March 2021 Southern MD Civil War Round Table Meeting

March 9 , 2021

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that its March meeting will take place virtually on Tuesday, March 9, 2021 at 7:00pm from your computer. Due to continuing concerns over the COVID 19 virus and in the interest of member health and safety, we are moving our meeting on line for the immediate future. Members should be checking their email for directions on how to connect to the meeting on March 9, 2021 at 7pm. Not a member! Please reach out to us at bsunderland@somdcwrt.org to learn how to become a member.

Guest Speaker: Matt Borders

We welcome back Matt Borders, who spoke to us in November about his book “Faces of Union Soldiers at Antietam”, as he shares images and stories of some of the 30 Union soldiers highlighted in his latest book, “Faces of Union Soldiers at South Mountain & Harpers Ferry”.

Written and published with his fellow National Park Service certified guide Joseph Stahl, this work looks into 30 individual soldiers that fought in the opening battles of the Maryland Campaign, South Mountain and Harpers Ferry on September 14 & 15, 1862. These images are previously unpublished and are of the men in the ranks, not the generals that commanded them. Matt will discuss a sampling of these soldiers, who they were, what they did on these fields, and what can be gleaned from their images.

A long time student of American History and the Civil War, Matthew Borders holds a BA in US History and an MS in Historic Preservation. He has worked as a National Park Service ranger at Antietam National Battlefield, as well as a historian and battlefield surveyor for the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program. He is also a Certified Battlefield Guide at Antietam and Harper’s Ferry. Currently Matthew is a Park Ranger at Monocacy National Battlefield in Frederick, MD. In 2019, Matthew was honored to be the recipient of the Save Historic Antietam Foundation’s prestigious Dr. Joseph Harsh Award for his research topic, The Loudoun Valley Campaign of 1862: McClellan’s Final Advance.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns at bsunderland@somdcwrt.org or at 443-975-9142. We look forward to seeing you!

October 18, 2020

November 2020 Southern MD Civil War Round Table Meeting

November 10, 2020

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that its October meeting will take place virtually on Tuesday November 10, 2020 at 7:00pm from your computer. Due to continuing concerns over the COVID 19 virus and in the interest of member health and safety, we are moving our meeting on line for the immediate future. Members should be checking their email for directions on how to connect to the meeting on November 10, 2020 at 7pm. Not a member! Please reach out to us at bsunderland@somdcwrt.org to learn how to become a member.

Guest Speaker: Matt Borders

“Faces of Union Soldiers at Antietam”

Join us this evening as Matt Borders shares with us images and stories of some of the 36 Union soldiers highlighted in his latest work, “Faces of Union Soldiers at Antietam“. Written and published with his fellow National Park Service guide (and friend of the Round Table, Joseph Stahl), this work looks into 36 individual soldiers that fought at the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, America’s Bloodiest Day. These images are previously unpublished and are of the men in the ranks, not the generals that commanded them. Matt will discuss a sampling of these soldiers, who they were, what they did on the field, and what we can glean from their images.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns at bsunderland@somdcwrt.org or at 443-975-9142. We look forward to seeing you!

July 31, 2017

September 2017 Southern MD Civil War Round Table Meeting

September 12, 2017

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that its next meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 12, 2017 at 7:00pm at the College of Southern Maryland’s Center for Business and Industry, Chaney Enterprises Conference Center, Room BI-113, at 8730 Mitchell Road in La Plata, MD.

Guest Speaker: Joseph Stahl

For those that joined us on our 2016 Spring Field Trip to Antietam, tonight’s speaker will be very familiar. For those that did not, you are in for a treat, as our guide from our survey of Antietam, Joseph Stahl, returns to speak to us about Union ID discs, as The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table kicks off its sixth (6th) season.

The presentation “Union ID Discs” will introduce information on the history, types and makers of the “metals” as they were called in the Civil War. These discs were bought by the soldiers as they were not government issue. Examples of most of the major types of discs will be shown and information about each of the owners of the discs will be included. The discs will be on display at the presentation.

Joseph Stahl retired from the Institute for Defense Analyses where he authored or co-authored more that 50 reports on defense issues. Since his retirement he has become a volunteer and Licensed Battlefield Guide at Antietam. He grew up in St. Louis, where he earned an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis. He is a member of the Company of Military Historians, SHAF, the Hagerstown Civil War Roundtable and is co-author of the first book on ID discs Identification Discs of Union Soldiers in the Civil War. He has spoken to various Civil War groups including the Northern Virginia Relic Hunters, South Mountain Coin and Relic Club, Rappahannock, York, Chambersburg and Hagerstown Round Tables, Chambersburg Civil War Tours, Save Historic Antietam Foundation and the NPS Antietam. In addition Joe has authored more that two dozen articles about items in his collections for the Gettysburg Magazine, the Washington Times Civil War Page, Manuscripts, America’s Civil War, Military Collector & Historian the Journal of the Company of Military Historians, the Civil War Historian and the Skirmish Line of the North-South Skirmish Association. Displays of items from of his collection have won awards at several Civil War shows.

Mr. Stahl also has been a member of the North-South Skirmish Association for more than 20 years and has shot civil war type muskets, carbines and revolvers in both individual and team competitions.

Attendance is free for all, but membership is recommended. For information, contact the Round Table’s president, Brad Gottfried, at bradgottfried@yahoo.com or 862-268-5576.