near Keedysville where he lived. When he was just 15, O.T. began giving tours of the battlefield. In 1890, he moved to Sharpsburg, where he opened a store on Main Street, selling novelties, battlefield guide books, postcards and Civil War relics. Reilly served as a battlefield guide for seven decades, often taking veterans on tours of the field. The current guide service was founded in 2005 by Stephen Recker in partnership with the Western Maryland Interpretive Association, a non-profit organization at Antietam. In the fall of 2011, Jim Rosebrock became the new Chief of the Antietam Battlefield Guides. Under Jim’s leadership the program envolved and expanded to include other areas associated with the Maryland Campaign. Now visitors can experience the whole Maryland Campaign by visiting Harpers Ferry, the South Mountain Battlefields and Antietam National Battlefield. At the beginning of 2019, Chris Vincent was honored to be selected to succeed Jim as the Chief Guide. Chris looks forward to leading the guides into the next decade with their new parent association Eastern National, which is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit cooperating association that manages the museum bookstore at the battlefield.
Becoming a Guide
Guides candidates out on the field as Battlefield Ambassadors
Becoming an Antietam Battlefield Guide requires enthusiasm, a desire to learn and much preparation. The standards are high but the rewards are worth the effort. After successfully passing a written exam, guide candidates are paired with a certified guide-mentor to begin preparing for their 3-hour field test. During this phase, candidates become participants in the Battlefield’s Volunteers in the Parks (VIP) program. The experiences of volunteering provides the opportunity to interact with park visitors and get to know the rangers and other volunteers, many of whom are guides. It also affords the opportunity to spend time on the field and to sharpen interpretation skills. Once candidates have completed all their requirements of the Mentoring Phase and feel they are ready, they take a 3-hour oral field test that consists of a 3-hour tour with a National Park Service ranger and the Chief Guide. Upon successful completion of the field test, candidates become NPS Certified Battlefield Guides!
Guides walking the field
Antietam Battlefield Guides are constantly researching and studying the Maryland Campaign. During the off-season, guides conduct professional development training by exploring seldom visited parts of the field and reviewing other aspects of the battle. Guides can customize your tour to focus on a particular part of the battlefield or a specific unit. If you had an ancestor who fought at Antietam your guide can tailor a part of the tour to those particular areas on the field where your ancestor’s unit fought.
Booking a battlefield tour
The Antietam Guides are booked through the Antietam National Battlefield Museum Store. The guide will drive your vehicle so you can focus on the field areas that the guide is talking about and what they are describing to you. There are currently five basic tours you can take and the cost is based on the number of people in your group.
Highlight Tour (2 hours): This tour is designed for those with young children or people on a tight schedule, and will cover the Cornfield, Sunken Road and Burnside Bridge overlook.
Standard Tour (3 hours): This is the standard tour and includes an introduction to the Maryland Campaign at the Visitors Center as well as stops at the Cornfield, Sunken Road and Burnside Bridge. It is designed for individuals or groups seeking general knowledge of the battle and the battlefield.
Extended Tour (4 hours): This tour is designed for those visitors interested in exploring the battlefield in greater depth. It includes all parts of the Standard Tour however time is built in for additional stops or extended time at the 3 Standard Tour stops.
Antietam Plus Tour (6 hours): This 6 hour tour includes a Standard Tour of Antietam and a trip to one other battlefield, of the visitor’s choice, associated with the Maryland Campaign (either Harpers Ferry or South Mountain). All Antietam Plus tours originate at the Antietam Battlefield Visitors Center.
Campaign Tour (8 hours): The Campaign Tour covers all three battlefields of the Maryland Campaign (Antietam, South Mountain & Harpers Ferry). This tour originates at Antietam and travels to South Mountain and Harpers Ferry to explore the battles that preceded America’s bloodiest day. After touring South Mountain & Harpers Ferry you return to Antietam for the 3 hour Standard Tour.
Walk-in service is available for the 2 hour and 3 hour tours, however with walk-in service a guide cannot be guaranteed. To guarantee a guide, make a reservation in advance of your visit to Antietam.
To book your Battlefield tour, call the Antietam Museum Store at (301) 432-4329. Check the guide biographies on the website. If there is a particular guide you are interested in securing, let the bookstore associate know who you would like to lead your tour.
If you have other questions and inquiries, you can email the guides at AntietamTours@easternnational.org. Follow along on the Antietam Battlefield Guide Facebook page for updates about the programs, what the guides are up to, and information about Antietam National Battlefield.
If your staying at the Inn take advantage of our Civil War Tour Specials and we’ll book one of these outstanding tours with the Antietam Battlefield Guide for you. We hope to see you soon!
“People and Places at Antietam” – John Schildt
July 4, 2019 by jacobrohrbach
John Schildt
John Schildt hardly needs an introduction. He is well known for his many books relating the various aspects of the Maryland Campaign of 1862 and local history. Reverend Schildt graduated from Shepherd College, Wesley Theological Seminary and has studied at Western Maryland College, Gettysburg Seminary and West Virginia University.
Rev. Schildt was introduced to Civil War history by his great-grandmother who fed Union troops on the way to Gettysburg when she was a little girl. John has been a lecturer and guide for the Gettysburg College Civil War Institute, Bud Robertson’s “Campaigning with Lee”, the Chicago Civil War Round Table, and many other groups. He was the main speaker at the 125th anniversary of Antietam. Outside of Civil War history, John has led three educational excursions to Normandy and took part in the American and French commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the D-day landing in 1994. While leading explorations, he likes to make history come alive by sharing human interest stories about people and places. Having been a lifelong student of Antietam, John has written many books on the subject, including “September Echoes,” “Drums along the Antietam,” “Roads to Antietam,” and several others.
Rev. John Schildt will be our final speaker of the season on Wednesday, August 28th. John often talks about history being about ‘people’ and ‘places’. John will present his Summer Lecture Series talk – “People and Places at Antietam”. John will go from George Washington, to “the Horse Without A Tail”, to John Ticknor, Martin Eakle, Dr. William Child, Clara Barton and Axel Steele, to Dr. Dunn, Black Jack Logan, the Hoffman farm, Drs. Biggs and Shealy, the Grove family, JFK, Jimmy Carter, Patrick Roy, and Lincoln, as well as other people and places connected with the Maryland Campaign.
Come join leading historians and Antietam Battlefield Guides as they discuss intriguing topics of the Maryland Campaign of 1862 and the Civil War during our Civil War Summer Lecture Series.
These outdoors programs will be held at the Jacob Rohrbach Inn on Wednesday evenings at 7:oo p.m. To ensure adequate seating, please bring a chair. In case of inclement weather, lectures will be held at the Sharpsburg Christ Reformed Church of Christ. Parking is available on Main and Hall Streets. For updates and a full schedule of presenters & topics check our Facebook page.
“The Tale Untwisted” – Alex Rossino
July 4, 2019 by jacobrohrbach
Dr. Alex Rossino
The discovery of Robert E. Lee’s Special Orders no. 191 outside of Frederick, Maryland on September 13, 1862 is one of the most important and hotly disputed events of the American Civil War. For more than 150 years historians have debated if George McClellan, commander of the Union Army of the Potomac, dawdled upon receiving a copy of the orders before advancing to challenge Lee’s forces at the Battle of South Mountain.
Alexander Rossino will discuss how ‘Little Mac’ moved with uncharacteristic energy to counter the Confederate threat and take advantage of Lee’s divided forces, striking a blow in the process that wrecked Lee’s plans and sent his army reeling back toward Virginia.
On Wednesday, August 21st Dr. Alex Rossino will put a final word on the debate over the fate and impact of the Lost Orders on the history of the 1862 Maryland Campaign during his talk – “The Tale Untwisted: George McClellan and the Discovery of Lee’s Lost Orders, September 13, 1862”.
Dr. Rossino earned his PhD in History at Syracuse University in 1999. He is the author of Hitler Strikes Poland: Blitzkrieg, Ideology, and Atrocity, a study of German policies against Polish Christians and Jews during the Nazi invasion of Poland in September 1939. He worked for 9 years as an historian at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum before moving to the private sector to provide market analysis for the government contracting community, work he continues to this day. Following a long hiatus from writing, Dr. Rossino moved to Western Maryland in 2013 and turned his studies to the American Civil War, a subject of interest to him since childhood. In 2017 he published Six Days in September: A Novel of Lee’s Army in Maryland, 1862 with Savas Beatie. The novel examines the history of the second half of the Confederate invasion of Maryland from a first-person perspective, combining history and fiction to help general readers better understand the importance of the 1862 Maryland Campaign to Robert E. Lee and his army. A sequel to the book giving the same treatment to McClellan’s army is due out in 2019. Dr. Rossino is also the author of two new articles on the Civil War in Maryland: one on the Confederate Army in Frederick and the other on George McClellan’s handling of Lee’s Lost Orders in September 1862, which he co-authored with Cartographer Gene Thorp. Last, but not least, he is the editor of Savas Beatie’s new Civil War Spotlight essay series, a service publishing historical essays on issues of importance to Civil War studies. His talk today is based on the inaugural offering in that series.
Come join leading historians and Antietam Battlefield Guides as they discuss intriguing topics of the Maryland Campaign of 1862 and the Civil War during our Civil War Summer Lecture Series.
These outdoors programs will be held at the Jacob Rohrbach Inn on Wednesday evenings at 7:oo p.m. To ensure adequate seating, please bring a chair. In case of inclement weather, lectures will be held at the Sharpsburg Christ Reformed Church of Christ. Parking is available on Main and Hall Streets. For updates and a full schedule of presenters & topics check our Facebook page.