Regimentals

Thursday, November 01, 2018

A walk in Antietam's 40-Acre Cornfield, where stories linger


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Under a blue sky and billowy gray and white clouds, a lone Antietam battlefield visitor walks to the crest of the hill, stands for a minute next to a tall, granite monument and stares into a rolling field. A fall chill invigorates in the 40-Acre Cornfield this morning. In the distance, silent sentinels stand guard while a large bird circles... circles ... circles until it finally drifts away. Few visit this ground on the battlefield's southern end, a pity because stories linger here like mist over nearby Antietam Creek.

Mortally wounded Newton Manross, a captain in the 16th Connecticut, was found in this field, his chest and shoulder carved open by artillery on Sept. 17, 1862.

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Seriously wounded Private Henry Adams, Manross' comrade, lay in this field for more than 40 hours before he was discovered. "Why did I not die?" he wondered years later.

On a slope steps from the 16th Connecticut monument, Samuel Brown's body was discovered, riddled with bullets. The 16th Connecticut captain was a school teacher in civilian life.

Somewhere in this field, Bridgeman J. Hollister, a 16th Connecticut private, was shot through the throat as he helped carry a comrade away from hell. He died eight days later.

Visit this place for the gorgeous scenery and solitude. And visit it for the stories, too.
16th Connecticut monument in the 40-Acre Cornfield.

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1 comment:

  1. Thank you for posting this video John. To follow in the footsteps of our ancestors who fought and died here that day would be an emotional experience. I hope to walk that trail one day. But if I can’t, thanks for giving us the next best opportunity to experience that special place.

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