Omaha daily bee., 1884-11-11
SHARPSBURG ANO ANTIETAM.
FrCsCut Aspect of thC Bsttlclield-
Anecdotes ct StOucwaN
jackson.

At Sharrsburg on tho Shenandoah rail
road, four miles from Shepatdstown, we
stopped over a day to vio9 the battlefield
of Autietam. A neat little station in the
midst OF meadows and wheat fields is all
one sees on shghting. The town 10 q
mile away, ana the brown ridges walling
in Antiotsm creek Oh which the battle
mainly ragged are a uie further. Sharps.
burg is now village Of some |, 200 inhab.
ltauts, % quiet, demure, and old-tasioned
as when a hundred years ago the square,
aggressive.looking brick structures that
line its principal street began TO be built.
This main street begins on one of the
ridges mentioned, dips gently into hol.
low, and climbs a much sleeper hill on
the east, throwing of rs it begins the as-
cent, narrow road leading between
stone walls away to the north. Following
this mile, we come cut to the cross road
and to tho little Dunker church plante d
in the midst of noble oak fOrest-so
marked a feature in the description of
the Dattle. The outlook from it was of
the most peaceful deecription-meadows
and grain fields, substantial homes of the
farmers, men driving the teams ateld,
and the white steeples of the village.
The leading tenet of the Dunkera wa1
peace, good will to mon, but the irony of
tate made their old church and its forest
one of the bloodiest scenes of the field
Here the troops of Hooker, Sedgwick,
and Sumner met the veterans of Stone
wall Jackson and Hill. All day long the
flames OF battle smote it, dead men lay
about it, shells shattered it, and round
shot wrecked the fine old trees. The
venerable building has been repaired if,
indeed, one may say rebuilt-and shows
no traces of the conflict. One cannot
help feeling that 1t should have remained
as shot and shell left it. A striking me-
mento of the fight We find, however. in
the mighty oaks and hickories that over
hang it. Nature has been the only healer
of their wounds; large oaks cut squarely
off twenty feet from the ground, branches
torn from the trunks, ten thousand
scars in the bark of the veterns where
bullets had entered, were mute but eff
fective witnesses of the herceness OF the
conflict. 1t is probable, however, that
the pilgrim of year hence will find this
historic forest removed, and nothing left
to recall war memories. Tho woodman
has already begun on that portion of it
fartherist from the church, and is faat
converting it into lumber and firew0od
The forest was once offered to the govern
ment, we learned, for few hundred dol
lars, but nothing WAS done toward secur.
ing 1t, and the grand old trees went into
hands that have only commercial use for
them.
TIE old church was on the extreme
lett of Lees line of battle From this
point his line stretched along the west
bank of Antietam creek to within three
four his of mile Of its junction with the
PotomGc-a distance of nearly four miles.
No one can go over the ground to-day
without feeling of respect for the mili-
tary genius that seized on it for defen-
sive position. This west bank is cres
cent shaped ridge, presenting its cOncsve
eide to the creek. A succession of hills
and ravines ia in its rear, and good road
running ps-sl!el with it to Sharpsburg
and Shepardstown allowed rapid maaeing
of troops and an open line of retreat in
case OF disaster. la all the distance
there were but two tords where the river
could be crossed, one at the extreme left,
the other on the right; between the fords
were three bridges, all strongly guarded.
The Union line occupied the opposite
ridge across the stream, which was dom.
mated by Lees position. AS we moved
down between these hills it was difficult
to believe that barely twenty years be-
fore 170,C0G men in fight had occu-
pied them. What is called the Stone
bridge, over the Antietam, about a
mile ana half below the village,
was the pivotal point Of the battle
Here the Ninth Corps, under Burnside,
was massed, with order to carry the
bridge, the latter being defended by the
flower Of the Rebel army under Long.
street. The silence Of the old structure
is only brokennow by the rumble of farm
wagons and occasional pleasure vehicle;
but there ia auspiciCus greenness of
grass al either abUtment. AT least three
distinct charges, as gallant as any of the
war, were made by the Eleventh Connec-
ticut supported by Crooks brigade, upon
this bridge, and each time the assaultug
column was hurled back. At length a
battery sweeping the further end of the
bridge was got i'll position, and with the
did OF this the Fifty-frst New Yoak and
che FiftY-frst Pennsylvania dashed across
&nd planted the flag ON the opposite bank,
gaining the first really decided adyantade
Of the day.
Returning to the village, ono may well
liRger an hour or two over its quaint
features and still more interesting souve-
ni,C Of the battle. Crowning the ridge
on which the village is built is national
cemetery of ten scrogs tastefully laid out,
in which lie 4 800 soldiers of the union,
chiefly those who fell about Antietam.
One oe the most imposing soldiers monu-
ments We had seen--cGlt out of Rhode
Island granite-is feature of the
cemetery, and in the keepers cottage one
may sec swordE, guns, shella, skulls, and
other objects cleaned from the battle
field. In the postoffice we discovered
more unique mamentoes, in sections of
wood spit froH the trunks OF trees
wLich had been pierced by minnie balls or
cannon shot. A Solack stain discolored
the wood about the bullet, aGd In one or
two cases she twenty-five successive
lsyers of growth deposited since the ball
had entered could bo distinctly traced.
The old Grove mansion, now the
prime pal tavern of the village
was in the battle day inhabited by
Lhs proprietor and hia family. Here !
through the two days coafict Stone wall
IaessOn was qEartered, and Lee and his
generals frequently met fa- consultation.
ANn Ind tho 1nna inItnnn 10 rnnnt MI