About this episode

Historian Robert Dunkerly discusses his book on the Lower Battlefield of Antietam and shares insights on Burnside Bridge and the 16th Connecticut regiment.

In Episode 54, historian Robert Dunkerly joins co-hosts Tom McMillan and John Banks for a discussion about his book, The Lower Battlefield of Antietam: The Forgotten Front of America's Bloodiest Day. Dunkerly takes us to Burnside Bridge, the 40-Acre Cornfield and beyond. Plus, he dishes on John's favorite regiment (16th Connecticut) and recounts an epic hike to the battlefield. This podcast is sponsored by the Michigan Civil War Association and Civil War Trails , which since 1994 has connected visitors with small towns and big stories across a network that now spans six states. Join McMillan and Banks for regular podcasts about Antietam, the Maryland Campaign and the Civil War — the most compelling period in American history. McMillan is author of the recently released The Year That Made America: From Rebellion to Independence and four other books . Banks is author of A Civil War Road Trip Of A Lifetime and numerous magazine articles about the Civil War . Find them on Facebook at Author Tom McMillan and John Banks' Civil War Blog . Banks' popular Civil War blog is here .

People in this episode

Hosts: Tom McMillan, John Banks

Guest: Robert Dunkerly

Topics covered

• Antietam
• Civil War
• historical discussion
• battlefield exploration
• military history

Keywords

• Antietam
• Burnside Bridge
• Civil War
• Robert Dunkerly
• 16th Connecticut
• battlefield
• historical podcast

Sponsors

Michigan Civil War Association, Civil War Trails

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Lower Battlefield of Antietam: The Forgotten Front of America's Bloodiest Day, The Year That Made America: From Rebellion to Independence, A Civil War Road Trip Of A Lifetime

Places: Antietam, Maryland

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• William Griffing on transcribing 15,000 Civil War soldier letters and his Spared & Shared site · March 3, 2026 · 46 min
• Lee invades the North: Brad Gottfried on Antietam, Gettysburg, Lincoln and the generals · February 25, 2026 · 54 min
• First Corps at Antietam: Historian Darin Wipperman on Hooker, Burnside and Union command · February 9, 2026 · 53 min

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