Today is my favorite Civil War Date. September 17th, 1862 was the Battle of Antietam. Don't ask me why, but something about this battle and this date stick with me. Antietam was the bloodiest single day battle in American History. 23,000 men where killed, hurt, or wounded.
The Burnside Bridge
We have been to Antietam twice now. Once in 1998 and again in 2008. It was so cool to be able to take my kids there. The battlefield is beautiful, but it doesn't seem any more special to me while I'm there than other battlefields, so I wonder about my mental draw to it. Still I feel as though there must be some connection to it for me.
The Dunker Church
Yesterday, Justin asked me if I remembered going to the underground ice cream parlor in the "little town of Washington DC". I thought for a moment, then I figured out he must mean Harpers Ferry. I asked him a question about it, then he said yes, that was the place. We had gotten ice cream at a house built onto a hillside, and you had to go down steps to get into the shop, so it was kind of underground. Well, we had gone to Antietam the day after Harpers Ferry, so I told him the anniversary of Antietam was the next day. He immediately wanted to go. He said if we left right away we could get there. Well, I guess if we drove straight through, since it's a 20 hour drive from our house. What I wouldn't give to be there for the anniversary, so I was quite excited that Justin had the same thought. Then I told Justin how in December Antietam has a battlefield Illumination, they light a candle for every casualty, and place them all over the battlefield, so imagine 23,000 candles. He was all over that, he loves candles, so, now he wants to go to that. Definitely someday!
