In honor of the Civil War Sesquicentennial, John P. Hankey will present a free, illustrated lecture titled Railroads and the American Civil War at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, on Sunday, July 15 at 2:30 pm.  

Historian, curator, and educator John P. Hankey explores the many roles played by railroads in the North and South during the American Civil War, and especially the Baltimore & Ohio, Western Maryland, and other railroads in the region. "At the beginning of the War, neither the Union nor the Confederacy fully understood how railroading might be used in time of war, nor did they realize their strategic value. Very quickly, the United States learned how to create an effective system of 'railroad logistics' and make railroading one of its most potent weapons. The Confederacy never quite grasped how to effectively use its railroads."

John Hankey is an independent scholar, historian, and railroader. A native of Baltimore, he served the B&O Railroad in a variety of capacities including company historian, locomotive engineer, and Curator of the B&O Railroad Museum. He holds a BS from the John Hopkins University, an MA as a Hagley Fellow at the University of Delaware.

Many thanks to our co-sponsors at the Convention & Visitors Bureau.