Antietam Battlefield 138th Anniversary Plans
SHARPSBURG, Md.

The National Park Service (NPS) staff at Antietam National Battlefield is working on special programs including tours, speakers and special presentations to mark the battle's 138th anniversary in September.

According to NPS Ranger/Historian Paul Chiles, the activities at the battlefield will dovetail into the Sharpsburg Heritage Festival on Sept. 16 and 17.

"We're planning a number of things, but we're still plugging in the specifics," Chiles said in mid-July. "The activities at Antietam and the activities in the Sharpsburg festival are separate, but they are joined at the hip." Shuttle bus service will be provided between sites.

Chiles said the 1862 Antietam battle was "the biggest single event" in Sharpsburg's history, but he points out there was a lot of history before the Civil War and a lot after the war as well. That's why the NPS focuses its attention on the war and related issues while the Sharpsburg committee takes care of the other aspects of the community's history.

One of the highlights of the anniversary activities includes a "real-time" hike. Chiles said participants will be hiking at the actual times of troop maneuvering for an added sense of realism.

A torchlight tour will highlight a series of vignettes on the importance of the Civil War on civilian life, he explained.

Chiles, who is also a member of the Sharpsburg Heritage Festival committee, said that the activities in town will include living history, guest speakers, reenactments from the Revolutionary War period and the War of 1812 and concerts with the Marine Corps Band and others.

During the Marine band performance, a medley of military songs is performed and members of the audience are asked to stand when the different parts are played if they either served in a particular branch of the service or if a loved on served.

"By the end of the song, almost everyone is standing," Chiles said. "Sharpsburg is a very patriotic place."

While Antietam Battlefield may not attract the same crowds as Gettysburg, it can attract 1,000 to 1,500 visitors per day on weekends, Chiles said, noting that more are expected on the anniversary weekend.

Because the people in Sharpsburg want to keep the area quaint, and not commercial like Gettysburg, there are very few places to stay in town, but an abundance of rooms in the nearby communities of Hagerstown and Martinsburg, both within a 15-mile radius.

Anniversary highlights:
Wednesday, Sept. 13: Antietam Anniversary Speaker Series lecture at 7 p.m. in the Visitor Center Theater.
Thursday, Sept. 14: "Prelude to Battle" ranger-led hike which will begin at 6 p.m. at the Visitor Center.
Friday, Sept. 15: Battle Commemorative Ceremony at 6 p.m. at the Dunker Church followed by a 7 p.m. lecture on the Battle of Antietam in the Visitor Center Theater.
Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 16 and 17:
Special ranger-led "real time hikes" throughout the day including:
7-8:30 a.m. Opening Guns Ü The one-mile hike follows the route of Union General Hooker's attack from the North Woods across the Cornfield and into the path of the Texas Brigade's counterattack. Gather at Tour Stop #2 the North Woods.
9-10:30 a.m. A Rude and Imperfect Greeting Ü A one-mile hike will cover rarely seen ground where lucky timing and tricky terrain enabled Confederates to smash outnumbered Union soldiers in the West Woods. Gather at tour stop #1 the Dunker Church.
11 a.m. -12:30 p.m. Attack on the Sunken Road Ü This one-mile hike follows the path of the Union attack against the sunken country road that would forever be known as "Bloody Lane." Gather at the Visitor Center.
1:30-3 p.m. The Noose Around Lee's Neck Ü View the battlefield from Gen. Robert E. Lee's perspective in this 1.5 mile hike around the center of the Confederate line at the Piper Farm and the National Cemetery. Gather at the parking lot on Route 34 across from the National Cemetery. 3:30-5 p.m. Burnside Bridge and Beyond Ü The 1.5-mile hike focuses on the Union assaults on the Burnside Bridge and their continued advance on Sharpsburg until they were turned back by General A.P. Hill's Confederate counterattack.
Sunday, Sept. 17: Battle Anniversary "Unresolved Mysteries of Antietam" lecture by Dr. Joseph Harsh in the Visitor Center Theater.

For more information call the battlefield park at (301) 432-5124.