Harpers Ferry, Antietam
Layover day with touring. We are now in an area where things are closer together. Tens of miles instead of hundreds. From Gettysburg it is only thirty to fifty miles to many points of historical, cultural, and natural interest. Today we went southwest to visit the historical town of Harpers Ferry and the Antietam battle site.
Harpers Ferry is a small town at the junction of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. It has much history not only related to the Civil War but before and after as a center for some industries, westward expansion, tourism, recreation, etc. We learned some more Civil War history, admired the views, and strolled the town.
More Civil War history at Antietam. Battle here only lasted 12 hours and basically ended in a draw. But, more soldiers were killed, wounded, or missing in that 12 hours by far than in any other similar time frame in the entire war. It was also the first time that pictures were taken of dead soldiers in the field and shown to the general public. The scope of the fatalities and the graphicness of the pictures opened peoples eyes to the realities of war. Until then people not connected with fighting had a very naive impression of what war was all about.
Our little trip today took us into four different states. Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia.
No comments:
Post a Comment