The One-eyed Traveler |
Antietam (Sharpsburg) |
Antietam - The Battle |
Following on the heels of his impressive victory at Second Bull Run (Manassas), Lee invaded the north for the first time, where he met up with George McClellan's Union army just across the Potomac River between Antietam Creek and the small Maryland town of Sharpsburg. In the rolling farmland just outside of town, the blue and gray fought a one-day battle on September 17, 1862, still the bloodiest day in American military history. Yes, more men fell here than any day at Gettysburg or on the beaches of Normandy. McClellan had gained copies of Lee's battle plans, when a lost copy was found near Frederick, wrapped around three cigars. McClellan had an incredible opportunity because Lee had separated his army into several parts. Three columns under Stonewall Jackson were advancing toward Harper's Ferry to subdue its garrison before turning to join the rest, Longstreet at Hagerstown and D. H. Hill near South Mountain. Hill and Stuart, and eventually Longstreet were to delay the Union troops enough for Jackson to do his work. Even though, the Harper's Ferry assault fell dangerously behind schedule, McClellan was unable to capitalize because of his notoriously cautious nature. He always believed he was heavily outnumbered, when the opposite was generally true, and therefore continued to waste time. |
The two armies clashed first at South Mountain, but after Lee learned that Harpers Ferry was close to surrender, he decided to continue to gamble on McClellan's reputation for slowness and called for his forces to assemble at Sharpsburg. McClellan once again hesitated after reaching Sharpsburg, when he still had a huge manpower advantage and lost another chance to pin the enemy against the banks of the Potomac. Lee gained important hours for all of his forces to gather at Sharpsburg to participate in the battle, although one arrived just in the nick of time. The battle took place in three stages. In the morning, to the north, the two forces surged back-and-forth across the cornfields and woods near the Miller farm and Dunker Church in an incredibly deadly struggle for supremacy. After three major Union attacks, the sides were fought out on this end of the field. During the mid-day phase, the famed Irish Brigade joined other Union troops in an assault on a Rebel position in the center. The Confederates were entrenched in a sunken farm road that more than earned its later nickname of "Bloody Lane." The Yankees took the position partly due to a mix up in commands by Confederate officers on the spot, but a desperate Rebel counterattack and lack of adequate reinforcements (which indeed were available) prevented them from rolling on through the middle of Lee's line. The end of the day saw General Ambrose Burnside lead a much delayed attack across Antietam Creek, where he was opposed by a small number of Confederates ensconced on the high ground toward Sharpsburg. The Union advance on this end was eventually driven back by A. P. Hill's forces arriving on a forced march from Harper's Ferry. McClellan probably had enough men on the field to defeat Lee that day, but he kept thousands of troops in reserve and decided the next day not to renew the attack. Lee was allowed to limp back into Virginia. Lincoln had had it with McClellan and soon relieved him of command. However, it was enough of a success for Lincoln to announce his Emancipation Proclamation, which he had pocketed until a victory created the proper atmosphere. |
Antietam - The Visit |
There are virtually no accommodations in the tiny town of Sharpsburg, Maryland. We called ahead from Harper's Ferry to reserve a room in nearby Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Shepherdstown is not very big either, but it has a few hotels and makes for a pleasant stay very close to the battlefield. We went with the new Comfort Inn on the outskirts of town. The place was only a few months old and looked it. It was nice to have a place so quiet (not much traffic or people) and with plenty of room. We had two large beds, a desk, a refrigerator, and an armchair. Our abode for the next two nights had lots of room to set up Claire's portable crib and still allow her room to roam. |
Our first stop was the visitor center. The exhibit was small but nice. What I liked best about the center was the upper floor, which contained a large, open room surrounded by glass, providing wonderful views of parts of the battlefield. Claire had a ball running around up there. The bookstore was fairly small. Claire walked around picking up toy metal cannons, which were loosely piled without packaging into bins on the floor. The little thing ended up with four or five of them stacked in her arms. I bought her one before we left the center. Shouldn't everyone's daughter have a toy cannon? It wasn't long before I had taught her a cannon says "boom," and she loves to say that still whenever she thumbs through the photos from the trip. |
Our first stop was the visitor center. The exhibit was small but nice. What I liked best about the center was the upper floor, which contained a large, open room surrounded by glass, providing wonderful views of parts of the battlefield. Claire had a ball running around up there. The bookstore was fairly small. Claire walked around picking up toy metal cannons, which were loosely piled without packaging into bins on the floor. The little thing ended up with four or five of them stacked in her arms. I bought her one before we left the center. Shouldn't everyone's daughter have a toy cannon? It wasn't long before I had taught her a cannon says "boom," and she loves to say that still whenever she thumbs through the photos from the trip. |
The next main stop was Bloody Lane. This is one of the best places anywhere for taking battlefield photos. The sunken road is now covered with very green grass and lined with period fencing. At one end, near the Irish Brigade Monument, is an enclosed tower. I spent a lot of time up there with my cameras. The roof allowed me to set up the tripod and take my time without worrying too much about the light rain, but I soon regretted not putting on a jacket. I probably should have used a warming filter due to the very overcast conditions, and many of the photos were seriously lacking in contrast. Nevertheless, I did end up with nice moody, painting like shots of Bloody Lane and good views of the park. I took so long that Gina drove up to the visitor center to change Claire's diaper while I finished. We drove on to Burnside Bridge at the far end of the battlefield, but by then the rain had grown worse. I got out for a quick look and drove on out of the park. |
Food options in Sharpsburg were severely limited. We contemplated eating lunch at a bar along the main street, but someone at a service station recommended going down to the edge of town to a combination country store and grill. We ate fried chicken (some of the best I have ever had) and mashed potatoes. It was a great choice. It wouldn't have taken long to drive back to Shepherdstown to eat, but we wanted to have time for another trip around the battlefield. After lunch, Gina dropped me off at Sharpsburg Arsenal, a very nice Civil War relics shop on the main drag. After she changed Claire (clothes and all) with difficulty at the visitor center, Gina returned to pick me up. Civil War artifacts are available in abundance, except for certain items, like uniforms, but they are very pricey. You can get a bullet for a couple of bucks, a bayonet for about $200, a cannon ball for around $500, and a Confederate cap for a nice $10,000 and up. I looked for an hour but ended up getting only two small $3 flags. |
The weather never cleared, but by the time we made our second tour of the battlefield it at least had stopped raining. This time around, I spent more time outside the car really seeing the field and took time to set up my tripod at the best spots. In general, the more you return to the same places, the better your photographs will become. Also, the more time you take to set up your scenics the better they will become. Nothing slows you down and makes you really think about what you are doing better than using a tripod. |
We all got out at Burnside Bridge on this go around. Claire insisted on walking down and back up the steep hill herself. You can get good photos of the bridge along the river, but with the overcast weather I preferred the vantage point of the overlook near the parking lot. From there I was able to cut out the dreary sky and actually look down on the bridge. It helps to have a zoom lens from this spot, so you can frame it just right and cut out any unwanted trees, vegetation, and visitors. |
The last stop was on a ridge near the town of Sharpsburg overlooking the bridge. Confederates positioned here plunged fire down upon the attackers before being forced to retire by overwhelming numbers. Across an open space, we saw a Zouave monument marking the spot of deepest Union penetration on the Confederate right flank. A. P. Hill's forces, arriving here after a 17-mile forced march from Harper's Ferry, held up the final Yankee effort, and nightfall brought an end to the bloodiest day in American history. Our final visit was to the Antietam National Cemetery, located in the town. It contains the graves of over 5,000 soldiers, mostly Civil War dead. The graves are arranged by state and will provide some idea of the geographic representation in the Army of the Potomac. The rear of the cemetery provides yet another spot for viewing the battlefield panorama. If you want to see a superbly preserved Civil War battlefield, visit Antietam. Other than the monuments and tower, the area looks much as it did in 1862. Even the town of Sharpsburg has changed relatively little over the years and retains it small, farm town ambience. Antietam is Gettysburg without the commercialism, making it in many ways the most rewarding experience you can find on a battlefield. |
This page was last updated on: April 1, 2005
Text and photos copyright 1984-2002 Dan Woodlief |
The tour started at the Dunker Church, a small, austere little building that served as the place of worship for a pacifist sect of German Baptist brethren, and continued along the Hagerstown Pike. The area around the church, along the bordering Hagerstown Pike, was the target of the Union advance in the battle's opening phase. Severe fighting occurred all around here. At one point the Yankees drove off the nearby Confederate batteries and established positions in the neighboring woods and fields. Lee sent over reinforcements that caught the third and final wave of the blue attack in the flank and sent it reeling with devastating losses. Driving on up the Hagerstown Pike, we passed the Miller farm, which saw some of the war's deadliest combat and turned to pass the J. Poffenberger farm, from which Hooker launched the day's first strike. Continuing around Miller's Cornfield, across the road from the Poffenberger place, we listened to the tape describe the seething bloodbath that ensued during the morning phase in the fields, meadows, and nearby woodlots. We passed the Mumma farm and its small family cemetery (which you can visit). Confederates burned the farmhouse early in the battle to prevent its use by Union sharpshooters. The trail crossed back near the Dunker Church to the West Woods. The West Woods action must have brought on persistent nightmares through the years for many Yankee veterans. It was here that the third wave of blue, a division of Sumner's corps, isolated from other units, ran into murderous fire from Rebel reinforcements arriving on the scene. Hundreds of Northerners fell in the first ten minutes. |
After getting settled, we headed into town to eat. Shepherdstown is a very pretty little college town situated on the Potomac River. It didn't seem to have a lot of inexpensive eateries, but we found one, with the help of the desk staff, just across the street from the college, that served pastas, personal pizzas, and sandwiches. The eating area was all glass, so we could look out at the passing college crowd while we ate our sandwiches. Claire and the young college-aged guy waiting on us really hit it off. She turned on her big-blue-eyed charm with him. We liked the place enough to eat there again on our second night in town, when we had pizza. The second night was very crowded, and although we had the same waiter, it took a long time to get served. |
