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Antietam National Battlefield
The Battle of Antietam, known as the Battle of Sharpsburg in the south occurred on September 17, 1862. It ended as technically a standoff between the North and the South. There were consequences that made the outcome advantageous to the North. It checked Robert E. Lee’s first attempted invasion of the north. It ended any hope of England’s or France’s recognizing the Confederacy.Furthermore it gave President Lincoln enough of a reason to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, as the battle was not a clear cut Union loss. Although, indeed the ghastly death toll of 6,300 Americans with 17,000 wounded was seen as a deep national tragedy with thousands of the wounded dying in the days and weeks to come. It wasn’t until September 11th 2001 that there were more Americans slain by an act of war. On that date over 3,000 Americans died as the result of enemy action. Even the figures for D-day June 6th 1944 are clouded by such confusion that official accounts stop short of quoting 3,000 dead Americans.
Antietam Battlefield is compact, well signed, well maintained, and so much original land, structures, roads, fences, and bridges remain that pictures of the battlefield taken soon after the engagement remain very relatable today. There is still a “witness tree” growing at one end of Burnside’s Bridge that was growing there at the time of the battle, it’s quite a thrill to stand next to this big sycamore knowing it was growing there at the time of the carnage. Looking at photos of Dunker Church in September 1862 and comparing them with the scene today you can see exactly where the living stood and the dead fell.
By following the maps and reading the signs it is quite easy to go from engagement to engagement until battle’s end. So come out to this somber well done memorial and be a small part of one of America’s fiercest, bloodiest days. The battlefield is located 60 miles NW of Washington DC. Digging and/or recovering relics is strictly forbidden as at all American historic battlefields. Any cannon in place could be real and over 155 years old, any climbing on or other abuse is also forbidden.
- Bob Clark
Location:
Antietam National Battlefield
Sharpsburg, Maryland United States
39.480438, -77.739944