Each year guides are recognized for their outstanding performance and contributions.

O.T. Reilly Award

O.T. Reilly

The O.T. Reilly Award honors the memory of Antietam’s first battlefield guide. Oliver Thomas Reilly, a lifelong Sharpsburg resident, was five years old at the time of the battle. He became a guide at age fifteen and spent the remaining years of his life leading tours, collecting artifacts, and sharing his knowledge and memories of America’s bloodiest day and its impact with returning veterans and the public at large.

In recognition of that legacy, today’s Antietam Battlefield Guides honor one of their own. The O.T. Reilly Award is awarded annually to a guide who has provided outstanding service in meeting the National Park Service’s objectives of historical interpretation and education and the preservation and protection of Antietam National Battlefield’s landscape, historic structures, archaeological sites, and monuments. This guide epitomizes the spirit of O.T. Reilly and exemplifies the highest standards of historical interpretation, preservation, and dedication.

Past Recipients:
2012: John Schildt
2013: Jim Rosebrock
2014: Joe Stahl
2015: Bob Casey
2016: Bill Sagle
2017: Chris Vincent
2018: Sharon Murray
2019: Jim Buchanan
2020: Kevin Pawlak
2021: Laura Marfut

Ezra A. Carman Award

Ezra A. Carman

The Ezra A. Carman Award honors the memory of Antietam’s first historical expert of the battlefield. No single person has had more impact on the Antietam battlefield than Ezra A. Carman. A veteran of the battle, the United States War Department hired Carman in 1896 as “historical expert” to create detailed battle maps, design the tour route, mark points of special interest, and create a “pamphlet” to guide the government in future modifications of the battlefield. His “pamphlet” became a 1,800-page manuscript providing the most detailed account of the campaign ever written. It is the book still used today for most histories of the battle. Carman also authored the cast-iron tablets seen on the battlefield today. For his works, he used official and private sources and amassed over 2,800 accounts from veterans of the battle.

In recognition of Carman’s legacy, the Ezra A. Carman Distinguished Scholarship Award is awarded annually to a guide who has provided outstanding scholarship and exceptional contributions in the field that enhances the study of the Maryland Campaign. This guide epitomizes the spirit of Ezra A. Carman and honors their contributions to excellence in historical research and writing.

Past Recipients:
2019: Tom Clemens
2020: John Schildt
2021: Kevin Pawlak

1,000 Career Tours

2018: Justin Mayhue
2019: John Michael Priest

Guide Emeritus

Gordon Dammann
Bill Sagle