For the confederates the battle was known as the battle of Sharpsburg, but the Union referred to it as the creek that ran nearby Antietum. We drove through Boonsboro on the way there and I liked that you could buy guns and ammo while eating a burger!
I've never really been to any battlefields that I remember, but I found it odd that the entire battlefield here is scattered with monuments from both confederate and union states. They look a bit hodge podge but you can tell which ones are union, as they are bigger, nicer and more numerous. This had alot to do with the money the north had to spend, where the south couldn't afford to decorate the field especially soon after the war ended.
Antietum is known as the bloodiest battle during the civil war and if I'm correct, the bloodiest battle ever for Americans. Its astounding the amount of lives lost, 22,000 in ONE day.
Then. Taken after the battle. The battle began nearby at 5:30 am on September 17th, 1862. The link at the beginning demonstrates the lines of troops. Stone Wall Jackson was part of this Maryland Campaign. Maryland was split state, with many slaves arriving from Annapolis and southern Maryland being confederate supporters, Lincoln felt this was a state too close to the capital to lose.
A farm where the battle took place (and is being restored... awesome blog by a park ranger there) nearby close to the North woods, where the union forces marched through in the beginning stages of the battle on September 17th, 1862. During the battle the farm was used as a morgue and hospital. Clara Barton (founder of the red cross) brought supplies here and tended to the sick and ailing.
Mumma Cemetery, a historic cemetery on the mumma farm property, it has the original family members that settled but the graves are unmarked. Samual Mumma lies here and he was around during the war. The confederate soldiers burned their barn for fear that the union snipers would use it. After the war, union destroyed property was repaired or paid for by the government but this excluded those destroyed by the confederates... so they did not receive any money.
Bloody lane after. The road was a sunken road that was used for wagons and horses.
Antietam Creek and Burnside Bridge. This site saw the end of the battle, General Toombs from Georgia was in charge of protecting the bridge during the assault. The bridge was named after Confederate General Burnside.
Burnside then. This is from the other stand point from us... I like to think the tree has been there all along.
I think this is on the same side we took our photos on
After the battle Abe himself came by. General McCellan did not follow after Lee on his retreat across the Potomac, not farm from the battle, back to Virginia. Shortly afterward he was fired.
Overall this was a fun trip, we actually drove through it again with Jim's Parents a few weeks later when we visited Harpers Ferry. We went to harpers ferry the next day with Gabby. I will update this more often when I can!
