Church of the Brethren, Unsung Brethren E. Russell Hicks

15 South Mulberry Street
Hagerstown, Maryland 21740
301-733-3565

MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Hagerstown Church of the Brethren is to celebrate the love of Jesus Christ and glorify the
Lord by striving to live as Christ lived, experiencing the power of God's healing in our lives. We seek to nurture
our faith community through prayer, music and the proclaimed Word, while enthusiastically reaching out to
others with compassion, respect and love for everyone so that we may grow in faith and commitment together.

VISION STATEMENT
Journeying with Christ - Serving Our Neighbors - Uniting at the Master’s Table

Unsung Brethren

Some who knew E. Russell Hicks claim his spirit still roams over rolling
farmland and in wood lots of the Antietam Battlefield. They mention how
his eyes would get moist hearing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” while
standing in reverence to the playing of “Dixie.” One of his many
accomplishments was being one of the founders of the Hagerstown Civil
War Roundtable – seldom missing a meeting and asked to speak often.

E. Russell Hicks was born 1892, in the Clear Spring area of western
Washington County, Maryland. At an early age he became a member of the
Broadfording Church of the Brethren; probably due to his father’s strong
influence on his life who was a minister. As a member of a “pacifist”
Brethren congregation, he could have been exempt from the army, but
rather enlisted to serve his country in the Medical Corps during World
War I.

His military career over, Hicks attended Blue Ridge College in Carroll
County, Maryland, becoming a history and Latin teacher. In his lifetime this
remarkable achiever became a school teacher, school principal,
newspaper columnist, Sunday school teacher, Civil War writer/lecturer
and served in the Maryland House of Delegates. Mr. Hicks never married
– he didn’t have time!

It would be hard to find anyone who knew more about the Antietam
Battlefield than E. Russell Hicks. Not only going into detail of the battle, he
would tell you the bricks for the construction of the Dunkard Church were
kiln-baked on the John Otto farm near Burnside Bridge. Even in his last
days he could be found leading tours over his beloved, sacred ground
near Sharpsburg. When too sick to travel, he took his mind off the pain of
kidney disease by reading Shakespeare and the American Civil War.

When Russell passed away at the age of 74 in 1966, enough of his books
were donated to the Hagerstown Church of the Brethren to start a new
library. He had been a faithful member of the Hagerstown Brethren for
many years. In 1968, a school was built just south of Hagerstown along the
Sharpsburg Pike and in honor of his memory called, “The E. Russell Hicks
Middle School.” He would have been proud. A granite tombstone
designed appropriately in the shape of a “book,” marks his grave in the
                              Broadfording Church of the Brethren
                              Cemetery.

                              Russell was once asked, “Why promote the
                              study of local history?” His answer gives
                              evidence to what motivated this man
                              vision, “I want to build into each of us a spirit
                              of appreciation of our heritage which will
                              compel all to be determined that our
                              heritage shall not perish from the earth, but
                              everyone will burn with a flaming desire to
                              improve and to purify it. When we, working
                              together, make it the highest standard of
                              life, other people will desire to share our
                             blessings and not destroy them.”
                             This was E. Russell Hicks.

E. Russell Hicks