Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-12-19

suAxrssUgG AND ANrIETAM.
pres~.s Aspees II she Bastie-nela-
Aneeasses % sssnewsli Jseksea.
Az sharpsburg, on the Shenandoah
Railroad, four miles beyond Snep-
ardstown, we stopped ever . day 70
view the battlefield OF AntictarA.
writes a correspondent OF the New
York Evening Post. A neat little sta.
ton In the midst OF meadows and
wheat fields Is Gil one sees on alight.
ing. The town Is mile away, and
the brown ridges walling = Ante
tam Creek, on which the battle main
| IL ragged. are Q mile further. Sharps.
burg Il now . village Of some 1900
inhabitants, a. quiet, demure and old
fashioned as when Q hundred years
ago the square. aggressive-Iooking
brick structures that line Us principai
streets began TO be built. This main
street begins on one of the ridges mes-
toned, dips gently into hollow. and
climbs . much sleeper bill on the
east, throwing of ~ u oegias the as
cent or Q narrow road leading be-
tween stone walls away To the north.
Following this mile, We come out to
a cross-r road and 10 the little bunker
church planted In the midst OF . no
BILE oak forest--so marked feature
In the description Of the battle. The
outlook from it was Of the most
peaceful and pastoral description.
meadows and grain fields. substantial
homes OF farmers, men driving teams
atield. aud the white steeples OF the
village.
The leading tenet of the Dunkers
was peace, good viii to men. but the
irony of their fate 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 II, dead
men lay about IL, shells shattered IL,
and round shot wrecked the fine old
trees. The venerable building has
been repaired--if, indeed. one may
not say rebuilt-and shows no traces
Of the conflict. One cannot help
| feeling that II should have remaiHed
rs shot and shell left 1t. A striking
memento OF the fight We find, how
ever, Ii the mighty oaks and hicko
ries which overhang Ii. Nature has
been the only healer of their wounds
large oaks cut squarely of twenty feet
from the ground, branches torn from
their trunks, ten thousand scars ir
the bark Of the veterans where outlet.
had entered, were mute but effectivs
witnesses OF the iiercencss OF the con
dict. Ii Is probable, however. tha
The pilgrim of year hence viii fint
the historic forest removed, and moth
ing left TO recall war memories. The
woodnian has already begun on tina
portion of Il farthest from the church
and Is fast converting Il into lumbeI
and firewood. The forest was once
offered to the Government, we learn
ed, for q few hundred dollars. bu
nothing was done toward securing IL
aud the grand old trees went into
hands that have only commercial uss
for them.
The old church was on the extreme
left Of Lees line stretched along tbs
west bank Of Antietam Greek tc
within three-fourths of mile of Il:
Iunction with the Potomac dis
lance of four miles. No one can &C
over the ground today without feel
| ing OF respect for the military genius
that seized on Il for decisive posi-
ton. This west bank Is . crescent
shaped ridge. presenting Its concavs
side 10 the creek. A Succession ol
hills and ravines IL In It's rear. and {
good road running parallel with Il &c
Sharpsburg and Shepardstown allow
ed rapid mAssing Of troops and ~
open line of retreat In case OF disas
ter. Ia all the distance there are bnI
two fords where the river could bt
crossed, one at the extreme left. the
other on the right; between the ford:
were three bridges, all strongly guard
ed. The Union line occupied the op
| posite ridge across the stream. which
was dominated by Lees position. Al
We moved down between these hill.
il was difficult 10 believe that barely
itweaty years before iso. 900 men Ii
fight had occupied them. What |.
called the Stone Blight over the An
itieian, about q mile and haf beloz
the village, was the pivotal point ol
the battle. Here the Ninth Corps,
under Burnside. was massed. with or
ders TO carry the bridge, the latter
being defended by the flower Of the
rebel army under Longstreet. Tbs
silence of the old structure IL only
broken now by the rumble OF farm
wagons or an occasional pleasure We
hicIe. bat there Is . consplciou,
greennees Of the grass NJ either abut
ment At least thrcc distinct charges
a gallant as any Of the war were
made by the Eleventh Connecticut
supported BY Crooks brigade. upon
the bridge. and each time the assault
ing column Was hurled back. Al
length a battery sweeping the faFthes
end OF the bridge was got into posi-
ton. and with this aid the Fifty frs
New York and the Fifty-hrst Penp
sylyania dashed across and planted
the fias on the opposite bank. gaining
The iirst really decided advantage Of
the day.
Returning TO the village. one may
well linger an hour or two over 10
quaint features and still more inter
esting souvenirs Of the battle. Grown
ing The ridge ON which the village Is
built Il = national cemetery Of tea
acres. In which lie 800 hundred sol.
oilers Of the union. chiefly those wha
fell about AnsietAm. One Of the mos
imposing soldiers monuments We
have seen--cut out Of Rhode Island
rranlte-is . feature Of the cemetery,
ana In the keepers cottage one may
- ..--s--f. .~ssrs akaf1s skufls ana