Alexander to sign book in Hagerstown

HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Antietam National Battlefield Chief Historian Ted Alexander will be appearing at the Downtown Hagerstown Visitor Welcome Center (6 North Potomac Street, by the Public Square) on Saturday, Dec. 22, from 11a.m.-2 p.m. Alexander, the award-winning author, will be signing copies of his new Antietam book, Battle of Antietam: The Bloodiest Day.  The book will be priced $20 at the Visitor Welcome Center booksigning.

Ted Alexander is the chief historian at the Antietam National Battlefield, where he has worked for more than twenty-six years. He is the author, editor or contributor to ten books on the Civil War and other aspects of American history. Ted is also the author of more than two hundred articles and book reviews for publications such as the Civil War Times, Blue and Gray, North and South and the Washington Times.

His latest book has been called the “best introduction on the Battle of Antietam of any book written.” The subtitle of this book - "The Bloodiest Day" - refers to fact that on September 17, 1862 more American soldiers died in the Battle of Antietam than were killed on any other single day of battle in United States history. Indeed, the deaths at Antietam exceeded the combined number of deaths in combat of all other wars from the 19th Century (the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Spanish-American War, and all the Indian wars). The number of casualties (deaths and wounded) over the twelve hours of fighting was a staggering 23,110 -- one casualty every two seconds.

Antietam (which in the Confederacy was known by the name Sharpsburg, the town where the battle was fought) also proved to be the turning point of the Civil War. This year was the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Antietam in Washington County, Maryland.

What has been said about the book by Historian and author Arnold Blumberg in Blue and Gray Magazine: "What stands out in the book is how the battle and the days that followed affected the people of Sharpsburg.”

"This impressive body of work has shown Mr. Alexander to be an expert in the study and interpretation of the events of the single costliest day of combat in the American Civil War, September 17, 1862."

Alexander’s latest book Battle of Antietam: The Bloodiest Day covers the battle and its aftermath. The work also features chapters on the opposing forces and the creation of the Antietam National Battlefield.

Alexander is a former active-duty US Marine, who served in Vietnam. Alexander holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Master of Arts from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. During 2012, for Alexander's dedication to the Civil War, he was presented the Henry Kyd Douglas Award by the Hagerstown Civil War Round Table.