Time Travelers: Antietam

In my Time Travelers Series, I share some of my favorite historical sites from my travels with my fellow history adventurer, my husband Erin.







Destination: Antietam


I recently finished My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira, and as the story reached its conclusion amidst the carnage at Antietam, I was able to recall the images from my last visit as I read, really helping to enrich the "movie in my mind". I thought I'd share some of its history and the pictures I took last time I was there.

After a victory at the Second Manassas, Lee was eager to keep on the offensive, to invade the Union and move the war out of Virginia. After crossing the Potomac Lee divided his army and sent Jackson to capture the strategic Union garrison at Harper's Ferry. Lee took his division and headed for South Mountain where they were repulsed by a hastily prepared Union advance. After learning of Jackson's success in Harper's Ferry, Lee decided not to retreat back into Virginia, but to make a stand at Sharpsburg. Lee's men held the high ground west of Antietam Creek with Jackson and Longstreet flanking either side of him, and watched as the Union army, under George McClellan, gathered on the east side of Antietam Creek.

September 17, 1862. The battle begins before dawn. 100,000 men are engaged. By sunset 23,000 of them are dead, wounded or captured. This day remains the bloodiest day in American history. Although outnumbered two-to-one, Lee committed his entire force, while McClellan sent in less than three-quarters of his army, and thanks to the unexpected though most welcome appearance of A.P. Hill's Light Division, the Confederates were able to fight the Federals to a standstill. The fighting ended, both armies tended to their dead and wounded, and Lee withdrew back to Virginia. McClellan, despite having a sizeable reserve force that did not fight at Antietam, did not pursue him and the war dragged on for three more horrific years.

Antietam is one of the prettiest battlefields I've visited. It has a beautiful glass-walled visitor's center overlooking rolling farmland and hedgerows against the misty backdrop of the Blue Ridge mountains. There's a public observation tower near the center of the park that offers even better views. We purchased a driving tour from Travel Brains that was excellent. It included a CD that guides you through the battlefield, stopping and explaining the significant sites along with a book of visual aids to follow along with. We've taken several of these tours and I only wish they made more of them.

Of course we walked a good deal as well. Antietam is so quiet and peaceful - the only sounds are those of the birds in the trees and the wind in the tall grasses. It was almost surreal to stand in the very spot Lee did and imagine what he must have felt seeing Hill's troops appear in the distance, riding to his rescue; to stand on Burnside's Bridge and imagine artillery blasts and sharpshooter bullets flying during the struggle to control it; to walk Miller's Cornfield and the Bloody Lane, to sit inside the whitewashed coolness of Dunker Church, all now so calm and beautiful, bearing silent, eternal tribute to those who fought that day in 1862.

 

NPS Trivia Tidbit:  Did you know?

The Maryland State Monument is the only monument at Antietam dedicated to both sides. Marylanders fought for both the Union and the Confederacy. 20,000 people attended the dedication on May 30, 1900. President William McKinley, a veteran of the Battle of Antietam, was the keynote speaker.

Time Travelers: Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse

In my Time Travelers Series, I share some of my favorite historical sites from my travels with my fellow history adventurer, my husband Erin.


Destination:  Spotsylvania, Virginia



So once again I'm cheating, since no travel was actually involved in the making of this post, but my husband and his reenactment unit took part in the 146th anniversary commemorations and we put together a video I think turned out pretty good! Erin shot the footage and I pieced it together. Check it out and let me know what you think!

The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania, was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. The battle was fought in the Rapidan-Rappahannock river area of central Virginia, a region where more than 100,000 men on both sides fell between 1862 and 1864.

Spotsylvania Courthouse, May 1864

It's still standing and is still used as a courtroom today, though it's surrounded by a lot of other government buildings now. But the Spotsylvania C.H. campus is lovely. If you're ever passing through stop by and then have lunch at the nearby Courthouse Cafe or the Snack Shack, a southern roadside burger stand that's been a local favorite for 30 years.

Excerpts from the Wikipedia overview:

The battle was fought May 8–21, 1864, along a trench line some four miles long, with the Army of Northern Virginia under Gen. Robert E. Lee making its second attempt to halt the spring offensive of the Union Army of the Potomac under the command of Lt. Gen. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade. Taking place less than a week after the bloody, inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, it pitted 52,000 Confederate soldiers against a Union army numbering 100,000.

Lee's tactics inflicted severe casualties on Grant's army. This time, the toll was over 18,000 men, of which close to 3,000 were killed. In two weeks of fighting, Grant had lost 35,000 men, and another 20,000 went home when their enlistments ended. In fact, Grant at one point on the North Anna had fewer than 65,000 effectives. But Lee did not come out of these battles unscathed, either. At Spotsylvania, he lost another 10–13,000 men, and the Confederates had to pull men away from other fronts to reinforce him. Making matters worse, the army was taking heavy losses among its veteran units and its best officers. This may have saved Grant from a disaster on the North Anna, when his decimated army was positioned badly and was ripe to be attacked. Lee never did, because the Army of Northern Virginia was unable to do so. In fact, Lee's army would never regain the initiative it lost in those two weeks of May 1864.

Click here to read the very interesting full article. Click here to visit the National Park Service website.

Time Travelers: Harpers Ferry

In my Time Travelers Series, I share some of my favorite historical sites from my travels with my fellow history adventurer, my husband Erin.

Destination: Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

Harpers Ferry sits at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, where the borders of West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia meet.

When Thomas Jefferson paid a brief visit to Harpers Ferry on his way to Philadelphia in 1783, he climbed up to an overlook above the Shenandoah and found the view so impressive that afterward he wrote, "this scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic." The rock formation on that overlook resembles a stacked platform and has been known as Jefferson's Rock ever since. There's a picture of me at Jefferson Rock in this slideshow.

Harpers Ferry is probably best remembered as the site of John Brown's raid. Abolitionist John Brown led an armed group of 21 men in the capture of the armory on October 16, 1859. Brown attacked and captured the armory, hoping to use the captured weapons to initiate a slave uprising throughout the South. The first shot fired mortally wounded free black man Hayward Shepherd. The noise from the shot woke Dr. John Starry who went to the livery and rode to the neighboring towns alerting residents to the raid.

When he reached nearby Charles Town, they rang the church bells and aroused the citizens from their sleep. John Brown's men were quickly pinned down by local citizens and militia, and forced to take refuge in the engine house adjacent to the armory. A contingent of marines under none other than Colonel Robert E. Lee arrived by train on October 18, and after negotiation failed they stormed the engine house and captured most of the raiders, killing a few and suffering a single casualty themselves. Brown was tried for treason against the State of Virginia, ( as Harper's Ferry was still part of Virginia at that time), convicted and hanged in nearby Charles Town.

Two years later Harpers Ferry found itself right on the border between Union and Confederate forces. This strategic position along with its valuable manufacturing base made Harpers Ferry a coveted goal for both sides, and the town exchanged hands no less than eight times during the course of the war.

The actual Battle of Harpers Ferry was fought September 12–15, 1862. The Confederate army under Major General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson surrounded, bombarded, and captured the Union garrison at Harpers Ferry, gaining a major victory at relatively minor cost. The Union garrison surrendered 12,500 men. It was the largest surrender of Federal forces during the war.

In addition to its beautiful scenery and historical significance, Harpers Ferry is also a cool little town with quaint homes, cozy restaurants, art galleries and shops. Visit in the fall if you can for the crisp mountain air and the spectacular autumn color. You can stay at a nearby bed and breakfast and explore the area's plentiful recreation areas for hiking, biking and canoeing and Antietam Battlefield is a short drive away. It's also an easy day trip from Washington, DC. Check out Harpers Ferry National Park and Historic Harpers Ferry to learn more.

Time Travelers: Fredericksburg National Cemetery

In my Time Travelers Series, I share some of my favorite historical sites from my travels with my fellow history adventurer, my husband Erin.

Destination: Fredericksburg, Virginia

Fredericksburg National Cemetery

There were four major battles fought in the Fredericksburg area during the Civil War:  Fredericksburg in 1862, Chancellorsville in 1863, and Wilderness and Spotsylvania in 1864. All but Wilderness, which was considered a draw, were Confederate victories and after the war, Congress created the Fredericksburg National Cemetery as the final resting place for the more than 15,000 Union soldiers who died during those battles.

The cemetery lies atop Marye's Heights, which was the insurmountable position from which the Confederates brutally repulsed wave after wave of Union soldiers during the Battle of Fredericksburg. The cemetery itself is beautiful with its the terraced steps, brick walls and grand old trees. One does not truly realize the scope of human lives lost until the crest of the hill is reached, and then the awareness sinks in as twelve gently rolling acres of green grass dotted with headstones as far as the eye can see comes into view. Of the 15,300 men buried here, only 3,000 were ever identified.

The muffled drum's sad roll has beat

The soldier's last Tattoo;

No more on life's parade shall meet

That brave and fallen few.

No vision of the morrow's strife

The warrior's dream alarms;

No braying horn, nor screaming fife,

At dawn shall call to arms.

Rest on, embalmed and sainted dead,

Dear as the blood ye gave,

No impious footstep here shall tread

The herbage of your grave.

~From Theodore O'Hara's poem, The Bivouac of the Dead

These verses grace signs displayed throughout the cemetery.

If you are ever in the Fredericksburg area during Memorial Day weekend, a nighttime visit to the cemetery is not to be missed. Every year local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops place a flag and a luminary on every single grave and it is a beautiful and awe-inspiring sight to behold. My own pictures of this event were taken years ago before the digital camera age, and so I apologize for the poor quality of them. I hope to get some new shots this year, but some beautiful professional shots can be found on the internet, if you're interested.

Time Travelers: Battle of Fredericksburg 1862

In my Time Travelers Series, I share some of my favorite historical sites from my travels with my fellow history adventurer, my husband Erin.

Destination: Fredericksburg, Virginia

OK, so technically there was no traveling involved for this excursion, since I live in the Fredericksburg area. But Fredericksburg is a history lover's dream and a lot of my posts in this series will come from some of my favorite historical sites right here in my hometown. I consider myself very fortunate to live in a place where history is preserved and celebrated, and where I can literally walk through history everyday.

My husband, Erin, is also a history lover. While my favorite era is Early American/Revolutionary, his favorite is the Civil War and he is a member of a reenactment unit, the 47th Virginia Company I, part of Longstreet's Corps. Every December the 47th, in collaboration with various other Confederate and Federal reenactment groups, plans historical events to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Fredericksburg. The battle actually consisted of several battles fought over a five-day period in various locations, and these photos are from 2007, when they recreated the battle at Marye's Heights and the famous stone wall.

My husband was excited to play a starring role in this production, portraying Confederate soldier Richard Kirkland, who braved the battlefield to bring water to the wounded and dying Union soldiers, earning himself the title: The Angel of Marye's Heights.

I took the pictures of the reenactment in this slideshow and I've also included pictures of the Kirkland Memorial at the battlefield along with artist Mort Kuntsler's depiction, historical pictures taken after the actual battle and additional artists' renderings.

The Battle of Fredericksburg took place over five days, December 11-15, in 1862. Here, 120,000 men of the Army of the Potomac under General Ambrose Burnside met 72,500 men of the Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E. Lee. Here is a brief description of the battle, the scope of which is far too large to cover in detail in one blog post. Numerous books have been written on the subject, but a good starting point for further information is the National Park Service's Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park website.

On December 11, while Union engineers laid five pontoon bridges across the Rappahannock River under Confederate fire, 150 Union artillery guns blasted Fredericksburg from Stafford Heights on the opposite side of the river. On the 12th, the Federal army crossed over into Fredericksburg, and on December 13, Burnside mounted a series of futile frontal assaults on Prospect Hill and Marye’s Heights that resulted in staggering casualties. Meade’s division, on the Union left flank, briefly penetrated General "Stonewall" Jackson’s line but was driven back by a counterattack. Union Generals C. Feger Jackson and George Bayard, and Confederate Generals Thomas R.R. Cobb and Maxey Gregg were killed. On December 15, Burnside called off the offensive and recrossed the river, ending the campaign. The Battle of Fredericksburg was a stunning Confederate victory. The Confederates suffered 5,300 casualties to the Union's 12,600 casualties.

In my next Time Travelers post, I'll be sharing my photos of the Fredericksburg National Cemetery, where more than 15,000 Union soldiers were laid to rest.

Time Travelers: Williamsburg Summer Gardens

In my Time Travelers Series, I share some of my favorite historical sites from my travels with my fellow history adventurer, my husband Erin.

Destination: Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

A trip to Colonial Williamsburg is truly a trip back in time. It's 1774 every day in Williamsburg. As an amateur historian, novelist, gardener and photographer, Colonial Williamsburg is a mecca where I can immerse my senses and indulge all of my hobbies. And lucky for me it's close by!

I'm always drawn to Williamsburg's charming, authentic colonial gardens. All of the plants are plants that would have been found in Virginia in 1774, whether they were native or imported. The ornamental gardens are kept in the style of the times and there are many vegetable gardens, too. These are pictures from my last trip in June of 2009, when the summer gardens were beginning to shine.

Time Travelers: St. Michael's Church, Charleston

In my Time Travelers Series, I share some of my favorite historical sites from my travels with my fellow history adventurer, my husband Erin. 

Destination: St. Michael's Church, Charleston, South Carolina

If you've ever had the pleasure of visiting Charleston, you know that virtually no matter where you are in the city you can hear church bells ringing the hours. I was instantly captivated by Charleston and spent hours just walking the streets of the historic district admiring the architecture. St. Michael's Episcopal Church is particularly worth noting both for its beauty and its history.

On the eve of the American Revolution, Charleston was the wealthiest city in the American colonies, home to nine of the ten richest men in America. South Carolina was also the most tolerant of the colonies and Charleston was home to numerous churches of many denominations, even a Jewish synagogue.

St. Michael's is the oldest church building in Charleston. Commissioned by the Assembly and patronized by some of the city's wealthiest citizens, St. Michael's is a gem that has survived both the American Revolution and the Civil War. When it was completed in 1761 it stood at the heart of Charleston, the bustling intersection of Meeting and Broad Streets. It's design was based on those of Sir Christopher Wren, taking cues from the Book of Common Prayer, with an altar close to the congregation and a gallery on three sides to bring the people closer to the center of worship, where all were invited to hear and participate in the sermon.

The church has seen its share of adventures, too. In 1757 the First Royal Highland Battalion used the unfinished church as temporary barracks while preparing to defend South Carolina from the Cherokee waging war on the frontier. During the Siege of Charleston in 1780 the steeple was painted black in an effort to camofluage and protect it from British naval guns. The church bells were taken to England as a prize of war but were later returned. They were removed again during the Civil War and sent to Columbia where they were damaged in a fire and subsequently had to be sent to England for recasting. The church survived the 1886 earthquake which caused considerable damage to Charleston, but the portico did not and the one we see today is a replica of the original.

To learn more about the architecture and history

of St. Michael's Church, click here.