1885 image of Antietam National Cemetery

An 1885 cabinet card image of Antietam National Cemetery, taken by an
 unknown photographer.
(CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE.)

A close-up of the image shows "Old Simon," the massive monument,
 in the left background.

As Antietam rare image expert Stephen Recker can attest, old photographs of the battlefield turn up every so often at Civil War shows and even on eBay. Recker features many old images of Antietam, some never before published, in his recently published book. (I especially love the images he included of the unveiling of the 16th Connecticut monument.) At the Gettysburg Civil War Show last weekend, I purchased the cabinet card image above of Antietam National Cemetery entrance, taken in September 1885 by an unknown photographer.  The content isn't spectacular, but it is a unique look of  the cemetery 127 years ago.