Burnside's Bridge over Antietam Creek
by Kathleen Scanlan
Title
Burnside's Bridge over Antietam Creek
Artist
Kathleen Scanlan
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The Battle of Antietam took place over the span of one day. That day was September 17, 1762. It was the first major battle on Union soil and one of the bloodiest ones. By end of day, there were over 22,000 soldiers dead, wounded, or missing.
Robert E. Lee had been pushing towards the Capital, having crossed the Potomac River, when his troops encountered Union resistance. Maj. General George B. McClellan had them on the run and had pushed the Confederates all the way back to Antietam Creek where the Maj. General launched an attack. With help from Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker�s troops, the Union Army was able to keep the confederates at bay. Maj. Gen. Burnside captured the stone bridge and held it until Confederate Maj. Gen Hill arrived from Harper�s Ferry with reinforcements. With much less manpower than the Union, the Confederates retook the bridge. The bloody battle came to an end with the loss of the bridge by the Union. During the night, Robert E. Lee continued to skirmish with the Union while his troops managed to escape back across the Potomac to return to the south to fight another day.
Today, this bridge shows no signs of the cost of war. The stones are still in place, the water still runs in Antietam Creek, and the grasses grow lush and green. The trees that didn�t even exist at the time of the war have grown into beautiful shade trees to cover the bridge that had been the center point of a major battle of the Civil War. Had Robert E. Lee not been able to return to the south, would the war have continued as long as it did? If he had not been stopped by McClellan from entering the Capital, would the outcome of the war been the same?
Uploaded
February 27th, 2015
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Viewed 616 Times - Last Visitor from Cambridge, MA on 04/25/2024 at 12:03 PM
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Comments (23)
Jeannie Rhode Photography
Kathleen, Nice capture of this bridge.
Kathleen Scanlan replied:
Thank you Jeannie. It's one of those images that live in the present and the past. That's what I wanted to capture.
Judy Vincent
Wonderful image! Congratulations on your feature in the “Landscape and Landmark Photography” group!