Meet John A. Miller

John Miller was raised in the small town of Ladiesburg, Maryland. Growing up, he spent a lot of time in Western Maryland and West Virginia. After marrying his wife Alicia, they moved to the charming town of Emmitsburg in April of 1997 where their first son, Marshall was born. In 2001, John's family moved to the small town of Fountain Dale, Pennsylvania, where their second child Dalton was born. Today, John and his family currently reside in Waynesboro, Pa.

John currently serves as the Civil War Historian for Northern Frederick County, Maryland and Assistant Webmaster for the Greater Emmitsburg Historical Society. He serves as a Board Member of the Battle of Monterey Pass Committee. In 2007, John formed the Monterey Pass Battlefield Association and now serves as the Washington Township Civil War Historian. In 2009, John developed the Civil War Heritage of Emmitsburg interpretational program to promote tourism and to educate the community of their Civil War history.

Some of his responsibilities include working with other community organizations as a historical advisor and assisting those organizations when special events are planned. For over 10 years, he has promoted the Civil War history through journalism, demonstrations, lectures, living histories, tours, interpretation and social events at various sites. As a public speaker, he has been invited to several community colleges and various community organizations in Maryland and Pennsylvania to share his research with the public.

He started as a volunteer at the Monocacy National Battlefield in 1996 and since has volunteered many hours of his time at numerous historical sites and museums in Maryland and Pennsylvania. He currently works as a seasonal interpreter and historian at the South Mountain Maryland State Battlefield where he ties in his research of the northern portions of South Mountain into the area where he works.

He has written numerous articles pertaining to the heritage of Northern Frederick County, Maryland as well as Monterey Pass Battlefield and currently has a monthly column in the Emmitsburg News-Journal. John has had numerous requests for his assistance in writing and researching topics of the American Civil War or to double check historical accuracy. His research of the Emmitsburg area has placed Emmitsburg back on the Civil War map. He spent many years archiving the soldier’s database for public viewing. The Civil War Trails in Maryland used John’s research of the Emmitsburg and Thurmont areas for the development of the Civil War Trails Wayside Exhibits.

As an experienced Civil War Living Historian, John heads a Civil War living history organization called The Cornstalk Mess, an authentic group of living historians.