Antietam: Old 16th Connecticut monument photo

Damaged photograph, probably taken in 1894,  of the 16th Connecticut monument at Antietam. 
The monument was dedicated on Oct. 11, 1894.  (Connecticut State Library Civil War collection)

Close-up of William Tipton's name on the 
photograph. The reverse of the photo includes 
the address of Tipton's Gettysburg studio.
(Connecticut State Library)
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE.

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Antietam rare photo expert Stephen Recker undoubtedly could tell us more about this damaged oversized photograph of  the 16th Connecticut monument taken by William Tipton. This image, torn at the top, was probably shot by Tipton in October 1894, when 16th Connecticut veterans and their families returned to the battlefield for the monument dedication. (See Page 10 of the "Souvenir of Excursion to Antietam," a recap published in December 1894 of the Connecticut veterans' return to the battlefield.) Tipton was well known for his battlefield photographs of Gettysburg, where he had a studio, but he also took shots at Antietam, only 45 miles south of our most famous Civil War site.

Discovered this morning in a box in the George Whitney Collection at the Connecticut State Library, this photograph is interesting because it shows the field probably much as it looked on Sept. 17, 1862. There's more vegetation today in this scene, which was the farm of John Otto during the battle. I wonder if that tree in the left background is the one that 16th Connecticut adjutant John Burnham described as the "large tree standing alone" where many of the dead of his regiment -- including privates John Bingham and Henry Barnett  and Lieutenant William Horton -- were temporarily buried before their remains were returned to Connecticut. (8th Connecticut private Oliver Case, subject of John Rogers' excellent blog,  also was buried with the dead of the 16th Connecticut.) It certainly merits more research ... or a blog reader setting me straight.

Recker, by the way, has a book coming out soon on rare views of the Antietam battlefield. Don't miss it. It will be spectacular.

Recker responds in comments section: "Thanks for the plug! This is really exciting. I have a number of Tipton 8x10s of Antietam monuments but have not seen this one. They are great for the ability to see clearly in the distance. What is notable here is a section of the Connecticut Park fence. There are remnants of what I think is the original fence, but this would help to confirm that. In my book I have a few pages from Tipton's hand-written catalog of Antietam views and this is in it. It does not have a date, but shows that he offered this view in 8x10, 11x14, and 14x17. Very cool. Thanks for putting this up."

Close-up of the monument photo showing detail in the background. BELOW: A shot of the 
monument taken from near  photogapher William Tipton's location more than 100 years ago.
(Connecticut State Library Civil War collection)

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