September Mourn: The Dunker Church of Antietam

The Dunker Church is one of the most iconic structures of the American Civil War. Surprisingly, few people know much if anything about its fascinating story or the role it played within the community of Sharpsburg and its importance during and after the Battle of Antietam. September Mourn: The Dunker Church of Antietam by Alann D. Schmidt and Terry W. Barkley rectifies this oversight in the first book-length study of its kind. On September 17, 1862, two mighty armies grappled across the rolling hills, fields, and woodlots surrounding Sharpsburg, Maryland. The combat left more than 23,000 Union and Confederate soldiers killed, wounded, or captured, repulsed Lee’s invading Virginia army, and paved the way for the Emancipation Proclamation. Ironically, in the epicenter of that bloodiest day in American history stood a small whitewashed building dedicated to peace, equality, and the brotherhood of man. The German Baptist Brethren, or Dunkers (Dunkards) as they were colloquially known, built the Mumma Church of the Manor congregation in 1853 just nine years before Antietam. In addition to being a house of worship with important ties to the local community, the history of the Dunker Church is interwoven with such notable figures as Stonewall Jackson, Clara Barton, Abraham Lincoln, and even Mark Twain. The structure was heavily damaged during the battle, housed torn bodies as a hospital in its aftermath, and suffered a complete collapse before undergoing the long and arduous process of being rebuilt. Schmidt’s and Barkley’s impressive September Mourn is based upon years of meticulous research from both a Church of the Brethren (Dunkers) and a National Park Service perspective. The authors establish the importance of the structure to Sharpsburg and its citizens, its role during the battle and its aftermath, and how it helped establish tourism and education for future generations of Americans. The Dunker Church can finally take its place alongside the Alamo and Shiloh churches as one of the most notable houses of worship in American military history. September Mourn: The Dunker Church of Antietam is a must-read for anyone interested in the full story of the monumental battle and the community who lived through it.

History

Barkley, Terry

Schmidt, Alann

Americas

Savas Beatie

“I didn’t realize there was another ‘hermit’ of Walden Pond!” is the usual response author-historian Terry Barkley receives when he tells someone the subject of his new book. Henry David Thoreau’s experiment there from 1845-1847 is widely known and immortalized in his classic Walden; or, Life in the Woods (1854). However, stresses Barkley, “Neither the world nor even most avid Thoreauvians know about Edmond Hotham’s six-months at Walden Pond during the winter of 1868-1869,” the fascinating story of which is detailed in The Other “Hermit” of Thoreau’s Walden Pond: The Sojourn of Edmond Stuart Hotham. A generation later and nearly seven years after Henry Thoreau died in 1862 of tuberculosis in Concord, Massachusetts, a young theological student from New York City arrived in Concord in November 1868. Edmond Hotham had never been there, but he immediately began preparations to pursue the “wild life.” He met transcendentalist poet (William) Ellery Channing, a former close friend of Thoreau’s who had suggested to Thoreau that he build his cabin at Walden Pond. It was Channing who likely introduced Hotham to transcendentalist leader Ralph Waldo Emerson (the “Sage of Concord”), and Emerson who gave Hotham permission, like Thoreau before him, to build his “Earth-cabin” on the poet’s property at Walden Pond. Edmond Hotham’s sojourn at Walden Pond was the first and only time someone traveled to Walden Pond to emulate Thoreau’s experiment in simplicity. Hotham made his way to Walden Pond to pursue some “private business” while he was preparing for Christian ministry and stateside missionary work. He built his shanty on the pond’s shore about 100 yards in front of Thoreau’s, where he attempted to out-economize and out-simplify Thoreau. Hotham’s sojourn as the second “hermit” at Walden Pond exemplified the growing adulation of Henry David Thoreau and his literary work. Author Terry Barkley has gleaned archival sources, vital records, period newspaper accounts, and census rolls for everything that is known about Edmond Hotham. The Other “Hermit” of Thoreau’s Walden Pond is the first book-length treatise on Hotham, half of which is wholly new material. It far supersedes the late Kenneth Walter Cameron’s 1962 article on Hotham, which until now was the most complete study of the man. Barkley’s groundbreaking study book is an important addition to the Concord-Walden Pond story and a fascinating read. To quote Thoreau, “What is once well done is done forever.”

The Other “Hermit” of Thoreau’s Walden Pond: The Sojourn of Edmond Stuart Hotham

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

In 1746, an African-American slave named Eve was convicted of poisoning and killing her master, Peter Montague, in Orange County, Virginia. She was burned at the stake on a knoll near the first county courthouse.  The site of her burning became known as “Eve’s Wail.” Terry Barkley sheds new light on this terrible, largely forgotten chapter in colonial Virginia history. He sets the stage of this tragedy with a glimpse at the early history of Orange County, Virginia, and the surrounding region. Through meticulous research delving into documented and oral sources, he recreates the trial and execution of Eve and examines crime and punishment during this period of colonial history.

Eve's Wail: An Enslaved Woman Burned at the Stake in Colonial Virginia

BrayBree Publishing

John Maurice Webb (1847-1916) was known as "the gentle scholar." A master teacher, he served as co-principal of the famed Webb School in Culleoka and Bell Buckle, Tennessee, with his brother William "Sawney" Webb from 1873 to 1916. He was revered and adored by his students, among whom were future state and national leaders and eight Rhodes Scholars. Terry Barkley brings John M. Webb out of his older brother's shadow in The Gentle Scholar and sheds light on his unique contributions not only to Webb School and Bell Buckle, but to Vanderbilt University and the improvement of educational standards throughout Tennessee and the South from the post-Reconstruction period to the early 20th century.

The Gentle Scholar: The Forgotten Story of John M. Webb and the Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Barkley, Terry. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Barkley, Terry

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Barkley, Terry. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

September Mourn: The Dunker Church of Antietam

September Mourn: The Dunker Church of Antietam

The Other “Hermit” of Thoreau’s Walden Pond: The Sojourn of Edmond Stuart Hotham

Eve's Wail: An Enslaved Woman Burned at the Stake in Colonial Virginia

The Gentle Scholar: The Forgotten Story of John M. Webb and the Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee