New Antietam Institute Holds Spring Symposium
By Leon Reed · Originally published June 2022 · p. 12
New Antietam Institute Holds Spring Symposium by Leon Reed, Special to Civil War News
A new Antietam Institute, formed by a group of local historians and guides less than a year ago, held its first spring symposium on April 23 at Shepherd’s Spring Retreat Center on the C&O Canal just outside Sharpsburg, Md. The symposium featured presentations summarizing the latest studies of the 1862 Maryland campaign and its wider impacts, as well as a report on the history of the park. Steve Stotelmyer, preservationist and author of several books on the Maryland Campaign, spoke first, on “Challenging the Historical Context of George McClellan.” Dr. Emilie Amt, professor emerita of history at Hood College and author of the forthcoming Black Antietam: African American Experiences of the Civil War in Sharpsburg spoke on “Evolving Perspectives on Slavery, Emancipation, and Antietam.” Keith Snyder, chief of resource
Steve Stotelmyer.
Visit our new website at: HistoricalPublicationsLLC.com ready. Some regiments had lost half their strength and all were fatigued. “The Army of Northern Virginia is not going to suffer this level of disorganization until the Appomattox campaign.’” Hartwig observed that most commanders would have retreated up the Valley but Lee elected to stay around Leesburg. “Lee couldn’t read McClellan’s mind, but he took his measure.” Hartwig also pointed out that history isn’t confined to the experiences of generals and presidents. “McClellan didn’t experience the same battle as a soldier in Bloody Lane or Rufus Dawes in the Cornfield. … The heart and soul of the battle is the soldier’s lived experience, and those of people on the homefront.” He commented that historians are very fortunate to have access to such a rich record. “Probably everyone who had someone to write to wrote a letter right after the battle.”
education and visitor services at Antietam National Battlefield, discussed “The History of the Antietam Battlefield” and gave a preview of the ongoing visitor center renovation project. D. Scott Hartwig, longtime Gettysburg park ranger and author of the forthcoming history of the battle, I Dread the Thought of the Place: The Battle of Antietam, spoke on “things I found interesting” in the eight years he worked on the book.
Dr. Emilie Amt. Hartwig addressed McClellan’s generalship, and Lee’s. He gave McClellan full credit for reorganizing the army in short order, moving it into the field, and winning two victories, South Mountain and Antietam. Hartwig pointed out that when Lincoln visited the army, he visited with every corps commander, asking if he dismissed McClellan, whether their loyalty would be with McClellan or the country. “He found they really liked and respected McClellan but their first loyalty was to the country.” Hartwig concluded that both armies were in terrible shape after the battle, especially the Army of Northern Virginia. Of Lee’s whole army, A.P. Hill’s Division was the only one that was combat
D. Scott Hartwig. Professor Amt addressed several impacts of the Maryland campaign had on black residents. One was the interaction of 13th Massachusetts soldiers with enslaved and free blacks. “Many of these New England soldiers had no experience with slavery. What they saw in Maryland shaped their opinion. In many cases it turned them against slavery.” She noted that attitudes changed over time. “At first, the soldiers saw them as a curiosity. At first, many were uncomfortable.” At this stage of the war, there were many blacks in non-combatant positions with both armies. They worked as blacksmiths, servants, cooks, musicians, teamsters, and in many other jobs. Soldiers were also interested in escaped slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation bypassed the institution of slavery in Maryland and runaway slaves increased. Maryland slaves weren’t emancipated until the state took action in 1864. She concluded, “Given the centrality of slavery to the Civil War and the importance of Antietam, we need to work harder to bring their story to the fore.” Cultural Resources director Keith Snyder reviewed the early development of the park, starting with the movement to create the national cemetery. This resulted in the first presidential visit, when Andrew Johnson attended the cemetery dedication in 1867. Snyder noted that Antietam is a constructed landscape, the result of several factors. Two primary factors that affected the early development of the park were the return of veterans for reunion and remembrance activities and the increasing use of historic battlefields by the army for training.
Keith Snyder.
The first monuments at Antietam were erected in the early 1880s, not too long after the first monuments at Gettysburg. But Antietam never developed the proliferation of monuments found at Gettysburg and other national military parks. One reason was that Antietam’s enabling legislation set a 600 acre maximum on land ownership, which made it difficult to find land suitable for a monument. Since new legislation eased that restriction in the 1980s, the park has worked with the Save Historic Antietam Foundation (SHAF) and other preservation groups to expand the size of protected land. Snyder also told the audience that the park is finalizing a landscape management plan, that emphasizes preservation of the cemetery, preservation of the 1862 and the commemorative landscapes, and maintaining the solemnity of the site. The draft management plan will be available for comment in May or June. ` Before he finished, Snyder gave a brief overview of “our biggest project ever,” the ongoing renovation of the “Mission 66”era Antietam Battlefield visitor center. He said the goal is to “create an experience from the parking lot to and through the building” that will engage both the casual tourist and experts. The new exhibits will be organized around five themes, conflict, terror, survival, freedom, and memory. Institute president Chris Vincent was very pleased with the Symposium. He noted that, “Over a third of our members attended the symposium; based on their feedback everyone thought it was an outstanding event. The presentations were excellent and the participants loved their interaction with the speakers.” The Institute has developed an impressive resume of activities in a short time, including an annual fall conference and spring symposium and an active publication schedule. Vincent said the Board members “are the most dedicated working group of volunteers that I have ever had the fortune to work with. From the beginning, we’ve organized committees to manage each of the Institute’s critical areas. Board members not only chair the committees but serve on others, so we’re able to synchronize efforts across multiple committees and activities.” Besides Vincent, the original organizing group included Brad Gottfried, Kevin Pawlak, James Rosebrock, Laura Marfut, James Buchanan, Matthew Borders, Gary Rohrer, and Mac Bryan. Kevin Pawlak, publications chair, noted that educating the public about the 1862 Maryland campaign is the Institute’s key mission and said “one of the best ways to do that is through our publications.” The Institute has already published two issues of its biennial “Antietam Journal,” consisting of peer-reviewed articles on the campaign and its wider impact, and plans to issue a book a year. The first was Brigades of Antietam, which was “contributed to by many,” and edited by board member Bradley Gottfried. More information is available at https://antietaminstitute.org.
Chris Vincent. All photos by Leon Reed.