Musings - ACW Battlefields part 2 - Antietam and Manasses

 Next stop Antietam . We drove from Gettysburg via Chambersburg , Hagerstown , Boonsboro and to Fox Gap to visit the small battlefield (the happened 3 days before Antietam ) up in the Appalachian mountains which was following the route of Lee’s Army.  So just a small selection of pictures to wet your appetite 

We stayed at the Inn at Antietam- which was a great base - highly recommend it .

The Inn is located next the National Cemetery and 2 minutes drive from the visitors centre . Great hosts too.

Antietam :- 

Just a selection of key bits 

Looking East to the mountains at Fox Gap from Lee’s position 

We met our guide Mick Priest a local ACW author and lecturer and had a half day explore . It really helped understand why this was the bloodiest one day battle . With the land falling and rising all over , with artillery on high ground all around . 

Interesting that the corn was less densely sown as it was hand , not machine harvested - roughly 2 foot between plants , but with lower planting between . Though still between 4 and 7 feet high . 

There are various interesting monuments all over the battlefield - this one appealed to me 

View from the observation tower at the Angle 

The Bloody lane area - it was even narrower then , not much wider than a cart . 

The Irish Brigade monument 

Next - Burnside Bridge area over Antietam creek 

 

Period building in Sharpsburg itself .

Manasses :-

Gun position around Henry House 

Henry House 

Stonewall Jackson monument 

The Stone house position 

Stone bridge over the Bull Run

Shepherdstown :-

We had crossed the Potomac  river to head to Harpers Ferry 

Crossing the Potomac 

 Harpers Ferry :-

The fort Firehouse from the John Brown raid in 1859 

Confluence of the Potomac and the Shenandoah rivers 

Period townhouses 

Next up some museum visits