Antietam Battlefield

Kim has a habit of "spontaneous tourism", i.e. she'll see a roadside sign for a nearby attraction and drive 20-30 miles out of the way for a look-see. I admire this trait in her.

While driving through Maryland on the way back from the east coast last week, she spotted a sign for "Antietam Battlefield" and asked me if it was a significant site. Yes, I replied, it was one of the major Civil War battles. Robert F. Lee pushed into Maryland hoping to gain the support of reported sympathizers in the area, but after a three-day affair involving 100,000 men and 23,000 casualties, the South retreated back into Virginia. Lincoln was so incensed with General McClellan's failure to counterattack the Confederates during their lengthy crossing of the Potomac that he personally visited the battlefield and eventually replaced McClellan.

Thirty minutes later we were touring the battlefield, and despite the cold rain, I enjoyed it. This is a picture of "Burnside's bridge" which was the site of some pitched battles as the South departed the battlefield.

It's ironic how beautiful and peaceful these sites of awful battles can be. A line in The Red Badge of Courage captures this sentiment: It was surprising that Nature had gone tranquilly on with her golden process in the midst of so much devilment.