From the Brigade Commander ~ May

As I briefly mentioned at the beginning of our last meeting, the main topic of the April Board of Directors’ meeting focused on a long-time issue: Monthly operating costs that regularly overrun revenue. Some Board members have been regularly kicking in personal funds to cover monthly shortfalls. Highly laudable, but beyond the scope of their responsibilities. Of course, we could take the easy way out and dip into revenue generated during last year’s Pop-up Museum. But that approach would conflict with the mission of our Roundtable, which is to raise funds to preserve battlefield land and the legacy of the Civil War. As we work through options, we pledge to keep you updated. But know that shutting down our Roundtable is NOT an option under consideration.

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The May Newsletter, among other items of news, features two men awarded a Medal of Honor (MoH)—one of them for having captured a Confederate flag. A fair number of modern-day historians suggest it may have been best, at the outset of the war, to have created a unique award for this action. (Roughly 40 percent of Civil War MoH awards were awarded for enemy flag capture.) However, this approach would not have taken the sensibilities of the people living in the 19th century into consideration. Surprisingly, though, nothing much at all was done to tighten up Medal of Honor criteria until after World War I broke out. And even then, it took until 1963 before modified criteria for the Medal of Honor was finalized!

BARRY

May 5 Program Hartwig Details Announced

On Tuesday May 5th - Scott Hartwig will present “Antietam: The Soldiers’ Experience.”

While many who study the American Civil War have opinions about the generals and generalship of the war’s battles and campaigns, our idea of the soldiers’ experience in those battles is largely shaped by Hollywood.  We often imagine that somehow the Civil War was different than other wars America engaged in.  It was in certain respects, but our mental picture of a Civil War battle is often at odds with what the participants experienced. 

Through letters written in the immediate aftermath of the battle, when the memories of the engagement were still raw and fresh, and some outstanding post-war writing, we will try to strip away the nostalgia and myth and gain a greater understanding of what a battle like Antietam was really like for those who participated. 

  D. Scott Hartwig was the supervisory park historian at Gettysburg National Military Park and retired in 2014 after a 34-year career in the National Park Service, nearly all of it spent at Gettysburg.  He won the regional Freeman Tilden Award for excellence in interpretation in 1993, and was a key player for the design of all aspects of the current Gettysburg museum/visitor center. 

He is the author of To Antietam Creek: The Maryland Campaign from September 3 to September 16, published in September 2012 by Johns Hopkins University Press, and of I Dread The Thought of the Place: The Battle of Antietam and End of the Maryland Campaign, also published by Johns Hopkins in August 2023. The latter title won the 2024 Barksdale Award, Emerging Civil War Book Award, and was one of two books which received honorable mention for the American Battlefield Trust 2024 History Prize.

April Meeting Highlights and Photos

Barry opened the meeting with a comment that the Roundtable may see some changes in the fall in order to maintain our sustainability and our allow us to continue to make donation for battlefield preservation.

He also introduced our new treasurer, Bill Dax, and welcomed his services.

Chris Bryan presented “The Union XII Corps During the Maryland Campaign.” He gave a detailed account of the corps, its campaigns, and its challenges, which especially included casualties and leadership.

He spoke in details especially about Brig Gen George Greene, Lt Col Hector Tyndale, Col Henry Stainrook, and Col Willim Goodrich.

Bryan is a native of Greencastle, Pennsylvania. He earned degrees from the United States Naval Academy, St. John's College, Annapolis, and the University of Maryland, College Park. A former Naval Aviator, he works as a Cultural Resource Manager in Southern Maryland. Cedar Mountain to Antietam is his first book.

As always we held the month book raffle to support Preservation. Winners depicted below.

From the Brigade Commander ~ April

Our April meeting’s guest lecturer will focus on the 1862 trajectory of a two-division Corps referred to, according to many sources, as being a “crack regiment” and “excellent material.” However, some earlier writings describe the Corps using words such as “disrespected,” “foreigners” and “stepchild.” Speaker M. Chris Bryan will share a compelling story that puts a proper spotlight on any here-to-fore overlooked Corps’ actions at Antietam. Officially, these men were known as the Union’s XII Corps. You’ll find a summary of Mr. Bryan’s presentation on page 2 of the April newsletter. Hope you'll be able to join us.

On the lighter side, and just in time for opening day of the 2026 MLB season, inside you’ll find an “All Star” Civil War lineup, with each “player” described using baseball terminology. The piece was published in 1965 by a now-defunct magazine publisher and furnished by Round Table member Ed Root.

Among the approximately 150K to 180K Union soldiers who came to America from Ireland, you’ll find, in the April Newsletter, a summary of the action(s) that led to Medal of Honor awards. You’ll also find a recap of the Pop-up Museum expenses and a final tally for proceeds that our Round Table has received. You’ll also find a brief summary of the two remaining Campaign 48 lectures as well as April book launches related to the American Civil War.

Barry

April 7 Program Details Announced

M. Chris Bryan presents “The Union XII Corps During the Maryland Campaign”

The Union XII Corps formed in June 1862. The corps, which joined the Army of the Potomac only a week before Antietam was small, numbering just over 7,600 men. Easily overlooked, Army of the Potomac leadership and historians since have largely glossed over this corps’ contribution at Antietam. Nevertheless, this small corps ended Confederate attacks into the Miller Cornfield and East Woods, successfully defended the Dunker Church Plateau from Confederate assaults, and captured the West Woods, which had been the goal on the Federal right all morning.  

This talk will provide a brief overview of the period from the Battle of Cedar Mountain until the corps’ entry into Maryland, including its condition resulting from this period. The talk will then examine the XII Corps’ participation in the Maryland Campaign and its fighting at Antietam, including some new findings discovered through recent archival research.

Chris Bryan is a native of Greencastle, Pennsylvania. He earned a B.S. in History from the United States Naval Academy, an M.A. in Liberal Arts from St. John's College, Annapolis, and a Masters in Historic Preservation from the University of Maryland, College Park. The former Naval Aviator works as a Cultural Resource Manager in Southern Maryland. Cedar Mountain to Antietam is his first book. He has compiled and edited The Chancellorsville Campaign Papers, the first two volumes of which will be released in the coming weeks.

March Meeting Highlights and Photos

The March Meeting was held at the Delta Hotel on March 3rd and began with Ed Root recounted the many donations which made the pop-up Civil War Museum in Bethlehem over the Christmas Season so successful. From donation of space, insurance, heat, light, security systems, curtain separations, displays, food, books, etc, etc. - everyhting came togther to make it a remarkable event. The primary mover was Jack Stanley, and for his efforts he was presented with a plaque, a sword, and the thanks from the Roundtable.

Our program was Gettysburg: One Woman's War - a one-woman performance embodying three stories from famed Pennsylvania author Elsie Singmaster’s collection Gettysburg: Stories of the Red Harvest and the Aftermath.

 Elsie Singmaster (1878 – 1958) was raised and died in Macungie, but lived most of her adult life on the campus of Gettysburg’s Lutheran Seminary, where her father was a professor—and where, just a few decades earlier, Confederate soldiers had fatefully charged a Yankee defense. She is credited with having written 350 short stories—most published in popular American literary journals and magazines—and 42 books. Several of these center on the Civil War.

  Professional actress Michèle LaRue has toured nationally for 24 years in her repertoire of Tales Well Told: stories by America’s Gilded Age and Progressive Era writers. She has performed Gettysburg: One Woman's War nearly 50 times, in Gettysburg itself and in eight states from DE to WA.

Asusual we held our Preservation book raffle with winners pictured below.

From the Brigade Commander~ March 2026

I’ll get right to the topic I’m sure many of you have been waiting for: The funds our Round Table will receive from the proceeds of last year’s pop-up museum.

During its February meeting, the Board determined it needed to take a closer look at the expenses incurred and determine what a fair split of cost-sharing of operating expenses ought to look like, e.g., electricity, insurance, security system installation, etc. What I can tell you is the speculative estimate I shared in last month’s newsletter (circa $5,200) is still very much in play.

And for an organization like ours, which once boasted a membership in the hundreds, the final financial outcome will be a big deal. Here’s why: Although our membership has greatly dwindled since the initial effect of Ken Burns’ Civil War series began to wane, operating expenses have not dropped off nearly as steeply.

In other news, in the March newsletter on page 7, you’ll find a link to the American Battlefield Trust’s website that will take you to a simple web form. In less than five minutes, you will be able to add your voice in support of legislation under consideration, which proposes to extend the existing Federal battlefield preservation grant to 2035 AND have the legislation enacted before the official celebration of our nation’s 250th anniversary.

I ask that you consider taking part in this survey. No fee is associated with participation. And, to mirror the words of our Round Table’s mission, it’s an easy way we all can keep making a “real difference” in the fight to preserve battlefield land.

Thanks.

Barry

March 3 Meeting Deatails announced - Gettysburg: One Woman’s War

Synopsis

Gettysburg: One Woman's War is a one-woman performance embodying three stories from famed Pennsylvania author Elsie Singmaster’s collection Gettysburg: Stories of the Red Harvest and the Aftermath. In Singmaster’s powerful and specific exploration of a Civil War icon’s physical and emotional terrain, fictional townswoman Mary Bowman lives the war and its legacy—from the first shots at Willoughby Run to the consolation of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, to the country’s healing a half century on. Published in 1913, on the eve of another fateful cataclysm : World War I.

Author Elsie Singmaster (1878 – 1958) lived most of her adult life on the campus of Gettysburg’s Lutheran Seminary, where her father was a professor—and where, just a few decades earlier, Confederate soldiers had fatefully charged a Yankee defense. She is credited with having written 350 short stories—most published in popular American literary journals and magazines—and 42 books. Several of these center on the Civil War.

Bios

Professional actress Michèle LaRue has toured nationally for 24 years in her repertoire of Tales Well Told: stories by America’s Gilded Age and Progressive Era writers. She has performed Gettysburg: One Woman's War nearly 50 times, in Gettysburg itself and in eight states from DE to WA. A Chicago native, Michèle majored in Acting at University of Kansas, then relocated to the East Coast of her ancestors. Her theatre credits range from Off-Broadway to several Pennsylvania stages. As a writer and editor Michèle has collaborated on numerous theatre books. Of her forebears, at least one Union fighter was from PA.

February Meeting Highlights and Photos

The February Meeting was highlighted by a fascinating look at the Dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery and how Lincoln, being a second thought after Edward Everett, came to be the highlight of the incredible day.

With historical pictures, archival documents, and some conjecture, Brad Gottlieb, told the story of how the cemetery came to be; how it was organized and funded; who paid for it (not the federal government); the how the dedication was planned, organized, and the President, “invited” to say “a few appropriate remarks.”

Many of us remember Gottlieb from his incredible walking tour of downtown Gettysburg we enjoyed a few years ago. He, sometimes collaborating withhis wife Linda, has written over 20 books. He served as a college educator for over 40 years, rising to the presidency of two colleges before he retired in 2017.  He is a Gettysburg Licensed Town Guide and an Antietam Licensed Battlefield Guide.

 As usual we held our book raffle to benefit Preservation and the winners are pictured below.

From the Brigade Commander - February

Over the last several months,
our Roundtable accomplished some thing never attempted in its 48 years of existence:
Operate a museum.

Commander Barry Arnold

Of course, this couldn’t have happened without a LOT of hard work by several Roundtable members, especially Jack Stanley, who negotiated an agreement for the space and, with little help—and a fair amount of personal funds—set up a professional-looking museum that largely incorporated items from Jack’s collection.

Ed Root leveraged his contacts from both the Bethlehem area and elsewhere to garner support. Twenty-six Roundtable members, a few friends, and 17 students donated their time to serve in multiple capacities, including greeters, docents, reenactors, and presenters.

Several members were also involved in behind-the-scenes efforts, both prior to and after opening day.

All of which all brings me to what might be the most satisfying ending to any event I’ve ever been a part of. First, circa 5,200 individuals visited the museum during operating hours. Second, our Roundtable will likely see proceeds that look reasonably close to the number of visitors the museum attracted!

Jack Stanley

Our Preservation Committee will soon begin its work to identify preservation efforts that fit our criteria for funding. Following our Board of Directors meeting, scheduled for late January, I’ll have more to share as it relates to the funds that our Roundtable will receive from this venture and what we plan to do with these funds.

I want to thank Jack, first of foremost, but also the rest of the team members who helped to make this event an amazing success. You’ll find a listing of volunteers in the February newsletter on page 4.