Comments on: Mud of our fathers http://behind.aotw.org/2008/04/13/mud-of-our-fathers/ the backwash of a digital history project Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:50:59 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Tom Clemens http://behind.aotw.org/2008/04/13/mud-of-our-fathers/comment-page-1/#comment-12732 Tom Clemens Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:16:51 +0000 http://behind.aotw.org/2008/04/13/mud-of-our-fathers/#comment-12732 Thanks for the publicity, it was great having your help last weekend. I always find these scenic restoration projject to be so personally fulfilling. After a week of desk work and teaching it is nice to get my hands dirty now and then. Thanks for the publicity, it was great having your help last weekend. I always find these scenic restoration projject to be so personally fulfilling. After a week of desk work and teaching it is nice to get my hands dirty now and then.

]]> By: Brian http://behind.aotw.org/2008/04/13/mud-of-our-fathers/comment-page-1/#comment-12726 Brian Sat, 19 Apr 2008 13:19:30 +0000 http://behind.aotw.org/2008/04/13/mud-of-our-fathers/#comment-12726 Hi Craig, Thanks for the note - good point about the Fifth Corps. Plenty of fuel for "what-if" speculation on that part of the field, too. Hi Craig,

Thanks for the note – good point about the Fifth Corps. Plenty of fuel for “what-if” speculation on that part of the field, too.

]]> By: Craig http://behind.aotw.org/2008/04/13/mud-of-our-fathers/comment-page-1/#comment-12717 Craig Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:09:24 +0000 http://behind.aotw.org/2008/04/13/mud-of-our-fathers/#comment-12717 Brian, I was down in that section of the battlefield the first weekend of April. Gained new insight into the linkage between V Corps and IX Corps in that sector. My understanding was some of the Regulars actually pushed out their skirmish line to about where the NPS Sherrick Farm trail reaches the creek bottom (near your photo of the tree farm is) in the morning, but pulled those back around mid day. Craig. Brian, I was down in that section of the battlefield the first weekend of April. Gained new insight into the linkage between V Corps and IX Corps in that sector. My understanding was some of the Regulars actually pushed out their skirmish line to about where the NPS Sherrick Farm trail reaches the creek bottom (near your photo of the tree farm is) in the morning, but pulled those back around mid day.
Craig.

]]> By: Brett Schulte http://behind.aotw.org/2008/04/13/mud-of-our-fathers/comment-page-1/#comment-12709 Brett Schulte Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:59:41 +0000 http://behind.aotw.org/2008/04/13/mud-of-our-fathers/#comment-12709 Brian, Thanks for the detailed and lengthy answer! I had forgotten the fact that the North and West Woods had lost a lot of trees since 1862, but I did not realize just how pristine the Antietam battlefield was. Thanks also for the link to the NPS Antietam site. I'm heading over to take a look now. Brett Brian,

Thanks for the detailed and lengthy answer! I had forgotten the fact that the North and West Woods had lost a lot of trees since 1862, but I did not realize just how pristine the Antietam battlefield was. Thanks also for the link to the NPS Antietam site. I’m heading over to take a look now.

Brett

]]> By: Brian http://behind.aotw.org/2008/04/13/mud-of-our-fathers/comment-page-1/#comment-12707 Brian Wed, 16 Apr 2008 02:23:55 +0000 http://behind.aotw.org/2008/04/13/mud-of-our-fathers/#comment-12707 Hi Brett, Antietam is among the best-preserved battlefields in the country, and is very close in appearance to 1862. Most of the farm lots in and around the Park have been kept in just about continuous use for their original purposes, and the usual urban sprawl has been kept at a distance. Fences and roads have changed a bit, and some modern structures have popped up, but as the Park has acquired so much of the property, no more can be built directly on the field, and some of those already there have/will be removed. Even the town of Sharpsburg itself is remarkably similar to the way it was then. It's a sleepy small town of about the same size today, with large numbers of original structures. Long stretches of the drive to the battlefield from just west of Frederick - the route of the Federal Army along the (Old) National Pike - still looks much like it did in 1862. The most obvious difference between 1862 and today at Antietam has been in the de-forestation of the North and West Woods since the battle. Correcting this has been a major endeavor of the Park Service and thousands of volunteers for more than 10 years now. [<a href="http://www.nps.gov/anti/supportyourpark/treeplanting.htm' rel="nofollow">more</a>] Various other planting and restoration projects over the last few years have helped to push the Park even closer to its appearance at the day of the Battle. More are underway or planned. Obviously there's no going all the way back (the monuments and Park roads, for example, are likely to remain), but it's a gem of a place as it is now. Hi Brett,

Antietam is among the best-preserved battlefields in the country, and is very close in appearance to 1862.

Most of the farm lots in and around the Park have been kept in just about continuous use for their original purposes, and the usual urban sprawl has been kept at a distance. Fences and roads have changed a bit, and some modern structures have popped up, but as the Park has acquired so much of the property, no more can be built directly on the field, and some of those already there have/will be removed.

Even the town of Sharpsburg itself is remarkably similar to the way it was then. It’s a sleepy small town of about the same size today, with large numbers of original structures. Long stretches of the drive to the battlefield from just west of Frederick – the route of the Federal Army along the (Old) National Pike – still looks much like it did in 1862.

The most obvious difference between 1862 and today at Antietam has been in the de-forestation of the North and West Woods since the battle. Correcting this has been a major endeavor of the Park Service and thousands of volunteers for more than 10 years now. [more]

Various other planting and restoration projects over the last few years have helped to push the Park even closer to its appearance at the day of the Battle. More are underway or planned.

Obviously there’s no going all the way back (the monuments and Park roads, for example, are likely to remain), but it’s a gem of a place as it is now.

]]> By: Brett Schulte http://behind.aotw.org/2008/04/13/mud-of-our-fathers/comment-page-1/#comment-12706 Brett Schulte Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:08:58 +0000 http://behind.aotw.org/2008/04/13/mud-of-our-fathers/#comment-12706 Brian, I suspect this planting is simply to form the riparian buffer, as you mentioned in the entry. This may be a stupid question considering I've never been to the battlefield, but how close to an 1862 era view is the landscape around Sharpsburg, and are there any plans to create the same historic view as is currently happening at Gettysburg? Brett Brian,

I suspect this planting is simply to form the riparian buffer, as you mentioned in the entry. This may be a stupid question considering I’ve never been to the battlefield, but how close to an 1862 era view is the landscape around Sharpsburg, and are there any plans to create the same historic view as is currently happening at Gettysburg?

Brett

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