Lincoln 150 – On the Trail of the Assassin

150Lincoln

Spend the weekend in Charles County, MD!

Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the Lincoln 150 Commemoration. History comes alive this April 17-19, 2015. Enjoy Civil War re-enactors, encampments, music, theater, guided tours, and food. See below for participating hotels commemoration discounts.

April 17, 2015
An Evening of Civil War Music and Words – “Charles County in the Civil War,” a lecture presented by Dr. Christine Arnold Lourie, CSM Professor of History following with Q & A. “Civil War Music and Words,” a dramatic presentation with music, performed by CSM theatre students under the direction of CSM Associate Professor of Theatre, Keith Hight, with CSM Lecturer in Music Michael K. Santana on keyboard.

Time: 6 – 8:30 p.m.
Location: College of Southern Maryland
8730 Mitchell Rd, La Plata, MD 20646
(Center for Business and Industry (BI) Building, Room 113)
Event Admission: Free (tickets not required)
Phone: 301-934-7828
Website: http://www.csmd.edu/Arts/

April 17 – 18, 2015
A Global View of The Escape – Experience history through science at the James E. Richmond Science Center. Using the latest digital dome technology and Science on a Sphere audiences will get a vivid picture of Booth’s escape path.
Time: Friday, 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m., 10:45 a.m. & Noon
Location: James E. Richmond Science Center
5305 Piney Church Rd, Waldorf, MD 20603
Event Admission: Fee
Phone: 301-934-7464
Email: JERScienceCenter@ccboe.com
Website: http://www.ccboe.com/sciencecenter/

April 18 – 19, 2015
Lincoln 150 – On the Trail of the Assassin – On April 14, 1865 John Wilkes Booth, the assassin, rode on horseback with co-conspirator David Herold to Dr. Mudd’s home in the early hours of April 15th for surgery on his fractured leg before continuing his escape. Weekend activities include: Port Tobacco Players Theater Production titled, “The Assassin’s Doctor”, living history group and suttlers, first person impressions (i.e. Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses Grant, Dr. Mudd, etc.), guest speakers, authors, music performances, and Civil War Dolls display.
Time: Saturday, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Location: Dr. Samuel Mudd House Museum
3725 Dr. Mudd Rd, Waldorf, MD 20601
Event Admission: $5 per car
House Tour Admission: $8 for adults, $2 for children (6 – 16); Free for members
Phone: 800-766-3386
Email: welcomecenter@charlescountymd.gov
Villains, Rebels & Rogues – Join professional archaeologists as they excavate around Rich Hill Farm uncovering evidence of its 19th century appearance. Hear from local historians as they share Rich Hill’s connection to the Lincoln assassination and learn about the little known people who lived and worked on this historic Charles County farm.
Time: Saturday and Sunday: 10 a.m to 3 p.m.
Location: Rich Hill Farm House (home of Samuel Cox)
Rich Hill Farm Rd, Bel Alton, MD 20611
Event Admission: Free
Phone:800-766-3386
Email: welcomecenter@charlescountymd.gov

Conspiracy – The Talk of Port Tobacco – Come take a walk around Port Tobacco Village, a Maryland port town that was a hotbed of Confederate activity and where residents may have been involved in the conspiracy. Learn about one of the conspirators who lived and owned a business here.
Time: Saturday and Sunday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (last tour begins at 3 p.m.)
Location: Port Tobacco Historic Village
8430 Commerce St, Port Tobacco, MD 20677
Event Admission: $5
Phone: 301-392-3418
Email: historicdistrict@charlescountymd.gov

Hotel Discounts
Best Western Plus La Plata Inn
6900 Crain Highway
La Plata, MD 20646
Ph: 301-934-4900
website: www.bestwestern.com/laplatainn
Phone Reservation Only: Reservation Code LIN to receive 22% discount rate.

Hampton Inn Waldorf
3750 Crain Highway
Waldorf, MD
phone: 301-632-9600
website: www.waldorf.hamptoninn.com
Refer to Lincoln 150 Commemoration Weekend or Group Code CHXLCW to receive the discount rate.

Colony South Hotel
7401 Surratts Road
Clinton, MD 20735
Ph: 301-877-4801
website: www.colonysouth.com
Refer Group code 1504LINC to receive the discount rate.

March 16, 2015

Civil War Stamp Dedication

WHAT	First-Day-of Issue stamp dedication ceremony for the Civil War 1865 Forever stamps. The ceremony will take place in front of the McLean House where Lee surrendered to Grant. The public is encouraged to attend this free event.

WHEN	1:30 p.m., Thurs., April 9 (note: April 8 overnight encampment on-site; April 9 events begin at 7:30 a.m. There will be a reenactment of Lee surrendering to Grant at the McLean House that starts at 1 p.m.)
WHERE	Appomattox Court House111 National Park Dr. Appomattox, VA 24522 (Although travel time is several hours from LaPlata, MD, anticipate significant traffic congestion upon entering the Appomattox area April 8-12. The National Park Service will provide shuttles from satellite parking areas.)

BACKGROUND With these two stamps, the U.S. Postal Service concludes its series of ten stamps commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Pre-order the stamps now via usps.com and search for “Appomattox” and “stamp.” Expect delivery shortly after April 9. Since 2011, souvenir sheets with two stamp designs have been issued for each year of the war (1861-1865). On the 2015 souvenir sheet, one stamp depicts the Battle of Five Forks, near Petersburg, VA, on April 1, 1865. The other stamp depicts Robert E. Lee’s surrender to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9. Art director Phil Jordan selected historic paintings for the stamp designs. The Battle of Five Forks stamp is a reproduction of a painting, circa 1885, by French artist Paul Dominique Philippoteaux (1846-1923). Philippoteaux was best known for his massive cyclorama (360-degree circular painting) of the Battle of Gettysburg that drew large audiences when it was first displayed in Chicago in 1883. The Appomattox Court House stamp is a reproduction of the 1895 painting “Peace in Union” by Thomas Nast (1840-1902), depicting Robert E. Lee’s surrender. Nast, a political cartoonist for most of his career, devised the donkey as a symbol of the Democratic Party and the elephant to represent the Republican Party. The background image on the souvenir sheet is a photograph of a number of Federal rifles stacked in the vicinity of Petersburg during the siege. The 12-stamp souvenir sheet includes comments on the war by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, and Union General Joshua L. Chamberlain. It also includes lines parodying the lyrics of Patrick S. Gilmore’s famous Civil War song, “When Johnny Comes Marching Home.”

March 10, 2015

April 2015 Southern MD Civil War Round Table Meeting

April 14, 2015

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that its next meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 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: Michael Kauffman

Local author, Michael W. Kauffman, author of “American Brutus: John ...

Michael Kauffman, author of the best seller “American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies” will speak to the Southern Maryland Civil War Roundtable about the Booth conspiracy and how it was built largely around Southern Maryland politics. Booth was often described as a Southerner, but in fact, he was a Marylander — and so were almost all of the people who were drawn into his plot. The people of Southern Maryland lived on the fault line of national politics, in a Border State, where politics had grown intensely personal through the war, and where the phrase “Brother vs. Brother” was literally true for many local families. Its geographical position — nearly surrounding the nation’s capital — gave it a strategic importance far beyond that of any other state that remained in the Union.

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In the fall of 1864, John Wilkes Booth set out to recruit a band of conspirators for his plot against the president. Booth knew little about the area, but he knew how the people here felt about Lincoln. He was a master of manipulation, and he took full advantage of the political climate to build his plot. When he looked for cohorts, a sympathetic ear, and a secure route of escape, he knew where he would find friendly territory. Southern Maryland was his only option.

MICHAEL W. KAUFFMAN is a political historian and graduate of the University of Virginia who has studied the Lincoln assassination for more than thirty years.

Taking a full-immersion approach to his research, he has rowed across the Potomac where Booth rowed, leaped to the stage in Ford’s Theatre, and for a time he even took up residence in Tudor Hall, the Booth family home in Maryland.

Kauffman has written for Civil War Times, the Washington Post, American Heritage, Blue and Gray, and the Lincoln Herald, among others. He has lectured throughout the United States, and has appeared in more than twenty television and radio documentaries, including programs on A& E, The Learning Channel, the History Channel, National Geographic Channel, and the Discovery Channel.

His works include a modern edition of Samuel B. Arnold’s Memoirs of a Lincoln Conspirator, as well as American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies, which was named as one of the best non-fiction books of 2004.His latest book, “In the Footsteps of An Assassin” is a 161-page book which guides the reader with maps, rare photos and an accompanying CD through the sites Booth encountered on his flight from Washington to the Garrett Farm, the site of Booth’s death.

February 11, 2015

Southern MD Civil War Round Table Spring Field Trip

The Booth Escape Tour
Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table
Saturday, May 2, 2015
8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

This year is the sesquicentennial President Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination. Therefore, it is fitting that the third annual Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table tour be the “Booth Escape Tour.”

We will board the bus at CSM’s La Plata Campus and head up to Ford’s Theater, where we will visit the museum and the Peterson House across the street where Lincoln died.

Then we will re-board the bus to see some relevant sites around D.C., including the home of Sec. of State William Seward. Next we will drive down to the Surratt Tavern, where we will be given a tour of the facility and then onto the Mudd House. Along the way, you will dine on a box lunch (included in the price of the tour).

Our next stop takes us over to the Samuel Cox House (Rich Hill) and the pine thicket in Bel Alton. After driving by Pope’s Creek, where Booth pushed off from Maryland, we will head south and drive by Cleydael, the home of Dr. and Mrs. Richard Stewart and then by the Peyton House in Port Royal, and finally to the location of the Garrett Farm, where Booth was killed.

The cost of the tour includes a Keller bus, guided tour, admission to several historic structures, and box lunch. The cost is $60 for members of the Round Table (and their guests). Those paying by or at the March 10 Round Table meeting will only pay $55. The cost for nonmembers is $70.

February 10, 2015

March 2015 Southern MD Civil War Round Table Meeting

March 10, 2015

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that its next meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 10, 2015 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: Michael Fitzpatrick

Michael Fitzpatrick

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table welcomes Michael Fitzpatrick as he shares with us the story of “Helen M. Noye – The Young Nurse“. Helen M. Noye spent almost a full year as a volunteer nurse at the Naval School Hospital in Annapolis, MD. As one of the youngest nurses to serve during the Civil War, Noye left behind a legacy of letters written to her family in Buffalo, NY, which described her feelings while working in the hospital, as well as her observations of the other nurses she served with, the medical staff and the patients that she treated. Using these letters and various other sources, Mr. Fitzpatrick will help us see the art of nursing and Civil War Medicine through the eyes of this courageous twenty-three year old nurse.

Michael Fitzpatrick has been active in Civil War Research for over thirty years. He is a contributing editor for “Military Images” magazine, where he indulges his passion for history and antique photographs. He has had several articles published in “Civil War Times Illustrated”, “America’s Civil War” and “Naval History” magazines. Mr. Fitzpatrick has also written a novel, “The Letters from Fiddler’s Green” , which combines a modern day mystery with flashbacks to a Civil War adventure/love story. For the past fifteen years, he has been involved in portraying living history as a volunteer at various State and National Parks as a member of Company E, 20th Maine Infantry re-enactment group. Mr. Fitzpatrick lives in Annapolis, MD and is currently writing a book on the history of Annapolis during the Civil War. It was through his research on Annapolis that he discovered the remarkable story of Helen Noye, a young volunteer nurse.

January 13, 2015

February 2015 Southern MD Civil War Round Table Meeting

February 10, 2015

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that its next meeting will take place on Tuesday, February 10, 2015 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: Dianne Cross

Did you ever visit your grandparent’s, an aunt, or some other family relation and notice a photograph/picture hanging on the wall or over the mantle? Did you know who it was? Was there a story about it; maybe even a thought that this person was a distant relative or had some other connection to your kin? Did you have a nickname for the image; “The Senator”, “The Colonel”, or “The Little Man in the Suit”? Dianne Cross has such a recollection! Hanging in her grandmother’s home and known to her, her siblings and all of her cousins as “The Soldier”, a colorful drawing of a US Colored Troop soldier, with cannon, knapsacks, tents and an American flag in the background, it was surmised that “The Soldier” was in a Union Army campground. The family’s oral history indicates a possible relationship to her family. Inspired by the Alex Haley novel and subsequent television mini-series “Roots“, as well as by the PBS broadcast of “The Civil War“, Ms. Cross decided to learn a bit more about “The Soldier”. Via Internet searches and culling through numerous records at the National Archives, Ms. Cross was not only able to establish the identity of “The Soldier”, but also positively confirm her family’s oral history. We invite you to join us tonight as Dianne Cross shares with us her journey of exploration, education and enlightenment as to the true identity of the “The Soldier”, a.k.a. Issac Hall.

Born and reared in Moorestown, New Jersey, Diane Cross attended Rutgers University. Earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in History, she began her professional career with R.C.A. Retiring in 2007 from L-3 Communications, she now resides in Laurel, MD with her husband Lewis and “The Soldier”. Ms. Cross has created a website, www.longoverduestory.com, which has many of the documents she found in the course of her research. We welcome Dianne Cross and hope like she does, that her story will spark an interest in learning more about your family story.

December 10, 2014

January 2015 Southern MD Civil War Round Table Meeting

January 13, 2015

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that its next meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 13, 2015 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: David G. Moore

William S. Rosecrans and the Union Victory: A Civil War Biography

Join the Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table as we welcome author David G. Moore, who will discuss with us his new book, William S. Rosecrans and the Union Victory. The first biography of Union General William S. Rosecrans in more than fifty years. David Moore will take us on journey that describes the military successes and important results garnered by Gen. Rosecrans that helped lead to the Union victory in the Civil War. From winning the first major campaign of the Civil War in West Virginia in 1861, to victories in northeastern Mississippi, making possible the success of the Vicksburg campaign, to two successful campaigns in Tennessee and finally the successful defense of Missouri from Confederate invasion in 1864, Mr. Moore will explain how, despite these triumphs, Gen. Rosecrans would be removed from command four times and how politics played a role in these changes and throughout the war. It promises to be a very enlightening evening as we learn a little more about the Union General who championed advances in medical care, transportation and cartography, a man more interested in engineering as well as theology and a soldier affectionately known as “old Rosy”!

November 11, 2014

December 2014 Southern MD Civil War Round Table Meeting

December 9, 2014

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that its next meeting will take place on Tuesday, December 9, 2014 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 LaPlata, MD.

Guest Speaker: Dr. Tom Jarvis

It would just not be a Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table season if our good friend, Dr. Tom Jarvis did not address us. Having previously spoken to us on “The Causes of the Civil War” and “Why the North Won and the South Lost The Civil War”, tonight Tom promises to take us on a little bit different of a journey. Tonight, Tom has questions and we need to provide the answers! Dr. Thomas Jarvis

We know that our members have a great depth of knowledge about the Civil War. At this evening’s meeting, we will all be given a chance to share some of that knowledge. Dr. Jarvis will introduce a variety of topics through specific questions about the war and its participants. We, the members of the Round Table will then have an opportunity to answer these questions and discuss them. For example, under the topic of “Civil War Generals”, one question will be: “Who was the ranking general in the Confederate Army?” After a period of discussion, Dr. Jarvis will briefly discuss Civil War generals, interspersing the topic with questions for discussion as well as tossing in some fascinating historical facts about Union and Confederate generals. This may include some more questions about some of the more famous generals. Some other topics to broached are: Battles, the Impact of Weather, Horses and Civil War Slang. Come prepared for what promises to be a lively and informative session!

Tom Jarvis taught history as a Professional Instructor as American University in Washington, D.C. and is a member of the adjunct faculty at the College of Southern Maryland. He has developed two specialty courses offered at the college; “The History of American Warfare” and “The United States and Twentieth Century World Affairs”. Tom has a Bachelor of Arts in history form Stony Brook University, a master’s degree from the School of International Service, American University, and a Ph.D. in United States History from American University. He served three years in the U.S. Army, working in the intelligence field with the Army Security Agency. He retired from the Central Intelligence Agency as a Senior Executive.

We look forward to welcoming Tom Jarvis back to the podium for this presentation and to seeing you for an enlightening evening of discussion.

October 14, 2014

November 2014 Southern MD Civil War Round Table Meeting

November 11, 2014

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that its next meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 11, 2014 at 7:00pm at the College of Southern Maryland’s Center for Business & Industry, Chaney Enterprises Conference Room, BI-113, at 8730 Mitchell Road in La Plata, MD.

Guest Speaker: Dr. Richard J. Siciliano

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table welcomes College of Southern Maryland Professor, Richard J. Siciliano, as he delivers a lively and entertaining survey of movies that portray the U.S. Civil War from the early days of film making to the present. Dr. Siciliano will show and discuss clips and trailers from of movies from the early 20th century to the present, some which may stretch historical truth, and others that are unabashedly creative with historical accuracy. He will show clips from and talk about such movie standards as Birth of a Nation (1915), Red Badge of Courage (1951) and Gone with the Wind (1939), through more recent movies including Glory (1989), Ken Burns’ The Civil War documentary mini series (1990), Gettysburg (1991), Cold Mountain (2003), Lincoln (2012) and most recently, Copperhead (2013). Dr. Siciliano will also discuss some lesser known (and perhaps infamous) movies about the Civil War!

A member of the SMCWRT, Dr. Siciliano has developed and teaches an on line course on the Civil War in Film and Literature (ENG-2840), which is offered every spring semester. In conjunction with that course, he also developed a Civil War Film Series, offered at the La Plata campus, which has held last winter and spring. A professor of British Literature and American Cinema and Culture, Dr. Siciliano has taught at the College of Southern Maryland since 1968. He earned his B.A. degree in English Languages and Literature from Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA; his Masters from The Catholic University in Washington, D.C.; and his Doctorate from George Washington University, Washington D.C.

September 10, 2014

October 2014 Southern MD Civil War Round Table Meeting

October 14, 2014

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce that its next meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 14, 2014 at 7:00pm at the College of Southern Maryland’s Center for Business & Industry, Chaney Enterprises Conference Room, BI-113, at 8730 Mitchell Road in La Plata, MD.

Guest Speaker: David R. Craig

The Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table welcomes Harford County Executive David R. Craig as he presents the story of native Marylander Confederate Brigadier General James J. Archer.

Born near Harve de Grace, MD in 1817 and a law student at the University of Maryland, Archer would fight in the Mexican-American War and serve in the regular army prior to the outbreak of the Civil War. Joining the Confederate Army after resigning his commission, Archer would start as a captain, but worked his way up to the rank of Brigadier General by June 1862.

He would command troops at the Seven Days Battles, Cedar Mountain, Second Bull Run, Antietam and Gettysburg. Archer would suffer the distinction of being the first general officer captured from the Army of Northern Virginia since Robert E. Lee took command. David R. Craig will provide us all the details about this native son, who earned the nickname, “The Little Gamecock”; not for being from South Carolina, but due to his slight physical build and fierce attitude in combat.

In addition to serving as Harford County Executive, David R. Craig has a distinguished record of public service, including serving in the Maryland House of Delegates and State Senate, on numerous committees, boards and commissions, including the Maryland Civil War Heritage Commission. He resides in Harford County, Maryland with his wife, Melinda, with whom he has three children and eight grandchildren.