Read the full article at The Herald Dispatch, and visit the West Virginia Encyclopedia Online to read the write-up of the battle by Thomas McGrath, our Historic Advisory Board member.

Updated Sept 5/25

CHANGE TO EVENT TIMES!
Sept 6 Lincoln film is 7:00 pm
Sept 13 Clean-Up is 9:00 am

Mark your calendar for busy Saturdays in September!

September 6 evening from 7 – 9pm EDT

Enjoy the Stephen Spielberg film “Lincoln” at the Shepherdstown Opera House on Saturday Sept 6 from 7:00pm – 9:00pm

Sponsored by the SPBA and the Shepherdstown Opera House

for more info visit our FB event post: https://www.facebook.com/events/2180100719126351/

[image by IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36798953]

September 13 morning from 9 – noon EDT

Help with our Battlefield Clean-Up, organized by SBPA and Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission. Potomac Mills Cement Mill at River and Trough Roads

We will mow, chop, cut, clear, stomp, and yank to prep the Battlefield for visitors on September 20th.

The goals are to mow the parking area in the Riverside Park, clear walking paths, clear access to the Mill structures, and clean up the battlefield of debris. 

for more info visit our FB event post: https://www.facebook.com/events/1075337294740970/

September 20 morning starting at 9am

“Cross the Potomac River at Packhorse Ford” led by Kevin Pawlak, sponsored by the SBPA

Meet at the Riverside Park at the intersection of River and Trough Roads by 9 am for a brief meeting and car shuttles to the Maryland side of the crossing.

for more info visit our Sept 20/25: Battlefield Anniversary Events page

September 20 afternoon starting at 1pm

Battlefield Tour led by Dr. Tom McGrath:

“Collision on the Bluffs: Barnes’s Brigade at the Battle of Shepherdstown”

Meet at the Riverside Park by 1:00 pm for a 2-hour hike through Civil War history!

for more info visit our Sept 20/25: Battlefield Anniversary Events page

Follow our Facebook page to keep up-to-date on SBPA news! https://www.facebook.com/ShepherdstownBattlefieldPreservationAssociation

“Cross the Potomac River at Packhorse Ford”

led by Kevin Pawlak

Sponsored by the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association

Join us on the morning of Saturday, September 20, 2025 to commemorate the 163rd anniversary of the Battle of Shepherdstown by crossing the Potomac River at Boteler’s Ford.

This tour will follow in the footsteps of thousands of Union soldiers who crossed the ford that morning before climbing the bluffs outside Shepherdstown and engaging the Confederate army. A historical tour guide (Kevin Pawlak) will lead the crossing and provide information about the ford’s constant use during the Civil War, especially during the Maryland Campaign.

Meet at the Riverside Park at the intersection of River and Trough Roads by 9 am for a brief meeting and car shuttles to the Maryland side of the crossing.  Bring solid footwear to cross the ford and a towel to dry off afterward.  Sign up with the SBPA so we know how many participants need to be shuttled.  The event will be modified for weather or water concerns.

“Collision on the Bluffs: Barnes’s Brigade

at the Battle of Shepherdstown”

Battlefield Tour by Author and Professor

Dr. Tom McGrath

Meet at the Riverside Park by 1:00 pm for a 2-hour hike through Civil War history!

We will follow the Union troops in action from the Ford to River Road, up the bluffs above the Cement Mill, then back to the Cement Mill kilns and the dam.

RSVP by email: SBPA1862@gmail.com or on the SBPA Facebook page

Co-sponsored by the Antietam Institute, Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission, Historic Shepherdstown Museum, and the Civil War Trails.  Your donations matter to all these invaluable organizations! 

Please consider becoming an Annual Battlefield Supporter.  100% of all donations are used to preserve the battlefield and educate the public.  We have maintenance, parking and sign upgrades coming to the Battlefield that will improve visitor safety, access and education.

The Battle of Shepherdstown is “History worth learning!” 

The George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War is hosting an event at the Shepherdstown Opera House on Thursday, August 28, 2025 starting at 5:00 pm.

“Join us as our new director, Dr. Jennifer Murray, talks about her research. Following her talk, join us across the street at the George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War for a light reception and an opportunity to chat with Dr. Murray.”

Our dear friend and esteemed SBPA Board member and 20+ year Shepherdstown Battlefield soldier, Dr. Tom Clemens, is the May 2025 Speaker at the Hagerstown Civil War Round Table on May 22nd.

Hope to see Shepherdstown Battlefield supporters at this event!

Upcoming events to add to your calendar:

Saturday, May 17 at 10 am [temporarily on hold due to safety concerns]
Graffiti removal workshop at the Boteler’s Cement Mill on River Road.

Saturday, June 28 from 11 am to 5 pm
A battlefield booth outside of the George Tyler Moore Civil War Center during the Shepherdstown Streetfest with newly updated maps, brochures, battle artifacts and books.

Saturday, September 20 from 10 am to noon
“Crossing the Potomac River at Packhorse Ford” led by Kevin Pawlak. Meet at the Riverside Park parking area at 9 am for the shuttles into Maryland. Then a battlefield tour after lunch led by Dr. Tom McGrath.

Thanks for the photos and write-up on your Facebook page!

Shepherdstown Annual Spring Fling was held April 26, 2025 on National Park Day.

Thanks to our Donors and co-sponsors including the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission, American Battlefield Trust , Historic Shepherdstown & Museum Civil War Trails, Inc.

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped, and to Dr. Tom McGrath for leading an excellent tour and deeply informative lecture.

Thank you to the Shepherdstown Opera House for hosting the lecture and to the Bistro 112 for the great dinner.

Join us on Saturday, April 26, 2025

Sponsored by the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association

Battlefield Tour and Talk by Author and Professor, Dr. Tom McGrath

The tour starts at the Osbourn Farm house at 1 pm at 1901 Trough Road.

The talk is at the Opera House, Shepherdstown at 7 pm.

The Fire of the Enemy was Appalling: Pender’s Brigade at the Battle of Shepherdstown.

On the morning of September 20, 1862, three Confederate brigades of A.P. Hill’s Division stepped off in line of battle in the fields near Shepherdstown.  They were there to confront an unknown number of Yankee troops then crossing Boteler’s Ford into Virginia.  Within minutes, the battle-tested brigade of Dorsey Pender found itself isolated from the rest of the division as rifle fire broke out and Federal artillery shells rained down upon them.  Hear the story of this Confederate unit in the battle of Shepherdstown, a violent contest that left 15 of their men dead and 48 wounded, many mortally.

Reference: T.A. McGrath (2007) Shepherdstown: Last Clash of the Antietam Campaign.

Your donations matter! The Battle of Shepherdstown is “History worth learning!” Please consider becoming an Annual Battlefield Supporter. 100% of all donations are used to preserve the battlefield and educate the public. We have major upgrades coming to the Battlefield based on a new Master Plan that will greatly improve visitor safety, access and education.