behind AotW

Mannie sneaks up on the prey

I drove through the fog to Sharpsburg yesterday, much earlier than is usual for me to be up on a Saturday. Arrived too early for the ANB Visitor’s Center to be open, in fact, but in time to catch Mr. Mumma cutting blossoms to place inside. Ranger Mannie was out early, too.

Still no time to blog, more’s the pity. Life intervenes. But I’m making time for a couple of trips to Sharpsburg in this Anniversary month. I hope some of you can join me.

Next weekend – the 13th and 14th – will be the biggest of the year at the Park. The Park Service page for the Anniversary events has all the information. I haven’t decided yet which event specifically, but will be there early Saturday morning, so I’m leaning toward the first hike going off at 8am called the Opening Guns: the role of Artillery on the morning of 17 September 1862.

The annual Heritage Days festival is in town in Sharpsburg the same weekend. I plan to catch the three SHAF historical speakers Saturday afternoon, at least. Much to do in Sharpsburg all day (and Sunday). Steven Recker is doing his O.T. Reilly tour of the town both days at 1pm, too. I can’t do that one, but hope you got a spot: he’s only taking 25 each day.

There’s also the annual battlefield tradition of the all-day hike on the battle anniversary date, proper. This year, as it did in 1862, September 17th falls on a Wednesday. If you can get there, you can spend the day chasing the battle action (and an intrepid Ranger or two) across the whole field in approximate time-step with the sequence of events.

The following weekend I’ll return to the area to wade the Potomac Saturday, where the Army of Northern Virginia crossed back into Virginia after the battle of Sharpsburg. In this case chasing Dr Tom Clemens on a tour of the ford and battle area of 20 September 1862. A rare opportunity I’m looking forward to grabbing, thanks to our friends at the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association (SBPA). There may be food and beverages. Bonus.

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I’m still working on the second installment on Federal artillerist Horatio Gibson (part one now months back). Presently having fun with one apparent aspect of his personality which I’ve also seen in a particular type of modern military officer: the ringknocker. If you recognize the term.

Here’s the ring, which is all you get til I finally post …. the rest of the story.

There was still plenty of daylight left as I was returning from Sharpsburg last weekend, so I took a rare detour from Alt-40 over to Fox’s Gap.

The glorious charge of the 23rd and 12th Ohio Volunteers …(1864, Library of Congress)

There are a pair of interpretive signs, two monuments, and a regimental tribute at the spot where the road crosses the Gap, noting the combat there on 14 September 1862. But that’s all there is to see as one arrives.

There was no one else there when I pulled up. It was blessedly quiet. I took a couple of snapshots to bring some of the place home with me.

Or: another great day on the battlefield.

I was glad to be part of a small group of SHAF volunteers and Park Natural Resources guys planting tree seedlings along Antietam Creek yesterday.

It was in a part of the Park I’d never visited before: a strip of low land along the west side of the stream running north from where the Burnside Bridge Road crosses about one-quarter mile above Burnside Bridge.

A new forest of green tubes (looking northeast, creek to the right)

A larger team of about 35 people had been nearby planting the weekend before, during the Park Work Day. Between us, then, we’d planted hackberry, tulip poplar, and maple (others?) three and four deep along a half-mile of creek bank. These are all native species likely to do well in that location.

These trees and the grassy field adjacent will form a riparian buffer to protect the stream and its banks. The seedlings themselves are protected and nurtured by those ‘greenhouse’ sleeves and stakes.

view back across Antietam Creek from west bank

On the afternoon of 17 September 1862 this ground was the province of the troops of Colonel Benjamin Christ’s Brigade (First Brigade, First Division) of the Federal Ninth Corps.

They had crossed the stone bridge to the west bank about 2pm and followed it north to this meadow. About 3pm they formed in line of battle here preparatory to advancing toward the town of Sharpsburg [map]. In order south to north (l to r) , behind the 79th New York Infantry as skirmishers, these were the 17th Michigan, 28th Massachusetts, and Christ’s own 50th Pennsylvania regiments.

bluff west of Antietam Creek, north of bridge road

With their backs to the creek, they faced a stiff climb up that steep slope.

… after the formation of the Corps line, the Brigade advanced, under a heavy fire from Cemetery Hill and the high ground west of the road, to within a few yards of this point where it was checked. After a short delay the 79th New York advanced as skirmishers and compelled the Confederate Artillery to retire. The Brigade was about to move forward, when the attack of A.P. Hill on the left of the Corps obliged it to fall back to the Antietam …
(from War Department tablet no. 63 [map])

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Thanks to Tom Clemens and SHAF for sponsoring the planting, the Natural Resource Rangers for doing what they always do: take such fine care of our Park, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) for the young trees, and to the other volunteers for getting muddy with me.
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For related photos–including one of Christ’s Brigade’s tablet–see a lovely page from Tom Shay created on the 100th anniversary of the raising of the monuments to 48th and 50th Pennsylvania regiments at Antietam in 2004.