Heart of the Civil War

Summer Lecture Series: The Texas Brigade at Antietam – Dr. Brad Gottfried
2025-07-14 19:00 UTC | St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 209 W Main Street, Sharpsburg, MD, 21782, United States
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 the Antietam Institute 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.
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 the Antietam Institute’s 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 the Antietam Institute holds a drawing in which the proceeds support the Save Historic Antietam Foundation. Be sure to check their Facebook page for updates and changes to the schedule.

One Vast Hospital – Civil War Walking Tour in Downtown Frederick
2025-07-13 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-07-12 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-07-06 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-07-05 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-06-29 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-06-28 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-06-22 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-06-21 10:30 - 12:00 and 5 more dates | National Museum of Civil War Medicine, 48 E. Patrick St., Frederick, 21701, United States
Saturdays and Sundays from April through September
Walk in the footsteps of doctors, nurses, soldiers and civilians who cared for 8,000 wounded soldiers in Downtown Frederick.
Join NMCWM docents for a walking tour of Downtown Frederick focused on the city’s role as a makeshift hospital in the final months of 1862 every Saturday (10:30 a.m.) and Sunday (2:00 p.m.) from April through September.
Tickets are $15 and include admission to the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in addition to the walking tour. Tickets are free for Museum members, but you must still reserve your spot. Reservations will be accepted on a first come first served basis.
In September 1862, a newspaper correspondent from the Philadelphia Inquirer referred to Frederick as “one vast hospital.” In the aftermath of America’s bloodiest day at Antietam on September 17, 1862, over 8,000 wounded soldiers, Union and Confederate, were brought to make-shift hospital wards in Frederick’s churches, schools, hotels, and private homes. From the diaries and letters of the surgeons, soldiers, and civilians who were there, this guided walking tour will explore the locations of the city’s Civil War hospitals in churches, schools, and public buildings. Many of those same buildings still make up the historic district today.

Culture & Cocktails: History of the Herald Mail Building
2025-07-11 18:00 | Miller House Museum, 135 W Washington St, Hagerstown, MD, 21740, United States
On Friday, July 11, Thomas Vitanza and Catherine Lavoie present the history and architecture of the Herald Mail building at 100 Summit Avenue, Hagerstown, a significant building designed by a modernist architectural firm in the 1970s that became a cutting-edge newspaper printing plant for Washington County.
Thomas Vitanza is a recently retired Senior Historical Architect for the National Park Service Historic Preservation Training Center, and Catherine Lavoie is an architectural historian for the NPS HABS program and author (with Lisa Pfueller Davidson) of Buildings of Maryland, published by the Society of Architectural Historians.
This month’s drink is the Harvey Wallbanger, a cocktail combining vodka, orange juice, and Galliano, a popular drink during the 1970s, when the Herald Mail building was constructed. Doors open at 5:30 PM and light hors d’oeuvres will be served!
Culture & Cocktails 2025 has been made possible by the generous support of the James and Mary Schurz Foundation. Tickets are $20 members/$30 non-members. Please register at the link.
Please note: Weather depending, there is a possibility this event will be held outside in the Miller House Garden.

Summer Lecture Series: Before September: The Origin of the 1862 Maryland Campaign – Dr. Alex Rossino
2025-07-07 19:00 | St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 209 W Main Street, Sharpsburg, MD, 21782, United States
Confederate military and political leaders hatched multiple plans for an invasion of Maryland before Lee’s army crossed the Potomac in September 1862. In this talk, Dr. Rossino documents those plans and the impact they had on Lee’s decision to enter the state.
Dr. Alexander B. Rossino resides in Washington County, Maryland. An award-winning independent historian, Dr. Rossino earned his degree from Syracuse University and worked at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C from 1994 to 2003. He is the author of Their Maryland: The Army of Northern Virginia from the Potomac Crossing to Sharpsburg in September 1862 (Savas Beatie, 2021), Calamity at Frederick: Robert E. Lee, Special Orders No. 191, and Confederate Misfortune on the Road to Antietam (Savas Beatie, 2023) and has published several articles on the Maryland Campaign. He has co-authored The Tale Untwisted: General George B. McClellan, the Maryland Campaign, and the Discovery of Lee’s Lost Orders (Savas Beatie, 2022) with Gene Thorp. Alex has also written a two-part series of historically accurate Civil War novels published by Savas Beatie, Six Days in September: A Novel of Lee’s Army in Maryland, 1862 (2017) and The Guns of September: A Novel of McClellan’s Army in Maryland, 1862 (2024).
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 the Antietam Institute’s 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 the Antietam Institute holds a drawing in which the proceeds support the Save Historic Antietam Foundation. Be sure to check their Facebook page for updates and changes to the schedule.

Summer Lecture Series: The Last Four Months of a Fifth Corps Soldier – Darin Wipperman
2025-06-30 19:00 | St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 209 W Main Street, Sharpsburg, MD, 21782, United States
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 18th 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.
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 the Antietam Institute’s 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 the Antietam Institute holds a drawing in which the proceeds support the Save Historic Antietam Foundation. Be sure to check their Facebook page for updates and changes to the schedule.

Battle of Westminster, aka “Corbit’s Charge”
2025-06-28 10:00 | Westminster City Hall, 1838 Emerald Hill Lane, Westminster, MD, 21157, United States
Each June, the Pipe Creek Civil War Round Table commemorates the tragedy of war that took place on Westminster’s streets and within surrounding Carroll County, MD. This annual event creates an educational experience for visitors of all ages, with military demonstrations, Civil War arms and equipment, military drilling, children’s activities and games, and presentations from historians. Guided tours of Westminster detailing historic landmarks and battle sites are featured at the event as well.
The paramount activity is a memorial service held at the Corbit’s Charge Monument (Located at Court Place, by the Historic Courthouse). This service recognizes the sacrifice of the Civil War era civilians of Westminster as well as the soldiers of both the Union and Confederate Armies. This service concludes at the graveyard of Westminster’s Ascension Episcopal Church located at 23 N. Court St. with the laying of wreaths on the graves of 2 Civil War Veterans: 1st Lt. John Murray, Co. E 4th Virginia Cavalry (Confederate, killed during Corbit’s Charge) and Samuel Butler Co. C 32nd Inf. U.S.C.T. (Union).
So, please join the Pipe Creek Civil War Roundtable and fellow historical groups in attendance at the Corbit’s Charge event to honor and commemorate the Civil War history in Carroll County, MD.
This program is made possible by a grant from the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area, a certified heritage area of the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority.

Summer Lecture Series: The Fifth Texas Volunteer Infantry Regiment – Michael S. Lang
2025-06-23 19:00 | St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 209 W Main Street, Sharpsburg, MD, 21782, United States
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, the presentation 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 the Antietam Institute 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.
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 the Antietam Institute’s 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 the Antietam Institute holds a drawing in which the proceeds support the Save Historic Antietam Foundation. Be sure to check their Facebook page for updates and changes to the schedule.

New Exhibit Opening - Doleman Black Heritage Museum
2025-06-22 17:00 | Doleman Black Heritage Museum, 33-35 West Washington Street, Room 210, Hagerstown, MD, 21740, United States
Opening of new exhibit featuring rescued and restored stained glass windows from the Ebenezer AME Church in downtown Hagerstown. The windows represent the resilience of the Black community in the historic Jonathan Street Neighborhood.
This event is free to the public.

Civil War Style Church Service
2025-06-22 13:00 - 14:00 | Rocky Springs Chapel, 7817 Rocky Springs Road, Frederick, MD, 21702, United States
Attend a Civil War-style, nondenominational Christian church service at Historic Rocky Springs Chapel on Sunday, June 22, 2025, at 1:00 P.M. Chaplain Steve McCarty will preach the sermon wearing Civil War period attire. A short living history program will follow the church service. HRSC is dedicated to using living history programs to accurately educate the public on Christian practices and the impact of faith on American society during the Civil War.
The chapel is located at 7817 Rocky Springs Road, Frederick, Maryland. The event is free and open to the public. The wearing of Civil War period attire is encouraged but not required.
Questions about the event should be directed to HRSC Trustee Kirk Callison or HRSC Trustee Maria Callison at (301) 874-4737 (Home); (240) 409-8361 (cell); or kmcallison@verizon.net

250th Anniversary Maryland Rifle Companies
2025-06-21 11:00 - 12:00 | City Hall Park, 101 North Court Street, Frederick, MD, 21701, United States
The Sgt. Lawrence Everhart Chapter, SAR, and the Frederick and Carrollton Manor Chapters, DAR, invite you to the commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of the organization of the Maryland Rifle Companies which took place in Fredericktown on 21 June 1775. This event is being organized in partnership with the Frederick County U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission.
On 14 June 1775, at the same time that the Second Continental Congress named George Washington as Commander-in-Chief of the new Continental Army, it directed that ten companies of riflemen be raised in the frontier regions of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. Accordingly, the United States Army considers June 14, 1775 as its birthdate.
Maryland was assigned the responsibility of raising two rifle companies, and its delegates assigned this task to the Frederick County Committee of Observation. At a meeting at the County Courthouse in Fredericktown on 21 June, chaired by John Hanson, the Committee of Observation created the two companies and appointed their officers.
Recall that in 1775, Frederick County encompassed all of western Maryland, including present-day Montgomery County, part of Carroll County, and Washington, Allegheny, and Garrett Counties to the west. Organizations from those areas are invited to participate in this event.
The two Maryland Rifle Companies were commanded by Captain Michael Cresap (son of Thomas Cresap), and Captain Thomas Price.
After the creation of the Rifle Companies on June 21, the next few weeks were spent in furnishing the riflemen with rifles and other equipment. On July 18, the two Maryland companies, consisting of about 130 men, set off for Massachusetts on foot, marching 550 miles in 22 days! No Continental uniforms here: they wore hunting shirts, often with fringes, round hats, leather leggings, and many had their faces painted, Indian style. Along the way they often gave demonstrations of their superb marksmanship.
In August 1775, with the arrival of Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania Rifle Companies in Massachusetts, the revolutionary Army became truly Continental. They joined in the siege of Boston under the command of General Washington. The siege ultimately led to the evacuation of the British forces from Boston, never to return.
Frederick Countians and all western Marylanders can justly take pride in our contribution to creating the Continental Army which, over the following eight years, won our independence and created a new, sovereign Nation.

Juneteenth Praise & Worship Celebration
2025-06-20 17:00 - 19:00 | Wheaton Park, 124 Charles Street, Hagerstown, MD, 21740, United States
Celebrate Juneteenth during this uplifting evening of community prayer, music, inspirational readings, and interpretive dance. Those wishing to perform should contact Marcia McCall, 301-797-5019.

2025 Masquerade Ball With A Cotton Club Twist
2025-06-19 20:00 - 21:00 | Cortland Mansion, 19411 Cortland Drive, Hagerstown, MD, 21742, United States
The Masquerade Ball With A Cotton Club Twist is a glamorous evening of celebration, community, and culture. This event kicks off the 2025 Juneteenth festivals in Hagerstown, MD and is a fundraiser for the Doleman Black Heritage Museum. Join the Friends of the Doleman Black Heritage Museum as they celebrate excellence, history, and heritage in high style. This elegant spring gala brings together art, heart, and legacy under one roof for a night filled with music, recognition, and community spirit.
This event is $100.00 per person. Please register at the link below.

Summer Lecture Series: “Directed to Take Command”: Winfield S. Hancock – Sarah Kay Bierle
2025-06-16 19:00 - 20:00 | St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 209 W Main Street, Sharpsburg, MD, 21782, United States
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.
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 the Antietam Institute’s 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 the Antietam Institute holds a drawing in which the proceeds support the Save Historic Antietam Foundation. Be sure to check their Facebook page for updates and changes to the schedule.

Culture & Cocktails: The Many Faces of the Miller House
2025-06-14 18:00 | Miller House Museum, 135 W Washington St, Hagerstown, MD, 21740, United States
Join the Washington County Historical Society in celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the Miller House at a special fundraising Culture & Cocktails on Saturday, June 14, 2025, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.
WCHS Curator Abigail Koontz will present, “The Many Faces of the Miller House,” a historical talk to celebrate the Miller House 200th that will share an overview of the Miller House’s many residents and eras, from the original Price family in 1825, to the house’s “Lost Years” of the Civil War, and to the present.
This C&C event will take place outside in the Miller House Garden. Doors open at 5:00 PM. Live acoustic music, raffle baskets, and refreshments will be offered in the Miller House Garden leading up to the talk. Talk begins at 6:00 PM.
The drink of the evening will be Dr. Victor Miller Jr.’s “Miller House Punch,” a recipe from the WCHS archives!
The C&C program is generously sponsored by the James & Mary Schurz Foundation. Tickets are $55.20 per person. Please register at the link.
Special Note: WCHS Culture & Cocktails programs typically occur on the 2nd Friday of each month; however, this special C&C fundraiser will take place on a Saturday evening in the Miller House Garden. Rain date will be scheduled for the following Saturday, June 21, at the same time. Ticket proceeds will entirely support the 200th Anniversary Miller House Capital Campaign.

Summer Lecture Series: Soldiers from the 29th Mass - Joe Stahl and Matt Borders
2025-06-09 19:00 - 20:00 | St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 209 W Main Street, Sharpsburg, MD, 21782, United States
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 the Antietam Institute 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.
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 the Antietam Institute’s 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 the Antietam Institute holds a drawing in which the proceeds support the Save Historic Antietam Foundation. Be sure to check their Facebook page for updates and changes to the schedule.

The Warrior Identity: Union Veterans, Civil Commitment, and Survivor Obligation
2025-06-07 15:00 - 16:00 | National Museum of Civil War Medicine, 48 E. Patrick St., Frederick, 21701, United States
Join the National Museum of Civil War Medicine for their Saturday Speaker Series. Dr. Stephen A. Goldman, author of the groundbreaking book, “One More War to Fight: Union Veterans’ Battle for Equality through Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and the Lost Cause,” will discuss how, over four incredible years, raw Northern volunteers evolved into professional soldiers and sailors to rival the finest in the world. In a process that continues to this day, pride in their comrades and units, and what they endured and accomplished together, constituted major components of an evolving, powerful warrior identity.
Stephen A. Goldman, M.D. is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, a historian who has treated and worked with those who have been to war, and the only physician to serve on the Abraham Lincoln Institute Board of Directors.
This presentation is free with museum admission.

Summer Lecture Series - "The Final Attack at Antietam" - Robert M. Dunkerly
2025-06-02 19:00 | St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 209 W Main Street, Sharpsburg, MD, 21782, United States
The Antietam Institute is 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.
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 the Antietam Institute’s 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.

Frederick in the Civil War: A Bus Tour of the Historic City
2025-06-01 14:00 - 17:00 | National Museum of Civil War Medicine, 48 E. Patrick St., Frederick, 21701, United States
Step back in time aboard a vintage 1966 double-decker bus for a fascinating one-hour journey through Downtown Frederick, exploring the city’s critical role in the Civil War and the evolution of battlefield medicine.
Departing from the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, this guided tour is led by a professional docent who will share gripping stories of local hospitals, heroic caregivers, and the medical innovations that emerged from wartime necessity. As you roll through historic streets and landmarks, you’ll gain insight into the challenges faced by doctors, nurses, and soldiers alike during one of the most pivotal periods in American history.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:
Explore Frederick’s Civil War history through a medical lens aboard a restored 1966 double-decker bus
Hear expert narration from a professional museum docent
Visit key sites where wounded soldiers were treated
A unique educational experience in the heart of historic Frederick
Every ticket includes admission to the National Museum of Civil War Medicine
DEPARTS FROM: The National Museum of Civil War Medicine
TICKET PRICE: $39 per person (includes admission to the National Museum of Civil War Medicine)
HOW TO BOOK: Spots are limited — join for an unforgettable ride through the past — where history meets healing.
