The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-31
ANTIETAM BATTLEFIELD
FEW CHANGES ON THIS FAMOUS
GROUND SINCE THE ARMIES NET.
What Has Been Done in the Way of
One Regiment-An Old Church.

-Antietam, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Shi-
loh and Vicksburg-the first named has GER
tain interesting features not possessed by
all. The increase of population and the
march of material progress nave not dis
turbed Antietam. It is in the rugged and
picturesque mountain country of western
Maryland, which to-day looks about as it
did in 1862. The farmhouses are scattered at
about the same intervals of space as on the
day of the battle. Not a mile of pike" ex-
lists to-day which was not here then. Burn
sides's bridge over Antietam creek is the
same structure that saw the terrible slaugh-
ter thirty-six years ago, and the bunker
Church, around which the sharpest Of the
conflict ragged. is still the place of worship
of the little society Of German brethren.
This makes the battle maps clearly intelli-
gible, besides giving the visitor the charm of
seeing real things, instead of being obliged
to interpret all objects as standing where
something else STOOD" or occupying the
space where so-and-so could once have been
observed. For the historical student. there
fore, 1t is fortunate that there has been no
rush Of population to the poor farm country
of western Maryland. Even the little grist-
mills which abound in this region of quick
mountain streams are generally deserted
and falling to, pieces. Fate has decreed that
Antietam shall remain on the day
which made the name memorable in all the
world In only a single respect has the face
of nature changed, and that the battlefield
commission purposes to set back as soon as
they have the means. The woods have been
considerably cut off, and many acres are
now cleared that were well forested in 1862.
But the farmers are raising the same crops,
and everything in nature looks just as it
did then.
Antietam is sufficiently near Washington
TO make it a convenient place for leisurely
tourists to visit Keedysville, on the Hagers-
town branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Rail-
road, about sixty miles northwest of Wash
ington, is the most accessible station, al
though the Norfolk & Western road comes
nearer the field at a station formerly called
Sharpsburg, but now named Antietam. Be-
tween the villages of Sharpsburg and Kee-
dysville lies the battlefield. Sharpsburg is
on the Potomac, ten miles north of Harper's
Ferry, the village being about a mile from
the river; while Keedysville is five miles in
land to the north. The country is about as
mountainous as the southern part of New
Hampshire or the most rugged regions of
Vermont. Capland where the war corre-
spondents' memorial has been erected, is
only few miles away, and along the same
Hagerstown branch; while the clustered
spires of Frederick, made famous by Whit
tiers verses. and the thriving city of Ha-
gerstown are distant but few hours drive.
gettysburg is perhaps forty miles to the
northeast. 1t should be recalled that An
tietam' is not the name of a town, but of
a small mountain creek which empues into
the Potomac above ,Harper's Ferry The
ne oh fnt iG a
Southern historians designate the battle.
But it was along the stream, particularly
at the Burnside bridge, that some or the
sharpest fighting occurred.
FEW MEMORIALS.
BY comparison with Gettysburg, the bat
tletield memorials at Antietam do not
amount to much. They have cost the gov
eminent only $4,000 thus far, and state gov
ernments and regimental associations only
a few thousand more. A million dollars
would not pay for the Gettysburg meraori-
ais, and to visit them all is hard days
work But the battlefield of Antietam is
quiet afternoons ride by carriage or bicy
Gle Near the village of Sharpsburg-
miles from the Keedysville station, are the
national cemetery and the observation tow
er beside the Bloody lane. About a mile to
the north are the Dunkers' Chapel and the
newly erected Massachusetts monument,
while Burnside bridge lies a mile south of
the village, and the most picturesque seem
cry of the field is there found. All the main
roads, throughout rural Maryland and
West Virginia, are turnpikes on which the
traveller who is able to ride pays toll of
cents. There is tollgate just outside of
Keedysville and one near the bunker
Church. In addition, the government has
built six miles of narrow avenues follow
ing important battlelines, the object being
to make a drive by the iron tablets, which
state the position of the various corps and
other facts of historic interest. These mark
ers begin as soon as the visitor leaves
Keedysville. The first one is in a farmers
cowyard and points to rough lane with
these words: ~. S. A. route of the First
and Twelfth Corps to the crossing of the
Antietam.' But the tablets are most plentf-
full along the battleline, especially about
Piper's cornfield, and the Bloody, lane, on the
north side of ii. They are painted black, with
raised white letters, and rest aslant on
low iron post. In some places as many as
nine of these are in row, but the full in
scription is interesting to the student OF
military maneuvers, rather than to the gen.
eral visitor.
toned affair, which locks exactly like one
story, gable-roofed country dwelling. Like
many of the structures in the locality, it is
built of brick and whitewashed. 1t now
''The bunker Church erected in 1858 by
German Baptist brethren. During the bat
found sanctuary within its walls. The build
ing was repaired and divine worship re-
sumed in the summer of 1864
This quaint little church was on the edge
of the woods in 1862, but now is in the midst
of open country. The conventional wartime
picture of the battle OF Antietam shows this
building with the woods forming back
ground. There are now two beautiful monu-
ments only short distance away. One is a
tall, slender stone erected TO the Phlla-
delphia Brigade" as Senator Bakers regi-
ments, the SiXty-ninth, Seventy-hrst, Sew
enty-second and Observation-Disclosures
Pennsylvanis, which had IN part seen serv-
ice at Balls Bluff, were called.
MASSACHUSETTS, MONUMENT.
The new Massachusetts, monument is a
conspicuous work of art. 1t has just been
placed in position and will probably be for
mally dedicated in May. Adjutant General
Dalton and Capt. Charles Z. Davis were
here last week making the necessary ar
rangements. The site selected is neutral
ground, as between the many Massachu-
sets regiments which participated in the
bloody battle, but on the highest land of the
whole field 1t bears this inscription:
Erected by the Commonwealth of Massa-
chusetts TO mark the positions held by her
troops at the battle of Antietam, Sept. IL,
1862"
The seal of the State. encircled by a
wreath, completes the story. Massachusetts
was represented in the battle by twenty
organizations of infantry, artillery and cav
airy, and they We're actively engaged. 1t is
an interesting fact that the first monument
on the field of Gettysburg was erected by
Massachusetts regiment-the Second-to
commemorate their fallen comrades. and
this monument at Antietam is one of the
the Burnside bridge there are other Massa-
chusetts memorials. One of the abutments
bears on one side the inscriptions Erected
by Lieut.. Albert A. Pope; as memorial of