Visit to Sharpsburg

[Blockaderunner]

The Battle of Sharpsburg or Antietam Creek is probably one of the best known of all Civil War engagements. Even a general Civil War book makes the reader aware of The Cornfield, The Sunken Lane, The Dunker Church and Burnsides Bridge. But how does a visit to the field compare with pre-concieved ideas of what the field will look like? I visited in June of this year, and here are a few of my thoughts.
There is an excellent visitor centre with an area commanding a panoramic view of much of the field. Almost all of the field retains its 1862 appearance. Only park roads, monuments and markers have been added. My favourite way to visit a field is to follow a taped driving tour and walk as many trails as possible. I was a little surprised to find that was no official National Park driving tour available, but ther was a TravelBrains tour tape and guide, so I bought those. This tour is excellent and highly recommended.
The first stop was The Dunker Church. The church was destroyed by a storm in 1923, but was rebuilt with the original materials in the 1960's. The church contains mostly original furniture which was saved after the storm. Comparing 1860's photographs with modern views shows that the restoration was done to a high standard. Like most Civil War sites, cannon mark the positions of batteries. Artillery duels took place across the ground in front of the church and a number of cannon face north along the Haggerstown Turnpike.
The next stops were the North Woods, Mansfield Monument and Corn Field. The North Woods were the starting point for Hookers attack across the Corn Field and along the Haggerstown Turnpike towards the Dunker Church. This is a good point to walk a trail around the Corn Field. The Corn Field was not as I had imagined it, being much larger than I had thought. The field also slopes downward, away from the North Woods for a distance of maybe two hundred yards. The Mansfield Monument marks the approximate spot where General Mansfield recieved a mortal wound. Another monument of an upturned cannon is also dedicated to Mansfield.
Next stop, the West Woods. Sedgewicks Division were massacred in these woods, suffering more than one third cassualties. This is one of the few areas on the field which has lost its Civil War appearance. The car parking area, monuments and landscaping have made the area unrecognisable to an 1862 veteran.
The Sunken Road. One of the most famous of all Civil War sites. Positions in the road can still be compared with Brady's celebrated photographs. The value of the road as a defensive position is clear, but it did not look ideal. From the road, the field across which French's troops attacked, slopes downward. The Union troops would not be visible to the men in the road until they were quite close. An observation tower has been built beside the road, this gives an excellent view of this part of the field.
Burnsides Bridge. Still standing. Just yards downstream of the bridge, the river bends. This allowed the Confederate defenders to fire both along and across the bridge. The bluffs above the bridge would have been impregnable had the Confederates more troops available. A huge sycamore tree standing beside the bridge is a survivor of the battle.
The battlefield is often described as being compact. But this overlooks an important point. The field is not flat. This is rolling farmland. Troops on one part of the field would not be able to see what was happening elsewhere. This may well account for the confusion of the early attacks across and around the Corn Field.
All in all, well worth a visit. A battlefield which can easily be walked in a day. Admission was about three of four dollars and was valid for three days.