Day 3: May 18, 2008 A Battlefield Visit

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I figured this picture was fair game for posting since I'm confident that not many magazine readers are really interested in what a wet mule looks like. Other wet creatures (e.g., me) are even less interesting.

The morning rain ended and the wagon train disbanded in sunlight and with enough time left in the day for me to take in nearby Antietam National Battlefield. The first picture is of the Ohio monument across the road from the Dunker Church. The second is of "the Cornfield" which been called "the bloodiest part of the bloodiest day in this country's history"; Three hours of "concentrated fury" that left thousands dead. I climbed the observation tower and took the picture of "Bloody Lane" from one of the lower openings. The photo of the Maryland countryside was taken from the top level.

Confederates identified the battle here from the name of the nearby town, Sharpsburg. Northern forces used the name of the creek where much of the fighting occurred. Three bridges, referred to as Upper, Middle, and Lower, crossed Antietam Creek in the battle area. This is Lower Bridge which federal troops under General Burnside eventually fought their way across. It is now commonly referred to as Burnside's Bridge.

It's almost hidden by the grass but, thanks to Christopher Busta-Peck's blog and wonderful catalog of mile markers, I knew of this stone in the median of I-70. It is just about even with the driver in the first picture. Think he knows he's on a 180 year old road?

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