Books for the Civil War Buff in Your Life

The first Confederate invasion of the North in the fall of 1862 led to a series of engagements known as the Maryland Campaign. Though best remembered for its climax, there was desperate fighting at both South Mountain and Harpers Ferry prior to the bloodletting at Antietam Creek. These battles in particular were desperate affairs of bloody attacks and determined defense. In this work are the images of thirty Union soldiers, published here for the first time, that help give a face and a history to those men who struggled up the slopes of South Mountain or sheltered from Confederate cannons at Harpers Ferry. Join Matthew Borders and Joseph Stahl as they introduce you to these men, their battles and their stories.

The Battle of Antietam, widely known as the bloodiest day in American history, was also a pivotal point in the Civil War. The battle itself was a draw, but it ended Robert E. Lee's first attempt at invading the North when his troops withdrew back across the Potomac in the aftermath of the engagement. The outcome of the battle caused President Lincoln to reevaluate the performance of his general George B. McClellan, a decision that altered the outcome of the war. Author David Keller provides a fresh look at the command decisions of Robert E. Lee and George B. McClellan before, during and after the Battle of Antietam, with insight into President Lincoln's evaluation of McClellan and his use of the Battle of Antietam for political purposes.

Read the story of the Battle of Antietam from the African American perspective.

The African American community around Sharpsburg, Maryland witnessed John Brown’s raid, wartime skirmishes, the Battle of South Mountain, and the aftermath of the bloodiest day in American history. Read stories of encounters with Abraham Lincoln and Union and Confederate generals, and of Black civilian suffering and sacrifice in the cause of freedom. Their experiences during four years of Civil War come to life in vivid detail, often in their own words.

Award-winning historian Emilie Amt recounts the personal stories of African Americans, both enslaved and free, who lived on the battlefield and who worked in the armies who clashed there.

There were over 75 raids and battles that took place in Maryland during the Civil War, including ""Bloody Antietam""--the bloodiest day in American military history.

As a border state between the North and South during the Civil War, Maryland's loyalties were strong for both sides. The first casualties of the war occurred during the Baltimore Riot of April 19, 1861, when members of the 6th Massachusetts Regiment were attacked by Confederate supporters while traversing through the city on their way to protect Washington, DC, from attack. Ten days later, Maryland chose not to secede from the Union by a vote of 53-13. On September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the Civil War took place at ""Bloody Antietam."" At the end of the day, nearly one in four men would be a casualty of the battle, making it the bloodiest day in American military history. There were over 75 skirmishes, raids, and major battles that took place in Maryland during the Civil War. Through vintage photographs, Maryland in the Civil War shares the state's rich military heritage.

Approximately 110,000 soldiers of the Union and Confederate armies fought along the banks of Antietam Creek in the bloodiest single-day battle in American history.

In 12 hours of fighting, approximately 23,000 men fell, either killed, wounded, or missing, forever scarring the landscape around the town of Sharpsburg. Established as the Antietam Battlefield Site in 1890, Antietam National Battlefield became a National Park Service landmark in 1933. The park grew from 33 acres in the 1890s to encompassing over 3,000 acres today. Some of the Civil War's most recognizable landmarks now sit within its boundaries, including Dunker Church, Bloody Lane, and Burnside Bridge. The events that occurred across the fields and woodlots around Sharpsburg and along Antietam Creek bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to Antietam National Battlefield every year.

Wedged strategically between the Mason-Dixon Line and the Potomac River, Hagerstown was destined to play a significant role in the Civil War. A diverse community, most residents gravitated toward the blue while some sided with the gray. Slavery was not a major presence in western Maryland, yet some local residents owned slaves along this route on the Underground Railroad. The intriguing story of Hagerstown during the Civil War is captured in this volume of vintage photographs, portraits, drawings, and other illustrations. Learn the stories of participants, both local and from across the country, whose wartime experiences in Hagerstown forever affected them. From the secretive arrival of John Brown in June 1859, to recent efforts to commemorate this history, the reader will come to understand the rich heritage that can be found in Hagerstown.

In September 1862, fighting from the Battle of Antietam spilled into Sharpsburg's streets. Residents were left to bury the dead from both sides. Today, locals report lingering echoes of that strife, from the faint taps of a Union drummer boy named Charley King to the phantom footsteps of Confederate soldiers charging up the stairs of the Rohrbach House. Two spectral girls seen playing by the Big Spring in Children's Alley may be Savilla Miller and Theresa Kretzer, best friends torn apart by their divided loyalties. Tour guides Mark and Julia Brugh craft a vivid portrait of Sharpsburg in the Civil War and bring to light stories of the ghosts for whom the conflict never ended.

The historic Antietam National Battlefield is documented and remembered in this collection of mailable vintage-photograph postcards. Approximately 110,000 soldiers of the Union and Confederate armies fought along the banks of Antietam Creek in the bloodiest single-day battle in American history. In 12 hours of fighting, approximately 23,000 men fell, either killed, wounded, or missing, forever scarring the landscape around the town of Sharpsburg. Established as the Antietam Battlefield Site in 1890, Antietam National Battlefield became a National Park Service landmark in 1933. The park grew from 33 acres in the 1890s to encompassing over 3,000 acres today. Some of the Civil War's most recognizable landmarks now sit within its boundaries, including Dunker Church, Bloody Lane, and Burnside Bridge. The events that occurred across the fields and woodlots around Sharpsburg and along Antietam Creek bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to Antietam National Battlefield every year.

Organized fire protection in Frederick County, Maryland, existed before the adoption of the Constitution. Follow the colorful history of the fire companies from the first fire engine in 1764 to the fire company militia units that were summoned to Harper's Ferry and fire halls used during the Civil War. Learn how the fire companies in Frederick County had statewide influence by organizing the Maryland State Firemen's Association in 1893. Read of the tradition of fire engines "throwing water over the town clock"--sometimes to test performance, other times just for bragging rights. Local author and volunteer firefighter Chip Jewell provides a snapshot of how each fire company was organized from the early 1800s to the most recent companies in the 1970s.

By the time the American Civil War began, the agrarian, slave-owning South and the rapidly industrializing North had become almost two separate nations. As a border state with ties to both sides, Maryland and its people played a unique role in the war. This series of essays on Maryland's involvement in the conflict and its aftermath highlights some of the personalities and events that make Maryland's Civil War stories unusual and compelling. Author Richard P. Cox draws on original sources and contributions from historians to relate the many ironies, curiosities and legends that abound. This volume will appeal to those who want to be introduced to the Civil War in Maryland as well as to those already well versed in the subject.

When the first Federal troops arrived in the spring of 1861, Maryland was in the precarious position of a border state. Predominately loyal to the Union, Marylanders saw the influx of soldiers as defenders. Yet for the minority supporting the Confederacy, the Federals were oppressors. Historian Claudia Floyd explores this complex relationship between Maryland civilians and their Union occupiers. Residents on both sides of the conflict faced pillaging, vandalizing and criminal acts from errant soldiers. Civilians also quickly realized that Federal troops could not guarantee protection from Confederate invasions. Meanwhile, there was a strong backlash over African American emancipation and enlistment in the longtime slave state. Through contemporary accounts, Floyd creates a nuanced portrait of citizens and soldiers caught up in the turbulent upheaval of war.

On April 19, 1861, the first blood of the Civil War was spilled in the streets of Baltimore. En route to Camden Station, Union forces were confronted by angry Southern sympathizers, and at Pratt Street the crowd rushed the troops, who responded with lethal volleys. Four soldiers and twelve Baltimoreans were left dead. Marylanders unsuccessfully attempted to further cut ties with the North by sabotaging roads, bridges and telegraph lines. In response to the "Battle of Baltimore," Lincoln declared martial law and withheld habeas corpus in much of the state. Author Harry Ezratty skillfully narrates the events of that day and their impact on the rest of the war, when Baltimore became a city occupied.

Just south of the Mason-Dixon Line, Frederick, Maryland, was poised at the crossroads of the Civil War.

Here, Confederate troops passed west to the Battles of Antietam and South Monocacy, while Union troops marched north to Gettysburg and south to raid the resources of the Shenandoah Valley. Both heroes and villains were made in the spired city, such as Dame Barbara Fritchie, who is said to defied General Jackson; General Jubal Early, who threatened to put the town to the torch; and the local doctors and nurses who cared for thousands of wounded soldiers. Join local historian John Schildt as he recounts the fascinating history of Frederick in the Civil War.

On July 9, 1864, young Mamie Tyler crouched in a cellar as Union sharpshooters above traded volleys with Confederate forces. After six excruciating hours, she emerged to nurse the wounded from the Battle of Monocacy. This was life in a border state and the terrifying reality for the women of Maryland. Western Maryland experienced some of the worst carnage of the war, and women turned their homes into hospitals for the wounded of Antietam, South Mountain and Gettysburg. In Baltimore, secessionists such as Hetty Carry fled arrest by Union troops. The Eastern Shore's Anna Ella Carroll plotted military strategy for the Union, and Harriet Tubman led hundreds of slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Author Claudia Floyd draws on letters and memoirs to chronicle their stories and present a fascinating and nuanced portrait of Maryland women in the Civil War.