“Not for themselves, but for their country,” is the inscription on a monument in the Antietam National Cemetery commonly referred to as Simon or “Old Simon” honoring the hundreds of stories of sacrifice and duty. Simon faces north towards home as he stands guard over the soldiers who served our country in a time of unsettling challenges to our nation. It is a moving moment standing before the monument, reflecting on the battle, and puts into perspective a critical time in our early history in such a bucolic part of Maryland. It is one of many experiences available to visitors of all ages at Antietam National Battlefield Park that engages the thousands that visit each year.

At the end of August of 1862, the Confederacy reached the pinnacle of its political and military prestige as the Union found itself in the dregs of defeat and despair. The Confederate Army, and its commander, Robert E. Lee, embarked on a campaign called the Maryland Campaign of 1862 to invade the north for the first time. In Sharpsburg, the people still went about their peaceful existence wishing the war stay out of the Antietam valley. On a fateful Wednesday, September 17, 1862, the culminating battle, the Battle of Antietam or Battle of Sharpsburg, came to their doorsteps. The battle left horrific numbers of casualties in homes, barns, churches, and schools. It left in its wake a community ill prepared for the devastation which became a long, cataclysmic journey of recovery after 1862. The Union victory allowed President Abraham Lincoln to issue the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862 and a turning point in the war. For the Confederacy, James Longstreet later wrote, “at Sharpsburg was sprung the keystone of the arch which the Confederate cause rested.”

Your journey to the Antietam National Battlefield Park welcomes you to showcase the rich beauty, peacefulness, and history of Washington County, Maryland. As a battlefield guide, it is my pleasure to help take a journey, guide you through the battle, and use the well-preserved park as a roadmap when both armies arrived in early fall of 1862. We will explore places such as the “Dunkard Church,” the “Cornfield,” the “Sunken Road,” the “Burnside Bridge,” and around Sharpsburg where soldiers from both sides traversed over 160 years ago.

My love of history began as a kid riding my bike to little league baseball games in Brandywine Hundred (North Wilmington), Delaware. Along the way, I passed through a church graveyard reading grave markers of revolutionary and civil war soldiers. After receiving my Bachelor’s degree in 1989 in Computer Information Systems, Minors in History and Music, I watched the ground breaking documentary, “The Civil War” by filmmaker Ken Burns. From that time and gathering the names from that graveyard, my journey to learn, write, and discover the history of the Second (2nd) Delaware Volunteer Infantry and their journey through the Civil War began. I visited Antietam National Battlefield Park for the first time in 2009. In 2015, I received my Masters in Liberal Arts, History from Washington College to focus on a new career. Years after, on a whim, my wife and I visited a family gravesite at Manor Church in Fairplay, Maryland. Antietam Battlefield Park was seven miles south and we decided on a driving tour as part of our journey. The scenery, my impending retirement, and a desire to talk about history influenced me to volunteer as a Battlefield Ambassador at Antietam. Since 2019, my journey evolved towards becoming a certified battlefield guide, sharing history with people, and enjoy the joy of learning along the way. It was a rewarding decision and one I cherish each day as I meet many people from different walks of life.

To schedule a tour with me or another Antietam Battlefield Guide, contact the Antietam Museum Store at (301) 432-4329 or (866) 461-5180. You can also email at AntietamTours@easternnational.org.