The Battle of Antietam

Antietam National Battlefield Observation Tower and Irish Brigade Monument

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Observation Tower Deck

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Northern Battlefield

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Southern Battlefield

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Western Battlefield

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Observation Tower Window (Southern Battlefield)

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* Photos courtesy of William Bechmann (2013)
Just re-discovered these wonderful pictures! How beautiful this battle field, that I have never seen,looks!
 
Follow up. There are three untouched battlefields. Shiloh, Perryville and Antietam. There are more, but without the importance. You can't find lodging or eats outside of miles. There are no devoplments or fast food joints. They are pristine in that they remain the way they were.
 
Antietam Creek looks like it might've been easy to ford. Anyone know how deep it typically is?

There are at least a couple of fords that were used during the battle. The stretch of the creek around Burnside Bridge was between waist and chest high the day of the battle. This past weekend, some reenactors crossed the Antietam immediately south of the bridge and it was about chest high for them. Exiting the creek there isn't so easy, as the bank on the west side is a little steep and can be muddy. I think both sides knew that any crossing of the creek by the Union troops in large numbers, at least in the lower part of the battlefield, was going to have to be on the bridge.
 
I was at the 153rd anniversary on the 17th and managed to video the crossing on my phone. Of note is that about 2/3 of the way across the creek is about chest deep on the men, and the opposite bank the ledge they had to climb over was also about chest high on them. And I don't think the Georgians would be there to lend a helping hand.

 
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I was at the 153rd anniversary on the 17th and managed to video the crossing on my phone. Of note is that about 2/3 of the way across the creek is about chest deep on the men, and the opposite bank the ledge they had to climb over was also about chest high on them. And I don't think the Georgians would be there to lend a helping hand.


That looks like fun. Seriously. The reennactment part. Good video and I agree with you and Andrew, no bargain to ford it. that slope looks steep.
 
Here's a little more info about the fords along Antietam Creek, which I happened to read about last night. These are from Scott Hartwig's To Antietam Creek.

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