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Antietam National Battlefield is a National Park Service protected area along Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg MD which commemorates the American Civil War Battle of Antietam that occurred on September 17, 1862. Open year-round, this national treasure of more than 3,200 acres encompasses an 8-1/2 mile driving tour. The battlefield has more than 350 monuments, tablets, markers, and 41 authentic cannons. The remains of 4,776 Federal soldiers are buried at Antietam National Cemetery.
The Battle of Antietam (or Sharpsburg) on Sept 17, 1862, was the climax of the first of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's two attempts to carry the war into the North. About 40,000 Southerners were pitted against the 87,000-man Federal Army of the Potomac. By the afternoon of September 15 both armies had established new battle lines west and east of Antietam Creek near the town of Sharpsburg. When Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's troops reached Sharpsburg on the 16th, Harper's Ferry having surrendered the day before, Lee consolidated his position along the low ridge that runs north and south of the town.
The battle opened at dawn on the 17th with a murderous fire on Jackson's men in the Miller cornfield north of town. Jackson counterattacked and regained some of the lost ground. It was reported "Every stalk of corn in the northern and greater part of the field was cut as closely as could have been done with a knife, and the slain lay in rows precisely as they had stood in their ranks a few moments before." Jackson's men were "exposed for near an hour to a terrific storm of shell, canister, and musketry." About 7 am Jackson succeeded in driving the Federals back. Union troops counterattacked and by 9 am had regained some of the lost ground. The Confederates struck men on both flanks, inflicting appalling casualties.
Bitter fighting raged along an old sunken road separating two farms. For nearly 4 hours, from 9:30 am to 1 pm, bitter fighting raged along this road, afterwards known as Bloody Lane. Confusion and sheer exhaustion finally ended the battle here and in the northern part of the field generally.
From Wikipedia "Battle of Sharpsburg--Army of the
Potomac"
Lithograph created/published c1888
Image Copyright © by Kurz & Allison
Source: Library of Congress
Southeast of town, Union Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside's troops had been trying to cross a bridge over Antietam Creek since 9:30 am. Each time they were driven back. At 1 pm, the Federals finally crossed the bridge (now known as Burnside Bridge) and advanced up the slope beyond. Then, about 4 pm, Gen. A. P. Hill's division from Harper's Ferry arrived on the field, entered the fight, and Burnside's troops were driven back to the heights near the bridge they had earlier taken.
The Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest day of the Civil War, was over. The next day Lee began withdrawing his army across the Potomac River.
More men were killed or wounded at Antietam on Sept 17, 1862, than on any other single day of the Civil War. Federal losses were 12,410; Confederate losses were 10,700.
[Text condensed from a brochure published by the National Park Service.]
One of numerous panoramic views of the Antietam
Battlefield
Burnside Bridge, named after the Union general whose
troops were
held off most of the day by Georgia riflemen, attracts countless visitors
The Antietam National Battlefield is about 45 minutes, 35 miles from Waynesboro, via I-81 south, I-70 east, MD Rte 65 south to Sharpsburg MD. There is a more direct route through downtown Hagerstown MD. National Park Service signs on MD Rte 65 are large, legible, and easy to follow. NPS-Antietam Battlefield website is http://www.nps.gov/anti . Directions and map.
The Battlefield is open all year except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. Its operating hours are: from Memorial Day to Labor Day 8 am to 7 pm; from Labor Day to Memorial Day 8:30 am to 5 pm. Visitor center 301-432-5124.
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