"Our Battle Flags Were Tattered..." The Maryland Campaign: A Civil War Symposium
Schedule
Fri Apr 11 2025 at 04:00 pm to Sat Apr 12 2025 at 04:30 pm
UTC-04:00Location
300 Beechwood Ave, Carnegie, PA, United States, Pennsylvania 15106 | Carnegie, PA
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The Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall is pleased to announce the return of our annual Civil War Symposium, slated for April 11 – 12, 2025. Embracing attendee feedback from recent years, the 2025 symposium will focus on the Maryland Campaign of 1862, which culminated at the Battle of Antietam, the single bloodiest day in American history . Eight dynamic historians will explore the military, political, and social threads of this defining moment in our nation’s history.Tickets are available for $85.00 until April 01, 2025 or sold out. Seating is limited, and our past three years have sold out, so please don’t wait to reserve your seat. Symposium proceeds help to preserve the priceless artifacts in the Captain Thomas Espy Grand Army of the Republic Post and helps to support our monthly Civil War programming at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall.
The ticket price includes light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar on Friday evening; breakfast refreshments, a boxed lunch, and light snacks on Saturday. Representatives from Arsenal Cider – Pittsburgh’s Civil War-themed hard cider distillery – will be on hand Friday evening for tastings and bottle sales. Ongoing tours of The Captain Thomas Espy Post will be available, as well as raffles, a Civil War book sale, and author book signings.
ACFL&MH is grateful to Civil War Trails for their sponsorship and ongoing support of our Civil War symposium!
Please contact Espy Post Curator, Jon-Erik Gilot, at [email protected] with any questions.
Speakers:
John Banks & Tom McMillan – The Antietam & Beyond Podcast: A Live Recording!
Historians John Banks and Tom McMillan, the creative minds behind The Antietam & Beyond Podcast will be on hand for a live, freewheeling recording of their popular podcast. Banks and McMillan dive deep into the Battle of Antietam as well as into the 1862 Maryland Campaign and other Civil War topics. Join these longtime journalists, who, along with their guests, share stories, knowledge and much more about the battle and the most compelling period in American history.
Dennis Frye – Robert E. Lee’s Albatross: Harpers Ferry in the Maryland Campaign
A native of the Antietam and Harpers Ferry area, Dennis Frye recently retired from more than three decades in the National Park Service, including twenty years as chief historian at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. His honors includes the Department of Interior’s “Distinguished Service Award,” the highest honor conferred by the Department, and the American Battlefields Trust’s highest award – “The Shelby Foote Award.” Author of nearly a dozen books, and scores of articles, Frye is considered among the founding fathers of the modern Civil War battlefield movement. He will discuss the Federal garrison at Harpers Ferry, Robert E. Lee’s “albatross” of the Maryland Campaign.
D. Scott Hartwig – Antietam: The Soldiers’ Experience
D. Scott Hartwig retired in 2014 after more than thirty years in the National Park Service, including twenty years as supervisory historian at Gettysburg National Military Park. He is the author of numerous articles, essays, and books, which includes a recent two-volume study of the Maryland Campaign and Battle of Antietam, published by Johns Hopkins University Press. Utilizing a collection of letters and post-war accounts, Scott will examine the soldiers’ experience at the Battle of Antietam.
John Hoptak – “This Has Been a Glorious Victory…” The Battle of South Mountain: An Overview
John Hoptak is the author of several books including, The Battle of South Mountain. His articles have appeared in various publications, including Pennsylvania History, Civil War Times, and America’s Civil War. He has served as a Park Ranger and Educator with the National Park Service since 2006, first at Antietam National Battlefield, and, since 2012, at Gettysburg National Military Park. John will offer an overview of the critical, though often overlooked Battle of South Mountain, the first major battle fought north of the Potomac River.
Ashley Whitehead Luskey – “Nothing can be half so melancholy as a battle won…” Sharpsburg Civilians and Antietam’s Aftermath
Ashley Whitehead Luskey is the assistant director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. A graduate of the College of William & Mary, she holds a both a master’s degree in history with a concentration in public history and a PhD in history from West Virginia University. She spent more than nine years working as a park ranger and historian with the National Park Service, including eight years at Richmond National Battlefield Park. An active public speaker and tour guide, Ashley is the author of numerous articles and essays. Ashley’s talk will focus on civilian claims and restitution following the Battle of Antietam, the rampant post-battle disease in the area, and the early “tourists” of the battlefield in the days and weeks after who sought relics and a direct window into the carnage.
Kevin Pawlak – In the Wake of Antietam: The Loudoun Valley Campaign of 1862
Kevin Pawlak is a Historic Site Manager for the Prince William County Historic Preservation Division and works as a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Antietam National Battlefield. He is also active with the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association, Save Historic Antietam Foundation, and the Antietam Institute. He is the author of numerous books, articles, and essays, and is a contributing historian at Emerging Civil War. Kevin will examine the clashes of Loudoun Valley Campaign in late October and early November 1862.
Harry Smeltzer – Col. Albert L. Magilton and the Pennsylvania Reserves at Antietam
Since 2006 Harry Smeltzer has hosted Bull Runnings, a website dedicated to the digitization of primary resources and original content related to the First Battle of Bull Run. A native of Southwestern PA, he earned degrees at The Pennsylvania State University and the Katz School of the University of Pittsburgh. He has been published in print and digital media including in the journal Civil War History, The Civil War Monitor, Civil War Times, and America’s Civil War. He sits on the board of directors of the Save Historic Antietam Foundation, and has presented programs relating to and lead tours of the Bull Run battlefield. Harry will discuss Pennsylvania-native Col. Albert L. Magilton and the Pennsylvania Reserves at the Battle of Antietam.
Sponsors:
Our symposium is sponsored by Civil War Trails, the world’s largest open-air museum, with more than 1,500 sites across six states. Civil War Trails puts your in the footsteps of Civil War generals, freedom-fighters, and tenacious women. Follow the great campaigns turn-by-turn, take a historic hike, and explore beautiful downtowns. Snap a sign selfie along the way! Request your brochure today at civilwartrails.org, and create some history of your own.
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Where is it happening?
300 Beechwood Ave, Carnegie, PA, United States, Pennsylvania 15106Event Location & Nearby Stays:
