"The Battle of Antietam, September 17, 1862, was the bloodiest day in American military history, with over 23.000 casualties.  It was also a lost opportunity for the Union army, as Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia teetered on the brink of collapse several times that day.  Backed up against the Potomac River with only one route for retreat, a country path leading to a lengthy ford, Lee's army survived primarily because of a last-minute attack, but also because Union commander George McClellan had made questionable command decisions in the days leading to the battle, and several more at key moments that day.  Most historians, even those sympathetic to McClellan, have agreed that one final surge at a critical moment that afternoon would have routed Lee's army.  Jacob Cox, the commander of the Union left flank that day, wrote the first substantive histories of the battle and documented these facts.  This program will focus on how Cox, a political general, unexpectedly was in that command position, how he played a key role in the controversy and its history, and how the current debate over these issues continues to evolve." 

 Gene Schmiel is a retired U.S Department of State Foreign Service Officer. Before joining the foreign service, he was an Assistant Professor of History at St. Francis University (PA), specializing in 19th century American History. He holds the Ph.D. degree from The Ohio State University. Gene has written several books on the American Civil War and has spoken to many CW roundtables. Gene and his wife Kathryn reside in Gainesville, Virginia.

After the program Gene will have books for sale and signing.