Today in History :: The Battle of Antietam

The Cornfield

One hundred fifty-one years ago today, the battle at Antietam occurred near Sharpsburg, Maryland. In the days prior Confederate General Lee is leading his army out of Virginia through Maryland, after the second battle of Manassas/Bull Run, heading towards his supply lines. A Union soldier found Lee's Lost Order, which laid out General Lee's plans for the campaign. This told Union General McClelland key strategy, allowing the Union troops to attack the retreating confederate forces, ultimately leading to the Battle of Antietam.

Monument to the Philadelphia Brigade

The battle began near the Dunker Church, North Woods and the cornfield. Fierce fighting took place, starting in the early morning, with fighting around the church and confederate soldiers hidden by corn.

The Sunken Road, or Bloody Lane

As fighting moved to the south, a small group of Confederate troops held their ground against a much larger Union force, in a sunken farm road. Both sides faced heavy casulaties around the Bloody Lane.

Burnside Bridge

The decisive battle was when Union General Burnside's troops were able to take the now Burnside Bridge, and cross Antietam Creek. However, the union forces were unable to take full advantage of the gained ground, as both sides fought to a stand still by the end of the day. The following evening. General Lee withdrew his armies back into Virginia.

Antietam National Cemetery

Antietam was the bloodiest single day battle of the Civil War with an estimated 22,717 casulaties. More than both battles at Manassas, and a thousand shy of the battle of Shiloh. It provided Lincoln with a needed win to bolster the Emancipation Proclamation, announced the following year. This is also where Clara Barton earned her nickname "The Angel of the Battlefield."

If you find yourself near Maryland, go out and visit the battle field and remember the fallen. You get a three day pass, so you can tour the grounds at your own speed. You can hike trails, or just drive the auto tour, as I did.

Sources:
Photographs: Sarah Williams (Me!). Antietam National Battlefield
Antietam Battlefield

Top Ten Tuesday::Fall TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by Broke and the Bookish. This week's subject are books on our Fall 2013 TBR list.

In no particular order,

1. Antigoddess by Kendare Blake :: I loved Anna Dressed in Blood. Antigoddess is a twist on Greek Mythology, and I'm a sucker for mythology retellings.

2. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey :: Our next book for the YA book club, and I'm looking forward for it.

3. Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein :: Code Name Verity was fantastic, and I've been hearing this is just as fantastic.

4. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas :: Loved Throne of Glass, so I ran to the launch party for this the day I got back from vacation. Unfortunately I haven't been able to read it yet.

5. Deception by C.J. Redwine :: Loved Defiance, so I can't wait to get into this as well.

6. Bones of the Lost by Kathy Reichs :: I'm a sucker for the Temperance Brennan series, so I usually try to read them soon after release.

7. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory :: I am in mood for fluffy historical fiction that might play a bit fast and loose with history. Do not judge me.

8. The Bat by Jo Nesbo :: I really enjoyed The Devil's Star when we read it for book club. This is the first book in the series.

9. The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England by Dan Jones :: Between the discovery of Richard III's grave, and the White Queen, seems like a good time to brush up on the history of the period.

10. A Feast for Crows by G.R.R. Martin :: I've been spreading these out because of reasons.

Mailbox Monday- Vacation Edition

I recently went on vacation to Gettysburg and Pennsylvania, so let me show you the bookish things that came home with me.

Widow's Weeds and Weeping Veils: Mourning Rituals in 19th Century America by Bernadette Loeffel-Atkins
Amazing Women of the Civil War by Webb Garrison
Now The Drum of War: Wal Whitman and his Brothers in the Civil War by Robert Roper
The Gettysburg Story: Battlefield Auto Tour by Gabor and Jake Boritt, performed by Stephen Lang

Pilgrim Places: Civil War Battlefields, Historic Preservation, and America's First National Military Parks, 1863-1900 by Richard West Sellars
The Red Queen Dies by Frankie Y. Bailey (won via Goodreads)

I can't wait for Amazing Women of the Civil War. The first chapter is about Sarah Edmunds, who is featured in A Soldier's Secret that I have from Arcycling, so I will pair those two together. And if you are planning on going to Gettysburg to tour the battlefields, I highly recommend this audio tour. It is the most expensive offered, but the narrator is great and the script does a good job on directing your attention around the stops. Plus it is made in the USA (A+++++). Therefore, I splurged. That Gabor Boritt helped creat the Lincoln Prize and is the battlefield tour guide of presidents doesn't hurt either. The booklet has photos, maps, blurbs and quotes in it. If there was a comparable one for Antietam, I would have gotten one, but there wasn't.

Since I had to watch the weight of my suitcase, I binged on bookmarks instead of books. Yay for each park selling bookmarks.