Bravehardt
0048 Looking into at Antietam National Cemetery
The Battle of Antietam,or Sharpsburg,on September 17,1862,was the tragic culmination of Robert E.Lee's first invasion of the North.That one fateful day more than 23,110 men were killed,wounded or listed as missing.Approximately 4,00 were killed,and in the days that followed,many more died of wounds or disease.The peaceful village of Sharpsburg turned into a huge hospital burial ground extending for miles in all directions.
Burial details performed their grisly task with speed,but not great care.Graves ranged from single burial to long,shallow trenches accommodating hundreds.For example,William Roulette,whose farm still stands today,had over 700 soldiers buried on his property.Grave marking were somewhat haphazard,from stone piles to rough-hewn crosses and wooded headbords.A few ended up in area church cemeteries.In other cases friends or relatives removed bodies from the area for transport home.By March of 1864,no effort had been made to find a suitable final resting place for those buried in the fields surrounding Sharpsburg.Many graves had become exposed;something had to be done.
In 1864,State Senator Lewis P. Firey introduced to the Maryland Senate a plan to establish a state,or national,cemetery for the men who died in the Maryland Campain of 1862.On March 23,1865,the state established a burial site by purchasing 11 1/2 acres for $ 1161.75.
The original Cemetery Commission's plan allowed for burial of soldiers from both sides.However,the rancor and bitterness over the recently completed conflict and the devastated South's inability to raise funds to join in such a venture persuaded Maryland to recant.Consequently,only Union dead are interred here.Confederate remains were re-interred in Washington Confederate Cemetery in Hagerstown,Maryland;Mount Olivet Cemetery in Frederick Maryland;and Elmwood Cemetery in Shepherdstown,West Virginia.Approximately 2,800 Southerners are buried in these three cemeteries,over 60% of whom are unknown.
In an effort to locate grave sites and identify the occupants,no one was of more value than two area men: Aaron Good and Joseph Gill.In the days,months,and years following the battle,these men freely gave of their time and gathered a large number of names and burial locations.The valuable service provided by these men cannot be overstated.The dead were identified by letters,receits,diaries,photographs,marks on belts or cartridge boxes,and by interviewing relatives and survivors.Contributions totaling over $70,000 were submitted from Northern States to the administrations of the Antietam National Cemetery Board.With a workforce consisting primarily of honorably discharged soldiers,the cemetery was completed by Septembery 1867.
On September 17,1867,on the fifth anniversary of the battle,the cemetery was ready for the dedication cermonies.The ceremony was important enough to bring President Andrew Johnson and other dignitaries.President Andrew Johnson proclaimed,"When we look on yon battlefield,I think of the brave men who fell in the struggle of battle,and who sleep silent in their graves.Yes,many of them sleep insilence and peace within this beautiful enclosure after the earnest conflict has ceased."
0048 Looking into at Antietam National Cemetery
The Battle of Antietam,or Sharpsburg,on September 17,1862,was the tragic culmination of Robert E.Lee's first invasion of the North.That one fateful day more than 23,110 men were killed,wounded or listed as missing.Approximately 4,00 were killed,and in the days that followed,many more died of wounds or disease.The peaceful village of Sharpsburg turned into a huge hospital burial ground extending for miles in all directions.
Burial details performed their grisly task with speed,but not great care.Graves ranged from single burial to long,shallow trenches accommodating hundreds.For example,William Roulette,whose farm still stands today,had over 700 soldiers buried on his property.Grave marking were somewhat haphazard,from stone piles to rough-hewn crosses and wooded headbords.A few ended up in area church cemeteries.In other cases friends or relatives removed bodies from the area for transport home.By March of 1864,no effort had been made to find a suitable final resting place for those buried in the fields surrounding Sharpsburg.Many graves had become exposed;something had to be done.
In 1864,State Senator Lewis P. Firey introduced to the Maryland Senate a plan to establish a state,or national,cemetery for the men who died in the Maryland Campain of 1862.On March 23,1865,the state established a burial site by purchasing 11 1/2 acres for $ 1161.75.
The original Cemetery Commission's plan allowed for burial of soldiers from both sides.However,the rancor and bitterness over the recently completed conflict and the devastated South's inability to raise funds to join in such a venture persuaded Maryland to recant.Consequently,only Union dead are interred here.Confederate remains were re-interred in Washington Confederate Cemetery in Hagerstown,Maryland;Mount Olivet Cemetery in Frederick Maryland;and Elmwood Cemetery in Shepherdstown,West Virginia.Approximately 2,800 Southerners are buried in these three cemeteries,over 60% of whom are unknown.
In an effort to locate grave sites and identify the occupants,no one was of more value than two area men: Aaron Good and Joseph Gill.In the days,months,and years following the battle,these men freely gave of their time and gathered a large number of names and burial locations.The valuable service provided by these men cannot be overstated.The dead were identified by letters,receits,diaries,photographs,marks on belts or cartridge boxes,and by interviewing relatives and survivors.Contributions totaling over $70,000 were submitted from Northern States to the administrations of the Antietam National Cemetery Board.With a workforce consisting primarily of honorably discharged soldiers,the cemetery was completed by Septembery 1867.
On September 17,1867,on the fifth anniversary of the battle,the cemetery was ready for the dedication cermonies.The ceremony was important enough to bring President Andrew Johnson and other dignitaries.President Andrew Johnson proclaimed,"When we look on yon battlefield,I think of the brave men who fell in the struggle of battle,and who sleep silent in their graves.Yes,many of them sleep insilence and peace within this beautiful enclosure after the earnest conflict has ceased."