One of the last major stops on our driving tour of Antietam was Burnside's Bridge. This bridge that crosses Antietam Creek and the area around it played a key role in the battle in the afternoon of September 17, 1862. Union troops commanded by Ambrose Burnside, future commander of the Army of the Potomac, tried to take this bridge that day. They were held back by only a small number of Confederates in strong defensive positions on the other side who fired on anyone trying to cross.
Burnside's Bridge
Finally, later in the afternoon, a Pennsylvania and a New York regiment made a desperate dash across the bridge and cleared out the Georgian defenders. Federal forces pushed Southern troops back to the town of Sharpsburg and almost cut Lee's line of retreat. However, the Confederate army was saved in the nick of time when A.P. Hill's Division arrived from Harper's Ferry to push them back to the creek. The fighting ended in the evening with neither side gaining a significant advantage. But Lee retreated back into Virginia the next day, ending his first invasion of the North, and it was counted a Union victory.
Antietam National Cemetery
The very last stop of our tour was Antietam National Cemetery. During the battle, it was a positon for Confederate artillery. Now, over 4,000 Union soldiers are buried there. This brought it all home for me. It was a good time to visit as all the graves were decorated with American flags for Memorial Day earlier that week. I spent time walking among the markers, making sure to read some names and what state they were from. This was what the battle is really about. It is about real people who really died, not statistics.
It seemed very surreal to me to be leaving the Antietam battlefield that day. I gained a new understanding of the battle and appreciation for those who fought there that I didn't have before. Having actually been in such places as Dunker Church, Bloody Lane and Burnside's Bridge is ten times better than only reading about them. I encourage anyone studying the Civil War, and even history in general, to visit the actual places one reads about.
"Not for Themselves but for Their Country."
Speaking of historic places, my family and I headed back west after leaving Antietam to stop in Sringfield, Illinois. We planned a day of visiting a few Lincoln sites around the city, which I will cover next.
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4 comments:
I have to agree with you about viisting places, as opposed to reading. I'm not exactly interested in the Civil War, partly because my research takes me out of the country, literally I mean. However, I have been to several battlefields, and it's much easier to appreciate what went on when you are actually standing there.
Going totally off memory: it seems like a large portion of the Union casualties at Antietam came here. Does that sound right to you?
Andy,
That sounds about right, though I'm not a 100% sure. I do know there was a desperate struggle on both sides for this bridge. Then, after the Union forces took it, there was a desperate struggle to push them back.
Like everywhere else on the battlefield that day, there was a large amount of casualties!
Lauren,
Definitely. Even when I've visited other places outside the country, like Auschwitz in Poland, I've gained a better appreciation. It's so much better than just reading about history.
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