Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-05-04

This quaint little church was on the
edge of the woods in 1869. but now
is in the midst of open country. The
conventional wartime picture of the
battle of Antietam shows this build
ing with the woods forming a back
ground. There are now two beautiful
monuments only short distance away.
One is a tall. slender stone erected to
the philadelphia Brigade as Sena-
tor Bakers regiment, the SiXty-ninth,
Seventy first. Seventy second and One
hundred and sixth Pennsylvania, which
had in part seen service at Balls Bluff,
was called.
The Massachusetts monument is a
conspicuous work of art. The site Sc
lected is ON neutral ground, as between
the many Massachusetts regiments that
participated in the bloody battle, but
on the highest land of the whole field.
1t bears this inscription:
Erected by the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, to mark the positions
held by her troops at the battle of An
tietam, Sept. II, 1862"
The seal of the state, encircled by
wreath completes the story. Massa-
chusetts was represented. in the battle
by twenty -one organization of infantry,
artillery and cavalry, and they were ac-
lively engaged. At the Burnside bridge
there are other Massachusetts memo
rails. One of the abutments bears on
81 H.,
Lieut.. Albert A. Pope, as a memorial
of his uead comrades" And on an
other face: 1.-The Thirty fifth Regiment
of Massachusetts Volunteers crossed
this bridge with Ferrero's Brigade,
Ninth Army Corps, at noon, Sept II,
1862, and moved to the right up the
hill, where. at the lane, pa of their
officers and men were killed or wound
ed. Gloria est pro patria MORT" The
other abutment of the bridge was erect
ed by the Twenty-first Regiment, Mas
sachusetts Infantry Association, and
| upon one side are the names of its
| members who were killed near the
bridge.
There are few more delightful spots
| than the Antietam creek at this old
bridge. The stream, about thirty feet
| wide, flows almost silently on its way,
| beneath the old willow trees, and with
| high bluffs a half hundred feet away.
The scene is one of absolute quiet, dis
| turbed only by the ripping of the wa
| ters. 1t had been still here for ages
| anH iIISt 11u thic G11int dis
| turbed by the horrible din Of war; but
that one day has given the little spot
a place on the map of the world.
In the National Cemetery near
| Sharpsburg villege, 4,671 soldiers, &C
| cording to the old guidebook, are bur
led. There IS stone lodgehouse for
| the Keeper" and beautiful embIema
| teal monument surmounted by. a he
roic figure of the Union soldier. faces
| the entrance. The views on all sides
| from the cemtery are of surprising
| beauty Within it's enclosure is small
mass of limestone, upon which it is
| said Lee stood to direct the battle. To
| the east, at a distance of about two
! miles, a large brick building may be
| seen. This is known as Frys house.
around which the tents of McClellan's
| headquarters were pitched before and
| during the battle This cemetery is
| in the concave of the Confederate bat
| tie line when the fighting began. In the
] distance may be seen the spurs of Mary
| land Heights and the stately South
mountain range. Practically the whole
| battlefield is visible from this point,
and with Palfrey's "Antietam" Of the
| Campaigns of the Civil War" series
| in hand, the whole contest is as read
lily understood as football game
| The story Of the battle is familiar.
1t was Lees first invasion of the North
His second was stopped at Gettysburg.
and, like it, Antietam was substantially
a drawn game, except that for invaders
such a balance of honors amounts to
a defeat and for defenders a victory,
The Union army doubtless slightly out
numbered its opponent, but this advan
| tage Mcclellan lost through his dispo-
sition to await condition of ideal
completeness in the way of preparation
before doing anything. The Union at
| tack was successive, not massed, and
many regiments available were not
| brought into actual battle Then the
military critics say it was fought one
day or perhaps two days too late, and
| it was one of the bloOdiest battles of
! all the war. 1t will be recalled that
| President Lincoln, in obedience to a
predetermination, when he heard that
the rebel march had been checked at
| Antetam, resolved to issue his eman-
| cipation proclamation. Thus Antietam
holds unique place among the battles
of the rebellion. 1t was fought among
people essentially Unionist in their sym
pathies. "Mountaineers are always free
men, and the western Marylander had
| had no use for slavery. The institution