Today is the anniversary of the bloodiest day in American history. 146 years ago, 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing following the Civil War battle of Antietam. The battle itself ended in a stalemate, having no clear winner, north or south.

The repercussions of this battle are still felt today. It was because of Antietam that England and France did not recognize the South as a sovereign nation and thus support it militarily.¹ It was also after Antietam that Lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation, freeing slaves in the southern states.²

Also, Antietam was the first battle that was really photographically documented. Alexander Gardner arrived shortly after the carnage had ended and shot 70 photographs, releasing the bulk of them as postcard-like photos. Also many newspapers made woodcuts of his photos, bringing the horrors of war to the parlors of America like never before.

My great, great, etc grandfather fought for the 51st Pennsylvania at Antietam. He, along with his comrades, were ordered to take a bridge. But taking the bridge was no easy task. It took 12,500 men three tries to overcome a Confederate force of about 500.³ The third attempt was made by the 51st New York and the 51st Pennsylvania.

The colonel in charge of the 51st Penna (and three other regiments) had canceled the regiment’s whiskey rations. They weren’t exactly thrilled about this. When he ordered them to take the bridge and after seeing so many before them fall, a corporal shouted “Will you give us our whiskey, Colonel, if we take it?”

He replied, “Yes, by God, you shall have as much as you want if you take the bridge!”

They, along with my great, great, etc grandfather took the bridge and got their whiskey.

This, like many things in war, was all for not. The 500 Confederates held up Burnside’s men long enough for Confederate reinforcements to arrive. The Confederates charged into the Union flank, shattering it and basically ending the battle. The next day, they buried their dead. The day after, the Confederates easily escaped back into the south.

I was supposed to be in Antietam today for a 146th anniversary walk. The park hosts an all-day hike through the battlefield. I’ve found that such hikes really drive home an understanding of not only the troop movements and tactics, but an understanding of why all of this happened.

But I couldn’t make it today. Last night, the belt on my scooter broke and today it’s in the shop. There’s not much I can really do about that – live to ride another day.

I do want to see Antietam and other Civil War sites before I move to Seattle. One of the things I’ll miss most about the east coast is the history, especially the Civil War. Next week, if all goes according to plan, I hope to set out on a 7 – 10 day trip into Virginia, hitting as many Civil War sites as I can. The weather is getting chillier, but I’ll still camp as much as possible.

More on this later, of course.

Till then, you can see more of Alexander Gardner’s Antietam photography here.

1. With England and France supporting the South, it very well could have lead to a Southern victory. [↩]
2. Actually, the E.P. was a political move. Lincoln only “freed” slaves in the states where he had no control. In the north, the blacks were still slaves. Sadly, what most people see as the “great emancipation” and the end of slavery freed not a single slave. [↩]
3. Though, granted, only about 4,000 of Burnside’s men took part in those attacks – he nevertheless still had 12,500 men under his command that he could have ordered to storm the bridge, but didn’t. [↩]

Related posts:

1. Antietam Anniversary
2. Plans for the next five days
3. Civil War Trip – Day One (Antietam and some Maryland bits)
4. How summer travel plans evolve (update)
5. Plans might be changing (minor, in the big scheme of things)…