Today, The Two Mikes spoke with Alexander Rossino, who holds a PH.D in history from Syracuse University, and is the author of Their Maryland: The Army of Northern Virginia from the Potomac Crossing to Sharpsburg in September 1862.

Dr. Rossino's book seeks to supply answers to a number of questions that still surround the whys and wherefores of the Sharpsburg/Antietam Battle. One of these questions is why did General Lee take his army into Maryland? One traditionally offered reason still stands true, Lee wanted to take the war out of Virginia to allow the state's farmers to harvest their crops. More important, though, Lee's decision for Maryland focused on a major political aspect of the war, expanding the Confederacy.