The National Museum of Civil War Medicine is proud to announce the 1st Saturday Speaker Series for 2024. The series will feature guest speakers discussing topics ranging from 3-D Civil War photos to an 1861 murder on the B&O Railroad.

The talks are included with admission to the Museum or FREE for Museum members. All talks begin at 2PM.

March 2 -- Grosvenor Branch Hospital: The Confiscation of the Lee-Fendall House. Alexandria historian Madeline Feierstein discusses how the house played a unique role in Civil War medicine.

April 6 -- A Visit with Dr. and Mrs. Letterman. Living historians Randy and Miki Krakauer will portray Dr. Jonathan Letterman and his wife Mary and discuss their lives and roles in the Civil War.

May 4 -- Interrupted Sentiments: The Dead Letter Office During the Civil War. Melissa A. Winn, from the American Battlefield Trust, discusses the Dead Letter Office during the Civil War.

June 1 -- The Grand Review: Explorations of Civil War Photos. Bob Zeller, president of The Center for Civil War Photography, will look at some of the Civil War’s classic photographic images and some recent treasures that have come to light.

July 6 -- Unfit for Service: Solving the Mystery of a Gettysburg Photo. John Heiser, NPS ranger at Gettysburg, discusses how he located the site and the story of an image by photographer Alexander Gardner taken just days after the epic battle.

August 3 -- “Murder on the B&O”– A Tragic Event in 1861 Frederick County. Dana Shoaf, NMCWM Director of Interpretation examines the July 1861 tale of a drunken encounter between Frederick County civilians and New Hampshire soldiers that resulted in tragedy.

September 7 -- The Life and Afterlife of Elizabeth Keckley. Civil War and Reconstruction Specialist from the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress, Michelle A. Krowl, discusses the extraordinary life of Elizabeth Keckley.

October 5 -- The Tragic Death of Gen. Joseph Mansfield. Nick Picerno, Chairman Emeritus of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation relates the riveting story of the death of Union General Joseph K.F. Mansfield at the Battle of Antietam.

November 2 -- “Never to Be Forgotten”– The Battle of Cool Spring.  Jonathan A. Noyalas, Director of Shenandoah University’s McCormick Civil War Institute examines the 1864 Battle of Cool Spring, Va. as a case study of how the war left a lasting impact on soldiers and civilians.

For More Information On These Events, Please Visit Our Online Calendar.