Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table

May 14, 2016

Antietam Battlefield Tour

8:00AM – 5:30PM

Antietam National Battlefield | Favorite Places & Spaces | Pinterest

The Tour: Join us for the Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table’s Fourth annual Spring Tour. The Battle of Antietam is commonly thought of as the High Water Mark of the Confederacy. After a string of victories, Gen. Robert E. Lee brought his Army of Northern Virginia into Maryland. After fighting several holding actions at the South Mountain gaps on September 14, 1862, a portion of Lee’s army was able to capture the Federal garrison at Harper’s Ferry. The army then concentrated at the hamlet of Sharpsburg, where it fought a pitched battle with the Army of the Potomac, commanded by Gen. George B. McClellan on September 17, 1862. We will study this major battle during our field trip.

The Details: This tour will begin in LaPlata (CSM Campus), where participants will board a chartered bus for the trip to the Antietam Battlefield. After a stop at the National Park Service Visitor’s Center, the four hour tour will commence under the guidance of a licensed battlefield guide; Mr. Joe Stihl. The tour will cover all of the major areas of the battle: East Woods, West Woods, Dunker Church, The Cornfield, Bloody Lane and Burnside’s Bridge.

The Cost: The cost of the trip is $60 for members and $70 for non-members. Take advantage of Early Bird Registration (by March 8, 2016) and your cost is $55 for members and $65 for non-members. The cost of trip includes bus, guide and a boxed lunch for all participants. For additional information, or to register contact Brad Gottfried at 301-934-7625.

February 14, 2016

Southern MD Civil War Round Table Film Series

March 8, 2016

Come out and join us from 5:10pm – 6:47pm as our series of Civil War movies continues prior to the regularly scheduled Round table meeting tonight. Movies will be shown 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. Admission is free!

Tonight’s Feature: “Field of Lost Shoes“

Field of Lost Shoes

Based on a true story, culminating at the Battle of New Market, VA in May 1864, this film follows a group of teenage cadets sheltered from war at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) who confront the horrors of an adult world when called upon to defend the Shenandoah Valley. Leaving behind their youth, they must decide what they are fighting for.

Starring David Arquette, Keith David, Lauren Holly and Tom Skerritt as General Ulysses S. Grant, the movie starts with Lincoln appointing General Ulysses S. Grant as Chief of Union Forces. Grant acts decisively, bringing total war to the pristine Shenandoah Valley, the breadbasket of the South. The superintendent of VMI volunteers 274 young cadets to protect the valley. They march northward toward the strategic valley choke point of New Market, VA. On the day of the battle, Confederate General John C. Breckenridge, former Vice President of the Unites States and now commander of southern forces in the Valley, is faced with a horrible decision to order the young and inexperienced cadets into battle.

Please join us after the movie for our regularly scheduled meeting from 7 – 9pm, where Carol Randell will discuss Southern Relief Societies.

February 9, 2016

March 2016 Southern MD Civil War Round Table Meeting

March 8, 2016

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that its next meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 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: Carol Randell

During discussions of Civil War aid societies, the conversations often end once the immeasurable efforts of the Christian Commission, U. S. Sanitary Commission, and various Northern states aid societies such as, the Maine Camp and Hospital Association are reviewed. This limited list begs the question, did not southern ladies also join together to help provide for the needs of the soldiers? The answer is, of course they did.

Although their efforts are not as well known today, the women of the south banded together as women have during every war to help relieve suffering. This presentation will provide an overview of various southern aid societies, and the impact the had on the common solider. A few examples of the individual and organization highlighted include the South Carolina Hospital Aid Association which established and/or ran several hospitals including the Midway Hospital in Charlottesville; and women like Mrs. S. C. Law, who in 1861 helped to form the Southern Mothers, “Devoting ourselves to the care of the sick or wounded soldiers of the Army of the Confederate States of America, wherever the chances of war shall bring them near to us.”

Carol Randell, R.N. is a retired Air Force Lt. Colonel who has been active in Civil War research for more than 20 years, with a focus on the role of women and aid societies. She received her B.S. in Nursing from Saint Anselm’s College, and her M.S. in Nursing from the University of California, San Francisco. She is an active member of the Maine Camp and Hospital Association and the 20th Main re-enactment group, providing living history events at a variety of State and National Parks. Ms. Randell lives in Huntingtown, Maryland.