Cavalry

The re-enactment portraying the battle at Burnside Bridge was held at 2 p.m. and cavalry skirmishes were featured at 11 a.m. The cavalry skirmishes were not scripted, so re-enactors were allowed to react to each other however they wanted. Pangburn weaved stories into his narration as battles played out on the field. He talked about how horses learned to understand horns used on the battlefield to instruct soldiers on troop movements and how cavalry forces would not stay in one area very long because horses needed new areas with additional sources of food.

'Just Art' Greencastle artist Eliane Ambrose will exhibit abstracts, still lifes and outdoor paintings during September. Reception 2 to 4 p.m today. Continues through Sunday, Sept. 30. Mansion House Art Gallery, City Park, Hagerstown. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Trains for Everyone Trains for children to operate, HO- and O-scale model railroads, artifacts, photos and more. 1 to 5 p.m. today. Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum, 300 S. Burhans Blvd.

Henry Knox - now there's a name you don't hear very often.  Sure, lots of folks recognize the name Knox when it's related to Fort Knox in Kentucky. Yes, Fort Knox is named after the first secretary of war (both under the U.S. Constitution as well as the Articles of Confederation) for the fledgling United States of America. Interestingly, Fort Knox is not only the home of the repository of our U.S. gold reserves, but also the home of the U.S. Army's armor school. Armor, for the uninitiated, is the current “cavalry.” (For you veterans, I know the difference between cavalry and armor; heck, I even know the difference between “air cav” and “ground cav.”)

waynesboro@herald-mail.com GREENCASTLE, PA. - A gravestone in Stenger Hill Cemetery in Fort Loudon, Pa., says the person buried beneath it is an unknown Confederate soldier. "Tradition holds that his horse threw a shoe on the way back from Chambersburg on July 30, 1864," said Ted Alexander of Greencastle. Alexander, 55, staff historian at Antietam National Battlefield, is a noted expert on the area's Civil War history, writes and lectures extensively on the war and has just written his fifth book on the conflict.

Some will find this to be borderline sacrilege, but the song “Dixie” was most likely composed by a couple of Ohio Yankees. The federals had their own popular version of the song during the Civil War, and it was a favorite tune of none other than Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln, of course, would be the “despot” and/or “tyrant” who was head of the “Northern scum” referred to in the Maryland state song “Maryland My Maryland” - originally a poem that was written by one twisted cat living in New Orleans with no real claim to fame other than his screed was picked up by a secessionist Glee Club in Baltimore and put to music.

Ox roast The 73rd annual Quincy Ox Roast will feature games, food and entertainment. Today through Monday. Quincy Community Center, Pa. 997, four miles north of Waynesboro, Pa. Call 717-749-5014. Trains for everyone Trains for children to operate, HO- and O-scale model railroads, artifacts, photos and more. Today through Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum, 300 S. Burhans Blvd., Hagerstown. $3.50, adults; 50 cents, ages 4 through 12. Call 301-739-4665.

SHARPSBURG - Retired life is good. There are 300 acres to graze and roam, and plenty of relationship drama as new retirees sometimes shake things up at Greenbriar Farm. Greenbriar Farm, between Sharpsburg and Keedysville, is home to The Ranger Foundation, which takes care of retired service horses such as military, police and therapeutic horses, said founder Ann Corcoran. The foundation began after the Corcorans were asked to take care of Ranger, a horse in the cavalry program their son Patrick was a part of at Valley Forge Military Academy.

Interpretive Center grand opening set BOONSBORO - The grand opening of the South Mountain Interpretive Center in Boonsboro, a facility set up to educate people about local Civil War history, is set for May 18-19, the chairman of the Western Maryland Heritage Foundation said. Foundation Chairman Russ Richards gave the Boonsboro Town Council an update on the center at a meeting Monday night. The town is leasing to the foundation the King Farm House at 241 Potomac St. for use as the interpretive center.

Three days after Confederate forces were defeated at the Battle of Gettysburg, retreating troops were chased by the Union army and a lesser-known battle took place in the streets of Hagerstown on July 6, 1863. “The Battle of Hagerstown was probably the largest urban cavalry battle of the Civil War, meaning a battle fought by horse soldiers in the middle of a city, which was very, very rare,” local historian Stephen Bockmiller said Wednesday night. Joined by a group of close to 50 people, many of them from The Battle of Sharpsburg Camp #1582, Sons of Confederate Veterans, Bockmiller led a walking tour along about eight blocks of downtown Hagerstown, all with significance centered around a largely unknown battle of the Civil War. Confederate troops trying to retreat into Virginia to elude Union advances were thwarted by substantial flooding of the Potomac River, Bockmiller said.

Henry Knox - now there's a name you don't hear very often.  Sure, lots of folks recognize the name Knox when it's related to Fort Knox in Kentucky. Yes, Fort Knox is named after the first secretary of war (both under the U.S. Constitution as well as the Articles of Confederation) for the fledgling United States of America. Interestingly, Fort Knox is not only the home of the repository of our U.S. gold reserves, but also the home of the U.S. Army's armor school. Armor, for the uninitiated, is the current “cavalry.” (For you veterans, I know the difference between cavalry and armor; heck, I even know the difference between “air cav” and “ground cav.”)

The re-enactment portraying the battle at Burnside Bridge was held at 2 p.m. and cavalry skirmishes were featured at 11 a.m. The cavalry skirmishes were not scripted, so re-enactors were allowed to react to each other however they wanted. Pangburn weaved stories into his narration as battles played out on the field. He talked about how horses learned to understand horns used on the battlefield to instruct soldiers on troop movements and how cavalry forces would not stay in one area very long because horses needed new areas with additional sources of food.

Three days after Confederate forces were defeated at the Battle of Gettysburg, retreating troops were chased by the Union army and a lesser-known battle took place in the streets of Hagerstown on July 6, 1863. “The Battle of Hagerstown was probably the largest urban cavalry battle of the Civil War, meaning a battle fought by horse soldiers in the middle of a city, which was very, very rare,” local historian Stephen Bockmiller said Wednesday night. Joined by a group of close to 50 people, many of them from The Battle of Sharpsburg Camp #1582, Sons of Confederate Veterans, Bockmiller led a walking tour along about eight blocks of downtown Hagerstown, all with significance centered around a largely unknown battle of the Civil War. Confederate troops trying to retreat into Virginia to elude Union advances were thwarted by substantial flooding of the Potomac River, Bockmiller said.

Some will find this to be borderline sacrilege, but the song “Dixie” was most likely composed by a couple of Ohio Yankees. The federals had their own popular version of the song during the Civil War, and it was a favorite tune of none other than Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln, of course, would be the “despot” and/or “tyrant” who was head of the “Northern scum” referred to in the Maryland state song “Maryland My Maryland” - originally a poem that was written by one twisted cat living in New Orleans with no real claim to fame other than his screed was picked up by a secessionist Glee Club in Baltimore and put to music.

“Cavalry Operations in the Maryland Campaign” is the topic Antietam National Battlefield Historian Ted Alexander's talk at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the park's visitor center. During the Maryland Campaign of 1862, the mounted arms of Union and Confederate forces were in a period of transition. Although cavalry played a limited tactical role in most Civil War battles, Alexander will point out how mounted troops played an important role in some aspects of the Battle of Antietam. Alexander will also discuss the role of the cavalry in the campaign, including the battles of South Mountain and Shepherdstown, as well as Stuart's Chambersburg Raid.

True to character, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee was every bit the gentleman he was rumored to be. Upon greeting a lady, Lee introduced himself by kissing the lady's hand. On the other hand, Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant — known to be a somber sort — skulked in the background.  On Friday, visitors to the Allison Antrim Museum got a rare first-hand glimpse of history, compliments of re-enactors who mingled with guests at the opening ceremony at the museum in preparation for this weekend's "Greencastle: Skirmish on the Square.

SHARPSBURG - Retired life is good. There are 300 acres to graze and roam, and plenty of relationship drama as new retirees sometimes shake things up at Greenbriar Farm. Greenbriar Farm, between Sharpsburg and Keedysville, is home to The Ranger Foundation, which takes care of retired service horses such as military, police and therapeutic horses, said founder Ann Corcoran. The foundation began after the Corcorans were asked to take care of Ranger, a horse in the cavalry program their son Patrick was a part of at Valley Forge Military Academy.

'Just Art' Greencastle artist Eliane Ambrose will exhibit abstracts, still lifes and outdoor paintings during September. Reception 2 to 4 p.m today. Continues through Sunday, Sept. 30. Mansion House Art Gallery, City Park, Hagerstown. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Trains for Everyone Trains for children to operate, HO- and O-scale model railroads, artifacts, photos and more. 1 to 5 p.m. today. Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum, 300 S. Burhans Blvd.

HARPERS FERRY, W.VA. - Jason Bedford's first trip to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park was a memorable one Saturday. "It's really neat down here, like an old western town," said Bedford, who came to watch a program put on by the park called "Eyes of the Army: The Cavalry Factor. " During the demonstration, eight Civil War re-enactors on horseback entertained more than 100 visitors by firing weapons and trotting their horses in formation. The program was held to highlight the 2nd U.S. Cavalry's escape from Confederate forces in Harpers Ferry in September 1862.

Ox roast The 73rd annual Quincy Ox Roast will feature games, food and entertainment. Today through Monday. Quincy Community Center, Pa. 997, four miles north of Waynesboro, Pa. Call 717-749-5014. Pride day Maugansville Pride Day features craft vendors, demonstrations and displays by local businesses, music, antique cars, games, a magic show and a country-western dance demonstration.Miniature horses will do jumping and trick demonstrations and be available for petting.