Vigil at Antietam
Wednesday October 7, 2009
Antietam National Battlefield, part of the U.S. National Park system, is about 65 miles west of Baltimore, Maryland. This battlefield stands as a monument to the bloodiest single day in U.S. history. During the battle, which took place on September 17, 1862, over 23,000 soldiers were killed or wounded.
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Photo © Nancy Parode
I can’t even imagine losing more than 23,000 people in a single day. What a tragedy! I didn’t know about this monument or this sad bit of history. Thanks for teaching us.
23,000 is such a huge loss for one day. I’m surprised that I didn’t learn more about this in high school, really. Maybe I just wasn’t paying attention that day.
My husband the history buff tells me that the Civil War was the deadliest war in American history, with over 200,000 killed in battle and more than twice that number killed by accident or disease.
Anything having to do with the Civil War leaves me feeling cold… such a loss and wounding scar on this country’s history.
As a Southerner, the Civil War is often more real and present for me than more recent ones, perhaps because I live near where battles were fought. I believe it was Winston Churchill who said it was the most inevitable war in history, but what loss of life and waste of resources. It is a pity that it took such a struggle to end slavery and reunite the union.
This country was founded by slavers and we are not rid of them yet. Even though this one was supposedly fought for principals, War is a tragic waste of human life. I believe the losing side still manages to get politicians into office and continues to enslave and exploit the American people under names like Health Insurance Corporations for instance.
That is a terrible tragedy. It’s good that the Antietam National Battlefield is a place where people can go to and learn more about the Civil War – hopefully by learning about the past we can avoid repeating it.