PLEASE NOTE: Due to course leader health issues, we will be rescheduling this course to next Fall. The waitlist is now open though and will give you early registration priveleges to make sure you get into the course.

Modern historians are only just now discovering that during the U.S. Civil War, the War Department disseminated “misinformation” in order to control and manipulate public opinion and the course of the war. 

Embark on another historical journey with Paul Callahan as he tells the untold story of how General Tench Tilghman, a native son of Talbot County and the grandson of a great Revolutionary War patriot, unwittingly became the central figure in a clandestine misinformation campaign meant to inflame the war passions of the North and to provide an acceptable reason to imprison the Maryland Legislature early in the U.S. Civil War. 

Led by local historian and author Paul Callahan, this course unveils the hidden chapters of General Tilghman’s life and his role as the central figure in a wartime propaganda saga orchestrated by President Lincoln’s War Department.  

The heart of the course lies in dissecting Tilghman’s unexpected (fictionalized) transformation into an infamous rebel commander, propelled by internationally-published press releases from President Lincoln’s War Department in 1861. In what might seem more like an elaborate fiction than history, we will scrutinize actual press releases disseminated by the War Department that falsely asserted Tilghman’s involvement in a planned attack against the U.S. Capitol, setting the stage for a gripping exploration of the ensuing fallout. General Tilghman’s published denial of these allegations and the intricate details of his arrest, interrogation, and ultimate exoneration will be laid bare using primary sources that provide a comprehensive understanding of this historical enigma.

What to Expect:  In this immersive exploration, we will uncover the background of General Tench Tilghman, celebrated not only as the grandson of a revolutionary war patriot but also as a pivotal figure in Talbot County’s history. General Tench Tilghman’s legacy stands as testament to resilience and truth in the face of historical manipulation. 

Feedback from Paul’s last course:

“Paul maintained cheerful control of a class filled with a number of students with opposing views of Maryland during the Civil War. Loved the well-researched presentation.”

“I enjoyed the course and found it gave me a perspective I had not appreciated.”

“Lots to think about! Definitely a new twist on Lincoln to explore but how interesting to learn so much more about Maryland and Maryland democracy. I can think of many directions I would like to explore based on what I learned here.”

HYBRID course at the Easton Family YMCA (choose to participate in person, through Zoom, or recording) |1 session | DAY | DATE | TIME TBD | $20