The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-04-26
THE FIELD OFBATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
The WAR.
The Veterans of the Rebellion Tell of
Whist1ing Bullets, Bright Bayonets,
Bursting Bombs, Bloody Rattles,
Camp Fire, Festive Bugs, ETC., Etc.

"hihhS DuAicts, bT1Snt bayOuete,
Bursting Bombs, Bloody Battles,
Camp Fire, Festive Bugs, ETC., Etc.
OF the five b~attlefields of the war
which have been set apart for memo
rial purposes-Antietam, Gettysburg.
Chickanlauga, Shiloh and Vicksburg-
the first named has certain interesting
features not possessed by all. The in
crease of population and the march of
material progress have not disturbed
Antietam. 1t is in the rugged and pic
turesque mountain country of western
Maryland, which today 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 exists today
which was not here then. Burnside's
bridge over Antietam creek is the same
structure that saw the terrible slaugn-
ter forty-four years ago. and the Dun
ker church. around which the sharpest
OF the conflict ragged, is still the place
of worship of the little society of Ger
man brethren.
This makes the battle maps clearly
iiitelligible. besides giving the visitor
the charm of seeing real things, in
stead 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.
therefore, it 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 are
falling to pieces, Fate has decreel
that Antietam shall remain as on the
one day which made the name memoir
able 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 soen as they
have the means. The woods have been
considerably cut off, and many acres
are now cleared that were well for
ested in 1862. But the farmers are
raising the same crops and everything
in nature looks just as it did then.
Antietam is sufficiently near Wash
ington to make it a convenient place
for leisurely tourists to visit. Keelys-
Vile, on the Hagerstown branch of the
baltimore & Ohio Railroad, about six
" miles northwest of Washington, is
the most accessible station, although
the Norfolk & Western road comes
nearer the field at a station formerly
called Sharpsburg. but now named An
tietam. Between the villages of
Sharpsburg and Keedysvills lies the
battlefield. S~harpsburg is on the Po-
tomac. ten miles north of Harper's
Ferry, the village being about a mile
from the river; while Keedysville is
five miles inland to the north. The
country is about as mountainous rs
the southern part of New Hampshire
or the most rugged regions Of Vermont.
Capland, where the war correspond
ents' memorial has been erected, is
only a few miles away. and along the
same Hagerstown branch while the
clustered spires of Frederick, made
famous by Whittier's verses. and tn
thriving city Of Hagerstown arc dis
tant but a few hours drive. Gettys-
burg Is perhaps forty miles to the north
east. 1t should be recalled that San
tietam'' Is not the name of a town, but
of a small mountain creek which emp
ties into the Potomac above Harper's
Ferry. The nelghboring town is Sharps-
burg, by which Southern historians
designate the battle. But it was along
the stream, particularly at the Burnside
bridge, that some of the sharpest fight
ing occurred.
Near the village OF SharpsburgAfour
miles from the Keedysville station, are
the national cemetery and the observa-
ton tower beside the Bloody lane.
About a mile to the north are the Dun
kers' chapel inc the Massachusetts
monument, while Burnside bridge lies
a mile south of the village, and the
most picturesque scenery of the field
is there found. All the main roads,
as throughout rural Maryland and West
Virginia, are turnpikes on which the
traveller who is able to ride pays a toll
of 8 cents. There is a tollgate just out
side of Keedysville and one near the
bunker church. In addition the govern |
ment has built six miles of narrow
avenues" following important battle
lines, the object being to make a drive
by the iron tablets, which state the
position OF the various corps and other
facts of historical interest. These mark
ers begin as soon as the visitor leaves
Keedysville. The first one is In a
farmers coward and points to a rough
lane with these words: "U. S. A. route
Of the Twelfth Corps to the crossing of |
the Antietam." But the tablets are most
plentiful along the battleline, especially
about Piper's cornfield and the Bloody
lane On the north side of 1t. They are
painted black, with white raised let
tiers, and rest aslant on a low iron
post. In some places as many as nine
Of these are In a row, but the full In
scription Is interesting to the student
Of military rather than to
the general visitor.
The Bunker church is a little old
fashioned affair, which looks exactly
like a one-story, g~able-roofed country
dwelling. Like many of the structures
In the locality, it Is built of brick and
whitewashed. 1t now bears this in
scription:
"Tne bunker Church, erected in 1853,
by German Baptist brethren. During
the battle the wounded of both armies
and found sanctuary within its