Civil War and Revolutionary War reenactors chat with a couple of visitors to the Entler Hotel’s yard on Saturday. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Civil War and American Revolutionary War reenactors mingled together as they made camp in the fenced-in yard of the Historic Shepherdstown Museum in the Entler Hotel this past Saturday and Sunday.

According to George Tyler Moore Center Director James “Jim” Broomall, who was portraying an American Revolutionary militiaman, the reenactment was appropriate, on the 160th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam — the effects of which were felt deeply in Shepherdstown. The Entler Hotel and town, in general, were used interchangeably by both Confederate and Union soldiers as a makeshift hospital for wounded soldiers after the battle ended. In addition, some fighting took place in Shepherdstown itself, known as the Battle of Shepherdstown or Battle of Boteler’s Ford, following the Battle of Antietam on Sept. 19-20, 1862. The inclusion of Revolutionary War reenactors into the mix was logical, Broomall said, as it represented the history of Shepherdstown’s involvement with both wars.

“The Historic Shepherdstown Museum identifies partially with the colonial history of the area and the anniversary of Antietam necessitated representing United States soldiers here today,” Broomall said, mentioning he just finished a three-year term with the Shepherdstown Historic Landmarks Commission and has since joined the board of the Historic Shepherdstown Museum.

Broomall, who is also an associate professor of history at Shepherd University, indicated that he thought maintaining a relationship with the community was valuable, both to himself in his professional positions and to the town and university, as a connecting point.

“It was a steady stream of visitors. A number of visitors to our reenactment were very direct in their purpose to be here for historical research, though there were also some random tourists who came,” Broomall said. “We’ve never done anything like this before here, so it seemed to turn out pretty good. We were happy to help the museum.”

George Tyler Moore Center Director James Broomall speaks at Shepherdstown Area Independent Living’s Brown Bag Lunch in Trinity Episcopal Church’s fellowship hall last Friday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Director of Education Travis Shaw noted that he was portraying a Revolutionary War officer in Stephenson’s Rifle Company, which composed a portion of the soldiers in the Beeline March to Cambridge.

“Stephenson’s Rifle Company was raised right here in Shepherdstown and marched to Boston to support [General George] Washington in 1775,” Shaw said. “Along with Civil War representation in honor of the Battle of Antietam’s anniversary, we’re also doing a little bit of 18th century representation here — Ian, Jim and myself are representing soldiers you would have seen in the area, during the Revolutionary War.”

According to Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Public Programs Coordinator Ian MacDougall, who was participating in the reenactment, Shepherdstown’s involvement with the Revolutionary War was not limited to it being the launching point for the Beeline March.

“I’m representing a soldier of the 76th Highland Regiment in the British Army. They were prisoners of war, and they were marched right down this main street after [the Battle of] Yorktown — in January of 1782 they passed through town,” MacDougall said, as he pointed toward German Street.

Other reenactors at the camp included West Virginia University history graduate student John McMillan as a Civil War Union soldier and Stephen Wismer as a Civil War Union soldier.

A group of Civil War and Revolutionary War reenactors relax at the back of their camp in the Entler Hotel’s yard on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

Last Friday, the day before the reenactment and anniversary began, Broomall could be found equally busy sharing information about how the Battle of Antietam effected Shepherdstown, in honor of the battle’s 160th anniversary, during the Shepherdstown Area Independent Living monthly Brown Bag Luncheon.

“The Potomac [River] can be very dangerous, actually. During the war, they always put men on horse to the south or to the east of wherever the army was crossing, to catch the men that were swept in by the tides,” Broomall said, referring to the remarkable one-day crossing of the Potomac River from Shepherdstown to Antietam by Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s army, which he remembered trying to accomplish with a group in the past.

Shepherdstown Area Indepent Living members listen intently to George Tyler Moore Center Director James Broomall’s explanation of Shepherdstown’s connection with the Battle of Antietam, last Friday afternoon in the Trinity Episcopal Church fellowship hall. Tabitha Johnston