The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-09-09
AntIctam.
HOW THE OLD battlefield LOOKS
ANTIETAM. Aug. %

ANTlETAM, aug. 90
Antietam How many memories and
recollections are stirred by the simple
mention of the name How many brave
ones there fell fighting pro patria.
We visited the field, and, not satisfied
with cursory glance fingered for hours
walking over ground that has been made
historical by having been the scene of
the mos. hotly contested battle of the
whole war. The approach to the battle
field is one that at every turn presents
some new features to attract and fascin.
ate the eye Of the lover of nature. and
when the center Of the great battlefield is
reached, the view is one that inspires the
beholder with awe, and simply beggars
description. We could distinctly see
where General Burnside came laundering
over the mountains at Champions Gap
where he fought SO long and so hard for
the possession Of the Antietam bridge
where he forced passage over the little
stream and piled the ground with the
bodies Of his own men, where General
jackson and his veterans fought with their
characteristic intrepidity at the old Dunk.
ard church In fact. the eye could at
glance take in the whole grand panorama,
and the mind only had to people The
beautiful fields Of waving corn with mass
es of anxious, eager men, and we have
before us the great battle Of Antietam.
We were shown the spot from which Gen
eral Lee viewed the battle, and that, to-
gether with all the adjacent ground, is
now occupied by the Antietam National
Cemetery. In this city of the dead arc
inferred over five thousand then who died
in defense of their country and as we
stroled through it, with feeling of awe
and reverence when we remembered that
below us were sleeping SO many thous-
ands of brave men, we saw here and there
marble slab conspicuous among null
titude of uncouth wooden head-boards
One Of them bore the inscription, Sacred
to the memory of Augustus Woodwork,
aged 10 years" Poor fellow we
thought. cut off SO soon in bright young
life. And this was only one out Of scores
of instances.
Upon the spot where the advance bat
terry Of General Lees army had placed
itself stood monuments erected over the
graves Of five or six officers, and between
these lay the grim remnants of two heavy
guns which General Lee left in his retreat
over the Potomac. The site of the cem-
etery can hardly be equaled for the gran
deur of its scenery, but it can, and surely
should, be kept in better condition.
Only few Of the graves have anything
to mark or distinguish them, and long
rank grass has been allowed to grow over
the walks. Did not Congress, at its last
session, appropriate fund for supplying
national cemeteries with headstones If
1t was indeed difficult to realize the
fact that eleven years ago this was the
scene of such dreadful carnage, the thea
ter Of such dreadful tragedy for when
We turned from the gloomy metropolis to
the smiling fields Of golden grain, and
looked upon scene in the formation Of
which Nature seemed almost to have call
ed into use the assistance of Art Peace
seemed always to have made her dwelling
among these sunny hills and meadows
sweet with hay, and the thought of the
demon Of War seemed infinitely distant.
But a glance at the resting places of the
slumbering heroes, at the crumbling walls,
through which shot and shell had plowed
gaping burrows, dispelled the pleasant
vision of peace and clouded all with ghast-
ly pail of war.
Near the famous old Dunkard Church
is fence which is still perforated with
bullet-holes, and visitors to this field of
contest have cut it away as souvenirs, un-
til now but small pat of original fence
remains. And this is Antietam.
JUNIOR.