Best way to tour Antietam

David Ireland

Corporal
Joined
Nov 29, 2017
I’m going to Antietam on Monday. I want to do a self guided car tour, following the progression of the battle.

What’s the best way to do that?

Battlefield.org’s app seems to start at the sunken road, not the cornfield.

any suggestions would be appreciated
 
I would start with a stop at the visitor's center . There is a small fee, but you'll find the staff very helpful and they can provide a pamphlet on the driving tour . I don't understand why they would have you start at the sunken road .
 
Here’s the way that seems to me to be the most logical succession of stops. I want to follow the Union progression

1. Mansfield Monument
2. Cornfield
3. West Woods and Dunker Church
4. Sunken Lane
5. Burnside’s Bridge

Are there coordinates for each of these stops?


Do you recommend the Battlefield Trust app?
 
How can I know which positions were held by whom? Are there regimental monuments as at Gettysburg?

Also, can anyone tell me where the Ithaca/Watkins Glen NY area guys fought?

Where did Rufus Dawes fight?
 
You can download the driving tour from the Visitors Center from their website or stop and pick it up there. They charge a small fee for the tour but honestly I never saw anybody checking. My last visit I got there at first light and had the place to myself for quite a while.
 
How can I know which positions were held by whom? Are there regimental monuments as at Gettysburg?

Also, can anyone tell me where the Ithaca/Watkins Glen NY area guys fought?

Where did Rufus Dawes fight?

You’ll have a great visit!

In preparation you could start with some Antietam battle maps: http://antietam.aotw.org/maps.php?map_number=main

Dawes’ 6th Wisconsin is shown on Maps 1, 2, and 3.

Yes, there are monuments, but not nearly as many as Gettysburg. Also, there are iron tablets all over the field showing position and actions for the various units of both armies. You could preview them online here: http://antietam.aotw.org/tablet_maps.php?map_number=main

You’ll get better answers about this from real N.Y. experts, but Companies A and I of the 32nd NY Infantry were raised in Ithaca. They were part of the 6th Army Corps at Antietam but were not significantly engaged there. I expect there were soldiers from that area in other units at Antietam ...

Good hunting!
 
Have fun! I love the place. There is a autotour CD sold at the visitors center (maybe online too) that i would recommend. It covers the driving tour pretty thoroughly. But be sure to do some of the walking trails. You don't really get a sense of the battlefield unless you do those. I've done them all now. If you have to choose, I find the Sunken Road and Final Attack trails to be the most interesting of them. I know off copies of the NPS brochures are available online.
 
It's been a while but I don't think you'll have any trouble finding the places on your list. Trailhead Graphics used to have a map of the battlefield showing all the markers. Don't know if it is still available at the Visitors Center. The battlefield itself is quite small, comparatively speaking.
 
There's a grave near where I deerhunt that first got me interested n the war. It is for two brothers. One was killed at Wilderness, and the other at Antietam. His name was Alvin Alcott. Any idea where that may be?
 
There's a grave near where I deerhunt that first got me interested n the war. It is for two brothers. One was killed at Wilderness, and the other at Antietam. His name was Alvin Alcott. Any idea where that may be?

This says that he was a member of the 34th New York Infantry. This regiment was part of Gorman’s brigade of Sedgwick’s division of the 2nd Corps. It fought in the West Woods right next to the Dunker Church.
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I bought the auto tour at the Visitor's Centre. It has maps and troop movements and it is very interesting. There are places to pull over and get out so you can walk around if you like. Leave plenty of time for Burnside's bridge as it is a lovely spot. My travelling companion is the photographer of the two of us, so I drive and she hangs out the window, literally!
 
I’m going to Antietam on Monday. I want to do a self guided car tour, following the progression of the battle.

What’s the best way to do that?

Battlefield.org’s app seems to start at the sunken road, not the cornfield.

any suggestions would be appreciated
Hope you enjoyed your day. Please report back with some photos.
 
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