MONTGOMERY COUNTY & THE CIVIL WAR

The Civil War in the Capital Area 
Speaker: William Offutt
This lecture examines the impact of the war on Montgomery County and those who fought and suffered through it. Local civil war sites covered include slides of forts in the Northwest Washington D.C. area.

The Civil War in Montgomery County
Speaker: Susan Soderberg
Maryland was a slave state that did not secede from the Union during the Civil War, and Montgomery County occupied a strategic position just north of the capital of the northern states and at the Potomac River border between the warring factions. Troops from both sides of the conflict marched through the county at various times during the War, massive numbers of Union troops were trained here, Confederate raiders made frequent forays, and spying and smuggling was rampant. Come and find out what it would have been like to live in Montgomery County during these tense times. [May or may not use overhead projector for showing maps as requested]

Civil War Monuments in Maryland
Speaker: Susan Soderberg
Ever pass by a monument or statue and wonder -- Who put that up there? What does it mean? Monuments are signpost of the past. They are supposed to tell us something, but we have forgotten how to read them. Learn how to read the "language of monuments" and discover how both Union and Confederate monuments in the state helped to heal the wounds of war and were more like peace symbols than glorifications of war.

A Field Guide to Civil War Statues in Washington
Speaker: James Johnston
In recent years, America has commemorated valor by erecting monuments to entire wars, such as the World War II and the Vietnam Veteran's Memorials. Civil War veterans did it differently. They remembered themselves in monuments through their generals. Jim Johnston uses the statutes to tell the story of the Civil War and of the artistry that went into them

The Man Who (Almost) Conquered Washington: Gen. John McCausland
Speaker: James Johnston
Confederate General John McCausland bragged to Ulysses Grant that McCausland had come closer to taking the city than any other Confederate general. Was he right, or was he just telling another tall soldier's tale? And then there's that "Chambersburg thing." His grandson didn't want to talk about it. McCausland had the city burned down.

Jubal Early's Attack on Washington
Speaker: James Johnston

The Civil War Camps at Muddy Branch and the Outpost Camp and Blockhouse at Blockhouse Point
Speaker: Don Housley
Between 1861 and 1865, some 29 Union regiments from 13 states stationed at Muddy Branch guarded the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the Potomac River crossings in the general area between Seneca and Pennyfield Locks. To serve as early warning stations on bluffs overlooking the Potomac, Union troops built a series of blockhouses. Archaeological work is continuing on the only blockhouse now located on county park land at Blockhouse Point. This PowerPoint presentation covers both the Civil War history of the camps at Muddy Branch and the history and archaeology of its outpost blockhouse and camp located within Blockhouse Point Conservation Park. A follow up guided tour of the blockhouse and outpost campsite can also be arranged. To learn more about the history of Blockhouse Point visit www.blockhousepoint.org.

Union Army Surgeon Dr. Edward Stonestreet & His Civil War Hospital in Rockville
Speaker: Clarence Hickey
Dr. Edward Stonestreet of Rockville served as Montgomery County Examining Surgeon in 1862, performing physical examinations on local Union Army recruits and draftees.  He also served two terms as Acting Assistant Surgeon with the Union Army.  He was in charge of a temporary Army General Hospital in Rockville, treating the wounded after the Battle of Antietam (1862), and also treated the ill soldiers of the 6th Michigan Cavalry Regiment in Rockville (1863) prior to its heroic efforts during the Battle of Gettysburg.  Civil War medicine is discussed in relation to medical education of that era and in relation to 19th century medicine before and after the War.  This presentation, based on the speaker's 2009 book Send for the Doctor, is available as a first person portrayal of Dr. Stonestreet or as a PowerPoint slide show.  The speaker brings a doctor's bag from 1885 containing example medical instruments of the Civil War and the 1800s for show and tell.  Book sales and signings can be included, with all of the sales proceeds going to MCHS.

A Civil War Christmas at Home
Reenactor: Mary Lou Luff
Mrs. Stonestreet, mother of a Rockville doctor, attired in civil war clothing, shows small antique items that will be Christmas gifts for her family. Holiday customs and food are discussed.