The record-union., 1897-10-31
SCENES ABOUT AhTIETAM.
MANY SIGHTS TO AROUSE THE
INTEREST oF VISITORS.
Rousing War Reminiscences-C1
Scrutiny of the Battlefield Re-
vea1s the Fatal Error of Gem
era1 Mcclellan in Failing to
Take Advantage of Position and
Time.

About sixty miles away from this
city. says a Washington correspondent
of the New York Times and a short
railroad ride to the north, brings the
visitor to the little village of Keedys-
vile, lying at the western side of the
! South Mountain, with the blue lines OF
/ that mountain stretching away on the
east and the lower lands of the wind
! ing Potomac and the hills Of Virginia
at the west.
| The picture is one of great charm,
| the country is one of abundant crops
| and rather contented agriculturfsts, the
! people are wide awake, and they have
| history all about with which to excite
| the interest of the visitor. if he comes
| only to enjoy a rural scene and tires
| of that occupation. Until the war OF
! the rebellion is forgotten. however,
Keedysville and the country immedi-
ately to the east and west of it will
possess exciting interest as the scene
of the battle of Antietam, fought on
September 16 and H. 1862. The desire
to look over that field probably brings
| the largest number Of visitors to the
place.
The little and very quiet village of
Keedysville has quite recovered from
the excitement that stirred its inhabi-
/ tants while the rebel army, under Lee,
was pouring in from the east, where II
| had been driven from Turner's ana
| Crampton's Gaps by the charges OF
| McClellan's enthusiastic troops and was
pushed on across the Antietam Greek
| to Sharpsburg, the roofs of which can
| be seen from Keedysville. But 1t IS
easy to find people here, like Host wy
and of the leading inn, boy and man
here these fffty-five years, who saw
| the rebel host followed by that of the
Union, 10000 or $4,000 men hurrying
away from 1000 before the two arm
les We're to meet in battle.
The figures are rather dangerous TO
mention without due regard for the
| disputes that have been waged over
| the battle, in which both sides were
brave, heroic and Indifferent to the cost
of war in lives; and it will not make
regret the less because of the outcome
even if it were proved beyond doubt
that General Mcclellan was lighting a
vastly superior force instead OF one
very much inferior to his own.
When he made his preliminary re-
port. a month after the battle, he was
of the opinion that 2O0,0OO men had
been engaged. That gave Lee l1o,Ooo'
for according to General Mcclellan
own returns the Union army was ad-
mittedly about $1,000 strong.
Lee thought his position "a bad one
to hold" Mcclellan called it chosen
strong position" There is danger that
the critical visitor will fall into train
! of useless regrets of wonder that with
| a superb army, made up of volunteers
who had offered their services pe-of-
there was great inducement of bounty
or any talk of conscription, or or reg
ulars, all having the greatest conn
! dence in their General Mcclellan did
not b1r1 his columns upon the divided
forces of Lee and crush them. Nc
! Clellan failed to destroy Lee IN TINS
bloody battle, in which time has proved
that he held many advantages and neg
lected to grasp a grand opportunity.
ROADS ON THE BATTLEFIELD.
The Antietam Commission has mace
the battlefield of Antietam lntelllSlple
| To ANYBODY who can read. Thls COM
mission. which for many years dld next
| TO nothing to Justify its creation, came
| n he constituted under Secretary La
|
mont bv General E. A. Carman, MAJOR
| George w. Davis, United States Army
| and General Heth. Confederate States
army General Carn1an commanded
the Thirteenth New Jersey Regiment
IN the battle; Major Davis was a par
ticiDant in the contest as non-coiil-
,,,iseioned officer of the Eleventh Con-
necticut: General Heth was not win
| Mort horn Virginia Wnen
Lee led it into Maryland.
The commission by Congressional au-
| thority and appropriation, purchased
land necessary to be used TOT loau0
across parts of the field not reached oy
the public highways, and they nave
constructed five miles of excellent roads
of their own. These and the 1lVe nllles
of public road enable a visitor to reach
almost every spot over which there was
any fighting.
AS one goes over from KeedysVllIe'
he comes upon some tablets of iron COW
cred with lettering of white upon
black ground. These tablets are about
three feet long and two feet wide. They
are tilted upon the iron posts to which
they are attached in order to present
them to the eye at a convenient angle
to be read. The first met with on the
Keedysville road for instance, tell of
the march of Lee and Mcclellan over
the road, and where they went. About
800 of these tablets all told, tell the
detailed history of the fight or fights,
for the ba..sle of the 18th was a sue
cession of three successive attacks upon
the rebel lines.
Just before the Antietam is reached
small tablet at the roadside points up
lane to a red brick house, set on
hill of it's own and with a small white
porch and white shutters. The house
is square with a pyramidal roof. Me
Clellan's Headquarters, the sign says;
the books describe it as Pry's house.
From knoll just west of the house
Mcclellan looked over the whole Union
and rebel line. Down in the ravine in
front is the creek, not visible.
WHAT THE TABLETS TELL.
The tablets tell all about this with
out comment. There is no suggestion
that Mcclellan waited too long to at
tack and wasted his last opportunity to
achieve undying fame. One must hunt
that out for himself. Just before
passing the little village of Porterstown
the sheltered ground is pointed out
where General Pleasonton was sta
toned all the livelcng battle day with
his idle cavalry, waiting for no one has
ever been able to find out what.
Antietam Greek is crossed just under
and at the right Of the Union artillery
position. Then the road stretches away
almost due west to Sharpsburg, and
the rebel lines as they were formed
generally along the road to Hagerstown
Across the Antietam the land rises gem