Maryland wonders if a battle was fought at Crampton's Gap

Thanks to Timothy Reese for pointing out this strange speech slated for next month:

The Battles of South Mountain? Gathland State Park, 9/13/2004, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Description: Steve Stotelmyer, local Civil War historian and author, will discuss whether "the Battle" or "the Battles" of South Mountain is correct. Should the engagements at Turner's, Fox's, and Crampton's Gaps on September 14, 1862, be considered parts of the same battle or as separate and distinct actions?

Note that Steve Stotelmeyer is not holding a public meeting for the purpose of correcting the park service's naming mistakes: he's just giving a talk which may or may not contradict the official state dogma - that there was no Battle of Crampton's Gap. I think I know what he's going to say: "separate and distinct actions" points to a belief in a single battle, the building blocks of which are "separate and distinct actions." I don't want to second-guess the talk, and I hope it turns out NOT to be on the lines of "What's all this silly stuff about three battles?"

Witness this absurd entry from the same calendar:

The Battle of South Mountain Gathland State Park 9/13/2004 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Location: 21843 National Pike Description: Scott Hartwig, ranger and historian at Gettysburg National Military Park, will speak on the Battle of South Mountain in the context of the Civil War. Points to be discussed include what led up to the battle, the battle itself, its aftermath, its consequences, and its place in the history of the war.

For Hartwig, it's not even an open question. The Battle of South Mountain? Hey, I want to play too, Mr. Hartwig:

The Battle of the Eastern Seaboard, 1861-1865

"Step over here, you heritage tourists, and let me tell you about this mighty, prolonged and widely dispersed Battle of the Eastern Seaboard."

Click here for the calendar.

(P.S. additional note on this posted 8/26.)