Carroll Community College

8:45 a.m.
Registration, Exhibits and Continental Breakfast – Great Hall

9:15 – 10:30 a.m.
Welcome and Opening Session – Scott Center for the Performing Arts

Marching through Maryland: Lee’s Campaign of 1862
Thomas Clemens

The political and military dilemmas facing the Union and Confederate governments in the summer of 1862 powerfully influenced the direction of the Civil War. Thomas Clemens focuses on the issues that drove the campaign: Robert E. Lee's belief that a success in Maryland could win independence and international recognition for his nation, the horrific number of casualties on both sides, and the devastation of the local civilian population. Using maps to trace the routes of the opposing armies, Clemens weaves an engaging story, explaining both actions and their consequences in this important campaign. Funding for this session is provided by the Maryland Humanities Council.

Thomas G. Clemens is a professor of history at Hagerstown Community College. He received his B.A. and M.A. in history from Salisbury State University and his Ph.D. from George Mason University. He is a Founding Member and President of Save Historic Antietam Foundation. Clemens recently published "The Maryland Campaign of September 1862, Volume I: South Mountain," the first part of a two-volume historical, annotated manuscript that details one of the most famous campaigns of the Civil War. In addition to eyewitness accounts, the manuscript includes maps and photos. A biographical dictionary is included in Volume II, which is expected to be released in 2012. 

10:45 – 11:45 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions – Room locations will be posted

General Daniel Harvey Hill in the Maryland Campaign of 1862
Doug Batson

The greatest mystery of the American Civil War, the Lost Order 191, set the stage for General Daniel Harvey Hill’s heroics at South Mountain and in the “Bloody Lane” at Sharpsburg, but ultimately tarnished his personal reputation and led to his dismissal from Confederate service. Doug Batson gives a first person impression of Hill, the acerbic brother-in-law of Stonewall Jackson.

Douglas Batson is a Defense Department geographer in Washington, DC. He holds a Master of Education from Boston University and bachelor’s degrees in history and geography. Now retired from the U.S. Army Reserve, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal during Operation Desert Storm. Visit his Living History website is at dhhill.org.

The U.S. Presidential Election of 1860 in Maryland
Jeff Goodson

The US Presidential Campaign and election of 1860 featured four primary candidates spread among three political parties. The Democratic Party was further split into a Northern and Southern faction. The election was a pivotal moment in the history of the nation in general and Maryland in particular, as the outcome became a leading cause of the American Civil War. Examine the candidates and key issues that divided Marylanders such as economics, sectionalism, slavery and state’s rights. We also discuss the events surrounding the May 1860 Constitutional Union National Convention and the June 1860 Democratic National Convention, both held in Baltimore. This colorful, yet virulent and hostile period set the stage, which led to secession and ultimate conflict that literally pitted Maryland’s “brother against brother.”

Jeff Goodson is a retired counterintelligence special agent and a military history buff. He is an adjunct faculty member of history at Carroll Community College and the Community College of Baltimore County and a member of the Baltimore Civil War Roundtable and the Company of Military Historians.  

11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Lunch & Exhibits – Great Hall

1 – 2 p.m.
General Session – Scott Center for the Performing Arts

Maryland Soldiers North and South
Dan Toomey

Marylanders fought on both sides in the Civil War. Dan Toomey takes an updated and expanded look at who wore blue and who wore gray, and how Maryland’s troops evolved from pre-war militia companies to reliable combat veterans in both the Union and Confederate armies. This illustrated presentation covers the militia, recruiting, Maryland versus Maryland and the veterans.

Daniel Carroll Toomey is a graduate of the University of Maryland and the author of several books including "The Civil War in Maryland," "The Johnson-Gilmor Raid," and "The Maryland Line Confederate Soldiers’ Home." He is the co-author of "Baltimore During the Civil War" and "Marylanders in Blue." Toomey serves on the Maryland Military Monuments Commission and on the board of directors of the Maryland Military Historical Society. Toomey was the recipient of the Gettysburg National Battlefield Award in 1985 and in 2001 received the Peterkin Award from the National Park Service at Fort McHenry for his contributions in the fields of research and preservation. 

2:15 – 3:15 p.m.
General Session – Scott Center for the Performing Arts

"...owing to the excitement and confusion attending to the battle of Antietam..."
Jay Graybeal

Henry A. Poffenberger, who owned a farm just north of Sharpsburg, saw the property occupied by Union troops in 1862 and the partially harvested crops taken or destroyed. Jay Graybeal, Poffenberger’s great-great-grandson weaves a story of family, battle, loss and resilience by examining Poffenberger’s life, which included relocating to a new property and opening a store that was looted during the Gettysburg campaign, a decades-long struggle for compensation, the artifacts Poffenberger found along Bloody Lane, and a descendant’s role on the Maryland Civil War Centennial Commission.

Jay Graybeal is a former director of the Historical Society of Carroll County and a co-founder of this conference. He is the author of "Carroll County and the Great War for Civilization, 1917-1919" and co-compiler of "Tours of Duty: Carroll County and the Vietnam War." He holds a master's degree in History Museum Studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program and currently serves the Chief Curator of the US Army Heritage Museum in Carlisle, PA.