Old Antietam image: 14th Connecticut veterans return

 14th Connecticut veterans at their monument on the Antietam battlefield, probably
 photographed in October 1894.  
 (Photo: Connecticut State Library archives)

The dedication of Connecticut monuments at 
Antietam on Oct. 11, 1894, was covered 
extensively in the Hartford Courant.

A day after visiting Gettysburg, old soldiers of the 8th, 11th, 14th and 16th Connecticut regiments, accompanied by family members, visited Sharpsburg, Md., for the dedication of their monuments on the Antietam battlefield. The lead-up to the event and dedication day on Oct. 11, 1894, were extensively covered by the Hartford Courant. On Oct. 12, the newspaper featured a lengthy, six-column article with an illustration of each monument as well as partial transcripts of speeches veterans of each regiment gave at the dedications.

"Antietam battlefield memories were refreshed on that memorable field yesterday by many Connecticut Union Veterans who lived again the days of the initiation into the realm of shot and shell and the carnage of battle," the Courant reported. The event was also covered by photographers, notably famed battlefield photographer William Tipton, who operated a studio in nearby Gettysburg.

The image above is of veterans at the 14th Connecticut monument, near the infamous Bloody Lane, and may have been taken shortly after the dedication at 10 a.m. on Oct. 11, 1894. A credit appears in the lower right of the photo, but I can't quite make it out. For more on photography at Antietam, check out Stephen Recker's excellent new book, "Rare Images of Antietam And The Photographers Who Took Them."

Update from Stephen Recker: This is a really great photo. Thanks for sharing. Don't hold me to any of this, but I think the guy on the left is J.W. Knowlton, on the right is their chaplain, Henry S. Stevens, and the other two guys are probably A.P. Hammond and W.H. Tubbs, all veterans of the 14th and members of the committee. The fifth member, John C. Broatch, is not in the photo. John's brother, Robert, was a notable photographer and accompanied them to Antietam in 1891, but not, I think in 1894 for the dedication. As per the credit, the manifest for the trip lists a Henry Page and Henry P. Hammond. Either name would fit what looks like the "Henry P" in the bottom right corner. Tipton was there taking photos, but it does not look like a Tipton. A.F. Hall, A.P. Hammond, F.A. Sweet, O.C. Gould, and Charles H. Blatchley (probably son of veteran Charles G.) were all in the 14th and known to take "Kodaks" on their trips. There is another veteran to the left in the distance. No idea who that is!