Friday, September 20, 2024
We covered a lot of ground on this humid day, so much so that I'm going to split it into two parts.
Our original plan was to drive in to Pennsylvania to visit the Civil War's most famous battle that occurred in Gettysburg.
Last night we made the decision to alter that plan slightly when we realized that the Antietam National Battlefield Park in Maryland was but 30 minutes away from Harpers Ferry and only slightly out of our way to Gettysburg.
Plan B was now in full effect but we had a puzzling situation that needed an answer.
What is this Confederate marker, located
just past our hotel's front door, near a
deserted ice cream parlor, doing here?
As it turns out, a series of numbered obelisks like this one was erected in 1910 by the Jefferson County Camp of the United Confederate Veterans to mark locations of engagements and other significant Civil War events here in Jefferson County, West Virginia.
Obelisk number 24 commemorates the surrender and death of Union Colonel Dixon S. Miles who was the commander of Harpers Ferry. His surrender ended the Battle of Harpers Ferry on September 15, 1862.
The surrender included the capture of 12,000 Union soldiers to Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. It was the largest single capture of Union soldiers by the Confederates during the four years of the Civil War.
Just prior to surrendering, Miles was wounded by shrapnel from an artillery shell. He died from his wound the next day.
Union Colonel Dixon S. Miles
Our drive took us through the West Virginia city of Shepherdstown, home of the Shepherd University Rams.
Shepherdstown sits on the banks of the Potomac River, the dividing line between West Virginia and Maryland.
We drove right past their football stadium so we had to stop and take a look.
Shepherd University plays in the
NCAA's Division II
Jacob at the crossroads of two of his
favorite things, football and the Civil War
The Rams were DII Football
Playoff Finalists in 2015
The day after our impromptu visit, the Shepherd Rams (2-1) defeated the Clarion Golden Eagles (2-2), 27-9.
We arrived at Maryland's Antietam
National Battlefield in the early morning
This was the site of the Battle of Antietam that was fought on September 17, 1862 between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union Major General George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac.
This 12-hour battle remains to this day as the bloodiest single day in American history with a total of 22,227 dead, wounded or missing on both sides.
Although the Union casualties were greater, this battle was a major turning point in the Union's favor.
Another now peaceful setting that was
the scene of unbelievable carnage
Jacob reading about this particularly
gruesome spot that was known as the
Sunken Road but is now known as . . .
. . . The Bloody Lane
Seeing the dead in the Sunken Road led an observer to write, "They were lying in rows like the ties of a railroad, in heaps like cordwood mingled with the splintered and shattered fence rails. Words are inadequate to portray the scene."
Hence the new moniker, The Bloody Lane.
The wooden barriers used to
slow down the enemy's advance
The Sunken Road was originally
a well used cart path
One of hundreds of markers
at Antietam
I just liked it
A ever vigilant soldier
The bodies were stacked all
along this road
The 132 Pennsylvania Volunteer
Infantry was at Antietam
Raising the flag high with pride
Crossing this open land to get to
the Sunken Road was pure carnage
We all learned a lot about this
bloody battle on this morning
"Heaps upon heaps were
there in death's embrace"
Honest Abe was correct
The Visitors Center had some
excellent exhibits
Damn!
Jacob continued to soak it all in
Some markers and monuments
are bigger than others
Were these trees witnesses to history?
We continued to drive through
the Antietam Battle site
Next stop, the Burnside Bridge
This was the scene of more death
on this bloody day
For three hours about 500 Confederate sharpshooters held off 14,000 Union troops trying to cross the narrow bridge that was called the Lower Bridge but is now known as Burnside's Bridge
Burnside's Bridge was a tad safer today
This is indeed a Witness Tree that
was standing guard over Burnside's
Bridge on that fateful day in 1862
A monument to Army Drummers
Michael and Jacob in front
of the Witness Tree
Monuments to Artillery personnel
Serene today
Cannons were found all throughout
the Antietam Battlefield Park
Our stop at Antietam was both sobering, informative and truly hard to wrap my head around completely.
After two hours, it was time for us to move on in order to complete our plans for the day.
We were back driving on more
scenic, wooded roads in Maryland
and Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania border and a
Keystone Fireworks billboard
Next stop for the day was the Gettysburg National Military Park.
Stay tuned for a rare second blog post about our interesting Friday in Pennsylvania . . .
No comments:
Post a Comment