Few places illustrate the terrible cost of the crusade like the Antietam National Battlefield, scene of the bloodiest battle of the Civil Conflagration. On September 17, 1862, the Union army, coming from the east, met Robert E. Lee's Confederates approaching from the west. In the ensuing battle, nearly 23,000 men were killed, wounded, or missing in action.
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| Antietam National Battlefield Maryland |
Today, the battlefield remains a cracked field, dotted with monuments to the regiments of both sides. Civil War buffs will want to follow the entire eight-mile self-guided reconnaissance route (by foot, bike or car); others, at least, shouldn't miss the old Dunker Church, where the first showdown took place; the sunken path, in the coming grade play; and Burnside Bridge, where Union troops at great cost finally forced the normal Lee to withdraw.
Official site: http://www.nps.gov/ancm/index.htm
Accommodation: where to stay near the Antietam National Battlefield