April 12 marks the start of the 150th anniversary commemorations of the Civil War, and historians like Kummerow have been counting down the days. Kummerow is president of the Maryland Historical Society, based in Baltimore and online at www.mdhs.org. On April 16, the museum will open the state’s most comprehensive exhibit about the era: “Divided Voices: Maryland and the Civil War.” Do you have a favorite piece in the exhibit?
We’ll have the flag carried into battle by the Fourth U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment at New Market Heights, Va., in 1864. A D.C. man, Christian Fleetwood, carried it after two other men were shot down. He was born and raised in Baltimore, but lived in D.C. after the war. The Medal of Honor he earned is on display at the Smithsonian.
Most Washingtonians don’t realize there was a skirmish near Silver Spring. Can you explain what happened there?
In 1864, after the Battle of Monocacy outside of Frederick, Md., some Confederate troops marched toward Washington, D.C. They approached an area near Silver Spring, not far from where Walter Reed Medical Center is now, called Fort Stevens — that site is still marked. President Lincoln went out there to see what was going on, and he stood on a parapet as everyone yelled for him to get down. I believe it’s the only time an American president has come under fire.
So much is going on around the region to commemorate the Civil War’s anniversary. What are you most excited about, besides your own exhibit?
I’m a museum hound, so I’ll go to the Virginia Historical Society where they have a major exhibit already up. I’ll also be spending time around the Frederick area — the Battle of Antietam is only part of the story out there. That’s the heart of Maryland’s Civil War country, and there will be several commemorations in that part of the state.
Leah Fabel
