Alex Rossino on “Lee’s Army in Maryland: A New Perspective on the Campaign of September 1862”

 Most students of the Civil War believe the story of Robert E. Lee’s 1862 Maryland Campaign is complete, and that new studies must rely on interpretations long since accepted and understood. But what if this is not the case? What if the histories previously written about the first major Confederate operation north of the Potomac River missed key sources, proceeded from mistaken readings of the evidence, or were influenced by Lost Cause ideology? Dr. Alexander Rossino demonstrates that these types of distortions continue to shape modern understanding of the campaign and offers suggestions for how to correct them, developing in the process a new understanding of what General Lee hoped to accomplish in September 1862.

Dr. Alexander Rossino is an independent historian. He earned Master’s and Doctoral degrees in History at Syracuse University, where he taught for two years, before working as a historian at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. He is an expert on the 1862 Maryland Campaign and the author of Their Maryland: The Army of Northern Virginia from the Potomac Crossing to Sharpsburg in September 1862; The Tale Untwisted: General George B. McClellan, The Maryland Campaign, and the Discovery of Lee’s Lost Orders (with Gene Thorp); and Calamity at Frederick: Robert E. Lee, Special Orders No. 191, and Confederate Misfortune on the Road to Antietam.

The October 22, 1777, battle at Fort Mercer (aka Red Bank) New Jersey is rather overlooked in both NJ and national Revolutionary War history.  The Red Bank Battlefield Historical Park in National Park, NJ is looking to increase its visibility by partnering with the American Battlefield Trust to improve the park’s interpretation signage and overall exposure.

Erik Mollenhauer and Old Baldy member Ed Komczyk are involved in a campaign to improve the interpretation and increase the recognition of the battlefield. This was the site of one of the fiercest and bloodiest small battles of the war and the only battle the Americans won during the entire Philadelphia campaign. The battle occurred shortly after the American victory at Saratoga. Ft. Mercer never received proper recognition since no well-known commanders were involved on the battlefield. Erik and Ed’s group hopes to rectify this situation and gain the support of the American Battlefield Trust and the Gloucester County Board of Commissioners.

Erik Mollenhauer’s early career began as a secondary science teacher.  During that time he received state and national teaching awards, including one from the White House. In 1990, Erik became a teacher trainer and program developer. Among his projects, he developed a program that took teachers to Russia and eight other countries. In 2001, he developed a project that brought the monarch butterfly story to schools across the U.S. and Canada.

Erik has presented talks on a wide variety of topics including “Secrets of the Night Sky”, “The Hidden Life of Streams”, “Fossil Legends of Indigenous America” and more. His latest project is a deep dive into the history of Gloucester County’s Red Bank Battlefield. The truth of what happened there on Oct 22, 1777 is bigger, more surprising and inspiring than almost anyone knows.