Podcasts


In Episode 12 of "The Antietam And Beyond Podcast," longtime Antietam National Park Service ranger Brian Baracz talks with co-hosts John Banks and Tom McMillan about the 1864 battlefield burials map of S.G. Elliott. Baracz also talks about his favorite Antietam monument, why the battlefield is so special to him and much more.

  • Explore the 1864 Elliott map — part of the New York Public Library Digital Collections — for yourself here.
  • Read more about the map on my blog here.


In Episode 11 of "The Antietam And Beyond Podcast," author Steven Cowie shares with co-hosts John Banks and Tom McMillan stories of the profound impact of the Battle of Antietam on civilians in Sharpsburg, Md. Among the stories Cowie tells is of the heartbreaking loss for farmer William Roulette of his 20-month-old daughter, Carrie May, who died of disease more than a month after the battle. 

Cowie’s book is the result of 15 years of comprehensive study. He unearthed a trove of previously unused archival accounts and examined scores of primary sources, including letters, diaries, regimental histories and official reports. The book is packed with explanatory footnotes, original maps and photographs. Purchase a copy of the book here on publisher Savas Beatie's web site.


In Episode 10 of "The Antietam And Beyond Podcast," Irish historian Damian Shiels joins co-hosts John Banks and Tom McMillan for a fascinating discussion about the famous Irish Brigade that fought on the William Roulette farm and at Bloody Lane during the Battle of Antietam. 

Learn more about Irish Brigade commander Thomas Meagher, common soldiers in the unit, the "procession of death" for the Irish in 1864 and much more. Plus, no podcast with an Irish Civil War historian can go without mentioning Major General Patrick Cleburne, the famous Confederate commander who died at the Battle of Franklin. 

Shiels, an historian and archaeologist, has lectured and published widely on both social military history and conflict archaeology. He established and runs the excellent Irish American Civil War web site and is author of The Irish In The American Civil War. Purchase your copy on Amazon.com. Shiels lives in Finland.


In Episode 9 of "The Antietam And Beyond Podcast," Antietam guide Laura Marfut, a retired U.S. Army colonel, joins co-hosts John Banks and Tom McMillan for a discussion about the fighting in The Bloody Cornfield on the northern end of the battlefield. Learn more about artillery, Iron Brigade officer Rufus Dawes, Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood — and, yes, dangling biscuits!

Marfut graduated from the U.S. Army War College with a master’s degree in strategic studies. In 2019, she was certified as an Antietam National Battlefield guide. Marfut is also a board member of the Antietam Institute, which you can read more about here. | Join the Antietam Institute.


In Episode 8 of "The Antietam And Beyond Podcast," professor emeritus and author Dr. Emilie Amt joins co-hosts John Banks and Tom McMillan for a discusssion about her book, Black Antietam: African Americans and the Civil War in Sharpsburg. In her book, the experiences of Black Americans — enslaved and free — come to life in vivid detail, often in their own words. You may purchase Amt's book here. Read her blog here.

A native of Maryland, Amt is an emeritus professor of history. From 1998 to 2021, she held the Hildegarde Pilgram Chair of History at Hood College in Frederick, Md. She earned a B.A. in medieval studies from Swarthmore College and a D.Phil. in modern history from Oxford University.


In Episode 7 of "The Antietam And Beyond Podcast," historian and author Dr. Tom Clemens joins co-hosts John Banks and Tom McMillan for a chat about the Battle of Antietam, battlefield preservation and much more. 

Clemens, a Keedysville, Md., resident, is president of Save Historic Antietam Foundation (SHAF), one of the country's foremost battlefield preservation organizations, and editor and annotator of three books on the Ezra Carman papers about the Maryland Campaign. You may purchase those books on the Savas Beatie site here.

We discuss: 

  • One of Save Historic Antietam Foundation's recent great saves of battlefield property. 
  • The origins of SHAF. 
  •  Veteran Ezra Carman, who served as the historical expert for the board that created Antietam National Battlefield. 
  • The greatness of Bonnie's at The Red Byrd restaurant in Keedysville, Md. (Brown gravy!) 



In Episode 6 of "The Antietam and Beyond Podcast," historian and author Tom McGrath discusses the Battle of Shepherdstown with me and co-host Tom McMillan. Fought Sept. 19-20, 1862, the battle on what was then Virginia soil (it became West Virginia in June 1863) was the final clash of the Maryland Campaign.

We discuss:

  • The 118th Pennsylvania and how a "Civil War badass" in its ranks became a hero.
  • The amazing terrain of the battlefield.
  • What you can see on the hallowed ground today (cement mill ruins and a house with a cannon ball embedded in it!) and much more.

McGrath is author of Shepherdstown: Last Clash of the Antietam Campaign, September 19-20, 1862, which you can purchase here.


In Episode 5 of "The Antietam and Beyond Podcast," Antietam battlefield guide Jim Buchanan — “The Mayor Of The West Woods” — discusses with me and co-host Tom McMillan this important section of the battlefield where fighting raged on the morning of Sept. 17, 1862. 

You'll hear mentions of generals John Sedgwick and Robert E. Lee as well as stories about common soldiers who fought in the West Woods. You'll also hear about the epic "Wounded Lion" monument, "mystery" figures in the West Woods and the muddy boots on the cover of my latest book. Buchanan has blogged about the West Woods for years. Check out his Walking The West Woods blog.


In Episode 4 of "The Antietam and Beyond Podcast," former relic hunter Richard Clem — “The Babe Ruth Of Storytellers” — and avid relic hunter John Davidson discuss the hobby with co-hosts Tom McMillan and John Banks. Clem, 83, who hung up his metal detector several years ago, recalls the day he "eyeballed" bullets behind the Dunker Church on the Antietam battlefield — it was private property then — and talks about his unearthing of four Civil War soldier ID discs and much more.

Davidson hunts campsites and elsewhere throughout Washington County (Md.), where he and Clem live. He talks about his favorite finds, "the hunt after the hunt" and the ethics of a polarizing hobby. (Full disclosure: Neither McMillan nor Banks are relic hunters.)

WARNING: Relic hunting is ILLEGAL on National Park Service property. Public property, both state and federal, is generally not open to metal detecting and removal of artifacts. Consult your local laws. You must have permission to relic hunt on private property.



In Episode 3 of "The Antietam and Beyond Podcast," historian and author Alex Rossino joins co-hosts Tom McMillan and John Banks for an in-depth discussion of Special Order 191, the (in)famous and controversial "Lost Order." U.S. Army soldiers discovered the orders — issued by Army of Northern Virginia commander Robert E. Lee on Sept. 9, 1862, during the Maryland Campaign — wrapped in an envelope with cigars near Frederick, Md.

    

In Episode 2 of our "The Antietam and Beyond Podcast," historian and author Scott Hartwig joins us to discuss I Dread The Thought Of The Place, his monumental 960-page book about the Battle of Antietam and end of the Maryland Campaign. "The best and most complete story of the Civil War's bloodiest day," historian James M. McPherson calls Hartwig's work. "Masterful," a reader writes of the recently released book. "Exhaustive," says another.


In the debut episode of our "The Antietam and Beyond Podcast," Tom McMillan and I talk about why the battle and the battlefield keep us enthralled. You'll also learn about the soldier who carved his name into the windowsill of the Dunker Church and hear about a wandering Saint Bernard in the 40-Acre Cornfield that spooked one of us.

The podcast is sponsored by Civil War Trails, which since 1994 has connected visitors with small towns and big stories across a network that now spans six states. Visit CWT here. 

OLDER PODCASTS


On Daniel Finnerman's "Finneran's Wake" podcast, we talked about my book (A Civil War Road Trip Of A Lifetime), couch burning, red licorice, the Kennedy assassination and much more. 

Guest: Jim Kay on the Battle of Nashville Trust (June 25, 2020) 

Kay, a longtime student of the Dec. 15-16, 1864, battle, talks about the role of the U.S, Colored Troops, the fight at Peach Orchard Hill, key remaining battlefield sites and more. (Length: 38 minutes) LISTEN

Guest: Ken Rutherford on Civil War landmines (June 23, 2020)

The James Madison University professor talks about his recently released book, America’s Buried History / Landmines in the Civil War, his efforts to ban mines and his association with Princess Diana. (Length: 48 minutes)
LISTEN

Guest: Brian Downey of The Battle of Antietam on the Web (April 30, 2020)

We talk about his 24-year-old web site, the deepest and best of its kind. It includes thousands of soldier bios, battle maps, a blog and much more.  (Length: 49 minutes)

Guest: Rich Condon of Civil War Pittsburgh (Dec. 6, 2019)

We talk about the 1862 Allegheny Arsenal explosion, forts in Pittsburgh, human interest stories, Mr. Rogers (!) and whiskey. Always whiskey! (Length: 47 minutes)
LISTEN

Guest: Harry Smeltzer of Bull Runnings Blog (Aug. 26, 2019)

Smeltzer talks about Bull Runnings, a journal of the digitization of a Civil War battle, and his fascination with the First Battle of Bull Run. Smeltzer, from the Pittsburgh area, is a board member of the Save Historic Antietam Foundation. (SHAF). (Length: 45 minutes)
LISTEN

Guest: Jake Wynn of Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office (Aug. 6, 2019)

Wynn, director of interpretation at Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office and Museum, discusses the Washington D.C. museum, Antietam and more. (Length: 51 minutes)
LISTEN

Debut podcast! John Banks on Ford's Theatre disaster, more (Aug. 2, 2019)

When rescue workers first arrived at Ford's Theatre after a section of the three-story building collapsed, they were struck by the eerie silence. Then the men began a frenzied search for survivors and the grim task of removing the dead. In all, 23 workers inside the building, including Civil War veterans, died in the June 9, 1893, tragedy. (Length: 32 minutes)
LISTEN

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