Finding Antietam: A Guide’s Story, John Michael Priest
This is the fourth essay in our monthly series “Finding Antietam – A Guide’s Story.” Each month, we’ll feature the story of one of our guides and what sparked their interest in Antietam and the Civil War and why they became an Antietam Battlefield Guide. Antietam Battlefield Guide John Michael Priest never tires of taking visitors on tours of this pristine battlefield.
When I started collecting material on Antietam forty years ago I had no idea that it would evolve into my first book Antietam: The Soldiers’ Battle (White Mane, 1989), and that it would still be in print thirty years later. Antietam Battlefield is a serene, non-commercialized treasure. Visitors often comment on its verdant, undulating hills and its hauntingly beautiful landmarks – the Dunker Church, Burnside Bridge, and the Sunken Road. The wonderful hiking trails, and the wide variety of wildlife – groundhogs, deer, fox, turkey buzzards, hawks, and squirrels – add to the tranquility of the site of one of the bloodiest battles in U.S. history.
I really love giving tours because I have a chance to weave a tapestry of military and civilian history into a visual tapestry of how and why the battle evolved as it did. I approach it from the front-line soldiers’ perspectives by relating how the ground and the atmospheric conditions of that day contributed to the chaos of the battle. I get to talk about the military technology of the day and the military tactics. I also get to discuss Civil War medicine and the American System which Dr. Jonathan Letterman introduced to the army at Antietam.
The battlefield has so much to offer its visitors. Topics which I cover on the field range from farming techniques to tourniquets; Brethren religious practices to dealing with the influx of so many foreigners – predominantly the Germans and the Irish – into both armies; personal hygiene during the Civil War to the diseases which plagued civilians and military personnel alike. The story of Antietam is an all-encompassing narrative of the American experience.
As a guide, I get to drive almost every kind of vehicle on the market and I get to meet individuals from all over this great country and the world beyond it. It is a privilege and an honor to work here. I never tire of going out on the field with our guests.
Finding Antietam: A Guide’s Story, Tom Clemens
This is the third essay in our monthly series “Finding Antietam – A Guide’s Story.” Each month, we’ll feature the story of one of our guides and what sparked their interest in Antietam and the Civil War and why they became an Antietam Battlefield Guide. Antietam Battlefield Guide Tom Clemens began his love of the battlefield and the Maryland Campaign four decades ago when he moved to Washington County.
Growing up in Baltimore County during the Civil War Centennial, I was always fascinated by Civil War history, and moving to Washington County in 1978 only elevated that interest. I began volunteering at Antietam in the summer of 1979 and was immediately captivated by the beautifully evocative landscape and the remarkable level of preservation for that time. With friendly and accommodating National Park Service staff, I soon felt like part of the family. While places like Gettysburg attracted more people, I knew Antietam was a special place.
As I began to seriously study the battle other aspects of it became apparent to me. Although book-length studies of the battle existed, there was still much to be discovered. Many old myths and misperceptions lingered. My friend and fellow historian Brian Pohanka was the first to encourage and guide me on my path to discovering more about Antietam, and the men who fought and bled there. One of these myths or misperceptions he made me aware of was that Gen. George B. McClellan was not the bumbling fool most historians believed.
I thought there was more about Antietam that needed to be told. Civil War historian and professor Dr. Joseph Harsh, who I met in 1990, greatly enhanced this belief. I was privileged to not only have him as my academic advisor but also to read and critique the manuscript of his trilogy on the Confederate strategy in the Maryland Campaign. His passion for Antietam inspired me to edit and annotate Ezra Carman’s massive manuscript history of the battle. Carman served at Antietam as the commander of the 13th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry and Antietam’s first official historian.
The more I studied Antietam the more captivating it became to me. So many aspects of the campaign, the war, and politics were decided at Antietam. Lee’s first invasion of the north was defeated, ending perhaps the best chance for Southern independence; the intervention of foreign powers was eliminated by Lee’s failure; and McClellan’s victory allowed President Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Antietam can thus be seen as arguably the turning point of the war. After forty years of studying Antietam as a volunteer, guide, and historian there is still much to discover. Sharing these discoveries with our visitors is one of the greatest privileges and joys of my life.
Tom has edited Ezra Carman’s manuscript into a three-volume set.
Finding Antietam: A Guide’s Story, John Schildt
This is the second essay in our monthly series “Finding Antietam – A Guide’s Story.” Each month, we’ll feature the story of one of our guides about what sparked their interest in Antietam and the Civil War and why they became an Antietam Battlefield Guide. Antietam Battlefield Guide John Schildt began his love of the battlefield and the Maryland Campaign as a young boy through family connections to the Civil War. 
Several events awakened my interest in the Civil War. My great grandmother was eight years old in 1863. She told the story over and over of standing in the rain with her siblings and giving milk and bread to Union soldiers marching to Gettysburg. She always stressed a rainy Monday. Later research revealed that it was Monday, June 29. The location was northeast of Frederick and the troops were part of Hancock’s command. This was the beginning.
Second, on Lincoln’s birthday in First Grade, many moons ago, the teacher brought in a miniature log cabin and other items related to Lincoln. Then she gave each of us a shiny penny. I still have mine.
Third, somehow, my folks obtained a copy of the 75th Anniversary program. I could not read, but just about wore the booklet out looking at the photos, being especially impressed with the stacked weapons of the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry.
For years, I led an all-day staff ride for the U.S. Army Chaplain’s School. They always ended with a short service at the south wall of the National Cemetery. I have always concluded my tours at the cemetery wall. One can almost visualize the lines of battle, the smoke hanging over the field, and hear the thunder of the cannon and the rattle of musketry while to the west is the monument to the 9th New York Zouaves. It is a mystical experience.
An unforgettable experience occurred on Sunday, September 17, 1989. On that day I had the honor, as a Protestant Chaplain sharing with a Catholic priest, of participating in the burial of the members of the Irish Brigade. Thus, I can say I shared in a Civil War funeral.
The great deeds and mystical experiences of yesterday live on as I find Antietam and re-find the saga of events on hallowed ground and share with others in being keepers of the fields of valor.
The view from the south wall of the National Cemetery
Welcome to the official site for the Antietam Battlefield Guide Association. The Antietam Guides are a group of historians dedicated to providing outstanding interpretive tours of the Antietam Battlefield, as well as other sites related to the Maryland Campaign of 1862. The Antietam Guides are booked through the Antietam National Battlefield Museum Store. This site offers a listing of our battlefield guides, as well as updates about our programs, what our guides are up to, and information about Antietam National Battlefield. We hope to see you at the park soon!
Antietam Battlefield Guides 