"Antietam September 17, 1862." Topic

" Antietam was the costliest day of fighting during the entire American Civil War. The cover shows a picture of Burnside's Bridge. This is just one of many places in this small battlefield that were etched upon the soldiers' minds. The East and West Woods, and that terrible Millers Cornfield; I have walked this battlefield, and was simply amazed at the smallness of it. How so much death and destruction was wrought in this little area is hard to fathom. By the way, the Sunken Road is not what many people think it is. I always assumed that it was a sunken lane, and that the area in front of it was flat and offered the Confederates a sweeping field of fire. In reality the lane is sunken, but it is actuality much lower than where the Union attacks came from. The Irish and others attacked over a small hill right above the Sunken Lane. You would think that the Confederates would have occupied the crest of the hill. However, they were already the closest Confederate unit to the Union batteries on the other side of Antietam Creek. The heavy Union artillery would have wreaked havoc on them. From the crest to the Sunken Lane is probably only a few hundred feet, if that. The battle there was at the same close quarters as the Cornfield. The battlefield is very well kept up and if you get a chance, go and check it out. Now on to the game. This is one of Worthington Publishing's first games in their 'Civil War Brigade Battle Series'…"

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Amicalement
Armand

My friend Kermit and I made the climb from the Union start-line at the farm up the slope to the Sunken Road at Antietam battlefield some years back. The sunken road position was completely invisible until we reached the crest, at which point it was (IIRC) only about 35 paces away. Technically, it was a reverse slope position with the Confederates gaining cover from the road embankment; it could not be seen by the Union artillery positioned on the other side of Antietam Creek.

B

Thanks!

Amicalement
Armand