Antietam, Tuesday, April 18

Our first night in our new van went very well.  Despite the 41 degree outdoor temperature our down bags kept us warm and our full size Bob-O-Pedic mattress made a huge difference as did the overall extra width of the Transit in comparison to our Eurovan.

After a shower and simple breakfast of OJ and Cherios, we were on the road by 9 AM heading south toward Antietam National Battlefield that was only 70 miles away in Sharpsburg, Maryland.  Passing through Gettysburg we stopped for coffee and pastries at the Gettysburg Baking Company.  A delightful stop we discovered last July.

We arrived at the Antietam Visitors Center at 11:30; just in time to catch a 25 minute film about the battle narrated by James Earl Jones.  We then purchased the audio tour CD’s and spent the next three hours visiting the critical locations on the battlefield.  This battle lasted only one day, but there were over 23,000 casualties; making it the bloodiest battle in American history.  There was one spot were over 2,000 Union soldiers were killed in just 20 minutes.  The absurdity of war certainly strikes you eventhough you’re walking over miles of breathtaking scenery. 

Most historians considered the battle a draw.  The Union was hoping to destroy Lee’s army at Antietam, and thereby end the war, but due to Union General McLellan’s timid battlefield strategy, Lee’s badly outnumbered troops were able to withdraw the next day and live on to fight for several years.  McLellan was fired by Lincoln within six weeks.

This battle was the first time that Matthew Brady’s staff photographed dead soldiers on the battlefield, and the publication of these photos changed the public’s attitude toward the war.  Prior to Brady, battles were depicted by painters who mostly glorified war.  Brady’s photographs showed its horrors.  Lincoln, frustrated that the Union did not achieve a military victory, decided to announce the Emancipation Proclamation, and thereby gained the support of the French and the British who were about to side with the Confederacy.

Leaving Antietam, we crossed the Potomac into West Virginia, and had a late lunch on the outdoor terrace of the Blue Moon Café in Shepardton…another delicious meal.

From Shepardton we drove south, through Harpers Ferry, and eventually reached our evening destination, the Shenandoah National Park.  Starting from the northern entrance in Front Royal, Virginia, we followed Skyline Drive for 50 miles before reaching Big Meadows Campground around 7 PM.  The drive is spectacular, paralleling the Appalachian Trail, and providing continuous views of the Shenandoah River Valley from 2000-3600 ft. elevation.   During our first hour at the campground we have probably seen over a dozen deer.  Unlike the white tails that timidly come into our yard to nibble on cracked corn that we spread for the turkeys, these deer are very tame and hardly react to your presence.

Dinner was simple; cheese, crackers, & chocolate…a meal that the Civil War soldiers would have loved.