In the footsteps of her ancestor in the 40-Acre Cornfield

Laurie Buckler Mack in the 40-Acre Cornfield with an image of her ancestor, an officer
 in the 16th Connecticut. The monument to the regiment  appears in the background.

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I first met Laurie Buckler Mack over breakfast at Bonnie’s At The Red Byrd in Keedysville, Md., where I once dined with a man who billed himself as an ex-CIA agent. Alas, he didn't reveal any government secrets. Minutes into our meal, however, Mack spilled hers.

“After college, I followed The Grateful Dead around for a year," she said, "but I hope my mother doesn’t find out,” she said. We hit it off right then and there.

Mack holds an image of her great great great
 grandfather, William Horton, who was
 mortally wounded in the
  40-Acre Cornfield at Antietam.

Later that day, we walked in the 40-Acre Cornfield at Antietam in the footsteps of her great great great grandfather, Lt. William Horton of the 16th Connecticut. He was mortally wounded there on Sept. 17, 1862. His story — and Mack's — is told in my recently released book, A Civil War Road Trip Of A Lifetime (Gettysburg Publishing). 

Mack recently answered these questions about her ancestor and Antietam. 

What was it like to walk in the 40-Acre Cornfield for the first time? 

Surreal. I was trying to find the monument for the 16th Connecticut, and in the usual fashion, I went the long way around. My father always told me the members of the 16th were not soldiers. They were bankers and factory workers and men with jobs and probably not in good physical shape. It is quite hilly and it was blazing hot the day I went. I couldn't imagine how uncomfortable it was for a bunch of Yankees carrying their heavy packs and wearing their heavy uniforms in the Maryland heat and humidity.

I also felt a profound sense of sadness that so many men died so far away from their homes and families in Connecticut. There were a couple of scientists doing some research at the monarch waystation below the 16th Connecticut monument and that really gave me a sense of joy and peace. I have been back to the 40-Acre Cornfield several times since and I still feel the same sense of sadness for all the men who perished on Sept. 17, 1862.

If you could ask William Horton one question, what would it be? 

Why did you re-enlist and continue fighting? He had already done a stint with the 11th Connecticut and had resigned, as I am sure many soldiers did. Was it because he was being accused of cowardice or did he feel a deeper sense of duty? His ancestors had all fought in wars, including the Revolutionary War, and his father, Simeon Horton, had fought in the War of 1812. William had a job in a mill, so I don't think it was a financial motivation. I would like to think life would have been much better for his wife Laura and children Estella, Hattie and James had he lived.

How would you like your ancestor to be remembered?

As a father and family man as well as a brave man who gave his life for a cause he believed in. So many lives were lost during the American Civil War and so many fathers, sons, husbands and brothers never returned home to their families. Many families never found out what happened to their loved one. It amazes me that we have a written account of William's death, burial at Antietam, return home and sermon from his well-attended funeral in Stafford Springs, Conn. I am so grateful for the authors who have written about the 16th Connecticut and brought the soldiers to life.

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Email me at jbankstx@comcast.net for details about how to get an autographed copy of A Civil War Road Trip Of A Lifetime.

The 16th Connecticut monument in the 40-Acre Cornfield.