ECW Recognizes the Antietam Institute with the 2026 Thomas Greely Stevenson Award
Emerging Civil War is pleased to recognize the Antietam Institute with its 2026 Brig. Gen. Thomas Greely Stevenson Award. The Stevenson Award is presented to an individual or organization in recognition of outstanding service to ECW.
The Antietam Institute is a non-profit organization of 500+ members that seeks to research, share, and preserve the history of the Battle of Antietam and the 1862 Maryland Campaign: a major turning point of the American Civil War that resulted directly in the Emancipation Proclamation.
“Since its founding in 2021, the Antietam Institute has worked tirelessly to elevate dialogue, discussion, and scholarship about events in Maryland in 1862,” said ECW President Neil Chatelain. “In doing so, the Institute has provided many, many opportunities for ECW’s writers and speakers. The result has been a dynamic relationship that has benefitted both organizations—not to mention the wider Civil War community.”
ECW historian Chris Kolakowski characterized the Institute as “a great group of scholars advancing important work on the Maryland Campaign.” ECW historian Bert Dunkerly agreed. “The Antietam Institute is doing great work to promote research on the Maryland Campaign and assist with the preservation of the Antietam battlefield,” he said. “The Institute’s work is important and making a difference.”
Among the Institute’s initiatives are a series of reference publications, a twice-yearly journal, digital maps and research resources, fall and spring symposia, a lecture series, and more. “The Institute is a one-stop shop for all things Antietam, and those resources continue to grow,” said ECW’s Chris Mackowski. “As a speaker and a writer, it’s neat to play a small role in something so impactful and energetic.”
ECW writer Devan Sommerville supports the Antietam Institute through a paid membership. “In little over five years, the Antietam Institute has proven itself to be an inspired effort,” he said. “It’s built a new template for the future of American Civil War study, leveraging the powerful pull of the battlefield to convene a forum that is both immediately local and global in reach. Its groundbreaking scholarship and interpretative tools have already changed how we think about America’s bloodiest day. As a proud member, I applaud the Antietam Institute on this well-deserved recognition.”
ECW announced the award at this year’s annual Emerging Civil War Symposium at Stevenson Ridge on Saturday, August 8, 2026, in Spotsylvania, Virginia.
The Stevenson Award is named after Brig. Gen. Thomas Greely Stevenson, a Union division commander killed at the 1864 Civil War battle of Spotsylvania Court House. ECW holds its annual symposium at Stevenson Ridge, a historic property on the battlefield adjacent to the area where Stevenson was killed.
Previous winners of the Stevenson Award include Patrick Young of the Reconstruction Era Blog; the Childress Agency; Edward Alexander of Make Me a Map, LLC; Jack Melton of Civil War News; C-SPAN; historian Gregory Mertz; Sylvia Frank Rodrgue of Southern Illinois University Press; and Theodore P. Savas, Sarah Keeney, and Veronica Kane of Savas Beatie, LLC.
