Historian
In 1862, before the Emancipation Proclamation, the Union Army did not yet enlist black men as soldiers. But black men served in noncombatant roles throughout the military: as laborers, mule drivers, horse handlers, cooks, and …
Continue Reading about McCauley Lecture: Black Men in the Union Army at Antietam
This September 14th marks the 160th anniversary of the Battle of South Mountain, three days before and a few miles away from the dreadful Battle of Antietam. South Mountain gets swallowed up in the greater horror that …
Continue Reading about A Black Child Witness of the Battle of Crampton’s Gap
I’m warning you now, this story ends badly. But let’s start with the good parts. Early in the twentieth century, a young black man named Allen B. Wilson graduated from Leonard College, the medical school of Shaw University …
Continue Reading about A Black Doctor and an Abortion in 1941
Very few firsthand accounts survive of African American experiences during the Civil War in western Maryland. One of them comes from the family of Rev. Daniel Ridout, an A.M.E. circuit preacher for Frederick and Washington …
The African American Historical Association of Western Maryland will be holding an all-day Juneteenth celebration at historic Rockland, original home of the abolitionist James W.C. Pennington, with music, storytelling, …
In a joint presentation, Elizabeth Paul and I will discuss the challenges faced in saving and preserving Halfway African American Cemetery, with a focus on the contributions of many community partners, including volunteers, …
Continue Reading about Meeting Unusual Challenges: Friends of Halfway African American Cemetery
