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Antietam: Walking on hallowed ground

Sharpsburg, Md. site of 150th anniversary events
More than 3,000 acres in and around the Antietam Battlefield has been preserved, including the locations where the fighting took place on Sept. 17, 1862. BY RON MACARTHUR
September 24, 2012
Sunken Road became etched in history as Bloody Lane following the battle. Thousands were killed in just a few hours. BY RON MACARTHUR
Some of the Union dead from the battle are buried in Antietam National Cemetery not far from the battlefield. Confederate dead are buried in various cemeteries. BY RON MACARTHUR
During the re-enactment of the battle, Confederate soldiers maintain their line even though they are outnumbered. BY RON MACARTHUR
Union re-enactors advance on Confederate troops as the battle around Dunker Church ends. BY RON MACARTHUR
Union re-enactors march into battle on the first of two days of battle portrayals near Sharpsburg, Md. BY RON MACARTHUR
On the early morning of Sept. 17, 1862, this cornfield was the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting of the Civil War. As many as 8,000 men were killed or wounded in less than four hours of fighting. BY RON MACARTHUR
Looking toward the New York monument, the photo is framed by the Maryland monument, the only Civil War memorial honoring units from both sides from one state. BY RON MACARTHUR
Antietam National Cemetery is the final resting place of many of the Union casualties of the battle. BY RON MACARTHUR
Antietam National Cemetery contains several graves from Delaware Union soldiers who fought at Antietam. BY RON MACARTHUR
The Pry House was the headquarters of Gen. George McClellan and later turned into a hospital. BY RON MACARTHUR

If the Battle of Shiloh did not convince people that war was anything but glorious, the Battle of Antietam did. For 12 hours on Sept. 17, 1862, some of the most ferocious fighting of the Civil War raged on farm fields near the small town of Sharpsburg, Md. Dead Union and Confederate soldiers covered the fields, and farmhouses were turned into makeshift hospitals to deal with thousands of wounded. Residents of the area were shocked at the horrors they witnessed. In the bloodiest one-day battle in U.S. history, 23,000 men were killed, wounded or missing.

Civil War enthusiasts descended on the area around Sharpsburg Sept. 15-17 to take part in sesquicentennial events, including re-enactments of the fighting that took place 150 years ago. Thousands of re-enactors helped bring history alive to the estimated 100,000 people who attended events throughout the weekend.

Historians say the Battle of Antietam was significant for several reasons:

• Although both sides suffered serious losses, Union officers looked at the battle as their first major victory over Gen. Robert E. Lee. In retrospect, had Union generals extended the battle, it's possible that Lee's army could have been crushed.

• Lee's first invasion of the North was repelled, which kept possible European intervention out of the war on the side of the Confederates.

• The victory paved the way for President Abraham Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in the 10 Confederate states.

For more information on the Battle of Antietam, go to civilwar.org/battlefields/antietam.

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