April 2022 McCauley Lecture

Please join us on Monday, April 4 at 7 PM for an upcoming McCauley Lecture presented by the Western Maryland Room.

 A Black Family at the Battle of South Mountain

Very few firsthand accounts survive of African American experiences during the Civil War in western Maryland. One of them comes from the family of Rev. Daniel Ridout, an A.M.E. preacher for Frederick and Washington Counties. Living in Hancock at the beginning of the war, and then outside Burkittsville, the Ridouts had many adventures before the Battle of South Mountain, which happened literally in their front yard. This talk will look at how the Ridout family--mother, father, and children--experienced the years 1859 to 1862, and especially the invasion of Maryland and the Battle of South Mountain. We'll also learn about one of the Ridout sons who joined the United States Colored Troops. 

Emilie Amt recently retired from the Hildegarde Pilgram Chair of History at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, and is an award-winning writer of African American history. Her book Black Antietam, about African American experiences of the Civil War in Sharpsburg, is being published in June 2022 by The History Press. She is also writing a book about slavery in western Maryland. She blogs at www.emilieamt.com and serves on the Friends of Tolson’s Chapel Board of Directors.

Please register in advance using our online calendar. Visit the Western Maryland Room page for more information about our history resources and to see upcoming lectures.