Civil War 150th Maryland Campaign anniversary commemorations

Civil War 150th Maryland Campaign anniversary commemorations to be previewed at First Call Weekend

(Frederick, MD, May 30, 2012) - First Call Weekend, planned for June 16-17, 2012 at the City Park, Hagerstown, Maryland, commemorates the 150th Anniversary of the Maryland Campaign and previews the many Civil War events that are planned throughout the commemorative period in Maryland's Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area.

During the First Call Weekend, visitors will get a preview of upcoming 2012 Sesquicentennial commemorations and battle anniversary weekends, while enjoying activities such as living history interpretations, artillery demonstrations, hands-on youth activities, Civil War era music and entertainment, exhibits, a Civil War period baseball game, encampment tours, and evening tours by torchlight. The event is free and open to the public Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The First Call Weekend in 2012 is the first in a series of three annual expos. First Call Weekend for 2013 will be held in Carroll County with a focus on the Gettysburg Campaign and then Frederick County for 2014 with a focus on the Battle of Monocacy, also known as "The Battle that Saved Washington."      

2012 marks the 150th anniversary of Gen. Robert E. Lee's 1862 Maryland Campaign, and commemorations explore the impact of Lee's first advance of the Confederate army into the north, beginning with crossing the Potomac River into Maryland, the Battles of South Mountain and Antietam, and concluding with Abraham Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. Reenactments, living history demonstrations, lectures, concerts, special exhibits, memorial church services and more will take place from June through October 2012, with key battle anniversaries falling in September.

"Washington, Frederick and Carroll Counties were truly at the heart of the Civil War in Maryland. With one foot in the north, and one foot in the south, the story of the Civil War, its causes, battles, heroes and villains...its very meaning can be told nowhere better than in this part of Maryland," explains Liz Shatto, Director for the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area.

First Call Weekend will preview the many 2012 Maryland Campaign commemorations planned over the next several months in Maryland. Recently, the National Park Service released a website,  www.nps.gov/marylandcampaign, which is dedicated to Maryland Campaign commemorative events, stories, and interpretive programs. The Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area is listed as one of the resources and provides a comprehensive listing of Maryland Campaign events in Maryland on their website.   

First Call weekend will also be the launch of the new "Civil War Comes to Maryland" Junior Civil War Historian Activity Book which includes fun tasks for school children to complete at thirteen historic sites throughout the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area. Youngsters will learn about the importance of the Maryland Campaign and what it was like at home when troops moved through the countryside and towns of Carroll, Frederick and Washington Counties. Activities explore various subthemes, including the Underground Railroad, General Lee's Lost Orders, local encampments, and care of the wounded. Activities will also introduce famous and lesser known historical figures. Participants in this free program may earn a "Maryland Campaign 150th" pin and Junior Civil War Historian Certificate. The book will be available at the First Call event, participating organizations, and downloadable from http://www.heartofthecivilwar.org.

In addition to First Call Weekend, milestone Maryland Campaign commemorative events, activities, and exhibits within Maryland's Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area include these highlights:

• Valley of the Shadow: A Commemorative Exhibition - From June 16, 2012 - July 28, 2013, the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts will feature objects on loan from public and private collections and the museum's collection will come together to create a "museum within a museum" commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Maryland Campaign of 1862 and the Gettysburg Campaign of 1863. This extensive exhibition brings together works of art, such as Eastman Johnson's Study for "The Wounded Drummer Boy" from the Brooklyn Museum, and objects of material culture, such as weaponry, musical instruments, and clothing, to tell the stories of the war, from the soldiers who fought in its battles to the home front.
• "The Return of Special Orders 191" - From August 1 through October 31, 2012, Monocacy National Battlefield will display Lee's famous "Lost Order," Special Orders #191, on loan from the Library of Congress. These Confederate orders were found by Union soldiers on land that is now part of the Monocacy Battlefield, and some historians believe the discovery directly impacted the outcome of Antietam. August 4, 2012 marks the grand opening of "The Return of Special Orders 191" exhibit.
• Local premier, "Heart of the Civil War" film - On the evening of September 4, 2012, the Maryland Public Television documentary film, "Heart of the Civil War," will premiere at the Weinberg Center for the Arts in Frederick, MD. The film went into production in 2011 in anticipation of the anniversary of the Maryland Campaign, and is sponsored by the National Scenic Byway Program, the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, and the Tourism Council of Frederick County.
• Rosser's Raid Commemoration - On September 7, 2012, living history portrayals, artillery demonstrations, and other public programs will accompany the dedication of a new Civil War Trails marker interpreting the Maryland Campaign raid of Confederate Col. Thomas L. Rosser and the Fifth Virginia Cavalry on Westminster, on September 11, 1862.  Location is the Colonel Rosser parking lot on Main Street in Westminster, Maryland.  
• "Maryland My Maryland" Reenactment - On September 8 and 9, at the Boonsboro Town Farm, Rear Rank Productions, Inc., in conjunction with the Hagerstown-Washington County Visitors Bureau will be hosting " Maryland, My Maryland," a reenactment of the Battles of South Mountain and Antietam, commemorating the 150th Anniversary.
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