Antietam 150th Anniversary

It was a gorgeous morning by the time we arrived in Sharpsburg, Maryland -- and we quickly found ourselves mixed in with hundreds of like-minded folk.  After being directed to general parking near the north woods, headed off in search of that one incredible historic moment.

Susie and I spent pretty much the entire day strolling the battlefield, beginning with a talk at the North woods. We then  ambled over to the Bloody Lane, wending our way through some of the new foot trails that now criss-cross the battlefield, and popped up at the Roulette Farm. From there we strolled through the cornfields, where so many federal troops had perished 150 years ago that day, and found ourselves in Bloody Lane. From there we climbed the tower for a birds-eye view of the lane and the much of the early part of the battle.

After strolling back to the visitor center and stopping at the bookstore (of course),  we picked a spot near the Maryland monument and across from the Dunker Church where we could listen to several speeches honoring those men who spent their final moments on earth in agony and anguish right where we were standing. Aside from thanking all the gods that ever walked the face of the earth for our good fortune,  we also thought how much we owe them, a debt that can never be repaid in full but only through installments in spirit and time.