Landscape Turned Red

More photos here

Closed up the lake house by 4 pm on Tuesday and got on the road looking a bit like the Clampetts (or the Griswolds?). With the kayak strapped to the luggage rack, we headed directly to Eastern Mountain Sports at the Danbury Mall to buy the Thule system so I could attach Craig's kayak carrier to the car. I assembled the Thule system in the Macy's parking lot and hoisted the kayak back into position. By 6:30 PM, Jethro and Ellie Mae were headed west on I-84.

We made it to Chambersburg, PA which is just west of Gettysburg. Being Civil War buff, I was excited to be on hallowed ground again although the landscape of Chambersburg had been transformed into a string of motels and fast food restaurants. It was here on the Village Green in this sleepy town in June, 1863 that General Lee met with General AP Hill and decided to move on to Gettysburg where the famous confrontation took place almost by accident. I have been to Gettysburg over 10 times and plan to go back more as it is the holy grail for Civil War followers. However, a close second would be Antietam in Sharpsburg, MD and I had never been to that battlefield. Detour.

The Battlefield is now managed by the National Park Service. Here, just 9 months before the Battle of Gettysburg, Union forces almost wrapped up the war during a day long engagement which was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history with about 23,000 casualties. It was the first major battle in the Civil War to take place on Northern soil and General McClellan, who had in his hands a copy of Lee's Orders that outlined the South's plans to split the Army, still could not act fast enough to get it done. Southern reinforcements arrived just in the nick of time from Harpers Ferry to save the day.

Under bright blue skies, we drove around the area stopping to read some of the monuments erected later by the units that fought there on September 17, 1862. I finally got to see the famous Dunker Church, the Cornfield, Burnside Bridge and Bloody Lane which I have read so much about over the years. It was at this battle that Clara Barton, who would go on to found the American Red Cross, brought bandages, lanterns and food for the wounded of both sides. A Union surgeon christened her "The Angel of the Battlefield". Although the Battle of Antietam was ultimately fought to a draw, it was seen by President Abraham Lincoln to be enough of a moral victory to issue the Emancipation Proclamation which freed the slaves in the rebelling states. It also redefined the Union war effort giving it the 2 goals of preserving the Union and ending slavery.

Antietam is worth the visit if you're in the area. Stephen Sear's Landscape Turned Red is a good read to get some perspective on the events that took place there. Next stop - Blue Ridge Parkway.