antietam national battlefield

15mins out of Boonsboro, never heard of the Antietam battlefields. I've heard of Gettysburg, Richmond, but never of Antietam. what an amazing battlefield, what amazing history, beautifully set out, excellent excellent museum staff. from the beginning of the day's fighting to the end of the day, 23000 dead or wounded.but seeing it in February at -3°C mmmmmmmmmm but still a great walk around, loved the museum

Good visitors center, provides maps of the field with helpful explanations. You can take your car through the battle, stop at numerous points along th way and see how the battle evolved.

Every Civil War and History Buff needs to visit this site. It is the home of the single bloodiest day of the Civil War. There are several ways to tour the Battlefield that should suit everyone's preferences. I purchased the CD package and we did the self guided tour. The town of Sharpsburg has several eateries, but not great variety. To me the biggest asset was the lack of commercialism and the beautiful countryside around the site. Spend extra time at the cornfield and the sunken road. If you are a Ghost Hunter these places can give you a very strange feeling.

Great battlefield. Very nice and still pretty much as it was then. Several of the sites on the field are of the better known sites of the civil war, the bloody lane, burnside bridge.

If you enjoy history then this is a great place for you. Lots to look at and learn. But be ready to walk a lot.

While here be sure to climb the steps on the observation tower and walk along the sunken road. It's a little bit of a walk but seeing the bridge is worth it.

See the observation tower, the sunken road, Burnside Bridge, Middle bridge, the visitor center, Dunker Church, the cornfield. We walked much of this battle field. It was amazing. The scenery is beautiful. We had a picnic lunch at the Sherrick Farmhouse. The memorials were very nicely presented. This is a must see on the Civil War Trail.

I visited Antietam in January with my aunt and uncle who were visiting from out of town. They didn't know much about Civil War history, but it was a beautiful clear (cold) day and we were all in the mood for exploring. Antietam is a nice drive from DC and we had a fantastic day. The rangers in the visitor's center were very helpful and we all enjoyed the orientation film and exhibits. They helped orient us to the details of the Battle of Antietam. We then spent a few hours exploring with the self-guided auto tour, which I highly recommend because we could take it all in at our own pace. We learned a lot about one of our nation's most horrific battles, but we also appreciated the clear, beautiful countryside. I am glad this land is preserved for everyone.

Beautifully kept. A tour is definitely worth doing. It gives you a better understanding of the battle.

I toured the battlefield here a few years ago and it was rather overwhelming, especially when you walk through the sunken lane. The entire battlefield tour is rather humbling and this is a must see. Do go up in the tower and get a view of the sunken lane from the top. You will need about two hours to really take everything in (corn field, Dunker church, some of the other farms, sunken lane).

This was an overwhelming experience. Taking the tour and seeing the battlefield first hand was humbling. Love this place and have earned a new respect for this battle and the war in general thanks to Antietam.

Like wraiths on a cold wind, they appeared in the light of the watch fire. The words of Julia Ward Howe involuntarily materialized in my thoughts: " ...I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps/They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps...", but the color was wrong, butternut, not blue. But did that really matter? These were all American men who fought and died here, men who came forward to defend their way of life - as they did again in 1917, and 1941, and 1967 and even to this very day. Although merely re-enactors, their presence lent an eerie and un-nerving feel to this night of remembrance - for anyone who has walked a post, for anyone who has stood the Night Watch, no explanation is necessary; for anyone who has not, no explanation is possible.On the first Saturday in December, this day chosen specifically to mingle the joy of the holidays with the solemness of remembrance, the American Business Women's Association in partnership with the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Vistors Bureau and with the approval of the National Park Service Antietam National Battlefield holds a "Memorial Illumination" to commemorate the tremendous sacrifices made on this field on 17 September, 1862 - the single bloodiest day of fighting in the American Civil War. 1400 volunteers from the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, local churches and other local organizations place 25,000 "luminaria" (a votive candle lit inside a paper bag held down by sand) on the field - about one for each casualty. Officially, the count of killed, wounded, and missing is 22,717; the unofficial count 23,110, but, like VietNam, the accuracy of the record keeping of the period is highly suspect and 25,000, or even more, is likely a more accurate figure. The following Saturday is used in the event of inclement weather, as happened in 2014.We were unaware of this event when we came to visit the Sharpsburg battlefield - the Confederacy used the nearest town, Sharpsburg; the Union used the nearest landmark, Antietam Creek, to designate and name a particular battle. We've found that visiting battlefields after the leaves fall gives a clearer view of the terrain and a better understanding of the events. It also means few, if any, people, no crowds, no smelly diesel bus fumes, and definately no rush - you are alone upon the field. You, and maybe a left over spirit or two!! At 10 A.M., we found the volunteers busy at their efforts laying out the bags over the entire 5.5 mile long battlefield. At 3 P.M., the roads are closed to the public and reconfigured to a one-way loop starting at the south end off Route 34, traversing the length of the battlefield, looping back and exiting onto Route 65, the Sharpsburg Pike, at the Visitor's Center. At dusk, around 5 P.M., the candles are lit and at 6 P.M. cars are permitted into the loop after lining up on the edge of the Route 34 staging area. It took us about a half hour to inch up to the entrance where a re-enactor by a watchfire passes out brochures and collects donations. The literature says a 2 hour wait is possible on occasion. A sign at the entrance asks that headlights be turned off and use only running lights while driving the loop. The drive is open until midnight, supervised by NPS Rangers and personnel.Of all the Civil War battlefields I've visited, Antietam has probably the fewest monuments and memorials I've ever seen on a major Civil War battlefield. Of course, the Dunker Church has been restored, a viewing tower installed around the turn of the 20th century overlooks Bloody Lane and a variety of cannons buried nose down denote where general officers were killed, but overall, not nearly the amount of unit memorials one finds at Gettysburg, Chickamauga or Vicksburg. As if no one really wanted to remember this place.There is one exception - the Fire Zouaves. The Zouaves were New York firemen who volunteered enmasse at the start of the war and were distinctive for their uniforms - red blossoming panteloons, white shirt with embroidered vest, and a red Fez - a la Ali Baba. It is said that while marching passed a house on fire one day , they stopped, rescued the inhabitants, put out the fire, then picked up their gear and continued marching down the road. Their statue has two standing men - one in Union uniform facing one in fire turnout gear of the period.Antietam represents the political turning point of the American Civil War. Immediately after Antietam, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. This added the abolition of slavery as a war aim to that of unity of the country. More importantly, it held off England's recognition of the Confederacy as a sovernign nation, a recognition that would never come, and would thus eliminate any possible intervention in the war by a foreign government.Only twice before have I felt what I felt at Antietam - Surrender Field at Yorktown and Appomattox Courthouse. Its an odd, un-nerving feeling, an all encompasing feeling of the magnitude of this place as defined by the amount of suffering and the impact that suffering had upon the history of this country - and the feeling that while upon that field you were being watched, then judged as an American.

The Antietam Battlefield is well worth seeing and remembering. Too many Ameticans were killed in the battle. As a result of this battle Zpresident Lincoln issue the Declaration of Proclamation. The first step in ending slavery in the US. Visiting the battlefield can create personal emotions. This is a good thing.

Over the years, Mrs. Too and Ben have visited dozens of sites made noble by struggles during the War Between the States, as well as both wars against the British Empire. She is not so much a fan of military history, but enjoys these visits more for the dwellings and furnishings, whereas Ben relishes the pure history of the battles themselves.Ben had toured the Antietam battlefield before, but she had not, so on our way back from a road trip to Ohio, we stopped here. The National Park Service has made many, many evolving enhancements to this attraction, with the result that it is perhaps the finest representation of its kind anywhere in the country. We spent the better part of a day, taking advantage of all of the features provided by NPS and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.Interestingly, as we went on our way home, both of us remarked that the most pervasive and lasting part of our visit was the devastation and horror inflicted upon the citizenry of this peaceful, prosperous little corner of Maryland. Crops, flocks, and herds utterly destroyed, an entire year of tilling, sowing, cultivating and growing were demolished, as homes and places of worship were perforce converted for the care of the maimed bodies of so many brave young men in any uniform. One must wonder just how long it would have taken for the shattered peace of their homes to be restored, even whether it ever was in their lifetimes.In preparation for a visit, or even a revisit here, there are many websites providing a wealth of information about this stirring experience. Do run through some of them, especially if your home is far enough away to prevent the four or five trips to tour and learn which a thorough grasp of the campaign requires.

The Antietam Battlefield is expansive and best viewed by car, but there are lots of good places to get out, walk around, and take photos. It was definitely worth it for me to get info from the Visitor Center prior to setting off to get perspective on the sights. There are many powerful monuments and beautiful structures. It's a great alternative or companion to a Gettysburg visit.There are a handful of days throughout the year that national parks, including this one, that have free admission.