We went on that day because it was the day of the Antietam annual illumination, when 23,000 luminaries are lit, representing the 23,000 casualties on a SINGLE day in the Civil war. That day was September 17, 1862, and has been called the bloodiest day in American history.
We arrived at the battlefield around 11am to get information about the illumination, and we saw hundreds of volunteers-many of them Boy Scouts-setting out the brown bags with candles that would be lit that evening.
We had a few hours to spend until it was time to get in line for the illumination, so we drove about 30 minutes to West Virginia to the Harper's Ferry National Historic Park.
It was a good day to go, since there were people dressed in Civil War costumes, a civil war camp was set up, and there was a brass band playing and cannon demonstrations.
And you'll never guess the name of one of the rivers that borders the town of Harper's Ferry. Give up? It's the Potomac. Yes, it's everywhere!!
An old fashioned Santa added to the holiday atmosphere.
Below Kent stands in front of the Civil War encampment. We ate lunch in Harper's Ferry and spent a couple of hours there, then drove back to Antietam to get in line for the illumination.
We waited in line in our car for over two hours, but we were prepared for it and had brought things to read and do. At 6pm the gates opened and cars were allowed to slowly drive through the park and view the luminaries from the car. Pedestrian traffic wasn't allowed.
The picture below is fuzzy, but I think you can still tell that this was an American flag. This was actually along the road before we entered the battlefield.
It's very sobering to think of the number of casualties, and the luminaries were an effective way to show it. The cars drove along a five-mile route, which took about an hour.
I got the photo below off the internet. Our camera couldn't take such a great shot.
After we drove through the park we headed for home, which was about a two-hour drive. Another way cool and educational thing we've done this year.
It's very sobering to think of the number of casualties, and the luminaries were an effective way to show it. The cars drove along a five-mile route, which took about an hour.
The building below is a church that survived the battle.
I got the photo below off the internet. Our camera couldn't take such a great shot.
After we drove through the park we headed for home, which was about a two-hour drive. Another way cool and educational thing we've done this year.
4 comments:
That really is sobering...
Wow, that's really sad.
That is really neat. I'm glad people take the time each year to remember that. Your camera still took some pretty nice pictures.
That looked like a neat trip-fun with all the civil war costumes.
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