The cannons serve as a reminder of the battle that took place on this farmland near Sharpsburg.
A year and a half into the Civil War the outcome remained uncertain. Both the Union and Confederate forces were battling with resolve and determination. Until September of 1862 the fighting had taken place on confederate soil. General Robert E. Lee made the decision to move his troops over the Potomac River and on to Union soil in Western Maryland with the goal of continuing to move northward into Pennsylvania.
This set the stage for a clash that would come to be known as the Battle of Antietam (sometimes referred to as the Battle of Sharpsburg), the bloodiest day in American History. Today 3,200 acres of the battlefield is maintained as a historical park that is operated and maintained by the US Park Service. The peaceful rolling hills are covered with corn and soybean fields that are still maintained by local farmers just as they were back in 1862 when death, suffering and chaos was all around. Experts on the Civil War tend to sum up the battle as "Tactically Inconclusive" but as a strategic victory for the Union that drove General Lee and the confederate troops back across the Potomac River. Within a week of the battle President Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation which warned confederate states that he wanted to free all people held as slaves within the rebellious states.
Looking across the battlefield from the visitors center
New York Monument honoring the 3765 soldiers from New York who were killed wounded and captured during the Battle of Antietam
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Dunker Church was a German Baptist Church built in 1852. It was heavily damaged during the battle but rebuilt for the Civil War Centennial.
At the present time the visitors center is undergoing a seven million dollar renovation that will be completed in the summer of 2022. In the interim there is a temporary visitors center adjacent to the main parking lot.
The park service offers ranger led talks to provide additional information. At the present time these 30 minute talks are offered twice a day (10:00 and 12:00). However you may want to check the schedule if you are planning a visit. Beth and I were fortunate enough to be able to listen to one of the presentations. It was given by a young park ranger and it was absolutely fantastic. He eloquently painted a picture of what unfolded on the battlefield that kept the audience captivated throughout his presentation, even though it was outside on a very hot and sunny day.
After the presentation we did the self guided driving tour of the battlefield. The park service provides a pamphlet with a description of eleven recommended stops along the way. The length of time to complete the self guided tour will depend on how much time you spend exploring the stops and reading the numerous informational signs along the way. We spent about an hour and a half to two hours which I would imagine is about average. As I mentioned above, we highly recommend the ranger talk if at all possible.
Admission to the Antietam National Battlefield is $10 per individual or $20 per car. Admission is free if you have an annual or senior national park pass.
This 24 acre cornfield saw some of the heaviest fighting during the battle. Both sides suffered heavy losses. none more than the Louisiana Brigade which suffered over 60 percent casualties in less than 30 minutes.
The Sunken Road (also known as the Bloody Lane). For several hours the heavily outnumbered 2,000 confederate troops held off over 10,000 union soldiers. After the union troops gained control an observer said "Words are inadequate to portray the sight the of the dead lying like ties of railroad, in heaps like cordwood mingled in the splintered and shattered fence rails.
The Lower Bridge (renamed after the war to honor the Union Army General Ambrose Burnside). Under Burnsides command the union troops pushed back the confederate army toward the town of Sharpsburg. The tree in front of the bridge was there in 1862!
The final stop on the self guided tour was at the Antietam National Cemetery where 4,776 Union Solders are buried.
Antietam National Cemetery. Confederate soldiers are buried in cemeteries in Hagerstown and Fredrick, Maryland and Shepherdstown, West Virginia (Shepherdstown was a part of Virginia during the Civil War.
The numbers on the left represent the losses for the Union Army, the numbers on the right represent the losses for the Confederate Army. The bloodiest one day battle in American history. Union or Confederate.........they were all Americans!
