Antietam

If you are familiar with the Civil War, you have seen photographs and paintings of this bridge  over the Antietam Creek outside of Sharpsburg Maryland.   It is called Burnside's Bridge - named after the Union General who commanded the troops at this location.  It is quite beautiful, obviously even for me, picturesque, as well as a much fought over strategic part of the battlefield. Much as I would like to share with you I will refrain.  You will have to go elsewhere for the history and strategy, but Patt and I had a great day here.   

Pennsylvania and New York Regiments finally succeeded in crossing the bridge from the far side and driving back the Georgians at the top of the ridge on this side of the creek.  That big tree on the far side of the creek is a "survivor tree and was there then. - Well a little history --

It was a post card kind of day.

 Here in photo below is a view from the observation tower of a look down the "sunken road" or "bloody lane" where Alabama and North Carolina troops fought against Union troops mainly from Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, and Connecticut who came from the right side of the picture.  This was another of the key components of the battle as it developed during the day.

You will note from the crowd in the parking lot, there were not a lot of visitors joining us this afternoon.

That is the observation tower is in the background at the top of the ridge behind Patt who is standing on the side of the sunken road.

 This particular monument erected in honor of the 14th New Brooklyn is in the middle of the "Cornfield" which was a major fighting location during that day.  I read lots of the plaques on these monuments and this one is notable as General Doubleday was the commander.  And General Doubleday also is famous for ----- baseball -- that's right.  These guys that fought here probably played baseball-- like the very first guys to play baseball.

 We of course enjoyed the car and top down for the day

The huge national cemetery was quite pretty and had only Union graves.  Confederate dead were moved to Hagerstown.  No other single day in American History has seen America suffer as many casualties as here on September 17, 1862 when over.23,000 were killed or wounded.  Clara Barton ministered to the wounded here after the battle.

There were cannon and other relic type stuff scattered all around the very large battlefield which remains much like it was 151 years ago.  The battle was fought September 17, 1862.  So our visit was almost to the day, 151 years later.

 There were also lots and lots of monuments with statutes of guys in Civil War garb standing on top.  These guys were in the "cornfield".    It appears to me that the various States put up the monuments to commemorate their various regiments.  Pennsylvania went all out and around the turn of the last century really put up a bunch with regimental histories on them.   For example if I recall correctly I think the regiment in the foreground is the one that dug the tunnel at Petersburg.

 there were also a historical markers locating sites of regimental headquarters, encampments, actions and so on.  You could find out stuff if you were so inclined.