Sept. 21st Shepherdstown

RastusMcNair

Cadet
Joined
Aug 26, 2020
Hello All, We took a little road trip last weekend. Shenandoah Nat.Park, Harper's Ferry, and Monday into Maryland. I was able to locate the area my ancestor was in with the 4th. Pa. Calvary at Antietam and Shepherdstown. The later is very different from the big famous battlefields. I've posted a few pics from Shepherdstown.
IMG_20200921_120824.jpg
IMG_20200921_121049.jpg
IMG_20200921_120909.jpg
IMG_20200921_115920.jpg
IMG_20200921_121104.jpg
IMG_20200921_115817.jpg
IMG_20200921_121116.jpg
IMG_20200921_121058.jpg
IMG_20200921_115932.jpg
IMG_20200921_121201.jpg
IMG_20200921_120829.jpg
IMG_20200921_120939.jpg
 
I was able to locate the area my ancestor was in with the 4th. Pa. Calvary at Antietam and Shepherdstown. The later is very different from the big famous battlefields. I've posted a few pics from Shepherdstown.

Very interesting -- thanks for posting these photos! We're interested in old fortifications in this forum. What are the stone structures you've shown in some of the photos? And are some of these features earthworks, or just battle positions?

Roy B.
 
Very interesting -- thanks for posting these photos! We're interested in old fortifications in this forum. What are the stone structures you've shown in some of the photos? And are some of these features earthworks, or just battle positions?

Roy B.
The ruins with the Potomac river in the background is an old cement mill, the ones looking up hill,my back to the mill, are the lime kilns and ravine. The one with the low ground to the left are facing south towards the ford barely visible through the trees and Trough Rd. With the low ground on the right you're facing north. It shows the beginning of what becomes some shear rock cliffs that trapped the Corn Exchange Regt.
 
The ruins with the Potomac river in the background is an old cement mill, the ones looking up hill,my back to the mill, are the lime kilns and ravine.

One of the markers you photographed says that some soldiers took shelter in the mill during the battle, so it's nice that these remnants are still there.

Roy B.
 
I hadn't read much about this battle, so it's great that you shared these photos. Didn't realize how close this battlefield is to Sharpsburg. Studying it now, I see how this was important as the effective end of Lee's Sept. 1862 Maryland campaign. Here's a pretty good map of the battlefield (credit: National Park Service):

Shepherdstown_Battlefield_West_Virginia_NPS.jpg


At archive.org, I found this drawing from Harper's Weekly, showing the green troops of the 118th PA crossing the Potomac:

Shepherdstown_118thPA.png


Roy B.
 
September 1862. Here was an old dam, the part next to Virginia side had been washed away and torn away. The river by reason of the part gone was swift like a mill tail on the Virginia side. The chances of crossing the stream were stepping and jumping from rock to rock which were projecting above the water without uniformity in size and height, and it was a very careful job to make it to the near end of the dam. (Bailey G. McClelan, Company D, 10th Alabama)
 
Yes, great view.

I have seen a view of this bridge from an Infinity Pool at Shepherdtown's Bavarian Inn
 
Didn't the 118th PA have faulty Enfield's over half if memory serves me correct , And to make things worse they were left as a rear guard not the greatest piece of general ship unless of course their commanding officer volunteered for it , Having a green regiment cover your back is not ideal.
 
Hello All, We took a little road trip last weekend. Shenandoah Nat.Park, Harper's Ferry, and Monday into Maryland. I was able to locate the area my ancestor was in with the 4th. Pa. Calvary at Antietam and Shepherdstown. The later is very different from the big famous battlefields. I've posted a few pics from Shepherdstown.View attachment 376084View attachment 376085View attachment 376086View attachment 376087View attachment 376088View attachment 376089View attachment 376090View attachment 376091View attachment 376092View attachment 376093View attachment 376094View attachment 376095

Fantastic pics! This is one of the most interesting, untouched battlefields. Hard to find, but definitely worth visiting while exploring the Maryland Campaign battlefields.
 
I found a minne ball stuck in the cement mill about 7 yrs ago & numerous drops in the ford water.
 
Back
Top