By Dr. James Broomall
Photo by Jennifer Alarcon.
The sharp crack of gunfire rent the crisp, fall air. Soon, acrid black powder mingled with the smoke coming off of a nearby campfire. Students costumed in the garb of Civil War-era soldiers and civilians gathered together in a yard filled with recently pitched tents. Civil War Christmas had begun.
Nestled in the historic crossroads of Shepherdstown, WV, Shepherd University plays host each year to a weekend-long program that explores the history and legacy of the American Civil War. Throughout the weekend, Shepherd undergraduate students and volunteers from the George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War (GTMC) explain Shepherdstown’s history during the 1860s, give audiences a glimpse of Christmas celebrations during the 19th century and interpret daily life for soldiers and civilians during the war years. The 2017 event drew in local audiences as well as visitors from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and beyond.
Igniting audiences’ senses can deliver powerful lessons about the past. Civil War Christmas draws upon sensory history to create immersive experiences. This year’s program began with a musical performance by Shepherdstown’s Village Brass. The sharp report of a trumpet or the low pitch of a tuba evokes a range of feelings and recalls distant memories. The Village Brass performed a number of popular martial tunes from the Civil War era as well as classic holiday songs. Audiences also participated in a candlelight tour of Shepherdstown’s field hospitals from the 1862 Maryland Campaign and military encampments housed at the GTMC. They saw and smelled the different foods consumed by officers and soldiers, smelled the burning wood of numerous campfires, looked upon scenes through the hazy glow of candlelight and heard the stories of civilians and soldiers caught up in civil war.
Photo by Jennifer Alarcon.
The weekend’s academic programming introduced audiences to new perspectives on the American Civil War. Thursday night’s lectures, discussed how the unique and varied landscapes of West Virginia and the Potomac Valley influenced Civil War military operations and commanders’ decisions, while Friday’s program, considered the medical and surgical care of wounded Union soldiers.
Civil War Christmas is now an essential part of Shepherdstown’s annual holiday calendar.
“Historic Shepherdstown Commission enthusiastically supports the wonderful presentations for the Civil War Christmas prepared by the George Tyler Moore Center,” says Eleanor Finn of the Historic Shepherdstown Commission.
Today, German Street runs through the heart of historic Shepherdstown and is lined with residences and businesses. Its buildings are bedecked in greenery, lights are strung across rooflines, and the streets bustle with activity as students run to class and tourists visit local shops. As these audiences go about their daily business, the organizers of Civil War Christmas hope they stop, however briefly, to think about the triumphs and terrors witnessed on the streets and in the houses of Shepherdstown during the 19th century’s most important event.
Photo by Cecelia Mason/Shepherd University Communications Department.
About the Author
Dr. James Broomall is the director of the George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War (GTMC) and an assistant professor of history at Shepherd University. He has authored a variety of published papers, historiographical essays, book reviews and online essays. Broomall organizes a range of public programs at the GTMC, including most prominently Civil War Christmas, a speaker series and the annual Civil War seminar. He also helps maintain and is currently overseeing the upgrade of the GTMC’s Civil War Soldiers Database, started in 1993, which consists of the records of more than 20,000 Civil War soldiers from West Virginia and the adjacent Potomac River Valley. He, his wife, Tish, and their two sons, Simon and Henry, reside in Shepherdstown, WV.
