Past Speakers
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January 2021 - Steve Phan presented "The capital can't
be taken!" The Civil War Defenses of Washington
Fortress Washington
was under siege. Three years of extensive construction, expansion, and
training—all at the expenditure of exorbitant resources—had come down to a
race. The Confederate Army of the Valley District commanded by Lt. Gen.
Jubal Early, advanced south along the Rockville-Georgetown Pike on the
morning of 10 July 1864. The day was hot and humid, and dust covered the
road as the exhausted rebel force aimed to complete their campaign by
seizing the Federal capital. General Robert E. Lee’s “Bald Old Man” was
running out of time. The previous day, Early’s infantry and cavalry columns
unexpectedly ran into heavy Federal opposition along the Monocacy River on
the outskirts of Frederick, Maryland.
Awaiting the Confederate army
was one of the most heavily fortified cities in the world. By summer 1864,
the elaborate defensive system encircling Washington D.C. comprised 60
forts, 93 detached batteries, 5 blockhouses, fortified bridges, over 30
miles of military roads, and armament massing 800 cannons. Supplementing the
defenses was a garrison of over 30,000 men. The capital defenders comprised
heavy artillerist—expertly trained to operate the large caliber artillery
pieces mounted in the forts—together with a mix of infantry and cavalry
regiments. Nominally, such a heavy force entrenched in fortified positions
made an enemy advance on Washington D.C. foolhardy and desperate. But 1864
called for desperate measures by both the Union and Confederacy.
Steve T. Phan is a Park Ranger and Historian at the Civil War Defenses of
Washington. He has worked at Richmond National Battlefield Park, Hopewell
Culture National Historical Park, Stones River National Battlefield, Rock
Creek Park, and Buffalo Soldiers National Monument. A military history
scholar of the Civil War era, Phan’s research focuses on military
occupation, operational command, and fortifications during the Civil War. He
is the author of articles about Asians and Pacific Islanders in the Civil
War and the Defenses of Washington for numerous publications. He was
nominated for the National Park Service Tilden Award for Excellence in
Interpretation (2019). He holds a master’s degree in American History from
Middle Tennessee State University.
February 2021 -
Dr. Thomas G. Clemens will present “Special Orders 191”. Arguably one of the
most famous incidents of the Civil War is the loss, and discovery, of
Special Orders 191 and its impact on the Maryland Campaign of 1862. Many
authors have speculated about the effects of this event on Lee’s first
invasion of the North. Did it seal the fate of Lee’s invasion? Was McClellan
slow in reacting to its discovery? Was it part of conspiracy by a spy in the
southern army? Or was it a scheme to confuse and delay the Union forces
under McClellan? Who lost it? Who found it? Where and when was it found?
What was the impact on the siege of Harpers Ferry? Likewise, the battle of
South Mountain? Even Antietam/Sharpsburg? What did it tell McClellan and
what didn’t it tell him?
Dr. Thomas G. Clemens received his
Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in history from Salisbury University, and
his Doctorate in History Education from George Mason University, where he
studied under noted Civil War historian Dr. Joseph L. Harsh. Tom came
to Hagerstown Community College in 1978 and spent most of his 34-year career
at HCC teaching American History, retiring as Professor Emeritus in 2012.
Tom has written many magazine articles in various Civil War magazines,
many book reviews and appeared in several documentary movies and television
shows focused on Civil War topics. He appears as an on-camera historian in
the introductory film shown in the Visitor’s Center at Antietam National
Battlefield.
Tom is also an NPS-certified Antietam Battlefield Guide,
and a 30+ year volunteer there.
March 2021 - Michael
E. Block will present “A Rusty Sword, Five Friends, and ‘as perfect a beauty
ever born on the soil of the Old Dominion.” Incidents and anecdotes from the
Battle of Cedar Mountain, August 9, 1862.
The Battle of Cedar
Mountain is considered by some as the opening fight in the Second Manassas
Campaign, others a one-off fight. Mike will give an overview of the Cedar
Mountain Campaign and the battle itself. But his focus will be on the
experiences soldiers who participated in the battle. Their stories are
typically lost in the recounting of the fight, so tonight’s presentation
features their tales.
Michael E. Block is a recently retired
government consultant, having served 20 years in the U. S. Air Force and 19
with the firm Booz Allen Hamilton. He was recently the Vice-President of the
Friends of Cedar Mountain Battlefield, but still volunteers for the
organizations. He has been published in Blue and Gray Magazine,
Hallowed Ground and will have his first book published, “The Carnage Was
Fearful: The Battle of Cedar Mountain”, in 2021. His specialty is the Civil
War in the Virginia Piedmont, with an emphasis on Cedar Mountain and the
Winter Encampment of 1863-64. He resides in Williamsburg, Virginia with his
wife of 39 years, Caryn. They have two married sons and three
granddaughters.
April 2021 - Chris Kolakowski presented "Perspectives of the 1862 Virginia
Campaigns“. The spring and summer of 1862 in
Virginia witnessed campaigns and bloodshed unlike
any before in North American history. Those
campaigns - Valley, Peninsula/Seven Days, and Second
Manassas - are some of the most famous of the
conflict. The results of the fighting also marked a
transition point in the Civil War. This talk will
examine lesser-appreciated aspects of those
campaigns and their contexts.
Christopher L. Kolakowski was born and raised in
Fredericksburg, Va. He received his BA in History
and Mass Communications from Emory & Henry College,
and his MA in Public History from the State
University of New York at Albany.
Chris has spent his career interpreting and
preserving American military history with the National Park Service, New
York State government, the Rensselaer County (NY) Historical Society, the
Civil War Preservation Trust, Kentucky State Parks, and the U.S. Army.
On January 6, 2020, Chris became Director of the
Wisconsin Veterans Museum, after serving as
MacArthur Memorial Director from September 16, 2013,
to 6, 2019.
May 2021
- Matt Atkinson presented "The Battle of Gettysburg – A Simple Overview”.
The name Gettysburg is synonymous with American History. Three days of
battle that brought the country from the brink of destruction to a “new
birth of freedom” at a cost of 51,000 casualties. Today, despite Gettysburg
being one of the most studied battles in the world, many Americans do not
even have a simple understanding of the battle. If you are one of those
people, this program is for you.
Matt Atkinson hails from Houston,
Mississippi. (Grierson’s Raid came through his town.) He attended Ole Miss
and graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Bachelor of
Arts in History. In 2016, Matt earned a Master of Arts in History at the
University of Louisiana-Monroe. His thesis is on the Battle of Chickasaw
Bayou or, as he would like to call it - “Dead Yankees in a Swamp.”
To view speaker listing prior to current year, click here