TWO CIVIL WAR BATTLES THAT SAVED THE CAPITAL IN DC

This July 9 and 11, mark the 160th anniversaries of the Battle of Monocacy fought in Frederick, MD and the Battle of Fort Stevens in Washington, D.C. – two of the most important, yet least known battles of the Civil War.   To inform our Leisure World residents of the importance of these battles, the Center for Lifelong Learning has scheduled Brad Stone for a presentation scheduled for Tuesday, June 11, 2024 at 2 p.m. in the Clubhouse Auditorium.

Residents interested in attending the program should register to attend with Lifestyle (E&R) in Clubhouse 1 or 2 or by calling Lifestyle at (301-598-1320). Registration begins on the Tuesday following the Friday publication in the Leisure World newspaper. For more details about the class, contact the Center’s website at https://www.cllmd.com.

At the Battle of Monocacy, a small Union force hastily cobbled together by Union General Lew Wallace - and outnumbered nearly three-to-one - miraculously held back an invading Confederate army headed toward Washington, D.C. for an entire day – just enough time for the Union to reinforce the Union capital’s fortifications. 

A few days later at Fort Stevens, Union forces - with President Lincoln looking on – rebuffed the Confederate invaders and forced them to retreat back to Virginia. These Battles saved Washington, D.C. from almost certain capture - and by extension helped saved Lincoln’s reelection chances and the Union cause in the 1864 election.

In addition, the events surrounding the Battles had other monumental effects on our region and the nation such as expediting the end of slavery in Maryland and resurrecting the reputation of a Union general who would go on write one of America’s best-selling and influential novels. Since part of this important story involves the Confederate occupation of areas of Silver Spring, Brad thought this presentation might be of particular interest to the Leisure World community

During his career Brad was a senior public affairs executive for the federal government, including serving as the head of media affairs for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He is currently pursuing his lifelong interest in the Civil War by volunteering as a docent at both the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, MD and aboard the USS Constellation in Baltimore Harbor.

Over the past few years, he has given presentations at a wide variety of venues including the Gettysburg Heritage Center in Gettysburg, PA; the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum National Park in Washington, DC; the Antietam National Battlefield Park in Antietam, MD; and the U.S. Navy Museum at the Navy Yard in Washington, DC. Two of his presentations have been nationally broadcast on CSPAN II American History TV. In addition, he has also had the pleasure of speaking at senior communities around the greater DC and Baltimore area. He finds these experiences to be a lot of fun – and the audiences seem to really enjoy them.