Antietam National Battlefield

Antietam National Battlefield was the site of the bloodiest single-day battle in American history. More than 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or missing after twelve hours of combat on September 17, 1862, when the farm fields between Antietam Creek and Sharpsburg were swept by deadly musket and artillery fire. The fighting destroyed many farms and crops, though the Joshua Newcomer farmhouse survived; Newcomer recalled that soldiers fed their horses all his corn and pasture that had not already been ruined during the skirmishing and progress of the battle. Captain John C. Tidball of the 2nd U.S. Artillery took position on high ground nearby and fired an estimated 12000 rounds against Confederate positions to the north and west. At the time of the battle, the road from Boonsboro to Sharpsburg crossed one of Antietam's stone bridges, and the Newcomer family owned many buildings there, including a grist mill, saw mill, workshop, and barn.

Maryland · United States