Friday, April 3, 2009

Sharpsburg, Maryland: Antietam National Battlefield


I believe there is some phrase about the winners writing the history. The Union forces in the Civil War called it the Battle of Antietam while the Confederacy liked the Battle of Sharpsburg. Although the site is located in Sharpsburg, you can see by the above title who won the war.

The battle took place in Sept. 1862, and about 22,000 soldiers on the two sides combined were killed or wounded. That was the worst day of the Civil War in terms of bloodshed. And when you tour the battleground, you can almost feel the spirits in the air, like you can in Gettysburg.

Shown is a picture of Bloody Lane, where the fighting was particularly intense. The South withdrew after the battle, giving the Union some needed good news and perhaps helped inspired President Lincoln to get to work on the Emancipation Proclamation.

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