150th Anniversary of The Battle of Antietam

[max]

Tomorrow, the 17th, marks the 150th anniversary of the battle. More Americans died that day than any other day in our history.

[StatesRightist]

It was a bad day for both sides, that's for sure. The parallels of that time period and the run up to the war and today are striking. It will be interesting to see if we are any smarter this time.

[Muley Gil]

max, don't you mean the Battle of Sharpsburg? Antietam is the Yankee name for the battle.

As a teenager in 1967, I visited the battleground. Walking through the Bloody Lane, I had one of those spine shivering moments.

A few years later, my pappy and I joined a North-South Skirmish unit. A school chum started shooting with his daddy's unit at the same time. While I liked my musket, I really liked his, which was an original Tower marked Enfield.

In the 1990s, I got involved in reenacting. I knew that I had Confederate ancestors, but no details. After a few searches, I discovered that my great, great granddaddy, Elijah S Davis, served in Co I, 6th Alabama Infantry CSA. It also seems that he was issued an Enfield rifle musket.

Oh, and where did Elijah fight? Among other battles like Gettysburg, he was in the Bloody Lane at Sharpsburg! Was that "shiver moment" back in the 1960s "blood calling blood"? Who knows.

[jlrhiner]

I'm leaving at the end of the week headed to Richmond VA. The lovely misses and I along with another couple will be attending the H.O.G. Battle Cry tour. It will meander through Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee ending at the Dragons Tail by Deals Gap. About a 1000 mile bike ride and Civil War museums and battlefields.

I cant wait!

[1morethan8]

Just remember, Jim... The Dragon Never Sleeps!!

Hell Roads - Tail of the Dragon - YouTube

When I go to Robbinsville, I always take the Cherohala Skyway... after you watch the video you'll know why!

[tops]

[QUOTE=Muley Gil;136709402]max, don't you mean the Battle of Sharpsburg? Antietam is the Yankee name for the battle.

QUOTE]

He is from Illinois. He is one of "those people". Larry

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

We won the battle, we get to name it.
I visited that battlefield in 1975, I was struck by its small size. No wonder it was such a slaughterhouse.

[max]

[QUOTE=tops;136709628]

Originally Posted by Muley Gil

max, don't you mean the Battle of Sharpsburg? Antietam is the Yankee name for the battle.

QUOTE]

He is from Illinois. He is one of "those people". Larry

My family is originally from Virginia and it is possible I had relatives on both sides.

[jaykellogg]

I went to high school from '59-63. The impressions I got at the time about the civil war (war between the states) are almost all incorrect. By this, I mean the causes of the war. I recently read on one site that there is no Prohibition from seceding from the union. Slavery certainly was part of it, but far and away most of the combatants did not own slaves. There were many issues.

It bites to find out that you were taught things in school that are just plain wrong. Sort of like discovering that two plus two does not equal four.

[jlrhiner]

Originally Posted by 1morethan8

Just remember, Jim... The Dragon Never Sleeps!!

Hell Roads - Tail of the Dragon - YouTube

When I go to Robbinsville, I always take the Cherohala Skyway... after you watch the video you'll know why!

YIKES!!! I will get the tshirt from that one!

[jaykellogg]

Jim, if you ride a street cruiser there is a good chance you will drag something going through the dragon. I have seen pictures of big cruisers with a trail of sparks behind them. There is a lot of law enforcement going on there. People get hurt there all the time. Also it is a long trip to the hospital.

I participated in Z dayz there (350Z). There were 5 accidents over a three day weekend.

Stay safe.

[jlrhiner]

Originally Posted by jaykellogg

Jim, if you ride a street cruiser there is a good chance you will drag something going through the dragon. I have seen pictures of big cruisers with a trail of sparks behind them. There is a lot of law enforcement going on there. People get hurt there all the time. Also it is a long trip to the hospital.

I participated in Z dayz there (350Z). There were 5 accidents over a three day weekend.

Stay safe.

Don't worry about me, I ride a trike. I'll be the guy everyone else is going around

[cass]

I just cannot imagine the bloodshed. We'll do better next time.

[1morethan8]

And the results?
Battle of Sharpsburg
Inconclusive (Strategic Union Victory)
...It's kind'a tuff to have victory with 2 to 1 odds?


Notice the number of men on each side and the outcome...

The Ten Costliest Battles Of The Civil War

#1
Battle of Gettysburg
Date: July 1-3, 1863

Location: Pennsylvania
Confederate Commander: Robert E. Lee
Union Commander: George G. Meade
Confederate Forces Engaged: 75,000
Union Forces Engaged: 82,289
Winner: Union
Casualties: 51,112 (23,049 Union and 28,063 Confederate)

#2
Battle of Chickamauga
Date: September 19-20, 1863

Location: Georgia
Confederate Commander: Braxton Bragg
Union Commander: William Rosecrans
Confederate Forces Engaged: 66,326
Union Forces Engaged: 58,222
Winner: Confederacy
Casualties: 34,624 (16,170 Union and 18,454 Confederate)

#3
Battle of Chancellorsville
Date: May 1-4, 1863

Location: Virginia
Confederate Commander: Robert E. Lee
Union Commander: Joseph Hooker
Confederate Forces Engaged: 60,892
Union Forces Engaged: 133,868
Winner: Confederacy
Casualties: 30,099 (17,278 Union and 12,821 Confederate)

#4
Battle of Spotsylvania
Date: May 8-19, 1864

Location: Virginia
Confederate Commander: Robert E. Lee
Union Commander: Ulysses S. Grant
Confederate Forces Engaged: 50,000
Union Forces Engaged: 83,000
Winner: Confederacy
Casualties: 27,399 (18,399 Union and 9)000 Confederate)

#5
Battle of Antietam
Date: September 17, 1862

Location: Maryland
Confederate Commander: Robert E. Lee
Union Commander: George B. McClellan
Confederate Forces Engaged: 51,844
Union Forces Engaged: 75,316
Winner: Inconclusive (Strategic Union Victory)
Casualties: 26,134 (12,410 Union and 13,724 Confederate)

#6
Battle of The Wilderness
Date: May 5-7, 1864

Location: Virginia
Confederate Commander: Robert E. Lee
Union Commander: Ulysses S. Grant
Confederate Forces Engaged: 61,025
Union Forces Engaged: 101,895
Winner: Inconclusive
Casualties: 25,416 (17,666 Union and 7,750 Confederate)

#7
Battle of Second Manassas
Date: August 29-30, 1862

Location: Virginia
Confederate Commander: Robert E. Lee
Union Commander: John Pope
Confederate Forces Engaged: 48,527
Union Forces Engaged: 75,696
Winner: Confederacy
Casualties: 25,251 (16,054 Union and 9,197 Confederate)

#8
Battle of Stone's River
Date: December 31, 1862

Location: Tennessee
Confederate Commander: Braxton Bragg
Union Commander: William S. Rosecrans
Confederate Forces Engaged: 37,739
Union Forces Engaged: 41,400
Winner: Union
Casualties: 24,645 (12,906 Union and 11,739 Confederate)

#9
Battle of Shiloh
Date: April 6-7, 1862

Location: Tennessee
Confederate Commander: Albert Sidney Johnston/ P. G. T. Beauregard
Union Commander: Ulysses S. Grant
Confederate Forces Engaged: 40,335
Union Forces Engaged: 62,682
Winner: Union
Casualties: 23,741 (13,047 Union and 10,694 Confederate)

#10
Battle of Fort Donelson
Date: February 13-16, 1862

Location: Tennessee
Confederate Commander: John B. Floyd/Simon B. Buckner
Union Commander: Ulysses S. Grant
Confederate Forces Engaged: 21,000
Union Forces Engaged: 27,000
Winner: Union
Casualties: 19,455 (2,832 Union and 16,623 Confederate)

[Muley Gil]

[QUOTE=max;136709731]

Originally Posted by tops

My family is originally from Virginia and it is possible I had relatives on both sides.

I KNEW there was something I liked about you, besides the fact that you are very generous about buying the beer.