So You Think You Know Antietam?: The Stories Behind America's Bloodiest Day

by James Gindlesperger, Suzanne Gindlesperger

Overview

September 17, 2012, marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam—America’s bloodiest day. To the people in the North it was Antietam, after the stream whose name translated from the Native American asthe swift current. Those in the South referred to it as Sharpsburg, after the nearby town. Whatever the name, this much is undisputed: it was the bloodiest one-day battle in United States history. Following just 12 hours of combat, some 23,000 American soldiers were killed, wounded, or missing. The site of the battle of Antietam is remarkably preserved and looks much the same today as it did on that fateful day 150 years ago. Administered by the National Park Service, the Antietam National Battlefield contains nearly 100 monuments, each with its own story.So You Think You Know Antietam?honors those who took part in this darkest of days in our nation’s history by telling the stories behind the monuments. Who designed the monuments and what do the symbols represent? Why are no Confederate soldiers buried in the national cemetery? What connection did Clara Barton have with the battle? Who was Johnny Cook and what did he do? Written with casual visitors and armchair travelers in mind,So You Think You Know Antietam?answers the above questions and more. Readers will learn some of the lesser known stories about Antietam and the human side of war through poignant vignettes that reveal the ironies and tragedies not normally found in typical guidebooks. Featuring close to 300 color photos, 10 color-coded chapters and maps, and GPS coordinates of all monument locations,So You Think You Know Antietam?is a well-organized, attractive book meant to enrich the reader’s experience.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780895875792
Publisher:	Blair
Publication date:	09/01/2012
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 7.68(h) x 0.44(d)

About the Author

James and Suzanne Gindlesperger are the authors of So You Think You Know Gettysburg?, which was the bronze winner in the travel guide category for ForeWord Reviews’ Book of the Year Award in 2010. James is a “Friend of the Field” at Gettysburg and the author of three books about the Civil War: Escape from Libby Prison, Seed Corn of the Confederacy, and Fire on the Water. Suzanne is the cofounder of Pennwriters, a professional organization of published and aspiring authors. The couple lives in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction xv

Chapter 1 Area A-North Woods 1

A-1 Seventh Indiana Infantry Monument 3

A-2 Joseph Poffenberger Farm 4

A-3 Seventh Pennsylvania Reserves (Thirty-sixth Infantry) Monument 6

A-4 Clara Barton Monument 7

A-5 Fourth Pennsylvania Reserves (Thirty-third Infantry) Monument 9

A-6 Third Pennsylvania Reserves (Thirty-second Infantry) Monument 10

A-7 Eighth Pennsylvania Reserves (Thirty-seventh Infantry) Monument 11

A-8 Twelfth Pennsylvania Cavalry Monument 13

A-9 Major General Joseph K. F. Mansfield Monument 14

A-10 Major General Joseph K. F. Mansfield Mortuary Cannon 15

A-11 George Line House (Death of Mansfield) 16

Chapter 2 Area B-Cornfield Avenue/East Woods 17

B-1 Thirteenth New Jersey Infantry Monument 21

B-2 Indiana State Monument 22

B-3 New Jersey State Monument 23

B-4 Massachusetts State Monument 24

B-5 Nineteenth Indiana Infantry Monument 26

B-6 Monument to Second United States Sharpshooters, Vermont Companies E and H 27

B-7 Miller Cornfield 28

B-8 Eighty-fourth New York Infantry (Fourteenth Brooklyn) Monument 30

B-9 Texas State Monument 31

B-10 Georgia State Monument 32

B-11 104th New York Infantry Monument 33

B-12 128th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument 34

B-13 137th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument 36

B-14 Twenty-seventh Indiana Infantry Monument 27

B-15 Ninetieth Pennsylvania Infantry Monument 39

B-16 Monument to First Maryland Light Artillery, Battery B (US) 40

B-17 Union Cannon Line 41

B-18 First New Jersey Brigade Monument 42

B-19 Thirteenth New Jersey Infantry Monument 43

B-20 First New Jersey Brigade Monument 45

Chapter 3 Area C-West Woods/Dunker Church 47

C-1 Monument to Battery B, Fourth United States Artillery 51C-2:124th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument 52

C-3 Rock Ledge 53

C-4 Philadelphia Brigade Monument 54

C-5 Brigadier General William E. Starke Monument 55

C-6 Third Delaware Infantry Monument 56

C-7 Fifteenth Massachusetts Infantry Monument 57

C-8 Baltimore Battery (CSA) Monument 58

C-9 Monument to Lieutenant Colonel J. L. Stetson, Fifty-ninth New York Infantry 59

C-10 Mary Locher Cabin 60

C-11 Thirteenth New Jersey Infantry Monument 61

C-12 125th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument 62

C-13 Thirty-fourth New York Infantry Monument 64

C-14 Maryland Purnell Legion (US) Monument 65

C-15 Dunker Church 66

C-16 O. T. Reilly Monument 67

Chapter 4 Area D-Visitor Center/Mumma Farm 69

D-1 Visitor Center 71

D-2 Ship's Bell 72

D-3 Third Maryland Infantry (US) Monument 73

D-4 Fifth, Seventh, and Sixty-sixth Ohio Infantries Monument 74

D-5 Fifty-ninth New York Infantry Monument 75

D-6 Maryland State Monument 76

D-7 New York State Monument 77

D-8 Monument to Twentieth Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry 79

D-9 Hexamer's New Jersey Battery Monument 80

D-10 Monument to Battery A, First Maryland Light Artillery (US) 81

D-11 Mumma Farm 82

D-12 Old Vermont Brigade Monument 86

Chapter 5 Area E-Sunken Road (Bloody Lane) 87

E-1 Roulette Farm 91

E-2 Fourteenth Connecticut Infantry Monument 93

E-3 Monument to Fifth Maryland Veteran Volunteer Infantry (US), Companies A and I 94

E-4 First Delaware Infantry Monument 95

E-5 Fifth Maryland Infantry (US) Monument 96

E-6 130th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Monument 97

E-7 Fourteenth Indiana Infantry Monument 98

E-8 Eighth Ohio Infantry Monument 100

E-9 Sunken Road 100

E-10 132nd Pennsylvania Infantry Monument 102

E-11 Brigadier General George B. Anderson Monument 103

E-12 Second Delaware Infantry Monument 105

E-13 Battle Overview Tablets 105

E-14 Major General Israel B. Richardson Monument 107

E-15 Hexamer's New Jersey Battery Monument 108

E-16 Monument to Irish Brigade 109

E-17 Observation Tower 111

Chapter 6 Area F-In Town/Boonsboro Pike 113

F-1 Lincoln-McClellan Meeting 115

F-2 Antietam Station 118

F-3 Lee's Headquarters 120

F-4 Slave Block 120

F-5 Sixth Virginia Infantry Monument 121

F-6 Piper Farm 122

F-7 Robert E. Lee Monument 123

F-8 Third Indiana Cavalry Monument 124

F-9 Monument to Colonel J. H. Childs, Fourth Pennsylvania Cavalry 126

F-10 Newcomer Farm 127

F-11 Pry Farm 131

Chapter 7 Area G-National Cemetery Area 133

G-1 National Cemetery Entrance 136

G-2 Monument to Unknown Irish Brigade Soldiers 137

G-3 Fourth New York Infantry Monument 138

G-4 National Cemetery 138

G-5 Twentieth New York Infantry Monument 140

G-6 Private Soldier Monument ("Old Simon") 141

G-7 Monument to Vermont Company F, First United States Sharpshooters 142

G-8 Monument to Unknown Soldiers, National Cemetery 143

G-9 Ninth New York Infantry (Hawkins' Zouaves) Monument 144

G-10 Brigadier General Isaac P. Rodman Monument 145

G-11 Eighth Connecticut Infantry Monument 147

G-12 Monument to First Maryland Artillery, Dements Battery (CSA) 148

Chapter 8 Area H-Burnside Bridge Area 149

H-1 William McKinley Monument 153

H-2 Confederate Rifle Pits 154

H-3 Burnside Bridge 155

H-4 Witness Tree 157

H-5 Wall at Burnside Bridge 158

H-6 Twenty-first Massachusetts Infantry Monument 160

H-7 Thirty-fifth Massachusetts Infantry Monument 161

H-8 Second Maryland Infantry (US) Monument 162

H-9 Fifty-first Pennsylvania Infantry Monument 163

H-10 Fifty-first New York Infantry Monument 164

H-11 Union Advance on Burnside Bridge 165

H-12 Eleventh Connecticut Infantry Monument 166

H-13 Georgia Overlook 167

H-14 Monument to First Battery, Ohio Light Artillery 168

Chapter 9 Area I-Rodman and Branch Avenues: The Final Attack 169

I-1 Fiftieth Pennsylvania Infantry Monument 172

I-2 Sherrick Farm 173

I-3 Otto Farm 176

I-4 Forty-fifth Pennsylvania Infantry Monument 176

I-5 100th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument 178

I-6 Thirty-sixth Ohio Infantry Monument 179

I-7 Twenty-eighth Ohio Infantry Monument 180

I-8 Eleventh Ohio Infantry Monument 181

I-9 Fifty-first Pennsylvania Infantry Monument 182

I-10 Monument to Durell's Independent Battery D, Pennsylvania Artillery 183

I-11 Forty-eighth Pennsylvania Infantry Monument 185

I-12 Twenty-third Ohio Infantry Monument 186

I-13 Thirtieth Ohio Infantry Monument 187

I-14 Sixteenth Connecticut Infantry Monument 188

I-15 Twelfth Ohio Infantry Monument 189

I-16 Brigadier General Lawrence O'Bryan Branch Monument 191

Chapter 10 General 193

General 1 War Department Markers 194

General 2 Wayside Markers 194

General 3 Artillery 195

General 4 Hospitals 196

General 5 Fences 198

General 6 Reenactors 199

Appendix A Lee's Lost Orders 200

Appendix B Confederate Order of Battle 202

Appendix C Union Order of Battle 210

Appendix D Medal of Honor Awards for Valor at Antietam 220

Index 223

Editorial Reviews

Following in the footsteps of their similarly titled book on Gettysburg, James and Suzanne Gindlesperger have provided another detailed guide to a Civil War battlefield. Replete with color photographs, the chapters detail Antietam's various landmarks and sites. Rather than telling the story of the battle itself, the authors instead relate the histories of specific locations and the meaning behind each monument. Chapters begin with MapQuest maps that contain numbers for each site mentioned in the text. Following are snippets of the day's events in that area, then the stories behind each location. Included are appendixes that contain Gen. Lee's lost orders, orders of battle for both Confederate and Union forces, and the names of each of the battle's Medal of Honor recipients, along with the citations describing their actions. VERDICT Civil War history buffs and reenactors eager to know more about the battlefield itself should find this a worthwhile addition.—MJW

Library Journal